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Chicago Tribune
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Returning again to the Scopes ‘monkey trial,' and what I learned
You may have noticed that the 100th anniversary of the so-called 'monkey trial' in Dayton, Tennessee, has rolled around this month, with various offerings, notably my colleague Ron Grossman's excellent recent story, which informed me, among many things, that the town's main street 'took on a carnival atmosphere. Rival trainers brought chimpanzees to town — including a celebrated simian named Joe Mendi, who wore a plaid suit and a fedora hat. Vendors hawked toy monkeys and Bibles. Shop windows had monkey-theme displays.' Read that story and perhaps you too will be compelled to dive deeper into the past. The simplest way is to watch the 128-minute 1960 movie based on the events that took place, mostly in a sweltering courtroom, from July 10-21 in 1925. I did that, and 'Inherit the Wind' is a great movie. Adapted from a successful play written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee and based on real events, it is dominated by those towering actors Spencer Tracy and Fredric March. They portray, respectively, opposing attorneys Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan, though they're given the names Henry Drummond and Matthew Harrison Brady. See what I mean by 'based on.' Still, Amazon touts the movie as the 'thrilling recreation of the most titanic courtroom battles of the century,' hyperbolically ignoring a trial the year before, when Darrow took on the defense of killers Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb in Chicago. (There's a pretty good movie of that too, 1959's 'Compulsion'). The trial, more formally called the Scopes trial, or the State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, involved a high school teacher, John Scopes, who was accused of violating the Butler Act, a Tennessee state law banning the teaching of human evolution in public schools. After watching 'Inherit,' I did some further digging and feel fortunate to have learned some encouraging things about Scopes. For instance, 'He did not capitalize at all on his celebrity,' said John Mark Hansen. 'He had offers of tens of thousands of dollars to go on vaudeville stages and talk about the trial. Instead, he came to the University of Chicago to further his education, never seeking attention.' Hansen is a longtime University of Chicago political science professor and Hyde Park resident. He is also a talented writer, and his 'Evolution on Trial' story in the university's magazine makes for enlightening and lively reading. Among the other things I learned: Darrow, the principal defense attorney, knew many University of Chicago scientists and professors, because for years, living in an apartment on 60th Street near Stony Island Avenue, 'he hosted an informal biology club … directing discussions on biology, religion and evolution,' Hansen writes. He recruited some of these folks to testify at the trial, and they stayed in 'a big Victorian house on the edge of Dayton,' which is described as 'ancient and empty … now crudely furnished with iron cots, spittoons, playing cards and the other camp equipment of scientists,' Hansen writes. 'It was called the Mansion, Defense Mansion, and, inevitably, the Monkey House.' Scopes decided to study geology at the University of Chicago. His tuition toward earning a doctorate was paid for by a grant and other donations. But when he applied for a third year to finish his studies, the president of another school that administered the fellowships refused to consider his application, saying, 'As far as I am concerned, you can take your atheistic marbles and play elsewhere.' And so he did, fading away into life as a working geologist, Hansen tells me, living in Texas and Louisiana. He did return to the University of Chicago campus for a conference in 1960. When asked about the 1925 trial, Hansen writes, 'Scopes had little to add. 'I hope that I don't ever have to go through something like that again.'' 'Some of the issues of the trial still echo,' says Hansen. 'Ever debated is the role of religion in public school classrooms, as is the question 'Who controls what gets taught in school?'' Bryan died only days after the Scopes trial and Darrow lived until 1938, the most famous lawyer in the world then, and arguably still. Reading Hansen's fine story and watching 'Inherit the Wind' put Darrow solidly in my mind and compelled me to go to see a small and pretty bridge in Jackson Park. It sits behind the Museum of Science and Industry, named in Darrow's honor and dedicated in 1957 by relatively new mayor Richard J. Daley. Closed to pedestrians since 2013, it's sadly in bad shape, recently having been listed as one of Preservation Chicago's 7 Most Endangered Buildings for 2025, noting, 'As necessary maintenance continues to be deferred, the bridge is increasingly vulnerable to further disrepair. If conditions worsen, demolition and removal are possible outcomes.' I also found the time to read Darrow's 20,000 some-word closing argument in the Leopold and Loeb sentencing, the words that saved those two men from execution. Here are some of them: 'You may hang these boys; you may hang them, by the neck until they are dead. But in doing it you will turn your face toward the past. … I am pleading for the future; I am pleading for a time when hatred and cruelty will not control the hearts of men. When we can learn by reason and judgment and understanding and faith that all life is worth saving, and that mercy is the highest attribute of man.'
Toronto Star
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Tired of put-downs, Tennessee town corrects the record with play about the Scopes trial it hosted
DAYTON, Tenn. (AP) — A small town in eastern Tennessee courted national publicity and attention a century ago when local leaders planned a test trial over the teaching of evolution in public schools. What they got from the eight-day Scopes trial was more than they bargained for. The trial of the century — and the first to be broadcast over the radio — inspired articles, books, plays and movies, including the popular 'Inherit the Wind.'
NBC News
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Tired of put-downs, Tennessee town corrects the record with play about the Scopes trial it hosted
DAYTON, Tenn. — A small town in eastern Tennessee courted national publicity and attention a century ago when local leaders planned a test trial over the teaching of evolution in public schools. What they got from the eight-day Scopes trial was more than they bargained for. The trial of the century — and the first to be broadcast over the radio — inspired articles, books, plays and movies, including the popular 'Inherit the Wind.' It also characterized Dayton as an uneducated town of strident Christian fundamentalists, a narrative locals have spent decades trying to rewrite. For over 30 years, people in Rhea County have put on a play every July using the trial transcript, aiming to correct the record. In their own words, the actors and director of 'Destiny in Dayton' explain the complexities of the town captured by history. The director Dan Buck was a theater professor at a nearby private university when he got an email seeking a director for the play about the Scopes trial. Buck knew about the trial, but didn't know Dayton had its own play. 'The legacy of little towns telling their own story through theater is rich history, right?' Buck said, noting the tradition was playfully lampooned in the mockumentary, 'Waiting for Guffman.' Locals have put on the play to counter the stereotypes and creative liberties from 'Inherit the Wind,' as well as columnist H.L. Mencken's harsh critique of residents at the time. 'I quickly learned that the people of the town here are not real fond of the play or the movie,' Buck said. 'They call it the 'Scottish play,' which is a reference to Macbeth, the thing you're not supposed to say: the cursed play.' In truth, the story of the trial was more complicated and nuanced than most people think. John T. Scopes, the local teacher, was a willing participant in testing the anti-evolution law, and prosecutor William Jennings Bryan didn't die after the trial because he was defeated by defense attorney Clarence Darrow's arguments.
San Francisco Chronicle
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Tired of put-downs, Tennessee town corrects the record with play about the Scopes trial it hosted
DAYTON, Tenn. (AP) — A small town in eastern Tennessee courted national publicity and attention a century ago when local leaders planned a test trial over the teaching of evolution in public schools. What they got from the eight-day Scopes trial was more than they bargained for. The trial of the century — and the first to be broadcast over the radio — inspired articles, books, plays and movies, including the popular 'Inherit the Wind.' For over 30 years, people in Rhea County have put on a play every July using the trial transcript, aiming to correct the record. In their own words, the actors and director of 'Destiny in Dayton' explain the complexities of the town captured by history. The director Dan Buck was a theater professor at a nearby private university when he got an email seeking a director for the play about the Scopes trial. Buck knew about the trial, but didn't know Dayton had its own play. 'The legacy of little towns telling their own story through theater is rich history, right?' Buck said, noting the tradition was playfully lampooned in the mockumentary, 'Waiting for Guffman.' Locals have put on the play to counter the stereotypes and creative liberties from 'Inherit the Wind,' as well as columnist H.L. Mencken's harsh critique of residents at the time. 'I quickly learned that the people of the town here are not real fond of the play or the movie,' Buck said. 'They call it the 'Scottish play,' which is a reference to Macbeth, the thing you're not supposed to say: the cursed play.' In truth, the story of the trial was more complicated and nuanced than most people think. John T. Scopes, the local teacher, was a willing participant in testing the anti-evolution law, and prosecutor William Jennings Bryan didn't die after the trial because he was defeated by defense attorney Clarence Darrow's arguments. In directing the play on the trial's 100th anniversary, Buck says he is working toward the same mission Dayton leaders had a century ago. 'I am building up the buzz about this town, getting people here to get them excited, putting Dayton on the map,' Buck said. 'Maybe we are trying to use this story and this trial to get a little attention to this specific place.' The descendant Jacob Smith, 23, didn't realize his connection to the most famous trial until he started studying history. His great-great-great-grandmother's brother was Walter White, the county superintendent of schools and one of the key figures who brought the trial to Dayton. Smith plays Dudley Field Malone, a defense attorney for Scopes who gave speeches as equally impassioned and memorable during the trial as Bryan and Darrow. One of Smith's favorite lines to deliver is a reference to the so-called battle between the two sides in court. 'He basically says, 'There is never a duel with the truth,'' Smith said. 'He said, 'It always wins. It is no coward. It does not need the law, the forces of government, or,' and he pauses, 'Mr. Bryan.'' Smith is currently the county archivist, and he delights in seeing people visit Dayton's original courthouse with its squeaky and shiny wood floors, tall windows and impressive stairs that lead up to the wide courtroom on the second floor. 'You can hold the handrails going up to that circuit courtroom, just like those lawyers would have done and all those spectators would have done back in 1925,' Smith said. The 'Great Commoner' Larry Jones has acted in community and local theater since childhood, so he thought he knew the story of the Scopes trial after performing in a production of 'Inherit the Wind.' He later realized the famous play was taking creative liberties to make the trial a metaphor for something else captivating the nation's attention at the time: McCarthyism. Jones plays the role of Bryan, a famous Christian orator and populist politician whose speeches earned him the nickname of 'the Great Commoner.' He says the hardest part was not learning the lengthy speeches Bryan gives during the trial, but rather the sparring he must do when Darrow unexpectedly puts Bryan on the stand to defend the literal truth of the Bible. 'I'm just having to respond spontaneously, and it feels spontaneous every time,' Jones said. 'So part of my mind is going, 'Oh my gosh, is that the right cue? Am I going to say the right thing?'' Jones said audiences still connect to the retelling of the trial a century later because these are issues they continue to deal with. 'People are still arguing the same case,' Jones said. 'What is the role of the federal government or the state government in public school systems? What should be allowed? What shouldn't be allowed? What can parents exert influence over for their children's sake? Whether it's evolution or whether it's literature or any of the political issues that are abundant today, it still is the same argument.' No conclusion The outcome of the trial was no great surprise. The jury found Scopes guilty after a few minutes of deliberation. The defense attorneys' goal all along, however, was to take the legal argument to a higher court. Today, Dayton embraces its place in history with the annual celebration of the trial. Businesses advertise and promote the 'Monkey trial.' And locals have adopted the phrase: 'Dayton has evolved.' 'We're dusting off a very old story, but it's very new,' said Buck. 'It's very, very right now.'
Hamilton Spectator
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Tired of put-downs, Tennessee town corrects the record with play about the Scopes trial it hosted
DAYTON, Tenn. (AP) — A small town in eastern Tennessee courted national publicity and attention a century ago when local leaders planned a test trial over the teaching of evolution in public schools. What they got from the eight-day Scopes trial was more than they bargained for. The trial of the century — and the first to be broadcast over the radio — inspired articles, books, plays and movies, including the popular 'Inherit the Wind.' It also characterized Dayton as an uneducated town of strident Christian fundamentalists, a narrative locals have spent decades trying to rewrite. For over 30 years, people in Rhea County have put on a play every July using the trial transcript, aiming to correct the record. In their own words, the actors and director of 'Destiny in Dayton' explain the complexities of the town captured by history. The director Dan Buck was a theater professor at a nearby private university when he got an email seeking a director for the play about the Scopes trial. Buck knew about the trial, but didn't know Dayton had its own play. 'The legacy of little towns telling their own story through theater is rich history, right?' Buck said, noting the tradition was playfully lampooned in the mockumentary, 'Waiting for Guffman.' Locals have put on the play to counter the stereotypes and creative liberties from 'Inherit the Wind,' as well as columnist H.L. Mencken's harsh critique of residents at the time. 'I quickly learned that the people of the town here are not real fond of the play or the movie,' Buck said. 'They call it the 'Scottish play,' which is a reference to Macbeth, the thing you're not supposed to say: the cursed play.' In truth, the story of the trial was more complicated and nuanced than most people think. John T. Scopes, the local teacher, was a willing participant in testing the anti-evolution law, and prosecutor William Jennings Bryan didn't die after the trial because he was defeated by defense attorney Clarence Darrow's arguments. In directing the play on the trial's 100th anniversary, Buck says he is working toward the same mission Dayton leaders had a century ago. 'I am building up the buzz about this town, getting people here to get them excited, putting Dayton on the map,' Buck said. 'Maybe we are trying to use this story and this trial to get a little attention to this specific place.' The descendant Jacob Smith, 23, didn't realize his connection to the most famous trial until he started studying history. His great-great-great-grandmother's brother was Walter White, the county superintendent of schools and one of the key figures who brought the trial to Dayton. Smith plays Dudley Field Malone, a defense attorney for Scopes who gave speeches as equally impassioned and memorable during the trial as Bryan and Darrow. One of Smith's favorite lines to deliver is a reference to the so-called battle between the two sides in court. 'He basically says, 'There is never a duel with the truth,'' Smith said. 'He said, 'It always wins. It is no coward. It does not need the law, the forces of government, or,' and he pauses, 'Mr. Bryan.'' Smith is currently the county archivist, and he delights in seeing people visit Dayton's original courthouse with its squeaky and shiny wood floors, tall windows and impressive stairs that lead up to the wide courtroom on the second floor. 'You can hold the handrails going up to that circuit courtroom, just like those lawyers would have done and all those spectators would have done back in 1925,' Smith said. The 'Great Commoner' Larry Jones has acted in community and local theater since childhood, so he thought he knew the story of the Scopes trial after performing in a production of 'Inherit the Wind.' He later realized the famous play was taking creative liberties to make the trial a metaphor for something else captivating the nation's attention at the time: McCarthyism . Jones plays the role of Bryan, a famous Christian orator and populist politician whose speeches earned him the nickname of 'the Great Commoner.' He says the hardest part was not learning the lengthy speeches Bryan gives during the trial, but rather the sparring he must do when Darrow unexpectedly puts Bryan on the stand to defend the literal truth of the Bible. 'I'm just having to respond spontaneously, and it feels spontaneous every time,' Jones said. 'So part of my mind is going, 'Oh my gosh, is that the right cue? Am I going to say the right thing?'' Jones said audiences still connect to the retelling of the trial a century later because these are issues they continue to deal with . 'People are still arguing the same case,' Jones said. 'What is the role of the federal government or the state government in public school systems? What should be allowed? What shouldn't be allowed? What can parents exert influence over for their children's sake? Whether it's evolution or whether it's literature or any of the political issues that are abundant today, it still is the same argument.' No conclusion The outcome of the trial was no great surprise. The jury found Scopes guilty after a few minutes of deliberation. The defense attorneys' goal all along, however, was to take the legal argument to a higher court. Today, Dayton embraces its place in history with the annual celebration of the trial. Businesses advertise and promote the 'Monkey trial.' And locals have adopted the phrase: 'Dayton has evolved.' 'We're dusting off a very old story, but it's very new,' said Buck. 'It's very, very right now.' ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
