en about twenty years
before his savings would have amounted to five hundred pounds. But by
the simple and beautiful expedient of life assurance, these twenty-six
years of the best part of his life are, on this account at least,
secured against anxiety and care. The anticipation of future evil no
longer robs him of present enjoyment. By means of his annual fixed
payment--which decreases according to the profits of the society--he is
secure of leaving a fixed sum at his death for the benefit of his
family.

In this way, life assurance may be regarded in the light of a contract,
by which the inequalities of life are to a certain extent averaged and
compensated, so that those who die soon--or rather their
families--become sharers in the good fortune of those who live beyond
the average term of life. And even should the assurer himself live
beyond the period at which his savings would have accumulated to more
than the sum insured, he will not be disposed to repine, if he takes
into account his exemption from corroding solicitude during so many
years of his life.

The reasons which induce a man to insure his house and stock of goods
against the accident of fire, ought to be still more imperative in
inducing him to insure his life against the accident of disease and the
contingency of sudden death. What is worldly prudence in the one case,
is something more in the other; it has superadded to it the duty of
providing for the future maintenance of a possibly widowed wife, and
orphaned children; and no man can justly stand excused who neglects so
great and binding an obligation. Is it an obligation on the part of a
husband and father to provide daily bread for his wife and children
during his life? Then it is equally an obligation on his part to provide
means for their adequate support in event of his death. The duty is so
obvious, the means of performing it are so simple, and are now so easily
placed within the reach of all men,--the arrangement is so eminently
practical, rational, benevolent, and just,--it is, moreover, so
calculated to increase every wise and prudent man's sense of
self-respect, and to encourage him in the performance of all proper
social duties,--that we cannot conceive of any possible objection that
can be urged against it; and it is only to be regretted that the
practice is not far more general and customary than it is, amongst all
classes of the community.[1]

[Footnote 1: It may be mentioned that the