THE NATIONAL HOME.READINO UNION,
[To THE Enema or TILE "Snc-naon."1 Szn,—We desire to make an earnest appeal on behalf of the National Home-Reading Union, which during the there years of war has suffered severely both from a heavy increase in necessary expenses and from inevitable decline in membership. During this period the Union has been working steadily for the promotion of active thought and intelligent study by means of guidance and encouragement in reading. The Committee have received many testimonies to its value us a steadying, cheering, and enlarging influence from members in all parts of the world, and in particular from our soldiers and sailors, many of whom keep closely in touch with it and regularly receive its publications at the fronts or on the sea. A recent letter runs s- " I am sure you cannot picture the value to us at the front of the Home-Reading Union. It was through Hie Circle that I learnt to love reading myself ; I doubt if anything good is ever originated except by contagion, and the leader and members of the Circle I attended did me a service I can never repay in making books a real voice to me. It is curious how our school days often leave ua untouched by great writers, but our talks about Ruskin, lies. Gaskell, and Tennyson opened a door to me, and I have been trying to open it a little to the men in my company. In our dug-out there is a Circle meeting nearly every afternoon. We have the Magazine and have been following two or three of the courses enthusiastically, especially those on poetry, the Bible, and uorele. Our men don't seem as if they could have enough of Wordsworth— my copy is never 'at home,' and the Magazine articles this-season have been specially good. Everything is no ugly out here, just where we are, at any rate, that we seem to be thrown back on literature as almost the only way of getting away from the harassing present, and turn our necessity to glorious gain.' 1 shall always thank God for the benefits of the Union. It makes life very different."
To meet the emergencies of the present and the immediate future additional support is needed. Donations of any amount will be gratefully received on behalf of the Committee by the General Secretary, 12 York Buildings, Aclelphi, W.C. 2.—We are, Sir. Sc., J. HRREFORD, Chairman of Council.
J. W. eleceen., Chairman of Executive Committee. C. L. KINGSFORD, Treasurer.
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