Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-09-25
LECTURE BY NOTED LIBRA
RIAN ON BOOKS FOR
SOLDIERS
Campaign for War Libraries Here
Next Week.

| court mouse on libraries for our sol
diers and sailors. The audience was
small considering the lecturer and
the subject on which Miss Stearns
addressed Wausau people. There are
many OF us here and throughout the
United States that do not fully real
ize the necessity of establishing IL
braries in all the war camps of our
country for our soldier boys.
At the request of the United States
government the American Library as
ISOLATION has undertaken to provide
libraries for our fighting men. This
will be made possible by a $1,000
900 Library War Fund. The authority
for this campaign is that of the Unit
ed States government. This is the
least amount in the experience of
the American Library association and
the Library War Council, needed to
supply libraries to our soldiers at
the front, in the field, in environments,
III IL SelLlPoJ VII UOdTu Iu6
troop ships.
Wausau is supposed to raise $1,000
toward the housing, care and puchase
of books for Wisconsin in U. S. can
tonments, in the trenches at the front
and later in hospitals. The campaign
for the raising of the above amount in
this city will come off next week, and
the Wausau librarian and the local Ii
brary board will be III charge of the
same.
~. Miss Stearns gave very interest
ing lecture during her visit here and
told of the Importance and necessity
Of establishing libraries for our SOL
der boys, and her lecture dealt on
the following matter: She spent some
time in Brownsville a year or more
ago when the Mexican trouble was
at its height, and the soldiers were
eager and clamoring for books, while
the library there could not begin to
take care of the demand The speak
er stated that it is not enough to
merely supply the books. The cost of
transporting them from place to place,
OF caring for them and distributing
them, cataloging them to make them
available for use, must be met. That
is why this campaign for money as
well as books is on. The men want
reading such as engineering books.
travel books, aviation books, biogra-
phies of famous generals, those de-
scribing trench warfare, volumes of
history, etc. Lots of books have been
contributed for soldier reading, which
has been called Graveyard Litera-
ture," such as, How to do Dress
making" "Godey's Lady Book" etc.
This sort of books are unwelcome as
they are of no good and of no inter-
est to these men. Current magazines
are looked for among the boys. There
are many finely educated men among
our fighters and good books should
be supplied them. Miss Stearns stat
ed that during the soldiers hours off.
so as to say, when he is not on duty,
il there are good books to be OBJ
tanned at the camp, he will not seek
diversion from without the canton
ment's wall, which probably would
many times bring him in with unde-
sirables. 1t is during the hours off
that the soldier must be given good
attractions inside the walls of his
camp, if we do not want him to seek
pleasures outside, which may not help
to build up good character. The lee
turer said that good libraries consti-
tute one of the few comforts of
home which relatives and friends can
provide for the men in the United
States service. These libraries to be
established in the various camps will
work In conjunction with the Y. M.
c. A, Knights of Columbus and other
activities. Many are wondering what
will be done with all the books af-
ter the war. Many of the books will
be worn out by use. Again, as camps
are closed in America, books will fol-
low our troops to England and France
for camp and hospital use. Others
will be sent to permanent army and
navy posts in America The remain
ing books, ii any, probably will be
used to form new permanent public
libraries or to strengthen old ones in
parts of America where books and Ii
braries are needed.
The week of September 24-29, a ma
ton wide drive will be made to get
libraries for the army. The local IL
brarian has stated that the campaign
here will take place Next week.
Gen. Pershing has sent a plea for
books for the boys under his care
in France and asks among other
things for current magazines as soon
after they are published as possible.
Early in the war the Germans insti-
tuted a library service for their SOL
diers. The people of our ally, Great
Britain, provided libraries for their
men, and so with the others who are
in the war.
Miss Stearns said many good things,
but time and space Will not allow pub
fishing all. 1t is hoped that Wausau
people will do their share in con-
tributing to this also important need.