Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-05-20

leaders. The increase of wealth
and leisure, the perfection of the
automobile, the movies, the radio,
the development of forms of enter
tainment and amusement that call
for no effort or discipline upon the
part of those who are entertained
and amused all these rapid and
Istupendous changes have reyolu
tionized the life of young people
today. Thank God young people
are able to adjust themselves
quickly, and they are coming
through this severe test surpris-
ingly we'll Nevertheless the test is
a severe one, and they are not
getting from us who are older the
intelligent and competent help to
which they are entitled.
Let me illustrate very concretely.
Here is the problem of the public
dance. Personally | do not believe
it is particularly worse than it was
in my young days. Then booze
flowed unrestrainedly, hippers were
much in evidence, drunkenness and
immortality were the expected thing,
and fights and frequent Standings
no novelty. Self-respecting young
people would not be seen there, nor
self-respecting parents permit their
young people to attend. There are
just two things in the public dance
problem today that make it
greater menace, perhaps, than it
was when some of US were boys
and girls. The first is that the
present style of dancing makes it
easier for the designing man or
woman to awaken in an immature
and inexperienced partner impulses
scarce understood than any form
of dance in vogue years ago gave
opportunity for. The second men
ace is that young people from res
pectable homes are attending pub
nc dances nowadays for the SIM
pie but sufficient reason that young
people love to dance, and there is
no better place provided for them.
If we would conserve young life
the pivotal point in all conserva-
tion-we cannot afford to neglect
the challenge of the public dance
The challenge can be met trium-
phantly provided we can enlist "the
everlasting team work of every
blooming soul" who has sense
enough to see where present ten
denotes are leading and character
enough to care. How shall we
meet it? Some would say: Suppress
the dances. | answer: You can
never bring public sentiment to a
point where that will be done. So
let us talk of something we can do.
We can provide private dances
under proper oversight. When
young people find that they can
attend such dances and have far
better time than they have amid
the disgusting and humiliating
CO1IOILIOllS CIldC OOIdln III IIlG pun
lie dance hall they will be found
on hand And parents can-and
will have a disposition to-forbid
attendance upon public dances
when worthwhile private dances
are available. And when the pa
irons Of these dances are people
who attend for the sake of the real
pleasure of dancing and the un-
ashamed pleasure Of each others
society, it will not be a difficult
thing to substitute dances that
have rythm and swing to them
for these dull and stupid and OBJ
iectionable form that prevail today.
All this can be done when there are
found adults and older young
people who care enough to origin
ate and rally to the support of such
private dances. Our church par
Tors are available for, and waiting
for, just such use by the people in
the community who care for the
conservation of the youth of our
community.