The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-13 00:00:00

• ...- - , r, K., 1. -A
P iii
A..........,
.ri:INIVIO;'7 r:'4lj .17.17:
..;
i:....i r
? ,
:80
. '.
.q
factory, snoceseful, and prosperous The iiillealti :-,, "
z:
which had lain in their path—whichNrete immerotts, at) 'y
\4
parently insurmountable—had been, at the..cost of a little,
time, energy, and trouble entirely ternionitedj, nd 7
moved. They then, as it were, wrote the epitaph upo!1
the tomb which should enclose them, and all promised far
and well in the coming year. That year had come and
gone, and they were then again assembled to see and liste
htoanitdssrea pysnleto.They had heard read, and they held in their
of, the directors' report, which he (Mr.
Sheridan)took to be the best evidence they could offer,
and the surest guarantee the shareholders could receive,
that they had not remained idle or been inactive during
the past year, but rather, on the contrary, that they
had exerted themselves to the utmost to fulfil and carry
out the promise made at the meeting of 1854. As his
friend Mr. Webber had said, who rarely left anything
unsaid that ought to be said, they had issued in the
past year nearly double the number of policies than in
the preceding one, which he held to be marked and de
cided proof of success, with which be thought they would
agree when he informed them that for not one of those
policies were they indebted either to party influence or
personal interest—the whole, with the exception of reas-
surances, being the result of a vigorous canvass among
total strangers, who had been induced to assure solely upon
the merit of the principle of life assurance, and to select
this office because it had been kept before their eyes, and
held out as affording the usual facilities fora commensu-
rate payment of premiums. He (Mr. Sheridan) thought,
therefore, upon these considerations they might agree in
saying the report was a good one, and one which might
well be compared with many of their older neighbours
working the same time ; he' would not, however, draw
linvidio as comparisons. Theexectitive thought it might have
been better. The time which had been spent—the energy
which had been infused into the working department—
would have warranted, nay, they felt demanded, a better ;
but they bad been held in check by circumstances—cir-
cumstances over which they had no control. It was true
they last year hail difficulties, but they were internal ones
--within their own reach—subject to their own removal.
This year the case had been different. Their difficulties
had been external ones, and consequently beyond their
power, for he need scarcely remind them that the stirring
htoe
heiv his
diseasede
u(ncmptosrme . and
community,
:hensderti
iat
edbyrnalt, g
rolnionaolg) 8 e
dpoc changes
themselvesra
pttuhhogeeseesuontfod politicali tdv.
amongst
ledset pdet
bodya. shauetptroyene st::
ho,ne which
sleotf
Europe,
all hhae
anddr
Governments, had affected, and, was affecting, all classes of
grievances or errors, or occupy the attention of thnweaastionnoalt
meet-
ing
by pointing out how, in a remote degree, the causes had
affected prejudicially the well-being and
orking institu-
tions similar to their own—sufficient, he observed, was it
for them to know and feel that in the face of war of a pro-
tracted nature, disease of no common order or character
and comparative starvation, they had not only succeeded
in weathering the storm, but had placed their little com-
pany in such a position as, with age, bade fair to be as
good, if not to rival the best. Mr. Sheridan apologised
for encroaching further apon their time, but ho could not
allow the present opportunity to pass without drawing
their attention to the last paragraph in the directors' re-
port, and venturing to hope that it might not be heed-
lessly read, or when read forgotten. He wished to im-
press upon them the necessity of personal exertion. He
attributed the colossal fortunes of their larger neighbours
to the exertions of a devoted and select few. He knew
that life assurance was, at the bast, but a very unpalatable
commodity to the many. They preferred the butcher and.
the baker to the surgeon—they preferred even the surgeon
to them. He knew it was a difficult matter to convince
some men that they are doing themselves good when pro-
viding for their posterity. You might impress upon
them that they would live the longer in the remem-
brance aid gratitude of their friends ; but still the animal
would predominate—the ever-recurring question would
arise—How would it benefit them when dead ?—and they
would return dogmatically to their former ( pinion. There
were, however, others—he was happy to say for the cha-
racter of human nature —who, if you asked them what
they were toiling for, would inform you to leave their
families a maintenance ; and these were the men who, if
properly plied, might be made useful members of society
through the medium of life assurance. But these, even
these, required repeated applications, or they would put it
off from day to day, so prone was man to avoid anything
like a consieeration of that futurity which to them could
I bring but dissolution. Instances of this kind were nume-
rous. Mr. Sheridan referred to one which occurred last
,summer, when hundreds were dying of disease, and no man
could call an hour his own, or say he should return home
safe at night when he went forth in the morning. An agent
,had endeavoured to induce a cattle-dealer to assure his life,
who called and filled up a proposal for 500/., but he would
not leave it. Disease struck him as he passed to his own •
home, and he died that very night, leaving a widow and
„children dependent upon precarious bounty. Mr. Sheridan
concluded by observing that he only asked theshareholders
,to remember, amid the many charities which beset this
philanthropic world, that charity which, if not better,
was at least equal to any—the charity of life assurance.
LMr. LANE then moved, and Mr. BRITTEN seconded, a
ots of thanks to the medical officers ; which was replied
o by Mr. HARDING, who explained to the meeting the
principle on which he and his colleague, Dr. Grady, acted
u the selection of lives, which was, not to reject those
hich had been damaged, but to accept them on an in-
ceased rate of premium. Dr. GRADY also expressed his
sense of the compliment.
A vote of thanks, moved by Mr. JAMES, and seconded
by Mr. JOHN SHERIDAN, was also passed to the solicitor of
the society, Mr. Enapson, for his disinterested conduct
Since the first starting of the society in declining any re-
muneration until it was firmly established ; a compliment
Ivhich the gentleman interested in it briefly but appro.
priately responded to.
..N1 r. JAMES, in moving the thanks of the meeting to the
agelats of the society, took occasion to compliment the sys-
tem adopted by the medical officers in the selection of lives,
and referred to the experience of another assurance society
as corroborative of his views.

The motion having been seconded by Mr. BRITTEN, jun.,
was unanimously agreed to.
A soar of 10 guineas each was, on the motion of Mr.
FLETCHER, voted as the remuneration of the auditors; and
the proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to the
hairrn an.