Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-09-10

]
Dance House Shut UP--A Prayer Meet
ing Held There.
From the n. Y. Tribune, August 81.
The Wickedest Man in New York shut
up his dance house on Saturday night.
AS the clock struck Il, and the Sabbath
crossed the verge of midnight, the in
fernal den was closed nevermore, John
Allen says, to beopened as a dance house.
Having heard it rumered that the Wick
edest Nan had actually and finally shut
up shop on Saturday night, we went
down there yesterday to take an obser-
walton and learn the exact facts of the
we found the house closed and the fol-
lowing notice posted on the door:
''THIs DANCE HOUSE Is CLOSED!
"Ne gentlemen admitted unless ac-
eompanied by their wives who wish to
employ Magdalens as domestics.
JOHN ALLEN"
There were groups of people in the
street talking about the Wickedest Man e
unprecedented course, and some un-
friendly feeling toward him was discov-
cradle, although the balance of feeling
was decidedly in his favor. We raped
at the door, and it was opened by hale,
clean shaved and clean shirted man,
|
/ tions, and rather good looking.
"Are you John Allen ?" we asked.
sYes, sir" he replied.
"Are you the Wickedest Man in New
York ?"
"Some sensation reporters have called
me So" he responded; ''but L don't con-
slider myself such, and my neighbors
don't either. There is MT anybody in
the ward that would call me So"
"Will you answer a few plain ques-
tions ?" we asked.
''To the best of my ability, I WILL y re-
piled the wickedest man; and thereupon
the following dialogue ensued:
Reporter-"Have you shut up your
dance house for good ?"
Allen-Yes, sir; shut it up for good
last night at Y O'Clock.
Reporter-What made you quit the
business ?n
Allen-"Because have come to the
conclusion that it is wrong TO keep such
a place; and also to crafty my poor old
father, who is tottering on the brink of
the grave, and my brothers and sisters,
who are all respectable people; ard also
for the sake of my children, to whom l
waat to set good example,"
Reporter-"Don't you intend ever to
keep dance house again ?"
Allen-'NOti if can help it."
Reporter-"Whatd do you mean by ''if
you can help it? ?"
Allen-"I mean, if can ndanything
else to make a living at"
Reporter-"But they say you are rich.
What do you want employment for ?"
Allen-"Well, if am rich, L can't be
idle. must do something. 1 like an
active life."
Reporter-"Theni if you can't better,
you'll go back to keeping dance house
again? Is that what you mean?n
Allen-''No sir. I'd carry hod be-
fore I'd go into the dance house business
again. I've done evil enough, and now
Pm going to try to do some good.p-
Spoken with emphasis.)
''When L read what Mr.. Dyer says
about my children's yet planting flowers
on my grave, and not bIushing at my
memery. felt as thought wanted that
to be so; and kept reading it over and
over, and at last said, if live long
enough that shall be So and L have
read it almost every day since, and every
time Ihavesaid, 1t shall be so, if L live" }"
Fortunately, this man had sagacious
Christian friends to encourage him in
his good resolutions. But the devil had
bors got wind of what was going on, and
him, and ridiculed him; called him a
Methodist; wanted to know when he
was going to join the church, and did
all they could to keep him from "going
over to the enemy" as they called his
mediteted abandonment of the dance
house business.
"Why don't you kick them prayin'
fellers out'n your house ?" Indignantly
exclaimed one of his alarmed neighbors,
"You're lettin' 'em come runnin' there
so much, singin' their camp meetin'
hymns, that eff you don't look out you'll
soon be as bad as any of 'em ~
But Aliens true friends gained stead
lily on him. He began to stop swearing
and using obscene language, and iran
lighter on rum.n One day, when Mr..
Arneld expostulated with him for swear
ing, he said, ''That's right, Arnold, L
want to stop the use of bad language, and
whenever you hear me use a profane
word, or foul word, you just say to me,
'Hew do you parse that, joint? and I'll
take thehint.n And he has actually made
great progress in comeliness of speech,
and also in sobriety.
Yesterday afternoon Allen attended
IA.
At the close of the service it was an
nounced that Allen had shut up his
dance house, and that he would make a
few remarks. Coming forward with diff
fdence and hesitation, he said:
my Friends-Ladies and Gentlemen:
I'm not accustomed to addressing audi
ences, and don't intend to say much
I've been called the Wickedest Man in
New York, and haue done good deal
of evil, but I'm sorry for my past life,
and intend to see if | can't now do
little good. suppose 1 shall have a
hard time of it, and often get set back
one way and another; but if my Chris
tian friends will stand by me, hope 1
shall hold out, and do some good. I'm
most obliged for your courtesy, and will
do the best / can"
Aliens manner was modest and
straig ghtforward, and he seemed to be
sincere in his intention to reform. Many
gentlement shook him cordially by the
hand, and promised to stand by him in
his efforts to atone for his past life.
DIsFoRTUNEs are like thunder and
stormy elouds-in the distance they
appear black, but when over our heads
they are scarcely gray. As bad dreams
denote an agreeable future, SO it will be
with the often painful dream of life when
it is past. All our strong feeling, like
ghosts, have their influence for certain
period only; and if man were to say to
himself this passion, this pain, this rap
ture is sure after three days to loose it's
effect on the mind, then would he always
be more composed and quiet.-Jean Paul
Richter.
The shadows of the mind are like
those of the body: In the morning of
life they all lie behind us; at noon we
trample them under foot, and in the
evening they stretch long, broad and
deepening before us. Are not, then, the
sorroWS of childhood as dark as those of