Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-08-02
Was A H0WLING SUCCESS
A Great Show of New What
com Babies Seen in the
Lighthouse Block
Sixty -four Lively Cherubs of
Both Sexes Proved
Great Attraction
A Crowd of Happy Mothers,
Proud Fathers and
Perplexed Judges


block, New Whatcom, yesterday after
noon.
The occasion was the first In the
history of Whatcom county, and was
attended by maid and matron, old and
young, the bashful youth and the
more matured man, blase, II you will,
but still very much interested, de-
spite premature badness or hairs,
which are pOpularly supposed TO rep
resent an extraordinary degree Of
piety In early youth. Buff the young
man and the middle aged were inter
ested, so were the old, and the grand
sire admired the fair show Of babies
just as keenly as did those upon whom
the hand of time had not pressed so
heavily.
A baby show Is unique. 1t is unlike
any other show that the world ever
saw, inasmuch as the babies them
selves have voice in the affair, and
yesterday their voices were triumph
ant. Amid the bright scene on every
side, surrounded by crowd Of curl
Gus people, the youngstcr lifted up his
voice and wept, II he felt like IL,
and for once, perhaps the
first time in his brief
life, he did as he pleased
History, sacred or prOfane, Is silent as
To the exact date Of the first baby
show, but there is "A well authenticated
case on record wherein Solomon acted
as Judge, and IL is safe to say that his
endeaYOrs TO arrive at righteous de-
cision were not exceeded by those put
forth by Judge DE MattOs yesterday.
At 4:30 yesterday afternoon the eX-
hibitiOn was at its height. Ranged
around the room were babies and their
mammas. Some were asleep, some
awake, some laughed, others cried, a
few tOddled about the hall with wide
open eyes, wondering, no doubt, what
strange misfortune sent them there.
IL takes an artist TO describe babies
accurately, and successfully depict
their most striking features, such as
the shade OF hair, the color Of the
eyes aud the popularity Of complexion.
All nations and kindreds and tribes
and tongues seemed 10 be gathered
there, each little prattler speaking the
language which seemed to him best.
There were the grey-eyed babies and
the blue-eyed babies, the black-eyed
babies and the brOwn-eyed babies,
babies whose hair was Of straw color
and babies whose hair was brown,
babies whose hair was red and babies
with no hair at all, besides those who
had eyes and hair Of neutral tint,
and whose mothers only would be good
authority as 10 color and quality.
But IL was gOOd-natured success.
There we're, no doubt, kickers at the
awards made, but If there were, the
kick was made in the domestic circle
after the wearled mother had taken
home, mayhap, some future president
or first lady OF the land.
AS some infant would protest, la
his own way, at the confederation Of
events which had caused his presence
there, the soothing strain Of "ROck-a-
bye baby, In the tree top" fell on the
ear and carried ones memory back to
the distant past, In llfe's morning
march when the bosom was young
All, well, we were all babies once, and
poor little fellows, one and all, they,
TOO, will some day face the cares and
trials OF life. Now let them be happy,
and let US make their young pathways
bright as possible.
The show was for the benefit Of the
Library association OF New WhatcOm,
Of which Mrs. +. Fischer Is president
and Mrs. j. T.. Baker secretary. There
were slXty-fOur entries, and the judges
were Mrs. Cheney MoultOn, Mrs. DR..
| Cornwall, Mrs. Thomas Metcalf, Mrs.
Robert Metcalf and Judge j. i. DE
Mates.
The work Of inspection began.
Great beads OF perspiratiOn stood on
the classic brow OF Judge DE Mattos.
| IL was evident that he was undergo
| ing an ordeal He was being tried as
IL by fire, yet he bore up brayely.
The lady judges, on the contrary, were
| cool, calm and critical. They were
matrons Of experience, well yersed In
pathology, and took In all the good
points at glance. But with Judge
DE MattOs IL was different. lie Is a
bachelor, and that fact will account
for his trepidation. Gradually, IL
wore of, however, and when the
awards we're ready TO be made, the
Judge had regained his old-time con
| iidence, his voice was steady and II
there was any tremor IL was concealed
Mayor VIII ID. jenkins, with a smile
paternal and benign, mounted the
platform and announced that while
the judges were preparing the awards,
Prof. Metcalfe would address the
audience. The professor is a Boston
man, and he delivered brief, and
humorous but effective address.
| Then came the reading Of the
awards, and the receiving Of prizes by
the lucky competitors. This was done
by Judge De MattOs, assisted by Mayor
Jenkins.
Following are the awards and prizes,
together with the names OF the
mothers OF the babies securing them.
First class, one TO two years old.
First prize, gold chain; Mrs. +. g.
Austin, girl.
Second, gold pin; Mrs. II f. Hadley,
girl.
Second class, six months to one year
First prize, mush sett; Mrs. o. o.
DOOlittle, boy.
Second, silver spoon; Mrs. Albert
PancOast, boy.
| Third class, up 10 six months old.
Fist prize, two pins; Mrs. j. g.
Allen, boy.