El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-10-07

entered these continental skating con-
tests and have creditable records
Unusual interest has been taken in
ice skating In America in the last
Skating association of the United
States and the Canadian Amateur as
ISOLATION have held several contests
for championship. While skating in
Canada has always received much
more attention than in America. large
~ because OF the longer Canadian
season, American skaters have taken
precedence in several Of these con
Early Roller Skating.
The invention Of the PIimpton skate
placed roller skating on a practical
basis. AT first the roller skates were
used at home and parlOr skating was
a bugbear to our grandmOthers be-
cause OF the havoc it wrought not
only to the carpets, but also TO the
furniture with which the luCkless
skater colided. Roller skating par
ties were popular in the early 70s but
they gave way to public skating Kinks
which were opened In large mum bers
throughout Europe, England and the
United States. The skating rink was
popular in this country between the
T0s and the COS, when its popularity
suddenly ceased. For 20 years roller
skating in America was practically
unknown, so far as the public rink
was concerned About five or six Years
ago IL suddenly sprang into popularity
again, and now few cities in this
country having population approx
mating $4,000 people are without a
skating rink.
Decline Of the Kinks.
The decline Of the public skating
Kinks in America is generally believed
to have been largely due to the lax
management During its first pOpu-
larity the skating rink was monppO-
lied by hoodlums, so that cOnserva-
tive mothers felt it was not a suitable
place Of amusement for their young
people. Managers of Kinks resOrted to
various sensational methods to attract
CROWDS 10 their resorts. New jersey
once boosted a skating parson who
delivered sermons in the skating rink
on Sunday afternoon and saw no i'm
proprlery in his congregation promptly
donnlng their skates when his pas
sage was delivered. He married sew
eral couples upon the floor of the sl1at-
ing rink and the skating rink Wedding
was an advertising feature of more
than one rink in former years.
Are Different Now.
NOW the skating Kinks are conducted
upon a very different plan. and IN
most cities they are practically free
from objectionable features The
greatest numbers generally attend the
rink IN the evenings or on the after
Moons Of holidays. The morning hours
are generally utilized by the more ex-
elusive society people. In most of +ha
cities during the past two wears one
special morning each week mas bee1
reserved for debutantes. In Washing
ton, D. C., Wednesday morning be-
longs to these society buds, and "a
that day the line of automobiles and
private carriages outside of the rink
frequently extends down one or two
blocks. Many girls who do not ordin-
arily appear in public unchaperoned
will go to the rink alone or with
several girl friends on this particular
morning. although in the afternoon
or evening their attendance would
only be under the guidance Of a
chaperOn or an escort.
Small Kinks Popular.
rink is most popular because it does
not become so public vet there never
have been so many large Kinks i'm ex-
istence. There are at least 200 cities