New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1912-02-07
Social Evils Not Abated by Law
Enforcement.

There is desire on the part OF ma %
people, and they are we'll meaning and
earnest, to drive evil out OF the world
by abolishing, thru legislation, the
institutions which In their opinion are
directly responsible for the evils exis.
ting. Acting upon this theory, they
are making onsloughts upon the public
drinking places, because they feel that
at least some Of the misery in this
world is due to the public saloons and
they have come to look upon them &c
breeding places of vice and crime.
They forget In their anxiety for the
welfare of society that the saloon at
the present time is the poor man g
club, where he seeks enjoyment and
pleasure and forgetfulness from the
daily grind. They lose sight Of the
fact, that the poor man, the laboring
man would prefer to surround himself
with something better than the average
saloon affords if this were possible,
but cannot and does not do 50 because
nothing better is provided. Improve
the material condition OF the pro lie.
tariat and provide more congenial
gathering places and the 50 called
evils of the saloon will promptly dis
appear
In keeping with the spirit and atti-
tude prevalent as to the saloon, is the
attack made upon the public dance
halls in the large cities. The so.cslled
reformers honestly believe that harm
will come to the young people fire.
quenting these places and know OF no
better way to curtail the evil than to
put q ban upon the public dancing
places and to pass laws prohibiting
them. An attempt was recently made
to close the public dance halls of
Minneapolis and rather drastic or
dinance passed the city council with
that object in view. 1t failed of en-
actment because the Mayor vetoed it.
In speaking about this futile attempt
to better the people by law and keep
them out of harms way, the Mime
apolis Tribune 10 we'll written edi-
torial says: g. JOY is the rightful in
heritance of youth. 1t is brief enough;
heaven knows. The fever of life dries
it up like morning dew in the sun.
While it lasts it is indefensible.
Youth knows its rights and will not
be denied. 1t cries for and reaches
out to suck Joy from the breast of life
% blindly and confidently a. babe
for its mothers milk. It will drink |
poison rather than thirst.
The right of youth is universal. It
10 not limited by class, wealth or sta
lion. It 10 inherited BY the child Of
The tenements who dances in the streets
% justly as by the child born in
palace to dance In guarded ball
rooms.
The denial Of il by tho state 10
punished by infection Of vice as surely
IS neglect Of sanitation 10 punished by
,pidemics. Neither infection 10 limi-
ed to the class In which neglect of
luty gave rise to It. The response BILE
'uffer justly with their victims. |
Since Puritan times American pa
'ents have learned this truth almost
90 we'll. The indolent have made it
10 excuse for leaving youth to chase
oy unmatched and unguided. The
tate, which comes to take over the
uty of indifferent parents, must learn
+, If it is not to make q bad matter
7orse. 1
The public dance hall is the poor
irl's ballroom. There her small in
eritance of JOY is paid in such mean
DIN as remains after distributing the
anger Inheritance.
If you shut the door in her face, she +
ill go farther and fare worse, and +
our guarded class will not escape 6
10 infection Of her i'll fsrinR. If you s
uard her half as we'll as her sister of t
,e ballroom is guarded, she will be I
ven safer, because the poor learn
srlier how to guard themselves. 1t
easier to pass counterfeit coin of Joy !,
! gold than in coppers. y
Do the Office of parents in the public y
ance halls if they leave it undone. t
egulate them up to the sacred line
here the right of innocent Joy begins. il
haperone them, if you will, with s
omen policemen to do the work of II
others more toil-weary than indif- ~ ~
rent.
Shut them up If you have something Y
,tter to offer; but never otherwise.
hat way lies mortal peril and swift
tribution. The authors of the dance
Ills themselves are not more danger. u
Is to society than they who stand Il
indy IN the way of something better. :. -,
Wiao mon nd 0ood vovnon he vn an.