The San Francisco call., 1896-12-13

MOI4u new sensation by eStaDIShlng IN
London baby market. So novel is The
idea that the big, conservative city has
gone into ecstacies over the plan sug-
guested and the man whom it once
forced, because of his charitable deeds,
into the Old Bailey. Mr.. Stead's latest
suggestion is that there is no better Christ
mas present than pretty baby, and he
declares he knows there are many couples
who would be only too delighted to make
their family three instead of two if they
knew where to go 10 secure an acceptable
third.
The scene of Mr.. Stead's baby market,
or, as some term it, baby exchange, Is a
prettily furnished suite of apartments in
one of the eminently respectable portions
of the English metropolis. The object of
attempting this, experiment was. in q
nutshell, to create an Institution that
would prove medium for finding chill
dren for married couples entirely without
family but who felt the desire to fill up
the blank in their hearts and homes by
adopting as their own some Of the home
less among the little ones.
In every large city there is very great
number of children who have entered the
world under circumstances that make
their retention by mother or father a mat
ter unpleasant and difficult. The children
are in every respect desirable, as rule,
for, judging from the qualities of their
progenitors, there is no reason why, if
placed in proper environment, they
should not become worthy men and
women. The principal trouble has been
for couples desirous of adopting children
10 ind some place where they could pur-
sue their quest without danger of suffer
ing from deceit, or bitterly repenting a
hasty bargain when it was too late to
escape the consequences.
1t is Just exactly this want that the
baby market fills. To the comfortably
furnished rooms where the babies who
may be adopted together with absolutely
correct information concerning them are
TO be found many women, young and old,
charming and ugly, wend their way every
day to see Just what specimens of juvenile
beauty are candidates for home honors.
There are plenty of them, and like men,
of all sorts and conditions, except that in
every instance when they are placed on
view in the market they are absolutely
clean Mr.. Stead and his confreres hold
tudl ClCduiltlCSo . LOl Oil4g ACAb " BON-
illness, but an absolute requisite prelimi-
nary to adoption.
So the baby races shine under the
benignant influences of soap and water,
and if chubby hands undo the work of
the washing apparatus, why, the scrubbing
process is repeated. The picture that ac-
companies this article graphically por-
trays the scene that is daily witnessed in
the visitors room of the baby market.
One Gays experience in this place is
whole volume in the study of human ma
ture. Women whose faces are snarled
with frowns and wrinkles change counte-
nance entirely as soon as they catch a
glimpse of the healthful, lusty contents
of the visitors room. Pretty women grow
prettier at the sights they see.
OF course, the babies are like all other
humanity, both bad and good. But the
well-treated, well-fed and well-washed
baby is not inclined to be Ill natured, and
so all look their prettiest and smile their
sweetest at the tender-hearted women
who come to view then on adoption bent.
The babies vary in age from six months
to three years, but the tenderer age pre-
dominates. These are some of the entries
in The baby book, no names being given:
GIRLS.
-22-Born IN May, 1896 in London.
I3-Born in April, 1896. in Sunderland.
2O-Born in April, 1896, at Bridgton.
21-Born in April, 1896, in Yeovil.
24-Born in June, 1885, in London.
2S-Born in July, 1896, in Berks.
29-Born in July, 1896, London.
3O-Born in March, 1896, London, S. E.
21-Born in March, 1896, father suffering
from reverse in business.
35-Born in July. 1896, Scotland.
37-Born in September, 1896, London !;
father widower.
Born in January. 1896 near London.
13-Born in January, 1896, in Banbury;
twins.
16-Born in February, 1895, Manchester
1S-Born in February, 1896. London.
20-Born in April, 1896, Burton-on-
Trent.
24-Born in April, 1896, London, N.
31-Born in February, 1896. Isle of
Wight.
33-Born in April, 1896, London, W.
36-Born in July, 1896, Cheshire.
39-Born in July, 1896 Surrey.
43-Bora in August, 1896 London, S. w.
The numbers given with the entries are
those by which the babies are known, as
they have no names. These poor young
sters start in life as guitless of identity as
the convict in the Spanish prison Inferno
at Ceuta, that portion of Africa which is
given over to Hades.
Sometimes it happens that children be-
yond the customary age of those who
make up toe bulk of the markets stock in
trade seek parents and hope for would-be
parents to seek them. For instance the
mother of two little boys, and years
old respectively, recently wrote to Mr..
Stead, asking him to find home for her
children. The death OF her husband had
left her almost destitute. These two little
fellows are grandsons of one of the best
known Judges OF India.
Asa rule. the antecedents Of a child are
not revealed, owing to the fact that inno-
cence would frequently be forced TO suffer
for the guilt Of others. Such instances as
~ ooe onnted are by no means rare, for