Asheville daily citizen., 1894-12-22
INDEX EVERYTHING.
THIS is DONE BY USE OF THE CARD
CATALOGUE SYSTEM.
Banks and Business Houses Use 1t As Well
a. Libraries-It Can he Made Elaborate
and Costly or Cheap and Simple-Dut 1t
Must BE Methodically Kept.


- Llbraries-It Can BE Made Elaborate
and Costly or Cheap and simple-Dut 1t
Must BE Methodically Kept.
One OF the curious developments of
modern American life is found in the con-
stantly increasing use of the card cata'
logue system. 1t is commonly supposed
that card catalogues are used only or chief
" in large libraries. AS a matter of fact,
they are found in public offices, banks,
business houses and private studies. The
business Of making card catalogues has
grown vastly in the last Is years, and in
ventors have been busy with q thousand
and one devices for increasing the eificien-
cy of the system.
Not only can a library now hire pro-
fessional cataloguer to card catalogue all
its books, with an elaborate system of
cross references; but, further, u bank or
business house can have its ledger index
card catalogued so that instant reference
may be made to the name of any custom
cr, and all needed Information as to his
business standing and financial history
may be looked up.
The mortality statistics of New York
are deliberately card catalogucd year by
year, The system has been applied to the
fares of railways, to the line records of the
Long Distance Telephone company, to the
registry of at least one conspicuous cattle
breeding association, to insurance compa-
nics, manufacturing concerns and the
publishing business.
The card catalogue idea is by no means
new When u Bostonian went to his ocu-
list a few years ago, the latter said in n
matter of fact way:
I'm have to look up your record, and
turning to a crude card catalogue ho
traced the history Of the patient back to
the time 30 years before when, as child
of less than 10 years, he first came for
treatment
Two cemetery companies in Boston
card catalogue the dead intrusted to their
keeping. Johns Hopkins university of Bal
timore has card catalogue giving the
history of every case that comes to its
medical department for treatment. George
KEENAN, has literally card catalogucd his
memory, so that he can refresh himself
upon any given subject by looking over a
few dates and catch words and refer to
any one Of many thousand things that he
has encountered in his reading
Banks and business houses usually en-.
ploy very simple variety of the card cat
aloeuc, known as the dictionary form. 1t
is in effect merely list of names. If, for
example, u Wholesale house deals with
Brown, Jones and Robinson, its card
catalogue Will contain one or more cards
for the name Uf each of these gentlemen
II Brown gives mortgage, goes upon a
security bond, asks indulgence from his
creditors or does any ono of dozen thin :,
affecting his credit, in goes another card
noting this tact, with the proper date, and
II need be referring to some easily acCessi-
BILE authority whero full history Of the
transaction can be obtained In this way
the card catalogue Of such q house may
contain material for q financial history {, {
any one of n thousand other business men,
great and small.
There is no reason why the class of sub
jects included under each name in such a
card catalogue might not be Indefinitely
extended. Should Jones marry fortune
greatly change his style of living, enter
politics, become the father Of twins, mar
ry off a daughter set II son up business
join a conspicuous club, become interested
in horse racing or do any one of hu,
orea other thlhgs that might be thought
10 nave bearing upon his business lie
the iact might be made part OF the record.
AS matter of fact, however, the growth
Of the card catalogue in u business house
Is carefully guarded lest it become too
voluminous and expensive. The card cata
logue is n thing that increases by geomet-
rlcal progression. III all Of Jones incom-
lnss ana ontgoihgs be recorded, the SYM
hetricai cara catalogue must treat Brown
ana Robinson with Ike consideration,
anu the greater the complexity Of the cata-
loeue the more pains, time and intclli'
eehce are required Tor lis proper manage
mcht' INC crcdit man OF the house has
general charge OF the card ca, logue, but
IN ordinary cases he is too busy and high
priced man 10 attend to the matter OF
keeping II up ms may be intrnsted to
an lhteiilSeht ONCE clerk or u stenoera'
pher.
"A cara catalogue as an aid 10 private
memory mas immense advantages 10 the
man OF met'oo' some oid time poiltl,
clans were SO famous ior Their memory OF
men ana events that one Is tempted to be-
lieve that they secretly used the card cath'
logue system IN some crude form known
10 an carrier generation III would nave
peen ike our grandiathers, who so general
~ dispensed win private secretaries Knew
NOT stehogr"phers ana iahoriously wrote
win thelr own hahds the elaborate epis
ties OF those days TO nave devoted hour.
10 inc management OF Vo!uminous and
careiuiiy secre'ed cara catalogue The
system Is lhValuaoie 10 the modern con
gresham pestered with multitude ol
Details but not provided with secretary
~ Is characteristic OF modern divisions OF
LABOR ana the rush OF modern lilo that the
man OF today, instead OF making his own
cara catalogue, pu!s one ready made
along Win elaborate appliances and labor
saving conVenlences That make the system
an expensive luxury The card catalogue
can DO made to cost next to nothing II tht
user Is content to employ convenient Sc,
OF shallow drawers or covered trays and
to cut out his own blank cards from Stiff
cardboard. Any reading man or write,
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