ALASKA AND THE KLONDIKE. 171 



in various ways to ascertain the number of women who represented 

 the community, but failed to obtain a satisfactory accounting. A 

 large proportion of those who are in evidence, and perhaps even by 

 far the greater number, belong to the " red " aristocracy, or at least 

 to that side where steady principles are treated with little considera- 

 tion and respect. I use the word aristocracy advisedly, for it is a 

 notorious fact that an amount of deference is paid to these creatures 

 of shame which is not given to the virtuous or self-respecting woman; 

 and that they themselves, recognizing their standing, are apt to look 

 down upon the rest of their kin, and to even question their proper 

 privileges. A large part of the broadly capacious Second Avenue, 

 together with equally conspicuous sections of the town elsewhere, 

 is given up to the public display of the inmates of neatly constructed 

 log cabins bearing such devices as " Saratoga, " Bon-Ton," ^' The 

 Lucky Cigar Store," " Green Tree," etc. The number of open houses 

 is probably less than in most mining camps, and far below what it is 

 in some places. In deference to a demand tax of fifty dollars, levied 

 on each member of the profession to pay part costs of two fire engines 

 which had been brought to the town, there was a response of only 

 sixty-nine, and this was considered a sufficiently close representation 

 not to press the matter any further. 



A community of this kind must necessarily have its dance halls 

 and places of amusement. The latter consisted at the time of my 

 arrival of four " theatres " or " opera houses " — the " Combination," 

 " Monte Carlo," " Mascot," and " Pavilion," two of which suspended 

 or closed up before the " season " had fairly opened. Ordinarily, 

 the price of a drink at the bar of entrance paid for admission to the 

 performance with seat, and many will agree with me in believing that 

 the admission was fully paid. The acting need not be worse at any 

 theater, and the singing could hardly be surpassed in its eccentricities ; 

 yet the performances appeared to satisfy a general demand, as ordi- 

 narily the houses were packed to their full capacity evening after 

 evening. jS^eedless is it to say that the performances are not intended 

 for women in good standing, and few such are ever present, unless 

 heavily screened behind the curtains of the " boxes." The plays are 

 all of a low order, but the worst is not much worse than some of 

 the plays that are tolerated in all their nastiness in some of our own 

 legitimate theaters. It is singular and interesting as showing the 

 influence of necessity that a sacred Sunday concert in aid of the fire 

 department was successfully carried through in the capacious halls 

 of one of the most notorious dancing resorts. 



There are now two banks in Dawson — the Bank of British iSTorth 

 America and the Canadian Bank of Commerce. In the early days of 

 August the first of these was still housed in a tent, and before the 



