C. C. HINE—PERSONAL.

The following is personal to C. C. Hine, the writer’s father, and consists of extracts from a “private” book, from obituary notices, anecdotes, etc.

I have found it impossible to select words that give a true idea of my father’s character, it was so simple, so lovable, so pure, and yet so strong, and even rugged. He had a faith that nothing could shake. There was no room for doubt in his mind; his religion was to him an absolute fact, and when his wonderful strength of character and broad knowledge of the world are considered, this child-like trust was remarkable. As boy and man he received many hard knocks in the struggle for existence and had seen rough and trying times, but through it all he kept his mind clean and his love for his fellow-man bright.

Presumably he was always so—the testimony of his mother indicated it, and I have only recently discovered a private book which was never intended for other eyes, but which shows one of his phases so clearly that it is here quoted from at length.

November 20, 1852, Mr. Hine wrote in this book which he then started for the purpose of systematizing and keeping track of his giving: “Three weeks before the beginning of the present month, I came to a definite conclusion regarding a system of formal and regular giving for charitable and religious purposes, with which to govern my future course.”

He adopted a scale system whereby, if his income ever reached $14,000 he would give one-half of it away, and this was not intended to cover “occasional and irregular giving”.

At the time he made this covenant with himself he was receiving, in St. Louis, $800 per annum. On the 1st of November he removed to New Albany, Ind., and began again at $400 per annum, but on December 1st his income was increased to the rate of $600 per annum.

That he gave until it hurt him there is ample evidence, for we read in January, 1853: “I find myself very much straitened in many matters and greatly fear I will fall far behind my hopes of what I should save up for my visit home March 1st”; but his accounts show that he kept on giving.

“July 4, 1853, I was married.—Prov. xxxi.:11. Amen. During August I was preparing to engage in a new line of duty, and as I am now entering upon an employment whose results will not be ascertainable each month I must credit what I give as I go along and then balance up a year hence.”

Apparently on December 31, 1854, he writes: “Not knowing the precise condition of my business I have been unable to charge up the percentages heretofore. I now find that my net income for the year ending, say, August, 1854, was about $1,800, besides my living. This, situated as I was, did not amount to more than $200 for self and wife. Calling the year in round numbers $2,000 I must charge myself with one fifteenth of the whole amount, which is $133.33.... I thought I was wonderfully liberal all along through these sixteen months, and yet the figures bring me in debt $75! I can never be sufficiently thankful that God put it into my heart to begin this account, for I have found that the majority of my opportunities for giving have occurred when, from exterior circumstances, I have ‘felt poor’, and but for the consciousness that I owed, fairly, justly and honestly owed, according to a bargain of my own making, a large balance to the Lord’s work in general, and perchance—who could know—to the very case in hand in particular, I should not have given even the little I have.”

By December 31, 1856, he had exceeded the limit for giving established by his scale to the extent of over 32 per cent. He debates with himself as to whether he should charge his pew rent in this account, but finally concludes to do so.

In 1857 he notes that his income is about $2,000 “and my family has been increased by a Father, Mother and Sister-in-Law, making me six mouths to fill instead of three....”

“I must now record one of those eras that will happen in men’s lives when they are not content to let well enough alone:—

“In April, 1857, I abandoned a prosperous business, mounted a hobby and galloped headlong into an enterprise that has sunk every cent I had in the world and plunged me very deeply in debt besides, so that I will have to work for years to extricate myself.

“I have now—July, 1858—as the result of my folly, no offering of money to make to the Lord’s cause.”

Then follows his account brought forward which, in spite of the fact that only one dollar is credited “By Missionary Subscription”, is still somewhat ahead of his limit.

“Many months have gone by since the foregoing was written—months of varied experience.

“In January, 1859, I relinquished my school enterprise, a loser, probably, of $13,000 and about $7,000 ‘worse than nothing’.... Providentially I was not permitted to remain idle a day. January 1st I was engaged with the Ætna Insurance Company at $1,500 per annum....

“It has been a matter of much debate in my mind whether it was proper for me while so deeply involved in debt to ‘give away’ anything. It has seemed like assuming to disburse the money that belongs to others without their knowledge or consent.

“I do not find, however, that, when I entered into this covenant seven years ago, I made any provision for my present predicament. Hence I must regard this covenant as prior, and not to be annulled by subsequent transactions. I am glad that I can see this view of the case very plainly, as I find great comfort in it. I shall now be relieved from one of the most onerous results of my pecuniary disaster—inability to join in the various contributions to the Lord’s cause.

“During the Winter and Spring of 1859 I was traveling in Texas. The following Summer in Kentucky, and the Winter of 1860 in Georgia, Alabama and other Southern States, until April. All this time being under great pecuniary pressure and not having clearly arrived at the decision just above recorded, my contributions were neither frequent nor large. No regular account was kept and I can only recall two in addition to those recorded.”

Then follows his ledger account with the various percentages charged against him, and showing that he had fallen considerably behind his scale.

“In June, 1860, I removed my family to Covington, Ky., to be near my business headquarters in Cincinnati, and I trust that I may again fall into somewhat like regularity of habits, both in my business life and Christian experience....”

April 5, 1861: “Hitherto this record has been kept in an old ‘Pass Book’, but from its semi-journal form it has assumed dimensions not anticipated nine years ago, when first begun. Hence I have purchased this book and copied out and set in order the whole thing from the beginning.

“But I find that this long parade of figures and remarks is likely—unless I have a care—to prove a snare to me, as Gideon’s ephod did to him and his house. Truly man delighteth in vanity.”

During the three years past his income had been gradually increased to $2,000 per annum, but “Sept. 1 (1862) my income was again decreased, on account of the stringency of war times, to $1,500”....

“This is the second year of the great civil war; times have been pretty hard for men with fixed incomes, but I have kept even, thanks to a kind Providence.”

By July, 1864, he had nearly caught up in his giving to the amount with which he had debited himself. At this time he writes:—

“Let me here record one of those singular and precious providences that my faith, thank God, is broad enough to recognize. The ‘war times’ were pinching me, prices of necessaries were enormous. Only by the closest figuring could I ‘make both ends meet’. I said to the Lord ‘Send me an increase and I will make a thank offering of the first $100’. On a business visit to New York this month I unexpectedly got a contract to write a book for $500, a matter to be completed ‘nights and mornings’ in three or four months. On my return home I obtained an advance on my salary of $750 per annum. An opportunity suddenly presented itself also for me to buy a piece of paper at a profit of $98 which I cleared in a transaction involving a couple of hours’ labor. These three things (if I except the advanced salary, which I ought to have had long ago, but had almost despaired of) were unexpected and providential. I was thus granted the honor of assisting in the rescue of the American Board by a greatly advanced (for me) contribution.”

January 9, 1865: “I was elected secretary of the International Insurance Company of New York, at a salary of $6,000. If I make a thank offering of my first half-month’s salary it will be in harmony with the past, but a small testimonial for the Lord’s goodness to me in giving me more than I asked.”

He then debits himself “To Thank Offering $250”.

“In March (1865) I removed from Walnut Hills, Ohio, to New York with my family, and on May 1st to Brooklyn, L. I., where we connect ourselves with the South Congregational Church, Rev. Edward Taylor, Pastor.”

By June, 1865, he had again slightly exceeded his limit of giving, and thereafter seems to have kept well ahead.

“We resided but one year in Brooklyn and in May, 1866, we went to Piermont, N. Y., on the Hudson, to spend the Summer. Here we remained four months and in September went to Newark, N. J., where we boarded until March, 1867, when, on the completion of our new house at Woodside, N. J., we removed to that beautiful place in the expectation and hope of making it our permanent home. Our family consisted of six souls.”

The next entry was made in 1879, and reads:—

“Years have elapsed—twelve of them—since the last entry in this book, and I have been meantime having my books of account kept as memoranda, rather than as double entry accounts, in deference to a favorite employee, so that I have been unable to make precise statements. For 1867 I paid income tax on $6,280, but that was after allowed deductions of nearly $1,900. In March, 1868, I became the proprietor of the Insurance Monitor in New York and entered upon a publishing business which for several years netted me $12,000 per annum. Since 1873 this has gradually fallen off and now, 1879, amounts to but half as much. I think that, for the last thirteen years, 1867-1879 inclusive, $8,000 per annum would be a full statement of my profits....”

Mr. Hine goes on to state that during all these years he has kept no detailed account, but is satisfied he has given sufficient to cover the percentage due, and that “there is no necessity for detailed entries and, besides, I am reminded of a passage in the life of Ichabod Washburn, where he found that such an account as this let his right hand know what his left was doing, and he abandoned it. So long, therefore, as I am quite clear that I am disbursing as much or more than my contract calls for, I will omit the entries here”.

Under date 1886 he writes: “It is six years since I have looked or written in this book and it will probably be longer before I open it again. Meantime I am glad that I released myself from bookkeeping in the matter of giving. Without accounts quite as well as with them I am conscious that I have lived up to my plan and I expect to do so in the future.”

The last entry is dated 1892: “Wholly by accident I came upon this book. I am past sixty-six years old now. I have nothing to add except that for the last few years, perhaps five or six, I have not been giving as freely as I formerly did. This is partly because of a change in my convictions of duty in regard to my local church relations, and partly because the general demands upon me have crowded my income very closely, and partly because my business has been less remunerative and my accounts unsystematically kept. I do not remember the details very fully, but my general consciousness is that I am falling behind in my giving and getting in debt on this account.”

When Mr. Hine summed up as above he evidently did not include his “occasional and irregular giving” for an examination of his check stubs after his death led to the belief that he was then giving away fully 50 per cent of his income.

WHAT OTHERS THOUGHT OF MR. HINE.

It is difficult to put on paper that which will adequately depict Mr. Hine’s many-sided character, but the following extracts from some of the death notices written by those who knew him best in his business life are given to show what sort of an impression he made on these:—

“He was always so active that, although he had passed his seventy-first birthday, his death was something that had never been thought of by anybody except possibly himself. He traveled so much, did so much, was interested in so many things, that he will be widely missed. His was a many sided nature. He had a good knowledge of both art and mechanics.... He was always self reliant, and to the end independent.”—[Insurance Times.

“Every person who knew Mr. Hine at all intimately feels himself bereft of a friend.”—[Mutual Underwriter.

“He was an able and strong writer; and whatever he wrote was fully ‘tuned’ to his convictions.”—[The Ætna.

“Personally, he was a lovable and amiable man, and as a business man his reputation for fairness and integrity was never questioned.”—[Travelers’ Record.

“A remarkable man was the late Charles C. Hine. What tireless industry he had, what versatility, what cheerfulness. What long journeys he took and kept taking, in his advanced years. Hale, hearty, ready to join in debate, to read a paper, to sing a song, and sing it well.... Fresh as a young man and capable of all kinds of work. Invincible, irrepressible; a typical American.”—[Insurance Magazine.

“To us the sad news was especially painful, as we had known him intimately, and been associated with him in business relations for many years, in which connection we had learned to admire his great talents as a writer on insurance, and deeply to respect his noble character, in which there mingled all the elements that do honor to man.... The professional labors of Mr. Hine may pass on to other hands, but the personality of the man has left an impress which will make his name honored and revered long after the busy world has ceased to think of his professional work.... As an editor he was in his vocation, for his very wide reading, shrewd judgment, great capacity for literary work, raised him to great distinction in this field.... But most of all will he be missed by those many mourners who, forgetting the intellectual attainments of the man, can only feel that his great and pure and kindly heart has ceased to beat.”—[Insurance & Finance Chronicle, Montreal.

“It has been truly said of Mr. Hine that as a promoter of sociability and a softener of rancour he had few if any equals, and certainly no superiors.”—[The Index, London.

“The education emanating from a type of mind such as that possessed by Mr. Hine is beyond the ordinary mention.”—[Short Rates.

“As a writer his style was original, vigorous and entertaining. He had strong opinions, and never hesitated to express them....

“Mr. Hine had lived for many years in Newark, N. J., and though purposely avoiding any intermingling in political affairs, he was closely identified with what was best in the social and religious life of the city, in which activities he made himself a positive force.”—[Insurance Age.

“His death came as a shock to all who knew him, for, although in his seventy-second year, his clean and wholesome life had left few marks of age on his strong and kindly face, and, though his hair and beard were white with the frosts of years, his vigorous bearing and evident strength of mind and body gave promise of many years of usefulness.”—[Insurance Opinion.

“Mr. Hine was a brilliant ornament to the profession, and his death is a severe blow to the insurance press and the insurance world....

“Mr. Hine’s portrait stands on our desk, and will ever remind us of the memory of a good man.”—[Review, London.

“Though the passing years had whitened his hair and beard he seemed young—and in spirit and thought he was young.... We shall not soon forget his words at one of the meetings of the Fire Underwriters’ Association of the Northwest, when he urged the young men to be clean men. How well the word clean describes him who is gone. He was clean in thought, word and action. He was an inspiration to men to make the most of themselves.”—[Philadelphia Intelligencer.

“For, while he was successful, he had been through the tests that try men’s characters and he was a clean, honorable and self-respecting man who saw more in life than mere pecuniary reward.... It is a great thing to go through the world clean-handed, clean-minded and in good repute without sacrificing individuality and force. Mr. Hine did that.”—[Insurance Herald.

“Always pleasant, always a gentleman. He could not well be otherwise, for he had nothing else in his make-up.... He was a man of exceedingly correct habits, and it would seem as though he ought to have lived for many years yet.... If there is any particular place on the other side set apart for the genial, as well as for the good, C. C. Hine will be directed thereto.”—[Oriental.

“Though the largest assembly room in that portion of the city of Newark, its auditorium was not large enough to hold all the people who desired to pay to the memory of the deceased their tribute of respect and affection. The seats and aisles were filled, and many, unable to gain admittance, stood outside.”—[New York Insurance Journal.

“He was a good editor, a vigorous writer, a clear thinker, and a student. He led a cleanly life. His methods were pure and honorable.”—[Insurance Record.

“Mr. Hine’s social and personal qualities were such that he was respected and loved by all who knew him. He was a pure and gentle soul.”—[Insurance Advocate.

“The death of C. C. Hine ... called forth such widespread and universal expressions of sorrow and esteem that his death, like the record of his life, will long continue a source of inspiration and noble incentive to every one in his profession.”—[Western Insurance Review.

“Mr. Hine was widely known and as widely respected. He was an able man, a good man, steadfast in friendship, large in the spirit of comradeship, gentle, kind and true.... Constant growth and intellectual development were among his most marked characteristics.... He was a many-sided man—interested and studious in various directions... His popularity in the insurance business and far beyond it, was not the result of a promiscuous outpouring of honeyed words, for he was a man of decided opinions, and could always give good reasons for the faith that was in him.... Mr. Hine was a remarkable man, and extraordinarily successful in winning the love of those who were close to him, and the lasting respect of all others with whom he came in contact.”—[Insurance Press.

“Is life worth living? As long as a man can find the determination to live as Colonel Hine did, and in death call out so much sincere and strong recognition of the effectiveness and usefulness of his life, the question stands answered in the affirmative. And when one has so lived there is no dread of death—it has no sting.”—[Insurance Herald.

“Mr. Hine’s life is his best epitaph.”—[Insurance Press.

“He was one of the most consistent Christian men we ever knew. The principles he professed were acted out in his life. He loved his neighbor as himself, and his genial, sunny manner will never be forgotten by those who were fortunate enough to come within the circle of his acquaintance.”—[Insurance Agent.

“He had faithfully wrought out his task, never flinching from bearing his share of burdens, and was still in the harness when called hence. He leaves behind most pleasant memories of a stalwart man whose example is worthy of emulation.”—[Rough Notes.

“Mr. Hine was a man of exceptional mental poise, with not only an extensive knowledge of men and events, but endowed with prudence and skill to make use of that knowledge for the achievement of practical results.”—[Argus.

“He took pride and pleasure in his editorial work, and it was performed in a cleanly and conscientious manner. It was marked with amiability, versatility, good sense and comprehensive grasp of every subject.... Free from improper motives himself, he was slow to suspect or discover deceit and trickery in others.... Even in controversy he was eminently fair and temperate and just.”—[Baltimore Underwriter.

“The universal esteem in which C. C. Hine was held is voiced in the comment in the insurance press upon his high ideals of living and the able and fearless manner in which he represented insurance thought in his writings.... In speaking of the insurance press, he referred to its editors as being the ‘high priests’ of the insurance business.”—[Standard.

“A clean and lovely soul the old man was, fighting wrong and supporting justice with honorable weapons. He well fulfilled the motto of Lincoln: ‘With charity for all and malice toward none.’“—[United States Review, April 29th.

“The ledger of his life is full of good deeds.”—[Views.

“The passing away of Charles C. Hine, the widely respected editor and publisher of the Insurance Monitor, of New York, has brought sadness and a sense of personal loss to thousands of hearts. He was an upright man, a forceful character in the world, and in many respects lived an ideal life. His career was one of usefulness, and the world is better off because he lived. It was his good fortune to be favored in liberal measure with those endowments which won and retained the cordial regard of the multitudes who knew him. A man of inflexible integrity of character, of superior mental equipment, and a disposition which constantly inspired him to modest acts of helpfulness and sunshine, he was more than respected—he was beloved. As journalist, publisher, author and public speaker, he stood in the foremost rank in the insurance circles of the United States, and he constantly dignified and took pride in his work.”—[United States Review, April 22d.

“The personality of him who was affectionately known as the ‘Patriarch’ covered more than literary talent, more than business ability, more than professional strength. It embraced, as many of us can testify, an instinctive and undeviating support of the highest ideals of integrity, honesty and honor.... His heart was kindly, and his life pure and upright. As a friend and neighbor he was sympathetic and helpful; as a counsellor of those in need his aid was unstinted.”—[Resolutions adopted by the Fire Underwriters’ Association of the Pacific.

“‘A good name is better than riches’, says the proverbialist of the Old Scripture, and the truth of the saying is never more forcibly illustrated than when death has called away the possessor of such a name.

“Nothing is said of the amount of money accumulated by Mr. Hine during his lifetime, but all are eloquent in praise of his integrity, his courage in well-doing, his broad charity and his devotion to the cause of righteousness and truth.... Colonel Hine was a rare man, one whose example shines like a beacon above the rocks and shoals of commercial life, reminding those still voyaging there that deeds ‘are the harvest of eternity’.”—[Vindicator.

“We know that he does not participate in our proceedings to-day, but who dares to say that, from beyond the purple and the gold, his keen eye is not watching us, and that his old-time smile does not beam from his pale, thoughtful, scholarly, beautiful face, as we have so often seen it do at these meetings. Such a man as he was, with the work he did, and the example he gave, needs no eulogy. Let us then try to tell, in plain and simple language, the story of his life, which was like a beautiful road, strewn on either side with flowers and fruits, with birds and butterflies....

“Charles C. Hine was more than we have hastily described him as being. He was something besides a telegraph operator, an underwriter, an editor, a business man, a lecturer. He was a great man with a great soul; a good man with a good heart; a strong man with a strong mind. He was a man who had traveled as far as the sun and yet never gotten away from his childhood. He was the Doctor Johnson in whatever circle he chose to move, and yet as modest as a girl. He was the pride and glory of a great profession and yet as unassuming as a bashful boy. He remembered the love of his father, the caresses of his mother and the kisses of his sister—contact with the world did not harden his heart. He married the woman he loved, and for over forty years lived a perfect wedded life. He was a consistent member of the church and for thirty years the superintendent of a Sunday School. He was a working officer of the International Law & Order League. Three or four years ago, at Chautauqua, he addressed an audience of over five thousand persons. To measure the good he did in the world would be as impossible as to estimate the blessing of the sun’s rays. He became an old man on earth and continued to believe in God, in charity, in love, in goodness. He found inspiration in the stars, music in the birds, wisdom in babes, and peace in the Bible. He believed in women and trusted men.—[Memorial address of I. W. Holman.

“A few days later, in the little church, the simple ceremony was performed. The house was filled to overflowing by men, women and children, neighbors and friends—all mourners. With streaming eyes they followed him to his last resting place on earth. His grave was filled with flowers and tears, and dedicated, in sorrow, to love. The dusk gathered softly, the shadows fell slowly—a helper of the poor, of the widow and the fatherless, was gone....

“If it is the noblest epitaph to be written over the grave, that the man who lies there has been active, determined and firm in his principles, and has won notable success while passing through the fire of life without a stain of dishonesty upon his character, then Charles C. Hine lies fairly crowned with that finest laurel of mortality.”—[From memorial adopted by the National Association of Life Underwriters.

“The death of Mr. C. C. Hine removes one of the most conspicuous figures in insurance journalism. Personally, we lose a valued friend, the profession loses an ornament. He was a good editor, a vigorous writer, a clear thinker, and a student. He led a cleanly life. His methods were pure and honorable, and he was a man that every editor of a paper could point to with pride, and say: ‘He is the Patriarch’ of us. His death came as a great surprise. We had always considered him physically strong and likely to live for many years. But then we did not think of the fact that he had lived the prescribed limit of ‘three score years and ten’. It appears that he had been ailing for a long time, and on Saturday, the 16th, he sank quietly to rest. The Insurance Monitor, whose columns he so long presided over, will miss him greatly, and his death will prove a distinct loss, not only to journalism, but to the entire profession of underwriting.

“Monday afternoon, a meeting of the insurance journalists was held in the office of The Weekly Underwriter, and the following minute was adopted:—

“‘The insurance journalists of New York, convened this 20th day of April, 1897, upon news of the death of Mr. Charles C. Hine, unite in testifying their sorrow for their own great loss and in respectfully tendering their sympathy to the bereaved family.

“‘As editor and publisher for nearly fifty years of the Insurance Monitor, he had in all sincerity and with eminent ability wrought well for what he deemed the best in insurance—the best for all. Nor in this way alone, but in very many public addresses, in books and pamphlets of his own, and in contributions to other books, had he labored to the same good purpose. And so he came to be, in fact, as long ago he was affectionately styled, ”The Patriarch“ among us.

“‘He believed in his work, rejoiced in it, was proud of it. To him are all insurance journalists debtors for the high standard of life and labor which he set and by his conduct exemplified.

“‘Called hence in his yet unwithered ripeness of mind and heart, he leaves us the pleasant and heartening memory of one who honored our profession by staunch though tolerant fidelity to his sense of right.

“‘Committee.’

“The Life Underwriters’ Association of New York, at a meeting held last night, appointed a committee which drew up the following minute:—

“‘The members of this association are profoundly grieved in learning that their brother and friend, Charles C. Hine, has passed out of the mortal into the immortal life, and that they are to see his face no more. He was known to life insurance workers around the world. For a third of a century his was a helping hand to every toiler in the life insurance field. His journalistic work was not perfunctory, but glad and joyous. He believed. He had strong convictions. And he lived to see the little rill of life insurance broaden and deepen into the mighty river. As a writer he was many-sided. He knew the tensile strength of fact as expressed in figures and diagrams; and his work was enhanced in value by a never-ceasing play of humor. As a speaker none who ever heard him will forget him. He was ready, convincing, entertaining, versatile, apt. Living two years beyond his allotted three-score and ten, he seemed in appearance but to have entered upon the Indian Summer of his days. When last with us, but a few weeks since, he appeared to be but little changed from what he was a score of years ago. When the end came he was as a ”shock of corn fully ripe“, ready to be garnered. It was meet and fit that he should go thus swiftly, with the light shining on him from the worlds out of sight, for he had lived his life with such a transfer in view. This association holds out its hand in silence to the sorrowing ones of his household, for whose deeper grief it has the profoundest sympathy.

“Committee.’—[Insurance Record—April.

“It was a good morning for taking a last look. The sun shone forth in cloudless beauty, the air was sweeter for a frost of the night before; there was green grass, and much token, too, of leafage and flower. This is the time of year when the outer world tries hard to tell us of something better than itself. Not a violet or a dandelion by the wayside that does not sing of bloom that shall never fade. A seeming endless repetition of life and death points true to the endless life, the spring time unfading, the friendships that endure.

“The simple ceremonies were held at the little church where the man was best known. There were banks of flowers, and there were streaming eyes. He must have been dear to the children for many of them were weeping as though they had lost a father. The place was crowded. The minister told a simple story of what the life had been on its religious side. Mr. Hine was an earnest Christian worker. He was a helper of others. He had no debate over doctrines. He accepted the truths of Christianity, and practiced what he believed. He was a helper of the poor, of the widow and the fatherless. It was a most pathetic address, out of the heart of a man who felt that the community has suffered an irreparable loss.

“Thus did we get a glimpse of the real life of the man, and take note of the things he lived for. Many, many years we knew him here in the great, babbling town. Like the rest of us, he had his work to do, and he did it with a will. But his heart the while was there in the little church, there with the pastor, the poor, the children.

“It is a benefaction to be buried when life is bursting forth everywhere. The autumn entombment is followed by a cold and dreary winter. It is so hard for those who weep to listen to the sleet against the window, the madness of the storm. And the snow piled up on the fresh tomb, how it chills one to think of it! But now come sunshiny days and calm, sweet nights, and through all the shining stars talk to us, and tell us that our dead were never buried, but journeyed swiftly to worlds more glorious; and we believe what they say. But we hear not the star voices except when there are calm and warmth, and bud and blossom.”—[Charles D. Lakey, in Insurance.

“C. C. Hine was a stalwart figure in whatever walk of life he appeared. His character was sturdy and substantial in its development. Born in New Haven, Conn., in 1825, he early went to the then Far West to try his fortune, and in those rigorous times he laid the foundations for a sound physical and mental manhood. He was successively school teacher, artist, leader in telegraphy, insurance agent and insurance officer. In 1868 he purchased the ‘Insurance Monitor’, the oldest American insurance journal now in existence, and had, therefore, conducted it, as editor and proprietor, for upwards of thirty years. As a writer his style was original, vigorous and entertaining. He had strong opinions and never hesitated to express them. Especially in fire insurance he left his impress upon the thought and practice of the time. He had a peculiar facility in verbal expression, and was often called upon to speak in public upon insurance subjects, his addresses being always acceptable.”—[Insurance Age.

“And so our old friend and ever courteous contemporary, Charles C. Hine, has gone over to the great majority. Although his stay here was longer in years than is the measure of time allotted earthly visitors, his departure is none the less sorrowful to all of us who knew and loved him well for his exemplary characteristics. As editor of the Monitor, and as a comrade in a special field of journalism, we were proud of the cordial relationship that existed without friction or interruption for more than a score of years between C. C. Hine and us. ‘To him’—as Editor Davis well said in the minute adopted at the meeting of insurance journalists—‘are all insurance journalists debtors for the high standard of life and labor which he set and by his conduct exemplified’. But, as Brother Lakey graphically expressed it, in the resolution he prepared for, and which was adopted by, the Life Underwriters’ Association: ‘When the end came he (C. C. Hine) was as a ”shock of corn fully ripe“, ready to be garnered. It was meet and fit that he should go thus swiftly with the light shining on him from worlds out of sight, for he had lived his life with such a transfer in view.’ In adding a word of tribute to the fragrant memory of this good man may we not confidently voice the hope, as we say farewell to him, that peace and joy shall be his share for evermore?”—[Vigilant.

“Personally, Mr. Hine was a most agreeable companion, well informed on a wide range of subjects, an easy and interesting talker, always ready with a good story and, what is somewhat rare among story tellers, as willing to listen as to tell. Everybody liked him, and he had the good word of the people where he had lived. The writer of this well remembers some twenty years ago being down at Peru, Ill., on a case before Squire Underhill, a Justice of the Peace. The trial had drawn together quite a lot of old citizens, and while waiting for a witness a general conversation was indulged in. The writer happening to mention that he had just got back from New York, and insurance being referred to in connection with the visit, the ’Squire’s face lit up and he said: ‘New York—why, that’s where Charley Hine lives; runs an insurance paper down there. Do you know Charley?’ The question being answered satisfactorily, one and another of the old citizens began to tell about when Charley Hine set up the telegraph in Peru along back in 1850, or thereabouts, and what a smart young fellow he was, and so pleasant and accommodating, too. We have no doubt that his acquaintance with Charley Hine helped the learned counsel to win his case, which was not an especially good one.”—[Insurance.

Y. M. C. A. IN 1855.

“The new Young Men’s Christian Association building on Pearl and Main streets was opened yesterday to the public....

“A resume of the life of the Young Men’s Christian Association in this city will be of interest to the readers. The association was first organized in this city in 1855 by C. C. Hine, and is said to be one of the oldest in the country.”—[New Albany (Ind.) Tribune, 1893.

THE PATRIARCH RAISES HIS VOICE IN SONG.

“I thought I knew the Patriarch fairly well, and that I was ‘on’ to all of his varied accomplishments. I knew that he could get upon his feet before an assembly and make an interesting talk, but I never knew until recently that he was a singer! I read in a report of the last meeting of the Fire Underwriters’ Association of the Northwest that ‘Father Hine was then introduced, and after a few jokes sang a song which evoked continuous laughter’. There is something droll in the idea of it to me, but I would bet another (dinner) with whosoever would take me up that Mr. Hine acquitted himself with his usual completeness. He can do a good many things, and i’ faith he can do ’em all well. He would not undertake anything he could not.”—[Insurance World, November, 1896.

AFTER THE BANQUET WAS OVER.

“In his October Monitor, C. C. Hine modestly refers to ‘a little occurrence’ that followed the recent banquet of the Northwestern Association. The ‘little occurrence’ was a one-minute speech made by Mr. Hine himself, in the presence of a company of fifteen, in response to a very complimentary toast proposed by H. C. Eddy of this city (Chicago). As near as we can recall it, this is what the Patriarch said: Gentlemen, I am nearly three score and ten years old. It is getting to be half-past eleven with me, and the longer I live and the older I grow the more I appreciate the friendships I have made and the more I appreciate such friendly expressions as this.’ Then, taking up his glass, he added, ‘I became a teetotaler at the age of twelve, and must therefore drink with you in cold water.’ The Patriarch said this from his heart, and the late hour and the deserted banquet hall added to the impressiveness of his remarks. But was he quite sure as to his own age? His eye is as bright and his voice as clear and ringing as when first we knew him, and his form is as erect and upright as his life has been. We repeated Mr. Hine’s little speech to two grandmothers that we know, and they repeated it to ‘the boy’, and the grandmothers told the boy that they hoped so good a temperance advocate would live a thousand years. ‘So say we all of us’—God save the Patriarch!”—[Insurance Post, October, 1894.

YE PATRIARCH AS A HOOSIER.

[Communicated.]

“Recently my travels took me to the quiet, yet beautiful, city of New Albany, Ind., and while walking through its shady streets I remembered that the former home of Mr. C. C. Hine, the well-known underwriter, the accomplished writer, the able statistician, and the eloquent orator, was in this identical city. That here, when a local agent, he distributed blotting pads and cultivated the art of soliciting, which has served him many a good turn in later years. Here the foundation was laid for the broader work which fate had in store for him. The bright, young Hoosier, full of wit and good humor, was to become the grave and thoughtful ‘Patriarch’, honored and beloved as a leader in his chosen profession.

“There is a ‘touch of nature’ in us all, which inspires a curiosity to know something of those who have succeeded in life—who have become distinguished. That a great humorist should have wept at the tomb of Adam was to me no joke, provided that the spot selected was the genuine burial place of that eminent citizen. Who would not like to walk in the garden where Plato conversed, or view the forum from which Cicero spoke? To visit Avon and spend a day where Shakespeare sleeps will always be indeed a pleasure. Who, that is thoughtful, goes to Springfield, or Galena, without seeing the modest houses where Lincoln and Grant lived, when unhonored and unknown.

“With this feeling, I sought and found the little, old-fashioned brick building, where, a third of a century ago, was the insurance office of Mr. Hine. On the side of the hill, a few blocks away, was the unassuming dwelling house, where the young agent lived in comfort and dignity, surrounded by a most loving family, and respected and esteemed by neighbors, many of whom have themselves since become known throughout the United States as wise statesmen, brave soldiers and honorable business men.

“While in New Albany I was told many anecdotes illustrating Mr. Hine’s goodness of heart, fondness for children and devotion to charitable and Christian work. These cannot be repeated at this time. The following, however, told me by an old citizen, illustrates a type of manhood that, I fear, is becoming rarer each year, and is in danger of becoming, in time, entirely extinct:—

“About 1853 the McCormick family offered the New Albany Theological Seminary $100,000 if that institution should be removed to Chicago. The offer was accepted, and Mr. Hine purchased the property which was vacated, and spent all the money he had, and all he could borrow, in erecting and fitting up buildings for a female college. The institution was thoroughly advertised, had the sympathy of the best people in the Southwest, and was about being opened under the most favorable auspices, when the financial crisis of 1857 swept over the West, cruelly prostrating and crushing thousands of the best and most public-spirited men in the country. Mr. Hine went down with the rest, losing every dollar he had, and being many thousand dollars in debt. He was broken up—badly broken up—but, fortunately, not broken down, for there is all the difference imaginable between the two. Mr. Hine then returned to the insurance business, traveling awhile for the Ætna Insurance Company, then becoming secretary of the International Insurance Company, subsequently, on the decease of the famous Tom Jones, purchasing the Insurance Monitor, at the head of which he has remained until the present time.

“What became of his debts? Did he forget his creditors when he subsequently became prosperous, as so many others do? These were the questions I asked. Were the circumstances of his failure such as reflected unfavorably on his integrity and honesty? Did he afterward make settlements with his creditors that were satisfactory? Let others answer.

“1. Gen. B. F. Scribner a well-known citizen of Indiana, and a resident of New Albany, said to me: ‘Mr. Hine’s failure was an honest one, and in no way reflected unfavorably on his honesty and integrity. He subsequently made settlements with his creditors that were entirely satisfactory. His conduct all through his troubles was such as to command the respect and sympathy of all right-minded citizens. The brevity of this statement very feebly expresses my admiration for Mr. Hine’s conduct and character.’

“2. John C. Culbertson, Esq., formerly of New Albany, but now an honored resident of Santa Barbara, Cal., said: ‘Mr. Hine has been my intimate friend for over thirty years. He failed in New Albany years ago. Borrowed money to pay his servants. The Ætna Insurance Company advanced him $100 to support his little family in this trying time. Since then he has prospered, and has hunted up his creditors and paid them all in full, with interest, in some instances more than two dollars for one. He is an upright, Christian gentleman.’

“3. L. G. Mathews, Esq., vice-president of the Ohio Falls Car Company, said: ‘Mr. Hine’s failure was due solely to the depressed condition of the times, financially. I was one of his creditors, and never knew of any one who complained of his honesty or want of integrity. As fast as he recovered from his misfortunes, and could spare the money, he devoted it to paying his debts. His manner of doing it was characteristic. He picked out the poorest and neediest of his creditors and paid them first. As an incident, I failed in business in 1872. Mr. Hine heard of it and sent me his check for principal and interest in full. I doubt if there is a man living, who, having left New Albany, could return and receive such a cordial welcome from all who knew him.’

“4. Walter Mann, Esq., formerly a banker at New Albany, and now a resident of Minneapolis, said: ‘Mr. Hine left New Albany largely in debt and with nothing to begin the world again with, except experience and the best wishes of his friends. He afterward paid his debts, principal and interest. I was one of his creditors and speak whereof I know. His failure was an honest one and his conduct characterized by the highest integrity and honor. He paid his debts after he had ceased to be under any obligations to do so, and his record shows his thorough old-fashioned honesty and entire devotion to what he regards his duty.’

“This article is written without the knowledge of Mr. Hine, and purely as a labor of love. In common with thousands of other underwriters I am indebted to the editor of the Monitor in a way that can never be paid with money.”

I. W. H.

[The above was published in an Indianapolis (Ind.) paper about 1890.]