Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1896-12-27
600 TO 700 POLICIES FOR $1,000 EACH

600 TO 700 POLICIES FOR $1,000 EACH
In the Mutual Life Insurance Cons
pany of New York, MIR. Cooper
Gives His Workers
Sound Advice.
CHICAGO, Dec. ga life insurance
policy, with the premium paid up for one
year. was the Christmas gift that the big
drygoods house of Siegel, Cooper & Co.
presented to each of its employees, instead
of the conventional turkey.
The unique presentation was made by Mr..
F. H. Cooper in person yesterday at noon
in an improvised assembly hall on the top
floor OF the firms mammoth establishment
on State street. More than 600 employees
OF the house were present
Mr. and Mrs. Cooper were given an ova-
ton on entering the hall. The manifesta-
tions of gratitude and good will toward the
members of the firm were frequent and pro-
longed throughout the course of the eXer-
cises and when Mr.. Cooper reached the
climax of his address by, telling his hearers
OF the gifts that had been prepared for
them there was such a salvo of applause as
is seldom heard within the walls of staid
commercial establishment.
Among the employees and members of the
firm who were present were:
Mr.. and Mrs, f. H. J. 5. Jasooy
Mr. +. c. Cooper. J. Geraghty,
Charles Cooper, II. MUNGER
Garrett Cooper, IL. Mcknight,
]. Keim. A. Brooks,
]. Brennan j. Bireckheim.
RrOpkema L. Lubrie.
The New York Mutual Life Insurance
company was represented by Prof. w. p.
Stewart of New York and C. II. Ferguson,
George w. Gundaken, James A. Forest and
Hiram B. Curtis of Chicago.
Mr. Cooper spoke as follows
MR.. CooPER's SPEECH.
Gentlemen and Fellow Coworkers of the
Big Store 1t is now nearly ten years since
the house of Siegel, Cooper & Co. was estab-
lished in Chicago, and during all these
years we have never asked you to come to
the store on Christmas morning. This is
the first time, and If we have requested you
to assemble here this morning, 1t was for
no idle purpose. This meeting was called
in order to show you that the house of Sic
gel. Cooper e. Co. is not indifferent to the
welfare of its employees, but takes an inter
est in the well being of all. What better
day then for such purpose than this day,
which proclams good will to men?"
i am informed Dy the mutual Lie llSuT-
ance company of New York that 1t has ex-
amined between 600 and 700 of our men.
Among that number there must be a good
many married men, how many | do not
know. Now, let me ask you question, you
men who have families depending upon you.
What provision, If any, have you made for
wife and children in case you should die
today tomorrow or next year? Are you
laying up any money? Have you invested
any funds in building and loan associations?
Have you any insurance on your life? what,
If anything, have you done for the protec-
ton of your families if death, the destroyer
of all human aspirations, should remove
you from your field of usefulness? The
capital that your families today depend on
is your brain or Drawn; will 1t still protect
them after you are gone? Your usefulness
to YOUR family can be extended beyond the
grave If you so wish 1t.
And those of you who are not married,
let me ask you what are you doing to lay
up something for rainy day? You may
say my salary is not enough to enable me
to save anything" That is not so. EX
perience they say is the best teacher. Well,
then | know by experience that any man
who has a steady position can lay by part
of his earnings In 1866. when first came
to this country, ] worked quite while for
S. week and out of this salary | saved
so cents every week. The great thing Is to
live within your income whatever 1t may be,
and to save a part of it every week. There
fore you should never run in debt; buy
nothing that you cannot pay for at the time
of purchase. Any man who owes no one
dollar and has something laid up for a
rainy day, who has thoroughly accustomed
himself to burden himself with no more
needs than he can easily crafty in his con-
dition is Just as rich as a Vanderbilt a
Gould, or a Rockefeller, for after all, these
people can eat only three meals day, and
ten to one. that your modest breakfast or
A. ,aat
tastes better to you than any banquet ever
spread before them does to them
SUCCESSFUL MEN ARE INSURED.
The best men, or | should rather say, the
most successful business men of our day
carry large lines OF life insurance One OF
the most successful menC In our line, Mr..
John Wanamaker OF Philadelphia, | am told,
carries on his life 81 ,650.00O. Nearly all
the most successful men of our time carry
large lines, all the way, say, from $4,000 to
81, 900 900 each, | only mention these facts
to show you that life insurance is not any
more an experiment, but that our leading
men consider it not alone benefit, but a
duty to themselves and to those near and
dear to them to insure their lives.
Some time ago 1t occarrsd to me that of
all the men in our employ, there was pos
sibly a very small fraction who carried any
life insurance at all, and after a careful
consideration of the subject | determined
to do that for you which you may have neg
lected and to present 10 each and every one
OF you a life insurance policy of one thou
sand dollars 81 ,000) on which Siegel, Cooper
e. Co. have paid the first years premium in
full.
After this decision was made. the ques-
tlon arose, in which company to place this
enormous policy, policy OF policies
amounting to between 100000 and 500, 900,
the largest policy or policies ever placed
with one company at one time in the world.
Being myself insured for 900 in the Mu-
tual Life Insurance company of New York,
the company, which am informed, has the
largest established means of any life insur-
whose responsibility is absolutely beyond
question, II was but natural that this com
pany was selected for the purpose,
did not wish you to pay out single cent
for the first year, therefore. after arrang-
ing with the company'B agent for the first