Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-02-20

Denies Vice Exists To Suspend Dances
correspondent Claims Recreation
Rooms Committee Unable To Differ
entiate Between Public And Private
Dances-A Question OF Details
All Dances For Service Men Are
Held Under ChaperOnage OF City's
Best Women And Under Their
Patronage.
Mr.. Editor:-As the husband of one
OF the ladies who had charge of the
two dances held at the State Armory
for the Service Men, and as the father
of two girls who danced at the said
dances, 1 greatly resent the article
published in your issue of February
18th under the heading Of '.Tiee Condi-
tiOns Suspend Dances"
Net only do / resent it, but / think
every "red-blooded" man in this com
munity, whose wife or daughter took
part in the said dance, resents it also.
Such an article is an insult to the re-
spectacle women and girls of the City
Of Annapolis, as well as to the men
who wear the uniform OF the United
DlellGSs hA4o are 6OOu GubNSu 10 uSui
our battles, but who are apparently,
not good enough to dance with our
daughters.
At the meeting of the committee
who have charge of the recreation
rooms at the State Armory numerous
members of the said committee have
apparently been unable to differentiate
between the public dances held by the
State Guard and the two dances given
under the supervision of some of the
most prominent women of our city.
The amount of vice disclosed, as being
present at these two dances held for
the Service Men, TO which no women
or girls were supposed to be admitted
without invitation from the ladies in
charge, consisted of the discovery OF
the fact that there were two persons
present at the first dance who were
! not supposed to be there and the pres
ence of one man in uniform under the
influence of liquor. At the second
dance not even this complaint was
made but on the day after the dance
two beer bottles and a whiskey flask
were found in the building It may
also be stated that greater quantity
of whiskey TASKS have been found at
the armory on nights upon which no
dances were held
Every community in this country,
in the vicinity of the environments,
have adopted the plan of holding
dances under the patronage of reputa-
BILE women, on the principle that it is
far better for the enlisted men to
meet nice girls under the proper SUI
pervision than to abandon enlisted
men to the necessity of seeking the
natural companionship of the opposite
sex, in places where there are people
of lax character, and where there is
no supervision.
Apparently our people do not real
ize in the spirit they should, that this
country is at war and that the condi-
tions of peace times do not prevail,
but with voluntary enlistments and
drafting of men, from all walks of
life the army and navy of our country
now consists of personnel of much
higher average type of good whole
some young men, than is possible dur
ing times of peace. The reasons for
this are outside the province of this
article to discuss.
A word in regard to the dances of
the State Guard. Officers connected
with the National Guard of this State
know that it would have been impos-
sible to have kept up the organizations
of the National Guard unless the armo-
ries at which they assembled, were
used in the nature of club houses, and
places of recreation for the men who
prepare themselves in times of peace
without compensation for the duties of
war. The communities of this coun-
try have never been brought to the
point whereby they would provide ne
cessary machinery to enable men of
the National Guard to enjoy them
selves except through money sub
scriptions to entertainments and
dances given by the members of the
National Guard. A similar condition
prevails today and unless the State
Guard is allowed to have dances as a
means of revenue, and pleasure, it will
be impossible to get young men to
sacrifice their time for the benefit of
the State and Country. The public
should realize that members of a mill
tary company consists of men in all
walks of life and when they invite
their friends to attend the dances
given by them, these friends are not
always parlor ornaments or persons
whose friendship is desired by those
who by education or money are placed
in a different sphere in life.
L do not wish to be understood to
favor any dance held by the State
Guard or other organizations at which
good order and decent behavior are
not maintained. Some things have
happened at the State Guard dances of
which do not approve, but steps have
already been taken and had been TAX
en- before the meeting of Monday
night, looking towards betterment of
conditions and the officers of the State
Guard had been informed that unless
good order was maintained at their
dances, the privilege of all dances
would be withdrawn. For your in
formation / might add that the dances
of the State Guard have not been sus-
pended, nor will they be until the au-
,thorities discover that the State