THE SO-CALLED "Scopes Monkey Trial" began July 10, 1925, in Dayton, Tenn., when high school biology teacher John T. Scopes faced court proceedings on the charge of having taught evolution in violation of the Butler Act.
ONE OF SCOPES' lawyers was the agnostic criminal-defense attorney Clarence Darrow and one of the prosecuting attorneys was the famous populist and fundamentalist William Jennings Bryan.
THE STATUTE that Scopes was alleged to have violated made it unlawful to teach in state public schools any theory that denied the story of divine creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that humans descended from a lower order of animals.
THE DEFENSE did not argue that Scopes was innocent of violating the law. Instead, it argued that evolution was valid, that it was compatible with certain interpretations of the Bible and hence that the original law itself was wrong.
THE COURT refused to rule in such matters and instead stuck strictly to whether or not the law was violated -- and so found Scopes guilty, fining him $100.
THE STATE SUPREME COURT later reversed this judgment.
SOURCE: About.com
The Maine Department of Education disagrees with an Athens school board director who wants School Administrative District 59 to drop evolution from its high school science curricula.
Director Matthew Linkletter argues that evolution is an unprovable theory and shouldn't be taught as fact. He's urged the SAD 59 Board of Directors to consider his view during its May 19 meeting in Madison, with a goal of removing evolution from science classrooms.
But David Connerty-Marin, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, says evolution must be taught because, in the state's view, it's a proven science.
"For our students to be prepared for college work and life in the 21st century, it's necessary," said Connerty-Marin.
Connerty-Marin said the Maine Learning Results program mandates the study of evolution in public science classes.
"Evolution is not just a belief, or based on faith, it's based on scientific evaluation," he said. "The worldwide science community supports it."
Linkletter, the school board director, believes that neither evolution nor creationism belongs in a high school science curriculum, because they cannot be proved.
"You can't show, observe or prove (evolution)," he said.
Asked at random, two parents of Madison Area Memorial High School students expressed some support for Linkletter's position.
SAD 59 includes Madison, Athens, Brighton Plantation and Starks.
"I think that's a very valid point, to tell you the truth, because evolution is only a theory, not a hard fact," said Nancy Martin, an educational technician at Athens Elementary School.
Martin, who has a son at the high school, said she believes in creationism, as outlined in the Old Testament Book of Genesis. SAD 59 should pull evolution from the science curriculum unless creationism is afforded equal footing, she said.
Laney Kirk of Madison, treasurer of the sports boosters who has a daughter at Madison High, agreed with Martin -- to a point.
"Really and truly, they're both ideas," Kirk said. "We can teach both. But that's where we run into a problem, when you say they're mutually exclusive. You're never going to get everyone to agree about it, so why not teach them both?"
Kirk said she attends most SAD 59 meetings, but missed the one last week when Linkletter broached the topic. The board voted to table the issue, and revisit it on May 19. Kirk does not believe the board should remove evolution from the curriculum.
"There are people who believe that the Holocaust is a theory," Kirk said. "It's like banning a book."
Town Manager Norman Dean, who taught science in Madison from 1962 through 1996, had stronger words for the proposal.
"That's absolutely stupid," said Dean, who once taught Linkletter. "I thought we already had the monkey trial," he said, referring to the Scopes trial in 1925 that tested a Tennessee law banning the teaching of evolution.
There is plenty of evidence, Dean said, that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is correct.
"I believe evolution is adaptation to the environment," he said.
Roy Blevins, the pastor of Linkletter's church, the Church of the Open Bible in Athens, spoke in favor of SAD 59 Chairman Norman Luce's suggestion that a philosophy class might provide a better forum for the study of evolution.
"That's a sane approach," Blevins said. "The evolution concept is a theory, and not provable. If the science department at Madison High is simply teaching theory, then you ought to leave it in the science department."
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