Evening star., 1922-03-28
"Civic Virtue" and the Women.


Young Mr. c. Virtue" whom the
New York World describes as "a
young man built on the generous
proportions of the village blacksmith,
standing in a Creek slave oyercoat.
with his feet perilously near the
breast bones of a couple of writhing
SIRENS. has been born into a troubled
world "all full of ladies" who are
greeting him with the most open kind
of disapproval.
Mr.. c. Virtue-the initial stands for
Civic-came into the world to occupy
the position of memorial statue in
City Hall Park. New York city, but
the woman citizens Of the metropolis
are challenging his qualifications for
the job. To attain the position of
representative at large Of Gotham
virtue, it has been necessary, appar-
emily. for the crusader to ride rough
shod over vice and temptation. And
1t is the fact that these vanquished
sinners are symbolized in the figures
OF women that is causing all the trou-
bic. The whole conception, feminists
and civic leaders declare. is an insult
to womanhood. And while the nations
editors are not able to treat the sub
5ect with great deal Of gravity, un-
derneath the fun that Is being poked
at the women Is a pretty strong
strain OF, sympathy from most ed
The defense of the sculptor is that
the conception is a classic one, JUS
tffiable in any test of art. legend, al
legory or religion, and. he remarks,
If you suppress allegory you sup
press all Intellectual effort" a posi-
tains, because "the general impress
sion is that he is right" Perhaps, the
Baltimore News comedies, merely for
the sake of the argument. "a stern
and literalist logic could maintain
that it is an offense to womankind to
ures representing vice." but "if this
principle fS to be ruthlessly carried
out, there will be serious gaps in the
art and literature OF all countries"
But perhaps changing attitude weak
ems that contention for present-day
use. the Buffalo News suggests, for
while "Circe and the sirens of the
Odyssey of one Ulysses may have
been Of the'so-called gentler SEX" and
the Lorelei of the Rhine may have
ards OF the year 1922 A. d. firmly
establish that "a real gent never
steps on a lady. no matter what her
character or habits" and since Mr.. c.
Virtue forever must maintain that at
titude. he may. after all. be no gem
5
bolic of the virtue of our greatest
The sculptor tries to score another
point by saying that the figures are
only half woman, anyway, and the
torial Viewpoint that does not clear
the issue. indeed the New York Herald
is terrified for fear 1t will arouse
the Fulton Market Business Mems
Association to protest"
Pilot sees It. "the fact that. this SYM
holism is suggested by the incident Of
the apple, as told In the third chapter
of Genesis. is seemingly lost to sight
by the ladies'" AS a matter of fact, It
isn't; rather. the Newark News says,
they have s'plenty of weapons in their
arsenal with which to meet this at.
tack" For. after all
Adam was explaining how he came
to fall, and not how he came to tri.
umph. It is just q story of woman,
the master, and Of man succumbing
of superior male virtue in it"
In all seriousness, the Newark paper
protests, would the men like to see
this design turned about, with a WON.
an rsprssenting virtue, with her .ts foot
q btt," 1t confesses, they would
storm ana sneer and howl that it was
indecent, q slur upon man..
1t is the old story and goes back
to the Garden of Eden" says the Fort
Wayne journal Gazette, always -
nice, pure man. and always, always,
the wicked, designing woman" he.
cause every man knows it is q joke"
the Indiana editor very, earnestly CON-
tends that "the women OF New. York
are JUSTIFIED In their protest against
the setting up In public place of
this marble group? women crouch
ing, low and sinister, and manly man
striding forward, refusing to yield To-
their seduction" for the idea is, de-
grading to women and is born OF the
old cave man conception Of woman
hood" Besides, the Brooklyn Eagle
observes, its appropriateness to the
subject might be Questioned, because
80 far as civic virtue fs concerned
citizens are kept back from making
government what 1t ought 70 pc by
tSmptArs, not by. tsmptrasSes :. =
Soft hands do not cling to the brtdle:
fein Of tAa rAf0rrnef. !" "a