Law as Golden Dancer¹

(Drummond's Reflection on the Law)

(From Inherit the Wind)

"He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind:
and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart."
Proverbs 11:20 (KJV)

DRUMMOND: Sometimes I think the law is like a horse race Sometimes it seems to me I ride like fury, just to end up back where I started. Might as well be on a merry-go-round, or a rocking horse . . . or (He half-closes his eyes. His voice is far away, his lips barely move) Golden Dancer . . . .
CATES: What did you say?
DRUMMOND: That was the name of my first long shot. Golden Dancer. She was in the big side window of the general store in Wakeman, Ohio. I used to stand out in the street and say to myself, “If I had Golden Dancer I’d have everything in the world that I wanted.” (He cocks an eyebrow) I was seven years old, and a very find judge of rocking horses. (He looks off again into the distance) Golden Dancer had a bright red mane, blue eyes, and she was gold all over, with purple spots. When the sun hit her stirrups, she was a dazzling sight to see. But she was a week’s wages for my father. So Golden Dancer and I always had a plate glass window between us. (Reaching back for the memory) But—let’s see, it wasn’t Christmas; it must’ve been my birthday—I woke up in the morning and there was Golden Dancer at the foot of my bed! Ma had skimped on the groceries, and my father’d worked nights for a month. (Re-living the moment) I jumped into the saddle and started to rock— (Almost a whisper) And it broke! It split in two! The wood was rotten, the whole thing was put together with spit and sealing wax! All shine, and no substance! (Turning to CATES) Bert, whenever you see something bright, shining, perfect-seeming—all gold, with purple spots—look behind the paint! And if it’s a lie—show it up for what it really is!

(Colonel Drummond to his client, Bert Cates, during the jury’s deliberation.)

Endnotes

¹ Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, Inherit the Wind (New York: Bantam Books, 1981), p. 97. ⇑