Evening star., 1925-05-26
BAIL PARK URGED
FOR SCOPES TRIAL
Seek Large Place to Seat
Visitors Expected for
Evolution Case.
B. the Associated Press.


B. the Assoc ated Press.
DAYTON, Tenn, May GA Rhea
county grand jury, of whose 12
members were farmers. took one hour
to decide that John T. Scopes, high
school science teacher, should be- in.
dlcted for violation of the Tennessee
law against teaching evolution in the
public schools.
With the preliminaries of the
famous case out of the way and a spe.
cial term Of the Circuit Court ordered
10 convene July 10 to try Scopes, in
terest here now centers in the ques.
uon of wheret the trial will be held. A
large place Is sought to accommodate
the expected influx Of visitors.
Suggest Ball Park.
Suggestions to the committee in
charge have ranged from erecting a
nuge tent to placing a roof over the
base ball park, with some holding to a
plan to CROWD every available inch
or the county courthouse with seats.
The courthouse can be made to seat
approximately 1000, it was stated.
Judge John T. Baulston, who will
preside, has expressed a willingness to
convene the court 'in any dignifled
place made available by Dayton citi-
zens. Committees have been ap-
pointed to raise funds TO conduct the
case and TO prepare the city for its
expected host of visitors.
William Jennings Bryan, who will
ala In the prosecution of the case,
wired from Columbus, Ohio, that the
date set for the trial was satisfactory
10 MN. A change in the prosecution
llne-up, by which a foe of the theory
OF evolution will act as prosecutor in
place OF a proponent, was announced.
George w. Rappleyea, who obtained
the warrant for Scopes arrest, has
withdrawn in favor of Walter White,
superintendent of schools, a funda-
mentalist
A feature of yesterdays grand jury
nearing was the testimony of seven
boys, members of the science classes
taught by Scopes. In explaining
Scopes views, some of the young wit
neSses said they had told the grand
jury that Scopes believed in evolution,
Tut did not believe that man descended
from a monkey.
Preceding the testimony. Judge
Raulston read the Tennessee statute
covering evolution and also the first
chapter of Genesis.
Attorneys for the prosecution, in
elud1ng A. 7. Stewart. attorney gen
eral, and four Dayton associates, S. X.
, Hicks, w. c. Haggard. II. E. Hicks
and j. G. Mckenzie, today issued a
statement. prompted, they declared, by
lack of information in regard to the
evolution test and its development
here.
While we have no desire to try
the Scopes case through the press,
we think that, in justice to the peo-
pie of Dayton, the full truth of the
prosecution of Prof. Scopes should be
known and hence make the following
statement:
THE impression has gone out in
some parts that the prosecution of
this case was nothing more than
mock affair, so far as the trial of
the case is concerned, and that the
Idea originated in the minds of Day.
ton people for publicity purposes.
Nothing 81 further from the truth
The defendant, J. -. Scopes. who was
a teacher in the Righ School of Rhea
County, at Dayton, was, before the
passage of the law in question, as
well as after the passage of this law,
teaching to the students Of Dayton
and Rhea County Darwin's and other
theories of evolution. According to
the statements in some of the school
children, he taught: That man orig
mated as small one-cell animal. liv-
Ing first in the seas He taught that
man came from the lower animals
Aroused Resentment.
Some few days before he was
formally arrested on this charge the
matter of his teaching evolution was
being discussed publicly about the
4streets and in the business houses of
Dayton. AS this report became more
widely spread the people almost as a
Nhole began to express resentment at
UGH a condition and, although the
arrant for the arrest of Prof. Scopes
as sworn out by a friend of evolu.
pm, for the purpose of testing the
W, it would have in the course of
day or so been issued upon the
mplaint of other citizens of the
Nn and patrons of the school for
purpose of preventing the teach
L of such doctrine in the public
s,ools.
There is not a person in DAYTON
W had the slightest idea that the
asst and indictment of Prof. Scopes
Wild cause any such publicity as it
n; The purpose of his Indictment
WI to protect the school children and
torevent the teaching of a science
corary to that given to man by God
he prosecution Of the case uDon
thconvening of the grand jury was
asmed by Prof. Walter White, su-
peitendent of public instructions of
Ri County, and is being prosecuted
bylim for the good of the public
schls system"
\ Scopes declined to comment