Dance Halls Surveyed

To the casual observer a dance hall is an upstairs place in a side street where the patrons stroll aimlessly about a railed-in hardwood floor, waiting for unknown partners to appear. For 10-c- they may pass the rail and dance for five minutes under red-lidded lights. A strong man supervises, sees there is no disturbance.

To Minnesota legislators a dance hall is "any room, place, or space open to public patronage in which dancing, wherein the public may participate, is carried on and to which admission may be had by the public by payment either directly or indirectly of an admission fee or price for dancing."

To city adolescents a dance hall, by any name, is a place to go and have fun, often the only place.

So that parents, moralists, sociologists and legislators might know more about dance halls, the U. S. Children's Bureau* commissioned Ella Gardner, specialist, to compile a survey which was published last week. Facts now known about U. S. dance halls (gathered from 416 cities) include the following:

Twenty-eight States provide legislation covering supervision of music, conduct in dance halls, protecting minors.

Kansas allows no unescorted woman within a dance hall.

Port Arthur. Tex., proscribes gyrations not approved by the National Association of Dancing Masters.

No man may rigadoon with another in Muskegon, Wis.

At Lincoln, Neb., "the lady shall place her left hand on the gentleman's right shoulder or arm and her right hand on the gentleman's left hand, the gentleman's right hand on the lady's back, and at all times the patrons shall keep their bodies at least six inches apart."

Before a dance hall operator in Illinois can get a license he must "establish that he is of good moral character. , . ."

El Paso, Tex., bars known prostitutes, procurers.

Three Enid, Okla., censors may stop a public dance there at any time.

Intensity of light in Kansas City, Kan., dance halls must be one candle-foot (one candle's light a foot from the flame) at a plane three feet above the floor.

Surveyor Gardner's conclusions:

"The chief problems of present-day dance-hall supervision are: 1) Supervision of music, dancing and general conduct in the halls; 2) Provision for and protection of minors; and 3) Control of the after-the-dance rendezvous. . . .

"Although dance-hall supervision is necessary, the dance-hall situation cannot be remedied unless those in charge of the enforcement of the laws can secure the interest and support of the public. . . .

"In many of the cities it was reported that the lack of co-operation from the parents of minors found in the halls was the greatest handicap confronting the supervisors . . . due sometimes to ignorance of what their children were doing, sometimes to indifference, and sometimes to the old belief that young people must sow their wild oats."

*A branch of the U. S. Department of Labor.