human
I long ago discovered the cause of imperfections in my own work. It was the 'cutting into slips' and 'laying down' processes. The fact is you cannot be sure of preserving the cuttings or slips, if very numerous; they are almost certain to get mixed or lost, or elude you somehow. My remedy is this. I now take cheap notepaper and write one entry only on each leaf. Having compiled my index thus from A to Z, I arrange my slips and manipulate them as I would a pack of cards, although shuffling only for the purpose of getting the arrangement of the letters right. Thus I save myself all the labour and trouble of pasting or laying down the slips in analytical order. I do not mind a little extra expenditure of paper by only entering one item on every slip, for I am compensated for the appearance of bulk by finding that I have secured order and arrangement free from the consequences of a finical arrangement of the slips and a dirty and tiresome labour of pasting down.