The Caucasian., 1913-11-13
BETTER BABIES
A SPLENDID DEMONSTRATION OF
POEJLAR ESTEEM


THE GREATEST EVENT
OF ane State Fair-Thousands Are
Enthused Over the Programme.
The Championship Winner and
Others i'm Their Respective Glasses
Grand Parade o k'eatusce
Et may 2te said without qualifica-
ton that the greatest egent> OF the
State gair VAS centermp iln the gbet-
ter Babies Eontesto Not only were
the Darents of the contestants keen
Iy interested. bu3 theie friends as
well manifested the liyeliest antici-
patioa % The final whicia eliminated
with the announcement iD the Coli
scum of the successful contestants.
The auditoriunG wac crowde8o The
musical selections @eIp dhlsGouGsed
by Thaviu1s Band
As programmed Ss Mrs. Frank
Daiarmo of st. 1ouis, who Whss a
resident % shreseport, organized in
9i9OS the first scientific Better Babies
deposition at the Stale Fair oe that
Syear held in Shreveport o great
crowd Of ladies and gentlemen gath
cred at the schumpert Home, the
headquarters of the Better Babies,
formed into a parade with ". K.
+. Hirsch marshal, led by Kline's Band.
In the parade We're officials and di-
rectOrs of the state eair asoscla-
| lion, the city officials and a number
of citizens of prominence. On reach
ing the platform Mrs. DeGarmo, su-
perintendent, with her assistants,
Mrs. C. L. Wheeler, president of the
Mothers Union, Mrs. Gordon Irons
and other ladies' and The profess
| lDr. J. NJ. Bodenheimer and the m3-
ical and mental staff were assigned
seats on the platform. On the plat
| form were seated Dr.. C.. D.. McCloud
president, and L. N. BruegSerhotf,
| secretary Of the Fair Association
| members of the press including Mrs
w. A. Bailie and Mrs. Julia Rule and
invited guests. Facing the assem-
blage and seated On the platform
were the contestants of the class OF
!19OS instituted by Mrs. DeGarmo in
| Shreveport. Each of the babies O1
i 1908 in cap and gown and each OF
the babies of 1913 were Hdiant in
their liveliness.
/ The programme was preceded by
a fervent Invocation by Rev. w. f
| IO'kelly of Dunlap Memorial church
The address of welcome was by
DR.. C. C. McCloud. whose remarks
were felicitous and appropriate te
the occasion. In referring to Mrs
DeGarmo he stated that the success
of the Better Babies contest was due
| TO the able manner in which it hao
been managed, and he expressed tht
hope that Mrs. DeGarmo would bt
in Shreveport for the greatest con-
ltest in 1914.
| In replying to the welcome greet
| ing Mrs. DeGarmo addressed the
gathering impressively. After voic-
ling her appreciation of the courte-
sizes, the kind words and the man,
Igoad wishes Of which she had beer
| the recipient, she explained the pur-
| pose of the Better Babies contests
Her address was given undivided at
ltention and at its close Mrs. De-
Garmo was ovated with demon
|stration of enthusiastic applause.
| The next address which was en-
| tertaining as well as instructive wa
I by DR.. j. M. Bodenheimer, who a
the Better Babies contest in 1908 hat
been a most valuable assistant t.
Mrs. DeGarmo in preparing th'
score cards which. have since be
come in general use wherever sucl
lcontests are held. He thanked tn
} physicians who had assisted in tn
,, 1913 contests. He expressed his ap
probation. of the assistance given b
the nurses. Without such help
would have been impossible to hav
!, secured the success scored IN tnli
one of the greatest Better Babe
contests ever held. In the course G
his remarks DR.. Bodenhelme
stressed genially but impresslvely O
the duties of the mother. It was nc
the pretty child nor the we'll dresse
child that could meet all the re
8 8lquirements OF the score cards. Will
o a child was beautiful and lovely
was deficient in some points Whlc