Nudism vs. Prudism

By NEVIL WEST

WHY is a "Prude"? And for that matter, why is a "Nude"? Are they both extremists? Are the Prudes of today the same as the Prudes of yesteryear? Just what has caused reversion to type, and impetus to the nudistic movement not only in foreign countries, but in this country as well, and what resultant effect has it upon mankind?

All of these important questions, in the cosmic scheme of things, might be discussed at great length. A book could be written on each subject, and still leave, perhaps, many important phases undiscussed. However, within the confines of the space at our disposal, we shall endeavor to show the high-lights, in a brief discussion of each query, and also the matter as a whole.

Why Is A "Prude"?

An analysis of the so-called "Prude," from the scientific standpoint, would involve a discussion of great length. Briefly, however, a "Prude" may be the resultant effect of a pre-natal predisposition, inherited tendency, or a factual emphasis due to the "memory of the cells," early environment, faulty early impressions, ignorance, lack of proper sex advice at certain well-recognized periods, particularly in the female, and one or two less important contributory factors. In the experience of the writer, "Prudism" is rarely acquired. Over-sensitivity may also be cited as a reason for a "nasty-nice modesty," and a feeling of shame because of physical inferiority. Thus: a girl with bow-legs or pendulous breasts, or any other lack of physical qualifications, which will make her, in a comparative sense, with other members of her sex, either less attractive, less virile, or less desirable. In other words, she is ashamed to show her body to either her own sex, or the opposite sex, because of her lack of form.

There is no doubt that the concepts of the "Pilgrim Days," together with the "Blue Laws," coupled with the cults, and practices such as "Bundling," and other inane and inept regulations, did a great deal toward the present day mental and physical conflict between the cells. We cannot get away from our cells. It is almost as difficult as for the leopard to change his spots, and so, either the male. or female, who may be classified as a "Prude," should not necessarily be ridiculed. To be pitied, and not paraded, perhaps, would be more charitable.

However, there is also the "Prude" who simply poses as such. This may be due to a "Superiority Complex," in an attempt to impress the "holier than thou" attitude; such "Prudes" being, in many cases, the less moral privately, than some of their sneered-at sisters.

These paragons of virtue, on a pedestal of their own construction, these hypocrites, these wolves in sheep's clothing, have done more harm, by reason of their hypocrisy, than some of their less fortunate, or perhaps more fortunate sisters.

Prudism tends to thwart and foil every normal impetus and desire. This is not only true in the physical sense but in a mental one, and we have a constant conflict between the conscious, and thesubconscious, the voluntary and the involuntary: the comparative instability setting up an inhibition amounting to a phobia. This detrimental actuation, instead of a subjugation of the untoward impulse, not only tends to. but actually does produce a toxic disintegration of the mental as well as the physical stability.

In the confirmed "nude" we find a blush at the slightest suggestion or remark that does not fit into her scheme of what is considered ''moral." This is true even in the unconfirmed, and also the unconfined. The latter blushing upon the slightest pretext, and not being able to tell why!

This is directly an example of the memory of the cells. The apparent, palpable "Prude" is a coward. She has neither the courage of her own convictions. nor enough strength of character to put them to the test, if she had. She. attempts to hide behind a cloak of suppression, all too transparent because of the very obviousness of its inadequacy to conceal — and she knows it!

Refusing to discard the robe however, denying herself the same privileges enjoyed by others, she sets herself apart, maintains at any cost what she considers the "right" thing to do (although she actually does not believe it) and suffers in silence. This of a certainty is especially, to her ultimate detriment: the psychopathic wards being filled with many sad cases attesting to the fact; and the outside world cluttered up with many other cases, that should be on the inside. There are many "border-line" cases and some, well passed the "border-line." We have the examples of those women who, upon the slightest pretext, immediately start to strip off all their clothes. They have formerly been "Prudes" and now they want to be "Nudes." WHY?

Does there not seem to be a reversion to Nature predominant? Can one not see the natural attitude of the cells, once the repressions of civilization, no matter from what cause, have been removed? These cells, no matter in what physical form, were nude cells: they were undressed in the lower form of life--as was early mankind. It was only when their natural inclination was suppressed by the higher form of life, as in civilization, that their natural impulse lay dormant. Once the restriction is removed. they revert to type—to their type, and no longer possess the qualities, or better, the assumed qualifications, forced upon them, and act as Nature had originally intended.

And so we find the "Prude" eventually going to the other extreme. With restrictions removed, she insists on going nude, and when this is denied, and suppressed, she frequently goes insane, showing Nature's protest at, and to, Civilization's dictates.

The "Prude" wants to, and can, but WON'T In consequence, she is beset by strange feelings ofunrest, fancies, nervousness, inability to assimilate, or digest her food, melancholia, unreality, lack of the sense of the fitness of things, and is at odds with the world. She takes trips for her health, to no avail, visits doctors who, knowing her condition, see a chance to collect considerable from another hypochondriac, and instead of giving the proper advice and guidance, simply pile up the visits. and increase the medication.

The perniciousness of the latter is directly attributable to even suicide, when the patient fails to become relieved, as was evinced by several cases in New York City last winter; and in other instances leads to perversion and strange practices. It must be understood however that such cases are to be differentiated from the acquired perversities of the posing "Prude."

The latter is simply "nasty nice" a hypocrite—a libertine who may show enough backbone, but who is, nevertheless — spineless! She is of the type, not-to-be-pitied. She is of her own making, and a vicious influence to society. Instead of the front entrance, she used the backdoor, in this country, as contrasted to the continental types in France, Germany, Belgium and other lands abroad, where such hypocrisy is rare, if existing at all. Parts of the body and natural functions are, to the broad-mindedness of the older countries, and the people of them, a part of life, and accepted as such. Their "goings" and their "comings," are not exactly advertised, but neither are they secreted— at least, not lied about, and glossed over with the doubtful varnish of impeccability.

The body to them, is a thing of beauty, a symphony, a poem of grandeur and respect, as such, they either hide it, or show it, but they do not hide it in one locality. and pose as a Sunday school mistress in another.

There is still another detrimental factor in the makeup of the "Nasty Nice Prude"—and that reacts to her distinct disadvantage personally. Because of her "acting"—because of the falsity of her presentation, in attempts to decry and "show-up" her sisters, she goes to the extreme in private, instead of accepting the conservative and utilizing it to the best advantage. Her "one-track" mind has no balance, no median line, no normal resistance, or accentuation when the occasion may arise--instead, like a bull in a china shop, she becomes a destructionist. Not only of herself, but drags to the floor, and breaks into pieces, the object of her unreasonable fury.

To sum up, the "Prude" then—it seems a pity that in this age of our Lord, civilization has done so little to remove so many of its adherents from the same lack of appreciation of a proper sense of values, as obtained in the superstitious Salem Witchcraft days of Ignorance and Delusion.

Why Is A "Nude"?

A "Nude" is a "Nude" because she wants to be. Because after centuries of rules and regulations, one must not do this, one may not do that, there is of necessity a change. Shackled by narrow-minded edicts, mental, and frequently morally perverted reformations, an attempt is made to free themselves, to revert to type, to harken to the back-to-nature call, to liberate themselves.

Among numerous other reasons, one may cite Health, the desire for the propagation of a stronger, better, and more efficient race of people.

There is also a chance for a much greater mental development, and the consideration of much that would tend to the betterment of mankind, through the practice of Nudism, than otherwise. For example; once the imagination is set at rest on matters that are taboo by those other than the Nudists, this imagination may be utilized for more worth while purposes. The brain may function freely, more strongly, and more creatively, rather than being obsessed with semi-conscious thoughts and sub-conscious fantasies.

A "Nude" may also be such, from a desire for self-expression. Models pose "nude" - they pose for money — as a means of livelihood or, as is quite often the case. because they want to. They like it: they realize they are beautiful: and want to express themselves in the best way possible for them. It becomes, instead of a vocation, an avocation! Many a beautiful model has plenty of money. and even willingly, poses for an artist or a photographer who is worthwhile, without a fee of any kind, to help him out in his less affluent periods.

There are also the girls who dance in the "nude." or nearly so because of the dictates of those who prevent them from doing otherwise. These same expressionists, dance in the "nude" in private, for selected groups. or in nude camps and colonies. No intent or reference is here meant regarding a small percentage of ill-advised, and misguided morons who, taking advantage of every opportunity, dance nude in certain fashions, simply to arouse the bestial and lascivious natures of those, no whit removed from the same mental depths, and even worse. We specifically have under advisement only such beautiful concepts and interpretations as are presented by pupils of the Isadora Duncan school, of which Ruth St. Denis, and others gave so much of themselves, for their ART.

We have none other than even Lady Constance Richardson, a person of decided intelligence, breeding and refinement, having both courage and ability, demonstrating to a group of guests at her home in England, the mysteries of Terpsichore, and in the "Nude." It is recorded that her friends and guests, far from being shocked. or even astounded, accepted the presentation in the same spirit it was offered, and were unanimous in their unstinted praise at the beauty of concept and culmination — even though the press carried full pages the next day. holding the event up to yellow-journalistic ridicule, and condemnation. What is England coming to indeed? But since that event, many others have danced in the "nude" in England without further comment.

Nude bathing is also rampant, not only in America, but in Japan where it has been in vogue for many years, in Germany, France, England, India and many other countries, both the so-called "civilized." and the uncivilized. There is a greater physical freedom once the restraint of clothes has been removed, and a greater mental freedom also. Muscles are not constricted and hampered. the blood flows through veins more readily, and more normally, the brain is clearer, and the resultant effect upon the entire system, more desirable and more noticeable.

Soggy. wet, clinging garments, subsequent to the bath, with an undeniable propensity for causing colds, and even pneumonia, are conspicuous by their absence—the body may be either dried by natural means, in the sun, rapidly, and clothed. if desired. with dry apparel: or it may be dried by artificial stimulus in the way of hand-propelled towels. It does not remain in contact with a wet bathing suit, trunks, shorts, or what have you.

Moonlight swims in the "nude" are much more in vogue than many imagine, even by members of so called "society" who as yet. have not exactly turned nudist, but soon will. They arc enjoying some of the benefits of nudists, and appreciate them, without going all the way. They are, in a sense to be pitied for having embraced the slow transition stages, rather than making up their minds whether they do, or do not, accept nudism or deny it, and act accordingly.

This bathing in the "nude" is practiced by real nudists, and what we are pleased to term semi-nudists, with no attempt at segregation. Whereas formerly, among the semi-nudists, the sexes would not mix, today there is little, if any attempt to go off by themselves, but all in a spirit of fun and exercise, groups of men and women, boys and girls, bathe, swim and dive into the waters, as God made them.

To one who has never tried. this swimming in the "nude" may seem not diverse to the same feat in a bathing suit, but to those "in the know," the result is latent. A feeling of exhiliration, of being close to nature, of being a part of nature, instead of being ashamed of nature, ashamed before nature, or exhibiting a reticence toward the very thing that should, above all, be honest, candid, and unashamed, God's handiwork.

Those who practice the simple life in foreign countries, and live without the bother, and constraining influence of masking the body; lend to nudism, an international aspect that is of the greatest importance. We learn by this wide-world embracing of nudistic principles that the movement is, in no sense, a local one, or simply a cult,indigenous to any particular spot or area. Colloquialism, at one time, in nudistic endeavors, was no doubt, the proper term to utilize in a description of its activities, but now Universalism is undeniably more apropos.

To summarize briefly, Prudism stagnates men-tally. Inhibition complexes eventuating, cause body-consciousness, sex-consciousness, artificiality, secrecy, perversions, the socially unfit, the insane, and possibly the potential criminal. Through it's pre-natal influence upon the possible off-spring, it may, in succeeding generations produce, or help to produce. what is commonly referred to as a "throwback." Through unhampered, unfettered, cultural embrasure of Nudism, the disadvantages of Prudism may be cured, by the abnormally inclined, the inhibitions under advisement, may be totally obviated. Human upkeep is less expensive: there are few clothes to buy: no stylists.

These are but a few of the advantages of Nudism. There are many others which will be analyzed and discussed in future articles, but from even this brief summary, one may easily deduce, and realize the wide chasm between the two, and choose for himself. Of course, there is a median line—one does not have to choose between being either a "Prude" or a "Nude," and it goes without saying that many hundreds of thousands, and perhaps millions will not; but from any standpoint, one may wish to fairly consider, if open to choice their chances for a freer, saner, better, happier existence, are much greater with "Nudism," than they ever could be with "Prudism."