The Indianapolis journal., 1896-03-04
WOMEN AS DEBATERS
NUDE IN ART DISCUSSED AT LOCAL
COUNCIL MEETING.
Was the Topic-Mr. Rappaport's
stff Letter.

There was an unusually large attendance
at the Local Council of Women yesterday
afternoon, brought out. no doubt. by the
attractiveness of the literary part of the
programme. There was the usual routine
of roll call and reports. A letter from
Philip Rappaport, which was sent for the
last meeting. was read. The letter suggested
that the women should not take part in
police and like regulations, but should con-
fine their work to something not only more
practical. but likely to bring about some
result. After considerable discussion, rang
ing from motion to lay the letter on the
table and acting upon the suggestions, it
was finally decided TO have committee of
five TO take the lette- and form some plan
of work for the council from il. Miss Har-
riet Noble left the chair long enough to
make few pertinent remarks TO the effect
that the council had been engaged in a
very superficial kind of work. ''We shall
be doing something when we be
source of moral, social and industrial in
fuence." said She She mentioned branch
of work in Chicago relative to regulating
the servant girl question, and OF another
in Philadelphia pertaining to the domestic
problem. Mrs. Chislett, Mrs. Wulschner
and Mrs Jenckes We're elected to provide
programme for the. annual meeting of
the council As
The literary feature was a debate, "Are
the Arts Conducive to MoralsY' Miss Mary
Dean took the affirmative side. She said:
The arts are not required to be moral or
improving They to make us forget our
selves for time. Dizziness In the family
can be forgotten in the literary arts, and
he who loves art enjoys happiness. Bad
temper can be sweetened at the theater.
The art lover finds the moments fly when
he is in a gallery, and he does not want
any one to tell him what to look at Miss
Dean said that the lover of art thinks
legs as respectable as arms, and he can
enjoy Venus de Milo as well as gal
lery of portraits. He is also the possessor
of great happiness, which others endeavor
to initiate. The love of nature and art are
ennobling and cannot but be conducive to
morals. II you love nature you love the
neat home; the cricket VINO carries tam
BOURNE under his
Some people, who have none of it in their
nature, try to acquire art said Miss Dean,
but she thinks this never be done. For
they will love COW in art just as they
would bustle-when it was in style. There
earth. salt too. salty. They do
not like art and yet last year
they went to the theater and saw two
not been allowed on the stage of France.
They decry novels, and yet they read Adam
Bede and like stories. They think they
to a live beggar, but they do not improve
themselves by studying dead beggar of
Murillo. They have the great selfishness of
not improving themselves.
Miss Dean said that any action which benz
ef1ts the human family is moral, and one
which does not is immoral. Discretion,
"a, Ma I'D
great elements OF character, but the great
est man is the one who never swerves from
| the golden mean. Religion is not the basis
or morals. In regard to the nude in art,
the speaker thinks that that of the old
Greek art came from the fact that people
worked in the fields in that condition. The
est of the present day She thinks Ameri-
cans are somewhat biased by the dislike of
the English who cannot see anything good
in the French. Sne said that Americans
nave no art, that il is all secondhand. "Tne
highest morals and the highest art she
continued, are in Germany, where they
are making their 5ea pitels beautiful. and
where they do not spit on fthe pavement"
Mrs. f. w. Chislett spoke for the other
size OF the question. and began by saying
people. Art mas moral character itself
1t has a good influence on mind that is
mai brought before pu. pctur re or
piece OF sculpture is not influenced by it,
The total scheme Of the Greeks, she said,
physical good. Love, they thought pos
session Of the gods. Their art has no con-
ception of spiritual life, but all is. physical.
Once when Mrs. Chislett was in Boston
she visited the Art Museum and noted the
difference between the casts of the old art
of Greece and that Of the modern, to the
detriment of the latter. She said one might
| feel uplifted by music which would not in
duce a better life. The speaker referred to
| the despicable character OF several artists
and musicians She said that she would
prefer TO live with the Puritans than with
| the Greeks. She agreed with Miss Dean in
| that legs are as respectable as arms, but
| that to paint the nude and not have il yul-
gar required an artist of the finest kind
| She said sno could see nothing beautiful in
| a nude figure that was not properly placed: /:
as, for Instance, she saw a nude woman
| sitting on the grass playing with a dog
/ position in which one cannot imagine a
nude woman. She gave strong and Wig
| orous protest against the posters some Of
| which made her feel that women were de-
graded in them. The worst influence from
these is on the masses In closing she said
| she felt that coed work for the local
council would be to suppress the. posters
| Miss Noble opened a discussion by say
| ing that all art that would live would ex-
| press some great moral idea; that the
| Angelus, which is considered the greatest
| work of the present day, breathes the spirit
ecution. AT Hull House, in Chicago, they
| try to have everything artistic, for in art
4 lies an elevating, moral influence. Miss
| Adelaide Carman and Mrs. Denny of Vim
/ cennes, also offered some good ideas on
| the subject of art