RE-KINDLING THE FIRES OF HAfE
RE-KINDLING THE FIRES OF HATE Scopes Trial Raises Fear of New Conflict Between Forces of Truth.and Bigotry By BENJAMIN P. CHASS THE struggle between ancient bigotry and a growing...
...we desire to go snimsaiag er to be amused in the movie or the theatre, but no, we must net, we cannot...
...Such was the reign of bigotry and intolerance in the early days of this country...
...Surely it's a thing too simple to discuss, so ridiculous does this sudden attack on science and Evolution seem...
...By this route of curiosity end search and fumble have we arrived where we are today...
...Contempt for Science and Truth , The Legislature of that backward, medieval Southern State did not care anything about the value of science or truth or tolerance when they voted to outlaw the teaching of Darwinism from their benighted State...
...ence and wisdom, and not swim blindly along with bigotry and in* tolerance...
...The American Sunday is sursly a- dead and monotonous day in most of our cities...
...Forcing the Teaching of Religion Moreover, with its 243,678 churches and 214,385 ministers, re ligion has a big enough army to turn all the 114,000,000 of our population into fervent and faithful believers in the teachings of Genesis and the rest of the Bible...
...If you want to dance in your home, dance alone: don't call your friends in...
...In Pennsylvania it la a crime to go Ashing on Sundays, let alone taking part in a baseball game...
...He received a negative answer...
...As one man said to the other, who had arrived in Pittsburg one Sunday: He was asking a friend where he could spend the day, and his friend thought and thought, but at thinking he was forced to stop...
...What is it all about—this rekindling of medieval (Ires...
...These seemingly trifling things strike a blow to those who believe in freedom...
...But religion refuses to give up the ship...
...In Pittsburg the street railway company has been issuing a special Sunday pass for the last several weeks, and so for a quarter one eaa spend thi entire day Sunday riding around the city...
...However, the people of that day lived mostly an open-air life, working in the fields and tending the sheep, but m sn day we sit all week at a desk pour, ing over some ledgers or bending ever a typewriter sir toiling away fas a mill e% mine...
...But instead of upholding the people's right to their freedom of thought and opinion, the Fundamentalists choose to bridle men's minds...
...It will decide whether or not the teaching of Evolution is a crime and whether the Tennessee enactment does not conflict with the Constitution of the United' States...
...Such is the scene observed by a "foreigner/' and of course any man with open eyes can easily observe the very same thing...
...The State of Massachusetts passed vigorous and far-reaching laws, subjecting to heavy penalties any person who might question the medieval notions as to the nature, attributes, and heavenly functions of the Deity, or the divine inspiration of any boek of the Old »nd New Testsment...
...The North Carolina Board of Education will hot employ teachers who entertain opinions on Evolution...
...But by making it compulsory for the teacher to read the Bible daily to her pupils makea this not only an unconstitutional '.act, since the Church is to be entirely separate from the State, legally speaking, but it also puts an end to religious freedom...
...But thosef whf reigns* auprW fosjafe his tongue of wislom and*(tit sentenced him to death, / '1 ; Today the indicted teacher of Tennessee is faced with the same- crime of corrupting the youth and displeasing the Deity, simply because he dared to teach hia students the Darwinian theory of Evolution...
...But, of course, the blue laws were made for the great purpose of keeping and driving the people into the churches...
...The places of amusement are closed and all one can do is to sit in church all' day...
...This time it is a war on the theory of Evolution...
...It may have been a very good thing in ancient Bible days for the people to rest one dsy in seven from their weekly labors, by spending Una entire day of rest in temples and in reading the Bible...
...Those who dared to utter beliefs at variance with the then current faiths of the rulers of the Church were outlawed and persecuted...
...Religion Bigotry Again to the For* This occurred at the end pt the eighteenth century...
...Wherever one goes in the entire South and Southwest, Evolutionists are...
...Hence the Jews and other mjnority races would stiffer greatly by'the compulsory reading of the Bible in the schools...
...The Church feels that It is beginning to lose its power over the people, therefore it is anxious to force their teachings down the children's throsts...
...in danger due to the strong feeling of the Fundamentalists and anti-Evolutionists...
...William Jennings Bryan may win by his emotional appeals and with the assistance of' his mind reminiscent of the Dark Ages of Faith, but the battle of science will still go on...
...And hence on Sunday we desire a change...
...No infidel, atheist, or agnostic shall be employed in any capacity in the University of Texas...
...The State of Tennessee has recently committed the same crime against tolerance and science...
...For it is by doubting that we come to learn the truth...
...As a result of this action a teacher in one of the schools has been indicted far teaching thia theory in violation of the State law...
...No connection whatever exists in the United Statea Constitution between the Church and State...
...Aren't the movies or the theaters open, today...
...The First Amendment to the Constitution says clearly that "Congress shall make no law respecting sn establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," Yet we heve seen two states bar in entirety the teaching of Evolution in the publie schools, the while others sre msrehing along the ssme road...
...Yet it is an all-important question which must have its defenders...
...Violating The Constitution To bring the question of religion* into our public schools of education is to violate one of the greatest, if not the very greatest, principle of our Federal Constitution...
...And in the same manner the theory of Evolution was discovered...
...Yes," his friend retorted, "a funeral of even, a, plain ordinary man would draw a large crowd on Sunday...
...And unless there is increased opposition to the Funds mentalists and anti-Evolutionists, who seem to be growing more brisk, there is great poasibility that an increasing number of states will make it illegal for teachers to teach the theory of Evolution...
...In the days of witchcraft, intolerance and persecutions against men who battled against such rubbish were quite common...
...Well, where cap...
...we want to play tennis...
...if it did, civilisation would soon begin to stagnate and crumble, for a people which lacked the strong, inherent urge to crave for the unknowv and which lacked the curiosity and which had no tendency to search and fumble for the things unsolved could never have developed civilization and human' Intelligence...
...This intolerance does not only exist in one or two states...
...And the day of the blue law has by no means psssed, nor does there seem to be much chance of a leas restrictive Sunday...
...Some relief, anyway...
...On Bertrand Russell's visit to this country last year he told us that "in the South and in some parts of the Middle West, Protestantism js as fierce ss in Belfast, and the whole intellectual atmosphere is reminiscent of the seventeenth century...
...It is a battle for freedom of thought and for the recognition and advancement of scientific thought and investigation...
...Compulsory Bible Reading The less Darwinism, the more Bibleism...
...In the ages of Copernicus, Newton, and Galileo, much waa heard about religious bigotry and religious persecutions...
...In Ohio the last session of the Legislature witnessed the passing of a lav forbidding Sunday dances 'at which mere than five people are in attendance...
...The burning stske often proved to be their final resting-place...
...Tennessee, Georgia, Massachusetts, and tha reading of the Bible Is distinctly permitted by law In Indians, lews, Kansas, North Dakota, Okls-1 homa, South Dakota, and in New York City...
...But if the home, alone, cannot breed religious sentiment, no other piece can...
...It was Socrates' life-work to teach the truth as he saw it...
...What America needs today it mere people who will fight for free* dees of thought so that the law* makers will not give us ar.ti-Evo, lution laws...
...However, time has shewn us- that this was not Socrates" crime, hut rather was this crime foisted upon the Athenian philosopher by the rulers of Athens...
...The conclusion -s, then, that what is sorely needed is a total separation of the Church and State and not a closer binding together, as it new hoped for by our Church leaders...
...This is why the Intellectual atmosphere in thi South is thrdwing all its fdYceVl against tie teachings of scientists who, by their calm, ssif) search for tha facts of life, have found a little bit of fact here and a bit of truth there, until the theory of Evolution was given to tha people for them to ponder ever and reach their own conclusions as to the origin of life on this earth...
...By golly, this city is a good place to die in on Sunday," he told his friend...
...Unlike Socrates, who was forced to fight his case alone, Mr...
...Not only do they want to control the Church, but they are anxious to capture the State...
...Bsck in the Dsrk Ages, those who wsged wsr against superstition were forced to suffer the consequences...
...Surely, Darwin and Huxley and Spencer must be smiling in their resting place—a reeling place we know nothing about...
...The fact is that it is rampant throughout the country at the present time...
...The search for the truth will not die...
...And now it is desired to bind them together again...
...Scientific truths cannot be outlawed by enacting laws against them...
...The home and all the Sunday schools and Hebrew schools and other religious schools are more than enough with which to inculcate the children with the belief in Genesis and the Bible, without taking the Bible into the schools...
...This, ordained by the Board of Regents of the State University...
...We must admit that in general Sunday in the United States is a blue Sunday governed by the blue laws...
...RE-KINDLING THE FIRES OF HATE Scopes Trial Raises Fear of New Conflict Between Forces of Truth.and Bigotry By BENJAMIN P. CHASS THE struggle between ancient bigotry and a growing liberality marked the beginning of the fight for religious freedom in the very early days of the birth of this nation...
...telescope, the microscope and the spectroscope, or any other instrument of precision which may in the future be invented, constructed or used, for the discovery of truth," In thia statement lies the crux of the question .that is new bothering our Bryans...
...Hence their cowardice to /ace the other side...
...In the State of Maryland, as well as in Massachusetts, all officers were required by law to declare their belief in the Christian religion...
...The, usual Sunday church services lasts for no more than about an hour...
...Ta* Federal Constitution declares that "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust in the United States...
...For over two years, the public schools of the State of Oklahoma have barred the teaching of the theory of Evolution...
...As Luther Burbsnk declares: "Those who would legislate against the teaching of Evolution should also legislate against gravity, electricity, and the unreasonable velocity of light, and also should introduce a clause to preve.it the use of the...
...Nothing could be more absurd...
...Thus speaks the Church...
...Bible reading is at present compulsory by law in the States of Alabass*, New Jersey, Pennsylvania...
...And so in the year 1926 we find a teacher indicted for the heinous crime of daring to teacb the theory of Evolution...
...In the Esst, in some states, the Catholics are sufficiently powerful to enforce the Inquisition on State teachers...
...we wsnt to march on with the progress of sci...
...Laws against science are but scraps of paper...
...In South Carolina and in Pennsylvania, all officers were required to acknowledge the inspiration of the Old and New Testament...
...It took years and years, coupled with blood and disaster, before the Church and -State were separated...
...The Florida Legislature recently passed a resolution advising school boards or trustees not to employ any instructor who teaches Darwinism, and a bill has been introduced making such instruction a crime...
...Gullible and credulous people, people who continuously rely upon authority and upon fixed and established institutions, can never expect to make any change or progress...
...And so they want a chance in the schools...
...What the Trial Can Settle Should the nsrrow-minded bigots prove to, be the victor it will settle nothing more then the fact that theological tyranny and persecution will begin to rule stronger thsn before the trisl...
...Not every race has the same religious teachings, nor do they all worship the sajne God or hold holy thcrt»m# prophets...
...It is still more unfortunate for the non-churchgoer...
...To me it looks as if the Fundamentalists have begun to realise the slow but' sure crumbling of their hold upon the masses...
...Even our devoted anti-Evolution .'friend, Mr...
...The battle has a double signiflsjice...
...In Kentucky and Texas, tha lower houses have already passed anti.-Zvolution bills, but' luckily the upper branch failed to pass anti-Evolution measures...
...J. T. Scopes of Dayton, Tennessee, is to serve as a test case in order to test the constitationality of the Tennessee antiEvolation law...
...a teacher must believe in a certain faith, otherwise he is barred from teaching in any public institution...
...The legal lav thinks it can settle a scientific and very complex question by taking the matter into court...
...A joke, but, as funny as it is, it marks another blow at tolerance and freedom...
...More than 2,000 years ago Socrates was condemned to die after be was convicted for the crime of "corrupting the youth" and with "displeasing the Gods...
...Surtly, if the home and the church and the Sunday school and the Sabbath school and the parochial schools and the newspapers have failed at the task, the schools cannot master the situation...
...Thus runs the stream...
...the visitor in-, quired...
...Religious bigotry has once more dashed its forces into the arena of human thought...
...Who would have ever thought it that in this late year of scientific knowledge a teacher would be indicted simply becauae he taught the theory of Evolution...
...We do not want to go hack to the Dark Ages...
...a fellow go on Sunday...
...We must go to church' and read the Bible on Sunday...
...Se even tha churchgoer is at a loss at What to do, unless he- falls asleep while reading the Holy Book...
...The teaching of Evolution bas been declared illegal by the Tennessee Legislature,' so far as any public educational institution is concerned...
...Why this fear...
...The Sabbath Taboo While we are on the subject of medievalism, let us say a few words sbout the Sabbsth taboo...
...They feared that such teachings would perhaps destroy the people'* faith in the Bible—and thus they enacted such a law that had its place in the Dark Ages of bigotry and the stake...
...A President or senator is not required to believe in any certain religion in order to serve the people in Washington, but a teacher in a public school is forbidden to teach the theory of Evolution...
...Simultaneously with the attack on the teaching of Evolution, there has arisen an ever stronger movement for the reading of the Bible in the public schools...
...Bryan, has declared that teachers who are paid by public taxation should not be forced to teach their students the Christian religion...
...The last j legislative session held in most of the states was a victory for the advocates of Una Sundays...
...This indictment of Mr...
...we want to have a game of baseball...
...But today, in the supposed-to-be enlightened century—today, the era of the telephone, the telegraph, and the radio, each sn event as is now taking place in that backward .State of Tennessee is nothing more than preposterous...
...Several other states, among them Mississippi, Georgia, West Virginia, Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, North'Dakota, Minnesota, Oregon, and Arizona, have started or are about ready to commence on campaigns to drive out the teaching of Evolution from their public schools of education...
...Today, at the end of the first quarter of the twentieth century, history repeats itself once more...
...Scopes has the assistance of some of the foremost legal and scientific talent available...
...Tha campaign to force the Bible-into the schools is sign enough that the religionists are confessing their failure.in the home and the church...
Vol. 2 • July 1925 • No. 29
