International., 1925-07-13
BY w. J. LOSH

| LA AOAN1 ASAu'S ONA$ I've AAO
green foothills of the Appalachians
as a background, a little country
town fairely bristling with new
dignity and fresh paint, an old ivy
clad courthouse crowded with ju-
rists, scientists, clergy and laymen
famous the world oyer-such was
the setting as the trial Of Professor
John T. Scopes on charge OF
teaching high school pupils the
theory of evolution opened here
Friday.
Here and there in the throng that
milled about the Rhea County
Court House one could single out
the beaming features Of William
Jennings Bryan, the stopped figure
of Clearance Darrow, or catch
glimpse of the young defendant as
well-wishers pushed forward to
4 shake his hand.
| Vastly more than the offense OF
young Professor Scopes against the
laws of the state was at stake to-
day-the theory of the freedom OF
education was on trial. Scopes and
hs textbook were merely tangible
things about which the two great
schools of thought whose leading
opponents gathered here today
could weave their arguments and
base their contentious.
Troopers Guard Court House
Accordingly, it was the disting-
guished counsel, and the unofficial
observers, who drew the stares OF
the curious and the excited buzzing
of comment as they presented Gre
dentials and passed through the
lines of troopers who guarded the
court house against a stampede by
those whom lack OF space forbade
admission.
This, of course, was red-letter
day for the towns-folk of Dayton.
Let the lawyers for the defense,
Bainbridge Colby, a former secre-
tary of state, and Clarence Darrow
a lawyer of international fame, de-
plore this attitude of holiday-mak-
ing and urge the seriousness of the
ISSUES at stake.
There were some Dayton citizens
Today whose exuberance at the
momentary focus of national atten-
Ition knew no bounds.
Serious Air in Court
But at the trial itself, with
Judge John T. Raulston of the
Criminal Court presiding, every
thing was seriousness itself. OPP
posing cousel exchanged courtesies
with a deal of formality.
| Professor Scopes, the defendant,
was the most serious of all his face
slightly pale behind his horn-rim-
med glasses. He is only "a, this
Kentucky youth who is the central
figure in what has grown into one
of the most famous trials of theory
lin history. When not engaged n
the classroom at the local high
lschiol, he ciached the athletic
Iteams.
In his best known remark anent
the present case, Professor Scopes
said it was "drug store argument
that got out of control" AS mat
ter of fact, he was persuaded,
somewhat reluctantly, to play his
part in what men interested ed
ucation in Tennessee felt should be
made a test case.
How Charge Arose
Scopes taught his pupils from
| Textbook approved by the school
| board which contained an exposi-
! ton of the theory of evolution. He
was indicted ON charge of in
structing his charges in "theory
that denies the story of Divine
creation of man as taught in the
Bible, and to teach instead that
man has descended from a lower
order of animals" There is no
doubt that this law is on the stat
uate books, it being the work of
John w. Butler, a farmer legisla-
ture, who lives 100 miles away
over the rolling foothills on bad