New-York tribune., 1917-12-08
Will Help Grand Jury
Clean Up Morals of 'Bor-
der Line Amusements
Cites Fall of Rome
"Purely Artistic" Merely Mud
ity for Nudity's Sake, Says
District Attorney

New York faces a general investiga-
tion into the character Of its theatri-
cal performances, cabaret shows and
all other amusements that may per-
chance be risque. The Investigators
will be the county grand jurors, who
thus are to become the arbitcrs of pub
lie decency.
District Attorney Swami, in making
this announcement yesterday. promised
that every "border-linc" amusement will
first be inspected by "intelligent per-
sons who know what they are talking
about and these inspectors will make
their reports to the grand jurors. The
cleanup work is 20 begin this month.
The attention OF the prosecutor was
first drawn to the alleged indecencies
on the stage by numerous complaints
that have been coming to him about
the character of some of the cabaret
shows along Broadway, In which the
scantiness of clothing of the women
performers has been the backbone of
the complaints.
To satisfy himself. District Attorney
Swami attended "a theatrical perform
ance last Saturday night at which he
said fifteen girls "nearly nude" took
part in, as he expressed it. IAN utterly
inartistic dance" II is understood that
the theatrical managers say their rea-
son for putting on features of that
sort Is TO compete with the cabaret
shows which have blazed the way.
Says art" Il Missing
When asked whether he intends to
discriminate between performances by
women on the basis of the purely
artistic" Mr.. Swami said:
81 haven't yet discovered any such
performances that are purely artistic.
/ They are for the most part nothing
moro or less than a display of nudity
for nudity's sake-under the pretence
of art. And, what is worse, the pro-
ducers are dragging in patriotic titles
by the forelock as camoudage. There
is no art about them. They are put
on merely for the sake of profits.
Every manager knows when he over
steps the line or decency in this re-
spect, and his intention is to be a
little more indecent than the other
fellow dares tC be, in order TO attract
the morbid portion of the theatregoing
public. Hereafter they will put such
features of their shows on at their
risk. This applies TO all amusement
managers proprietors OF cabarets
and all performances that are on the
border line.
81 don't intend TO set myself up as
the censor of morals for the people of
this county. That will be left for the
grand jury. II won't be necessary for
them TO sec any Of these productions.
either. ! don't intend TO conduct any
crusade that will focus the attention
of the public on any particular per
formances and thus help advertise them.
| will have them all inspected Dy very
intelligent persons who know what they
are talking about, and conditions as
they actually are will be described TO
the grand jurors. There are twenty
three of those gentlemen sitting this
month. and they are the right persons
TO determine what oversteps the border
line of public decency"
Screen is Included
Inc DiSlIiCL hLtoIHtN was hbhcu
whether the Police Department was not
supposed TO act against alleged in
decencies on the stage.
81 haven't heard of any action from
that quarter" he replied.
Mr.. Swami said no line would be
drawn between the performances on
the legitimate stage and those on the
movie screens. The overhauling will
be general. he said.
"In the time Of Nero" said the
prosecutor, "the Roman Senate took a
| hand at regulating the appearance of
women dancers. Nero's own daughter
was one Of the worst offenders in re-
spect of immortality. That was about
| the time that Rome began to fall"
British Cardinal