THE EQUITABLE LUNCH CLUB.

On April 25, 1891, recognizing the advantages of gathering together for an interchange of ideas, the Pittsburg agents of the Equitable were invited to lunch in a private room at the Hotel Duquesne, Pittsburg, with a view to effecting a permanent organization. After the lunch the organization was completed by calling it "The Equitable Lunch Club," and it was decided to meet every other Saturday at noon. Captain Denis Behen, who has since died, a venerable life assurance man, with a most enviable reputation, and an example for all assurance men who knew him to follow, honored the club by accepting the first presidency, and a permanent secretary, Mr. Renwick T. Sloane, was elected. It was, as far as I know, the first organization of its kind in the country, although the idea has since been followed by many agencies of the Equitable and by some of other companies, because the advantages that have arisen from it have been so conspicuous.

The club has grown until now it may be considered the backbone of the organization of the Pittsburg agency. It is a channel through which the experience of each agent is communicated to all. It is a forum for discussing practical questions about the business, a school for training new men. It affords an opportunity for announcing or explaining the plans, rules and methods of the Society, and above all, and perhaps more important than all, it affords a social occasion at which once every two weeks at least, the manager and agents and office force can meet together when not under the strain of pressure for business, and good fellowship enables all to rub off the sharp corners which are necessarily, and often unnecessarily, felt in the business transactions of the week.

The usual course of proceedings is, first the simple lunch, then the reading of the minutes of the previous meeting, announcements by the manager of the progress of the agency and its business, any items of current news concerning the Society, assurance business in general, items of interest about other companies or some unusually good policy or settlement which has been written or made. Then a general discussion of some topic of practical value to

the agent, the subject having been announced some days in advance. I could not help noticing, in looking over the early minutes of the club, how usual it was at that time to discuss some other company, its policies and methods of doing business. Gradually, however, discussion of other companies has almost stopped, and, instead of it, practical questions are taken up affecting the work of the agents in general. For example, recently such questions have been discussed as:

"How best to prepare and work large cases."
"How to present partnership assurance."
"How best to present the Gold Bond."
"How to assure women."

"The advantages of instalment assurance." "The advantages and disadvantages of work."

"How best to meet competition."

team

"How most effectively to meet the rebate evil," "How to check the dividing of commission with third parties."

"The advantages of a clientele, and how to secure it."

The advantage of having the experience of each one communicated to all, particularly when practical questions are discussed, must be apparent to every one.

While other professions, and even other trades, require systematic training, sometimes for years, life assurance seems to be the one business in which the giving of a rate book, and the proper forms, and a few circulars, and an hour's talk, is expected to suddenly fit a man for the business which is yearly becoming more scientific, and in which only experts can hope to become permanently successful. Some form of training school seems absolutely necessary to properly equip the novice. It is necessary to constantly communicate the experience of one to all; to keep abreast of changing methods of transacting business, and of meeting demands of different times and forms of policy. Even the agent longest in the business can learn much at every meeting, and I believe the Lunch Club can be made in any large agency, with the active co-operation of all of the agents, a mighty engine for good, to solidify the agency, to give it esprit de corps, to make its members more intelligent, more skilful and more loyal, and more in accord with the Society and the head of the agency.

EDWARD A. WOODS.

THE FOUR GUESTS.

A knock at the door-but he

Was dreaming a dream of fame,

And the one who knocked drew softly

back,

And never again he came.

A knock at the door-as soft

As soft-as shy-as a dove,

But the dreamer dreamed till the guest was

gone

And the guest was Love.

A knock at the door-again

The dreamer dreamed away Unheeding-deaf to the gentle call

Of the one who came that day.

A knock at the door-no more

The guest to that door came;

Yet the dreamer dreamed of the one who called

For the guest was Fame.

A knock at the door-but still

He gave it no reply;

And the waiting guest gave a cheery hail

Ere he slowly wandered by.

A knock at the door-in dreams

The dreamer fain would grope,

Till the guest stole on, with a humbled sigh

And the guest was Hope.

A knock at the door-'twas loud,
With might in every stroke;

And the dreamer stopped in his dreaming thought,

And suddenly awoke.

A knock at the door-he ran

With the swiftness of a breath; And the door swung wide, and the guest came in

And the guest was Death.

-Baltimore American.

MULTUM IN PARVO.

Here is a very striking little reading notice published by H. D. Neely. He runs two or three of them daily, distributed through the newspaper, and reports that they are receiving much comment, which they ought to:

"For policies that are sight drafts at maturity apply to H. D. Neely, Manager Equitable Life, 206 and 208 Bee Building."

PROTECTION

THAT

PROTECTS

STRONGEST

IN THE

WORLD

THE EQUITABLE

LIFE ASSURANCE SOCIETY OF THE U. S.

"O, MR. O'CALLAGHAN."

Last night, at 39 Stephen's Green, the Irish representatives of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States made their manager, Mr. Stokes O'Callaghan, the recipient of a handsome address and costly presentation. Mr. O'Callaghan is held in high esteem by those associated with him in the work of the Equitable Society, and by none more so than the Irish agents, whose presentation was a tribute alike to his sterling personal qualities and business capabilities. The presentation was made on behalf of the Irish representatives by Mr. Fred. Hill.-Irish Times.

Who hath his collar button lost The chase need ne'er give o'er. Barefooted, let him close his eyes And promenade the floor.

-Chicago Record.

A TIMELY LETTER.

In view of the present outlook for continued prosperity and the prospects that most men's earnings will largely increase during the next few years, the following extracts from a letter seem particularly appropriate. The letter was written by an Equitable agent to a man of large income, whom he was trying to interest in largely increasing his assurance:

"In giving the last final consideration to the question of the amount of protection which you can now give to your family, permit me to emphasize two points for your most careful thought:

First. You mentioned at our interview various sums of money placed by you in recent years in investments, which are, for the present at least, unprofitable. These amounts would have been more than ample to have carried a full hundred thousand of assurance. If, from a smaller income you have spared a larger amount for poor investments in the past, can you not comparatively and reasonably anticipate being able to spare a smaller sum for such a desirable investment as is now under consideration? In addition, bear in mind that your prospects are brighter for a larger income than you have ever had.

Second. Confidentially, I am informed that you have in anticipation the expansion of your business. This must involve the reinvestment in said business of considerable profits, which would otherwise have been placed in outside investments, such as mortgages, bank stock, etc. You, of course, are more familiar with the Steel Company's affairs than I could ever be. You agree that your investment in the company is worth far more when supplemented by your brains and personal management. When you assure your life, therefore, you accomplish all that a man ordinarily situated would do, and, in addition, are assuring your capital. In view of the proposed expansion, it would seem that you need, more than ever before, an increased protection for the increased capital and the increased earning power. The greater the investments in your business, the greater will probably be your income, if you live; and equally true the greater the loss to your family by shrinkage in values, should the managing brains be taken away. I can not too strongly impress this fact upon you. Of all the prominent business men to whom I have sold large blocks of assurance, I never knew one who was in a position which permitted, and at the same time imperatively demanded, such a large amount of assurance.

I know that you will continue to give the matter the same conscientious and thorough consideration which it has had from you in the past. You still have an opportunity open to you which can never again be presented under so advantageous conditions or at so low a premium rate, to say nothing of the possibility that you might never be able to secure life assurance at any terms."

It is interesting to note that the writer of this letter has since largely increased the assurance on his correspondent's life.

THE COMING OF AGE OF ONE OF THE EQUITABLE FAMILY.

(From the Irish Figaro.)

A function of a most interesting character took place, a few evenings ago, at the Equitable Life Assurance Society's new offices in Stephen's Green. A large number of the many friends of the Society assembled, at the invitation of the genial manager for Dublin and the South of Ireland, Mr. Stokes O'Callaghan, to pay a fitting tribute of congratulation to Mr. Alexander Munkittrick, Jun., on his coming of age.

The following is the text of the address, which was accompanied by a very handsome Tantalus, combining a cigar box, in chaste silver fittings:

TO ALEXANDER MUNKITTRICK, Jun., Esq.,

Dear Sir.-We, the undersigned, being a committee of the Irish representatives of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, tender our warm congratulations to you on attaining your majority.

We avail ourselves of the auspicious occasion to express our feeling of pride and satisfaction that you are not alone connected with the Society yourself, but are allied to it by ties and associations which are bound up with its career in this country. As the Equitable Society was introduced and established in Great Britain and Ireland by your grandfather, so your esteemed and valued father has been identified with its progress and development; and may we indulge the hope, the continuity of its success may be maintained by the representative of the third generation?

In offering you our best wishes for your future, we desire to emphasize our sense of deep respect and admiration for the business capacity of your father-one of the kindliest managers-a man of the highest rank in his profession, and one whose whole life has been unreservedly, faithfully, and diligently given to the Society since the first day he entered their services under his father's guidance. We well remember the gallant fight he made to defend the interests of the Society in the notable Belfast Trials. We are aware of the high compliments paid to him by the judges who tried the case, and by the counsel who were even against With all these facts, we feel we would be wanting in our duty if we let the opportunity pass without wishing you every happiness on your twenty-first birthday, and asking you to accept the little memento accompanying this address, and praying God to spare you to follow in the honorable footsteps of your father and grandfather. Signed on behalf of the Irish representatives of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States.

us.

M. STOKES O'CALLAGHAN, Irish Manager. Austin Meldon, J. P., D. L., T. Myles, F. R. C. S. I., J. A. Cavanagh, Fred Hill, P. H. Meade, Edmond Murphy, N. Henry Hobart, Arthur Russell, R. Borland.

THE EQUITABLE NEWS

An Agents' Journal.

FRANK F. EDWARDS, Editor.

JANUARY, 1901.

The Equitable is the agents' company. Your steadfastness on January 1, 1900, proved it. The results of your labors for the year, reported on January 1, 1901, illustrated it. I congratulate you.

It is a source of pride and gratification to me to be identified with a Society represented by such a body of field officers.

In the beginning, the Equitable was called the agents' company because it was the first to protect his interests by an adequate contract. But the aptness of this title comprehends more than this. The Equitable may be said to be the agents' company because it has the best body of agents, and because it is the best company for the agent to represent. And it is the best company for the agent to represent because it is the best company for the policyholder to be identified with. Never lose sight of the fact that the Equitable is conducted on the mutual plan, not only in name, but in fact; that it has inaugurated the great reforms which have benefited alike the agent and the policyholder. The interests of the agent and of the policyholder are one. You all, for example, recognize to-day that our new basis of compensating agents is best for the agent; that it is infinitely better than the old for policyholders also, should be a source of peculiar gratification to you at this time, as it is to every director and officer of the Society.

May you prosper in 1901 as you deserve, and may the Equitable ever deserve to be named The Agents' Company!

Jamesevalexander

It is, indeed, a great pleasure to me to send, through the columns of the NEWS, a little message to the builders of the Equitable's greatness-its representatives in the field. The message I would send should be

one of greeting, of thanks, and of encouragement. A message greeting my fellowworkers at the dawn of a new year and a new century, with my sincere, best wishes for your happiness and prosperity during the' coming years. A message of heartfelt thanks for your magnificent efforts during the past year, efforts which have been productive of such great results. A message of encouragement for the future in declaring on behalf of my brother officers, and myself, that now and in the future, as in the past, the Equitable shall be an agents' company, and that your efforts will be backed up in every possible way by, the officers of this Society.

And now a wish for the new century. May the Equitable continue on her unprecendentedly successful career. May she ever grow in all that is great and desirable in such a sacred trust; and may there always be that esprit de corps which has this year been so forcibly displayed, and which has made the loyalty of the Equitable family the wonder of the assurance world.

Jauns MHyde

Just a year since THE EQUITABLE NEWS got itself together and started out on its way to meet the Equitable agents, see what they were doing and what they were talking about, and help them, if possible, in various ways, by getting them into closer communication with each other. In that short year it has accomplished so much of its object and gained such a hold on the friendships and affections of the agents. that we feel it has surely proved a “raison d'etre," and is entitled to a place among the permanent publications of the Society. The editor has asked me to thank you for the support you have given the paper, and the interest you have manifested in all its features. I do this very earnestly, and with a heart full of gratitude for many things accomplished by Equitable agents during the past year, chief among which is the victory they have won over the old demoralizing methods and the great forward movement they have made in the uplifting and digni