New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-26
Ballet Police Objected TO
Has Modified PerfOr-
nance at Century.
HOUSE TURNS AWAY
SEVERAL HUNDREDS
Diaghilefi. AstOnished at Free
Country's" Attitude. Will Tame
"Scheherazade" Tonight.

II was an altogether well behaved
Faun who disportcd himself last night
nj the Century Theatre. The strictest
moralist could find little cause TO com
plain. as his goatship sank over on his
side, his arm pillowed on the nymph's
scarf. his eyes gazing into the blue
heavens. And instinctivcly to those
who had seen VI. Massine NJ his two
former appearances rose the words of
Shakespeare: "Oh. Bottom. how thou
art translatedl" Surely the ghost even
Of Anthony Comstock slumbered peace
fully last night! John Brown had
kept his promise made to Magistrate
McAdoo TO bowdlerzc the climax of
"L'Apres-Mid, d Tn Faune," and for
once in history the art became i'm
proved thereat.
After all, faun is product Of the
woods, and not of the febrile magma
ton of an over-sophisticated metropo-
lis. II would be idle to defend his
doings on the first two nights. either
as regards morals or to art. Up 20 the
curtain he had been a faun. but at the
finale he became something else. some
thing the name Of which we do not
need 20 mention. Last night he was a
true faun from curtain 70 curtain.
The rumors of police interference
with the ballet brought forth the usual
result when such rnmors fly abroad
the Century Theatre was filed to over
flowing and several hundred people
were turned away from the doors.
"Schehorazade,' the other ballet TO
which there is objection. will be pre-
scented tonight. when another sold-out
house awaits il.
"Scheherazade" was once before the
cause Of court action. when. on July /,
1911. Morris Gest was brought into
court for presenting the ballet at the
Winter Garden. At that time Magls-
trate Kernochan decided that II in no
way was immoral or injurious 20 the
public. Mr. Gest said last night that
his production was given exactly "a II
is now being presented by the Diaghi-
Jeff Ballet.
Chief Magistrate McAdoo exacted a
promise Yesterday from the manage
Inent of the Russian Ballet TO so mod
ifv two scenes Of the production as TO
overcome the objections Of the Police
Department censors.
Five minutes later. in an outer room
Of the magistrates chambers, the man
agement admitted that 1t would be al
most impossible TO make the modifica-
lions agreed upon without destroying
the artistic effect OF the scenes.
The conference was held at the Of
fee Of the chief magistrate In the old
Police Headquarters Building. 300 Null
berry Street. at the suggestion OF Dep
uty Police Commissioner Lawrence Is.
Durham.
The conferrees were Serge de Diaphi-
left. John Brown. controller Of the Met
ropoitan Opera Company; Ralph I'd
nond. business manager of the ballet;
Alfred F. Sehgsberg, Of Wise Sc
Ngsberc. counsel for the Metropolitan;
Mr. Durham and the department cen
sors. II. c. Barber. Of the Society for
the Prevention Of Crime; John 5. sum
ner. of the Society for the Suppression
of Vice: Oliver Reynolds. Of the law
firm of Reynolds, Richards & Nc
Cutcheon, and Mrs. Clarence Burns and
Miss Helen Hoffman. social workers.
The ballets objected TO were "LApres
Midi dun Faune" and "Scheherazade."
Several individual complaints were
made to the Police Department. but i
was decided 70 take no action until
the Catholic Theatre Movement issued
its white List" guide for Catholic
tbeatregoers. in which the production
was attacked as unfit to be seen by