The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-10-13
NEWS OF THE CITY
DANCES RESPONSIBLE ]
FOR MAYNARD GIRLS
Humanitarians Say They Tend
Toward Wine Rooms and
Ruin for Unwary


That public dances and wine rooms
are responsible for leading young girls
astray, and that something should be
done to keep them off the streets and
away from those temptations, was as
serted yesterday by Miss Mary Bal
four, assistant probation officer
1T is shameful to see the young
girls lettering about the streets after
dark" said Miss Balfour. 1.-THE other
night 1 counted ten within two blocks
on Jackson street, and they were either
standing by themselves or talking to
boys no older than themselves. They
drift from the sidewalk to the dance
hall, and radiate from there to the wine
ROOM
1.-The policemen say they don't like to
arrest young girls, and the girls have
way of moving along when they see a
policeman approaching. l have had
opportunities to observe them and
know how they act.
''They are between the ages of four
teen and eighteen, and some of them
are working girls. Others do nothing
and even refuse to go to school. /
know of a number of girls who will
not go to school and who deceive their
parents into believing that they are
looking for work while they are walk
ing the streets.
Having nothing to do they drift into
the public dance halls, where they meet
young men who do not teach them
anything good. Some of them go home
about midnight when the dances break
up, and others loiter about before they
go home. Many of them frequently
stay out all night and tell their par
hnn
visiting friends. The friends are
generally posted to tell the parents
that the girl has told the truth.
Girls in Saloons
4 know that girls and young women
frequent saloons in this city, for | have
seen them go in and come out. / tried
to get into a place on Cedar street not
long ago, and when I was walking to-
ward the rear / was told by the pro-
prietor that if / went in there l would
see things L should not see.
I told him that he had no right to
have rooms enclosed where such things
could be witnessed. Other young Wom-
en- who went in the same place were
told the same thing. [ have seen
young women go in and out of place
on Eighth street, also"
While parents are primarily to blame
for young girls being on the streets at
night the curfew law ought TO be en-
forced said Probation Officer Graves
1--WE have now on probation five wom-
en- and girls and can do nothing with
any others until they have been given
to us through the police court.
Parents should be careful about
their girls, for we do not get them to
watch until they are so hardened that
we have difficulty in improving them.
The time to stop girls from going
wrong is before they first begin to get
the habit of going out and telling their
parents in q vague way that they have
been just down the street. or have
stopped at Maggie's over night.
Difficulties Encountered
Ceases of incorrigibility are frequent
ly reported to this society" said HUI
name Agent Moak, and 1 investigate
them all. Many of the girls may be
restrained by warning, but some have
become so Maynard that it is neces-
sary to send them to the state training
school. We dislike to take such severe
measures as sending a girl away, how
ever, when it is possible to keep her
under control at home.
L frequently see girls on the streets
at night, but I have noticed that when
they see my uniform they get out of
sight. They seem to understand that
they have no right TO occupy the street
corners after dark and are afraid of
policemen
T. A. Abbott, president of the HUI
name society, said that the question of
protecting young girls had bee consid-
cred by the society and that action
would be taken. He said, however,
that he was not prepared to make
public what measures would be resort
ed to.
Chief O'Connor said that the patrol
men and detectives have instructions
10 keep girls and women off the streets
at late hours, and that many are every
night warned to go home. The officers
are ordered to arrest those that refuse
to go