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Center of the Storm: Memoirs of John T. Scopes
Center of the Memoirs of John T. Scopes by John T. Scopes, James Presley.
277 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1967
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About the author
John T. Scopes
1 book4 followersJohn Thomas Scopes (August 3, 1900 – October 21, 1970) was a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, who was charged on May 5, 1925 for violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of evolution in Tennessee schools. He was tried in a case known as the Scopes Trial.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 9, 2008
In 1925, Tennessee passed a new law called the Butler Act that prohibited teaching that man was descended from lower animals, i.e. human evolution. (Ironically, it was okay to teach evolution as it applied to other animals.)
In Dayton, Tennessee, a group of fellows gathered daily to argue about various issues and one participant, George Rappelyea, thought it would be a wonderful thing for Dayton to host the inevitable trial challenging the new law, Chattanooga having already declined that honor. The ACLU had been running ads in local papers looking for someone to test the law.
John T. Scopes, a new teacher was quickly called off the local tennis court and asked if he would be willing to become the "guinea pig." He agreed ("the best time to scotch a snake is when it starts to wriggle"), even though he was not the regular biology teacher. The required textbook, consecrated by the Tennessee Board of Education, was used in the local Dayton schools and contained an entire chapter on evolution. The chairman of the local school board, owner of the drug store, immediately called a Chattanooga paper to announce the arrest of Scopes for having taught evolution. Scopes then went back to playing tennis. It was all a big joke.
In 1966, Scopes wrote his memoirs, Center of the Storm which provide truly delightful anecdotes about the people and the times of one of the most famous trials of the 20th century.
For example, Mr. Bailey, the man Scopes boarded with in Dayton, fetishly collected stubs of pencils, no matter how short. The reason why only became clear to Scopes one Sunday morning when, during an interminably boring sermon, Scopes caught Bailey throwing the pencil stubs at sleeping parishioners.
The trial attracted the attention of many famous people. H.L. Mencken came representing the Baltimore Sun, Dudley Malone and Clarence Darrow represented the defense, and of course, William Jennings Bryan, thrice candidate for the presidency, arrived to "defend the Bible" (his words). Until Bryan's entry into the case, the issue had been the law's constitutionality only. In fact, the ACLU wanted to have the Scopes case moved to the federal courts. Bryan's entry and position made that impossible; however, it was great for Dayton.
Popular myth attributes the greatest speech at Dayton to Darrow, but Scopes proposes that it was Dudley Malone, former friend and staffer for Bryan, who provided the most brilliant oration, one that Bryan realized did him damage and made him determined to take the stand to recoup his losses. Once on the stand, Darrow then proceeded to demolish Bryan, catching him in numerous contradictions and foolish statements. It was during that interrogation that Bryan even lost the support of Fundamentalists, as Darrow pushed him into admitting that a "day" in Genesis might indeed have been 6,000,000 years long.
Scopes is very kind to Bryan in his memoirs. He was a peerless speaker who, had he had television at his disposal, might have succeeded in his quest for the presidency. By 1925 he had outlived most of his causes, though, leaving only Fundamentalism. On the stand it became obvious, under Darrow's relentless questioning that Bryan had not thought deeply about any of his professed beliefs nor their ultimate validity.
Scopes left Dayton to do graduate work in geology on a scholarship provided by the expert witnesses who were to have testified at the trial. As recently as 1960, Tennessee teachers still had to sign a pledge that they would not teach evolution.
In Dayton, Tennessee, a group of fellows gathered daily to argue about various issues and one participant, George Rappelyea, thought it would be a wonderful thing for Dayton to host the inevitable trial challenging the new law, Chattanooga having already declined that honor. The ACLU had been running ads in local papers looking for someone to test the law.
John T. Scopes, a new teacher was quickly called off the local tennis court and asked if he would be willing to become the "guinea pig." He agreed ("the best time to scotch a snake is when it starts to wriggle"), even though he was not the regular biology teacher. The required textbook, consecrated by the Tennessee Board of Education, was used in the local Dayton schools and contained an entire chapter on evolution. The chairman of the local school board, owner of the drug store, immediately called a Chattanooga paper to announce the arrest of Scopes for having taught evolution. Scopes then went back to playing tennis. It was all a big joke.
In 1966, Scopes wrote his memoirs, Center of the Storm which provide truly delightful anecdotes about the people and the times of one of the most famous trials of the 20th century.
For example, Mr. Bailey, the man Scopes boarded with in Dayton, fetishly collected stubs of pencils, no matter how short. The reason why only became clear to Scopes one Sunday morning when, during an interminably boring sermon, Scopes caught Bailey throwing the pencil stubs at sleeping parishioners.
The trial attracted the attention of many famous people. H.L. Mencken came representing the Baltimore Sun, Dudley Malone and Clarence Darrow represented the defense, and of course, William Jennings Bryan, thrice candidate for the presidency, arrived to "defend the Bible" (his words). Until Bryan's entry into the case, the issue had been the law's constitutionality only. In fact, the ACLU wanted to have the Scopes case moved to the federal courts. Bryan's entry and position made that impossible; however, it was great for Dayton.
Popular myth attributes the greatest speech at Dayton to Darrow, but Scopes proposes that it was Dudley Malone, former friend and staffer for Bryan, who provided the most brilliant oration, one that Bryan realized did him damage and made him determined to take the stand to recoup his losses. Once on the stand, Darrow then proceeded to demolish Bryan, catching him in numerous contradictions and foolish statements. It was during that interrogation that Bryan even lost the support of Fundamentalists, as Darrow pushed him into admitting that a "day" in Genesis might indeed have been 6,000,000 years long.
Scopes is very kind to Bryan in his memoirs. He was a peerless speaker who, had he had television at his disposal, might have succeeded in his quest for the presidency. By 1925 he had outlived most of his causes, though, leaving only Fundamentalism. On the stand it became obvious, under Darrow's relentless questioning that Bryan had not thought deeply about any of his professed beliefs nor their ultimate validity.
Scopes left Dayton to do graduate work in geology on a scholarship provided by the expert witnesses who were to have testified at the trial. As recently as 1960, Tennessee teachers still had to sign a pledge that they would not teach evolution.
December 17, 2021
I was pleasantly surprised by this easy-to-read account of the life of John Scopes. I suppose some of my enjoyment of the book was simply due to the fact that I am very interested in the subject matter. I was born and raised in Paducah, the hometown of Scopes, and, as a science teacher (retired), I have always been interested in the trial. I even took a trip to Dayton, Tennessee to see the famous courthouse. Scopes wasn't a writer, but he had help from journalist James Presley, who is listed as the co-author of the book. I suspect that Presley deserves much of the credit for crafting this into a very readable book. One aspect of the life of Scopes that is omitted from the book is his (and his wife's) battle with alcoholism. I read about this struggle in an article in the journal "The American Biology Teacher." At any rate, this is a terrific book and I recommend it enthusiastically!
February 10, 2016
Great behind-the-scenes look at the famous "monkey Trial".
August 8, 2024
THE RECOLLECTIONS OF THE SOFT-SPOKEN DEFENDANT IN THE "MONKEY TRIAL"
John Thomas Scopes (1900-1970) was a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, who was charged in 1925 for violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of evolution; his case became the famous "Monkey Trial." After the trial, he studied geology then worked as a geologist with the United Gas Company until his retirement.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1967 book, "This is ... a collection of memories taken from my own life, about me and about some people and some things I have known... The basic freedoms defended at Dayton are not so distantly removed; each generation, each person must defend these freedoms or risk losing them forever. If this book occasionally entertains and informs while reminding you of the significance of these liberties, then it has been well worth my writing it."
He states early on, "Although I was not a member, I attended Sunday school and church services regularly until my senior year in high school." (Pg. 23-24) He suggests, "Here was the crux of the controversy... The Fundamentalists had an inalienable right to believe what they did, but when they insisted that others hold those beliefs too, they were violating other people's rights." (Pg. 46) Later, when a reporter asked him if he was a Christian, he replied, "I don't know... who does?" (Pg. 83)
He recounts that he showed several men gathered in a local drugstore the textbook used to teach high school biology: "I explained that I ... used it for review purposes while filling in for the principal during his illness. He was the regular biology teacher... you can't teach biology without teaching evolution." He was asked, "'John, would you be willing to stand for a test case?'... [Scopes thought] To tell the truth, I wasn't sure I had taught evolution. Robinson and the others apparently weren't concerned about this technicality." (Pg. 59-60)
During the trial, he recalled about Dudley Field Malone's wildly popular rebuttal of one of William Jennings Bryan's arguments, "[Malone's] reply to Bryan was the most dramatic event I have attended in my life. The intervening decades have produced nothing to equal it; nor do I expect to see anything like it in my remaining years." (Pg. 156) Of Bryan's decision to be cross-examined by Darrow, he observed, "In making this decision, Bryan probably made the gravest mistake of his long career; he underestimated [defense counsel] Clarence Darrow." (Pg. 167) He adds, "Possibly Bryan had never thought before the questions that Darrow now asked... Darrow made him face his contradictions in open court." (Pg. 180-181) He says that Darrow "had a greater influence on my life than any other man I have known, except my father. After the Dayton trial, we continued our friendship... [it] was one of the true gains of my Dayton experience." (Pg. 220)
He states modestly, "From beginning to end, promoters had swamped me with financial offers and the lure of further notoriety... I wasn't about to let any amount of money or any person change my life as radically as my accepting any of the offers would have done. I had no desire to be a matinee idol..." (Pg. 193) He married a Catholic in 1930, and became a member of the Catholic church, but "I emphasized to all who interviewed me that I had done this simply to please my bride." (Pg. 258)
This is a fascinating memoir, that will be "must reading" to anyone wanting to know more about the Scopes Trial.
John Thomas Scopes (1900-1970) was a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, who was charged in 1925 for violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of evolution; his case became the famous "Monkey Trial." After the trial, he studied geology then worked as a geologist with the United Gas Company until his retirement.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1967 book, "This is ... a collection of memories taken from my own life, about me and about some people and some things I have known... The basic freedoms defended at Dayton are not so distantly removed; each generation, each person must defend these freedoms or risk losing them forever. If this book occasionally entertains and informs while reminding you of the significance of these liberties, then it has been well worth my writing it."
He states early on, "Although I was not a member, I attended Sunday school and church services regularly until my senior year in high school." (Pg. 23-24) He suggests, "Here was the crux of the controversy... The Fundamentalists had an inalienable right to believe what they did, but when they insisted that others hold those beliefs too, they were violating other people's rights." (Pg. 46) Later, when a reporter asked him if he was a Christian, he replied, "I don't know... who does?" (Pg. 83)
He recounts that he showed several men gathered in a local drugstore the textbook used to teach high school biology: "I explained that I ... used it for review purposes while filling in for the principal during his illness. He was the regular biology teacher... you can't teach biology without teaching evolution." He was asked, "'John, would you be willing to stand for a test case?'... [Scopes thought] To tell the truth, I wasn't sure I had taught evolution. Robinson and the others apparently weren't concerned about this technicality." (Pg. 59-60)
During the trial, he recalled about Dudley Field Malone's wildly popular rebuttal of one of William Jennings Bryan's arguments, "[Malone's] reply to Bryan was the most dramatic event I have attended in my life. The intervening decades have produced nothing to equal it; nor do I expect to see anything like it in my remaining years." (Pg. 156) Of Bryan's decision to be cross-examined by Darrow, he observed, "In making this decision, Bryan probably made the gravest mistake of his long career; he underestimated [defense counsel] Clarence Darrow." (Pg. 167) He adds, "Possibly Bryan had never thought before the questions that Darrow now asked... Darrow made him face his contradictions in open court." (Pg. 180-181) He says that Darrow "had a greater influence on my life than any other man I have known, except my father. After the Dayton trial, we continued our friendship... [it] was one of the true gains of my Dayton experience." (Pg. 220)
He states modestly, "From beginning to end, promoters had swamped me with financial offers and the lure of further notoriety... I wasn't about to let any amount of money or any person change my life as radically as my accepting any of the offers would have done. I had no desire to be a matinee idol..." (Pg. 193) He married a Catholic in 1930, and became a member of the Catholic church, but "I emphasized to all who interviewed me that I had done this simply to please my bride." (Pg. 258)
This is a fascinating memoir, that will be "must reading" to anyone wanting to know more about the Scopes Trial.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews