Evening star., 1915-01-20
MEDAL AWARDED BABY
RATED NEARLY PERFECT
Mary Louise Kaldenbach Takes First
Honors in This Years Con-
test With 99.5 Per Cent.
Miss Wilson, Daughter of the Presi-
dent, Announces Winners.
Certificates for Some.

Mary Louise Ka1denbach is Washing
tons medal baby for 1915, in the an
nual better babies contest of the DIS
trict The outcome of the competition
was announced this afternoon shortly
after g o'clock in the Woodward Il
Lothrop auditorium, where the prizes
and diplomas were awarded the WIN
ming babies by Miss Wilson, daughter
of the President.
So high was the standard set in this
years competition that, though the lit
tie eight-month- old champion scored
grand total of 99.5 per cent in the ex-
aminations, so did Harry Baly, one of
the station babies, and only the fact
that the measurement in which he was
slightly short of perfection was more
important one than that of Mary Louise
made it possible for the committee
which passed upon the score to render
any decision save that of tie for hrst
honors. Harry Baly received the cash
prize offered by the Diet Kitchens. he
is thirteen months old and lives at bl9
l street southwest. Mary Louise. the
champion, lives at Ills c street north
east.
Certificates Of practical perfection
were awarded the following babies by
Miss Wilson, while the large audience
of mothers interested in the competi-
| tion and their friends applauded each
award without any evidence of undue
disappointment or elation:
Awarded Certificates.
Division Catherine Kefauver. 1885
Wisconsin avenue; score, 81 per cent;
eleven months old.
Alfred Thomas Davis, ITO Morse
street northeast; score, 9s.5; six months
old.
Elizabeth Neill, colored. 906 T street
northwest, was awarded certificate as
the best colored baby in the entire
competition. Her score was 80 per cent.
She is eleven months old.
Division kathleen Mccormick, S2S
| Otis place northwest; score, SO per
| cent; fourteen months old.
| Duncan Morrison, 81 Q street south
| Division 3-Margaret Houston, 35-B
Washington barracks: score, 98.5;
.twenty-eight months old.
| Charles Braddock Ref. "a T street
northeast; score. 97.5 per cent; thirty
| one months old.
Model Station Exhibit.
| The doors of the auditorium were
opened at pm. and. though the actual
presentation was not to take place un-
| til o'clock, many arrived at this time
/
| exhibit which had been arranged by the
| diet kitchens, under whose auspices the
| competition which has just closed was
| held. All the processes of the work by
| the institution were explained by nurses
| in charge.
| At o'clock DR.. Joseph Y. Wall gave
| A short address on the purposes of all
| better babies competitions, and intro
| duced the principal speaker of the after
| noon. DR.. Woodward of the board of
health. Miss Wilson was then present
| ed by Miss Mary Gwynn, who is at the
head of the diet kitchen movement in
| the District. and the presentation of
| prizes followed.
Physicians Conduct Examinations.
have conducted the examinations which
have been in progress during the past
week, and a committee, which had
nothing whatever to do with the ex-
aminations, computed the scores from
| their records.
Yesterday afternoon was the scene
| of the semi-finals in the race for the
championship. Gathered together a,
the headquarters station, in George
town, were the twelve babies who had
SO far, survived the "plucking" proc.
and seventy-nine babies had been en-.
tered in the competition and these
twelve were those from whom the
champion was to be selected.
Not one of them cried. For these
were the babies extraordinary, and
each smiled and dimpled and con-
versed in the marvellous language of
babyhood. Perhaps each was trying to
tell the examining physicians that II
was, beyond all doubt, the most wholly
desirable of all babies. At all events
each looked 1t. and the triumph of lit
tie Mary Louise Kaldenbach today
must be all the sweeter because she
saw the projections of her rivals in
this gathering of the semi -fnalists.