The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-20
AS THE BABIES ARE JUDGED

Can any one give us the information as to the origin of the baby show?" Somebody holds a patent on this intro- duction into public enterprises, and we would like to glance through the annals of the first one and zee if they are all alike since the world began. If when Adam and Eve held Cain and Abel to ,be the hest creation is the only instance where some mother or father did not re- lieve their lungs atathe expense of the judges? Experience teaches us that the only reason there was not an angry scene was because Eve reigned supreme, the only mother then and her babes the best, because she was the judge. Really a baby show" is a beautiful scene-so many bright, cheery. rounding faces, sparkling eyes and dimpled joints; they cry and scream and furnish music of their own, little knowing they are on the eve of a tornado of their making poor innocent victims of an almost insur- rection
 Just think of group of more than 50 beautiful children, from the age of 6 months to years. Boys and girls look ing their hest for the prizes offered by Birminghams most popular bachelors. And as many mothers with almost as many fathers ready 10 press their own tenderly to their heart, almost crushing the blue ribbon they each are sure their child should wear. Ii is most natural our very own are to us the very best and most beautiful They have always worn our blue ribbons, isn't it certain that we criticize the poor taste of the judge7 And that judge, always a martyr, is 1t astonishing we find the office hard to fill. one with few candidates offering themselves; in fact. they hold their hands in the air and exclaim, No baby show for mel
 After reasoning with good d-humored big-hearted woman from a distance to be the baby show judge" she consented This woman Is one with soul who loves children and has them around her She not only has adopted one for her own, but she makes them of cloth. She s the doll woman" She studies faces. express sion. figure proportions in fact studies child life and stature that she may make more perfect her images Could we have selected better judge than Mrs. s. g. Smith of Roanoke, Ala? She it is who had the beautiful dolls. mounted on q high stand. looking down from above and greeting silently every visitor who entered the doorway to the womans exhibit of the ldlf. IT there ever was t1Ine when a photographer should be on hand 1t Is while a baby show is on: the prize winners are only a very small part of the feature-they represent the happy side of the catastrophe. But there are really two sides to the baby show" The worse side is the irate daddy" who wants to whip the judge, and knows his baby was not looked at carefully; he pounds the air, explodes and wants to mall some body. but the judge is usually game. Then, oh, my, the disappointed grand ma-she wants to know 'the name of your friend whose baby you gave the prize to?" These scenes make me wonder why this patent of a baby show can not be thrown out of service, or improved upon by our next legislature The matter is growing serious.
 But coming down to the real wrong of 1t all--the appointed hour always in- terferes with some baby's maps. and he is not at his best; then the train Is late and another comes in just too late for the fight: but even then that mother is hap she gotten on time bers would have won the blue.
 We have decided if we arrange any more baby shows to make the prizes worth the fight; there must be a prize for more babies, and We must have a deputy on hand to protect the crowd- not that the women wanted to fight but we are afraid of the babies raising a racket.
 Yet who would live without the babies: they carry the purity of life in their souls: their tiny tear drops soften our
  time warbled a tuneful lay. and then SWOre off. was on a Juno night when