The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1868-01-16
VERITAs.
CHICA GO CORRESP ONDENCE.
4HICAGO. Jan. Ii. 1861.


ED. DEMocRAT-Shall I trespass too
much upon your patience and val liable
space to-day, if [ devote a considera BILE
portion of my letter to the grand, engross-
ing topic of nakcdnesse 1t Is the main
thing before society at pr esent which
seems to engage the interest of all classes,
and really Of all the sterile blank blue
Monday" of the year this one is the
most empty and dismal, so that I must
needs seek something else than mere GU
riosity-feeding facts to IL my accustomed
place in your columns and in your read
ers remembrance. So then, if you pl ease,
a few words of naked truth from a modest
man, concerning this furore for things IN
puris maturdltbus "Undine closes here
the middle of this week, after a run Of un-
precedented success, the best evidence of
which is that although its expenses were
over 5000 per night, it has netted clear
$4,000 for the managers. What has
been the cause of this triumph Not
Rankin's acting, for all he can do on the
stage is to look pretty. Not Emily
Thorne's singing, good as it was,-not the
scenery, even, although it surpassed in
magnifcence all we have ever seen here,
no, not all these combined, drew one
tenth so many spectators as the plump,
elegantly tapercd, beautifully rounded
limbs of the foreign ballet troupe. That
troupe was selected with especial refer
ence to its perfection of form. Connois-
seurs had held high council over every
ANGLE and calf, and many were the bets
between friends, left to the decision of dis
interested parties, whether Gabrielle or
Ninette were best developed, whether
Denise or Betty wore "pads, and other
kindred subjects which will readily slg-
gest themselves to the speculative mind
Consequently the warmest feelings of the
human mind were enlisted for the success
of " Undine what has been the result
| learn that McVicker is going to have at
his theatre, the ballet spectacle of the
{" Golden Branch" with rival troupe of
legs from New York. That next spring
we may expect " Undine" here again is
probable. Hereafter we may expect to
rival New York in the variety and quality
of our leg shows. There is only one place
in town which will not follow this lead
one place of puIic amusement, mean, and
that is the Museum. Its stage is so small
and the rights of the leading lady are so
large that for both reasons a fair assort-
ment of plump legs on that stage need not
be expected. This furor for naked truth
extends through even private life. Mrs.
Quimby and DR.. Fuller fell victims to it
when an intrusive policeman broke in up
on their slumbers. A rink carpenters
wife who got this unfortunate malady
while her husband was away in St. Louis |
not long since, was divorced the other day
without attempting defence. Her own
children were witnesses of her devotion to
this form of truth. Seriously, is not this
great and growing tendency to nudity in
dicative of a dangerous progression to-
ward general immortality? Each spectacle
put upon the stage is expected to be |
nearer approach to nudity than that which
preceded it. Each divorce case to be at.
tractive reading matter must be little
nastier than those before. Each day wit
nesses gradual but sure inroads upon the
sanctity of private life, insidious attacks
upon the bulwarks of female modesty. Ifl
this sort Of thing keeps on, we may ex-
pect, by and by, to get back as nearly to
the costumes of Adam and Eve as our
climate will permit