The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-03-17
Temperance Reading.
Joseph Cook on Temperance.

Joseph Cook on Temperance. \
In the prelude to recent lecture
Joseph Cook presented some interesting
facts in regard to Temperance. He OBJ
served that for nearly half century,
life assurance societies in England have
insured moderate drinkers and total alb
| stainers in separate sections, and that a.
bonus has been paid to the sections made
up of total abstainers of seven, thirteen
seventeen and some cases of twenty
three per cent. over that paid TO the sec
ton of moderate drinkers. Said Mr.. Cook.
Here are few commercial facts of
the largest philanthropic significance
have in my possession an original
letter of one of the foremost societies
for life assurance in Londor, and the
statement is contained in it that for tif-
teen years the society has been accus-
toned to pay every five years bonuses
to its two sections-that is, to the total
abstainers on the one hand, and to the
moderate drinkers, on the other-and
that the result has been during the past
sixteen years there have been issued
9, 345 policies on the lives of moderate
drinkers--that is, of those who are not
strictly abstinent in the use of alcoholic
liquors-and 1896 on the lives OF total
abstainers. Of the former 524 have
died, but 81 only OF the latter, or less
than half the proportionate number
which, of course, would be 100. Less
than one half the abstainers have died,
} compared with the number that died
, among nor sGblHt,GlYTers' who were strict
ly temperate, and this in an experience
of sixteen years! hold in my hand the
Iasr ,1n,. <Nf LII.
ance society, which | shall not name,
for fear you will say wish to adver-
tise it, although it is not an American
society, and l read in this official
document that in 1872, 1875 and 1873
the bonus on the Temperance section
was fourteen per cent. higher than in
the general department, while the bonus
for 1881 in the Temperance section is
twenty-three per cent. higher will
name a single one of the great life as
surance companies in England because
its reputation is well established. and I
can not be suspected of having any i'm
proper motive for giving its career pub
licity. refer to the nited Kingdom
Temperance and General Provident In
stitution. In England its experience is
often cited to show the superior value
of teetotal lives. as compared with those
of moderate drinkers. The institution
insures members of two sections, one
in which all the mem ers are total alb
stainers; in the other, moderate drink
ers; all Incorporate persons being, of
course, excluded. The sections are en-
actly alike in every other respect, about
10000 lives being in ured in the Cen
eral section, and 10, 00O in the Temper
ance section. Returns of the expected
and actual claims IN both Sc tions for
fifteen years, from 1861 till 1875, show
that in the General section 3, 450 deaths
were expected, and that 3, Al took
place; whereas in the Temperance sec
ton the expected deaths were 2,002 and
the actual deaths only 1,433. During
the year 1879 the expected ella ms in the
Temperance section were | for t40.-
844; the actual claims were ia for
Fps. $50. In the General section 305
were expected for E64. 349, the actual
! having been 1926 for ETA. $50 The quin-
quennial bonuses in the Temperance
I section have been seventeen and one
half per cent greater than those in the
/, General section"
Farther on in his preliminary dis
course, Mr.. Cook said
81 do not know how it is that on this
; sea-board we sometimes do not now
seem to feel the throb of the mighty
future of the Republic as our fathers
d d. and as people do vet on the Missis-
sippi. Does the breadth of the West
,, inspire great ideas? We, too, have
broad outlooks. We have great river
running past our wharves. We call it
the Atlantic Ocean. We ought to be
able to look across it and see that our
Temperance example is do ng good or
evil to the ends of the earth. But the
upper half of the Miss ssippi Valley APP
pears to have more intense care for
the future of its popuat on than we have
for that of ours. 1t listens to the tramp
of the coming generations. The sound
, of centuries yet to be is in the ears of
) Iowa and Kansas. There is a mighty
rustic on the prairies in ia or of anti
dotes for one of the hugest evils of our
civilization. The two young States
, which possess the latest portions of our
continent are making up their minds
| that they will not allow the cancers OF
$ the whisky rings to eat into their vitals.
No temporary defeat will tame the re-
J formatory spirit of these common
, wealths They are leading our Nation
and the world in Tempe ance legisla-
: ton. For one, believe that if score
of the American States succeed in put
, ting Constitutional Prohibition on firm
basis, it will ultimately become Ma
tional policy"