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Show ! J III THE UNIVERSITY OF DESERET. j This institution of learning has come f j prominently before the public in the last : j few days on account of the strictures of I the Xews on the .Governor's report and j ; the defense of the report by the Tribune. I j We firmly believe that the institution has ? j been thoroughly misunderstood, and that I ;' : ' through such misunderstanding it has I j been much wronged. Governor Murray :l vetoed a bill appropriating some thou- sands of dollars to the institution on the j. ground that it was a purely sectarian ,' school. It is within our knowledge I that some of the members "of j j ' . the Legislature which passed the I appropriation that the Governor . ' vetoed objected to granting any money j ! lo the Uni verity because it was an infidel , : ; school. This clearly shows that there is t ' great misapprehension as to the charac- j ; ter of the University. It is an institution .' ' that lias had to fight many prejudices, j j and it ha9 lived through its merits and j ' not through favor. Strong Mormons and i strong anti-Mormons have both con- I ; ' demned it. It is safe to presume that j -I this has been the case because it has not I made a propaganda of Mormonism or of anti-Mormonism, but has pursued the t I i even tenor of its way as a place of learn-J learn-J ' ing. It is not the place of the University i ! to teach the doctrine of any sect nor to teach against such doctrines. In the lec- j tures upon the growth and development I .! of Christianity it is necessary to show I what the doctrines of various churches , ) i have been, and what has been their in- ri fluence upon the course of history. The I j lectures upon the growth and develop- ! I j ment of religion are of much the same j i nature as those upon tha history of phil- f j ' osophy, but in all this there is no neces- . 5 ! sity ta be pro-Catholic or anti-Catholic, ' pro-Protestant or anti-Protestant, espec- J ! ; ially in an institution that does not pre- j j ii tend to be theological. The University ' of Deseret has avoided this so far as our 1 j ' - experience and knowledge go. I . i ! It is an institution worthy of support and j encouragement, and it should be made !.! i universal and Territorial. The University Uni-versity is not in the true sense of the I i word a university, and cannot be I U for many years, as Utah does not supply j, I students to maintain a university, j j; but it is doing much towards that pre--paratory work which is absolutely neces- ;J sary before higher education can become ; general. The University has been too j exclusively under the control of the Coun- !. ( cil and House, and this has been an in- 1 ? jury to it. We understand that a bill j U will be introduced into the Legislature I , :i this winter to create the University of Ij Utah, and that this bill provides for the i transfer of all property belonging to the ' . University of Deseret to this nex institu- j . ; tion of learning. This bill provides that ; the Governor of the Territory shall be ex- "' . officio Chancellor of the University, and I that the Territorial Superintendent of I ' , Schools shall be e.r-officio a regent. It ! also expressly provides that the new in- stitation 6hall be non-sectarian. This is I J as it should be, and will tend to make I i the new University far more popular than I j the University of Deseret ever was, for ' '. that institution has had the reputation of j " 1 being sectarian whether justly deserved j or not. We hope this contemplated I change will be effected, and that the bill ' I proposing it will take into consideration the peculiar condition of things in Utah j j : and make provision to harmonize these I : ? ; conditions so far as the University is con- I . ' cerned. |