The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-11-15
INSURE THE WOMEN.
Arp Does not Understand Why Life In
surance Companies do Not Take
Risks on Women. He Says
It Is AN I-iustice.
1htlanta Constitution. I

dence with young men, married and
unmarried, who desire to insure their
lives and ask for further information.
I have No ak to grind and no special
companies to favor, but two letters re-
ceived from ladies provoke me to ask
some questions myself, for until recent
ly I did not know that insurance was
oniy for men and horses and other cat
tle-women are generally excluded.
They can't even get an accident policy
that will provide weekly allowance il
case they are injured.
This was revelation to me, and I
made inquiry ofan intelligent agent Of
q life company and he said thatit was
presumed that men supported the wo-
men and therefore women did not need
insurance as long as the father or the
husband lived.
That reasoning will not do in these
days. No such charitable considera-
ton moves the companies to make the
distinction. Life insurance is busi-
ness-not charity-and business rules
govern it.
Another agent told me that females
were too great risk on account of the
perils of childbirth and that women
would not submit to the critical exami-
nation that was required, and still an
other agent said his company would
insure them, but had to charge higher
rate.
None of these reasons seemed sufi-
cient to me, and at last T did find
company that had ignored all these
objections and was in the field as the
champion of woman and Insured her
life upon equal terms with our sex.
Well, why not? The embarrassment
about the examination amounts to
nothing, for the old family doctor is
near at hand and knows his patrons
and his patients. The men may deceive
him, but the women will not try to. I
would rather rely upon woman's an
swer than a mans.
AS to the perils that environ nlaterni-
ty, they will not compare with the
periis that environ the majority of
young and middle-aged men-perils Of
occupation, perils of imprudence, indis-
cretion and indulgence of passion and
appetite. Women do not drink nor
chew, nor smoke, nor handle guns or
pistols, nor climb trees, nor build houses,
nor run on the trains, nor commit
suicide. If I was an insurance COM
pany, would prefer women to mep.
The risk is not so great, and the rate
ought really to be cheaper. I would
employ women for agents to solicit
insurance, and in cities I would have
female doctors to examine the appli-
cants. Here is wide field for an
enterprising company. Thousands of
young women would embrace the
opportunity of insuring their lives if it
was offered to them. The time was
when the necessity did not exist, for
woman was almost universally sup
ported by man-not so now. Every
where we see women strugglingt to earn
their own living. They are in the stores
and printing offices and box and candy
factories and book binderies. They are
the typesetters, typewriters, photogra-
piers, secretaries. and bookkeepers-
everywhere they are advancing and
encroaching upon such occupations of
the men as are fitting to their sex. The
number of these busy women in At
lanta is already up in the thousands,
not including those whose home is in
the cotton mills. Almost all the women
have somebody to work for-somebody
dependent upon their daily labor-and,
therefore, they should have their lives
insured for at least one thousand dol
lars.
Last night while Eliminating upon a
letter from young widow who wishes
to insure her life for the benefit of heI
child, inquired of my family how
many widows there were in town. ]
wished to compare them with the wild
overs. We made list of those who were
within the circle of our acquaintance,
taking them street by street, and
counted forty-nine. Or these only foul
were made widows by the war. Then
we numbered the widowers, and there
were only ten. What does that signify:
/ thought that maybe the climate hao
something to do with it, for they told
me in Texas that that country was good
for men and mules, but mighty hard
on women and steers. Maybeit is the
reverse up here. Again thought that
perhaps, it signified that widowers
married again, while widows remained
loyal to the memories of their first and
only love. This did explain it in part
for we found nine widowers who had
married again and only one Of them
married widow. The greedy fellows
seem to want a young girl every time
So it will be seen that the women out
live the men. If they are sick a good
deal, they don't die but live on and or
and on. The difference is manifest and
decided. Then why should an insur.
ance company hesitate. Why not break
| through these old rules and prejudices
and keep up with the progress Of the
times in other things. They insure
horses and horned cattle in Atlanta.
Why not women? Now this young
widow has an income of $40 month
that came from her husbands life poll
CIV and she wishes to invest S. month
in a policy that will 60 to tae child
when she dies or revert tc her if she