Page:The World's Most Famous Court Trial - 1925.djvu/136

 Q—This part of that he also read?

A—Yes, sir.

Q—And on page 195. "Man's Place in Nature"—Although we know that man is separated mentally by a wide gap from all other animals, in our study of physiology we must ask where we are to place man. If we attempt to classify men, we see at once he must be placed with the vertebrate animals because of his possession of a vertebral column. Vertebral column, you understand is, backbone?

A—Yes, sir.

Mr. Darrow Reading)—"Evidently, too, he is a mammal, because the young are nourished by milk secreted by the mother and because his body has at least a partial covering of hair. Anatomically we find that we must place man with the apelike mammals, because of these numerous points of structural likeness. The group of mammals which includes the monkeys, apes, and man we call the primates. I see another line marked here. I am ashamed to read that, too.

"Mammals are considered the highest vertebrate animals, not only because of their complicated structure, but because their instincts are so well developed. Monkeys certainly seem to have many of the mental attributes of man."

Gen. Stewart—Just go right on.

Mr. Darrow—I am going to. You have underscored part of it. I want to read it too.

"Prof. Thorndike, of Columbia university, sums up their habits of learning as follows:

"In their method of learning, although monkeys do not reach the human stage of a right life of ideas, yet they carry the animal method of learning, by the selection of impulses and association of them with different sense-impressions to a ponitpoint [sic] beyond that reached by any other of the lower animals. In this, too they resemble man; for he differs from the lower anmialsanimals [sic] not only in the possession of a new sort of intelligence but also in the tremendous extension of that sort which he has in common with them. A fish learns slowly a few simple habits. Man learns quickly an infinitude of habits that may be highly complex. Dogs and cats learn more than the fish, while the monkeys learn more than they.

In the number of things he learns, the complex habits he can form, the variety of lines along which he can learn them and in their permanence when oneonce [sic] formed, the monkey justifies his inclusion with man in a separate mental genus."

Q—That is what was read?

A—Yes, sir.

Q—Anything else in that book you can say was read?

A—No.

Q—How many of those did you have for sale?

A—Oh, I have been selling that book for six or seven years.

Q—Have you noticed any mental or moral deterioration growing out of the thing?

Gen. Stewart—How is that?

Mr. Darrow, Q—Have you noticed any mental or moral deterioration growing out of that thing?

Gen. Stewart—Exception.

The Court—I sustain the exception.

Mr. Darrow—Exception.

Q—How do you get them, Mr. Robinson?

A—From the depository at Chattanooga for this county.

Q—What is the depository?

A—The place that the state designates to handle the state books.

Q—You got them from the state authorities and are the only one who handles them in Dayton?

A—In Dayton, yes, yes.

Q—Were they adopted, as you understand it?

A—By the state board of education.

Q—State board of education?

A—Yes, sir.

Q—And state whether or not they got it from you?

A—Yes, sir.

Gen. Stewart—Perhaps as Mr. Darrow has seen fit to read from that part of the biology in question, your honor, I want at this point to read the first two chapters