College May Ban Animal Nudity

The Society for Indecency to Naked Animals (SINA), a national association formed four years ago "to protect our children from the sight of naked horses, cows, dogs, and cats," will attempt to start a campus chapter of the organization at Harvard, Bruce Spencer, vice-president of SINA, told the CRIMSON yesterday.

SINA, which now claims 50,000 members in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain, was founded by the late G. Clifford Prout, who left $400,000 to his son, G. Clifford Prout, Jr., for the purpose of clothing all naked animals that appear in public, including any animal "that stands higher than four inches or is longer than six inches." The junior Prout, now president of SINA, has devoted all his energies to carrying out his father's plans, despite attempts by the rest of his family to contest the will.

The Society spends most of its time distributing literature ("Decency Today Means Morality Tomorrow") and serving printed "summonses" to persons found violating SINA's Constitution by appearing in public with naked animals. These documents warn that "the SINA Constitution requires you to answer this summons in person or through a sworn statement before the Executive Board of SINA...within ten days after issuance....setting forth a complete explanation of your actions." Violators ignoring summonses shall "in the name of decency...be deemed unworthy of ever appearing on the SINA membership rolls...."

Clothe Every Pet

SINA also boasts a marching song, "Wings of Decency," which begins: "High on the wings of SINA/We fight for the future now/Let's clothe every pet and animal/Whether dog, cat, horse. or cow./G. Clifford Prout, our president./ He works for you and me,/So clothe all your pets and join the march/For worldwide decency."

When Clifford Prout, Jr. comes to Harvard (in late March or early April), he will probably declare Cambridge a "moral disaster area" because of its tolerance of animal nudity. In Prout's view the sight of naked animals "triggers moral deterioration and helps explain why there is so much juvenile delinquency and adult crime." Presumably, the proposed campus chapter of SINA woud correct this laxity by providing knickers, shorts, and other coverings for the local fauna. (A SINA "emergency clothesmobile" cruises the streets of New York with simple animal garments for the worst cases of indecency.)

Many persons have expressed concern that the Society is "for" Indecency is Naked Animals rather than against it. Spencer explained that the name was specified in the elder Prout's will, which must be followed to the letter. "The old man was not in the best of mental health when he died," Spencer added.