The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-01-30
HOW TO KEEP SCRAPS.
Pleasure and Profit in Careful and
Systematic Work.
IT MUST BE FOLLOWED REGULARLY
And PersisteEtIy-Rand ItemsMay
BE Interesting but Not Valuable.

who are not collectors realize the pleas
ure and profit to be obtained by keeping
clippings, or, as they used to be called,
''scraps,' in a careful, systematic fash
ion. The profit lies not only in the ed
ucational nature of the work, but in the
actual money value of the collection aft
er it has been kept up long enough in
an intelligent way. Newspaper men ap-
preciate this profit so well that in al
most every great newspaper Office in the
country thousands of dollars are spent
yearly in keeping such collections, and
these in time become exceedingly valu-
able.
OF course no individual collector can
make collection that will rival one of
these without devoting years of time and
a great amount of money to the work.
1t is entirely possible, however, to make
a collection in 10 or 10 years that will
be worth thousands of dollars.
1t is good rule not to attempt too
much, at least in beginning, unless, in
deed, the beginner is confident of perse-
vering long enough and working hard
enough to make very large general col
lection, in which case he should mark
out his divisions and subdivisions as
soon as possible.
Probably the best way to start is to
select some one subject in which the col
lector may have personal interest. By
making collection on this subject he
will gradually learn how to collect wise
ly and will soon grow enthusiastic, in
stead of firing himself by attempting
too much. Then one subject after an
other can be taken up in addition, or q
general collection may be undertaken
when habit has made the work easy.
Having chosen a subject, the next
thing is to get clippings. Newspapers,
trade journals, technical periodicals and
even magazines may be obtained second
hand for thu asking or at a nominal
price by almost any one who will look
after them regularly. If the collector
can arrange with the exchange editor of
some newspaper for the contents of his
wastebasket, he can command wealth
Of material.
Having the clippings, the collector
must arrange plan of keeping them, or
he will find in little while that they
are not much better than waste paper.
A great part of the value of a clipping
lies in the ability TO put your hand on
it at a moments notice, and this cannot
be done unless the collection is kept sys-
tematically, and the simplest plan is the
best, if it is such as to admit of divi-
sions and subdivisions without confu-
sion.
In the first place, each clipping must
be carefully marked with the name and
date of tho paper from which it is cut.
Long bladed shears, light ones, are the
best tools for cutting, and a blue pencil
is altogether the best for marking.
Next get a lot of cheap envelopes.
They must be substantial enough to
stand some handling. With these and
big alphabetical index book the outfit is
complete. Don't get a scrapbook. The
labor of FASTING clippings in a book is
generally wasted, for any attempt to
change the order of the clippings after
they are pasted will involve a mutila-
ton of the book or the clipping or both.
Having the clippings and the envelopes,
put the first in the second and mark each
envelope with number, 1, 2, 8, and so
on.
All this is simple enough and is de-
scribed in detail only because the details
of the system are absolutely necessary.
AS has been said, clipping is useless
unless you can find it when you want it,
and without a system you cannot find
it, even if you remember it, without a
long search.
The index therefore is the key to the
collection and requires some study and
constant care. Very likely single clip
ping may have to be entered two or
three times in the index. 1t must be en-
tered at the time it is put into the en-
velope and the envelope is mum bered be-
cause any putting off of part of the
work means doing it all over again.
You can always find envelope 139, for
example, but unless you look at your in
dex first you will not know whether 1t
is 79 or 1879 that you want.
Surprising, then, that you have a
about Professor Jones' explo-
rations in Java. It has been put into en-
velope 139. You must enter it in three
places in the index, something like this:
E.
Explorations-"Jones In Java" ............. 139
J.
Jones, Professor Exploration In java. 1s9
Java-''Jones Exploration Observation-Disclosures. 139
Now, it may easily happen that you
might be looking up explorations, and
envelope 176 might have Smith s ex-
ploratiOns in Ceylon, and you might get
both out at the same time. Then, both
being out of the envelopes at once, you
would not remember how to replace
them without hunting back through the
index. This would lead to confusion,
and confusion means destroying the val
ne of your collection, SO this is one of
the most important things to remember
always put the same number on the
clipping with the blue penci1) that is
on the envelope you put it in.
Keeping scraps is like keeping ac-
must be followed regularly
and persistently to be of much use.
Scattering items. picked up now and
hon Ies ir,ta1cSti,,cr hit