| Show l k 1 I Wh P I i ie All Sorts of Ideas as to How Far the Stage I Ik k F L Beauties Should Undress and What's the fa Proper Covering e for the Flesh They Yr s D t i k kt kit y aR t e i w it e ee YF rS y 9 w Keep Kee Hidden i Y b tre h f tt r S e w v i rOne One of the dare xA 1 t J r ry rR r y tt 1 y R a ing pearl coso coe e w iZ s of s at J ids r J A t t y helped tomes Paris that t o f tk iM decide the stage J i beau beauties es were l going too fare R Rl Rv C 4 d v Y f 7 g a tY tS S I t 1 Y x C t tiMY iMY rift f e 9 r to a J a yM tS FY S 4 Q N A a j i X t l lX 2 Y 4 r k kY N d S s F S iN iw J tea t rye i y iH I il vis d ii f y q era f I Ii i k 5 y yera 6 t A w wk k Z e ex x a av v Y n x 1 A v ti y ti W Wv v ni cw roe 41 fe yil 1 K Ka a A w wt t t to o t 2 r sit r as t i t l s s i q ti- ti wy Di i w t yi s a The Elie type of a e- e w yr 44 Y t Rh i if f ro x t tY filmy costume with its Ita oddly r Ki P Ott l 1 low cut waIst that thata ie cited by Dome French oh- oh observers F t eat a servers au as more I liable to in a 4 w t Fk a joie jure the publics public's morals than much greater nudity i lit nJ ARIS baa has so 10 o long Iona been n noted for tor forthe PARIS P torP the daring extremes to which its stage beauties carry the spirit of I LJ undress that It Is the last place on earth v hero one would expect a vIgorous 1 protest against the Increasingly largo amount of flesh that Is bared or only fiery ery scantily covered In modern modem theat theat- theatrical theatrical theatrical productions But it lt seem seems that the Trench French capital in spite of Its reputation for being the most blase and sophisticated of cities is no more Immune to sudden spasms of reform than any other place It Is rIght now in the throes of a crusade agaInst stage nudity that promises to make the cost of costuming a musical comedy company or cabaret troupe many times greater than it has been for several years ears past The Parisian conscience was waa pricked so deeply by the sights eights it hoe has seen of lat lets letson laton on the stages of its theaters and musIc halls ad in numerous cabarets that first the police then the municipal courts and finally even the august French CabInet Itself became stirred to do something about it These various branches of the govern government ment made searching investigations andere and were ere duly shocked by what tl trey they ey found out One and all heartily agreed that a astop astop astop stop must be put to these inordinate dis- dis displays displays dis displays plays of human flesh and it was pro pro- proposed proposed pro proposed posed to do by laws drawing a line positively beyond which the stage beauties must not go in the matter of dress dressor dressor dressor or undress But just where here shall the line separatIng separating separating ing decency from Indecency be drawn That is the Uie question Paris cannot make malo up its mind It is ismore ismore Ismore more puzzled by this problem than it lt has been by any in a long time Just Juet what proportion of the stage t beautys beauty's flesh should she be bo required to keep covered What sort of materials should be ba used to hide tho the areas that are concealed from view Should these coverings ba bo conceal all ing and if not what degree of transparency transparency transparency ency or laciness should be allowed Can flesh be regarded as decently cov cove covered covered ered when treated with a coating of gold goldpaInt goldpaint goldpaint paInt Instead of being shrouded In silk satin or linen Maya May a stage beauty wear fewer clothes without offense to decency when whon ben posIng as a statue than when she Is moving about Are snugly fitting tights whose silken accentuates the tho sheen figures figure's every Cry cun curio e and dimple really any moro morn mod mod- modest modest modest est for the wearer or more fit for the thee thee e eyes es of the public than the actual bare or painted flesh 7 These are only a few of the tho questions that are being raised In the furious furl furl- ous discussion now raging on the i subject of stage nudity And there are almost as many different answers to each of them their as there are aro men man and women In y Paris No two Individuals w seem able to agree as to where the line should bedra be dra drawn be between een decency j jand and and Indecency In stage 1 costumes costumes I And thus it be bo can seen what a impossible I 1 ble ble task it lt is to formulate l la a a law that will moet meet with f AI the approval of anything e like a maj majority of the p 3 public i rt Tho The discussion is la being i j earned on it should be v understood in no light hIIM spirit of jest but with tW all the solemnity which learn learned psychologists theologians the- the physicians artists artists art- art artists and other distinguished distin- distin V authorities can lend lend of it Hardly a man or woman of any promInence In Pans who has not been heard on one side Bide or the other of one ono of the numerous numerous nu- nu numerous perplexing questions in involved S Mlle Mile the popular come come- dienne comedienne complains that the nude Is being generalized too much She thinks that the nude or nearly nude woman weman on th the stage th-stage stage become becomes objectionable only when she moves about and that when she re- re remains re remains remains mains perfectly motionless like a statue she attains admirable aesthetic heights provided provided pt if f course that ehe she has real beauty of face and figure But the possessor of what have havo lon long been regarded as the shapeliest legs in 13 is strongly opposed to the gen gen- gen eral general use of tights She thinks things a law requiring the wearing of them by every stage beauty would be a sad mistake Tights says Mlle Mile are only for those who possess legs built on lines that create cresto the optical Illusion of still greater shapeliness when viewed ed through a thin layer of silk M Antoine the tho actor and manager confesses that personally he ho finds nude figures Infinitely less objectionable than the risque songs and sketches ketches which he declares find favor In many American and English vaudeville houses And still he ho is convinced that t stage nudity has reached its ita limit in ID and that thet If it Is not curbed serious harm will be done to the mOl morale als of the nation He favors a I law specifying exactly those areas of the body that may be bared those that must be covered with tights M- M MA A ra raL rai i 4 L t 4 1 4 1 r 41 1 Jl F y J l f fF 4 i M i t a Many of e ethe the tho Paris crusaders a against nudity would allow this costume to be worn only if its wearer kept as aD motionless as al a statue end ond those that must be concealed be bee math neath opaque draperies A number of eminent artists toke take Issue with M Antoine and others who argue as he does doea They sa say that If the body IS ISto isto to bo be clothed at all It must be complete complete- ly completely clothed In their opinion the stage beauties can expose little more than the flesh of their faces necks hands and lower arms without serious risk of cross cross- crossIng lag Ing the line of Indecency YM ik jY ti ir t r 1 o 2 r K h y 5 IZ 3 7 Y Yu u f fw ft w t e 4 1 i y Y Yi Fly i A At t s sv v i a 7 4 II r i K hh 1 1 N Y Y S di 4 dir r iE N A some of the French Cabinet ob- ob objected but others thought proper In support of theIr claims they cite numerous examples of modern stage co co- so artful in desIgn that while up- up apI I Mi Miss Mis s Emmy Agren the Swedish comic opera star showing what a striking semblance of nudity ct fitting tights can give clothing their wearers qUite decently really Make nako them moro mOle se- se seductive se seductive and dangerous to the publics public's morals than if they were much more nearly naked By the law of contrasts the nudity of the bare flesh is accentuated ed to a very harmful degree deglee when spots of it alternate v with ith areas that are tan tan tan- tantalizingly tan concealed from view Other artists think tho whole hole question of decency in a stage costume hinges on the matter of lighting effects A much greater degree of nudity is permissible without offense to the most mot delicate sen- sen sensibilities sensibilities aen they argue If It noman's n womans woman's figure IS bathed in ID a cold gleen green or bluish light than if viewed ved in m a n warmly red or pInk glow A number of theatrical managers are agreed in m thinking neither lighting nor northe northe northe the degree of undress the deciding fac- fac factor factor fac factor tor but the tho distance that separates the beau beau- beauty beau beauty undraped or very slightly draped ty from her spectators According to this view n a degree of nudity that would be quite permissible in a great auditorium auditorium slum like the Metropolitan or Paris Op- Op Opera Op Opera era ern House would be intolerable to all aU de- de decently decently de decently disposed persons If it seen at nt the close range of a n cabaret or music hallor hall hallor hallor or very vel y small theater On none of the questions i involved in inthis inthis Inthis this much debated subject is there theore more dIfference of opinion than as to whether n a coating of paint such as Is la worn vorn by the living statues now appearing at a number of Pans Paris theaters should be con con- considered con ed a n decent substitute for tights or orthe orthe orthe the mOle moio conventional draperies Thus far there thele has been no attempt on the tho part Jart of the authorities to inter inter- interfere interfere fere fero with the activities of the the mind paint mind paint girls but it is rs thought there may maybe maybe maybo be now that se physicians have pro pro- pronounced pronounced pronounced the practice of wearing a coat f f paint for even en a short time danger danger- dangerous dangerous dangerous ous to the tho health The method of preparing one of these living statues for her appearance on the tho stage is la interesting First she clothes herself in the tho tiniest of ot loincloths s Then with largo large paint two women omen dressers pots Jots and dripping camels camel's hair brushes lead her to tho the splashed paint-splashed room that has been nicknamed the statue factory 1 Ashow A show girl receiving the coat of chocolate colored paint it is which she will pose as ai the statue of ofa ofa a Javanese dancer While one dresser applies the paint to the front of the tha girls girl's body the other paints her back Experts at this work in about can paint a girl very thoroughly five mInutes all minutes all except her face f ce which she usually prefers to do herself with witha a special kind of brush The colors most frequently for these living statues are aro gold a violet that imItates Imitate onyx ebony a blue blae that resembles certain rare marbles and a beautiful jade fade Their stay on tho the stage is limited to a very few minutes for the paInt hardens quickly and they must get it off their bodies before it does or the consequences might be serious A coat f of glycerine is 11 s usually applied to the girls to keep the paint wet just as longas longas long longas as possible Tho The managers do not cover their beauties with paint through any desire to if save money for the paint paint- painting painting ing costs coste many times what the most expensive costume does The paint used Is expensive stuff some of the colors costing coating 11 17 17 a quart It takes tales two quarts of it to paint the ge girl and with eight ances ances a week eel this tins means a weekly out out- outlay outlay outlay lay of for ever every one painted Then too the girls who wear these coats of paint usually demand larger salaries on account of the discomfort in- in involved involved in involved if not because of the possible danger to their health they are painted they must be careful not to SIt down or brush against the scenery or anybody else for fear some of their moIst costume will disappear It la is l a racking rackIng nerve job The theatrical managers refuse to ac- ac accept accept ac accept the responsibility for the nudity that has been rampant on the tho Paris stage forthe forthe for the last few months They say aay the blame is the that publics publics public's that they have been giving Hing Ing their audiences what they wanted y Several eminent psychologists declare declare that as a rule it is the tha women in the theater audiences rather than the men who encourage encourage the spirit of undress among the stags stage beauties and enjoy eee- eee seeIng Ing them carry it to a shocking degree uIn In this they are in perfect agreement with the opinion recently expressed by Miss Ann Pennington the charming American dancer dancu It is women said Miss Pennington who ho love lova best to seo ee n a trim ankle ankie a shapely calf a p perfect knee and the rippling rip rip- pling curves of the feminine back exhibIted exhibited on tho the stage It is lS wrong to blame amen men lIlen for stage stalle nudity The women are the ones onos who Insist upon it B The skinny old maid loves to go to the theater and see sea soft perfectly molded molded mold- mold molded ed limbs and wonderful backs backe She Sho dreams that she has them herself and isas isas Is as happy as a kitten with a dish of cream H The fat lady goes to the tho theater andis andis and Ris is ecstatic when a dancer floats airily about with nothing on but a scant yard of chiffon She imagines herself doing the same samo thing and Is unspeakably contented contented con- con tented Although Parl opinion is divided in countless different ways was as to where hero to draw daw the Una lino separating decency from Indecency In stage dress many of the managers have already taken it upon themselves to put more clothes on their beauties and purge their performances J of many risque features As a result AmerIcan visitors to the French capital this K this summer will probably be able to buy tickets to almost any theater or l music musie hall hail without fear of being unduly un un- un unduly duly shocked |
