Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-07-30
PITFALLS AT THE RINK.
Professional Skaters who
Trap Silly Young Girls How the
ssMashers,, operate.
New York Star.

|
| Trap silly Young GfrIs-How the
ssMashers'' operate.
New York Star
''That was pretty good story pub
| lished some days ago about an hcIress
marrying the roller skate chap out in
Ohio" said prominent young society
gentleman to the society editor. ''True
I s'pose?"
Eyes, quite true"
"Well I must say it's sot ia the
least astonishing-not to me at any
rate. I'd rather you wouldn't use my
name in connection with anything |
may happen to say on the subject, but
there is good deal of general means
ness roaming about hand finland 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 perquis-
ties indigenous 10 the skating rink eli
mate.
ga girl whose nose would immedi-
ately study astronomy if addressed at
a church fair by young man whose
social position she considers beneath
her, will gush freely into a skating
rink over some professional chap on
wheels who is a sort of cross between
a second-rate variety performer and
| third rate end man in barn storming
minstrel troop This is where the
great 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 naked society of these
places which you condemn?'
Exactly There are large num-
Der of young social parasites who
hang around these places for the
openly avowed purpose of perfo rming
that wonderful feat of modern times
which has been not inaptly termed
'mashing.' It is the character and
reputation OF the victim which gener
ally has the misfortune to get mash
ed"
'sThese 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 care
fully have their little lesson in social
| al xxyoI1 loo cd onG hn
sure, never by any chance wear their
real characters upon their coat sleeves
for DAVIS to peck at. They generally
experience lite difficulty in securing
introductions to the most a1istocratic
and most susceptible maidens in the
rink, and then the rest is clear sail
ing and the trouble commences"
"What do you mean by 'trou-
ble?'"
''Just what l trouble. It is a
trouble, too, which in many cases
will find It's way far 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"
cit is impossible to always have it
otherwise. The management may be
very careful in the matter of keeping
aloof from contact with wellSknown
or notorious immoral characters, yet
there is class Of patrons who are
vastly more dangerous than even
these I refer to the large number Of
persons who have long been under>
going a process Of moral decay at the
core without having yet broken that
portion Of the shell which is visible to
the casual observer. Such persons
are careless of speech and sly in in
situation. Without being openly res
pulsive in conduct, they sow the
seeds in the minds of thoughtless as
sociates, which must eventually bloss
som forth into harvest of immoral
ity. These subtle acd secret moral
lepers have never been classed as any>
thing 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 ia the
ordinary walks of social life have
been taught to consider as far above
themselves, they are pretty certain to
make the most of their opportunities.
This is one Of the evils of skating
rinks."
''There are other evils, then?"
''Scores of them. No rink at the
present time is considered complete
without its complement of travelling
professionals, who give exhibitions
for the amusement of amateur pats
rons. These professionals are of both
L IL L I
are the chaps who should be marked
particularly dangerous It is to the
interest OF the management of the
rlnks that these fellows should be as
handsome and fair. to look upon as
possible, and the consequence is they
are generally just too sweet
for anything, according to the
vernacular Of their silly victims.
They are graceful, too-it is a part of
their business. You may not believe
| - 1,,4 a