The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-27
PRESIDENT CYRUS NORTHROP'S
 ADDRESS,,
At the Annual Convention of the Nh

At the Annual Convention oh the N"-
 tionRl Association of Life Underwri-
 ters.
 President Cyrus Northrop, of the un- iversity of Minnesota, always felici- tous speaker, as New Haveners are aware who heard him years ago at New Haven Chamber of Commerce dinners, Yale alumni dinners and other public occasions in this city, was one of the chief speakers at the recent annual con- vention of the National Association of Life Underwriters, held in Minneapolis. which among things shows his views on some national questions of importance just now. He spoke as follows:
 MT. Toastmaster: l suppose it would be impossible for me if l were in my most happy moment, to justify the ex- pectations which a speech like yours would naturally excite I am here sim ply as citizen of Minneapolis invited by the committee to come here and speak tonight, not knowing when l came into the room what was to speak upon, and not yet having had any sub- ject assigned to me, and I throw myself cordially upon your kindness, as l shall speak to you as the thoughts may come.
 This is not the first time that l have encountered life insurance men.
 Naughter.) I never it is true, met so many on a single occasion, though how many were waiting outside I did not at any moment know Oaughter.) And I 6n pnt renon that tr r1v aXnaripnPa I
 have met individually or collectively any of them that were as good looking as this company. Gaughter) I un- derstand the reason to be that those men who have so, kindly fovored me
 with their attentions have not been the more prominent men in the profession; have not been the men who represent the billions of dollars that are wrapped up in life insurance, but have rather been the extremities of the great octo- pus which is a very gentle and titilla- ting way are put to lay hold upon the
 ignorant citizen who has not yet learned the felicities of life insurance Gaughter) When I came into this building to-
 night, down below, one of our medical professors met me, and he inquired with
 an air of incredulity what my relation to life insurance was I knew what his
 was, but he, evidently, did not know what mine was. And I told him that my relation to life insurance ought to be pretty clear to him-because I was
 president of four medical colleges. The life insurance fraternity, take it, is sort of Red Cross association follow ing after the medical profession and correcting their mistakes. Slaughter
 and applause)
 Now, I wish to say to you, brethren of
 the profession, that I heartily believe in life insurance. I believe that 1t is one of the greatest blessings of the pres ent age. I believe that in the strength and security of these great institutions there is safety for untold numbers of
 widows and orphans and of men who do not know how to take care of them selves in old age, however successfully they may be in the prime of life. And I certainly wish you gentlemen who are engaged in this business increased prosperity in the future, and an in-
 creased appreciation by the people of this country, who, in some measure, have been disposed to look with suspi-
 cion upon life insurance, and who, I am sure, if they are wise, will learn to lay
 aside any such suspicious and to com init the care of their old age to these mighty trusts that are conducted upon l mathematical principles, that can tell
 any man here present just about how soon he will die, and who can make all
 the necessary calculations for the ar
 engagement of his estate according to ha 1,ysit,o y,1o of T ha lieve in science, and when you get profession like insurance down to fine l scientific principles, as you have, so l that by the system of averages you can 1 tell just about what is safe and what is not safe, then you are conducting 1 business upon sound principles.
 Now, you may think 1t very strange | that college man should know 50
 much as do about life insurance. But
 I have been sitting here all the even- | ing by your president t-elect, and he has
 been pouring into my ear the most val
 uable information upon the subject of life insurance that I have ever receiv- ed. Oaughter). And I wish to say | here, without going any further into | the subject of life insurance-I wish to say that I stand entirely upon the | platform upon which MT. Goodman was | elected, and I indorse all the views | which he is a representative of, and | that means the highest future for the carrying on of life insurance. (Ap- | plause.)
 i Now, gentlemen, having said so much
 about your business, you will pardon
 me if I say a word about mine. am engaged in the business of education,
 which I regard as a system of life in-
 surance. It is system of life insur-
 ance on the endowment plan. It is a | system which insures success in life
 and does not wait for the profits until | death comes. It is a system which is essential to all the people of this coun- l try, and for the salvation of the coun- | try. I value these occasions not merely | for the goodfellowship and kindness | which speaks out from every face and | to every other face; not mainly, even, l for the personal attachments which | spring up and for the friendships which | are formed and for the ties which | henceforth bind you together in the common interest of your profession. I GR4PE-NUTS.