Re: Creationists win the schools in New Mexico

Michael Grice (gibgric@mailbag.com)
Mon, 02 Sep 1996 03:23:02 GMT

Posted and emailed.

bill@clyde.as.utexas.edu (William H. Jefferys) blessed us with the
following wisdom:

>In article <50cb93$n7@grandcanyon.binc.net>,
>Michael Grice <gibgric@mailbag.com> wrote:

[Snipped: George Cooper's claims that Clarence Darrow used "Nebraska
Man" as evidence in the Scopes trial.]

>#Actually, George is right about this one. According to the "Nebraska
>#Man" entry in Richard Milner's _Encyclopedia of Evolution_, the tooth
>#was introduced as "evolutionary evidence" in the trial.

>No, he is not correct. Richard Milner is in error. Howler
>Wesley R. Elsberry examined the transcript of the trial
>and found that it was not mentioned. He asked for citations
>to the contrary from the record and none were forthcoming.

>The judge refused to allow testimony on scientific evidence
>to be given, but he did allow some scientific evidence to
>be entered into the _written_ record of the trial. But nothing
>about Nebraska Man. Since these were not heard by the jury, they
>had no effect on the outcome of the trial.

Actually, it looks like I went beyond what my source said.

Milner himself just says that the "_Hesperopithecus tooth was
introduced as evolutionary evidence along with other fossils of early
man," including Piltdown. He doesn't mention Darrow at all, and he
doesn't suggest anyone mentioned it in their testimony. I think
Milner might have gone a little beyond what his sources said, also.

My apologies.

>As I understand it, some references to Nebraska Man were
>made in the press.

Milner quotes H.F. Osborn as saying that the "Earth spoke to [William
Jennings] Bryan from his own state [Bryan was apparently a
Nebraskan].... this little tooth speaks volumes ... evidence of man's
descent from the ape."

[I hope Milner got this one right....]

>Bill

>--
>Bill Jefferys/Department of Astronomy/University of Texas/Austin, TX 78712
>E-mail: bill@clyde.as.utexas.edu | URL: http://quasar.as.utexas.edu
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Michael
gibgric@mailbag.com