The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-17
Book Desire Must Be
Created, Irresistible
as Hunger for Food

ttN ONT you like Stevenson" I ask.
My friend fastens her attention
on some one across the street
and answers in a tone of bored finalty. II
never read him" But II I ask her If she likes
chicken chow mein she says, II never ate
any. Is 1t good? Let's have some" Why
the difference? If we could only say about
Is 1t good? I'll try it."
It is easy to see that one reason. we can
keep hands off books is that there are so few
books at hand. We must needs go further
Off the beaten track for them than for chew
ing gum or gasolene. And several means
have been adopted of late to obviate this
difficulty, to make 1t possible to buy on the
impulse of the moment Gwen the book
lover. when he's told in the book store that
1--WE haven't that book in stock to-day but
we'll gladly order it for you, your name
please?" Will mutter, "Oh, don't bother
and get out.) Books must be put in plain
view and attention called to them. Ihe
rest will take care of itself. with such
purpose in view was started the rolling
library Of Katherine Ellis at Cornish. NJ H.,
the sending out of book wagons into the
country districts. Librarians have taken 1t
upon themselves to distribute books at farm
house doors. There is the revival OF Chill
dren's Book Week, which comes in the third
week in November, entailing window dis
plavs of books and story telling in the DOCK
stores and unusual activity in the libraries
There Is the shelfless library idea explained
I'm full on the bookmarks to be pasted on the
fiy leaves Of books belonging to the library:
.'The Rules of this Library are; The Bor-
rover agrees to put this Book, not on his
Shelf, but on his Reading Table, to read II
without delay and then to pass 1t on to
Friend likely TO be interested. The persons
who have read the book have signed below
en- that the later readers may know with
whom they may have the pleasure of dis
cussing 1t"
Rut by far the most interesting and ro-
mantle of these book spreading enterprises
has been the Caravan. Miss Bertha Ma
honey conceived the Caravan and, from her
Bookshop for Boys and Girls at 2e4 Boylston
.treet Boston. she sent II out through New
England with Miss Mary Frank and Miss
C;enevieve Washburn at the wheel 1t has
, door I'm one side and steps that let down
and an oblong room lined with books-poetry
and fiction and history and science; and avn
,n0s 20 keen the sun from fading our modern
rainbow colored book covers when the books
are out on tables for inspection, and a WIN
dow scat in tho window. IL is little book
store converted into home like library. and
irstead of standing forever in one place
on a dusty, noisy street it follows the
croas of the gypsy trail over the world and
hacl. {. One fault there Is In its makeup.
There are two panels. one on each side OF
the door. one saying THE Bookshop for
Rows and Girls" the other, The Womens
Educational and Industrial Union" Prob
ably both Of these are mistake. Al ieast
re latter ie. The first is merely negative.
"Trn,on." "Industral'' and "Educatonar
are all perilous words when you consider the
audience such Caravan Is playing to. The
last word of the three. or any form of It,
would make most of US give the Caravan