S c i e n c e a n d t h e B i b l e by Bolton Davidheiser Chairman, Science Division Biola C ollege ( THE SCOPES TRIAL, Part II
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I n his book about the Scopes case, Ray Ginger says that one of the objectives of the American Civil Lib erties Union in engineering this fa mous trial was to educate the public on evolution. The great amount of publicity which accompanied the case aided in the achievement of this objective. It was the first court trial ever broadcast by radio, and it is said that more words concerning it were cabled overseas than had previously been cabled regarding anything that had ever happened in America. The teaching of evolution is com monly accompanied by disparage ment of the Bible. The part of the trial best known to the public is prob ably Mr. Darrow’s questioning of Mr. Bryan about the Bible. Mr. Bryan loved the Bible, but he was not a biblical scholar, and Mr. Darrow un mercifully put to him questions which he was not prepared to an swer. He was characterized over and over by "his adversaries as represent ing ignorance and bigotry. But on two occasions Mr. Bryan corrected his opponents when they tried to make a point concerning something which was factually in error about the theory of evolution, and he seemed to them bigoted because he was under the command of One whom they did not know, One who said, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” Another method in educating for evolution is to tell people over and over that they are backward and ignorant if they do not believe that evolution is a fact. It is not uncom mon for college textbooks and books written for the general public to use this technique, and it was employed at the Scopes trial. People who are subjected to this treatment and who do not have strong convictions are likely to fall into the trap. They then endeavor to show that they really are broadminded and intelligent by pro fessing an interest or even a belief in evolution. One of the lawyers who prosecuted Scopes said in behalf of the other members of the prosecution and in behalf of the county in which the trial was held, “ . . . while much has been said and much has been written about the narrow-minded people of Tennessee, we do not feel hard to ward you. . . . We people here want
to be more broadminded than some have given us credit for, and we ap preciate your coming, and we have been greatly elevated, edified, and educated by your presence.” This was followed by applause from the towns people. The foreman of the jury said, “ Per sonally I have always had an open mind on the subject of evolution and I will always have. What I want now is information on that important topic.” The mother of one of the high school boys who testified against Scopes said that she wanted her son to learn more about everything, in cluding evolution. The mother of the. other boy said she would not mind if they taught her son evolution “ every day of the year. I can see no harm in it whatever.” The judge accepted from one of the defense lawyers copies of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man. This was ac companied by applause from the peo ple. The same lawyer also announced that the local drugstore would con tain a circulating library of books on evolution. During the course of the trial there was a marked change in the attitude of the local people, which resulted in a victory for the evolutionary and anti - fundamentalist forces. Scopes later said of Mr. Bryan, “My heart went out to the old warrior as specta tors pushed by him to shake Darrow’s hand.” During the trial a note quoting from the report of the Lusk Commit tee of the New York legislature ap peared in a local newspaper, and went unheeded: “The American Civil Liberties Union, in the last analysis, is a supporter of all subversive move ments and its propaganda is detri mental to the best interests of the state. It attempts not only to protect crime but to encourage attacks upon our institutions in every form.” More recently, the California State Fact- Finding Committee on Unamerican Activities said this in its report of 1943: “ The American Civil Liberties Union may be definitely classed as a Communist front or ‘transmission belt’ organization. At least 90% of its efforts are expended on behalf of Communists who come in conflict with the law.” Concluded, next month
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