Show KATHLEEN NORRIS Indecency Has Become Pastime UTHEN WHEN I WAS A LITTLE LITILE GIRL vy there was a thing called mod mod- esty It had its mawkish prudish even prurient side perhaps but buthis this his wasn't the main side The main side was reticence and what and what shall shallI I call it it coverage Girls kept their bosoms and their legs and their armpits and their ankles concealed from rom the public view They did not read notoriously unclean unclean unclean un un- un- un clean books or exchange notoriously notorious- notorious ly y filthy jokes They did not use blasphemy or refer flippantly to a rather large group of ot subjects termed sacred References to physical conditions were confined to the ears of doctors doctors doc doe tors or to a comfortable family circle of ot mother daughters aunts grandmothers Pregnancy though always a n popular and exciting topIc topic top- top ic c was regarded as a matter of some delicacy mixed groups of young men and women did not laughingly challenge each other to debate it Such chatter as Is heard today oday was unknown m Jen says Toms Tom's crazy for one she wont I think youre you're terrible not to have another Connie Fran says that as soon as they're home she's thinking thinking think think- ing big of having one 50 Years Ago Young wives 50 years ago did not relate in detail to their intimates intimates intimates inti inti- mates everything that went on in their own apartments Young women and girls did not eagerly exchange books that plunge to the very roots and elaborate upon the most frightful fright fright- ft ful tul abnormalities of human living Every corner drugstore did not display display dis dis- play among all the who-dun-its who the westerns the dictionaries and Bibles those sinister filthy little volumes whose contents drip like I A ft f. f beauties walking raised runway run run- way an open sewer under our childrens children's feet teet and poison the very air they breathe And 50 years ago we had no movies with their everlasting displays of at dull looking beauties walking a raised runway before the gluttonous eyes of rows of smoking newspapermen and judges beauties who are tenths nine-tenths naked and casually casually casually cas cas- negligent of any displacement displacement displace displace- ment of at that remaining tenth of at coverage I During the more than 20 years that I have been writing these articles articles ar ar- ar- ar tides I have rarely taken the position position tion of ot crusader Long long ago I wrote of at the futility of war war war-ot of all wars Encouraged by more than let let rs rs a. a about out that I 1 lec lectured many many tunes times on the subject of at peace I never was paid for or a lecture but I did receive unexpected unexpected unexpected eggs more than once and some remarkable offerings by mail mall A pistol and poison tablets and notice from one great magazine group that it was done with me forever But that's beside the point Now I am crusading in a mild way again I want to ask the women who feel teel as I do to notify their favorite movie theatres by postcard that they don don't want any mor beauty contests on the screen Burlesque shows arent aren't as popular as they were they degenerated into mere displays of ot stupid fat tat girls so obviously obviously obviously ob ob- ob- ob morons that all excitement and beauty went out of at the show But there are peep shows beginning beginning beginning be be- ginning again and if your town is threatened with one do what you youcan youcan youcan can to prevent its coming Lift A Protest When you come corne across a coarse salacious immoral paper-covered paper book speak to the druggist When a movie shows as one did lately a stupid looking man sitting immersed immersed immersed im im- im- im mersed in a small tub of ot suds and looking as bewildered and bored as was every sensible woman who saw him drop the manager a line Wear strapless gowns if your figure is young and flawless not flawless not other other- wise They may look all right in the shop but when you force that rollot roll roU rollof of ot 35 or year old flesh up into a collar above them they look all wrong Wear a sensible bathing suit of at course But dont don't squeeze falsies into the top of it and shorten the tights so that every time you move lumps and folds of at your person person person per per- son threaten spontaneous combus combus- tion Modesty is a lovely thing But like everything else worth while Itis ItIs it itIs Is u. u t slow and delicate growth You cant can't be careless and coarse and enjoy whispered filthy jokes and shocking freedoms in your speech and ard your reading until you are 35 and then tIlen turn around and drop all your assoc ates and attempt to join any group of at really fine tine women It seems to me we American mothers and grandmothers might do something about this because indecency in these superficial ways does lead to permanent danger for forthe forthe forthe the rising generation Send me a postcard I if you feel teel as asI asI asI I do all you need for address is my name and my post office Saratoga Calif and we will see how many thousands of us can get together and whether we are strong enough to make ourselves heard Ill I'll put all the names into a stout account book and be immensely cheered by any reports you make on what you have done however small |