Sunday Washington globe., 1902-05-11
Contributes an Interesting Ar
ticle on Public Documents.
SUPERINTENDENT FERRILS
Original Idea OF Substituting Printed
Indexes for Living Ones Carried
Out by Mr. Post-The Guessing
Contest Catches Rosalie-Her Obit-
uary OF the Dead, etc

OAA@ VI AAE luO1L useful DulllAhAA0Aa ENEA
compiled by the Government has just been
issued by the Superintendent Of Documents
under the title of Table of and annotated
index to the Congressional Series of Public
Documents in the preface Mr.. Ferrill
has this TO say Of the reason for the publi-
cation OF this work
"A complete list of public documents has
long been desired by Librarians and others
who have occasion to consult the publca-
tions OF the United States Government.
The many difficulties in the way of compil-
ing such a work, however have been
deemed insurmountable even by some Of
the most experienced Librarians. Two edi-
tions Of public documen checklist have
been issued, neither of which purports to
be complete II is believed to be impossi-
BILE at this late date, to make an absolutely
complete list but, barring errors, / do claim
that the work now nearing completion in
three pats is a complete list of the publ
cations Of the Government known to have
been printed.
There were two difficulties in the Iway
of this undertaking One was due to the
fact that the Government had been printing
documents for one hundred years before
any attempt was made 10 catalogue them
But the chief difficulty was that 10 scheme
had been devised for a ready reference to
such documents, such as had been done in
the case of the Congressional numbered
documents by DR.. Ame's invention Of serial
numbers. My idea was that a scheme simi-
lar TO the serial numbers could be evolved
and applied to the departmental series Of
documents so as to render reference to them
simple and easy. This difficult problem
was solved by an employe of this Office
tMr. William POST, and his scheme has
been satisfactorily applied to the documents
in this Office, which is the largest of its
character in the United States. 1t may be
readily adopted in any public library This
work will be published in three parts,
which will then be consolidated and pub
lished in one volume with a general index.
The first part will contain list Of docu-
ments Of the First to the Fourteenth Con
gress, covering period from 1889 to 1917.
The third part will contain a list of reports
and miscellaneous publications Of the Exc
cutive Departments bureaus, and other
Offices Of the Government printed without
numbers
The second part, which is the volume just
issued, contains list of and index to the
documents of the Fifteenth to the Fifty
second Congress. This is issued first be-
cause il is deemed of greatest interest
The several series Of fragmentary indexes
published IN collected volumes are 81 inept
and inadequate that DR.. Spofford once
stated that the public documents Of the
United States would be several thousand
sealed books to people and officials alike if
It were not for half dozen living indexes
in Washington. If living indexes" could
live forever, possibly they would suffice for
the needs Of statesmen and students who
find in the public documents their chief
source of information and knowledge which
the discharge Of their high functions call
for. But since living indexes wonderful
and admirable though they be, are but
mortal, and printed records are practically
immortal, it has seemed exceedingly desir-
able that an annotated index to the volumes
Of the Congressional series should be con-
struCted and published. The endeavor has
been made to extricate the more important
documents from the scattered mass of
worthless matter which composes nearly
one half OF the Congressional set Despite
these exceptions fully $4,000 documents
and reports have been indexed under
authors. subjects and titles The bblio-
graphical notes contained in the index have
been most carefully written and will be
found invaluable in tracing subject"
Quite an amusing incident which prom
ised at first TO be a serious matter to the
gentleman directly concerned, occurred
after the publication of this Index. 1t
seems that Mr.. Post, the author of the
scheme of ready reference to these docu-
ments, referred to by Mr.. Ferrill, has taken
no little pride in his work, as is but just,
but his name nowhere appears on the book.
The Li6yayV Journal in publishing a criti-
cism of the work stated that it was the re-
sut OF the fertile brain of Mr. William
Burns, also an employe of this Office.
Where the Information, or rather / should
say the misiuformatiOn to this effect Origi-
mated il appears nobody is able to ascertain.
MI Burns, who is the soul of honor and
honesty and Yale graduate, felt the in
justice very keenly, more especially so when
the papers in his own home copied this
statement and commented very favorably
upon the same. For a short while there
were two very uncomfortable young men in
that Office until Mr. Ferrill, with his usual
justice and courtesy, offered to write to the
LIbTGTY /OMyHal and correct this error
He did SO and the Journal promptly printed
his letter stating that not Mr.. William
l9AlA Aa Jul VII William A0oA Was AAlE aAAAON
Of the system and compiler Of the publica-
tion just issued under the direct supervision
of Mr.. Ferrill himself So now all is serene
and the public documents index lives as a
monument TO the energy and progressive
ideas of the superintendent, ably executed
by his assistants.
Mr.. William Post, by the way, is a native
Of the District and was once connected with
the Evening Star, afterwards in the Office
OF the Public Printer, and by strength of
real merit has been promoted to his present
responsible position in charge of the check. |
list here referred to.
Speaking of books reminds me Of an
enterpTising scheme which is being adopted
by Boston periodical to increase its sub. |
scripuOn list In its last issue this magazine
(it calls itself mazagine) printed on the
back cover a rebus so very, exceedingly |
difficult that only the most keen-sighted |
could solve" By series Of letters, illus.
tranons and words, It managed to convey TO
the unraveller OF refuses the information
that comparisons are odorous." Now we all .
know that nine times out Of ten the person .
M n