Chapter 23, Souvenirs of a Journalist, Chapter 24, Criticism Summary and Analysis

Mencken opens Chapter 23 with a piece reporting his coverage of the Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tennessee. To Mencken, the town is a backwoods sty, but he meets some tolerable individuals. A reporter woman tells Mencken about the jurors; he notes passing preachers condemning reading. In a church service, Mencken observes people totally out of control. Many were at the trial, mostly insane, including William Jennings Bryan.

In the next piece, Mencken reports on a boxing match between Dempsey and Carter; most wanted Dempsey to lose since he evaded service in World War I. Mencken describes the actual fight at some length. In the next piece, Mencken draws some psychological lessons from the fight, lessons drawn from the public perception of the fight. He also notes that Dempsey won...