Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-25
Distressing Experiences of
g Americas Perfect GirI'' and of
Her Devoted Mother Who
Brought Her Up to Be Natural
but Not as I7nocently Natural
as She Made Herself in
the "Mouies.

clothes. Instead It was more Grecian and
certainly hygienic. More and more people
in the years Miss Margaret has been grow
ing up have come to have the same idea.
Therefore il was that In her Innocence,
when Mamma Andrews was very, very i'll
and the offer came to little Miss Margaret
to pose In this particular allegory, that she
saw no harm in 1t at all. She couldn't con-
suit with mamma because she was too sick
to be bothered. but 1t certainly never
crossed her mind that there could have
been any objection Any thought of re-
fusal would have seemed as absurd to her
as the classic admonition Of the mother to
her water-loving daughter must have
seemed to the maiden of whom it is writ
ten:
Mother, may I go in to swim?"
Yes, my darling daughter;
But hang your clothes on a hickory limb,
And don't go near the water"
"Of course, the allegorical figure you will
represent is-ah-undraped" they told her.
+ We'll, what of that?" quoth she.
5 "Oh, nothing, nothing" they said
And so the pictures were made. Little
Miss Margaret went wandering through
thousands OF feet of the allegory just as
innocently as possible.
Aren't they pretty?" she sad--and
went back to Los Angeles.
Now, as to what happened later there
are two stories. One is that when Mrs
about the affair. questioned Margaret,
hadn't the heart to disturb her daughters
very natural point Of view on the matter
and waited anxiously for the pictures to
come in range so she could see them.
The other is that she was very rudely
shocked by the sight of posters that car
ried to her mind familiar lines Of figure
she herself had modelled. and was consid
erably more distressed when she went into
the picture show and saw the whole allie.
cory. She was not distressed because she
though there was anything wrong about
it. Only. being woman Of experience and
intelligence. she foresaw the criticism
which was inevitable. However. the mis-
chief. if mischief there was. was done.
The Los Angeles Board of Censors
took exception to the alegory and caused
the arrest OF the proprietors OF the thea
ire where the picture was being displayed.
They charged them with having photo
graphed delneated and produced the pic
ture of nude woman" adding that the
picture Shows the figure in such detail
as to offend public morality and decency."
This was even more distressing, and
Immediately almost every one took sides
either for or against little Miss Margaret's
achievement. Some OF the opinions are
interesting.
Mrs. Russell B. Halett, member OF
the Board OF Censors, who voted against
the picture, said:
so far as entertainment and artistic
value are concerned it is all right. 1t is a
very beautiful picture. In condemnng its
exhibition here / was actuated by several
motives 1t arouses vulgar curiosity, as
will DE noted by the crowds of men and
boys around the display in front OF the
theatre.
But again. Mrs. Clara Shortridge FoItz,
the president OF the Million Club, said:
There is nothing indecent or immoral
in showing in a wholly artistic and entire
Ixrx ,f,,lf
OF a perfect specimen Of womanhood
Only those who look for indecency in art