The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-07-25
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS


 This was the question fired at ne by a charming young woman as l was turn Ing a downtown corner on yesterday.
 
 confessd that I had not and was told by her that I ought to go at once and see it, and when charming wom- an gets behind me I usually do as city hall and told the elevator boy to take me to the top floor.
 I rushed into the private office of Di- rector Milan, and he courteously asked if he could be of service, and replied: Yes, please take me to the war sec tion in a hurry, for I have been told that I ought not to lose minute be- fore l saw it. and am hot on it's trail.",
 Leughingly, he got up and said: Fol low me-" and I did so, and soon found myself in a room decorated with flags, maps, posters and pictures, and all around the walls were shelves laden with books grouped under varying titles, but all bearing on the war.
 What's the idea?" I asked. "oh, service" he replied. You know now the thing uppermost in a librarians S mind is to make the library helpful to the people who use it, and so, Miss Emily Miller went to work to fix up a place where our patrons could come and find anything they wanted about the war.
 "The government is cooperating with us and sending us many useful maps, pamphlets and charts, and we decided that if we got all the books on the war and the kindred subjects in one place and made it attractive and cozy that We would attract many readers, and thereby stimulate patriotism by putting tho proper data into their hands" soon got hold of the central thought and went from section to section, and the more I looked into the arrangement the more realized that library work is profession and that it takes trained men and women to assemble and then display books. pictures and pamphlets
 All about I could see the work of ex- perts and it was in plain evidence that woman's dainty hand had given a finishing touch to the room. Men may plan and organize but there is something lacking unless woman has chance to make things homelike.
 I have been in some public buildings that were architectural gems. Money had been lavished upon them, but some how they were too cold and stately. have visited some magnificent libraries, the marble trimmings, the stained glass, the mahogany furniture, and the rest of the fittings were in perfect taste, but somehow they seemed joyless and as I read I felt that l was doing so in sarcophagus. The air of the tomb was ever present.
 Sure, I want great public library building some day here in Birmingham, but I hope when the dream is realized that those who have it in charge will
  make it homelike, or some of us who care more for the companionship of books than we do for stately piles will miss the comradeship and frendlness that we have been accustomed to find in the old library
 
 But back to the warroom Over one of the doors are displayed the flags of the allies while on the walls are posters made for the army and the navy .by world renowned artists such as Charles Dana Gibson, Sidney Rosenberg, C. F. Leyendecker, James Montgomery Flagg, and others, and all full of ac- ton, dash and martial courage There are also prints of some foreign cities.
 And then there are maps, some com plete and others in process of comple- ton. One by the use of pins with diff ferent colored heads shows the loca- tion of the United States army can tonments, the naval district headquar- ters, the aviation training fields and the marine corps. A map of France will show the progress of the armies with which our American contingent is CO., operating. It is hoped this line will show daily gains towards the east.
 l congratulate Miss Miller most heartily on the way she has assembled much information concerning the local organizations doing war work, to- gether with the names and addresses of the officers of each organization. 1t includes the addresses of all recruiting stations, information about the various government departments, naval and military camps and schools.
 Now a word as to some of the books and pamphlets in this department and the groups into which they are ar- ranged for convenience and ready reference. They cover wide range as will be seen from the following head |ings:
 Food values.
 Explosives, guns and shells. Canning and storage of foodstuffs. War time transportation Red Cross work. Constructive thrift. Shipbuilding.
 Vegetable gardening. Poultry raising.
 Social service in war time. Home economy.
 Women and the war. Aviation and submarines. Military training. Then there are the following books, used in the army, navy and marine corps. Every person entering the ser-