ESTABLISHED IN 1888.
J. H. RUGGLES Mgr.
Robert and Linn Luce.
Readers of Newspapers
and Dealers in Newspaper
Information
We read more papers
than are read by any
other bureau in
the World.
THE PRESS CLIPPING BUREAU
13 CHAMBERS STREET.
New York, .
D. A. H.
OFFICES IN
BOSTON-CINCINNATI-DENVER
Mr. Wilford Woodruff,
Salt Lake City, Utah.
Dear Sir:
You must be interested, to a very great extent, in all news-
paper comments relating to Mormoms and your religion, in various parts
of this country.
We shall be pleased to furnish you with everything that ap-
pears in the press of the United States, Canada and Foreign countries
relating to Mormoms, Latter Day Saints and everything of interest to
you in connection with your religion.
We are furnishing these comments to a number of religious
societies and sects of this country, and they find our service of the
greatest value in keeping in touch with their affairs throughout the
world.
We can furnish you with our service, from any section that
you may wish, leaving out the State of Utah if you prefer.
We shall be pleased to furnish you with a sample service
for a limited time if you so desire.
Hoping to hear from you, we are—
Very truly yours,
THE PRESS CLIPPING BUREAU,
J. H. R.
Dictated J. H. R.
Press Clipping Bureau
Mar. 21 [18]98
ROBERT AND LINN LUCE,
READERS OF NEWSPAPERS AND DEALERS IN
NEWSPAPER INFORMATION
UNDER THE NAME OF
THE
PRESS
CLIPPING
BUREAU
AT
13 Chambers St., New York,
68 Devonshire St., Boston,
Neave Building, Cincinnati,
P.O. Box 1709, Denver.
(Address the Nearest Office.)
Established in March, 1888; now reading more than three
thousand newspapers a day, and putting out more than
three million clippings a year.
TERMS: Five Cents a Clipping on Personal Orders
and all Orders of a Temporary Nature.
Lower rates by the piece or month for commercial orders
under which more than one hundred clippings a month are
found. The bulk of our business is now paid for in this
way at a cost ranging from $5 to $50 a month. Estimates
sent on application.
IN EXPLANATION.
Purpose—The purpose of the Press Clipping
Bureau is to supply people with those matters of
especial interest to them printed in the newspapers
of the country.
Ground Covered.—It reads papers from every
region of the United States and Canada, including
all the dailies of large cities, most of the dailies of
small cities, and thousands of weeklies. A cus-
tomer may limit his order to any group of States,
or any single State.
Delivery.—A daily service is given whenever it
is asked; otherwise its frequency depends on the
size of the order, but the clippings are delivered at
least once a week to all.
Payment.—The Bureau has two systems of pay-
ment, by the piece and by the month. The
method of payment does not affect the thorough-
ness of service.
The piece price is five cents
a clipping and prevails on all orders producing
less than 100 clippings a month, on orders of a
temporary nature, and on personal orders. No
order will be taken for less than 100 clippings,
and a minimum charge of ONE DOLLAR A MONTH
will be made for keeping any customer on our
books, whether clippings are found to that amount
or not.
Monthly rates are common in the
case of orders in business lines, making the cost
ordinarily much less than by the piece, though
a low piece price can be quoted on large standing
orders and is sometimes preferable.
Remittance.—Payment in advance is not re-
quired. Bills are rendered monthly, and we stipu-
late that remittance be made to us every month, no
matter what the size of the bill.
Credits.—In general, acceptance of clippings
binds the customer to pay for them. Credit for
matter not coming under the order cannot be given
after thirty days. In justice to us we should be
informed at once if we are sending classes of mat-
ter that are not wanted.
Duplicates.—It is not our intention to send any
customer repetitions of the same fact, or copies of
the same comment, unless they are specifically
requested, but some duplication is unavoidable.
Credit is given for duplicates returned at once or
at the end of each month.
Trivialities.—We decline to undertake that our
employees shall exercise any judgment on ques-
tions of triviality. We sell memory, not discrimi-
nation. Customers are asked to bear in mind
that though more or less of the clippings may be
trivial, a single clipping is often worth enough to
offset the cost of many that are worthless.
Restrictions.—The more an order is restricted,
the harder it is to remember its limits and the
greater the danger useful matter will be omitted.
Better pay a little more, and make sure to get all
you want. An order may extended or re-
stricted at any time.
Discontinuance.—One week's notice of discon-
tinuance is to be given. This condition is waived
in the case of orders given for a definite term, as
for one month; but if without demur the customer
recieves and retains clippings sent to him after the
expiration of that term, he is to be responsible
for payment therefor at the same rate, no matter
what previous conditions may have been imposed.
No order will be accepted without this proviso, meant
simply to protect us in case service is inadver-
tently continued and the customer fails to call our
attention to it.
Competetion.—We will content ourselves with
the simple statement that whenever our work is to
be put in comparison with that of any other clip-
ping bureau, we will make no charge for a week's
trial if ours is not then acknowledged the better.
We invite such comparisons.
CLIPPINGS IN BUSINESS.
Clippings are of use to any business man seek-
ing business or doing business outside his own
neighborhood.
They give earliest information of all State,
county, city and town appropriations; keep sub-
scribers posted on the published projects of corpor-
ations, military and civic organizations, political
and athletic clubs, fraternal and religious societies;
and transmit information on a great variety of
other enterprises involving the expenditure of
money. In no other way can this information be
so thoroughly, accurately, and promptly obtained,
as it is here taken directly from the local press.
Some of it may sooner or later be found in the
trade papers, but the Bureau beats them always by
two days, and from that up to eight days, thereby
giving subscribers a decided advantage over rivals
who depend on the trade papers alone.
At the opportune time clippings furnish the
names and addresses of people in a position to
become buyers, such as tradesmen opening new
stores, extending, changing location, burned out;
men retiring from business and therefore with
money to invest or to spend, perhaps in travel;
men suffering from accidents, resulting, for in-
stance, in amputations, necessitating the purchase
of artificial limbs; women recently becoming moth-
ers, and likely to buy baby food or baby carriages;
women just married and therefore needing visiting
cards or cook books.
For general circularizing the addresses to be
obtained from newspapers have been little used,
presumably because it costs money to get them so,
but in the end it is at least a question if that is not
more economical than the use of lists which every
day makes more full of errors because of deaths,
removals, reverses of fortune, etc., and of the origi-
nal accuracy of which there was little guarantee.
Clippings furnish the addresses of society ladies in
places too small to have "blue books"; members of
literary and fraternal organizations; men assessed
to pay taxes of $100 or more; school graduates;
young people interested in theatricals and all kinds
of amateur sports; invalids; etc., etc.
Corporations and capitalists keep posted by
clippings about State and municipal legislation
affecting their interests; the attitude of the press;
public sentiment; attacks on general policies or
the acts of agents and subordinates; the work of
competitors, and particularly criticisms of rival
systems or undertakings; accidents that may result
in damage suits; court decisions; financial com-
ment.
We have won success in mercantile lines, not
through a stream of new and temporary customers,
but from steady patrons who have been so well sat-
isfied with the pains taken to meet their needs that
they stay with us continuously.
Comments by Business Men.
"We know that such notices often give us earliest information and
we are glad to receive them."—G. W. Simmons, Oak Hall, Boston.
"We regard your Bureau as very valuable to all desiring quick and
correct information from a wide territory."—Woodbury, Moulton &
Stearns, Investment Bankers, Springfield.
"We take pleasure in saying that we are very much pleased with
your service, finding it very complete and prompt."—Bureau of
Information, General Electric Co., Boston and New York.
"We think your system of Press Clippings if thoroughly followed
up, is of value to those looking for new trade. In several instances
we were, by this means, brought into contact with parties who after-
wards became our customers."—Derby & Kilmer Desk Co., Boston.
"It gives us great pleasure to say that we find your Bureau a con-
stant source of valuable information, which it would be well-nigh
impossible to secure in any other way. At the risk of causing you to
increase the rates of service, we acknowledge that a single c[l]ipping
is sometimes more valuable to us than the entire cost of clippings for
a year."—Edwin Rogers & W. E. Decrow, N. E. Agents, Game-
well Fire Alarm Telegraph Co., Boston.
"We were one of the original subscribers to your Press Clipping
Bureau, and it gives me pleasure to state that the service has been
satisfac[t]ory in every respect. While perhaps a half of the squibs
which you send may be of indifferent value to us, we frequently
receive from you a clipping which alone is worth many times more
than we pay for it. Your service has not only been thorough, but
particularly prompt, it being nothing unusual for us to receive a clip-
ping from a distant paper within a few hours from the arrival of the
paper in Boston. We expect to be subscribers to your Bureau as
long as we two do last[.]"—Nath'l C. Fowler, Jr., Advertising
Dept., Pope Mfg. Co, Boston.
IN CONSTRUCTION LINES.
Dealers in building supplies, — in materials, in
fixtures, in furniture, — nowadays invariably make
use of some source of information about construc-
tion work. They may get it from contractors',
architects', building, or real estate journals; or
from type-written bulletins. In each of these cases
the great bulk of the news in reality comes from
local newspapers. We have for sale the source it-
self, that is, the newspaper item, which is prefer-
able for several reasons: First, re-publishing takes
time; the journals are printed either weekly or
monthly, and their news must be from three days
to a month behind ours; the daily bulletin is one
or two days behind us. Secondly, in all transcrip-
tion there is a percentage of error, and all conden-
sation is likely to omit useful details; the pretence
that news re-published in bulletins has been veri-
fied by correspondence with architects and owners,
is rarely backed up by the facts; clippings give all
the news to be had, and give it with the maximum
of accuracy. Thirdly, both journals and bulletins
ordinarily give but one mention of any structure;
by means of clippings, howeve[r, ] you can keep
posted continuously as to the progress of the work,
and in the case of all considerable edifices the
references in the local press are frequent. Fourth-
ly, the value of any business news decreases as the
number of users increases; the more competitors,
the less profit for each; journals and bulletins are
accessible to everybody; the use of clippings, by
the very nature of the business, is restricted. No
other building news medium whatever furnishes
anything like the quantity of news about building
in small places.
Clippings cost about the same as the type-writ-
ten bulletins; and much more than a single jour-
nal, but no more than the subscription price of all
the journals that would have to be taken to furnish
[h]alf the news obtainable through clippings, to say
nothing of promptness, exhaustiveness, accuracy,
and the trouble of handling many trade papers.
In short, we believe that clippings furnish the most
and best building news at least cost.
We make no pretence that a clipping is more
than it shows on the face. If there are errors in it,
the fault is the newspaper's, not ours. We do not
guarantee to send everything; we send all our
readers can find. We send much useless matter,
but thereby we make sure that no useful matter
shall be lost through our own exercise of judg-
ment, which is not and cannot be so good as the
dealer's.
It need hardly be pointed out that here more
than anywhere else the earliest news is far the best
news. The salesman or catalogue or letter first
on the spot, stands much the best chance of getting
the order. We invite comparisons to show if the
bulk of our news is not the earliest to be had, and
will make no charge for a week's trial if it prove
otherwise.
Comments on Construction Clippings.
"We are pleased with the service you have given us up to this time." — Cutler Mfg. Co., Rochester.
"We are and have been well pleased with your service." — American Drier Co., New York City.
"We cannot see very much to be improved upon in the service
which you have been furnishing us." — Berlin Iron Bridge Co., East
Berlin, Conn.
"Your service is in every way satisfactory. Your clippings are fresh and we find the information uniformly reliable." — Sidney School Furniture Co., Sidney, O.
"The c[l]ippings you have sent us have been very satisfactory. Of
course quite a number are of no use, but taken altogether we like
your enterprise v[e]ry much." — S. C Nightingale & Childs, Manu-
facturers' Supplies, Boston .
"It gives us pleasure to say we have found the clippings from the
Bureau of great assistance to us in our business, and we are very
much pleased with the prompt and efficient service rendered us." —
Sprague Electric Railway & Motor Co., N. E. Agency.
"We have for several years been using your clippings to aid the
sale of our goods, (stable fixtures,) and that we have no idea of dis-
continuing the service, is the best proof we can give of our apprecia-
tion of it[.] We know of no equally quick, accurate, and thorough way
of getting building news from a large extent of territory. The
promptness and regularity with which your work is done, lead us to
the belief that business methods prevail in your office, and that yours
is the best service for business men." — W. A. Snow & and Co., Boston.
FOR TRADE AND CLASS PAPERS.
Through practical experience in the editorial
and business management of two class papers, we
were led to realize the helpfulness of clippings to
class and trade journals, and were enabled to de-
velop our business in this line with results mutu-
ally beneficial to publishers and ourselves. For
some time we have been serving more than a hun-
dred of these publications, and believe we are safe
in saying that we serve more trade papers than all
the other Bureaus in the country put together.
Among them are most of the leading journals, such
as the Iron Age, Jeweler's Weekly, Boot and Shoe
Recorder, Engineering News, Electrical Review,
Street Railway Journal, American Banker, Brew-
er's Journal, Bicycling World, Hotel World, Har-
ness Gazette, Coal Trade Journal.
We act as exchange editors for these publica-
tions, so far as the reading and cutting go, sending
to each all the pertinent news and miscellany our
readers can find. Our shears do much toward fill-
ing their columns of news notes; supplying them
with fresh anecdotes, jokes, and special articles
relating to their respective interests; furnishing
topics for editorials.
In the business office the clippings are not of
least value, for they give a continual stream of
addresses to which to send sample copies and
letters soliciting subscriptions, as well as news of
concerns starting in business who may advertise.
Clippings supplement correspondence in
places where papers have representatives, ensuring
that in case of their sickness or negligence the
paper shall "get left" on no important happening.
They show whether the correspondent is covering
the ground thoroughly or not, and if he is relying
on the local papers for the bulk of his matter.
Well enough for all practical purposes we cover
hundreds of places, and even whole States, where
it would not pay any publication to maintain a cor-
respondent, whether paid a salary or commission.
On the other hand, by the use of clippings it is pos-
sible for a paper to dispense entirely with corres-
pondence, and we have seen issues of trade journals
made up almost entirely with the scissors, that were
readable and profitable.
The service is economical because we read a
great many more papers than it would pay any one
journal to exchange with, and because it costs little
more to read for a hundred papers than for one.
Comments from Trade Papers.
"Your service has been very satisfactory as compared
with service of other Bureaus."— American Miller, Chicago.
"Your clipping service is a great improvement over any-
thing we have had here for a long time."— Ice and Refriger-
ation, Chicago.
"We wish to say that your service has proved more satis
factory than any other that we have ever tried."— Engineer-
ing Magazine, New York.
"I have dropped several Bureaus that gave us no items
except what we received through you, and we are using all
your items we possibly can." — Harness Gazette, Rome, N. Y.
"The Hotel World has tried nearly all the clipping Bureaus, and has never found one yet that could give the
service that is given by the Press Clipping Bureau." — Trade
Press, Chicago.
"That we have withstood repeated offers from your con-
temporaries, who have quoted lower prices, but which we
felt must mean inferior service, is proof positive that we
appreciate your Bureau."— Boot and Shoe Recorder, Boston.
"We have used clippings furnished us by several press
clipping agencies, and have no hesitation in saying that the
Press Clipping Bureau has given us by far the best service.
The readers have seemed to understand our wants, and
have been so diligent in supplying them that little of
interest to us has escaped their observation. The service
has been prompt, intelligent, and complete." — Manufacturing
Jeweler, Providence, R. I.
"We have used your service for ten years, during which
time we have had trial service for comparative purposes
from almost every other clipping Bureau, many of whom
had offered us much lower rates. The fact that we still
continue at the same price tells the story. From frequent
visits to your large establishment, we are thoroughly ac-
quainted with the admirable system by which your work is
done." — Guild & Lord, Textile World, Boston.
"We are among the most extensive regular purchasers of
newspaper clippings, and at all times for some years we
have been served by several of the largest clipping Bureaus.
During this period we have given most of the more prom-
inent Bureaus a trial. We started with Robert and Linn
Luce some six or seven years ago and at no time has their
service been discontinued. We find it prompt, thorough,
and reliable. We are buying more clippings from them
than from any other Bureau." — A. B. Gilbert, Associate Editor,
Engineering News, New York.
PERSONAL AND POLITICAL WORK.
The idea of the clipping business was first
developed in personal lines, and in them its appli-
cation is so obvious as hardly to need explanation.
Public men, authors, artists, actors, musicians, —
all are interested in what the newspapers say of
them, or the things in which they are concerned.
To the political candidate the Bureau is a big
boon. The bulk of the clippings come from papers
that he does not ordinarily see, cannot easily get at,
has not time to read. From them he learns the
strength and the weakness of his opponent, sees
where he can fortify his own candidacy, learns what
pitfalls to avoid, finds who are really his friends.
Campaign committees find clippings useful in
much the same way. From them they keep posted
on the development of the campaign and the nature
of the local work.
For every public man it is important to know
the sentiments of his constituents on the questions
he may have opportunity to debate, in order that he
may keep in touch with them, and not needlessly
run counter to their wishes. Furthermore, clip-
pings furnish the material for many a speech and
many a magazine article.
So far as curiosity goes, the families of public
men are often more interested in what is said of
them than are the public men themselves. Many
persons holding elective or executive offices have
ordered clippings partly to gratify the interest of
wives, sons, daughters, or parents.
Another element of value in clippings not to
be lost sight of is what may be called their bio-
graphical or auto-biographical value. Statesmen
formerly had time to keep voluminous diaries;
today they can rarely attend to such matters. Clip-
pings will serve somewhat the same end.
Departments, Commissions, Bureaus, Etc.,
order clippings to secure data for statistical work,
material for publication, information to aid opera-
tions, or comments to guage public opinion.
To the specialist in my line of public work the
Bureau offers a constant supply of information and
material.
To the man with a hobby, whether it be phil-
ately, numismatics, chess, whist, or any other of
the thousand and one things that serve as avoca-
tions or recreations, the Bureau is a labor-saving
device that helps gratify tastes and ambitions. In
the way of gathering "scraps," it does for any man
what no man could do by himself.
Obituary notices are frequently ordered by rela-
tives or friends. As we read only to order and it is
almost impossible to get back matter, requests
should be sent to us at the earliest possible moment.
In fact, whenever comment is wanted on current
happenings, the order must be filed early.
Comments by Individuals.
"I am pleased thus far with what you have sent me." — Gorham
D. Gilman, Boston .
"The clippings have been of great service." — Office of the Post-
master General, Washington, D. C.
"I find your clippings very useful and all that can be desired,
while the service is prompt." — Harry G Carter, Minneapolis.
"Permit me to thank you for the prompt manner in which you
have served us." — Harold Roberts, Youth's Companion, Boston.
"Your Bureau having been very highly recommended to us for effi-
ciency and promptness," etc. — Pub. Am. Ed Illustrated London News, New York City.
"I have no hesitation in saying that your style of service is more
comp[l]ete and satisfactory than anything of the kind I have ever
seen." — Geo W. Hatch, New York City.
"I am amazed and almost overwhelmed with the shower you have
sent me. I applaud your enterprise and on another such occasion
shall know to whom to apply" — R. M Bucke, London, Ont.
"It is very useful to me, from a business point of view, to keep all
my notices, and with your assistance I can do this much more com-
pletely than I can by myself" — Miss Maude Banks, Waltham .
"Let me thank you for the care and promptness with which my
order has been executed. Should I at any time desire more clippings
you may be sure that the order will be given to your Bureau." — S.
B. Phillips, Portland.
"Permit me to say that in the eleven months past your clippings
have been of great help to me, giving me at a glance a daily view of
editorial opinion on this subject (the silver question), which I could
not have obtained otherwise and which has been of great assistance
to me in the special line of study and use for which I desired them."
— E. S. Crandon, Boston.
189
TO ROBERT AND LINN LUCE,
The Press Clipping Bureau,
13 Chambers St., New York,
68 Devonshire St., Boston,
Neave Building, Cincinnati,
P. O. Box 1709, Denver.
(Address the Nearest Office.)
You may send to the address below until
otherwise ordered, newspaper clippings re-
lating to
[four empty lines]
for which I agree that the price shall be
five cents a clipping, and not less than a
dollar a month, payable monthly, rebate to
be allowed for matter not coming under
the order if returned promptly.
[three empty lines]