Scopes Trial Revisited: Remembering the Past

Originally published in the Bryan College Triangle, 3/23/2006

by R.J. Smith

This week's Scopes Trial symposium, hosted on the Bryan campus, marked the formal end of the college's 75th anniversary celebration. The symposium itself began a discussion about the Scopes trial, the history about education before and after the trial, and an in-depth analysis as to the cause and effect of the trial upon America and the world.

According to Dr. Todd Wood, assistant professor of science and assistant director of the Center for Origins Research, this type of event was important in establishing the prominence of Bryan College.

"To me, it was about time we did a big event like this," said Wood. "This academic institution should be leading the way in that kind of scholarly work about the trial."

Over the course of two days, beginning on Monday morning, attendees heard from 11 speakers, 1 moderator, and another guest of the conference. Sessions were arranged into three sections: one describing the events leading up to the trial, one covering the trial itself, and a third section on the results of the trial.

Students were invited to attend all of the sessions, and were treated to a re-enactment of portions of the trial during chapel on Monday. The primary audience was scholars from other institutions, lawyers, and members of the community.

According to Stephanie Mace, research assistant for the center, the symposium was in the planning stages for about two years. Dr. Wood, Dr. Kurt Wise, and Dr. Richard Cornelius, professor emeritus of the English, spent countless hours preparing for the event.

Their efforts paid off, with the speakers including seven that hold PhD's in their subject areas, including Dr. Edward Larson, who received a Pulitzer Prize for his book on the Scopes Trial, titled Summer for the Gods. Larson spoke several times, including a special session on-site at the Rhea County Courthouse as well as a chapel address on Tuesday morning.

Students found Larson's talk about the Scopes Trial and comparing it to the movie Inherit the Wind to be especially enlightening.

"It makes me want to see the movie now," said freshman Brian Popovich. "Not just the movie itself, but the controversy and how it's perceived."

Credible speakers like Larson are important elevating the Scopes Trial beyond the skewed portrayal in Inherit the Wind, according to some students.

"What Larson didn't say, what he implied, could be extended beyond what the movie said-to the public consciousness of the time," said senior Jarrell Waggoner. "That gives value to what he said."

Dr. Cornelius was the primary person in charge of communicating with the speakers, according to Wood. He worked to ensure that schedules matched up and that the overall content of the symposium would provide the attendees with valuable information.

Speakers during the regular sessions brought up significant points about the trial and what has happened in academia over the course of the past two centuries.

Wise, speaking on the history of creationism, also defined the context in which young age creationists had to operate in at the time of the trial.

"The word science was defined in the 19th century ... and they deliberately excluded young earth creationism," said Wise.

Other sessions focused on the background and pressures that brought about the trial, including the topic of eugenics and its dominance in America and Germany prior to World War II.

Ultimately, the text of the papers that were presented over the course of the symposium will be published, marking the first formal release of a Bryan College publication regarding the Scopes Trial. This effort is primarily the task of Cornelius and Wood, who will be taking over as Director of CORE upon the departure of Dr. Wise.

Wood is looking forward to future events sponsored by CORE, including a possible collaboration with the Bryan Center for Critical Thought and Practice.