Provo City, [189]2
President Wilford Woodruff.
Dear Brother,
According to program submitted in my letter to Bro. Reynolds,
January 15, I have visited in the interest of our Church School
Organization the Stakes of Juab, Millard, Emery, Sanpete, and
Sevier from January 19 until February 26; attended during that
period the Stake Academies at Nephi, Fillmore, Castle Dale,
Ephraim, and Richfield, and the Seminaries at Hunting-
ton, Manti, and Gunnison, spending in each of these schools
one whole day, from the opening exercises in the morning
until the closing exercises in the afternoon; taking notes,
examining the the records required in Gen. Circ. No 7, page 17;
met with the respective Faculties for consultation; and met
also with the Stake and the Local Boards to ascertain the
condition of their general affairs. Appointments by the
Stake Superindendents for me to address public meetings
were made at Nephi, Fillmore, Meadow, Kanosh, Deseret,
Scipio, Holden, Huntington, Castle Dale, Ferron, Orangeville,
Ephraim, Manti, Gunnison, and Richfield, at all of which
occasion our Church Schools and Religion Classes were
the leading subjects; Sunday Schools, Primaries, and Mutual
Improvement Associations, as corroborate institutions, re-
ceiving due attention in all my public addresses.
The school's, without one exception, have been better
patronized than the previous year and a marked
progress toward permanency is observable in all of
them. The only drawback is the financial embarrass-
ment under which some of them are laboring yet.
There is one feature, however, to which I take the liber-
ty of calling the attention of the General Board for
the earliest possible consideration viz: The annual change
of Principals in many of our Church Schools, in con-
sequence of which such schools can never ^hope to^ emerge out
of the experimental stage and to reach a leading po-
sition ahead of the District Schools at least not to
a very pronounced degree. The main reason is the
comparatively poor salary, and the absence of any pro-
spective improvement in this regard, forcing us to
supply these schools every year or so with new be-
ginners, as their predecessors are compelled to seek
for better chances elsewhere. A proposition has
suggested itself to my mind which, if it can be car-
ried out, might circumvent this difficulty. I should
suggest an addition to any Principal's salary after five
years' service in one school, and so on after every five years
more until a stipulated maximum should be reached.
With kind regards,
Your brother in the Gospel,
Karl G. Maeser, Gen Supt