The Washington times., 1925-06-16
BY ANDREW y. GRAVES,
Tennessee state Senator.

Copyright, 1926. by international
News Service.
KNOXVILLE. Tenn, June 16---
The writer OF this article has been
asked on several occasions why he
voted for the bill in the state senate
to prohibit the teaching Of evoIu.
ton in the public schools OF Ten,
knessee. In answer to said ques-
tons will state that I believe the
people Of the sovereign state Of
Tennessee, through their repre-.
sentatives in the legislature, have
the right, power and authority to
cirect the operation of any Of the
institutions operated at the expense
of the public.
cannot and win not refrain
.frorn believing the Bible story OF
tho Creation. as recorded in the.
Book or Genesis. / believe the
lagge majority Of the people Of Ten
nessee believe It. It must stand as
q fact until it has been disproved
by 3 preponderance of the contrary
facts.
Always WOrships
No matter in what State man II
found, however Wild and unculti.
worship q Higher Power. II the.
God OF Heaven 81 not worshippei
by him, then he viii worship idols
Man will pay homage to Supreme
RAing.
Government Is built on the prtnci-
pies laid down in the Bible. 1t IL
recognized as being the Word ok
God 1t is upon this theory that
we have built the greatest govern.
mental structure the world has
ever known, and II cannot be de.
MED that wherever any nation has
left God out of its business, the
same has failed and become bank.
rupted.
Since the Bible has done so much
for the world in q material way, to
say nothing OF spiritual power, I
am unwilling to allow anything to
be done that win weaken or Destroy
the faith OF the young people Of
this state in It's teaching.
Suppose tlha theory OF evolution
ID correct. Suppose 1t could be
proved that man sprang from the
parent stem OF which the ape is a
branch, what would we gain by the
Information?
Suppose the Bible is proven to
be a myth and the product Of man,
unaided by the Holy Spirit. What
have we gained when we convince
the youth Of America that this is
true?
Y Laws Would Be NulIifIed.
The command that has Numbered
n the ears Of the people of God
rom Mount Sinai, Thou shalt not
till, nor steal" would be no more;
ind law and law only would prevent
nan from taking the life % his
elbows, Suppose we convince the
routh that Thou shalt not steal"
g a command from a NEUROLOGICAL
,eing who never was and never will
,e, what have we done except to
brown down the. bars to all who
night desire tc 'ake the property OF
Their men, provided they are sure
they will not be detected?
insist, when 1t is taught as a
tact that the Bible theory of the
creation Of man il not trus and
that God did not make man as the
bible relates that He did, then we
shall have assailed the TRUTHFUL.
ness and claims Of the entire Bible.
E;ut 1t is said evolution is taught
not as a fact, but as a hypotheti.
cal theory. Man may have had his
origin in the lower animals, and he
may have been created as the Bible
states. Then. II the theory is un-
proven, cannot see the Importance
of its being taught to the youth of
the country. Any theory of science
that rests upon a hypothetical basis
has weak foundation.
/ believe the people Of Ten
nessee wanted such a law as we
enacted, and ! believe the State
has the power to enact such a law.
The school is the creature Of the
legislature and it appears to me
the creator should certainly have
power to control or regulate one of
Its creatures.