The Scopes Monkey Trial - Part 1

-- The Scopes Monkey Trial #Destination1925 --

This is Part 1 of a three part series.  The first two are from my article on the Scopes Trial from Origins Research associated with Access Research Network:

https://arn.org/

Part 3 will contain my current thoughts on the topic.  ARN was one of the pioneer proponents of Intelligent Design #ID

 

“The Scopes Trial and After,” Origins Research (later Origins & Design), Vol. 2, No. 2, Sep-Oct 1979, pp. 5,6.

 

The well publicized Scopes trial was a highly significant event in the creation-evolution controversy. This trial occurred in Dayton, Tennessee in the overheated summer of 1925. The clash between prosecutor William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow is remembered, but the fact that the purpose of the trial was to determine whether or not Scopes taught evolution is often forgotten. 

William Jennings Bryan, a Presbyterian, was the leading spokesman for fundamentalism. After 1920 he turned from politics to fight evolution. Bryan felt that the teaching of evolution in public schools would make students lose faith in God. One survey taken in Bryan's time indicated that 15% of the students were unbelievers before college, but the percentage rose to 40% after graduation.[1]  Bryan attributed this to Darwin's theory, which was widely taught in colleges and universities.  He contended that instruction in evolution should not take place in public schools for the reason that most of the public were not evolutionists.  According to Bryan, "The hand that writes the paycheck rules the school."[2]  During 1922, In His Image was published containing Bryan's criticism of evolution. He possessed several honorary degrees, but he wasn't knowledgeable in science. Reason was inferior to faith by Bryan's standards. He put his faith into action when he offered $100 to anyone who would admit he was descended from apes and a university professor took advantage of the challenge.  Bryan was a 65 year old man with poor health at the time of the Scopes trial.  Another weakness of Bryan in opposing Darrow was that he had not tried a case in 25 years.  Clarence Darrow, a famous criminal lawyer, was chief counsel for the defense.  

In contrast to Bryan, Darrow was an agnostic and didn't believe the Bible, although he had read it.  He donated his services to Scopes because he wanted to debate Bryan.

 

-- The Butler Act --

The Tennessee law that Scopes was accused of breaking was the Butler Act. Nearly half of the states had such an anti-evolution bill introduced to their legislatures.  Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Mississippi passed these bills into law. John Washington Butler was the legislator who introduced the bill to prohibit the teaching of evolution in schools. Butler's interest in this issue started when he heard of a woman in his neighborhood and went to a university and as a result she became an evolutionist.  

In March of 1925 the Butler Act was signed into law. The bill passed partly due to the legislators' fear of being known as Bible haters. The act forbade the teaching of "any theory that denies the story of the Divine creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals" in public school.[3]  Governor Austin Peay predicted that "Probably the bill will never be applied" as he signed the Butler Act.[4]

 

-- ACLU Test Case --

The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) considered the Butler Act to be a prohibition of scientific teaching in schools; therefore, it was willing to finance the defense in a test case.  In May of 1925 inside Frank Robinson's drugstore, George Rappleyea, a Dayton businessman, suggested to Walter White, Superintendent of Rhea county schools, where Dayton was the county seat, that there should be a test case for the Butler Act.  They decided that the defendant ought to be John Thomas Scopes and had him brought to the drugstore for questioning.  

Scopes declared that he taught biology as a substitute teacher, that the text explained evolution, and that evolution needs to be presented in a biology class.  They told Scopes about the anti-evolution law in addition to the part they wanted him to play in the test case.  Scopes freely volunteered to become involved.  In the course of July 10-21, 1925 at the Rhea county courthouse in Dayton the Scopes trial proceeded.  The trial attracted preachers, revivalists, religious orators, propagandists, salesmen and extravagant publicity.

Dayton store owner J.R. Darwin had unique signs on the front of his building: "DARWIN IS RIGHT inside" and "GIVE US A FAIR TRIAL."[5]  Bryan invited Alfred W. McCann, author of God or Gorilla?, to come testify, but he refused because he condemned the Butler Act's restrictive nature.  Bryan also attempted to contact George M. Price, creationist and Flood geologist, but he was out of reach in England.

 

-- The Trial Begins --

On Monday the 13th, Darrow showed how the law contradicted religious liberty by favoring Genesis.  The next day, Attorney General A.T. Stewart of the prosecution noted that the reason for the trial was not to debate religion and science, but rather to determine if a teacher taught a theory prohibited by law.  

On Wednesday, the defense claimed that Scopes was accused of two acts; teaching an idea that denied the Genesis account of man's origin and teaching that man is descended from lower animals.  The defense pointed to the statistic that millions believe both the Bible and evolution.  Some of Scope's students then testified that he taught evolution.  The following day a debate took place to decide if scientists and theologians could testify.  During Friday's session Judge John Raulston ruled that there was only one crime described in the Butler Act, not two.  The two parts of the act simply explained each other; therefore, experts were not needed to interpret the law.  

On the evening of Sunday the 19th Kirtley Mather, a geologist and defense witness, acted out the role of Bryan as Darrow asked questions trying to point out faults in the Bible.  On Monday the judge allowed defense attorney Arthur Hays to read written statements of experts.  In one statement Nebraska Man was presented as a "missing link."  Bryan protested the evidence since it was based on a single tooth.  A later discovery revealed that it was an extinct pig's tooth.  According to the testimony of Kirtley Mather, "There are in fact no missing links in the record which connects man with other members of the Order Primates."[6]  Although [some would claim] that was an absurd statement, he couldn't be accused of perjury because he was giving his opinion.

 

-- Darrow Questions Bryan --

At this point, weather and safety conditions required the trial to move outside. After more statements were read, the defense called Bryan to witness as a student of the Bible.  It could be argued that a lawyer on one side calling an opposing lawyer to witness was not legal; nevertheless, the judge permitted it considering that Bryan had no objections.  At the climax of the trial there were about two thousand spectators.  

Darrow asked Bryan questions about Jonah and the whale, Joshua's long day, the Flood, early civilizations, comparative religion, the Tower of Babel, philology, the earth's age, Adam's rib, Cain's wife, the days of creation, and the tempting serpent.  Bryan confessed his lack of knowledge on most of the questions.  He said the wrong thing by asserting, "I don't think about things I don't think about."  Darrow asked, "Do you think about things you do think about?" Bryan replied, "Well, sometimes."[7]  Attorney General Stewart objected several times, but the judge let the interrogation continue.  When Bryan said he thought highly of geologist George M. Price, Darrow described Price as a pretender.  After admitting his ignorance for yet another time, Bryan rose to his feet to proclaim, "The only purpose Mr. Darrow has is to slur at the Bible."  In reply Darrow said, "I am examining you on your fool ideas that no intelligent Christian on earth believes."[8]  They shook their fists at each other. A little more confusion could have caused a riot; consequently, court was adjourned.  A crowd followed Darrow as he left the scene, but Bryan was mostly ignored.  According to a defense statement, Darrow wanted to prove that Genesis couldn't be taken literally by a reasonable man and that Bryan was ignorant in matters of science as well as theology.  Bryan had hoped in vain for a chance to question Darrow.  On Tuesday the jury, which had been barred from the expert testimony, was brought into the courtroom and found Scopes guilty.  Judge Raulston imposed a $100 fine.  Afterwards the case was dismissed in a higher court since the judge imposed the fine instead of the jury.

 

-- Media Response --

The press presented a dim view of Bryan.  As Robert Linder states, "Research indicates that the majority of those who reported the Scopes trial went out of their way to cast Bryan in the role of an ignorant fanatic and bigot."[9]  

In the editorials of the New York Times Bryan was called "prodigiously ignorant" and a man with "a poorly furnished brain-room."[10]  H.L. Mencken of the Baltimore Sun said "Nobody gives a damn about that yap schoolteacher.  The thing to do is make a fool out of Bryan."[11]  Bryan was misquoted in many reports.  The New York Times claimed that Bryan said he would put the Bible in the Constitution and urge passage of an anti-evolution amendment if he lost in Dayton.  What he actually said was that he would carry the fight to the people if he lost.  A correction appeared days later.  Bryan died on July 26, 1925 partly because of the strain during the trial.  As Mencken proclaimed, "we killed the son of a bitch."[12]

 

REFERENCES

1) L. Sprague de Camp, The Great Monkey Trial (Doubleday, Garden City, New York: 1968), p.41.

2) Richard Hofstader, Anti-Intellectualism in American

Life (Alfred Knopf, New York: 1974), p.129.

3) Fredrick L. Allen, Only Yesterday (Harper and Row, New York: 1964), p. 167. 4) John A. Garraty, The American Nation (Harper and Row, New York: 1966), p. 687.

5) Fredrick L. Allen, I Remember Distinctly (Harper and Brothers, New York: 1947), p.93.

6) Quoted by Bolton Davidheiser, “The Scopes Trial,” in A Symposium on Creation III, Donald Patten ed. (Baker Book House; Grand Rapids, Mich.: 1971), p.108.

7) deCamp, p.390.

8) deCamp, p.409.

9) Robert D. Linder, “Fifty Years After Scopes: Lessons to Learn, A Heritage to Reclaim,” Christianity Today, July 18, 1975, p.8.

10) Linder.

11) Jonathan Daniels, The Time Between the Wars (Doubleday, Garden City, New York: 1966), p.141.

12) Daniels, p.142.

 

my site: https://totalyouth.us

 

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