Show Staggering Life Insurance Figures I ISOME Q S SOME oM OME totals of life insurance written in the U United States during recent years are so BO huge as ns to stagger credulity In the y year r 1917 the year we entered the war there was written of life insurance in inthe inthe the United States as compared with in 1916 the largest previous record for a 3 single year Thus I the tho war year of 1917 showed an increase of 16 per cent in in the amount of new nOW business written In 1918 1018 or a I. I greater part of it while physically at war there was vas written of life insurance an nn increase of 5 I I Iper 1917 despite the f fact ad per cent over the amount written in that the government was also writing life insurance In Li Inho ho tho year 1919 1019 although still technically at war there was written in excess of f of life insurance an increase of 67 per cent over 1918 In the first four months of this year there b has been written by all nIl the ife life companies approximately ly of new business or at the Uie rate of for the year showing that the people of the United States are arc today buying twice as much life insurance protection as they bought two years ago and that year 1918 was a record year Twenty years ago the total old line or legal reserve life insurance in force on American policyholders was business alone will rill be befar befar befar This years year's new far greater than the total amount of legal reserve life in- in nf L 91 f 4 n ur- ur protection in LUC v I ance Inee protection on the lives cs of Americans without including including in in- in- in this years year's increase is These figures are vouched for and gleaned from an 11 address by Job E. E Hedges Hodges general counsel Association of Life Insurance Presidents at Washington D. D C. C May 12 1920 who adds dds What deduction can we make from these figures 7 It is the visible testimony of the insured to their practical belief in thrift and foresight In other words the insurance public is protecting itself Awhile while the general public governmentally and socially is getting ready to start to begin to commence to practice what it itI preaches to itself but is still indulging in the enjoyment I of the fleshpots before going on a scientific diet Another deduction that might be made is that the uncertainty of life emphasized by the war has been boon a n grent great object lesson of the value of life insurance and yet another deduction is that notwithstanding the tho saturnalia a of spending which has hns been going on in this country since the armistice said to be the most extravagant in history enough has been saved from the wreck to pay the premiums on this enormous amount of insurance |