Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-11-30
A Baby Show at San Antonio.

The San Antonio Herald of Nov. 4
says: The baby-show took place yes
terday afternoon at the Pagoda on the
Fair Grounds, and in the second story
of it., which, by the way, reminds one
of the hurricane-deck of a steamboat,
and the number and violence of the
squalls did not go far to dispel the illu-
sion. In order to encourage Mr.. Sam
uel Bennett, who provided the prize
perambulator, about nineteen babies
had put in their appearances. These
said babies, in the goodness of their
hearts, had also brought their mothers
along, and these ladies seemed to take
as much interest in the show as the ba-
bies themselves. We suppose the ba-
bies brought their mothers along to keep
them out of mischief. Besides the ba-
bies and the young mothers, there were
quite a number of ladies and gentlemen
present who were not babies, and had
not been babies for some time, who
came because they once had been ba-
bies, and wished to find out if the hui
man race was not d~eteriorating.
There we're various styles Of babies
there. There was the serene, contem-
plative baby, that quietly devoured the
landscape with its eyes. When that
kind of a baby grows up he becomes a
heavy taxpayer and accumulates real
estate, and is regarded, and justly too,
as highly respectable. Then there was
the disorderly baby, that punches
it's mother in the nose, and snatches
every body baldheaded and is as disor-
derby as a cage full of wildcats. In af-
~ter-life that style of baby climbs the
ladder of fame as a politician or as a
d~esperado. There we noticed, too,
the smiling baby. It made friends with
perfect strangers 20 yards distant. 1t
would take an earthquake to stop that
style of baby from growing. When
that kind of child grows up he becomes
popular, and is elected Justice of the
Peace Or United States Senator, like
Gov. Coke. Then, too, there was the
hungry infant that called for the bill OF
fare. When that kind of child becomes
fully developed, mentally and physical
~, it becomes contemplative, joins the
ministry, and becomes a terror to spring
chickens. There were several other
styles of babies, but we can't devote SO
much space to such small fry. We
have not mentioned how the female ba,
bies would turn out on account of the
uncertainty of the sex.
There was some difficulty in obtain.
ing judges to pass on the infants.
Whenever a gentleman was requested
to act as a judge he was singularly
unanimous in refusing to bring down
on himself the wrath of the babies who
might not get the perambulator. AS il
was absolutely certain that there would
not be less than seventeen of those en-,
ragged cherubs, we do not blame them
so much, after all. Besides, these in
suited little cubs have mothers, fathers
and other relatives. No wonder there
was 81 certain unwillingness to intrude,
At last five heroic men were found tc
act as judges.
The mothers seated themselves in {
circle, with their infants on their laps,
the judges made their rounds on trem
bling limbs, gazed falteringly at eact
infant, and then with blanched faces
consulted hurriedly together, cast theil
ballots, looking over their shoulders a
the determined faces of the mothers
and then hurried down the stairs anC
out of the pagoda, and are by this time
doubtless safe in some country that ha;
no extradition treaty with the United
States. 1t was understood that the
awards would o be called until the
judges had ten minutes start.