The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-04-21
DEFEND THE NUDE.

Artists Chase and Brown Like the
Bronze statusry.
From the New York World
When famous artists like William NJ.
Chase and j. G.. Brown spend the greater
part OF an afternoon in a police court in
order that q decision may be reached
about the morality and decency of young
woman appearing in a theater as a statue
with nothing but q covering of bronze
paint, il must be admitted that Il was o
remarkable occasion.
Justice Simms, who is a very young jus
tice. thinks paint cannot cover nudity,
and he held Miss Bessie Stanton. Porham
Nahle and Prof. Otto Kahler, the bronze
pictures, and Rudolph Aronson for trial
in $500 each on the charge that the exhibit
ton outraged public decency. The com
plant was made by Detective Sergeants
Titus and Rogers of the Central office,
who visited the Casino last Thursday and
decided that the performance was I'm.
moral.
Mr.. Titus gave a careful description Of
what he saw. He was sure that the young
woman wore only q thing which resem.
bled the trunks worn by small boys when
they go in swimming. The remainder of
the body was covered with bronze paint.
He couldn't see the trunks with the naked
eye. Detective-Sergeant Rogers didn'tsee
as much as Mr.. Titus.
Then came William NJ. Chase. The great
artist looked rather Disguised. He said he
had been an artist for 81 years. ami for
eight years had been president of the So-
ciety of American Artists. He had seen
the bronze statues.
i'How did the exhibition impress you 2"
asked Maurice Mayer, Mr.. Aronson's law
yer.
''When the models posed they impressed
me as being very fine reproductions of
bronze statues am familiar with. They
did not impress me as in any way sug-
gestive or immoral"
Judge Simms asked rather reproach-
fully If Mr.. Chase thought that the exhibl-
ton on the public stage of a young
woman in such condition was not a
menace to the morals of community.
mo more so than the exposition OF the
human figure in an art gallery" said Mr..
Chase. These bronze statutes are sug-
gestive of nothing other than art.'
"Don't you think the bronze figure
nude?r
Il don't see how it can be nude. The
figure represents great statues, and 1t is a
perfect imitation of bronze. There is not
the slightest suggestion of anything
obscene or out of the way"
Then came j. G.. Brown, whose street
urchins are familiar to every one in this
country. Mr.. Brown said he has been on
assist for 40 years. 1t came out through
him how the artists happened TO be in
court. Before the public performance
was given MIR. Aronson invited about 20
celebrated artists to view the bronze
statuee. The manager had carefully
kept the list of those who accepted the in
and il was mighty useful yester-
day. or course, they had to answer a
subpoena.
rDo you consider the figures nude ?"
asked Mr.. Mayer.
mot in any sense" declared Mr.. Brown
with much emphasis. ''They represent
bronze works of art. Bronze has no vital
ity or suggestion OF flesh"
Ibid you see anything i'm the perform
ance that would degrade the public
morals ?"
"No, sir. On the contrary, should be
glad IL we had more exhibitions OF the
kind. They would elevate the public
morals and the public taste for great
works of art by masters long dead which
have never been equaleL."
Won PrettwitA Palm, slender, loquaeious
and polite, explained that he was an ar
list aud the manager. He considered the
bronze statues less suggestive than living
pictures he added: "The silk tights
worn BY living pictures are 1-l6oth part OF
IN inch thick. while the bronze paint Is
from 1-32d to 1-l6th of an inch thick"
Miss Bessie Stanton, who wears the
bronze paint. said: "0h. the bronze paint
% ever so much more moral than the flesh
nes for living pictures. There is not a bit
Of flesh to be seen"
SIS there anything in the statue that is
mot thing" with emphasis, tuen with
IN air or injury. II should not pose II
there were"