The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1918-04-04
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

1WzHW1M1MNMMMWYMl9 OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
a hundred volumes frequently
changed have been placed in many
of the barracks. Every camp IL
brary has been furnished with
small Ford truck for delivery and
exchange purposes.
Long before large funds we're
assured or buildings begun, the
actual service of furnishing reading
matter was set under way. Thou
sands of books and magazines COL
lected as gifts by hundreds of
libraries in all parts of the country
were forwarded and issued to the
men both at home and in France,
in part direct and in part through
these other agencies. These early
gifts, chiefly fiction, we're largely
supplemented by purchase of new
books as soon as funds were avail
able. The first order for new
books covered over 100000 vol.
umes. There are now in service at
the various camps 44O, 900 books
and 100000 more have been
bought, shipped and are on the
way. In addition to the books,
hundreds of thousands of single
numbers of periodicals, old and
new, have been forthcoming from
all parts of the country, as gifts
from individuals and through the
operation of the Post Office De-
partment "one-cent'' provision.
Besides all this and to meet the in
sistent demands for current num-
bers, subscriptions have been made
for about forty periodicals for each
camp and fifteen or twenty more
are regularly sent as gifts by the
publishers.
Representatives of the war SER
service committee were early in all
camps organizing the work and
there are now from one to three
competent librarians assigned to
more than thirty buildings. In
many cases these men have been
released by their libraries for
longer or shorter times without ex-
pense to the war service. A few
have broken their library connec-
tions and are volunteering person
ally. Where it has been necessary
to pay for this service the salary
has been fixed for the librarians in
charge at 81. 200 plus travel ex-
pense and maintenance. Their re-
ports show a great eagerness for
reading matter on the part of the
men and an enthusiastic apprecia-
tion on the part of the officers.
General Glenn, commandant at
Camp Sherman, writes:
There is no form of recreation
more beneficial or more diverting
to the members of this command
than the reading of properly Sc
lected books, magazines, etc. and
1 wish every citizen of the United
States could be made to appreciate
the splendid work that is being
done by the American Library
Association in properly placing
these books in our camp libraries.
More important still, I hope they
will appreciate the necessity for
contributing money for this pur-
pose. This, because a liberal sup
ply of money is necessary not only
for the purchase of books and
other reading matter but for the
services of skilled librarians
to make them available for use."
The report shows also that the
men crave something more than
recreative reading; they want books
about motor cars, gasoline engines,
aeroplanes and submarines; war
manuals and poetry. One librarian
reports that 80 per cent of the cir
culation is non-fction, mostly tech
nical books, history and French
and war stuff This report adds:
"A man who came in last night
almost wept for JOY over our few
remaining books, picked out three
Or fOur wantad tn do sOrnothino