Karl G. Maeser
Born: 16 January 1828
Called as Second Assistant Superintendent of the Sunday School: 1894
Called as First Assistant Superintendent of the Sunday School: 1899
Died: 15 February 1901
Called as Second Assistant Superintendent of the Sunday School: 1894
Called as First Assistant Superintendent of the Sunday School: 1899
Died: 15 February 1901
Conference TalksImage source: Improvement Era, July 1913
Image source: Juvenile Instructor, January 1907
Image source: Young Woman's Journal, August 1892
Image source: Improvement Era, February 1927
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Image source: Wikipedia, public domain
Image source: Juvenile Instructor, March 1901
Image source: Juvenile Instructor, December 1924
Image source: Young Woman's Journal, April 1901
Image source: Instructor, October 1949
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Biographical Articles
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 1
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Young Woman's Journal, August 1892, Dr. Karl G. Maeser
Improvement Era, November 1899, How I Became a "Mormon"
Juvenile Instructor, 1 March 1901, Assistant Superintendent Karl G. Maeser
Improvement Era, March 1901, Dr. Karl G. Maeser
Juvenile Instructor, 15 March 1901, A Character Sketch of Dr. Karl G. Maeser
Juvenile Instructor, 15 March 1901, Our Departed Friend
Young Woman's Journal, April 1901, Dr. Karl G. Maeser
Young Woman's Journal, April 1901, Brother Maeser
Juvenile Instructor, 15 June 1901, First Assistant General Superintendent Karl G. Maeser
Juvenile Instructor, December 1910, How Brother Karl G. Maeser Was Healed
Young Woman's Journal, July 1912, Karl G. Maeser
Young Woman's Journal, July 1912, His Son's Tribute
Young Woman's Journal, July 1912, Sayings of Dr. Karl G. Maeser
Improvement Era, January 1914, A Story Dr. Maeser Told
Young Woman's Journal, November 1916, Manifestations of the Spirit
Improvement Era, January 1926, Karl G. Maeser and the Brigham Young University
Improvement Era, February 1927, Educational Maxims of Dr. Maeser
Improvement Era, February 1927, Memory of Karl G. Maeser Honored
Relief Society Magazine, January 1928, Centenary of the Birth of Karl G. Maeser
Relief Society Magazine, January 1929, Dr. Karl G. Maeser
Improvement Era, March 1929, Dr. Karl G. Maeser - The Character Builder
Improvement Era, June 1935, Honoring Karl G. Maeser
Instructor, October 1949, Karl G. Maeser
Improvement Era, October 1950, Karl G. Maeser Latter-day Saint Educator
Instructor, December 1955, The First Home of Karl G. Maeser
Improvement Era, March 1969, Lest We Forget: Karl G. Maeser
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Young Woman's Journal, August 1892, Dr. Karl G. Maeser
Improvement Era, November 1899, How I Became a "Mormon"
Juvenile Instructor, 1 March 1901, Assistant Superintendent Karl G. Maeser
Improvement Era, March 1901, Dr. Karl G. Maeser
Juvenile Instructor, 15 March 1901, A Character Sketch of Dr. Karl G. Maeser
Juvenile Instructor, 15 March 1901, Our Departed Friend
Young Woman's Journal, April 1901, Dr. Karl G. Maeser
Young Woman's Journal, April 1901, Brother Maeser
Juvenile Instructor, 15 June 1901, First Assistant General Superintendent Karl G. Maeser
Juvenile Instructor, December 1910, How Brother Karl G. Maeser Was Healed
Young Woman's Journal, July 1912, Karl G. Maeser
Young Woman's Journal, July 1912, His Son's Tribute
Young Woman's Journal, July 1912, Sayings of Dr. Karl G. Maeser
Improvement Era, January 1914, A Story Dr. Maeser Told
Young Woman's Journal, November 1916, Manifestations of the Spirit
Improvement Era, January 1926, Karl G. Maeser and the Brigham Young University
Improvement Era, February 1927, Educational Maxims of Dr. Maeser
Improvement Era, February 1927, Memory of Karl G. Maeser Honored
Relief Society Magazine, January 1928, Centenary of the Birth of Karl G. Maeser
Relief Society Magazine, January 1929, Dr. Karl G. Maeser
Improvement Era, March 1929, Dr. Karl G. Maeser - The Character Builder
Improvement Era, June 1935, Honoring Karl G. Maeser
Instructor, October 1949, Karl G. Maeser
Improvement Era, October 1950, Karl G. Maeser Latter-day Saint Educator
Instructor, December 1955, The First Home of Karl G. Maeser
Improvement Era, March 1969, Lest We Forget: Karl G. Maeser
Jenson, Andrew. "Maeser, Karl G." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 1. pg. 707-709.
MAESER, Karl G., second assistant general superintendent of Latter-day Saints Sunday schools, from 1894 to 1901, was born Jan. 16, 1828, in Meiszen, Saxony, Germany. His father was an artist employed in the china works where the famous Dresden china is produced. He was in easy circumstances but by no means wealthy. Karl attended the public school of Meiszen, and finished his education in the normal school at Dresden, graduating from that institution in May, 1848. He became one of the teachers in the city schools of Dresden, and later was employed as a private tutor in the families of prominent Protestants in Bohemia. He again connected himself with the city schools of Dresden. His superior ability was soon recognized and he was given the position of head teacher in the Budig institute. While connected with that institution the two most vital events of his life transpired. One was the securing of a wife, the daughter of the principal of the normal college, who was his faithful helpmeet for a half a century, evincing a devotion seldom equaled even by her own sex. His wife was the sister of Mrs. Edward Schoenfelt of East Brighton, and also of Camilla Cobb. The father of these girls, Emmanuel Meith, died when Camilla was a little girl, and Dr. Maeser adopted her. She was brought up under the good man's teachings and example, and was brought to Utah by him. The other event was that which turned the current of his life, the meeting with three "Mormon" missionaries, viz. the late Apostle Franklin D. Richards. "Pres. William Budge, of the Bear Lake Stake, and Elder William H. Kimball, son of the late Pres. Heber C. Kimball. When a boy Dr. Maeser's attention had been attracted to the "Mormons" by an illustration that appeared in a newspaper, and the impression made upon him at that time waa so profound that he anxiously waited for an opportunity to meet with a representative of the "Mormon" Church, or to investigate the much criticized religion by other means. But that opportunity did not present itself until 1855, when he met the Elders mentioned. They were promptly invited to the home of the eager young teacher, and as they recited the story of the gospel and its restoration, his soul glowed with an inward fire. He accepted their message with as much avidity as a starving man would have received a loaf of bread. On the night of Oct. 14, 1855, the three Elders, Dr. Maeser, Edward Schoenfeldt and some others, repaired to the banks of the historic Elbe, in which river Dr. Maeser was baptized by Apostle Richards. It was the first baptism in Saxony in this dispensation. After performing the baptism the party started back towards the home of Dr. Maeser. The only Elder who could talk German was Elder Budge, and the conversation was carried on between Apostle Richards and Dr. Maeser, with Elder Budge acting as interpreter. The colloquy had not proceeded long, however, when Apostle Richards told Elder Budge that it was not necessary for him to interpret any more, as he and "Brother Maeser understand each other perfectly." Elder Schoenfeldt relates that it was a very dark night, and when he first realized that the two men were conversing together with perfect felicity, yet neither understood the native tongue of the other, his feelings were indescribable, for he knew that it was a divine manifestation. Dr. Maeser in later years testified that when he emerged from the water, he prayed that his faith might be confirmed by some manifestation from heaven, and he felt confident that his prayer would be answered. Realizing that the moment it became known that he was a "Mormon" he would be almost scourged from the city. Dr. Maeser resigned his position and went to London, where he labored for some time among the German people in that city. He succeeded in building up a branch of the Church in their midst. He then took passage for America, disembarking at Philadelphia, Penn., where he was retained as a missionary under Pres. Angus M. Cannon. The Panic of 1857 came on and he had to seek employment or perish. In company with four young Elders, he traveled by foot to Virginia. In Richmond he obtained a position as music teacher in the family of ex-President John Tyler and others. He remained there six months, when he was called to preside over the Philadelphia conference, holding that position until June, 1860. Dr. Maeser emigrated to Utah in 1860, arriving in Salt Lake in the company of Patriarch John Smith, in October of that year. As naturally as water seeks its level Dr. Maeser turned to the school room. Opening a school in the Fifteenth Ward, Salt Lake City, he remained there until the attention of Bishop Sharp, and others, was attracted to him, when he accepted a school in the Twentieth Ward at their urgent solicitation. How well his labors were appreciated at that place is evinced in the unwillingness of Bishop Sharp and Charles R. Savage and others to give him up. In 1864 Pres. Brigham Young, having recognized the excellent qualities as a teacher possessed by Dr. Maeser, made him the private tutor to his family. At this time he also acted as organist for the Tabernacle choir. In 1S67 he was called to preside over the Swiss and German mission, and among other monuments of his efficient and intelligent labors in that field, stands "Der Stern," the mission paper. The paper is still flourishing and has been of incalculable benefit to the mission. In 1876 Pres. Brigham Young called Dr. Maeser to go to Prove and organize the Brigham Young academy. W"ith one of less resources the behest could not have been obeyed, but Dr. Maeser was fitted by nature for the work he had in hand. He possessed the learning, the experience, the wisdom, and above all the spirituality to bring about the full fruition of his ambitious dreams. The motto that guided his life was, "be yourself what you would have your pupils become," and every pupil who ever came under his benign influence, knew that his walk was as true, and that his heart was as pure as was necessary to form an example for their emulation. The growth of not only the academy but all of the Church schools, from such crude and poor beginnings to their present proud station among the educational institutions of the West, is due mostly to his indefatigable efforts, coupled with intelligence and devotion. On the system of the Church schools is stamped the impress of his organizing genius; in that field he stands forth pre-eminent. He could bring order out of chaos and mold small beginnings to large endings. With a rare gift of prescience he understood the needs of the future and laid the foundations of his work deep and wide so that they will stand for the requirements of future years. Wherever children needed help and sympathy there was Dr. Maeser with his hands outstretched eager to assist them. The Sunday schools being largely an institution for children and the youth, he was a conspicuous and able worker in that field, and in 1894 he was chosen second general superintendent of all the Latter-day Saint Sunday schools, to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Elder John Morgan—a position which he filled with great credit until his death. In 1898 the students of the B. Y. Academy at Provo gave Dr. Maeser a jubilee in commemoration of his fifty years of service as a teacher. It was a gala day. The building was too small to accommodate half of the people who clamored for admittance. Addresses were made by some of the venerable man's eminent pupils, among whom were Dr. James Talmage, Benjamin Cluff, Prof. Geo. H. Brimhall, and others. In 1895 an effort was made to place Dr. Maeser at the head of the State schools, the Democratic State convention nominating him for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, but it was not destined that he should be drawn away from the channel through which he had directed all of his efforts. He was honored with a seat in the constitutional convention, where he helped to inject into the organic law of the State many wise and wholesome laws regulating the educational system of Utah. Elder Maeser died Feb. 15,1901, at his home in Salt Lake City.
MAESER, Karl G., second assistant general superintendent of Latter-day Saints Sunday schools, from 1894 to 1901, was born Jan. 16, 1828, in Meiszen, Saxony, Germany. His father was an artist employed in the china works where the famous Dresden china is produced. He was in easy circumstances but by no means wealthy. Karl attended the public school of Meiszen, and finished his education in the normal school at Dresden, graduating from that institution in May, 1848. He became one of the teachers in the city schools of Dresden, and later was employed as a private tutor in the families of prominent Protestants in Bohemia. He again connected himself with the city schools of Dresden. His superior ability was soon recognized and he was given the position of head teacher in the Budig institute. While connected with that institution the two most vital events of his life transpired. One was the securing of a wife, the daughter of the principal of the normal college, who was his faithful helpmeet for a half a century, evincing a devotion seldom equaled even by her own sex. His wife was the sister of Mrs. Edward Schoenfelt of East Brighton, and also of Camilla Cobb. The father of these girls, Emmanuel Meith, died when Camilla was a little girl, and Dr. Maeser adopted her. She was brought up under the good man's teachings and example, and was brought to Utah by him. The other event was that which turned the current of his life, the meeting with three "Mormon" missionaries, viz. the late Apostle Franklin D. Richards. "Pres. William Budge, of the Bear Lake Stake, and Elder William H. Kimball, son of the late Pres. Heber C. Kimball. When a boy Dr. Maeser's attention had been attracted to the "Mormons" by an illustration that appeared in a newspaper, and the impression made upon him at that time waa so profound that he anxiously waited for an opportunity to meet with a representative of the "Mormon" Church, or to investigate the much criticized religion by other means. But that opportunity did not present itself until 1855, when he met the Elders mentioned. They were promptly invited to the home of the eager young teacher, and as they recited the story of the gospel and its restoration, his soul glowed with an inward fire. He accepted their message with as much avidity as a starving man would have received a loaf of bread. On the night of Oct. 14, 1855, the three Elders, Dr. Maeser, Edward Schoenfeldt and some others, repaired to the banks of the historic Elbe, in which river Dr. Maeser was baptized by Apostle Richards. It was the first baptism in Saxony in this dispensation. After performing the baptism the party started back towards the home of Dr. Maeser. The only Elder who could talk German was Elder Budge, and the conversation was carried on between Apostle Richards and Dr. Maeser, with Elder Budge acting as interpreter. The colloquy had not proceeded long, however, when Apostle Richards told Elder Budge that it was not necessary for him to interpret any more, as he and "Brother Maeser understand each other perfectly." Elder Schoenfeldt relates that it was a very dark night, and when he first realized that the two men were conversing together with perfect felicity, yet neither understood the native tongue of the other, his feelings were indescribable, for he knew that it was a divine manifestation. Dr. Maeser in later years testified that when he emerged from the water, he prayed that his faith might be confirmed by some manifestation from heaven, and he felt confident that his prayer would be answered. Realizing that the moment it became known that he was a "Mormon" he would be almost scourged from the city. Dr. Maeser resigned his position and went to London, where he labored for some time among the German people in that city. He succeeded in building up a branch of the Church in their midst. He then took passage for America, disembarking at Philadelphia, Penn., where he was retained as a missionary under Pres. Angus M. Cannon. The Panic of 1857 came on and he had to seek employment or perish. In company with four young Elders, he traveled by foot to Virginia. In Richmond he obtained a position as music teacher in the family of ex-President John Tyler and others. He remained there six months, when he was called to preside over the Philadelphia conference, holding that position until June, 1860. Dr. Maeser emigrated to Utah in 1860, arriving in Salt Lake in the company of Patriarch John Smith, in October of that year. As naturally as water seeks its level Dr. Maeser turned to the school room. Opening a school in the Fifteenth Ward, Salt Lake City, he remained there until the attention of Bishop Sharp, and others, was attracted to him, when he accepted a school in the Twentieth Ward at their urgent solicitation. How well his labors were appreciated at that place is evinced in the unwillingness of Bishop Sharp and Charles R. Savage and others to give him up. In 1864 Pres. Brigham Young, having recognized the excellent qualities as a teacher possessed by Dr. Maeser, made him the private tutor to his family. At this time he also acted as organist for the Tabernacle choir. In 1S67 he was called to preside over the Swiss and German mission, and among other monuments of his efficient and intelligent labors in that field, stands "Der Stern," the mission paper. The paper is still flourishing and has been of incalculable benefit to the mission. In 1876 Pres. Brigham Young called Dr. Maeser to go to Prove and organize the Brigham Young academy. W"ith one of less resources the behest could not have been obeyed, but Dr. Maeser was fitted by nature for the work he had in hand. He possessed the learning, the experience, the wisdom, and above all the spirituality to bring about the full fruition of his ambitious dreams. The motto that guided his life was, "be yourself what you would have your pupils become," and every pupil who ever came under his benign influence, knew that his walk was as true, and that his heart was as pure as was necessary to form an example for their emulation. The growth of not only the academy but all of the Church schools, from such crude and poor beginnings to their present proud station among the educational institutions of the West, is due mostly to his indefatigable efforts, coupled with intelligence and devotion. On the system of the Church schools is stamped the impress of his organizing genius; in that field he stands forth pre-eminent. He could bring order out of chaos and mold small beginnings to large endings. With a rare gift of prescience he understood the needs of the future and laid the foundations of his work deep and wide so that they will stand for the requirements of future years. Wherever children needed help and sympathy there was Dr. Maeser with his hands outstretched eager to assist them. The Sunday schools being largely an institution for children and the youth, he was a conspicuous and able worker in that field, and in 1894 he was chosen second general superintendent of all the Latter-day Saint Sunday schools, to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Elder John Morgan—a position which he filled with great credit until his death. In 1898 the students of the B. Y. Academy at Provo gave Dr. Maeser a jubilee in commemoration of his fifty years of service as a teacher. It was a gala day. The building was too small to accommodate half of the people who clamored for admittance. Addresses were made by some of the venerable man's eminent pupils, among whom were Dr. James Talmage, Benjamin Cluff, Prof. Geo. H. Brimhall, and others. In 1895 an effort was made to place Dr. Maeser at the head of the State schools, the Democratic State convention nominating him for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, but it was not destined that he should be drawn away from the channel through which he had directed all of his efforts. He was honored with a seat in the constitutional convention, where he helped to inject into the organic law of the State many wise and wholesome laws regulating the educational system of Utah. Elder Maeser died Feb. 15,1901, at his home in Salt Lake City.
Jenson, Andrew. "Maeser, Karl G." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 4. pg. 322, 387.
MAESER, Karl G., president of the California Mission from January to August, 1894. (See Bio. Ency., Vol. 1, p. 707.)
MAESER, Karl G., president of the Swiss and German Mission from 1868 to 1870. (See Bio. Ency., Vol. 1, p. 707.)
MAESER, Karl G., president of the California Mission from January to August, 1894. (See Bio. Ency., Vol. 1, p. 707.)
MAESER, Karl G., president of the Swiss and German Mission from 1868 to 1870. (See Bio. Ency., Vol. 1, p. 707.)
"Dr. Karl G. Maeser." Young Woman's Journal. August 1892. pg. 480-486.
DR. KARLG. MAESER.
IN presenting the picture of this illustrious man to the readers of the Young Woman’s Journal, I do not think it is the means of an introduction to a strange face, or that you have not seen or known Brother Maeser. But, dear girls, you will bind your Journals and keep them for reference; and in years to come you will be very grateful for this beautiful portrait and will read to your children this little sketch of the life and labors of this great and good man.
Born in Weissen, Saxony, on January 16th, 1828, the early life of this youth was spent in school. Married in his early manhood to the daughter of his former principal, he began his life work as a teacher in the First District School in Dresden. From there he was appointed as Vice Director of the Budich Institute at Neustadt, Dresden, and here the gospel found him.
It is most interesting to hear Apostle Franklin D. Richards tell the story of the Professor’s conversion to the truth. “Indeed,” Brother Richards says, “Brother Maeser needed no conversion; his mind was reaching out and seeking to clasp the beautiful truths of Mormonism before he heard its name. There was no labored argument, no weeks, nor days, nor even hours of hesitancy and doubt prefixing the acceptance of the gospel by Brother Maeser. He grasped it eagerly and was at once baptized.”
Another most interesting circumstance related of this period in the lives of these two noted men is the occasion of a visit paid by Apostle Richards to Professor Maeser in Dresden. Returning at night from the place of Brother Maeser’s baptism, each being entirely ignorant of the language spoken by the other, and, crossing a bridge, the Holy Ghost suddenly descended upon them, and they talked one to the other, each in his own tongue, and yet each understood every word uttered by the other.
Both brethren speak of this peculiar manifestation with reverence and awe.
Sacrificing all his worldly interests, the new convert with his family left their native land, first for England and afterwards to the United States. Who can tell the story of those early years of privation and toil? The limits of this article will not allow it, interesting as the recital would be.
In 1860 Brother Maeser and family arrived in Utah. In November of that year he began his labors as a teacher in Zion in the Fifteenth Ward, Salt Lake City. Many were his disadvantages, chief of which was his inability to properly speak the English tongue and the radically different methods which he sought to introduce into the easy-going system of education then extant in this new and barren country.
He taught the private school of President Brigham Young for several years, and after some years he was invited to organize a Normal Department in the University of Deseret.
The keen intuition of President Young, enlightened as it was by the Holy Spirit, marked this struggling teacher as a future hope for Israel.
When the plan for establishing a religious school at Provo had developed in the mind of President Young, the name of Karl G. Maeser was suggested to him by Brother Warren N. Dusenberry, who was the principal of the academy so recently founded. Brother Dusenberry’s time was largely taken up by legal business, and he felt an anxiety to throw off all school cares and devote himself to his chosen profession.
In the spring of 1876, just before the April Conference, there occurred the bursting of the powder magazine on Arsenal Hill. Brother Maeser was teaching in the Twentieth Ward school house, and the terrible shock of that occurrence brought all the plaster from the ceiling to the floor.
Going at once to the President’s office in search of Bishop John Sharp to report the state of the house, Brother Maeser found himself in the presence of the President as well as the Bishop.
His report was made, and he added that he could not teach school until the building was repaired.
“That is just right,” cheerfully announced the President, “I want to give you a mission to teach in the Brigham Young Academy at Provo.”
Action followed close upon the word with President Young.
“Brother Smoot and the Board of Trustees are up here now,” said President Young.
Brother Maeser was introduced to President Smoot and a meeting of the Board was called for the next day in the upper room of Savage’s Art Gallery.
The meeting was held, and the Board agreed to pay Professor Maeser $1,200 a year in such pay as was taken in by the treasurer of the school.
On the 21 st of April the new Principal came to Provo, went at once down to the building (the one pictured in the May number) and straightening and arranging the rooms as best he might, prepared to open school on the Monday following.
There were no records, not much system, certainly no regularity, the former principal being so busily engaged with his court duties that school began any time between 9 and 11 o’clock, and sometimes not all. There was found a roll of pupils’ names, nearly sixty, but the pupils who were there to speak for themselves counted up to eleven.
Thus on the 24th day of April, 1876, began in reality the labors of the Brigham Young Academy at Provo. The term was to continue for ten weeks thereafter, and woe and distress! school was to begin every morning precisely at quarter to 9 o’clock.
Here was a pretty state of affairs! The idea of attempting to drag children to school at any regular hour; and indignity to insult! To dare to break into the musty-locked, engraved school-hour of 9 o’clock.
All Provo trembled with virtuous indignation. Nothing but the potent spell attending the magic name of Brigham Young, and the iron will of the President of the Board of Trustees could suffice to uphold the revolutionary Professor in his newfangled presumptions. One good Bishop, who was a sly wag, drew the Professor aside one day and told him if he persisted in such enlightened measures, he would work a revolution in Provo.
This first term is always called the experimental term by Brother Maeser, as it was so largely made up of trials and experiments.
In the late summer, on the 27th of August, the first academic year began. Academic j ear, and there was as yet but a primary and an intermediate grade. Brother Maeser was alone in his labors still. Professor M. H. Hardy had been appointed by President Young as Brother Maeser’s assistant. But in connection with Brother Morris B. Young, Professor Hardy was traveling in the south in the interests of the Y. M. M. I. A.
Here then began to shoot out the first tiny slips of this precious seed. Programmes were prepared, lessons were arranged with a definite end in view, a systematic evolution of study prepared, and the grading of classes begun in earnest.
The roll for this first term contained about sixty names, increasing during the year to about 106.
With much entreaty and earnest begging a normal class was organized by the Principal, with twelve volunteers. Among these were Mrs. Teenie Smoot Taylor and Brother Joseph B. Keeler.
Mrs. Teenie Taylor, that best of all primary teachers, as she stated in a former article, was the first lady teacher in the academy. Here in this first year came our well-known and well-loved teacher, Dr. J. E. Talmage, a boy of fifteen years, fresh from England and English schools, he scattered his H’s around with true Cockney generosity. He was very sick during the fall, but began again in the new year term and very soon developed into the lad, the youth, the man of brain and culture that he is today.
Here also came, as a tall, rowdy lad, the handsome Professor of the Logan College, Dr. J. M. Tanner. All the gold in his nature came brightly to the surface under the sledge-hammer blows of Brother Maeser’s deep eloquence. He it was, with young George Sutherland, who begged for some lessons in Greek, and there was no place nor provision in the infant academy for such full-grown studies as Greek, there being in fact no academic studies. Brother Maeser organized a class in Greek which held its sessions before the school hour.
In the fall, Professor Hardy came to his post, and he took one of the lower rooms and Brother Maeser the other, and these with a small back room which was arranged for an office room and library for the Principal were all the rooms occupied by the academy. The upper hall was used for theaters and balls. All this was in the old Brigham Young Academy building.
For some time after its inception, the academic department was occupied solely and wholly by Reed Smoot, a son of President A. O. Smoot.
At the opening day of the school in August on the 27th, President Young designed being present to dedicate the building. But severe illness prevented his attending, and accordingly President D. H. Wells was present and offered up the formal dedicatory prayer. This act stamps this day as the formal date of opening. President Young made two visits to the school. On the occasion of the first visit, he entered accompanied by President Smoot and a number of other leading brethren.
As he entered the room, Miss Teenie Smoot was conducting a class at the blackboard.
The President advanced up the room, bowing right and left in his courteous, dignified manner.
No pupil arose in his seat, the lady teacher went quietly on with her work. The President paused surprised.
At once Brother Maeser hastened to his side and explained, “President Young, these pupils and teachers have been taught to take no notice of visitors but to go quietly on with their work. It is what we are doing that visitors wish to see, and they do not come here only to be seen by the pupils.”
With a hearty clap of approval upon the Professor’s shoulders, the President replied, “That’s right, Brother Maeser, that’s right. That is the point exactly. When I visited the Catholic school, the moment I entered every pupil arose and bowed to me, and remained standing while I was present. I had no idea of the work they were doing in the school the whole of the time I was there.”
Thus was shown the deep natures of these two men. Their labors were far below the surface of fuss and showy parade, it was the life, the germ, the foundation of all work that centered their thoughts and employed their time.
The second year found Brother Maeser better supplied with teachers, yet they were nearly all of his “own raising.” With the exception of Professor Hardy, and the desultory help of Bishop J. E. Booth, all the teachers who had labored with Brother Maeser from the beginning of his labors in this academy to the very close thereof, were all those who had been trained by himself, or of his “own raising” as he quaintly puts it.
From the very first, no day ever passed in the academy without its full quota of religious studies. No day’s exercises ever began with any thing but theology from the first to the last.
The story of many of the young men who learned within these walls their first lessons in practical theology is much like that of Brother J. M. Tanner. He was fresh from his labors in field and farm, and when shortly after his entrance, he was requested by the Principal to open the school with prayer, he refused point blank, giving as his excuse that he had never prayed aloud in his life.
In his own inimitable manner, Brother Maeser let the lad severely alone upon that point, and as usual in such cases the matter so weighed upon the boy’s mind that he could bear it no longer, and after a lapse of two or three weeks he penitently sought the Principal, and announced his readiness to comply with the request.
No one who has had a similar experience in the academy can ever forget the extremely peculiar feelings caused by Brother Maeser’s severe but calm “letting alone” method. It is as if in some occult, undefinable way, you are spiritually set into the disgraceful corner, and a sort of mystic paper cap dangles about your ears with the most definable and yet intangible concern. Not a spoken word aids in this impression, it is all apart and distinct from bodily recognition. It has never failed, however, in bringing the most hardened culprit to justice, and usually but a short time is needed to fling the penitent at the worthy Professor’s feet with tears of past regret and future resolve.
The second term saw the beginning of the missionary meetings. Bishop Booth assisted the Principal for that and several succeeding years as professor of mathematics. And who that ever figured out how many fellows it took to get one girl home who lived six and one quarter blocks from the mill-race will ever forget that method of battering the rule of three into the thick skull of sleepy youths. Did you ever figure out who lost the $7.00 on the bogus check which passed between the buyer and the East Co-op. and the bank in bewildering succession?
These reminiscences are very dear and sweet, but I must hasten on.
The rapid growth and evolution of the academy from the time of Brother Maeser’s entrance to his release granted him in January of this year, is all written in the careful programmes and reports made by his own faithful fingers, and now carefully preserved in the archives of the institution. The history of this will some day be written. I have only strolled along the wide field, plucking, for your amusement, a flower here and there.
On the 8th of June, 1888, Brother Maeser was called by the President of the Church to take the General Superintendency of the Church School system. Here he found himself in the topmost branch of his dreams and holy aspirations. To see the system founded by Brigham Young, assisted by A. O. Smoot and Karl G. Maeser, established throughout the length and breadth of Zion, was a long-nursed hope and longing of this mighty heart. And when in 1888, he saw himself one of the heads of such a mammoth institution, his soul broke out in the language of the ancient poet:
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people.
But unto us his life is still spared. I shall never see a more affecting sight than the triumphal march of the students on the 4th of January, 1892, from the old Z. C. M. I. building into the elegant new structure now the home of the academy. The march, led by two little girls, the one a grand-daughter of Brigham Young, the other a grand-daughter of A. O. Smoot, halted at the steps of the academy, parting then clear down the line until the last one of the procession, beloved Brother Maeser, was reached, who with his whitened locks, bared in solemn reverence, advanced with his companion, the new principal, up the column of waiting, weeping pupils, and first upon the historic steps this modern prophet led his dear children into the “promised land,” and then, and not till then, relinquished his sacred trust and committed the charge of his beloved academy into the hands of another. The future may see many triumphs and glories for this dear institution, but never will so pathetic and soul moving an incident be enacted within its environments.
The life and labors of Dr. Maeser are now as familiar as household words in the homes of Zion. His whole time is spent in traveling about from Stake to Stake, visiting, counseling and assisting the principals and teachers in the Church School system. As of old his work is like the quiet, deep-channeled river, mighty, silent, eternal.
We had an honored Prophet who established upon the rock of revelation the gospel of Christ in latter days. After him came Brigham Young.
In the Church School system we have had our Joseph too—the humble man of God, Dr. K. G. Maeser. We may have a Brigham Young to build a mighty structure upon that deep and sure foundation. Who can tell? History sometimes repeats itself. But, sisters, remember one thing! Brigham Young had brain, intellect, gifts and graces; but as the master gift of all he held a deep humility.
If there is one lesson above another which every pupil ought to have learned from the intimate associations had with K. G. Maeser it was the oft-repeated reply to words of personal praise or exaltation, “It is not I who have done this. It is not my work. It is the work of our Lord, to Him give all the glory.”
Thus say we a brief farewell to our teacher and friend, Selah.
DR. KARLG. MAESER.
IN presenting the picture of this illustrious man to the readers of the Young Woman’s Journal, I do not think it is the means of an introduction to a strange face, or that you have not seen or known Brother Maeser. But, dear girls, you will bind your Journals and keep them for reference; and in years to come you will be very grateful for this beautiful portrait and will read to your children this little sketch of the life and labors of this great and good man.
Born in Weissen, Saxony, on January 16th, 1828, the early life of this youth was spent in school. Married in his early manhood to the daughter of his former principal, he began his life work as a teacher in the First District School in Dresden. From there he was appointed as Vice Director of the Budich Institute at Neustadt, Dresden, and here the gospel found him.
It is most interesting to hear Apostle Franklin D. Richards tell the story of the Professor’s conversion to the truth. “Indeed,” Brother Richards says, “Brother Maeser needed no conversion; his mind was reaching out and seeking to clasp the beautiful truths of Mormonism before he heard its name. There was no labored argument, no weeks, nor days, nor even hours of hesitancy and doubt prefixing the acceptance of the gospel by Brother Maeser. He grasped it eagerly and was at once baptized.”
Another most interesting circumstance related of this period in the lives of these two noted men is the occasion of a visit paid by Apostle Richards to Professor Maeser in Dresden. Returning at night from the place of Brother Maeser’s baptism, each being entirely ignorant of the language spoken by the other, and, crossing a bridge, the Holy Ghost suddenly descended upon them, and they talked one to the other, each in his own tongue, and yet each understood every word uttered by the other.
Both brethren speak of this peculiar manifestation with reverence and awe.
Sacrificing all his worldly interests, the new convert with his family left their native land, first for England and afterwards to the United States. Who can tell the story of those early years of privation and toil? The limits of this article will not allow it, interesting as the recital would be.
In 1860 Brother Maeser and family arrived in Utah. In November of that year he began his labors as a teacher in Zion in the Fifteenth Ward, Salt Lake City. Many were his disadvantages, chief of which was his inability to properly speak the English tongue and the radically different methods which he sought to introduce into the easy-going system of education then extant in this new and barren country.
He taught the private school of President Brigham Young for several years, and after some years he was invited to organize a Normal Department in the University of Deseret.
The keen intuition of President Young, enlightened as it was by the Holy Spirit, marked this struggling teacher as a future hope for Israel.
When the plan for establishing a religious school at Provo had developed in the mind of President Young, the name of Karl G. Maeser was suggested to him by Brother Warren N. Dusenberry, who was the principal of the academy so recently founded. Brother Dusenberry’s time was largely taken up by legal business, and he felt an anxiety to throw off all school cares and devote himself to his chosen profession.
In the spring of 1876, just before the April Conference, there occurred the bursting of the powder magazine on Arsenal Hill. Brother Maeser was teaching in the Twentieth Ward school house, and the terrible shock of that occurrence brought all the plaster from the ceiling to the floor.
Going at once to the President’s office in search of Bishop John Sharp to report the state of the house, Brother Maeser found himself in the presence of the President as well as the Bishop.
His report was made, and he added that he could not teach school until the building was repaired.
“That is just right,” cheerfully announced the President, “I want to give you a mission to teach in the Brigham Young Academy at Provo.”
Action followed close upon the word with President Young.
“Brother Smoot and the Board of Trustees are up here now,” said President Young.
Brother Maeser was introduced to President Smoot and a meeting of the Board was called for the next day in the upper room of Savage’s Art Gallery.
The meeting was held, and the Board agreed to pay Professor Maeser $1,200 a year in such pay as was taken in by the treasurer of the school.
On the 21 st of April the new Principal came to Provo, went at once down to the building (the one pictured in the May number) and straightening and arranging the rooms as best he might, prepared to open school on the Monday following.
There were no records, not much system, certainly no regularity, the former principal being so busily engaged with his court duties that school began any time between 9 and 11 o’clock, and sometimes not all. There was found a roll of pupils’ names, nearly sixty, but the pupils who were there to speak for themselves counted up to eleven.
Thus on the 24th day of April, 1876, began in reality the labors of the Brigham Young Academy at Provo. The term was to continue for ten weeks thereafter, and woe and distress! school was to begin every morning precisely at quarter to 9 o’clock.
Here was a pretty state of affairs! The idea of attempting to drag children to school at any regular hour; and indignity to insult! To dare to break into the musty-locked, engraved school-hour of 9 o’clock.
All Provo trembled with virtuous indignation. Nothing but the potent spell attending the magic name of Brigham Young, and the iron will of the President of the Board of Trustees could suffice to uphold the revolutionary Professor in his newfangled presumptions. One good Bishop, who was a sly wag, drew the Professor aside one day and told him if he persisted in such enlightened measures, he would work a revolution in Provo.
This first term is always called the experimental term by Brother Maeser, as it was so largely made up of trials and experiments.
In the late summer, on the 27th of August, the first academic year began. Academic j ear, and there was as yet but a primary and an intermediate grade. Brother Maeser was alone in his labors still. Professor M. H. Hardy had been appointed by President Young as Brother Maeser’s assistant. But in connection with Brother Morris B. Young, Professor Hardy was traveling in the south in the interests of the Y. M. M. I. A.
Here then began to shoot out the first tiny slips of this precious seed. Programmes were prepared, lessons were arranged with a definite end in view, a systematic evolution of study prepared, and the grading of classes begun in earnest.
The roll for this first term contained about sixty names, increasing during the year to about 106.
With much entreaty and earnest begging a normal class was organized by the Principal, with twelve volunteers. Among these were Mrs. Teenie Smoot Taylor and Brother Joseph B. Keeler.
Mrs. Teenie Taylor, that best of all primary teachers, as she stated in a former article, was the first lady teacher in the academy. Here in this first year came our well-known and well-loved teacher, Dr. J. E. Talmage, a boy of fifteen years, fresh from England and English schools, he scattered his H’s around with true Cockney generosity. He was very sick during the fall, but began again in the new year term and very soon developed into the lad, the youth, the man of brain and culture that he is today.
Here also came, as a tall, rowdy lad, the handsome Professor of the Logan College, Dr. J. M. Tanner. All the gold in his nature came brightly to the surface under the sledge-hammer blows of Brother Maeser’s deep eloquence. He it was, with young George Sutherland, who begged for some lessons in Greek, and there was no place nor provision in the infant academy for such full-grown studies as Greek, there being in fact no academic studies. Brother Maeser organized a class in Greek which held its sessions before the school hour.
In the fall, Professor Hardy came to his post, and he took one of the lower rooms and Brother Maeser the other, and these with a small back room which was arranged for an office room and library for the Principal were all the rooms occupied by the academy. The upper hall was used for theaters and balls. All this was in the old Brigham Young Academy building.
For some time after its inception, the academic department was occupied solely and wholly by Reed Smoot, a son of President A. O. Smoot.
At the opening day of the school in August on the 27th, President Young designed being present to dedicate the building. But severe illness prevented his attending, and accordingly President D. H. Wells was present and offered up the formal dedicatory prayer. This act stamps this day as the formal date of opening. President Young made two visits to the school. On the occasion of the first visit, he entered accompanied by President Smoot and a number of other leading brethren.
As he entered the room, Miss Teenie Smoot was conducting a class at the blackboard.
The President advanced up the room, bowing right and left in his courteous, dignified manner.
No pupil arose in his seat, the lady teacher went quietly on with her work. The President paused surprised.
At once Brother Maeser hastened to his side and explained, “President Young, these pupils and teachers have been taught to take no notice of visitors but to go quietly on with their work. It is what we are doing that visitors wish to see, and they do not come here only to be seen by the pupils.”
With a hearty clap of approval upon the Professor’s shoulders, the President replied, “That’s right, Brother Maeser, that’s right. That is the point exactly. When I visited the Catholic school, the moment I entered every pupil arose and bowed to me, and remained standing while I was present. I had no idea of the work they were doing in the school the whole of the time I was there.”
Thus was shown the deep natures of these two men. Their labors were far below the surface of fuss and showy parade, it was the life, the germ, the foundation of all work that centered their thoughts and employed their time.
The second year found Brother Maeser better supplied with teachers, yet they were nearly all of his “own raising.” With the exception of Professor Hardy, and the desultory help of Bishop J. E. Booth, all the teachers who had labored with Brother Maeser from the beginning of his labors in this academy to the very close thereof, were all those who had been trained by himself, or of his “own raising” as he quaintly puts it.
From the very first, no day ever passed in the academy without its full quota of religious studies. No day’s exercises ever began with any thing but theology from the first to the last.
The story of many of the young men who learned within these walls their first lessons in practical theology is much like that of Brother J. M. Tanner. He was fresh from his labors in field and farm, and when shortly after his entrance, he was requested by the Principal to open the school with prayer, he refused point blank, giving as his excuse that he had never prayed aloud in his life.
In his own inimitable manner, Brother Maeser let the lad severely alone upon that point, and as usual in such cases the matter so weighed upon the boy’s mind that he could bear it no longer, and after a lapse of two or three weeks he penitently sought the Principal, and announced his readiness to comply with the request.
No one who has had a similar experience in the academy can ever forget the extremely peculiar feelings caused by Brother Maeser’s severe but calm “letting alone” method. It is as if in some occult, undefinable way, you are spiritually set into the disgraceful corner, and a sort of mystic paper cap dangles about your ears with the most definable and yet intangible concern. Not a spoken word aids in this impression, it is all apart and distinct from bodily recognition. It has never failed, however, in bringing the most hardened culprit to justice, and usually but a short time is needed to fling the penitent at the worthy Professor’s feet with tears of past regret and future resolve.
The second term saw the beginning of the missionary meetings. Bishop Booth assisted the Principal for that and several succeeding years as professor of mathematics. And who that ever figured out how many fellows it took to get one girl home who lived six and one quarter blocks from the mill-race will ever forget that method of battering the rule of three into the thick skull of sleepy youths. Did you ever figure out who lost the $7.00 on the bogus check which passed between the buyer and the East Co-op. and the bank in bewildering succession?
These reminiscences are very dear and sweet, but I must hasten on.
The rapid growth and evolution of the academy from the time of Brother Maeser’s entrance to his release granted him in January of this year, is all written in the careful programmes and reports made by his own faithful fingers, and now carefully preserved in the archives of the institution. The history of this will some day be written. I have only strolled along the wide field, plucking, for your amusement, a flower here and there.
On the 8th of June, 1888, Brother Maeser was called by the President of the Church to take the General Superintendency of the Church School system. Here he found himself in the topmost branch of his dreams and holy aspirations. To see the system founded by Brigham Young, assisted by A. O. Smoot and Karl G. Maeser, established throughout the length and breadth of Zion, was a long-nursed hope and longing of this mighty heart. And when in 1888, he saw himself one of the heads of such a mammoth institution, his soul broke out in the language of the ancient poet:
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people.
But unto us his life is still spared. I shall never see a more affecting sight than the triumphal march of the students on the 4th of January, 1892, from the old Z. C. M. I. building into the elegant new structure now the home of the academy. The march, led by two little girls, the one a grand-daughter of Brigham Young, the other a grand-daughter of A. O. Smoot, halted at the steps of the academy, parting then clear down the line until the last one of the procession, beloved Brother Maeser, was reached, who with his whitened locks, bared in solemn reverence, advanced with his companion, the new principal, up the column of waiting, weeping pupils, and first upon the historic steps this modern prophet led his dear children into the “promised land,” and then, and not till then, relinquished his sacred trust and committed the charge of his beloved academy into the hands of another. The future may see many triumphs and glories for this dear institution, but never will so pathetic and soul moving an incident be enacted within its environments.
The life and labors of Dr. Maeser are now as familiar as household words in the homes of Zion. His whole time is spent in traveling about from Stake to Stake, visiting, counseling and assisting the principals and teachers in the Church School system. As of old his work is like the quiet, deep-channeled river, mighty, silent, eternal.
We had an honored Prophet who established upon the rock of revelation the gospel of Christ in latter days. After him came Brigham Young.
In the Church School system we have had our Joseph too—the humble man of God, Dr. K. G. Maeser. We may have a Brigham Young to build a mighty structure upon that deep and sure foundation. Who can tell? History sometimes repeats itself. But, sisters, remember one thing! Brigham Young had brain, intellect, gifts and graces; but as the master gift of all he held a deep humility.
If there is one lesson above another which every pupil ought to have learned from the intimate associations had with K. G. Maeser it was the oft-repeated reply to words of personal praise or exaltation, “It is not I who have done this. It is not my work. It is the work of our Lord, to Him give all the glory.”
Thus say we a brief farewell to our teacher and friend, Selah.
Maeser, Karl G. "How I Became a "Mormon"." Improvement Era. November 1899. pg. 23-26.
HOW I BECAME A “MORMON”
BY DR. KARL G. MAESER.
Only in compliance with the counsel of President F. D. Richards have I reluctantly yielded to the repeated solicitations of the editor to relate briefly in the columns of the Era the incidents preceding and accompanying my conversion to the great work of the latter days, and my baptism into The Church, at Dresden, Saxony, October 14, 1855.
As "Oberlehrer" at the Budich Institute, Neustadt, Dresden, I, like most of my fellow-teachers in Germany, had become imbued with the scepticism that characterizes to a large extent the tendency of modern higher education, but I was realizing at the same time the unsatisfactory condition of a mind that has nothing to rely on but the ever changing propositions of speculative philosophy.
Although filled with admiration of "the indomitable courage, sincere devotion, and indefatigable energy of the great German Reformer, Martin Luther, I could not fail to see that his work had been merely an initiatory one, and that the various protestant sects, taking their initiative from the revolutionary stand of the heroic monk at Wittenberg and Worms, had entirely failed to comprehend the mission of the reformation. The only strength of Protestantism seemed to be its negative position to the Catholic church; while in most of the positive doctrines of them multifarious protestant sects their antagonism to one another culminated only too often in uncompromising zealotry. These ideas illustrate in the main my views on religious subjects, at that time, and are explanatory of the fact that scepticism had undermined the religious impressions of my childhood days, and why infidelity, now known by its modern name as agnosticism, was exercising its disintegrating influence upon me.
In that dark period of my life, when I was searching for a foothold among the political, social, philosophical, and religious opinions of the world, my attention was called to a pamphlet on the "Mormons," written by a man named Busch. The author wrote in a spirit of opposition to that strange people, but his very illogical deductions and sarcastic invectives aroused my curiosity, and an irresistible desire to know more about the subject of the author's animadversion caused me to make persistent inquiries concerning it. There were no "Mormons" in Saxony at that time, but, as I accidentally found in an illustrated paper, they had a mission in Denmark. Through an agent, I obtained the address of Elder Van Cott, then President of the Scandinavian mission. My letter addressed to that gentleman brought the answer that neither he nor his secretary could understand much German, but that Elder Daniel Tyler, President of the Swiss and German mission at Geneva, would give me all information I should desire on the subject of "Mormonism." I addressed myself, therefore, to that gentleman.
What I now relate in this paragraph, I never learned until twelve years later, at Beaver City, Utah, where Brother Tyler related it in my presence, at a meeting of the Relief Society. When my letter arrived at Geneva, headquarters of the mission, one of the traveling Elders suggested to President Tyler to have nothing to do with the writer of the letter, but to send it back without any answer, as it was most likely only a trick of the German police to catch our possible connections in that country. President Tyler declared that as the letter was impressing him quite differently, he would send it back as suggested, but that it would come back again with more added to it, if the Lord was with the writer. Thus I got my letter back without any explanation or signature, only in a new envelope addressed to me. I felt insulted, and sent it with a few words of inquiries about this strange procedure, to Elder Van Cott, at Copenhagen. By return mail I received an apology from President Van Cott, stating that there must be a mistake somewhere, as Elder Tyler was a good and wise man. He had, however, sent my letter again to Geneva with an endorsement. This led to a long correspondence between Elder Tyler and myself. Pamphlets and some books were forwarded to me. Having some conceited notions in those days about illiteracy, and no faith in Bible or religious doctrines, correspondence and publications had no other effect upon me than to convince me that "Mormonism" was a much bigger thing than I had anticipated. I therefore expressed a desire for having an Elder sent to me.
A few weeks after that request had been made. Elder William Budge, now President of Bear Lake Stake, arrived at my house. It was providential that such a man was the first "Mormon" I ever beheld, for, although scarcely able to make himself understood in German, he, by his winning and yet dignified personality, created an impression upon me and my family which was the keynote to an indispensable influence that hallowed the principles he advocated. After about eight weeks' sojourn in our family, during which time my brother-in-law. Brother Edward Schoenfeld, and wife, and another teacher at one of the public schools in Dresden, had become interested in the teachings of the "Mormon" Elder, Elder F. D. Richards, then President of the European mission, and Elder William Kimball, arrived in Dresden. A few interviews at which Elder Budge acted as interpreter, led to the baptism of eight souls in the river Elbe; the first baptisms after the order of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in that country.
On coming out of the water, I lifted both of my hands to heaven and said: "Father, if what I have done just now is pleasing unto thee, give me a testimony, and whatever thou shouldst require of my hands I shall do, even to the laying down of my life for this cause."
There seemed to be no response to my fervent appeal, and we walked home together. President Richards and Elder Budge at the right and the left of me, while the other three men walked some distance behind us, so as to attract no notice. The other members of the family were baptized a few days later. Our conversation was on the subject of the authority of the Priesthood, Elder Budge acting as interpreter. Suddenly I stopped Elder Budge from interpreting President Richards' remarks, as I understood them, and replied in German, when again the interpretation was not needed as President Richards understood me also. Thus we kept on conversing until we arrived at the point of separation, when the manifestation as suddenly ceased as it had come. It did not appear to me as strange at all while it lasted, but as soon as it stopped, I asked Brother Budge what that all meant, and received the answer that God had given me a testimony. For some time afterwards, whenever I conversed with President Richards, in England, we could understand each other more readily than when I was conversing with others, or rather trying to converse, until my progress in the English language made this capacity unnecessary.
This is the plain statement of the power of the Holy Spirit manifested to me by the mercy of my Heavenly Father, the first one of the many that have followed, and that have corroborated the sincere conviction of my soul, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is of God and not of man.
HOW I BECAME A “MORMON”
BY DR. KARL G. MAESER.
Only in compliance with the counsel of President F. D. Richards have I reluctantly yielded to the repeated solicitations of the editor to relate briefly in the columns of the Era the incidents preceding and accompanying my conversion to the great work of the latter days, and my baptism into The Church, at Dresden, Saxony, October 14, 1855.
As "Oberlehrer" at the Budich Institute, Neustadt, Dresden, I, like most of my fellow-teachers in Germany, had become imbued with the scepticism that characterizes to a large extent the tendency of modern higher education, but I was realizing at the same time the unsatisfactory condition of a mind that has nothing to rely on but the ever changing propositions of speculative philosophy.
Although filled with admiration of "the indomitable courage, sincere devotion, and indefatigable energy of the great German Reformer, Martin Luther, I could not fail to see that his work had been merely an initiatory one, and that the various protestant sects, taking their initiative from the revolutionary stand of the heroic monk at Wittenberg and Worms, had entirely failed to comprehend the mission of the reformation. The only strength of Protestantism seemed to be its negative position to the Catholic church; while in most of the positive doctrines of them multifarious protestant sects their antagonism to one another culminated only too often in uncompromising zealotry. These ideas illustrate in the main my views on religious subjects, at that time, and are explanatory of the fact that scepticism had undermined the religious impressions of my childhood days, and why infidelity, now known by its modern name as agnosticism, was exercising its disintegrating influence upon me.
In that dark period of my life, when I was searching for a foothold among the political, social, philosophical, and religious opinions of the world, my attention was called to a pamphlet on the "Mormons," written by a man named Busch. The author wrote in a spirit of opposition to that strange people, but his very illogical deductions and sarcastic invectives aroused my curiosity, and an irresistible desire to know more about the subject of the author's animadversion caused me to make persistent inquiries concerning it. There were no "Mormons" in Saxony at that time, but, as I accidentally found in an illustrated paper, they had a mission in Denmark. Through an agent, I obtained the address of Elder Van Cott, then President of the Scandinavian mission. My letter addressed to that gentleman brought the answer that neither he nor his secretary could understand much German, but that Elder Daniel Tyler, President of the Swiss and German mission at Geneva, would give me all information I should desire on the subject of "Mormonism." I addressed myself, therefore, to that gentleman.
What I now relate in this paragraph, I never learned until twelve years later, at Beaver City, Utah, where Brother Tyler related it in my presence, at a meeting of the Relief Society. When my letter arrived at Geneva, headquarters of the mission, one of the traveling Elders suggested to President Tyler to have nothing to do with the writer of the letter, but to send it back without any answer, as it was most likely only a trick of the German police to catch our possible connections in that country. President Tyler declared that as the letter was impressing him quite differently, he would send it back as suggested, but that it would come back again with more added to it, if the Lord was with the writer. Thus I got my letter back without any explanation or signature, only in a new envelope addressed to me. I felt insulted, and sent it with a few words of inquiries about this strange procedure, to Elder Van Cott, at Copenhagen. By return mail I received an apology from President Van Cott, stating that there must be a mistake somewhere, as Elder Tyler was a good and wise man. He had, however, sent my letter again to Geneva with an endorsement. This led to a long correspondence between Elder Tyler and myself. Pamphlets and some books were forwarded to me. Having some conceited notions in those days about illiteracy, and no faith in Bible or religious doctrines, correspondence and publications had no other effect upon me than to convince me that "Mormonism" was a much bigger thing than I had anticipated. I therefore expressed a desire for having an Elder sent to me.
A few weeks after that request had been made. Elder William Budge, now President of Bear Lake Stake, arrived at my house. It was providential that such a man was the first "Mormon" I ever beheld, for, although scarcely able to make himself understood in German, he, by his winning and yet dignified personality, created an impression upon me and my family which was the keynote to an indispensable influence that hallowed the principles he advocated. After about eight weeks' sojourn in our family, during which time my brother-in-law. Brother Edward Schoenfeld, and wife, and another teacher at one of the public schools in Dresden, had become interested in the teachings of the "Mormon" Elder, Elder F. D. Richards, then President of the European mission, and Elder William Kimball, arrived in Dresden. A few interviews at which Elder Budge acted as interpreter, led to the baptism of eight souls in the river Elbe; the first baptisms after the order of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in that country.
On coming out of the water, I lifted both of my hands to heaven and said: "Father, if what I have done just now is pleasing unto thee, give me a testimony, and whatever thou shouldst require of my hands I shall do, even to the laying down of my life for this cause."
There seemed to be no response to my fervent appeal, and we walked home together. President Richards and Elder Budge at the right and the left of me, while the other three men walked some distance behind us, so as to attract no notice. The other members of the family were baptized a few days later. Our conversation was on the subject of the authority of the Priesthood, Elder Budge acting as interpreter. Suddenly I stopped Elder Budge from interpreting President Richards' remarks, as I understood them, and replied in German, when again the interpretation was not needed as President Richards understood me also. Thus we kept on conversing until we arrived at the point of separation, when the manifestation as suddenly ceased as it had come. It did not appear to me as strange at all while it lasted, but as soon as it stopped, I asked Brother Budge what that all meant, and received the answer that God had given me a testimony. For some time afterwards, whenever I conversed with President Richards, in England, we could understand each other more readily than when I was conversing with others, or rather trying to converse, until my progress in the English language made this capacity unnecessary.
This is the plain statement of the power of the Holy Spirit manifested to me by the mercy of my Heavenly Father, the first one of the many that have followed, and that have corroborated the sincere conviction of my soul, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is of God and not of man.
"Assistant Superintendent Karl G. Maeser." Juvenile Instructor. 1 March 1901. pg. 145-147.
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT KARL G. MAESER.
“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.”
Zion's great school master has passed away to his reward —glorious and eternal. And not great schoolmaster only, but great as a servant of God, as one who loved his fellow-men. He was one of those supremely blessed mortals who lived to see the fruition of his life's labors. Not entirely, not in their fullness perhaps, that will not be until that which is perfect has come. But he remained with us long enough to witness his toil and struggles bring forth fruit to the glory of God and the betterment of thousands of young lives. He also obtained that which he most craved for, most ardently prayed for—the love of his students and associates; for love was the keynote of his life. "He opened his mouth with wisdom and the law of love was on his lips."
Brother Maeser had ofttimes prayed that he might die «in the harness," and his prayer was granted. His immediate associates had for some time noticed that his health was breaking, but on the day previous to his death he seemed as well and as bright as ordinarily. He performed his usual duties in the office, and at three o'clock in the afternoon (Thursday, February 14th,) he attended the regular weekly meeting of the Board of the Deseret Sunday School Union, where, in the absence of General Superintendent George Q. Cannon, he presided. Thence he went to his home, and in due course, retired to rest. Shortly before three o'clock the next morning he awoke his wife, complaining of an oppressiveness on his chest. She quickly prepared some available remedies and gave him a drink of ginger tea. He declared he felt better, advised Sister Maeser to go to sleep, and turned on his side to sleep also. He lay very quiet, he neither spoke a word nor uttered a groan, a slight gurgling in the throat was the only sound he made. Alarmed at his extreme quietness, Sister Maeser turned to him, and found to her intense grief and surprise, that he had passed away to the great beyond. Calmly as a tired child going to sleep he had entered the presence of his Maker.
Brother Maeser was born at Meissen, Saxony, January 16th, 1828; consequently, at the time of his departure, he was in his seventy-fourth year. He leaves a wife, two sons and three daughters to follow him, in due time, to the paradise of God.
His funeral took place at the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, on the afternoon of the 19th. The day was a very unpropitious one; snow, rain, and mud characterized it. Notwithstanding these drawbacks the attendance was large; it would have been immense had the weather been favorable. The State Senate adjourned so that its members might attend the services, the State University closed its exercises at one o'clock; the students of the Brigham Young Academy and of the Latter-day Saints College were present in two large bodies, and delegations and representatives from the Church and other schools, far and near, testified their love and reverence for the departed by their presence. The speakers were the Elder (President William Budge of Bear Lake Stake) who first carried to him the glad tidings of the Gospel, a number of his old students, (Doctors Tanner, Talmage and Brimhall, and Apostle Reed Smoot) and Apostle Heber J. Grant and President George Q. Cannon.
Brother Maeser at the time of his departure held the Priesthood of a Patriarch. He was the general superintendent of the schools of the Church, and first assistant general superintendent of its Sunday Schools and its religion classes; he was also a member of the General Church Board of Education. All these various bodies were represented in the personnel of his brethren, the pall-bearers, who bore him to his last resting place in the Salt Lake cemetery.
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT KARL G. MAESER.
“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.”
Zion's great school master has passed away to his reward —glorious and eternal. And not great schoolmaster only, but great as a servant of God, as one who loved his fellow-men. He was one of those supremely blessed mortals who lived to see the fruition of his life's labors. Not entirely, not in their fullness perhaps, that will not be until that which is perfect has come. But he remained with us long enough to witness his toil and struggles bring forth fruit to the glory of God and the betterment of thousands of young lives. He also obtained that which he most craved for, most ardently prayed for—the love of his students and associates; for love was the keynote of his life. "He opened his mouth with wisdom and the law of love was on his lips."
Brother Maeser had ofttimes prayed that he might die «in the harness," and his prayer was granted. His immediate associates had for some time noticed that his health was breaking, but on the day previous to his death he seemed as well and as bright as ordinarily. He performed his usual duties in the office, and at three o'clock in the afternoon (Thursday, February 14th,) he attended the regular weekly meeting of the Board of the Deseret Sunday School Union, where, in the absence of General Superintendent George Q. Cannon, he presided. Thence he went to his home, and in due course, retired to rest. Shortly before three o'clock the next morning he awoke his wife, complaining of an oppressiveness on his chest. She quickly prepared some available remedies and gave him a drink of ginger tea. He declared he felt better, advised Sister Maeser to go to sleep, and turned on his side to sleep also. He lay very quiet, he neither spoke a word nor uttered a groan, a slight gurgling in the throat was the only sound he made. Alarmed at his extreme quietness, Sister Maeser turned to him, and found to her intense grief and surprise, that he had passed away to the great beyond. Calmly as a tired child going to sleep he had entered the presence of his Maker.
Brother Maeser was born at Meissen, Saxony, January 16th, 1828; consequently, at the time of his departure, he was in his seventy-fourth year. He leaves a wife, two sons and three daughters to follow him, in due time, to the paradise of God.
His funeral took place at the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, on the afternoon of the 19th. The day was a very unpropitious one; snow, rain, and mud characterized it. Notwithstanding these drawbacks the attendance was large; it would have been immense had the weather been favorable. The State Senate adjourned so that its members might attend the services, the State University closed its exercises at one o'clock; the students of the Brigham Young Academy and of the Latter-day Saints College were present in two large bodies, and delegations and representatives from the Church and other schools, far and near, testified their love and reverence for the departed by their presence. The speakers were the Elder (President William Budge of Bear Lake Stake) who first carried to him the glad tidings of the Gospel, a number of his old students, (Doctors Tanner, Talmage and Brimhall, and Apostle Reed Smoot) and Apostle Heber J. Grant and President George Q. Cannon.
Brother Maeser at the time of his departure held the Priesthood of a Patriarch. He was the general superintendent of the schools of the Church, and first assistant general superintendent of its Sunday Schools and its religion classes; he was also a member of the General Church Board of Education. All these various bodies were represented in the personnel of his brethren, the pall-bearers, who bore him to his last resting place in the Salt Lake cemetery.
"Dr. Karl G. Maeser." Improvement Era. March 1901. pg. 392-393.
DR. KARL G. MAESER.
In the early morning of Friday, February 16, Karl G. Maeser, the missionary and educator, suddenly and peacefully died, at his home in Salt Lake City, at the age of seventy-three years. In his death, the state loses one of its oldest and most enthusiastic educators, and The Church, one of its pillars of strength.
Readers of the Era have an account, from his own pen, (Vol. 3, page 23) of how he became a "Mormon," and was baptized at Dresden, Saxony, October 14, 1855, by the late Apostle Franklin D. Richards; and of the wonderful manifestation of the gift of tongues which corroborated the sincere conviction of his soul, possessed to his dying day, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints is of God and not of man.
Dr. Maeser was born in Saxony, January 16, 1828, and came to Utah in the fall of 1860. Since his arrival here, as in his native land, he was constantly engaged in educational work; he taught first in the wards of Salt Lake City, and afterwards, as private tutor in the school of President Brigham Young. The latter position led to his appointment as the organizer and first principal of the great Church educational institution, the Brigham Young Academy, which in turn led to his position as father and superintendent of the entire Church educational system of the Latter-day Saints, In addition to this labor, he was in recent years an ardent worker in the Sabbath schools of Zion, whose excellent discipline and splendid system are largely due to his able efforts.
He was a natural disciplinarian and teacher, one who devoted his whole career to his calling. Thinking, planning, writing, teaching, he wrought therein up to and during the last day of his life on earth. He died in the harness, and his peaceful passing to the great beyond was as ideal as the story of his living. In life he was ever prepared to respond to calls to do good; and he stood quite as ready to answer the final summons of his Maker.
He was a man of charming character, true as steel, warm as love; he possessed a big heart; thousands are the monograms of hope and encouragement that he has impressed upon the souls of young men and young women who came to him for counsel. With fatherly solicitude and with tender care, he gave to each the advice most needed. In all the rocky mountain region, from Mexico to Canada, from the coast to the plains, many hearts there are that beat in loving remembrance of Brother Maeser, that are full today in contemplation of the help that he has rendered.
He was a missionary, a musician, a founder of the German mission paper Der Stern, a writer of some merit, a member of the State constitutional convention of Utah; and in other ways he faithfully, nobly, truly, always modestly, served his Church, his state and country; but the crowning labor of his life was his work as teacher. The truth which he so tactfully, but with force, impressed upon the hearts of the children of his time, is the monument that shall perpetuate his memory, enshrouding it with living freshness in generations yet to come.
With thousands of Latter-day Saints in all the world, we place a rose upon his bier, a crown of flowers upon his brow, and sympathize with the children of the Saints who must hereafter forever miss his coming.
DR. KARL G. MAESER.
In the early morning of Friday, February 16, Karl G. Maeser, the missionary and educator, suddenly and peacefully died, at his home in Salt Lake City, at the age of seventy-three years. In his death, the state loses one of its oldest and most enthusiastic educators, and The Church, one of its pillars of strength.
Readers of the Era have an account, from his own pen, (Vol. 3, page 23) of how he became a "Mormon," and was baptized at Dresden, Saxony, October 14, 1855, by the late Apostle Franklin D. Richards; and of the wonderful manifestation of the gift of tongues which corroborated the sincere conviction of his soul, possessed to his dying day, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints is of God and not of man.
Dr. Maeser was born in Saxony, January 16, 1828, and came to Utah in the fall of 1860. Since his arrival here, as in his native land, he was constantly engaged in educational work; he taught first in the wards of Salt Lake City, and afterwards, as private tutor in the school of President Brigham Young. The latter position led to his appointment as the organizer and first principal of the great Church educational institution, the Brigham Young Academy, which in turn led to his position as father and superintendent of the entire Church educational system of the Latter-day Saints, In addition to this labor, he was in recent years an ardent worker in the Sabbath schools of Zion, whose excellent discipline and splendid system are largely due to his able efforts.
He was a natural disciplinarian and teacher, one who devoted his whole career to his calling. Thinking, planning, writing, teaching, he wrought therein up to and during the last day of his life on earth. He died in the harness, and his peaceful passing to the great beyond was as ideal as the story of his living. In life he was ever prepared to respond to calls to do good; and he stood quite as ready to answer the final summons of his Maker.
He was a man of charming character, true as steel, warm as love; he possessed a big heart; thousands are the monograms of hope and encouragement that he has impressed upon the souls of young men and young women who came to him for counsel. With fatherly solicitude and with tender care, he gave to each the advice most needed. In all the rocky mountain region, from Mexico to Canada, from the coast to the plains, many hearts there are that beat in loving remembrance of Brother Maeser, that are full today in contemplation of the help that he has rendered.
He was a missionary, a musician, a founder of the German mission paper Der Stern, a writer of some merit, a member of the State constitutional convention of Utah; and in other ways he faithfully, nobly, truly, always modestly, served his Church, his state and country; but the crowning labor of his life was his work as teacher. The truth which he so tactfully, but with force, impressed upon the hearts of the children of his time, is the monument that shall perpetuate his memory, enshrouding it with living freshness in generations yet to come.
With thousands of Latter-day Saints in all the world, we place a rose upon his bier, a crown of flowers upon his brow, and sympathize with the children of the Saints who must hereafter forever miss his coming.
Schoenfeld, Edward. "A Character Sketch of Dr. Karl G. Maeser." Juvenile Instructor. 15 March 1901. pg. 179-183.
A CHARACTER SKETCH OF DR. KARL G. MAESER.
HAVING been requested to write for the Juvenile Instructor a sketch of the character of our now departed, but always dear superintendent, teacher, brother and friend, Elder Karl G. Maeser, 1 ask the Lord to enable me to do so to the satisfaction of its readers. This is not a historical sketch of his life and career; but, as there is perhaps not one soul now living, that knew him so well and for so long a period or as far back to the earlier years of his life, as I did, I will attempt to place on record a character-sketch of this great and noble man and deposit it as a token of love and respect, like a laurel wreath on the little hill that now covers his earthly remains.
As early as the year 1852, both of us having previously obtained our college education in two different seminaries of learning, he in Dresden and I in Freiberg, Saxony, and both having served as teachers in different parts of that country, God so directed it, that our life’s path ran together, and we found ourselves acting as teachers in one of the large schools of the city of Dresden. Had it not been for that incident perhaps all would have come different with us in our after lives. But God directs the fate of His children, and what we call our own arrangements, are after all simply our dropping into the path which our Father has marked out for us. In those days we were what you might call young, fairly-well educated Gentile boys, like thousands of others anywhere. We knew nothing of the Gospel; but one fact was clear to us, that what the world called «religion» was not the truth; and as there was nothing better to our knowledge, we both were, what thousands of others are under like conditions, sceptics, and we thought that science, and especially natural philosophy, was the only thing that might in some way fill the longing of the soul. This period is the danger line of life, like a circle of mist, through which one has to pass, and in this dangerous atmosphere, I am sorry to say, nine-tenths of our college students remain and become infidels. But let me say to you: drink deeper! go on! work thyself through! We did go on, and for that reason the guiding hand of God came to our aid.
It so happened—yes, «happened» so the world calls it—that in Brother Maeser’s childhood (it must have been in the early thirties), perhaps during the gloomy days of Missouri, he saw a pictorial description of a driven, wandering people, with prophets in their midst, with hidden records on tablets buried in the hills, with angels watching these records. This people were cultivating the arts and sciences as they wandered along, and only the name, (a mysterious name it appeared to him «Mormons» had impressed itself on the memory of the youthful reader. That was all. Who were that people? What were they? Whither have they gone? Certainly something very peculiar about all that, and right in our own day!
This strange history, the strange name of the people, the hidden prophetic records, the story of angels in the nineteenth century— all had left an impress regarding which Karl spoke often to me, long before we knew anything further about it. But, in 1853, we fell in with a stranger, who, hearing us utter the word «Mormon,» said he had run across such a people in Denmark, and set us on the track of getting in a roundabout way the address of one of their number (Elder John Van Cott) in Copenhagen, and later on Elder William Budge was sent to us. He taught us the Gospel by using a Bible, that had the German text in one column and the English in the other; in this way he pointed out the striking passages, for neither could speak the other’s language.
From that period dates the change in Brother Maeser's life. As by magic he was at once transformed, changed, illumined, yes, inspired. The sceptic of yesterday was at once the ardent advocate of real religion, not because he had found some new passage in the Bible, but because his soul had been touched, the way was clear, he knew it for himself! You may think our Karl was perhaps at that time a fanatic to a certain extent, bat I knew him too well. Karl G. was never a fanatic. One of his pet words used to be: «Boys, don’t give way to illusions!» He simply had hold of the right key, God had silently placed it in his hands, and all was clear to him; so much so that he enjoyed the gift of tongues on one occasion, perhaps before he himself knew that there was such a gift restored. Did I not hear him and Elder Franklin D. Richards converse together in the dark night on the road homeward after our baptism, on the 14th of October, 1855? What they said I do not know, but I knew they had a good conversation together, and when we waited, to let them come up, the gift was gone.
Brother Maeser was a man of wonderful force; he had a magnetic power of inspiration. He could fill all around him with enthusiasm. I have seen him in the schoolroom, in the days when we were teachers together, looking at his little flock, and by just a sound from his lips, or a smile, ora gesture of his hands, the little fellows would fairly jump on the benches to reach him. I have seen his entire class of sixty or eighty children trying to get hold of his hands, or even the skirts of his coat, when school was dismissed, so that he, at times, had to get out by a side door to escape the demonstration in the street. This magnetic power is a peculiarity in nearly all great men, and I rank him not only among the good, he was in his line also a great man Here is the sign of the great men: When you, for instance, see an actor, who can make you forget that you are beholding a play, and who charms you to that degree that you take it all for reality, then you have before you a great master actor. Great men are like fixed stars, they attract and force into their orbit their planets together with their satellites. Brother Maeser had that gift. He inspired me first with his ideas concerning the Gospel, and through me my family.
We voluntarily, but cheerfully gave up our situations in Dresden, and exchanged our comforts for the hardships and privations of a missionary’s life in London. When Karl later entered the career of a school teacher in Utah, he soon had again his circle of enthusiastic students and followers, judging from the beautiful remarks of his former students, Professors Talmage, Tanner, Brimhall and Apostle Smoot and others at his funeral, together with the host of students from many of Utah’s prominent institutions of learning who were present. They all realized that Karl G. had been their star; in fact, one of the floral emblems bore the very inscription, that «their star had set?) So great was the degree of inspiration which he could spread around him, that everybody willingly overlooked the faults of his accent, a fault which in others would always have been considered an obstacle to success; but without these peculiarities his friends and admirers would have almost thought it was not the original Brother Karl G. Maeser.
I have yet in my possession the identical German Bible (Luther’s translation,) which we used in our first dear little branch in Dresden. On the occasion of our parting from each other at 35 Jewin Street, London, he said to me: «Edward, gold and silver have I not, to give you on your journey to Zion, but here—take this our Bible,» and he wrote in it, and there it stands to this day:
«Karl to his Edward, 26 March, 1857.»
Brother Maeser’s nationality was very marked. He was an out and out German in character, and remained so. Unless a higher principle demanded a change, he would never change for the sake of changing, he was not changeable, he was a firmly set character, unless he could be convinced that something else was better. 1 noticed in London, to my great amusement, that he could never get accustomed to the English firegrate, after having been used to the uniform warmth of the German massive stoves. He used to draw near the fire, and there it was too hot for him, and in moving away, he felt too cold. He once said tome in German: "O dear, these English people are never in their true element, unless they enjoy the sensation of a shaved poodle, sweating in front and shivering on the back."
Brother Maeser possessed a wonderful gift of organizing and creating order out of chaos.
I noticed that great gift in his management of the Swiss and German mission, 1868 to 1870. There he organized new branches, put the best element at his disposal to preside, and created a wonderful system of teacher’s report books, by which it was absolutely impossible for a visiting teacher to shirk his duty without being noticed. Never did he allow the lines, so to speak, to drop out of his own hands; he simply handled everything himself, and his aids were merely the mediums through whom the work was done. He established the Stern, the organ of the mission, which has now seen the thirty-second year of its issue. Then see what he has wrought in the immense work of our Church school system’ Everything works like a charm; obstacles had simply to vanish before his energetic and magic touch. There was no such word as «fail» in his vocabulary!
One remarkable feature of Brother Maeser’s character was his jealousy to guard the rights of the authority entrusted to him. Willingly would he have given the cloak also to him who took his coat; but when anybody attempted to assume that which belonged to him by authority of his calling, he would jump up like a lion. Then he cared not whether he insulted anybody; in fact, he told me once, that on such occasions he intended to insult. Anybody who did not know this peculiar trait of his character, would have thought him somewhat too particular. Here is an example of what he once said in my hearing; and I honor him for doing so: One of the missionaries in Switzerland had assumed on one occasion to call his orders in question, to which he said: «H----, you are in my opinion like a little rooster, that stoops his head very low on going through a high arch way, for fear he might knock his head against the arch!»
Brother Maeser would under different circumstances have become a good political leader and a strategist. The qualifications for it were in him. I have heard him describe and analyze movements of historic battles and campaigns with a shrewdness and skill and forecalculation that were really remarkable from a man who had no military training. His organizing talent would have made him a master of the situation upon the field of politics; he showed it by his suggestions in our state convention; and his above mentioned jealousy in guarding a trust bestowed upon him would have made him a most honorable and desirable servant of the people. Then, it might he asked, why did he not step into the arena?
Answer: Karl G. Maeser was not small enough for pulling wires; «bread and dinner* snatching was not his forte, his hack was too straight; he could never stoop down to tickle, in order to be tickled in turn. Karl was not built that way. But he had, nevertheless, the elements of true statesmanship and generalship in him. You should have watched him observing interestedly political movements in Switzerland; you should have seen him on other occasions playing a game of checkers. He was not a professional in that line, but in his first four or five moves he compelled his opponent to make just such moves as he desired him to make, and which brought for Karl the victory in the end. He had that gift.
Now, our Karl G., as he was fond of being called, had also his weaknesses: nobody knew them better than I, his almost lifelong friend. I have seen, known and watched him in all the varied conditions of life, and in his deepest distress I could not help but admire him. Now, not to mention his weaknesses in a sketch of his great character would mean to rob the truth. He loved the truth, and to speak concerning him truthfully, would please him. He himself admitted his faults to me, his bosom friend, many times, and therein is another proof of his greatness, for small souls never admit their faults. His weakness was—and it was the only one that I ever could discover—he was not successful in matters financial. To have taken advantage of him in matters of finance would have been no trick at all. Had he been left to elbow his own way in a shrewd, wicked world, he would no doubt have gone under and would have finally died in despair. But God was that man’s guide. As soon as he commenced his career in the schoolroom of the Twentieth ward, there came in his pathway some men who observed in him the hidden worth, and such men as Bishop Sharp, C. It Savage, John Nicholson, George M. Ottinger said: «That man must be retained here with us at any price.» Finally that great man, that Prophet indeed, President Brigham Young, who was the great master organizer in Israel, that great sun, who understood so well how to gather around him his planets, each one in its place and sphere, that great American, concerning whom it will take another fifty years before he will be fully understood by his own nation—he also cast his prophetic eye on him, and he placed our Karl G. in his right place, where he should stand and work. And Karl did fill this place, and shone, a master, in all his glory, by a Prophet’s appointment.
The Brigham Young Academy, the organization of the entire Church-school system, and his place in the superintendency of the great Mormon Sunday School system, together with his place in the Board of Education,—that was his great mission, and there he held the fort to God’s glory! The playing of the grand old choral, (words and music by Dr. Martin Luther,) which was so well performed at the funeral: «Eine feste Burg ist unser Gott,» (a powerful fortress is our God) was fittingly chosen as a part of the funeral program.
In our dear Karl Maeser will be fulfilled what the Prophet Daniel said (chap. 12: 3,) they that turn many to righteousness, shall shine as the stars for ever and ever.
Let me now close and place this tribute on the mound of his silent grave. He is enshrined in the hearts of old and young, great and small throughout all Israel.
Und werd’ ich einst begraben sein,
So setze in den Himmel ein
Den schoenen hellen Edelstein,
Mein treues deutsches Herz.
Edward Schoenfeld.
A CHARACTER SKETCH OF DR. KARL G. MAESER.
HAVING been requested to write for the Juvenile Instructor a sketch of the character of our now departed, but always dear superintendent, teacher, brother and friend, Elder Karl G. Maeser, 1 ask the Lord to enable me to do so to the satisfaction of its readers. This is not a historical sketch of his life and career; but, as there is perhaps not one soul now living, that knew him so well and for so long a period or as far back to the earlier years of his life, as I did, I will attempt to place on record a character-sketch of this great and noble man and deposit it as a token of love and respect, like a laurel wreath on the little hill that now covers his earthly remains.
As early as the year 1852, both of us having previously obtained our college education in two different seminaries of learning, he in Dresden and I in Freiberg, Saxony, and both having served as teachers in different parts of that country, God so directed it, that our life’s path ran together, and we found ourselves acting as teachers in one of the large schools of the city of Dresden. Had it not been for that incident perhaps all would have come different with us in our after lives. But God directs the fate of His children, and what we call our own arrangements, are after all simply our dropping into the path which our Father has marked out for us. In those days we were what you might call young, fairly-well educated Gentile boys, like thousands of others anywhere. We knew nothing of the Gospel; but one fact was clear to us, that what the world called «religion» was not the truth; and as there was nothing better to our knowledge, we both were, what thousands of others are under like conditions, sceptics, and we thought that science, and especially natural philosophy, was the only thing that might in some way fill the longing of the soul. This period is the danger line of life, like a circle of mist, through which one has to pass, and in this dangerous atmosphere, I am sorry to say, nine-tenths of our college students remain and become infidels. But let me say to you: drink deeper! go on! work thyself through! We did go on, and for that reason the guiding hand of God came to our aid.
It so happened—yes, «happened» so the world calls it—that in Brother Maeser’s childhood (it must have been in the early thirties), perhaps during the gloomy days of Missouri, he saw a pictorial description of a driven, wandering people, with prophets in their midst, with hidden records on tablets buried in the hills, with angels watching these records. This people were cultivating the arts and sciences as they wandered along, and only the name, (a mysterious name it appeared to him «Mormons» had impressed itself on the memory of the youthful reader. That was all. Who were that people? What were they? Whither have they gone? Certainly something very peculiar about all that, and right in our own day!
This strange history, the strange name of the people, the hidden prophetic records, the story of angels in the nineteenth century— all had left an impress regarding which Karl spoke often to me, long before we knew anything further about it. But, in 1853, we fell in with a stranger, who, hearing us utter the word «Mormon,» said he had run across such a people in Denmark, and set us on the track of getting in a roundabout way the address of one of their number (Elder John Van Cott) in Copenhagen, and later on Elder William Budge was sent to us. He taught us the Gospel by using a Bible, that had the German text in one column and the English in the other; in this way he pointed out the striking passages, for neither could speak the other’s language.
From that period dates the change in Brother Maeser's life. As by magic he was at once transformed, changed, illumined, yes, inspired. The sceptic of yesterday was at once the ardent advocate of real religion, not because he had found some new passage in the Bible, but because his soul had been touched, the way was clear, he knew it for himself! You may think our Karl was perhaps at that time a fanatic to a certain extent, bat I knew him too well. Karl G. was never a fanatic. One of his pet words used to be: «Boys, don’t give way to illusions!» He simply had hold of the right key, God had silently placed it in his hands, and all was clear to him; so much so that he enjoyed the gift of tongues on one occasion, perhaps before he himself knew that there was such a gift restored. Did I not hear him and Elder Franklin D. Richards converse together in the dark night on the road homeward after our baptism, on the 14th of October, 1855? What they said I do not know, but I knew they had a good conversation together, and when we waited, to let them come up, the gift was gone.
Brother Maeser was a man of wonderful force; he had a magnetic power of inspiration. He could fill all around him with enthusiasm. I have seen him in the schoolroom, in the days when we were teachers together, looking at his little flock, and by just a sound from his lips, or a smile, ora gesture of his hands, the little fellows would fairly jump on the benches to reach him. I have seen his entire class of sixty or eighty children trying to get hold of his hands, or even the skirts of his coat, when school was dismissed, so that he, at times, had to get out by a side door to escape the demonstration in the street. This magnetic power is a peculiarity in nearly all great men, and I rank him not only among the good, he was in his line also a great man Here is the sign of the great men: When you, for instance, see an actor, who can make you forget that you are beholding a play, and who charms you to that degree that you take it all for reality, then you have before you a great master actor. Great men are like fixed stars, they attract and force into their orbit their planets together with their satellites. Brother Maeser had that gift. He inspired me first with his ideas concerning the Gospel, and through me my family.
We voluntarily, but cheerfully gave up our situations in Dresden, and exchanged our comforts for the hardships and privations of a missionary’s life in London. When Karl later entered the career of a school teacher in Utah, he soon had again his circle of enthusiastic students and followers, judging from the beautiful remarks of his former students, Professors Talmage, Tanner, Brimhall and Apostle Smoot and others at his funeral, together with the host of students from many of Utah’s prominent institutions of learning who were present. They all realized that Karl G. had been their star; in fact, one of the floral emblems bore the very inscription, that «their star had set?) So great was the degree of inspiration which he could spread around him, that everybody willingly overlooked the faults of his accent, a fault which in others would always have been considered an obstacle to success; but without these peculiarities his friends and admirers would have almost thought it was not the original Brother Karl G. Maeser.
I have yet in my possession the identical German Bible (Luther’s translation,) which we used in our first dear little branch in Dresden. On the occasion of our parting from each other at 35 Jewin Street, London, he said to me: «Edward, gold and silver have I not, to give you on your journey to Zion, but here—take this our Bible,» and he wrote in it, and there it stands to this day:
«Karl to his Edward, 26 March, 1857.»
Brother Maeser’s nationality was very marked. He was an out and out German in character, and remained so. Unless a higher principle demanded a change, he would never change for the sake of changing, he was not changeable, he was a firmly set character, unless he could be convinced that something else was better. 1 noticed in London, to my great amusement, that he could never get accustomed to the English firegrate, after having been used to the uniform warmth of the German massive stoves. He used to draw near the fire, and there it was too hot for him, and in moving away, he felt too cold. He once said tome in German: "O dear, these English people are never in their true element, unless they enjoy the sensation of a shaved poodle, sweating in front and shivering on the back."
Brother Maeser possessed a wonderful gift of organizing and creating order out of chaos.
I noticed that great gift in his management of the Swiss and German mission, 1868 to 1870. There he organized new branches, put the best element at his disposal to preside, and created a wonderful system of teacher’s report books, by which it was absolutely impossible for a visiting teacher to shirk his duty without being noticed. Never did he allow the lines, so to speak, to drop out of his own hands; he simply handled everything himself, and his aids were merely the mediums through whom the work was done. He established the Stern, the organ of the mission, which has now seen the thirty-second year of its issue. Then see what he has wrought in the immense work of our Church school system’ Everything works like a charm; obstacles had simply to vanish before his energetic and magic touch. There was no such word as «fail» in his vocabulary!
One remarkable feature of Brother Maeser’s character was his jealousy to guard the rights of the authority entrusted to him. Willingly would he have given the cloak also to him who took his coat; but when anybody attempted to assume that which belonged to him by authority of his calling, he would jump up like a lion. Then he cared not whether he insulted anybody; in fact, he told me once, that on such occasions he intended to insult. Anybody who did not know this peculiar trait of his character, would have thought him somewhat too particular. Here is an example of what he once said in my hearing; and I honor him for doing so: One of the missionaries in Switzerland had assumed on one occasion to call his orders in question, to which he said: «H----, you are in my opinion like a little rooster, that stoops his head very low on going through a high arch way, for fear he might knock his head against the arch!»
Brother Maeser would under different circumstances have become a good political leader and a strategist. The qualifications for it were in him. I have heard him describe and analyze movements of historic battles and campaigns with a shrewdness and skill and forecalculation that were really remarkable from a man who had no military training. His organizing talent would have made him a master of the situation upon the field of politics; he showed it by his suggestions in our state convention; and his above mentioned jealousy in guarding a trust bestowed upon him would have made him a most honorable and desirable servant of the people. Then, it might he asked, why did he not step into the arena?
Answer: Karl G. Maeser was not small enough for pulling wires; «bread and dinner* snatching was not his forte, his hack was too straight; he could never stoop down to tickle, in order to be tickled in turn. Karl was not built that way. But he had, nevertheless, the elements of true statesmanship and generalship in him. You should have watched him observing interestedly political movements in Switzerland; you should have seen him on other occasions playing a game of checkers. He was not a professional in that line, but in his first four or five moves he compelled his opponent to make just such moves as he desired him to make, and which brought for Karl the victory in the end. He had that gift.
Now, our Karl G., as he was fond of being called, had also his weaknesses: nobody knew them better than I, his almost lifelong friend. I have seen, known and watched him in all the varied conditions of life, and in his deepest distress I could not help but admire him. Now, not to mention his weaknesses in a sketch of his great character would mean to rob the truth. He loved the truth, and to speak concerning him truthfully, would please him. He himself admitted his faults to me, his bosom friend, many times, and therein is another proof of his greatness, for small souls never admit their faults. His weakness was—and it was the only one that I ever could discover—he was not successful in matters financial. To have taken advantage of him in matters of finance would have been no trick at all. Had he been left to elbow his own way in a shrewd, wicked world, he would no doubt have gone under and would have finally died in despair. But God was that man’s guide. As soon as he commenced his career in the schoolroom of the Twentieth ward, there came in his pathway some men who observed in him the hidden worth, and such men as Bishop Sharp, C. It Savage, John Nicholson, George M. Ottinger said: «That man must be retained here with us at any price.» Finally that great man, that Prophet indeed, President Brigham Young, who was the great master organizer in Israel, that great sun, who understood so well how to gather around him his planets, each one in its place and sphere, that great American, concerning whom it will take another fifty years before he will be fully understood by his own nation—he also cast his prophetic eye on him, and he placed our Karl G. in his right place, where he should stand and work. And Karl did fill this place, and shone, a master, in all his glory, by a Prophet’s appointment.
The Brigham Young Academy, the organization of the entire Church-school system, and his place in the superintendency of the great Mormon Sunday School system, together with his place in the Board of Education,—that was his great mission, and there he held the fort to God’s glory! The playing of the grand old choral, (words and music by Dr. Martin Luther,) which was so well performed at the funeral: «Eine feste Burg ist unser Gott,» (a powerful fortress is our God) was fittingly chosen as a part of the funeral program.
In our dear Karl Maeser will be fulfilled what the Prophet Daniel said (chap. 12: 3,) they that turn many to righteousness, shall shine as the stars for ever and ever.
Let me now close and place this tribute on the mound of his silent grave. He is enshrined in the hearts of old and young, great and small throughout all Israel.
Und werd’ ich einst begraben sein,
So setze in den Himmel ein
Den schoenen hellen Edelstein,
Mein treues deutsches Herz.
Edward Schoenfeld.
Young, S. B. "Our Departed Friend." Juvenile Instructor. 15 March 1901. pg. 183-185.
OUR DEPARTED FRIEND.
DR. KARL G. MAESER has passed away: «Not dead, but sleepeth,» may be truly said of him. Had his talents been recognized when he came a visitor to the United States, while sojourning in Pennsylvania, he would then have been, like Agassiz, seized upon by some of the great men of the country and detained as one of the instructors in one of the greater institutions of learning. His mission, however, was to be among the Latter-day Saints, and though no one knew or realized the fact, many times this man of noblest attainments and heaven-born intellect, was without bread for himself and family, during his arduous labors among the people of his choice. Many times he has been approached with the suggestion that as Principal of the Brigham Young Academy he was without proper remuneration, and that by migrating to some eastern institution he could find work congenial and very remunerative financially- And when these offers were mentioned to him he, like the great Swiss scientist, replied, “I cannot afford to waste my time in making money.” His untiring zeal and devotion to the work assigned him by President Brigham Young helped to arouse a new interest in what he had accepted as his life work, the higher education of the youth of Zion.
He obeyed the scriptural injunction “Whatever thou findest for thy hands to do, do with thy might,” and we might add, not only his hands, but his soul and brain were inseparably committed to his work. By a miracle he was brought to know and understand the truth of the Gospel, and to comprehend the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith; yet a continuation of miraculous evidences was not needed to keep this living faith in him; once to know the truth was always to know it, and he knew that he did know it. He energized his scholars with himself and imbued them with his own energy, and made them feel his personality, and aroused in them a determination to learn, and as they advanced from primaries to grades, and thence upward, all students, of every grade, became filled with enthusiasm because they had received of this modest man the very spirit of learning.
Once when the writer was visiting the Brigham Young Academy in the days of its poverty and meager accommodations, the school being at that time held in an old brick store building on Main Street, Provo, he became deeply impressed with the mental and physical force of Doctor Maeser. On this occasion several classes were being conducted in the one large recitation hall. A young man, as an assistant, was trying to instruct the class in elocution. The class was reciting under the direction of the assistant the famous lines, «The Epaminondas of Modern Greece,—»
“Strike, till the last armed foe expires,» etc.
As the weak, spiritless sound of the instructor’s voice, with the class following in the same dispirited way, caught Dr. Maeser’s ear, he rushed from the other end of the room, caught the book from the astonished assistant’s hand, and said, «This will never do, you must infuse some life into the class.» Then he took up the refrain of the poet, and shouted in his ringing voice, like the blast of a trumpet,--
“Strike, till the last armed foe expires;
Strike, for your altars and your fires;
Strike, for the green graves of your sires,
God and your native land.”
The effect was magical. The whole school was aroused and stimulated to seeming greater effort, and from this very pleasant episode I am sure that every student then in the Academy determined to work with new energy and make more rapid advancement. This experience was no doubt an example of many other times of the sudden arousing of the spirits and energies of his devoted scholars by their self-forgetting, self-denying professor. Nay, I believe that no day passed in the experience of this loving teacher without some evidence of the deference and inspirational power developed in some unexpected moment by the wonderful love, the call and response of hearts, that existed between him and his band of loving children, whom he could electrify by a word or gesture, or even by a look.- It is not wonderful then that so many of his pupils have found leading positions as excellent professors and instructors in the schools and institutions of learning throughout this western land, and more especially among the Latter-day Saints.
The name of Karl G. Maeser has become a household word in the homes of the Latter- day Saints, and every one of his pupils of early or later time will echo this sentiment of the writer, that those who ’knew him best loved him most. His scholars became his children, one and all, and received from him the tender love and the fatherly care and advice of a loving parent. I testify to all, that this I know and know full well.
Karl G. Maeser has left a name and a fame that will never die. As a husband he was a most considerate and gentle protector, and his own children found in him the gentle care and solicitude which emanate from a loving father whose hope and faith was in them, and the trust that in their life’s journey they would follow his kindly teachings. The beginning of the day’s labors, both at home and- in school, was marked by devout and earnest prayer; kneeling before his Creator he uttered his praise and adoration, and then besought in deep humility continued blessings for bis beloved children at home and for those in the school where he taught.
«He prayeth best, who loveth best All things, both great and small; For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all."
S. B. Young.
OUR DEPARTED FRIEND.
DR. KARL G. MAESER has passed away: «Not dead, but sleepeth,» may be truly said of him. Had his talents been recognized when he came a visitor to the United States, while sojourning in Pennsylvania, he would then have been, like Agassiz, seized upon by some of the great men of the country and detained as one of the instructors in one of the greater institutions of learning. His mission, however, was to be among the Latter-day Saints, and though no one knew or realized the fact, many times this man of noblest attainments and heaven-born intellect, was without bread for himself and family, during his arduous labors among the people of his choice. Many times he has been approached with the suggestion that as Principal of the Brigham Young Academy he was without proper remuneration, and that by migrating to some eastern institution he could find work congenial and very remunerative financially- And when these offers were mentioned to him he, like the great Swiss scientist, replied, “I cannot afford to waste my time in making money.” His untiring zeal and devotion to the work assigned him by President Brigham Young helped to arouse a new interest in what he had accepted as his life work, the higher education of the youth of Zion.
He obeyed the scriptural injunction “Whatever thou findest for thy hands to do, do with thy might,” and we might add, not only his hands, but his soul and brain were inseparably committed to his work. By a miracle he was brought to know and understand the truth of the Gospel, and to comprehend the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith; yet a continuation of miraculous evidences was not needed to keep this living faith in him; once to know the truth was always to know it, and he knew that he did know it. He energized his scholars with himself and imbued them with his own energy, and made them feel his personality, and aroused in them a determination to learn, and as they advanced from primaries to grades, and thence upward, all students, of every grade, became filled with enthusiasm because they had received of this modest man the very spirit of learning.
Once when the writer was visiting the Brigham Young Academy in the days of its poverty and meager accommodations, the school being at that time held in an old brick store building on Main Street, Provo, he became deeply impressed with the mental and physical force of Doctor Maeser. On this occasion several classes were being conducted in the one large recitation hall. A young man, as an assistant, was trying to instruct the class in elocution. The class was reciting under the direction of the assistant the famous lines, «The Epaminondas of Modern Greece,—»
“Strike, till the last armed foe expires,» etc.
As the weak, spiritless sound of the instructor’s voice, with the class following in the same dispirited way, caught Dr. Maeser’s ear, he rushed from the other end of the room, caught the book from the astonished assistant’s hand, and said, «This will never do, you must infuse some life into the class.» Then he took up the refrain of the poet, and shouted in his ringing voice, like the blast of a trumpet,--
“Strike, till the last armed foe expires;
Strike, for your altars and your fires;
Strike, for the green graves of your sires,
God and your native land.”
The effect was magical. The whole school was aroused and stimulated to seeming greater effort, and from this very pleasant episode I am sure that every student then in the Academy determined to work with new energy and make more rapid advancement. This experience was no doubt an example of many other times of the sudden arousing of the spirits and energies of his devoted scholars by their self-forgetting, self-denying professor. Nay, I believe that no day passed in the experience of this loving teacher without some evidence of the deference and inspirational power developed in some unexpected moment by the wonderful love, the call and response of hearts, that existed between him and his band of loving children, whom he could electrify by a word or gesture, or even by a look.- It is not wonderful then that so many of his pupils have found leading positions as excellent professors and instructors in the schools and institutions of learning throughout this western land, and more especially among the Latter-day Saints.
The name of Karl G. Maeser has become a household word in the homes of the Latter- day Saints, and every one of his pupils of early or later time will echo this sentiment of the writer, that those who ’knew him best loved him most. His scholars became his children, one and all, and received from him the tender love and the fatherly care and advice of a loving parent. I testify to all, that this I know and know full well.
Karl G. Maeser has left a name and a fame that will never die. As a husband he was a most considerate and gentle protector, and his own children found in him the gentle care and solicitude which emanate from a loving father whose hope and faith was in them, and the trust that in their life’s journey they would follow his kindly teachings. The beginning of the day’s labors, both at home and- in school, was marked by devout and earnest prayer; kneeling before his Creator he uttered his praise and adoration, and then besought in deep humility continued blessings for bis beloved children at home and for those in the school where he taught.
«He prayeth best, who loveth best All things, both great and small; For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all."
S. B. Young.
Tanner, J. M., et al. "Dr. Karl G. Maeser." Young Woman's Journal. April 1901. pg. 146-152.
DR. KARL G. MAESER.
DR. J. M. TANNER.
As I remember Brother Maeser, as he was affectionately called, the earliest impressions which he made upon my life had a singular effect; an effect that was common upon most young people with whom he came in contact in the early days at Provo. There is always something inspiring in the hope that a man carries about with him in life, and to Brother Maeser the world was so bright and hopeful, that he awakened within those with whom he came in contact, a genuine desire to draw pictures from the bright side of life.
It is not easy to define those feelings which his presence, and especially his teachings, had upon the young. He possessed the rare quality of being able to teach how to feel as well as how to think, and there was always a cheerful aspect to the instructions which he gave.
So much depends upon how one looks at the world, that its best and choicest pictures are necessarily painted by the educational artist to whom the world is bright and encouraging. Brother Maeser was in this sense an artist, and as I now remember the pictures of life which his genius painted for the encouragement and inspiration of his students. they seem most beautiful and artistic to my mind. There seemed to be nothing in education so dull or uninviting that he could not magnify and render beautiful and attractive to a student.
If I were to mention those attributes in Brother Maeser's life which seem to me the dominating ones, I should say of him first, that he possessed in a rare degree the ability of appealing to the heart as well as the mind of his students. He seemed to know what was wanting in youth and to possess the ability to supply that want. He studied his students as carefully as the subject matter of his text, and always took pleasure in enlisting their sympathies in what he deemed most essential to their individual welfare and happiness. In the second place, I would say that the inspiration which he awakened in the lives of his students was one of the grandest qualities of his professional life; and it seems to me that he comprehended the future more perfectly than other men with whom I came in contact. How beautifully he taught us to understand the possibilities of life, and how faithfully he held aloft those inspiring motives which had become the source of his own guidance. There was another quality, and I do not relate the qualities of his life in the order of their importance, which characterized all his teachings. It was the conviction which he aroused within the minds and hearts of his students that al! that he said was true; and his ability to create convictions in the minds of the youth led his students to cultivate a high standard of morality. He awakened the conscience as few men can arouse it, and upon almost every question his disciples possessed convictions of right and wrong. Lastly, and this list does not exhaust the enumeration of the remarkable attributes which endeared him to his followers, he had the peculiar faculty of inviting the confidence of his students and of entering into the secrets and the motives of their lives.
I can think now of no single attribute which he possessed that was more helpful in the formation of my character in the days when I was associated with Brother Maeser, that did more to endear him to me and to inspire me with whatever lofty ambitions I may have possessed, than the confidential relations which he labored to establish between us. His life was so unselfish, so free from guile, so like an open book, that there was no reason for shutting out any one from the secrets of his life. He was an ardent lover of all that was true and beautiful. In thought and feeling he was generous to all mankind, and loved to extol the qualities of nobility wherever found in human life.
He had a great heart. He was a genuine lover, and he wooed the youth with all the ardor and devotion of his own loving soul.
ZINA Y. CARD.
At rest! The giant intellect and childlike heart, the helping hand, and never wearying step, are at rest. In fancy I go once more to the old school house just inside the Eagle Gate; he waits for me; I spring to meet him; he clasps my hand; I look into his soul-lit face—and my childish heart is his.
“Now, Zina, please not make those faces any more, but write that essay. Jennetta, will you keep still?” Ah! what a task he had, dear heart, to interest that family of President Young's; but he did more for us than any other teacher on earth to awaken our minds and hearts to a sense of true education.
When a widow with two little sons to rear, I went to Provo with my own Susa, to attend the Brigham Young Academy, conducted by Brother Maeser, my welcome from him was: “Sister Zina, your father has sent you here, for 1 have been praying for you and Susa.” “Oh, Brother Maeser,” I said, “I feel so incompetent to raise my precious children, I have come to you for help.” How I did work, and pray, and weep, but how my load was lifted, and my path made clear by my beloved teacher. In January of that year—1879—I was called by President Taylor to go to Washington with dear Aunt Emmeline Wells. I flew to Brother Maeser. “Oh, what shall I do?” “Do! why, go, of course, and the spirit of your father shall be with you,” was his reassuring answer.
The next year Brother Maeser gave me the mission of acting as "Matron in the school, and of introducing needle work, etc., as well as of lecturing to the young ladies upon subjects pertaining more particularly to women. In fear and trembling I entered upon this untried field. I told him I did not know enough. “God will tell von what to do.” Ah! the inspiration of his teachings, only those who have been under his tutoring can tell. One little incident comes to mind, so like him. Some young men declined to study grammar when they first came to school. For three weeks this went on, when those same young men came to his office for an interview. “Well, young gentlemen, what can I do for you?” he said. “Why, I guess we will study grammar, Brother Maeser.” “Oh,” said he, “you have just found out, young men, that every time you open your mouth you put your foot into it, eh?” Tender, firm, penetrating, full of wit: and quaint humor, he simply conquered for good all who came under his matchless influence.
Once when Mother and Sister Mary Ann Hyde were at our closing exercises, the latter sang a most beautiful song in tongues; Mother gave the interpretation, and it was told Brother Maeser that angels came to sing with his school, that Jesus claimed it as His own, and many bright spirits were sent there by Him to prepare for future usefulness in His Kingdom. Have we not lived to see this verified? Best loved teacher of this dispensation! May we thy pupils live to prove our love by following in thy footsteps and being friends to thy family.
DR. GEORGE H. BRIMHALL.
Our dear Brother Maeser!
He loved light, liberty, and little children.
A mighty leader he was, that loved to be led.
He was a master whose greatest joy was to serve.
Forgetful often he was of himself. but of his duties or his friends, never.
A peacemaker was he, and as a child of God, his first good morning and his last good night were to the Lord.
He was a warrior who never planned for a retreat.
He secured a title to an inheritance of earth under the provisions of the “Sermon on the Mount.”
He had no time to make money, every moment was used in making manhood.
He died immensely rich, simply by keeping his account with the Lord straight.
His public speaking was the going ; out of one soul to the uplifting and warming of another.
His teaching was the leading of others to more knowledge, higher tastes, and nobler conduct.
His correction was a kindness that set conscience to cutting out evil.
In his nature the lion and the lamb lived together.
He was not famous for his flashes of success, but for his constancy. He struggled to be rather than to seem, He placed much more value on preparation than on position.
He was a fixed star, and those who took their bearings from it and held to the course of safety indicated by the reckonings made therefrom, have never been shipwrecked, nor has a single one of them missed entrance at the golden gate of success.
His faith had three chief objects on which it rested: his God, his fellow man, and himself.
He sought earnestly two things; the will of the Lord and how best to do that wall.
Three wishes that he often expressed were: “To see the Church school system established,” “To did in the harness,” and “To be a teacher in heaven.”
He has gone just a little way ahead, he is lost to our view, but his thrilling voice is echoing in our minds, his face is mirrored in our memories. We are better for his having lived. What he has left behind in us or for us, shall grow and become the heritage of those who are, or who become to us what wo were to him.
No purer is the falling snow than is our love for Brother Maeser; no sweeter was the fragrance of the flowers that lined his grave than are the recollections of our teacher.
A monument to his memory is on the heart of every one he taught. Let earth be adorned with one erected by the united effort of all who have been his pupils.
ANNIE PIKE.
(Read at Dr. Maeser's Funeral.)
Come, lay his books and papers by,
He shall not need them more;
The ink shall dry upon his pen,
So softly close the door.
His tired head with locks of white.
And like the winter’s sun,
Hath lain to peaceful rest tonight,--
The teacher’s work is done.
His work is done; no care tonight
His tranquil rest shall break;
Sweet dreams, and with the morning light
On other shores he’ll wake.
His noble thoughts, his wise appeal,
His works that battles won;--
But God doth know the loss we feel,
The teacher’s work is done.
We feel it while we miss the hand
That made us brave to bear;
Perchance in that near touching land
His work did wait him there.
Perchance when death its change hath wrought,
And this brief race is run,
His voice again shall teach. Who thought
The teacher’s work was done?
DR. JAMES E. TALMAGE.
A great man has left us and the people mourn! Yet their mourning is of that sanctifying kind that goes with thanksgiving and praise:— thanks that we have been permitted to enjoy the companionship and holy ministrations of the noble spirit that has just departed; and praise unto God that He sends such men to earth to show and to lead the way amongst mankind to higher things.
Brother Maeser's life and labors, from the time when I, a little boy, first came under his guidance in the first year of the Brigham Young Academy's history, have been to me an inspiration most potent and impressive.
His peculiar fitness for the work that seemed to come to him as the only man well adapted to undertake it at the time, has appealed to me as proof of the selection and ordination of men for earthly ministry, while yet those men were in their primeval home.
I write as one of a privileged brotherhood numbering thousands, who owe so much of whatever goodness or merit they may possess, to him whose name we honor and whose memory we revere.
And with each of them I feel as a stricken child whose parent has been called from earth.
All who had the privilege of acquaintance with Brother Maeser know how thoroughly his heart was in his work; how completely his whole soul was devoted to the labor to which he had been called.
His services were not open for engagement where pay was best; his time, to him, was too valuable to be reckoned in terms of earthly wage. He labored to discharge a trust, which with the fulness of his great soul he believed to have been given him of Heaven. How well he succeeded let the multitude who have been honored by enrolment among his pupils answer!
If the whole course of his life was glorious, not less so were the circumstances of his departure from this world. In kindness the Lord seems to have granted him the desire of his heart. Many times has he expressed to me the hope that, if it were not contrary to the Divine will, he might be permitted to continue his work until it was wholly finished, and then be allowed to “die in the harness!”
He left his office for the last time with his usual deliberation—his papers neatly stacked, a pile of documents awaiting his inspection and signature lying on the table. Next morning there was an empty chair and a bow of crape on the desk to tell of the great change. A change perhaps I may say, greater to us than to him. For years he has been used to change of scene. He has been traveling from school to school and from stake to stake in the duties of his high calling. Now he has gone to another part of the great field of his labors,—a region not so far away, perhaps, as we would see could we understand all things aright.
And how peaceful was the going! While I cannot believe that a painful life ending, a death attended by physical suffering and agony, is any indication of Divine disfavor,—for what more tragic death does history attest than that of the Christ?—yet I am devoutly sure that a peaceful passing is a mark of loving favor and kind consideration on the part of the great Father, who sends His children here and calls them back as best may suit His purposes and plans.
When I looked upon that dear dead face a few hours after the spirit had quitted its tabernacle of clay. I could scarcely believe that Brother Maeser was not in a natural sleep from which he would soon awaken to his usual activity. Who can doubt that he has awakened? Those loving ministrations, those wise counsels, that deep wisdom, in which so many
of us have rejoiced, are not to be silenced, far less to be destroyed by the tomb. Now he is laboring for others, as for years he has labored with and for us, and all in the Master's service.
He needs no monument of earthly workmanship; the best memorial that his pupils can rear to his memory is that of prayerful emulation of his virtues.
It is a great thing to come to earth attended by glorious possibilities; it is far greater to leave at the Master's call, with those possibilities made realities,—with the work allotted of God well done.
Brother Maeser, may I be privileged to associate with you and to profit by your Heaven born wisdom in your royal abode!
TEENIE SMOOT TAYLOR.
Brother Maeser:—Yes, I knew him well for very many years; and as a teacher, friend, and brother, I greatly loved and honored him.
And when from child to maiden grown,
My riper judgment said--
You had not all his virtues known.
He was truly one of God's noblemen—infinitely greater in many respects than those with whom he associated; made so by his superior faith and confidence in the Creator; by the sublime humility of his soul: by the power he possessed of winning the hearts of men, and turning their thoughts to God.
Always sympathetic and tender, he was to those in trouble a comforter.
He carried with him into the sick room a sweet spirit of peace and confidence. I speak from actual knowledge.
When our little Elmina was stricken with diphtheria, my greatest desire was to have Brother Maeser come and talk with the Lord in her behalf. He came, and I felt that the strength of my own faith depended on the words he spake.
When leaving the room, he warmly grasped our hands, saying:—“Dear Brother and Sister Taylor, trust in the Lord, your little one will be all right.”
At times we greatly feared; but when almost in despair, we would recall his prophetic words, spoken as they were, with a spirit of humility and faith, and we would again be comforted.
Even in the presence of death, surrounded by the bereaved, he needed but to sneak, and a spirit of calm resignation and faith in God's purposes entered the hearts of those who mourned, and caused each one to say or feel: “O, Lord, Thy wilt not mine, be done.”
The magnetic influence of his words and example on the lives of thousands cannot be estimated, and it can be truthfully said of him, that the world is better off for his having lived.
The words of Apostle Grant, spoken at the funeral services, found a hearty Amen in the hearts of all present. A fitting tribute, in substance as follows:—If with all the years of missionary service done in Germany, no other soul had been converted to the Gospel of Christ than that of Karl G. Maeser, it alone was worth all the sacrifices, all the time and labor connected with that mission.
It is a sad thought that we shall no more see nor hear him in this life, and you and I, dear readers, will miss him; but my heart rejoices that I knew him, and felt the influence of his superior wisdom and careful guidance.
Blessed be his memory.
DR. KARL G. MAESER.
DR. J. M. TANNER.
As I remember Brother Maeser, as he was affectionately called, the earliest impressions which he made upon my life had a singular effect; an effect that was common upon most young people with whom he came in contact in the early days at Provo. There is always something inspiring in the hope that a man carries about with him in life, and to Brother Maeser the world was so bright and hopeful, that he awakened within those with whom he came in contact, a genuine desire to draw pictures from the bright side of life.
It is not easy to define those feelings which his presence, and especially his teachings, had upon the young. He possessed the rare quality of being able to teach how to feel as well as how to think, and there was always a cheerful aspect to the instructions which he gave.
So much depends upon how one looks at the world, that its best and choicest pictures are necessarily painted by the educational artist to whom the world is bright and encouraging. Brother Maeser was in this sense an artist, and as I now remember the pictures of life which his genius painted for the encouragement and inspiration of his students. they seem most beautiful and artistic to my mind. There seemed to be nothing in education so dull or uninviting that he could not magnify and render beautiful and attractive to a student.
If I were to mention those attributes in Brother Maeser's life which seem to me the dominating ones, I should say of him first, that he possessed in a rare degree the ability of appealing to the heart as well as the mind of his students. He seemed to know what was wanting in youth and to possess the ability to supply that want. He studied his students as carefully as the subject matter of his text, and always took pleasure in enlisting their sympathies in what he deemed most essential to their individual welfare and happiness. In the second place, I would say that the inspiration which he awakened in the lives of his students was one of the grandest qualities of his professional life; and it seems to me that he comprehended the future more perfectly than other men with whom I came in contact. How beautifully he taught us to understand the possibilities of life, and how faithfully he held aloft those inspiring motives which had become the source of his own guidance. There was another quality, and I do not relate the qualities of his life in the order of their importance, which characterized all his teachings. It was the conviction which he aroused within the minds and hearts of his students that al! that he said was true; and his ability to create convictions in the minds of the youth led his students to cultivate a high standard of morality. He awakened the conscience as few men can arouse it, and upon almost every question his disciples possessed convictions of right and wrong. Lastly, and this list does not exhaust the enumeration of the remarkable attributes which endeared him to his followers, he had the peculiar faculty of inviting the confidence of his students and of entering into the secrets and the motives of their lives.
I can think now of no single attribute which he possessed that was more helpful in the formation of my character in the days when I was associated with Brother Maeser, that did more to endear him to me and to inspire me with whatever lofty ambitions I may have possessed, than the confidential relations which he labored to establish between us. His life was so unselfish, so free from guile, so like an open book, that there was no reason for shutting out any one from the secrets of his life. He was an ardent lover of all that was true and beautiful. In thought and feeling he was generous to all mankind, and loved to extol the qualities of nobility wherever found in human life.
He had a great heart. He was a genuine lover, and he wooed the youth with all the ardor and devotion of his own loving soul.
ZINA Y. CARD.
At rest! The giant intellect and childlike heart, the helping hand, and never wearying step, are at rest. In fancy I go once more to the old school house just inside the Eagle Gate; he waits for me; I spring to meet him; he clasps my hand; I look into his soul-lit face—and my childish heart is his.
“Now, Zina, please not make those faces any more, but write that essay. Jennetta, will you keep still?” Ah! what a task he had, dear heart, to interest that family of President Young's; but he did more for us than any other teacher on earth to awaken our minds and hearts to a sense of true education.
When a widow with two little sons to rear, I went to Provo with my own Susa, to attend the Brigham Young Academy, conducted by Brother Maeser, my welcome from him was: “Sister Zina, your father has sent you here, for 1 have been praying for you and Susa.” “Oh, Brother Maeser,” I said, “I feel so incompetent to raise my precious children, I have come to you for help.” How I did work, and pray, and weep, but how my load was lifted, and my path made clear by my beloved teacher. In January of that year—1879—I was called by President Taylor to go to Washington with dear Aunt Emmeline Wells. I flew to Brother Maeser. “Oh, what shall I do?” “Do! why, go, of course, and the spirit of your father shall be with you,” was his reassuring answer.
The next year Brother Maeser gave me the mission of acting as "Matron in the school, and of introducing needle work, etc., as well as of lecturing to the young ladies upon subjects pertaining more particularly to women. In fear and trembling I entered upon this untried field. I told him I did not know enough. “God will tell von what to do.” Ah! the inspiration of his teachings, only those who have been under his tutoring can tell. One little incident comes to mind, so like him. Some young men declined to study grammar when they first came to school. For three weeks this went on, when those same young men came to his office for an interview. “Well, young gentlemen, what can I do for you?” he said. “Why, I guess we will study grammar, Brother Maeser.” “Oh,” said he, “you have just found out, young men, that every time you open your mouth you put your foot into it, eh?” Tender, firm, penetrating, full of wit: and quaint humor, he simply conquered for good all who came under his matchless influence.
Once when Mother and Sister Mary Ann Hyde were at our closing exercises, the latter sang a most beautiful song in tongues; Mother gave the interpretation, and it was told Brother Maeser that angels came to sing with his school, that Jesus claimed it as His own, and many bright spirits were sent there by Him to prepare for future usefulness in His Kingdom. Have we not lived to see this verified? Best loved teacher of this dispensation! May we thy pupils live to prove our love by following in thy footsteps and being friends to thy family.
DR. GEORGE H. BRIMHALL.
Our dear Brother Maeser!
He loved light, liberty, and little children.
A mighty leader he was, that loved to be led.
He was a master whose greatest joy was to serve.
Forgetful often he was of himself. but of his duties or his friends, never.
A peacemaker was he, and as a child of God, his first good morning and his last good night were to the Lord.
He was a warrior who never planned for a retreat.
He secured a title to an inheritance of earth under the provisions of the “Sermon on the Mount.”
He had no time to make money, every moment was used in making manhood.
He died immensely rich, simply by keeping his account with the Lord straight.
His public speaking was the going ; out of one soul to the uplifting and warming of another.
His teaching was the leading of others to more knowledge, higher tastes, and nobler conduct.
His correction was a kindness that set conscience to cutting out evil.
In his nature the lion and the lamb lived together.
He was not famous for his flashes of success, but for his constancy. He struggled to be rather than to seem, He placed much more value on preparation than on position.
He was a fixed star, and those who took their bearings from it and held to the course of safety indicated by the reckonings made therefrom, have never been shipwrecked, nor has a single one of them missed entrance at the golden gate of success.
His faith had three chief objects on which it rested: his God, his fellow man, and himself.
He sought earnestly two things; the will of the Lord and how best to do that wall.
Three wishes that he often expressed were: “To see the Church school system established,” “To did in the harness,” and “To be a teacher in heaven.”
He has gone just a little way ahead, he is lost to our view, but his thrilling voice is echoing in our minds, his face is mirrored in our memories. We are better for his having lived. What he has left behind in us or for us, shall grow and become the heritage of those who are, or who become to us what wo were to him.
No purer is the falling snow than is our love for Brother Maeser; no sweeter was the fragrance of the flowers that lined his grave than are the recollections of our teacher.
A monument to his memory is on the heart of every one he taught. Let earth be adorned with one erected by the united effort of all who have been his pupils.
ANNIE PIKE.
(Read at Dr. Maeser's Funeral.)
Come, lay his books and papers by,
He shall not need them more;
The ink shall dry upon his pen,
So softly close the door.
His tired head with locks of white.
And like the winter’s sun,
Hath lain to peaceful rest tonight,--
The teacher’s work is done.
His work is done; no care tonight
His tranquil rest shall break;
Sweet dreams, and with the morning light
On other shores he’ll wake.
His noble thoughts, his wise appeal,
His works that battles won;--
But God doth know the loss we feel,
The teacher’s work is done.
We feel it while we miss the hand
That made us brave to bear;
Perchance in that near touching land
His work did wait him there.
Perchance when death its change hath wrought,
And this brief race is run,
His voice again shall teach. Who thought
The teacher’s work was done?
DR. JAMES E. TALMAGE.
A great man has left us and the people mourn! Yet their mourning is of that sanctifying kind that goes with thanksgiving and praise:— thanks that we have been permitted to enjoy the companionship and holy ministrations of the noble spirit that has just departed; and praise unto God that He sends such men to earth to show and to lead the way amongst mankind to higher things.
Brother Maeser's life and labors, from the time when I, a little boy, first came under his guidance in the first year of the Brigham Young Academy's history, have been to me an inspiration most potent and impressive.
His peculiar fitness for the work that seemed to come to him as the only man well adapted to undertake it at the time, has appealed to me as proof of the selection and ordination of men for earthly ministry, while yet those men were in their primeval home.
I write as one of a privileged brotherhood numbering thousands, who owe so much of whatever goodness or merit they may possess, to him whose name we honor and whose memory we revere.
And with each of them I feel as a stricken child whose parent has been called from earth.
All who had the privilege of acquaintance with Brother Maeser know how thoroughly his heart was in his work; how completely his whole soul was devoted to the labor to which he had been called.
His services were not open for engagement where pay was best; his time, to him, was too valuable to be reckoned in terms of earthly wage. He labored to discharge a trust, which with the fulness of his great soul he believed to have been given him of Heaven. How well he succeeded let the multitude who have been honored by enrolment among his pupils answer!
If the whole course of his life was glorious, not less so were the circumstances of his departure from this world. In kindness the Lord seems to have granted him the desire of his heart. Many times has he expressed to me the hope that, if it were not contrary to the Divine will, he might be permitted to continue his work until it was wholly finished, and then be allowed to “die in the harness!”
He left his office for the last time with his usual deliberation—his papers neatly stacked, a pile of documents awaiting his inspection and signature lying on the table. Next morning there was an empty chair and a bow of crape on the desk to tell of the great change. A change perhaps I may say, greater to us than to him. For years he has been used to change of scene. He has been traveling from school to school and from stake to stake in the duties of his high calling. Now he has gone to another part of the great field of his labors,—a region not so far away, perhaps, as we would see could we understand all things aright.
And how peaceful was the going! While I cannot believe that a painful life ending, a death attended by physical suffering and agony, is any indication of Divine disfavor,—for what more tragic death does history attest than that of the Christ?—yet I am devoutly sure that a peaceful passing is a mark of loving favor and kind consideration on the part of the great Father, who sends His children here and calls them back as best may suit His purposes and plans.
When I looked upon that dear dead face a few hours after the spirit had quitted its tabernacle of clay. I could scarcely believe that Brother Maeser was not in a natural sleep from which he would soon awaken to his usual activity. Who can doubt that he has awakened? Those loving ministrations, those wise counsels, that deep wisdom, in which so many
of us have rejoiced, are not to be silenced, far less to be destroyed by the tomb. Now he is laboring for others, as for years he has labored with and for us, and all in the Master's service.
He needs no monument of earthly workmanship; the best memorial that his pupils can rear to his memory is that of prayerful emulation of his virtues.
It is a great thing to come to earth attended by glorious possibilities; it is far greater to leave at the Master's call, with those possibilities made realities,—with the work allotted of God well done.
Brother Maeser, may I be privileged to associate with you and to profit by your Heaven born wisdom in your royal abode!
TEENIE SMOOT TAYLOR.
Brother Maeser:—Yes, I knew him well for very many years; and as a teacher, friend, and brother, I greatly loved and honored him.
And when from child to maiden grown,
My riper judgment said--
You had not all his virtues known.
He was truly one of God's noblemen—infinitely greater in many respects than those with whom he associated; made so by his superior faith and confidence in the Creator; by the sublime humility of his soul: by the power he possessed of winning the hearts of men, and turning their thoughts to God.
Always sympathetic and tender, he was to those in trouble a comforter.
He carried with him into the sick room a sweet spirit of peace and confidence. I speak from actual knowledge.
When our little Elmina was stricken with diphtheria, my greatest desire was to have Brother Maeser come and talk with the Lord in her behalf. He came, and I felt that the strength of my own faith depended on the words he spake.
When leaving the room, he warmly grasped our hands, saying:—“Dear Brother and Sister Taylor, trust in the Lord, your little one will be all right.”
At times we greatly feared; but when almost in despair, we would recall his prophetic words, spoken as they were, with a spirit of humility and faith, and we would again be comforted.
Even in the presence of death, surrounded by the bereaved, he needed but to sneak, and a spirit of calm resignation and faith in God's purposes entered the hearts of those who mourned, and caused each one to say or feel: “O, Lord, Thy wilt not mine, be done.”
The magnetic influence of his words and example on the lives of thousands cannot be estimated, and it can be truthfully said of him, that the world is better off for his having lived.
The words of Apostle Grant, spoken at the funeral services, found a hearty Amen in the hearts of all present. A fitting tribute, in substance as follows:—If with all the years of missionary service done in Germany, no other soul had been converted to the Gospel of Christ than that of Karl G. Maeser, it alone was worth all the sacrifices, all the time and labor connected with that mission.
It is a sad thought that we shall no more see nor hear him in this life, and you and I, dear readers, will miss him; but my heart rejoices that I knew him, and felt the influence of his superior wisdom and careful guidance.
Blessed be his memory.
"Brother Maeser." Young Woman's Journal. April 1901. pg. 186.
Brother Maeser.
In another part of our magazine will be found a few heart tributes from some of those whose lives have been very closely identified with that of our dearly beloved Brother Maeser. The writers were selected as being most representative, they enjoying the enviable distinction of having been to him students, co-laborers and warm personal friends. We realize that the list is very incomplete and had space permitted, we would gladly have added many others.
There are among the members of our own Board a number in whose hearts the love of this great man amounted almost to a passion.
Ah! how greatly we shall miss the warm handclasp, the earnest, solicitations concerning our welfare and the fervent "God bless you” which have so often been expressed by him.
Gladly would we lay at the altar of his memory a tribute worthy of the theme, but in our hearts there are "thoughts which lie too deep for tears” or words. God sanctify them to our future good.
The termination of his glorious life occurred on the 15th of February, 1901, almost without warning, he having retired the previous night in his usual state of health. Dr. Karl G. Maeser had attained the age of seventy three years and one month at the time of his death. For forty-five years he has been a zealous member of the Church of Jesus
Christ, and he has won by valiant service the title of Father of Church Education in Utah, his sorrowing students are counted by thousands; and there are thousands more who, though denied the privilege of membership in his classes, are none the less his pupils, for his public labors, his wholesome precepts and the powerful example of his spotless life have been lessons in fact to all Israel in his day. The effect of his work shall continue through eternity. Brother Maeser still lives!
The funeral services were held in the Tabernacle on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 19—the anniversary of the birth of his beloved daughter Anna, who died in November, 1899. Needless to say the obsequies were in every way appropriate as marking the close of so great and grand a life.
His last resting place had Wen made beautiful with flowers. Within the tomb and without, the sacred spot was enveloped with these mute messengers of love, and amid their fragrance and beauty was consigned to its Maker the dear form of our preceptor and more than friend.
Brother Maeser.
In another part of our magazine will be found a few heart tributes from some of those whose lives have been very closely identified with that of our dearly beloved Brother Maeser. The writers were selected as being most representative, they enjoying the enviable distinction of having been to him students, co-laborers and warm personal friends. We realize that the list is very incomplete and had space permitted, we would gladly have added many others.
There are among the members of our own Board a number in whose hearts the love of this great man amounted almost to a passion.
Ah! how greatly we shall miss the warm handclasp, the earnest, solicitations concerning our welfare and the fervent "God bless you” which have so often been expressed by him.
Gladly would we lay at the altar of his memory a tribute worthy of the theme, but in our hearts there are "thoughts which lie too deep for tears” or words. God sanctify them to our future good.
The termination of his glorious life occurred on the 15th of February, 1901, almost without warning, he having retired the previous night in his usual state of health. Dr. Karl G. Maeser had attained the age of seventy three years and one month at the time of his death. For forty-five years he has been a zealous member of the Church of Jesus
Christ, and he has won by valiant service the title of Father of Church Education in Utah, his sorrowing students are counted by thousands; and there are thousands more who, though denied the privilege of membership in his classes, are none the less his pupils, for his public labors, his wholesome precepts and the powerful example of his spotless life have been lessons in fact to all Israel in his day. The effect of his work shall continue through eternity. Brother Maeser still lives!
The funeral services were held in the Tabernacle on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 19—the anniversary of the birth of his beloved daughter Anna, who died in November, 1899. Needless to say the obsequies were in every way appropriate as marking the close of so great and grand a life.
His last resting place had Wen made beautiful with flowers. Within the tomb and without, the sacred spot was enveloped with these mute messengers of love, and amid their fragrance and beauty was consigned to its Maker the dear form of our preceptor and more than friend.
"Resolutions of Respect to the Memory of First Assistant General Superintendent Karl G. Maeser." Juvenile Instructor. 15 June 1901. pg. 371.
RESOLUTIONS OF RESPECT TO THE MEMORY OF FIRST ASSISTANT GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT KARL G. MAESER,
(Unanimously adopted at the regular meeting of the Board of the Deseret Sunday School Union, held Thursday, May 23rd, 1901.)
Inasmuch as it has pleased God to summon from his earthly abode to another and more exalted sphere of usefulness our beloved brother, friend and leader, Doctor Karl G. Maeser, first assistant general superintendent of the Sunday Schools of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose life and labors have been of such far-reaching consequence and of such noble example and inspiration s the youth of Israel:
Therefore be it resolved, that we his associates of the Deseret Sunday School Union Board, express hereby our appreciation of his labors and of the example which we have received and enjoyed during the many years of our association together; and that we hereby place on record, by these resolutions, our testimony of his exemplary life and labors as a leader both in the secular and religious education of the youth of the Saints of God, and of his integrity to every trust reposed in him. He was a scholar of varied attainments, a gentleman in all the walks of life, a devoted father, a loving husband, and, in our great nation, a citizen of the highest type. Many of Utah’s most prominent sons and daughters received their earliest and highest inspirations from his teachings and example, and are today worthy exemplars of the great mission which our Heavenly Father called our departed brother to perform.
Be it therefore further resolved, that a copy of these resolutions be spread upon the minutes of the Deseret Sunday School Union Board, that they be published in the Juvenile Instructor, and that engrossed copies be sent to his bereaved families.
RESOLUTIONS OF RESPECT TO THE MEMORY OF FIRST ASSISTANT GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT KARL G. MAESER,
(Unanimously adopted at the regular meeting of the Board of the Deseret Sunday School Union, held Thursday, May 23rd, 1901.)
Inasmuch as it has pleased God to summon from his earthly abode to another and more exalted sphere of usefulness our beloved brother, friend and leader, Doctor Karl G. Maeser, first assistant general superintendent of the Sunday Schools of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose life and labors have been of such far-reaching consequence and of such noble example and inspiration s the youth of Israel:
Therefore be it resolved, that we his associates of the Deseret Sunday School Union Board, express hereby our appreciation of his labors and of the example which we have received and enjoyed during the many years of our association together; and that we hereby place on record, by these resolutions, our testimony of his exemplary life and labors as a leader both in the secular and religious education of the youth of the Saints of God, and of his integrity to every trust reposed in him. He was a scholar of varied attainments, a gentleman in all the walks of life, a devoted father, a loving husband, and, in our great nation, a citizen of the highest type. Many of Utah’s most prominent sons and daughters received their earliest and highest inspirations from his teachings and example, and are today worthy exemplars of the great mission which our Heavenly Father called our departed brother to perform.
Be it therefore further resolved, that a copy of these resolutions be spread upon the minutes of the Deseret Sunday School Union Board, that they be published in the Juvenile Instructor, and that engrossed copies be sent to his bereaved families.
"How Brother Karl G. Maeser Was Healed." Juvenile Instructor. December 1910. pg. 655.
How Brother Karl G. Maeser was Healed.
It is now nearly thirty years ago since I was asked by Brother Maeser to become a principal of a Church school. Not having had any experience in a church school either as student or teacher, I did not feel prepared to take the position, so he suggested that I come to Provo and spend a couple of weeks in the Brigham Young Academy.
As that school opened in August and mine was not to begin until September, I accepted the invitation and made observations and got explanations that proved very helpful to me, for Brother Maeser had some very original ways, and the power to make very lasting impressions upon young people.
The weather was very warm and the school was quite large, requiring long hours and hard labor on the part of the teachers. One morning I noticed when Brother Maeser entered school that he was very pale and looked to be quite ill. Still he made no complaint. By noon, however, it seemed to me that he must give up and go home and go to bed.
He went home, but to my surprise at the close of the noon hour he appeared promptly, looking much better and evidently feeling quite as well as usual.
“I am very glad, Brother Maeser,” said I, “to see you looking so much better this afternoon. You looked so ill this morning that I thought you ought to be in bed.”
“I was quite ill,” he replied, “but when I got home, I went into my closet and told the Lord I just did not have time to be sick. T have so much work to do and it is so important. The Lord heard my prayer and the pain in my head ceased instantly and I am quite well this afternoon.”
Thus did the child-like faith of that good man prevail with the Lord.
—H. H. C.
How Brother Karl G. Maeser was Healed.
It is now nearly thirty years ago since I was asked by Brother Maeser to become a principal of a Church school. Not having had any experience in a church school either as student or teacher, I did not feel prepared to take the position, so he suggested that I come to Provo and spend a couple of weeks in the Brigham Young Academy.
As that school opened in August and mine was not to begin until September, I accepted the invitation and made observations and got explanations that proved very helpful to me, for Brother Maeser had some very original ways, and the power to make very lasting impressions upon young people.
The weather was very warm and the school was quite large, requiring long hours and hard labor on the part of the teachers. One morning I noticed when Brother Maeser entered school that he was very pale and looked to be quite ill. Still he made no complaint. By noon, however, it seemed to me that he must give up and go home and go to bed.
He went home, but to my surprise at the close of the noon hour he appeared promptly, looking much better and evidently feeling quite as well as usual.
“I am very glad, Brother Maeser,” said I, “to see you looking so much better this afternoon. You looked so ill this morning that I thought you ought to be in bed.”
“I was quite ill,” he replied, “but when I got home, I went into my closet and told the Lord I just did not have time to be sick. T have so much work to do and it is so important. The Lord heard my prayer and the pain in my head ceased instantly and I am quite well this afternoon.”
Thus did the child-like faith of that good man prevail with the Lord.
—H. H. C.
Reynolds, Alice Louise. "Karl G. Maeser." Young Woman's Journal. July 1912. pg. 361-364.
Karl G. Maeser.
By Alice Louise Reynolds.
It is no easy matter to attempt to portray the character of even the simplest and humblest of God’s children, for human nature is always complex. This difficulty is greatly increased when we have in hand one who towered above his fellows as did Karl G. Maeser. It is like trying to describe the fragrance of the rose, or the melody of some sweet song.
Aware of this fact, I shall bring to you some of the experiences of Brother Maeser’s students, as daily they came in contact with him, in the hope that you, with us, may see and feel something of his life.
Often has he told us both in public and in private, that when a student in the German universities, he had no belief in God nor in the immortality of the soul. The message of a humble Mormon elder awakened within him that dormant spiritual life. Oh, what an awakening was that! No purer soul ever responded to a message of truth than Karl G. Maeser. No one ever doubted his belief in the divine mission of Joseph Smith and his successors. Had his conversion been lacking one whit he was soon to be put to the severest test.
Fresh from the beautiful, well- kept cities of Germany, he was forced to the rough life of this pioneer country. At a time when the material interests of life were largely absorbing the energies of the people, when men were valued according to their ability to overcome and wrestle with material interests, the advent of a man like Dr. Karl G. Maeser could be nothing less than a soul’s tragedy.
He knew what it was to go hungry; he knew what it was to shiver with his loved ones on Christmas day, and to have his neighbors say, “If he is too lazy to work for his living let him starve.” One of Brother Maeser’s students of the district schools of Salt Lake City, told me that one evening Brother Maeser announced the intermission at a dancing party for supper, and concluded with this request: “If any of you have anything you do not care for, Brother Maeser will be glad for something to eat.”
But there was at least one man in Israel’s camp who could see more than the valet in the master. One day President Brigham Young called him to his office and said: “Brother Maeser, I have a mission for you. I want you to go to Provo and take charge of the Brigham Young Academy.”
“Have you any instructions to give?” asked Brother Maeser, in that humble manner so characteristic of the man.
“None,” replied God’s prophet, only do not attempt to teach the alphabet or the multiplication tables without the Spirit of God.” Few words, to be sure, but words freighted with meaning and magnified gloriously by him.
Nor was all the pain that those great of soul suffer in the presence of people by whom they are not understood over when he came to Provo. There were men in Provo who would buttonhole his students on the street and tell them not to listen to the old Dutchman.
But God had given him a body of students in those early days, of such nobility of character that their souls rose in majesty to meet the soul of their great leader. J. M. Tanner, Joseph B. Keeler, James E. Talmage, Reed Smoot, Teenie Smoot Taylor, Susa Y. Gates, and George H. Brimhall were there. Then, too, in hours of care and anxiety the arm of President A. O. Smoot twined lovingly about him.
Thus, day by day, as he wrought in fulness of love and fulness of faith, we knew that the hours of his power had come. His words pierced men’s souls. His handshake, his smile, his rebuke, his God bless you that thrilled to the very center of the soul were alike all-pervading and irresistible.
The story is told of a rough man, much addicted to vice, lighting a fresh cigar and throwing it suddenly to the ground.
“Why did you do that?” asked his companion, who walked at his side?” The man attracted his attention to Dr. Maeser who was fast approaching them, and replied: "Before us is the only man in the world for whom I would do such a thing. I can not smoke in his presence.”
I was twelve years of age when I came to Provo as a student, and from that time until the time of Brother Maeser’s death I was frequently a guest in his home. It was a home of welcome and refinement to the guest.
It was my very good fortune, to be a member of Brother Maeser’s last graduating class. I shall never forget his parting speech, in which he promised us that if we would carry the spirit of our Alma Mater into all the walks of life that the Lord would multiply us even as He had multiplied the loaves and fishes.
At this time a desire had grown in the hearts of the people to have schools similar to the Brigham Young Academy established throughout the Church. Karl G Maeser was called to promote and supervise this new work. Nevertheless he retained the principalship of the Brigham Young Academy until January, 1892.
On that last day he met with us, in the old home, at the Warehouse. Before leaving he called us together and prayed with us. Oh, what a prayer was that, as his soul flowed forth in gratitude to God for the past, and he asked our Father to be our strength and fortress in the years to come, even as He had been in the past. Then he led us to our new home, where he delivered his farewell address.
“Are you going to deliver a farewell address, father?” This question was put by his daughter, who had heard him pacing back and forth in his room every time she had wakened during the night.
“If my Father will give me strength,” was the only reply.
And his Father did give him strength. Only once during that address did his voice grow husky, and that was at the conclusion, when he said:
“Of the words of the English language the hardest to say is farewell. This you, my dear fellow teachers, and you, my dear students, will not require at my hands.”
The pain Brother Maeser felt at separation was no pain of weakness, but pain born of a fulness of love.
He left us, but he often visited us, and often, very often, did we call him back.
During the summer that Colonel Parker was our special lecturer, at an evening session, one of the speakers detailed in part some of Dr. Maeser’s educational work. Colonel Parker listened with intense interest, and at its close approached Brother Maeser, and kissed him, then turning to the audience he said, “Why did you send for me? Here is one among you far more worthy than I.”
We called him back again to give him a jubilee, for the venerable man had been fifty years a teacher. His students came from far and near to honor him. In song and story and with floral gift they expressed to him their heartfelt love, and in fitting address did they review the great achievements of his life.
To my mind the most beautiful tribute paid him on that day was quite informal. It was in the afternoon ; he sat in an easy chair on the rostrum. A call was made for remarks from one of his students. One came forward, and putting his hands on Brother Maeser’s shoulders, said: “Brother Maeser, you know we love you. In my life I have had two fathers—you are one. And this day I promise you that if I live beyond the time of your life, I shall strive to be a father to your children even as you have been to me.”
Again we called him back. This time he dined with us. He sat in the center of a long table, and the board and faculty sat all about him. He told us of the joy teaching had brought to his life and said: “I hope my Father may count me worthy to be a teacher in heaven.”
Did his guardian angel make record of that wish, and convey it to the great beyond? We know not but this we know, that a few days later he had gone beyond recall.
His students came by hundreds to pay their last tribute to his memory. What is often repeated is apt to become trite, but there are circumstances and conditions that force repetition. As I stood looking at that beloved face, beautiful in death, as in life, I thought, how do I know what the old veteran meant who stood at the bier of Daniel Webster. And even as I thought, one came to my side, and exclaimed in a voice full of feeling, “Karl G. Maeser, this world is lonely without you.”
We lined his grave with smilax and hyacinths, and left behind us one of the richest of earth’s sons, for to few men has it been given to be loved as Dr. Maeser was loved.
A student of his once said to me:
‘‘Fellows such as I am need a little money to carry us along, but all the wealth of a continent could not add one cubic inch to Karl G. Maeser, nor could the most dire poverty make him less than a prince among men.”
As I recall the privation he endured, and think of all he must have suffered mentally, and then contemplate what we this day have done, I feel that in a measure that scripture is again fulfilled which saith: “And the stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner."
Karl G. Maeser.
By Alice Louise Reynolds.
It is no easy matter to attempt to portray the character of even the simplest and humblest of God’s children, for human nature is always complex. This difficulty is greatly increased when we have in hand one who towered above his fellows as did Karl G. Maeser. It is like trying to describe the fragrance of the rose, or the melody of some sweet song.
Aware of this fact, I shall bring to you some of the experiences of Brother Maeser’s students, as daily they came in contact with him, in the hope that you, with us, may see and feel something of his life.
Often has he told us both in public and in private, that when a student in the German universities, he had no belief in God nor in the immortality of the soul. The message of a humble Mormon elder awakened within him that dormant spiritual life. Oh, what an awakening was that! No purer soul ever responded to a message of truth than Karl G. Maeser. No one ever doubted his belief in the divine mission of Joseph Smith and his successors. Had his conversion been lacking one whit he was soon to be put to the severest test.
Fresh from the beautiful, well- kept cities of Germany, he was forced to the rough life of this pioneer country. At a time when the material interests of life were largely absorbing the energies of the people, when men were valued according to their ability to overcome and wrestle with material interests, the advent of a man like Dr. Karl G. Maeser could be nothing less than a soul’s tragedy.
He knew what it was to go hungry; he knew what it was to shiver with his loved ones on Christmas day, and to have his neighbors say, “If he is too lazy to work for his living let him starve.” One of Brother Maeser’s students of the district schools of Salt Lake City, told me that one evening Brother Maeser announced the intermission at a dancing party for supper, and concluded with this request: “If any of you have anything you do not care for, Brother Maeser will be glad for something to eat.”
But there was at least one man in Israel’s camp who could see more than the valet in the master. One day President Brigham Young called him to his office and said: “Brother Maeser, I have a mission for you. I want you to go to Provo and take charge of the Brigham Young Academy.”
“Have you any instructions to give?” asked Brother Maeser, in that humble manner so characteristic of the man.
“None,” replied God’s prophet, only do not attempt to teach the alphabet or the multiplication tables without the Spirit of God.” Few words, to be sure, but words freighted with meaning and magnified gloriously by him.
Nor was all the pain that those great of soul suffer in the presence of people by whom they are not understood over when he came to Provo. There were men in Provo who would buttonhole his students on the street and tell them not to listen to the old Dutchman.
But God had given him a body of students in those early days, of such nobility of character that their souls rose in majesty to meet the soul of their great leader. J. M. Tanner, Joseph B. Keeler, James E. Talmage, Reed Smoot, Teenie Smoot Taylor, Susa Y. Gates, and George H. Brimhall were there. Then, too, in hours of care and anxiety the arm of President A. O. Smoot twined lovingly about him.
Thus, day by day, as he wrought in fulness of love and fulness of faith, we knew that the hours of his power had come. His words pierced men’s souls. His handshake, his smile, his rebuke, his God bless you that thrilled to the very center of the soul were alike all-pervading and irresistible.
The story is told of a rough man, much addicted to vice, lighting a fresh cigar and throwing it suddenly to the ground.
“Why did you do that?” asked his companion, who walked at his side?” The man attracted his attention to Dr. Maeser who was fast approaching them, and replied: "Before us is the only man in the world for whom I would do such a thing. I can not smoke in his presence.”
I was twelve years of age when I came to Provo as a student, and from that time until the time of Brother Maeser’s death I was frequently a guest in his home. It was a home of welcome and refinement to the guest.
It was my very good fortune, to be a member of Brother Maeser’s last graduating class. I shall never forget his parting speech, in which he promised us that if we would carry the spirit of our Alma Mater into all the walks of life that the Lord would multiply us even as He had multiplied the loaves and fishes.
At this time a desire had grown in the hearts of the people to have schools similar to the Brigham Young Academy established throughout the Church. Karl G Maeser was called to promote and supervise this new work. Nevertheless he retained the principalship of the Brigham Young Academy until January, 1892.
On that last day he met with us, in the old home, at the Warehouse. Before leaving he called us together and prayed with us. Oh, what a prayer was that, as his soul flowed forth in gratitude to God for the past, and he asked our Father to be our strength and fortress in the years to come, even as He had been in the past. Then he led us to our new home, where he delivered his farewell address.
“Are you going to deliver a farewell address, father?” This question was put by his daughter, who had heard him pacing back and forth in his room every time she had wakened during the night.
“If my Father will give me strength,” was the only reply.
And his Father did give him strength. Only once during that address did his voice grow husky, and that was at the conclusion, when he said:
“Of the words of the English language the hardest to say is farewell. This you, my dear fellow teachers, and you, my dear students, will not require at my hands.”
The pain Brother Maeser felt at separation was no pain of weakness, but pain born of a fulness of love.
He left us, but he often visited us, and often, very often, did we call him back.
During the summer that Colonel Parker was our special lecturer, at an evening session, one of the speakers detailed in part some of Dr. Maeser’s educational work. Colonel Parker listened with intense interest, and at its close approached Brother Maeser, and kissed him, then turning to the audience he said, “Why did you send for me? Here is one among you far more worthy than I.”
We called him back again to give him a jubilee, for the venerable man had been fifty years a teacher. His students came from far and near to honor him. In song and story and with floral gift they expressed to him their heartfelt love, and in fitting address did they review the great achievements of his life.
To my mind the most beautiful tribute paid him on that day was quite informal. It was in the afternoon ; he sat in an easy chair on the rostrum. A call was made for remarks from one of his students. One came forward, and putting his hands on Brother Maeser’s shoulders, said: “Brother Maeser, you know we love you. In my life I have had two fathers—you are one. And this day I promise you that if I live beyond the time of your life, I shall strive to be a father to your children even as you have been to me.”
Again we called him back. This time he dined with us. He sat in the center of a long table, and the board and faculty sat all about him. He told us of the joy teaching had brought to his life and said: “I hope my Father may count me worthy to be a teacher in heaven.”
Did his guardian angel make record of that wish, and convey it to the great beyond? We know not but this we know, that a few days later he had gone beyond recall.
His students came by hundreds to pay their last tribute to his memory. What is often repeated is apt to become trite, but there are circumstances and conditions that force repetition. As I stood looking at that beloved face, beautiful in death, as in life, I thought, how do I know what the old veteran meant who stood at the bier of Daniel Webster. And even as I thought, one came to my side, and exclaimed in a voice full of feeling, “Karl G. Maeser, this world is lonely without you.”
We lined his grave with smilax and hyacinths, and left behind us one of the richest of earth’s sons, for to few men has it been given to be loved as Dr. Maeser was loved.
A student of his once said to me:
‘‘Fellows such as I am need a little money to carry us along, but all the wealth of a continent could not add one cubic inch to Karl G. Maeser, nor could the most dire poverty make him less than a prince among men.”
As I recall the privation he endured, and think of all he must have suffered mentally, and then contemplate what we this day have done, I feel that in a measure that scripture is again fulfilled which saith: “And the stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner."
Maeser, Reinhard. "His Son's Tribute." Young Woman's Journal. July 1912. pg. 364-366.
His Son’s Tribute.
By Reinhard Maeser.
At the dedication of the Maeser Memorial Building on May 30, 1912, Professor Reinard Maeser, the only living son of Dr. Karl G. Maeser, paid the following beautiful tribute to his father.
I am glad this day, as I have always been, that 1 am a scion of my father’s house. 1 am honored in having been chosen to stand before you as the representative of my father’s family, and I am proud in the knowledge that this people, who were his people, are also my people. Proud to know that I am worthy to be associated with you, that I dare approach you with the appellation of brethren and sisters.
Now, if I may, for a few moments enjoy the Spirit of my Father, that I may worthily represent him on this momentous occasion, I shall indeed appreciate most fully the honor which you have bestowed upon me.
My beloved brethren and sisters, in behalf of my departed father and in behalf of his family I do most gratefully, yet humbly, accept from your generosity this more than beautiful memorial which you have reared to the name, the works, and the worth of Karl G. Maeser, the father not only of our Alma Mater, but as well of the great system which has grown out of the seeds herein planted nearly a half century ago. The struggles and heartaches of those days are known only in part by the people in general, the family has a treasure house of the faith, the courage, the integrity of a father’s devotion to a sacred trust.
It has been my blessed privilege to familiarize myself with the scenes of my father’s childhood, to stand at the threshold of his boyhood’s home, and to converse with many of the companions of his young manhood. From all these I have learned much of the cause of his fixedness of purpose when the right was to be maintained. His father was a man of sterling character, a man of firmness and devotion to his views of righteousness, a man honored and respected for his nobleness of character and sincerity to his religious convictions. My father’s brother, too, was unshakable in his integrity for that which he believed to be right. It was under surroundings and influences such as these, together with the association of the choicest companions, that my father grew up. Not in wealth, not gratified with every material comfort his heart could desire, but always with the stern fact before him, that by the sweat of his brow he must earn his daily bread.
Yet with all these splendid environments, my father gave no promise of special distinction. He needed other experiences, other companions to force upon him the necessity of cultivating powers and abilities which God had given him, but which lay dormant and might forever have remained so had he not met, loved, and married my mother. Yes, my brethren and sisters, I wish to say to you that without the aid, the timely suggestions, the sympathetic encouragement lent by my devoted mother, Karl G. Maeser might not today be the recipient of so glorious a demonstration. While my mother’s help was a potent factor in aiding to bring out father’s latent powers, it was not yet sufficient to call forth all the nobility and worth that abode in him. Another one was called and chosen, this noble woman here came into his life to be a helpmeet to him, and most faithfully has she done her part to persuade him into hitherto unexplored paths—shall I say of greatness, at least she aided much in giving direction and character to the work he had begun. These women have made their sacrifices with him, and I feel that they are worthy to be remembered with him, and I feel that
at least one little word should be given in their honor for the part they have taken in aiding to bring about so monumental a demonstration in honor of our father. In saying this I feel that I am in nowise detracting from my father’s due, but rather, that in glorifying the lives of the two women he chose to stand by his side for time and eternity, I am adding lustre to him.
But the greatest factor in the development of my father’s character, and the one above all others that gave him distinction among the Latter-day Saints, was his sacred devotion to the principles of the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was everything to him; and those men whom God had chosen to direct His affairs on earth were holy in his eyes.
When finally my father was called to be the pioneer in organizing a distinctive educational system among the Latter-day Saints, he felt that to him had now come the greatest test of his life. He realized that no small responsibility had been placed upon him. He rushed to the prophet of the Lord for guidance, and in his own words said: “I was given my bearings, I got the key-note for all my work, upon which my future success must depend—I must in every detail of my work seek for the Spirit of God.”
I testify before you this day, my brethren and sisters, that as you found Karl G. Maeser among you in his public life, energetic and zealous in his labors, so also we found him in his private life. At no time did he permit worldly allurements to detract his mind from the accomplishment of the purposes God had called him to work out. In all this he is an inspiration to us as he has been to you. And while out of the exuberant gratitude for his worth to you. you rear monuments of stone, we, the family, are building monuments of love and gratitude that to us has been given that priceless gift of lineage.
And now, my dear brethren and sisters, in saying to you once more that we most gratefully accept this precious token of your regard and esteem for our dear father, we pray that it may stand protected from the ravages of the weather, and be proof against decay as long as the name of Karl M. Maeser may find honorable mention among the people of this Church.
God bless the generous donors to this monument; God bless the Latter-day Saints; God bless the great system of education in the establishment of which my father was a pioneer factor; God bless the memory of Karl G. Maeser.
His Son’s Tribute.
By Reinhard Maeser.
At the dedication of the Maeser Memorial Building on May 30, 1912, Professor Reinard Maeser, the only living son of Dr. Karl G. Maeser, paid the following beautiful tribute to his father.
I am glad this day, as I have always been, that 1 am a scion of my father’s house. 1 am honored in having been chosen to stand before you as the representative of my father’s family, and I am proud in the knowledge that this people, who were his people, are also my people. Proud to know that I am worthy to be associated with you, that I dare approach you with the appellation of brethren and sisters.
Now, if I may, for a few moments enjoy the Spirit of my Father, that I may worthily represent him on this momentous occasion, I shall indeed appreciate most fully the honor which you have bestowed upon me.
My beloved brethren and sisters, in behalf of my departed father and in behalf of his family I do most gratefully, yet humbly, accept from your generosity this more than beautiful memorial which you have reared to the name, the works, and the worth of Karl G. Maeser, the father not only of our Alma Mater, but as well of the great system which has grown out of the seeds herein planted nearly a half century ago. The struggles and heartaches of those days are known only in part by the people in general, the family has a treasure house of the faith, the courage, the integrity of a father’s devotion to a sacred trust.
It has been my blessed privilege to familiarize myself with the scenes of my father’s childhood, to stand at the threshold of his boyhood’s home, and to converse with many of the companions of his young manhood. From all these I have learned much of the cause of his fixedness of purpose when the right was to be maintained. His father was a man of sterling character, a man of firmness and devotion to his views of righteousness, a man honored and respected for his nobleness of character and sincerity to his religious convictions. My father’s brother, too, was unshakable in his integrity for that which he believed to be right. It was under surroundings and influences such as these, together with the association of the choicest companions, that my father grew up. Not in wealth, not gratified with every material comfort his heart could desire, but always with the stern fact before him, that by the sweat of his brow he must earn his daily bread.
Yet with all these splendid environments, my father gave no promise of special distinction. He needed other experiences, other companions to force upon him the necessity of cultivating powers and abilities which God had given him, but which lay dormant and might forever have remained so had he not met, loved, and married my mother. Yes, my brethren and sisters, I wish to say to you that without the aid, the timely suggestions, the sympathetic encouragement lent by my devoted mother, Karl G. Maeser might not today be the recipient of so glorious a demonstration. While my mother’s help was a potent factor in aiding to bring out father’s latent powers, it was not yet sufficient to call forth all the nobility and worth that abode in him. Another one was called and chosen, this noble woman here came into his life to be a helpmeet to him, and most faithfully has she done her part to persuade him into hitherto unexplored paths—shall I say of greatness, at least she aided much in giving direction and character to the work he had begun. These women have made their sacrifices with him, and I feel that they are worthy to be remembered with him, and I feel that
at least one little word should be given in their honor for the part they have taken in aiding to bring about so monumental a demonstration in honor of our father. In saying this I feel that I am in nowise detracting from my father’s due, but rather, that in glorifying the lives of the two women he chose to stand by his side for time and eternity, I am adding lustre to him.
But the greatest factor in the development of my father’s character, and the one above all others that gave him distinction among the Latter-day Saints, was his sacred devotion to the principles of the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was everything to him; and those men whom God had chosen to direct His affairs on earth were holy in his eyes.
When finally my father was called to be the pioneer in organizing a distinctive educational system among the Latter-day Saints, he felt that to him had now come the greatest test of his life. He realized that no small responsibility had been placed upon him. He rushed to the prophet of the Lord for guidance, and in his own words said: “I was given my bearings, I got the key-note for all my work, upon which my future success must depend—I must in every detail of my work seek for the Spirit of God.”
I testify before you this day, my brethren and sisters, that as you found Karl G. Maeser among you in his public life, energetic and zealous in his labors, so also we found him in his private life. At no time did he permit worldly allurements to detract his mind from the accomplishment of the purposes God had called him to work out. In all this he is an inspiration to us as he has been to you. And while out of the exuberant gratitude for his worth to you. you rear monuments of stone, we, the family, are building monuments of love and gratitude that to us has been given that priceless gift of lineage.
And now, my dear brethren and sisters, in saying to you once more that we most gratefully accept this precious token of your regard and esteem for our dear father, we pray that it may stand protected from the ravages of the weather, and be proof against decay as long as the name of Karl M. Maeser may find honorable mention among the people of this Church.
God bless the generous donors to this monument; God bless the Latter-day Saints; God bless the great system of education in the establishment of which my father was a pioneer factor; God bless the memory of Karl G. Maeser.
"Sayings of Dr. Karl G. Maeser." Young Woman's Journal. July 1912. pg. 366.
Sayings of Dr. Karl G. Maeser.
Every one of you, sooner or later, must stand at the forks of the road, and choose between personal interests and some principle of right.
It is our privilege to be so fastened to our line of duty that we cannot be turned away by the strongest current of temptation.
What we did before we came here, conditioned us here; what we do here will condition us in the world to come.
Be yourself, but always your better self.
The Lord never does anything arbitrarily. Everyone’s life is an object lesson to others.
No man shall be more exacting of me or my conduct than I am of myself.
Our patriarchal blessings are paragraphs from the book of our possibilities.
The good angels never lose an opportunity of calling attention to something good in everybody.
Sayings of Dr. Karl G. Maeser.
Every one of you, sooner or later, must stand at the forks of the road, and choose between personal interests and some principle of right.
It is our privilege to be so fastened to our line of duty that we cannot be turned away by the strongest current of temptation.
What we did before we came here, conditioned us here; what we do here will condition us in the world to come.
Be yourself, but always your better self.
The Lord never does anything arbitrarily. Everyone’s life is an object lesson to others.
No man shall be more exacting of me or my conduct than I am of myself.
Our patriarchal blessings are paragraphs from the book of our possibilities.
The good angels never lose an opportunity of calling attention to something good in everybody.
Peay, Ida Stewart. "A Story Dr. Maeser Told." Improvement Era. January 1914. pg. 194-195.
A Story Dr. Maeser Told
BY IDA STEWART PEAY
During the closing years of his life, I heard my beloved teacher, Dr. Karl G. Maeser, relate a touching little incident about himself, which I shall never forget. It often recurs to my mind and helps me over the "rough places."
The story concerned that week of blessed memory, in the fall of 1875, which witnessed the founding of the now far-famed Brigham Young University. President Young had set apart, with proper solemnity, this retiring yet wholly praiseworthy and intelligent foreigner, Dr. Karl G. Maeser, to introduce and carry to successful achievement an entirely new and difficult system of education. The weighty scheme being to promulgate the principles of true religion and maintain a standard of good moral conduct, as well as to give general scholastic training. Paramount to everything else, faith in a supreme Being was to be inculcated; as the great founder and prophet put it—even arithmetic was not to be taught without the Spirit of God. To the accomplishment of this splendid triple purpose, Dr. Maeser had set his hand and heart.
At the end of the first week's work, the young principal, just coming into a realization of the enormity of his undertaking, received a disquieting message from his employer and spiritual leader. It was to the effect that Brother Young would be down in three days to examine the written plans prepared for the carrying out of this fine project. In telling the story the grand old man confessed that he had evolved no plans. Moreover, eager, enthusiastic, determined though he was, he had not been able to think out just how it was all to be done.
It was Friday afternoon when the President's dispatch arrived and our dear old master assured us he went to his home with a heavy heart. All night long he sat at his desk trying to think out the way, endeavoring to get the heaven-born ideas that flitted, spirit-like, through his consciousness, into an intelligible draft of his intended procedure. But his arduous labor was to no purpose; the dawn crept in to find his task not yet begun. The following day. Saturday, he spent in pursuit of the elusive plans. He paced the floor, he hung over his desk, he racked his brains, but the twilight fell and he was not prepared. Saturday night proved a repetition of the night before, and all through the long- Sabbath he engaged his mind in the same fruitless attempt. When night descended upon that memorable Sunday, he grew heartsick. His superior would be there in the morning. How could he look into the keen eyes of that great general and own to failure?
Almost overcome with despair, he dropped upon his knees and appealed to his God:
"O Father," he pleaded, in the sweet humility that characterized him, "show me the way, help me to make the plans for this great work. I cannot do it of myself."
All at once the burden was lifted from his heart, it seemed almost as if a voice said to him, "Brother Maeser, why did you not think to ask before?" He assured us that in direct answer to his prayer the "plans" came to him. He sprang to his desk and wrote. In an hour or two his work was ready to present to his loved chief.
And those who benefited, at least according to their capacity or desire, by those precious plans, know how well they were laid; those who have tried to follow know God showed him the way. In memory I recall the charm and simplicity with which our dear Brother Maeser told this little story, and I hear once more the yearning in his voice as he begged us to "always ask Father first."
PROVO, UTAH
A Story Dr. Maeser Told
BY IDA STEWART PEAY
During the closing years of his life, I heard my beloved teacher, Dr. Karl G. Maeser, relate a touching little incident about himself, which I shall never forget. It often recurs to my mind and helps me over the "rough places."
The story concerned that week of blessed memory, in the fall of 1875, which witnessed the founding of the now far-famed Brigham Young University. President Young had set apart, with proper solemnity, this retiring yet wholly praiseworthy and intelligent foreigner, Dr. Karl G. Maeser, to introduce and carry to successful achievement an entirely new and difficult system of education. The weighty scheme being to promulgate the principles of true religion and maintain a standard of good moral conduct, as well as to give general scholastic training. Paramount to everything else, faith in a supreme Being was to be inculcated; as the great founder and prophet put it—even arithmetic was not to be taught without the Spirit of God. To the accomplishment of this splendid triple purpose, Dr. Maeser had set his hand and heart.
At the end of the first week's work, the young principal, just coming into a realization of the enormity of his undertaking, received a disquieting message from his employer and spiritual leader. It was to the effect that Brother Young would be down in three days to examine the written plans prepared for the carrying out of this fine project. In telling the story the grand old man confessed that he had evolved no plans. Moreover, eager, enthusiastic, determined though he was, he had not been able to think out just how it was all to be done.
It was Friday afternoon when the President's dispatch arrived and our dear old master assured us he went to his home with a heavy heart. All night long he sat at his desk trying to think out the way, endeavoring to get the heaven-born ideas that flitted, spirit-like, through his consciousness, into an intelligible draft of his intended procedure. But his arduous labor was to no purpose; the dawn crept in to find his task not yet begun. The following day. Saturday, he spent in pursuit of the elusive plans. He paced the floor, he hung over his desk, he racked his brains, but the twilight fell and he was not prepared. Saturday night proved a repetition of the night before, and all through the long- Sabbath he engaged his mind in the same fruitless attempt. When night descended upon that memorable Sunday, he grew heartsick. His superior would be there in the morning. How could he look into the keen eyes of that great general and own to failure?
Almost overcome with despair, he dropped upon his knees and appealed to his God:
"O Father," he pleaded, in the sweet humility that characterized him, "show me the way, help me to make the plans for this great work. I cannot do it of myself."
All at once the burden was lifted from his heart, it seemed almost as if a voice said to him, "Brother Maeser, why did you not think to ask before?" He assured us that in direct answer to his prayer the "plans" came to him. He sprang to his desk and wrote. In an hour or two his work was ready to present to his loved chief.
And those who benefited, at least according to their capacity or desire, by those precious plans, know how well they were laid; those who have tried to follow know God showed him the way. In memory I recall the charm and simplicity with which our dear Brother Maeser told this little story, and I hear once more the yearning in his voice as he begged us to "always ask Father first."
PROVO, UTAH
"Manifestations of the Spirit." Young Woman's Journal. November 1916. pg. 702-703.
Manifestations of the Spirit
Told of Karl G. Maeser by Apostle Heber J. Grant.
“Brother Maeser had been converter! to the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. On the night of his baptism, which oc- cured about midnight, he looked up to heaven and said, in substance, ‘O. God, if what I have done tonight meets with your approval, and you will give to me the witness of the Spirit that this gospel, that I believe, is in very deed the truth that I may know it, I pledge my life, if need be, to its promulgation and its advancement?
“From Canada on the north to Mexico on the south there are thousands who can bear witness that this pledge, made at Dresden, Germany, at midnight was fulfilled by one of the most devoted, unselfish, and self-sacrificing mortals who ever embraced the gospel of Christ. For if any man ever gave his life, his heart, and his foul for the advancement of this cause, Karl G. Maeser did so. God heard and answered that prayer. Walking from the river in which he was baptized, Karl G. Maeser was conversing upon the principles of the gospel with the late Apostle Franklin D. Richards, and Brother William Budge was acting as interpreter, Brother Richards talking in English and Brother Maeser in German. They began their walk of several miles to return home. After walking a short distance Brother Maeser announced to Brother Budge that he need not interpret the answers, that he understood them. Immediately thereafter, Brother Franklin said, ‘You need not interpret those questions; I understand them.[1] They walked for miles, Franklin D. Richards answering questions in English, Karl G. Maeser asking them in German, neither knowing the other’s language, yet by the inspiration of the Spirit of God. both understanding each other. Do you tell me that I don’t know that we have the gift of tongues in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? As well tell me that I do not know that I am standing here before you today. I have this testimony from the lips of a man. than whom no more honest, no more upright, no truer man ever drew the breath of life. When these two men reached the bridge that spans the river Elbe, on their way into the city of Dresden, they were separated, and when they reached the other side of the bridge Brother Maeser again began asking questions, but Brother Richards could not then understand him, nor could Brother Maeser understand anything further that was said in reply; and they were obliged to revert to Brother Budge’s interpretation. Then Brother Maeser turned to Brother Richards and said: ‘What does this mean, we could understand each other for miles, and now we can’t ‘understand?’ ‘Brother Maeser,’ said Apostle Richards, ‘the Lord has given to you a portion of the fruit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as restored in our day. For some wise reason He has allowed you to enjoy one of the manifestations of the Spirit accompanying the true Gospel of Christ.’ Brother Maeser told me, with tears rolling down his cheeks, although it had been nearly fifty years since he had that manifestation, that he realized that God had heard and answered his prayers. At the close of the incident I have related, Brother Maeser looked up again into heaven, and he said: ‘O, God, my Father in heaven, I will fulfil my promise to give my life to this cause;’ and he did it. He became the grand old man, educationally, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints — a man without a thought of personal aggrandizement, without a thought of seeking honor for himself, personally, but with only a desire to save souls, to build up the kingdom of God, and to promulgate this gospel at home and abroad.”
[1] “Life of John Taylor,” pp. 27-29.
Manifestations of the Spirit
Told of Karl G. Maeser by Apostle Heber J. Grant.
“Brother Maeser had been converter! to the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. On the night of his baptism, which oc- cured about midnight, he looked up to heaven and said, in substance, ‘O. God, if what I have done tonight meets with your approval, and you will give to me the witness of the Spirit that this gospel, that I believe, is in very deed the truth that I may know it, I pledge my life, if need be, to its promulgation and its advancement?
“From Canada on the north to Mexico on the south there are thousands who can bear witness that this pledge, made at Dresden, Germany, at midnight was fulfilled by one of the most devoted, unselfish, and self-sacrificing mortals who ever embraced the gospel of Christ. For if any man ever gave his life, his heart, and his foul for the advancement of this cause, Karl G. Maeser did so. God heard and answered that prayer. Walking from the river in which he was baptized, Karl G. Maeser was conversing upon the principles of the gospel with the late Apostle Franklin D. Richards, and Brother William Budge was acting as interpreter, Brother Richards talking in English and Brother Maeser in German. They began their walk of several miles to return home. After walking a short distance Brother Maeser announced to Brother Budge that he need not interpret the answers, that he understood them. Immediately thereafter, Brother Franklin said, ‘You need not interpret those questions; I understand them.[1] They walked for miles, Franklin D. Richards answering questions in English, Karl G. Maeser asking them in German, neither knowing the other’s language, yet by the inspiration of the Spirit of God. both understanding each other. Do you tell me that I don’t know that we have the gift of tongues in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? As well tell me that I do not know that I am standing here before you today. I have this testimony from the lips of a man. than whom no more honest, no more upright, no truer man ever drew the breath of life. When these two men reached the bridge that spans the river Elbe, on their way into the city of Dresden, they were separated, and when they reached the other side of the bridge Brother Maeser again began asking questions, but Brother Richards could not then understand him, nor could Brother Maeser understand anything further that was said in reply; and they were obliged to revert to Brother Budge’s interpretation. Then Brother Maeser turned to Brother Richards and said: ‘What does this mean, we could understand each other for miles, and now we can’t ‘understand?’ ‘Brother Maeser,’ said Apostle Richards, ‘the Lord has given to you a portion of the fruit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as restored in our day. For some wise reason He has allowed you to enjoy one of the manifestations of the Spirit accompanying the true Gospel of Christ.’ Brother Maeser told me, with tears rolling down his cheeks, although it had been nearly fifty years since he had that manifestation, that he realized that God had heard and answered his prayers. At the close of the incident I have related, Brother Maeser looked up again into heaven, and he said: ‘O, God, my Father in heaven, I will fulfil my promise to give my life to this cause;’ and he did it. He became the grand old man, educationally, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints — a man without a thought of personal aggrandizement, without a thought of seeking honor for himself, personally, but with only a desire to save souls, to build up the kingdom of God, and to promulgate this gospel at home and abroad.”
[1] “Life of John Taylor,” pp. 27-29.
Lyman, Richard R. "Karl G. Maeser and the Brigham Young University." Improvement Era. January 1926. pg. 264-265.
KARL G. MAESER AND THE BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY[1]
By Dr. Richard R. Lyman, Member of the Church Board of Education and of the Council of the Twelve
Fifty years ago today, single-handed, Karl G. Maeser was sent to Provo by President Brigham Young to start a school. Four years later, or forty-six years ago, next Wednesday, Edison gave to the world the first successful incandescent lamp. Electrical development during the intervening period has made thrilling strides. This institution, too, has had a phenomenal growth, and many of its alumni have achieved unusual successes.
Today electricity gives to human organs of speech a super-human power. From the classrooms of this institution, where their lives touched the life of that great teacher, Karl G. Maeser, his students have become leaders in the communities of this inter-mountain West.
Electric lights dispel the darkness, electric motors give us the strength of giants, we go by submarines into the depths of the ocean, by aeroplanes into the skies.
During the same period, the original B. Y. Academy from a small beginning has been transformed into a great University.
The boys and girls who came into the institution in its early days, having had extremely limited opportunities, necessarily had narrow vision. Karl G. Maeser opened the eyes of these young people, opened their minds, gave them information with which they laid the foundation for their future.
This thorough, German scholar equipped these young folks with self-propelling powers. Many have gone on to successes that have astonished the most optimistic. Were Karl G. Maeser with us today, he would express surprise at the accomplishments of many of his students. In public office, both in State and Church, they are found adding glory to his name, to the name of the school whose foundation he laid, and bringing honor to themselves and to their communities.
I was in many of his classes. I lived at his home. It was my good fortune to be near enough to him to see his unusual energy and to feel the tremendous power of his soul.
Karl G. Maeser gave such inspiration that many of his students have become important factors in the work of the world. For example, from among them the people of Utah have selected and have representing them at this very moment in the Nation's Capitol, two United States Senators, one Congressman, and one Justice of the Supreme Court. Find, if you can, another teacher with such a record!
Under the direction of President Brigham Young, Karl G. Maeser established this institution. Its purpose has been, and may it ever be, to teach young people that being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous; being kind, long-suffering, Christian-like and truly religious, is the life that gives the greatest joy. The lesson he aimed to teach was that the ages demonstrate such a life to be the only one that brings genuine satisfaction. He taught that the first of all the virtues is honor.
May Providence continue to keep a watchful eye over the institution and with a powerful hand, continue its development and success. Blessed be the name and memory of that great religious teacher, that inspirer of young people, Dr. Karl G. Maeser. Blessed also be the name of that great pioneer leader, Brigham Young, who called Karl G. Maeser into the service, and for whom the institution is named.
And, in conclusion, blessed be the name of Heber J. Grant, the worthy successor of the founder of the school. It was President Grant who made possible the construction of this excellent and greatly needed library building which bears his name, and which we are dedicating today as a part of this Semi-centennial Celebration.
[1] An address given at the Brigham Young University, Provo. at the Semicentennial Celebration, October 16, 1925.
KARL G. MAESER AND THE BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY[1]
By Dr. Richard R. Lyman, Member of the Church Board of Education and of the Council of the Twelve
Fifty years ago today, single-handed, Karl G. Maeser was sent to Provo by President Brigham Young to start a school. Four years later, or forty-six years ago, next Wednesday, Edison gave to the world the first successful incandescent lamp. Electrical development during the intervening period has made thrilling strides. This institution, too, has had a phenomenal growth, and many of its alumni have achieved unusual successes.
Today electricity gives to human organs of speech a super-human power. From the classrooms of this institution, where their lives touched the life of that great teacher, Karl G. Maeser, his students have become leaders in the communities of this inter-mountain West.
Electric lights dispel the darkness, electric motors give us the strength of giants, we go by submarines into the depths of the ocean, by aeroplanes into the skies.
During the same period, the original B. Y. Academy from a small beginning has been transformed into a great University.
The boys and girls who came into the institution in its early days, having had extremely limited opportunities, necessarily had narrow vision. Karl G. Maeser opened the eyes of these young people, opened their minds, gave them information with which they laid the foundation for their future.
This thorough, German scholar equipped these young folks with self-propelling powers. Many have gone on to successes that have astonished the most optimistic. Were Karl G. Maeser with us today, he would express surprise at the accomplishments of many of his students. In public office, both in State and Church, they are found adding glory to his name, to the name of the school whose foundation he laid, and bringing honor to themselves and to their communities.
I was in many of his classes. I lived at his home. It was my good fortune to be near enough to him to see his unusual energy and to feel the tremendous power of his soul.
Karl G. Maeser gave such inspiration that many of his students have become important factors in the work of the world. For example, from among them the people of Utah have selected and have representing them at this very moment in the Nation's Capitol, two United States Senators, one Congressman, and one Justice of the Supreme Court. Find, if you can, another teacher with such a record!
Under the direction of President Brigham Young, Karl G. Maeser established this institution. Its purpose has been, and may it ever be, to teach young people that being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous; being kind, long-suffering, Christian-like and truly religious, is the life that gives the greatest joy. The lesson he aimed to teach was that the ages demonstrate such a life to be the only one that brings genuine satisfaction. He taught that the first of all the virtues is honor.
May Providence continue to keep a watchful eye over the institution and with a powerful hand, continue its development and success. Blessed be the name and memory of that great religious teacher, that inspirer of young people, Dr. Karl G. Maeser. Blessed also be the name of that great pioneer leader, Brigham Young, who called Karl G. Maeser into the service, and for whom the institution is named.
And, in conclusion, blessed be the name of Heber J. Grant, the worthy successor of the founder of the school. It was President Grant who made possible the construction of this excellent and greatly needed library building which bears his name, and which we are dedicating today as a part of this Semi-centennial Celebration.
[1] An address given at the Brigham Young University, Provo. at the Semicentennial Celebration, October 16, 1925.
"Educational Maxims of Dr. Maeser." Improvement Era. February 1927. pg. 305.
Educational Maxims of Dr. Maeser
Dr. Maeser was a strong advocate of the idea that the school and the home should work in unison, stand side by side in the responsible task of educating the child:
"Let your first 'good morning' be to your Father in heaven."
"Character, so to speak, is the timber that man is made of. The fireside, the mother's knee, the father's example, should be the proper starting point for such a training."
"No mother lets her infant crawl or walk any farther than she can control its movements, to preserve it from the possibility of accident. This illustrates the principle to be kept in view when the consideration of character is concerned."
"It is the fashion in Chinese gardening to force trees and shrubs out of their natural way of growing into all kinds of fantastic shapes, according to the fancy and notion of their master. There is a great deal of Chinese gardening going on in education."
"In the family circle parental authority, and filial love and respect should be sufficient safeguards against any improprieties. Figuratively speaking, the length of the rope of discretionary action should be measured out to children in proportion to their moral, intellectual and spiritual capacities."
"In religious as well as in all kinds of public assemblies, even in theatres and places of amusement, children are to be taught the principle of respect and reverence for the place, the occasion, the property and for the feelings of others. This principle is urged upon the parents for cultivation at their firesides."
"All education commences in the family circle, for father and mother are to the child the first object lesson on which to practice the glorious principle of reverence. There is no people among whom the principle of reverence is less cultivated than it is among the Americans, and it is traceable directly to the sins of omission at the firesides of the nation."
"The strongest incentives to the faithful performances of any duty are, comprehension of its rightfulness, honor, mutual confidence and the cultivation of the proper use. of free agency. Compulsion may enforce compliance with some requirements, but will never convey conviction of its rightfulness in the mind of a pupil or child. If conviction comes at all, it must come by other means. Corporal or physical punishment of any kind is illogical, and is not a natural sequence or result of the offense, but must of necessity bear to some extent the character of arbitrariness."
Educational Maxims of Dr. Maeser
Dr. Maeser was a strong advocate of the idea that the school and the home should work in unison, stand side by side in the responsible task of educating the child:
"Let your first 'good morning' be to your Father in heaven."
"Character, so to speak, is the timber that man is made of. The fireside, the mother's knee, the father's example, should be the proper starting point for such a training."
"No mother lets her infant crawl or walk any farther than she can control its movements, to preserve it from the possibility of accident. This illustrates the principle to be kept in view when the consideration of character is concerned."
"It is the fashion in Chinese gardening to force trees and shrubs out of their natural way of growing into all kinds of fantastic shapes, according to the fancy and notion of their master. There is a great deal of Chinese gardening going on in education."
"In the family circle parental authority, and filial love and respect should be sufficient safeguards against any improprieties. Figuratively speaking, the length of the rope of discretionary action should be measured out to children in proportion to their moral, intellectual and spiritual capacities."
"In religious as well as in all kinds of public assemblies, even in theatres and places of amusement, children are to be taught the principle of respect and reverence for the place, the occasion, the property and for the feelings of others. This principle is urged upon the parents for cultivation at their firesides."
"All education commences in the family circle, for father and mother are to the child the first object lesson on which to practice the glorious principle of reverence. There is no people among whom the principle of reverence is less cultivated than it is among the Americans, and it is traceable directly to the sins of omission at the firesides of the nation."
"The strongest incentives to the faithful performances of any duty are, comprehension of its rightfulness, honor, mutual confidence and the cultivation of the proper use. of free agency. Compulsion may enforce compliance with some requirements, but will never convey conviction of its rightfulness in the mind of a pupil or child. If conviction comes at all, it must come by other means. Corporal or physical punishment of any kind is illogical, and is not a natural sequence or result of the offense, but must of necessity bear to some extent the character of arbitrariness."
"Memory of Karl G. Maeser Honored." Improvement Era. February 1927. pg. 306-310.
MEMORY OF KARL G. MAESER HONORED Story Told of his Tact with Boys and his Love for Them A quarter of a century and a year will have passed this 16th of February since the death of the beloved teacher, Karl Gottfried Maeser, the founder, under President Brigham Young, of the Brigham Young University at Provo. He was born over ninety-nine years ago at Meissen, Saxony, Germany, in the little old house still standing and known as No. 10. Zscheilaer Strasse. The old place is now owned and inhabited by the family of Robert Bernock, a shoemaker by trade. On November 19, 1926, a large number of Church officers and members, including one apostle, six conference presidents, and seventy-seven missionaries, together with official representatives of American and German interests, and citizens of Saxony, gathered at Meissen to do honor to the memory of Dr. Karl G. Maeser, and to unveil a memorial plate, which had been placed upon the outer wall of the house, facing the street. Hon. George P. Waller, U. S. Consul, Dresden, and Vice-Consul Duran Grinstead, represented America at the services. Representatives of the schools and of the Burgermeister of Meissen were also in attendance. The plan had been previously suggested by Dr. James E. Talmage, president of the European mission, who, with others, had visited the home, viewed the room in which Brother Maeser was born, and obtained a willing consent of the present owner, of the premises for the purposes undertaken. The tablet was unveiled by Myron Maeser Crandall, a grandson of Dr. Maeser, who is now a missionary in Germany. It is an oblong stone, 39 ½ x31 ½ inches, and the text of the inscription, written by Dr. Talmage, and. translated into German, is inscribed with deep cut letters into the "massive plate of enduring diabase," as follows: The memorial address, in eloquent tribute, was given by President James E. Talmage, written in English, translated into German, and read in German by the speaker. The prayer of dedication followed the address; and while President Talmage offered the prayer the great assembly stood with heads bowed and with every manifestation of reverential attention. Retiring President Fred Tadje conducted the services at the house, and, in the course, of his remarks, following the dedication, illustrated what prayer and patience can do, and called attention to the practical results that really count in the service of God and humanity, and in the redemption of the wayward. In the course of his remarks, President Tadje retold the following story, translated from the German for the Millennial Star, December 9, which number is largely devoted to the proceedings. The story applies to teachers and parents in the government and redemption of obstinate boys today, as it did in the days of Dr. Maeser, the great Church teacher: In the southern part of Utah there lived a poor widow and her son, the latter a wild, impudent, intractable youth, whose transgressions often brought his mother into sore distress. He was known as the terror of the town. He had almost reached the period of manhood without having curbed this insubordination. One evening the bishopric of the ward in which he lived proposed to him that he attend the Brigham Young Academy. In this proposition they had two purposes; one was that they might rid themselves of him, and the other that he might improve himself. They were willing to furnish the money if he would but go. When this proposition was placed before him he accepted; his mother agreed to it; and in a very short time he was enrolled as a student in the above mentioned school. One glance was sufficient to convince his associates that he was not to be trifled with. He came to school with his books under his arm and a six-shooter in his hip pocket. It was difficult for him to accustom himself to his new surroundings; he felt like a young bronco, newly saddled. Before the end of the first week he had a difficulty with his teacher, to whom he manifested such a degree of insubordination that his instructors appealed to President Maeser of the Academy to have him suspended. With bowed head the Principal listened, without uttering a word. Finally he broke the silence and said, "Try him once more; he is the son of a widow whose entire hope is centered in him. She knows her boy better than we do. She hopes and prays that some day he will see the foolishness of his ways and change them. She has written me several letters in which she has pleaded with me to try and save him. I have promised that I would do my best, and I will keep my promise. Give him one more chance." The instructors returned to their class-rooms in compliance with the Master's wishes. Try as they would, all their efforts were in vain, and the young man remained wholly uncontrollable. At the end of another week the instructors returned to the office of the Principal and placed two propositions before him. The one was that this young man should be dismissed from the school forthwith; the other, that in the event the Principal could not see his way clear to dismiss him, they would hand in their resignations to take effect immediately. "That young man is a terror," said one of the instructors; "we have done our best, but have failed absolutely." "Send him to me," said Brother Maeser. In a few minutes the young man entered the Principal's room. "Did you send for me?" he asked in a low but defiant voice. "Yes, sir," replied the genial Principal. "I sent for your because I have to inform you that you must leave this institution tomorrow morning." "Good,'' answered the yet unsubdued youth; he then turned about and left the room. In the middle of the following night, Brother Maeser awoke from his slumber and thought of the wild youth whom no one seemed able to tame, who was to be expelled from the school on the following morning. He also thought of the anxious widow and how she had pleaded with him that he might save her son. He arose from his bed, knelt by the side of it and laid the matter before the Lord; and this was the purport of his supplication: "Dear Father, there is at this time a young man in our school whom we are unable to control. We have tried to do our best, but, sad to say, we have failed. If there is a way whereby we may reach him, I pray thee in our Redeemer's name to make it known unto us; and thy name shall have the praise, the honor, and the glory." "I received no satisfaction from my supplication," said Doctor Maeser; "and therefore thought it possible that the Lord Himself had given him up." The next morning, about ten o'clock, as the Principal was sitting in his office, there came a knock at the door. Following his call, "Come in," the "black sheep" of the flock entered the room. "Well," said the Principal, "what can I do for you?" The young man, with down-cast eyes, replied: "May I speak with you for a few moments, Professor Maeser?" "Certainly," was the reply. The young man's lips quivered; and, with trembling voice, he said: "You will not dismiss me, Brother Maeser, will you? Will you not please give me one more chance?" Brother Maeser sprang to his feet, extended his arms toward this once obstinate youth and exclaimed: "Come to my arms, my son, God bless you! I will not give you up; not one chance, but a thousand chances shall we be glad to give you." The master and the student fell into each other's arms and wept. This was the turning point in the life of this young man. He studied energetically and worked so industriously that upon various occasions the Principal had to caution him against over-exertion. You ask, "Whatever became of the boy?" The last we heard of him he was a counselor to the bishop who had sent him to Provo to school partly that the ward might be relieved of his presence. He and thousands of others living today bless the name of Karl G. Maeser, and hold it in honorable remembrance. The further program on the notable occasion consisted of an address by President Hugh J. Cannon of the Swiss-German mission, together with instrumental and vocal selections. The invocation was by Elder Douglas Wood, and the benediction by the new President of the German-Austrian mission, former Bishop Hyrum W. Valentine of the Third ward, Brigham City, Utah, who arrived in Dresden October 30, and who relieved President Tadje, who had served since April 1, 1923. In addition to the hymns, "O say what is truth?" '"O my Father" and "Now let us rejoice," the song, "The teacher's work is done," composed in memory of Dr. Maeser by Annie Pike Greenwood, was sung. On Dr. Maeser's birthday anniversary in 1908, the faculty and students of the B. Y. U. assembled on Temple Hill, Provo, and dedicated the Maeser Memorial Building, a beautiful monument, to his memory; and an appropriate monument marks the resting place of his body in the cemetery at Salt Lake City. Yet, as Dr. Talmage said; "He needs no material monument to perpetuate his memory. The record of his deeds is inscribed in the hearts of his pupils."—A. |
Dr. Karl Gottfried Maeser
Born January 16, 1828, Meissen, Germany; died Salt Lake City, Utah, February 16, 1901 "It has been my custom to place my students upon their word of honor when entering the Academy. A young man once asked me what the word, 'honor,' meant. I answered him, 'If I should give you my word of honor about anything, I would die before I would break it.' He asked me no further questions on the subject." President Talmage delivering the memorial address
View of the building and the people during the delivery of the address
"IN THIS HOUSE. ON JANUARY 16, 1828, WAS BORN KARL GOTTFRIED MAESER. * * * NEXT TO HIS GOD HE LOVED HIS FELLOW-MEN, AND TO THEIR BETTERMENT DEVOTED HIS LIFE. * * * TO KNOW HIM WAS TO BE WELL TAUGHT. * * * HE WAS AN EMINENT EDUCATOR. A PROFOUND THEOLOGIAN AND AN EXEMPLAR OF TRUE RELIGION. * * * IN THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, TO WHICH HE DEVOTED THE FULL POWERS OF HIS SPLENDID MANHOOD, HE WAS ONE OF THE LORD'S LEADERS. * * * HE DIED IN HONOR ON FEBRUARY 16, 1901, AT SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, UNITED STATES, AMERICA."
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"Centenary of the Birth of Karl G. Maeser." Relief Society Magazine. January 1928. pg. 18-19.
Centenary of the Birth of Karl G. Maeser
On the 16th day of January, of this year, it will be 100 years since Karl G. Maeser saw the light of day in the far off city of Meissen, Germany. Much has been spoken and much has been written concerning positions of trust and importance occupied by men in the Church and Nation, who came under the inspiring and benign influence of Karl G. Maeser, as a teacher. But the credit is not all on the side of the men, for a goodly number of women, whose high privilege it was to claim him for principal and teacher, have been called to outstanding responsibilities in Church, State and national organizations of women.
The General Board of the Relief Society is no exception to the rule. In the years of its existence three of Karl G. Maeser's students, Mrs. Ida Smoot Dusenberry, Mrs. Jennie B. Knight and Mrs. Louise Y. Robison, have been called to fill the position of counselor to the president. Mrs. Amy Brown Lyman, who has served so long as general secretary of the organization was a student of Karl G. Maeser, also Mrs. Jeanette A. Hyde. Mrs. Susa Young Gates and Miss Alice Louise Reynolds, who have each in turn served as editors of the Relief Society Magazine, were his students, and also Mrs. Julia A. Child, Mrs. Julia A. F. Lund and Mrs. Inez Knight Allen.
On the General Board of the Y. L. M. I. A. we find Mrs. Augusta W. Grant, Mrs. May Booth Talmage, Mrs. Emma Goddard, Mrs. Susa Young Gates, who edited the Young Woman's Journal for a number of years, and the late Mrs. Helen W. Woodruff. All these women came under Brother Maeser's precious tutelage, and all have carried forth in their lives the inspiration received from the great master teacher.
Karl G. Maeser's students have also been found on the General Board of the Primary. Notable among these is Mrs. Zina Y. Card.
At the present time Mrs. Jeanette A. Hyde is collector of customs at the port of Hawaii, having the distinction of being the first woman to receive such an appointment in the United States. Mrs. Lyman has served a term in the Utah state legislature where she championed the cause of the Shephard-Towner bill with unusual success. At present she is the recording secretary of the National Council of Women of the United States. She has been complimented several times by being asked to act on behalf of the president of the council, Dr. Valeria H. Parker. This was notably the case last summer when she was invited to go to Geneva. Many of Dr. Maeser's students have served as delegates to national and international conventions, both in the United States and in Europe.
At the time of the demise of Karl G. Maeser, President Heber J. Grant, who was a speaker at the funeral services held in the Salt Lake tabernacle, said that if Karl G. Maeser had been the sole convert to the Church from the German nation his service to the Church had been worth all the effort and all the money spent by missionaries in that field. We feel sure that Dr. Maeser's students are in hearty accord with this sentiment of appreciation expressed by President Grant at the time of Karl G. Maeser's departure from this life. Many monuments have been erected to his memory, but the greatest of all monuments is the unbounded love and deep reverence that his hundreds of students have for him, which they cherish as a sacred heritage.
Centenary of the Birth of Karl G. Maeser
On the 16th day of January, of this year, it will be 100 years since Karl G. Maeser saw the light of day in the far off city of Meissen, Germany. Much has been spoken and much has been written concerning positions of trust and importance occupied by men in the Church and Nation, who came under the inspiring and benign influence of Karl G. Maeser, as a teacher. But the credit is not all on the side of the men, for a goodly number of women, whose high privilege it was to claim him for principal and teacher, have been called to outstanding responsibilities in Church, State and national organizations of women.
The General Board of the Relief Society is no exception to the rule. In the years of its existence three of Karl G. Maeser's students, Mrs. Ida Smoot Dusenberry, Mrs. Jennie B. Knight and Mrs. Louise Y. Robison, have been called to fill the position of counselor to the president. Mrs. Amy Brown Lyman, who has served so long as general secretary of the organization was a student of Karl G. Maeser, also Mrs. Jeanette A. Hyde. Mrs. Susa Young Gates and Miss Alice Louise Reynolds, who have each in turn served as editors of the Relief Society Magazine, were his students, and also Mrs. Julia A. Child, Mrs. Julia A. F. Lund and Mrs. Inez Knight Allen.
On the General Board of the Y. L. M. I. A. we find Mrs. Augusta W. Grant, Mrs. May Booth Talmage, Mrs. Emma Goddard, Mrs. Susa Young Gates, who edited the Young Woman's Journal for a number of years, and the late Mrs. Helen W. Woodruff. All these women came under Brother Maeser's precious tutelage, and all have carried forth in their lives the inspiration received from the great master teacher.
Karl G. Maeser's students have also been found on the General Board of the Primary. Notable among these is Mrs. Zina Y. Card.
At the present time Mrs. Jeanette A. Hyde is collector of customs at the port of Hawaii, having the distinction of being the first woman to receive such an appointment in the United States. Mrs. Lyman has served a term in the Utah state legislature where she championed the cause of the Shephard-Towner bill with unusual success. At present she is the recording secretary of the National Council of Women of the United States. She has been complimented several times by being asked to act on behalf of the president of the council, Dr. Valeria H. Parker. This was notably the case last summer when she was invited to go to Geneva. Many of Dr. Maeser's students have served as delegates to national and international conventions, both in the United States and in Europe.
At the time of the demise of Karl G. Maeser, President Heber J. Grant, who was a speaker at the funeral services held in the Salt Lake tabernacle, said that if Karl G. Maeser had been the sole convert to the Church from the German nation his service to the Church had been worth all the effort and all the money spent by missionaries in that field. We feel sure that Dr. Maeser's students are in hearty accord with this sentiment of appreciation expressed by President Grant at the time of Karl G. Maeser's departure from this life. Many monuments have been erected to his memory, but the greatest of all monuments is the unbounded love and deep reverence that his hundreds of students have for him, which they cherish as a sacred heritage.
"Dr. Karl G. Maeser." Relief Society Magazine. January 1929. pg. 57-58.
Karl G. Maeser
A Biography by His Son
From affluence and social standing in aristocratic circles of Germany to humble stations in Utah, from wealth and comfort to poverty and actual want, from an aristocrat to a man of the common people, from a military disciplinarian to a kind and helpful father of thousands in the world of education, and, above all, from a skeptic and scoffer to a devout and resolute believer in, and defender of, the principles of the doctrine of Jesus Christ as taught by the Latter-day Saints, this, in brief, is the remarkable series of disclosures concerning a great but humble life briefly set forth in the first book published by the Brigham Young University — Karl G. Maeser. The book is written by his son Reinhard Maeser, now also deceased, long a teacher in the institution founded and brought into greatness by the faith and works of his illustrious father.
The first chapters might well be termed "The Martyrdom of a Devoted Hero." Most of the early incidents are tragic. The trials and disappointments of a mind cultured and comprehensive and of a soul sensitive and conscientious ; a battle fierce and long drawn out against unaccustomed environments ; adverse conditions of a new and extraordinary sort, exactly calculated to sting to the quick the proud and sensitive soul of the German scholar called to teach a district school in pioneer educational days in Utah,—these are the pictures shown in the neat text of the little volume about a big man.
The record of his missionary labors in Germany, of the offers of his friends and family to induce him to give up the Latter-day Saints, and come back to be one of the ornaments of German society again—these topics form another interesting and characteristic period of the life of Karl G. Maeser; and upon them many a missionary will delight to dwell.
The period of the infancy and development of the Brigham Young Academy will be of intensive interest alike to the present students of the Brigham Young University and to those of far earlier years, who enjoyed the unique privilege of coming under the instruction of this magnetic character builder and inspirer of youth.
The final honors, which a grateful community at last showered upon him, form a record that is full of fascination even to strangers. To those who were associated with the events recorded, the narrative tingles with a beauty and glory that is not strictly personal to the life of Dr. Maeser, but carries one into the sacred realms of a truly intellectual and religious atmosphere.
The book is likely to excite the dismay of the mere man of the world, who will exclaim, "Is heaven so unkind as this to its choicest children?" But it will act as a challenge and stimulus to the mind more heroic, which will get from these narratives the inspiration to aspire and the fortitude to suffer, in order to live the higher life, with "those immortal souls who live again in lives made better by their presence."
Karl G. Maeser
A Biography by His Son
From affluence and social standing in aristocratic circles of Germany to humble stations in Utah, from wealth and comfort to poverty and actual want, from an aristocrat to a man of the common people, from a military disciplinarian to a kind and helpful father of thousands in the world of education, and, above all, from a skeptic and scoffer to a devout and resolute believer in, and defender of, the principles of the doctrine of Jesus Christ as taught by the Latter-day Saints, this, in brief, is the remarkable series of disclosures concerning a great but humble life briefly set forth in the first book published by the Brigham Young University — Karl G. Maeser. The book is written by his son Reinhard Maeser, now also deceased, long a teacher in the institution founded and brought into greatness by the faith and works of his illustrious father.
The first chapters might well be termed "The Martyrdom of a Devoted Hero." Most of the early incidents are tragic. The trials and disappointments of a mind cultured and comprehensive and of a soul sensitive and conscientious ; a battle fierce and long drawn out against unaccustomed environments ; adverse conditions of a new and extraordinary sort, exactly calculated to sting to the quick the proud and sensitive soul of the German scholar called to teach a district school in pioneer educational days in Utah,—these are the pictures shown in the neat text of the little volume about a big man.
The record of his missionary labors in Germany, of the offers of his friends and family to induce him to give up the Latter-day Saints, and come back to be one of the ornaments of German society again—these topics form another interesting and characteristic period of the life of Karl G. Maeser; and upon them many a missionary will delight to dwell.
The period of the infancy and development of the Brigham Young Academy will be of intensive interest alike to the present students of the Brigham Young University and to those of far earlier years, who enjoyed the unique privilege of coming under the instruction of this magnetic character builder and inspirer of youth.
The final honors, which a grateful community at last showered upon him, form a record that is full of fascination even to strangers. To those who were associated with the events recorded, the narrative tingles with a beauty and glory that is not strictly personal to the life of Dr. Maeser, but carries one into the sacred realms of a truly intellectual and religious atmosphere.
The book is likely to excite the dismay of the mere man of the world, who will exclaim, "Is heaven so unkind as this to its choicest children?" But it will act as a challenge and stimulus to the mind more heroic, which will get from these narratives the inspiration to aspire and the fortitude to suffer, in order to live the higher life, with "those immortal souls who live again in lives made better by their presence."
"Dr. Karl G. Maeser - The Character Builder." Improvement Era. March 1929. pg. 386-389.
Dr. Karl G. Maeser, the Character Builder
By Dr. John T. Miller
THE outstanding service of Dr. Karl G. Maeser to humanity was in his ability to inspire young people with a desire to make the best of life. He understood human nature and built all his work upon the true science of mind. In his book, School and Fireside, he says (on page 38):
"It is the duty of parents and teachers to discover natural capacities and inclinations in their children, for these capacities point out, as a rule, the line along which the most successful career or vocation in life may be followed, although financial conditions, vanity, ignorance, prejudices, and many other influences may prevent the choice of the vocation most suitable and even cause the adoption of a vocation ill-adapted to the pupil."
The value of Dr. Maeser's work as an educator was recognized by the great educator, Col. Francis W. Parker, when he conducted a summer school for teachers in the Brigham Young University about thirty years ago. At a convention held in the Provo Tabernacle at that time Dr. Maeser delivered an address and at the close of it the writer saw Col. Parker embrace Dr. Maeser and weep for joy at finding an educator in the Rocky Mountains working so fundamentally in the educational field. On page 37 of School and Fireside, Dr. Maeser describes a weakness in education that has not yet been overcome. He says:
"The prevailing system of feverish competition in our public schools, emphasizing as it does intellectual advancement to the almost entire neglect of every other requirement, engenders a spirit of selfish ambition, an evil which sadly mars the characters of many of our most prominent public men today. The educational methods prevailing in the public schools and homes in America more than anywhere else in civilized countries neglect the cultivation of reverence. Hence the disregard for parental authority, out of which grows disloyalty to the laws of our country, disregard for the feelings and rights of fellow-men and a growing discontent with the conditions of society. No man can ever be true to his God who has not learned to be true to his home, his country and to humanity."
In the work of social purity for which there is such great need in all the world today, Dr. Maeser gave some of the most fundamental service that has ever been given. In the beginning of the Brigham Young Academy, now University, when Dr. Maeser was at the head, he personally gave instruction to the young men in sex science and personal purity, while Zina Young Card gave similar instructions to the girls in subjects that were vital to their lives. On page 41 of School and Fireside, Dr. Maeser says:
"There is a certain degree of prudery pervading among parents and teachers in respect to the relationship of husband and wife, which their children or pupils are expected to enter into sooner or later. No one expects to occupy a position in business life without having informed himself in regard to its requirements, and sought advice from those interested in his welfare or otherwise posted himself on the subject. But young people of both sexes are permitted to enter into the most sacred relationships of life without one word of counsel.
"And this is not all: There is not an experienced teacher in the land that has not noticed with aching heart the slimy trail of the serpent, the symptoms of secret vices, on the countenances of some of his pupils. Attempts to confer with the parents in such cases for the purpose of securing their cooperation in the rescue of their child from the inevitable consequences of such habits, are too often met by a stolid indifference, an offended credulity, or even by personal insults.
"Let the teacher in private interview approach the afflicted one of his or her sex in great kindness, patience and purity. Thus many a young life is rescued from destruction and started anew on a path that leads to health, prosperity and usefulness. In schools where both sexes are taught but where only male teachers are laboring there should be a wise and experienced woman chosen as matron to talk with the girls and instruct them on moral and hygienic principles pertaining to the nature and mission of their sex. A male teacher should perform corresponding duties and similarly instruct the boys and young men."
More than thirty years 'ago while the writer was teaching physiology and psychology at the Brigham Young University, he gave a lecture a week for twenty weeks to the young men. Mrs. Susa Young Gates, and later Mrs. Leah Dunford Widtsoe, gave a similar course of lectures to the girls. The response to these lectures was very encouraging. Later when teaching in the L. D. S. University the writer extended the course to a lecture a week during the entire year and some of the young men who took the course said it was one of the most valuable courses they had. While visiting at the home of Dr. Mary Wood-Allen at Ann Harbor, Michigan, World President of Purity Work for the W. C. T. U., the writer told her of the constructive work that was being done in the Church schools of Utah and she said there is urgent need for such work in every school of the world. Dr. Maeser was a pioneer in that excellent work and the neglect of it everywhere today is one of the greatest mistakes that is being made.
As Dr. Maeser's book, School and Fireside, has long been out of print and few of his admirers may have access to it, another quotation from it may be given here with profit. Under the heading of "Cultivation of Moral Habits," he says:
"Vivisection of vegetable and animal organisms may be comparatively easy and to some extent instructive but it has never touched as yet the mainspring of life, neither has the reverse process ever been attempted; viz., to reconstruct out of the separate fragments a living thing.
"As the origin of life is yet far beyond the horizon of analytical investigation so is the nativity of virtue hidden behind the veil of infinitude. Virtue is not a mere product of the necessities and conveniences of man nor an empirical outgrowth of advancing civilization to be viewed from a purely utilitarian standpoint as evolutionists would make us believe, but it is that attribute of humanity which makes man akin to God. Morality is the extent to which virtue has been able to manifest itself in the feelings, desires, words and actions of man either in his bearing as an individual or in his collective capacity as society.
"As a concrete manifestation of an abstract principle, virtue is to be cultivated more effectually by practical training in good habits than by mere theoretical instruction and logical dissertations. The chief part of morality consists in DOING and not in MERELY KNOWING. Precepts in morality, therefore, should follow the synthetic process moving from simple example to complex idea. In this way did God educate men from the Garden of Eden at the beginning, to the foot of Mt. Sinai in the Mosaic dispensation, then from Calvary in the meridian of time, and to the hill Cumorah at the opening of the Latter-day dispensation.
"The proverb 'Knowledge is power,' is only relatively true. Knowledge should be supported by corresponding moral qualities. The formation of character depends upon the nature of the moral training which accompanies intellectual advancement. There are learned fools and learned knaves in this world with all shades and diversities between them. A piece of furniture may be beautifully painted, splendidly varnished, elaborately ornamented, and gotten up in exquisite taste, and still prove worthless on account of the rotten timber in it. Another piece far less showy may be of greater value because it is proved to consist of solid wood.
"Thus it is with man. No outward refinement of manners, no acquired accomplishments, no excellence in the arts or sciences, no mastership in mechanical pursuits, no high position in society—can recompense for the lack of a virtuous character. Parents and teachers ought to make it their first and foremost concern, whatever other forming and shaping and garnishing their educational efforts may have in view, that the characters of their children and pupils shall be made of SOUND TIMBER.
"Morality is far more the result of habit than of reasoning. This fact serves as a guide to the educator who by perseverance and example habituates his pupils in good manners, noble aspirations; and chaste words and actions, thus assisting the formation of characters fitted to sustain honorably all the eventualities of this life, and prepared by daily object lessons in a strict morality for the duties of a higher existence."
The writer taught under Dr. Maeser and was prepared for the human-culture work he has done in more than 1,000 cities around the world through the personality and teachings of that great educator more than any other man in the Rocky Mountain region. Some of his other best teachers had passed on to eternity long before he was born. Among them were Doctors Gall and Spurzheim, George and Andrew Combe, Pestalozzi, Froebel, Dr. R. T. Trail, and Horace Mann, America's greatest educator, author of these lines: "Lost between sunrise and sunset two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. There is no reward offered as they are gone forever." We also read: "Do not waste time because that is the stuff life is made of." The last words he said to his students were: "Be ashamed to die before you have won some victory for humanity." From early youth the writer has read biographies of great men and women who have devoted their lives not to the things that moth and rust corrupt, that thieves can steal, but to the improvement of human lives. During thirty-five years devoted to character-building, often under great difficulties, these people have been a constant inspiration, spur and real help.
Dr. Karl G. Maeser, the Character Builder
By Dr. John T. Miller
THE outstanding service of Dr. Karl G. Maeser to humanity was in his ability to inspire young people with a desire to make the best of life. He understood human nature and built all his work upon the true science of mind. In his book, School and Fireside, he says (on page 38):
"It is the duty of parents and teachers to discover natural capacities and inclinations in their children, for these capacities point out, as a rule, the line along which the most successful career or vocation in life may be followed, although financial conditions, vanity, ignorance, prejudices, and many other influences may prevent the choice of the vocation most suitable and even cause the adoption of a vocation ill-adapted to the pupil."
The value of Dr. Maeser's work as an educator was recognized by the great educator, Col. Francis W. Parker, when he conducted a summer school for teachers in the Brigham Young University about thirty years ago. At a convention held in the Provo Tabernacle at that time Dr. Maeser delivered an address and at the close of it the writer saw Col. Parker embrace Dr. Maeser and weep for joy at finding an educator in the Rocky Mountains working so fundamentally in the educational field. On page 37 of School and Fireside, Dr. Maeser describes a weakness in education that has not yet been overcome. He says:
"The prevailing system of feverish competition in our public schools, emphasizing as it does intellectual advancement to the almost entire neglect of every other requirement, engenders a spirit of selfish ambition, an evil which sadly mars the characters of many of our most prominent public men today. The educational methods prevailing in the public schools and homes in America more than anywhere else in civilized countries neglect the cultivation of reverence. Hence the disregard for parental authority, out of which grows disloyalty to the laws of our country, disregard for the feelings and rights of fellow-men and a growing discontent with the conditions of society. No man can ever be true to his God who has not learned to be true to his home, his country and to humanity."
In the work of social purity for which there is such great need in all the world today, Dr. Maeser gave some of the most fundamental service that has ever been given. In the beginning of the Brigham Young Academy, now University, when Dr. Maeser was at the head, he personally gave instruction to the young men in sex science and personal purity, while Zina Young Card gave similar instructions to the girls in subjects that were vital to their lives. On page 41 of School and Fireside, Dr. Maeser says:
"There is a certain degree of prudery pervading among parents and teachers in respect to the relationship of husband and wife, which their children or pupils are expected to enter into sooner or later. No one expects to occupy a position in business life without having informed himself in regard to its requirements, and sought advice from those interested in his welfare or otherwise posted himself on the subject. But young people of both sexes are permitted to enter into the most sacred relationships of life without one word of counsel.
"And this is not all: There is not an experienced teacher in the land that has not noticed with aching heart the slimy trail of the serpent, the symptoms of secret vices, on the countenances of some of his pupils. Attempts to confer with the parents in such cases for the purpose of securing their cooperation in the rescue of their child from the inevitable consequences of such habits, are too often met by a stolid indifference, an offended credulity, or even by personal insults.
"Let the teacher in private interview approach the afflicted one of his or her sex in great kindness, patience and purity. Thus many a young life is rescued from destruction and started anew on a path that leads to health, prosperity and usefulness. In schools where both sexes are taught but where only male teachers are laboring there should be a wise and experienced woman chosen as matron to talk with the girls and instruct them on moral and hygienic principles pertaining to the nature and mission of their sex. A male teacher should perform corresponding duties and similarly instruct the boys and young men."
More than thirty years 'ago while the writer was teaching physiology and psychology at the Brigham Young University, he gave a lecture a week for twenty weeks to the young men. Mrs. Susa Young Gates, and later Mrs. Leah Dunford Widtsoe, gave a similar course of lectures to the girls. The response to these lectures was very encouraging. Later when teaching in the L. D. S. University the writer extended the course to a lecture a week during the entire year and some of the young men who took the course said it was one of the most valuable courses they had. While visiting at the home of Dr. Mary Wood-Allen at Ann Harbor, Michigan, World President of Purity Work for the W. C. T. U., the writer told her of the constructive work that was being done in the Church schools of Utah and she said there is urgent need for such work in every school of the world. Dr. Maeser was a pioneer in that excellent work and the neglect of it everywhere today is one of the greatest mistakes that is being made.
As Dr. Maeser's book, School and Fireside, has long been out of print and few of his admirers may have access to it, another quotation from it may be given here with profit. Under the heading of "Cultivation of Moral Habits," he says:
"Vivisection of vegetable and animal organisms may be comparatively easy and to some extent instructive but it has never touched as yet the mainspring of life, neither has the reverse process ever been attempted; viz., to reconstruct out of the separate fragments a living thing.
"As the origin of life is yet far beyond the horizon of analytical investigation so is the nativity of virtue hidden behind the veil of infinitude. Virtue is not a mere product of the necessities and conveniences of man nor an empirical outgrowth of advancing civilization to be viewed from a purely utilitarian standpoint as evolutionists would make us believe, but it is that attribute of humanity which makes man akin to God. Morality is the extent to which virtue has been able to manifest itself in the feelings, desires, words and actions of man either in his bearing as an individual or in his collective capacity as society.
"As a concrete manifestation of an abstract principle, virtue is to be cultivated more effectually by practical training in good habits than by mere theoretical instruction and logical dissertations. The chief part of morality consists in DOING and not in MERELY KNOWING. Precepts in morality, therefore, should follow the synthetic process moving from simple example to complex idea. In this way did God educate men from the Garden of Eden at the beginning, to the foot of Mt. Sinai in the Mosaic dispensation, then from Calvary in the meridian of time, and to the hill Cumorah at the opening of the Latter-day dispensation.
"The proverb 'Knowledge is power,' is only relatively true. Knowledge should be supported by corresponding moral qualities. The formation of character depends upon the nature of the moral training which accompanies intellectual advancement. There are learned fools and learned knaves in this world with all shades and diversities between them. A piece of furniture may be beautifully painted, splendidly varnished, elaborately ornamented, and gotten up in exquisite taste, and still prove worthless on account of the rotten timber in it. Another piece far less showy may be of greater value because it is proved to consist of solid wood.
"Thus it is with man. No outward refinement of manners, no acquired accomplishments, no excellence in the arts or sciences, no mastership in mechanical pursuits, no high position in society—can recompense for the lack of a virtuous character. Parents and teachers ought to make it their first and foremost concern, whatever other forming and shaping and garnishing their educational efforts may have in view, that the characters of their children and pupils shall be made of SOUND TIMBER.
"Morality is far more the result of habit than of reasoning. This fact serves as a guide to the educator who by perseverance and example habituates his pupils in good manners, noble aspirations; and chaste words and actions, thus assisting the formation of characters fitted to sustain honorably all the eventualities of this life, and prepared by daily object lessons in a strict morality for the duties of a higher existence."
The writer taught under Dr. Maeser and was prepared for the human-culture work he has done in more than 1,000 cities around the world through the personality and teachings of that great educator more than any other man in the Rocky Mountain region. Some of his other best teachers had passed on to eternity long before he was born. Among them were Doctors Gall and Spurzheim, George and Andrew Combe, Pestalozzi, Froebel, Dr. R. T. Trail, and Horace Mann, America's greatest educator, author of these lines: "Lost between sunrise and sunset two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. There is no reward offered as they are gone forever." We also read: "Do not waste time because that is the stuff life is made of." The last words he said to his students were: "Be ashamed to die before you have won some victory for humanity." From early youth the writer has read biographies of great men and women who have devoted their lives not to the things that moth and rust corrupt, that thieves can steal, but to the improvement of human lives. During thirty-five years devoted to character-building, often under great difficulties, these people have been a constant inspiration, spur and real help.
Grant, Heber J. "Honoring Karl G. Maeser." Improvement Era. June 1935. pg. 339-343, 385-386.
HONORING Karl G. Maeser By HEBER J. GRANT President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints This intimate story of his relations with Dr. Karl G. Maeser, beloved educator and teacher, was told by President Grant at the Founders Day exercises last October when the program was given in honor of the first principal of Brigham Young Academy, now Brigham Young University. The incidents related here reveal not Karl G. Maeser alone, but President Grant as well. Faith, humility, dependability, purpose are all to be found in both characters. I READ again, the life of Karl G. Maeser by his son Reinhard, and turned down very many pages intending to read from them, but have changed my mind. I advise you all to buy the book and read it. It is worth many, many times the price. It is a very inspirational and exceptional book and very interesting. We all have ideals in life, and Dr. Karl G. Maeser was to me a Latter-day Saint in very deed. From the day of his conversion until the day of his death he was a Latter-day Saint in thought, in action, and in deed. My first knowledge of Karl G. Maeser came from a most remarkable and enthusiastic report of his labors when he returned to his native land as a missionary. It so happened that my father adopted a young boy, a Scotch boy, whose parents had died, I believe, when they were on the way to Utah. His name was Lewis Grant. He was called on a mission to Germany and it so happened that while he was there he was associated with Karl G. Maeser. He brought home pictures of Brother Maeser, a number of them, and of other missionaries, and as a child I heard him tell of the inspirational labors of Brother Maeser as a missionary in his native land. I as a child and as a young man had formed a very high opinion of him. My first intimate association with Brother Maeser, however, was while I was a member of the Sunday School Board. I had known of him and had heard wonderful stories from his students and others regarding the inspiration of the man and of his great power to make an impression for good upon the hearts of all who came within the circle of his influence. But after he became a member of the General Sunday School Union Board and was engaged in traveling as the superintendent of all the Church Schools, it fell to my lot as one of the General Authorities to travel with him quite frequently. The longest journey taken with him was to Baker City, Oregon, in the north, and the longest journey to the south was to Arizona, New Mexico, and Old Mexico. The first journey I remember particularly. All of them were interesting. I never heard Brother Maeser speak that he did not feed me the bread of life. There was a power and inspiration that followed the man that found lodgment in the hearts of his hearers. However, the one outstanding meeting to me on the trip to Baker City was the one in which he gave a lesson on prayer and taught a lot of little children of the Religion Classes at the branch near Oregon Lumber Company's mill, not far from Baker City. I was sitting on the front bench with Charles W. Nibley, who was there engaged in the lumber business with David Eccles. We both more than once, during that recitation had to wipe our eyes under the inspiration of Brother Maeser on account of the spirit of the Lord that he possessed, while teaching these little children. I WAS stopping at the time at Brother Nibley's home, being his guest. I was engaged in mining business in Oregon at this time, and got something over thirty thousand dollars of experience. As we were returning from the meeting. Brother Nibley said: "Brother Grant, I could sit in the dust at the feet of that man. When I listened to him today I thought of what little value are the things of this world in comparison to devoting one's life—starting with young people and then with grown people—helping them to grow in those things that are of everlasting value, instead of simply laboring to accumulate more money." The compliment he paid Brother Maeser on that occasion came from his heart. The teaching to those little children touched both of us as stated to the extent that we shed tears. The other extended trip was for eight weeks through Arizona, New Mexico, and the settlements in the Juarez Stake of Zion, Republic of Mexico. There was never what you might call a tedious hour when with Brother Maeser, he was so full of knowledge and information that it was a delight to be with him. Those eight weeks spent with him on that trip to the south are recalled as one of the most profitable periods of time so far as gaining knowledge and information were concerned that I have ever spent with anyone. I was amused of course by many of the incidents on that trip. One of them was that we never went into a restaurant where there were hot cakes on the bill of fare that he did not order them, and he never failed to look up at me and smile and say as he was eating them, "Bruder Grant, this is yust what I love." I remember that on one occasion we had placed before us the finest pears I have ever seen for size and flavor. This was in Mesa City. The good lady of the house turned to Brother Maeser and said: "Won't you have another pear, Brother Maeser?" He had not had any; and he was so modest that he did not ask for a pear. After the dinner he said to me, "Bruder Grant, I did want one of those pears." I said: "When they ask me to have another, I always say, thank you, I'll not have another, but I'll have one." He said: "I will adopt that policy in the future." At Mesa he looked over the audience and said: "Bruder Grant, I see four of my boys in the audience. They will all be up to speak to me after the meeting. That is a bargain that I make with my students when they leave." After meeting three boys came up and spoke to him and had a nice little visit with him. That night when we got back to the house where we were staying I said: "I thought you said there were four boys." He said: "Oh, Bruder Grant, the other has got some mud on him, and I will hunt him up. I will go wash it off; I will give him another start." When we left Mesa I asked him if he had found his boy. He said: "O yes, I have got him started going straight again. I hope that he will continue in the straight and narrow path." HE took an interest individually, I am sure from all that I knew of him, not only in his students, but he seemed to take an interest in all of the people whom he met, and tried to give them something that would be of lasting value in the way of instruction or encouragement. Remembering that I had to make a speech here today, the night before Brother Alonzo A. Hinckley was to leave for California, although it was late, I called him up by phone and asked him to call my secretary and dictate a little story that he had related, I think it was, at Brother J. Reuben Clark's home. Brother Hinckley sent me the following story: "Years ago when my mother kept boarders in Provo she boarded two men from Milford, neither of them belonging to the Church. One of them was a very wonderful, fine man, who was not inclined to join the Church, but he had very profound respect for Dr. Maeser who was his teacher. I heard him say at one time that while in school, as he looked upon Brother Maeser (this man being a strong, vigorous man) , 'I could take the old gentleman and fold him up like a pocket knife, but I feared him. I had such a reverence for him that I would not do anything to displease him. I think he is the greatest man I ever knew.' "The school year finished and our friend went back to Milford where he made his living. Some time after that Dr. Maeser, while making a trip for the Church, establishing Religion Classes, was on his way south. When the train stopped in Milford, he stepped off the train and was walking up and down the platform, and whom should he meet but his former student. Reaching out his hand he said: " 'Well, well, Brother —-, how are you, what are you doing?" "The man looked squarely into his teacher's face and answered honestly, 'Running a saloon.' " 'Running a saloon! Running a saloon! You cannot afford to do that. Give it away, give it away; get rid of it!' "The train pulled out and Karl G. Maeser boarded it, but this man walked away impressed by this great teacher and said unto himself, 'I will not continue in this business a day longer. I will dispose of it if I have to give it away'." THAT is the kind of influence this man had. It was simply wonderful the power that he had, I of course knew of his remarkable accomplishments in the day of the Brigham Young Academy, from my conversation with students from Canada on the north down to Mexico on the south. Some of our outstanding men, like Edward H. Snow, and many others, attribute largely their success in life to the force of character of Brother Maeser and the impression made upon them while under his influence. I took occasion while I was presiding over the European Mission to go to Dresden for the express purpose of walking over the identical bridge where Brother Maeser received his first testimony of the divinity of the work in which we are engaged. He related the incident to me. He said that after he had been baptized he looked up into heaven and said. "O Lord, I have accepted what I believe to be the Gospel of thy Son Jesus Christ. Give to me a testimony of the divinity of this work, and I pledge my best efforts and even my life, if necessary, for its advancement." I suppose that nearly all of you are familiar with the fact that while coming from the place where he had been baptized he and Brother Franklin D. Richards talked with each other, being blessed with the interpretation of tongues. When they started their conversation Brother Maeser asked questions in German and Brother William Budge, afterwards president of the Bear Lake Stake of Zion, subsequently president of the Logan Temple, would interpret the questions; then Brother Franklin D. Richards, the apostle who was presiding over the European Mission at the time and who had gone over to Germany from Liverpool to be present at the first baptisms in the kingdom where Karl G. Maeser resided, would answer the question in English and Brother Budge would interpret the answer to Brother Maeser. After the conversation had been going on for a little while each of them requested Brother Budge not to interpret the question or the answer, as they understood each other perfectly. When they reached this bridge over the Elbe river, if I remember right, leading into Dresden, they were separated, and when they met on the other side and another question was asked. Brother Richards could not understand it and asked to have it interpreted. When the answer came Brother Maeser asked to have the answer interpreted. Then Brother Maeser turned to Brother Richards and said: "Why is it that we could understand each other before, and now we cannot?" The answer as interpreted was: "The Lord has seen fit to allow you to partake of the fruits of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You have been blessed of the Lord with the interpretation of tongues, and so have I." Brother Maeser had made a pledge to God, and if any human being has fulfilled that pledge to the very letter and to the full extent of his ability by giving himself to the service of the Lord in this Church, that man was Karl G. Maeser. I SHOULD have liked very much to visit his home. I went there with the hope of doing so, but it seemed that the lady in charge, I believe one of his relatives, had become so tired of missionary callers she refused to admit anyone. But I have a snapshot picture of the group of us standing in front of Brother Maeser's home. Another incident happened in Mesa that was very interesting. Brother Maeser had the capacity to change from the sublime to the ridiculous without intending to do so. It was sometimes a very sudden change. In Mesa City he told of a circumstance. A widow came to the school and said to him; "This boy of mine, my only son, is just naturally bad. I cannot do a thing with him. The teachers in the little country town where I reside have labored with him but they make no impression on him. The Bishop himself and his counselors have labored with him, but they cannot influence him. He will not listen to my advice and counsel. In the little country town where we live there Is no employment for me except to do washing for the wives of farmers, and I have gone out and done washing for a number of years and saved every dollar that I earned, in order that I might bring this boy of mine to your school. I have brought him here in the hope that you can make a man of him. I have no other hope left." Brother Maeser told us how that boy broke nearly all the rules of the school, how for the sake of that poor widowed mother who had labored for years to save the money to give him an education, that he might have an opportunity to be reformed, he put up with him as long as he could. Finally he had to expel him from the school, and he said: "I have what I call my hour to meet my students before school starts, when they come and tell me of their personal troubles and grievances, etc. I had come into my room and was just taking hold of my desk for the purpose of raising the top when a knock came, and I said, 'Come in.' The door opened and there stood that boy. When I thought of the way he had defied me; when I thought of the way he had destroyed the order of the school, upsetting everything I felt like I would yust like to hit him squarely between the eyes." Then he said; "The boy said, 'Bruder Maeser, Bruder Maeser, give me one more chance,' I was paralyzed to think that he wanted another chance, and he thought I was not going to give him one. Then he reached out his arms and said, 'Bruder Maeser, Bruder Maeser, give me one more chance'." I would not attempt to imitate his voice as he told the rest of the story. He told of how he rushed into the boy's arms, how he hugged him and kissed him, how he promised him a hundred chances. He had us all weeping. Then he said: "Now, what do you think? That boy is now a Bishop's counselor in the town where he was once a 'spiled' egg." I HEARD of the very fine work that he did in opening up a mission in California. At that particular time we had less than one hundred people belonging to the Church in California, and he was sent there on a special mission. He was a natural born missionary as well as a teacher. He met with success, and we now have one of the most prosperous missions in the whole Church in California, and three Stakes of Zion. There has been a most marvelous and wonderful growth there. It fell to my lot to be called to go to Japan on a mission, and as I was thinking of the three years that I expected to be absent, I did not get to sleep one night until a little after three o'clock, and in my mind I made out a list of about a half dozen or more people who were along in years, some of them not in very robust health, that I hoped and prayed would be alive when I returned. The first on the list was my mother, the second was John R. Winder, and one of the men that I hoped would be alive was Karl G. Maeser. The next morning when I came down to my office—the Deseret News was located at that time where the Utah Hotel is now—and in front of the two-story adobe building a little office had been built right out to the street, only one story, and on the front window was a notice ; "Karl G. Maeser died this morning, at 3:15," if I remember correctly the hour, which was within a very few minutes of the identical time when I was thinking of him. He passed away without tasting death, and in the way, of all others, that he would have liked to go. He wanted to die with the harness on, and had said so, and he did die with the harness on. Brother Francis M. Lyman gave Brother Maeser a blessing, more or less in the nature of a patriarchal blessing, saying; "I feel Impressed, Brother Maeser, to give you a blessing from the Lord for your splendid labors in the Stakes and especially in the Sabbath School Work." Among other things that Brother Lyman promised him, and of which Brother Maeser told me on one of our trips together was: "When your work is done, when you have finished your labors, you shall be called home without tasting death." He awoke his wife and told her that he was in some pain and she got some hot cloths and put on him, as I remember it, and then he said to his wife, "Now we will go to sleep." She noticed that he was very quiet and she spoke to him, and, lo and behold, he had passed on. So that the promise made by Brother Lyman was fulfilled to the very letter. I OFTEN heard Brother Maeser make the statement referred to here to day by President Franklin S. Harris, telling the boys not to be "scrubs," but nearly always when I heard him say it, he added this: "Boys, pray to your Father in heaven, pray with all your hearts and your souls that he will keep you from being a scrub. I hate a scrub." He despised slang. I remember his delivering a very fine speech of twenty-five minutes in the big tabernacle; in fact he always delivered a speech that was fine. I met him afterwards and said: "Brother Maeser, I was astounded in counting more than twenty times that you used a slang phrase in that speech." He said: "What? Me use a slang phrase? You are mistaken." I said, "Oh no, I'm not. You kept saying, 'Now boys, catch on, catch on'." He said: "Is that slang? That is too bad. That ought to be good English." On one of my recent trips to Washington I had the pleasure of spending about two hours with George Sutherland, one of the Supreme Court Judges. I am perfectly safe in saying that fully two thirds, if not three-quarters, of the time was spent by me in listening to the fine compliments and recitals of incidents in his experience while going to this school, all in connection with the wonderful character, ability, knowledge, and spirit of Karl G. Maeser. He told me that the boys were heckling him, as boys will, because he was getting his education in a Church school and would not even take Book of Mormon study. They rubbed it in so hard that George swore at them, so he told me, and he said of course according to the rules that meant he would* be expelled from school. So he went to devotion that morning expecting his name to be read out that he would be expelled. "But, instead of my being expelled," he said, "Brother Maeser got up and quoted the Article of Faith, 'We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.' And he gave a lecture to those boys who had been heckling me, and said: 'What is the good of your coming to this school, if you cannot even learn to live up to the Articles of Faith?' He further said: 'If I hear again of your heckling this young man, somebody will be expelled from school'.” Judge Sutherland said: "I rushed up immediately after the adjournment of that meeting, and I said, 'Dr. Maeser, I shall take Book of Mormon, and I shall pass as good an examination in it as any student you have.' And I think I did very well." YEARS later when Henry H. Rolapp, James H. Moyle, and George Sutherland were working their way through college—I think someone told me they washed dishes, etc., to get their legal training— they were known as the three Mormons arid the Gentile one of the three had a better knowledge of the Book of Mormon than the other two, and was able to answer questions that they could not. I think that the very inspiration that Brother Moyle got from the knowledge that Judge Sutherland possessed of the Book of Mormon caused him to make a very close study of that book. There are few lay members in the Church in my opinion that are as well posted on the Book of Mormon today as is James H. Moyle. I have turned down page after page in Reinhard Maeser's book about his father, but there is one thing that I do wish to read, and that is the heading of the chapter entitled "Funeral Services," which follows the completion of the history. This heading is Brother Maeser's own statement. The heading for each and every one of these chapters is a statement by Brother Maeser himself, and they are all very fine, and I have just decided to read them all. "Infidelity is consumption of the soul." A very wonderful statement. "There is a Mount Sinai for every child of God if he only knows how to climb it." "No man shall be more exacting of me or of my conduct than I am of myself." There can be nothing finer than that—to be a critic morning, noon, and night, and to have the person you are criticizing yourself. "The Lord never does anything arbitrarily." I quote from the Doctrine and Covenants: "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated," and when we fulfil that law we receive the blessings. There is nothing arbitrary in this Church. I recommend that you all read section 121 of the Doctrine and Covenants, commencing with, "How long can rolling waters remain impure?" to the end of the section. It says that, "It is the nature and disposition of almost all men as soon as they get a little authority they immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion; hence many are called, but few are chosen. No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness, and by love unfeigned," etc. There was nothing arbitrary about Brother Maeser. He was a teacher who wanted to encourage people. Again quoting from Brother Maeser: "Every one of us sooner or later must stand in the forks of the road and choose between personal interest and some principle of right." "Greed for gain has obscured many a golden opportunity." "Everyone's life is an object lesson for others." "When I listen to a sermon I have my ears open to the doctrine only." In the days when we used to wear big cuffs on our shirts, I remember listening to a sermon— I was but a young man at the time —in which the preacher used so many big words I did not understand as a youngster about seventeen years of age, that I felt in my pocket for a piece of blank paper, and not having any I took my pencil and wrote on my cuff, filling it with words in thirty minutes that I did not understand. When I got home the Scandinavian hired girl asked if the man was talking in English, so of course she did not understand as much as I did. But it is only fair to say that every word was used exactly as it should have been, and that the man had a fine spirit. He had the finest vocabulary of any man I ever knew and was a first class Latter-day Saint. I do not remember now anything that he said. The next man who got up to speak, if he had been offered a premium to murder the queen's English he could not have done it any better. He would have won first prize. I was attending a grammar school three evenings a week and we had to bring to class two sentences each time, sentences that we had heard that were not grammatically correct, with our corrections. I said to myself, "I wish I could write with my left hand, I could get enough grammatical mistakes in thirty minutes to last me all winter in the night school. I searched my pockets again and found a letter on which was some blank space, and I started correcting the mistakes that the speaker made in his first sentence. I became interested in what the man was saying, and when he got through I was sitting there with the tears rolling down my cheeks. The first great profound impression made upon the eternal part of me (that shall live forever); viz., that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world, and that Joseph Smith was in very deed a prophet of God, was made upon me by that brother who murdered the queen's English. THANK the Lord that from that day until today—and I am sure it is all of sixty years ago, because I will be seventy-eight next month, and I know I was not yet eighteen at the time—in time and eternity I shall be grateful to that brother. I would no more have thought of taking those corrections to that class and let them be laughed at by the students than I would have thought of profaning the name of God, and since that time it has never been offensive to me to hear a man murder the queen's English if he spoke under the inspiration of the Spirit of the Lord. Again quoting: "Say to thy soul, no unclean thing shall enter here." "I would rather trust my child to a serpent than to place it in the hands of an irreligious teacher." "All our prayers are addressed in the handwriting of the heart, readable to God and ourselves only." "Authority must be as an iron fist in a velvet glove." "The very term 'Authority' implies veneration." "If we knew the design of our father in heaven in respect to us we would thank him for all the experiences that visit us." "The Lord is never in debt to anyone." "Make the man within you your living ideal." "Youth demand recreation, and if it is not provided in high places, will seek it in low places." "It is our privilege to become so attached to our duties that temptation shall have no power to lead us astray." "The old man taught in a cabin but his boys have built a palace." "Do we not often take the credit when we excel instead of giving it to God? We are not yet humble enough and therefore, when we offer a fine prayer or speech, or whatever it may be, we allow Satan to flatter us, and say, 'How beautiful.' To the Lord alone is due the praise." I shall make a confession. When I was made the president of the Tooele Stake of Zion and made my maiden speech I ran out of ideas in seven and a half minutes by the watch. That night I heard a very contemptuous voice in the dark. "Well, it is a pity if the General Authorities of the Church had to import a boy from the city to come out here to preside over us they could not have found one with sense enough to talk ten minutes." So you see he held his stop watch on me, he knew I did not take ten minutes. I knew I did not, because I timed myself—seven and a half minutes was the limit. The next speech, and the next, and the next were the same. One of them was only five minutes. The next speech was at a little town called Vernon, sometimes called Stringtown, as it spread over twelve miles as I remember it. As we were going to the meeting I was with the bishop, Brother John C. Sharp, and I did not see anybody going to meeting. The Bishop said, "Oh, there will be somebody there." We were going up a little hill and when we got to the top of the hill we found a number of wagons and white tops at the meeting house—it was a log meeting house—but did not see anybody going in. I said: "There doesn't seem to be anybody going to meeting." He said, "Oh, I think you'll find somebody there." When we got inside, the meeting house was crowded. We went in at two minutes to two and nobody else came in afterwards. I congratulated the Bishop after the meeting on having educated his people to be so prompt. He said: "Most of them have to hitch up a team to come here, and I have told them they could just as well hitch it up a few minutes earlier and be here at two minutes to two o'clock, so there will be no disturbance." I had taken a couple of brethren with me that day to do the preaching. I got up expecting to take five or six minutes and talked forty-five minutes with as much ease, if not more, than I have ever enjoyed since. I shed tears of gratitude that night to the Lord for the inspiration of his Spirit. The next Sunday I went to Grantsville, the largest town in Tooele County, and got up with all the assurance in the world and told the Lord I would like to talk forty-five minutes, and ran out of ideas in five. I not only ran out of ideas in five minutes, but I was perspiring and walked fully two and a half if not three miles, after that meeting, to the farthest haystack in Grantsville, and kneeled behind that haystack and asked the Lord to forgive me for my egotism in that meeting and made a pledge to the Lord that never again in my life would I stand before an audience without asking for His Spirit to help me, nor would I take personally the credit for anything I said, and I have kept this pledge. Things were brought to my mind in that forty-five minute speech at Vernon which I had learned as a child. I won a prize for repeating better than any other student in the Thirteenth Ward Sunday School five chapters from Jacques' Catechism. If you had ever seen it you would think it was nearly as much as repeating the four Gospels in the New Testament. QUOTING again: "He who deceives others is a knave, but he who deceives himself is a fool." "The Lord has unconditionally declared the triumph of His Church, but his promises to me are all conditional. My concern, therefore, is about myself." "What we did before we came here conditions us here, and what we do here will condition us in the world to come." "If it should please my Heavenly Father, I shall be a teacher in Heaven." "Let your first 'Good Morning' be to your Father in Heaven." I remember hearing him say, "And let your last 'Good Evening' be to your Father in Heaven also." "A true Latter-day Saint is one who has dedicated himself, soul and body, to God in all things temporal and spiritual, in all his doings, in all the meditations of his heart, in all his desires, his anticipations and hopes for the future, in life and death; to belong to the Lord only, and has based all his actions, all his thoughts, all his endeavors, all his interests upon that foundation —that he belongs to the Lord." This is the only one of all the chapter headings which I was going to read. He was a man of marvelous and wonderful faith. I shall read an instance kindly related by H. H. Cummings. "One morning while I was visiting the Academy at Provo, I noticed Brother Maeser entering the building, looking pale and tired. He was, to all appearances, a very sick man, but he pursued his usual labors without complaint. It was early fall, school had just opened and the weather was hot and sultry. The mass of new students had to be taken care of, and the number of visitors like myself drew somewhat on his time and energy. "My sympathy was immediately aroused in his favor, and once or twice I thought to suggest to him that he ought to go home and go to bed. He went home to his lunch and returned looking so refreshed, so full of vigor, that I expressed to him my surprise and gratification at the great improvement so evident in his physical condition, for I told him that his appearance during the forenoon made me feel that he ought to be in bed. "Seeing my interest in and solicitude for him, he modestly told me what had happened during the noon hour. I wish I were able to quote his exact words, so full of humble, child-like faith. They made a deep impression upon my mind, as I am sure they would on the mind of anyone who should read them. "He related that when he reached home he had such a headache and felt so ill, he said he could not continue his work for the day in that condition. 'So I went,' he said, 'Into my closet and knelt down before the Lord and told him I had so much work to do and it was so important, that he must make me well, and I was healed Instantly.' "His looks as well as his actions that afternoon certainly proved the truth of what he had said. This little incident has been a wonderful aid to me many times since that day." Nothing in all my life has been such an aid to me in the battle of life, as in the hour of extreme suffering and great anxiety, to go to the Lord and to have my prayers answered. I have known no man who had more humility and more absolute confidence in God than Karl G. Maeser, and there could be no greater evidence of it than this incident related by Horace H. Cummings. May God bless each and all of us, that we may so order our lives that our influence may be along the same line as Brother Maeser's, that it will be felt for good by all those who come in contact with us. humble prayer, and I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen. |
DR. KARL G. MAESER
FAMILY AND DESCENDANTS OF DR. KARL G. MAESER, WHO WERE PRESENT AT FOUNDER'S DAY AT BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY, 1934.
STUDENTS OF DR. KARL G. MAESER, WHO WERE PRESENT AT THE FOUNDER'S DAY EXERCISES HONORING HIS MEMORY, 1934.
PRESIDENT HEBER J. GRANT
Painted for the Faculty of Brigham Young University by Lee Greene Richards. It is to hang in the Heber J. Grant Library. Photo by Raymond Kooyman.
MILL IN OVER YOSEL, SWITZERLAND |
Bennion, Milton. "Karl G. Maeser." Instructor. October 1949. pg. 483-484.
Karl G. Maeser
Milton Bennion
Karl G. Maeser was born January 16, 1828, in Saxony, Germany. "As a boy, Karl attended a parochial school in his home town, and participated in all the games and pranks of the boys of his neighborhood. Still, his studious nature early made itself manifest. Indeed, so earnest was he in applying himself to his books, that, at eleven years of age, he became totally blind. Fortunately, this condition lasted for only eight months, when his sight was suddenly restored. He now became a member of a private school, from which he was promoted to the Gymnasium Kreuz Schule (College of the Cross) at Dresden, where he studied for two years, and then enrolled in the Normal School at Fredrichstadt. From this institution, he was graduated with high honors, May, 1848. Soon thereafter he began teaching—the profession for which he had longed and studiously prepared himself. His first experience was in the city schools of Dresden. Later, according to traditionary custom, he left home on an itinerary into Bohemia, where he became private tutor in a prominent family and remained for three years.
"In beginning his professional career, Karl was inspired with a spirit of progress, derived from the teachings of his father. . . ."[1]
Brother Maeser returned to Germany and resumed his teaching profession in Dresden where he became vice-director of the Budich Institute. While in this position he fell in love with the director's eldest daughter, Anna Mieth, and became the director's son-in-law.
Brother Maeser was brought up in the Lutheran Church, but during the years of his advanced studies he became very skeptical of the teachings of his church and even of religion itself; yet he was an earnest seeker after truth.
He heard something of the restored gospel brought by missionaries from America to Europe. Even though these reports were very derogatory he sought diligently and persistently for contact with the missionaries. In this he was ultimately successful. After thorough investigation, he, with two others, was baptized October 14, 1855. Five days later his wife and several others were baptized.
In June, 1856, the Maesers with some friends left Germany en route to America. Karl, however, remained in Britain until May, 1857, doing missionary work in England and Scotland. With his family he suffered the usual hardships crossing the Atlantic; and on arrival in New York he remained in the eastern states working and doing missionary service until 1860, when he migrated with his family to Utah.
He engaged in several pioneering educational ventures in Salt Lake City until the spring of 1867, when he was called on a mission to Switzerland. In response to a request from President Young to establish a church paper, he founded and edited The Stern. He also extended his missionary work into Germany. In 1869 he became president of the mission. In the summer of 1870 he returned home and resumed his educational work in Salt Lake City. In the spring of 1876 he was called by President Young to organize and conduct a church academy in Provo. This school became the mother of the Church school system. It is now the Brigham Young University. He was retired from this institution in 1892 to become the first general superintendent of the Church school system. He became responsible for supervision of all the academies scattered throughout the stakes of the Church. At this time he also founded the religion classes, later succeeded by the junior and senior seminaries.
In 1894 Brother Maeser became second assistant general superintendent of the Sunday Schools. On the death of George Goddard he was advanced to first assistant to General Superintendent George Q. Cannon. He continued in this position until his death in 1901. He was very active to the end, having worked a full day at his office February 14 and dying in his sleep before dawn next day.
President Bryant S. Hinckley of Salt Lake City writes: "Brother Karl G. Maeser was a man of highly artistic temperament. I think he would have been great as an actor, painter, or musician. He was a real orator. I have never known a man who had, in the same high degree, the capacity to call forth the good that slumbers in every boy's heart. He was a technician in character building, and did more than any other man I know toward building up the manhood and womanhood of this community. He had a great intellect, a chaste and saintly personality, and wonderful soul-power. He found himself and did his work; and through his consecration to his great profession, forever enshrined himself in the hearts of his students."[2]
As an officer of the Deseret Sunday School Union, Brother Maeser was a leader in developing outlines of lessons and giving instruction to many in the aims and methods of teaching the restored gospel.
It was this writer's privilege while engaged in Sunday School work in Cedar City, Utah, to attend a conference there when Superintendent Maeser gave instructions and inspiration to Sunday School officers and teachers and the Saints of Parowan Stake.
[1] Reinhard Maeser, Karl G. Maeser, pp. 12-13.
[2] Ibid., p. 181.
Karl G. Maeser
Milton Bennion
Karl G. Maeser was born January 16, 1828, in Saxony, Germany. "As a boy, Karl attended a parochial school in his home town, and participated in all the games and pranks of the boys of his neighborhood. Still, his studious nature early made itself manifest. Indeed, so earnest was he in applying himself to his books, that, at eleven years of age, he became totally blind. Fortunately, this condition lasted for only eight months, when his sight was suddenly restored. He now became a member of a private school, from which he was promoted to the Gymnasium Kreuz Schule (College of the Cross) at Dresden, where he studied for two years, and then enrolled in the Normal School at Fredrichstadt. From this institution, he was graduated with high honors, May, 1848. Soon thereafter he began teaching—the profession for which he had longed and studiously prepared himself. His first experience was in the city schools of Dresden. Later, according to traditionary custom, he left home on an itinerary into Bohemia, where he became private tutor in a prominent family and remained for three years.
"In beginning his professional career, Karl was inspired with a spirit of progress, derived from the teachings of his father. . . ."[1]
Brother Maeser returned to Germany and resumed his teaching profession in Dresden where he became vice-director of the Budich Institute. While in this position he fell in love with the director's eldest daughter, Anna Mieth, and became the director's son-in-law.
Brother Maeser was brought up in the Lutheran Church, but during the years of his advanced studies he became very skeptical of the teachings of his church and even of religion itself; yet he was an earnest seeker after truth.
He heard something of the restored gospel brought by missionaries from America to Europe. Even though these reports were very derogatory he sought diligently and persistently for contact with the missionaries. In this he was ultimately successful. After thorough investigation, he, with two others, was baptized October 14, 1855. Five days later his wife and several others were baptized.
In June, 1856, the Maesers with some friends left Germany en route to America. Karl, however, remained in Britain until May, 1857, doing missionary work in England and Scotland. With his family he suffered the usual hardships crossing the Atlantic; and on arrival in New York he remained in the eastern states working and doing missionary service until 1860, when he migrated with his family to Utah.
He engaged in several pioneering educational ventures in Salt Lake City until the spring of 1867, when he was called on a mission to Switzerland. In response to a request from President Young to establish a church paper, he founded and edited The Stern. He also extended his missionary work into Germany. In 1869 he became president of the mission. In the summer of 1870 he returned home and resumed his educational work in Salt Lake City. In the spring of 1876 he was called by President Young to organize and conduct a church academy in Provo. This school became the mother of the Church school system. It is now the Brigham Young University. He was retired from this institution in 1892 to become the first general superintendent of the Church school system. He became responsible for supervision of all the academies scattered throughout the stakes of the Church. At this time he also founded the religion classes, later succeeded by the junior and senior seminaries.
In 1894 Brother Maeser became second assistant general superintendent of the Sunday Schools. On the death of George Goddard he was advanced to first assistant to General Superintendent George Q. Cannon. He continued in this position until his death in 1901. He was very active to the end, having worked a full day at his office February 14 and dying in his sleep before dawn next day.
President Bryant S. Hinckley of Salt Lake City writes: "Brother Karl G. Maeser was a man of highly artistic temperament. I think he would have been great as an actor, painter, or musician. He was a real orator. I have never known a man who had, in the same high degree, the capacity to call forth the good that slumbers in every boy's heart. He was a technician in character building, and did more than any other man I know toward building up the manhood and womanhood of this community. He had a great intellect, a chaste and saintly personality, and wonderful soul-power. He found himself and did his work; and through his consecration to his great profession, forever enshrined himself in the hearts of his students."[2]
As an officer of the Deseret Sunday School Union, Brother Maeser was a leader in developing outlines of lessons and giving instruction to many in the aims and methods of teaching the restored gospel.
It was this writer's privilege while engaged in Sunday School work in Cedar City, Utah, to attend a conference there when Superintendent Maeser gave instructions and inspiration to Sunday School officers and teachers and the Saints of Parowan Stake.
[1] Reinhard Maeser, Karl G. Maeser, pp. 12-13.
[2] Ibid., p. 181.
Burton, Alma P. "Karl G. Maeser Latter-day Saint Educator." Improvement Era. October 1950. pg. 779-780.
KARL G. MAESER Latter-day Saint Educator
By Alma P. Burton[1]
“Love was his bow, and truth was his arrow," George H. Brimhall’s statement about the teaching of Karl G. Maeser.
Karl Gottfried Maeser and his wife Anna were the first man and woman to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints in Germany. Their baptism in October 1855 marked the beginning of a fruitful harvest of souls in that country. Elder Maeser was ordained an elder and called to preside over the small group of converts, eight in number, who had joined the Church including the Maesers.
After his baptism the spirit of gathering rested on Elder Maeser. On June 6, 1856, having resigned his teaching position in Dresden, he and his family and a small company set out for London, England, on their way to America. The ability of Elder Maeser was soon apparent to those in England, and he and his wife and small son were requested to remain in London to preach to the German people there and later to serve as missionaries in Scotland. Ever faithful to his presiding brethren, he remained, while the rest of his company continued to America. His faith was tested in other ways, too, for as an elder he was forced to carry his traveling equipment, at this time considered a menial task by this aristocratic professor. Finally he bent even to this task, saying, "Well, they have the priesthood, they have told me to go, and I will go," and carried his carpetbag to the station.
He was honorably released from his labors in England and with his family continued his journey to America, landing July 4, 1857. On the journey over, tragedy had stalked them, for a second son who had been born to them in England sickened and died. Burial took place among a strange people who spoke a tongue foreign to the Maesers. The trials did not end with this sorrow. When the Maesers had landed, they had no money to continue their journey to Utah. Karl located in Philadelphia for a few weeks but could not find work. Their need for food became so great that on one occasion he had to lull his small son to sleep to stop his cries for food. In the midst of these circumstances, Karl was called to fill a mission to the South—a call which he accepted, laboring in the state of Virginia most of the time. To finance himself, he was able to teach music to many prominent families, including the family of ex-President Tyler of Richmond.
At the completion of the mission, the Maesers returned to Philadelphia where Karl was made president of the Philadelphia Conference, a position he held until June of 1 860, when he resumed his journey to Utah. The Maesers traveled in Patriarch John Smith's company, taking four months to cross the plains. Once again Elder Maeser's training had ill-suited him to such hardships, but he arranged for those to travel with him who could help him with the tasks of harnessing, hitching, and driving the oxen.
Soon after his arrival in Salt Lake, Elder Maeser arranged to open a school in an old meetinghouse and granary. His signal success undoubtedly drew the attention of Brigham Young, for in the spring of 1861 Elder Maeser was appointed to direct the Union Academy. His pay in the new country consisted of such items as squash, potatoes, carrots. From his year's experience in the Union Academy, Elder Maeser went to the Twentieth Ward where he organized a three department school. His success as a teacher was surpassed only by his success as a public speaker whose services were in constant demand. However, busy as he was, his economic status was perilous. Frequently the Maesers had to sit down to a meal of flour mush and homemade molasses.
In 1864, Karl became private tutor to the children of President Brigham Young. In this position, the best he had held since coming to America, he was relieved of collecting tuition, the drudgery of janitorial work, and criticism. This position enabled the Maesers to purchase a lot and commence a home—the first they would be able to call their own. Their happy anticipation was changed into another channel, for in the April 1 867 general conference, Elder Maeser's name was read to fill a mission to Germany and Switzerland. He was overjoyed to be returning to his homeland where he might labor to convert his own people—but he was worried over the financial status of his family. However the Maeser faith exceeded their worry—the Lord had helped them before, he would help them again. His mission was a success from every viewpoint but one: He had been unable to bring the gospel message to his people; they had instead labored to shake Karl's faith.
When in 1870 Elder Maeser returned from his mission, his wife Anna handed him the same fifty cent piece he had given her three years before, the only money he had at the time he had received his mission call. He also was amazed to see both rooms of their two room home completely finished and furnished with "store" carpets on the floors and curtains at the windows. Their faith had been amply rewarded.
Karl resumed his teaching at the Twentieth Ward school and also organized and taught the work in the first normal department of the Deseret University (later the University of Utah).
President Brigham Young called Elder Maeser to organize the first Church university, Brigham Young Academy at Provo, Utah. Karl Maeser's query was: "President Young, I am ready to go to Provo; what are your instructions?" The reply came with forceful intensity: "Only this: You ought not to teach even the alphabet or the multiplication tables without the Spirit of God That is all. God bless you." No group of students ever assembled under the tutorship of Karl G. Maeser who did not feel in his teachings the application of Brigham Young's instructions.
By training, Elder Maeser was well-qualified for this position. His spiritual background made him one of the earth's greatest. He believed implicitly in the worth of the individual soul and in the need for individual growth. But he also believed firmly in the value of discipline. As he said, "Discipline is the climate of the school." But in an age when severity was advocated, he also said, "The exercise of authority without intelligent justice and kind consideration is tyranny, and obedience without consent of the heart or brain is slavery."
His philosophy of education is summed up beautifully in his book, School and Fireside, the reading of which even today is provocative of good among those who lead youth. In addition to his rare teaching ability, Elder Maeser was a superb organizer. He believed in careful records, which could be checked, and he required four kinds to be maintained: historical, general, register of studies, and rollbooks. The historical record should contain changes which occurred in the board, faculty, buildings, improvements; the general record should include the name, age, address of students, their parents, the time of entrance, and the department entered; the register of studies should include the subjects treated in every class, giving reference to textbooks used and the plan followed; the rollbook included the regular daily attendance, punctuality, and preparation of the students. "Incomplete and unreliable records should condemn any teacher in the eyes of his superiors and of the public," was Elder Maeser's terse comment.
In 1888 the First Presidency called Karl G. Maeser to become the first superintendent of all Church schools. For two years he served in two capacities—as president of the Brigham Young Academy and as superintendent of all Church schools. In 1890 Benjamin Cluff was appointed to act as assistant principal.
On January 4, 1892 Dr. Maeser concluded his direct connection with the school. His great ability assured the success of his wider activity as head of the Church school system. The same meticulous diligence was practised in this new calling. His unusual qualifications also called him to become successively second assistant and first assistant to George Q. Cannon in the Deseret Sunday School Union. During January of 1894 Elder Maeser was called on a special mission to California to arrange Church educational exhibits in the San Francisco fair. The exhibits were well received and helped give the Church a good name in educational circles.
In addition to his school and Church activities, Dr. Maeser had a particularly keen interest in genealogy. On the last day of his life he mentioned to his sister-in-law as he returned home from work, "I am exceedingly happy. I have just met Brother John Nicholson who told me that the work for the last name of my temple record has been finished today." That night he performed for his granddaughter and other members of the family, for he was a natural-born mimic and actor. After an evening of fun and amusement, he retired to his bed, and during the night he passed away. He died February 15, 1901 at the age of seventy-five years, leaving a name that will command respect as long as the people of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints uphold education.
[1] "Adapted from a thesis Karl G. Maeser, Educator, written by Alma P. Burton at Brigham Young University, 1950.
KARL G. MAESER Latter-day Saint Educator
By Alma P. Burton[1]
“Love was his bow, and truth was his arrow," George H. Brimhall’s statement about the teaching of Karl G. Maeser.
Karl Gottfried Maeser and his wife Anna were the first man and woman to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints in Germany. Their baptism in October 1855 marked the beginning of a fruitful harvest of souls in that country. Elder Maeser was ordained an elder and called to preside over the small group of converts, eight in number, who had joined the Church including the Maesers.
After his baptism the spirit of gathering rested on Elder Maeser. On June 6, 1856, having resigned his teaching position in Dresden, he and his family and a small company set out for London, England, on their way to America. The ability of Elder Maeser was soon apparent to those in England, and he and his wife and small son were requested to remain in London to preach to the German people there and later to serve as missionaries in Scotland. Ever faithful to his presiding brethren, he remained, while the rest of his company continued to America. His faith was tested in other ways, too, for as an elder he was forced to carry his traveling equipment, at this time considered a menial task by this aristocratic professor. Finally he bent even to this task, saying, "Well, they have the priesthood, they have told me to go, and I will go," and carried his carpetbag to the station.
He was honorably released from his labors in England and with his family continued his journey to America, landing July 4, 1857. On the journey over, tragedy had stalked them, for a second son who had been born to them in England sickened and died. Burial took place among a strange people who spoke a tongue foreign to the Maesers. The trials did not end with this sorrow. When the Maesers had landed, they had no money to continue their journey to Utah. Karl located in Philadelphia for a few weeks but could not find work. Their need for food became so great that on one occasion he had to lull his small son to sleep to stop his cries for food. In the midst of these circumstances, Karl was called to fill a mission to the South—a call which he accepted, laboring in the state of Virginia most of the time. To finance himself, he was able to teach music to many prominent families, including the family of ex-President Tyler of Richmond.
At the completion of the mission, the Maesers returned to Philadelphia where Karl was made president of the Philadelphia Conference, a position he held until June of 1 860, when he resumed his journey to Utah. The Maesers traveled in Patriarch John Smith's company, taking four months to cross the plains. Once again Elder Maeser's training had ill-suited him to such hardships, but he arranged for those to travel with him who could help him with the tasks of harnessing, hitching, and driving the oxen.
Soon after his arrival in Salt Lake, Elder Maeser arranged to open a school in an old meetinghouse and granary. His signal success undoubtedly drew the attention of Brigham Young, for in the spring of 1861 Elder Maeser was appointed to direct the Union Academy. His pay in the new country consisted of such items as squash, potatoes, carrots. From his year's experience in the Union Academy, Elder Maeser went to the Twentieth Ward where he organized a three department school. His success as a teacher was surpassed only by his success as a public speaker whose services were in constant demand. However, busy as he was, his economic status was perilous. Frequently the Maesers had to sit down to a meal of flour mush and homemade molasses.
In 1864, Karl became private tutor to the children of President Brigham Young. In this position, the best he had held since coming to America, he was relieved of collecting tuition, the drudgery of janitorial work, and criticism. This position enabled the Maesers to purchase a lot and commence a home—the first they would be able to call their own. Their happy anticipation was changed into another channel, for in the April 1 867 general conference, Elder Maeser's name was read to fill a mission to Germany and Switzerland. He was overjoyed to be returning to his homeland where he might labor to convert his own people—but he was worried over the financial status of his family. However the Maeser faith exceeded their worry—the Lord had helped them before, he would help them again. His mission was a success from every viewpoint but one: He had been unable to bring the gospel message to his people; they had instead labored to shake Karl's faith.
When in 1870 Elder Maeser returned from his mission, his wife Anna handed him the same fifty cent piece he had given her three years before, the only money he had at the time he had received his mission call. He also was amazed to see both rooms of their two room home completely finished and furnished with "store" carpets on the floors and curtains at the windows. Their faith had been amply rewarded.
Karl resumed his teaching at the Twentieth Ward school and also organized and taught the work in the first normal department of the Deseret University (later the University of Utah).
President Brigham Young called Elder Maeser to organize the first Church university, Brigham Young Academy at Provo, Utah. Karl Maeser's query was: "President Young, I am ready to go to Provo; what are your instructions?" The reply came with forceful intensity: "Only this: You ought not to teach even the alphabet or the multiplication tables without the Spirit of God That is all. God bless you." No group of students ever assembled under the tutorship of Karl G. Maeser who did not feel in his teachings the application of Brigham Young's instructions.
By training, Elder Maeser was well-qualified for this position. His spiritual background made him one of the earth's greatest. He believed implicitly in the worth of the individual soul and in the need for individual growth. But he also believed firmly in the value of discipline. As he said, "Discipline is the climate of the school." But in an age when severity was advocated, he also said, "The exercise of authority without intelligent justice and kind consideration is tyranny, and obedience without consent of the heart or brain is slavery."
His philosophy of education is summed up beautifully in his book, School and Fireside, the reading of which even today is provocative of good among those who lead youth. In addition to his rare teaching ability, Elder Maeser was a superb organizer. He believed in careful records, which could be checked, and he required four kinds to be maintained: historical, general, register of studies, and rollbooks. The historical record should contain changes which occurred in the board, faculty, buildings, improvements; the general record should include the name, age, address of students, their parents, the time of entrance, and the department entered; the register of studies should include the subjects treated in every class, giving reference to textbooks used and the plan followed; the rollbook included the regular daily attendance, punctuality, and preparation of the students. "Incomplete and unreliable records should condemn any teacher in the eyes of his superiors and of the public," was Elder Maeser's terse comment.
In 1888 the First Presidency called Karl G. Maeser to become the first superintendent of all Church schools. For two years he served in two capacities—as president of the Brigham Young Academy and as superintendent of all Church schools. In 1890 Benjamin Cluff was appointed to act as assistant principal.
On January 4, 1892 Dr. Maeser concluded his direct connection with the school. His great ability assured the success of his wider activity as head of the Church school system. The same meticulous diligence was practised in this new calling. His unusual qualifications also called him to become successively second assistant and first assistant to George Q. Cannon in the Deseret Sunday School Union. During January of 1894 Elder Maeser was called on a special mission to California to arrange Church educational exhibits in the San Francisco fair. The exhibits were well received and helped give the Church a good name in educational circles.
In addition to his school and Church activities, Dr. Maeser had a particularly keen interest in genealogy. On the last day of his life he mentioned to his sister-in-law as he returned home from work, "I am exceedingly happy. I have just met Brother John Nicholson who told me that the work for the last name of my temple record has been finished today." That night he performed for his granddaughter and other members of the family, for he was a natural-born mimic and actor. After an evening of fun and amusement, he retired to his bed, and during the night he passed away. He died February 15, 1901 at the age of seventy-five years, leaving a name that will command respect as long as the people of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints uphold education.
[1] "Adapted from a thesis Karl G. Maeser, Educator, written by Alma P. Burton at Brigham Young University, 1950.
Wilson, Lawrence D. "The First Home of Karl G. Maeser." Instructor. December 1955. pg. 361.
The First Home of Karl G. Maeser IN the city of Meissen, Germany, in the Russian Zone is found the birthplace of our noted Latter-day Saint educator, Karl G. Maeser. On Elder Maeser's first home is found a metal plaque which reads: "KARL GOTTFRIED MAESER was born in this house January 16, 1828. He loved the Lord even as he loved his fellow men, to whose perfection he dedicated his life. To know him was to be well-educated. He was a prominent educator and a deep-thinking, God-fearing example and representative of true religion. To the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints he dedicated all the strength of his noble manhood and was a leader chosen by the Lord. He died in honor February 16, 1901 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA." — Lawrence D. Wilson, East German Mission Sunday School Superintendent. |
Karl G. Maeser supervised all academies of the Church in its early history. He was both a second and first assistant general superintendent in the Sunday Schools.
|
Zobell, Albert L., Jr. "Lest We Forget: Karl G. Maeser." Improvement Era. March 1969. pg. 20-21, 23.
Lest We Forget Karl G. Maeser
By Albert L. Zobell, Jr. Research Editor
Outwardly the brilliant young principal, Karl G. Maeser, was happy. Like many of his fellow schoolmen in the German-speaking world, Maeser, who taught at the Budich Institute, Neustadt, Dresden, was well-trained with the skepticism that seems to be a part of higher education. Inwardly he did not like the unsatisfactory condition of a mind that must rely on the ever-changing propositions of speculative philosophy.
He admired Martin Luther but believed that his work had only been initiatory at best.
In searching for something to which he could tie, he chanced upon a pamphlet attacking the Mormons. The author was so illogical and sarcastic that his words aroused the teacher's curiosity. Investigation proved that there were no Mormons in the German state of Saxony, but he accidentally found a newspaper saying that there were members in Denmark. In further research he found the address of President John Van Cott of the Scandinavian Mission, to whom he immediately wrote. The reply came that neither that mission president nor his secretary understood much German, but he was referred to President Daniel Tyler of the Swiss and German Mission at Geneva. Maeser immediately sent a second letter of inquiry.
When the letter was opened at Geneva, one of the elders believed it to be a trick of the German police, and that as such it should be returned without answer. President Tyler did not agree, stating that he would send it back as suggested, but if the Lord was with the writer, the letter would come back again with more added to it.
Principal Maeser had the letter returned to him without any explanation or signature. Naturally he felt insulted and wrote again to Copenhagen. President Van Cott immediately answered, apologizing, saying that President Tyler was a good and wise man, and that the Maeser letter was being sent to Geneva with an endorsement from President Van Cott.
This led to a long correspondence between Elder Tyler and Maeser. Pamphlets and books were forwarded. Maeser, still in his twenties, saw that they were poorly written from a literary viewpoint, but there was a gnawing feeling that "Mormonism" was a much bigger thing than he had anticipated. He requested that a missionary visit him.
A few weeks later Elder William Budge arrived at the Maeser home. Though he spoke German with difficulty, he had a winning and dignified personality, creating in the Maeser home an influence that hallowed the principles advocated. About eight weeks later word came that Elder Franklin D. Richards of the Council of the Twelve, who was then president of the European Mission, and Elder William Kimball were coming to Dresden. After a few interviews with Elder Richards, with Elder Budge interpreting, Maeser decided to be baptized: this took place October 14, 1855.
On coming out of the water of the Elbe River, Brother Maeser lifted both hands to heaven, praying: "Father, if what I have done just now is pleasing unto thee, give me a testimony, and whatever thou shouldst require of my hands I shall do, even to the laying down of my life for this cause."
There seemed to be no response to this plea, and the baptismal party started walking to the Maeser home.
Brother Maeser was walking between Elder Richards and Elder Budge, with the others dropping behind so as to attract no attention. The conversation turned to the authority of the priesthood, with Elder Budge acting as interpreter. Suddenly Brother Maeser stopped Elder Budge, realizing that he was understanding President Richards as he spoke in English, and that the apostle was understanding the questions phrased in German. The conversation continued thus until they arrived at their point of separation, where the manifestation suddenly ceased as it had come.
It had not seemed strange to Brother Maeser while it lasted, but then he asked Elder Budge what it had all meant. The missionary replied that surely God had given him a testimony.
Within a year Brother Maeser resigned his teaching position in Dresden and traveled to London, the first step on his way to Utah. There he became engrossed in Church activity, diligently studying English as well as the gospel.
He arrived in America July 4, 1857, and intended to work a few weeks in Philadelphia, but he could not find work there. In the midst of these circumstances he was called to fill a mission to the South. He labored in Virginia most of the time, financing himself by occasionally teaching music to members of prominent southern families.
After his mission he returned to Philadelphia, where he earned enough to continue the journey to Utah. On the journey, in 1860, Elder Maeser found real brotherhood in that others, more physically able, were always on hand to aid him in harnessing, hitching, and driving the oxen.
He opened a school in an old meetinghouse and granary in Salt Lake City. In 1861 he was appointed to direct the Union Academy, and in 1864 he became the private tutor of the children of Brigham Young. At the April 1867 general conference he was called to fill a mission to Germany and Switzerland. There he continued to use his teaching ability, and with his writing ability he founded the mission paper, Der Stem.
When he arrived home to Salt Lake City in 1870, his wife returned to him a fifty-cent piece that he had given her, the only money that he had had at the time of his mission call.
In April 1876 he was called to head the Brigham Young Academy, Provo, Utah, which had been functioning since the previous October. "I want you to remember that you ought not to teach even the alphabet or the multiplication tables without the spirit of God," President Young instructed him.
In 1888 the First Presidency called Karl G. Maeser to become the first superintendent of all Church schools. For two years he served in this new position as well as in his position at Brigham Young Academy; then in 1890 Benjamin Cluff was appointed to assist him at the Provo school. On January 4, 1892, Dr. Maeser concluded his direct connection with the academy. Dr. George H. Brimhall, later a president of Brigham Young University, said of Dr. Maeser's teaching ability: "Love was his bow, and truth was his arrow."
He served as second assistant and later first assistant in the general superintendency of the Deseret Sunday School Union. In January 1894 he was called on a mission to California, to direct the Church educational exhibits at a fair in San Francisco. Returning home, he was made a member of the Utah State Constitutional Convention.
Karl G. Maeser passed away February 15, 1901, and it was said of him: "The truth which he so tactfully, but with force, impressed upon the hearts of the children of his time, is the monument that shall perpetuate his memory, enshrouding it with living freshness in generations yet to come."
Lest We Forget Karl G. Maeser
By Albert L. Zobell, Jr. Research Editor
Outwardly the brilliant young principal, Karl G. Maeser, was happy. Like many of his fellow schoolmen in the German-speaking world, Maeser, who taught at the Budich Institute, Neustadt, Dresden, was well-trained with the skepticism that seems to be a part of higher education. Inwardly he did not like the unsatisfactory condition of a mind that must rely on the ever-changing propositions of speculative philosophy.
He admired Martin Luther but believed that his work had only been initiatory at best.
In searching for something to which he could tie, he chanced upon a pamphlet attacking the Mormons. The author was so illogical and sarcastic that his words aroused the teacher's curiosity. Investigation proved that there were no Mormons in the German state of Saxony, but he accidentally found a newspaper saying that there were members in Denmark. In further research he found the address of President John Van Cott of the Scandinavian Mission, to whom he immediately wrote. The reply came that neither that mission president nor his secretary understood much German, but he was referred to President Daniel Tyler of the Swiss and German Mission at Geneva. Maeser immediately sent a second letter of inquiry.
When the letter was opened at Geneva, one of the elders believed it to be a trick of the German police, and that as such it should be returned without answer. President Tyler did not agree, stating that he would send it back as suggested, but if the Lord was with the writer, the letter would come back again with more added to it.
Principal Maeser had the letter returned to him without any explanation or signature. Naturally he felt insulted and wrote again to Copenhagen. President Van Cott immediately answered, apologizing, saying that President Tyler was a good and wise man, and that the Maeser letter was being sent to Geneva with an endorsement from President Van Cott.
This led to a long correspondence between Elder Tyler and Maeser. Pamphlets and books were forwarded. Maeser, still in his twenties, saw that they were poorly written from a literary viewpoint, but there was a gnawing feeling that "Mormonism" was a much bigger thing than he had anticipated. He requested that a missionary visit him.
A few weeks later Elder William Budge arrived at the Maeser home. Though he spoke German with difficulty, he had a winning and dignified personality, creating in the Maeser home an influence that hallowed the principles advocated. About eight weeks later word came that Elder Franklin D. Richards of the Council of the Twelve, who was then president of the European Mission, and Elder William Kimball were coming to Dresden. After a few interviews with Elder Richards, with Elder Budge interpreting, Maeser decided to be baptized: this took place October 14, 1855.
On coming out of the water of the Elbe River, Brother Maeser lifted both hands to heaven, praying: "Father, if what I have done just now is pleasing unto thee, give me a testimony, and whatever thou shouldst require of my hands I shall do, even to the laying down of my life for this cause."
There seemed to be no response to this plea, and the baptismal party started walking to the Maeser home.
Brother Maeser was walking between Elder Richards and Elder Budge, with the others dropping behind so as to attract no attention. The conversation turned to the authority of the priesthood, with Elder Budge acting as interpreter. Suddenly Brother Maeser stopped Elder Budge, realizing that he was understanding President Richards as he spoke in English, and that the apostle was understanding the questions phrased in German. The conversation continued thus until they arrived at their point of separation, where the manifestation suddenly ceased as it had come.
It had not seemed strange to Brother Maeser while it lasted, but then he asked Elder Budge what it had all meant. The missionary replied that surely God had given him a testimony.
Within a year Brother Maeser resigned his teaching position in Dresden and traveled to London, the first step on his way to Utah. There he became engrossed in Church activity, diligently studying English as well as the gospel.
He arrived in America July 4, 1857, and intended to work a few weeks in Philadelphia, but he could not find work there. In the midst of these circumstances he was called to fill a mission to the South. He labored in Virginia most of the time, financing himself by occasionally teaching music to members of prominent southern families.
After his mission he returned to Philadelphia, where he earned enough to continue the journey to Utah. On the journey, in 1860, Elder Maeser found real brotherhood in that others, more physically able, were always on hand to aid him in harnessing, hitching, and driving the oxen.
He opened a school in an old meetinghouse and granary in Salt Lake City. In 1861 he was appointed to direct the Union Academy, and in 1864 he became the private tutor of the children of Brigham Young. At the April 1867 general conference he was called to fill a mission to Germany and Switzerland. There he continued to use his teaching ability, and with his writing ability he founded the mission paper, Der Stem.
When he arrived home to Salt Lake City in 1870, his wife returned to him a fifty-cent piece that he had given her, the only money that he had had at the time of his mission call.
In April 1876 he was called to head the Brigham Young Academy, Provo, Utah, which had been functioning since the previous October. "I want you to remember that you ought not to teach even the alphabet or the multiplication tables without the spirit of God," President Young instructed him.
In 1888 the First Presidency called Karl G. Maeser to become the first superintendent of all Church schools. For two years he served in this new position as well as in his position at Brigham Young Academy; then in 1890 Benjamin Cluff was appointed to assist him at the Provo school. On January 4, 1892, Dr. Maeser concluded his direct connection with the academy. Dr. George H. Brimhall, later a president of Brigham Young University, said of Dr. Maeser's teaching ability: "Love was his bow, and truth was his arrow."
He served as second assistant and later first assistant in the general superintendency of the Deseret Sunday School Union. In January 1894 he was called on a mission to California, to direct the Church educational exhibits at a fair in San Francisco. Returning home, he was made a member of the Utah State Constitutional Convention.
Karl G. Maeser passed away February 15, 1901, and it was said of him: "The truth which he so tactfully, but with force, impressed upon the hearts of the children of his time, is the monument that shall perpetuate his memory, enshrouding it with living freshness in generations yet to come."