Page:The World's Most Famous Court Trial - 1925.djvu/178

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174
TENNESSEE EVOLUTION TRIAL

used the words "class" or "families"—that is what I said.

Mr. Bryan—No matter what you said it wouldn't make much difference because the answer would be just the same. (Laughter in the courtroom.) I want to remind your honor that if men and monkeys are in the same class, called primates, that doesn't settle the question, for it is possible that some of those primates are the descendants of other primates, but if it were true that every primate was in a class by itself and was not descended from any other primate, therefore, according to evolution all the primates in that class descended from other animals, evolved from that class, and you go back to the primates, to the one evolved until you et to the one-cell animal in the bottom of the sea.

Christian Believes Man from Above—Evolutionist from Below.

So, my friends, if that were true, if man and monkey were in the same class, called primates, it would mean they did not come up from the same order. It might mean that instead of one being the ancestor of the other they were all cousins. But it does not mean that they did not come up from the lower animals if this is the only place they could come from, and the Christian believes man came from above, but the evolutionist believes he must have come from below.

(Laughter in the courtroom.)

And that is from a lower order of animals.

Your honor, I want to show you that we have evidence enough here, we do not need any experts to come in here and tell us about this thing. Here we have Mr. Hunter. Mr. Hunter is the author of this biology and this is the man who wrote the book Mr. Scopes was teaching. And here we have the diagram. Has the court seen this diagram?

The Court—No, sir, I have not.

Bryan Shows "Tree of Life" to Court

Mr. Bryan—Well, you must see it (handing book to the court.)

(Laughter in the courtroom.)

On page 194—I take it for granted that counsel for the defense have examined it carefully?

Mr. Darrow—We have examined it.

Mr. Bryan—On page 194, we have a diagram, and this diagram purports to give some one's family tree. Not only his ancestors but his collateral relatives. We are told just how many animal species there are, 518,900. And in this diagram, beginning with protozoa we have the animals classified. We have circles differing in size according to the number of species in them and we have the guess that they give.

Of course, it is only a guess, and I don't suppose it is carried to a one or even to ten, I see they are round numbers, and I don't think all of these animals breed in round numbers, and so I think it must be a generalization of them.

(Laughter in the courtroom.)

The Court—Let us have order.

Mr. Bryan—8,000 protozoa, 3,500 sponges.

Must Be More Than 35,000 Sponges.

I am satisfied from some I have seen there must be more than 35,000 sponges.

(Laughter in the courtroom.)

Mr. Bryan—And then we run down to the insects, 360,000 insects. Two-thirds of all the species of all the animal world are insects. And sometimes, in the summer time we feel that we become intimately acquainted with them—a large percentage of the species are mollusks and fishes. Now, we are getting up near our kinfolks, 13,000 fishes. Then there are the amphibia. I don’t know whether they have not yet decided to come out, or have almost decided to go back.

(Laughter in the courtroom.)

But they seem to be somewhat at home in both elements. And then we have the reptiles, 3,500; and then we have 13,000 birds. Strange that this should be exactly the same as the number of fishes, round numbers. And then we have mammals, 3,500, and there is a little circle and man is in the circle, find him, find man.