100 Years Ago: July 18-24

From The Indianapolis Times, Saturday, July 18, 1925: With closing arguments in the Dayton, Tennessee trial of John Scopes for teaching evolution set to commence Monday, the majority of the members of the Indianapolis school board would not support a movement to stop teaching the theory. “The question is too silly to discuss,” said board member Fred Bates Johnson. “Science teachers should teach according to their own beliefs. That’s what they are hired for.” Also, township trustees in Marion County will not emulate the Blackford County trustees, all of whom announced they will discharge teachers who teach evolution. “You can’t make a man good through laws, and you can’t keep them from learning the truth by statute,” said Perry Township trustee Dow Vorhees. State approved textbooks now used in Indianapolis and other Indiana high schools teach the theory of evolution.