Lil-LB fi

'

..1.... .4 .,

THE BLIND
33 WEST 67ih STREET,

B R O Y E U S E DE

MAY, 1917

r^r-

NEW

MAN
YORK

Marcel Duchamp

CHOCOLAT

No. 2

P B T
THE BLIND
33 WEST 67th STREET,

B R O Y E U S E DE CHOCOLAT

MAY,

1917

NEW

MAN
YORK

Marcel D u c h a m p

No. 2

T H E

B L I N D

The Blind

M A N

Man's

Ball

V E R Y reader of this m a g a z i n e is invited to

the B L I N D M A N ' S B A L L , a new-fashioned
h o p , skip, a n d j u m p , to be held on

Friday, May 2 5 t h
at Prehistoric, u l t r a - B o h e m i a n Webster Hall.
T h e Ball is given for T H E B L I N D M A N , a m a g a z i n e

of Vers

Art.

Axioms du Bal
T h e d a n c e will n o t e n d till the d a w n .
Blind M a n must see the sun.

The

R o m a n t i c rags are requested. T h e r e is a difference between a t u x e d o a n d a T u r k and guests n o t

in costume must sit in b o u g h t - a n d - p a i d - f o r boxes.

Continuous Syncopations
Tickets, in advance, are $1.50 each; boxes, n o t
i n c l u d i n g admission, $10, a n d may be obtained
O N L Y from

THE BLIND MAN'S BALL

61 Washington Square

Telephone, Spring 5827

All tickets at the door, $2

PUBLISHED

BY B E A T R I C E

WOOD

&

My
le

U J -

6
f y

c/X.

T ^ W /

YTIaL

v r / i / /

jt
s

/P6
' A RESOLUTION MADE AT
PARK

Robert

Carlton

& 6
X, (f/rr^BRONX

Brown

I'M G O I N G T O G E T
A G R E A T BIG
FEATHER-BED
OF A PELICAN
AND KEEP HIM
IN T H E H O U S E
TO CATCH T H E
FLIES, MOSQUITOES AND MICE,
L A Y EGGS FOR M E
T O M A K E O M E L E T T E S OF,
A N D BE M Y D O W N Y C O U C H A T N I G H T .

TALE
BY ERIK
SATIE
I had once a marble staircase which was
so beautiful,
so beautiful,
that I had it
stuffed and used only my window for getting in and out.
Elle avait des yeux sans tain
Et pour que ca n'se voie pas
Elle avait mis
par-dessus
Des lunettes a verres
d'caill.
S. T . , E . K .

T H E E X H I B I T R E F U S E D BY T H E

INDEPENDENTS

The Richard

Mutt

Case

Now Mr. Mutt's fountain is not

They say any artist paying
immoral, that is absurd, no more than
six dollars may exhibit.
a bath tub is immoral. It is a fixture that

Mr. Richard Mutt sent in a

fountain. JVithout discussion
this article disappeared and
never was exhibited.
IVhat were the grounds for refusing
Mr. Mutt's fomitain :
1. Some contended it was immoral, vulgar.
2.

Othersy it was plagiarism, a

plain piece of plumbing.

you see every day in plumbers' show windows.

Whether Mr. Mutt with his own hands
made the fountain or not has no importance.
He CHOSE it. He took an oi'dinary article
of life, placed it so that its useful significance
disappeared under the new title and point of
viewcreated a new thought for that object.

As for plumbing, that is absurd.

The only works of art America
has given are her plumbing and
her bridges.

"Buddha of the Bathroom"

I suppose monkeys hated to lose their
tail. Necessary, useful and an ornament,
monkey imagination could not stretch to a
tailless existence (and f r a n k l y , do you see
the biological beauty of o u r loss of t h e m ? ) ,
yet now that we are used to it, w e get on
pretty well w i t h o u t them. But evolution
is not pleasing to the monkey race; " t h e r e
is a death in every c h a n g e " and we monkeys
do not love death as we should. W e are
like those philosophers w h o m D a n t e placed
in his I n f e r n o with their heads set the
w r o n g way on their shoulders. W e w a l k
f o r w a r d looking b a c k w a r d , each with m o r e
of his predecessors' personality than his
own. O u r eyes are not ours.
T h e ideas that o u r ancestors have joined
together let no man put a s u n d e r ! I n La
Dissociation
des Idees, R e m y de G o u r mont, quietly analytic, shows how sacred is
the m a r r i a g e of ideas. A t least one c h a r m -

ing thing about o u r h u m a n institution is

that although a man m a r r y he can never
be only a husband. Besides being a moneym a k i n g device and the one m a n that one
w o m a n can sleep w i t h in legal p u r i t y without sin he m a y even be as well some other
w o m a n ' s very personification of h e r abstract idea. Sin, while to his employees he
is nothing but their "Boss," to his children
only their " F a t h e r , " and to himself certainly something more complex.
But with objects and ideas it is different.
Recently we have had a chance to observe
their meticulous monogomy.
W h e n the jurors of The Society of Independent
Artists f a i r l y rushed to remove
the bit of sculpture called the
Fountain
sent in by R i c h a r d M u t t , because the object
was irrevocably associated in their atavistic
minds with a certain n a t u r a l function of a
secretive sort. Yet to anv "innocent" eve

h o w pleasant is its chaste s i m p l i c i t y of line

and c o l o r ! S o m e o n e said, " L i k e a lovely
B u d d h a " ; someone said, " L i k e the legs of
the ladies by C e z a n n e " ; b u t h a v e they not,
those ladies, in t h e i r long, r o u n d n u d i t y always recalled to y o u r m i n d the c a l m curves
of d e c a d e n t p l u m b e r s ' p o r c e l a i n s ?
A t least as a touchstone of A r t h o w v a l u able it m i g h t h a v e b e e n ! If it be true, as
G e r t r u d e Stein says, that p i c t u r e s that a r e
r i g h t stay right, consider, please, on one
side of a w o r k of a r t w i t h excellent r e f e r ences f r o m the Past, the Fountain,
and on
the o t h e r almost anyone of the m a j o r i t y of
p i c t u r e s n o w b l u s h i n g a l o n g the miles of
w a l l in the G r a n d C e n t r a l P a l a c e of A R T .
D o you see w h a t I m e a n ?
L i k e M r . M u t t , m a n y of us h a d q u i t e
an e x h o r b i t a n t notion of the i n d e p e n d e n c e
of the I n d e p e n d e n t s . I t was a sad s u r p r i s e
to learn of a B o a r d of Censors sitting u p o n
the a m b i g u o u s question, W h a t is A R T ?
T o those w h o say that M r . M u t t ' s exh i b i t m a y be A r t , b u t is it the art of M r .
M u t t since a p l u m b e r m a d e it? I r e p l y
s i m p l y t h a t the Fountain was not m a d e by
a p l u m b e r b u t by the f o r c e of an i m a g i n a t i o n ; and of i m a g i n a t i o n it has been said,
" A l l m e n are shocked by it and some overt h r o w n by it." T h e r e are those of m y int i m a t e a c q u a i n t a n c e w h o p r e t e n d i n g to admit the i m a g i n a t i v e v i g o r of M r . M u t t and
his porcelain, slyly q u o t e d to m e a story
told by M o n t a i g n e in his Force of the
Imagination
of a m a n , w h o s e L a t i n n a m e
I can by no means r e m e m b e r , w h o so
studied the v e r y "essence and m o t i o n of
f o l l y " as to unsettle his initial j u d g m e n t
f o r e v e r m o r e ; so t h a t t h r o u g h o v e r m u c h
w i s d o m he b e c a m e a fool. I t is a p r e t t y
story, b u t in d e f e n s e of M r . M u t t I m u s t in
justice point out t h a t o u r m e r r y M o n t a i g n e

is a g a r r u o l u s and g u l l i b l e old m a n , n e i t h e r
safe n o r scientific, w h o on t h e same s u b j e c t
seriously cites by w a y of i l l u s t r a t i o n , h o w
by the s t r e n g t h s i m p l y of h e r i m a g i n a t i o n , a
w h i t e w o m a n g a v e b i r t h to a " b l a c k - a m o o r " ! So you see h o w he is good f o r
nothing but quotation, M . Montaigne.
T h e n again, t h e r e a r e those w h o anxiously ask, " I s he serious or is he j o k i n g ? "
P e r h a p s he is b o t h ! Is it not possible? I n
this connection I think it w o u l d be w e l l to
r e m e m b e r t h a t t h e sense of t h e r i d i c u l o u s
as well as " t h e sense of the t r a g i c increases
and declines w i t h sensuousness." I t puts it
r a t h e r u p to you. A n d t h e r e is a m o n g us
to-day a s p i r i t of " b l a g u e " a r i s i n g out of
the artist's b i t t e r vision of an over-institut i o n a l i z e d w o r l d of s t a g n a n t statistics and
a n t i q u e axioms. W i t h a f r a n k creed of imm u t a b i l i t y the C h i n e s e w o r s h i p p e d t h e i r
ancestors and d i g n i t y took the p l a c e of understanding; but we w h o worship Progress,
Speed and E f f i c i e n c y a r e like a little d o g
c h a s i n g a f t e r his own w a g g i n g tail t h a t has
dazzled him.
O u r a n c e s t o r - w o r s h i p is
w i t h o u t g r a c e and it is because of o u r conceited h y p o c r a c y t h a t o u r artists are sometimes sad, and if t h e r e is a s h a d e of b i t t e r
m o c k e r y in some of t h e m it is only t h e r e
because they k n o w t h a t t h e j o y f u l s p i r i t of
t h e i r w o r k is to this age a h i d d e n t r e a s u r e .
B u t p a r d o n m y p r a i s e f o r , sayeth N i e t z sche, " I n p r a i s e t h e r e is m o r e obtrusiveness
than in b l a m e " ; and so as not to seem
officiously sincere or subtly serious, I shall
w r i t e in above, w i t h a p e r v e r s e pen, a
n e u t r a l title t h a t w i l l please n o n e ; and as
d i d R e m y de G o u r m o n t , t h a t gentle cynic
and m o n k e y w i t h o u t a tail, I, too, c o n c l u d e
w i t h the most p r o f o u n d w o r d in l a n g u a g e
and one w h i c h cannot be a r g u e d a pacific
Perhaps!
LOUISE NORTON.

FOR RICHARD MUTT

One must say every thing',
then no one will know.
To know nothing is to say
a great deal.
So many say that they say
nothing,but these never really send.
For some there is no stopping.
Most stop or get a style.

When they stop they make

a convention.
That is their end.
For the going every thinghas an idea.
The going run right along.
The going just keep going.
C. DEMUTH.

Recharge, please, recharge

avec la chimie de ta salive
l'accumulateur dmon coeur
S. T. E.

K.

Axiom
From a determinable horizon
absent
spectacularly from a midnight
which has yet to make public
a midnight
in the first place incompatibly copied
the other
in observance of the necessary end
guarantees
the simultaneous insularity
of a structure
self-contained
a little longer
than the general direction
of goods opposed
tangentically.
WALTER CONRAD ARENSBERG.

Letter from a Mother

I have never been in E u r o p e . I was b o r n
in M i n n e a p o l i s and I a m the m o t h e r of
t h r e e c h i l d r e n , all g i f t e d , two e x h i b i t i n g
in this exhibition.
I have always f e l t nervous a b o u t artists,
but in m y modest w a y I a m a b e l i e v e r in
democracy.
T h e r e f o r e as a w o m a n w h o has d o n e h e r
d u t y t o w a r d s the race and e x p e r i e n c e d life,
I m a k e the plea to all o t h e r m o t h e r s and
w o m e n of constructive c o m p r e h e n s i o n , t h a t
w e keep this e x h i b i t i o n sane and b e a u t i f u l .
I t is only by e l e v a t i n g the soul and keeping the eyes of o u r y o u n g ones filled w i t h
lovely images that w e can expect good results f r o m the g e n e r a t i o n that will f o l l o w .
People
without
refinement,
cubists,
futurists, are not artists. F o r A r t is noble.
A n d they are distorted.
I n d e p e n d e n c e is needed, but a line must
be d r a w n s o m e w h e r e .
I n sincere f a i t h I h o p e f o r y o u r success.
Sincerely,
A

MOTHER.

Theorem
For purposes of illusion
the actual ascent of two waves
transparent to a basis
which has a disappearance of its own
is timed
at the angle of incidence
to the swing of a suspended
lens
from which the waves wash
the protective coloration.
Through the resultant exposure
to a temporal process
an emotion
ideally distant
assumes on the uneven surface
descendingas the identity to be demonstrated
the thrfee dimensions
with which it is incommensurate.
WALTER CONRAD ARENSBERG.

CONEY

ISLAND

J o s e p h Stella

From a friend.
A p r i l 12, 1917.
D e a r Blind M a n :
Fine for you!
You are, I hope, to be an i n s t r u m e n t f o r
the a c c o m p l i s h m e n t of an i m p o r t a n t and
m u c h - n e e d e d w o r k in A m e r i c a ; n a m e l y ,
the f o s t e r i n g and e n c o u r a g e m e n t of a t r u l y
native art. A n art w h i c h w i l l be at once
the result of a h i g h l y v i t a l i z e d age, of a restless artistic spirit, and of a s u d d e n r e a l i z a tion,on the p a r t of o u r artistsof A m e r ica's h i g h destiny in the f u t u r e of the w o r l d .
Such an art m u s t v e r y closely e m b o d y the
spirit of o u r time, h o w e v e r m o r b i d , h o w ever h u r r i e d , h o w e v e r d i s o r g a n i e z d , h o w ever n e r v e - r a c k i n g that t i m e m a y be.
A bas,you should s a y w i t h any and
every school of art that represents a n o t h e r
day, a n o t h e r spirit, a n o t h e r time. N o a r t
can live t h a t is not an i n t e g r a l p a r t of its
time. P u t Botticelli in a studio on F i f t h
A v e n u e ; p u t C o r o t in a g a r r e t in W a s h i n g ton S q u a r e ; p u t F r a g o n a r d in a b a r n in
H a r l e m , and t h e i r w o r k w o u l d be w o r t h less, sterile, of no lasting p u r p o s e , or p o w e r

of e v o c a t i o n ; because it w o u l d f a i l absolutely to s y m b o l i z e and synthesize the s p i r i t

of o u r age. T h e i r w o r k w o u l d m e r e l y be
s o m e t h i n g p r o m o t e d , not by o u r life, not
by the v i t a l i z e d forces of o u r time, b u t
s o m e t h i n g p r o m o t e d only by t h e flat, d e a d
and profitless s p i r i t of a b y g o n e time.
So, if you can h e l p to s t i m u l a t e and dev e l o p an A m e r i c a n a r t w h i c h shall t r u l y
r e p r e s e n t o u r age, even if the age is one of
telephones, s u b m a r i n e s , a e r o p l a n e s , cabarets, cocktails, taxicabs, d i v o r c e courts,
wars, tangos, d o l l a r signs; o r one of desp e r a t e strivings a f t e r n e w sensations and
experiences, you w i l l h a v e d o n e w e l l . T h e
f u t u r e d w e l l e r s u p o n e a r t h w i l l then be
able to look b a c k to o u r day, and, w i t h t r u t h
and conviction say: "Yes, they h a d an art,
back in N e w Y o r k , in t h e days f o l l o w i n g
the G r e a t W a r , an a r t t h a t w a s a v i t a l i z e d
p a r t of t h e i r l i f e ; t h a t m i r r o r e d a c c u r a t e l y
t h e i r time, w i t h all of its c o m p l e x i t i e s ,
graces, h o r r o r s , pleasures, agonies, u n c e r tainties and blessings."
A d m i r i n g l y yours,
F R A N K CROWNINSHIELD.

MEDUSA
Sinister rightdexter leftsuperior hypocrecy
Spirits without light and Don Quixotes
Arts starboard, red and green port
without vessel.
Why change men into animal foeti.
My tongue becomes a road of snow
Circles are formed around me
In bath robe
Exterior events
Napoleon
Modern ideas
Profound artists reunited in canon
who deceive
Artists of speech
Who have only one hole for mouth and anus
I am the lover of the world
The lover of unknown persons
I am looking for a Sun.
F. PICABIA.
April, 1917.

>

Pas De Commentaires!
Louis M. Eilshemius.
'' S o u l . . . . Soul! Your artists haven't got it;
for them things are just chair, or table, or stables.
Was it Aristotle who said, 'A picture is a silent
poem?'
" B u t you are not seeing my pictures now. ..
What is a minute, an hour? Ruskin, (have you
ever heard of Ruskin?) found it necessary to
look at a picture for a steady week.
" I have two thousand pictureshow long do
yon suppose it would take an ordinary artist to
paint this one?" asked Louis Eilshemius pointing
to 'Maidenhood Confronted By Death' .
This is the first time she has seen death; observe
the effectHorror! that's quite newthe
stormy sky enforces the idea; see how it bursts,
death, that's it, a b u r s t ! " We computed that it
would take perhaps three weeks to paint such
a picture. " W e l l it takes me just two hours! I
always paint on cardboard, that's new! You can't
get such quality on canvas." Wandering round
the bountifully endowed studio we found such
variety of subject and treatment, as to give us
some idea of the scope of this artist's mind. As
Rousseau of the French spirit painted in France,
does Eilshemius of the American spirit paint in
America, with the childlike self-faith of a Blake.
His conceptions are traditional of the simple
soul unhampered by a traditional mode of representation. Eilshemius paints women dancing,
moonlight and the devil, and it is significant after
looking him straight in his unspoiled eye, that
his princes of darkness are repeatedly the best
tempered, most unsophisticated young devils
imaginable, and that his nearest approach to evil
is in the symbol of the horn.
Eilshemius has not evolved, he has just grown
to scatter seeds hap-hazard but at will to blossom
in the amazing variations of his pictures, which,
outside every academic or unacademic school,
untouched by theory or " i s m , " survive as the
unique art form that has never been exploited by
a dealer, never been in fashion!
His is so virginally the way a picture must
be painted by one unsullied by any preconception of how pictures are painted, so direct a presentation of his cerebral vision, that between his
idea and the setting forth of his idea, the question of method never intrudes.
The complicated mechanism that obtains in
other artists a prolonged psychological engineering of a work of art, is waived; his pictures, if
one may say so, are instantaneous photographs
of his mind at any given moment of inspiration.
" I am very broad-minded," said Eilshemius,
" I like everything that is nice, everything,"
smiling benignly, " t h a t is nice you understand.
I can paint anything, anywhere, beautiful pic-

"SUPPL1CATION"

tures on your hat or your dress, if you like!

And I only use five colours, any particular five
colours? Certainly not. I'm not one of your
hocus-pocus painters who have to have certain
colours, certain palettes, certain
. I paint
with my imagination, look at this! Victisyou
know what victory is? Pressing the other fellow
down!"
Three fine nudes in an evening sky, each with
a different coloured ribbon; the one on top, is
the one 011 top! "See that one there on the right
he's dying; you notice that 011 his face."
Hopefully inspired by the granite simplicity
of the painter's speech I asked him if he ever
wrote-"Don't you know who I a m " he
gasped ?
"Louis M. Eilshemius, M. A. Supreme Protean
Marvel of the Ages. The Peer of all who create
Painting, Literature and Music."
As 1 am used to do in reading I found by intuition the finest passages while skimming the
volumes handed to me:
"How most are sore misled by pope and priest
To think that God hath arms and feet and eyes"
" A n d my weird soul hath felt
The whiffs that waved from forth my heart."

IN L I G H T E D

SLEEPNESS.

BLIND

. ^ y

WAKING

WAKING

DISTANT

CENTER

CENTER

e *

S LAOTWE RT AYKEISNTGE RI S C
LO
AN
- OCCTE' S
A NS ESALSO WS H I F T I N G
W
ND
TA
TRIANGLE JOYS

POINS

INCISOR VISTA Y E L L O W

FOUNTAIN
W I D E IN

V *

ALL

F O R T H OVER BACK U P S U R G I N G FACTS H E A V Y L I G H T N E S S BACK

INSURGING
ALL H I G H
EVEN

RHYTHM
LAY LIE

OPEN

PENE

SHOUT

RELAY

EARTH

SHOUT

OVER

ALIVES

IN

SEPARATE

REMARK

ENLEVEL LEVEL

ALWAYS

TON SILENT TONS OVER DOUBLE TONNAGE DOUBLE T H R U T H R U T O N AND

AND TON SHIFT
ALL ALL IN IN T H I S BODY BALANCE A N D
LEVEL LEVEL C O O L BIG SAD:

TON

RESURGE

IN R U S T G O L D DARK D U S T

HAIR:

DISTANCE
SPREAD N O W
PENET

NOW, N E W FOREST FRAGRANT FOREST HAIR RESURGING

REFORTH

UP

FAR, T H R U

EYES,

FLOW WATER
MOUNTAIN
IN IN, T H R U

AREA

FEEL DEEP

DEEP

MOUNT KATAHDYN

IN

FLUX KATAHDYN

EYES, SLEEP S L U M B E R

Third

IN FAR FAR

FARTHEST

MOUNTAIN

FLUX. ... FLOWER

HEAVE

Dimension;

Portrait Sketch
Charles D u n c a n

" F r e e Verse, why I wrote f r e e verse t w e n t y

years a g o " 1
Yet while Eilsheniius exonerates himself f r o m
e v e r h a v i n g s t u d i e d t h e w o r k s of a n y
period
w h a t s o e v e r , t h e r e is a s o m e t h i n g
Elizabethian
about him.
I w i l l e n d t h i s r u m m a g e of a g o l d - m i n e w i t h
E i l s h e n i i u s w h e n h e is m o s t h i m s e l f i n
the
the poems " A Country C h i l d " and " M a g g i e the
Geyser G u i d e . "
" I t dwelled, w h e r e I would not to live;
I n a h u t , w i t h c r a c k s a n d holes.
B u t t h e r e it p l a y e d w i t h w i c k e r a n d m u d ;

A n d it t r i e d t o l i f t l o n g p o l e s . "
" H a v e y o u n o f e a r of a l l t h o s e b o i l i n g w a t e r s ? "
" N a y , I was ' h a t c h e d ' r i g h t on this steaming
earth.
The other place cannot be w o r s e ! " she ventured,
A n d in our eyes a t w i n k l e s u d d e n l y h a d birth.
T h u s questioning, she g r e w more sweet to me,
f o r in h e r voice
L a y mellow dreaminess, that made m y
heart
rejoice.
A n y h o w , D u c h a m p m e d i t a t i n g t h e l e v e l l i n g of
a l l v a l u e s , w i t n e s s e s t h e e l i m i n a t i o n of S o p h i s tication.
M I N A LOY.

MARIE LAURENCIN
She is shortsightednevertheless, no detail of life
escapes her.
She is s e n t i m e n t a l y e t , she has a very acute sense
of irony and of the ridiculous.
She is bourgeoise and respects social conventions
but recognizes no other law than her fantasy.
She seems f r a i l and defenseless, but her egotism,
unceasingly active, makes her unattackable.
She has remained a playful and dangerous child
even if her vision is clear and wise.
She gives herself, reveals herself, opens her life like
a book but remains impregnable.
She loves richesse, elegance and luxury and is fond
of the realities of order and economy.
She has been little influenced. Perhaps some English painters, whose aristocracy she loves, have left
some traces in her w o r k . S h e
does not recognize
esthetic conventions.She recreates the w o r l d to her
image. She does not know but herself, does not represent but herself, and even when she copies she does not
express but her own imagination.
In her w o r k , she only loves the accomplished effort,
being contemptuous of its artistic value. T h o u g h she
does not a t t e m p t to go beyond the conventionalist of
representation, her spirit shows all the comprehention
of modern art.
She invents according to her fantasy
and makes her selections according to her profound

T h e S u p r e m e intense gluttony
T o Cut
my throat.
T h e utter lust to let
Red Blood
roll d o w n
T h e expectant u p t u r n e d breasts
O r w h a t better
than
T h e smooth security
of
T i g h t e n i n g rope
W h e n mass obeying gravity
Forfeits Life?
P e r h a p s my head upon the sill
A window
C o m i n g swiftly down
W o u l d link m y consciousness
W i t h Queens.
Again a
knife

instinct for harmony and r h y t h m . T o her gift of painting she adds her l i t e r a r y gift which is a l w a y s felt in
her w o r k . A d r a w i n g of hers, scarcely sketched often
tells a long story.
She loves her f e m i n i n i t y which she exalts and cultivates, finding in it her best sources for her inventiveness.
T h e seventeen drawings and watercolors exhibited
at the Modern Gallery have the charm and subtlety
which she always imparts to her w o r k , but to me, t h r e e
of those drawings especially reveal her personality:
" T h e L i t t l e M u l e " is an astonishing expression of her
l i t e r a r y imagination and of her sense of protection.
T h e animal has a human expression, the troubled expression of her own eyesthe delicacy of its lines, the
elegance of its details, preciously reproduced, evoke
the mystical personage of a prince encased in the body
of a beast.
" T h e Lady of the Palms" is an old fashion plate,
its complicated architecture charmed her. H e r fantasy,
her sense of f o r m and harmony transported the old
fashion plate into a landscape of palms.
" T h e two Dancers," by the accuracy and sobriety of
its t r a i t s , by its ensemble and proportions, give the
sensation of a moving r h y t h m .
It would be odd to see M a r i e Laurencin in America.
GABRIELLE BUFFET.

In the grasp of that i m p e n e t r a b l e

blank wall
I
Falling
M i g h t lend at last a line
T o pure Monotony.
H a v e I courage to keep on
Beating out
my Brains
W h e n Regret should have entered
T h e First Fist?
T o die w i t h flowers? T o o soft
T o burn in p e r f u m e d oil?
T o o slow
All forces that are not M i n e
I w ill, I will H o l d my B r e a t h
A n d Fell asleep
A n d D r e a m e d I drowned.
FRANCES SIMPSON

STEVENS.

Let us droop our heads over each other like lilies

And our bodies remain long.
ALLEN NORTON

14

T H E

B L I N D

M A N

0 Marcel - - - otherwise
1 Also Have Been to Louise's
I don't like a lady in evening
dress, salting
From here she has black eye's,
no mouth., some Will you "bring a perfection,
well "bring a bottle - - - Two
perfections WELL I want to SEE
it - - - he will know it afterwards - - - will you bring the
bottle. Really, have I? - - .
Which way? Oh did'I? WHEN?
Too much? You are abusing
myself. No, you would not - - .
Did you ask Demuth about it?
Anything you like, would I?
Ough Naow? of course not? Yes
I do. I used to kill myself
with the syphon - - -. You
don't remember that ball.
Well
don't do that because I am perfectly sober now - - - - that's
the kid he looks like - . It
will probably cost me very much
I have not got money. Did I
say I wanted the bottle all
right - SEE it! Excuse me,
explain it. You don't need any.
I will give you some paper
Mina and keep silent to give
you a rest. Oh! I will give
you some paper all the same.
Very much. He said to me, we
will toss whether you resign or
I resign - - - a very old
French story about 'the English
man must shoot first.' She has
a pencil in her hair - very
impressionistic. You know you
should have some salt on your
hair it's so nice
because?
Nothing - its music. Ah this

is, this is, this is, is IT.

Do not worry about such things
as lighting a match. I give
you my key Clara - HEY - have
some yellow paper. If carried
away If Clara ever returns it.
Well, you did about a week,
after. Here's the salting ladyI will show her to you - salting
lady. She passed. Do not speak
any more - - - you have to
squeeze it, maid of the - - - .
I used to go every day - waitress.
I feel ashamed in
front of this girl - she looks
at me from far its wonderful its wo - onderEULi
Yes, have a drink lady, teaspoon
by teaspoon. No please take
this - Do I eat? You know why I
have one - I do - I do have it I want some tongue I will give
you some - but don't do too much
what? Suck it. Well I don't know
how I will get up early tomorrow I have a lesson at two no not with the "bellemere" You
don't know what a wonderful sensation it is - - - - - I have
some preference for some company where is our waiter where is he it sounds it doesn't
he?
Mina are you short-hand?, I
never knew it. I want tongue
sandwich, anyway it keeps me
awake. You know, she comes riding school fifty sixth street
you know she comes. Lunch
12 o'clock. Well you know it
was.
How do you light a cigar-

ette - how do you light a match

Did you, well it is not dangerous' at all - Did you got it?
Are you an American representative -. I am sorry. You are
Pennsylvania I am Boston. Do
you want some cigarettes - - Did
you put the pronunciation.
Waiter! tongue sandwiches. Do
you want hot milk. Two perfections she doesn't want anything
- you got it? She can't write
it down anyway - through the
flag oh some cigarettes - waiter
I want some cigarettes for Mina
- this is a wonderful tune Ti
lis li laera Mina I give you
two dollars, it means to me two
dollars - Ti li li laera - - it
is twice I need to shave now.
Demuth you must "be careful of
your key she keeps it aToout a

291 F i f t h Ave.,

New

A p r i l 13,
My dear Blind
You

York
1917.

week every key she geta she

keeps. You speak like Carlo,
well when he wants to imitate well have a drink! You know
those two girls are crazy about
that man, they mustn't, you must
get him out. I will have a
tongue sandwich - you must suck
it - - - Censorship! Don't let
your flag get wet - - is that
Billy Sunday. One should have
had an additional star Billy
Sunday - There's always a sky
in heaven! - - - that is too
low. My ancestor is tall
people. Don't write, he is going
to leave you for a minute.
Sandwiches - Oh I forgot to
telephone - what shall I say.
Ti li li laere - she said - all
right!
Compiled "by Mina Loy

the Society would not be playing into the hands

of d e a l e r s a n d c r i t i c s , n o r e v e n i n t o t h e h a n d s of

Man:

the artists themselves.

invite comment,

suggestions.

As I

un-

F o r t h e l a t t e r a r e influ-

enced b y n a m e s quite as m u c h as a r e public a n d

d e r s t a n d t h e I n d e p e n d e n t Society its chief f u n c -

c r i t i c s , n o t t o s p e a k of t h e d e a l e r s w h o a r e o n l y

t i o n is t h e d e s i r e t o s m a s h a n t i q u a t e d

i n t e r e s t e d i n n a m e s . T h u s e a c h b i t of w o r k w o u l d

ideas.

academic

T h i s f i r s t e x h i b i t i o n is a c o n c r e t e

move

stand on its o w n merits.

As a reality.

The pub-

lic w o u l d b e p u r c h a s i n g its o w n r e a l i t y a n d

not

year d u r i n g the exhibition, to withhold the names

a commercialized

the

of t h e m a k e r s of a l l w o r k s h o w n .

Society would be dealing a blow to the

in that direction.

W o u l d n ' t it be advisable n e x t
The

if o n t h e c a n v a s e s , o r o n t h e p i e c e s of
etc.,

exhibited

could

be

readily

names,

sculpture,

hidden.

c a t a l o g u e s h o u l d c o n t a i n , i n p l a c e of t h e
of a r t i s t s , s i m p l y n u m b e r s , w i t h t i t l e s if

The
names

desired.

O n t h e l a s t d a y of t h e E x h i b i t i o n t h e n a m e s of
the exhibitors could be m a d e public.

T h a t is e a c h

n u m b e r would be publicly identified.

A l i s t of

of

and

commercializing

inflated name.

names.

The

Thus

academy

public

might

g r a d u a l l y see f o r itself.
Furthermore

I would

suggest that

in

next

y e a r ' s c a t a l o g u e a d d r e s s e s of d e a l e r s s h o u l d
confined to the advertising pages.
dent Exhibition should
only :

be

run

The
for

be

Indepen-

one

thing-

T h e i n d e p e n d e n c e of t h e w o r k i t s e l f .

The

t h e identified n u m b e r s could also be sent to t h e

Society has m a d e a definite move in

p u r c h a s e r s of c a t a l o g u e s .

d i r e c t i o n , so w h y n o t f o l l o w i t u p w i t h s t i l l m o r e

the committee

T o n o o n e , o u t s i d e of

itself, should a n y n a m e s

vulged d u r i n g the exhibition.

wishing to purchase.

be

di-

Not even to those

In thus freeing the

exhi-

b i t i o n of t h e t r a d i t i o n s a n d s u p e r s t i t i o n s of n a m e s

the

right

definiteness.
NO J U R Y N O P R I Z E S N O

COMMERCIAL

TRICKS.
Alfred

Stieglitz.

Perhaps
THE BLIND MAN may become a
m o n t h l y p e r h a p s a quarterly

Bourgeois Galleries
668 FIFTH

AVENUE

perhaps a yearly
NEW

YORK

All depending on contributions,

literary and

financial.

Brave people who like to r u n

risks may s e n d to THe BLIND
MAN five dollars as subscription
and encouragement.

33

WEST

67TH

Old and Modem

Paintings

STREET

Paintings by American
Artists of Today:

Modern Gallery
500 F I F T H

AVENUE,

NEW

MARIN

DAUMIER

DEMUTH

McFEE

CEZANNE

DICKINSON

MILLER

LAUTREC

MYERS

VAN

BURLIN

FISK

GOGH

PICASSO

GLACKENS

NORDFELDT

HALPERT

PRENDERGAST

HARTLEY

MANRAY

PICABIA

KENT

SCHUMACHER

DERA1N

KUEHNE

WALKOWITZ

LAWSON

WORTMAN

LEVER

M. ZORACH

MAGER

and

MANIGAULT

W. ZORACH

YORK

BRANCUSI

MARIE

LAURENCIN

MANOLO
BURTY
VLAMINCK
RIVERA
BRAQUE

T h e Daniel Gallery

Mexican Pre-Conquest Art

2 West 47th St., New York

African Negro Sculpture