Lesson4-The-Trail-That-Rocked-the-World

AdvancedEnglishBookOneTheTrialThatRockedtheWorldByJohnScopesTheTrialThatRockedTheWorldTheMonkeyTrialTheScopesTrialTheStateofTennesseevsScopesJohnScopesEvolutionTrialTheScopes/MonkeyTrialTheScopestrial,alsoknownasthe“MonkeyTrial,”isoneofthemostfamouscourtroomdramasinUnitedStateshistory.ThepressdubbedittheMonkeyTrialbecause,accordingtopopularbelief,evolutionmeantthathumansweredescendedfrommonkeys.BackgroundKnowledgeTheMonkeyTrialTheearly1920'sfoundsocialpatternsinchaos.Traditionalists,theolderVictorians,worriedthateverythingvaluablewasending.Youngermodernistsnolongeraskedwhethersocietywouldapproveoftheirbehavior,onlywhethertheirbehaviormettheapprovaloftheirintellect.Intellectualexperimentationflourished.TheAmericansdancedtothesoundoftheJazzAge,showedtheircontemptforalcoholicprohibition,anddebatedabstractartandFreudiantheories.Inresponsetothenewsocialpatternssetinmotionbymodernism,awaveofrevivalismdeveloped,becomingespeciallystrongintheAmericanSouth.Inthesummerof1925,historywasmadeinthesmalltownofDayton,Tennessee.TheissueathandwastheButlerLaw,whichforbidtheteachingofevolutioninpublicschools.PUBLICACTSOFTHESTATEOFTENNESSEEPASSEDBYTHESIXTY-FOURTHGENERALASSEMBLY1925CHAPTERNO.27HouseBillNo.185(ByMr.Butler)SynopsisoftheTextTennesseelegislaturehadenactedalaw(theButlerAct)in1924makingitacrimetoteachthetheoryofevolutioninpublicschoolsbecauseitcontradictedtheaccountofcreationintheBible.Thefollowingyear,ahighschoolbiologyteacherinDayton,JohnThomasScopes(1900-1970),decidedtotestthelaw.Heexplainedthetheorytohisclassandwasarrestedandprosecuted.JohnThomasScopesThefledglingAmericanCivilLibertiesUnionwantedtochallengethelaw'sconstitutionalityandchosetotestitwiththetrialofJohnScopes,ayounghigh-schoolmathandgymteacherwhobrieflytaughtDarwinismasasubstitutebiologyteacher.Thequietproceduralmatterexplodedintoamediacarnivalwhentwogreatlawyersarrivedtoarguethecase.(JohnScopes)ReligiousdebateThemostcontentiousdebatesoverevolutionhaveinvolvedreligion.FromDarwin’sdaytothepresent,membersofsomereligiousfaithshaveperceivedthescientifictheoryofevolutiontobeindirectandobjectionableconflictwithreligiousdoctrineregardingthecreationoftheworld.ChristianFundamentalists(【宗】原教旨主义(相信《圣经》所记载的传统的基督教信仰,反对较为近代的教义)andotherswhobelieveliterallyinthebiblicalstoryofcreationchoosetorejectevolutionarytheorybecauseitcontradictsthebookofGenesis,whichdescribeshowGodcreatedtheworldandallitsplantsandanimallifeinsixdays.ManysuchpeoplemaintainthattheEarthisrelativelyyoung—perhaps6,000to8,000yearsold—andthathumansandalltheworld'sspecieshaveremainedunchangedsincetheirrecentcreationbyadivinehand.Genesis《圣经·创世纪》1stday:Day&Night2ndday:Firmament&Water3rdday:Earth&Sea4thday:Seasons,days&years5thday:LivingCreaturesinSea&Sky6thday:Beasts,Man&Woman7thday:HavearestThecourtrefusedtoconsiderthevalidityofthelaw.Instead,itaskedthejurytodetermineonlywhetherScopeshadviolatedthatlaw.Thetrialinvolvedseveraldistinguishedlawyers,including:DefenseCounsel(辩护律师):ClarenceDarrow,oneofAmerica'sleadingcriminallawyers.Prosecutor:formerU.S.secretaryofstate，three-timepresidentialcandidateWilliamJenningsBryanOpeningstatementspicturedthetrialasatitanicstrugglebetweengoodandevilortruthandignorance.Bryanclaimedthat“Ifevolutionwins,Christianitygoes.Darrowargued,Scopesisn'tontrialcivilizationisontrial.DarrowexaminesBryanCourseThedefensearguedforthescientificvalidityofevolutionandagainsttheconstitutionalityoftheButlerAct,butitdidnotdenythatScopeshadbrokenthelaw.Darrow,incross-examiningBryan,succeededinpointingoutseveralseriousinconsistencies(矛盾)inFundamentalistbelief.ResultsScopeswasconvictedandfined$100,buttheverdictwaslaterreversedontechnicalgroundsbythestatesupremecourt.TheButlerActremainedonthebooksuntil1967.Thetrialwasseenasavictoryforevolution.JudgesoftheMonkeyTrialAnecdoteOnceDarwincameacrossaverybeautifulyoungladyonaball.TheladychallengedDarwin:DoyouthinkI’malsodescendedfrommonkeys?”Darwinglancedatherandreplied:Definitely!Butthedifferenceisthatyouaredescendedfromaverycharmingmonkey.AlthoughScopeslostthetrial,yethisinfluenceonthesocietyandthelawwasunmatched.Wheneverwetalkaboutthegreatesttrialofthetwentiethcentury,thathonor,ofcourse,mustgototheMonkeyTrialof1925.SowhyistheScopestrialconsideredthetrialofthecentury?Wecountedthefollowingways:TheScopesTrialalreadyhasstoodthetestoftime.Seventy-fiveyearslateritstandsasthemosttalkedabouttrialofthefirstpartofthetwentiethcentury.TheScopesTrialbroughttogetherAmerica'sgreatestdefenseattorney,ClarenceDarrow,itsgreatestpoliticaloratorandasortofFundamentalistPope,three-timepresidentialcandidateWilliamJenningsBryan,anditsgreatestandmostacerbicjournalist,H.L.Mencken.Mencken→←BryanTheScopesTrialproducedwhattheNewYorkTimescalledthemostamazingcourtroomsceneinAnglo-Americanhistory,thecallingofprosecutorWilliamJenningsBryantothestandbyClarenceDarrowforexaminationonthequestionofwhethereverystoryintheBiblewasliterallytrue.Ifthatwerenotstrangeenough,theexaminationtookplaceinthecourthouselawnbeforeacrowdofthousandsafterthejudgeexpressedconcernthatt