Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1854-10-11
EVENING STAR
From tire Ohio Columbian, OctoDer7
The Baby show-How it Originated, and
what were i1s Results


what were i1s Results
{" Show" We shall still persist in calling l.,
although We found that the managers had ig-
nored this word as derogatory to the institu-
tion, and substituted the more dignifsd tit,e
of convention" Why not? When every
body, even the hens have a convention, should
not Young America aspire to the same e eva
ton? 1t was great affair, though made NJ
of small m 'teriaIs. Novel exhilarating, and
stimulating by force of example; carrying
with it the admirable precept, .'Go thou aud
do likewise, and We may as we'll finish the
quotation, "the young man went away exceed
ing sorrowful." '-f ~ .1 ~ -.
Tho show originated in this wise Messrs
| Cassiley, Paist and one or two others of the
| managers Of the county far started the idea
one evening, half in jest, and each subscribed
hundre cd dollars The paper was sent around,
and numerous others, thinking it first rate
joke, added their names when a pretty gosd
| sum had been footed up, the prizes were or
| dered from New York, and the subscri bers IN
jest paid up in earnest. The moss sanguine
did not calculate on the invasion of such a
| corps Of infantry in arms as the day brough
| forth, and consequently The preparations for
their reception were not so extensive as they
| would have been.
The tent wherein the babies were agroomed,'
| and q trotted out' was scarcely thirty feet IN
| ldlameter-the big" tent expected from bps-
falo not arriving until Just - day after tho
| fair SO, when the committee had finished
| their inspection, the babies and their mothers
| were ushered into Floral Hall, to the accom- :.
| panyIng strains of an excellent brass band
which scared the babies some, but at the SANE
| time drowned their crying
The flowers, vegetables, DC, had been re-
| moved, and babies put in their places For
| three hours the rush of ten thsusand persons
to ''look upon those fair count en- ances, crea-
ted the most consummate jam-up that we ever
| endured. 1t was great crowd, but il was a
most good ,humored and delightful one; for if
| one baby is a sunbeam in the house - wha,
think you of the combined influence Of some
| two hundred rays? 1t was shrewdly hinied
| that nO small share of attraction was due 90
| the magnetic forces Of the mothers, most Of
whom wete young and many Of them very
beautiful "a a.g.. .s.. =. '...- 3. = = q
One hundred and twenty seven babies were
! enrolled as competitors, while there we're MANY
| more who cid not enter the lists frienI
counted one hundred and seventv.ene. and
| then gave it up, There was every degree OF
| complexion, except Mrs. Motifs pets eye,
| hair and dress: with an infinite variety G f
Idcvelopment in juvenile propersities Some
l sucked their thumbs, some sucked candy and
| others something else; while not few beilig-
| srents manifested an earnest desire to wool
| one another. But the most prevalent demon
l cH Alloh WIS hlEiOSt universal GrOctiYlty 70
| swallow Themselves egiuning with their fists
| in the hrst instance, and going suddenly 20
feet "by way of anchovy" r'
| The majority OF these minors were very
I well behaved babies. totally unlike that IL
bred juvenilty, described by Shakspeare as
'nuiiDg and puk my in its mothers iay" al
though candOr cempels us to admit thar few
demonstrated their possession of the same
qualities attributed to their shakspcariqn pro
sotyps. ---'
We have seen infant schools and heard their
thin voices rise in concert as they repeated
| their little lessons, on what, We think, was
| called the PestaioZsan system, but never be-
fore did We realize au infant Babel. Laugh
ing, crying, Growing. and footing, all in fail
| blast at the same moment, mixed in with the
chatter of the " anxious mo,hersn each inn
pressed with the insane delusion that hef own
baby was " In, and not - out 4; the caressing
| words and endearing phrases enuneiated in
| the AwgWc ffanc~ which pathological babies
! are supposed to understand, joined 10 the
j deeper voices of the crowds of masculine ad-
| Diirers altogether made up scene of lively
confusion not often encountered Eve-yb0dy
| called to everybody else to "move along >
and nobody stir ed q peg, till. the ou side
pressure getting strong, the whole crowd would
| break ahead like wave for few feet, apd
| come to another standstilt. However the pur-
suit of knowledge under difficulties is sure 10
be rewarded. and we enjoy ed the babies faces
| the more for the tro uble they cost Us
| Several let ers had been received frem Mrs
| CritteIden, Mrs. Swisshelm, Horace Greeley
and ethers Mrs. Mott had, Of course, some.
Thing to say against the exclusion of negro
oabies-perhsps for that reason she would not
be present. The letter from Fanny FeIn
| which We give, was read several times to tn
great delight Of the successive audiences
| "Mr. Isaac Paist-Sir: In thanking you e r
| the compliment you pay me by constituting
NE one OF the committee TO award the pre-.
miums at the convention, would also ex-
press my deep regret that my present engage.
ments will not admit Of my leaving New York
Nothing would delight me more than TO visit
your beautiful city, which | have so long
wished TO see, and tbs added temptation you
hold out, in the shape of babies, is almost II
| resisdble. God bless their little sweetnesses 4
| But how could l choose l, who love every
thing in the shape of d child, who believe
| that they ore all that il left TO us of Eden
| who never come into their presence without a
feeling such as devout Catholic mast have
when be crosses himself before the image Of
| the Virgin Mary-hcw could choose
! : ~ heuld turn from black eyes 10 blue, from
| blue to gray, from gray to hazel. should be
led captive by dimple, fascinated by ring
| let, enchanted by rosy check or snowy
| shoulder. My dear sir, l should be as bswii-
de1ed as a bee in a twenty acre lot of full
blown roses. Please accep ept my best wishes for
| the success of your novel, beautiful and ad
| mirable enterprise. May the anathema of no
| disappointed mother haunt the sleeping or the
| waking hours Of the Awarding Committee
May God bless you. and prosper your enter
| prise. Yours, very trnly, .,1s p-a,-I
20 FANNY FERN -
1t was announced by Mr. Cassiley that next
year every provision would be made, and the
prizes paid in gold. e. :, s
| The following memorandum of the awards
was handed US by one of the committee. 1t
will be observed that one of the names differs !
from that as publishedin other paper: /
First prize-A splendid service of silver
| plate, including large salver-to the daugh-
| ter of William Aronimus; of Vienna, Clark
county, aged ten months.
- Second prize-A service of silver plats-to
| the son of WIN Mcdowell, of Fulton, Hamil.