The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • 15

PAGE 15 THE SUX, BALTIMORE, MONDAY MORNING, JUNE g. 19S4 -4 i f. 9 r. 11 i Si fJT-- niu 1. 4 i-iJip-Vm jt-.

I i i I rwi i 1 1 fS4 -h- i NX 5 i. 'i 5 -v 5 -i I i 4 Part of the display of Menckeniana at the new library. The objects on exhibit all come from the Mencken Room at the Enoch Pratt Free Library. It was set up in token of the fact that H. L.

Mencken was a constant patron all his life at the old Branch 2 library of the Enoch Pratt on Hollins street. Mr. Mencken became a borrower there back in 1889, Mencken Memorabilia 0tj yegg it 7 links of knockwurst. In one quarter is a lobster; in another, a pretzel and onions; a stein of foaming beer is in another.i and a violin in the fourth. As for the new library, it is a large; spacious building about one half mile from the old library.

Situated on a lot which, slopes rather sharply to the south, the; building has one story on Hollins street; and two stories on the Frederick road; side. The entrance to the book collections; is midway on Payson street. The rectangular building is light buff; brick. The large picture windows are shielded by natural redwood sunshade which are projected at right angles to the exterior of the building. The same buff brick has been used for-the interior walls.

Blue steel shelving with! colorful end panels provides an attractive background for the 45,000 books, selected for readers of all ages. The great expanse of floor space has; permitted the use of tables and chairs for leisurely browsing or more serious! reference work. On the lower level of the building is---the meeting room, dedicated to Humphrey Moore, bookman and library benefactor. The meeting room, which may be used, by civic and neighborhood groups, is en- tered from the Frederick road side. The grounds around the building havet the benefit of some thoughtful landscaping? and the trees which have been planted? at the streets on three sides of the build-) ing are a welcome addition to the neigh borhood.

The architects were Jewell and Wolf. The new branch has almost four times as many books as were shelved in the old branch, according to Miss Fern Stowe, the librarian. In the old building there were 7,000 books for adults and 5,000 books'' for children. More books were circulated among children than adults. It is hoped, that the new library, with its increased staff and greater variety of reading maJ terial, will attract more adults.

Children may attend today's open house between 3 P.M. and 5 P.M. The hours; between 7.30 P.M. and 9 P.M., are for the adiilts. State and city officials will-speak at 8 P.M.

The library will open for business to-; morrow. The hours will be from noon-until 9 P.M., Monday through Thursday, and from 9 A.M. to 5.30 P.M. on Friday and Saturday. A view of the new Branch 2 of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, located between Hollins street and Frederick road and fronting on Payson street.

This view, photographed from the Frederick roa.d side, shows the entrance on the lower level to the auditorium which will be made available to civic, educational and neighborhood groups for meeting purposes. Open house will be held today at the library, which will open for business at the stroke of noon tomorrow. Advice Reinforced By ROBERT G. BREEN an almost daily harrying of the virgins at the delivery desk." August Mencken recalls that his brother could read at the age of 5, having been taught at home by their mother. "There were no movies, television, or radios in those days, and at night children were kept off the street, so we did much reading at home.

In those days the library was run differently. There were catalogs, in pamphlet form, of the book collection at the library which sold for 50 cents which we kept at home and would browse through, picking out the books we wanted to borrow. There were also these same catalogs at the library but they were kept on chains so that people wouldn't walk off with them." 'Pleasantest Of Memories' Miss Gertrude Mencken, August's sister, who now lives in Westminster, has "only the pleasantest of memories of that quiet little library. It meant a great deal in our young lives." Other objects in the Mencken exhibit at the new branch reveal his brief but successful career as an advertising copywriter, as well as his abilities as a poet, dramatist and writer of fiction. His first "proper book" was "Ventures Into Verse," published in Baltimore in W03.

In later years Mr. Mencken noted: "My newspaper work was so heavy and I began to be so much more interested in prose that I abandoned versifying before I was 23 years old." This volume is now one of the rarest and most sought after Mencken editions. There is also a first edition of his play, "The Artist, A Drama Without Words," published in It has been reprinted many times and in 1916 was the original production of Baltimore's Vagabond Theater. Of interest too Is Mencken's second book, published in 1905, which displays his talents as a literary critic. Titled "George Bernard Shaw: His Plays," it is held to be the first book on Shaw ever printed.

Also on display is the official shield or insignia of the Saturday Night Club. The painted wooden' shield, dated 1903, was given into Mr. Mencken's custody after the dissolution of the club. The shield illustrates, with colorful symbolism, the high purposes to which the group was dedicated. The shield is quartered with crossed An Open House With On a wall, Just within the entrance to the new Enoch Pratt Free Library Branch 2, are affixed these words which project from the surface of the wall: NO MAN CAN GET ANYWHERE IN THIS WORLD IN ANY REALLY' WORTHY AND ENDURABLE MANNER WITHOUT SOME RECOURSE TO BOOKS.

These words were written by H. L. Mencken in 1939 and appeared in The Evening Sun as part of an editorial calling for adequate financial support of the Pratt Library. That these words appear at the new Hollins street branch of the Pratt is particularly relevant because they denote the lifetime association of Mr. Mencken with the original Hollins street branch which opened in 1886, when Mr.

Mencken was 6. It was the second branch library to be established by the Pratt and was just a block from the Mencken home which is on Union Square at 1524 Hollins street. Mr. Mencken was born at the Hollins street house and lived there at the time of his death in 1956. Mr.

Mencken's brother, August, still lives there. Open house will be held today at the new branch, which will open for business tomorrow. To mark the opening, a special display has been arranged of objects from the Mencken Room of the Pratt. They all pertain to Mr. Mencken's childhood, youth, early newspaper days, and his associations with the Hollins street neighborhood and the original branch library.

The display has been arranged by Richard Hart, head of the literature department at the Pratt. Original Manuscript On display is the original manuscript of Mr. Mencken's autobiography of his youth, "Happy Days, 1880-1892." In it he tells of first reading the books in the family library at home, which practice developed into an addiction to books. He has written of this in the autobiography. (His own copy, a first edtion, is also on "Thus launched upon the career of a bookworm I presently began to reach out right and left for more fodder.

When the Enoch Pratt Free Library of Baltimore opened a branch in Hollins street in March, 1886, I was still a shade too young to be excited, but I had a card before I was 9, and began Miss Fern Stowe, the librarian, sits at 16,000 children'i books shelved in the 1 I Trumps And Tricks 1 EOPLE are so nosey nowadays that you can't stop the right hand from knowing what the left hand is doing. The modern proverb should read: Let not the right hand mess about in what the left hand doeth. As usual, there's a bridge hand to reinforce this elegant advice. West dealer. Neither side vulnerable.

North A-7 4 3 V-Q 6 3 7 3 -9 8 4 West East A-Q 10 V-8 7 5 4 -6 5 4 2 -K 7 3 A-Z 2 V-A 9 2 -A 9 -Q 10 2 South A A 9 8 5 V-K10 -K 10 -A 6 5 West 1 North Pass Pass East 2 Pass South Double 3 A Opening lead West opens the queen of clubs, and you tee you are in danger of losing two clubs and the two red aces at the very least. People have been known to lose a trump trick in circumstances like yours, and there is even some danger of losing two diamonds instead of only one. Since all readers ot this column nave me courage oi uons iana aiso since yuu ..7 i Good By ALFRED SHEINWOLD have surely noticed that the trumps are going to make no fuss), you do not flinch. You win the first trick with the ace of clubs and look around for something clever to do. Your next move had better be really brilliant, for if you win the first trick with the ace of clubs you have already given the right hand opponent his chance to mess about.

Will Lead Diamonds Sooner or later you must draw trumps and knock out the ace of hearts. If West can get the lead to his partner, by way of the king of clubs, East will return a diamond. And there goes your contract, my lion-hearted friend. Now go back to the first trick and try being a rabbit instead of a lion. Refuse that first trick.

If West continues with the jack of clubs, refuse that also. Save the ace of clubs to capture East's king. You are quite willing to let West win the two club tricks that the defenders are sure to take. Whenever you do get in, you will draw trumps and lead the king of hearts. Since East cannot lead through your king of diamonds, the defenders can get only two clubs and two red aces.

Daily Questions Partner opens with one heart, and the next player passes. You hold: A 74 3 VQJ63 4 873 4984 What do you say? Answer Pass. The spirit may be willing, i. 1 but this flesh is far too weak. Avoid responding to a bid of one unless you have at least 6 points, either in high cards or in favorable distribution.

Partner opens with one club, and the next player passes. You hold: A A 10 9 3 VQ 1062 62 J95 What do you say? Answer Bid one heart. Show the lower of tw'o four-card major suits. Partner can conveniently show a fit for hearts or bid one spade, thus finding a major suit fit if there is one. Baltimore Society I NVITATIONS to the dance June 19 for Miss Ellen Douglas Nelson have been recalled by her parents, Mr.

and Mrs. John Marbury Nelson 3d, of Stevenson, because of the death of Mr. John Marbury Nelson, Jr. Back from a stag weekend of fishing at Sussex Shores, Bethany Beach, summer home of Mr. Albert H.

Michaels, of Longwood road, are Mr. Michaels and his guests: Mr. George Love, Mr. Frank T. Binford, Mr.

John H. Wight, Mr. J. Henry Hooper and Mr. Charles M.

Rich, all of Ruxton, and Mr. William Wallace Symington, of Riderwood. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph N.

Shriver, of East Thirty-third street; Mr. and Mrs. J. Nicholas Shriver. of Owings Mills, with their daughters, Miss Melanie D.

Shriver and Miss Elizabeth L. Shriver, and Mrs. Hammond J. Dugan, of Cromwell Bridge road, with her daughter, Miss Frances Markoe Dugan, were in New York for the weekend. There they attended the wedding of Miss Nathalie Pierrepont, daughter of Mr.

and Mrs. Rutherford Stuyvesant Pierrepont, of New York and Locust Valley, Long Island, N.r., and Mr. William Twyman Comfort, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Twy.

man Comfort, of Midland, Texas, Saturday at St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church. Mr. and Mrs. John C.

Palmer, of Phoenix, are receiving congratulations on the birth of their first child, a daughter, May 30 in Phoenix. Mrs. Palmer is the former Miss Emily Stewart Cross, of Baltimore, daughter of the late Lt. John H. Cross, USN, and Mrs.

Cross. Paternal grandparents are Mrs. J. Carter Palmer, of The Plaints, and Dr. John C.

Palmer, of Jacksonville, Fla. Mr. Arthur E. Davis 3d. who has completed his junior year at Randolph Macon College in Ashland, and his sister, Miss Beverly Bancroft Davis, who has finished her sophomore year at Wellesley College, are at hnme with their parents, Mr.

and Mrs. John Davis, of Wendover road. Mr Mr. and Mrs. John Brentnall Powell, leave the Church of The Redeemer following their wedding Saturday.

Mrs. Powell was Miss Susan V. Baker. a desk in the children's winy of the new Pratt Library Branch 2. There are library as compared with 5,000 in the old branch which closed last Tuesday..