Dayton observations
The trip to Dayton was a
great way to conclude our semester on evolution. It was easy to reminisce about what it was like in 1925. There were new buildings and perhaps a few renovated
ones from then and new cars along with some antique ones on display. The
people that wandered around the arts and crafts booths and sat on benches
listening to bluegrass music could easily have been at home with their
ancestors ninety-three years ago.
Fortunately, the
courtroom was air-conditioned and the temperature outside was very mild
compared to what it was in 1925. The museum in the basement contained lots of additional
information about Rhea County, Dayton, and the trial. The little restaurant, Monkey
Town Brewing Co, where we dined before returning home had good southern food and
some appropriately named drinks and food. On the walls there were old
newspapers hanging in frames describing some of the events of the time.
It was easy to imagine
Matthew Chapman touring the town and we even drove around the campus of Bryan
College but didn’t have time to stop and see if Professor Kurt Wise was still
there. I don’t know how similar the play that Chapman missed was to the one we
viewed, but it was well-rehearsed and choreographed with many actors ranging in
age from young children to senior citizens. Some live in Dayton and others
commute. The storyteller is from Murfreesboro.
In reflecting on our
discussion of evolution and natural selection, I observed the diversity of
fauna and flora that existed on the way from Murfreesboro to Dayton as we passed
acres and acres of trees and shrubs in McMinnville and several stretches of
highway were kudzu has overwhelmed the native species. Non-native trees planted
in fields row after row made me imagine what would happen to them if left
unattended for fifty years. Would the area revert to what existed before? Also,
the kudzu reminded me of what can happen when a species of plant overwhelms an
area, killing everything under it. I’m sure Darwin would have had some thoughts
about both.
Rhea county once was
known as the strawberry capital of the country. Then disease hit the
strawberries. Nature isn’t always kind to a species and since disease
resistant strawberries didn’t evolve, the strawberry industry was wiped out.
If you couldn’t make the
trip to Dayton, you might want to go sometime to enjoy the beautiful scenery
and if you went, you might want to return.
Great post Don!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Don, it was a lovely day, a beautiful drive, good company, and a thoughtful performance. Clearly, Dayton is trying to come to terms with its heritage in a reasonable, thoughtful manner. They pulled a few too many of Darrow's and Malone's lines, to my taste, and some of the acting was histrionic (Attorney Neal in particular)... but all in all, bravo! I'll go again. (And yes, the Evolution IPA at Monkey Town Brewing was excellent!)
ReplyDelete"what would happen to them if left unattended for fifty years. Would the area revert to what existed before?"
"The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman imagines just such a scenario, a bit depressing from a human point of view but maybe a bit encouraging, ecologically speaking: nature would reclaim its turf, (non-human) life would reassert its imperative. But I hope we'll be smart enough not to test that hypothesis.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=world+without+us
Thanks for the review, it sounds like you all had a good time. I'll definitely plan on going in the next year or two.
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