South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-13
Board Appointed by Mayor KeI-
Ter to Investigate Finds
Average Moral Conditions
Existing in City'S Halls.
POINT OUT CRYING
NEED OF RECREATION


halls and the hope Tor the ultimate
establishment of a municipal dance
were the salient points embodied in
the report of the dance hall commit
tee submitted to Mayor Keller Wed
nesday.
The committee recognizes that the
supervised dance, or even the munici-
pal dance, will not obviate every pos
sible danger. but they offer a decided
improvement over the present sys-
tenn" are the concluding words of
the report of the committee.
The committee consisted Of y L
Guilfoyle, Or. Charles E. Hansel Dan
Pyle. Mrs. r. w. Harris and Mae Ro-
mig Miller.
Dancing itself is lauded by the com
mittee. Ii points to the fact that "it
is one of the oldest and best establish
ed forms of recreation and deserves
the consideration due to world
wide and age-old expression of joy
and of Thanksgiving to the Author of
life. The palmiSt, David, exhOrted his
people to praise God with timbrel and
dance"
AS a further defense Of the dance
the committee points to the fact that
"a very respectable minority if in
deed not a majority of men and wom-
en- in our own community who stand
high in business, social and church
circles dance; and they dance the
same dances that are danced in the
public dance halls, and they deem it
their duty as thoughtful and consider
ate parents to provide for their chill
dren conditions under which they may
dance without endangering their
moral welfare"
In the light of these facts the COM
mittee feels it would be both unwise
and idle TO attempt to eradicate the
dance or to confne its pleasures and
advantages to "A select class of cid-
zens.
Finds Average Conditions.
Recognizing evils peculiar to the
dance hall the committee finds that
these evils are no greater and no less
in South Bend than in the average
city of its sizes THE extent and de-
gree of dance hall evils" says the re-
port. depend somewhat upon the
standard OF morals that prevails in
the community"
To illustrate the type of evil re-
ferred TO. the report narrates the
story told by a 15-year-Old girl who
came before the committee while she
ing transfer to the girls school at
Indianapolis. According to this girl
she had a Woodworking father. a SICK
mother and an unattractive home and
the public dance offered her the only
means of meeting young people
When IA years old she began at
tending dances and met strange men,
Ere long she allowed them to ac-
company her home, accepted their
l. .ffr,t
cts and later paid the toll for the ac-
cOmodations she had been receiving. :"
Finally. she went ID roOming houses
with her male escorts and returned
home the next morning telling her
mother that she had been staying at
the home of a girl friend. Almost Ia
the end the mother believed the
daughters story.
Whose Is the Blame?
Summing up. the committee says:
'The home could not provide
what the girl wanted.
THE community did not pro-
vide it, and only after she had
become the natural product of the
conditions under which she was
forced TO crafty the desire for
human association the community
ceased 10 be indifferent
1T responded To her needs with
the police court. the county jail
the state refOrmatoTy institution.
At the bitter end of the tragedy
the cost to the community was no
longer consideration.
"She is committed TO the Girls
Industrial school until she is 20
years old. at a cost far in excess
Of what il would have cost to
have supplied her. and many
more girls similarly circum-
stanced, with an opportunity for
wholesome recreation and guard
ed association.
Ibid she alone violate the law2
Somebody supplied liquor and
cigarets to minors. Somebody
maintained q rOoming house for
illicit purposes. \ half dOzen
and more men. whose names the
committee has. were certainly not
less guilty than she; but she
alone is serving sentence.
Indifference TO moral obhga-
tiOns is sometimes almost as
blameworthy as legal guilt.
Many young lives are being
blighted Is the community
blameless2'
The investigation OF the committee
included visits TO other cities. CORE
spondence and literature on the sub
ject. The committee found that in
cities as Chicago, Cleveland and Kan
sas City the municipal dance hall is
no longer an experiment but is part
of the civic status and meets a def
mite demand as do parks. bathing
pools and public Fairgrounds.