The "Monkey Trials''
In North Carolina
When the evolution ruckus hit. fun¬
damentalist and education forces
fought it out.
Bij JOE JOXES
Calls for laws against the teaching of
the theory of evolution in public schools
keep popping up in various states and
are a reminder of the celebrated “mon¬
key trial" held in 1925 in Dayton. Tenn.
There the opposing lawyers were Clar¬
ence Darrow and William Jennings
Bryan and the defendant was John T.
Scopes, found guilty and fined $100 and
costs for teaching evolution in the Day-
ton High School.
Tar Heels had their own monkey trial
that same year. The measure that
brought on the evolution ruckus in
North Carolina was introduced in the
House of Representatives on Jan. 8.
1925, by Rep. S. Scott Poole of Hoke
County, whose contention was that
"state-supported institutions should not
be permitted to teach that the Bible is
a myth and Christianity a superstition."
A month later, after hearing friends
and foes of the Poole bill, the House
Committee on Education voted II to II
on its fate. Rep. H. G. Conner Jr., com¬
mittee chairman, broke the tie by vot¬
ing against the bill.
U.N.C. Opposes Poole Bill
Although this placed it on the un¬
favorable calendar, its backers had just
begun to fight. They filed a minority re¬
port and called upon their supporters
throughout the state to come to Raleigh
to impress the General Assembly by
their presence. At the same time U.N.C.
President Harry W. Chase appealed to
friends of education to oppose the res¬
olution. Talking to the committee, he
said:
"I am not here to discuss evolution as
a biologist. Ihe Constitution of the
United States guarantees freedom of
speech and freedom of the press and
declares that it shall not be abridged.
Shall we write into that article "except
to school teachers?’ If there is one Prot¬
estant denomination which forbids the
teaching of evolution from the pulpit. I
do not recall it: and why it should be
и
held unlawful to teach it on week days
seems to me illogical, to say the least.”
In a letter to Rep. Walter Murphy of
Rowan County Chase said, "It will
probably have occurred to you in con¬
nection with the Poole bill that if it
should pass, the University will find it
impossible to retain the services of
many of its best men. who would feel
that their self respect is impaired if they
had to wx>rk under such circumstances."
Two days later, on Feb. 16, Chase
wired Gov. Angus McLean: "Under¬
stand grave danger Poole bill will pass
in House tomorrow night. Enactment of
this resolution would be a blow struck
at the heart of the University."
Clear the Room!
Following the minority report, the
bill had been set for discussion by the
House on the night of Feb. 17. When
House members arrived for the session
they found ihe chamber packed, even
their own seals being occupied, and an
overflow crowd filling the corridors and
the Capitol grounds. The sergeant-at-
arms was ordered to clear the room. He
was unable to do so. and the meeting
was adjourned to the next day.
On the morning of that day. Feb. 18.
Editor Josephus Daniels of the News
and Observer ran a strong editorial
against the measure. When the House
opened discussion of the bill Rep. R.O.
Everett of Durham County moved that
it be tabled. His motion was defeated
and was followed by prolonged discus¬
sion that forced the measure into the
next day. Feb. 19.
On the 19th Committee Chairman
Connor, out of respect for the strong re¬
ligious convictions of the bill’s propo¬
nents. offered a substitute resolution he
thought might have a chance to pass.
Rep. Murphy eloquently led the oppo¬
sition to the substitute. It was defeated.
70-40. The original resolution was then
voted on and defeated. 64-46. Although
this killed the bill for 1925. it was far
from dead.
Turbulence In Charlotte
In April. 1926, a Committee of One
Hundred was organized in Charlotte to
work toward the passage of an anti¬
evolution bill in the 1927 General As¬
sembly. In May it held a long meeting
attended by some 300 fundamentalist
preachers and laymen.
The morning session was held in the
auditorium of Charlotte’s Carnegie Li¬
brary, but because of the crowd the af¬
ternoon session was moved to the Sec¬
ond Presbyterian Church. Tension and
confusion marked both sessions. The
strained atmosphere was intensified by
the presence of alumni and friends of
the University who were not in sympa¬
thy with the aims of the meeting and
rose to defend President Chase and
U.N.C. This faction was led by Char¬
lotte attorneys W.T. Shore and Charles
W. Tillett Jr. When former Charlotte
Mayor Frank R. McNinch tried to
speak against the proposed bill the
meeting became so turbulent that order
was hard to restore.
In January, 1927, soon after the new-
General Assembly had convened, the
Committee of One Hundred circulated
petitions calling for the introduction of
another anti-evolution bill. Such a bill
was introduced on Jan. 26 by Rep.
Poole, the original bill’s sponsor in
1925.
An Unexpected Orator
On Feb. 10 the House held a three-
hour hearing on the new bill. Tension
mounted until, near the close of the
hearing, a U.N.C. law student moved to
the front of the House and began to
speak. The unexpected orator was Paul
J. Ranson of Huntersville, later a Dur¬
ham attorney.
"1 think it is time for young people of
this state to speak out." he said in a loud
voice. "I want to say first that I was
raised in a Christian home and I think
the younger generation should tell the
people something about all this foolish¬
ness they are carrying on. God knows
it’s not evolution that’s driving the
young people out of the churches. I hav¬
en’t been driven out and I’ve attended
the University six years."
The House rocked with laughter and
applause.
"You laugh like you think I am dumb
because I’ve gone there six years." the
student shouted. "I went there for four
years and graduated and now I’ve
studied law there for two years. I’ve had
five brothers who went to the Univer¬
sity and not one of them turned out an
atheist. We do not know anything about
(Continued on page 32)
THE STATE, JULY 1987
