The Rock Island Argus and daily union., 1922-05-18
Frederick Haskin's Letter
Especial Correspondents
THE SQUIRE OF DANES

New York City, May 17.-Among
the many curious entertainment
features which New York has to
offer is the professional escort. Nc
woman has to be a wallflower here
as long as she can afford the
price of one. Be she ever so lack
ing in masculine admirers, and ev-
er so unlikely to acquire any, she
may nevertheless enjoy her share
of the brilliant, entertaining night
life of New York by the simple ex-
pedient of hiring one of these pro-
fessional squires of danes.
Some earnest student of humani-
tartan problems has said that New
York provides the noblest form of
social service of any city in the
world He was not referring to
the squire of danes. Yet the unique
nobility of this calling is self-evi-
dent Consider its requirements.
From early afternoon until past
midnight, the squire must devote
all of his talents and energy to the
entertainment of lonely. unattach-
ed ladies. He must escort them
hither and thither, in Difference to
cabarets, hotels, dances and chop
suey joints, to famous downtown
restaurants and famous uptown
roof gardens-anywhere they want
to go in their pursuit of good
time They may be henely and
badly dressed; he must pay them
delicate compliments. They may
be clumsy and awkward; he must
guide them safely and deftly about
a ballroom floor. They may be
dull and slightly deaf; he must
keep up a stimulating converse
ton Or they may be beautiful.
gracious and rich; he must keep
his distance and never presume
upon the acquaintance.
Under the circumstances, it is
not surprising to learn from one
who has studied the species that
the professional squire of danes is
born-not made. There are only
a few of them in New York-never
enough to supply the demand
and even these are always threat
ening to quit their calling for a
less exacting trade. They are not
to be confused with the smooth
voiced lounge lizards who haunt
the cabarets and dance halls at
night in an unofficial capacity, nor
with the fIashily-dressed hangers
on in some of the so-called dancing
academies on Broadway. Women
sometimes employ these types of
escorts, it is true, but they do SO
with great risk to their diamonds,
hi
securities.
The squire of danes. on the 9TH
ar hand. is reliable, discreet, and
we'll versed in social etiquet. his
1ress and conduct are strictly con-
so that. if suddenly con-
'ronted by a friend or relative, a
woman can easily introduce him
as a perfectly proper social ac-
1uaintanee His services are
not in demand by flappers or wom-
IN who are permanently addicted to
azz, but by the many lone women,
+oung and .niddle-aged, who come
o New York from far off parts of
he country. lured by the widely !
leralded attractions of metropoli- |
an life.
Customers Are Well to Do.
Some of these women, especially !
hose who are here only for a brief |
-isit, stop at the best hotels. are
literally supplied with pocket |
money or have a secure social po-
ition at home. During the first i
week or two. they are content to j
hop and attend the movies and a |
ew matinees, but after that they /
,egin to feel lonely. They realize /
hat, without friends-particuiarly /
masculine friends-they are miss !
ng the most interesting features !
f the city. To out-of-town women /
he fierce. magnificent glare of |
Broadway is very enticing, and it t
5 intolerable not to be able to ex-
lore it. But unfortunately that i
ort of thing is not yet done by
he lone. respectable woman.
''The professional escort just
bout solves the problem for these
onely dames,'' said a hotel man re-
emily, land 1 wonder that the ho-
els themselves don't supply such a
ervice. We have a dancing hos
ass here, of course''-and he waiv- !.
d a hand toward the large ball
oom-"but what woman wants to /,
sarn the latest dance steps from a
roman if she can get a man to I