El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-02-10

a MOTHER proof of American in
~ genuity is found in the clipping
= - bureau an institution that is al
most as much a part of our everyday
life as the trolley, the telephone and
the electric light 1t is important. and
almost necessary, for people in all
prominent walks of life to know what
is beirg said about them IN the press,
and the clipping bureau assemblies
and delivers these clippings almost as
quickly as the telegraph companies
deliver their messages.
During the great tariff debate in
congress recently the leaders on both
sides = standpaters, insurgents and
Democrats-kept in touch.not only with
their immediate constituents, but with
the nationwide constituency, by means
of hundreds Of thousands of newspaper
comments-both news and editorial
furnished by the clipping bureaus This
is only one of the larger fields of ef-
fort covered by what has been termed
"the song Of the shears" AS matter
Of fact, there is scarcely a minor activ-
ity which does not at some time find
profit and advantage in a good clip
ping service.
Good for the Politician.
Take the politician or the statesman
swinging around the circle or stump
ing the country He knows what he
said at any given stopping place or
from some rear platform. But what
he is more vitality interested in know
ing is how he was eported-correctly
or incOrrectly-by the local scribes.
and how his utterances have impressed,
the country at large Some clipping
agency will garner for him or his sec
rotary every atom of news and COM
ment, and engage to forward the same
TO him at various points en- route.
Financiers Use Them.
Again, the financial magnate or the
member of the stock exchange. finds
the ticker itself is not more valuable
or important than a service which will
lay on his desk every morning before
the business of buying and selling be-
gins, sheaf OF clippings from the fl
nancial columns of every daily paper in
every great monetary center, home and
foreign. rejecting the tone and the
temper OF the local markets.
Society people-those who have "ar-
rived no less than the "cIimbers''-
want to know what is being said about
them and their doings, especially the
lavish entertainers at Newport, Bar
Harbor, the Berkshires, or Narragan-
sett. The man or the woman who has
written a book may have all the re-
views thereof collected. Actors. vau-
deville artists. singers and entertainers
are all avid for notices." since to them
publicity is the breath of life. An en-
gagement may depend upon good no.
tees. Here again some clipping bu-
reau will do for them what they, NOV
ing frequently from place to place. can
not possibly perform for themselves.
Deal With Many Things.
The clipping agencies will keep real
estate operators informed as to street
openings, civic improvements. or the
breaking UP of large estates; manufae-
turers of monuments or tOmbStones
and builders OF cemetery vaults are
kept posted concerning the deaths Of
possible wealthy patrons: publishers Of
technical journals get clippings from
all over the civilized world respecting
their specially; architects receive no.
tices of public structures planned by
various municipalities or of private in
dividuals who may be in the market
for plans and specifications. In short,
nothing escapes the clipping agency.
and it has been we'll remarked that for
the busy man or the specialist it per-
forms the work of a private secretary
or of a, press agent at mere trifle Of
expense.
indispensable In Sports.
In the field of sports. nowadays, the
clipping agency is indispensable Ev-
cry aviation meet, yacht race, automO
bile contest, balloon voyage, football
match. or worlds championship base
ball series is very apt to have sew
eral volumes of clippings prepared for
divers enthusiasts So with golf
matches on the various links by play
erS of International reputation; not
only the clubs interested. but the in
dividual contestants, champions and
runners up alike, are apt to want to
see how their performances appear in
print
Many clipping agencies maintain
branches in our large cities and in the
capitals of Europe. and they will con-
tract to supply clippings by the hun
dreds. thoush nds. or ten thousand
Tor example. or the death of f. H.
Hartman and Of Russell Sage certain
of these agencies engaged to collect
and collate the newspaper comment on
the career and demise Of each OF these
great finaciers. The results were ar
ranged and bound in scrap books. the
aggregate number Of clippings run
ming into many thousands, and forming
an invaluable record for the respective
families. So. likewise, at the decease
of king Edward VII a European
clipping bureau was ordered to secure
everything that was printed in the
newspapers and magazines Of the
period The results were embodied IN
10 great folio volumes and are among
the most treasured possessions of
queen Alexandra. 1t is stated that the
work is still going on.
Royalty Uses Clippings.
Similar collections of clippings have
been made for other crowned heads.
notably the emperor of Russia. And
many ordinary everyday people resort
to the clipping bureaus for collec-
lions of obituary notices Of their loved
ones dead and gone. So with births,
weddings and family histories and an
niversaries. There is practically no
limit to the amount of money which
may be spent on the selection. arrang-
ing and binding of these lie luxe voi-
umes. dealing with purely personal
matters.
This marvelously simple. yet quite
complex industry is less than 20 years
old 1891 with vary