There are in active existence so many insur- ance companies of good repute and undoubted stability that no difficulty need be experienced in making a judicious selection. Of course, the intelligent insurer would prefer an office whose system would best suit his own requirements. There are two kinds of Insurance Companies, one known as a "Mutual" office, in which _all_ the profits which may be earned are periodically added to the amount insured, the other in the form of a Joint-Stock Company, in which a small proportion of the profits are distributed amongst the Shareholders and the remainder added to the Insurances. The Mutual Office dividing the whole of its profits amongst the insured would appear to be the more advantageous of the two, and undoubtedly it is, all other things being equal; but insurances may be effected which do not share in the profits, at lower rate of pre- mium, and in that case one system is as good as the other. The intending insurer would do well to obtain the prospectuses of several offices, which he can easily do by writing for them direct to the head office or by applying to the several agents of the companies who abound in all towns; and carefully compare one with another. It will be found, perhaps, that one office charges a less annual premium for an in- surance than another, but this may be compen- sated for by the latter declaring larger profits, or giving advantages in other ways. For instance, a certain "Mutual" office charges for an insur- ance of £1,000, on the death of a person begin- ning to insure at the age of thirty, a pre- mium of £26 16s. 8d. per annum, whereas a certain Joint-Stock Company's demand is only £24 14s. 3d.; but the advantages offered by the former in the shape of larger bonuses, though deferred, are greater, while the benefit of a less annual payment is of course immediate. Where the insurance is effected at the same age and for the same amount, but with no other benefit or profit prospectively than the bare amount, the premium in the former case is £21 4s. 2d., and in the latter £21 15s. 10d. There are good offices, however, where the premium charged is less than this. There is at least one office which insures upon what is called the half-credit system. One-half the usual premium is paid for a certain term of years, and thereafter the full premium is charged. This may be useful in a case where a person wishes to insure while young and the premiums are low, and at the same time is desir- ous of deferring the full payment until his income is so improved that he can better afford it. This system is carried still further by an in- surer only paying half the premium during his lifetime, the other half being accumulated until his death, and then, with interest added, de- ducted from the amount payable in respect of the insurance policy.