Letter to Brigham Young and Council, 24 February 1849 [LE-11719]

Cambridgeport Mass Feb 24^th 1849

President Young & Council,

Dear Brethren,

Since I have
been travelling in this eastern country which is so Highly famed
for the education of their children, I have endeavoured to bear in mind
that portion of the epistle which councils the Saints, "To secure at least A copy of
Evry valuable treatise on Education" &c, &c. I have reflected much upon this subject, &
the situation of the Saints in the valley, the thousands of children that will be
congregated there. And not ownly the importance of their having school Books to
read & learn from, but the importance of their having such Books as will attract
their attention, and be adapted to the capacity of children, & youth. Also of intro-
ducing a class of Books that will be accepted & recommended by the Presidency or
a Board of Education which they may appoint, as their would be a great Benefit
derived in Having a uniformity of school Books introduced throughout the
schools of the Latter day Saints. I have not supposed that the Saints would
vary materially from the world in introducing the first rudiments of education
into their schools, ownly to make the best selection they could. The Saints
would of course differ from the world & Christendom in their religious teaching
which in some measure would be a seperate branch from teaching the common
branches of education.

It has been under this view of the
subject that I have taken pains to investigate the present system of education
in New England, And obtain copies of some maps, charts, Books &c and the
report of their board of education. The State of Maine & others are making
great improvements in their system of education, introducing new modes of
teaching, using the Black board, making New school Houses upon a New plan, ventilating
at the top of the windows, making pleasure grouds &c &c. A copy of the drafts I
forward to you with this letter which you will find is a Book entitled
Report of the Board of Education of the State of 1847. A New series of Books
are now being introduced through the U. S. which are prefered before all others
they were got up by a company of Men in the city of Portland Maine
by A board of Education which was composed (it was said) of the best talent,
of the country, who collected a copy of all the works in use in the United States,
and out of them & their own branes formed the Books. The name of the Readers
1, 2, 3, 4, Are called Town's Also the speller and Definer, and Analysis. His name was given to them
as He was the author of much of their contents: yet the Board made great Alterations from

Their original form. They use Greenleaf's Arithmetic, & Welds English Grammar
The main publishers of the mentioned works Are sand Sanborn & Carter of Portland
Maine. They have three steam presses in operation & have all they can do, they are
introducing those works not ownly in the old states But New ones such as Texas, Arkansas &c
& wish to introduce them into the New Territories. They called upon me & made inquiries
concerning the probable population of the valley. They conversed with me much upon the subject
& wished to make you a present of a copy of their works for your Examination, esspecially
the readers, which they forwarded to me & I forward them to you according to their
requst. I forward 13 Books As A present from them. four Towns Readers, Towns
speller & definer, Three sizes of Greenleaf' Arithmetic & one Key, Towns Analysis, Welds
parsing Book & Grammar, And Weld' Latin Lesson & Reader. I also foward with
them, The report of the board of Education in the State of Maine, Laws
statury [statutory] to public schools in the State of Maine, And the report of
the superintending school committee of Jay. My motive in forwarding the things is
that peradventure there may be sumthing gleaned out of them that may be
of some benefit to the Saints in their School Arangements.

Mr Carter said that should you feel disposed to adopt the Towns Readers
into your schools, That they would furnish theym already made, at a low rate.
or send you A new set of sterrotype plates, to print them in the valley at a small
percentage A thousand, or if we felt disposed to take them in the printed sheet, they would let
us have them cheaper than we could do the press work in the valley, unless we had steam presses
the printed sheeets would come to but little more by the ream or token than than the blank paper
I conversed with them upon all these points. They would deliver the Books or printed sheets
well packed in Boxes at New Orleans, free of charge ^for freight^ at any place we should direct. I
do not know as you will feel disposed to Enter into any arangement of the kind whatever
yet I felt it my duty to obtain all information I could upon this subject & all
others whare any benefit could be derived from it for the general good of the Church
The following is an extract of a letter from Mr Carter to me upon the subject

Mr Woodruff

We send you a few Books for examination All of which we make except the
Arithmetics. Our Books are better made than any others in the United States and so known. if
your people like them we should be glad to furnish them. We will sell you 1000 each of the
readers, spellers, Grammars, parcing Books, Analysis, & Arithmetics, for 50 per cent or half the following
trade or retail prices, for introduction & After introduction, for 40 percent disct delivered in
New Orleans without charge for freight.

viz

Ezra Carter Jr.

I have supposed that the croud of business in
the valley & the want of materials to make Books
of would be a barrier against making Books in
the valley as soon as they would be wanted.
And if the presidency should feel disposed
to adopt any particular class of Books say Towns
Readers or any others & their could be means
raised from any sourse to purchase a few thousand of them And a way to get
them to the valley that it would be an immediate benifit to the children
& youth; Yet I do not consider it to be my place Neither do I feel dispose to
attempt to council you upon this or any other subject that I speak of, ownly
to lay them before you for your consideration, then let them be
governed by your counsel & Direction. I am picking up some maps, charts,
Histories &c which I have not an opportunity of forwarding at this time

Wilford Woodruff

PS. The thought suggests to my mind that should you think proper to have
some of these books brought to the valley, that if Capt Russel or any man who
is going to the valley with means might buy a quantity & take with him & sell
them at a reasonable price there

Since I wrote this letter I have forwarded the package of school Books to Brother
Jesse Haven Directed to President Brigham Young

To the Presidency of the
Church of Jesus Christ of L.D.S.

W Woodruff to
B Young + council
Feb 24, 1849