Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-08-28
BOOKS AND N MAGA-
ZINES FOR SOLDIERS
What the Libraries and the People
Can do for the cantonment
Libraries.

In these stirring times, when all
i patriotic people are striving to dc
what they can to serve the best in
terests Of their country, it is not
surprising to learn of new activities
on the part of many organizations.
The American Library Association
at their national meeting in Louis
| vile in July, gave much time and
attention to plans for war SER
vice." so that now even the smallest
libraries are asking, what can we
do?"
In a very interesting article in
the Des Moines Register of Aug.
oath, Mr.. Johnson Brigham, our
state librarian, tells in very prac-
ftical way what we all can do, not
the Libraries only, but all the people
who are interested.
Mr.. Brigham assures the public
that the government is behind the
movement, and that the Red Cross
and Y. M. c. A. workers are in full
accord. In yesterdays paper the
following dispatch from Washing
ton shows what the government is
doing to help:
Secretary Baker today appointed
library war council headed by
Frank A. Vanderlip, president of the
National City bank of New York,
to work with the American Library
Association in the work of raising
$1,000,000 to provide libraries at
the thirty-two cantonments and
camps where soldiers will train, and
for books for the men at the front"
In a letter received from Miss
Robinson Of the Iowa library COM
mission a day or two ago, she says:
Almost all the libraries in Iowa
are responding with enthusiasm. To
take care Of the reading Of forty
two camps with their hundreds Of
Thousands of soldiers Is, tremen-
dous job and will require every
available book suited for the pur-
pose.'
After reading this we ask you to
look through your home libraries
and send to our library just the
books that you are sure the soldiers
would enjoy. We will attend to
sending them on to the library COM
mission.
The board of trustees Of the Ken
dali Young library are sending
many of the best current magazines
and newspapers to our own soldiers,
but this is quite different need.
We want to make q generous contri-
button from Webster City. Will you
help us?
To return to Mr.. Brigham's arti-
Gle as to book selection, he says:
What are good books?
Put yourself in the soldiers place
and answer the question yourself.
Barring out the two extremes-"the
high brow stuff"~that only the few
are interested in, and the 'low-brow
stuff" that panders to mans base
and criminal instincts, what would
you want if you were in camp aud
desired to put in an hours reading
after the days work?
There are the magazines, always
acceptable for catch up reading, and
in the main wholesome reading.
Shall l particularize? The Saturday
Evening Post, Literary Digest, Cur
rent Opinion, outlook, Independent,
Everybody's, Munsey's, Century,
Harper's, Popular Science, Scientific
American, Popular Mechanics, Sys-
TEN, Life, Puck, etc.
AS to books, l would send novels
free from pander to lust and to
other vices, free fran amateurish
slushiness and from too obvious
preachments.
Also live books of travel, espe-
cially travel in countries most af-
fected by the war.
Also historical works and biogra-
phies-not classroom books--but
books that make clear to the read
er's mind the movement of great
men and events from one vantage
ground of progress to another.
Also books of poetry through
which flows the blood Of real men;
not the ''shockers"-not the fila
gree work-of many of the so-called
"free verse" poets of the period.
Also books that directly or indi-
rectly preach the manly virtues
patriotism, courage, good citizen
ship, noble sacrifices, etc.
Also down to date books of in
formation about the present war and