Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1883-07-26
A BROKER IN BABIES.
A New York Firm Whose Business Is to
Supply Babies When They Are
Wanted.

OF all the thousand and one profess
sions on which the inhabitants of this
;ity are dependent for support, IL is
probable that the pursuit of the baby
broker has as yet attracted the least at
tention. Very few are aware Of the ex-
tent and Importance of the business.
The recent researches OF Journal re-
porter revealed the fact that there are
at present something like forty or fifty
individuals and firms employed in this
industry. 1t has been generally held
that the "blessed baby was not usually
regarded as thing 20 be desirable in
American families, and that MatthuAan
ideas were exceedingly popular; but the
volume of the transactions in infantile
humanity furnish striking REPUTATION
of this theory. "Of course L will tell
you something about it," said prom
inent operator in infants to Journal
reporter yesterday. "Come round to
the Office with me, and L will give you
few points. At present the crop is
coming forward but slowly, and as a
natural consequence my stock is rather
low; however, you shall see what have.
There is desirable youngster about 10
days old, fair hair, blue eyes, and boy.
He has, you observe, dimple on the
left cheek, and that always enhances
the value of child. / am asking 800
for him. The girl next to him, of about
the same age, will probably go for half
that sum. She would fetch more, but
her hair has every indication of devel-
oping into what is euphemistically term
ed an auburn shade-in other words,
red. However, boys always bring more
than girls"
"How do you account for that?"
"Well, / don't know; all l know is
that girls, with the exception of par
ticularly fine specimens, are at dis
count prefer not to deal in them"
What nationalities do you find most
in demandp"
at depends entirely on that of the
customer, and 1 endeavor to satisfy
them in that respect TO the best of my
ability. OF course, once in awhile
mistake is made, and a child of Hiber-
nian extraction is disposeeof to Teutonic
foster-parents, but as a general thing
manage to avoid such errors. No, we
have no Chinese babies as yet"
"Do you find it difficult to suit your
customersp"
sometimes / do. Some women are
very particular. They have in their
minds eye an ideal baby, and expect
me to be able to produce it. AS gen.
eral thing find that the blonde type is
most in demand, although many of my
clients ask for such curious combina-
ton as blue eyes and dark hair, or
dark eyes and fair hair. A lady who
came here this morning produced q lock
of hair of rather unusual white, which
she expected me to match, for all the
world as if she was buying a yard of
ribbon"
"Do you find the business profitable.
"Well, generally the demand is rath-
er in excess of the supply, and hence
the chances of profit are fairly good,
but my expenses are large. My rent is
heavy, and doctors fees make large
hole in my profits. Ny competitors
are very numerous, and of course that
cuts down prices. Things are not what
they used to be. Now. if a customer is
not satisfied with my rates she goes
elsewhere, in fact, goes shopping The
establishment opposite has been a great
source of loss to me. Where L used to
Bcb ~NOO ~ yC'ti INV NC SUI
isfied with S75."
.'Do you ever have applications for
colored babies?"
mo. The extreme brunette type is
not popular among white people, and the
African population do not seem to stand
in need of my service. A large part of
my trade is in what we term futures.
I have here" referring to ledger,
contracts for July and August deliv-
cry; some, indeed, as far ahead as Sep
TENDER, those being the months in which
my rustic customers, among whom most
of the business is done. visit the city,"
-NeW York Exchange.