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THE EQUITABLE NEWS

An Agents' Journal.

FRANK F. EDWARDS, Editor.

MARCH, 1900.

As a second instalment of "How to Be An Agent" we print on page 4 the substance of a paper submitted by the Secretary of the Equitable Society, to the members of the Western Pennsylvania Agency, at their annual convention, held in Pittsburg on the 23d of February.

Mr. Anson A. Maher asks:

"Would it not be wise to insert a leaflet in the "Record" saying if any of the friends of the policyholders desire this periodical, if the names were sent in by the policyholder to the Society or its managers, the same will be attended to? I thought possibly this suggestion might meet with your approval. If not, there is no harm done. The idea would be, of course, for the agent to deliver the first copy personally."

What do you think about this. It strikes us as a very good idea, but it would be practically impossible for the Home Office to look after sending the RECORDS Continuously to anyone excepting its policyholders. Wouldn't it pay the managers, however, to follow up such cases, the agent, as Mr. Maher says, delivering the first copy? If the agent succeeds in making him a member of the Society, he will, of course, receive his copy thereafter from the Home Office. Let us hear from you on this subject.

We advise every Equitable Manager who has the opportunity, to pay a visit to Pittsburg to study the manner in which the Western Pennsylvania Agency is conducted.

The Equitable Lunch Club, an organization of the Western Pennsylvania agents of the Society, has become an important engine for the advancement of the interests of the agency.

At the meetings of the club, which are of a confidential character, the Society, its policy of management, its forms of

contract and the difficulties which each member has to contend with in canvassing, are discussed. At the meeting held on the 24th of February, several of the officers of the Society were present, and they were deeply interested in the practical value of the information imparted by the Manager and by many of the members. Among other things he impressed upon those agents who busy themselves chiefly in writing one hundred thousand and two hundred thousand applications, the advantage of filling in the chinks with applications for smaller amounts.

He submitted to the agents certain dividend comparisons with various companies, showing the larger returns under Equitable policies and also showing the larger returns to the holders of deferred dividend policies as compared with those on the annual dividend plan. In the case of one competitor, where the return at the end of the accumulation period was far below that of the Equitable, he called attention to a table of the business transacted by the two companies in the State of Pennsylvania during the last five years, the comparison showing an enormous advantage for the Equitable, although the other company is one of the three largest organizations in the world.

The Buffalo News, of February 2, said: "A complimentary dinner was given to Dr. Edward W. Lambert, of New York, at the Iroquois Hotel last evening by about forty members of the Buffalo agency of the Equitable Life Assurance Society.

The

"Dr. Lambert is the original and senior medical director of the Society, and the only surviving original officer. He is the acknowledged authority on insurance matters in his department, and is so regarded throughout the insurance world. agency's medical examiners from Niagara Falls, Tonawanda, Lockport, Warsaw, Olean, Gowanda, Lancaster, as well as the city examiners, were present. A. F. Aird, manager of the agency, presided."

Your particular attention is called to the announcer ent on the last page of this issue. This is intended for an "exchange" of views between all the members of the Equitable family, and not for a medium to air the views of the home office.

ANNUAL CONVENTION IN PITTSBURG.

Manager E. A. Woods gave his annual banquet to the members of the Western Pennsylvania Agency at the Schenley Hotel in Pittsburg on the 23d of February. More than one hundred persons sat down to dinner in the great ball room of the hotel. Among the guests of the evening were the Secretary, Actuary, and Mr. Dean, from the home office; Mr. Bowes, of Baltimore; Mr. Rosenfeld, of Cincinnati, and Messrs. McCook, Watterson and a number of other prominent citizens of Pittsburg.

The most eloquent oration was delivered by Mr. Bowes. The Manager's address was full of practical matter. Mr. Van Cise in a dignified and earnest speech impressed upon those present the fact that the officers and directors of the Equitable are all of one mind, and that their constant aim is to so conduct the business of the Society that it may ever claim to be the "strongest in the world."

Many stories were told by the various speakers, and throughout the evening there were roars of laughter and thunders of applause, but the Western Pennsylvania Agency is a magnificent business organization, and underneath all the fun and enjoyment it was obvious that the banquet had a serious business purpose and that the agents in attendance would go forth with cool heads and clear brains, conquering and to conquer. Already their business this year is well in advance of last year.

The generous Manager, at the close of the entertainment, presented to certain of the agents a number of valuable prizes for work done and records made. Mr. R. P. Clark received two prizes, one a ticket for himself and his wife to the Paris Exposition, and the other a handsome gold time piece.

PAY UP NOW.

Last week a delinquent subscriber said he would pay up if he lived. He died. Another said: "I will see you to-morrow." He's blind. Still another said: "I'll pay you this week or go to the devil." He's gone. There are hundreds who ought to take warning of these procrastinators and pay up now.-Finley (S. D.) Slope.

[Same way with life assurance.-ED.]

ANOTHER BEHIND MAN.

We've heard so much about the men who are behind the guns,

And those behind the behind man beneath the tropic suns,

And men behind the counter-slab, the men behind the bar,

The men behind the engine crank, and the butt of a cigar.

And the men behind the Government, the men behind the "pull,"

And other men away behind because they're loaded full

But there's a human specimen who's missing from the list,

A sneaking, bleating lambkin and a blooming pessimist,

Who protests as the nation swift to greatest glory climbs

The sneaking, snivelling hypocrite "the
man behind the times!"
J. O.
-N. Y. Sun.

[The man most notoriously "behind the times" is the man who has failed to have his life assured. It is the duty of the agent to see that his fellowman does not stay "behind the times," but keeps right up with the parade-and as near the band wagon as possible.-Ed.]

It is with great regret that the cfficers of the Society are obliged to announce the death of Mr. James Thomas, an old friend of the Society, and its valued representative in Central America for over twenty years. Mr. Thomas died in Managua on February 24th, 1900, in the sixty-seventh year of his age. He has been a most zealous champion of, and worker for, the Equitable. By his loyalty, keen foresight and good judgment he was able to save the Society from loss and expense, and was called upon many times to act in embarassing contingencies, at which times he protected the Society in a most energetic and skillful manner.

Mr. Thomas was remarkable not only for dignified and imposing presence, but for a kindly and genial nature. No person met him without being impressed with his simplicity and sterling integrity. He managed for many years a most difficult field, and it will be almost impossible to find one who can in all respects fill his place.

FABLES FOR AGENTS.

III. The Two Pills.

Once a man had a system which was weak and shaky, and he looked about for a workman to build it up.

Two Quinine Pills, who lived in the town, offered their services.

They looked exactly alike, and each said he could do the job, but as one offered to do it for less money than the other, the man choose the "cheaper" Pill.

When the cheap Pill had finished the man found his system as shaky as ever, so he had to hire the other Pill to do the work

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"THE BITER BIT."

Mr. A. M. Shields sends the following letter from one of his agents, Mr. B. L. La Muerte, which tells its own story. Mr. La Muerte has recently come over to the Equitable from another company, whose name, of course, we refuse to tell, but which we will speak of as the Any Old Life Company:

"An amusing circumstance happened yesterday, and I am feeling so good over it that I can not resist the temptation to let you hear of it. A 'risk' whom I insured in the A. O. L. last summer had a friend who wanted some insurance, and he told the

THE PILLS LOOKED EXACTLY ALIKE.

(a) To promise is one thing; to perform is another.

(b) Some things are dear at any price. (c) Assessment Assurance at the best gives very shaky protection.

PLATO.

To those who have been the victims of slander we commend the philosopher Plato, who, when asked what he was going to do in view of the fact that some one had spoken evil of him, replied that he was going to live in such a way that no one would believe it.

[That is why no attacks have any effect on the prosperity of the Equitable-because they are not believed.]

prospect he would come in and get me to go out and see him. He lives at Poway, 25 miles out. They came in, and started to hunt me up. Of course they went to my old office, and met the other agent. He explained to them that what he did would be all right with me,

as he represented me, and it was the same company, etc., besides, he was going out there anyway, and it would save me the trouble. Well, he went on his wheel, but in the meantime they met me. The situation was explained. It ended by my going down to the livery and getting a smart team of horses, and started a stern chase. I knew the country, and I took a short cut, and I arrived first, by about thirty minutes. I had the prospect's application, and a binding receipt issued, and he was half examined when the A. O. L. man arrived. He was wild. I also secured another $2000, and will place $5000 debentures early in March with the friend who came in and told me about it, and have been promised introductions to nearly all the prominent people in the vicinity. I don't think the other agent got much enjoyment out of his twenty-five-mile ride home."

IMPORTANT NOTICE.

A reward of one hundred dollars (payable in fifty equal annual instalments) is offered by the managers and agents of the Society, for information which will lead to the detection and punishment of the author of the following anonymous verses. Two additional rewards of fifteen dollars each are offered by the chief medical director and the inspector general. A further reward of four dollars is added by the editor of this journal, who believes that dire punishment should fall upon the perpetrator of this crime.

THE AGENTS' ALPHABET.

A is for agent, so free from all guile,

And also the "apps" he gets once in a while.

B's for big business, for which Tarbell hollers; We'd much like to send him umpty-um million dollars.

C is for cash, and commissions as well,

That both help our elegant incomes to swell.

D is for doctor, who our client inspects, And also the word we say when he rejects.

Es for strong Equitable, free from mischances; We wish they would give us some good cash advances.

F, fortieth year; we're not over it yet. The fiftieth'll be a hummer-you bet.

G's for "Glad Hand" we oft get at 120;
Likewise "Glassy Stare," of which we get plenty.

H for the hustler who assurance can sell. The officers tell us to hustle like-Tarbell.

I's for Inspector. On a very slight basis

He trumps up a pretext to turn down our cases.

J for John Doe, champion policy taker,
Whose assurance exceeds that of John Wana-

maker.

K is for kidneys, whose chief aim and mission Seems to be to secrete every agent's commission.

L for the lives that we try to assure
To buy bread for ourselves; likewise (this is
French) beurre.

M is for Manager, who has such a "puddin,'" Although I confess that my own is a good 'un.

N's where we get it, to wit-namely-the neck, When the medical sharps of our hopes make a wreck.

O for officer, doing nothing but think

How to give us poor agents the hard dinky-dink.

P is for premiums, and likewise for policies, The "divvy" from which our woe somewhat mollifies.

Q for "quarterly premiums," of which we fight shy. They make us wait for our "coms" 'till the sweet by and by.

R is for Record. The paper's a dandy; To light fires and stop windows it comes in quite handy.

S is for sign on our banner unfurled;
The Strongest and best to be found in the world.

T is for time, which is money (?)-Oh, ma-ma! Ben Franklin was trying to give us the ha-ha!

U for ubiquitous, which the agent must be;
Who, in fact, must resemble the Irishman's flea.

V, "vermiform," which tries hard to spite us By giving our applicants appendicitis.

W' for Wilson, who greets us with laughter,
But not when he learns that it's cash we are after.

A for expense. We give no thought to it,
For the company pays all our expenses-Nit.

Y is for you, who this poem's enduredAnd, oh! by the way, are you fully assured?

Z for zero, the sum of my income, perhaps, Unless I drop poetry and hustle for "apps."

NO ICE TO-DAY.

The following letter was received by one of the Society's managers from one of his general agents.

"Inclosed find application of A. H. D. for a fifteen-year endowment. The icemen are complaining because there is no ice thick enough to cut. I could have helped them out, for I have found it thick, very thick, but am now breaking it up, of which the inclosed application is a wedge. At any rate, I mean to make life assurance stock look up in this section, whether it takes this month, next month, the month after, or a year, before I can get things going well. I do not make this statement to raise any expectations of a very productive business here in the near future, but simply to say that I get more satisfaction for the length of time I have worked Equitable than has ever been my experience with any other company, and so express my satisfaction to you as a guarantee of my interest."

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