St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-12
MODEST MINNESOTA.
So the McHale Bill Has Caused
the Gopher State to Be
Dubbed.
How the Scott County SEN
atop Looks at the Moral
ity Question.
He Believes in Bounds, ami
Thinks Bounds Have Been
Transcribed.
Comment Of the Leading
Newspapers on His Anti
Tights Bill.

senator McHdle mas dOne more, III HIS
one bill, to bring Minnesota to notice
throughout the world than even the
interesting and perilous discussion OF
the usury bill, or the scalper's bill or
the appropriation for the worlds fair.
Every leading paper in the nation has
mad something to say of the anti-tights
bill, though the allusiOn has appeared
in the paragraph department. But
Senator Mcilale is in earnest and III
speaking of his bill expressed himself
in the following quotation:
Public morality demands that respectable
newspapers should raise their voice AGAINST
the demoIaliZing drift of the drama into the
vicious display of the undraped female figure
that al present 50 largely performances i'll
successful theatrical performances. There
was time when the drama was cleYajing
and taught good morals, but that time see rs
within the short space of Il decade 10 have
passed almost entirely from view. The
transformation of classic. beautiful and
wholesome plays into exhibitions tht
formerly belonged to low concert hall dives
is not beautiful one TO behold, but the
leg show has come and come TO STAY,
unless the force OF decent pubic opinion
shall be directed against its shocking IN
decencIes. When actors like Louis James,
Lawrence Barrett and other great ones axe
obliged TO play 10 empty seats. while Lydia
Thompson "DaZzler" turns people away at
every performance, it enough 10 make re-
spectacle people pinch their nostrls and
turn away to escaDe the etfiuria of This sal
lacious dish of the maison de joi set before
our bows and girls. And the so-called comic
opera of the present. day is Little better than
the gaety performances Of Lilly Cha. =
blonde buTlesquers, at WhostipeI formanceS
men only attend. A female performer
dressed in the conventional ami allurins cos
tune of the brothel in comic opera il Il
shameful sight and u disgrace 10 the stage
that has produced the kelloggs. Pa us, b.
bolts and other imprOviSatOreS, who be
tween success and appearing i'll such Dawdy
rainier t. and failure without. would have
chosen the latter. Managers who care more
for the box office receipts Than lubllc mora -,
when app oached refer 10 the Venus dc ed
icis, or The Greek Save and claim the uu
draped as only art IN its highest form, but
their excuse IS not tenahle. Women
VINO essay the nude on the stage
exhibit nothing pure, but everything
1t is safe to say thai at the present Tune there $
nothing SO demorallzlng TO our youth as the
present craze i'll theatricals for "undrapcd
female loneliness rs it is called. and, while
one need be neither Il Miss Nancy nor II
prude. in behalf of social purity III the young.
he should IaiSe his voice against the devil >
ballet that now pervades nearly all success
full theatrical exhibitions. There nc thought
so low or vicious that does not meet with
rounds of applause. while the nobler senll-
ments of the legitimate or classic drama are
spoken to dumb auditors. From all this
slime, depraVitv and pu rctBctlUn of every
thing decent in the human mind, as mir
rored b. the stage Phrynes. in The language
of the litany, Good Lord, deliver us
Leading Newspaper Comment.
While many Of the leading newspa-
perS of the country nave c0ntenleu
themselves with merely noting She iacl
that Senator Mcllale has introduced
such a bill. others have freely com
mented upon it, and q group of these
comments is appended:
The dashing coiyphee must hereafter be
ware of Minnesota. The senate of tllat gOoc
state, shining tight of which IS our former
| fellow tOwnsman, Ignatius Donneily. ha,
adopted bill prohibiting the wearing Oi
tights on the stage by female persons. il
the bill becomes law, the people Of ST
Paul and Minneapolis will only be able &c
view the fascinating ballet when the festive
figufante wears hoopskirts, and The glitter
| and glare Of the Amazon march VIII be mod
| fled by the appearance of the alnaZons in
| bloomers Philadelphia Times.
The suppression of The ballet by statutory
| enactment will doubtless NEE; with vigorous
| protest from several sources. For instance
| the argument will be presented that il is III
! avenue of livelihood tor hundreds of women
| Again il will be maintained that Ike act is q,
interdiction Of art. an incubus on the devcl
! Opment of the aesthetic tastes, cic. Other
| will hold that ii is an infracliUn on persona
! privilege. EVANSVILLE Banner.
| Everybody will be very good III the state il
consequence, and gaietv dancers viii be at :
heavy premium. Such plays OF >hakcspearC
| as Twelfth Night and AS You Like II,
| which call for doublets ard hose TO be won
| by the heroine, must be dropped from th'
| repertory of any actress visiting Minnesota
| and thereby senator Donnelly viii be eta
bled TO wreak part of his vengeance on III,
| Swan of Avon.--New York Recorder
Il is natural that a state like Wyoming
! which has been particularly lavish Of it
| favors to the ladies, should resent the hgur
| of nude woman on Its great seal. Witt
| Wyoming struggling against naEeduess il
| art and Dakota and Minnesota legislating
| against ballet costumes the great Northwes
| ought to offer superior inducements 10 III
| surplus female population Of New England
| Kansas City Star.
Minnesota wants to enact q law agains
| actresses appearing on the stage in tights
| The most decollete suits of tights OF cart
| are modest and demure attire beside the rig
worn and kicked zem,hward by ski
dancers. 1t would be Il good thing for the
stage if skirt dancing were prohibited. ever
| though the action may cause rs great los
OF life as when the ghost dance was pI
n.-IndianapoliS sun.
That Minnesota bill to prevent any 'fC
male person" from exposing her nethC
limb or limbs on the sage would raise
very interesting discussion OF the strict cod
of modestv in the Northwest if it were uC
| "
ballet dancers and burlesque actresses wit
but one neither limb apiece.-PI,sbdrg Di:
patch.
The Minnesota legislature is trying to pas
a law making it a msdemeanOy for a fenlal
person to appear on the stage in tights. Mil
nesota must be Il wicked state # il won't L
ballet girls wear SO much as that.-Blffal
Express.
If the governor of Wyoming requires
send an Official document to Minnesota h