Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-08-02
DANCE SPELLS
ETERNAL RUIN
"M0THER" ROBERTS ISSUES
APPEAL TO GIRLS
BIDS THEM BEWARE OF FIRST
STEP DOWNWARD
VIII Speak at First Methodist Church
on the Fatal Consequences Re-
sultng from Frequenting
Public Halls

mat the dance nall IS the first an
the great step to the downfall of hun
dreds and thousands of bright girl
and boys has been proved, it is de
clared by Mother" Roberts, who ha
come to Los Angeles to fight agains
the monster evil
Mother" Roberts, as she is lovingl,
known by the hundreds whom she ha.
aided, is working night and day to stoI
this nefarious business that she saws
is sapping the life of the young gen
Grafton, and, although she believes il
formation of the young characte
rather than reformation, she has be
friended hundreds of homeless and
downcast girls who trace their frs
step downward to the brightly lighted
dance hall with its music and glitter
In furthering her work Mother
Roberts will speak to parents this
afternoon at 3 o'clock at the First
Methodist church on the evils of the
dance hall and to what 1t leads.
Mother" Roberts, through The Her
aid, issues the following sermon OF
warning and advice:
Poor, pretty, deluded girl!
You never dreamed who was watch
ing you that evening as you so quick
ly, so stealthily, so quietly glided into
that cafe. You never dreamed who
presently saw you slip out again (but
not alone) to that lodging house, with
It's sign Rooms by the day. week or
MONTH
"Mum's the Word"
"By the by he put you on your car
for home, tipped his hat and left you
and you said, oh, so softly so guard
edly to him just before he did this:
NUNS the word
"And what did you tell mother when
you kissed her goodnight, feeling, as
you did SO: such contempt for your
guilty, lying, deceitful self? You
would give all the world at that mo-
ment to recall what you are doing,
have done and will do again, as you
presently lie down on your bed MAX
Ing such good resolutions.
But deep down in your heart you
know you are not going to keep them,
for you have made another date with
MIN, and presently, you are going to
tell mother some awful lies so that you
may be able to keep this next date
and so you continue for the next, and
the next, and the next, and with each
step you are getting deeper and deeper
into the pit that was dug for you long
ago-long before you ever knew any
thing about It; for when you Law in
your pretty mothers arms for the first
time Satan saw you were a goodly
child and made up his diabolical mind
that he was some day going to DOS
sess you for all eternity.
Mother lay there, oh so happy as
she looked at her beautiful little new
born daughter and pictured and made
the most precious plans for your
future.
Mother Weeps Bitter Tears
Before long-listen, dear-mother is
going to weep the bitterest, most ag-
onizing, heart-breaking tears of her
life, and in her awful anguish, because
of her pretty girls downfall is going
to cry out oh, God, why didn't you
take her when she was little innocent
babe? Yes. for now that the truth has |
come to light, she would rather have |
buried you had she but known.
Poor mother! You love her and now |
you are miserable because you have
broken her heart. You would give all |
the world to retract, but you cannot |
do it now. You never dreamed that
step would lead to this-that in few
short years it would find you a dying
pauper, all alone, without God or
iful, repulsive object, In perhaps the
county hospital, and you know that
soon you will fill a nameless grave.
"You have nothing else to do now
but lie there suffering and thinking,
and thinking, and thinking. Nothing
but the most abject misery and re-
morse are yours as you review the
:
came about and how at first the girls
at school and you used to get together
in the anteroom or yard and discuss
sociology Perhaps someone would
tell a naughty story, the next one a
still naughtier, and so on.
Indulge In Impure Thoughts {
you had your boy sweetheart Your
mind, being filled with impure
thoughts, begins to ventilate itself. In
IN unguarded moment you converse
as you should not--With him. Soon he !
IS repeating this to other boys. They,
also, are now started on the downward
path. BY and by you graduate from
have learned to dance, and
you persuade mother there is no real
harm in it. but mother does not know !
you as she thinks she does, for you
began to deceive her long time ago. !
You never meant to, but you have to .
admit this Is true, dear girl
How came 1t that you ever thought s
le chat young fellow who asked you
% waltz with him) was so charming? '
Yes, he treated you to ice cream soda !
lfterward and, yes, you captivated !
Tim. He frankly admits this, and l.
won't you promise to meet me again?' 4
lie says he would rather dance with I
'ou than eat or sleep, and you believe c
lin. You meet him again. Perhaps
our girl friend is with you. EIe intro {
uces you both to his chum. BY and
" you are told he and his chum own
n automobile wouldn't you like a l
ide? No harm in 1t. Just q little in
ocent spin.' You look askance at
our girl friend, and soon the four of
ou are speeding along together. Oh,
ear, If you had only not allowed him p
o persuade you to stop anywhere for
efreshments. Poor, poor grille!
Mother Is Deceived
Mother is SO relieved when you
each home, but how you loathe your
elf when you lie to her, for it is very
tie. The next time you went you
aged all night. Mother believed you q
ere with your chum, whom she trusts, Re
n she has never known either Of you in
} do wrong. You have often hereto IN
IRE stayed all night with her during nj
our school days, because you could
clip one another to prepare studies for OF
= A,
why did you again Yield after that tr
'st slip on the downward path to as
lother step down, and another, and M
iother, and yet another. until one
w you found yourself in a ctrange ce
ty, in strangely conducted house, va
charge of his woman friend who In
had persuaded you has now your
al interest at heart? err
HAS she? Take q good look!
NOW, you must dance, must drink, an
ust smoke, must entertain the men ia,
no call, even though you abhor them,
ID, all the money (for you are in her
bit for shelter, food, finery, etc, until 4.
u despair of any loophole through "