—setting all this lumber on fire. That led to a very wonderful law that
no lumber mills from that time on could be in the city of Charleston.
Because huge pieces of timber were found three and four blocks away
where the wind carried it. So, as I say, being interested in
fireworks
Page 29 and the ban on the sale and
discharge, I spoke at city council, having the principal, George Rogers,
there and also the president of the parent teachers. Because of that
law, the state—working on that law which was passed pertaining to our
city—soon took it up. That was the first law that I know of that put a
ban on the sale in cities of over 40,000. Just two or three years ago it
was, I worked very hard again, and I sent up a delegation from the
federation of women's clubs, to be present there to work and to speak
and to show the folly of allowing fire works in even a little two by
four town. A child that is blinded in the tiniest city loses the eye
just as well as in the big city. I worked with Rep. Dangerfield—his
name, I thought, was so appropriate—and with the chief one who sponsored
it, a fireman, Fireman Mishoe. One of my biggest works was obtaining our
county library, opened in the year 1930. That is called the Charleston
County Library. You see, Charleston was a very literate city. And the
museum and the College of Charleston and the library society (a
membership library) were all organized about the same time, in the early
1770s. And there was a small library here in the early years. Whatever
happened to it, I don't know. That small library, I understand was free.
Its lifespan was short. We grew up having only the library society as
our source for more books. Father was a great bibliophile. The number of
books that papa would purchase! He felt it was the best investment for
education that anybody could have. As a result, we do have sets of very
valuable books. I wish father could have bought sets of time for me,
because my days never had [unknown]
Page 30 48 hours. But anyway, the point is I felt the need
of a free library. The Rosenwald Foundation had offered to Miss Iaura
Bragg, then director of the Charleston museum, a sizeable fund. And Mrs.
Clelia McGowan was deeply interested. The proposition was that if our
legislators would pass a bill, then this Rosenwald Foundation would, for
every $10,000 we would put up, put up twice as much. For the first two
years. For instance, if our legislators would make, now what seems a
relatively small appropriation of $10,000, they would put up $20,000.
Well, for the first two years, you see that would have meant $60,000.
For the third and fourth year, they would match it. Our legislators
would put up $15,000 and they would put up $15,000. For the fifth year,
they would put up a large fractional part. And do you know, our
legislators turned it down. I was in New York at that time, sorry I
couldn't plunge in. But upon my return every night I would go to bed
thinking, the legislators are soon to begin another session. We've got
to get that library. It happened to be "heart tag" day. And I was on the
corner of Calhoun and King. Miss Mary Vardrine McBee, (later Dr. McBee)
was in charge of "heart tag" day. You see, she was president of the
Civic Club [unknown] during those years. She became
president and was very fine; [unknown] she too was
principal and everything else at Ashley Hall. I said to her at the close
of the day, when we were all turning in our cash receipts for the heart
tag day, "Miss McBee, we have to work on the legislators to get the
library Bill introduced and passed! She said "It can't be done." I said
"Come across the street to the lobby of the Francis Marion Hotel. I want
to talk to you." We went together and she said to me "Miss Pollitzer,
you don't understand. There are conditions that are insurmountable. We
cannot do it." I said "Don't
Page 31 say that. I'm going to
tell you something. I know that Sunday is a holy day with you." Her
uncle somebody was a bishop. "I know that. Will you give up Friday
afternoon, all of Saturday, all of Sunday and we'll get that library
bill passed." She said "You just don't understand." "Will you give up
that time?" "Yes." "I will go in your car. We will see the leading
citizens and the legislative delegation of Charleston and we'll
accomplish the library." She said "Well, if you think so." Now she was a
person of indomitable will. She felt it couldn't be done. I felt it
could be done. We went to the leading citizens. I first went to one
whose opinion I valued very highly and I said "Among the legislators,
whom should we see first? Make a list of the legislators, and one whom
you feel we should see first of all. Make a list of the leading citizens
whom we want to bring pressure to bear on this bill." I had that. There
was Mr. Sam Rittenberg, a self educated man. Chairman of the delegation.
He was self educated. I would say, rather, library educated. And he was
all for it. Only sorry that the legislators had said they would not
increase the budget. They were elected that year on no increase in the
millage. But the increase needed was pitiably small. Next to nothing.
All right. He told us whom to see. One of the men was Mr. Haselden, who
was a trustee of our schools. Miss McBee said "No use to see Mr.
Haselden He won't see a person." I said "He'll see me." I phoned to him.
I said "Mr. Haselden, you may know me as one of your teachers. I am
coming to see you. I know you won't see anybody. I will stand on your
doorsill. And standing on your doorsill, in a minute or two I can tell
you the advantage to Charleston county to work for getting that library
bill passed." He said "Come." I knew he'd see me.
Page 32 I
stood on his doorsill. "Take a chair." "No, I told you I'd stand on your
doorsill." He laughed. I took the chair. And I showed him how much money
would come into Charleston county. The Rosenwald Foundation had said
that if we did not pass it this being the second year, never would it be
offered again.
8 I saw, with Miss McBee
each one of the delegation. We saw the prominent citizens to bring
pressure to bear. I came home from school one day—it was in the days
when women wore hats—I didn't even take off my hat. I went to the phone
and I phoned to every service club. We had money in the Civic Club,
collected from the year before when we had hoped to get the library. We
had about $50 to spend for any purpose that would be good. So I phoned
to each of the service clubs. I said "I know you are too busy to stop
and send a telegram, but it must be sent immediately. Will you approve
of this telegram?" And I directed one to the secreta of the delegation
in the House and another to the Senate. I said "send two." And I just
worded them ad lib. I said Charleston can no longer afford to be a city
of its size without a free library, or something to that effect. When I
say all the civic clubs, I had a list quickly prepared or I prepared it,
of the various groups. Civitan, Kiwanis, etc., each one. I said "I'll
attend to the payment of the telephone bill. All I want you to do is say
‘Okay, go ahead and send them.’ " The next morning the paper came out
and said telegrams, urging that the library bill be passed, came in
almost until midnight, even long after the bill had been passed. There
was one legislator, who was kept home by his uncle, a doctor, because he
had what was called a special kind of sore throat. I never heard of it.
Angina sore throat. He was the only one who would not be in favor. I
said "Good," to his doctor-uncle. "Keep him home. If he even gets better
for
Page 33 one night, don't let him go. He's the only
one who is opposed." In the meantime I had gone to see whoever he's
called. The man who prepares the budget for the delegation. And I said
"Insert this item of $10,000 which will be needed." I saw him insert it.
And the amazing part, after the third reading, all successful, the item
was not in the budget. One of the mysteries. I saw him insert it. And
these mysteries, how they happened, I don't know. But it was omitted.
The third reading had taken place successfully. And then we thought, now
what. They had to do the whole works over again. In the meantime, the
Angina sore throat legislator got well. Before he left, I phoned to him.
I said "I know how firm you are. You are adamant against appropriating
one penny for the county library. I know you all went in on no increase
in the millage. But this will bring in so much money." He said "Miss
Pollitzer, I will promise you one thing. I may not vote for it, but I
will not work against it." I said "That's right." He sent me a
telegram—what a beautiful thing to do.
(I've turned all these things over to Miss Sanders, the head
librarian.) He sent me a telegram to the effect of "Congratulations, the
library bill passed. You won." Something like that. Anyway, it really
was wonderful. Telegrams came in from Mr. Sam Rittenberg and we got the
library. Now I would like to think of one thing more. Credit must be
given to the delegation of citizens from Charleston. While I was home,
getting all these telegrams sent, Miss McBee headed a delegation and
several whom I had seen before went with her to be there during the
voting. To watch out to see that everything went right. And the library
bill was passed. I don't think anybody was ever happier. Mother
always
Page 34 called it my library.
[Interruption.] At first we were housed in the Charleston museum. Miss Laura M.
Bragg, who was director then of the museum, also was librarian. We were
crowded. In five years we moved to the beautiful Michael Jenkins house
at the NE corner of Montague and Rutledge. And we were rather crowded
but we functioned marvelously. In 1960 a new library had been built. It
was amazing. People look at it and they think it might have cost $1
million and more dollars. It only cost about three quarters of a
million. Very fine structure. You know where and what it is. I remained
trustee until relatively a few years ago. Then, of course, I was elected
honorary trustee. Because I was really trustee before there was a
library. I wrote the story of the getting of the county library. This is
in the library. That tells more than what I have just told you.