The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-01-04
INDEX EVERYTHING.
rom the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
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 a thousand
and one devices for increasing the eficien-
Cy OF the system.
Not only can library now hire a pro-
fessional cataloguer to card catalogue all
its books, with an elaborate system of
cross references; but, further, bank or
business house can have its ledger index
card catalogued SO that instant reference
may be made TO the name of any custom
er, 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 catalogued 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-
MES, manufacturing concerns and the
publishing business.
The card catalogue idea is by no means
new. When Bostonian went to his ocu-
list few years ago, the latter said In q
matter of fact way:
''Ill have to lock up your record" and
turning to crude card catalogue he
traced the history of the patient back to
the time 80 years before when, as a child
of less than 10 years, he first came for
treatment.
Two cemetery companies in Boston
card catalogue the dead intrusted to theiI
keeping. Johns Hopkins university of Bal
timore has a card catalogue giving the
history of every case that comes to its
medical department for treatment George
KEENAN, has literally card catalogued his
memory. so that he can refresh himself
upon any given subject by looking over q
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 a very simple variety of the card cat
alogue, known as the dictionary form. 1t
is in effect merely list of names II, for
example, q wholesale house deals with
Brown, Jones and Robinson, its card
catalogue will contain one or more cards
for the name of each of these gentlemen.
II Brown gives mortgage, goes upon a
security bond, asks indulgence from his
creditors or does any one of dozen things
affecting his credit, in goes another card
noting this fact, with the proper date, and
If need be referring TO some easily scoessi-
bic authority where full history Of tie
transaction, gamble ottained In this way
the card catalogusof such house may
contain material for financial history Of
any one OF thousand other business men,
great and small.
There Is no reason why the class of sub
jects included under each name in such
card catalogue might not be indefinitely
extended. Should Jones marry a fortune,
greatly change his style Of living, enter
politics, become the father Of twins, mar
~ OF daughter, set a son up In business,
Join a conspicuous club, become interested
in horse racing or do any one Of a hun
dred other things that might be thought
to have bearing upon bis business life
the fact might be made part CT the record.
AS matter Of fact, however, the growth
Of the card catalogue In business house
is carefully guarded lest il become too
yoluminoUs and expensive. The card cata-
logre is thing that increases BY geomet-
ricAl progression. II ali Of Jones sncorn-
ings and outgoipSs be recorded the SYM