October 23, 1972

Mr. Newton Steward
California State Department of Education
72 N. Capitol Mall
Sacramento, CaLifornia 95814

Ge at leme n:

We respectfully request the opportunity to appear before you

on November 9, 1972 in order to plead that Creation Theory be excluded
from aeiance textbooks utad in thie State.  We also request that the
following statement be read into the record.

We appeal to you out of a profound concern.

We believe that

an extreme disservice will bo rendcrecl to the education of our youth
and to soctety if California were to require that texLbook6 ia biology
include concepts of the origin of man which arc at odds with evolutionary
prlnciplea.

In 1900, one might concoivatly have argced that evolutionary
                  nut this is no Iunqer EL remote

theory was one of several aftcrnatives.
possibility.
and physical basis of heredity.
identify with molecular precision tho basic machaniams of evolution.
Today, the argurmnts aqainst the evolutionary principles must be placed
on the same plane as thom advanced by the Flat Earth Socioty.  Who
would now insist that we teach tho flat earth theory in our schools?
insist that a biblical viewpoint of creation or conce~&s of spantansous
creation be taught a~ viable alternatives to the evolutionary origin of
man goes beyond the bounds of call rational analysis.

In 2972, we have an extensive knowledge of the chemical

This zhllotvcr us to understand and to

To

     To present creation 8s an alternative to evolution would re-
quire intellectual dishonesty in ow students and teachers.
also croate real difficulties in preparing our youth to contribute to the
oohtion of many problems in medical science we now face or 0hall
ROOXI face.
machanisnis and our ability to define and solve problems of genetic
diseaces depend lapon the same basic knowledge.

Xt would

This is becauw OUT understanding of the evolutionary

Knowledcp of the moZocu1La.r rmchaniamr; of heredity is essential

for the diagnosis, treatmeat and prevention of il variety of illnsssss.
LLp also basic to a scientific acrfculturo.  We arc only IIGW beginning to
appreciate how much iiumaii sickness results from hareditary disorders--
disordc re which m-ay change tha atructurc! of the tiernaglobin molecules
in oiir blood calls and thereby Z~~UCP) the capacity of the blood to trans-
port oxygen to the tissues--a@ in sickle ccli aricmia--or which may

It

Mr. Newton Steward
Page Two
October 23, 1972

change molecules in our brains so tha't we become mentally deficient.
Our ability to understand these disorders and to alleviate the suffering
they cause is dependent upon the same basic knowledge of hereditary
mechanism6 which underlies our understanding of evolution.  This same
knowledge is being used in our efforts to understand 2nd combat cancer.
It is also vital to the development of more productive and nutritious
domestic plants and animals, and to the control of destriactive pests by
safer mean8 than pesticides, Indeed, there are few problems, medical
or ecological, whosa solution docs not require or will not bcnofit from a
knowledge of the mechanisms of heredity which are common to all life
forms.

Clearly we all w40h our youth to understand these basic prin-

ciples so that they may participate and cooperate in the solutions to such
problems.  But just as clcarly, we cannot expect to arbitrarily divide tho
teaching of these principles in the clnsorcom- -on Mondays demonstrating
how thoyllead to an underotsnding of certain human illnesses, while on
Tuesdays denying their validity in respect to our origiw,

      To insist that the textbooks used by our teachers and students
contain non-evolutionary concepts of our origins is to create exactly this
disastrous dichotomy, Eut even WOTSO, such an insistciiee would regolt
in the selection of tho poorest of available texts.
capability for clear explanation of the basic mechanisms of heredity arc
prcctsoly those who wotild refuse to include tho non-evolutionary concepts.
In this age when biological kcowledgo is becornin? ever more important
to the decisions we make, both as individuals and as a society,  we cannot
afford to lower the quality of the education we provide.

Authors with the grcatest

We came tb sktt2e'inCalifornia in 1959.

We have educated our

children in its schcols. We take great pride in the quality of tho education
our State provides,
the entire civilized world.

We Implore you not to make us the laughing stock of

A I* thur Kornberg
Professor of Biochamiotry
Nobel Laureate (Medicine, 1959)

David S. Hogneee
Profoeeor of Biochemistry