The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-08-05
new YORK LETTER

| NEW YORK, July, +--With Ii,
prospect Of being the first printed pa
ges 70 penetrate the nppermost polat
region, two sets OF American book,
are to-day sailing the northern seas
snugly set up in the hold OF Lieut.
Peary'S stout ship Roosevelt" Re.
ports that these two OF their $1,000
floating Libraries were going into
brisk circulation among the arctic ex-
iplorers when the party finally cast of
for the pole have reached the head
quarters Of the American Seamens
Friend Society in this city to-day.
That some OF this nations literary
marks may eventually be planted be-
side the flag at the "farthest north
is the object of the determined crew
who are to enjoy their solaee in the
bitter solitude OF the next two years,
Months before the Roosevelt was
finally commissioned for It's latest
dash toward the pole, the preparation
iof these libraries, which were to oc.
cupy the minds of the men through
the long polar night, was carefully be.
gun From list OF the olS,400 vol
umes which they have placed before
1920 sailors on every sea in the
last fifty years, the officers of the
American Seamen's Friend Society
chose two sets best calculated to sup
ply the hungry brains OF the isolated
explorers. Those books OF travel. ad-
venture, history, religion, fiction and
biography which have come back
most thumbed from almost a hundred
TO castles were finally Sc
lected. In two OF the society's ship
shape book chests the collections were
arranged and sent to be set up in the
mess room OF the Peary ship at Shoot
er's Island, where it was being final
ly outftted. A dictionary, bible, at
las and Pilgrims Progress were in
cluded with the fiction favorites OF
the seamen.
1t is the more sober works that
stand the mep in best stead in the
long test OF the arctic night, Lieut.
Peary declared before leaving this
city to join his ship In his last Ear
thest North" expedition the explorer
found one OF these American Sea-
mems Friend Society libraries a stea-
iy resource for his men, marooned in
the ice packs. The books which SER
we'd through that long night siege
from October 18th to March 9th are
to-day lying in their weather-beaten
case at the headquarters of the so
,iety The lighter fiction is much
more free from the tell-tale dogears
which mark heavily the more serious
,olumes that we're thumbed over and
,ver in the frigid solitude.
If Peary succeeds in planting these
reasured volumes beside the Ameri-
an flag at the pole, the twenty-six
housand Libraries which the Ameri- {
an Seamen's Friend Society has kept
float for half century will have PEN
trated every region on the globe
,nown to the seafarer, From almost {
very state in this country applica- II
ions to set one OF these book chests
N its constant course have now been /
eceived. Each library is registered {
nd regularly reported in its wander t
1gs to any one who may pay twenty !
ollars to launch and keep it ahoat i
o President Roosevelt, who as a boy '
f ten presented one OF these libra a
les for the society, the sight OF the 5
wo book-chests on Peary's ship was C
5 familiar as it has now become to i
undreds Of thousand Of sailors the G
'orld over.