Arizona republican., 1919-12-10
Vice Mother of the Children
By Frederic ]. Haskin

NEW YORK-"Check your baby,
MADAME" inquired the department
store attendant.
The tired-looking woman, who had /
been patiently wheeling a baby car
riage up and down the street while |
gazing wistfully in the store WIN
dows hesitated and carefully scrutln-
lied the uniformed baby checker.
What she saw evidently treasured her'
because she obediently turned the baoy
carriage over to him, accepting IN re-
turn a paper ticket.
81 don't like to leave him, she
apologized, "but l do want TO learn
that new knitting stitch.
That's all right, Madam" replied
the attendant. He will be perfectly
safe with me. l have whole string
of them here, and there ain ia whlm-
per out of one of them.
He pointed to long line of baby
carriages, each containing precious
occunant who had been exchanged for
a similar piece of paper. Encouraged
bv this report, the tired-Iooking wo-
/. man gave a parting pat to the blanket
enveloping her small son, and, enter
ing the store, was soon lost in the
crowd of afternoon shoppers. The at
tendant began parading up and down
keeping a Watchful but kindly eye on
his Young charges, occasionally restor-
ing a rattle to some waillng INFANT, OF
speaking words of cheer to another.
This is the latest thing in New
| York-baby- checking. Several depart
nent stores and moving picture houses
| in the flat-dwelling regions OF the city
have adopted it as means OIL sell4lAs
large afternoon trade, and it is prov
ing successful beyond their widest eN
pectations. After she once gets use'
to the idea, the average young nnalrol
checks her baby with the same oesre
of nonchalance with which she check
her umbrella, and apparently Win III
same degree of relief.
For years, the flat-dwellers shop
ping and movie going activities nav
been handicapped by her matrohi
duties. It has always been undersloo
that wherever woman's place might d
a baby's place was the nome, ana
the absence of nurSemald, winch Is d
extravaganza that very few flat dwell
ers can afford, there was nothing Ior
competent mother to do but stay
home with her offspring. But thos
DAVIS are over since some enterprlslr
merchant or movie exhibitor bethougl
him of the simple and efficient deVi'
of checking infant al the door.
Tho origin of the system is unknow
Int New Workers attribute the hapT
thought TO Elizabeth, N. J. Elizabe
is known to have more babies in pr
norton to its size than any 9th
town in the country. They are
numerous in fact, that the city is sa
10 have issued a special set of trait
regulations for baby carriages, SO tn
in Elizabeth the baby is an importa
factor which even the business m
must take into account. Apparent
they did, and the baby checking sS
tenn was the answer.
In New York a moving picture
hibitor who owns several mo
houses throughout the city saw
advertising value of the idea in ope
ing IN a new theater. He not OF
had a baby checker at the door,
he had an entire creche adjoining
lobby. with a trained nurse in char
where babies could be left in super
care while their mothers gazed at
screen. He even had two carloads
white sand dumped in one corner
the room for the children who
reached the walking age, and tn
were also games, swings and DOCKS
the older children AS each mot
came in with her offspring, she
asked to register and was g1ver
check for each youngster. while s
liar check was attached to the chill
"But." said this exhibitor, in
cussing his plan 1--WE had to give
thing up"
He paused significantly. do
want to know why?" he asked, dl
ously. Then, as the visitor nod
Because it was too popular. The
men were too eager to take advant
of it. They would bring their ba
about one o'clock in the afternoon,
the fifteen cents admission, ana
go away and leave them in the che
all afternoon. Sometimes they w
be gone five hours at stretch, SO
the kids would get cranky ana