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Closing the Church University in 1894: Embracing Or Accommodating Secularized Education

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Closing the Church University in 1894: Embracing Or Accommodating Secularized Education Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2012-12-17 Closing the Church University in 1894: Embracing or Accommodating Secularized Education Brian William Ricks Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Educational Leadership Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Ricks, Brian William, "Closing the Church University in 1894: Embracing or Accommodating Secularized Education" (2012). Theses and Dissertations. 3894. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3894 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Closing the Church University in 1894: Embracing or Accommodating Secularized Education Brian W. Ricks A dissertation submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy A. LeGrand Richards, Chair Scott E. Ferrin E. Vance Randall Clifford T. Mayes Scott C. Esplin Department of Education Leadership and Foundations Brigham Young University December 2012 Copyright © 2012 Brian W. Ricks All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Closing the Church University in 1894: Embracing or Accommodating Secularized Education Brian W. Ricks Department of Education Leadership and Foundations, BYU Doctor of Philosophy The late 1800s have been noted as a major transitional period for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When the beleaguered pioneers first arrived in Utah they were isolated from the influence and expectations of the United States. During that time, leaders of the Church became influential in every aspect of life in Utah. By the end of the nineteenth century, however, the period of isolation had come to an end. Nationally, the social norms had changed and religion was expected to stay in the churches and out of politics. Church leaders were faced with serious questions regarding what policies and practices could be altered without betraying doctrines and principles of the gospel. Education was at the forefront of this tension in Utah. Members of the Church tried to hold on to an integrated approach to education that incorporated both the spiritual and the secular. Others, however, adamantly opposed such an approach in public schools. In 1892, the First Presidency announced a new educational institution that would become the administrative head of all Church schools: The University of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Willard Young became the President and James Talmage was placed over the science department. Talmage traveled to Europe to purchase the best scientific equipment. With the scientific apparatus and a new building the leaders of the Church hoped to persuade the youth of the Church to obtain higher education at home rather than traveling east to attend secularized universities. The Church’s first private university seemed destined to become a major influence in Utah education. However, after one successful semester, President Woodruff closed the school and donated over sixty thousand dollars to the University of Utah. The following research explores the history of the Church University and the circumstances surrounding its closure. The paper shows how a combination of the financial panic of 1893, the effort to obtain statehood, and a rare opportunity to quietly gain influence at the University of Utah factored into the decision to close the Church's first private university. Keywords: Church University, Young University, Wilford Woodruff, Willard Young, James E. Talmage, Karl G. Maeser, Benjamin Cluff, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Private Education in Utah, Higher Education in Utah, Financial Panic of 1893, The Enabling Act, Separation of Church and State ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There is an inherent risk when expressing gratitude at the end of any project of this nature. Every academic work is the result of countless people coming together to produce the final product. It is inevitable that someone will be left out while expressing appreciation. In this short space I wish to express gratitude to a few of those individuals that helped me throughout the overall research that went into this project, but at the same time I want to recognize that the overall project was aided by many more than those few individuals mentioned herein. First, I need to acknowledge the valuable assistance from my chair, Professor A. LeGrand Richards. Our experience over the last two years has been helpful in both practical and symbolic ways. It is impossible to describe how his work and expertise on the life of Karl G. Maeser has helped me in my studies on the Church University and education in the late 1890s. In addition, as I have studied and written on the life of James E. Talmage, it has seemed almost like divine intervention to have an expert on the life of Karl Maeser mentor me just as Maeser mentored Talmage over one hundred years ago. I also express gratitude to my committee members: Vance Randall, Scott Ferrin, Clifford Mayes, and Scott Esplin. Their combined abilities and varied expertise helped me consider my research from different perspectives. I appreciate their encouragement and feedback throughout the process. This experience was a great example of how different perspectives and backgrounds can produce a better product. All historical efforts build on the efforts of previous historians. There are numerous researchers and authors that have allowed this work to take shape. It would be inappropriate not to recognize their influence on my own research. Some of those researchers include Ralph Chamberlin, Lynn Bennion, and John Moffitt who produced very important works in the area of Utah education generally and specifically. Another author that had a significant influence on my paper was Michael Quinn. Quinn is the only researcher to this point that has done any focused work on the Church University. I also wish to express my gratitude to the staff at the Church History Library, the L. Tom Perry Special Collections at BYU, and the Special Collections at the J. Willard Marriot Library at the University of Utah. Their vast knowledge of the collections related to this time period was a great help. Most importantly, I need to express gratitude to my family. Taking on this project has required sacrifice, and no one has sacrificed more than my wife, Jessica. She has taken care of our five children mostly on her own while I have spent time researching, studying, and writing. She has been a widow to the Church University and has done it with a smile and encouraging words. My children have also endured the process. They have each offered countless prayers that “Dad will finish his dissertation quickly.” We are all grateful that those prayers have finally been answered. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................. v DESCRIPTION OF STRUCTURE AND CONTENT .............................................................. vi Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 Change in Policy and Practice ............................................................................................ 1 Factors behind the change ................................................................................................... 3 Statement of the problem .................................................................................................... 5 Background ................................................................................................................................... 6 Early Latter-day Saint educational efforts .......................................................................... 6 A private academy system ................................................................................................ 11 The beginning of a new university ................................................................................... 15 The proposed compromise ................................................................................................. 19 Discussion ................................................................................................................................... 24 Financial challenges combine ............................................................................................ 24 The push for statehood ...................................................................................................... 26 Potential influence at the University of Utah .................................................................. 28 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 32 Appendix A: Literature Review ............................................................................................... 40 Appendix B: Methodology ....................................................................................................
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