The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-07-06
ARE DRAPING STATUES

Bare Knees Declared immoral and
Corset Dummies In store
Windows Are Re-
i moved.
EBy Karl H. Won Wiegand, Berlin
Correspondent Of the United Press.]
BERLIN, July GA morals re-
form" wave is under way In Germany
the absurd extremes Of which threat
en- to give the fatherland the name OF
Germany the prude." For years Ger
mans have spoken with contempt OF
the prudishness OF the English and
pointed with scorn at the "hypocrit-
cal morals" or America, especially In
m atters Of art, whether on the stage,
in sculpture, on canvas or in print.
For some months now German CEN
sorship in the domain OF art has
reached point where America and
England may well laugh at German
prudishness.
Extremes in freedom or reform are
usually followed by reaction. Ger
mans have been proud Of their natur-
alness in morals and lack OF prudish-
ness and hypocrisy. The freedom OF
the discussion Of sex relations and
kindred subjects, in print and in con-
versation often startles Americans
and English. Quite contrary to pre-
vailing opinion, the liberty of the
American press is very circumscribed
in comparison with that of the Ger
man press. The freedom Of the lat
ter borders on license. Charicatures.
Jokes, pictures and articles are print
ed that would cause daily shcotings
and lynchings Of editors and report
ers in the United States.
But It was in their art that Ger
mans were particularly proud Of their
freedom to be true to nature" and
OF the fact that there we're no limits.
On some OF the stages tights were
discarded for the real thing In the
chorus. This called for real "live
sta tuary" in form and shape. The
bare-legged ballet, at first shocking,
proved q disappointment except when
composed Of unusually beautiful mem
bers. Recently guardians of public
morals. some legal, others self.appoint-
ed. have declared war on realism in
art.
Rockefeller's American white slave
film DIRTY Money" was forbidden in
Berlin by the police on the ground
that 1t was unnecessarily realistic,
endangered public morals" A Berlin
post card dealer was fined for selling
card containing the picture of
young woman holding crying child
in her arms while through window
could be seen a man 11urrying away.
It was declared immoral because 1.-THE
woman did not have wedding ring
on her finger which might lead to
the conclusion that the child was H.
legitimate. The kaiser, In effect, was
declared to have immoral art objects
in his possession when Berlin court
ordered the confscation OF reproduc-
tons of 1.-The Archer" the beautiful
Mke-like Greek statue given by the
kaiser to the empress and placed by
the latter in 'Sanssouci park. The
Berlin police made a raid on all cor
set stores and ordered that the dunn.
mics in the show windows be dressed
with something besides corset and I'M
derwear The police Of Cassell or
dered picture dealers to remove
COPIES OF Coreggio's famous "Penitent
Magdalene" from their windows.
In Munich Catholic prelate de-
nounced the bare knees Of the Tyro-
lean costumes as immoral A beau
tiful monument to physicians known
as the doctors Monument" was re.
mored to an obscure part Of the city
by the authorities of F!senach be-
cause it was graced by the figure OF
a woman holding naked boy In her
arms. In the Bavarian town Of Lauin-
gen a priest demanded that the owner
OF toy store, a member of the church
Immediately stop selling undressed
celluloid dolls or dress them. Mem
bers OF the city council Of Afx-la- Cha
pelle severely denounced the manage
ment of the city industrial art school
because 1t permitted the use OF
nine year old boy as a nude model. In
the same city an effort was made to
remove the beautiful statue Of Mer-
curry. because its well modelled chest
resembled too much the bosom of
woman" Jul. c. Drummer has written
a strong book vigorously protesting
against this "unwholesome prudish-
ness and pseudo morality in the CEN
sorship of art.
HAM Tetzlaff, a Cologne Hooligan
only IS years of age, Is awaiting the
headsman's axe and will soon pay the
Of brutal crime ON the