Jerry Summers
Although millions of words have been written or spoken on the famous “Monkey Trial” (HL Mencken label) that occurred in July 1925 in the rural city of Dayton and Rhea County, Tennessee it was not until 1967 that the principal participant in the event John T Scopes, wrote his memoirs.
In “Center of the Storm” he collaborated with author James Presley to tell his life story up to that point at the age of 66.
The 277 page adventures of Scope’s life from his birth in 1900 covers many interesting events outside of his role in the test case attempting to have the Anti Evolution Act (Butler Law) declared unconstitutional with the main goal being to create a high publicity and profitable event to the community of the county of Rhea.
Most of the events Scopes described in the book have been covered many times by previous authors. However, his contact and evaluation of defense attorney Clarence Darrow, co counsel for the defense, Dudley Field Malone, and fundamentalist defender, William Jennings Bryan, are particularly moving.
After the trial Scopes relationships with Darrow continued for many years in Chicago. The young defendant in the landmark case described Darrow as having “the second greatest influence on his life- after his father.” He also commented that Darrow was “the best read man I have known.” It was not his speaking skills that impressed his client the most as compared to William Jennings Bryan oratory talent, but it was his thorough preparation and ability to break down complex issues into simple, understandable terms for ordinary people.
Surprisingly, it was not either Darrow, Bryan, or numerous other Tennessee attorneys involved in the case that earned the greatest praise from Scopes, but was the divorce attorney Dudley Field Malone that received Scope’s accolades for his demeanor and courtroom trial tactic of never taking off his double breasted suit coat in the stifling summer heat in the non- air conditioned courtroom until he rose to give a defense argument on the important issue of the admissibility of scientific testimony by defense expert witnesses opposed by the prosecution.
After Malone had finished, Bryan told the lawyer and an empty courtroom with only the two of them and Scopes present that, “it was one of the greatest speeches I've ever heard.”
In testimony outside the presence of the jury that became a part of the 1960 Stanley Kramer movie “Inherit the Wind”, Darrow and Bryan engaged in their arguments for and against the theory of evolution versus the Bible on creation.
In “Center of the Storm” Scopes was kind to Bryan but commented on his health conditions of his heart and diabetes, and his advanced age. Bryan and Scopes also had a common connection to Salem, Illinois, where the young man had graduated from high school, and the politician had given a commencement speech.
Scopes expressed some surprise when Bryan recalled their prior meeting, when they met in Dayton for the trial.
(Although the historical significance of the trial in 1925 is kept alive each year by the dedicated members of the Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society, it is somewhat ironic that the copy of Scopes memoirs provided for this article had previously been discarded by the Yuma County Library District in Phoenix, Arizona.
In light of the present controversy over book selections in school libraries in 2024, the “True Trial of the Century” remain the foremost example of what students may or may not be exposed to in educational environments.
PS: Tennessee finally repealed the 1925 Butler law in 1967 prior to the United States Supreme Court in 1968, holding that an Arkansas law banning the teaching of human evolution and public school was unconstitutional.
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If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact him at jsummers@summersfirm.com)