New-York tribune., 1908-05-06
APPIREL INSIR4NCE.

Americans have long Jagged a generation or
more behind their European brethren IN the SCI
ence of specialized insurance. In Englallu since
the first day when assurance solicitors broke Ill
unon mems business hours with representations
of fire flood lightning and death, II mas beeh
nossble to secure insurance against almost
every conceivable atlctOn except freckles, Dad
temper and slovenly kitchen maids. The Con
tinent has been quite as progressive. Only a
fortnight ago a band Of Austrian patriots man
aging the coming Franz JOSE jubilee insured the
venerable EmDeror's life for 81, 15O.OOO-they
heinp the benefciaries, of cOurse-in order 10
nrotect themselves against the possible collapse
of their celebration by premature royal De
mise. Until very recently, however, our own
country has clung 10 the smooth grooves OF con
servatism and 1t has not yet made more than
- timorous step toward specialized insurance.
But though short and faint-hearted the stride,
it is in the direction of virgin empire chock-
fuI of unsuspected wealth for live insurance
agents and great peace or nina Ior poilcShold-
ers The new idea is apparel insurance.
Wa helIeye the pioneer In this field was the
farsighted genius who boldly issued policies
;nsurins the holders against three classes OF acc
dents TO trousers-t0 wit, rips, tears and lost
buttons Like every other insurance company,
his own required the insured objects TO conform
10 certain structural and other specifications
which happened TO be met only by trousers OF
his own make But that is irrelevant nsIr-
ance is insurance. Lately, other bold spirits
have been similarly inspired Somewhere out
West, where special correspondents raise news
like fodder a dentist is said to have fOrsakcn
his forceps in order to insure the public against
the breaking of false teeth. New England has
several citizens who insure socks against holes
and suspenders against stretching. And In II
busy cross street the other day New Workers
saw an office open for the insuring OF eyeglasses
against loss or breaking. While admiring the
ingenuity of this last scheme, some spectators
paused to wonder whether the promoters of
these various forms of apparel insurance were
fully conscious of the bOundless possibilities of
their idea. If men can be protected thus
against the less serious disasters Detailing the
various articles which convenience, pride or ne
cessity attaches TO their frames why may they
not also be shielded by policies against the most
dreadful of all catastrophes oyertaking raiment
namely observation-disclosures: Consider the
lovely creations Of the tailor, the milliner and
the haberdasher which are cast aside long be-
fore they have been worn out, and all because
o. fashions accidental, unpredictable whims
Are not the losses caused by change of style
more ruinOus than those due TO earthquakes,
fires and foods? The United States is now
burning up about two hundred million dollars
worth of property every year and the owners
are getting back more than half the loss from
the underwriters. Everybody thinks this is
scandalous; but what trife il is in comparison
with the money burned by the twenty five
million inhabitants of large cities in fnery
which is handed on to valet. maid, 'Ole clo's ~"
man tramp ere its natural life is quarter
spent? 4 few easy statistics like these ought TO
tempt a swarm of capitalists TO develop this
most important branch Of insurance. II it did
not save the nation dollars enough to put a gold
fringe around the country, 1t might exercise
restraining influence upon fashion designers