The problem of this study was to discover and classify "Mormon" ideas current between 1830 and 1844 relating to educational theory and practice, and to compare the theory and practice. The hypothesis is that there were discrepancies in the theory and the practice.

No formalized philosophical system has officially represented the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to this time. Some claim there is need for one while others believe that none is forthcoming or necessary. Let the question be argued elsewhere. It is to be observed that metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, and science are all essentially represented in mormonism and should at least be recognized in comparison with their kind. The useful practices of various epistemologies were employed for verification purposes although authoritarianism dominated the acquisition of knowledge in the infant Church. This need not indicate that the submitting authority was held in doubt. Various methods were found helpful in converting to personal knowledge that which had been given publicly. Thus, rationalism, mysticism, empiricism, pragmatism - any and all possible contributors - were utilized in the learning process. Some of the keenest minds in the Church were turned to the consideration of the philosophical implications of revealed doctrine. Outstanding among those minds was that of Orson Pratt.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the years 1852-1877, introduced to its membership a form of rhetoric (writing system) called the deseret alphabet (phonetic alphabet). This experiment was intended to alleviate the problem of non-communication which was created by the great influx of foreign speaking Saints into the great Salt Lake Valley. The alphabet was developed and encouraged by the Prophet Brigham Young and a few followers. Much to their dismay the members of the Church did not have the same vision of its workability as did its promoters. This new alphabet appears not to have met the needs of the people nor did it interest them. Its use and development was hindered by temple building, farming, settling, new doctrine, and possibly little faith in following their prophet, president, and leader. The Deseret Alphabet died with Brigham Young in 1877. Yet, it appears to have been a noble experiment towards a spelling reform. Perhaps it would have worked under different situations and different environment.

In written history, Joseph Smith's colonizing efforts have been overshadowed by the Mormon settlement of the west. No one has really made a study of Joseph Smith as a colonizer. To this founder of the Mormon way of life, religion was more than a code of Sunday ethics. According to President Smith, man was created as an actual child of God and his Heavenly Father was concerned with providing for all his needs. Therefore, the revealed word of God in addition to listing a spiritual code of ethics, also contained provisions for the physical, social, political, economical, educational, safety needs, and quality of life. Joseph Smith attempted to combine all these principles into a new society he said was patterned after the order of heaven. It was called the Kingdom of God because Christ was its head and it contained the principles of life which he taught.

Although The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent numerous missionaries to labor in the South prior to the Civil War, a formal mission organization did not exist until the etsablishment of the Southern States Mission of the Church in 1875 at Shady Grove, Tennessee. This thesis details the significant events in the mission during the eventful years of the Ben E. Rich administration, 1898 to 1908. Following his courageous example, hundreds of missionaries taught the message of the Restored Gospel to the people of the South during a renewed period of persecution and hatred as the acceptance of Utah on a par with her sister states was tested by the Roberts Trial and the Smoot Hearings. In addition to his role as mission president, Ben E. Rich played a significant part in winning the friendship and support of Theodore Roosevelt during the Smoot Hearings.This study also outlines the history of the mission and the growth of the the Southern Church membership following the Rich administration until 1970.

The purpose of this study is to determine if there are differences in characteristics of home environment, school environment, or within the students themselves, between college students enrolling in classes taught at the LDS Institute of Religion, who come from homes where both parents are "inactive" in the LDS church, and a similar group of students who do not enroll.

Irrigation has played an important part in the development of the Western States. Its beginnings have often been associated with the Mormon settlement in Utah. However, irrigation had its inception in the West long before the Mormons came to the Great Basin in 1847. The spatial extent of irrigation before this date included limited acreage in nearly every Western State.Before their arrival in the Great Basin the Mormons had become acquainted with irrigation methods. Knowledge of irrigation had diffused to them primarily from the Spanish in the Southwest. Thus, they were well prepared to begin their irrigation enterprises in the West. After establishing the practice of irrigation securely in Utah, this region then served as a source area from which irrigation methods then diffused to other Western areas.Eventually, the status and influence of Mormon irrigation waned. In more recent years Utah has fallen behind other Western States in total irrigated acreage and in the application of new irrigation technology.

The history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly referred to as the "Mormon" church, has been well researched, yet little has been written about individual community histories. This work centers on the small Mormon community of Syracuse, Utah, located about twenty-five miles north of Salt Lake City on the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake. From its inception in 1877 through 1987, the community of Syracuse continues to be dominated by the Latter-day Saint (Mormon) influence. This thesis examines the development of this LDS Church settlement, giving emphasis to the early history of the area, prominent families and their roles in business, civic, and church matters, economic advancements in the area and their effects upon the community, the ecclesiastical leaders' direction within the community, and finally population expansions which have taken place in Syracuse.

The purpose of this writing is to present a biography of Newel Kimball Whitney with emphasis on his personal life and his contributions to the Church of Jesus Chirst of Latter-day Saints.

The Waldensians are ancient Protestant Sectarians who have inhabited the Piedmont Region of the Cottian Alps for centuries. They claim to be the oldest Protestant Church in the world. Having survived 700 years of persecution, the Waldensians finally achieved religious liberty in 1848. Two years later Mormon church leader Lorenzo Snow and some other Elders entered the Protestant valleys on a proselyting mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One hundred-eighty-seven Waldensians were converted to Mormonism. Twenty years later, one-third of these Mormon Waldensians had been excommunicated, one-third had emigrated to Utah and one-third became inactive or returned to their former faith. This study focuses on the seventy-two converts (primarily members of twelve families) who converted, immigrated and settled in the Mormon colonies in Utah. Church and civil records, life sketches, diaries, journals and letters were used in this project. The study concludes with an analysis of the contributions of Mormon Waldensians to the LDS church and the American West.