Page:The World's Most Famous Court Trial - 1925.djvu/185

Rh think that they can bring them in here to instruct the members of the jury, eleven of whom are members of the church? I submit that of the eleven members of the jury. moreMore [sic] of the jurors are experts on what the Bible is than any Bible expert who does not subscribe to the true spiritual influences or spiritual discern-ments of what our Bible says.

Voice in audience, "Amen!"

Mr. Bryan—(Continuing) and the man may discuss the Bible all he wants to, but he does not find out anything about the Bible until he accepts God and the Christ of whom He tells.

Mr. Darrow—I hope the reporters got the amens in the record. I want somewhere, at some point, to find some court where a picture of this will be painted. (Laughter.)

Mr. Bryan—Your honor, we first pointed out that we do not need any experts in science. Here is one plain fact, and the statute defines itself, and it tells the kind of evolution it does not want taught, and the evidence says that this is the kind of evolution that was taught, and no number of scientists could come in here, my friends, and override that statute or take from the jury its right to decide this question, so that all the experts that they could bring would mean nothing. And, when it comes to Bible experts, every member of the jury is as good an expert on the Bible as any man that they could bring, or that we could bring. The one beauty about the Word of God is, it does not take an expert to understand it. They have translated that Bible into five hundred languages, they have carried it into nations where but few can read a word, or write, to people who never saw a book, who never read, and yet can understand that Bible, and they can accept the salvation that that Bible offers, and they can know more about that book by accepting Jesus and feeling in their hearts the sense of their sins forgiven than all of the skeptical outside Bible experts that could come in here to talk to the people of Tennessee about the construction that they place upon the Bible, that is foreign to the construction that the people here place upon it. Therefore, your honor, we believe that this evidence is not competent, it is not a mock trial, this is not a convocation brought here to allow men to come and stand for a time in the limelight, and speak to the world from the platform at Dayton. If we must have a mock trial to give these people a chance to get before the public with their views, then let us convene it after this case is over, and let people stay as long as they want to listen, but let this court, which is here supported by the law, and by the taxpayers, pass upon this law, and when the legislature passes a law and makes it so plain that even though a fool need not err therein, let us sustain it in our interpretations. We have a book here that shows everything that is needed to make one understand evolution, and to show that the man violated the law. Then why should we prolong this case. We can bring our experts here for the Christians; for every one they can bring who does not believe in ChrstianityChristianity [sic], we can bring more than one who believes in the Bible and rejects evolution, and our witnesses will be just as good experts as theirs on a question of that kind. We could have a thousand or a million witnesses, but this case as to whether evolution is true or not, is not going to be tried here, within this city; if it is carried to the state's courts, it will not be tried there, and if it is taken to the great court at Washington, it will not be tried there. No, my friends, no court or the law, and no jury, great or small, is going to destroy the issue between the believer and the unbeliever. The Bible is the Word of God; the Bible is the only expression of man's hope of salvation. The Bible, the record of the Son of God, the Savior of the world, born of the virgin Mary, crucified and risen again. That Bible is not going to be driven out of this court