Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-05-23
ASKS WAST1INCTONIANS FOR
5000 BOOKS FOR FIGHTERS
American Library Association Seeks It's
Quota in Big Drive for Home
coming Soldiers.

which will appeal to the ordinary
doughboy or homesick sailor lad.
These books. it is explained, are
wanted as Washington's quota in a
give to the men returning from
France on transports. Western
stories. tales of Alaska life, all sorts
of good fiction and even the much
laughed at love stories" will be well
coined by the boys returning from the
the sight of the Statue of Liberty or
the shores of Virginia, will have many
idle hours to while away on their
trip back across the Atlantic.
Receiving Stations stablished.
Receiving stations for books have
been established. 1t is announced, at
all the high schools of the city and
at the Wilson Normal School; at all
the war Camp Community Service. at
kann & Sons Co., Woodward & Lo-
throps. The Evening Star, the Knick-
erbocker and Rialto motion picture
theaters. the Public Library, the Chevy
chase post office. the Y. M. c. A. and
Y. w. c. A., Chamber of Commerce
and the Red Cross booth in the Union
station Thus it may be seen, resi-
dent of Washington, that you cannot
plead the excuse of being forced to
go out of your way to deliver the
BOOKS into the proper hands. AS re-
CARDS magazines for the A. E. F., and
men in the United States, the Burle-
son provision. which allows periodi-
Gals to be sent to service men free of
mail charges is still in effect.
Miss Wright In Charge.
Miss Muriel Wright of Washington
mas been placed in charge of the local
collection of all books and has pre-
dicted that Washington will far ex-
ceed its quota: Miss Wright. a work.
er Tor the A. l. A. for the past year,
has invented campaign slogan
which. it is felt, will bring into the
libraries enough books to fill the
need. The slogan is "One book per
man per transport"
The men crossing the ocean are
Miss Wright said today. Next thew
are trying to find something to while
away the everlasting monotony of a
sea voyage. Drills are now taboo
Submarines are no longer to be feared
and the men long for something to
relieve the tedium of the voyage.
Books and more books is the answer"
Handled $500, GOO Books.
During the period Of hostilities, the
American Library Association. Miss
wright said, handled and distributed
more than two and half million hooks
to the men Of the Army, Navy and
Marine Corps. Most Of these were
fiction. calculated to take the mind of
the fighting man away from his sur
roundings and bring him back to the
proper perspective. More than thfrty-
five separate A. L. A. nuts" were
maintained in France, each with a
camp librarian in charge. In addition
to this thousands Of books were dis
trfbuted through the five welfare
agencies operating in France, the
Y. NJ. C. A., Y. W. c. A., Salvation
Army, Jewish Welfare Board and
K. Of c. A great part Of the work
in the A. E. F. also lay in placing at
hospitals books to help while away
the time of the wounded. This work
has been especially commended in high
Army circles, as it played a large part
in getting the wounded man Tout on
himself" and helping him forget hi6
wounds.
No ship chaplains are being brought
back on transports. II is pointed out
but proper regulation Of q ship library
will be handled by the officers and by
regimental and battalion chaplatns re-
turning with the men. library sfncfals
are confident.