out of it came that cornerstone of our modern civilization, the Magna Charta.

the

This splendid champion of individual rights brought with it the first idea of the home as a unit of society, and out of it grew the idea that "a man's house is his castle." When this idea took firm hold upon the individual he immediately took steps to strengthen, and defend, and protect his own castle, rather than that of his Feudal Lord. With the growth of the home idea came the spirit of liberty, fraternity and equality, which forms fabric of our modern society. With greater freedom came finer sensibilities, a greater love of kind, and a desire not only to protect their kindred while with them, but to provide for their protection and wants after they had passed away. One day a wise one suggested a system of co-operation by which those who remained were to provide for the loved ones of those who passed on before, and thus was developed the germ of modern life insurance.

It has taken two thousand years of struggle and warfare and bloodshed to bring human hearts to the full realization of the value of a human life. Such has been the evolution that has brought us our splendid system of co-operation to protect the home, commonly called life insurance. If this has been the outgrowth of two thousand years of evolution of the human heart, think ye, brethren, that it will ever retrograde or become obsolete? Never, so long as men live and labor and die for those they love. A timid brother asked me recently if I thought life insurance would be ruined by the recent investigations. I said to him, "No, dearie, no.' I told him that human institutions reflected the weaknesses of the human beings who managed them, and therefore there would and must be investigations, upheavals, and removals, but life insurance must and will go steadily forward. Why? Because the world must have life insurance. I recently sat on the deck of a steamer several hours each day watching the path of the vessel with its many windings and turnings, and queried why a skilled pilot could not guide the boat in a straight course in an open sea and with fair winds. But on reflection it occurred to me that if I could stand on the lighthouse at Sandy Hook and look across to the lightship at Queenstown that all the curves and turnings would be obliterated and the

vessel's path would be reduced to a straight line. Such will be the path of legitimate life insurance when viewed by the perspective of twenty-five years hence, or fifteen, or even ten years, if you please. It is not within the scope and volume of any man's brain to predict the future of life insurance, and the nearest we can approximate to it is to reflect on the wonderful development that has taken place within the past ten years.

With love as the pole star and loving hands to man her, the grand old ship of life insurance will sail serenely on, and never lower her flag or furl a sail, so long as there are loving hearts to cheer or weak ones to aid in the struggle of life.

President Dolph-The next business is the report of the nominating committee, and I would ask the chairman to step to the platform.

Mr. Wood-Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Convention: I have the honor and great pleasure to present the following report:

President: Charles W. Scovel, Pittsburg, Pa.

First Vice-President: George Benham, St. Louis, Mo. Second Vice-President: F. E. McMullen, Rochester, N. Y.

Third Vice-President: R. F. Shedden, Atlanta, Ga. Secretary: Ernest J. Clark, Baltimore, Md. Treasurer: Eli D. Weeks, Litchfield, Conn.

Executive Committee: Three years-C. W. Orr, Fort Wayne, Ind; R. L. Foreman, Atlanta, Ga.; W. R Noble, Louisville, Ky.; J. A. Wellman, Manchester, N. H.; Wm. Van Sickle, Detroit, Mich.; George L. Root, Peoria, Ill.; H. E Aldrich, Des Moines, Ia.; George Benham, St. Louis, Mo.; W. M. Wood, Pittsburg, Pa.; John Steele, Lincoln, Neb. In place of Dr. S. L. Fuller for one year to run, D. M. Baker of Chicago.

Mr. Scott-I move that the rules be suspended and that the secretary be instructed to cast one vote for the election of the gentlemen just named.

The motion prevailed.

Mr. Wood-Your committee might mention that those nominations were unanimous in every case.

The secretary then announced that he had cast the ballot as instructed, and the gentlemen were declared

elected by ex-President Dolph, who requested Mr. Schell of Philadelphia, and Mr. Van Tuyl of Minneapolis to escort the newly-elected president to the platform. This having been done, Mr. Dolph said:

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Scovel: On behalf of this convention I desire to welcome you to your new office. In a very few words I would like to say that I believe, Mr. Scovel, that this association will recognize that they are under obligations to you for your acceptance of this position, because I believe we all realize the sacrifice and the importance which is placed upon the position. I would like to say, however, that when your year of service is ended (I speak from experience) you will feel grateful to this convention for the honor they have conferred upon you. I further would say that I congratulate you particularly at this time because of the great honor that is presented to you and to this organization for the work before it. In presenting you with this gavel as the emblem of your office, I predict that this organization will go on to greater accomplishments than it has ever seen before. Mr. Dolph then gave the gavel to Mr. Scovel, who took the chairman's position on the platform, and addressed the convention as follows:

Mr. Dolph, Ladies and Gentlemen, Sisters and Brothers of the Life Insurance Profession: I do not have to wait until the end of the year in order to feel both honored and gratified beyond any power of my words, or of any words, to express. I can only look around this assembly into the beaming countenances, the cordiality of which, I cannot but feel is of the type of that smile that doesn't wear off, because it goes clear down to the heart. That is the kind of smile, as I hope everybody realizes, that is on my face and clear down to my heart. It would be impossible for this work to be done at all successfully without this complete cordiality in the personal confidence and actual co-operation of every member. That above all is what I wish to bespeak for the new administration throughout the year.

I do not at all regard the most honorable and complimentary election as in any sense a personal tribute or compliment. I feel that is paid mainly to the Pittsburg

Association, which I have had the honor of representing on this floor with others for a number of years; the Pitts

burg Association, which was the first in the country to follow Boston's good example and start the movement through the country, out of which the National Association has come; and which has never asked for, or received, any of the more important offices of this association. In the name of the Pittsburg Association I desire to thank you for this recognition.

I am gratified to have the new administration begin at the city of Hartford, which has been for so long such a great center of insurance influence throughout the country.. If that which begins here today can be, in its small way, anything like as successful and as complete and as free from flaw as have been the other insurance influences emanating from Hartford, I shall be indeed proud at the close. [Applause.]

Nothing in the nature of a speech is, of course, expected from the incoming president at this time, but I cannot refrain from saying one thing: I have noticed at this convention that the readiest and most universal applause, among all the kindly marks of approval that have been bestowed upon the many good things that have been said, has come at every time when the spirit of brotherhood, the duty of standing shoulder to shoulder in defence, was brought out pointedly. Repeatedly it has been the case that, when there has been mention of that phase of our work the solidarity with which we, as the people who know about things, must stand together to make things clear when misunderstood and to defend things when misrepresented, it has awakened a ready and immediate response all over the house. In this par

ticular period of insurance history, this critical period, such standing together must be our particular duty and pleasure. And so, for this year's motto of our association, I would like to give the old cry of the Three Guards"Each for all, and all for each." Again I thank you. [Applause.]

men:

Mr. J. R. Nutting, Atlanta, Ga.-Mr. Chairman, I learn

that Mr. Benham, who has just been elected first vicepresident, is not in the hall. The second and third vicepresidents are here, and I move that they be escorted to the platform.

The motion was carried.

President Scovel-I will appoint Mr. Nutting and Mr. Brown of Pittsburg to conduct Mr. McMullen to the platform, and Mr. Herrick of St. Louis and Mr. Durham of Philadelphia to conduct Col. Shedden to the platform.

This having been done, President Scovel continued: It is a great pleasure, ladies and gentlemen, to introduce to you today the second vice-president, whom I have long had the pleasure of knowing personally, and whose work in his own association has been known far beyond the confines thereof and whom I know you will find to be a most valuable factor in the work of the association this coming year. Mr. F. E McMullen of Rochester.

Mr. McMullen-Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: I cannot imagine what could have prompted the nominating committee to select me for this office, unless it

was in recognition of the work our thriving association has been doing in Central New York. Certainly I would not expect the honor and I am a little afraid at the end of the year you may feel as the New England farmer I heard about a short time ago. It seems he was leading an ox across the field and he came to a pair of barsthose big rails like they have in New England-and he could not let down the bars with one hand, nor did he want to release the rope, so he thought the matter over for a minute and finally decided to tie the rope around his body. He did that, and as he commenced to let down the bars the animal started in the other direction and dragged him a mile or two over stone fences and bumps and rough places before he became untangled from the rope. His neighbors saw the accident, came out and gathered around him, and finally when he came to, one of