surance management, and our neglect of the science of fire prevention.

83. Fire Insurance. Many people do not understand the relation of fire insurance to the loss of property. When there is a fire such people say, "Oh well, the loss was covered by insurance; there was not much harm done." They do not seem to realize that the community has lost a house, or a lot of furniture, or some other valuable things. The community has had a serious loss even if the person whose property was burned is fully paid for it by the other people in the community through an insurance company. If my house is burned and if twenty people including myself form the company which pays the insurance, the other nineteen pay for my house. The next house that burns, we all help to pay for. Therefore insurance risks or insurance rates, as they are called, rise with the number of fires. Some one always bears the loss.

84. Careless Agents. It has been the custom in America for insurance companies to employ agents and give them a commission on all the insurance they sell. It is therefore to the interest of the agent to get people to insure their property for as large sums as possible. It is the duty of the agent to see that the insurance is not too high, but he gets nothing for doing this part of his duty. Some dishonest agents have therefore insured worthless property for sums so large as to tempt dishonest owners to burn it for the sake of the insurance. The company often pays the insurance without carefully investigating the cause of the fire. Such conduct increases our fire insurance rates; and all of us have to pay for the work of these careless agents and these dishonest property owners.

85. Fire Prevention. In all matters of this kind an

ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A thousand dollars spent in fire-prevention is worth many thousands spent in rebuilding or even in fire-fighting after the blaze has started. The first step in fire prevention is suggested in the last paragraph. Let us be more careful with our

An excellent place to start a costly fire.

insurance. But we must also educate people in the care of their property. Many poor people work so hard all of the time that they have no energy left to take care of things at home. They allow rubbish to collect in the cellars and alleyways. They let the children play with matches and start fires with oil. They permit foolish boys to smoke cigarettes about the house where they are almost certain to drop fire into some dangerous place. But the poor people are not the only careless ones. Factory owners fail to

install sprinkler systems. These are lines of pipes through the upper part of rooms where fire might occur. These pipes have places in them which will melt with a very small amount of heat; and when they melt the water rushes out wetting everything below them.

86. Volunteer and Expert Firemen. When the people in cities first began to coöperate in fighting fire they

depended on volunteer companies. These firemen meant well, but like most volunteer workers they were often so inefficient that they became the subject of newspaper jokes. The members never knew where their equipment was; they were always away from home when the fire call came; they were not in proper training to stand the strain of real firefighting. But the volunteer companies were better than none; they did much good; and they led the way to the creation of the fire companies of to-day, which contain as large a proportion of heroes as any body of men in the

world. They are trained experts, ready to rush to a fire on an instant's notice, and more than ready to plunge into the most dangerous places to save life or even property. They are kept in good physical condition and are a subject of pride to all citizens who know their work.

87. The Fire Department. The head of the fire department is generally appointed by the head of the city government. In the department are two main divisions: that of fire prevention and that of fire-fighting. Both of these are manned by trained persons, and both should have the most modern equipment. Every pupil should visit a fire house and see how well equipped his city is for saving life and property from such danger. He should also, if possible, visit the fire-prevention bureau and see the means it has of educating the public in the need of guarding against fires, and the way of avoiding danger.

88. Policemen. The policeman protects us from other dangers just as the fireman protects us from fire. He has many different duties, so many that he has to be given the general name "police," which means city officer or public officer. He is a sort of walking bureau of information, as well as protector of the weak. He stands on the street corner and directs the traffic so that there will be no confusion; he helps feeble persons to cross the street; he restores lost children to their homes; he prevents disorder when there is excitement as, for example, from a cry of fire; he arrests persons who are violating the laws to safeguard health. In fact, he looks after the welfare of the city, much as the owner of an estate would look after his property. These officers, like the firemen, are of recent origin. There had been no organized volunteer system, and when the policeman first appeared in uniform ignorant people were

prejudiced against them. When disorder occurred these ignorant people took the side of the criminal or the disorderly person against the officer. This was because they did not understand the duty of the policeman, who is a servant of the community.

A policeman controlling traffic at a busy corner.

89. Prevention of Crime. Just as one important duty of the fire department is to prevent fires, so one important duty of the police department is to prevent crime or disorder. In each case this work of the officers is quiet and attracts but little attention. We become enthusiastic about the heroic fireman or policeman who saves a life or captures a criminal; but the expert members of these departments, who work quietly, deserve just as much of our admiration. It would be impossible for the policemen to watch all of the property of a city. They therefore watch