The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1877-04-28
THE CINCINNATI RAsx SHOW.
Terrible Excitement over the Distribu'
ton Of Prizes.
[Cincinnati Enquirer.

Yesterday was the last, brightest and
merriest day of all the baby show
merry. that Ia for all except those
mammas whose babies didn't get prizes.
They didn't seem to think it was an un-
common sort Of day, somehow.
The attendance was the largest OF any
day. Many ladies were out In elegant
toilets, which added o look OF life and
brightness TO the scene.
Fraudulent voting for babies went on
again prodigiously. It was awful. It
ten dollars worth Of tickets and depos-
tied them all for their baby. An out
slider might have thought they would
have been kind of modest about voting
for their own baby, but they weren't a
bit.
The distribution of prizes was the
main feature Of yesterday. After the
judges had made up their minds the
ballot had got their work in,
and the votes had been counted, the
prizes were distributed. 1t was late by
that time, and the babies, both the
prize ones and the rest, were tired out,
and were wailing like lot of young
lambs In a pen, when His Honor, Mayor
Moore, combining in his manner the
air of a grandfather of q large family
and the chief executive officer Of q city
OF the first class, stepped upon the plat
form OF Mozart Hall, and made brief
address. His Honor declared IL he had
his way he would give a prize to every
baby In the room. [Applause.l Cincin-
natl, said his honor. Is famous for its
expositions, and has the finest babies
and the handsomest ladies in America.
THE SCENE AT THE DISTRIBUTION
is hard to describe. Mad? Graciousl
Some of the disappointed ones looked as
though they could have made but one
bite at q tenpenny nail. 1t is said all
mothers think their babies the prettiest
in the world. and it certainly seemed
like 1t, for the mothers of some Of the
most insignificant children there were
the maddest.
They squeezed their babies all up in
q heap and walked the floor and famed
themselves with their hankerchiefs, as
il they were about bursting, and seemed
in doubt whether to break out in tears
or claw somebody. Women certainly
do show themselves to great disadvan-
tage sometimes.
"She's the hatefulest, meanest old
thing" says one.
"My child was the fattest baby there, "
says another, land the judges passed
him by and took the one next to him. y
II kno,c my baby was the incest and
judges never looked at him at all to-
day." declared another, with the ex-
preston Of a Lucrezia Borgia. Murder,
daggers, poison and fire and birthstone
were in her eye.
THE SECOND PRIZE BABIES MOTHERS
were about the maddest Of all. With
them it was Caesar or nobody, and 1t
was nobody. "Five dollars!" said one,
who had been offered an outside prize.
"Think of five dollars!"
The prize babies were held up to
view. one by one, on the stage, and the
little darlings were sight worth travel
as lilies and rosebuds, and twice as
sweet, with the tender pink Of their
dimpled cheeks and fingers, the soft
lace and muslin of their pretty dresses,
and the dear little innocent surprise in
their bright baby eyes, as they looked
around to see what 1t was all about.
Bless the sweet, tender little darlings,
anyhow! "Bless his ole heart OF him! r.
said an old colored nurse, as each prize
baby, one after another was handed up
to be exhibited. And somehow every
body else felt like saying the same
thing. Bless the babies!
For one thing, it will be to make baby
connoisseurs OF all the young gentle
men in town. Young fellows who, be-
fore the baby show, wouldn't have been
caught noticing baby for the world,
who thought it was weak minded to no.
tice baby, in short, now criticise eve-
ry baby they see on the street, and
gather in knots and discuss babies like
sages. They might be doing worse, too.
Laura Ramsey took a special prize of
a basket OF flowers, and little Lillian
Coleman took the prize for being the
handsomest dressed baby there. "
Those five hundred linen new suits, opened on
Saturday by nj. l.. Byrne Il Co., var'ing 10 price
from two dollars and half to twenty dollars, are
the greatest bargains OF the season.