The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-25
THE RAGE FOR CLIPPINGS.
SPREAD or 4 BUSINESS That re
Gan WITH 30 CENTS.

An American Idea That Has Been Taken
In All Over the World-Empcrors,
Business Men and Many Others Among
the Customers of Clipping bureaus.
Eighteen years ago a man had an idea. which
he DEVELOPED with 30 cents the last money in
his pocket. Less than month ago half a,
dozen firms engaged In tho business rcsultlnE
from that idea coacsccd. and capitalized theify
Joint undertaking Mt S5.OOOOOO. The story
has been told more than once OF how young
Russian American at the end OF his re-
sources. saw famous French artist ray
handsomely for rapcrs several days old.
containing notices Of his picture&AA, |
was inspired bv the sight with the thought OF
making n business OF furnishing such notices
to whoever had need OF them. To-day 10000
persons and s5OO00.Oo0 are employed in the
business OF ma q and distributing newspaper
clippings There are between flfty and one
hundred bureaus In tho United States. nearly
as many In England and on the Continent OF
Europe others at Melbourne, Sydney, Calcutta.
Yokahomn. Hong Kong, johannesburg Natal.
Buenos Ayrcs and Rio de Janciro. The biggest
OF these are in effect international. II they
have not branches they have instead sort Of
traffic arrangement. after the manner Of the
big banks. by which their foreign correspond
ents MI cabed orders quite as II they were
received over their own counters.
Even this does not mark the full spread OF
the idea. Hallway telegraph and express COM
panies have gone into the business on their
own account. At first they were !amonR tho
best customers OF the regular bureaus. but
presently they began ordering local agents to
clip and flle every line OF railway matter APP
pearing In local sheets and to send the clip
pings to the main office. where they are In
dexed and put away. Several times an item so
kept has proved to be worth good many dol-
lars to the company kecping it.
Among clippers. as elsewhere. specialization
works. Some bureaus give their whole atten-
ton to literary matters The minute book Ia
out-sometimes even earier-the writer Of 1t
receives their circular letter. nclosing SAM
ple clipping. notice OF himself or his book.
and asking his subscription. The rate is So q
hundred clippings. or. II the writer be little
known, So year. Where competition is keen
figures are often lowered ono half. In case tho
author has already engaged another bureau
1t is not uncommon to ask that the late conner
be allowed to send clippings also receiving pay
only for such are not duplicates OF those
already received. Besides notices and reviews.
the literary bureau will. II ordered. send all
manner OF literary intelligence.
Emperor William Is much too busy to read
the papers. yet needs to know what his world
is saying OF particular things. So he has a
scrapbook. in charge of q court officer. W. T.
Stead Is said to possess whole librar made
up Of clippings. 1t nlls three dingy rooms in
London house. Some bureaus concern them
selves mainly with business affairs. They give
to thcir Subscribers al thA appears In print
concerning the su bscribers Vines OF business,
such as the letting of contracts. tho adoption OF
building plans, new materials. inventions. dis
coveres. legal decisions affecting commercial
interests and legislation. The latest develop
mont Is tho bureau of medical intelligence.
| One needs imagination to see anything pic
turesGus in the \! mechanics of elipning. Ono
| ployees shows to the casual eye only ranks
| and rows Of men and women. reading. blue
Ths bureaus t Usual output riI Is $1,000 crpins;
awGee1k o Under TAI a rush order It could clip and
card classification. The cards are hung on
hooks %s in rSGk four feet ar1oiS ana run
Nearly every hook l., hiiel,
Queen Victoria subscr ibes to more than one
have been en- put in books under tie editing Of
some of her family. which means. Of course.
al sks
sources; In addition he cuts out with his own
bands S all the pictures 81 himself which appear
against himself he is Indifferent, One can
own, order scrnpbook was made Tor him con-
tanning American opinions about the baccarat
the ?yn q e h has sRoRs
himself, exceedingly wei disposed toward
from him. A New York bureau man has made
for him spmptuopsy bound scrapbooks. all
irst about Tho &C" death and obseaufes Of HI;
father, Alexander III, then about bis own
nte IL sn to he aH
Prince Hlkotr. his Minister Of Railways. The
SANG san e house has now IN hand CLIPPINGS about
other in The series Of iRm mp scr APT
idea V and Keeps ," at the White House cprps q
dent CLEVELAND is said to have looked at the
| ~ the course OF the Venezuelan crisis Mira.
| Harrison subscribed to bureau on her own
hnrs 6ont Mske Mrs.
Cleveland had scrnpho9k Of personal notics Ss
similar hooks. Almost every man in public
life is a. bureau subscriber. The Government
Spain. i is In twenty big volumes, though
OF the war pictures Were Hit out The
the Government, $I.00O, That sum. indeed.
| hardly covered the cost OF making, but the
ppnas man fe for his prot n the
sTs S s,nSor h'G to W Sss GH Or
monumental set Of scrap, histories. bearing on
snesryhns 4 s and the life
specified. Lord RandqIph FGharchill ordered
the size Of the first months bin to reverse his
! order, Nicola Tesla wants electrical nven-
tons Ellison is more comprehensive he or:
vaS Fps ow eTsnsy n
termittently for real incidents going with what
I" sHvs tG%Ty WIEN 6y
penings. Stories OF eopemcnt" was another
ORDER tbs maker o. It. strange to relate, was
| who hoped thus by vcarious example to per.
suade his sweetheart to defy her parent and
MAKE nriRth hi m harry The CRAMPS get every line
| OF their ships