The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-27
THE CLIPPING BUREAUS
SCOPE AND INFLUENCE OF THESE
PECULIAR ENTERPRISES.
Public Men Are Becoming Dependent
Upon the CIipper-Demand from
Every Condition of Life.
New York Commercial Advertiser.

New York Commercial Advertiser.
Thirty thousand people in the world earn
their living by clipping newspapers, of
whom 1900 are in the United States and
300 in New York city. 1t is computed that
there is invested in the enterprise a cap
Ital of SIS. 000,000 The first press clipping
bureau was started in Paris seventeen
years ago. The first one in New York was
established in 1884. The world is the prov
ince of the press clipper now and there
are bureaus in every large city on the globe.
Even Sidney, Australia, has a f1ourishing
bureau, and one has recently been started
in Toxic Japan. There are half a dozen
large bureaus in New York each employ
ing from twenty-five to fifty readers, and
sending out an average of from $1,000 TO
10000 clippings a week
A glance over the order book of an office
gives one some idea of the scope of the
press clipping bureau. For instance, here
is an order from the Greater New York
committee for all editorial comment on the
Crater New York. Up to this time about
one thousand pages of a scrapbook have
been filled with these clippings Next below
Chairman Dingleys private secretary is
noted as wanting all adverse criticism of
the Dingley tariff bill by Republican papers.
Secretary Chamberlain had sent to him ev-
erything published in the United States
about the arbitration treaty. The execu-
tive committee of the Tennessee centen-
NAL exposition wants everything said in
the papers about the fair. Lieutenant Peary
wants all items from the north pole and
Hon. ]. w. Bailey keeps track of his dress
suit through press clipping bureau. Oppo-
site Nicola Tesla's name is Electrical in
ventions.' DR.. Seward Webb wants every
thing printed about horses. Cardinal Glib
bons and Bishop Keene are supplied with
press comments on the affairs of the Roman
Catholic Church. The Cramps are down for
everything published about their ships
Clara Barton preserves all mention of the
Red Cross Society. President. William r.
Harper likes to know what is said about
Chicago University. DreXel, Morgan & Co.
want all banking and financial news. Sew
eral prominent importers take everything
on the wooden and other schedules IN the
Dingley tariff bill.
DEMAND VARIES WIDELY.
Lady Henry Somerset takes clippings on
philanthropy and sociology. Colonel Hay
wants to know what the American press
is saying about him. and Senator Hale also
likes to keep informed as to his personal
status. Captain ]. D. Kelley, of the battle
ship Texas has all comment on his vessel
5000 names in the book it is useless to
attempt to give more than an idea of the
list. Among familiar names are those of
Chauncey M. Depew, William C. Whitney
Miss Helen M. Gould William NJ. Chase
Brander Matthews, Edward Atkinson. Prof
Henry w. Elliott Lord Aberdeen, Robert
Barr, Nelly Bly,, E. w. Box, Henry Irving
Madame Melba and a host of others. If
tame is to be measured by menti in the
newspapers, Chauncey Depew holds the
palm. More has been published about him.
so the press clippers say, than any other
living man.
The opportuneness with which some adj
yertisements reach one often provokes Won
der. Literature on baby foods, bay ear
riages and lot of other useful informa-
ton on running a baby were received just
after you had one to run. When your
brother lost his arm you received a letter
from an accident insurance company ad-
Vising you to carry N accident insurance
policy. The next day after your house was
robbed you were beSeged with agents who
wanted to put burglar alarms in your
house.
All these firms received their 'tips" from
the press-clipping bureau.
To historians, biographers. writers on cur
rent political subjects and a thousand
others the value of the press-clipping bu-
rea9 cannot be estimated; Clergymen and
illustrations" from this source Politicians
and legislators utilize it to obtain the trend
of public opinion. Authors find it of great
Howells desires to write a book on any
particular phase of life he orders all the
he can get bearing on it. and the
incidents thus obtained go toward making
up the groundwork Of the story.
Even newspapers sometimes utilize the
pres3s-ciipping bureaus to supplement the
work of their exchange departments
There is at the White House one of the
completest and best equipped press-clipping
bureaus in the world. The list of papers
received includes every prominent news
paper and periodical published. Every
thing of Importance bearing on state mat
ters or international affairs is carefully pre-
served in scrapbooks, and this collection
is among the most valuable records of the
government. Press-clipping bureaus are
of this office by furnishing duplicate sets
to the departments. A complete set Of
clippings was prepared for the State De-
partment on the Bering controversy aside
from that kept at the White House The
Postof1ice Department is a regular and
heavy patron of a press-clipping bureau.
Every item about postmaSters i'm the United
States is sent to the department. and in
case they contain complaints they are
mailed to the postmaster censured, with a
demand for an explanation. This plan of
keeping tab" on pCstmasters was adopted
by Postmaster General Wanamaker, and
proved so efficacious that it has been con-
tinued since. An interesting series of
scrapbooks were prepared on the birth of
Grover Cleveland's daughters by the White
were taken by the Cievelands to their
home in Princeton. a collection of 10000
clippings on the ugurati ton was made for
President Mckinley by a New York bureau.
RUSSIA'S CZAR'S SCRAP BOOK.
An oasis in desert is the scrap-book fad
to the clipping collector From this
source come his most profitable jobs. AL
most anybody who is prominent enough to
be much talked about in the newspapers
wants to keep scrap book about himself.
Scrap books are kept about everything
from prize fights to obituary notices. Not
the old-fashoned kind. made of an old
ledger or Patent Office report, but an elab-
crate affair constructed of separate sheets
bound together and covered substantially,
being got up III as expensive style as
the purse Of the owner will warrant. Some
of these scrap books are marvels of art.
Perhaps the finest set of scrap books ever
made were prepared recently by a Fifth
avenue collector for Car Nicholas Ii of
Russia, consisting of four books and cost
ing $3.50 The books were made up of clip
pings on the illness, death and final obse-