The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-19
LIFE INSURANCE.

In the current issue of The Outlook
there is an interesting and instructive
discussion of the relation between life
insurance and the people. A part of
it is as follows:
Life insurance is a form of business
which involves great social benefit and
great social responsibility. No better
confirmation of the truth of this state
ment can be found than in the official
attitude of two of the foremost civil
lied nations of the world towards life
insurance. Both Germany and Great
Britain, by making certain forms of
life insurance. compulsory, have rec
ogniZed the power of life insurance to
promote social welfare and national
sta bility. Whatever is done by expert
and intelligent men in this country to
promote a knowledge among the peo-
pie of the sound principles of life in
surance is public service.
For this reason the convention at
Atlantic City next week of the Ma
tional Association of Life Underwrit-
ers may easily be, and we hope it will
be, one of the important conferences
of the summer season. A well-known
member of the association, Mr.. War
rem NJ. Homer, a writer of recognized
experience on insurance topics, in
forms us that the National Association
of Life Underwriters has recently or
ganized a bureau of education and
bipartisan information of fact and
interest to the public on insurance
matters in general. This bureau"
says Mr.. Horner. twill cooperate with
institutions of learning, public and pri-
vate to promote insurance education
better fitting the younger generation
to buy life insurance intelligently or
to engage in the business as a vocation.
This bureau is an institutional move
ment prompted by legitimate practical
business motives and an altruistic de-
sire on the part of the leading agents
of the country to render more efficient
service to the public at large, and ere
ate better spirit of understanding be-
tween the people on one side and life
insurance on the other"
If this bureau fufills the function
thus outlined by Mr.. Horner. if its
animating spirit is not to garner more
premiums write a greater volume of
life insurance, but to insure-we pur-
posely lay emphasis on the word in
Sure-more people against the priva
lions of death or of old age, it will per-
from a great and useful work
Life insurance has been far from
properly understood in its economic
and beneficent relation to the people.
1t is one of the greatest agencies in the
conservation of human life. for the
broad-minded and the properly edu
Gated insurance man is of necessity
profoundly interested in the establish
ing of adequate safeguards against ac-
cidents and in the prevention of dis
ease. The public, and we regret to
say too many insurance agents,
have not sufficiently understood that
an individual on his physical and ma
terial side is a machine, and a frail
one at that, and as such has a definite
but perishable value, which must be
sustained and protected during the
period of activity, and which must be
insured against loss by death or wear
ing out in old age.
Too small percentage of life in
surance agents themselves recognize
that they are called to a work of large
import and have the opportunity of
rendering a great service to humanity.
A life insurance agent who does not
understand the economic application
of what he is doing and rise to its pro-
fessional attainment is positive detri-
ment to a community. We have the