Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-03-27
Fsom the Independent. March 10
Insurance.

THE GROWTH OF \ GREAT IDEA
1t would be ungratefu to ignore the ser
vices rendered by men, who. by concentrat-
ing their energies upon a single point. have
succeeded in forcing some important idea
| upon rhe Indifference of mankind The
/ power of working all conceivable topics of
| speculation into their single idea shows
degree Of energy, As well Of patience.
which is trulY admirable. Nobody. a. his
disciples say, has produced greater effect
| Upon legislation since the beginning OF the
century than Jeremy Bentham. Bat he
carried in Bis mind only a single idea His
volumes are only ince>-ant applications sud
| reapplicatiOns Of the doctrine that the cri-
teriou of morality = the production OF the
greatest happiness Of the greatest number
The engr1ssment Of one single IDEA. until
1t becomes the ruling pa-~iun, l. sure to win
for its pos>eSSors a triumphant success in
the object OF their purs-It What would
all the efforts to iliumne the dark places y:
the earth with the light OF the Gospel have
amounted to had Not our Christian mi~>ivn
aries been filed witt = single passion to
preach the Gospel, and nothing bI5 tre.
Gospel, TO heathen nations? And - ws
may ask has anything ever been accom-
plished for the general welfare Of society
except by the persistent. earnest, unaly
ging pursuit of one great ida? Look II tho
growth Of our life insurance Sys;cm-a sy--
tenn which stands abreast OF al th ise oi
any name whose operation, tend 10 advance
private prosperity and national nappinr>-:
a system whose natural chsrtc-e.i>tic /, 20
correct imp-OyIGence IN the Community. t.
teach seli-re>tTaint and fOre,huu.h hit tO Indi-
yiduals, and thus - ward of tnJse s!inss
and arrows OF Outra !-'idS fJrt ln- wnic..
-ore hese. all men. Ii ~ recall the cum
ditiOn OF life Insurance ~ & va only ten
years ago aud compare /; i.u it- cendiiiIn
tO-Gay, We find -uch IN Illustration o. the
steady growth OF a singh liet - II fur
ni>hei hy no o.her department ot human
thought OF action.
Ten years sg1 not many more than fry
thousand people IN this country had praeti-
cally approved OF lie iasurance hy posse~4
ing policies on their own lives. Now tho
long muster-roii Of the injured contains
more than eight hundred thIu-and names.
To the heirs ~ those whu-s names death
has erased from the roll within that period
our life Insurance companies have paid
more than one hundred mIiiIDn dollars: and
the sun which they are still under obiIgs-
tirn 70 Pay q the Insured l. greater than
we- the amount Of oar national debt ten
Yeats ago. BY the services % men VITO
have concentrated their eners sieS upon Que
single object, this great idea ut lite in>ur-
ance has been forced successfully upon tus
indifference ~ mankind. sud, ~ we look
through the history ii ia,-s eyrntfu ten
wears, it would be unsr4tclu. 10 ignore
thU-e whD have been I.s;TI mental in pro-
dueing the good result
Tie glory of the virt ry -Gsy DO divided
among many. Bat tnu Inspiration of tns
movement. the energetic impulse which
Lead the charge. and the magnetic -pIrIr
which maintained the advance until the vic
tory was won helong ungle- tionaoly % to
Equitable Like Assurance Socicty, whose
single aulma;ing idea irin ~ beginning.
fourteen N'arS ago, ha| been that lie 10
sUrance i ciyIi and religious necessity 10
all valuable members OF ne community
Jean Paul Riclter sa3 t'rti many III his
volumes expundeu Dit oi ~" Jingle phrase
IN ShaSe-i'hre, OIF it'ie NE l. rounded
with a sis'p IN reader - III bIOks
meets that seniiment vAliT,-~-i Win iohnltc
vlvscliy On innumerab!s psgeS- - every
great WORK oi art has ouly uHe d9minant
ldes- 81 tbs apostles Ot thTi~liAnisy con
tinuahy reiterated one exhurta il'n--Fepent
and believe. - the sdcce~>lGl orator re-
peat- the same th'uSut over ai1 oyer again.
IN varied icrel- ~ order O. impress It deep
y upon an aiathtiic and vnrr
With the h4HIi"o'' Ills -i--Hrance -
cisty 'se einsi7 PhfH@'' the ii"Sh' idoS:
the REITERATED vAhdf'au0o. TIE feiraIri
Thought, TIE iic'---an, "atcu "0rd hr> h--a
in-ure y'iI Htc Ahd sh'S was L.,
TRIVIAL aoih"nItloh- II "aN " serious appeal
:" men 60 -,' ..
~ ~
el.o 9.e ''- ''.- "a ". 80
~ no -
P''' "' ~ 80
!V' 'no T.-1'.'''" o' 80 .'i,'-,e,. H'-i."s
70 e loiis'' '..' =. p'l'.e' .,'0-' ~ "a.'
~ '''iie .. Hs'o.,.'9 = W. nj '''eil1 ~"
u'0.Iiii,S 'u',..i '., ~
80 - 80 a. -, -.
II Iauf a.. o-' -''q -
7'uu'ciln- ~ - a.-iJ s-'0 fI:'
wa aIouSef' . 't;5 iuSe',S'G,.i'5 =" '''G
sa'e way - 1ue e'i'' 80 .''a' i..o -
rance !, u"' o"'' p''l'-','.i' @'',, n
ny u~' 20 -. So