Medicine: Parade Flayed

Prelude to the 40th National Baby Parade at Asbury Park, N.J. next week was an angry, flaying editorial in Parents' Magazine. On orders of Publisher George Joseph Hecht, Editor Clara Savage Littledale berated the promoters: "Have you seen the hundreds of children who wait for hours in the broiling sun dressed in fantastic, uncomfortable costumes in order to march more hours in the heat before thousands of adults who should be more humane than to come to see them? Many of the children are very tiny things, the younger the better because the 'cuter' in the eyes of the judges. Weariness, overexcitement, nerve strain and perhaps contagious disease are deliberately courted for these children. . . ."

The editorial in no way daunted the promoters of the Asbury Park baby display. The parades have been held longer than Mr. Hecht (35) and exactly as long as Miss Littledale (40) have lived. Commented Parade Director Arthur Cottrell last week: "As far as the city is concerned the parade is primarily a publicity stunt."