Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-03-18
SHALL THE RINK COZ"
Another Important Social Question to
be Solved.

Now that Cleveland has been inaugur
ated, and other national matters of more
or less interest disposed of, the Omahs
Republican announces that it is time that
a social question OF great importance tc
the west should be considered, and, il
possible, settled. This question is, Shall
the roller-skating rink go?
/ After mature deliberation, critical ex-
animation and several tumbles of more
or less velocity, the Republican arrives at
the conclusion that there are some rea-
sons why the rink should 90 and some
why it should stay. Our principal reason
why it should go is perhaps more or less
personal, and is based upon the very
natural feelings of one who has been
badly treated-who has been buffeted, as
it were, this way and that, who has seen
and felt the hard floor rise. up against
him, who has been thrown by skates and
other circumstances in the full front of
the grand march Of the other artists, and
who, therefore, is inspired by vengeance
to proclaim the necessity of the abolish
ment of the rink. On the other hand,
our main reason why the rink should stay
springs from vindictive desire that it
shall live to infiict upon other men humil-
iations and black-and-blue spots similar
to our own. 1t will be seen that while
this logic is neither as deep as a barn
door nor as broad as q well, it possesses
certain elements of strength, and leads to
a conclusion that will not be receded
from,
We are inclined to think that the rink
Will stay whether it ought to or not. AS
q matter of entertainment to the specta-
tor it is a success, no matter whether the
skaters are good or bad. If good they are
very graceful-if bad, very funny. For
the skaters themselves the exercise must
be very beneficial under any eircum-
stances. If they are proficient they feel
the exhilaration and the grace which
they exhibit, while if they are not pro-
ficient they receive lesson i'll what may
be called the differentiation of attitude,
and gain knowledge of the possibilities
of contortion in the physical frame, which
must be liberal education.
Skating is much more beautiful and
certainly more healthful than dancing,
and, if the moral line must be drawn, is
doubtless better. Engaged in by the
people who dance, and governed by the
rules which obtain in the fashionable
ballroom, it would become in every
respect higher method of amusement.
The skating, itself, intrinsically, is
as harmless as it is pleasant 1t
would be much more desirable to
do away with the dance than
with the rink, if something must
CO." Even the inane creatures who
are the masculine "belles of the ball"
would look as though they were capable
OF something intelligent if they were on
skates, so that from purely intellectual
standpoint the exchange of the ball
room for the skating hall would be bene-
fetal
For many years the churches con-
tended against dancing, but were finally
forced to give up the fight. They are
beginning now to attack the rink. Would
it not be better plan for them to de-
fend skating, while insisting that the
amusement should be wisely, politely
and morally regulated.