Kirtley Fletcher Mather's Life in Science and Society

Copyright © 1982 Ohio Acad. Sci. 0030-0950/82/0003-0074 $5.00/0

KIRTLEY FLETCHER MATHER'S LIFE IN SCIENCE AND SOCIETY1

KENNARD B. BORK, Department of Geology and Geography, Denison University, Granville, OH 43023

ABSTRACT. Kirtley Fletcher Mather (1888-1978) was a renowned geologist whose con-tributions range well beyond the geosciences. He was a scientist with a religious spiritand a social conscience. He graduated from Denison University in 1909, received thePh. D. in Geology from the University of Chicago in 1915, and was awarded 6 honorarydoctorates. Mather taught at the University of Arkansas (1911-1914), Queens University(1915-1918), and Denison University (1918-1924). For 30 years (1924-1954) he was aProfessor of Geology at Harvard University, serving terms as Chairman of the De-partment of Geology and Director of the Harvard Summer School. In 1951, Mather waselected President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and from1957 to 1961 he was President of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Afterretiring from the Harvard faculty, Mather continued to be very active as a lecturer,reviewer, and social activist.

A superb teacher and productive scholar — as evidenced by his dozen books, 250professional articles, and 1,200 book reviews—Kirtley Mather was an exemplar of theinterdisciplinary approach to understanding the world. His geologic writings concernedgeomorphology, petroleum geology, paleontology, and popularizations of all phases ofmodern geology. His belief in the mutual merits of religion and science received wideattention in 1925 when he participated in the highly publicized Scopes Trial, on the sideof Scopes, Darrow, and the evolutionists. A political liberal, Mather frequently opposedmovements which he considered to be threats to human freedom and dignity. Therebellion against the Massachusetts Teacher's Oath of 1935 was led by Mather and he wasan outspoken critic of the McCarren Act and "McCarthyism" in the 1950s. The volumeand diversity of Mather's achievements are impressive, but equally noteworthy is theintegrated wholeness of his view of the world.

OHIO J. SCI. 82(3): 74, 1982

INTRODUCTION ing the 1981 Sesquicentennial of DenisonIn an era when specialization is in- University, his undergraduate alma mater,

creasing and attention is turning to the T h e O h i o Academy of Science is also21st century, it may seem anomalous to honoring its Past-President of 1923-24 byfocus upon the life and times of a liberally establishing the Kirtley F. Mather Memo-educated geologist who was born in the r i a l program to further the work of the1880s. But the past has the power to in- Academy. The essay which follows isform the present. A biographical sketch of m e a n t t 0 illuminate Mather the man andKirtley Fletcher Mather (1888-1978) may indicate why his life is worthy of contem-help us comprehend an earlier period in porary consideration.American science and society while at thesame time explaining why 2 institutions ORIGINS — THE MATHER CLANare currently celebrating his life and ac- For many Americans the name Mathercomplishments. Mather was honored as an probably conjures up the image of aexemplar of the liberal arts tradition dur- Puritanical Cotton Mather (1663-1728)

denouncing witches who "met in Hellish'Manuscript received 19 October 1981 and in Rendezvous" (Summers 1956). Those

revised form 25 February 1982 (#81-41). familiar with Harvard University may well

74

OhioJ. Sci. KIRTLEY F. MATHER —A BIOGRAPHY 75

think of Mather House and the legacy ofIncrease Mather (1639-1723), the firstPresident of Harvard to come from theranks of Harvard College graduates.Anyone old enough to remember the news-paper headlines of the 1950s may in factrecall Kir t ley Mather 's frequentadventures with the advocates ofMcCarthyism. But the name Mather pre-dates any of the American namebearers bycenturies. An inscription in the AncientChapel of Toxteth, in the Liverpool area,speaks of the Mathers as a family of"worthy non-conforming yeomen" (Mather1977). Kirtley was greatly pleased withthat description because he felt it summedup his concept of productive members ofa free society.

In 1635 the American branch of theMather family tree was founded. RichardMather (1596-1669), with his wife and 4sons, emigrated from Toxteth, England, tothe Massachusetts Bay Colony. One ofthose sons, Timothy (1628-1684), becamea farmer in the Lexington area. By notentering the ministry, Timothy was some-thing of an anomaly in the family. Thedirect line to Kirt ley originateswith Timothy and his wife. Increase,so named because he was the first

Kirtley F. Mather (1888-1978).Bachrach photograph of 1929.

Mather child born in the New World,was Timothy's younger brother. WhenIncrease and his wife, a daughter of theReverend John Cotton, had a son, theynamed him Cotton Mather. The practice ofusing an ancestral surname as a first nameexplains Kirtley's distinctive moniker:the Reverend Lycurgus Kirtley hadofficiated at the 1884 marriage of Kirtley'smother and father.

From Massachusetts the descendants ofTimothy Mather slowly migrated west-ward. Kirtley's father, William GreenMather (1855-1937), was born in Romeo,Michigan, and his mother, Julia SabrinaKing (1860-1938), was from Jackson,Michigan. William was the son of a Bap-tist minister but did not pursue such acalling. As a ticket agent for the MichiganCentral Railroad he helped people reachsuch worldly destinations as Chicago andMichigan City. Although he lived to be82, William's health was greatly impairedby constant breathing of dense smoke fromthe locomotives which surrounded histicket booth in the Chicago railroad yard.Early retirement on disability pension andresettlement in Arkansas, in addition to astrong Mather constitution, contributed tohis longevity. Six children were born toJulia and Will iam Mather: Asher(1886-1928); Kirtley (1888-1978); Ruth(1890- ); Juliette (1896- ); Harriet(1898- ); and William (1901- ).

Kirtley Fletcher Mather was born inChicago on 13 February 1888. He be-stowed the Mather name on 2 exceptionalwomen: Marie Porter Mather, his wifefrom 1912 until her death in 1971; andMuriel S. Williams Mather, his bride of 31May 1977. Marie and Kirtley had 3 daugh-ters: Florence (Mrs. Sherman A. Wengerdof Albuquerque, New Mexico); Julia("Judy"; Mrs. LeRoy G. Seils of Granville,Ohio); and Jean (Mrs. Jean M. Seibel ofNew Hope, Pennsylvania). In April 1978Kirtley suffered a massive stroke and hedied on 7 May 1978 in Albuquerque. Hewas survived by Muriel Mather, 3 youngersisters and a brother, 10 grandchildren,and 6 great-grandchildren.

76 K. B. BORK Vol. 82

THE EDUCATION OF A POLYMATHThe maxim that education begins at

home was certainly correct in the case ofyoung Kirtley Mather. Neither of his par-ents had been able to pursue formal edu-cation beyond high school, but both wereconcerned and involved with all facets ofhis intellectual and spiritual growth. Byword and deed they taught their childrenthe moral, social, and religious messagesbuilt into the Protestant ethic of the era.Their Baptist beliefs were actively prac-ticed, but they seem to have avoided nar-row dogmatism and intolerance of themany other religious persuasions to befound in the complex ethnic mix of SouthChicago. For the rest of his long life, Kirt-ley was deeply committed to demonstra-ting that religion had a place in theincreasingly secular and scientific worldof the 20th century. William and JuliaMather were also very supportive of theirson's interest in science and natural history.When Kirtley became interested in butter-fly collecting, his mother made a net frommosquito netting and his father fabricatedthe frame from a long wooden handle anda wire loop. There was no question in thehousehold about the merit of college edu-cation, even though definite financialstrains were involved. William did nottake disability leave from the railroad untilKirtley and his older brother were out ofcollege. Three of the 4 younger childrensubsequently finished college, aided bycontributions from Kirtley.

At each stage of his formal educationMather had a gifted and inspiring teacherwho taught him specific information but,more importantly, served as a model of howto learn and how to enjoy the quest forknowledge. Mrs. Jane Perry Cook, ofSouth Chicago High School,taught acourse in "Physiography" which wasunusual in its day for its field trip com-ponent. Not only did her students profitfrom her insights in the classroom, theyalso saw that the real world could be atextbook on a grand scale. Kirtley foundthe course to be one of the pivotal edu-cational experiences in his career. But he

was not alone. Frank W. DeWolf, a direc-tor of the Illinois Geological Survey, andWilliam Embry Wrather, a director of theU.S. Geological Survey (USGS), were alsoproducts of Mrs. Cook's tutelage.

After high school graduation in 1904Kirtley attended the University of Chicagofor 2 years and then transferred to DenisonUniversity in Granville, Ohio, to completehis undergraduate education. Wallace W.Atwood and Rollin D. Salisbury wereamong the Chicago faculty who had con-tact with young Mather but it was notuntil his graduate career that the full im-pact of their pedagogy would be felt.Atwood's 1906 summer field program ingeology, conducted in the Baraboo, Wis-consin, area, was an important educationalevent for Kirtley. Not only was a city boyintroduced to field geology, his final re-port, replete with photographs he hadtaken and developed himself, made a veryfavorable impression on Atwood. The FallTerm of 1907 found Kirtley enrolled atDenison University, at that time alliedwith the American Baptist Convention.There were a number of reasons for thetransfer: 1) concern, on the part of grand-parents, about the education being offeredat the "Godless" University of Chicago;2) an excellent financial package, arrangedby Prof. Frank Carney of Denison; and3) most critically in Kirtley's view, theallure of going to college with so manyattractive young women. Denison was notan unknown quantity for the Mathers be-cause Asher, Kirtley's older brother, wasthere and Kirtley had visited the campus tospeak with Prof. Carney, of the Depart-ment of Geology and Geography. Appar-ently he checked out more than just thecurricular offerings. He later married aDenison woman, taught on the faculty,and developed a lifelong association withthe college and with Granville.

The key to Kirtley's educational experi-ence at Denison was Prof. Frank Carney.Evidence indicates that Carney was every-thing that a fine professor at a liberal artscollege should be. He was well trained,completing his Cornell Ph. D. in 1909,


he was an excellent teacher who used hisown extensive collection of lantern slides toillustrate his lectures, and he was a worthy'model' of the professional geologist whoalso embodied the attributes of the culti-vated gentleman. Carney's course on"Geographic Influences" was innovativeand difficult, yet popular. In essence it wasa treatment of human ecology. For stu-dents who went on to become professionalgeologists or geographers, Carney's broad-ranging but intensive courses served as su-perb bases upon which to build a matureunderstanding of the natural world. Prof.Carney also introduced his best students toresearch on significant geologic topics. Hesuggested that Kirtley tackle the vexingquestion of the origin of the Black HandGorge, a scenic narrows through which theLicking River flows. The product of thatresearch was Kirtley's first published sci-entific paper (Mather 1909) and his firstprofessional talk before a scientificassociation — the 1908 meeting of theOhio Academy of Science. Prof. Carneymay not have fully understood the enthusi-asm which his young protege had for theproject: the Black Hand Gorge area was afavorite picnic and courting ground forDenison students. Kirtley, Marie Porter(his wife-to-be) and their friends were onlytoo happy to have a reason to take the15-mile interurban ride from Granville toHanover and spend research/recreationtime in the Gorge. College days were en-joyable but serious academic work was notslighted. Phi Beta Kappa honors were be-stowed on both Kirtley and Marie. Thepotential to become a college professor wasevident as Mather won prizes for his de-bating club, the Franklin Literary Society,and earned the yearbook's assessment of hisloquacity, "I love to wind my mouth up,I like to hear it go." Other extracurricularactivities included work on the collegenewspaper and service as an officer in 3organizations: the C. L. Herrick Geologi-cal Society, the Republican Club, and theYMCA campus group.

By the Fall Term of 1909 Kirtley wasprofessionally and personally mature

enough to take full advantage of the stellarfaculty available at the University of Chi-cago. He has stated that his first year ingraduate school was the turning point inhis intellectual life. It is easy to see why.He became immersed in the super-chargedatmosphere created by T. C. Chamberlin,R. D. Salisbury, W. W. Atwood, and Stu-art Weller. During the next academic yearhe pursued course work, assisted Atwood,and took on his first solo teaching assign-ment, the Spring 1911 course in HistoricalGeology. Summers found Mather andAtwood doing field work in the San JuanMountains of Colorado. Atwood and Salis-bury were not overjoyed to hear, in thespring of 1911, that Kirtley planned todrop out of graduate school in order to earnthe money required to marry Marie Porter.He was firmly committed to returning tofinish the Ph. D. but equally firm in hisresolve to take 2 or 3 years off from therelatively non-remunerative life of a gradu-ate student. Mather's script worked outalmost to the letter. The Chicago facultysupported his candidacy for a job at theUniversity of Arkansas; the Mather/Portermarriage took place on 12 June 1912; re-search toward the Ph. D. progressed whileat Arkansas; summer work with Atwoodand the USGS in Colorado continued in1913 and 1914; and the P h . D . wasawarded to him, magna cum laude, in1915. The dissertation (Mather 1915) con-cerned the Morrow Group (Pennsylvania)of Arkansas and Oklahoma. The one nega-tive note in the 4-year interlude was thatProf. Drake and the young Prof. Matherdid not get along very well at Arkansas.Thus, when Drake rejected Mather'srequest for a leave of absence for the1914-'15 academic year in order to finishup at Chicago, Kirtley resigned from theArkansas faculty.

Outside of formal academics there werealso persons and events which influencedthe scientist who was to be at the center ofso many political and religious contro-versies. For someone almost universallycharacterized as a sunny optimist, Kirtleyharbored a rather dark view of the news


media. It began when Asher and a friendwere playfully carrying the 10-year oldKirtley along the street-car tracks. TheChicago papers the next day contained alurid account of how 2 men were seendragging a woman toward Lake Michigan.Not only was there a degree of hystericalexaggeration, the direction of transport ofthe 'body' was opposite to the facts.

More constructive educational oppor-tunities were offered by the sociologicalenvironment of South Chicago at the turnof the century. Demographics of the areaensured that the high school would containIrish, Italian, and Polish Catholics; Anglo-Saxon Protestants; European Jews; andsouthern blacks. Throughout his long life,Mather never wavered from the tolerantattitude he had developed in the meltingpot of South Chicago. A summer (1904)job in a barbed-wire factory, earning $3-75for a 55-hour week, sufficed to argue forescape from such tedium through edu-cation. Work with the Census Bureau in1910 was a forceful introduction to Chica-go's underbelly of prostitution, flophouses,and the situation of the immigrant steel-workers. A different sort of education oc-curred in the American West as Kirtleylearned the ropes, literally, about fieldwork on horseback. For a young geologistthere is no better way to grow profession-ally than to work in the field with giftedmature geologists. In the pre-Harvardyears Kirtley Mather had his share of su-perb tutors and colleagues: Wallace At-wood, J Harlen Bretz, Morris Leighton,Kenneth Heald, James Gilluly and JohnReeside, Jr., were among his coworkers.Music and the theater were importantto the liberally educated Mathers, butMarie was the professional in the musicalrealm. Kirtley did, however, reach a pin-nacle of dilettante achievement: he was aspear carrier in a Chicago production ofVerdi's Aida.

POST-DOCTORAL ANDPRE-HARVARD PEREGRINATIONS

In the 9 years between earning a Ph. D.(1915) and accepting a position at Harvard

University (1924), Kirtley Mather dividedhis professional time between academic ap-pointments and a variety of field projects.The academic positions were at Queen'sUniversity, Kingston, Ontario, Canada,and Denison University in central Ohio.Field-based research and consulting weredone in many parts of the western hemi-sphere: Colorado, Oklahoma, Tennessee,Bolivia, Mexico, and Alaska. A WorldWar I stint in the U. S. Army EngineerCorps, as geological consultant to GeneralPershing, was derailed when the Army lostthe requisite papers until Armistice wasdeclared. Captain Mather served in theArmy Reserve Corps for his tour of duty.There is a hint of disappointment in hispersonal letters that it was not a more ac-tive role.

Because the bridge to a continued posi-tion at the University of Arkansas had beenburned by the June 1914 resignation, therecently credentialed Dr. Mather had tolook elsewhere for a teaching position in1915. When Jesse B. Hyde, a name wellknown to Ohio geologists, resigned fromQueen's University, Ontario, in order totake a position at Western University (theprecursor of Case-Western Reserve Uni-versity) he contacted Kirtley, alerting himto the possible slot. The long interval be-tween applying and winning the positionat Queen's was somewhat nerve-wrackingfor the Mathers, as well as for supportivefaculty at Chicago, but the offer camethrough just before the 1915 summer fieldseason began. The Canadian experiencewas very positive. Kirtley's teaching waswell received, field work with the OntarioBureau of Mines was rewarding, and fac-ulty collegiality was high in spite of thefact that a young American was on the staffwhile Canadians were fighting in Europe.It was also a productive time: Dr. Mather'spublications began to multiply and theMather family expanded with the birth ofFlorence, the first of 3 daughters.

One of the articles written while atQueen's University is of particular interestas a harbinger of future controversy and aclue to Kirtley's fundamental beliefs.


"Parables from Paleontology" was pub-lished in the April 1918 Atlantic Monthlyand was more of an essay than a profession-al paper on paleontological subjects. Theunderlying theme was that organic evo-lution and "survival of the fittest" are notopposed to the Christian doctrine of broth-erhood. That was a refrain which ranthrough many of the Mather lectures downthrough the years. It was also the mix ofscience and theology which was to get ayoung Harvard professor invited to theScopes Trial of 1925.

Summer employment by the USGSevolved as the war in Europe slowly em-broiled American interests. In 1915 theAtwood/Mather team pursued its geomor-phic and glacial geology investigations inthe San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Thatwork continued in 1916 but a portion ofthe support had to be diverted to defense-related projects. By the summer of 1917the United States was formally at war andthe USGS threw its human resources intothe effort to find petroleum resources. As-signment to the Allen County, Kentucky,field was Kirtley's introduction to petro-leum geology. It was also the first time hehad received the advice to make himselfknown to the local people so that he wouldnot be shot as an "infernal revenuer" iffield work led him into the area of a moon-shine still. The Osage Country of Okla-homa was the next project for 1917. Theboom there was noteworthy for several rea-sons: the Osage Nation owned the landand actually received its fair share of theincome; the anticlinal theory of oil accu-mulation was verified; and K. F. Matherbegan his valuable association with K. C.Heald. Long hours, hard work, and excel-lent geological insight led to the discoveryof 40-some pools of oil during the Osageproject. Such efforts did not, however, dis-suade the irate and righteous citizens ofTulsa from arresting the "draft-dodging"geologists as they came out of a Saturdayevening movie in August, 1918. Little sus-pecting that the Vigilantes were on thewarpath, the geologists had left their iden-tification papers at the base camp. Rescue

came in the form of one of the "officers"who turned out to be a petroleum geolo-gist. Shortly thereafter Kirtley had hismisadventure trying to enlist in the U. S.Army Corps of Engineers. As he wouldfind over the next 5 decades, sometimes itwas difficult to be a patriot.

Summer geologizing and the academicposition at Queen's had been going verywell but such tranquility was not to last.An invitation came from Clark Chamber-lain, President of Denison University, toreplace Frank Carney as professor of ge-ology. The 1917-'18 academic year wasalready under way at Queen's and Kirtleyrefused to abandon his obligations and hisfriends. After repeated offers from Cham-berlain, and much familial consultation, itwas finally decided to return to Denisonbeginning in September of 1918. If everthere was an idyllic relationship betweenan alumnus and his alma mater, theMather/Denison linkage could serve as amodel. There was a chemistry between theinstitution and the individual which trans-lated into a lifelong record of service andreciprocated honor. Mather was excep-tionally active in alumni affairs; he wasGraduate Manager of the entire sports pro-gram; he returned frequently to Granvillein order to give speeches; he remained anunusually strong supporter of the collegeuntil his dying days; and he is buried at theMaple Grove Cemetery in Granville. All ofthat in spite of a series of unpleasant skir-mishes with President Chamberlain anddisgust at the way in which his colleague,Dr. S. I. Kornhauser, was treated byChamberlain and the Board of Trustees.

The "Kornhauser Affair" of 1922 is notthe stuff of positive public relations, but itmerits a few words as an illuminating ex-ample of how Kirtley Mather conductedhis life. Kornhauser was a Jew with a Har-vard Ph. D. in biology. He was respectedby his colleagues and his teaching was verywell received by the students. In spite ofsuch success and the expectation thatrepeated contracts would be given to pro-ductive faculty members, Pres. Chamber-lain did not offer him a renewal in 1922.


The suspicion was strong that the heatgenerated by a 1920 questionnaire fromthe Lorain Baptist Association may havebeen a factor in Chamberlain's stance.While the questionnaire was not anti-Semitic in any overt sense, it certainly tookthe tack that liberalism of all stripes was aconcern at Denison. To the faculty's credit,not one of the active members saw fit toreturn the questionnaire. The pressure forretrenchment was felt, however. Kirtleywas among the faculty members and stu-dents who came to Kornhauser's active de-fense. The WASPish cliche that "some ofmy best friends are Jews" had been literallytrue for Mather since his youth, but, be-yond defending personal friends, Kirtleyperceived the fundamental issues of re-ligious tolerance, due process, open com-munication, and the long-term healthof his alma mater. In the end, theKornhauser-Mather faction lost the battleand Kornhauser went to the University ofLouisville. In the larger context, the warwas slowly won as the Chamberlain admin-istration was replaced and the injustice ofthe situation was recognized by a wide au-dience. Several Mather attributes werewell displayed by the incident: loyalty tofriends and to the long-term best interestsof institutions; fervent belief in tolerancein regard to religion, race, gender, or poli-tical persuasion; and a surprising comba-tiveness when faced with controversialissues from which lesser persons wouldhave retreated.

The 1918-1924 period at Denison alsobears witness to Mather's leadership po-tential and his ability to get a great dealaccomplished while wearing many hats.He took on the Editorship of the Journal ofthe Scientific Laboratories of Denison Univer-sity, was elected Permanent Secretary of theDenison Scientific Association, scheduledall intercollegiate athletic events and over-saw the finances of the athletic program,was elected first president of the localchaper of the American Association of Uni-versity Professors (a postlude to the Korn-hauser trauma), and taught a heavy load.

The teaching was most rewarding, even ifit meant 511 student-contact hours in theFall of 1921, because of the excellence ofthe students and the constant feedback ofcompliments. Edgar W. Owen, C. Lang-don White, Carey Croneis, A. NelsonSayre, Howard Jefferson, Alonzo W.Quinn, and L. Don Leet were amongthe Denison students who studied withKirtley.

The Denison years were interrupted by 2adventurous, dangerous, remunerative,and life-changing expeditions to the oilfields of Bolivia. The adventure began, inthe Summer of 1919, when Kenneth Healdasked the Richmond Levering Company tohire Kirtley as a member of the team whichwas to investigate the oil potential ofeastern Bolivia. In addition to being a uni-que professional opportunity, the job of-fered $1,000 a month plus expenses; notbad for a professor making less than$3,000 a year. The first expedition was ahighly successful 6 months: significantoil accumulations were found; a Permo-carboniferous tillite was recognized; Healdand Mather authored papers for theBulletin of the Geological Society of Americaand the Geographic Review; and Mather wasoffered a second assignment in Bolivia. InGranville, Ralph Lusk was performingKFM's teaching duties (Lusk would earn aHarvard Ph. D. in geology in 1927) andMarie gave birth to Julia Carolyn ('Judy")on 16 March 1920. By June of 1920 Kirt-ley was off on the second trip, this time tonorthern Bolivia. Again, the expeditionhad its successes, but they were sorelywon. Travel through the tropical junglewas difficult and hazardous. Kirtley'srecord of 113 bites by mariwi bugs — onone hand — did not receive much sym-pathy from his colleague, who had 131.More serious was an infected bite on theleg which led to blood poisoning and thedecision by the local medic to amputate.The Mather courage, stubbornness, andwide-ranging knowledge came to the res-cue as Kirtley and his Yurucare Indianguide applied steaming compresses to the


leg. Within 2 days he continued the trekwith both legs intact.

The prime personal consequence of theBolivian adventures was that ReginaldDaly invited Kirtley to come to Harvard torepeat the talk on Bolivian geology whichhe had given at the 1922 meeting of theGeological Society of America. In April1923 the invitation came to teach at Har-vard for the 1923-'24 academic year; byJanuary 1924 the offer was to accept atenure-track positon in Cambridge. Othergood offers had been turned down out ofloyalty to Denison but the Harvard oppor-tunity was a plum not to be refused by aquietly ambitious 35-year old. As always,Kirtley made sure that his obligations weremet. Ralph Lusk was retained to teach atDenison while Mather was on leave in theFall of 1923; the already-slated work forthe USGS, in Alaska, was accomplishedfrom June to early October of 1923; andDaly volunteered to teach introductorygeology at Harvard until Kirtley arrivedfrom Alaska. The transition scenario wascomplex but by late September 1924 theMathers were installed in the Cambridgearea and ready to begin a long and happyassociation with Harvard University.

THE 1925 SCOPES TRIAL

Before considering a few highlights ofthe Mather years at Harvard, it would beworthwhile to take a trip in time backto Dayton, Tennessee, in July 1925. Theevents surrounding the trial of John T.Scopes (1900-1970) have been recountedby numerous authors (Ginger 1958, Tomp-kins 1965, Scopes and Presley 1967 andde Camp 1968). Variations exist as to thedetails but the general nature of the con-frontation between William JenningsBryan and the anti-evolution forces versusClarence Darrow and the pro-evolutionistsis well known. Less well known, becauseJudge John T. Raulston did not allowthem as admissible evidence, are the state-ments made by 8 expert witnesses for thedefense. The "Statement by Kirtley F.

Mather, Chairman of the Department ofGeology of Harvard University" is a23-page document which introduces theauthor as a life-long Baptist and profes-sional geologist. The text is a masterfuloutline of earth history and the evidencefor evolution, interspersed with first-person accounts of how the geologic recordsupports evolution and the antiquity ofthe earth.

How did Mather become involved withthe famous "monkey trial"? He got him-self invited. A letter was sent to RogerBaldwin, founder of the American CivilLiberties Union and coordinator of theScopes defense, noting that what the de-fense really needed were some scientists ofstature who also had unassailable creden-tials as religious persons. Guess who gotinvited. This is not to suggest that Kirtleyintruded into the case, nor that he had notconsidered exactly the same questions be-fore, nor that he was a publicity seeker. Itdoes indicate that he was willing to go tothe barricades in defense of what he be-lieved and, as his 20 full scrapbooks attest,he was not one to shy away from publicity.

That the defense had gained a valuablewitness who had given much thought tothe reciprocal implications of organic evo-lution and religious belief may be seen inthe papers he had written well before theScopes trial. Views expressed in "Parablesfrom Paleontology" (1918) are echoedthroughout the Scopes affadavit: "Under-neath the ancient warfare between theol-ogy and science, lurking in the distrust of'high criticism,' there is an unvoiced, butvery real, fear that in the last analysis thedoctrine of the survival of the fittest inthe struggle for existence is diametricallyopposed to the conception of the brother-hood of man; that evolution according toDarwin and de Vries and Weissmann is theantithesis of Christianity according toChrist and John and Paul." (Mather 1918).But the fear of evolution is not necessarybecause the final result of evolution is con-gruent with God's will. "That the admin-istration of the universe is going forward


according to a consistent plan is a conclu-sion reached alike by the man of religionand the man of science." (Mather 1918).The paleontological record shows that lifehas progressed through time; thus it is in-structive for modern society to understandthe paleontological evidence which, theauthor felt, points unambiguously to in-creased cooperation among the higher ani-mals. It was all very much in line withChrist's fundamental message. "Butwhereas in the past selfishness was themeasure of fitness, in the future survivalvalue will be determined by breadthand depth of love." (Mather 1918). In"Revolution vs. Evolution: the paleon-tologist renders his verdict," Matherattempted to weave politics, science, andreligion together in order to reach theconclusion that "it requires no unusualacumen to see that this next milestone inthe progress of life will be safely passedonly by those who specialize in the art ofcooperation, as opposed to selfishness, andin the practice of kindly thoughtfulness forothers, regardless of their color, race orcreed." (Mather 1921). The message of co-operation between science and religion, aswell as among humans of differing back-ground or belief, was a Mather themewhich predated and postdated the Scopestrial, even it it did not succeed in persuad-ing the Fundamentalists and liberals atDayton to lay down their verbal weapons.

Because the written statements of thedefense witnesses were not part of the pub-lic record it was incumbent upon the au-thors to voice their comments in a forumoutside of the courtroom. The ever-innovative Mather not only published hiscontributions (Mather 1925, 1926a,1926b), he also used the radio to air hisconcerns about "Evolution on Trial." Theprogram, broadcast by station WNAC on11 December 1925, had a high impact onthe listeners. One correspondent admittedto having completed only 4 years of schoolbut typed an earnest page of questions:(Punctuation and spelling are not cor-rected. The letters are in a file labelled

"Brickbats and Bouquets"; Denison Uni-versity Archives.) "Another question goodsir please. Why do professers and sienceman want to convince world they descendfrom monkey and then say descend is to godown like the dictionary says . . . Pleasemister professer i ruther think me something a little lower than them angels thanto think i got monkey blood in my veins."More typical was the letter from an M. D.who said, "You have given my radio set anew lease of life; I am often tempted tosneak it down (to the) cellar and apply theaxe, when all too rarely, something in-spiring and enlightening comes throughand deters me."

John T. Scopes was a quiet man caughtup in a media event. When Kirtley wasasked if Scopes hadn't been "used" by theliberals, it struck him that although therehad been no desire to hurt Scopes, littlethought had been given to what he mightdo if the guilty verdict was handed down.Conversations with Scopes convincedMather that the best solution was to givethe young biologist the needed financialbacking for him to pursue the academiccareer of his choice. The John T. ScopesScholarship Committee was formed, withDavid Starr Jordan, widely known as Pres-ident of Stanford University but also aprominent ichthyologist, as national chair-man and Kirtley Mather as secretary andworkhorse. Approximately $4,000 (1925value) was collected and Scopes spent 2years in the Department of Geology at theUniversity of Chicago. He went on to a pro-fessional career as a petroleum geologist.

The major participants in the "GreatMonkey Trial" are no longer with us butthe issues are as contemporary as the storiesin today's newspaper. Debates continueabout evolution "versus" Creationism.Some of the language is new ("scientificcreationism" might have caused both fac-tions at Dayton, Tennessee, to scratch theirheads), but the underlying motivationsand ways of looking at the world are verymuch the same. In his 88th year KirtleyMather was still answering reporters' ques-


tions (Landon 1976) about the trial andexplaining the relevance of that now-distant event to modern society.

THIRTY ACTIVE YEARS ON THEHARVARD FACULTY

From 1924 to 1954 Kirtley FletcherMather was a member of the Departmentof Geology at Harvard University. For an-other quarter of a century he was ProfessorEmeritus — a term not to be confused withrocking-chair-style retirements. TheMather name served Kirtley well at Har-vard. Along with Harlow Shapley, he feltthat he was one of the few "barbarians"from the Midwest who became facultymembers at Harvard during the 1920s. Al-though there may have been some jealousyon the part of established faculty towardthe newcomer with the old honored name,the typical reception in Cambridge waswarm and supportive. There were times, asin the Harvard Lampoon cartoon of 19 Sep-tember 1940, when the association withCotton Mather was recalled, but even inthe Lampoon the comparison was favorableto Kirtley. In the early 1970s, just prior tohis move to New Mexico, Mather was stillgiving invited lectures to Prof. Stephen JayGould's classes in introductory geology.Gould (1978) recalled that the lecture halloverflowed when Mather spoke and thatthe brief finale of each semester's lectureconcerned the spiritural nature of man. Inthe tumultuous days of 1968-'69 the stu-dents seemed attentive but not fully en-gaged with such musings; by the early1970s their involvement with the issuesraised was total. Mather did not fit themould of most professors at prestigiousresearch-oriented megaversites. He wasbright, articulate, and very hard working— requisite attributes — but he was a gen-eralist, not a world figure in a particularsubdiscipline. He often made the obser-vation that he was one of the last of the"19th-century naturalists." That modestclaim was not completely correct but it wasa valid description of his background andgeneral approach to science of the earth.

Mather's first professional work had beenon the geomorphology and glacial geologyof Colorado; his Ph. D. dissertation con-cerned classical problems in paleontology;and his work in petroleum geology focusedon field reconnaissance, stratigraphic in-terpretation, and straightforward struc-tural analysis. There was no shying awayfrom the new, however, and during hisfirst years at Harvard Mather found himselfhaving to do a "quick study" on seis-mology when he became Director of theHarvard Seismograph Station from 1926through 1930. Other Mather character-istics which set him apart from many of hiscolleagues were thoroughly Midwesternorigins, his deep and quite visible com-mitment to his Baptist heritage, and hiswillingness to take time from strictlygeological pursuits to work on YMCAprojects, write popularized accounts onscientific subjects, and become involvedwith political issues which often hadhighly controversial aspects. It is conceiv-able that some Harvard colleagues enter-tained reservations about certain of thesecontributions, but the individual wasgreater than the sum of his professionalparts so that Kirtley enjoyed great respectfrom the students and faculty memberswho got to know him.

As a teacher Kirtley earned both respectand affection. Some students wrote himwhile they were still enrolled in hiscourses, many wrote soon after graduation,and some waited for decades before some-thing prompted them to communicateheartfelt thanks for all that they hadlearned, about geology and about life. Re-current themes {Harvard Crimson 16 Janu-ary 1934) are how well prepared Matheralways was, how superb his organizationand delivery were, and how valuable it wasto observe a member of the science facultywho concerned himself so deeply withspiritual and social issues. The field com-ponent of geology was stressed. One spec-tacular option for students who couldafford it was the 1928 field program in theAlps. Students received dual training in

K. B. BORK Vol. 82

mountain climbing and geology. The fi-nale was a climb of the Matterhorn. Labo-ratory exercises received constant attentionand a number of lab manuals in physicaland historical geology were published byMather and his colleagues. Beyond knowl-edge, hard work on preparations, and com-munication abilities, Mather displayed anabiding concern for individual students.C. Langdon White was a student and fieldassistant for Mather during the Denisonyears. He received a Ph. D. in Geographyfrom Clark University, where Pres. W. W.Atwood had established a fine program.White's (1980) first-hand analysis ofMather the teacher is worth quoting:"Kirtley Mather was more than an eminentgeologist, brilliant and productive scholar,able researcher, fascinating writer, andstimulating and interesting lecturer, oreven master teacher. He displayed to themaximum degree the human aspect of theprofession — a quality absent or nearly ab-sent in so many teachers. He came closerthan anyone I have known to exemplifyingthe whole man." For all of these reasonsthe Mather classes in geology were ex-tremely popular over the decades and manylectures were given to a standing-room-only audience.

Administrative duties descended uponMather in his second year at Harvard,when he was appointed DepartmentalChairman. The abilities to deal with peo-ple and to handle multiple problems andvoluminous correspondence with ease werepart of Mather's persona. Such gifts wererecognized by the Harvard administration,and from 1933 to 1941 Mather served asDirector of the Summer School. That posttook Kirtley away from geologic researchin the summers, aside from forays into thefield to work with his graduate students.Careful planning, innovation, and the cre-ation of numerous cultural and recreationalopportunities for the summer term charac-terized the Mather administration. Yearslater a director of the Summer Programwould write that every time he had a goodidea he would go to the files and find that

Kirtley had instigated a similar program30 years before. Even such weighty crisesas the shocking proliferation of youngwomen wearing short shorts in the augustHarvard Yard were handled with aplombby the post-Puritanical Mather. CottonMather's reaction can only be imagined.

All facets of education concerned KFM.Top priority went to his own students, butHarvard and Radcliffe graduates were al-ready ensured of a superb education if theymade the requisite effort. What about themany intelligent adults who never had theopportunity to receive a college education?Or the well-educated older people whomight welcome the chance to interact withcurrent ideas in the sciences, arts, and hu-manities? Adult education seemed to bethe answer. In 1933 Kirtley Mather helpedorganize and served as President of theBoston Center for Adult Education. WithDorothy Hewitt, the Director, he wrote avaluable book on Adult Education, A Dy-namic for Democracy (1937).

Throughout Mather's career, teachingand administrative duties were quiteheavy. But they were in some ways just thetip of the productivity iceberg. A bibli-ography of strictly geological researchpapers would not begin to indicate thevolume of work being turned out as heaccepted speaking engagements, wrotearticles explaining his stance on religionand science, reviewed an astoundingnumber of books (close to 1,200) andfought for a wide spectrum of politicalcauses. By the 1950s, national honors,with their associated obligations, were thepirates of time. A term as President of theAmerican Association for the Advance-ment of Science (1951) and 4 terms asPresident of the American Academy ofArts and Sciences (1957-1961) are exam-ples of the esteem accorded to Mather bythe scientific community.

OF GOD AND NATURE'S ORDERWhen Whitehead contended that the

order which allows science to reach signifi-


cant conclusions about the Universe pointsto the existence of some Supreme Order, hewas articulating the views of many sci-entists. Kirtley Mather devoted much ofhis time, intellect, and spirit to spreadingjust such a message. His religious trainingwas Baptist, but his theology was far re-moved from the fundamentalism of a Wil-liam Jennings Bryan or Jerry Falwell.God's work was to be seen in Nature, butsimplistic arguments from Design werenot part of the Mather doctrine. At theheart of the issue was what might be calleda Christian realist's optimism: optimismthat religion and science were more inconcert than at war, and optimism thatsome day the social concept of "Christianbrotherhood" would be understood and ac-cepted by humanity at large.

For the better part of 90 years Matherthought about, wrote about, and discussedwhat he saw as the rich interactions of sci-ence and religion. As a youth in Chicagohe assumed leadership roles in SundaySchool and Baptist Young People's Uniondiscussions. In college the learning andcommitment accelerated and a lifelong as-sociation with the work of the YMCA be-gan. Leadership in the lay activities of theFayetteville Baptist Church fell to Kirtleyand his bride during the years (1911-' 14) atthe University of Arkansas. By the time hearrived at Harvard, a number of articleshad been published which contain the nu-cleus of Mather's thoughts on the mutualrelevancies of evolution, religion, and sci-ence. After the Scopes Trial he becamesomething of a celebrity in circles inter-ested in hearing what a respected scientisthad to say about religion. Debates with theRev. Dr. John Roach Straton of NewYork's Calvary Baptist Church and, at theother end of the spectrum of beliefs, withBertrand Russell, served to keep his viewsin the limelight. Over the years he gaveinnumerable speeches to groups, gradu-ating classes, and conferences. Four yearsafter his retirement Kirtley was still ad-dressing and chairing such gatherings asthe Second Seminar on Science and the

Spiritual Nature of Man. At the grave-side services marking the end of KirtleyMather's long life, his brother Williamquoted a passage from Science in Search ofGod (1928) which sums up a key aspect ofhis worldview: "God is no longer hidingbehind the gaps in our knowledge . . . Themore we know about the world in whichwe live, the better is our understandingof him, the truer is our comprehension ofhis character."

The debate about evolution presents oneof the clearest examples of Mather as arbi-ter between scientific perspectives andreligious beliefs. He was fearless in hisdefense of the scientific method and thevalidity of evolution as a process. He alsowas unswerving in his feeling that there wasan Administration of the Universe and thatorganic evolution was a process wherebyhumans could come to understand "thespiritual power and eternal force, (whichGod) has used and is using now to effect hiswill in nature." (Mather 1969). WhereasWilliam Jennings Bryan had claimed thatevolution was the greatest threat to re-ligion in 1,900 years, Kirtley Mather tookthe optimistic view that the evolutionaryparade was demonstrating the worth of al-truism, cooperation, and the artistic, in-quisitive, and philosophical drives whichcharacterize humans at their best. Heavoided ad hominem arguments but hequite forcefully told the antievolutioniststhat they were wrong. Their errors in-cluded: (1) lack of knowledge about whatevolution truly was; (2) a series of logicalerrors; (3) ill-grounded fears about theimplications of evolution for religion;(4) shoddy use of such terms as "theory"and "Darwinism"; and (5) un-called-foregotism when considering the species Ho-mo sapiens. When engaged in a one-on-onedebate, as with Rev. John Roach Stratonof New York's Calvary Baptist Church,Kirtley made sure that his own Baptist cre-dentials were spelled out, but astutelymanaged to keep his side of the discussionon firm scientific grounds as he used hiseloquence and deep knowledge of both


the Bible and modern paleontology to gainadvantage in the exchange.

It is probably evident by now, but itmay be worth emphasizing the point thatKirtley Mather was a highly integratedperson whose statements and actions camefrom a complex amalgam of beliefs, knowl-edge, widsom, and concern about whatwas happening in the universe. Thus hisreligion, science, and social consciousnesswere expressions of a rather rare wholenessin viewing the world. Just as his religiousand scientific training mutually informedhis analysis of evolution, his teaching ofgeology reflected many inner thoughts(Mather 1951), and his liberal politics fol-lowed from his concepts of what societyshould be.

A SCIENTIST'S CONCERN WITHSOCIAL ISSUES

It is not feasible to recount all of thetimes in which Kirtley Mather's consciencedictated a confrontation with authorities.At Denison he took on the President andBoard of Trustees during the 1922"Kornhauser Affair." At Harvard it re-quired a direct statement from PresidentConant to make Kirtley sign the 1935Teacher's Oath demanded by the Massa-chusetts legislature. During the 1950sthere were numerous headlines reportingon the battles between KFM and the forcesrepresented by Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Forthose who knew the real man it was anunderstandable paradox which could notbe comprehended by those who read onlyheadlines or heard only derivative ac-counts. The ever-smiling Christian gentle-man and respected professor also had a steelbackbone and very strong notions of rightand wrong. The man who was labeled as a"Red-ucator" and pictured, with 49 otherprominent Americans, in a 1949 Life mag-azine feature on presumed dupes of Com-munism was never quoted when he warnedof the evils of Communism. Nor were hisreasons for supporting the "fronts" everdiscussed. Was a 1936 desire to aid theSpanish Loyalists in their fight against

Fascism to be translated into a 1950 mem-bership in the Communist conspiracy?Many people accepted such logic. Matherwas secure enough at Harvard and secureenough within himself to keep on speakingup whenever he felt it was required.Gould's (1975) observation, in an article onirrationalism as the true enemy of science,that "the Yahoos never rest" is germanehere: the bigots, the anti-evolutionextremists, and the vigilantes of theMcCarthy era were constantly beratingMather for sins he had never committed.To consider Mather as un-American oranti-Christian is irrational and counter toall the evidence. It is a measure of the manthat the intended victim not only outlivedmost of his adversaries, he did so with hishonor intact.

Tolerance is central to the concept ofworld brotherhood. For Mather it was anactive virtue from youth to old age. A 1918letter to his friends from college days in-cludes the aspiration that "black, white,and tan persons" may some day find totalcamaraderie. As an undergraduate he wasgreatly incensed at an Ohio farmer's big-oted reaction to a Chinese-Americanstudent in a geology field party. In 1937a group of visiting Nazi students wasshocked to hear the director of the HarvardSummer School formally lecture them onthe error of the evolving German politicalsystem. In 1952, a decade or so beforethe civil rights movement was makingsubstantial headway in the Deep South,Kirtley Mather gave the commencementaddress to the graduates of Atlanta'sMorehead College. A world perspective isevidenced by his years (1957-1960) asdelegate to the World Council of theYoung Men's Christian Association, with adesk in the Secretariat Building of theUnited Nations.

Tolerance toward Mather and his liberalideas was not a virtue exhibited by anumber of politicians and self-appointeddefenders of a self-defined brand of Ameri-canism. Some of the letters received byMather were so vicious and unreasoningthat an objective observer has to infer more


darkness in the spirit of the sender than inthe deeds of the recipient. The old adageabout smoke and fire might, however,make that objective observer wonder whatsins the professor had committed. Herewas a man who had called Jane Addams amodern saint, had been invited to dinnerat the White House by Eleanor Roosevelt,had attended a testimonial dinner for Dr.W. E. B. DuBois, had personally inter-viewed Marshall Tito, and was head of theAmerican Civil Liberties Union in Massa-chusetts for 4 stormy years. That is not arecord to endear one to conservatives.Several other answers can be suggested:1) he had joined or sponsored, particularlyin the 1930s, a number of groups whichwere definitely on the left side of the polit-ical spectrum; 2) as an internationalist headvocated dialogue with the Soviet Union;3) as a free thinker he refused to submit tosuch political devices as the MassachusettsTeacher's Oath, thereby earning a reputa-tion as a "troublemaker" early in his tenureat Harvard; 4) because of his own self-assurance and courage he never foldedunder pressure — thus the troublemakerimage escalated as he took on the AmericanLegion, Sen. McCarthy, the Jenner Sub-committee, and the House Un-AmericanAffairs Committee; and 5) the wholepremise that guilt was demonstrated byassociation worked to brand many Ameri-cans as Communist dupes or fellow trav-elers even if they had never belonged to areal Communist Party group or had neveradvocated a single un-American act. Thefact that many of the organizations on theAttorney General's list of the late 1940sand early 1950s had no association with theCommunist Party did not bother the vig-ilantes. Nor were they slowed down by theSupreme Court's verdict that the mode ofgenerating the list was unconstitutional. Avictim's recourse was minimal. When Lifemagazine fingered 50 Americans for theirpinkish to reddish taint, the writers andlawyers on the Life staff were careful to usephrases, in fine print, which could allowsidestepping of any lawsuits. When Kirt-ley Mather appeared before a closed session

of the Jenner Subcommittee and appar-ently performed very well, dispelling anyconcerns with his political stance, the presswas not allowed to publish the pro-ceedings. It was all very insidious in its"Catch-22" nature: one could be accused ofbeing un-American by people who usedsome of the most un-American measuresimaginable.

An activist academic who is indomitableand spends 60-some years speaking hismind from a highly visible pulpit acquiresso many "battle stories" that just a fewexamples will have to suffice to illustratehis involvement with social issues. TheTeacher's Oath controversy of 1935, theevents surrounding the February 1951 can-cellation of an interdenominational speechscheduled for Syracuse University, andMather's activities as President of theAmerican Association for the Advance-ment of Science are 3 illustrative cases. Inthe summer of 1935, the Massachusettslegislature passed Statute Chapter 370:"An Act requiring that an oath or affir-mation be taken and subscribed to by cer-tain professors, instructors and teachers inthe colleges, universities and schools of theCommonwealth." This Teacher's Oath hadbeen formulated, by State Rep. Thomas A.Dorgan and others, as a roadblock to the"Red-ucators" who were thought to bepoisoning the minds of America's youth.All 40,000 teachers and professors weresupposed to sign the oath or lose their jobsin the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.Many educators found the oath offensivebut few rebelled. Mather led those few. On4 October 1935, James B. Conant issued astatement to the press which read, "TheAct appears to make it mandatory for theinstitutions concerned not to permit anycitizen to teach who fails to carry out theProvisions of this Act, and Harvard Uni-versity has so assumed since the Act waspassed. It is out of the question for Har-vard University as an institution to con-sider not obeying the law." Conant wrotea note to Mather explaining his sorrow atthe situation but leaving no doubt that itwould be best if the Oath was signed.

K. B. BORK Vol. 82

Kirtley obeyed the law but went the pro-ponents one better by adding the rider thathe also supported the Declaration of Inde-pendence and the Kellogg-Briand PeacePact. Such creativity did not please thehardliners. The Boston Post (3 December1935) headlined, "Mather only teacherwho has changed oath—-Harvard deniesnoted geologist may lose his position asresult of controversy." By December 1935he complied with the proper format, butsucceeded in getting in the last word(Mather 1936): "Despite the serious issuesinvolved in compliance with this statute,there is still much humor in the situation.Having taken this oath twice, once as aHarvard professor and once as a Radcliffeprofessor, I was congratulating myself thatI was twice as patriotic as the majority ofmy colleagues in the teaching profession,until I learned that one of my friends hadsworn allegiance 4 times since Octoberfirst, inasmuch as he teaches in 4 differentinstitutions in the state. I am chagrined bythe thought that he is twice as patriotic asI!" The Harvard Crimson of 27 November1959 featured Mather's role in the 2 5-yearold controversy when 2 professors lost theirposts because they refused to sign the oath.

In February of 1951 Mather was to speakto the interdenominational student broth-erhood banquet at Syracuse University.Just before the event was to take placeDean Charles Noble of Syracuse reluctantlyinformed Kirtley that because of objectionsraised by the Father Gannon F. Ryan, theRoman Catholic chaplain, it seemed inad-visable to go ahead with the plannedspeech. Father Ryan's view was thatMather held political beliefs which weresomehow not acceptable for the keynotespeaker. The evidence for such a conclusioncame from a list of "Red-ucators" given toFather Ryan by a "concerned alumnus" ofSyracuse. In the end, Ryan's veto was hon-ored for the banquet but Mather wasinvited to speak on "Christianity andDemocracy" at the Protestant services inHendricks Chapel on the Syracuse campus.The Daily Orange of Monday, 19 February

1951 reported: "Capacity audience enthu-siastic at Mather 'Democracy' sermon. . .A University official happily summed upthe general reaction with this: 'Perhaps itwas better this way. Two thousand peopleheard the sermon this morning, instead ofmerely 400 overstuffed banquetersThe sequence of events received coverageby the New York Times and a number ofmajor newspapers. The episode demon-strates the climate of the time and fragilenature of freedom of speech. Guilt by asso-ciation and judgment by peer pressuremade it very difficult for the full spectrumof political views to be voiced. Mather'sanalysis of the Teacher's Oath controversy,quoted in the Houston Post of 16 October1935,could serve as a summation of his1951 response to the Syracuse contre-temps: "The real danger which democracyfaces in America today is a result of theincrease of undemocratic tactics in theguise of loyalty to democratic ideals."

By the 1950s the man who had beenblack-listed by politicians and dis-invitedby chaplains was honored by his scientificcolleagues with election as President of theAmerican Association for the Advance-ment of Science (1951) and a 4-term Presi-dency of the American Academy of Artsand Sciences (1957-1961). The titles of anumber of articles published in the1950-'54 period illustrate the range of con-cerns which Mather brought to the atten-tion of scientists throughout the country.

1950: "The social implications of sci-ence": Bull, of the AtomicScientists, v. 6, no. 7

1950: "Education for a changingworld": In: Proceedings of theStillwater Conference on theNature of Concepts, Their Inter-Relation and Role in SocialStructure

1950: "Man and the Earth that sup-ports him": In: The Nature ofMan, A. W. Loos (ed.), TheChurch Peace Union and theWorld Alliance for InternationalFriendship through Religion


1951: "The physical sciences": In: Col-lege Teaching and ChristianValues, P. M. Limbert (ed.)

1952: "The problem of anti-scientifictrends today": Science, 15 May1952

1952: "Scientists in the doghouse": TheNation, 28 June 1952

1952: "The common ground of scienceand politics": PresidentialAddress, A.A.A.S. meetingin St. Louis; In: The Maturingof American Science, 1974,R. H. Kargon (ed.), reprint

1953: "Christian faith and natural sci-ence": The Christian Scholar,v. 36 (2)

1954: "Hunger or plenty for the fu-ture?" Amer. Scholar, v. 22 (4)

1954: "Methods of improving collegeteaching: the natural sci-ences": In: The Thome Lectures,Hofstra College, 2 March1954

1954: "Specialists in the academiccommuni ty" : EducationalHorizons, 32 (4)

1954: "The scientist's responsibilitiesfor the interpretation of con-cepts to laymen": Science, 5March 1954

The integration of religion, science, socialconscience, and education had been andwould remain central issues for Mather;during the years at the elected apex ofAmerican science, he was able to reach awide audience with his insights. Judgingfrom the written responses (Archives ofDenison University), particularly to thearticles in Science, the scientific commu-nity was highly receptive to his analysisof the contemporary scene.

AUTHOR AND CONSUMMATEREVIEWER

Kirtley Mather wrote more than a dozenbooks, published over a span of half a cen-tury. The earliest books were collections oflectures or radio scripts. During the 1930s

the author's concern with education wasevident as he produced a lab manual forgeology, a seminal work on adult edu-cation, and a valuable compendium on thehistory of geology. As his active teachingcareer came to an end in the early 1950s,Mather and his colleagues formulated labmanuals for physical and historical geologywhich profited from the senior author'slong experience in the classroom and labo-ratory. After a decade of retirement, Kirt-ley published the award-winning book TheEarth Beneath Us. The revised edition in-corporated modern views on plate tectonicsand was published when the author was 87years old. The Mather legacy includes:

1928: Old Mother Earth1928: Science in Search of God1930: Sons of the Earth1932: Physiography and Quaternary Geol-

ogy of the San Juan Mountains,Colorado: U.S. Geol. Surv.Prof. Paper 166 ( W i t hW. W. Atwood)

1934: Laboratory Manual of Physical andHistorical Geology (with C. J.Roy)

1937: Adult Education: A Dynamic forDemocracy (with DorothyHewitt)

1939: A Source Book In Geology (withS. L. Mason)

1944: Enough and to Spare1949: Crusade For Life: The John Cal-

vin McNair Lectures, Univ.of North Carolina

1950: A Laboratory Manual for Geol-ogy: I, Physical Geology(with C.J. Roy and L. R.Thiesmeyer)

1952: A Laboratory Manual for Geology:II, Historical Geology (withC. J. Roy)

1961: The World In Which We Live1964: The Earth Beneath Us (translated

into French, German, Italian,and Dutch; winner of the1964 Thomas A. EdisonAward and the 1964 Book


Award of the GeographicSociety of Chicago

1967: A Source Book In Geology,1900-1950

1975: Revised edition of The EarthBeneath Us

The range of topics considered inMather's published articles is quite excep-tional. A partial list includes: geomor-phology; glacial geology; the geography ofBolivia; the internal structure of the earth;the origin of life; the moon as a geologicentity; petroleum as a factor in worldpolitics; types of oil traps; and how to usean alidade. Such a listing does not evenmention the topics which received most ofMather's attention: science and religion;societal issues; and explaining science tothe lay public.

A bibliography which includes a dozenbooks and more than 250 published arti-cles represents an active life of the mind. Inthe case of Kirtley Mather, however, a fullappreciation of his productivity and Re-naissance breadth can only be gained byrecognizing that in addition to his profes-sional, avocational, and familial duties, hefound the time to write approximately1,200 reviews. The number seems super-human, even in the context of 50 years ofreading and writing. Prof. RaymondSiever (1978), an eyewitness to the phe-nomenon, gives a helpful account: "Thosemornings in the smoking room (of theHarvard Geological Museum) I first sawwhat I had heard about, Kirtley's leg-endary fast reading, at a speed that wouldput Evelyn Wood's reading institute toshame. As soon as the book was finishedand put down, the fountain pen was pickedup and the review was written, rapidly andwith free-flowing style. I never could getover that." Volume of books read andspeed of reaction to them do not, of course,guarantee analyses which capture the es-sence of a work or illuminate its strengthsand weaknesses. Here is where the readerwas rewarded by the Mather abilities tocomprehend the key aspect of complex is-sues and to write concisely but eloquently.

More than once an author wrote to say thatKirtley's review was particularly appre-ciated. Most of the reviews appeared in theScientific Book Club Reviw, the Scientist'sBookshelf of American Scientist, or the KeyReporter (the quarterly newsletter of PhiBeta Kappa). Robert Millikan, ArthurCompton, Kirtley Mather, and otherprominent scientists created the ScientificBook Club in 1929- The expressed goalwas to communicate the content and ex-citement of science to the public and toscientists in all subdisciplines. Mather waschairman of the editorial committee. TheJuly 1954 issue of American Scientist con-tains a retirement-inspired "Valedictory"by Kirtley which outlines his thoughtsabout the process of reviewing books. Itcan still be read with profit by anyone con-cerned with the art of reviewing.

A long life and association with im-portant figures in the sciences and societymade it likely that Mather would be in aposition to write memorials of major con-tributors to the development of moderngeology in America. When the Dictionaryof Scientific Biographies was being preparedduring the 1970s he wrote the articles onT. C. Chamberlin, R. A. Daly, S. F. Em-mons, A. F. Foerste, Waldemar Lindgren,G. P. Merrill, R. D. Salisbury, and C. R.Van Hise. Among others who were re-membered in various memorials are W. W.Atwood, Kirk Bryan, and K. C. Heald.Intellectual interest and educational con-cern were factors in the development ofsource books in geology which highlightedkey writings of authors who had beenimportant in the development of thegeosciences. Harlow Shapley, Mather'scolleague and friend, was deeply interestedin the history of science and apparentlywas a catalyst for the Mather and Masonsource book of 1939- In 1967 the Mather-edited Sourcebook in Geology, 1900-1950was published.

RETIREMENT AS REBIRTH

Retirement is one of life's milestoneswhich can presage decline or open doors to

Ohio J. Sci. KIRTLEY F. MATHER —A BIOGRAPHY 91

new opportunities and accomplishments.For the youthful in spirit who also have theintellect and health to respond to the giftof time, the retirement years can be pro-ductive as well as enjoyable. Exuberanceand intellectual curiosity were Matherhallmarks and thus it is not surprising thathis quarter century of retirement was richin productivity and in pleasure. Reading,writing, traveling, giving speeches, re-ceiving honors, fighting for human rights,teaching and learning — all continued inthe period from 1954 to 1978. Low pointsand sorrows also occurred. In 1968 Kirtleyunderwent major surgery to evacuate asubdural hematoma (blood clot on thebrain). His recovery was superlative butthe dynamo had been slowed down. MariePorter Mather, college sweetheart andwife of 59 years, died in 1971. The trialswere severe but the man was indomitable.On 31 May 1977 he married MurielSpeare Williams in a ceremony at HarvardMemorial Church which was characterizedby the pastor (Gomes 1978) and those inattendance as being singularly joyfuland memorable.

What better project for a retired teacherand administrator than to organize retiredassociates into a resource pool for lecturesand institutes on significant issues, includ-ing the topic of retirement? Kirtley was afounder and President (1964-1974) of theOliver Wendell Holmes Association(OWHA).The Association's motto was aquotation from Justice Holmes: "The sub-tile (sic) rapture of a postponed power." Itsstated purposes were to help people preparefor retirement and to make the years inretirement creative and rewarding. By1966 the OWHA had conducted a numberof institutes on such topics as "Science andMan"; its registry of lecturers numbered60; and trustees of the Association in-cluded Margaret Mead, Harlow Shapley,and leading American industrialists andacademics. The August 1968 neurosurgerycaused a hiatus in Mather's involvement,but he picked up the reins and continuedas active president until Marie's condition

deteriorated to the point where she neededconstant attention. By the early 1970sthe 10-year old experiment with educationfor older adults had fallen on the hardtimes related to the economic downturnand drying up of grants. By 1974 theOWHA ceased to exist as a separate or-ganization. Sidney Wallach, the ExecutiveOfficer of the Association, wrote Kirtley in1977 that a description of a new institutefor learning after retirement had made himthink, "Shades of OWHA! I think youare to be congratulated on the seeds youhelped sow."

In addition to his efforts on behalf of theOWHA, Mather was a founder and solePresident (through 1975) of the Center forIntegrative Education. The organizationpublished Main Currents in Modern Thought.He was also a force in the Institute onReligion in an Age of Science (IRAS), agroup which included Ian Barbour, Theo-dosius Dobzhansky, Elisabeth Kiibler-Ross, and Jonas Salk. Promoting EnduringPeace, Inc. was yet another organization inwhich Mather was active as President andmember of the national advisory board.Speaking engagements were not limited toOWHA-sponsored meetings. The"retiree" was a Phi Beta Kappa VisitingScholar, a Danforth Visiting Lecturer, andgave presentations on behalf of the Ameri-can Academy of Arts and Sciences and theAmerican Association for the Advance-ment of Science.

As a boy Kirtley was able to travel on hisfather's railroadman's pass; as a young manhe traveled all over North and SouthAmerica doing field work in geology; andas a mature scholar he was a frequent visi-tor to Europe. Retirement made the pen-chant for travel that much easier to sched-ule. Consider just 2 years, I960 and 1964.The famous caves of the Dordogne Valleyin France were the first highlight of theI960 trip. Marie's diary goes on in vividdetail to recount the two septuagenarians'eventful itinerary through France toGeneva (YMCA business) and Scandinavia.As President of the American Academy of


Arts and Sciences, Kirtley was a guest of theRoyal Society (London) for the 1660-1960Tercentenary Celebration. The trip culmi-nated with the 21st International Geologi-cal Congress in Copenhagen. In November1964 the Mathers left Cambridge for anaround-the-world business and pleasuretrip. The sequence of stops included Lon-don, Bombay, Delhi (site of the 22nd In-ternational Geological Congress), Tehran,Tel Aviv, Jerusalem (for a meeting withPolly Van Leer of the Van Leer Founda-tion), Cairo, Nairobi, Hong Kong by wayof Singapore and Manila, Tokyo and Kyototo Hiroshima, Honolulu, Albuquerque,Granville, and, by mid-April 1965, Cam-bridge. A reading of the Mathers' travel-ogues explains in large part how they couldkeep up such a pace: they lived for eachmoment, were constantly open to newexperiences, and had that combination ofintellect, patience, and tenacity whichcharacterizes the best travelers.

Is it safe to picture our 7 5-year old pro-fessor emeritus on a cruise ship playing avigorous game of shuffleboard, far re-moved from the dark clouds of contro-versy? No, neither shuffleboard nor escapefrom real-world issues were part of theMather style. In 1966 the Broward County(Florida) School Board cancelled anOWHA presentation by Mather becauseit had received anonymous notes that hispolitical leanings were too controversial.The talk was titled "The Impact of Scienceon Modern Life" and was finally givenunder private sponsorship. Mather's letterto the editor of the Ft. Lauderdale News (24January 1966) was firm, but not pug-nacious, in pointing out the questionabletactics used, the questionable sources cited,and the total lack of willingness on thepart of the school board to recognize hismany positive contributions to the sched-uled topic. The Miami News of 28 January1966 editorialized that "Broward FlunksThis One" and the Miami Herald 2 dayslater proclaimed, in an editorial labeled"Shadows Know a Sad Answer," that ittook but one telephone call, offering

derivative information that never was veri-fied, to undermine what should have beenan event of benefit to all intelligent peoplein the area.

During the "real" retirement years inNew Mexico, 1971 to 1978, Mathercontinued to be involved with reading,writing, and teaching. He was a VisitingProfessor (part-time) at the Universityof New Mexico and a speaker at suchgatherings as the Twenty-One Club inAlbuquerque. His last public lecture wasin November 1976; the subject was "TheScopes Trial and its Aftermath."

ENERGIZING A DYNAMOIt is as difficult as it is fascinating to

delve into the question of what causes cer-tain people to attain eminence in their cho-sen field of endeavor. The mystery can beparticularly complex if one rules out familystatus and connections, a cutthroat atti-tude of upward-mobility-at-all-costs, or awillingness to compromise principles inorder to gain an immediate goal. Withoutpretending to enter the domain of rigorouspsychohistory, I would like to consider afew factors in the human equation whichcontributed to the success of a railroadagent's son whose career is devoid of a de-sire for gain at the cost of others and whoseprinciples remained intact throughout avery long life.

Ability is one sine qua non of most suc-cess stories. From his early days in Chi-cago, Kirtley Mather demonstrated the in-tellectual gifts of good memory, creativity,and ability to analyze which are often pre-requisites to achievement in academics.Ability must be nurtured at some stage: forsome people the nurturing is life-long;others succeed only after breaking out of anoppressive environment. Kirtley wasblessed with supportive parents, an excep-tional chain of teachers, colleagues of thehighest caliber, and 2 bright, indepen-dent, yet supportive women as "life's com-panions." Native ability may be wellserved by what is called luck or by theserendipity of meeting the right people at

Ohio J. Sci. KIRTLEY F. MATHER —A BIOGRAPHY 93

the right time. Kirtley was not given tofalse modesty, so when he claimed that hispath to Harvard was paved with fortuitouscontacts the contention deserves some at-tention. It is true that his major professorat Chicago, Wallace Atwood, moved toHarvard and no doubt was instrumental inhaving Reginald Daly consider Matherwhen a position was available. It is alsotrue that Mather's high principles and in-stitutional loyalty made him turn down a1921 offer to leave Denison in order to goto Clark University as Dean of the College.Marie and Kirtley agreed that it would beunfair to depart from a college which hadbeen generous in granting leaves for the 2Bolivian expeditions. Had he gone toClark, it is unlikely that he would havebeen sought by Harvard in 1923- Giventhose 2 bits of fortune, however, it must benoted that Atwood would not have utilizedthe Old Boy network unless he had greatconfidence in his protege, and Harvard cer-tainly would not have pursued someonewhom they had considerable opportunityto see in action as a guest lecturer andvisiting professor unless the candidate'spromise was evident.

Internalized beliefs can play a role in anindividual's performance. It is somethingof a cliche but the concept of a Protestantwork ethic seems to have been very real forMather. He was a direct descendant of Pu-ritans and although he did not share theirview of the universe he seems to have re-tained their commitment to productivityin the service of God. Middlekauff's (1971)description of Richard, Increase, and Cot-ton Mather rings true for Kirtley: "And afew (contemporaries) sensed what was sig-nificant in all 3 Mathers — their desire tofuse piety and intellect, to pursue ideaswith the heart as well as with the mind,and to bring their thinking constantly tobear on t h e i r love of G o d . " The20th-century Mather was a world travelerwhose lifelong optimism had to surviveencounters with the poverty of eastern Bo-livia or Calcutta and the poverty of spiritdisplayed by many of his political adver-

saries in the United States. One of thefoundations of such a non-jaundiced viewof the world was the belief that the Admin-istrator of the Universe had made it abun-dantly clear that cooperation among peoplecould lead to the cumulative betterment ofhumankind. Calvinist beliefs in predes-tination and helplessness of the individualhuman were not the templates of Kirtley'sfaith. He was a doer whose heart and mindengaged whenever he perceived injusticebeing done. His theater of operation wasthe world. One positive consequence wasinvolvement at the national and inter-national leadership level of such groups asthe YMCA. The negative repercussionscame from an internationalist attitudewhich voiced support for the Loyalist forcesin the Spanish Civil War or argued forcommunication with the intellectuals ofthe Soviet Union. Not all Americans hadquite so broad a concept of world broth-erhood. The depth of Mather's charity andcivility is evident from the fact that evenwhen accosted in the vilest of terms orwhen denounced for presumed trans-gressions, he did not lose a sense of per-spective and humor.

Ability and a strong set of principles arenot the only elements of the Mather per-sonality. Self-assurance, drive, integrity, adegree of competitiveness, and a soupgonof showmanship were part of the totalman. Survival in the tropical jungles ofBolivia or the intellectual jungles of theMcCarthy era would not have been possiblewithout the toughness derived from self-confidence. Integrity and combativenessare evident in the letters exchanged be-tween Mather and Denison officials duringthe Kornhauser affair. Worldliness charac-terized the decision to turn the publicationcrank while at Queen's University, his firstpost-Ph. D. position. Innovative creativitycombined with a showman's flair whenMather made the first educational filmsusing sound or when he initiated a radioseries on topics dealing with evolution andgeology. A discerning audience can, ofcourse, recognize the limits of show-


manship. It is obvious that generations ofHarvard students responded even more tothe information conveyed, the richness ofcross-disciplinary integration, and Kirt-ley's infectious joy of learning than simplyto the excellent packaging of his lectures.

Humans and their actions are toocomplex to explain with a brief list ofattributes. For people who knew him or foranyone reading his voluminous writings,Kirtley Mather can only be understood asa synergism. The range of his interests andabilities is impressive when catalogued,but the spirit of the man was greater thanany list of accomplishments can convey.

CONCLUSIONKirtley F. Mather was a scientist with a

religious spirit and a social conscience.Colleagues who knew him well and thosewho came into fleeting contact with himwere struck by his human warmth and therichness of his knowledge. In a memorialprepared by 4 Harvard geologists (Gould,Kummel, Thompson and Siever 1980) andentitled "One of Harvard's Most Inspiredand Inspiring Teachers" the observationwas made, "None of this can convey aproper sense of the wonderful person thatKirtley Mather was. He had — even for aHarvard professorial renaissance man — aremarkable breadth of intellectual inter-ests, from all the sciences to the human-ities and religion." Prof. Stephen JayGould was 26 when he first met Kirtley,then 78. In speaking of their 10-yearassociation, Gould (1978) said, "Kirtleyremained a man of my time," and he cap-tured the essence of his senior colleaguewhen he went on to recount how Mather'sjoy of learning, depth of insight, and qual-ity as a human were sufficient to generatea response which could best be describedas love for a unique person. A newspaper-woman in Albuquerque, after a brief inter-view, entitled her report (Kailer 1977) onthe 89-year old Mather, "Order, Charm,Assurance Flow from Resident Sage." Thebouquets came from all who got to knowthe man; the brickbats were delivered by

people blinded by political or religiousbias. One lesson to be learned from a biog-raphy of Mather is that many people aretoo willing to condemn persons or ideasthey do not understand. The more opti-mistic response is to celebrate the lifeand contributions of a respected scientistwhose involvement with the world tran-scended disciplines.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. It is a pleasure to acknowl-edge the support of the Mather family throughoutthis project. The research would not have been pos-sible without the cooperation of Dr. and Mrs. LeRoySeils, son-in-law and daughter of Kirtley, who madeit easy to use their rich collection of Mather scrap-books and primary documents. As of October 1981,the entire Seils/Mather collection is housed in theArchives of Denison University. Mrs. Kirtley F.Mather (Muriel) was a constant source of informa-tion and support. Florence Wengerd, a Matherdaughter, reviewed the original manuscript. Herhusband, Dr. Sherman A. Wengerd, served as aninformal reviewer and also wrote an importantbiographical article (Wengerd 1978) on his father-in-law and Harvard mentor. Among other readers ofthe first draft who deserve thanks for their commentsare: Drs. Claude C. Albritton, Jr., G. WallaceChessman, Richard P. Goldthwait, Richard H.Mahard, William G. Mather, and Mrs. Jean M.Seibel. Flo Hoffman, Archivist of Denison Univer-sity, contributed time and effort at several stages ofthe research project. The superb typing of KatherineO. Bork and Marion A. Poules is greatly appre-ciated. Financial support for page charges wasgenerously supplied by Denison University.

LITERATURE CITEDde Camp, L. S. 1968 The great monkey trial. Dou-

bleday, Garden City, N. Y. 538 p.Ginger, R. 1958 Six days or forever. Beacon Press,

Boston, MA. 258 p.Gomes, P.J. 1978 Report to the President of

Harvard University concerning the 1977 activi-ties of the Harvard Memorial Church. In a letter,dated 11 May 1978, to Muriel Mather (Mrs.Kirtley F. Mather); Seils/Mather Collection,Denison Univ. Archives.

Gould, S.J. 1975 Reverend Bumet's dirty littleplanet. Natural History 84: 26-28.

1978 In memory of Kirtley FletcherMather. Unpubl. program of service held inHarvard Memorial Church, 6 October 1978.

-, B. Kummel, J. B. Thompson, Jr., and R.Siever. 1980 Kirtley F. Mather — One ofHarvard's most inspired and inspiring teachers.Harvard Gazette 11 July 1980: 6.

Hewitt, D. and K. F. Mather 1937 Adult edu-


cation; A dynamic for democracy. D. Appleton— Century Co., N. Y. 193 p.

Kailer, P. 1977 Order, charm, assurance flow fromresident sage. Albuquerque J. 6 February 1977:Sect. C, 1.

Landon, S. 1976 Key Scopes Trial witness recallsfamed U. S. case. Albuquerque J. 4 November1976.

Mather, K. F. 1909 The age of the Licking Narrowsat Black Hand, Ohio. Denison Univ. Sci. Lab.Bull. 14: 175-187.

1915 The fauna of the Morrow Group ofArkansas and Oklahoma. Denison Univ. Sci. Lab.Bull. 18: 59-284.

1918 Parables from paleontology. AtlanticMonthly 121: 35-43.

1921 Revolution versus evolution: the pale-ontologist renders his verdict. Denison Univ. Sci.Lab. Bull. 18: 307-323.

1925 Evolution and religion. Sci. Monthly21: 322-328.

1926a Evolution on trial. Harvard AlumniBull. 28: 446-450.

1926b The psychology of the anti-evolutionist. Harvard Graduate's Magazine 8-29-

1928 Science in search of God. H. Holt andCo., N. Y. 159 p.

1936 Saying it with oaths: A record of asmall tempest in the "Birthplace of AmericanLiberty": Oct.-Nov. 1935. Unpubl., undated

coll. quotations and written statements; Archivesof Denison Univ.

1951 Teaching the physical sciences. In:P. M. Limbert (ed.) College Teaching and Chris-tian Values, Association Press, N.Y. 17-32.

1969 Christianity's staunchest ally. In: W.B. Gatewood, Jr. (ed.) Controversy in thetwenties: Fundamentalism, modernism, andevolution. Vanderbilt Univ. Press, Nashville,TN. 189-196.

1977 Geologist at large. Unpubl. biograph.notes prepared by Kirtley F. Mather for his chil-dren and grandchildren. 215 p.

Middlekauff, R. 1971 The Mathers: Three gen-erations of puritan intellectuals, 1596-1728.Oxford Univ. Press, England 440 p.

Scopes, J .T. and J. Presley 1967 Center of thestorm. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, N.Y.277 p.

Siever, R. 1978 In memory of Kirtley FletcherMather. Unpubl. program of service held inHarvard Memorial Church, 6 October 1978.

Summers, M. 1956 The history of witchcraft. LyleStuart, Inc. (1974 ed.), Secaucus, N.J. 353 p.

Tompkins, J. R. (ed) 1965 D-Days at Dayton. Lou-isiana State Univ. Press, Baton Rouge. 173 p.

Wengerd, S. A. 1978 Kirtley Fletcher Mather.Bull. Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. 62: 2337-2340.

White, C. L. 1980 Alumni profile: Kirtley F.Mather '09- Denison Magazine 40: 22-23.

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Kirtley Fletcher Mather's Life in Science and Society