Miss Miriam T. Murphy, of the Catalogue Department, was awarded a gold safety razor by the Gillette Company for submitting one of the three best reviews of the performance of the Gillette Safety Razor Concert Orchestra at its first radio concert. The concert was broadcasted December 11, 1924, from Station WEEI. The concerts are broadcasted on Thursday evenings, and similar prizes are offered. every week for the three best reviews of each concert.

Not the least interesting among the various activities in which members of the staff are engaged is the work of Mr. G. B. Tewksbury, of the Catalogue Room, as organist and director of the boy choir at St. John's Episcopal Church, Jamaica Plain. Mr. Tewksbury was responsible for the Christmas music in that church, and his program was very well received.

A group of boys from the St. Andrew School (55 Pilgrim Road) visited the Barton Room before their Christmas vacation. They came with Miss Alice R. Laughlin, their teacher, in order to see our illuminated manuscripts. The young scholars, ranging from ten to twelve years in age, devoted unstinted attention to the study of the ancient parchments. The long French scroll, relating the story of the world from its beginning to the last of the Crusades, especially won their appreciation. “This was written before the discovery of America," remarked the attendant, and his words elicited the murmur of general surprise. "Do you know, Jack, in what year America. was discovered?" now inquired Miss Laughlin. "Yes, Ma'am," was Jack's quick repartee; and the correct date offered demonstrated at once his sound scholarship.

It was a pleasure indeed to see the excited interest of these youngsters as they listened to the explanations, eager to know "all".

Miss Sarah W. Griggs, assistant at the Fellowes Atheneum Branch, retired on December 31. She entered the service of the Library in 1886.

Prior to that she had been librarian of the Roxbury Atheneum.

Miss Ellen Florence Potts and Miss Zenobia Felton, of the Bindery Department, have also retired. Miss Potts, who was fore-woman, has been for nearly thirty-three years in the service of the Library. She is in illhealth and needs complete rest. Miss Felton resigned under the provisions of the Boston Retirement Act.

LIBRARY LIFE wishes complete recovery to Miss Potts and happiness to all three of them.

FROM THE BRANCHES.

At the last book review meeting held at the Brighton Branch, Mrs. Margaret Cummings Mason, current events lecturer, spoke of the more important books of the past year. She reviewed several books by English authors, all dealing with after-war conditions, spoke of the recent American novels, and of the new biographies of literary value. About forty women attended the meeting.

The next review will be held on January 22. Mr. Whiting of the Boston Herald, will speak on President Coolidge.

One of the book cases at the Charlestown Branch is barred by an iron grill. A little boy asked the assistant: "Please, teacher, kin I have Robin Hool out-of-prison?" After repeating his request for the third time he said: "It's over there in that cage."

Some splendid posters are on exhibition now at the Roslindale Branch. They represent children's books, such as the Twins, Brownies, and Sunbonnet Babies. These posters attract considerable attention, and the local paper (The Roslindale News) published a notice about them. They were lent through the courtesy of Miss McCarthy, Branch Department.

The Girl Scouts are a great help at the West Roxbury Branch. Since September Troops 1 and 2 have cut 3414 pictures from the Geographic Magazine, and they are now ready for mounting.

When, in the course of Library events, it seems advisable for the editorial board to establish an Exchange Department, a correspondenceschool knowledge of readers' psychology leads them to make known the reasons which impel them to do so. We hold these truths to be demonstrable, if not self-evident:

(1) That the knowledge that a certain amount of material will be available each month leads to repose of mind and higher editorial efficiency.

(2) That the concentration of related matter under one head enables the gentle, timid, or pre-occupied reader to skip the whole section without fear of losing anything, thus reducing the intellectual overhead, and increasing his net revenue per ton-mile (or its literary equivalent).

(3) That a knowledge of what other librarians are doing and saying is of interest to some small number, at least, of our readers.

(4) That a proper spirit of give and take will help to promote good feeling and co-operation among the various staff bulletins themselves.

Having thus briefly stated our Declaration of Interdependence, we nail our editorial shirt-tail to the mast, and await what onslaught, if any, our action may provoke.

*

In beginning a column of exchanges, we are at once struck by the large number of libraries which have, in one form or another, adopted the idea of the staff bulletin as a real contribution to esprit de corps. That all library workers have a common bond, and that that bond is strengthened and transmuted into a professional spirit of public service by such means as a staff paper provides, seems to be universally the opinion at the present time. Thus, from the single-page, mimeographed "Shock Absorber" - official organ of the Special Libraries Association of Boston, and probably the youngest of

library sheets (Vol. I, No. 1, November 24th, 1924)-to the multifold publications of our friends in the Cleveland Public Library, librarians everywhere seem bent on establishing, by hook or by crook, their own little house organs. One and all, LIBRARY LIFE greets them, and wishes them every success; for the youthful and tender we would proffer the milk of human kindness, and for those well-established, redblooded, meaty comment. To deal flowers and brickbats with evenhanded justice shall be our modest endeavor. And, as the French say of Reparations, we shall be only too happy to receive payments in kind.

Q. S. T.

Yet another point which the establishment of an exchange column brings up, and one which gives us much cause for regret, is the sadly incomplete state of our files. It will of course be our immediate care to remedy this deficiency in so far as possible, but to all our fellow librarians, wherever situated, we issue a cordial invitation to exchange. Let this be a "Q. S. T." message, which—in the language of pre-broadcasting days means "a general call to all stations."

"Finally, bred'ren and sisteren, we comes to de benediction" - that is to say, to the exchanges. Owing to the amount of space unavoidably devoted to stating the scope and intent of our venture, we shall be forced to confine ourselves to a few of those perennial quotations which "are as good one time as another" - and never better than now!

From Cleveland comes the follow

ing; somehow we feel as if "it might have happened in Boston."

His chin was just level with the receiving desk, and over it he regarded us with serious blue eyes, and shyly quavered, as he proffered

A SCHOLAR'S THRILLER.

THE PURPLE MIST. By G. E. Locke. Boston. Page & Co. 1924. $1.90.

-

Things seem to go by contrast in this strange world Miss Gladys E. Locke, whose days are spent in the calm, scholarly atmosphere of the Catalogue Department has lately published "The Purple Mist," a novel with a thrill to every page; where mystery jostles murder; where a handful of courageous aristocrats foil hordes of assorted villains.

To Craighaven Castle, set on a cliff above the sea and at the edge of Exmoor, comes Nurse Wyvern to take care of a shell-shocked officer, the husband of her childhood friend, the lovely Venitia Maud. At Craighaven is a small house-party, all titled, all terrorized by a mysterious purple mist which rises from the moor, as a signal that the phantom coach will pass that night. Three villagers who attempted to intercept the coach have inexplicably disappeared.

Nurse Wyvern is summoned to Major Audley's room and meets his physician, Dr. Blakesley, who appears to have some strange power over his patient. As a Hindu servant attempts to close the blinds, up to the very windows of the castle sweeps the uncanny purple mist.

On the night of the county ball, held at the castle, the mist rises again. This time it is a prelude to the murder of Major Audley, the disappearance of pretty, silly Lady Clarice Ponsonby, and an apoplectic stroke of her famous elderly husband.

Among those suspected of the murder is a beautiful gypsy who is infatuated with Doctor Blakesley. Nurse Wyvern and Zillah, the gypsy, meet again when the former attempts to explore Dr. Blakesley's mysterious nursing home on the moors.

Thereafter the thrills increase. When everything is explained, the reader who has been upon his toes for several chapters-finds that he has guessed wrong in every instance.

Let Isabel Ostrander and Carolyn Wells look to their laurels. Already

some of them have been wrested from these feminine writers of mystery stories by this able, keen-penned cataloguer of the Boston Public Library.

M. E. P.

ANNUAL ASSOCIATION PARTY. The Annual Whist and Dancing Party of the Benefit Association will be held at the Chateau Dansant, 353 Huntington Ave., on Friday evening, January 23. Jack Barry and his Jazz Band, which was so popular at the Copley Club Dance, will supply the music. Special dances have been arranged with many attractive dance favors. Whist will start at 8.30, and a large number of desirable prizes are awaiting the winners.

Many prominent guests have been. invited, including His Honor, Mayor James M. Curley, and the members of the Board of Trustees. It is hoped that every member of the Association will attend with his family and friends.

The committee for this entertainment consists of Mr. William F. A. Graham, Chairman, Miss Florence Sullivan, Treasurer, Miss Mary McDonough, Secretary, Miss Mary E. Prim, Miss Alice Kernan, and Mr. Emil Hoffman.

Among the duties of the Benefit Association's representatives in the departments and branches of the Library, as provided by the new constitution, is that of notifying the Secretary of the return to work of members who have been sick. It is important that the Association know at once when one of its members is ill, in order that its Relief Committee may investigate the case promptly, and that payment_of benefits may begin without delay. But it is of equal importance that notice be sent in when the member returns to work, that the Treasurer may know the amount of benefits due, and may make his payments accordingly. The new system of representatives is working finely, and to the advantage of all concerned. If these representatives will likewise observe this last point. their service will be complete

THE ECLIPSE AT THE LIBRARY.

"Going to close the Library tomorrow morning."

"That so?"

"'Count of the 'clipse. A notice just came down from the office about it. We close from nine to ten."

"And Saturday's a half day. By George, I wish I'd thought about it in time. I'd have gone down to New Haven."

This was the day before the solar eclipse of January 24, 1925, and we of the Boston Public Library were making ready for the spectacle of the century. Making ready, that is, in such fashion as we could, for as we were not in the totality belt, we should not look upon the famed corona, nor see blackness cover the light of day. Ours was to be the lot of the "other half," the submerged tenth, or whatever name it is that signifies those unfortunates who are forever on the cold outside; in other words, we were to play the part of the "little pig" that "stayed at home."

Not for us was totality, but what about that ninety-nine per cent which was to be Boston's share? Ninetynine per cent of a celestial phenomenon was not so bad! Just short of

MPI: 2.18.25: 750.

THE OUTSIDE WIRE PUBLICATIONS

complete darkness! Were there not special police detailed for the banks? Did we not hear of pickpockets, of dark deeds that might be perpetrated in the confusion of dimness? Business houses were closing. The Library would not open till ten o'clock on the morning of the day. The Benefit Association was to give its annual dance on the night before. We were preparing for all but one per cent of the eclipse.

By way of practice on Friday afternoon, we looked at the electric light bulbs in our ceiling through every pair of smoked eye-glasses that was offered to us, as well as through innumerable strips of used camera film. "This is the last piece to be had from Lloyd's" said some one, holding out a bit of film measuring two inches by one, “You can get more after five o'clock, though."

"The best way to see it, I read in the Transcript, is to take a sheet of white paper with one pin hole in it —” "One pin hole?"

"Yes, one hole the size of a pin." "Ought to be more than that. The whole paper should be covered with pin holes"

"I never heard so "

"Well, the account I read -”

In the darkness that was night some of us went home and forgot all about the eclipse and some of us went