Evening star., 1942-01-25
Helen Keller 10 Speak
Here Tomorrow in
Victory Book Drive
Will Address Closed
Meeting Of Library
Association

Librarians aiding IN collections
for the national Victory Book Cam
paign. which already has yielded
25,000 volumes here, will tomor-
row gather at the Library Of Con-
gress to hear . talk by Helen
Keller, noted author who was
stricken blind, deaf and mute ut
the age of 10 months.
On behalf of the nations sailors,
soldiers and marines who will re-
ceive the 10000, 900 books expected
to be collected in the drive, Miss
Keller will describe to q closed
meeting of the District Library As
sociation what books mean to her.
Librarians at all public libraries
and at George Washington, Ameri-
can and Catholic Universities have
been volunteering their services for
the past two weeks to sort the
thousands of books deposited at the
libraries for the soldiers. In addi-
ton, volunteers from the District
Volunteer Bureau with library ex-
perience have been working at the
Southwest Library branch, main
storehouse for the $4,000 books
brought by ones and twos to the
public libraries.
Admittance Restricted.
Admittance to Coolidge Hall,
where Miss Keller will speak at
$50 O'Clock, will be restricted to
members of the association who
can show membership cards. ac-
cording to John Russell Mason,
president. The hall will seat only
5l1 of the associations $50 members
After Miss Keller, her secretary,
Miss Polly Thompson, and Mrs.
Philip Sidney Smith, chairman of
the District book drive, have dis
cussed the campaign, color films Of
Hawaii taken by John v. Hansen
will be shown.
Success of the Maryland campaign
was predicted yesterday by Mauritz
Hallgren, chairman for the counties.
Quotas of 5000 for Montgomery
County, $500 for Prince Georges
County, 1,1O0 for st. Marys County
and 1850 for Charles County have
been worked out on per capita
basis by Mr.. Hallgren.
First reports indicated books COL
lected were far exceeding these
quotas, according to the county
chairmen, Mrs. Louise C. Ferguson
of Silver Spring; Carl w. Hintz,
University of Maryland; Mrs. Mitch
ell Cochrane, La Plata, and Miss
Lettie Dent, Leonardtown.
Music Also Donated.
Although most of the books will
be routed through the 3rd Corps
Area headquarters at Baltimore. Mrs.
Smith has already given 500 books
directly to Boiling Field soldiers and
Is considering giving some to
Arlington Cantonment men seeking
some Of their share in advance. Be-
sides the nearly $4,000 books col
lected here, including 5000 from the
Library of Congress and 5000 from
Loews Theaters and the National
Newspaperwomen's Club, SAT records
and 80 pieces of music have been
donated. ssasa sesa SO
R4lpn thompson, CentIAl upIA-
rian, has kept a careful watch for
collectors, items, which will be sent
to New York and sale proceeds
used to purchase more books. He
has found an 1926 Philadelphia edi-
ton of James Thomson's The Sea-
sons" a Greek testament published
IN Philadelphia in 1883, a bound
volume of the Century Magazine
from May to October. 1884; q pri-
vate printing of "A Rabble Came
to Trenton" by Paul McCres: q
book for juveniles written by WAL
ter Wentworth in 1890 and COL
lection Of poems by an author call
ing himself the shop philosopher"
During the last II days of the
campaign, to end February 4, con-
tributors may leave books at Dis
trict Grocery, Safeway and Bren-
tano's Book Stores as well as the
libraries. Volumes may also be
mailed to libraries with 3-cent
postage.