Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-05-19
OMMERCIALvlCE
HELD MAIN EVIL
Inquiry Guided by John D. Rock
efeller, Jr., Calls Dance
Halls Menace.
TELLS PATH TO DISASTER
Ayers Girls Are Victims CT Vicious
Gangs Greedy for Easy
Money.

New York, May 19.-Fifteen thous-
and women of the underworld-a scar
let army no census has heretofore
enumerated-ply their trade in one
borough of Greater New York alone
This is the estimate of the bureau of
social hygiene, an organization of
which John n. Rockefeller, Jr, is chair
man, as made public last night in an
abstract of a forthcoming report by
George J. Kneeland, special investi-
gator, after a painstaking inquiry into
vice conditions in Man
haitian, extending over a period of near
ly ten months. MIR Kneeland conduct
CD a similar inquiry for the Chicago
vice commission.
The report suggests no remedies,
fixes nc responsibility. That phase is
to he dealt with later. II purportS
merely to describe accurately vice
Conditions in New York City with the
s,lC purpose of bringing out the facts
7 he hope is expressed that subsequent
Nv a satisfactory policy to check the
evil may be worked out.
Mr.. Rockefeller himself contributed
the foreword to the volume. Future
re ports will deal with conditions in
other large cities in America and with
methods and their results of combat
ing the problem in Europe. Existing
preventive, reformative and corrective
agencies in New York are described
as wholly inadequate to their task.
ATTACKS EVIL DANCE HALL.
Aside from a series of chapters deal
ing in minute frankness with the OPP
Grafton of notorious resorts through
out the city, the report treats of the
dance hall evil and of the alarming
| spread of the so-called massage par
| lors. over 300 of these exist in the
| CITY," says the report and in many
of them not the slightest effort was
MI de to cloak the immoral nature OF
the business Operators for these es
Establishments are often procured by ad,
vertising in the newspapers.
OF the dance halls the report says:
THE public dance hall was found to
! Justify the worst that has been said
Of it. OF IS dances reported on only
five were characterized by the inves
tiCators as decent Nor are these
dances attended only by hardened
prof1igates. Young girls-some limo
ceHt-others. if not entirely innocent
at any rate not wholly deprayed, anC
young men not yet altogether vicious
attend the gatherings in search G.
amusement and change
SEES MENACE TO GIRLS.
Many are innocent working girls
Wlo seek legitimate recreation. TIT
sinister element in attendance is tins
hired cadets, who attend with the cold
blooded purpose of finding new sub
jects of debauehery and OF subgeqCen
exploitation for gain. These agents
of commercialiZed vice are usually we.
dressed, we'll hammered and introduc-
themselves politely to strangers. The.
often pretend to love at first sight ant
exhibit marked devotion, by which tn
girls are deceived and 10 which The.
toe often yield When the seduction
of the girls is accomplished they ar
put on the street and their ruin i
complete
Mr.. kneeland argues, contrary to IL
expressed views OF 50 many inTestiga'
ing bodies, that girls do not as a ger
eral thing take up 4 life of sham
because of the pinch of poverty. II
! holds that oftener they are the victim
in their ignorance Of the agents Q
commercial.Zed vice.
: BLAMFs TRADE OF VICE.
| 1T is idle he says. ito explain ava
4 The phenomena on the ground that the
are the results of the inevitable veal
: ness of human nature human veal
mess would demand far fewer and les