The sun., 1918-12-11
ART NUDES SCORNED
BY COPE TOWNSEND
Majestic's Proprietor Relents
as Big Mike Kerrigan Starts
to Give Them the Chute.
PARK SQUIRRELS BITE
Greenwich Village Rushes to
Rescue Of 8 Little Blake
locks at Exhibition.

IN and around the ballroom or ban
quet hall or sublimated buffers PAN
try or whatever Proprietor Copeland
Townsend OF the Hotel Majestic calls
the far spreading chamber on the Sew
enty-second street and Central Park
West ground floor corner Of his hotel
there was so much deuce to pay
throughout the afternoon yesterday
that for a time 1t looked as II even
oestheticism had been Bolshevikied.
A picture show. with eight new"
Blakelocks as the star exhibit, with
surrounding oil paintings and water
colors numbering almost 100 exhibits,
was being hung when the trouble
. started. At the moment the aesthetic
blast detonated through the hotel
everything was going on in the sub
dued. peaceful way in which the final
arrangements for a vanishing day
private view should be conducted; ST.
lent workmen in overalls were hang
ing the last Of the pictures, lights were
burning low, scrubwomen were clean
wreckage agains. the arrivals Of the
1000 or so art lovers expected to ar
rive at 8 p. NJ. for the private view,
and the thoughtful visaged hanging
committee of aesthetics was directing
the very last touches in properly sub
dued tones.
And suddenly into the room drifted
Cope Townsend, boss Of the whole
darned hotel.
Knows what He Likes I'm Art.
It so happens that Cope is one of
those lads who tell you, II don't know
much about art. but know what I
like" And Cope didn't like two OF
the paintings of the nude ladies in the
exhibition. He said so with SO much
vehemence that within a few seconds a
quiet scene OF final arrangements for
the opening OF the picture show had
resolved itself into violent arguments
between Cope and a hanging commit
tee consisting Of John Sloan. Curtis
Moffat and Old Bob Ament. Reporters
were flocking into the hotel, while Col.
Dom Paul Mcintyre. publicity director
extraordinary Of the Majestic, was
all over a lobby couch padded with
Morgan tapestry. as Dom saw reporter
after reporter tear into the hotel.
Night was falling. and therefore the
gray squirrels in Central Park, which
is just across the asphalt, should have
have been thinking of slumber, espe-
cially with winter weather almost at
hand. But as the arguments over the
offending pictures arose to concert
itch the park squirrels. reused at last
TO full consciousness, could not resist
the temptation to flock over the
Majestic and begin to bite every one IN
sight.
Col Dom Paul Mcintyre pointed out
Iater-just as a proof OF the earnest
ness of the arguments being put forth
so stormily by Cope Townsend-that
one big fat squirrel, clad in his winter
coat OF Hunnish olive gray. bit Cope
land Townsend twice on the same heel
and then tried to crack Artist John
Sloan before the Messrs. Townsend.
Sloan, Dom Paul or any one else in the
Majestic so much as noticed that lot
OF squirrels were taking a prominent
part in the proceedings.
Saved by Revolving Doors.
rs for Eddie Smith-1Esthete E. H.
Smith-who is, was and will be the di-
recting spirit of the picture show, the
time arrived when Eddie would have
been dragged bodily from the hotel by
a big squirrel intent upon storing Ed
die away for the winter, Eddie being
saved solely because the squirrel
couldn't get Eddie through the revoiv-
ing doors on the Seventy-second street
side OF the Majestic.
When Publicity Director Dom Paul
had telephoned fourth alarm. which
brought all the reporters and accom-
panying publicity apparatus from the
five boroughs, the arriving reporters.
once they had unlimbered their high
pressure fountain pens, had the time
of their lives for many minutes trying
to learn what in thunder the uproar
was All about. Fortunately the cock
tail hour struck just then, whereupon
Cope and Dom and John Sloan and
everybody untangled themselves long
enough to line up in a damp depart
ment Of the Majestics downstairs
Commissary department and unfolded
the following tale:
Somebody some time ago said to
some one some place that he had eight
Blakelocks which the American pub
lie should be permitted to gaze upon.
Up spoke Cope and seid In effect: "It
q Blakelock is classy enough to be
shown to the kind of swagger guests
who patronize the Majestic I'll tell you
what III do, kld-I'N take down q
couple Of doors, II necessary, and let
you run all your latest models of
Blakelocks right into my hotel under
their own power and show them of.
But you gotta promise me this; YOU
gotta put brass drip pans under the
whole chassis OF every BlakeIock, be-
cause l don't want oil and gasolene
dripping from the engines and SPOT
ting up my dancing floors"
Eddie Smith spoke up at this point
and explained. Cope thought the new.
idea over and announced after a mo-
ment that, no matter what a Blake
lock was, his offer stlli stood.
Greenwich Village 10 Rescue.
Almost instantly word flew the
length of Greenwich Village that a
picture show was to be opened at the
Majestic with a private view on the
night of Tuesday, December 10. in a
room so large that eight little Blake
locks would be entirely lost on the
spreading wall expanse unless every
village painter sent in something TO
piece out the show. Along came the
pictures then, in quantity sufficient