New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-04-01

article occur BY the siiiF'O
! entering on the card SOIL, the i'c' '""
n crors-rcforence had been maze 10 s"o'
on article from PLOUGH Insured tha'
IN reaching SOIL The editors wouiu 'o
able to guarantee that the cross-ie'.
erce was justified. Side by side WY
this card index was another coht"'','"1
the contributors names In aipnape'''"'
order A MS. upon being received from
,ho author was delivered to the depart
mental editor, who read ana eo'teu H.
and after referring It back to the a"'''o'
for such changes as were necess"iy ~
would be submitted to the editor-ih-'i'ei
and initiated for tipping. Often the idio-
svncrasies of handwriting bai'ied the
most EXPERT reader OF the edltor'ai s'aii
but rarely the-army of typewriters' oiio
DISTINGUISHED authors MS. was handed at
once to one particular typist, VINO couiu
with ease apparently decipher the scra"i'
resembling that of paleolitiiic man
scribbling meaningless symbols WIFI I"
nioce of charred stick upon white wall
The typewriter sheets were re'uiiieu
nv tho author with but rarely correc-
ton upon them
4 special department sprang into De-
ing at the outset of the work. ny iai
the largest proportion OF the arI'cies
we're TO be written by contributors, SUN
- certain number were to be written
within the office. to be submitted Ior
arnroval and revision to specialists out
side whom the subject concerned. fu'-
thor. the departmental editors had the
responsibility of continually watching
for information on their subject matter
such as deaths or other biographical oc-
tails of living personages, occurrences vi
events connected with towns, countries
or districts. important works written Oh
any subject and the like that aPpeai
from day to day in the daily press anu
other periodicals. There was therefore
established an Intelligence department.
which could collect, file for reference
and index such information as must De
~ use either Immediately or in the tut
ure to bring the articles up to date. "a
careful selection Of papers ana perloui-
calls. of official reports and state papers
was made which could be read anu
marked day by day, the required por-
tions cut out, classified and filed III BOXES
and an index made. carefully drawn up
ir relation to the existing central iiueA
of articles Thus, when an article was
heing written. revised or edited, REFER
ence to the index of the intelligence oe-
partment would at a glance sho"
whether or not any fresh or current III
formation had been obtained on the SUD-
iect The outstanding feature of the
new edition was that the entire work
was to be published coetaneouslI'
"Abyssinia" was to be as fresh IN ihior-
ma.jon as "Zanzibar," appendicitis as
..Zvmotic Diseases" The preliminary
drafts of articles written by outside con-
triblItors were being constantly checkeu
and sent back to the author for approVal
and revision. Gradually as the work
approached completion, the events OF the
dav had TO be caught at once as they
flew past and the intelligence Depart
mont had outived its usefulness as
rart Of the organization. but so valuaple
had it's classified and indexed stores OF
information become that it now forms
an integral portion Of the equipment OIL
ono of the greatest of the worlds news
papers.
In single book the making OF the
index is usually the last detail to be con-
sidered. The index to such work as the
F,ncvclopada Britannica was to he a
worry different matter: it was TO be an
index to p library. Each group OF articles
on q given subject was to be regarded III
tho light Of n separate book upon that
subject. yet correlated with other groups
Of subjects viewed also as an lndlvlduai
whole. The indexing staff came INTO
hoing rs soon as the articles began to
flow into the office in a steady stream.
rter n large number Of articles on many
subjects had come and been submitted 10
the indexers for their investigations, de-
tailed COMPARISONS revealed the contra
dictioas. repetitions and the like that re-
ouired correction. Thus, in close, hourly
.ouch with the editorial staff. the in
dexers could discover discrepancies or
every kind which could be submitted
for advice. correction or elision to the
rosnonsible persons. To take an exam
rle. In a certain work of reference the
height OF n well known mountain In the
United States was given in three articles,
with variations in each case. Such vari-
atoms, slight though they may be, are
confusing. The system here outlined OF
making the index cOncurrently with the
making Of the book would bring the
three index cards bearing the name of
the mountain ard its height together,
and the comparison would Immediately
betray the variation; consultation with
the authors would ensue and finally
determined height correctly inserted in
each case. Differences of opinion and
points Of view on many important sub
jects naturally arose, and while, of
course, they must be left If the Encyclo-
p@dia was not to be n colorless and life
! less dry-dS-duSt cOllectloH Oh pare ldcl
with every point eliminated in which
| divergences OF opinion were held, def
mite contradictions had to be avoided or
at least stated in such a way that the
reader could understand that opposite
views were held. But needless repeti-
lions, for reasons of space if for no other
| had To be deletod. AS one proof of the
desirable results obtained from this eX-
/ hn1nti,.n n,.cIn,,, Of inlnxi Il is si n Cd