ABSTRACT
If some half-dozen grocers in London were to stick in their windows – flaming placards announcing – “no Poison used in this shop to heighten the colour of Our green tea,” an impression would be produced in timid minds that in other shops poison was used for that purpose. In like manner when some half-dozen Assurance Offices announce, as a prominent feature in their business, that Their Policies are Indisputable, the inference naturally arises that it is the practice of other offices to dispute their Policies. This, however, is altogether contrary to fact. The records of our law courts shew that such an occurrence very rarely arises. We confidently assert that of all the Policies that have been issued since Life Assurance was instituted not one in ten thousand has been the subject of litigation between the offices and the representatives of the deceased. It is well known that except in some glaring instance of fraud, no office would venture to throw the slightest shadow of doubt on the validity of a Policy. It would be as dangerous to the credit of an Institution to do so, as it would be for a Bank of issue to question the value of those of its notes that might be brought to their counter a little soiled. There can be no doubt that, with the greatest care an Assurance Office can exercise in the matter of selection, a soiled life will now and then escape its notice; but such a mishap is no more to be avoided than a turnpike-gate man can secure himself from occasionally taking a bad sixpence. It is a casualty natural to the course of business. To declare, however, that no fraudulent misrepresentation, no villainous contrivances that may have been exercised in procuring a Policy on the life of a man of whom it is discovered that at the time the proposal was made he was laboring under cancer or some disease leading to inevitable and speedy death, is as absurd in principle and as dangerous in practice as it would be for a tradesman to debar himself of remedy against any customer from whom he may have received a forged note.
