New-York tribune., 1900-07-15

access, which access is made more easy when
the dancing class gives entertainment Tbs
proprietor knows when to embarrass liberal
members Of the class by reminder of the bar,
and when they will relieve their embarrassment
by inviting their guests to drink. Here again We
find positive influence for bad. due to the kind
OF places in which such dancing classes alone
can meet. The desire for this recreation is gen
eral and opportunity for it's expression yitiated
because of the surroundings OF the places in
which dancing classes in the vast majority Of
cases meet.
THE DRAMA AN INFLUENCE FOR GOOD
THE Drama.-The East Side drama is perhaps
the best OF the social and recreative influences
of the quarter The plays presented compare
more than favorably with those rendered In the
uptown theatres. Virtue has its own reward,
with interest at a high rate. Wickedness is
condemned and punished amid the applause OF
all the spectators. and but for the sympathy
which is sometimes led to feel for the VII
lain, upon whom misfortunes never come singIy
one might feel that the moral influence OF the
drama could not be better. In fact though the
aesthetic quality is defective the moral quality
is usually wholesome and good; and l should be
doubtful about speaking Of the stage as an In
fluence for evil to any great degree. The music
halls are less reputable, and the music so largely
theOretic that one can discount the proper in
fuence Of music and decide that the net result
which gathers IN most Of the downtown music
halls is in most cases of a doubtful character
| THE Influences of Government-The character
| Of the government in the city, State and Nation
affects all classes and I doubt il it is realized
that the government affects the moral char
acter of the poor to a far larger degree than II
affects the moral character OF the middle and
/ upper classes. The government controls the
physical condition of the life Of the poor through
| its inspection Of the tenement houses, it's Fire
/ Department regulations the efficiency and char
acter OF its street cleaning work and of It's
Building Department. The enterprise of its
Park Department provides most OF the recreative
| privileges which the poor enjoy. Its publc
! schools provide the only public privilege to
which the poor can aspire. These places present
TO the children of the poor their most clearly de-
/ fined conception of the embodiment Of law
What help our poor boys would be what VII
| be the character of their physical SURROUNDINGS
/ what the kind Of education which they receive
what their theory Of law and order. viii come
| directly indirectly from the public Of
| hcials whom they see personally or by whose
/ acts they are affected. At the time of the Iexcw
| Committee the small ragamuffins all over the
| city invented game called Protection which
/ they used TO play with the greatest delight. The
public was amused, but sorre OF Us had occasion
to take the joke very seriously. II meant that
| hundreds and thousands Of BOYS had reached
the conviction that law and order we're a farce
and that that conviction. eStablsI.e,! in 5oyhood
would bring forth disastrous fruitage In later
years. We are dealing with some Of those game
sters now and some Of them are filing our tails
| and reformatories because Of their further re-
hection on the subject Of law and order Wher-
| ever you find an ignorant government and a
corrupt government ;heTe you will find a tre-
/
| the character of the boys Of your community"