The Washington times., 1920-07-13
FEW CLOTHES BEST
TASTE IN berlin
Economy Marked in Theaters,
Cabarets, Stores-Dancers
Put Off Tights.
BY EARLE G. REEVES,
international News Service Core
spOndent.

spondent.
BERLIN, July 13.-Another amuse-
ment popular here just now Is the
ballet natural" 1t is very natural.
One of the cast in particular ranked
with the principal of the old song
about the string Of beads and a heav-
emily smile. But she didn't smile.
Neither did the audience, nor did they
enthuse visibly. They sat and>Iooked.
The house was packed.
There, also, was new version OF
the old circus tableau-the figures in
tights, so powdered as to give the
appearance of marble statues. "The
Three Virgins" the act was called.
They were bronze, no marble figures.
There were no tights. / wonder
whethr it washes off easily? And
when the weather's cold
- The act brought a curtain call. The
bronze statues bowed, then resumed
their poses. A man came out, dressed
in an artists frock. He also bowed
and got the biggest hand. One gath
cred that it was his idea and that he
painted the ladies. The virgins
braved pneumonia and the public
gaze. but the audience gave him the
credit.
Berlin's taste runs so. Cabaret
dancers invariably seem to economize
in the nations interest in one re
spect. They wear out no shoes and
stockings while amusing the public,
simply because they wear none. One
cannot help noticing. also, that art
store windows reveal an economy in
wearing apparel. Nudes have quite
vogue in the art stores and in the
smart weekly magazines.
But Berlin keeps two opera houses
filed. and in the gigantic new theater
finished since the war / saw the mob
scene in Julius Caesar" followed by
a first-night demonstration on the
part of the audience which itself ap-
preached the mob scene in pep. Ger
many has adopted Shakespeare. as her
own largely on the plea that the i'm
mortal bard himself borrowed rathe r
extensively from Teuton sources in
his day. and as Il result his plays con-
tinued to be- staged throughout the
war.
Theoretically the curfew rings at
II 80 in Berlin. The restaurant lights S
go out then, and taXis stop running.
There are many night gambling clubs.
I'm told, but their numbers are less
eening all the while. Following the
kapp "putsch" the Government grip
on the country relaxed. Germans Of
various classes neglected to ''verbote''
when the rules read "verboten." But
the rules and regulations are being
more stringently enforced now.
Among other things, gambling places
arc liable to frequent raidings. and a
law is now before the Reichstag max
ing the patrons as well as the pro-
prietors subject to punishment.
The Berlin of the restaurants and
hotels dimes well into the night
right up to the curfew hour, in fact.
Many time / found myself dining in
solemn and solitary state at o'clock
before l learned that such an hour
was more or less the middle of the
afternoon.
A party of four, we went one night
to place of many letters, which.
believe, constituted German for "Thc
Bat" At S:1J we arrived. The cloak
room women looked up in surprise
Inside, in a dome-lilte and highly
gilded room, where only every NTH
light socket held an electric globe,
the orchestra bestirred itseif-doubt-
less with silent remarks-and started
a concert solely for our benefit. A
half hour later some other folk ar
rived.