llustration, p. 4.]

The men of the Home are not alone in their desire to help in the hour of
their country's need. More than a dozen women are knitting for the men
in the trenches. They are an Auxiliary of the Navy League, and their
work is the finest of any turned in by the thousands of knitters in the
bay region. They knit socks and sweaters, helmets and mufflers. One of
the women made five pairs of socks in one week, with never a dropped
stitch anywhere. This same woman made three sweaters in ten days, all
perfect garments. The wife of the superintendent is the teacher, and two
of the blind women help the others by picking up dropped stitches,
straightening puckers, and suggesting easier methods to the
inexperienced workers. Those who can not knit, snip rags for the
ambulance pillows, hem Red Cross handkerchiefs, and sew on hospital
quilts. In addition to this, a blind invalid in San Francisco rips up
work poorly done by seeing knitters, and the members of our wonderful
auxiliary make perfect garments from the used wool. This stimulates them
to do their very best, for they know they are proving to the public that
the fingers of the blind worker are deft and sure, and that, given the
opportunity, they can knit as well, and often better, than their more
fortunate sisters. They feel, too, that they are doing their best to
promote the comfort of the soldiers, doing it evenings, after working in
the shop all day, where they cane chairs and make toy and whisk brooms.
I am sure we need not go to the hospitals of France in search of blind
heroes--we have them right here in our midst, and are proud of them. The
State Library permits me to devote all the time necessary to keep the
women supplied with wool, and return the garments to the Navy League.
The library regards this as a part of its campaign of enlightenment, and
it is confident untold good will result, both to the public and to the
blind. In addition to their work, both men and women read a great deal,
and dozens of books are mailed to and from the Home each day.

And so the State Library is doing its share toward the re-education of
the blind adult, has been doing it for the past thirteen years. It
provides the best books available in the various types. It has over
eight thousand books in circulation, and its list of borrowers numbers
more than one thousand. The keynote of this department is Service, and
each borrower is made to feel that his success is of vital imp