闲来无事，找到一封一个多世纪以前的函件。
这是一份写于 1915年7月26日 的历史商业书信档案记录。写信人（ GMW）因为在旅行者人寿保险公司（Travelers Life Insurance Co.）申请将保单受益人更改为他的妻子（Lillian C. West）时遇到了重重阻碍，因而写信给该公司的代理人 John R. Nolan 进行强烈交涉。
信函英文整理原文如下：
July 26th, 1915.
Mr. John R. Nolan, Gen’l Agent,
Travelers Life Insurance Co.
Chicago, Ill.
Dear Sir:-
I hereby acknowledge receipt of duplicate policy No. 29185 in the Travelers, to take place of the one which was stolen or lost.
I notice your letter relative to my application to have the beneficiary of the policy charged to Lillian C. West, my wife.
I certainly have had considerable diffuculty (difficulty) in getting this done so far as your company is concerned, there has never been any in my making changes in beneficiaries in the other policies I hold.
It was my understanding that on a life insurance policy, a man was priveleged (privileged), while alive and in his senses, to change the beneficiary. If this is not the case there is no object in taking out a policy, other than payable to the beneficiary and their heirs and the whole system of life insurance would fall.
I return the affidavit which you request showing, the name, date of birth, of my only child, who has been dead for many years.
If it is possible for your company to conform to the custom of other companies in regard to changing beneficiaries, I will be pleased to have you do so. If you cannot, I suppose we will have to let the matter drop and arrange the proceeds of my life insurance in your company in my will.
Yours very turyly,
GMW / oa
中文译本如下：
一九一九年七月二十六日
约翰·R·诺兰先生，总代理人
旅行者人寿保险公司
伊利诺伊州，芝加哥亲爱的先生：
我特此确认已收到旅行者保险公司开出的第 29185 号复制保单（副本），用以替代原先被盗或遗失的那份保单。
我注意到了您关于我申请将保单受益人变更为我的妻子莉莲·C·韦斯特（Lillian C. West）的来信。
就贵公司而言，到目前为止，我在办理此事时确实遇到了相当大的困难。而在我持有的其他保险公司的保单中，变更受益人从未遇到过任何障碍。
我的理解是，在人寿保险保单中，一个人只要在世且神志清醒，就有权变更受益人。如果情况并非如此，那么除了将保单赔付给受益人及其继承人之外，投保就毫无意义，而整个人寿保险体系也将不攻自破。
我一并寄回了您所要求的宣誓书，上面注明了我唯一孩子的姓名和出生日期，他（她）多年前就已经过世了。
如果贵公司能够遵循其他保险公司在变更受益人方面的惯例，我将非常高兴您能照办。如果你们无法做到，我想我们只能作罢，并改为在我的遗嘱中来安排我在贵公司人寿保险理赔金的处置。
您最诚挚的，
GMW / oa（写信人缩写/速记员代号）