Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-02-10

10 tue tnOutOnOS. Iuo Oall COSU
the people who attended 1t proba'
bly, e250,0OO, and the net result to
the charity was something like SlO,.
900. s232,OOO for the world, and
$4,000 for the poor.
THE LIFn INSURANCE. PROBLEM.
The failure OF three or four Life
Insurance Companies, which will be
followed in rapid succession by three
or four more, makes u decided rip.
pie in financial circles. These events
are of more Importance than ap-
pears upon the surface. The com.
panies gather money from all parts
of the country, and hold it here in
New York for investment. 1t is
loaned on real estate, and is pre-
sumed to be invested so safely that
nothing can effect 1t. The Life In
surance Companies with their mil.
lions upon millions withdrawn from
the circulation of the country, and
anything that disturbs them dis
turbes the whole country. They
are the depositors of the peoples
money, to a greater extent than are
the savings banks, and their rela'
ton to the people is ono of conf.
dence purely. For the man in the
country knows very little Of the
people in whose hands he entrusts
his earnings, and he has to take it
on faith. Now, when one of these
companies break, and it is shown
that for years there has been sys'
stealing; that the state.
ments have been ooked; that as
sets that never existed have been
put in; that liabilities that did K
st have been left out, and that the
whole fraud has been sworn to, and
that the officers created by the State
are not sbrewd enough to detect
the swindle, it is calculated to up.
root things in a rather uncOmforta-
BILE manner. The Continental was
a mass of corruption all through,
and the Security--Heaven save the
still worse. The com.
pa2ies feel it sorely. For out in
Minnesota, the difference between
the solvent and the insolvent does
not appear. And the result is all
Life Insurance is discredited. There
have been three failures of this class
within few weeks, and the effect
is an almost entire stoppage Of re
ceipts from this scource. The per.
suasive agent finds himself blocked
in the middle of his discourse upon
the benefits of Life Insurance, by
The terrible word "Securlty," and if
he survives that, some one throws
'Continental" into his face, which
finishes him. All this is wrong.
There are perfectly sound compa-
MES, and, life insurance is a neces-
sity. There is no more reason for
lenouncing life insurance because
Of three scoundrelly companies than
there is denouncing christianity be-
oause an occasional clergyman
makes slip.
CASE OF SERIOUS TROUBLE.
A very curious incident occurred,
eliminating last week. A young
swell belonging to one of the rich
families was engaged to be married
to a young lady who possesses more
beauty and brains than money. The
young fellow is a fool, as is the case
with the most of the young fellows
who have money in the city, but
he girl accepted him, all the same,
because he was reputed to have an
income of $4,000 per annum. 1t
was rather a comfortable thing to
nave a rich fool for a husband. for
while he could pay the bills, and
Keep her in diamonds and all sorts
If things pleasant to the feminine
mind, he would not be in the way
If her enjoying herself as she chose.
The wedding was to have taken
'lace last week, but it was unac-
;ountably postponed. Finally the
'ause TRANSFERRED, the young mans
income came entirely from real es.
ate, mostly on Broadway, and the
'oung lady had very prudently been
inquirer. One store which
lad rented for $4,000, was empty,
nd there was no prospect of it's be.
ng occupied for some time; anoth.
r was occupied at a reduction of
evenly five per cent, and to sum
t all up, the income of $4,000 had
hrunk to less than $4,000. She
promptly declined to enter into the
marriage state on any such money,
nd notified the groom in expecta.
ion, that the nuptials would be
till the odd $25, 900 could
Q made up. The young man was
4 dispair. There was no use of
rying to do anything with real es-
ate, for that is a drug, and so, be-
ween desperation and brandy, he
aised money by mortgage, and
,ent into Wall street. Need 7 de.