The Portland daily press., 1896-12-28

the female race, a manager OF one Oh tne
most important companies says: 1T Is
quite posi- BILE that general statistics lndl-
Gate greater longevity for women than for
men, but l believe insurance sbatlst1cs
point this other way. This is at least
true of our company. If the various occu-
pations of men were considered it would
be found that the record of longevity
varies; but they are all taken at one rate
unless the occupation is extra hazardous.
Few occupation are so considered. By
q similar line of reasoning, women, al
though not SO long lived, are not classed
extra hazardous think it not unlikely
that If women were insured more gen
orally, the difference III longevity would
disappear wholly OF in part. That their
longevity, as shown by insurance Stats
is perhaps due to accidental disturbing
causes. F"
A president of one of the companies
says: 81 incline to the opinion that
where the iDsurable interest is clear,
and good examinations can be obtained,
the risk upon women is no greater than
upon men. >"
According to the best Information OBJ
tainable the American life insurance
companies have today about $50, 600, 600
of insurance on the lives of women. AL
lowing So, 600 per policy IL follows that
about 25. 600 of the women in these
United States have made provisions for
their own future needs or those OF others.
When il is remembered that there are in
this country about 4,00e, 600 women of
insurable age, it will readily be seen that
the solicitors who shall undertake to
place before them the benefits of life
insurance will find plsnteous harvest
ready to be gathered. The largest
amount of life insurance carried by any
woman i'll any one company is 500, 600,
while the smallest amount carried by
any ore woman Is about $500; women
carry insurance to the amount Of 500, 900
several are carrying S75, GOO and some so
ars insured for $4,000 each. One woman
carries $500, 900, one $3.50, o00 and another
S135, coo, while four carry insurance to
the amount of 81 s5, 600 each. While these
amounts may seem enormous, they sink
nto insigniicance when compared with
the insurance carried by men, as, for in
stance, Mr.. John Wanamaker of Phila-
delphia. who. if he should die tomorrow.
would leave insurance to the amount of
nearly 81, 000, 600. J. R. Whipple, proprie
tor of the Parker House and Young's
Hotel, Boston, carries over $500, GOO, sew
eral other business men Of Boston carry
half million each. and still larger
number have provided for the future In
this way to the extent of $500, 600. What
is true of the business men of Boston in
this dirscticn is equally true of the busi-
ness men of other localities.
When woman decides to insure her
life the first question she naturally asks
is, What companies accept my sex at the
same rates they do men? since all other
things being equal the woman of today
expects her dollars to have the same face
value as those belonging to her husband,
father or brothers. Upon further inves-
tigation she finds that some of the COM
panies, believing that female risks are
extra hazardous, charge an additional IS
per $1,000 of insurance, whereas many of
them having from their favorable expert
sDce decided that there is no heed of this
charge. Among these companies are the
john Hancock Mutual New England
Mutual, Union Mutual. Union Central,
Massach usetts Mutual, National, Travel
ers', Provident Life and Trust, Penn
Mutual, Mutual, New York, Equitable
and Kansas Mutual. The majority of the
companies charging the extra IS per $1,000
do so until tho age Of IS OF 30 is reached.
Coming down to the question, Why
should women insure their lives? we find
many reasons: In the first place life in
suranoe has practically made many of
the women of today what we find them,
as without its benefcent provisions they
would have been deprived of the advant
ages Of school aud college education,
would have been early called upon to
OTHERS and thus the world have missed
the elevsting inuence of SO large num-
Der Of educated, refined women. All
honor say to the fathers, who in their
early manhood, ut great sacrifice, proyid-
ed for the protection of their wives, and
the education of their children. Shall
these same children, now grown to man
hood and womanhood, be less consider
ate of the claims of others upon them,
than their fathers were of their needs9
The woman of yesterday, dependent
upon others, for the wherewithal to
clothe herself. contribute her mite to the
various charities, and obtain the little
1uxuries that the female sex loves, is to-
day the woman Independent having
within herself the power and ability to
make money and invest it without let or
hindranoe, and as she seeks opportunity
to lay aside something for the proven bal
rainy day, the system of life insurance
should find in her its ready disciple.
SOME OF THE QUESTIONS.
Following the reading Mrs. Hunt an
noupoed, as is the custom of these meet