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Inherit the Wind: A Hollywood History of the 1925
Inherit the Wind: A Hollywood History of
the 1925 Scopes 'Monkey' Trial
by Dr. David N. Menton
Copyright © 1994 by the Missouri Association for Creation, Inc.
Rarely, it seems, does a year go by that the Jerome Lawrence and
Robert E. Lee play _Inherit the Wind_ about the famous "monkey trial" is
not produced by local high schools and colleges. In addition, the 1960
film of the same name featuring Frederic March and Spencer Tracy appears
frequently on local television. Lest there be even a few who have some
how failed to see these productions, NBC produced its own color remake
of _Inherit the Wind_ in 1988 which it has aired twice on nationwide
television. All of these versions of _Inherit the Wind_ are quite
similar, with both film versions expanding on certain themes of the
original play.
The great interest in _Inherit the Wind_ rests largely on its
perceived relevance to the growing creation-evolution controversy. While
_Inherit the Wind_ is obviously not a documentary, it is understood to
be a documentary-drama of the famous Scopes trial of 1925, which pitted
William Jennings Bryan against Clarence Darrow in a classic
confrontation over the teaching of evolution and creation in the public
schools. Considerable theatrical liberties were exercised in developing
the plot but occasional courtroom exchanges were taken verbatim from the
transcript of the Scopes trial. The composite that resulted has
unfortunately become widely perceived as essentially an historical
account of the trial. This widely held misconception has been
reinforced by the extensive promotions, advertisements and reviews that
preceded the showing of the NBC television version of _Inherit The
Wind_. Many grade schools and high schools throughout the nation asked
their students to watch NBC's _Inherit the Wind_ so that they might
better understand the events and issues surrounding the nation's most
famous courtroom battle.
The original film version of _Inherit the Wind_ has long been used as
an educational film in science, history and social studies classes. In
the Mehlville school district in St. Louis County, for example, this
film is shown to junior high students in their earth science class.
Their teacher claims that the film shows "the triumph of science over
religious dogma." But does _Inherit the Wind_, or even the Scopes trial
itself, show the triumph of science (evolutionism) over religious dogma
(special creation)? More importantly, is the play/film a fair and
accurate representation of the great battle of ideas and beliefs that
was waged at the Rhea County Court House in Dayton, Tennessee? The
answers to these questions are important in view of the impact that the
frequent showing of the various versions of _Inherit the Wind_ are likely
to have on the attitudes and beliefs of its viewers.
The purpose of this study was to carefully compare the film _Inherit The
Wind_ (CBS Fox Video, copyright 1960) with the actual transcript of the
Scopes trial as well as with various biographical and historical
accounts of the trial and its participants. The transcript of the
Scopes trial is available on microfilm in most University law libraries,
but for convenience in study, I chose to use a reprint of the original
transcript published in its entirety at the time of the trial in the
book, _The Worlds Most Famous Court Trial_. All page
references to the "transcript" in this study refer to this book.
Curiously, the film _Inherit the Wind_, unlike other documentary-dramas
such as _Gandhi_ and _Patton_, does not use the actual names of either the
participants or places it portrays. Although some characters like the
Rev. Jeremiah Brown and his much persecuted daughter Rachel are purely
fictitious, the rest of the principal characters in the play and film
versions of _Inherit the Wind_ clearly represent well known participants
in the Scopes trial. Lest there be any doubt, even the pattern of the
names and the number of syllables in each name carefully match the real
names of the people they purport to portray. In both the play and film
versions, the character Matthew Harrison Brady represents William
Jennings Bryan, Henry Drummond represents Clarence Darrow, Bert Cates
represents John Scopes and E. K. Hornbeck represents H. L. Mencken. I
have chosen to use the proper names of the principals in the Scopes
trial to avoid confusion since there has never been any doubt who the
chief characters in the film are intended to represent.
I believe that the following observations will show that there are
profound discrepancies between the film and the relevant historical
evidence. With the exception, perhaps, of the degree to which this is
true, these differences were not unexpected. What is more significant,
however, is that there is considerable evidence to suggest that the film
is not simply inaccurate, in the way of "Hollywood history," but rather
is highly biased in its' intent. The historical inaccuracies are
systematic and of a kind that presents a consistent bias of slanderous
proportions against a particular class of people and their beliefs.
Specifically, people who believe in the miracles recorded in the Bible,
and especially the Biblical account of creation, are portrayed in an
outrageously uncomplimentary way. On the other hand, those who are
critical or virtually unbelieving, with regard to the miracles of the
Bible, are portrayed as eminently reasonable people who must suffer the
abuse, threats and ignorance of the fundamentalist Christians around
them.
In the observations that follow, segments of the general story line of
the film are presented in roughly chronological order under the heading
"MOVIE:"; immediately following, under the heading "FACT:", is a discussion
of each film segment in the light of the Scopes trial transcript as well
as other historical sources. Although the following story lines and
criticisms refer specifically to the 1960 film version of _Inherit The
Wind_, in most instances they apply with equal validity to the original
play as well as the NBC television remake.
MOVIE: Begins with an off key vocal dirge on the song _Old Time
Religion_ repeated for numerous choruses. Drums pound ominously
in the background as sinister men (clergymen and businessmen)
gather to do foul deeds in the name of God. They intrude into
the biology classroom where John Scopes is caught teaching
evolution with enthusiasm and conviction, and there indict
Scopes for breaking the law against teaching evolution. Scopes
is immediately jailed and remains in jail throughout the trial.
Out of fear, Scopes sends a letter to a newspaper requesting
help assuming, it would appear, that the news media can always
be counted on to defend evolutionism. The notorious reporter
and editorialist H. L. Mencken comes to the rescue and enlists
the aid of the famous trial lawyer, Clarence Darrow. And none
to soon, for the Fundamentalist Christians of Dayton hate John
Scopes and gather outside his jail cell window to throw things
at him and chant that they are going to lynch him.
FACT: No one intruded in John Scopes' classroom. Scopes was not a
biology teacher. Scopes only filled in for two weeks near the
end of the school year for the biology teacher, Mr. Ferguson,
who was ill. Scopes didn't even have a college degree in
science (he had an undergraduate major in law at the University
of Kentucky). Scopes was hired to teach math and coach the
football team. The team improved during the year under Scopes
and he was generally well liked by the people of Rhea County.
Prior to the trial, no one outside his school knew or cared what
Scopes taught in school. Scopes maintained to his death in 1970
that he never taught evolution during the two weeks he
substituted for the biology teacher but rather simply reviewed
the students for their final exam. In Sprague de Camp's book,
_The Great Monkey Trial_, there is recorded a remarkable
conversation between Scopes and reporter William K. Hutchinson
of the International News Service which occurred during the last
days of the trial. Scopes said:
"There's something I must tell you. It's worried me. I didn't
violate the law ...I never taught that evolution lesson. I
skipped it. I was doing something else the day I should have
taught it, and I missed the whole lesson about Darwin and never
did teach it. Those kids they put on the stand couldn't
remember what I taught them three months ago. They were coached
by the lawyers." "Honest, I've been scared all through the trial
that the kids might remember I missed the lesson. I was afraid
they'd get on the stand and say I hadn't taught it and then the
whole trial would go blooey. If that happened they would run me
out of town on a rail."
When Hutchinson replied that would make a great story, Scopes said:
"My god no! Not a word of it until the Supreme Court passes my
appeal. My lawyers would kill me." (de Camp, page 432)
Hutchinson did claim he overheard Clarence Darrow coaching the
students on what to say, but even with coaching, only one of the
students clearly implied that Scopes taught evolution. There is clearly
a more interesting story here than the public has been told: Clarence
Darrow, who was presumably supposed to defend his client from a law that
forbid the teaching of evolution, apparently coached his client's
students to perjure themselves by claiming that John Scopes taught
evolution when in fact he hadn't!
Given that John Scopes was a popular football coach in Dayton who never
taught evolution and didn't feel strongly about the subject - how then
did he get indicted for violating a Tennessee law which forbid teaching
the evolution of man? The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in New
York City and George Rappleyea, a local mine operator in Dayton
Tennessee, were responsible for indicting John Scopes for teaching
evolution. The ACLU was anxious to get a test case in Tennessee which
they might be able to use to repeal or nullify the Butler act. This act
forbid public school teachers in the state of Tennessee to deny the
literal Biblical account of man's origin and to teach in its place the
evolution of man from lower animals. The law, incidentally, didn't
forbid teaching the evolution of any other species of plant or animal.
George Rappleyea read a press release from the ACLU in a Chattanooga
paper, _The Daily Times_, which said in part:
"We are looking for a Tennessee teacher who is willing to accept
our services in testing this law in the courts."
The release promised legal services without cost and implied that the
Ku-Klux Klan and "professional patriotic societies" were the
"inspiration" for the law. Rappleyea apparently had reasons of his own
for trying to embarrass the Fundamentalist Christians of Tennessee by
challenging and perhaps overthrowing a law which favored teaching the
Biblical account of man's creation. During the Scopes trial George
Rappleyea told the press about his reason for setting the Scopes trial
in motion. Rappleyea was apparently upset with a Fundamentalist
preacher who he claimed declared that a dead boy would be cast into the
"flames of hell" because he had neither "confessed Christ" nor was
baptized. This apparently did not agree with Rappleyea's religious
views and he vowed that he would "get even" with the "Fundamentalists"
who he believed were responsible for the antievolution law (de Camp,
pages 6-7). Rappleyea said "I made up my mind I'd show the world."
Rappleyea, who de Camp describes as an "intense, argumentative,
garrulous man," lost no time in seeking out John Scopes and in
pressuring him to accept the ACLU offer. Scopes was apparently
reluctant to get involved and told Rappleyea that he had not actually
taught evolution. Rappleyea insisted that since the biology text book
taught evolution, that was close enough and with Scopes' permission he
wrote out a telegram on the spot to the ACLU which read:
"Professor J.T. Scopes, teacher of science Rhea County high
School, Dayton, Tenn, will be arrested and charged with teaching
evolution. Consent of superintendent of education for test case
to be defended by you. Wire me collect if you wish to cooperate
and arrest will follow."
Apparently Rappleyea didn't even wait for the ACLU response as he
went right out to a justice of the peace to get a warrant for Scopes'
arrest. Sue Hicks, a local lawyer who went along with the plan, filled
out a makeshift arrest warrant while Rappleyea swore to the truth of the
statement and signed the warrant. He then found a sheriff and demanded
the arrest of John Scopes. Scopes was arrested and immediately released
on a bond of $1,000. It should be emphasized that, contrary to the
film, Scopes was never jailed for teaching evolution. In portraying
Scopes as a "prisoner", the film obviously tried to invoke sympathy for
Scopes as a man who was persecuted for his beliefs by prying
Fundamentalists. In his book, Sprague de Camp dispelled what he called
"the widespread myth" of the dedicated school teacher who was persecuted
for his courageous stand on behalf of evolution by "witch-burning"
Fundamentalists:
"The trial wasn't a 'witch hunt' as it has been called, because
the accused and his defenders - the 'witches' - were actually
the hunters, stalking the law with the intent of overturning it
or at least making it unenforceable." (de Camp, page 490)
MOVIE: Throughout the film William Jennings Bryan is portrayed as
closed-minded, pompous, stupid, intolerant, hypocritical,
insincere and a glutton. As the trial progresses, Bryan becomes
virtually obsessed with his mission of prosecuting John Scopes
and keeping evolution out of the schools. Even Bryan's wife
gradually comes to realize that her husband is a religious
zealot and seems to regret that she didn't get to know the
agnostic Clarence Darrow a little better in their younger years.
Even Bryan's reputation as an orator is called into question in
the film which portrays him as a strutting and arrogant sounding
"flim-flam man" whose style and tedious sense of humor appeals
only to ignorant folks (ie. Christian Fundamentalists). It is
hardly possible to watch the film without developing a sense of
contempt for William Jennings Bryan and the Christian
Fundamentalists who somehow find something to admire in the man.
FACT: In his book _The Great Monkey Trial_, Sprague de Camp repudiates
Bryan's conservative Christianity and misses no opportunity to
be critical of his scientific views and yet, honesty compelled
him to give Bryan credit for at least some of his undeniable
virtues:
"As a speaker, Bryan radiated good humored sincerity. Few who
heard him could help liking him. In personality he was
forceful, energetic, and opinionated but genial, kindly,
generous, likable and charming. He showed a praise worthy
tolerance towards those who disagreed with him. Bryan was the
greatest American orator of his time and perhaps any time." (de
Camp, page 37)
This is obviously not the man portrayed in the film, but de Camp's
description of Bryan's character is entirely consistent with the major
biographies of Bryan's life (see Levine, 1965 and Coletta, 1969). None
the less, many of Bryan's enemies insisted that, regardless of his many
virtues, he was ignorant and even dangerous when it came to scientific
or factual matters. The historical record does not support this
accusation.
Bryan was not just a "commoner", as even he liked to portray himself,
but was also an immensely productive and progressive politician who was
the recognized leader of the Democratic party for 30 years and was three
times nominated by his Party as their candidate for President of the
United States. Although Bryan was never elected president, he did serve
as Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson during which time he devoted
most of his attention to negotiating treaties with foreign nations in an
effort to prevent the outbreak of World War I. During his political
career, Bryan strenuously fought for some of the most progressive
legislation of his time, including the popular election of senators, an
income tax, the free and unlimited coinage of silver, requirements for
the publication of the circulation and ownership of newspapers, the
creation of the department of labor, and women suffrage. Bryan appealed
to a broad cross section of people including those whose political views
were decidedly liberal. Clarence Darrow himself twice campaigned for
Bryan when he ran for President of the United States. Many of the
"progressives" who supported Bryan, however, came to despise him for his
outspoken Christian convictions, particularly when he dared to speak out
against Darwinism.
MOVIE: The conservative Christian people of Dayton, Tennessee are
portrayed as greedy, ignorant, closed-minded, discourteous and
even threatening towards the lawyers for the defense, the news
media and outsiders in general.
FACT: The transcript of the Scopes trial shows this to be precisely
the opposite of the truth:
Darrow: "I don't know as I was ever in a community in my life where my
religious ideas differed as widely from the great mass as I have
found them since I have been in Tennessee. Yet I came here a
perfect stranger and I can say what I have said before that I
have not found upon anybody's part - any citizen here in this
town or outside the slightest discourtesy. I have been treated
better, kindlier and more hospitably than I fancied would have
been the case in the north." (transcript, pages 225-226).
Newspaper man from Toronto: I would like to "express my great
appreciation of the extreme courtesy which has been accorded me
and my brethren of the press by the court and the citizens of
Dayton. I shall take back with me a deeper appreciation of the
great republic for which we have felt so kindly, and whose
institutions we so magnify and admire." (transcript, page 315)
MOVIE: Bryan, but not Darrow, is referred to as "Colonel" in the court
room because only Bryan had been made an "honorary Colonel" in
the state militia of Tennessee. Darrow understandably resents
this gross display of bias and the State reluctantly makes
Darrow a "temporary honorary Colonel" in a bungling effort to
hide their obvious partiality to Bryan.
FACT: "Colonel" was a customary honorary title used in the courtroom
and was extended to all of the legal counsel in the Scopes case.
It had nothing whatever to do with the military or favoritism.
Both Darrow and Bryan, indeed all of the lawyers in the case,
were frequently referred to as "Colonel" during the trial.
Incidentally, unlike Darrow, Bryan really was a Colonel in the
U.S. Army.
MOVIE: Darrow objects to the announcement of an evening prayer meeting
at the end of the first day of the trial.
FACT: No such announcement was ever made during the trial but Darrow
and the other defense lawyers repeatedly objected to the opening
of each session of the court with prayer as was customary in
Tennessee and still is in our own U.S. Supreme Court.
MOVIE: Darrow gets Bryan to admit that he is totally opposed to the use
of Darwin's book The Descent of Man in the Rhea County High
School Biology classroom despite the fact that he, Bryan, has
never read Darwin's book nor does he ever intend to read it.
FACT: It was _Hunter's Civic Biology_ that was used in the classroom, not
Darwin's book. It was Bryan, not Darrow, who introduced Darwin's
_The Descent of Man_ as evidence in the trial and who quoted from
it (transcript, page 176). Bryan proved, for example, that
Darwin did in fact claim that man descended from a monkey, a
point the defense had tried to deny. Bryan is reported by one of
his biographers, Lawrence W. Levine, to have read Darwin's _On The
Origin of Species_ already in 1905 - 20 years before the Scopes
trial! Although Bryan's reservations about the theory of
evolution were certainly influenced by his religious beliefs, he
had written many well argued articles which were critical of the
scientific evidence used in his day to defend the theory of
evolution. Bryan had also carried on a long correspondence on
the subject of evolution with the famous evolutionist, Henry
Fairfield Osborn. Certainly for a layman, Bryan's knowledge of
the scientific evidence both for and against evolution was
unusually great. By comparison, the trial transcript shows that
Darrow gave the impression of having a very poor grasp of both
the meaning and putative mechanism of evolution. Darrow appeared
to rest his belief in evolution on scientific "authority," which
he accepted without question, and on his total rejection of all
the miracles of the Bible including, of course, the Genesis
account of Creation.
MOVIE: Scopes' fiance "Rachel Brown" is called as a witness and is badly
mistreated by Bryan who forces her to testify against her own
fiance by insisting that she repeat deeply personal conversations
between her and Scopes which Bryan had pried out of her in
"confidence" only the night before. Bryan, always the fanatic,
loses his self control and becomes cruel and merciless in his
questioning of the frightened young lady. Darrow, on the other
hand, magnanimously agrees not to cross examine Rachel lest she
be further discomfited after Bryan's unconscionable abuse.
FACT: No women participated in the trial. Scopes did not have a
special girl friend or fiance at this time though he dated
several Dayton girls. Bryan was courteous at all times in his
handling of witnesses as an examination of the trial transcript
will reveal. Darrow, on the other hand, was at times
condescending and contemptuous in his treatment of witnesses,
jurists, opposing lawyers and even the judge. Darrow was, in
fact, cited for contempt of court for repeatedly interrupting and
insulting judge Raulston. Darrow persecuted Bryan so
relentlessly for his religious beliefs, when he called him on the
stand, that some have suggested that Darrow actually hastened
Bryan's death. This possibility was undoubtedly on H.L. Menckens'
mind who on learning of Bryan's death shortly after the trial
said, "Well, we killed the son of a bitch." Darrow's treatment
of Bryan was perceived as so deplorable that even many supporters
of the ACLU successfully exerted pressure to prevent him from
representing Scopes when the case was later appealed to the State
Supreme Court. Liberal clergymen who supported the ACLU
maintained that Darrow had succeeded in turning many "moderate"
theologians against evolution and the ACLU by his apparently
hostile attitude toward Christianity and Bryan.
MOVIE: The defense is unable to get permission to use their several
expert witnesses because Bryan is afraid of their testimony and
considers it irrelevant. One by one, Darrow calls his
distinguished scientists to the stand but each time, thanks to an
ignorant and biased judge, Bryan needs only to say, "objection -
irrelevant," and that is the end of it.
FACT: Technically, the only point at issue in the trial was whether or
not John Scopes actually taught the evolution of man from lower
orders of animals, so naturally the lawyers for the prosecution
did question the relevance of the testimony of expert witnesses.
The verbal testimony of the evolutionists assembled by the
defense was prevented, however, because Darrow adamantly refused
to let his scientific witnesses be cross-examined by the
prosecution (transcript, pages 206-208). Bryan had asked for,
and received, the right to cross-examine the expert witnesses,
but Darrow was so opposed to allowing his experts to be
questioned that he never called them to the witness stand! Bryan
pointed out that under the conditions demanded by Darrow, the
evolutionists could take the witness stand and merely express
their speculations and opinions on evolution without fear of
being contradicted. The wisdom of this position was amply
demonstrated by the confused and convoluted opinions of the one
scientist who had been permitted to testify earlier for the
defense. Throughout the trial the definition of the term
evolution was so hopelessly muddled by the defense and its'
witnesses that it seems unlikely that any of the jurors could
have known exactly what evolution is and is not. Evolution, for
example, was repeatedly confused with embryology and even aging!
The defense lawyer, Dudley Field Malone, is a case in point:
"The embryo becomes a human being when it is born. Evolution
never stops from the beginning of the one cell until the human
being returns in death to lifeless dust. We wish to set before
you evidence of this character in order to stress the importance
of the theory of evolution." (transcript, page 116)
Another lawyer for the defense, Arthur Garfield Hays, added chaos to
confusion when he said:
"I know that in the womb of the mother the very first thing is a
cell and that cell grows and it subdivides and it grows into a
human being and a human being is born. Does that statement, as
the boy stated on the stand, that he was taught that man comes
from a cell - is that a theory that man descended from a lower
order of animals? I don't know and I dare say your honor has some
doubt about it. Are we entitled to find out whether it is or not
in presenting this case to the jury?" (transcript, page 156)
Darrow himself gave the impression that he had almost no
understanding of the meaning of the term evolution. When judge
Raulston, who became understandably confused by all of the double talk
on the subject of evolution, asked Darrow if he believed that all life
came from one cell, Darrow replied:
"Well I am not quite so clear, but I think it did." "-- All
human life comes from one cell. You came from one and I came
from one - nothing else a single cell." (transcript, page 189)
Even Dr. Maynard M. Metcalf, a zoologist from Johns Hopkins
University, made this same mistake in his expert testimony and then went
on to obfuscate the definition of evolution beyond recognition. First
Dr. Metcalf assured the Court of his qualifications as an evolutionist
by stating:
"I have always been particularly interested in the evolution of
the individual organism from the egg, and also the evolution of
the organism as a whole from the beginning of life, that has been
a sort of peculiar interest of mine, always." (transcript, page
136)
When asked by Darrow to tell what is meant by "the fact of evolution,"
Dr. Metcalf responded with this:
"Evolution I think means the change; in the final analysis I
think it means the change of an organism from one character into
a different character, and by character I mean its structure, or
its behavior, or its functions or its method of development from
the egg or anything else - the change of an organism from one set
characteristic which characterizes it into a different condition,
characterized by a different set of characteristics either
structural or functional could be properly called, I think,
evolution - to be the evolution of that organism; but the term in
general means the whole series of such changes which have taken
place during hundreds of millions of years which have produced
from lowly beginnings the nature of which is not by any means
fully understood to organism of much more complex character,
whose structure and function we are still studying, because we
haven't begun to learn what we need to know about them."
(transcript, pages 139-140)
So much for the fact of evolution. One can only imagine what
questions Bryan might have asked Dr. Metcalf if Darrow would have
allowed his expert witness to be questioned. Bryan was clearly aware of
the confusion that was being introduced by the defense on the definition
of evolution and pointed out that even one of the school children who
had testified seemed to have a better grasp of evolution than the
lawyers for the defense:
"The little boy understood what he was talking about and to my
surprise the attorneys didn't seem to catch the significance of
the theory of evolution -- he thought that little boy was talking
about individuals coming up from one cell." Bryan emphasized
that evolution was "Not the growth of an individual from one
cell, but the growth of all life from one cell." (transcript,
page 173)
Bryan pointed out that even the National Education Association was
confused on the subject and as a result, their attempt to make an
official statement condemning Tennessee for "ignorance and bigotry" was
frustrated by their inability to agree on a definition for evolution
(transcript, page 173). Perhaps the most significant fact is that the
movie _Inherit the Wind_ chose to ignore virtually all of the scientific
commentary and testimony that was presented during the trial including
that of Dr. Maynard Metcalf. While this may have been just as well for
reasons I have described, the movie certainly does not depict a "triumph
of science over religious dogma." As for dogma, the trial transcript
reveals that there was plenty of that on both sides of this dispute.
MOVIE: Bryan admits that he takes every word of the Bible literally.
FACT: From the transcript (page 285) we read:
Darrow: "Do you claim that everything in the Bible should be literally
interpreted?"
Bryan: "I believe everything in the Bible should be accepted as it is
given there; some of the Bible is given illustratively. For
instance: 'Ye are the salt of the earth.' I would not insist
that man was actually salt, or that he had flesh of salt, but it
is used in the sense of salt as saving God's people."
MOVIE: Darrow asks about sex in the Bible and Bryan replies that all
sex is sinful.
FACT: Nothing was discussed about sex in the trial. Apparently
Hollywood just couldn't resist introducing a little sex in the
film and implying that Bryan was a prude.
MOVIE: Bryan claims that he knows that the age of the earth is the exact
date calculated by Archbishop Ussher which placed the date of
creation at 9 o'clock in the morning on the 23rd of October in
4004 BC.
FACT: Bryan didn't claim to know how old the earth was. From the trial
transcript (page 296) we read:
Darrow: "Mr. Bryan could you tell me how old the earth is?"
Bryan: "No sir, I couldn't."
Darrow: "Could you come anywhere near it?"
Bryan: "I wouldn't attempt to. I could possibly come as near as the
scientists do, but I had rather be more accurate before I give a
guess."
MOVIE: As the trial grinds to an end, Darrow fights valiantly to
establish the innocence of his client John Scopes. On one
occasion when it appeared that Scopes wanted to give up the
fight to prove his innocence, Darrow asks "Are you going to find
yourself guilty before the jury does?"
FACT: After spending much of the seventh day of the trial
systematically grilling and ridiculing Bryan for his belief in
numerous miracles of the Bible, Darrow abruptly ended the trial
by asking the Court to instruct the jury to find his client
guilty (abstract page 306)! This incredible concession,
together with the judge's decision to strike Bryan's testimony
from the record, was very much to Darrow's personal benefit
because it prevented him from being subjected to the same kind
of inquisition he had just put Bryan through. Bryan had agreed
to take the witness stand to answer questions on his Christian
beliefs with the understanding that Darrow would then also be
required to take the stand to answer questions about his own
agnostic and evolutionary beliefs (transcript page 284). Both
Judge Raulston and Darrow had agreed to this condition. When
Bryan asked if Darrow, himself, knew the answer to some of his
more ludicrous questions (ie. "Do you know how many people there
were on this earth 3000 years ago?"), Darrow responded with
"wait until you get to me." Despite the increasing hostility of
Darrow's questioning, Bryan thwarted repeated attempts by his
colleagues to stop it.
Bryan: "I want him to have all the latitude he wants. For I am going
to have some latitude when he gets through." Darrow: "You can
have latitude and longitude." (transcript page 288)
It is most unlikely that Darrow had any intention of giving Bryan
"latitude and longitude". He had, after all, been unwilling to let
Bryan question even his expert witnesses on their religious and
evolutionary assumptions, how much less likely would he be willing to
subject himself to such questioning after what he had put Bryan through?
As it turned out, of course, Bryan was given no opportunity to ask
Darrow his questions during the trial. In the movie, Darrow is
portrayed using these very words, "latitude and longitude", but in a
totally different context (philosophical lecture to the jury) that did
not begin to suggest the clever maneuver in which they were actually
employed!
MOVIE: The "prisoner", John Scopes, is found guilty and Darrow is
visibly shaken by this great injustice against his client.
Bryan, on the other hand, is vindictive and complains bitterly
about the paltry $100 fine leveled against John Scopes for a
crime of such great magnitude.
FACT: Violation of the Butler Act was punishable by a fine of no less
than $100 and no greater than $500; imprisonment was not a
provision of the law. Bryan was not the least bit concerned
about the fine nor was anyone else, indeed, Bryan himself had
offered to pay Scopes' fine. All of Scopes' expenses relating
to the trial were covered by various vested interests as was the
tuition for his graduate education after the trial. John Scopes'
guilt or innocence was not even a primary concern of any of the
participants in the trial. The whole purpose for bringing this
case to trial was to: 1) declare the Butler act
unconstitutional, 2) expose "fundamentalist" Christian views on
the subject of origins to public ridicule in the press, and 3)
focus the attention of the world on evolution (de Camp, page
492). In his autobiography, _The Story of My Life_, Clarence
Darrow explained his strategy this way:
"My object, and my only object, was to focus the attention of
the country on the program of Mr. Bryan and the other
Fundamentalists in America."
MOVIE: The movie builds to a noisy and chaotic climax as Bryan loses
all sense of dignity and reason and goes into an incoherent
tirade in an attempt to read his very lengthy concluding
statement. The crowd is bored and walks out while Bryan's wife
looks on in horror at what had become of her once sane and
caring husband. Finally, overcome by religious zeal, Bryan
mindlessly recites the names of the books of the Bible and
collapses in the throes of death on the courtroom floor.
FACT: Neither Bryan nor Darrow ever attempted to give the customary
closing argument to the jury. Once Darrow accomplished his
purpose of ridiculing Bryan's beliefs in Biblical miracles he
conceded Scopes' guilt and in so doing, obviated any closing
arguments. Bryan had put a great deal of effort into his
closing statement and this maneuver by Darrow eliminated his
opportunity to give what was a rather well supported scientific
and religious argument against the theory of evolution. Bryan
was quite anxious that the text of his speech be made available
to the public and he made provision for its publication only one
hour before his death. This speech is appended to the transcript
used in this study and provides an excellent insight to Bryan's
views on education, evolution and the implications of the Scopes
trial. The speech is cogently argued and hardly the raving of a
mad man unless, of course, all Bible believing Christians are to
be dismissed as "mad men."
Finally, Bryan did not die in the court house in a raving frenzy.
Bryan died in his sleep of unknown causes five days after the trial. It
is believed that his death might have been at least indirectly related
to his untreated diabetic condition which, incidentally, was also
probably responsible for his frequent eating. On being informed of his
death by a reporter who suggested that Bryan might have died of a broken
heart, Darrow responded "Broken heart nothing; he died of a busted
belly." A little later Darrow commented to friends: "Now wasn't that
man a God-damned fool?" Even Bryan's untimely death could not assuage
the contempt of many of his detractors who had come to despise him for
his stand on creation. In what must be one of the most heartless
obituaries ever written, H. L. Mencken insisted that Bryan "was deluded
by a childish theology full of almost a pathological hatred of all
learning, all human dignity, all beauty, all fine and noble things.
Imagine a gentleman, and you have imagined everything that he was not."
Conclusion
One simply cannot escape the conclusion that the writers of the
screen play, _Inherit the Wind_, never intended to write a historically
accurate account of the Scopes trial, nor did they seriously attempt to
portray the principle characters and their beliefs in an unbiased and
accurate way. But some may argue that criticisms of the type presented
in this study are inappropriate for a documentary-drama because
historical accuracy is only the inadvertent victim of attempts to "liven
up" the plot. It is typical, for example, to introduce a fictional love
story in "Hollywood history". The evidence suggests, however, that the
inaccuracies encountered in the film _Inherit the Wind_ are substantive,
intentional and systematic. It is actually quite easy to see a pattern
in the inaccuracies and from this one can make reasonable guesses as to
the motive. The Christian Fundamentalists and particularly William
Jennings Bryan are consistently lampooned throughout the film, while
skeptics, and agnostics are consistently portrayed as intelligent,
kindly and even heroic.
Who, we might ask, are these maligned fundamentalists, and why should
we be so concerned about offending them? Today we hear the news media
apply the term "fundamentalist" not only to Christians but to certain
Muslim sects as well. The term, "fundamentalist," now appears to used
by the media only in a pejorative sense to label those who are
considered to be highly zealous, inflexible and intolerant in their
religious or philosophical beliefs. But such an unrestricted definition
of "fundamentalism" might even apply to some evolutionists. Historically
the term Fundamentalism applied to a loose association of Christians who
were influenced by a series of 12 booklets called _The Fundamentals_ which
were published beginning in 1909. Fundamentalism was an attempt to get
back to the fundamental teachings of the Christian faith which had begun
to be eroded in some churches by the growing "modernist" trend around
the turn of the century.
The "fundamentals" included five basic doctrines; the inerrancy of
scripture, the deity of Christ, the substitutionary atonement of Christ,
the bodily resurrection of Christ and Christ's return in Glory. It
should be noted that these beliefs are not simply the creed of a fanatic
and insignificant minority in Christendom, as some suggest, but are
shared by most Bible believing Christians in the world. Although a
miraculous divine creation was not one of _The Fundamentals_, it too is
believed by most Christians. A _Gallup Poll_ in 1982 showed that 44% of
all Americans believe that "God created man pretty much in his present
form at one time within the last 10,000 years." Another 38% believe God
actively guided the process of evolution and only 9% believe that God
had no active part in the process. In short, the beliefs of the much
maligned fundamentalists of Dayton, Tennessee in 1925 are not greatly
different from that of nearly half of the students in the average public
school classroom today, and it is these who are offended and demeaned by
the film _Inherit the Wind_!
What then is the purpose of showing the film _Inherit the Wind_ in
the history, social studies or science classroom? As history it is not
only inaccurate but highly misleading. As a social study it is highly
biased against a particular class of people and their religious beliefs.
As science it has nothing to offer at all. If teachers feel compelled
to get involved in the evolution-creation controversy in their
classroom, they have much more current material at their disposal.
There have recently been many exciting debates on this issue between
qualified scientists who are quite sophisticated in their knowledge of
the scientific evidence. Most people who have witnessed these debates
find that Creationist scientists have held their own quite well, indeed,
some evolutionists have conceded that creationists often win these
debates! Both audio and video cassettes of debates and lectures, as well
as numerous books and pamphlets on the scientific evidence relative to
the creation- evolution controversy, are available from several sources.
Finally I should add that my own highly critical observations on the
film, _Inherit the Wind_ are consistent with those of others who have
compared the film with the historical evidence. In his definitive three
volume biography of the life and work of William Jennings Bryan, Paolo
Coletta said:
"Bryan's Image was badly hurt not so much by the Jerome Lawrence
and Robert E. Lee play _Inherit the Wind_ as by the moving
picture of the same title. In the film, Frederick March
portrayed Bryan as a low-comedy stooge, Gene Kelly represented an
unrecognizable Mencken, and Spencer Tracy, as Darrow, emerged as
the hero. The film also assails the Fundamentalist position
without satisfactorily substituting science for religious faith
and experience."
Bibliography
_The World's Most Famous Court Trial_. Cincinnati, Ohio: National Book
Company, 1925.
Darrow, Clarence. _The Story of My Life_. New York: Charles Scribner's
Sons, 1965.
de Camp, Sprague L. _The Great Monkey Trial_. Garden City, New York:
Doubleday & Company Inc., 1968.
Coletta, Paolo E. _William Jennings Bryan III: Political Puritan
1915-1925_. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1969.
Levine, Lawrence W. _Defender of the Faith -- William Jennings Bryan: The
Last Decade 1915-1925_. New York: Oxford University Press., 1965.
Revised and corrected July 21, 1994.
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