The "Germania Male Chorus", which has done much in the last year to further German interests, now appears with a new plan, which is so exceptionally laudable, that it will not fail to arouse lively interest throughout all German-American circles. The association proposes nothing less, than the founding of a German-American library. However, as the following two letters give full details about this splendid idea, we publish them herewith, without comment.

"Germania Male Chorus. Chicago, April 15, 1891. To Messrs. Joseph Baucker, Washington Hesing and Frederick Hild. Gentlemen! The club's secretary will probably have given you notice in regard to your nomination as members of the Library Committee, so it may not be necessary to recapitualte here, except that I had a special purpose in mind, when I suggested your names to the Board of Executives of the Germania Maennerchor (Male Chorus).

As you know, for a year the Germania has subscribed to the principle, that a powerful, German-American club like ours, has a higher task to fulfill, than to function merely as an assembly which satisfies the social demands of its members, 2and this motto is not only found in our support of art during the grand artistic club productions, but includes our participation in all branches of the club's activity. According to my opinion, we now have an exceptional opportunity, by founding a club library. It is evident of course, that our goal cannot be a general race with the large book collections of the land. However, we have a good chance in achieving something, in so far as we may try to fill the large gaps in the American libraries and, at the same time, we function in conformance with the ideal sense of a German-American club.

I need not tell you, that in the history of the Germans in the United States, from the very first period of its colonization until the present day, many a pearl of intellectuality lays scattered about, which will be doomed to oblivion if not properly gathered and preserved. As far as I know, no such attempt has ever been made, namely, to make a collection of all the literature in our language, which has been published in the United States, from the first days of the German immigration to the present era; at least in the west, no such work has ever been performed, or satisfactorily accomplished. In regard to the attainments of the German daily newspapers, all their noteworthy deeds for the perpetuation of our customs and language, however valuable they have been and always will be, such an edition we 3cannot include at present at least, because of its voluminous size. But it is within the realm of possibility to procure everything, which the German mind has conceived in this land and put into book form, this we may gather little by little and so preserve it for posterity. Aside from the great historical value of such a collection, it has a tendency to convince the German-American about the spiritual importance of his element, it will strengthen him in his competitive endeavors with other people, by giving him that necessary self respect.

The administration is prepared to supply you with the necessary means for the realization of this work, and awaits your valued reply, whether you consider this briefly described plan as feasible and desirable, also, if you are willing to participate in your capacity as member of the committee.

Very respectfully, Harry Rubens, President."

To this communication the following reply was received: "Chicago, Ill. April 16, 1891. To the President of the Germania Maennerchor, Harry Rubens. Esteemed Sir! Your valuable letter reached me, today, and I hasten to inform you, that I am not only 4pleasedto co-operate, as befits the duties of the chairman of the library committee concerning which I have notified the club's secretary, but it gives me extraordinary pleasure to do my very best, to help realize your idea, the procurement of a specifically German-American library in our club.

The German-American is unaware of his full importance regarding the past and is not sufficiently conversant with his cultural political problems of the present. The latter belongs to the German-American press. In order to bring the glorious past to his knowledge, he will find it is imperative to peruse history, but to successfully conclude such a study without the help of a large library is unthinkable. The accomplished German-American historian, H. A. Rattermann (German-American Magazine, folio 4, page 515) remarks: "To speak is silver, but silence is golden!" A well known proverb..... We have been silent until all the gold and silver in history has been distributed to all the others and we remain with empty hands. Yet, golden were the German deeds when the cultural development of this land is considered.... It is time.... we should speak of our achievements as German-Americans....until history gives us our deserved recognition...

Very well, we shall not only speak of the accomplishments of our forefathers, we shall garner them for the present and preserve them for the future.....From private collections....among dealers of antiquities...from publishers.... by appeals to the German press to support our cause,.... with the assistance of Mr. Hesing nad Mr. Hild as committee members,.... by asking for advice and suggestions of such eminent German-American historians as Oswald, Seidensticker, Rattermann, G. Koerner, just to mention a few,....we gladly labor for the beginning of the great work which you visualized and created.... Very respectfully Joseph Brucker."