. In his search for subjects a writer will
find numberless clues in newspapers. Since the first information
concerning all new things is usually given to the world through the
columns of the daily press, these columns are scanned carefully by
writers in search of suggestions. Any part of the paper, from the "want
ads" to the death notices or the real estate transfers, may be the
starting point of a special article. The diversity of topics suggested
by newspapers is shown by the following examples.

The death of a well-known clown in New York was followed by a special
feature story about him in the Sunday magazine section of a Chicago
paper.

A newspaper report of the discovery in Wisconsin of a method of
eliminating printing ink from pulp made from old newspapers, so that
white print paper might be produced from it, led a young writer to send
for information to the discoverer of the process, and with these
additional details he wrote an article that was published in the _Boston
Transcript._

A news story about a clever swindler in Boston, who obtained possession
of negotiable securities by means of a forged certified check, was made
the basis of a special feature story in the _Providence Journal_ on the
precautions to be taken against losses from forged checks.

News of the energetic manner in which a New Jersey sheriff handled a
strike suggested a personality sketch of him that appeared in the
_American Magazine_.

The publication, in a newspaper, of some results of a survey of rural
school conditions in a Middle Western state, led to two articles on why
the little red schoolhouse fails, one of which was published in the
_Country Gentleman_, and the other in the _Independent_.

From a brief news item about the success of a farmer's widow and her
daughter, in taking summer boarders in their old farmhouse, was
developed a practical article telling how to secure and provide for
these boarders on the ordinary farm. The article appeared in _Farm and
Fireside_.

OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. Bulletins and reports of government officials are a
mine for both subjects and material. For new developments in agriculture
one may consult the bulletins of the United States Department of
Agriculture and those of state agricultural experiment stations. Reports
on new and better methods of preparing food, and other phases of home
economics, are also printed in these bulletins. State industrial
commissions publish reports that furnish val