Evening star., 1960-10-14
MONKEY TRIAL RECALLED
Scopes Would DO ItAgoin'
By HAYNES JOHNSON
star stan Writer

In an age of ballyhoo. the
name of John T. Scopes became
a Symbol-the central figure
of a drama enacted against a
carnival atmosphere in the
sleepy town of Dayton, Tenn.
To some the controversy sur
rounding the young teacher
was a simple matter they felt
he and his supporters were
seeking to undermine the truths
in the Bible.
Today John Scopes - the
man, not the symbol-came
to town to talk about his trial
in 1925, which has been re-
created in a movie just released,
and what has happened to him
since.
He talked about William Jen-
nings Bryan, Clarence Darrow,
H. L. Mencken, evolution and
liberty in the United States.
"The trial was simply a To-
cal affair and only reached
the general public by means of
radio and the newspapers" he
said. II hope that the movie
will succeed in placing the
ideal more effectively before
the public"
And that ideal, he said, is
this:
ANY citizen should have the
right to think and express his
thoughts. That right can he
be threatened, and if it is. lib
erty is lost"
Feels He's No Crusader
Mr.. Scopes doesn't regard
himself as a crusader.
Il acted as I think a good
citizen should act," he said. IT
wasn't a public speaker or
crusader before the trial. Why
should I become one after
ward?"
The trial was a test case Of
Tennessee's law forbidding
teaching of the theory of evolu-
ton in State schools. Mr..
Scopes was the young teacher
who agreed to become the
defendant.
In the years since the trial,
Mr.. Scopes has been working
hard making a living and rails
ing a family"
He says the publicity hasn't
affected his life.
THAT was something that
happened one day a long time
ago." he said with a slight
SMILE" and if ! had let that
one incident change my life
I'd probably have walked up
one day being a very unhappy
fellow"
Obviously Not Unhappy
Mr.. Scopes obviously is not
unhappy. He answered ques-
tionS put to him by reporters
seated around a large table. He
wears glasses and as he talks
his blue eyes twinkle.
He was asked about the
movie, Inherit the Wind"
which is based on the trial,
and which will open in WASH
ington next month.
Is it accurate?
well. I'd say basically yes"
Mr.. Scopes replied. The only
difference really is that Mr..
Darrow's croSs-examination of
Mr.. Bryan was much more
subtle, much more clever. 1t
was quieter.
THE central point of it all,
though, isn't changed. That
was that Mr.. Darrow eStab-
lished the fact that even Mr..
Bryan couldn't take the Bible
literally from cover to cover. 4"
Of the two noted figures, Mr..
Scopes offers these impressions: !:
MY feeling about Mr.. Dar-
row is the same now as then.
He could express what I be-
lieved much better than could
express it.
Went to School With Bryan
"I got to know Mr.. Darrow
during the trial and later in
Chicago. We became friends.
He became something of my
ideal"
Of Bryan he said:
II had met and known him
some time before the trial. He
and I graduated from the same
high school in Salem, Ill, and
when I graduated Mr.. Bryan
delivered the commencement
address.
"Mr. Bryan essentially was
an orator-a great orator-and
because of that talent his ap-
. proach was to express what the
: audience wanted to hear.
But" he continued, IT have
no. reason to doubt his sim
: cerity."
Mr.. Scopes said with some
regret that he never got to
know H. L. Mencken as well as
he would have liked.
But he could really write, /"
> Mr.. Scopes asserted.
} Mr.. Scopes, who works as a
{ consulting geologist in Shreve-
. port, La. says he's a "free
I thinker"
S Il married a Catholic girl
=, and Joined the Catholic Church
because it would make her fee
l right" he said. "but I don't &c
to church. Our two sons are
Catholics"
He turned to his wife, who
I sat beside him, and said, "I
S haven't changed her way o.
e thinking a bit and she hasn't
6 changed NINE"
And if he had to go through
the trial again, what would HI
IA0