Science and Intellectual Freedom

Abstract

AMERICAN men of science naturally felt consider able interest in the trial of John T. Scopes, high school teacher, at Dayton, Tennessee, for the alleged violation of the now famous anti-evolution act on the statute books of that State. Relatively few scientists in this country are directly threatened by the epidemic of anti-evolution legislation; for this is at present confined largely to the southern States, and the majority of the more important colleges and universities, both independent and State-supported, are in the north and west. However, interest in the continued academic independence of their colleagues in the south brought a number of scientists to Dayton as scientific coadjutors for the defence counsel, while many more had signified their willingness to attend if called upon. They would have appeared as expert witnesses also, had the judge not ruled against the admissibility of scientific testimony.