The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-01-17
VALUE 0F CLIPPINGS
One Million Dollar Concern
Built Up On Them.
HOW WORKERS ARE PAID
Volumes OF History Have. Been Con
strueted, Many Trades Helped
Cranks Fed on Slips Cut From
Newspapers by Girls With Mem
cries OF a Queer Turn.

Ninety newspapers day is the task
Of the girls who read for one Of the
oldest clipping press bureaus in New
York, says the New York Press, and
they read every item in each paper,
Including the advertising Moreover
as they read they carry the names,
wants and wishes of 1000 subscribers
Ia their minds and underscore the
salient word in every item which
should go TO customer.
This bureau has certain rules in
hiring its readers. II takes no elder
ly person. no person who says she is
fond of reading or has made scrap
books all her life, and no school
teacher. 1t want no literary tastes at
It's reading desks. and not too much
education.
1t wants persons who will read me-
chanically, with lightning speed and
with no, interest in what they read
aside from the word they are looking
for. After trying all sorts of people,
the type found most satisfactory Is
the girl who has left school at IA to
go to work in factory or dry goods
store. In either of those places she
would get from 50 to sS week. In
the clipping bureau she may run her
wages up to $50 week. as the star
reader Of this bureau has done, and
average S12 or SIS week, as most
Of them do.
All OF them work by the piece. re-
ceiving so much for every clipping
marked. Sometimes they are little
too mechanical, as when the patron
who subscribes for everything con-
eerning banks gets choice items con-
cerning sand banks, but II is better
to have them that way than to have
them getting interested in what they
read and lingering over their desks.
Sometimes authors subscribe for
clippings on subjects which they in
tend to write upon. One author has
for two or three years been collecting
all clippings which describe the hero
ism of girls, as shown in reports of
fires, accidents and the like Then
there are the obviously crank collect
0rs.
One man has for years collected
everything printed on vegetarlanlsm.
His bill this summer has been pretty
heavy. Another man pays for all
Items relating to any rascality discoy-
cred among spiritualists, or among
priests and ministers of the gospel.
Periodically he publishes a deadly
parallel in spirtualst paper. obvi-
ously to the discredit of the church
people, as there are many more of
them than of his own cult.
Another man has collected for years
everything published on Lincoln, and
another everything published against
vaccination.
The American Medical association
collects statistics relating to injury
and loss of life at Fourth of July cele-
brations. The principal Of a school
In New England buys all items con-
cerning persons who have made dona-
tions to schools and academies in New
England, with the obvious purpose OF
anording them an opportunity to ex-
tend their benevolence.
Interesting comparisons are supplied
by the clipping bureau regarding the
articles printed in newspapers about
the deaths of prominent men. No
other man in America ever had so
much printed about his death In the
newspapers as Mckinley. Carl Scburz
has received thus far 10000 obituary
notices, more than any other man
eince Mckinley. John Hay and Jo-
selh Jefferson had 10000 each, and
Mark Hanna, 5000
ne first clipping bureau in the
wCrld was started in Paris in 1879 by
tfelohman named Cheri. There
are now forty clipping bureaus in the
United States, of which ten are in
this city. There are clipping bureaus
In every country and every language
On earth sufficiently advanced to have
. newspaper.
General Joe Wheeler ordered a
complete newspaper history of the
Spanish war in twelve great volumes.
A New York firm presented to every
regiment that went out of New York
to that war scrapbook history of the
action Of the regiment, and the books
are now preserved in the various ar
mories. Forty-two books of clippings
were made of McKinley's obituaries.
Que man ordered twelve sets to pre-
sent to twelve different persons.
The first scrap book to attract pub
lie attention was the enormous vol
ume ordered for presentation to Ad-
miral Dewey on his return from the
philippines. Including its table IL
cost $500 and is the most valuable
scrapbook ever made. 1t is now In
the Smithsonian Institute.
"The only objection l have to this