St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-06-21
PITFALLS OF THE RINK,
Where Parental Authority Should
draw the Lines.

draw the Lines.
Travelling Professionals Who Take in
Silly Young Girls.
''That was pretty good story published
in the GLOBE some days ago about the heir
ess marrying the roller skate chap down in
Ohio" said a prominent young society gen.
tleman. ''True, s'pose?"
eyes, quite true-too true"
'sWell, l must say it's not in the least
astonishing-nO to ME, at any rate. I'd
rather you wouldn't use my name in con-
nection with anything may happen to say
on the subject, but there is a good deal of
general meanneSs roaming about hand-in-
hand with this roller skate craze, This
roaming lion attends the Kinks seeking whom
it may devour and generally manages to
find the necessary ingredients for pretty
substantial sort of meal. There is kind OF
undress uniform brand OF morality which
grows cOrpulent upon the provender which
it manages to pick up in the highways and
byways of skating Kinks. Social dignity
don't match the appurtenances and per-
quisiteS indigenous to the
SKATING RINK CLIMATE
A girl whose nose would Immediately
study astronomy if addressed at a church
fair by young man whose social position
she considers beneath her, will gush freely
in skating rink over some professional
chap on wheels who is sort of cross be-
tween secOnd-rate variety performer and
third-rate end man in transforming
Thto sc how no "A
danger lies, and the sooner the parents of
giddy, inexperienced girls recognize the fact
and place the seal Of their displeasure upon
the manner of the performance, the better
will it be for the peace and morality of the
community"
''Is it the mixed society Of these places
which you condemn"
Exactly. There are large number of
these places for the openly avowed purpose
of performing that wonderful feat OF mod
ern times which has been not inaptly termed
'mashing.' 1t is the character and reputa-
ton Of the victim, however, which generally
has the misfortune to
GET Mashed
These social parasites invariably dress
well, are graceful upon skates and well up
in the Establishments which are so often
fatal to the peace of mind of foolish young
girlhood. They have surveyed the ground
carefully, have their little lesson in social
ethics well learned, and, you may be sure,
never by any chance wear their real charac-
tiers upon their coat sleeves for DAVIS to peck
at. They generally experience little diff
Guilty in securing introductions to the most
aristocratic and most susceptible maidens
in the rink and then the rest is clear sailing
and the trouble commences"
''What do you mean by trouble?"
ssJust what I say-trouble. 1t is trou-
BILE, too, which in many cases will find its
way tar enough beyond the walls of the
skating Kinks and across the thresholds of
even fine residences. The moral atmosphere
of many skating Kinks is bound to be more
or less
TAINTED AND IMPURE.
1t is impossible to always have it other
wise. The management may be very care
full in the matter of keeping aloOf from con-
tact with well-known or notorious immoral
characters, yet there is class of patrons
who are vastly more dangerous than even
these refer to the large number of per-
SONS who have long been undergoing a pro-
cess of moral decay at the core without hav-
ing yet broken that portion of the shell
which is visible to the causal observer. Such
persons are careless of speech and sly in in
situation. Without being openly repulsive
in conduct, they SOW the seeds in the minds
of thoughtleSs associates, which must even
tually blossom forth into a harvest of i'm
morality. These subtle and secret moral
lepers have never been classed as anything
more than fast, and therefore cannot be
excluded from enjoying the free use OF the
Kinks. AS they can there freely associate
on terms of equality with those whom they,
in the ordinary walks of social life, have
been taught to consider as far above them
selves, they are pretty certain to make the
most of their opportunities. This is one Of
the evils of skating Kinks"
s"'There are other evils, them"
ssScores of them. No rink at the present
time is considered complete without its COM
plelnent of
TRAVELLING PROFESSIONALS,
who give exhibitions for the amusement of
amateur patrons. These professionals are
of both sexes, but the male bipeds OF this
class are the chaps who should be marked
particularly dangerous 1t is to the in
terest of the management of the Kinks that
these fellows should be as handsome and
fair to look upon as possible, and the con-
sequence is they are generally Just too
sweet for anything according to the verna-
cular of their silly victims. They are grace
full. too-it is part Of their business. You
may not believe it, perhaps but it is never
theless a fact that these fellows, who, as a
rule, could not make living in any OF the
manly and elevating walks of life if they
were to be hung for it, can count the silly
young girls, by the scores and hundreds,
who are quite willing to dance when they
pull the string. The beauty of this state Of
affairs, too, lies in the fact that large ma
iority of the silly girls belong to as respect
able families as there are in the city. This
fact is not in the least surprising. 1t is only
natural that these
MIGRATORY CHAPS
should embrace the opportunity and aim
high. To prove these assertions you will
only need to let your memory wander back
few DAYS to the mOmentouS occasion when
a popular young heel manipulation an
nounced through the public press that he
had decided to give each lady attendant at
his rink present upon certain evening.
You remember, of course, what that pres
ent was to be? His own photograph! Ye
gods the photograph of a professional
skatist in the albums of aristOcratic. and
silly young girls. And he did it, too. His
skillful heels now adorn the albums OF sew
eral hundred ladies.
'sYou paint truly alarming outlook"
ssAnd why should / not? You might say
that the rink is not more Objectionable than
the waltz. This is true-with a very im-
porta1it difference. No young lady Of cor
rect social circles is allowed to attend a
dance where the society is of mixed char
acter. If the same rules could be applied
to skating Kinks the danger would be largely
averted."
HYGIENE OF KISSES.