The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1912-12-27
LIFE INSURANCE A SAFE
GUARD TO CHARACTER
An Address by Hon. James n. Snow
den, Trustee Washington and
Jefferson College.

| tGF. r1PSt, IL Is d lullllllllSilt vi uut.
and girds up character with the sens
of duty done. We are far from tn
| time when a Presbyterian elder coull
say, as | heard one say in my bOyhood
that life insurance is wrong because i
is meddling with Providence in thu
matter of our death.
"NoW we see it is a part of Oul
Christian preparation for death. w
are told that he who will not provide
for his own, and specially for those o.
his own house, has denied the faith anC
is worse than an inf1del. If we would
escape this condemnation, then We
must insure our lives. When this duty
is attended to our character is strength
ened by one more stout thread. A man
is always stronger when he has done
his duty.
when he knows he has done right
and is right, he can stand up and look
any man and any temptation in the
face. But in so far as he has neglected
any known duty he is weak and
cowardly. Again, life insurance is an
unSelfiSh action. Ordinarily this burden
is assumed not for ones self, but for
his family and dependents, and so it is
altruiStic in its nature.
80 much of our life is selfish in its
tendency, life is SO often struggle and
fight for number one, that we
should welcome anything that sollcits
and wins the free play and expansion
OF our sympathies and affections. The
more selfish we are in our hearts, the
narrower and weaker we are, the
more subject is our character to de.
tererloation and the more exposed to
But the more unselflsh. sympathetic
and affectionate we are in heart. the
and richer and stronger we
are in character and life. We should
measure the value and strength of our
life not by its outer wealth, but by its
inner worth, and life insurance is a |
means of expressing and of increasing
his inner goodness of heart.
And again, life insurance is laying
lold OF the future; it is taking long
'iew of life and preparing for its
Instant days. One of onr great dangers
taking short view of life and living
n Its passing day and hour. This tends
o make us careless and wasteful, re.
axes character and leads to destination
nd degradation. The main trouble
With the improvident man, and we
night add, with the immoral man, is
hat he does not look ahead at every
tep and consider the end thereof.
THE savage, as is the case also with
he tramp, lives in the passing day and
arely has anything ahead. The civil.
led man takes long forward look and
Tvs up store for the distant future
his forward look develops wisdom.
'reslght industry, thrift, energy and ,
mbition. 1t girds man up and spurs ]
I'm on to do his best. The longer the {
un barrel the surer we are of hittinp !
lie mark, and the longer are our views
ITO the future the more likely we are
make our life attain a worthy end. {
1.-THE man of short views is likely to !
OF superficial character and the man \
long views is likely to be of strong
laracter Religion is simply acting on t
us principal when it projects our for.
ard look across the boundry of this a.
orld into the next, Life insurance is
application of this principle. It "a
okS beyond today into tomorrow and
insiders what will happen to us when
e are old and to our loved ones when
are taken from them.
1T provides for the day of old age {
ID OF death. This provision reacts I'D.
our character and makes it stronger
tends to keep us from reckIessness
ID waste and to develop our industry
ID thrift. We Americans are given
spending as we make and more than
, make until we go bankrupt. In
king out life insurance policy we
edge ourselves against such spend.
rift ways.
we give a hostage to the future =
q we put ourselvea under bond tore.
EN- 1t. All this safeguards character
lille the main object of life insurance
TO provide for the future, yet it is
us seen that it pays for itself in the [
esent by the safeguard it throws 1
; and the stimulus it puts upon us, :
a man is a better man the very day
takes out a life insurance policy
cause, by this act he does that which
right, that which is unselfish and 90