Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-17
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

New York City has long, been noted
for its sculpture IMPLYING Civic Vir-
tue" which, like Truth, Is naked
female. There is more or less fitness
in the fable of Truth, who, being mod
est and naked-not merely nude, but
naked, 'if you know what I mean
remained more or less private In the
bottom of a well.
Civic Virtue stood openly upon a
pedestal in front of City Hall, like in
nocent Eve without a fig, where she
might look Sweetly upon public officials
and inspire them to noble deeds by her
loneliness Folks who are not art-cul-
, tured scoffed at Civic Virtue, because
in New York she is the most nisun-
derstood damsel of the city.
She was as pure as Cincinnati soap,
and when she turned her great Won.
dering eyes upon one-"mal soft qui
NAL y pense."
jured to be-"in the world, but not OF
it." She was forced to live in New
York. but never seemed quite acclimated
fashioned so slenderly, young and
so fair" Poor Civic Virtue! Dear little
girl! Park with her, then. If you can.
There were mean gossips and Mother
Grundys who were scandalized by the
fact that her dress" showed her
knees. and everything. They wanted
drygoodS Somewhat similar comments
were made when a statue of George
washington in a Roman bathing suit
or toga, or something which showed
all his ribs, stood before the National
Capitol So we put him down cellar
, in the National Museum-the nearest
imitation of a well remaining after
waterworks were put in. But the Off
Gals of New York are not so squeamish
rests their eyes and carries their
thoughts so far from the daily DEM
milton grind! Change is rest.
X X
1t is not good for man to live alone.
The same is true of fair maidens, like
Civic Virtue. She hadn't chaperon
to protect her SpotleSs name in that
corrupt city. She could not conceive
the wickedneSs of New Workers, for she
was so guileless and gentle and pure
in all her thoughts and dreams. Her
maiden heart had never Topped in the
presence of any male. Her limpid eyes
had not dropped their eyelids in BASH
full diffidence, betraying consciousness
of the approach of a-dare we Say?-
a lover.
But human nature is human, whether
in cold marble or warm palpitating
flesh. There came day when all Tam
many was present, and Tammany'S hero
looked upon Civic Virtue-just as Dante
beheld a beautiful lady and then went
to Purgatory and wrote book. So Boss
Charles F. Murphy. head of Tammany,
got a glimpse of the beautiful, naked
lady on the pedestal, in front of City
Hall, and went all to pieces. She was
a strange revelation to him; he had
not imagined such being in existence.
From that moment, the world was
different for Murphy. He could never
again revert to Tammany trickery. He
would give picnics to the poor children
of the slums, whose fathers had votes
He would not aff1ict the poor, but only
the rich, whose pelf was worth while,
or the general taxpayer, and for every
robbery of the rich he would give a
moiety to the slum folks who needed it
and whose support would perpetuate
Tammany Would he not emulate
Robin Hood of old in spite of his Irish
hatred of everything English?
So he leered back at Civic Virtue, and
now for the happy ending! For didn't
they live happily forever and ever
after?
Today, Greater New York is In a
ferment-which has nothing to do with
the Volstead law, though 1t seems to
have gone to the head. 20 Judgment,
thou art fed to british beasts, and men
have lost their reason!"
In Union Square - that best known
center of the greatest metropolis of
America-there have long stood certain
marble and bronze sculptures repre-
senting familiar, old characters, outside
| of Tammany Hall-such as one George
Washington and another Abraham Lin
! coin, and some sort of furriner whose
name Is Lafayette or something like
| that-Dago or Greek or Frog. Every
body has seen these old statues, so why
not improve Union Square while 1t is
cut up by subway construction and
other great contracts of direct interest
/ to Tammany Hall? Give 1t something
! new and big! We want statues bigger
and better.
There was time, when these old
a