Blotting Paper

One final T. M. Lindsay post. Ministers ought, as you all know no doubt, to exercise rigid economy in order to be able to buy more books for their already over-filled bookshelves. This means watering down ink, writing sermon-notes on the backs of envelopes, that sort of thing: T. M. Lindsay:

"Have I ever told you that I seldom or never buy blotting paper? Generally enough comes in advertisers' specimens to serve me for the year. They generally came about Christmas. None has come this time; I fancy the advertisers have at last discovered that I do not buy. I was seriously thinking of buying when I was saved from the extravagance in a way you would never imagine. A great envelope arrived - directed to Mrs. Lindsay. I opened it. It was an advertisement, twenty-four pages with outlines of women's blouses, petticoats, stockings and combinations, all printed on blotting paper. It is perhaps, rather improper for me - all these details of feminine garments; but I have blotting paper enough for two months at all events; and cling to me pet economy. The page of combinations is already black all over; so the impropriety, if it exists, is vanishing."

Letters of T. M. Lindsay to Janet Ross P. 125