Sunday morning globe., 1901-11-03
Dancing schools.
Their DemOralizing Character on
Young Girls.
THEIR FREE-FOR-AlL FRIENDS"

to Attend Them Some Good Schools
But The Great Majority Are Mol Up 10 the
Standard
A visit to some Of the night dancing
schools Of Washington would probably
open the eyes Of the mothers of the
young damsels taking lessons other
Than learning how to trip the light
fantastic. The male teachers range in
age from is to % years, but it Is not
from these teachers that the greatest
danger to the young girls attending
the schools come. As a rule the teach.
ors attend ltrictly to the business end
or the Academy and collect their shek.
els. The young men and women at.
teDd the schools dance until midnight
from So'clock p. m But half an hour
is allowed for scholars or teaching the
art to the new beginner. At s o'clock
promptly all take the floor and from
that hour until midnight the fun is
fast and furious with intervals for
liquid lcRreshments at some cafe or
ladies' parlor. Here the young girl
learns to drink, maybe for the first
time. Then the rag time dance suits
her stimulated body and she throws
Lerself heartily into the two-step semi
hoochy Coochy "ChtUdree." as the BOYS
call the suggestive dance.
Yes said Mr. Harry A. Dunlen,
who formerly kept a small private
school, these places are suitably de-
signed to take young girl along the
course. She begins all right. but i'm
numberless cases that 1 know she
winds up the CHER way. ] never knew
The mother Of any young girl who was
ever willing to let her daughter attend
these schools. The mothers instinct
In this instance is correct. The boys
who attend all know that their girl
companions are self-willed, disobedi-
eut, lassiCs, inclined to be fast and
they soon get them agoing. The resta-
urant and the wine room in the begin
ming, and then tie assignation house
follows IN the natural order along the
road to ruin. AT these schools which
are usually opened three nights each
week all are acquainted and every
thing is free and easy; nothing stiff or
formal. Except In the so-called "ChiU-
dree' the dances are decorous enough
and the teachers preserve fair order in
across the street or around the corner
to liquer up soon wears off all reserve
and the girl will 90 the pace as will.
ingly as her male companion, especial.
ly If he is a graceful dancer. These
young girls are fairly infatuated with
dancing and on the three nights Of
the week when their particular school
is closed up they will attend another
school which happens to be opened
by pre-arrangement the three alternate
nights, so that many of them attend
these schools every night in the week"
Said another eX-teacher when asked
about the demoralizing effect of these
schools and the debauchment Of the
girls attending them.
Well, / will give you my expert
ence and you can Judge for yourself.
The very first night l attended 1 at
tracted the attention by my dancing
Of a very handsome young girl not
quite II. She flirted with me. or rath-
er made eyes and I promptly closed in
and asked her TO dance We danced
and frequently had refreshments sol
ids and some liquids, and the result
was ,)this-that neither Of us went
home that night Now this expert
ence is nothing unusual. And to show
you the class Of respectable girls or
rather girls of respectable families
who attend these schools l have only
to state that this girl whom [ gallant
ed for over q year married a short
while ago "a very industrious and de.
cent young fellow, who little dreams
that his young wife has had probably
more experience than himself with
washington after-midnight!"
Several other tributes to these places
as feeders for the assignation house.
the wine room and debauchment gen.
rally have been offered The Globe. but
sufficient has been produced I'm the
foregoing to warn the parents of young
danmsels who desire permission to at.
tend these schools to deny .-e same
and 20 prevent, If possible. their daugh.
ters from committing moral suicide uB.
der the pretense of learning how to
dance. No doubt there are properly
conducted schools where this graceful
is taught without dan
ger to the morals Of young girls but
that there are many of the other kind
TOO many in fact, goes without saving
and that they are made use of by the
male lbertines to secure victims for
their lusts we have the most indisput-
able proofs.