Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-08-06
BAD FOR GIRLS.
The Periis of the Skating Rink and the
Profits That Keep the Craze Alive.

Profits That Keep the Craze Alive.
There is 100000 invested in
Kinks and roller skating in the United
States, said Samuel j. Byrne. OF the
Christian street rink. yesterday, .and
an average of one patent a day, appli-
cable to roller skating. is issued at
Washington. In the absence of act
ual statistics, says the Philadelphia
Times, the correctness of Mr.. Byrnes
estimate is questioned in other quar-
tiers, though there are few towns of q
800 people or over where the rink has
not found foothold. Six months ago
there was but one rink in Philadelphia;
now there are over twenty in full blast.
Like most popular crazes. the rink cpl
demic is mostly manufactured, and is
got up entirely to make money out of
roller skates. Little money is spent
upon the rinks-thc principal expense
in the best of them being for smooth,
hard floor. Generally some large, old
building is selected or hall rented,
and IN several instances in this city the
rinks are nothing more than the upper
floors of stables. In two cases meat
markets have been turned into Kinks.
1t Is said it was a Frcnc hman named
Iyars who first invented skates on roll
ers, but the man whose name is most
generally associated with the roller
skate is a Boston Yankee named Plimp-
ton, who retired with several millions
from the invent on. He was furni-
ture manufactures, and is said to have
got the idea from seeing the chairs and
bcdstc DIS spun along the floor on cas-
tors. One OF tHc very latest inventions
Is an ankle corset. TO lessen the danger
from sprained ankles, which is always
great. Each rink has large supply
of skates which are rented for ID or 70
cents for a stated period. Where
thousands engage daily this becomes
quite an item. Very many, of course,
buy their own skates, which are three
fourths profit to the manufacturer.
Inc Kinks. principally the larger ones,
are TO great extent connected under
the same management and are run BY
or have some business connection with
the skate-makers.
Another odd circumstance is that the
managers and men at the head of the
Kinks are in hardly any instance men
belonging to Philadelphia. They are
nearly all strangers here, and the men
they surround themselves with-the
teachers, the exhibition skaters, the
ushers, and even the so-called special
policemcn-are also men whom nobody
knows anything about, though many
of them are unfortunate in having
style of appearance that does not rec
ommend them. They are generally
Al hnt
air, and wear imitation diamond studs
to captiyatc the feminine eye. In some
cases they wear uniforms with numet-
Gus brass buttons. The teachers and
exhibition skaters nearly always dress
very fancilully, with velvet breechcs
and bright stockings, and often wear
lot of medals on their breasts. The
charges made for teaching how to skate
in the better class of Kinks is 50 for fif-
teen lessons, or 80 cents for a single
lesson. As matter of fact there is
little teaching, and the so-caTled pro
fessors" are really kept as ''attrac-
tons, to keep up the interest among
the girls. The professor" are as IL
rule good-looking, well-built. graceful
young fellows, and they can hardly
ever be seen with an ugly girl in tow.
Wherever the professor" is seen
skating he is almost certain to have
pretty girl whom he supports with
scientific balance peculiar to the ex-
pert alone. 1t is not tiresome exer-
else, and almost any one can skate for
several hours without fatigue. The
Kinks are open all day vs. well as night,
and it Is Il very common occurrence for
Il young girl 10 20 to rink with
young man ut , o clock in the after
noon and skate col ,inuously until 8 or
&. During all that time he holds both
her hands. one of his arms braces her
i'll front above the waist, and they lean
upon and brush each other with every
swayins motion. lac position is diff
cult and has 70 be learned The man.
with the girl OH hi, right, puts her left
arm ia front Of him -nd holds it firmly
as brace, with her left hand in his
left hand. His right arm he puts
through under the elbow of her left
arm and with her right hand in his
right hand she hold, his arm against
her as brace. Thus braced and
shoulder to shoulder they move well to-
gether, the man. right foot following
between hers and her left between his,
each intermciiating. Either some
young man or one of the attendants
puts on the girls skates and straps
them and takes them off again, and al
SO adjusts the high "ankle corsets"
when they are worn. As rule, when
a young man meets girl at rink and
skates with her he winds up the eve
ming by creating her" at some of the
rants that have sprung up adjacent to
these places.