The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1908-12-11
POLICE LET
PITFALLS
ALONE
TRAPS WHERE GIRLS
ARE LURED ARE
FLOURISHING.
Owners Make Big Profits
Out of the Wretched
Business.

tfNAf AihAA AANNfFtANAhN ~ ~
hands Of an administration thaf
seeks 10 protect the city from onlT
such eyil as flannts itself openly
the public dance halls, once
driven out Of the city. are making
their appearance again.
Stirred by the financial success
which one Of these perniclous instk
tutious encountered from the mo-
ment Il opened its doors. other per
sons seeking to acquire sudden
wealth. and caring not in thcir
greed for gain how many lives are
ruined or how many homes DESC
lated. have searched the city oyar
for available quarters. and as a re-
suit four or five dance halls ere
running al present, and there ara
rumOrs that several more viii b
open Ia the near future.
prsamisnd Running. 2
The Dreamiand pavilion. Seq
enth and Union. f. the largest, and.
perhaps the most patronized. The
hall at Fourth and Pine. once COM
Quoted by a man who IL now Ia
the peuitentiary, and closed montha
ago by order OF public officers whd
recognized lis immoral influences,
Is open again.
Plans are making. according Ia
report. 10 open up Eagles han FOE
public dances, conducted on ths
same style as the Dreamiand pavEL
ion. In the near future. The ma
iority 81 these places follow the
plan introduced here by the man
ayers Of the Dreamlaud rink. %
charging s cents for each dance.
and completing one dance every
minutes.
when a is considered that az tho
Dreamlaud pavilion there are fro
quently several hundred persons
on the floor at one time, eoma~
thing OF an idea OF the amount "a
money which one Of these places
takes In each night can be gained.
Are immoral.
To outward appearances these
dance halls are conducted strictly
within the bounds Of respcctahsllty.
Yet there Ia no one who has ever
visited one OF them that has not
quickly discovered the undercurrent
81 immortality that exists. Young
girls. lared by the music and The
myriads Of lights and the word.
pictures OF pleasure painted nor
them by companions who become
voluntary boosters" for the danca
hall game. are thrown into asso-
citation with men OF the Sweat
class and women whose low moral8
are concealed under a thin mask Of
deeentfur.the moment behavior.
II is not possible 10 avoid either
these men. who are professional de-
stroyers OF virtue. or these women,
who. having fallen themselves. rav
joicc whenever another falls. PAID
'introducers' are on every side. aud
the casual visitor finds himself In.
pnrtuned to dance and has the ors-
portuniiy OF meeting anyone whom
his fancy selects.
ENiFeanmcnt hoothG.
OF course there are refreshment
booths. but aside from "CInolnnatl.s
a beer.like conooction containing
such a slight percentage OF alcohol
as TO be elassed as a nonIntoxicant
there are no Objectionable drinka
sold. The refreshmcnt tables
merely afford an opportunity for
the continuance OF conversation be-
gun during the dances and for the
development OF acquaintances.
which generally end In degradation
and shame for the girl iured to tho
place by her love OF music and
dancing.
Easy Of Admlttanee.
While the managers declare that
they permit no disrepntable chan
aeters 10 enter and while Il Is true
that. following the recent exodus Of
scarlet women from the old re-
strieted district special officers
kept watch TO keep any OF ths
refugees out Of the dance halls. tha
truth OF the matter Is that any man
who conducts himself with outward
responsibility, and any woman
whose moral rottenness is not pub.
licly known, is admitted 10 the
dance halls without question.
Seattle has had experience OF this
same sort before. The public is
awakening 20 the fact that an evil
which Il was thought had been en-
tirely rooted out Of the community
has returned. aud there Ia a demand
that the authorities take steps to
mt fha Haurg halle .,,,f - h,tnf,s.a..,