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HOLD FAST TO YOUR POLICY.

It is not an infrequent occurrence for agents to find that some of their policyholders desire, on account of a temporary stringency or for some other reason, to drop their life assurance for a while and take out new assurance later. Here is an object lesson of the unwisdom of such a proceeding, that might well be brought to the attention of such policyholders:

In May, 1899, a policyholder of the Equitable surrendered for cash his policies Nos. 372,414, 643,161 and 643,163, making $50,000 in all, but keeping in force his $20,000 policy, No. 252,752.

This assured was a man of wealth and could easily have continued all of his assurance, but he said he could do better with his money for a year or so while times were so prosperous. He died suddenly in November, and his family received $20,000 instead of the $70,000 which the payment of one more premium would have secured to them. "Penny wise and pound foolish" is an old and trite saying, but it is as appropriate to-day as ever.

GOVERNMENT BONDS AND SAVINGS
BANKS.

Did you ever consider that (apart altogether from the assurance benefit) an agent of the Equitable can offer two contracts, one of which is better than a Government bond, and the other better than a savings bank? and these contracts are guaranteed by the strongest financial institution of its kind in the world?

Take, for example, the endowment form of the gold debenture. Figure out every advantage connected both with it and with a Government bond, and see which, all things considered, is really the more advantageous.

Or, take the double endowment, and compare it with the returns from a savings bank. For example, allow that the deposits in a savings bank will be compounded for twenty years at 3 per cent interest, and then see how the double endowment will compare with it as an investment.

And moreover, no savings bank will guarantee to pay 3 per cent interest for twenty-or even for ten-years.

"I can take care of myself."

FABLES FOR AGENTS

1. The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse. A certain Squirrel, who was in the life assurance business, once took a "friend's certificate" from a Field Mouse, whom he had assured, to a near relation, who lived in the town.

But the Town Mouse refused to assure. "It is all very well," he said, "for my country cousin, who is exposed to many dangers, to protect his family in this way, but I have a safe retreat within the walls of the house in which I live; frost and famine have no terrors for me, and I am secure from birds of prey. I can take care of myself."

On the very next day, the Town Mouse, while eating some hot-house grapes, slipped, and fell into a great bowl of rumpunch, and was drowned.

Moral: Death often "accepts" safe risks and rejects those that are impaired. But this is a truth which the life agent can never persuade some people to believe until they are dead.

THIS IS NOT THE

PORTRAIT OF F. P. CHAPIN,

but it is the portrait of a friend of his-one of his advertising agents. Chapin does good advertising, and he finds that it pays him. Why shouldn't all other agents advertise-and make their advertising pay? Every agent of the Equitable has the same company to advertise. But some say, "Chapin's advertising pays because he spends so much money; I cannot afford to advertise as extensively as that." But as a

matter of fact that is not where the shoe pinches. Anyone can afford to advertise if it pays. No one can afford to advertise if it does not pay. If an advertisement does not pay there is some reason for it. It is either because it is not properly displayed, or because it is not convincing to the mind, or because the proper medium is not chosen; or because it is not backed up by the right kind of work. The value of all newspaper advertising is relative. You can afford to spend $10,000 in advertising if it brings you in a clear profit of $10; but you will lose money if you spend $10 in advertising and are out of pocket 15 cents in consequence. W. A.

THE AGENT'S PSALM OF LIFE.

Selected by E. N. Pratt.

Get a wiggle on, my lad,

Don't walk at a funeral pace; Don't stand lazy, moping, sad;

Don't sit with that drowsy face.

Push out; don't stand idly by;

Elbow forward, push and squeeze;

You will get there if you try;

Swing your shoulders, brace your knees.

Get a wiggle on, my lad;

Get a bustle in your talk;

Get a rustle on; get mad;

Get a hustle in your walk.

IDEAS.

"Full many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear,
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air."

Full many a brilliant advertising gem is hidden in limited territory, and does not, as it should, shine for all. Take, for example, the advertisement reproduced on the back cover of this issue. It is one published by A. F. Aird, the Society's manager in Buffalo, N. Y. This advertisement might have begun, continued and ended in the Buffalo agency so far as its good to the Society's managers in general was concerned. However, Mr. Aird forwarded it to this office, and we now reproduce it for the benefit of all. It is proposed in this, the "Equitable News," to reproduce every month some of the best advertisements of the various agencies, and stop the waste of good advertising material by printing the ideas of one for the benefit of all.

This can only be accomplished, however, by the co-operation of managers and agents, and we invite them to send to the editor of this paper a copy of any advertisement they may issue from which they derive benefit or which attracts attention. If this is done, we will each month select those which in our judgment are the best, and reproduce them in the columns of this paper. Thus the best ideas of the managers individually will every month be reproduced for the benefit of the managers collectively.

A MISCELLANEOUS CARGO.

A Western manager writes: "The other day I heard an agent talking life assurance in such an indirect way that it reminded me of a paragraph in a novel which I once read, and which ran:

"'All of a sudden the fair girl continued to sit on the sands, gazing upon the briny deep, upon whose bosom the tall ships went merrily by, freighted, ah! who can tell with how much joy and sorrow, and pine lumber, and immigrants, and hopes, and salt fish!'

"I send this to you, trusting it will be an object lesson."

We trust there is no sinister meaning in this reference to an object lesson, together with the "I send it to you." Our correspondent certainly cannot have reference to the products of our busy pen. No! Perish the thought! ED.

Promises
Are Not
Everything

If they were, neither Government Bonds nor Equitable policies would find a very ready market.

A Government Bond-bearing 3 per cent. interestsells at a premium, while many another bond promising twice as much-will not sell, even at par.

Promises are cheap-and it doesn't cost much to print them.

It isn't the promises-the contracts-that count, it is all in who makes the promise.

Neither the Government nor the Equitable promise impossibilities-but what they do promise they perform.

The Equitable's promises are backed by over $50,000,000 of surplus.

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"Two from two leaves nothing," says the infant class. Correct! It's the same in the grown-up class, too. In business. In finance. In every Occupation. All the world over. Two from two leaves nothing.

In any business, if the assets are no greater than the liabil ities, there can be no profits, no dividends, for two from two leaves nothing. If the assets are $12,000 and the liabilities $10,000, then dividends may be paid, for ten from twelve leaves two.

Take the assets and liabilities of the Equitable Society. One hundred and eighty-six mil. lions from two hundred and thirty-six millions leaves fifty millions of surplus, and it is from surplus only that dividends can be paid.

THE EQUITABLE

LIFE ASSURANCE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES. "Strongest in the World,"

?

Is 5%
Enough

interest on an absolutely safe
investment? Would you be in-
terested in making an invest-
ment that would give your
wife, in the event of your
death, an absolutely sure and
guaranteed income of five per
cent. for twenty years? If so,
you would be interested in one
of the new contracts of assur-
ance, issued by the Equitable
Society, which at maturity is
paid in interest-bearing securi-
ties called Gold Debentures.

These Debentures bear interest at the rate of 5% per annum for twenty years, at the end of which time they mature and are paid in gold. Having these advantages and being guaranteed by one of the strongest financial institutions in the world, these Debentures may be expected to command a premium above · their face value in any market if offered for sale.

If you would like to have a fuller description of this contract issued at your age, including an explanation of the dividend, options and guarantees covered by it, kindly fill up and return the coupon below:

COUPON.

The Equitable Society,

120 Broadway, New York,

I would like to receive information regarding a GOLD DEBENTURE POLICY issued at age.. Name..

Address.

An Army of 250,000

The members of the Equitable Society form an Army 250,000 strong-an army that goes forth conquering and to conquer-but not to slaughter.

The enemies it conquers are want-distress-and poverty. Instead of making widows and orphans-this great army protects them. It helps the helpless and makes smooth the path of the aged-Instead of pulling down it builds upInstead of devastation, prosperity and increase will follow in its train.

This army has recruiting stations all over the United States-and is always ready to receive recruits who can pass the necessary medical examination.

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QUERY COLUMN.

EDWARD A. WOODS.

On January 1, Mr. Edward A. Woods, of Pittsburg, celebrated a double anniversary-the 35th year of his age and the 10th year of his management of the Western Pennsylvania agency of the Equitable. Every manager and agent has heard of Edward A. Woods and his agency, so that in this place it is not necessary to introduce Mr. Woods to our readers, but merely to give some figures showing the great success of the Western Pennsylvania agency during the decade in which it has been under Mr. Woods's management.

ASSURANCE IN FORCE.

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Every month we propose to devote a column or so to notes and queries, in which we shall try to answer those which can be answered in a few lines. It is not to be supposed that we shall be able to answer every question in the limited space at our disposal, but the most important ones will be answered. If any correspondent finds that his question is not answered, it will be because of one of three reasons; (1) that we have not sufficient space; (2) that it is not deemed of sufficient importance; (3) that it is too difficult and we give

it up.

Send along your queries, but please make them easy, at all events to start with.

A MODEL LETTER.

One of the Society's managers sends in a company's letter which is a model of concis、ness. Here it is:

"My husband carried insurance in four companies. The Equitable was first to pay. Please accept my thanks."

At this writing these figures are largely estimates, but it is a sure thing that they are on the side of modesty. We think it is very certain that the 1899 new business of this agency will far exceed the above ..gures.

May the growth of the next decade, and the next, and the next, be as great as tha of the one ending December 31 last. And may Edward A. Woods still be at the helm. and "may we be here to see."

ON SUSPICION.

It is a prehistoric piece of alleged humor to say that you don't know whether "so and so" is dead or not, but that he was buried on suspicion. It is a new thing. however, to pay a life insurance policy on suspicion, as, according to the newspapers, one of our esteemed sister companies did the other day, the insured appearing in the flesh a week after the insurance check had been received. This is "promptness" indeed.

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