The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-12
INCUBATOR BABIES ON VIEW.
A NOVEL SHOW THAT ATTRACTS
WOMEN AT COMFY ISLAND.
Tiny white Bundles I'm Glass Gases, with
a Guide to Explain All About Them
They Are Said 10 Thrive In spite
OF Their Unusual SURROUNDINGS.

Rabit in incubators are one OF the lat 81
exhibis at Coney Island. They have made
biz hit with the women. As result, the
trained animals, occupying quarters not
far off, are getting jealous. and the won
derfully-garbed Orientals, accustomed TO
a leading place among the human exhibits,
look sIllSy.
To the great majority Of people incubator
babi are Il decided novelty. Every now
and then one has been star boarder at
New York hospital, but few save the medical
staff knew anything about 1t. The babies
lived In strict s clrsion.
At Coney Island it Is quite different.
| Incubator babies at that resort may DO
gazed at by the public from morning Till
night for a rsideration. Their visiting
list is not restricted. letters Of introduction
are needless formnlity, the way to their
, habitation is not hard to find.
In fact b, it would be almost impossible for
any but the blind to mistake the bahi es'
quarters. Letters a foot long posted on
the side Of the building and over the front
| door leave no doubt as to its occupants,
even though they do fail TO furnish the
| information that the price OF admission
Is a quarter-a high charge, as Side show
prices go at COMFY Island. But then babies
always do come high.
| As a consequence, in many cases, men.
boys and girls who approach. dime in hand.
| turn in hurry pocket their money and
stroll on to the fortune-telling booth next
door With women, though, it Is different.
Almost without exception they dive I'M
fiinchingly into wrist bags and fish out
the excess sum-even though with doubts.
Are they really live ba bies?" suspiciously
| asked woman the other day, evidently
seeming joke Of some sort.
Certainly, ma am, responded the ticket
; seller. cor your money back"
| Somewhat treasured, the woman and
companion passed through the wick ct
and on into a cheerful room lined on three
! sides with glass incubators about two and
one-half feet square, raised upon supports
| TO rather more than the height Of an ordinary
bed.
There were about dozen incubators in
all each fitted with what looked like
dolls bed. somewhat narrow prome-
made in front of the incubators was marked
| off with a stout brass railing which began
at the entrance door and ended at door
-->'~
another passage and thence into the street.
The first two incubators only were empty.
In every one of the others was tiny white
bundle tied around the middle with blue
or a pink ribbon TO indicate respectively
boy or girl.
At the first little waxen-looking image
the women stopped and stared critically,
without paying the least attention to a man
who was personally conducting party
of visitors around the room, explaining as
he went, after the manner of tourists
guide.
DO YOU believe" said one woman to
the other, after moments steady survey
shat that is a real baby?"
Il do not" was the calm reply. VINO
ever saw n baby that color? If 1t is a real
baby it certainly is not alive"
Just then, something after the manner
of the owl in the barber shop, the baby
ouivered one eyelid, as if trying to wink
yawned portent ously and, as if deploring
the lack OF knowledge of some women,
threw up two hands, each about the size
of a nickel, toward his head.
The women gaspcd and fell backward
AGAINST the brass railing. Then, without
a word, they hurried along to hear what
the guide was saying, which turned out to
be an explanation of the various pipes and
tubes that connected the incubators with
the outside world.
"You sec,' he said, tapping one as he
spoke, this pipe supplies fresh air which
before it reaches the baby has been heated
to the right temperature and purified
Il hntt
then followed a lot more OF dry details. to
which the company Of women pretended TO
listen.
1t was easy enough to see that they didn't
care rap about the pipes. What they
wanted to hear about was the baby before
them Just then-a pinker specimen than
the first, and tied with pink ribbon.
At last the guide was switched of from
plumb ny to infantile personalities.
"When that baby came to us, two weeks
ago" he said, she weighed trifle more
than two pounds. Since then she has
gained seven pounds.
"Her father is a travelling salesman and
since the day he brought her here until
F., yesterday he had not seen her He came
in with some other visitors yesterday morn
ing and after making the rounds whis-
pered to me, Where is my babyT He
didn't know her, she had changed so, but
he said he would take my word for it."
"Do you suppose these small mites
would make any objection to being Oh ex-
hibition il they could speak," asked blue
eyed woman with a regretful note in her
| tone.
THE babies are not on exhibition" the
guide answered with some asperity.
"Not on exhibition echoed the woman
In establishment. why the placards OUT
side advertise incubator babies, and
Just now paid rs cents to get a look at them.
have always considered that when pay
money to see any particular thing or per-
son, that thing or person is an exhibit
-Oh well, II you like to put it IN that
way" coldly answered the man. And he
continued with lofty air: "What We are
really doing here Is to demonstrate how
skilfully and easily by the use Of an incu-
bator baby who arrives in this world
before IL is due can be developed into a
strong, healthy boy or girl"
For a moment the woman seemed to
grope helplessly with the problem why
the babies were the specially mentioned
on the plaoards outside and how the in
cubators could be An exhibit and yet the