,,from ,,the  ,ball-,room  ,,to  ,,hell 
,,by  ,t4 ,a4 ,,faulkner  ,,ex-,,dancing
 ,,master   ,formerly ,proprietor of the
 ,los ,angeles ,dancing ,academy and    
ex-,president of ,dancing ,masters'     
,association of the ,pacific ,coast4    
,,the ,,henry ,,publishing ,,co4  #eg   
,washington ,st41 ,room #af4  ,,chicago4
  ,copyright #ahib  ,,by  ,r4 ,f4       
,,henry4     ,,preface4   ,you will1 my 
dear reader1 find many very plain things
 between the two covers of this little  
book2 things which will1 perhaps1 shock 
your modesty and probably disgust you   
altogether4  ,but if you find merely the
 reading of the facts disgusting1 think 
how much more disgusting is the reality1
 and how essential that some one should 
portray the evil to the public in a     
manner impressive and not to be         
misunderstood4  ,i have numerous reasons
 for undertaking this work1 chief among 
them1 however1 being because ,i have for
 many months1 felt it to be a duty to my
 ,god1 and to my fellow-man4 ,nay1 ,i   

may put it in a yet more concise form2  
and simply say1 because of a sense of   
duty to my ,god1 for ,i believe the two 
to be inseparable4 ,as the green calyx  
of the rosebud holds within its embrace 
everything required to make up the      
perfect rose in all its beauty of form1 
texture1 tint and perfume1 so my duty to
 my ,god embraces my whole duty to my   
fellow-man in all its beauty of         
kindness1 love1 and any help or warning 
,i may be able to give1 and if that duty
 shall lead me to speak out boldly and  
plainly a warning against the evil of a 
popular amusement1 ,i will boldly and   
plainly speak1 and leave the result with
 ,him whose ,i am and whom ,i serve4    
,many will1 doubtless1 object to the    
book on account of the plainness of the 
language used2 but1 my friends1 ,i have 
endeavored to tell the truth1 and to do 
this on such a subject1 does not admit  
of the use of delicate language4 ,a mild
 hint at such a fact1 clothed in flowery
 language1 would only serve to give a   

vague impression1 and would fall far    
short of the mission ,i wish this little
 book to accomplish1 viz43 the opening  
of the eyes of the people1 particularly 
parents1 who are blind to the awful     
dangers there are for young girls in the
 dancing academy and ball-room1 and of  
leading some1 if possible1 to forsake   
7as ,i have done7 the old unsatisfactory
 life of selfish pleasure and sinful    
indulgence and enter upon the purer1    
nobler and far happier life1 which ,i   
have found in the service of the ,lord4 
,i do not undertake to write upon a     
subject of which ,i am ignorant4 ,there 
are1 perhaps1 few people living who have
 had more practical experience or better
 opportunities of finding out the evil  
influences of dancing than myself4 ,i   
began to dance at the age of twelve and 
have spent most of my life since that   
time1 until within a few months1 in the 
dancing parlors and academies4 ,for the 
last six years ,i have been a teacher of
 dancing and for several years held the 

championship of the ,pacific ,coast in  
fancy and round dancing4 ,i am also the 
author of many of the round dances which
 are the popular fads of the day4  ,i   
merely tell you these things to prove to
 you that ,i know whereof ,i speak1 and 
not because ,i am proud of them4 ,on the
 contrary1 it is the greatest sorrow of 
my life that ,i have been so long and in
 such an influential way connected with 
an evil which ,i know to have been the  
ruin1 both of soul and body1 to many a  
bright young life4 ,and if1 in the hands
 of ,god1 ,i can be the means of leading
 one-fiftieth as many souls to ,christ  
as ,i have seen led to a life of vice   
and crime through the influence of      
dancing academies with which ,i have    
been connected1 ,i shall be more proud  
than ,i have ever been of any previous  
achievements4 ,and if this little book  
shall1 in any degree1 help in the       
accomplishment of this purpose1 ,i shall
 feel that ,i am more than repaid for my
 trouble in its writing1 and shall      

willingly and gladly endure all the     
harsh criticism and condemnation ,i know
 its writing will bring upon me4        
,t4 ,a4 ,,faulkner4     ,,from ,,the    
,,ball-,,room ,,to ,,hell4     ,,chapter
 ,i4  ,,first ,,and ,,last ,,step4      
,since my conversion from a dancing     
master and a servant of the ,evil ,one  
to an earnest ,christian and a servant  
of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the        
question has been repeatedly asked me3  
,is there any harm in dancing8  ,and    
letters innumerable have been coming in 
with questions to the same effect4  ,the
 more ,i mingle with people outside the 
dancing circle the more forcibly ,i am  
made to realize how many there are who  
are seeking to know the truth concerning
 the evil of dancing1 and how many      
thousands more who1 if they are not     
seeking that knowledge1 certainly ought 
to have it4                             
---------------------------------       
,have you read the preface8             
---------------------------------  ,let 

me assure you in the first place that ,i
 am well aware that there are many      
church members and professing           
,christians who dance2 but1 if on the   
strength of this you deem it a safe     
amusement1 come with me for a few       
evenings1 and when you have seen all    
that ,i can show you1 let your judgment 
tell you1 whether you can1 with safety1 
place your pure1 beautiful daughter in  
the dancing academy or ball-room4  ,let 
us first take an instance from the      
select dancing academy1 and thus begin  
at the root of the matter4  ,here is a  
beautiful young girl4 ,let me take her  
for an example4  ,she is the daughter of
 wealthy parents2 they have been called 
to mourn the loss of two of their       
children2 and this is their only        
remaining treasure1 their darling1 their
 idol almost1 whom they love more than  
their own lives4  ,they wish to bestow  
upon her every accomplishment which     
modern society demands1 so when it is   
announced that ,prof4 ---- will open his

 select dancing academy they hasten to  
place her under his instruction4  ,at   
first she seems shocked at the manner in
 which he embraces her to teach her the 
latest waltz4  ,it is her first         
experience in the arms of a strange man1
 with his limbs pressed to hers1 and in 
her natural modesty she shrinks from so 
familiar a touch4 ,it brings a bright   
flush of indignation to her cheek as she
 thinks what an unladylike and indecent 
position to assume with a man who1 but a
 few hours before1 was an utter         
stranger1 but she says to herself3 ,this
 is the position every one must take who
 waltzes in the most approved           
style--church members and all--so of    
course it is no harm for me4 ,she thus  
takes the first step in casting aside   
that delicate ,god-given instinct which 
should be the guide of every pure woman 
in such matters4  ,she is very bright   
and learns rapidly1 but a few weeks have
 passed before she is able to waltz     
well1 and is surrounded by the          

handsomest and most gallant men in the  
room1 who flatter her until her head is 
quite turned4 ,she has entirely overcome
 her delicacy about being embraced in   
public for half an hour by strange men4 
,in fact she rather likes it now4 ,she  
wonders all day1 before dancing school1 
if that handsome man who dances so      
elegantly and says such nice things to  
her1 will ask her to dance with him     
to-night1 and finds herself dreaming of 
how delightful it would be to feel his  
arm about her4  ,the evening at last    
comes2 the uninteresting square dances  
are gone through with1 and the music of 
the waltz begins4 ,her partner is the   
,apollo of her day dreams4 ,he presses  
her close to his breast1 and they glide 
over the floor together as if the two   
were but one4  ,when she raises her     
eyes1 timidly at first1 to that handsome
 but deceitful face1 now so close to her
 own1 the look that is in his eyes as   
they meet hers1 seems to burn into her  
very soul4 ,a strange1 sweet thrill     

shakes her very being and leaves her    
weak and powerless and obliged to depend
 for support upon the arm which is      
pressing her to himself in such a       
suggestive manner1 but the sensation is 
a pleasant one and grows to be the very 
essence of her life4  ,if a partner     
fails1 through ignorance or innocence1  
to arouse in her these feelings1 she    
does not enjoy the dance1 mentally      
styles him a bore1 and wastes no more   
waltzes on him4 ,she grows more bold1   
and from being able to return shy       
glances at first1 is soon able to meet  
more daring ones until1 with heart      
beating against heart1 hand clasped in  
hand1 and eyes looking burning words    
which lips dare not speak1 the waltz    
becomes one long1 sweet and purely      
sensual pleasure4  ,the more profitable 
things upon which she has been          
accustomed to spend her time and        
thought1 lose all attraction for her1   
and during the time which intervenes    
between dancing school evenings1 she    

feeds her romantic passion on novels1   
unfit for any person to read1 and which 
would have been without special interest
 to her before she entered the dancing  
school4 ,she spends much thought upon   
those things which tend to develop her  
lower nature1 for as a man thinketh1 so 
is he4 ,she has never before had a      
thought she would not willingly express 
to her mother4 ,but now she thinks of   
and discusses with her girl friends of  
the dancing school1 subjects which she  
would shrink from mentioning to her     
mother4  ,o1 foolish girl1 if she had   
but remembered that her best friend was 
her mother1 and that thoughts she could 
not express to her were thoughts in     
which she should never indulge1 what    
untold sorrow and shame she might have  
been spared4  ,she graduates from the   
academy and is caught into the whirl of 
society1 and her life becomes what is   
called one round of pleasure--one round 
certainly of parlor dances1 social hops 
and grand balls with champaign dinners  

and early goings home 7early in the     
morning1 of course74  ,this evening     
there is to be a ball of unusual        
grandeur4 ,the last of the season of    
gaiety1 and the closing of the          
dancing-school term4 ,our friend will   
surely be present4 ,let us attend4 ,what
 a scene of beauty1 gayety and splendor4
 ,it must have been of just such scenes 
the poet wrote3    ,there was a sound of
 revelry by night1    ,and ,belgium's   
capital had gathered then--    ,her     
beauty and chivalry--  ,but see1 there  
is our friend of the dancing academy    
just entering on the arm of her devoted 
father4 ,three months have passed since 
we first met her4 ,she is much changed1 
yet one can scarcely see in what the    
change consists4 ,the face is the same1 
yet not the same4 ,there is just the    
shadow of coarseness in it1 a little    
less of frank innocence and true        
refinement1 and a trace1 not exactly of 
ill-health1 but a want of freshness4    
,this last is1 however1 well concealed  

by the use of cosmetics1 and she is     
still a very beautiful girl1 and the    
fond father's heart swells with pride as
 he sees the handsomest and most        
fashionable gentlemen of the ball-room  
press eagerly forward to ask her hand   
for the different dances of the evening4
  ,her father remains for a few of the  
square dances1 but soon retires1 knowing
 that his fair daughter will not want   
for attention from--gentlemen whose     
attentions he is sure must be desirable1
 certainly desirable1 why not8 ,are     
these admirers not rich and handsome1   
and do they not move in the highest     
society4 ,ah1 foolish father1 how little
 he knows of the ways of ball-room      
society4  ,but let us turn our attention
 again to the dancers1 at two o'clock   
next morning4 ,this is the favorite     
waltz1 and the last and most furious of 
the night1 as well as the most          
disgusting4 ,let us notice1 as an       
example1 our fair friend once more4     
,she is now in the vile embrace of the  

,apollo of the evening4 ,her head rests 
upon his shoulder1 her face is upturned 
to his1 her bare arm is almost around   
his neck1 her partly nude swelling      
breast heaves tumultuously against his1 
face to face they whirl on1 his limbs   
interwoven with hers1 his strong right  
arm around her yielding form1 he presses
 her to him until every curve in the    
contour of her body thrills with the    
amorous contact4 ,her eyes look into    
his1 but she sees nothing2 the soft     
music fills the room1 but she hears it  
not2 he bends her body to and fro1 but  
she knows it not2 his hot breath1       
tainted with strong drink1 is on her    
hair and cheek1 his lips almost touch   
her forehead1 yet she does not shrink2  
his eyes1 gleaming with a fierce1       
intolerable lust1 gloat over her1 yet   
she does not quail4 ,she is filled with 
the rapture of sin in its intensity2 her
 spirit is inflamed with passion and    
lust is gratified in thought4 ,with a   
last low wail the music ceases1 and the 

dance for the night is ended1 but not   
the evil work of the night4  ,the girl  
whose blood is hot from the exertion and
 whose every carnal sense is aroused and
 aflame by the repetition of such scenes
 as we have witnessed1 is led to the    
ever-waiting carriage1 where she sinks  
exhausted on the cushioned seat4 ,oh1 if
 ,i could picture to you the fiendish   
look that comes into his eyes as he sees
 his helpless victim before him4 ,now is
 his golden opportunity4 ,he must not   
miss it1 and he does not1 and that      
beautiful girl who entered the dancing  
school as pure and innocent as an angel 
three months ago returns to her home    
that night robbed of that most precious 
jewel of womanhood--virtue6  ,when she  
awakes the next morning to a realizing  
sense of her position her first impulse 
is to self-destruction1 but she deludes 
herself with the thought that her       
dancing companion will right the wrong  
by marriage1 but that is the farthest   
from his thoughts1 and he casts her     

off--he wishes a pure woman for his     
wife4  ,she has no longer any claim to  
purity2 her self-respect is lost2 she   
sinks lower and lower2 society shuns    
her1 and she is to-day a brothel inmate1
 the toy and plaything of the libertine 
and drunkard4  ,how can ,i picture to   
you the awful anguish of that mother's  
heart1 the sadness of that father's     
face1 or the dreadful gloom which       
settles over that once happy home4      
,neither their love nor their gold can  
repair the damage done4 ,their sighs and
 tears cannot restore that virtue4 ,it  
is lost1 gone forever4 ,ah1 better1 yes1
 infinitely better1 would it have been  
if instead of placing their only darling
 in the dancing school1 they had laid   
her in the grave by her little sister's 
side while her soul was pure and        
spotless4  ,but how is it with her      
ball-room ,apollo8 ,does society shun   
him8 ,does he pine away and die8 ,oh1   
no2 he continues in the dancing school1 
constantly seeking new victims among the

 pure and innocent4  ,like flowers1 the 
choicest ones are plucked first1 and    
most admired1 their beauty soon fades   
and they are cast aside for new ones4   
,parents1 do not discredit my statement4
 ,there is no mistake2 ,i know whereof  
,i speak when ,i say that just such     
villains as ,i have described are to be 
found in1 and leaders of1 the select    
dancing school1 in the ball room and at 
the parlor dance1 figuring in what is   
called the best society1 as the most    
refined and highly polished society     
gentlemen of the day4  ,nor is the      
ball-room scene an imaginary one4  ,i   
have seen it1 just as described1        
hundreds1 yes1 thousands of times1 and  
have known of many and many a case with 
the same sad ending4  ,do not delude    
yourself1 my dear reader1 with the      
thought that such scenes occur only at  
low public dances4 ,some of the lowest  
and most disgusting deeds of which ,i   
have had any knowledge1 have occurred at
 and in connection with1 the most       

fashionable parlor dances4  ,the        
following infamous deeds were done on   
one of the principal avenues and at the 
home of one of the most aristocratic    
families of this city4  ,the occasion   
was a fashionable dance of which ,i was 
manager4  ,there was present the creme  
de la creme of the city's society4      
,among them two beautiful young women   
who were actors in the play ,i am about 
to put before you4 ,the play is in five 
acts4  ,the first scene is of exquisite 
loveliness4 ,it is a large drawing room1
 elegant in all its appointments4 ,its  
coloring as seen by gas light is soft1  
rich1 and beautifully blended or        
prettily contrasted4 ,its pictures are  
rare bits of art from the brush of the  
most popular artists of ancient and     
modern times1 and all its ornamentation 
is forcibly suggestive of culture and   
refinement4 ,all these things we feel   
rather than see1 for our attention is   
riveted upon the gay company assembled4 
,we hear the hum of many voices and see 

before us scenes of fair women and      
handsome men1 diamonds flash1 silks     
rustle1 and no garden of flowers ever   
displayed a greater variety of rich and 
dainty color intermingled1 or flashed   
more brightly its gems of morning dew4  
,but hark6 ,from behind that bower of   
blossoms and evergreens in yonder recess
 come strains of music which set the    
little white slipper to tapping out the 
time as its wearer waits impatiently for
 the waltz to begin1 and now the room   
presents a scene of whirling1 whirling  
figures4  ,notice particularly this     
couple near us and that one in yonder   
corner1 for ,i know them well4 ,the     
ladies are beautiful and respectable4   
,to be sure1 one not accustomed to such 
scenes would consider them anything but 
respectably dressed1 with their nude    
arms1 neck and partially exposed breast1
 and tightly clinging skirts which more 
than suggest the contour of body and    
limb4  ,but society and fashion demand  
such dress2 vile men demand it2 for them

 the waltz would be spoiled of half its 
pleasure if the woman was not as nearly 
nude as she dare be4  ,the male         
companions of the two girls are handsome
 and fashionable1 but of their character
 not so much can be said1 except in     
condemnation4 ,they are certainly       
pleasing1 and are in every way          
endeavoring to be so to their young lady
 companions1 and appear to have         
succeeded very well in their efforts1   
for1 as they whirl over the floor1 they 
gaze into the eyes gloating over them   
and gleaming with a fury of lust4 ,they 
allow words to be whispered to them     
which they would not listen to at any   
other time2 listening now1 they come    
closer still1 and in response to a      
pressure of her hand1 his arm tightens  
its clasp of her waist1 and she1 losing 
all restraint1 yields herself to the    
evil passion of the moment4 ,thus the   
fury of lustful thought becomes mutual  
and is mutually enjoyed4  ,the second   
scene is in a summer house4 ,only four  

characters are required for this act4   
,they are the four we have particularly 
noticed in the ball-room scene4  ,this1 
too1 would be a pretty scene1 if the    
pleasure of it were not spoiled for us  
by the evil we see in it and know may   
result from it4 ,the summer house1      
covered with vines and flowers1 is in a 
beautiful garden filled with shrubs and 
trees4 ,the night is calm and cloudless1
 and the silvery moon looks sadly down  
upon the scene through the branches of  
the trees4  ,the girls have been invited
 to retire thither for rest and         
refreshment4 ,the men have previously   
arranged with a servant for the         
refreshments1 with plenty of old wine   
provided for their use1 and now they    
urge the ladies to partake1 saying they 
will feel refreshed and be sustained by 
it for the remainder of the evening4    
,after much coaxing and pleading they   
are induced to take a glass4 ,this      
accomplished1 the men feel that their   
object is as good as achieved4 ,the wine

 soon has a visible effect upon the     
unaccustomed brain1 and the girls are   
easily induced to drink more4  ,the     
third and fourth acts are only          
repetitions of the first and second1 and
 the last and fifth takes place behind  
the scene4 ,the curtain must fall       
between us and the going home scene in  
two hacks to which the half intoxicated 
girls have been conveyed by brutes in   
human form4  ,we only know that these   
girls are now unable to resist1 if they 
were to try1 the deed of shame their    
male companions are bent upon doing1 in 
that closed carriage1 whose driver has  
been ordered to go slowly1 and we know  
what has taken place1 as in after days  
we see these girls no more in           
respectable society1 although their     
accomplices still appear as most elegant
 and highly respectable gentlemen1 alias
 ball-room ,apollos4  ,this tragedy1 my 
friends1 was acted out in real life1 and
 is only a sample of hundreds and       
hundreds of cases of which ,i have had  

personal knowledge4  ,but1 some mothers 
say1 ,i know that ,i can trust my       
daughter4 ,the waltz may be the means of
 leading astray some shallow1 low-minded
 girls1 and may arouse the lower nature 
of some of those whose lower nature lies
 very near the surface1 but such girls  
would go astray anyway4 ,my daughter is 
a pure1 high-minded girl1 and ,i am sure
 she is trustworthy4  ,i am glad she is4
 ,keep her so1 my friend1 keep her so4  
,do not risk making her otherwise by    
placing her under the greatest          
temptation that can possibly come to a  
girl4  ,if you place her in the dancing 
academy or ball-room she cannot and will
 not remain what you say she now is1 and
 she has but a comparatively small      
chance of escaping ruin--comparatively  
only a small chance1 ,i say4  ,it is a  
startling fact1 but a fact nevertheless1
 that two-thirds of the girls who are   
ruined fall through the influence of    
dancing4 ,mark my words1 ,i know this to
 be true4 ,let me give you two reasons  

why it is so4 ,in the first place ,i do 
not believe that any woman can or does  
waltz without being improperly aroused1 
to a greater or less degree4 ,she may   
not1 at first1 understand her feelings1 
or recognize as harmful or sinful those 
emotions which must come to every woman 
who has a particle of warmth in her     
nature1 when in such close connection   
with the opposite sex2 but she is1      
though unconsciously1 none the less     
surely sowing seed which will one day   
ripen1 if not into open sin and shame1  
into a nature more or less depraved and 
health more or less impaired4 ,and any  
woman with a nature so cold as not to be
 aroused by the perfect execution of the
 waltz1 is entirely unfit to make any   
man happy as his wife1 and if she be    
willing to indulge in such pleasures    
with every ball-room libertine1 she is  
not the woman any man wants for a wife4 
,it is a noticeable fact that a man who 
knows the ways of a ball-room rarely    
seeks a wife there4 ,when he wishes to  

marry he chooses for a wife a woman who 
has not been fondled and embraced by    
every dancing man in town4  ,it is also 
noticeable that after marriage few men  
care to dance1 or to have their wives   
dance4  ,the second reason why so many  
dancing girls are ruined is obvious1    
when one considers how many fiends there
 are hanging about the dancing schools  
and ball-rooms1 for this purpose alone1 
some of them for their own              
gratification1 and others for the living
 there is to be made from it4 ,i am     
personally acquainted with men who are  
professional seducers1 and who are      
to-day making a living in just this way4
 ,they are fine looking1 good           
conversationalists and elegant dancers4 
,they buy their admittance to the select
 787 dancing school by paying an extra  
fee1 and know just what snares to lay   
and what arts to practice upon the      
innocent girls they meet there to induce
 them to yield to their diabolical      
solicitations1 and after having         

satisfied their own desires and ruined  
the girls they entice them to the       
brothel where they receive a certain sum
 of money from the landlady1 rated      
according to their beauty and form4     
,can you wonder when the degrading1     
lust-creating influence of the waltz    
itself is united with the efforts of    
such vile demons of men as ,i have1     
described1 that two-thirds of the       
dancing-school girls are ruined4  ,it is
 a greater wonder that any of them      
escape4 ,the question is often asked3   
,if what you say be true1 why do not    
more of the dancing girls become        
mothers8 ,i will tell you why4 ,it is   
because they dance away all fear of     
maternity4 ,it is the knowledge that the
 dancing floor exercise will relieve if 
they get into trouble that makes many a 
woman bold enough to take risks4        
,dancing and drinking invariably go     
together4 ,one rarely finds a dance hall
 without a bar in it1 or a saloon within
 a few steps of it1 and sooner or later 

those who dance will indulge in drink1  
which is the devil's best agent in the  
carrying on of the vile business        
transacted in1 and in connection with1  
the dance hall4     ,,chapter ,,ii4     
,,from ,,the ,,ball-,,room ,,to ,,the   
,,grave4   ,let me tell you a true story
 which will illustrate this point4  ,it 
was a ,saturday night in the month of   
,december1 in the year '#ia4 ,the girls 
who toil daily in the stores and shops  
on ,spring street were hastening to     
their homes after the long week of toil4
 ,as they pass along we notice among    
them the tall1 graceful figure of a     
young woman who seems to be the favorite
 of the group of girls about her4 ,she  
is a handsome blonde of nineteen years1 
with a face as sweet and loving as that 
of an angel4  ,she was born in a country
 town in ,new ,england1 of respectable  
parents4 ,her mother died while she was 
yet but a little girl1 leaving her to   
the care of a devoted father1 who1 with 
loving interest1 reared and educated    

her4  ,after the completion of her      
education she entered a printing office1
 to serve an apprenticeship1 but the    
close confinement1 following1 as it did1
 in close proximity to the confinement  
of the school room1 soon undermined her 
health and a change of climate was      
prescribed4 ,the father felt he could   
not part from her even for a few months1
 but as it seemed for her good1 he      
reluctantly consented to her going to   
,los ,angeles1 the ,city of the ,angels1
 for a year4  ,it was a sad day for both
 when that father and his only daughter 
parted4 ,little could he know of the    
fate that was in store for his pure and 
loving child in the far ,west4 ,little  
did he think when she kissed him an     
affectionate farewell1 and told him she 
would return in just one year1 that he  
would never see her smiling face again4 
,nor did she dream that she was         
journeying to her doom2 that far beyond 
the mountains she should be laid to rest
 'neath the sod of mother earth4  ,but  

to return to the scene on ,spring       
street4  ,as the little group pass up   
the street her very beautiful face does 
not escape the notice of the crowd of   
idlers gathered on the corners gazing   
impudently at the passers by4  ,among   
these idlers is one of the city's most  
popular society gentlemen and ball-room 
devotees1 and we hear him mutter to     
himself as he stares impudently at her  
pretty face3 ,ah1 my beauty1 ,i shall   
locate your dwelling place later on4    
,you are too fine a bird to be lost     
sight of4  ,he follows her to her       
lodging1 and day by day studies her     
habits4  ,he discovers that she goes    
nowhere except to her daily toil and to 
church4 ,he visits the church1 and      
finding no opportunity to approach her  
there1 is about to give up the chase    
when he finds out that the denomination 
does not condemn dancing4  ,ah1 now1 he 
says1 ,i have you4  ,he goes to one of  
the most fashionable dancing schools1   
where he is well known1 and explains his

 difficulties to the dancing master1 who
 is ever ready to take part in just such
 dirty work1 for it is from the pay for 
such work that he derives much of the   
profit of his school4  ,he sends her a  
highly colored1 gilt-edged card         
containing a pressing invitation to     
attend his select school4  ,she does not
 respond1 so he finally sends his wife  
to press the invitation4 ,the girl1 not 
dreaming of the net that is being woven 
about her1 promises that if her pastor  
does not disapprove she will attend4    
,her pastor does not disapprove4 ,he    
tells her that he sees no harm in       
dancing4  ,why does he not see harm in  
dancing8 ,has he never been where he    
could see8  ,she takes it for granted   
that he knows1 and acting on his advice 
attends the school4 ,she is met at the  
door by the dancing master1 who is very 
polite and so kindly attentive4  ,the   
society man who is plotting her ruin is 
the first person presented to her4 ,he  
is a graceful dancer and makes the      

evening pass pleasantly for her1 by his 
kind attentions and praise of her grace 
in dancing1 and when the school is      
dismissed he escorts her home1 which    
courtesy she accepts1 because the       
dancing master vouches for him1 and she 
thinks that is sufficient4 ,he continues
 his attentions1 and finally invites her
 to attend1 with him1 a grand full dress
 ball to be given at one of the         
principal hotels4 ,she has never        
attended a grand ball in her life1 and  
looks forward to this with the greatest 
pleasure4  ,the evening at last arrives4
 ,her escort calls for her in an elegant
 carriage4 ,she looks more beautiful    
than ever in her pretty1 modest evening 
dress1 and he says to himself1 ,ah1 my  
,greek ,goddess1 ,i shall have the      
'belle of the ball' for my victim       
to-night4  ,as they enter the ball-room 
she is quite charmed and dazzled by its 
splendor and the gaiety of the scene1   
which is so novel to her4  ,during the  
first of the evening her companion finds

 her more reserved than is to his taste1
 but he says to himself1 only wait1 my  
fair one1 until supper time1 and the    
wine will do the work desired4  ,twelve 
o'clock at last comes1 and with it the  
summons to the supper room4 ,here the   
well-spread table1 the brilliant lights1
 the flowers1 the music and the gay     
conversation are all sources of the     
greatest pleasure to the unaccustomed   
girl1 but there is one thing which does 
not please her4 ,it is the fact that    
wine is flowing freely and that all are 
partaking of it4 ,she feels that she can
 never consent to drink4 ,it is         
something she has never done in her     
life4 ,yet she dares not refuse1 for all
 the others are drinking1 and she knows 
that to refuse would bring upon herself 
the ridicule of all the party4  ,she    
hears her companion order a bottle of   
wine opened4 ,he pours and offers it1   
saying1 ,just a social glass1 it will   
refresh you4 ,she looks at him as if to 
protest1 but he returns the gaze and    

hands her the fatal glass1 and she has  
not the moral courage to say no4  ,as   
they raise their glasses he murmurs     
softly1 ,here's hoping we may be        
perfectly happy in each other's love1   
and that the cup of bliss now raised to 
our lips may never spill4  ,one glass   
and then another and the brain          
unaccustomed to wine is whirling and    
giddy4 ,the vile wretch sees that his   
game is won4  ,he whispers in her ear   
many soft and foolish lies1 tells her   
that he loves her1 and that if she can  
return that love1 he is hers1 and hers  
alone1 so long as life shall last4  ,she
 sits tipped back in one chair1 with her
 feet in another1 laughs loudly at every
 poor little joke1 and responds1 in a   
silly affectionate manner1 to all his   
words of love1 and when he makes        
proposals to which she would have       
scorned to listen at any other time1 she
 not only listens but gives consent to  
all1 and does not leave the house that  
night4  ,when she awakens next morning1 

it is in a strange room4 ,her head      
whirls1 she gazes abstractedly about her
 and tries to shake off what seems to   
her to be a horrid dream1 but she is    
brought suddenly to realize that it is  
no sleeping fancy1 but a steam reality1 
as a low voice by her side says1  ,did  
you rest easy1 my dear8  ,my ,god6 she  
fairly shrieks1 as the awful truth      
bursts upon her1 is it possible1 or am  
,i dreaming8 and she passes her hand    
wildly across her face4  ,do not excite 
yourself1 my dear2 you are not well4    
,you will feel better presently4        
,better6 she cries1 bursting into tears4
 ,better66 ,what is life to me now that 
you have robbed me of my virtue8 ,oh6   
that ,i should have sunken into such    
depths of sin1 and that you1 vile man1  
whom ,i trusted1 should have led me to  
it4  ,she tries to rise1 but finds      
herself too weak and dizzy1 and falls   
back heavily upon her pillow4  ,lie     
still1 my love1 and when you are able ,i
 will let you go4 ,but do not blame me  

for what has occurred1 it was by your   
own consent4 ,you know ,i am going to   
marry you1 and all will be well4  ,no1  
she sobs1 all will not be well2 nothing 
will ever be well with me again1 and she
 returns to the room which she has left 
a few hours before as a bright and happy
 girl1 now broken hearted and on the    
verge of despair1 with a blot upon her  
young life which nothing on earth can   
efface4 ,to be sure1 he who has brought 
all this upon her has promised to right 
the wrong by marriage1 but poor         
consolation it seems to her to have to  
marry a man whom she feels to be worse  
than a murderer2 even this poor         
consolation is denied her1 however1 for 
the wretch1 when he gave the promise1   
had no thought of fulfilling it4 ,such  
trifles as this he thinks nothing of4   
,it is the way of most high society men1
 and when he comes to her again it is   
not to marry her1 but to seek to drag   
her lower down4 ,she repels him and he  
is seen by her no more4 ,he has no      

further use for her4  ,days grow to     
months1 and now added sorrow fills her  
cup of grief to overflowing4 ,she is to 
become a mother1 and the poor girl cries
 out in bitter anguish3 ,my ,god1 what  
shall ,i do1 must ,i commit murder4 ,oh1
 that ,i had never entered a ball-room4 
,all her old companions shun her1 every 
one shuns her1 even he who led her to   
her ruin shuns her4 ,she goes to him1   
hoping he will have compassion upon her1
 but he meets her with a sneer1 calls   
her a fool1 and tells her to commit a   
yet greater crime than the first1 which 
in her despair she does and seals the   
band of death4  ,she soon became very   
ill and sank rapidly1 and then came a   
time when she felt that life was short1 
and that if she wished to leave a       
message on earth it must be delivered   
quickly4 ,having heard of my conversion 
and that ,i intended exposing the evils 
which germinate in the ball-room she    
sent a messenger requesting me to call  
immediately4  ,on entering the house ,i 

was led to a couch in a cosy room where 
lay the beautiful young woman whose pale
 face showed all to plainly1 an amount  
of sorrow and suffering unwarranted by  
her years4 ,the countenance of the      
sufferer brightened as ,i entered1 and  
she extended her hand saying3 ,i am so  
glad you came to see me1 so glad to know
 that you are to expose the evil which  
buds in the dance hall4 ,do not delay   
your work4 ,i have prayed ,god to spare 
my life that ,i might go and warn young 
girls against that which has made such a
 sad wreck of my once pure and happy    
life1 for1 when ,i entered dancing      
school1 ,i was as innocent as a child   
and free from sin and sorrow1 but under 
its influence and in its association ,i 
lost my purity1 my innocence1 my all1   
but ,i know that ,god has forgiven the  
sin which is sending me to my early     
grave1 where ,i shall soon be forgotten 
by all earthly friends4  ,do not grieve 
for me4 ,i am leaving this dark world   
for a bright and happy one where sin and

 sorrow are unknown4 ,mother is waiting 
for me there and ,i am not afraid to go4
  ,we spoke of a hope that she might yet
 recover1 but she only closed her eyes  
and shook her head slowly4  ,no1 she    
said1 with considerable effort1 ,i shall
 never leave this room alive1 never see 
the green hills of home1 never see my   
father's face1 but tell him not to mourn
 for me1 ,i shall be happy in the arms  
of ,jesus4  ,is there nothing ,i can do 
for you8 ,i asked4 ,yes1 said she       
faintly1 looking earnestly into my face1
 ,yes1 there is one thing2 that which ,i
 had hoped ,i might live to do myself4  
,promise me that you will do that and ,i
 shall die content4 ,promise me that you
 will go before the world and speak out 
a warning against the awful dangers of  
the dance hall1 and try to save young   
girls from the sin1 disgrace and        
destruction dancing has brought upon me4
  ,i made a solemn promise before ,god  
that her request should be complied     
with4  ,the dying girl showed           

unmistakable signs of pleasure at having
 my faithful promise4  ,she pressed my  
hand and said in a voice scarcely       
audible1 ,you have seen ball-rooms as   
they are1 my friend1 and there is a     
great and good work before you4 ,may    
,god bless you in it4 ,i seal your      
promise with death1 and before ,i could 
speak she was dead and her soul had     
winged its flight to a heaven of love   
and peace1 where weary hearts shall find
 perfect love and perfect justice--where
 not man1 but ,god1 judges his children4
  ,i know the man who was the           
perpetrator of the crime which was the  
cause of this sad death4  ,he1 to-day1  
instead of being hung for murder1 as he 
so richly deserved1 is a leader in      
society4 ,his name often appears in the 
social columns of the daily papers of   
,los ,angeles1 as the leader of some    
fashionable dancing party or ,kirmess4  
,he has been the winner of several      
prizes in dancing1 in fact1 is an       
elegant dancer and is wealthy4 ,these   

facts gain for him admission to         
whatsoever society he chooses to enter4 
,think1 ye parents who have daughters   
who dance1 of their being night after   
night in the embrace of such men as he1 
as they most certainly are if they dance
 much4 ,such men as he flock to places  
of dancing for that very purpose4  ,some
 may say that places of dancing are not 
the only places where such men are to be
 found4 ,true1 but at no other place    
would they be allowed to take such      
liberties with your daughters that they 
may there4 ,this they well know and     
consequently there are more of them to  
be found in places of dancing than      
elsewhere1 and it is not the whirling   
that they go for and enjoy4  ,how long  
would dancing be kept up if they were to
 whirl alone1 or if men were to dance   
with men and women with women8 ,ah1 no2 
it is not the whirling1 but the         
liberties the waltz affords1 which forms
 its chief attraction4  ,you1 perhaps1  
think your daughter is in the most      

select society1 and only in such1 and   
will accept only the most respectable   
gentlemen as partners4 ,but1 how are you
 to know this8 ,how can you be sure that
 this very man of whom ,i have been     
speaking1 or another of the same type1  
is not among those considered the most  
respectable in the select parlor dances8
  ,you may be perfectly certain that he 
will never publish his own misdeeds1 and
 the girl cannot expose him without     
making public her own disgrace1 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 him1   
viz43 seeking whom he might destroy4    
,what decent woman1 if she knew his real
 character1 would wish to throw herself 
into the arms of such a man4 ,if she    
were a true women she would almost      
rather die than have such a man even    
touch her1 to say nothing of being in   
his close embrace for the space of a    
waltz4  ,or1 what lady would allow any  

man1 in any other public place1 except  
the ball-room1 to take the liberties    
with her that he takes there8 ,would a  
lady with a spark of self-respect1 at   
any other place1 lay her head upon his  
shoulder1 place her breast against his1 
and allow him to encircle her waist with
 his arm1 place his foot between hers   
and clasp her hands in his8  ,this is   
the position assumed in waltzing1 and ,i
 tell you1 my friends1 that such a      
position tends1 in a greater or less    
degree1 to develop the lower nature of  
sexes4 ,it cannot be otherwise4 ,it is  
in perfect accordance with nature4 ,i   
have heard girls express utter innocence
 of having any improper emotion aroused 
by the waltz1 but ,i do not believe this
 to be strictly true of any girl4 ,if it
 is1 ,i am sorry for that girl1 for she 
has a sad lack in her nature4  ,male and
 female1 ,god created them and placed   
within them emotions intended to be     
shared only by man and wife1 and if     
others indulge in those emotions1 and   

continually arouse them by assuming the 
waltz position1 which is only fit for   
man and wife1 they commit a sin against 
,god and nature4  ,against ,god because 
,he has said ,thou shalt not commit     
adultery1 and ,i say unto you that      
whosoever looketh on a woman1 to lust   
after her1 hath committed adultery with 
her already in his heart4  ,and against 
nature1 because a girl thus constantly  
aroused1 soon breaks her health4  ,one  
may work six days in the week and arise 
fresh every morning1 but let him attend 
a dance for only a few hours each       
evening and see what will occur4 ,health
 and vigor vanish like the dew before   
the sun4  ,it is not the exercise which 
harms the dancer in mind and body1 but  
the coming in such close contact with   
the opposite sex4 ,did you ever know a  
lady who danced to excess to live to be 
over twenty-five years of age8 ,if she  
does she is1 in most instances1 broken  
in health physically and morally4       
,doctors claim it to be a most harmful  

exercise physically for both sexes4 ,the
 average age of the excessive male      
dancer is thirty-one4  ,beside the      
harmful exercise there is great danger  
from the exposure1 a girl is so often   
subjected to in a ball room4 ,she gets  
in a perspiration during the dance1 and 
as soon as it is over rushes to an open 
door or window with arms and chest      
exposed4 ,is there any wonder that so   
many women of to-day are unhealthy8     
,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,parlor ,,dancing4   
,some contend that there is no harm in  
parlor dancing4 ,how many parents are   
able to restrict their children to      
parlor dancing only8 ,not one in ten    
thousand4  ,dancing is too fascinating1 
and they who were at first content with 
parlor dancing soon want something else1
 and will1 for the sake of dancing1 go  
to almost any place4  ,if private       
dancing is allowed1 and all else        
strictly forbidden1 the child will often
 deceive his parents and dance at times 
and in places that they know not of4  ,i

 have known young people to be at       
,sunday night dances1 and in low        
company1 when their parents 7who only   
allow parlor dancing7 thought they were 
at church4  ,they made a practice of    
going to the church and remaining long  
enough to get the text of the pastor's  
discourse1 and then going away to spend 
the time in dancing1 and if questioned1 
they were able to give the text of the  
evening's sermon1 and the trusting      
parents would not dream of their having 
been any where but at church4  ,i only  
wish that certain parents1 who think    
they are restricting their children to  
parlor dancing at home only1 could have 
been with me the night of ,may #cjth1   
#ahib1 and seen1 as ,i did1 their girls1
 some of them but twelve or fourteen    
years of age1 dancing in a public       
saloon1 where so much beer had been     
spilt on the floor that the women had to
 hold their dresses up to keep them from
 getting soiled and wet as they danced4 
,this is usually the result of teaching 

the child to dance and then restricting 
them to home dancing4 ,if they once     
become fascinated with it they must and 
will1 by some means1 fair or foul1 have 
more of it than their homes afford4     
,there are professing ,christians who   
condemn the sale of liquor1 advocate the
 closing of saloons1 and frown on       
,sunday picnics and other amusements1   
who allow their own children to attend  
so-called select dancing parties4  ,in  
these places are taught the rudiments of
 an education which may make them       
graduates of the saloon or the brothel4 
,i do not say that it always does1 but  
,i do say that it often does4  ,the safe
 side is the best side4 ,keep them from 
taking the first step to ruin1 and they 
can never take the last4  ,where did the
 majority of the drunkards take their   
first drink8 ,where did the gambler play
 his first card8 ,where did             
three-fourths of the women1 who are     
to-day living a life of shame1 have a   
man's arm about them for the first time8

  ,let me answer4  ,the first drink of  
the drunkard was just a social glass4   
,the first game of the gambler was just 
a social game4  ,and three-fourths of   
the outcasts had a man's arm about them 
for the first time when they were young 
girls at a social dance4  ,there are in 
,san ,francisco #b1ejj abandoned women4 
,prof4 ,la ,floris says3 ,i can safely  
say that three-fourths of these women   
were led to their downfall through the  
influence of dancing4  ,the lot of a    
,negress in the equatorial forest is    
not1 perhaps1 a very happy one1 but it  
is not much worse than that of many a   
pretty orphan girl in our ,christian    
land4  ,we talk of the brutalities of   
the dark1 dark ages1 and profess to     
shudder as we read in books of the      
shameful practices of those times1 and  
yet1 here beneath our very eyes1 in our 
ball-rooms and theatres and in many     
other places1 the same hideous abuse1   
which must be nameless here1 flourishes 
unchecked3  ,a young penniless girl1 if 

she be pretty1 is often haunted from    
pillar to post by her employer1 and if  
he fails to get her to submit to his    
diabolical solicitations outside of the 
ball room1 he will manage to get her to 
attend a dancing school1 where he has   
the right to encircle her with his arms 
and press her to himself until she is   
inflamed with passion4 ,she hears in the
 ball room no warning voice1 finds no   
helping hand to guide her in the path of
 virtue4 ,the only helping hands there  
are those of which ,byron wrote1        
,hands which may freely range in public 
sight    ,were ne'er before--  and which
 helps her rapidly down the road to     
ruin4  ,when the poor girl is once      
induced to sacrifice her virtue she is  
treated as a slave and outcast by the   
very man who brought her ruin upon her4 
,her self-respect is gone4 ,her life    
becomes valueless to her1 and she is    
swept downward1 ever downward1 into the 
bottomless pit of prostitution1 and     
becomes an outcast from her             

fellow-beings4  ,but she is far nearer  
the loving1 pitying heart of ,christ    
than all the men who forced her down4   
,and who shall say that ,jesus loves her
 less than ,he does those who profess to
 be ,his followers and the soldiers of  
,his cross1 and yet stand silently and  
idly by while all this fearful wrong    
goes on4  ,the matron of a home for     
fallen women in ,los ,angeles1 says3    
,seven-tenths of the girls received here
 have fallen through dancing and its    
influence4  ,of course1 some of these1  
either from inherited passion or evil   
education1 have deliberately and of free
 choice entered upon a life of shame2   
but the great majority do so under the  
stress of temptation2 sometimes because 
of poverty or chafing against           
uncongenial employment1 with meager     
wages4 ,they are told that in the       
profession of prostitution1 they can1 if
 they are lucky1 make more in a single  
night than they could by sewing a week4 
,can you wonder that many a girl1       

aroused by the waltz and then lured by  
such glittering bait1 is led to sell    
herself1 soul and body1 to those who    
make use of her and then cast her aside 
for another8  ,and yet ball-rooms1 where
 this corruption germinates1 flourish   
and are countenanced by many preachers  
of the gospel1 and attended and         
encouraged by church members whose      
pastors have not the moral courage to   
condemn the evil1 for fear of offending 
some of their members who dance4  ,the  
ministers1 in a great measure1 set the  
standard of morality in our land1 and   
when they will rise to the occasion and 
make a long strike1 a strong strike1 a  
strike altogether against this ball-room
 curse1 ,christian people will strike   
with them4 ,then1 and not until then1   
will this evil be wiped out4  ,it is at 
the cause and not the effect that the   
strike must be made4  ,in some cities   
the advisability of closing all the     
houses of prostitution by laws has been 
discussed4  ,one might as well try to   

stop the ,mississippi river from flowing
 by damming it at its mouth1 as to try  
to stop this great stream of vice by    
closing the doors of the brothel4  ,to  
dam the river at its mouth would only   
cause it to overflow its banks and seek 
another outlet1 and to close the doors  
of the brothels on one street would only
 drive them to another4  ,to stop this  
great tide of sin we must begin at its  
source4 ,to close the doors of the      
brothel1 close first the doors of the   
dancing school4     ,,chapter ,,iv4     
,,abandoned ,,women ,,the ,,best        
,,dancers4   ,the most accomplished and 
most perfect dancers are to be found    
among the abandoned women4 ,why8        
,because they are graduates of dancing  
schools4  ,if any should wish to        
ascertain the truth of this let him ask 
the girls themselves4  ,i have for      
several months been working in a        
,mission of ,los ,angeles1 and where ,i 
have before seen causes at work1 ,i have
 now had ample opportunity of seeing the

 effect1 and ,i have often heard some of
 these unfortunate ones cry out in      
bitter anguish ,would to ,god that ,i   
had never entered a dancing school4     
,the following #bjj were cases of girls 
who are to-day inmates of the brothel   
whom ,i talked with personally4 ,they   
were frank to answer to my questions in 
regard to the direct cause of their     
downfall1 and ,i gathered that these    
were ruined by3    ,dancing school and  
ball rooms      #afc   ,drink given by  
parents              #bj   ,willful     
choice                      #aj         
,poverty and abuse                    #g
                                        
----                                    
#bjj  ,i know of a select dancing school
 where in a course of three months      
eleven of its victims are brothel       
inmates to-day4     ,,chapter ,v4       
,,equally ,a ,,sin ,,for ,,both ,,sexes4
   ,i have1 in the preceding pages1     
spoken chiefly of the harm that comes to
 women from dancing1 and have shown how 

vile men make use of the privileges the 
waltz and its surroundings afford to    
lead once pure girls to impurity and    
often to crime4 ,but do not think for a 
moment that because ,i have here thus   
spoken1 that ,i hold the women blameless
 or the dance to the man harmless4      
,while the woman is more often disgraced
 in the sight of man1 ,i believe that in
 the sight of ,god the sin of dancing is
 equally a sin for both sexes4  ,a girl 
is often ensnared into intoxication and 
thus into greater sin by vile men1 but  
she is not wholly excusable4 ,if she    
goes to a ball she must take the        
consequences4 ,every woman has a        
,god-given instinct which teaches her   
right from wrong1 and she cannot but    
know that to indulge in such emotions as
 the modern waltz fosters is wrong4  ,it
 is a horrible fact1 but a fact none the
 less1 that it is absolutely necessary  
that a woman shall be able and willing  
to reciprocate the feelings of her      
partner before she can graduate a       

perfect dancer4  ,so1 even if it be     
allowed that a woman may waltz          
virtuously1 she cannot1 in that case1   
waltz well4  ,it matters not how        
perfectly she knows and takes the steps1
 she must yield herself entirely to her 
partner's embrace1 and also to his      
emotions4 ,until a girl can and will do 
this she is regarded a scrub by the male
 experts4  ,i would that young women who
 dance could just once be behind the    
scenes when young men meet after an     
evening's dance to discuss it together1 
and hear such remarks as that ,miss ----
 is a perfect stick4 ,i would not give a
 fig to dance with her4 ,you can't      
arouse any more passion in her than you 
could in a putty man4 ,to waltz with    
such as she is not what ,i go for4  ,or1
 another says3 ,ah6 but that beautiful  
,miss ,smith is a daisy4 ,she is posted4
 ,this waltzing is the greatest thing in
 the world4 ,while you are whirling one 
of these dear creatures1 if you do the  
thing correctly1 you can whisper in her 

ear things she would shoot you for      
saying at any other time1 but she likes 
it all the same4 ,they take to it       
naturally enough if they are properly   
taught4 ,if you don't know just how it  
is done go to a dancing master1 or any  
professional dancer4 ,they know1 and    
they will soon let you know4 ,you will  
soon become a waltzer and thus find out 
what there is in it4  ,such remarks1 and
 worse than these1 7remarks unfit to    
publish even in this plainly written    
book7 are made1 my fair young ladies1   
after the ball1 about you by the very   
young men who1 at the dance1 you thought
 so nice and who are so considered4 ,i  
am ashamed to say in by-gone days1 ,i   
have been among these young men myself1 
and ,i know that to hear them give free 
expression1 loose-tongued1 to the lewd  
emotions and sensual pleasures in which 
they indulge while in your embrace1 is  
almost as common as the waltz itself4   
,i repeat what ,i have said before1 that
 ,i do not refer to rough1 uncultured   

men1 but to those who are looked upon by
 society as most polished1 refined and  
desirable young men4  ,if it be true    
that a woman1 however innocent in       
thought1 is the subject of such vile    
comment1 if there is the barest         
possibility that it may be true1 is it  
not also true that if she is possessed  
of a remnant of delicacy1 she will      
shrink from exposing herself to such    
comment1 and flee from places of dancing
 as from a den of vipers8     ,,chapter 
,,vi4  ,,the ,,approval ,,of ,,society  
,,is ,,no ,,proof ,,against ,,the       
,,degradation4   ,i know that there are 
many who will contend that ,i have some 
selfish or spiteful motive in writing   
thus strongly in condemnation of the    
waltz4 ,many will doubtless claim that  
the waltz is very moral and healthful1  
is indulged in by the best people of    
every land1 seemingly tolerated by all1 
and that he who raises his voice against
 it does so from other motives than a   
disinterested desire to warn his        

fellow-men against it4  ,i admit that it
 is indulged in by a great multitude    
7not of the best7 but the most          
aristocratic society people4 ,but does  
the fact that society has permitted     
itself to be carried by storm into a    
toleration of the modern dance make the 
dance any less degrading and sinful4 ,no
 more so1 it seems to me1 than does the 
fact of the universal use of alcohol    
make its effect less harmful or make it 
any the less a destroyer of homes1      
happiness and character4  ,no1 its      
universality does not prove its         
morality1 and it is certain that results
 prove conclusively its immorality1 and 
all who try to make it out otherwise1   
are either those who know nothing at all
 about it and are unwilling to believe  
that such an evil could be in their     
midst without their knowledge1 or those 
who know and practice the abominations1 
but enjoy it far too well to confess    
what they know4 ,these last will be     
loudest in their clamor against this    

book and its author1 and in their       
profession of perfect innocence4  ,they 
believe themselves to be the sole       
possessors of the secret which makes the
 waltz their pet amusement4 ,they do not
 mean that their secret shall be        
divulged1 and they seize every          
opportunity of praising the beauty and  
variety of the waltz4 ,its health giving
 exercise1 its innocent amusement and   
its grace-giving qualities4             
,grace-giving1 forsooth4 ,the grace of  
the harlot1 to my mind1 is not the most 
desirable possession4  ,i have known    
many and many a non-dancing mother to   
encourage her child to learn to dance1  
because she wanted her to become        
graceful1 and in many a case that       
daughter has lost grace1 health1 virtue 
and all that a woman holds dear4 ,if you
 have a choice of a saloon for your son1
 and a so-called select dancing school  
for your daughter1 ,i beseech you1 in   
the name of ,god1 place your son in the 
saloon1 but keep your daughter out of   

the dancing school4  ,if you wish her to
 become graceful there are schools of   
physical culture which are much better  
adapted to the development of health and
 grace1 and much less to the development
 of vile passions and depraved natures4 
,what ,i have said before will be no    
surprise to those who waltz1 though1 of 
course1 they will feign great surprise1 
ignorance1 and innocence of it all4     
,but dancing schools are often made use 
of in a way that is not so well known4  
,professional thieves often frequent    
these places4 ,many of them are perfect 
dancers and good conversationalists4    
,they appear most respectable and are1  
of course1 so considered1 since they are
 found in the select school1 where      
references are required4  ,they gain    
admittance to the school either by      
practising fraud upon the dancing       
master1 or inducing him to practice     
fraud upon the public by admitting such 
a man for a liberal compensation1 to    
what he advertises to be a select       

school4  ,when once in a school it is an
 easy matter to form the acquaintance of
 the wives and daughters of wealthy men4
  ,to these he makes himself most       
agreeable1 as he well knows how to do1  
and1 if possible1 manages by some means 
or other1 to get an invitation to call4 
,if he fails1 he makes some excuse to   
call without an invitation4 ,during his 
calls he manages1 if opportunity        
presents itself1 to seize some          
valuables2 if not he will locate them1  
to be called for upon some future dark  
night1 and he is quite safe from arrest1
 for even if suspected he knows that the
 ladies of the house who have been seen 
with him in public would only bring     
disgrace upon themselves by arresting   
for theft a man upon whose breast they  
often reclined in public4  ,this1       
however1 is of small account4 ,if it was
 the only evil connected with dancing1  
this book would never have been written4
 ,the loss of earthly possessions is of 
little consequence when compared with   

the loss of health1 happiness1 purity   
and virtue4  ,i simply tell you this to 
show you how many evils a dancing master
 is cognizant of in connection with     
dancing1 that the generality of people  
know little or nothing about4  ,some one
 has said that few people know better   
than the dancing master and saloon      
keeper1 how many souls are sent through 
the port holes of hell between the ages 
of fourteen and twenty by these two     
agencies of the devil4  ,and he is      
right4  ,the heart of the dancing master
 must be even harder than that of the   
saloon keeper1 for while the saloon     
keeper must witness the harmful and     
disgraceful indulgence of men1          
principally1 he knows that there is a   
chance that it may prove only a harmful 
indulgence4  ,but the man who can       
constantly see pure and lovely women    
being whirled to a disgrace from which  
she can never recover must have a heart 
hard indeed4 ,yet this is what ,i have  
witnessed and helped to perpetuate by   

teaching dancing4 ,still ,i heedlessly  
continued in the business1 until        
something occurred which set me to      
thinking4  ,i met on a train1 while     
leaving town1 one day a young woman1    
who1 a few months before1 had been a    
member of my select dancing academy4    
,she had been ruined there1 and was one 
of the discarded ones when the school   
was closed for a few weeks1 as all      
dancing-schools have to be every little 
while1 to get rid of those girls who    
have met with a fate similar to hers4   
,i entered into conversation with her   
and found she could no longer endure    
being shunned and slighted by all her   
old companions1 and was running away    
from home4 ,i knew that her parents     
would be heart broken1 and that she1    
without the protection of a home1 would 
soon sink to utter abandonment1 and ,i  
tried every persuasion to induce her to 
return to the home she was leaving4     
,i--who was still teaching the very     
thing which had been her ruin1 now that 

self-respect and all for which life was 
worth the living1 was lost to her       
forever--,i tried to save her from      
further degradation4  ,after ,i had     
argued for some time with her she turned
 fiercely upon me1 her once beautiful   
eyes now filled with a desperation born 
of despair1 and said1 with a look and   
tone of reproach which ,i shall never   
forget3 ,mr4 ,faulkner1 when you will   
close your dancing schools and stop this
 business1 which is sending so many     
girls by swift stages on a straight road
 to hell1 then1 sir1 and not till then1 
will ,i think of reform4  ,i was stirred
 by her words as ,i had never been      
stirred before4 ,but for them ,i might1 
perhaps1 not have been writing this book
 to-day4 ,at this ,i know many may sneer
 and say that ,i have myself done more  
than most men towards the furtherance of
 the evil ,i so strongly condemn4  ,i   
bow my acknowledgements4 ,i own it all4 
,i lived for self1 ,i thought for self1 
,for self and none beside1    ,just as  

if ,christ had never lived4      ,as    
though he had never died4  ,i sinned    
against heaven and in the sight of ,god 
and man1 and was in no wise worthy to   
become a child of him to whom ,i came   
ten months ago1 and he received me just 
as ,i was1 all stained with many1 many  
sins1 and in his boundless love and     
mercy he forgave them all4  ,i feel ,i  
cannot close this book without just a   
word to any of my old companions who may
 chance to read it1 and to others who   
are leading the life ,i once led4 ,i    
want you to forsake that old life ,i    
once shared with you and1 as ,i have    
done1 give yourselves into the hands of 
the ,master1 ,jesus ,christ4  ,you don't
 know what you are missing of happiness 
in this world and what you may miss in  
the world to come4 ,i do not ask you to 
take my life for an example4 ,that would
 be a poor example1 indeed4 ,we do not  
have to take any human life for a copy4 
,the life of ,christ is the one true    
example for us all1 and ,i believe that 

when we stand before1 the great ,judge  
of all1 the question will not be1 if we 
have lived as well as this professing   
,christian or that church member1 but if
 we have lived our life as nearly like  
the life of ,christ as we could4  ,and  
right here let me say a few words to    
professing ,christians and church       
members who dance4 ,i say professing    
,christians because ,i believe there is 
a vast difference between a ,christian  
and a professing ,christian and church  
member who dances4  ,to be a ,christian 
is to be ,christlike1 and ,i believe    
there is nothing ,christlike in         
partaking of such pleasures as have been
 described in the foregoing pages1 even 
though you indulge no further than the  
license of the waltz4 ,and even granting
 7if this were possible7 that you only  
engage in the indecent and suggestive   
position and motions1 without a single  
sinful thought or feeling1 do you       
believe that your ,heavenly ,father     
could say to you1 ,well done1 thou good 

and faithful servant4 ,thou hast spent  
the evening to my honor and glory4 ,thou
 art in the world and not of it4 ,thou  
hast done nothing that could cause thy  
brother to offend1 but hast set a good  
and ,godly example4 ,thou art letting   
thy light so shine before men that they 
will see your good works and glorify    
your ,father which is in heaven4 ,thou  
art denying thyself and taking thy cross
 daily and following me4 ,i left my home
 in glory and lived and suffered and    
died the death of the crucified that    
thou mightest take thine ease1 dance1   
drink1 and be merry1 and then1 lay down 
thy cross and take up thy crown in glory
 to be with thy ,savior and be like     
,him4  ,the ,son of man cometh at an    
hour when ye know not4  ,if he should   
come and find you at the dance1 locked  
in the embrace of another woman's       
husband1 do you feel that he would      
consider you ready8  ,do you not feel   
the slightest fear that ,he would say1  
,depart from me1 ,i never knew you8     

,ah1 my friends1 ,i should fear it very 
much4 ,i should fear that to my account 
would be laid the sin of the harlot4    
,you say that you dance very properly4  
,what have you to say for those who1    
looking to you for a ,christian example1
 see that you1 a church member1 dance1  
and conclude that there can be no harm  
in it for them1 so they indulge and are 
ruined by it1 and in after days are to  
be found leading a life of shame in the 
brothel1 all because of your example    
which led them to take the first step on
 the downward road8  ,do you believe    
that when you shall both stand before   
the bar of ,god for just judgment that  
none of her sin will be laid to your    
charge8  ,christian friends1 a great    
responsibility rests upon us all1 not   
only to see that we keep ourselves      
unspotted from the world1 but that we do
 all in our power to drive from our fair
 land this awful blot and curse4        
,,testimonials4   ,we have just finished
 reading ,mr4 ,faulkner's book1 called  

,,from ,,the ,,ball-,,room ,,to ,,hell1 
and we are profoundly moved by it4 ,we  
believe every word of it is true1 and   
that his characterization of the        
demoralization and ruin wrought by the  
modern dance is none too strongly put4  
,surely nothing worse could have been   
found in ,sodom than these ,dancing     
,academies1 as a reason why the         
righteous ,god sent fire and brimstone  
and destroyed them all4 ,these exposures
 are as carefully and delicately written
 as could be1 and yet not fail to be    
fully understood4  ,we hope the book    
will find a wide reading and help to    
open many eyes that are blind and       
startle many that are careless1 and     
prove to be a barbed wire fence around  
many homes of the innocent4  ,may the   
,holy ,spirit of ,god bless our         
,christian brother in his efforts to    
expose these hot-beds of vice4 ,we      
advise all pastors and members of our   
,churches to read this book1 and send it
 to friends4  ,signed by the following  

ministers1 of ,los ,angeles1            
,california4    ,,rev4 ,,bresee1 ,pastor
 ,simpson ,m4 ,e4 ,church4   ,,rev4 ,d4 
,,read1 ,pastor ,first ,baptist ,church4
   ,,rev4 ,h4 ,u4 ,,crabbe1 ,pastor     
,united ,presbyterian4   ,,rev4 ,m4 ,h4 
,,stine1 ,first ,english ,lutheran      
,church4   ,,rev4 ,a4 ,c4 ,,smithers1   
,temple ,st4 ,christian ,church4        
,,rev4 ,f4 ,v4 ,,fesher1 ,vincent ,m4   
,e4 ,church4   ,,rev4 ,a4 ,b4           
,,phillips1 ,city and ,county           
,missionary4   ,,rev4 ,j4 ,h4 ,,collins1
 ,third ,congregational ,church4        
,,rev4 ,a4 ,,anderson1 ,universalist4   
,,rev4 ,,father ,,morley1 ,catholic     
,priest4  ,,rev4 ,o4 ,,read writes--,you
 have photographed the ball-room        
correctly4  ,,rev4 ,b4 ,,fay ,,mills    
says3 ,may ,god bless you in your work1 
and hope that great good will be        
accomplished by this book4 ,i believe   
what you say is true4 ,i know of such   
cases as you have described4 ,it should 
be read by all ,christians4  ,,capt4 ,e4

 ,r4 ,,jennings3 ,among those who have  
spoken in praise of your powerfully     
written little book1 ',from the         
,ball-,room to ,hell1' let my name be   
enrolled4  ,,rev4 ,e4 ,s4 ,,taylor      
writes3 ,last evening ,i purchased a    
copy of ',from the ,ball-,room to       
,hell4' ,i read it through at one       
sitting1 and hasten to thank you for    
your noble utterance4 ,i know from my   
own experience that every word is true4 
,,rev4 ,s4 ,e4 ,,wilson1 in a long and  
eulogistic letter1 says3 ,this book     
fills a vacant niche in the temple of   
literature1 not occupied by sermons or  
homilies4  ,,prof4 ,,homes1 ex-dancing  
master1 writes3 ,this book is founded on
 facts4  ,,the ,,rev4 ,,father ,,morley1
 a ,catholic ,priest of ,california1    
writes3 ,having carefully read your     
excellent book1 ',from the ,ball-,room  
to ,hell1' ,i cannot forbear expressing 
my full approval1 therefore ,i          
cheerfully endorse every line contained 
therein4 ,you have opened1 dear sir1 a  

campaign against public evil4 ,you can  
send to me one hundred copies1 which ,i 
shall place in the hands of my          
followers4  ,the author writes evidently
 under a deep conviction of the truth1  
and gives a voice of warning in terms   
that will nigh take away the breath of  
many parents who read it4 ,we think that
 every pastor ought to see that one of  
these books should be placed in the     
hands of all members of their           
church4--,california ,christian         
,advocate4  ,the lady principal of one  
of the chief female educational         
establishments on the ,pacific ,slope   
writes3 ,myself and lady friends of mine
 have read the book ',from the          
,ball-,room to ,hell1' and think you    
have done a noble work1 and think it    
ought to be read by all parents4        
,,prof4 ,a4 ,t4 ,,sullivan1 ex-dancing  
master1 says3 ,waltzing is the spur of  
lust4  ,we feel pleased that there      
exists a pen bold enough to denounce the
 evil complained of in so masterly a    

manner and in such vigorous ,english4   
,if we mistake not1 it will work great  
good in the social world4--,los ,angeles
 ,evening ,express4  ,this book has     
created a greater flutter in social     
circles than anything published within  
our remembrance4 ,its pages should      
receive careful perusal of parents1 and 
the equally careful attention of the    
young4 ,we believe every word of it is  
true4--,los ,angeles ,times4