The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-25
His Task Is to Persuade Men for
Their Own Good and Profit, but
He Is Treated with Scant Con-
sideration or Courtesy.
MUST MAKE HEADWAY
AGAINST PREJUDICE
Popular Misconceptions, Based on
Sensational and Misleading Re-
! ports, Have to Be Demolished
and Confidence Impaired.
eY HERBERT vANDERhooF.


Is a life insurance agent q moral
1eper?"
He is treated as II he were one, and
men flee from his approach. Yet prac-
tically all Of the immense sums amount
ing to millions and millions Of dollars
which have been written in life insurance.
have been solicited by agents. You, Mr..
Reader, II you are insured. no doubt were
persuaded to that act of benefit to your
family and self by this humble Individual
If you are uninsured no doubt some
pestiferous agent Is after you to induce
you to put little Of your surplus where
it will count.
In either instance the agent Is counted
as persona non gratissima, and you cut
him. or would like to do so. on the street.
Nevertheless, you, like nearly everyone,
are so constituted that you wouldn't Of
your own motion take out life insurance
policy, not once In a thousand years. al
though, as matter both Of logic and ex-
pediency, 1t may be easily the wisest, most
important, and most unselfsh deed OF
your life. -
Especially, in these days Of universal
denunciation and widespread distrust Of
all life insurance, Is the way Of the agent
g. hard one and the practice Of his art of
persuasion most difficult. He gets no
show; the average man will not listen to
word Of his carefully prepared and
really convincing speech.
An EXcusable "Nerve.''
What the average man says-in words
or In manner-is about this: do you
mean to tell me that in the face Of all
this exposure and scandal you have the
downright impudence to ask me to invest
in swindle? Well, you have got your
nerve"
Of course he has-he must make head
way against the wave of natural enough
popular resentment and passion. He must
stand for the truth, calm, dispassionate
truth and he is seeking your good
counseing you to consult your good judg-
ment and not your prejudice.
But you answer him: "That's fine talk,
all right. You wouldn't represent your
company II you hadn't the gift of CAB
But I'm wis I read the newspapers.
Publicity has her x ray fixed on insur-
ance"
Good" he replies. "You can't fool all
truth; and the present Investigations are
new proof of the fact. But, since you
read the newspapers, Of course you We
observed the failure Of several banks
lately. one in Milwaukee,, say, another IN
Pittsburg. I suppose you went straight to
your bank, when you read how inadequate
was the banking system-you went to
your bank and drew your deposit, and
ing at home where you sit up nights with
a shotgun and dog and listen for thieves
Bankers and Insurance Men.
"No, I haven't done that know my
bank and have faith in my banker lin
vestigated some for myself. looked over
the banks official figures, the names OF It's
directors and officers. There has never
been a breath of suspicion against the
credit Of my bank or the integrity Of its
managers. My bank is old institution
and I would rely upon it with the same
confidence that do upon my wife,"
"Then you admit says the agent
quickly, "that there are good bankers anc
bad bankers. Why not apply the same line
OF argument to life insurance officials?'
Yes, but the sums which have come
out in the insurance Investigations fairly
take my breath away
'Yet those sums, granting that we be-
lieve all we hear are but very small
percentage Of the total assets, while you1
banks which have been looted are ruined
forever-they've got a solar plexus blow
Besides, even the most investigated O.
the insurance companies are paying theil
obligations, will continue to pay then
nnd will continue to grow. But the banl
depositors will be lucky If they get q
cents on the dollar. Logically you ough
to be more suspicious Of all banks thai
of all insurance companies, provided you
reasoning is good
Perhaps I ought. you admit. "Bu
leaving the banks out-they're anothe
story-life insurance. is in bad way
and I'm not going to help bad thing
and millionaire dissipation, and nepotisn
by insurance presidents, and that sort o
thing. It's got to stop, and I will no
tender it my moral support by taking ou
a policy at this time
Results Of Investigation.
l.11 1z r.
Reader. 1t does the American peopl
credit 1t shows that popular governmen
is not a failure, that the American pub
lic knows how to remedy abuses. Yo'
are right to be indignant at graft. Blu
listen to the agents answer: .,
What I want to say" he remarks, II
that life insurance, instead Of just now be
ing in bad way, was never in so good.
''How is that?" you ask.
Why, what's the exposure Pos fa forf Wha t,ha
Remedial, isn't it? Attorney Hughes, tn
examining lawyer Of the investigator
legislative committee announced the 9th
er day that the purpose was remedia
was deep rooted, and, left alone, life in
surance ultimately might have suffere
mortally. But the disease is discovered
able physicians are engaged In maxim
a diagnosis, and presently the legislativ
surgeons will perform a minor operatio
and the patient will recover and b
sounder than ever before"
do you mean actually to tell me- yo
ask that now is a safer and better tim
for me to invest in life insurance tina
ever before? That is pretty large dos
to swallow
That Is exactly what the agent means
no more, no less. Life insurance is now
q hopeful way. The tumOr which threat
ened will be sloughed off. And the II
vestigation has made all insurance CON
panies more careful and particular. The
have looked to their arms; have take
keen inventories Of themselves; have see
that their shoestrings are tied and thu
no loose ends are hanging out. e.
House Cleanings and Their Effects.
You have forgotten, of course, Chicago
most fearful disaster, the Iroquois theatt
fire?
1t aroused public: opinion. 1t stirred U
remiss city officials all over the Unite
States to a strict performance Of the
duties. It resulted in a thorough vent
lation Of the systems and methods (
safeguarding theater audiences. It we
responsible for the passage Of new ar
sensible ordinances governing the condu'
of theaters. 1t established the steel cu1
tain in every Chicago play house and
most Of the large play houses througho,
the country. sE. i. .a=<.it...
Is it not, fact that you, Mr.. Reade
have reason to know that every ma,
woman and child are given greater pr
lection In every theater audience in tt
land because Of the house cleaning tn;
followed the Iroquois holocaust
Thousands who have read the repor
CT the New York investigation attach IL
responsibility for the trouble to certa
insurance officials. Other thousands L
the blame at the door of dishonest la
makers and Inadequate laws. It is n
my purpose to attempt to say which
the two opinions is correct or that both
l. T0..l