by Mike Roberts, HUUC Church Historian
This month marks the 100th anniversary of the John Scopes trial when Scopes was accused of teaching evolution to the students of Dayton Tennessee High School. It was labeled by the press as the Scopes Monkey Trial much to the chagrin of both the prosecution and defense.
The case saw a clash of titans. Clarence Darrow led the defense team while the prosecution team was represented by three time Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan. Bryan in his later years had become a national spokesperson for the literal interpretation of the Holy Bible.
National reporters descended upon the community of 1,500 people and the trial lasted a week in sweltering 90-degree heat. Scopes’ guilty verdict was guaranteed during the early days of the trial when highly prejudicial judge John Raulston ruled against the defense and would not allow expert testimony on evolution to be presented during the trial. This was one of a number of rulings that all favored the prosecution and blunted the defense strategy. Eventually, Scopes pleaded guilty and the case turned to the penalty phase.
Records do not indicate how First Universalist Church of Cincinnati, Heritage’s forbearers, might have responded to the trial. There is no statement from the church in the papers or in church archives concerning the trial. John Edward Price was minister at the time. However, the church was in the practice of closing for the months of July and August and indications are from several committee reports that the church was not operating in July of 1925.
Locally, the Cincinnati Enquirer gave front page headline coverage for the full length of the trial. Most national papers sent their star reporters to vividly describe the events in Dayton, Tennessee. H. L. Mencken of the Baltimore Sun was the most recognizable writer there and he strongly and acerbically sided with the defense. He dipped his most vitriolic pen for Judge Raulston and the Tennessee legislature. There are few reports of stances taken by local Cincinnati churches, but as previously mentioned, many churches took summer breaks and would not have been active during the trial. The Enquirer, which seemed to strongly support the defense, opened their story on July 18th, posted by Forest Davis, with this statement, “John T. Raulston, praying mountain jurist, threw his bulk against Tennessee’s steel door today to hold it fast against foreign knowledge. Judge Raulston held that the bible, above and aloof from the law in Tennessee, must not be called before the bar. He denied that science has a right to defend its humble practitioner, John Thomas Scopes, against the venom of the Dayton hierarchy.”
The trial ended after William Jennings Bryan voluntarily offered to testify during the penalty phase as to the truth of the bible and its literal interpretation. Darrow put him through a grueling cross-examination that proved embarrassing to Bryan and he left the stand determined to go on the circuit to defend himself. However, he died just five days later. Scopes was found guilty by the jury and fined $100.
While this story unfolded 100 years ago, Heritage members may see some similarities with the Forest Hills School District decision to cancel Diversity Day just three years ago last month. A large number of Turpin High School students chose to follow the path of historian George Santayana who proclaimed that, “Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.” Heritage came to the assistance of those students and offered the church facility to the students who conducted their own Diversity program off school grounds. Several hundred participated when provided this option.
On the day the program took place, one of the Turpin student leaders testified in front of the U.S. Congress as to the importance of recognizing and honoring diversity in our society. New and difficult challenges face these students as they take their place in the American culture of the 21st century and Heritage will always be there to assist and support them. “Love is the spirit of this church. The quest for truth is its sacrament.”
Photo caption: Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan
Image source: courtesy of Mike Roberts