Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-06-08
WANTS LIBRARIAN LUMMlS
TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS

LOS ANGELES, June 7.-[Editor
Herald: The people of this commun-
ity should understand that Charles r.
Lummis is to be taken seriously. Not
as he takes himself, but as he is
His labored defense in a recent issue
of Los Angeles Herald in relation TO
specific charges made by Julia w.
Blandy is characteristic.
He seeks to lessen the weight of
direct charges against himself by at
tempting to make co-defendants OF;
1.-The civil service commission, the
council, all of the library board and
staff the charter and the people OF
this rude frontier"
Conscious of the fact that Miss
Blandy's charges are we'll founded
and can easily be proved, ne seeks by
cuttlefish tactics to divert attention
from himself. He seeks to line up the
whole community in defense which
concerns only himself and a part OF
the library board.
Following the excoriation of Mr..
Iummis and his methods by the pres
ident of the council. the Times Won
dered what Mr.. Lummis would say
about Mr. Niles Pease. The Times is
still wondering.
AS a matter of fact, however, the
failure of Mr.. Lummis to take up the
gauntlet thrown down by the president
of the council is so eminentiy charac--
teristic as not to be properly matter
to occasion surprise. He evidently felt
it safer and more easy to threaten
and browbeat a woman than to meet
man. (See statement by Miss Blandy
in the Express April 81: II was sum-
moned by the librarian and advised
and warned If [ did not withdraw he
could make it impossible for me TO
find a position in any library in the
country"
Will the Los Angeles public indorse
that covert threat to nullify any ell
fort which Miss Blandy might make
to obtain employment? / think not.
The last report on the public IL
brary contains a touching tribute to
the librarian. Its phraseology ana
matter are such as to leave us In no
doubt as to it's author. Reference is
made to the lamentable physical con-
dition of the librarian: His logged
heroism' in overcoming a 'long siege
of pain and ill health. without any
loss whatever in efficiency"
The physical condition of Mr.. Lum-
mis- has been so persistently adver-
tised by himself that without argu-
ment it may be conceded that his ply
steal ineapacity is all that he declares
it is.
The causes contributing to this con-
dition, however, being-at least in
part-matters within his own control
he should reform himself before APP
pealing for sympathy. Furthermore,
the public library is not a hospital
nor a sanitarium.
Mr.. Lummis modestly admits he had
| only eight books on the stocks" when
he was drawn from the seclusion
which he loved and as a public official
was thrust into the limelight which he
abhors. He also informs us that
words from his pen had a market
value of cents per word. This '5
| cents per word" is a stock argument
of Mr.. Lummis but what relevancy
has it to the charge that he is an
unfit librarian?
In lieu of the "eight books on the
stocks and words which-he says
| he can sell for cents each, he has
which pays him a miserable stipend of
$4,000 per year.
Mr.. Lummis should no longer be
! permitted to sacrifice himself. 1t
| should be insisted that he go back to
! the stocks, follow his natural inclina-
tion in an outpouring of words words,
and still more words from which at
| cents per he could again enjoy the
| princely income which-he would have
us infer-was his before he became a
| sacrifice.
go Mr.. Lummis reaches the limit of
| foul-if not libelous-insinuation when
| he states that mo one doubts the sin
certify of the plaintiff. Sincerity is also
the most unanimous quality at High
land" an insane asylum.
This dastardly reflection upon the
sanity of the brave, Woodworking lit
tie woman, whose means for earning a
/ livelihood hn tn NO
lessen the force of Miss Blandys spe-
cific charges which---if true-prove his
| own unfiuness.
He is in error. however, as to the
'most unanimous quality at High
land" Sincerity is there. but does not
predominant. Abnormality character
ICES it's inmates.
Properly balanced people intuitively
avoid those extremes which mark the
abnormal: Extravagant expression, un-
founded assertion, boastfulness, fan
tastic apparel, including barbaric jew
elry etc.
In the two columns OF irrelevant dia-
tribe constituting Mr. Lummis' defense
there occurs but a single phrase ger
name to the issue. Referring to Miss
Blandy he states: "This employee has
been given larger chance than any
underling ever enjoyed here. Her en-
suits"
If he can substantiate that state
ment he has Miss Blandy beaten to
a FRAGILE" To do so, however, he must
stultify himself. In a report by him
to the board he states; For the first
time in their history the branches have
been properly organized. weeded, cata.
logued correlated and headed" Miss
Blandy did this work.
Tn reOOrt nv the library hoard to
the council it is stated that: mo func-
tion of the library was in greater need
of systematic reform than the
branches; none promised better results
for the attention that has been given"
These better results which are prom
Used are directly due to the superin-
tendency of Miss Blandy.
1t would be difficult for anyone less
gifted than Mr.. Lummis to reconcile
these reports with his statement that;
"Her employers are dissatisfied with
the result" Unless he can do so, how
ever, he has stultified himself.
Mr.. Lummis states further;
Miss Blandy was never librarian,
an assistant librarian nor a head of
department until she came here. Is
it possible Mr.. Lummis does not I'M
derstand that an assault upon Miss
Blandy by him is an admission of his
own unftness? He and none other is
personally responsible for her having
been made superintendent of branches.
He boasts of having forced her ap-
pointment and he now seeks to dis
hcredit her. Why? The proposed and
much needed investigation of library
affairs will probably inform us.