The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-11-28
@ olmmbia Aerald.
sUPPnEN1ENT.
Life Insurance and Moderate Drinking.

Life Insurance aud Moderate Drinking,
One of the mutual life insurance or
CARNATIONS of the world is "The
United Kingdom Temperance and Gen
eral Provident Institution" of London.
England, of which Mr.. William Twee-
die, the eminent temperance publisher.
and other leading temperance men of
England are the directors. The COM
pany IS thlrty-two years in existence-a
long experience-the experience of a
whole generation.
The system of the company is now to
insure all classes of the community who
are sound In health and addicted to no
bad habits or pursuits. At first it
only insured absolute teetotalers. 1t
now lnsures very moderate drinkers as
well. But it still keeps the two classes
separate in different ledgers. All pay
the same premiums for the insurance,
but the dividends are divided according
to the results in each ledger account
teetOtalers distinct from moderate
drinkers.
This is the very best test, we take
leave to say, and can be applied, as to
the effects of even the moderate use of
alcohol liquors, on health and
longevity.
Here are healthy men introduced by
the same agents, examined by the same
doctors, the applications for insurance
carefully scrUunized by the same board
of teetotalers as directors, and what is
the experience of the company?
The ActuaTy of the Temperance
PrOvident is Mr.. Samuel Bener, of
worldwide fame in his profession. He
is not, himself, teetotaler, but he is a
mathematician, and figures don't err.
He has Just reported to the directors
the results of their last years business.
According to the Carlisle tables of
mortality, there ought to have been 137
deaths among the lives of the teetotalers
insured in the books of the COMPANY.
There were only 80 deaths-47 less in
l37 than the tables calculated for. The
amount which ought to have been pava-
Ole to the widows and orphans of the
deceased teetOtalers was S13O. $50, in
gold. The actual amount PAYABLE was
only SD, ops. The saving in the tenn
perance section, from low mortality, was,
therefore, no less than $50, 2G5 out of
Sl3O,29O. The mortality claims among
the teetotalers did not fully come to 80
per cent. of the amount calculated
upon.
On the same laws of calculations, by
ehS OtiIt4SiS tables OF mortality. the
death-rate among the moderate drinkers
ought to have been Just pa persons.
The actual mortality was 2S2 individuals,
beng 81 IN excess of the tables.
This IS an enormous percentage be-
yond the death-rate OF the teetotalers.
The amount Of claims ought to have
been S244, 4l5, gold. The actual claims
for the moderate drinkers came to 1852
SO, being IS, $40 in excess of the sum
calculated for in the tables. This shows
fearful per centage in excess of the
claims IN the temperance section.
The result of this is that the teeto-
talers insured in the United Kingdom
Temperance receive from 80 TO 50 per
cent. higher dividends than the moder-
ate drinkers insured in the same iusti-
tuition on the same terms. We. person
ally, receive those dividends. being for
several years now insured in the United
Kingdom Temperance and General
Frovldent Institution, and, therefore,
write of what Is within our own knoyI,
cdge.-IHrC]3OlOQ ,TOuy.UUy