The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-12-27

Itistics. tKescfors, represent the fAcss
This Investigation shows effects OF
incorrect living and frequently indi-
Gates the way in which improvement
may be made The officers OF the COM
pAnies are glad to have such thfcr-
know 1t will be Of direct benefit in re-
ducing the death rate and because
they are interested also In such mat
tiers from the standpoint Of the gen.
eral welfare"
Several other matters were present
ed to the Convention Of LAfe Insurance
Presidents In connection with consid-
Grafton OF problems involving the
common interests OF policyholders.
Miss NJ E. Bingeman, Of Rochester,
asked the association to assume the
leadership OF proposed national
Live Little Longer movement. The
plan involves the utilization of school
houses throughout the country during
idle hours as forums for educating
women on health matters by physi-
clans and nurses. Miss Bingeman said
the plan had been successful In Ro-
chester, where 1t was originated.
Probably none Of you would OBJ
ject." said Miss Bingeman, III, while
taking care Of the interests of life in
surance. in those respects In which the
interests Of all life insurance COM
|panies are Identical. you could greatly
raise the average Of national efiicf-
ency; prevent q vast amount OF human
suffering and sorrow; Increase the av-
erage length Of life. and eventually
prevent a large proportion of the six
hundred and thirty thousand deaths
charged up every year in this country
to preventable causes. All this can
be accomplished by setting several
thousand doctors and nurses to work
Mi
does not imply that 1t can be done all
at once, nor that the beginning should
necessarily be made with thousands of
teachers and millions Of pupils. A
score. or hundred teachers, few
hundred or a thousand pupils, would
be a very good beginning.
Host Sick From Preventable Causes.
Here we have at least one and one
half million people sick from pre-
ventable causes. largely for lack of
health education: one hundred and
forty-two thousand three hundred and
thirty-two doctors, and one hundred
thousand trained nurses, competent to
give instruction.: two hundred and
sixty-seven thousand school buildings,
most Of which have some idle rooms
during at least SO per cent Of the pos
sible teachings hours. Is 1t too much
Ito say that the country is merely wait
ing to have its attention called to this
overwhelming opportunity
Hon. A. Barton Hepburn. chairman
of the Board of Directors of the Chase
National Bank. New York, and one Of
the foremost fnanciers IN the United
States, spoke on THE Relation OF Life
Insurance to the Credit Fabric OF
Business Among other things. he
said:
Business transactions on a large
scale, such as We of this age have
become acc lstomed to regard as mat
tiers of course. but which would have
been the marvel Of earlier generations,
arise out of mans faith In the promise
OF his fellow,nen. Agreements to do
or not to do certain things. which In
diplomatic circles may sometimes be
regarded as mere scraps OF paper. but
never in business circles, AFFORD the
means by which commerce or present.
day magnitude Is carried on through
out the world. Credit of the kind we
are considering may almost be de-.
fined as mans faith in man and man.
made institutions.
There was a time when 1t was the
rule. even arong conservative business
men, to carry largely, IL not entirely,
risks Of fire, accident and death.
against which today II is almost the
universal custom to insure. Then a
lack of life insurance did not carry
special SIX ffI1CdHCe. NOW TIC Ihiiutc
OF man to take the precautions
VIII CT are commonly taken by his fell
IL Nrnen Is fact of such Importance
as to put the prospective creditor on
notice, and call for careful inquiry as
to why he thinks he can disregard
what has come to be the common
Judgment Of mankind. Or. to put II
another way. the man generation
ago who carried life insurance OF
In rsyo a mo ayrRnffnnaf
to excite inquiry as to his reasons and
motives for so doing, while 'oday & 's
the man who thinks he can afford to
do without life insurance that is sub
jected to inquiry
Banks Rave long been accustomed
to ask. large borrowers far a state
ment Of the life insurance they carry.
and II seems to me that commercial
agencies like Dun's and Bradstreets.
should ask for similar information for
use in rea ching a conclusion as to the
credit-rating to which man Is en-
titled"