There was an old insurance company slogan, "The light that never fails." I think it was Met Life's old one; was it inspired by Kipling's "The Light That Failed"?

zbeckabee

This was the world's tallest building from 1909 until was surpassed by the Woolworth Building in 1913. The company it housed became the nation's largest life insurance company through a large network of agents who went door to door collecting 5 and 10 cent weekly premiums from immigrant factory workers and tenement dwellers. It was a market previously overlooked by other American insurance companies. I would guess that this postcard is from sometime in the late 1910's. At the top of the tower was a lantern that could be seen for dozens of miles at night. The building and its lantern were prominently featured in the company's advertising for decades with the slogan "The light that never fails." The tower is still occupied by Metropolitan Life but its exterior was significantly altered in the early 1960s. http://www.dismuke.org/aynrand/selections.html Aug 13 06, 12:33 PM

zbeckabee

Anyway, in answer to your question...there is a lantern on top of their building which would figure in...but, I can't find anything to support that this was inspired by Kipling. Aug 13 06, 12:34 PM