By Friday morning, we were in the car again, headed to Dayton, Tennessee with my mom and dad. Before we get to the real reason that we were in Dayton, let me explain what this average, "Main Street USA" town is famous for. Way back in 1925, Dayton became the center of a nearly Trans-Atlantic media frenzy with the indictment of high school science teacher John Scopes on charges of teaching evolution in a Tennessee classroom. This was a direct affront to the Butler Act, which stated that it was against the law in said state, "to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." (Yes, I got this off of Wikipedia... what can I say, quick and easy to quote.)
This will eventually connect back to our purpose in Dayton, I promise. Just let me say that one of the interesting aspects of this trial (which was popularly referred to as the "Scopes Monkey Trial) was that both the prosecution and the defense sought to bring in big name celebrities (of that time) to make their case hold up.
The defense recruited Clarence Darrow, an accomplished attorney on the national level, while the prosecution roped in William Jennings Bryan. Bryan was, among other things, a three time presidential candidate, a populist, former Secretary of State, and a firm believer that Genesis stated scientific fact.
Whatever your personal opinions on this case might be, Scopes was convicted by the Rhea County court and appealed to the State Supreme Court, where the case was basically dropped and declared pointless.
As for Bryan, he felt his victory in regards to the county trial was not enough to ensure that Christian/Creationist ideals would continue to be taught in that locale, so he set up Bryan College, a school where folks could ostensibly learn to be smarter than monkeys.
Which is where my family comes back in. My youngest brother Chris, a midfielder for the Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars' men's soccer team had a tournament to play at Bryan College against the hosts and two other schools. I really enjoyed the opportunity to get to watch Chris play... I'd rave about how good he is, but you would assume that I have some sort of bias. I also was reminded that sporting events can sometimes bring out the worst in fans... myself unfortunately included. But they did foul Chris pretty hard.
Other than soccer and monkeys, Dayton does have some other interesting spots. My parents took Krista and I out to Fehn's 1891 House, a restaurant/boarding house with a lot of class and an interesting story to tell. We also had time for a great hike in the area to a local waterfall.
Before getting on with the rest of our "vacation time" I will note briefly that long car rides enable you to learn things about people that you either did not know, or had forgotten. I, for instance, had forgotten my mother's passion for people being good drivers. I'll leave you the reader to fill in the blanks on that one.
The final week before we were to leave for Orientation in Chicago was spent at the Shues in another whirlwind of Spanish study, cousins, a visit from the Shue grandparents, puzzle (the latter two are connected), and giving time to the Republican National Convention. Mentioning both conventions reminds me that I found a new appreciation for John Stewart and the Daily Show. This is perhaps an appreciation that not everyone would share, and that is ok, because God made us different.
There are plenty of details that could be expounded upon for that week at the Shue household, the black snake on the wall at Tim and Jennifer's; the meetings with Thomas, Lydell, and Rebecca; or the final breakfast with my parents and then the final Thai meal with Krista's family. But I am rather tired of writing... I gave too much of my time to monkeys, and I'll leave Krista to fill in any details.
1 comment:
Good to hear from you! Craig, I would have loved to sit in a history class taught by you. :) Fill us in some time about the snake on Tim's wall. Real?
I hope the rest of your orientation goes by quickly!
G'ma N.
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