The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-06-02
HUBBY May NOT
DANCE IF Wife
SAYS He CAN'T
Proposed Dance Hall 0rdl-
nance Regulates Everything
PARTNERS CANNOT HUG
Use of Liquor Profane Lam
guage, Etc., Prohibited

Neither husbands nor wives may At
tend public dances in Oklahoma I,ty
In the future without permission OF the
other. provided a proposed ordinance
drafted by Mrs. c. L. Daugher,y. prom
inent club woman. filed with City Com
missioner Mike Donnelly this morning
becomes a law. 1t will be discussed by
the city commission at IT'S regular
weekly meeting next Tuesday
Ban On Shadow Dances.
Neither may persons le" than 10
years old attend public dances unac-
eompanied by older people, nor may
proprietors OF dance hall, conduct
moonlight" or shadow" dances.
II the proposed ordinance IS put into,
effect every feature connected wsth
dancing and with conducting a dance
nall viii be regulated by formula.
For example, the ordinance pre-
seribes that in dancing the. woman
ehali place her left hand on her part
ner's arm and not on his shoulder or
back. On the other hand the man shall
cncircle his partner with one arm only,
holding her right hand with his LETT
not higher than her shoulder. Fur
thermore, the bodies and faces OF
dancers shall not touch.
Inspector Provided For.
The ordinance would create the Of
flee .of public dance hall Inspector, to
be appointed by the city and paid from
q fund created by licensing the dance
halls. This Inspector is to have a eIar-
like power. He can, for instance, rec
ommend that no license be granted to
certain applicants. HAl can order the
exclusion from any dance hall OF any
man or woman about whose morals
there may be question. And he can
order the revocation Of any dance hall
license. such license not to be rearanted
until its former owner has been on
good behavior for six months
But--the inspector p,ust have 0rtaiu
accomplishments. lie must, under the
terms OF the proposed ordinance, have
q wide knowledge of modern dance,
(elassic dancing is not mentioned) and
the various forms and positions as
sumed by those participating in them
The ordinance assumes that unless hs
has this knowledge he will not he com.
petent to Judge when pNtners may bs
violating the section referring to their
relative positions.
Matron Employed.
Dance halls are further obliged. b,
the ordinance, TO employ a woman be
tween Is and 50 years old, to act a,
matron. This woman ia to be recon
mended by the mayor Her salary II
TO be paid by the dance hall, Her dut,
consists IN watching over the girls who
may attend, and guarding their morals
Closing hours arc regulated as strin'
gently as though the dance halls wers
saloons. II is provided that they ma,
open at 8 o'clock in the morning and
that they must close at ll:N o'clocl
q night This applies to places devoted
exclusively to teaching OF dancing
: Use OF profane. indecent or inrmora
language In the dance halls Of the cit,
or IN the corridors or ante-rooms lead
Inc to them Is sufficient TO cause IN,
exclusion OF persons using such Ian
suage. Neither may intoxicated personl
be aliowed In dance halls, nor may u
quor be sold within them or in the spae,
controlled by them.
CLARK Supports Law.
, The provision for excluding a hus
band or wife from dance halls when IN,
other has refused TO allow thcuspto en-
ter, has already been sustained In dis
tfict court by Judge Clark during di
vorcs cases, Judge Clark has state'
repeatedly that the dance hall Is IN
cause Of many divorce hearings In whiel
he sits.
Teeth" are put In the ordinance by
clause which provides that any viclatio'
al u BY owners Of dance halls shall b
punishable by fine Of not 10 excee'
$lW Three violations and conviction
will result In the revocation OF his u
ccnse. lie may not apply for anothe
for the space OF five years.
The emergency chuse IL attached On
tbe ordnance will become elective i'm
hivdissv = passsd BY the city commits