The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-06-19
COMSTOCK BAN on
OUR FIRST PARENTS
Vice Censor Out to Suppress
Restaurateur's Picture
of First Fall.
TOO sPAR1Na OF FIG LEAVES
Eve Has All There Are-chivaIrout
Adam Too Thinly Clad
for the Public
Gaze.

New York, Special: Admirers of the
chaste in art will be grieved to learn
that Anthony Comstock has been at IL
again. and that a picture that has given
Joy to many many may have TO depart
from the sight of men.
Yet such are the melancholy facts and
as follows;
Kali, OF Park place, who combined thd
business of restaurateur with that %
patron of the fine arts. has a picture IN
his place that has long been the boast
Il his friends.
1t represents Adam and Eve sitting at
the gate of Eden. both in detected attiA
tudes. The eye of a child can discern that
the pair are down on their luck. Eve ii
crying, apparently from the cold, and
Adam sits on his launches In the backA
ground evidently nursing a profound
crouch.
Tojetti. the artist. who according to Ma
Kali got $4,000 for the job, has made IL
n kind husband. Else why does he sin
stoically freezing to death while all the
hg leaves in the family do their poor besh
to protect Eve from the singing blast2
Adam Too ThinIy Clad.
True the family fig leaves are few in
number. Poor Eve can scarcely count n
dozen to her name, while Adam has none
at all. Blu (and this Is the point that the
picture is a masterpiece is shown by the
fact that men are known to have taken
the pledge in Kalil's on the score that they
could see Ewes leaves rustic IN the pic
ture and Adams flesh creep with the
| cold.
Last Thursday there came casually to-
the cafe a man wearing side whiskers and
a grim smile. He looked long and disap-
provingly on the unhappy Adam and his
wife. Eve. On the wine on kaliIs side-
board he looked not at nl but presently
he addressed the bartender and flashed q
gold badge.
Go tell the proprietor OF this establishA
ment that Mr.. Anthony Comstock ID
here"
The affrighted servant obeyed. and, Mr..
Kalil, tearing himself from his balances
sheets, came and stood in the presence.
Constock Cor 1t was he), pointed an ac-
cus.ng cane at the figure of the chival-
rous Adam and the shivering th!nly-cla6
Eve.
Kali Starts Argument.
They must 60" he said. they ars
within the purview and they offend. They
must 60"
Then there followed what NJ. Kali dc.
scribes as an argument" ComstocA
quoted law and precedent and spoke dry.
ly OF jatls. Kali quoted Peter, Paul
Rubens and his latest disciple. Iojetti. and
said that II Comstock had no art in hA
cosmos that he. Kalil, was powerless tc
put It there. Full thrice he offered Com-
stock refreshments on the house, which
Comstock did thrice refuse. hen Mr..
Comstock went away but came back.
On his return visit he picked out three
moro examples Of recent masters-a ''con-
scientious nude" of a girl by a bathtuh,
another girl washing her face at a well:
and a third girl sitting in q grassy place
w.lfully destroying dandelions. Mr.. Com
stock said that all three damsels came
under section something or other OF the
penal code and were disgraces to their
mothers into the bargain. All three, alike
Adam and Eve. he said, would have to
fall.
Kali replied that he'd be bowed IL he
would and hot footed it down to James w.
Osborne, his lawyer. Mr.. Osborne took
descriptions of the pictures and told Kali
that they were respectable pictures and
could hang pat.
Wen. the pictures are there yet.