From the Ball-Room to Hell | Page 9

to go."
We spoke of a hope that she might yet recover, but she only closed her
eyes and shook her head slowly.
"No," she said, with considerable effort, "I shall never leave this room
alive, never see the green hills of home, never see my father's face, but
tell him not to mourn for me, I shall be happy in the arms of Jesus."
"Is there nothing I can do for you?" I asked. "Yes," said she faintly,
looking earnestly into my face, "Yes, there is one thing; that which I
had hoped I might live to do myself. Promise me that you will do that
and I shall die content. Promise me that you will go before the world
and speak out a warning against the awful dangers of the dance hall,
and try to save young girls from the sin, disgrace and destruction
dancing has brought upon me."
I made a solemn promise before God that her request should be

complied with.
The dying girl showed unmistakable signs of pleasure at having my
faithful promise.
She pressed my hand and said in a voice scarcely audible, "You have
seen ball-rooms as they are, my friend, and there is a great and good
work before you. May God bless you in it. I seal your promise with
death," and before I could speak she was dead and her soul had winged
its flight to a heaven of love and peace, where weary hearts shall find
perfect love and perfect justice--where not man, but God, judges his
children.
I know the man who was the perpetrator of the crime which was the
cause of this sad death.
He, to-day, instead of being hung for murder, as he so richly deserved,
is a leader in society. His name often appears in the social columns of
the daily papers of Los Angeles, as the leader of some fashionable
dancing party or Kirmess.
He has been the winner of several prizes in dancing, in fact, is an
elegant dancer and is wealthy. These facts gain for him admission to
whatsoever society he chooses to enter.
Think, ye parents who have daughters who dance, of their being night
after night in the embrace of such men as he, as they most certainly are
if they dance much. Such men as he flock to places of dancing for that
very purpose.
Some may say that places of dancing are not the only places where
such men are to be found. True, but at no other place would they be
allowed to take such liberties with your daughters that they may there.
This they well know and consequently there are more of them to be
found in places of dancing than elsewhere, and it is not the whirling
that they go for and enjoy.
How long would dancing be kept up if they were to whirl alone, or if

men were to dance with men and women with women? Ah, no; it is not
the whirling, but the liberties the waltz affords, which forms its chief
attraction.
You, perhaps, think your daughter is in the most select society, and
only in such, and will accept only the most respectable gentlemen as
partners. But, how are you to know this? How can you be sure that this
very man of whom I have been speaking, or another of the same type,
is not among those considered the most respectable in the select parlor
dances?
You may be perfectly certain that he will never publish his own
misdeeds, and the girl cannot expose him without making public her
own disgrace, so his base deeds go undiscovered and he may still be
found at dancing parties or on the street corners engaged in the
occupation in which we first met him, viz.: seeking whom he might
destroy.
What decent woman, if she knew his real character, would wish to
throw herself into the arms of such a man. If she were a true women
she would almost rather die than have such a man even touch her, to
say nothing of being in his close embrace for the space of a waltz.
Or, what lady would allow any man, in any other public place, except
the ball-room, to take the liberties with her that he takes there? Would a
lady with a spark of self-respect, at any other place, lay her head upon
his shoulder, place her breast against his, and allow him to encircle her
waist with his arm, place his foot between hers and clasp her hands in
his?
This is the position assumed in waltzing, and I tell you, my friends, that
such a position tends, in a greater or less degree, to develop the lower
nature of sexes. It cannot be otherwise. It is in perfect