Letter from Lewis Warren Shurtliff and Joseph Stanford, 13 July 1892 [LE-41252]

Ogden City July 13th 1892

To the President and General Board of Education of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Dear Brethren

We take pleasure at this time, at the close of our present school year, in presenting you with a written report giving a brief review of our proceedings the past year. In January 1891, for the want of funds, we had to suspend work on our Academy build =ing. Our efforts during several months following to borrow proved unsuccessful in consequence of the scarcity of money and a great many lenders not caring to loan on this class of property.

In September the Secretary of the board volunteered to canvass for sub =scriptions for lumber, labor, and other means whereby work was resumed bythe building committee and the first floor of the build =ing was so far completed in November as to enable the board to open school. The work in the upper rooms at the same time went gradually but slowly forward so that by early spring the Academy was in a condition to be used in its entirety for school purposes. some inside finishing work and the outside painting were laid over until later in the season, About two weeks ago the painter reported that his work was done, hence we can now announce and we do so with pleasure, that the Academy is finished and ready for dedication.

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We received through the kindness of the Church Presidency two sums each of five thousand dollars, and by the sale of land realized an=other five thousand dollars. By subscriptions through the several wards and from private individuals the sum of eight thousand one hundred and fifty seven 75/100 and borrowed from different persons to the amount of twenty two thousand dollars. We found a willing disposition on the part of the people to donate suuport and foster our Stake Academy as a necessary institution of learning, designed to impart to our children the benefits of a true educa =tion, true because it would be leavened and tempered with the ele=ments of the faith and doctrines embraced in our holy religion; but the embarassed circumstances in which the most of our business men have been placed financially have prevented them from doing what they promised, and thus forced upon us the necessity of borrowing a large amount of money, imposing unavoidably a tax in interest of about one hundred and fifty dollars a month.

The attendance at the opening of the Academy, as all the other schools had been in session two months, surpassed our most sanguine expectations, and the enrollment of Students up to the present and last term of school has been such as to give unmistakeable proof of the people being with us in their appreciation of Church schools

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and we anticipate a much larger patronage at the commencement of another year. At our opening in November we also labored under the disadvantage of only leaving engaged brothers Moench and Tolleshop as teachers, we however shortly afterwards were fortunate enough to procure the services of brother W^m H. Jones Mrs Marion Burton, Miss West and brother T. H. Young, brother Jones and Sister Burton leaving other good positions in the common schools to become members of the faculty of the Academy.

In the matter of tuition dues or receipts, they have been inade=quate to meet the salaries of the faculty, the cost in maintaining the same has been for the past year $3726.²⁵ divided up in monthly payments as follows: L F Moench (per mo) $150⁰⁰W^m H. Jones $100 ⁰⁰, brother Tolleshop $45⁰⁰, Mrs Burton $70⁰⁰, Mr Young $50⁰⁰ Miss Jane West $45⁰⁰. Our books show that this expense including the Janitors services is in excess of tuition receipts $1750.⁸⁰, this amount with about $1800.⁰⁰, which will shortly be due on school furniture account, makes a further liability of $3550.⁸⁰, which the board ere long will have to meet, we therefore, bretheren, respectfully ask that in making your annual appropriations to the Stake Boards to assist in paying the teachers that you will take into consideration our embarrassing financial condition.

4 ... 189 We have, as the General Board of Education are probably aware of, much opposition as well as competition to contend with in educational matters in Ogden City. In the free school system the credit of the City has been drawn upon for the erection of fine buil =dings in which are placed all the modern improved appliances, and teachers have been brought here from different parts of the United States, many of them posessing excellent qualifications and to whom the Trustees are paying high salaries, one professor receiving as much as three thousand dollars a year; besides his formidable rival institution, and against which we have felt we must offer protection in an academy posessing equal educational advan=tages to our young men and women, and thus protect them aga =inst the influence of religious disbelief which exist in the district schools, the teachers of which in many instances make bold to declare "that religion is a menace to education and intellectual progress" We have also a very large Catholic College, the New West Academy - the Military Academy and other institutions where we find instructers of learned ability and talent.

Our situation therefore in the midst of the Gentiles is such that we must compete and offer good, efficient ability through a strong faculty so that we may command a prestige to

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lead and not fall in the rear, such is our ambition and we have talked the subject over with Superintendent Maeser who is in full sympathy and accord with our views, and brother L. F. Moench having resigned the principalship of the Academy we have requested D^r Maeser to have his place filled with the best talent at his command.

As we have already drawn out our report to a great=er length than originally intended, we will now close by subscribing ourselves your bretheren and servants in the cause of Church School Education and in behalf of the Weber Stake Board.

Yours Very Respectfully, L W Shurtliff President Joseph Stanford Secretary