ent life insurance companies
which have separate sections for total abstainers and
non-abstainers. The Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York,
one of the large companies, showed after a few years' experience
with the two sections a death-rate 23 per cent. higher among the
drinkers than among the abstainers. The Sceptre Life for the
years from 1884 to 1903, inclusive, gave the following: Expected
deaths of abstainers, 1,440; actual deaths, 792, being 55 per
cent. of the expected. Expected deaths of non-abstainers, 2,730;
actual deaths, 1,880, or 79 per cent. of the expected. The
Scottish Temperance Life from 1883 to 1902 gave the following:
Abstainers, expected deaths, 936; actual deaths, 420, or 45 per
cent. of the expected. Non-abstainers, expected deaths, 319;
actual deaths, 225, or 71 per cent. of the expected.

Mr. Van Cise goes on to show that the statistics which have been
published from time to time, giving the percentages of mortality
in the various occupations of life, invariably show a higher
death-rate among those engaged in the liquor business than among
those engaged in other lines of work, except such as are
specially hazardous. He says: 'The higher death-rate among
liquor dealers is so universally recognized by life assurance
companies that a number of them will not issue policies, even on
the lives of the richest brewers, upon any terms, and not one of
the companies, to my knowledge, admits liquor dealers upon as
advantageous terms as those engaged in other ordinary
occupations.' He then quotes from a circular sent to the agency
force of a prominent United States company, in which attention
is called to a rule which forbids the taking of any risks on
bartenders: 'Saloonkeepers, generally, not taken, but best of
this class may be accepted on 10 or 15 year endowments only.'
Others connected more remotely with the liquor business might be
taken with a charge of $5.00 per thousand extra. The circular of
instructions adds that the limitations of liquor dealers are
made necessary 'by the very excessive rate of mortality found to
exist among persons so employed.'

Mr. Van Cise closed his address before the Actuaries' Society by
saying: 'I contend that the facts given in this paper show
conclusively that the effect of total abstinence is to lower the
death-