The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-12-04
BABY DWELLS IN LUXURY
MYRIAD REQUISITES OF THE IN-
 FANT OF FASHION,

A Great Wardrobe of the Daintiest
 Clothes, Supplemented by Silver
 Baths. Its Own Hansom and Safe De-
 posit Vault and . Suite of Skilled
 Servants. ..
 It means more to be a baby now
 adays than ever before. Babies are
 getting in society, and even an ordin-
 ary infant has far more dignity and
 importance than formerly. There are shops that deal only in babies belong
 ings, and there are babies outfitters
 who design and undertake the provid-
 ing of the proper togs for the infant.
 Like fashionable florists and milliners
 one has to have some social prestige to
 be babies outfitter, for there are few
 fashions coming in all the time for
 these young persons, and it is neces-
 sary to know just what the young
 Dukes, Duchesses and Princes in Eng
 land, France and Russia are wearing
 in order to fit out an American baby in correct style.
 Only the very crudest of mothers
 nowadays orders an infants outfit
 from the shop at which she trades, even though 1t be without reproach.
 The babies outfitter must be consult ed, and the fashionable baby is started in life with some particular fad of it's own, a color, style in caps or nurses, distinctive fashion in its embroidery or lace that must be carried out in all Its belongings. All this makes a baby far more interesting than in the old days when 1t vase only a pink and pudgy thing, dear to it's mother, but never understood by its father, and possessing absolutely no position out side the family circle.
 It used to be that when girl gave up her dolls she relnquished her last chance for really enjoying the delight of doll mothering, the dressing and un- dressing, the putting to bed and talk ing up immediately afterward, the spankings and all the other keen pleas ures that the little mother of big wax doll enjoys. For in the old days real babies were taken seriously, and somewhat relegated to the background so far as the public was concerned. Even their cradles were ponderous, stately affairs; their nurses, were crochety or else maudlin old women that ruled with rod of iron, and ba- bydom was not the fairland 1t Is to- day.
 Babies of modern times are frivolous society butterflies. gay as belles, beau- tifully gowned as brides with laces, jewels and above all individuality of their own. Their belongings in some cases are so numerous that they must be inventoried their collections of jew els so large that safe deposit vault must be taken to care for them and their lists of friends so long that a secretary must be engaged to reply to | the notes of congratulation and | acknowledge the arrival of gifts and | flowers that are sent them.
 Many fashionable babies find | readymade bank account waiting for them with tiny cfleckbook bound in white flexible covers, from which checks are sent out to various chari- ties and orphans homes just as soon as the lucky infant opens it's eyes to the golden sunshine about it. Then there are stocks and bonds presented to the modern baby before it is day old, sometimes when it's sex is gratifying to the giver of the gifts.
 Babies in these times have their own and even visiting cards. Time was when baby's mother sent out an announcement of it's birth on a card inclosed in an envelope, the flap of which was ornamented with the en- graving of safety pin in silver or gold This has grown to be very bad form among babies; it is considered al- most as bad as illustrated stationery, which no baby who knows what is what will use under any circum- stances. An up-todate baby simply sends out it's cards through secretary with the name in full and the date of It's arrival in the corner. The cards are iiminutive otherwise they have all the dignity of those used by grown-up folks. Visiting cards have the babies name { and its day at home, for babies have |, heir days now and people who wish $ 70 see them must come at the desig- hated time or will most probably find s he infant out driving in the park or I .lse asleep. When the nurse takes the C baby for its airing each morning the c infant frequently returns a call or | i ,ays a visit upon some other baby in g ts own set and in these cases the tiny I ard is sent in on a silver tray in thor l f ughly correct style. It