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EVOLUTION 



March, 1929 



Fundamentalism in England and America 



By MAYNARD SHIPLEY 



OUR British friends often take an 

 attitude of pity and condescen- 

 sion toward us poor creatures har- 

 rowed by the inroads of Funda- 

 mentalist obscurantism. "How sad it 

 is," they say in effect, "that science 

 in America should have to contend 

 with so out-dated a problem; and how 

 fortunate are we in Great Britain that 

 we have no such troubles here." 



It would be fortunate, indeed, for 

 English science if this assumption 

 were correct. It is true, that there is 

 far less open agitation against freedom 

 of scientific teaching in their country 

 and that that agitation comes from a 

 group which has no standing culturally 

 or politically. Also this struggle in 

 which we are now engaged was fought 

 and won three quarters of a century ago 

 in England and even then it was a 

 struggle between educated scientists and 

 educated clergy; not, as here, between 

 educated scientists and the fearfully un- 

 educated clergy of the backward dis- 

 tricts. 



Nevertheless, the World'i Christian 

 Fundamentals Association was purpose- 

 ly so named. From its start in America, 

 it is already carrying its campaign to 

 Europe. George McCready Price, the 

 Fundamentalist "geologist," spreading 

 his gospel of the Noachic flood and the 

 literal interpretation of Genesis, for 

 several years has been head of a so-called 

 college in England. Aimee Semple 

 McPherson, in her recent evangelizing 

 tour in England, did not neglect to at- 

 tack the teaching of evolution. And 

 other American Fundamentalist evangel- 

 ists are pledged to carry on the work 

 in every English-speaking country on 

 the globe. 



At this very minute, in Bootle, Lanca- 

 shire, a city of 80,000, it is against the 

 law to teach evolution in the tax-sup- 

 ported schools. London is not all of 

 England, and much anti-scientific pro- 

 paganda is being "put over" in the 

 smaller provincial towns and vast dis- 

 tricts of Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, 

 where people still believe in witchcraft, 

 as firmly as our "Pennsylvania Dutch" 

 towns where no hint of modern scien- 

 tific thought has so far penetrated. 



Mr. F. Gosling, a prominent British 

 Rationalist, remarked recently in a 

 private letter, "There certainly is an 

 optimistic side to your conflict. Over 

 here it is all so hidden, and though some 

 comfortable people point to the tre- 

 mendous advances made, I feel that the 

 present rate of progress in the real en- 

 lightenment of the masses is too slow. 

 Said comfortable ones are likely to pity 

 America with her Fundamentalists, but 

 seem to be half blind to the unconfessed 

 Fundamentalism so prevalent here .... 

 It may be that in a few years' time we 

 shall be wishing to goodness, that our 

 Fundamentalists here would be fools 

 enough to come out into the open." < 



Another EngHsh writer agrees, "We, 

 in this country, also have our Funda- 

 mentalists, and they exist, if we include 



of people take a similar attitude in Eng- 

 land. But no one acquainted with that 

 huge, semi-literate English sect the 

 "Plymouth Brethren" and similar Fun- 

 damentalist groups can doubt that Eng- 

 land also faces a real and increasing 

 menace. England seems freer from anti- 



Ireland and Wales, in an even higher science threats not because she is really 



proportion than yours. They are, more- 

 over, of a more dangerous type than are 

 yours. They 'sap' where yours make 

 noisy, frontal attacks." 



Plenty of people in America still 

 shout "Alarmist !" to those who point 

 out the ever growing danger to which 

 fanaticism and ignorance are exposing 

 the teaching of science. The same type 



free, but because she is "next on the 

 list." 



In spite of the proud position of 

 British science, and the real democracy 

 and enlightenment of the better educated 

 British thought, it may soon be neces- 

 sary there, as it is vitally necessary 

 here, to organize against the local mani- 

 festation of our common foe. 



Activities of Science League 



In November, for the first time in 

 history, the initiative and referendum 

 system was invoked, in Arkansas, to 

 forbid the teaching of modern science. 

 Nineteen other states have direct legis- 



lets, to the committee or the legislature, 

 have asked our members in the states 

 concerned to protest against the bills to 

 their representatives, and have arranged 

 for personal speakers against the bill 



lation, and the anti-evolutionists have if it should come to the floor. In Ar- 



announced that henceforth they intend kansas we worked through the local 



to have recourse to this method when- committee. We are now endeavoring, in 



ever a legislature in one of these states case the repeal bill should be lost, to 



proves "recalcitrant." Another pheno- raise funds for a constitutional test of 



menon of 1928 was the appointment by the Arkansas law, along lines which will 



the Florida State Senate of a com- not involve the martyrdom of a teacher. 



mittee of Fundamentalists to investigate 

 and "purge" libraries of the State Uni- 

 versity and the State College for 

 Women of scientific (particularly psy- 



Incidentally, we have also been of help 

 during the past year in securing new 

 connections for several teachers who 

 lost their positions because they taught 



chological) books not in accord with evolution. Some of these cases occurred 



their theological views ! 



As we write, the 43 legislative sessions 

 of 1929 are just opening. Already an 

 anti-evolution bill has been introduced 

 in the Texas legislature and killed by 

 a close committee vote, only to be fol- 

 lowed by another prohibiting teaching 

 "contrary to the Book of Genesis." A 

 bill to repeal the Tennessee law was 



in states where no overt agitation has 

 ever existed. 



What You Can Do to Help 

 The demands upon us are increasing 

 in far greater ratio than are the means 

 at our disposal. The League is grow- 

 ing, but slowly ; and the attacks on the 

 teaching of modern science are growing 

 much faster. Every member who is 



promptly voted down, and a similar fate really heart and soul in this fight can 



is anticipated for a like bill in Arkan- 

 sas, though an anti-evolution enforce- 

 ment bill there was indefinitely post- 

 poned. Dr. W. B. Riley has stated that 

 he will again have an anti-evolution bill 

 introduced in Minnesota, and definite 

 threats of similar action come from 

 New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, 



be of great help to us if he will do one 

 or more of the following: (1) tell his 

 like-minded acquaintances about the 

 League, and help us to build up the 

 membership which alone provides our 

 working funds ; (2) keep his own dues 

 paid up to date, and if possible become 

 a life member (at the special rate of 



Kansas and Montana. Before this re- $20 instead of $25 extended to those 



port reaches you, several more states 

 may well be facing anti-evolution legis- 

 lation. Moreover, the "Defenders of the 

 Faith," led by Paul Rader, have held a 

 convention in Indianapolis, 100,000 

 strong, to arrange for anti-evolution 

 activity in "48 nerve centers" — better 

 known to us as the 48 secularly-govern- 

 ed states- of the Union. 



Educational and Defensive Work 

 -Against this growing agitation, the 



already members) ; (3) send us names 

 for circularization or distribute copies 

 of our new leaflet, which will be printed 

 in about a month ; (4) send us prompt 

 information and clippings relating to 

 any new anti-evolution or similar activ- 

 ity in his own community; (5) contri- 

 bute to the general or special work of 

 tlie League ; (6) help in the distribution 

 of "The War on Modern Science," 

 which tells the complete story of the 



Science League has continued its educa- anti-evolution crusade up to the summer 



tional and defensive work to the limit 

 of its resources. We have continued to 

 act as a general information bureau for 

 speakers, writers, and periodicals. In 

 every state, up to and including Texas, 

 where anti-evolution bills have been in- 

 troduced, we have sent a strong protest 

 brief, together with informative pamph- 



of 1927, and has proved a startling eye- 

 opener to many persons hitherto un- 

 aware of the situation. 



Yours for freedom in research and 

 teaching, 



MAYNARD SHIPLEY, Pres. 

 Gillette Bldg., San Francisco. 



