The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-03-08
From The r'aily Item, March 4.

From The Daily Item, March 4.
Babies, babies. babies. more than
la hundred OF them. and each mother
showing In her eyes that her baby
was the best and most beautiful of
the lot. That Is the way it looked to
an Item representative this morning,
when he visited the court house and
saw babies galore.
From the time he turned the cor
ner at Main and Liberty streets, there
were babies. mothers hurrying with
their children toward the court house,
or others Just returning from the
court house. The Better Baby" day
was In full swing. as one could see
and hear, without half trying. There
were babies all over the court house
grounds and In nearly all of the
rooms In the court house. where talks
to,the parents on the care of the ba-
bies were going on and the baby con-
test was drawing mothers. fathers
and babies.
III one Of the rooms adjacent to tho
court room. Doctors H. M. stuckey, II.
b. Furman and M. L. Parler were e,:-
aminins the babies according to a
prescribed score card to ascertain
which of them were the best and
more worthy of the prizes which had
been offered. There were first and
second pr*%es for tine best ,and next
best babies between one month and
one year old. one and two years oil,
and two and three years old, respe,.-
lively. and then another for the
healthiest bay In the shoM The doc
tors were kept very busy and the ba-
bies were constantly coming and go
Ing. The examination was according
~ = score card devised by DR.. Walter
chsyne and the determination on the
esst babies was according to the fci-
lowing points: Abnormalities: bone,
eyesight defective. tonsils or adenoids,
hearing. teeth; Breathing. expansion; /;
Blood. anaemic. eruptions; Tempera-
ment, peevish. fretful, good natured.
A general average of these points
w:sh the age and heighth of baby ard
its sex and whether breast or milk fed
were taken into consideration In mals :
ing the score.
| DR.. Walte- Che.'ne made talk on
the purpose of BABY Day. telling
how 1t was being observed generally
all over the country and the GOOD
which would be accomplished through
|it.
Miss Julia Obenschain told of tho
preparation Of the food for childre n,
nd Dr.. H. A. Mood delivered very
Interesting paper on Infant Feeding" :"
DR.. e. r. Wilson spoke on 1.-THE Care
Of the Eyes," and DR.. stuckey on
diet and Care of Children"
In the grand Jury room Miss An
tonic Gibson had prepared very in
teresting exhibit Of baby furniture
and things providing the proper care
and comfort Of the children. In an
adjacent room Miss Obenschain Gem
onstrated the preparation of foods
suitable for babies. These exhibits
and demonstrations elected much in
tcrest and many questions concerning
their construction and other points
were answered to the satisfaction. Of
the parents,
The baby parade was unique
and pleasing feature o. the Bet
ter Baby Day." The line of babies was
more than two blocks long. 1t being
estimated at more than a hundred
babies In the parade. which was
watched by a large and eager crowd
Of spectators lined up along Main
street. However all of the babies
were not in the parade. for many OF
them kept coming In and 1t was esti-
mated that the total number of ba-
bies present was nearer two than one
hundred. although the examination
had rot been completed at Q o'clock
and the number of contestants was
not known positively at that time.
In fact so much pleased were all OF
those In charge of the event. that IL
was determined to make "Baby Day"
an annual event. and 1t was stated
that 1t was probable that next year
the Better Babies show would last
probably three days. instead of one.
as by SO doing there would not be the
haste attendant on the event as there
was today.