[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n a July 3, 1925 editorial entitled “The Circus Comes to Dayton,” the Temple Daily Telegram criticized the carnival atmosphere surrounding the Scopes “Monkey Trial” and dismissed the emotion-charged debate over evolution as a “useless discussion.”

The new law that high school biology teacher John T. Scopes intentionally broke made it “unlawful for any teacher in any of the universities, normals and all other public school schools of th...