Noble American Lives: Biographies of America's Religious Thinkers and Believers

Mencken at the Scopes Trial, Bryan's Death, and a Boston Censorship Battle
In Noble American Lives podcast Episode 167 (Nov. 3, 2026), William H. Benson continues his biography of H.L. Mencken from The Parallel Lives series, recounting Mencken's role in the Scopes Monkey Trial: Darrow's intense courtroom cross-examination of William Jennings Bryan, the judge's expunging of Bryan's testimony, Scopes' quick conviction and $100 fine (paid by Mencken's Baltimore Evening Sun), and the ensuing appeal. The script covers Bryan's post-trial anti-evolution campaigning, his sudden death, and Mencken's caustic reactions and venomous obituary essays, along with Mencken's view that fundamentalism retreated from politics; the Butler Act was repealed in 1967. It notes Dayton's Bryan College, Scopes' later career, Mencken's 1920s celebrity, his mother's death, publication of Notes on Democracy, and Mencken's 1926 Boston arrest over an American Mercury article, which he ultimately won in court.
00:00 Podcast Intro
00:19 Series Overview
03:22 Episode Setup
03:37 Copyright Notice
04:20 Darrow vs Bryan Clash
10:18 Verdict and Sentencing
12:59 Aftermath and Reactions
14:17 Bryan Final Days
16:51 Mencken Obituary Fury
21:19 Butler Act Legacy
24:11 Scopes Life After Trial
26:50 Mencken Fame and Influence
28:35 Mother Death and Grief
31:10 Notes on Democracy
32:18 Boston Censorship Fight
34:17 Closing Legal Victory

H.L. Mencken at the Scopes Trial—Bryan's Oratory, Malone's Reply, and Darrow's Cross-Examination
In Noble American Lives podcast episode 166 (October 27, 2026), host William H. Benson continues reading from his book H.L. Mencken versus Jim Baker, focusing on Mencken's coverage of the Scopes Monkey Trial. The script recounts William Jennings Bryan's courtroom denunciation of evolution as anti-supernatural and immoral, Darrow's objections, and Dudley Malone's forceful defense of science and freedom that wins the crowd. Mencken's harsh dispatches inflame Dayton and Southern readers, prompting newspaper disclaimers and rumors of retaliation, though civic leaders defuse tensions. After Judge Ralston limits expert testimony and cites Darrow for contempt before accepting his apology, proceedings move outdoors, the "Read your Bible" sign is removed, and the defense calls Bryan as a witness. Darrow then questions Bryan on literal Bible interpretation, miracles, and biblical chronology, leading to tense exchanges.
00:00 Show Intro and Series Overview
00:52 Book List and How to Follow
01:20 Recap of Prior Volumes
03:22 Episode Focus H L Mencken
04:16 Scopes Trial Bryan Attacks Evolution
08:59 Courtroom Reactions and Mencken Takes
10:25 Malone Fires Back
13:40 Mencken Backlash and Mob Rumors
17:41 Friday Rulings and Darrow Clash
20:12 Weekend Plans and Leaving Dayton
24:04 Monday Contempt and Moving Outside
28:42 Darrow Calls Bryan to Testify
30:23 Bible Literalism Cross Examination
32:58 Flood Dates and Final Wrangling

In Noble American Lives podcast episode 165 (Oct. 20, 2026), host William H. Benson continues reading from his sixth book, H.L. Mencken versus Jim Bakker, moving into a biography of H.L. Mencken amid the Scopes Monkey Trial. The excerpt recounts Mencken attending an outdoor Pentecostal "Holy Roller" revival near Dayton, Tennessee, describing ecstatic prayer, speaking in tongues, and frenzied penitents, and his astonishment that participants were sincere. It then follows early Scopes proceedings: Bryan's push to bar defense experts, Darrow's constitutional arguments against the Butler Act, disputes over courtroom prayer, the judge's denial of the motion to quash, and the defense's effort to introduce scientific testimony through Maynard Metcalf. Bryan later argues parents' rights and anti-evolution claims as Mencken watches, amid courtroom heat, crowds, and a reporters' table collapse.
00:00 Episode Introduction
00:21 Series Overview
00:53 Book and Newsletter Notes
03:24 Today's Mencken Reading
03:40 Copyright Notice
04:21 Holy Roller Revival Scene
07:32 Back to Dayton Buzz
09:09 Mencken Reacts and Writes
10:07 Bryan vs Darrow Clash
14:42 Darrow's Constitution Argument
18:56 Courtroom Reactions and Storm
21:07 Prayer Fight in Court
25:33 Ralston Ruling and Trial Starts
26:31 Metcalf Explains Evolution
29:19 Expert Testimony Showdown
30:34 Bryan Takes the Floor
32:11 Mencken's Table Crash
33:37 Closing Bryan Warning

William H. Benson introduces episode 164 of the Noble American Lives podcast, continuing his sixth book, H.L. Mencken versus Jim Baker, with the Mencken biography. The script recounts how the ACLU sought a test case against Tennessee's Butler Law, leading Dayton leaders to recruit teacher John T. Scopes, arrange his arrest, secure bail, and fast-track indictment and trial dates. As national attention grew, William Jennings Bryan joined the prosecution and Clarence Darrow, with Dudley Malone and Arthur Garfield Hays, took over the defense despite ACLU misgivings, adopting a strategy Mencken favored: attacking and humiliating Bryan. Mencken travels to Dayton, coins "Scopes Monkey Trial," describes the town's carnival atmosphere, and reports on fundamentalist street preachers and a Holy Roller meeting he attended with reporters.
00:00 Podcast Intro and Series
03:28 Episode Focus Mencken
04:25 ACLU Seeks Test Case
05:34 Scopes Volunteers Arrest
10:13 Grand Jury and Trial Set
11:15 Bryan and Darrow Join
17:54 Mencken Strategy Advice
18:47 Arrivals in Dayton
23:22 Dayton Carnival Atmosphere
29:02 Trial Opens and Jury
31:16 Mencken Holy Roller Night
32:13 Shinbone Ridge Frenzy
35:20 Closing Barbaric Grotesquery

In Noble American Lives Podcast (Oct. 6, 2026), episode 163, host William H. Benson continues reading from his sixth book, H.L. Mencken versus Jim Baker, recapping earlier paired biographies in the series and promoting his Roger Williams vs. Cotton Mather volume and Substack newsletter. The Mencken biography describes his 1923 break with The Smart Set after a dispute over ridiculing the late President Harding, Hearst's purchase of the magazine, and Mencken and George Jean Nathan's launch of The American Mercury, which quickly succeeded, influenced other magazines, and published Black writers including Du Bois, Hughes, and Cullen. It covers Mencken's intense editorial work, multiple romantic relationships, and his civil-liberties crusades against the Red Scare, prohibition, censorship, and the Sacco-Vanzetti case, then traces the growth of Protestant fundamentalism and the anti-evolution campaign culminating in Tennessee's 1925 Butler Bill banning evolution instruction.
00:00 Series Introduction
00:52 Books and Subscription Notes
01:22 Recap of Prior Volumes
03:27 Mencken Biography Begins
04:21 Harding Controversy Fallout
05:26 Launching American Mercury
06:10 Editorial Revolution and Influence
07:25 Mencken Work Ethic Spotlight
08:51 Love Affairs and Marion Bloom
11:25 Sara Hart and Other Romances
14:06 Eileen Pringle and Marriage Pressure
17:11 Civil Liberties and Prohibition
19:59 Rise of Religious Fundamentalism
25:56 Anti Evolution Crusade Spreads
28:33 William Jennings Bryan Profile
33:26 Tennessee Passes Butler Bill
34:32 Closing and Transition