The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1920-02-19

NEAvfE1H assurances. What is insurance !
l&A1gD Webster briefly defines the word
insurance or assurance, as being security
against loss or from brief point of view in
surance is an accumulation of funds to meet
uncertain losses, by paying certain amount
of money to transfer the existing risk from
person or persons exposed to it, to companies
who assume the risk and undertake to make
good to the former any loss he, or his pro-
perty may suffer.
In these modern times we have protect
ing policies for almost any loss that may be-
fall us or our property in our natural lives,
from the largest and most valued possessions
to the smallest article that may be either a
necessity or luxury to us, as well as cattle
and other beasts that are depended upon
either as business or necessity to mankind.
This is one stage of insurance as an invest
ment, being rated as property and listed ac-
cording to valuation.
Then we have insurance policies pro-
tecting human life against sickness, accident
and death. Is this insurance an investment? !?
We have people who pride themselves upon
being governed by shrewd business sense, or
people who claim to all around intelligence
as being informed of today's business condi-
tions but still lack either time or knowledge
to ask that question and submit themselves
to protection for their families against the
unknown future. We also have people who
would not consider themselves seen or heard
discussing insurance with an insurance agent
and many times bar these agents from busi-
ness establishments and homes by providing
notices at their entrances. But why should
they bear such an attitude against person
who wants to convince his fellow man that
he should insure, or that it is safe invest
ment? Were we to consider for moment
that if we were to seek insurance instead of
it seeking us, what would the result be? 1t
would result in neglect and many times
come to point where it would be too late.
We read or hear about noted singer
who insures his throat, musician his fingers
or popular dancer her feet for twenty or
more thousand dollars. This seems to us
ridiculous and almost impossible but these
people have arrived at point where their
talent and fortune is at stake so that during
some slight illness or accident their loss
amounts many times to thousands of dollars.
The greatest mistake man can make,
be he merchant manufacturer, wholesaler,
banker, laborer or dealer in any other SER
vice is to say, II need no insurance" or II
will wait until later" Is this man just to
himself and loyal to his family? This man
may be successful in business, he may have all
the requirements of luxury in life today, but
does he bank today's success against the
future. 1t may be true today but not tomor-
row as conditions of today change the whole
atmosphere of business tomorrow. How
many of these men made success in life and
on their death beds left their wives and
children penniless and many times without a
in business and society, were honored at
clubs as being powerful and masters of
finance as well as men, but could not be in
duced to look into a future investment and
did not realize that their is just God who
presides over the destinies of men and plans
their future with either success and happiness
to his family after his death, or with fail
ure and broken hearted family who will be
exposed to the mercy of the world and driven
into the hands of charity.
Let us take for example the recnt ex-
perience our Government had with insur-
ance, during the great war, when it realized
the fact that large number of men would
be killed leaving their families or dependents
without any visible means of support as the
greater portion were men of all walks of life
and many without insurance of any kind.
Congress therefore inaugurated form of
insurance whereby every soldier could take
out policy up to an amount of $1O,OOO.OO
at cost considerably less than the actual
amount it cost to cover the risk, the Govern
ment itself paying the difference. At the
close Of the war an agreement was made to