New-York tribune., 1909-02-17
MODEL DANCE HALLS
a Bill for Resorts Without Menace
to Morals of Girls.

proposition TO establish model dancing acsde-
mics was presented by TIE committee on the
.r7use-1ents snd vacation resources Of working
r-7s 20 & gathering representing the leading phil
+brouic and educational agencies of the city. held
81 the National Arts Club yesterday afternoon It
,s proposed that these shall be a strictly
,,-sness basis, and the committee has expert tes-
-i-on, 70 show that there Is profit of % Is per
csnt in the business One thousand dollars will be
required for each hall. and the committee would
IKE 10 start hve IN as many different sections Of
the city
professor Thomas Long secretary Of the New
7nrk Association Of Dancing Teachers, testified
that II was quite possible 70 a dancing acad-
any ar profit without any objectionable features.
and 1hat he himself has found difficulty in
doing So
Marcus IL Marks thought il would be best not
- say TOO much about the sS Is per cent
The Profits are too great to attract contrfou-
.o-s" re asserted You had better put it 81 s
ger cent
-,--ee said that there was no doubt that girls
would patronize g respectable dance hall and
would II fact prefer it They do not want TO 90
.. the undesirable places she believes. but there is
Il seems
Nothing attracts young girls like dancing" said
Mrs Israels. IN workroorl recently opened for
shoueirls i wss found that they would only come
uhen dancing was provided Books and games and
night schools DO not attract them They not only
-snr 10 dance but they want 10 meet new men
and cider men In churches and settlements they
usually meet the same men and over again
The committee, which organized last sum-
sr has been investigating the conditions Of picnic
-faces excursion steamboats,, dance halls and
other places Of amusement, and has found state
Of a+rairs too shocking TO be reported in detail
There are few decent dance halls said Mrs
1s-sels They are usually situated over g saloon.
am are : mere bait TO get young people TO drink
There ts short dance with a long intermission
for drink and you can gauge the character or
1he place BY the length OF the drink internission
The dancing academy pretends TO teach dancing
n some places liquor is sold and in some it is
rot The uptown ones usually have q service OF
lio--or In the downtown ones the evils mora
,nsidious But some Of them are perfectly re-
srectable and at the same time profitable This
SHOWS that they car be turned 10 good account,
and they offer an untold opportunity for good
Dancing Is & real necessity 10 young people- Why
cannot it be made safer
TIE committee has drawn I'd 2 bin to license
dancing academies which Il was purposed 10 IN
-roduce n the Legislature this week but IL was
subjected 70 considerable criticism at the hands
of The Assembly. Professor Long thought # would
,o+ -ee- TIE dffHc,,ltv end suggested that dancing
teachers should be licensed by the State Depart
rnsut Of Education The bill provides only for the
regulation Of dancing academies, leaving the dance
nsIls and other phases OF the dance evils 70 oe
dealt with separately.
Frederick Within Of the committee Of fourteen.
said that the big hotels presented serious a
problem es the dance halls, but obviously could
not be covered by the same bill
Among those present were Michael Davis. Of the
Peoples Institute; Mrs A n jackson, Of the
Wonen's Municipal League; the Rev. DR.. Walter
Iaidlav. OF the Federation OF Churches: Miss
1aud Miner of the New York Probation Associa-
Ton John Glenn. Of the Sage Foundation; MISS
lillian Wald, Of the Nurses Settlement; Miss
Helen Marot, Of the women's Trade Union League.
and = committee representing the Retail Drygoods