[sideways text] Karl G. Maeser
[end sideways text]
WILFORD WOODRUFF, PRESIDENT,
KARL G. MAESER, D. L. D. GEN. SUPERINTENDENT,
GEO. REYNOLDS, SECRETARY.
Office of the
GENERAL BOARD OF EDUCATION
OF THE
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
Provo, December 17th 1891
President Wilford Woodruff.
Dear Brother,
In conformity with the program of travel submitted to
you in my letter of the 11th ult., I left Provo, Wednesday,
November 18 with the D. & RG. Ry, at 11:40 AM, Bro. Wm. C.
Spence having kindly provided me with halffare passes
as far as Holbrook, and with a letter from the Supt. of
the Southern Pacific to insure me halffare rates for my
return trip via California. I arrived at Holbrook, Saturday,
Nov. 21, at 1 P.M. and was received at the station by Pres.
Jesse N. Smith and some other bretheren. An appointment
had been made for me to address that evening the people
at Woodruff which I did on the leading subjects Churchschools,
Religion Classes, Sundayschools, and M. I. Associations, and
the much needed assistance and cooperation of the Fireside.
As these have been the mainsubjects ^of^ all my public
addresses during my four weeks labors in Arizona, I do
not need to refer to them here again when speaking
of the other places. I addressed during that period 13 public
meetings, visited 4 churchschools, 3 districtschools, 12 Sundayschools,
2 Primaries, in all of whom I had to give some remarks
to the children, held 3 meetings with educational boards,
and 3 consultations with Faculties, atten conducted 1 ex-
amination of a churchschoolteacher for the Intermediate
Grade, and conducted several class exercises by special
request of the teachers, to illustrate some methods in teaching.
In every place in Arizona that I have visited I have found
former students of the B. Y. Academy, who as a rule were
pronounced by their presiding Priesthood active workers
in the cause of the Latterday Work.
Snowflake.
Bro. Levi Savage, who by your request, went from Logan to
Snowflake, to take charge of that Stake Academy, has with-
drawn from the educational field, and is now Bishop
at Woodruff. Although Bro. Savage is a man of sterling
worth and a faithful Latterday Saint, he does not seem to
have succeeded in obtaining the affection of the students and
the confidence of a portion of the community in his ability.
The Academy has suffered much in consequence. President
Jesse N. Smith and Bishop LHunt in connection with
some line members of the Stake Board obtained, late in
the season the services of Bro. Webb, a former and well
experienced teacher. Bro. Webb has been very reluctant to
accept the position but consented merely to help the
Board out of the difficulty until a permanent teacher
could be obtained. Bro. Webb has a large family and
thinks he must do something more remunerative. He
wants to go into the Ranch business, for which in the
opinion of Pres. J. N. Smith he is not at all qualified.
I found Bro. Webb, assisted by his wife, doing good work
in the Academy. They had then 56 students of the V. IV. & III
OFFICE OF THE
GENERAL BOARD OF EDUCATION
OF THE
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
WILFORD WOODRUFF, PRESIDENT,
KARL G. MAESER, D. L. D., GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT,
GEO. REYNOLDS, SECRETARY.
Readergrades, divided into two departments. A large increase
is expected after the holidays. Bro. Webb promised me to recon-
sider his intention of quitting teaching, if the prospects should
brighten up a little more financially. This Academy has not yet
received its appropriation fot this year, as the Board had
failed to report to Secretary Reynolds, that their Academy was
in running order. At the meeting of the Stake Board
the necessity of reorganizing the Board became apparent,
and some more active members were intended to be added
at their next Quarterly Conference. According to the testimony
of Pres. J. N. Smith and his bretheren, there is not in whole
Snowflake a single young man or boy to be found, that
drinks, smokes, or takes the name of the Deity in vain.
This is then the only place in Zion of this kind, that
I have found. Visited also by special request of the
Trustees the districtschools at Snowflake and at Taylor,
giving the teachers a few points, and addressing the
pupils, suitable to the occasion. It is a remarkable fact,
that the Territorial Commissioner of Education, in a
lengthy letter to Pres. JN. Smith declares Prayer to be
illegal in a districtschool, hence no prayers can be offered
up in these schools. They are otherwise well provided with
will all the appliances of improved education, alongside
of which facilities our poor churchschools make but a
sorry show.
Arrived here on Thanksgiving Day, and addressed a special
meeting of the Students that same evening. The Academy is
located in the Tithing office, occupying three rooms, two of
which are fitted up already with new desks, etc. etc. and the
third room will be furnished during the holidays. Bro.
John W. Brown is the Principal, having conducted thus
far the Academy without an Assistant. Bro. Brown,
a Graduate of the University of Deseret, is a worthy man
and able teacher; he passed his examination for the
Intermediate Grade before me during my stay at St.
Johns. Pres. Udall promised me in behalf of the
Board to give Bro. Udall ^JW. Brown^ a lady as Assistant after
the holidays. We could get no boardmeeting of the
members, and Pres. Udall will endeavor to reorganize
the Stake Board at their next Quarterly Conference, so
that the work may be attended to in future more
satisfactorily than in the past. In this connection,
I desire to report, that I am advising every Board
to appoint a "Visiting Committee" of Two from out of
their number, whose duty it shall be to visit their
churchschool at least once every ten weeks for one
whole day, and make a written report of their visit
to their respective Board, and that the full Board
should meet at least once a Term; members that
OFFICE OF THE
GENERAL BOARD OF EDUCATION
OF THE
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
WILFORD WOODRUFF, PRESIDENT,
KARL G. MAESER, D., L., D., GEN. SUPERINTENDENT.
GEO. REYNOLDS, SECRETARY.
should visit three meetings in a year should be honor-
ably excused and their places be filled by men that
can attend to the work. The increasing interest in our
educational system manifested by the people of St. Johns
by their attendance at each of the succeeding meetings en-
courages me to predict a prosperous career for that Stake
Academy and its appendages, the Religion-Classes. As in
Snowflake so in St. Johns, we organized a Monthly
Churchschool Convention, at which the most of the Dis-
trictschool Teachers, Religion class-Instructors; etc. etc. etc.
are intending to take part. The Saints here have many
evil influences to contend with on account of the close
proximity of the Mexican element, whose degraded
moral and intellectual condition baffles almost belief.
The Principal of the District school, being one of my former
pupils, rquested me to visit his school also. There
had been some friction between the interests of
the Districtschool and of the Academy in the past,
but, I trust, that my labors in that direction have
not been in vain, and all antagonism will be
replaced by mutual cooperation for the good of
the rising generation.
St. Joseph.
Arrived at Thatcher Thursday, Dec. 3 where I was kindly re-
ceived at the family of Pres. Layton. Visited the Academy
during the following day. Bro. Geo. Cluff, former Normal
Student of the B. Y. Academy, Principal, with Bro. Charles
Borduo, as Assistant. The Academy has been late in star-
ting this season, on account of not getting a Principal
until the arrival of Bro. Geo. Cluff. Bro. Cluff had only
come to pay a flying visit to his relatives previous to his
going East, to pursue studies in the elocutionary line.
His financial calculations, however, suddenly failed
and he was prevailed upon to accept the position
at the Stake Academy. Bro. Cluff far surpassed my
expectations in regard to his efficiency, and promises
to make his mark soon in that part of the count-
ry. The Academy is now finally located in the new
Tithing office building at Thatcher, occupying thus far
the upper room. There are two smaller rooms down
stairs, which the Board will put into proper shape
during the holidays for classpurposes, in as much
as the reciting of two departments in the one
room upstairs is of great inconvenience to both
teachers and students. Programs and Plans, and
their execution are exceedingly creditable to Bro.
Cluff, who is instructing also his young Assistant
as much as possible, preparatory to the latter's taking
a Normal Course in the B. Y. Academy next schoolyear.
OFFICE OF THE
GENERAL BOARD OF EDUCATION
OF THE
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
WILFORD WOODRUFF, PRESIDENT,
KARL G. MAESER, D. L. D., GEN SUPERINTENDENT,
GEO. REYNOLDS, SECRETARY.
There are about 60 students now in attendance of the
V. IV. & III Readgrades, but comparitavely very far behind
in their studies for want of opportunities to have
an education. The Records of all the churchschools in
Arizona have been kept in a rather lose manner thus
far, but as I took some pains with each of those Prin-
cipals in regard to this point, we may expect in future
exact reports concerning their work. An appointment
had been made for me, Saturday, Dec. 5, to attend the
Quarterly Primary Conference at Central Ward, halfways
between Thatcher and Pima. That meeting gave me an
opportunity to explain to the officers of that organization
to true spirit of cooperation with the Religion-Classes,
as there had been here as elsewhere a friction had sprung
up contrary to the Spirit of the Gospel and our mutual
aims. Sunday fore and afternoon meetings for all the
Saints in the Stake had been announced at Pima.
There for the first time during my ministry for the
last twenty years my voice broke down in the afternoon
for a little while. Two heavy sandstorms which I had
passed through during the last few days had made
my throat sore, but a few spoons of consecrated oil
cleared it all up. In the evening two Pima bretheren
called on me and presented to me their grievances
in regard to the removal of the Academy to Thatcher,
claiming that Pima was the place for it. There has
been quite a contention on the subject, running even
among the Stake Board. I did not like the spirit
of these two bretheren at first, but in a three hours'
conversation the temperature of their feelings changed
entirely, and they became reconciled, if not fully
convinced to the condition of affairs.
Pima Seminary.
The following day, Monday, I attended the Pima Seminary
the whole day. The Seminary holds its sessions in the
Stake Meetinghouse, and is comfortably enough situ-
ated as far as the locality goes; they have also a num-
ber of fair tables for 60 students, but no apparatus of
any kind, save one blackboards, and thus far no
records at all. The people are sustaining the school
well, over 50 in attendance, and better advanced
as a general thing than the students of the
Stake Academy at Thatcher. Bro. Geo. Macdonald
a former pupil of mine, is Principal. His attensAssistant,
a lady, had got out of my way under some pre-
tence or another. This is the first instance of this
kind, that a teacher has done such a thing. I expressed
my indignation to the Local Board at such a course,
and they decided to release her and engage another
in her place. The latter was introduced to me, to give
OFFICE OF THE
GENERAL BOARD OF EDUCATION
OF THE
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.
WILFORD WOODRUFF, PRESIDENT,
KARL G. MAESER, D. L. D. GEN. SUPERINTENDENT.
GEO. REYNOLDS, SECRETARY
me an opportunity to form an opinion, and I found
the lady well qualified for the position. All the
Arizona Churchschool Teachers are either licensed al-
ready or will become so before New Year. I had a very
interesting meeting with the Local Board in the af-
ternoon, which was also attended by the Stake Presidency,
and a majority of the members of the Stake Board.
Whatever differences may have existed between the two
bodies, they were all satisfactorily adjusted on that
occasion, so that both Boards and Schools can work
henceforth harmoniously in their respective spheres.
Tuesday forenoon I made my final visit to the Stake
Academy at Thatcher, addressing the last half hour
the students, as I am in the habit of doing at every
churchschool before leaving. There was a large meeting
appointed for the afternoon in the meetinghouse, for
parents and students. The Trustees of the Districtschools,
at Pima, Central, and Thatcher, clohad closed their
schools that afternoon to give their teachers the opportunity
to attend that meeting. The house was terribly crowded.
The Churchschool Convention of St. Joseph Stake was or-
ganized. Although I have always opposed our
our churchschool-teachers taking part in dramatic per-
formances, I have consented that Bro. Geo. Cluff may
finish his contract with the Dramatic Association
of Thatcher, which he had made before he had entered
the Churchschool Services. He has only three more
performances to give. I have succeeded to cure
Bro. Cluff of his dramatic and elecutionary craze,
so that he will settle down now for a more steady
course in life. There is a glorious opportunity for
him to do a great work there.
By advice of Pres. Layton, I stopped at Tuczson, on my way to
Maricopa, to call on the Division Supt. of the Southern Pacific
to secure halffare rates to Ogden via California. I presented
a letter from Supt. Horsburgh of San Franciso, promising
me halffare rates. That Division Supt. at Tucson treated me
very uncourteous and refused to do anything, ignoring
the letter of his superior. I have seen in the papers since,
that a Strike of the employees along the line was to take
place that same evening, which may account for his
ill humor. I felt mad, took the train for Deming, just
coming in, and wrote a letter of apology to Pres. Hobson
from Deming. At the latter place I held a long conver-
sation with Bishop Johnson, just returned from Mexico.
The Diaz Academy is progressing finely, and the two
teachers will soon apply for Licences.
With kind regards
Karl G. Maeser Gen. Supt.