BULLETIISr 



OF LWHA 



New Y( 



THE CHARLESTON MUSEUM ZtZ 



Vol. 8 CHARLESTON, S. C, JANUARY, 1912 No. 1 



REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUn 

 FOR THE YEAR 1911 



Marked progress in installation, made possible by the interest 

 of the business men and commercial bodies of the city; and ex- 

 tended educational work, made possible by increased staff, bring- 

 ing the Museum to the service of widely-varying classes of citizens, 

 are the prominent features of the past year. It has not only 

 been one of the most successful years in the history of the Muse- 

 um, but it marks the beginning of the fruition of a long period 

 of preparation and organization. From this time on the value of 

 the Museum to the people should enhance rapidly. 



Few, even of those who have followed the work from year to 

 year, reahze the extent of the reorganization which was under- 

 taken for the purpose of converting a large but idle collection, 

 deteriorated from neglect, over-crowded, under-lighted, inaccessi- 

 ble, and without definite policy, into a modern museum, organ- 

 ized on a basis sufficiently broad for the work to be done, admin- 

 istered in a business way, affiliated with the public schools and 

 other institutions of learning and with the commercial bodies of 

 the city so as to become a vital factor in education, in civic im- 

 provement, and in scientific investigation. It is the ideal of the 

 new Museum to be an expression point of community activity 

 — a clearin'5 house of progress. It is believed that the organiza- 

 tion which has now been built up will be adequate to fulfil a large 

 part of this object when once the old collections are instal- 

 led and the attention of the staff can be devoted to their use and 

 to new activities. 



It is the principal task of the new year to obtain sufficient 

 financial support to continue the work of installation. 



1 



