Posted on 02/02/2008 5:54:03 PM PST by Congressman Billybob
I’ve always loved libraries. Both my parents loved books, and our house was chock full of them. Growing up in Baltimore, at an early age (perhaps ten) I was taken by the hand, driven to the nearest branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, and introduced to the mysteries of a real library of organized books, rather than a couple bookshelves of miscellaneous books. It was love at first sight.
By the time I was twelve, I regularly walked to and from the Guilford Branch of the Pratt. It was only a mile, and children regularly and safely walked the streets alone back then. Back when ice covered the Earth.
Even then, I’d heard of the Pratt Central. Occasionally, we’d drive by it on Cathedral Street in downtown Baltimore. It was opposite the Cathedral of the Basilica, and occupied an entire city block. It was a plain building, but imposing nonetheless. It had display windows like a department store, except the displays were about books.
When I reached high school, it was appropriate to be familiar with Pratt Central. I took the trolley-bus downtown. For those who’ve never seen one, it was a bus on the street, but drew electric power from an overhead wire with a sliding antenna.
I got off on Cathedral Street, paused, then entered past the high, bronze doors of Pratt Central. Other than a couple desks for librarians, the entire center of the ground floor was taken up by the card catalogues. It seemed like miles of wooden drawers holding millions of cards. It was, in truth, a football field with a half million cards. For those who born in the computer era, a card catalogue had at least three cards for every book: by specific subject, by author, and by general subject.
It seemed like the riches of all of Western civilization were spread out before me, just for the asking.
And now a word about Enoch Pratt. He came to Baltimore from Massachusetts in 1831 with just $150 in his pocket. He built a successful career as a businessman and banker. He and his wife had no children, so he gave his fortune in specific ways to the people of Baltimore. One of those ways was to build the Central Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library plus four branches, and endow it with the then-princely sum of $833,000 so it would live forever. It has done just that.
Being in the steel business in part, he was a friend of Andrew Carnegie. Odds are, Carnegie’s idea of giving libraries to cities across the nation, came from his friend, Enoch Pratt.
Back to Enoch’s influence on me. The sense of awe I felt when I first walked into Pratt Central has been surpassed by my first impression of only one other building, the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress.
An experience I had in high school indicates the breadth of the Pratt’s collection. I searched the catalogue seeking books about Aaron Burr. I found the transcript of his treason trial before Chief Justice John Marshall. I devoured the book. I wrote a paper that was well received. Then I noticed the record in the back of the book. It had last been checked out a century before I borrowed it.
Enter Anna Gallagher. She was a librarian at the Pratt in charge of a publication called “You’re the Critic.” It was about books; its editors were the Presidents of the Literary Clubs at all the Baltimore high schools. Since I was President of my writing club – chosen, not elected, because the head of the English Department thought I could write a little – I came to meet Anna Gallagher.
She was bright, she was funny, she had an even greater love of books than I did. When it was my turn to write the editorial in “You’re the Critic,” she encouraged me to write as well as I ever had, or thought I ever could. She made me rewrite it several times until it “sang.”
Well, a man named Luther Hoopes, Vice President of a national ad agency based in town, read it and brought it to the attention of David Barton, Jr., President of that agency. He called me in for an interview. Thus I wound up being paid $35 per week to be a “gopher” in that agency.
Near the end of that summer, I got some chances to write. One was an assignment for Eastern Stainless Steel, the first issue of a quarterly image magazine to be sent to its principal suppliers and customers. I was assigned an article about Eastern’s manufacturing of the reactor core for the prototype merchant vessel with nuclear power, the NSS Savannah. (NSS stands for Nuclear Sailing Ship.)
I thought about Eastern Stainless. About ships. And, about a classic song, “Hard Hearted Hannah (the Vamp of Savannah).” That suggested one of the best titles I’ve ever written, which went on that reactor core article. It was, “She Has a Heart of Stainless Steel.”
The client was delighted; the agency was delighted. I got a bonus, and later a full-time job there. Since then, I have always been, in part, a writer,
And I owe it to Enoch Pratt and Anna Gallagher.
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About the Author: John Armor practiced in the US Supreme Court for 33 years. John_Armor@aya.yale.edu He lives in the 11th District of North Carolina.
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Much obliged for the great story. As a kid in Decatur, Ill the Bookmobile would show up during the summer about every two weeks. I would go and get my two books faithfully. Then wonders of wonders a branch opened up not to far away and it almost become a home away from home for me and my best friend that summer.
As a matter of coincidence I now live a mile away from one of the original Carnegie Library’s. To my knowldege it is the only functioning Carnegie Library west of the Mississippi River.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Mrs. Hazel Dwyer Fish. An English teacher. She took over our minds in our Junior year. She told us we were going to be treated like college students. Little did we know that meant homework every night. She forced us to write every night for almost the entire school year.
We wrote about every thing we could think of and she graded us ruthlessly. We learned there is no such word as “irregardless” and the red ink flowed on our writings like blood on stones. Tautology, trite and other cutting notes made us learn the saddest words of toungue and pen are “Rewrite and rewrite again”...
I don’t write these days for much of anything but work, however, my writing is clear and to the point not needing much clarification of what I am saying.
Thanks Mrs. Fish.
Thanks to you for the memories. I’d write more, but it seems my contacts are fogging......
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
Thanks so much for memoirs of a truly great library! I love that place, even if it’s going downhill.
“It was opposite the Cathedral of the Basilica”
Well, that would be the Basilica of the Assumption. ;-) Center of the Catholic faith in America, where John Carroll was 1st bishop ever appointed here. Built on ground of John Eager Howard’s, I might add.
“and occupied an entire city block. It was a plain building, but imposing nonetheless.”
I have to disagree with “plain”. It’s not plain, albeit not extraordinarily ornate. We’re talking something built 100+ years ago, when plain included many cornices and fasces and the like.
If that ever really happens, just shoot me.
Digital books stink, because you cannot ever easily quickly see “everything” at a glance at once. There is LOTS of scrolling and searching involved, whereas you can flip to a page quickly. And you can’t see the “whole context” surrounding 1 page quickly. Yet why bother printing yourself an entire book? It’s a pain, and you’ll probably find you have a bum printer along the way. Never mind how its bound or not; speaking of “mess”.
Eastern Stainless Steel - those were the days!
Thanks for sharing your memories of charm city.
Do you actually even have a ping list, or do I only get to read your stuff because I accidentally stumble upon it from time to time?
Given my limited computer skills, that’s about the best I can offer.
Cordially,
John / Billybob
I suppose that your computer skills might be limited, but I see no evidence of it.
Your writing skills are certainly undiminished by the keyboard. Logic skills are also in good working order.
It is always a pleasure to read your posts Sir. I’ll find them with or without a ping list.
Please keep up the good work. You are a bright star out here on this site.
Full Disclosure: Book lover myself; but I never got the chance to tour the Enoch Pratt Free Library. Sounds like the next best thing to Free Republic (or www.gutenberg.org).
Cheers!
Re-elect Ellen Sauerbrey.
Polack Johnny's.
Memorial Stadium, the BALTIMORE Colts and the Orioles.
The B&O Railroad museum.
And of course, 33 degrees and rain in the winter, turning the roads to ice overnight.
Cheers!
John / Billybob
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