The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-16 00:00:00

deserving objects too—on whom to bestow their
liberality. The poor, not only should receive our
bounty as a favour—they have a positive claim to
it as a right. And perhaps there is no time more
befitting the exercise of charity than this particular
period, when hale old Father Christmas approaches,
bringing gladness to our habitations and joyous-
ness to our hearts.

Beside relieving the indigent and supplying the
wants of the necessitous, we can also do a further
good, by refraining from the transaction of business
on " Boxing day." There is a loud and earnest cry
from all parts of England for a day of recreation
and pleasure, wherein the toiling artizan and the
weary labourer may throw off the pressure of care,
and seek renewed health and vigour for their con-
tinuous and arduous avocations. Let them have
it. Merchants, manufacturers, and shopkeepers,
give your men a holiday. You will be none the
worse for it ; whilst they will be much the better!
Christmas, hoary Christmas, is no respecter of per-
sons. Under every roof and homestead—in the
cot of the peasant, as well as the palace of the
prince, he takes up his abode, and is as much
cheered by the poor man's ale as by the rich man's
sherry. Come, then ; let us actively prepare for
his coming, and let each one do what in hini lies
to procure for himself and others a happy Christ•
raas !

THE Life Assurance meeting, held on Wednesday
evening, at Clayton-hall, was one of a very interest-
ing and peculiar character. In the list of names of
the gentlemen present, we notice many of our lead-
ing and tried philanthropists and reforthers, with a
slight sprinkling of gentlemen of the red-tape and
tin-box school. Of the latter, we can only say they
were, as usual, loose and empty ; while the former
dealt with the great moral and social question of
life insurance in a way which showed the utmost
singleness of thought, and the perfect disinterested-
ness of their hearts. The noble chairman spoke
with all the manliness and consideration of " the
good old Englishman " He touched upon all those
phases in every-day life which call forth frugality,
thoughtfulness, and self-respect, among the great
masses of his fellow-men ; while the Rev. H.
STOWELL BROWN reviewed the moral and religious
bearings of the question of life insurance, with a
degree of care and impressiveness which infused
into the minds of his hearers much higher views of
the great principles involved in the object of the
meeting, than many had previously
.eer heard of,
or bestowed a thought upon.
On the commercial points involved in the sub-
ject of insurance little or nothing, however, trans-
pired to increase the public confidence, in the prin-
ciple on which life insurance, generally is based.
On the contrary: the looseness and short comings
of the gentlemen who were supposed to deal with
this most essential branch of the subject, soon
became manifest, and if the cause of the most pro-
found philanthropy was not advanced by the dis-
cussion, the principles of insurance were not very
materially exalted by the details of the every-day
practice of the Insurance Office. Mr. WEAR in
speaking on this latter point, and after describing
the strict legal course to be pursued in the forma-
tion of a Life Insurance Company, went on to say,
that " until complete registration took place, the
" parties could not proceed to business. They
" would take a company for instance, with a
"declared capital of 100,0001.—let it be minded a
" capital they never intended to get in, for if they did
" they never would declare it, inasmuch as it cost
" them much more to register it, but they declared
" such a capital, merely,because Englishmen were
" fond of seeing a large row of figures. He would
"go further and say that it was not necessary for a
company to have a capital at all. But before they
" were allowed to issue a single policy, they should
" shew the signatures ofidifferent shareholders for
" one fourth of the amount. He was not going to
" shew them, as it would occupy too much of their
" time, how that was avoided. It was avoided;
"but he hoped the day was fast approaching when
" this work would not bear the light. After corn-
" plete registration a certain portion of the capital
" was called in ; but when they had got the certi-
" ficate of complete registration
_they were entitle d
"to go to work, which they generally did by
" advertising and appointing agents. Little or no
" notice was taken of them before they commenced
" doing business-"

In this very candid statement of Mr. WEAR'S, we
fear there is butltoo much truth. A large board—
a long string of figures, say a 1,000,0001., a tin box,
and a very intellectual secretary, form the principal
stock in hand of a life insurance office. Starting
from this point, they get a certain number of lives
where their " risk" amounts to, say 10,0001. To
this twenty-five per cent is added or deducted, it
little matters which, as the insurer has to pay it—
for expenses, such as advertising, agencies, tin
boxes, secretaries, and for dividends, at the rate of
five per cent. on a capital, which is " not required,
and a certain portion of which only is paid up "
under any circumstances. Now, we must say, that

any gentleman who takes the trouble and expense
upon himself to come down from London, at this
inclement season of the year, to enlighten us in
the provinces on this subject, is entitled to the
wai mest thanks of the Liverpool public. As for
ourselves, we should like to hear Mr. WEAR again
on the subject, as it is well to know the " secrets
of the prison house " before one gets into an
awkward position ; indeed, we are inclined to
believe that to be insured against Insurance, on
Mr. WEAR'S principle, becomes a matter of sound
social economy, and high moral propriety.
But notwithstanding all that may be said against
Life Insurance, and despite all the defects in its
practical operation, the man who insures his life
for the benefit of those who may come after him,
follows the example of his Creator, whose . most
anxious care of to-day is to bestow .a full and
bountiful provision on the creation of to-
But this sublime work of the Godhead
s accomplished by great and immutable laws—

morrow.

involving certain intelligible principles, which pro-
duce the beautiful reality, " There is, and , ever

shall be enough, and more than enough, for all."
To participate in this reality much is required
of the genius and application of man's care. And

if these two conspicuous. elements of the present
age be applied to the subject of Life Insurance,
the philanthropists who come forward to promote
it now, with all its existing defects, will have
reason to be proud of the good they have done
for their kind, by directing the attention of the
Sasses to the solemn question—" What is the
lue of life ?"

As far as genius has penetrated as yet,
we have only discovered that the human race

increases geometrically.

But this brings us to

the very threshold of perfection in the science,

of Life Insurance. By the increase in popu
lation, we can estimate very closely the probable
increase in the agricultural and general wealth

of all well regulated nations. In America by cal-
culating the increase of population, they decide
the number of acres of land that will be brought
into cultivation, the quantity which will be added

;o the store of man, and the amount of wealth
hat will flow from all the other ramifications of

civilized life within a given number of years, from

a given number of people. Here, then, we find the