THE LIBRARY LOG

THE LIBRARY LOG
Published for the citzens of Milwaukee, at the end
of each month, except July and August, by the staff of
the Milwaukee Public Library.
SYLVESTER ]. CARTER, Editor.
JOSEPHINE KULZICK, Associate Editor.
A4ny citizen of Milwaukee County may have the
Library Log sent to his home for a year by paying
the postage, 10 cents. Send name and address to the
editor, Milwaukee Public Library.
The Library Log will gladly publish criticisms of
the library service, and suggestions for making it better.
Kindly give name and address with all communications.
Names will not be used for publication without express
permission.
The readers of THE LOG are earnestly
requested to make a personal effort to
spread the notice of the round table talks on
Back Yard Gardening, which will be given
in the lecture room of the Library as noted
on the last page of this issue. The talks
will be given on Saturday afternoon, which
is a holiday for young and old.
The leaders in this work hardly need in-
troduction. Mr. Rasmusson is president of
the State ilorticultural Society, and has a
highly successful market garden at Osh-
kosh. Mr. Eaton is a graduate of the Mil-
waukee Normal Shcool, and conducts a
large market garden at Tippecanoe, south
of this city. Mr. Milmann is not a pro-
fessional gardener, but a very gifted ama-
teur, who knows from experience the sor-
rows of dealing with Milwaukee clay, and
the successes that may be wrung from it.
It is intended to make this work intensely
practical and to deal only with those garden
products which have the greatest food value
and which produce the surest crop. The
Library has added a large supply of the
very best garden manuals, and has secured
in addition a supply of the government bul-
letins,-enough at least to give each person
who attends a copy. Do not fail to secure
a copy of "WAR VEGETABLE GARDEN-
ING AND HOME STORAGE OF VEGE-
TA  ,BLES." It is the best pamphlet pub-
lished to have at hand in planting season.
Afterward, when the harvest is at hand, you
will be fortunate to have a copy of "HOME
CA\NNING AND HOME DRYING OF
VEGETABLES AND FRUITS." Free
copies of both will be distributed. Be sure
to come and bring your neighbors. These
are plain talks for people WHO WANT
VEGETABLES.
The February number of Everybody's
Magazine, containing the opening chapters

of Brand Whitlock's account of the war as
it came to Belgium, is of more than com-
mon interest to Milwaukee. Mr. Whitlock
was, and still is, American minister to Bel-
gium. His narrative is therefore of the
highest authenticity.  The local interest
centers about the fact that "Aunt Sarah,"
who is mentioned in the story, is our Mrs.
Francis Boyd. When Mr. Whitlock be-
came minister to Belgium, Mrs. Boyd closed
her Milwaukee residence and went abroad
to become a member of Mr. Whitlock's
household. Then came the war, almost out
of a clear sky, upsetting the life of the
whole earth. Mrs. Boyd's account of her
escape from the terror-stricken little country
is one of thrilling interest and ought to be
told.
People who use the public library are re-
quested to be patient under the trials of
these days. New books are slow in reach-
ing the shelves. Foreign publications have
been conspicuously absent since 1914, but
the public has become accustomed to that.
But now freight conditions permit only cer-
tain things to be carried on the railways.
Express matter is the only merchandise that
is forwarded promptly. It is very difficult
to get freight even from Chicago. Nothing
can be done to hurry things, and the in-
convenience must be endured. One of
Emerson's rules was never to read a book
that was not at least a year old. Try it.
You will make the acquaintance of some
society worth knowing.
*  * * .,5:
Saturday, Feb. 23, was the busiest and
best day in the history of the Public Li-
brary. There have been many other good
(lays, but this day made the library look
like "bargain day", with waiting lines to
every door.
If ten thousand people invaded any other
city department in one day, politicians
would "perk up", the police would be called
out, and candidates for public office would
have patriotic spells. But since it is "only
in the library" it excites no attention. Yet
it is worth a moment's reflection to con-
sider what is the necessary influence of an
institution that touches so many lives in the
community as these figures show that the
library does.
Here are the statistics of books drawn:
Nov. 25th,  1916..............  7,089
Feb.  24th,  1917..............  8,021
M ar.  17th,  1917.............. 8,098
Feb.  23d,  1918..............10,247
Every bit of space at every reading table
was filled with readers and students. And
yet there are people who look on a library
with. patronizing condescension, as a con-
cession to dawdlers and feeble, white-livered
folk!

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