Evening star., 1917-10-14

RF the Latin terror and delight of
III our schooldays. one Augustus Cae-
sar, warrior and maker of chron-
- ieles, should walk through Wash
ington. up Pennsylvania avenue to the
War Department. in this month OF Oc-
tober. 1917, the surprise be should oc-
casion would be no less than that
which he should encounter in one OF
the most recent suggestions or the sec
retary of War. Libraries for soldiers
INT. tuti" or some such Caesarian eA-
clamation would surely escape the
great general of another era OF wars
Perhaps one wouldn't have TO go SO
far hack as the famous Roman. Tor no
earlier than the opening Of the span
;.b-Amer;can war, one officer was
known to object TO the soldiers receiv-
,n,oo n,uch mail. Soldiers went to
Cuba to fight. not to snufne postal
cards. he said.
At the request of the government the
american Library Association has un-
SA-taLen to provide libraries for our
nghting men. This will be MADE pos
.;f,Ie by a 81 00o. 900 library war fund'
for which the campaign peeah al pe oa s,sed
for the erection. equipment ana main
tenance Of libraries IN the thlrly -."9
/ car,tonments and training camps anu
for books for mobilization camps, gar
k.;.oned troops, troops in trenches ana
an the march. field, base ana camp nos
nitais. and all points at home or over
seas where United states soiuiers anu
sailors are assembled in force.
THE Secretary of War is reported as
feeline that the entire energy OF the
.overnment was needed for the actual
conflict of war. and that the war De-
.,tment could not give the vast. new
scheme of war libraries the necessary
attention .., -.
,aeiehted to assume the burden. and
Star the appointment of ten well known
,,,.n and women as members OF the
;thrary war council every librarian in
the country sat up and took nouce. here
.aa at last, something that the gentle
.trsat ~ the library might offer to the
,oen of the hour. the American soldiers.
Th.re was the experience OF minds
trained In Loved profession. whose
- -deck 15'' or the biography alcove
nr seated on a dais that overlooked a
st,ent sea of readers. There was imagi-
at;on in this new business. and of a
3d that told of loved lads in khaki,
~ sreat tented cities and the rigid train
our recruits must undergo if they
would fight the Hun:
CO
for lack Tar and his fighting brother
had a stimulus in every nook and corner
- fhe United States. There are 5000
libraries in the United States which have
al least 5000 volumes each and 5o,0Op
neople doing library work. Like SO many
Ssntacles are these various librarians
sn1 libraries in the organization of a
soldtders' library. each person and each
library represented being just that
much more strength in the development
Of the enterprise. whose headquarters
are in Washington. on the second floor
of the Public Library.
Harold Braddock is director of the
campaign, and may be found there in
the hastily improvtsed offices. where
hooks have been pouring in from well
fntentioned gtvers and are taking up
the entire west wall at this writing.
Mr. Braddock is from the Red Cross
headquarters, but has been loaned for
= while to the library war council.
Making himself generally useful is
young Theodore N. Vail. nephew of the
older man of that name. who is presi-
dent Of the American Telephone and
Telegraph Company. and an enthusias-
tic member of the war council. George
b. Utely, head of the American Library
Association. with Offices IN Chicago, may
be found there for a day. when he can
get away from his regular duties and
Harold Flack, associate director of the
executive Office of the ceuncil, Is bound
to his desk with chains. II an appear
ance of unremitting toll be not mis-
represented.
Librarians know what 1t will mean &c
supply books to 100000 eager reader.
scaAered throughout the United State.
and France. Each Of these libraries
must be equipped with table. chairs ant