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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2015 
 
 https://archive.org/details/woodnnanshandbookOOnort 
 
-THE 
 
 WOODMAN'S Hand Book 
 
 A CoMPRKHKNsivK History 
 
 OF THK 
 
 TOGETHER WITH VALUABLE INFOKMATION ON 
 
 frat:ernai, insurance socinTms, 
 
 Statistics, Selected I^iterature, Woodmen 
 Songs, Poems, Stc, 
 
 ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 Compiled by 
 
 W. A. NoRTHCOTT, Hkad Consul M. W. a. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1894, 
 By W. A. NORTHCOTT, 
 In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 o 
 
 Introduction, . . . . . ' . 
 
 . Fage 3 
 
 Life Insurance, ... . . 
 
 a 
 
 5 
 
 Fraternal Life Insurance, . . 
 
 u 
 
 31 
 
 National Fraternal Congress, . . 
 
 (I 
 
 97 
 
 Statistics Fraternal Societies, 
 
 ■ (( 
 
 107 
 
 Reserve Fund, 
 
 li 
 
 1^9 
 
 Modern Woodmen of America, . . 
 
 a 
 
 197 
 
 History Modern Woodmen of America, . 
 
 u 
 
 261 
 
 Memorial Hon. M. W. Mathews, 
 
 u 
 
 302 
 
 Roll of Honor, = . . . . 
 
 u 
 
 323 
 
 Medical Department, . . . 
 
 IC 
 
 339 
 
 Royal Neighbors, . . . . , « , 
 
 (C 
 
 357 
 
 Songs, ....... 
 
 iC 
 
 369 
 
 Selected] Literature {Appendix), . . 
 
 (( 
 
 i 
 
 Humorous, 
 
 ' ' ' ■ (( 
 
 lii 
 
 Poetry, [ . , . . . 
 
 u 
 
 Ixxv 
 
USTRA TIONS. 
 
 W. A. Northcott, Head Consul, Frontispiece. 
 
 C: W. Hawes, Head Clerk, Page 8 
 
 Board of Directors, 24 
 
 D. C. Zink, Head Banker, ...... 32 
 
 H. C. Hedges, Head Adviser, 40 
 
 Group Head Officers, 43 
 
 Group Head Physicians, 56 
 
 Dr. C. A. McCollom, Head Physician, .... 64 
 
 Dr. I. L. Potter, Head Physician, 72 
 
 Humphrey Pierce (Auditing Committee), ... 80 
 Dr. H. O. Larrabee (Auditing Committee), ..." 96 
 
 Perry Perkins (Auditing Committee), .... 104 
 
 Ritual and Laws Committee, 1892, . . . , ' . 112 
 
 Credentials Committee, 1892, 120 
 
 Rev. P. P. Farmiloe, Head Chaplain, 128 
 
 James A. Lombard (Mileage and Per Diem Committee), 144 
 
 Mileage and Per Diem Committee, 152 
 
 State Deputies, "160 
 
 Head Consul, Private Secretary, and State Deputies, . 161 
 
 Group Head Officers and Ritual Committee, ... 168 
 
 Presidents State Meetings, 1894, 175 
 
 Secretaries State Meetings, 1894, •• 1^4 
 
 Head Officers and Delegates Omaha Head Camp, 1892, . 200 
 
 Head Camp, Omaha, 1892, - 2O8 
 
 Head Clerk's Office, Fulton, 111., -'216 
 
 Members Pioneer Camp, No. 1, Lyons, Iowa, . . 286 
 
 Group Male Employes Head Clerk's Office, Pulton, 111., , ''248-250 
 
 Group Female Employes Head Clerk's Office, Pulton, 111., "256-272 
 
 Ritual Committee, 1894, 280 
 
 Woodmen Picnic, Winterssct, Iowa 298 
 
 Hon. M. W. Mathews, 304 
 
 Prize Banner, . . . , " 312 
 
 Group Officers Camp No. 120, Omaha, Neb., . . . " 320 
 
 Group Officers Camp No. 51, Rockford, 111., ... " 328 
 
 Group Officers Camp No. 60, Elgin, 111., 336 
 
 Group Officers Camp No. 2002, Kansas City, Mo., . 344 
 
 Royal Neighbors — Head Officers, '■• 352 
 
 Royal Neighbors — Board of Managers, ... " 353 
 
 Group Royal Neighbors, " 360 
 
 Group Royal Neighbors in Camp Hall, Omaha, Neb., 364 
 
 Team Camp No. 365, Madison, Wis., "371 
 
 Team Victory Camp, No. 452, Greenville, 111., . . " ii 
 Group Head Officers on Log Wagon, 1891. ..." lii 
 
 C. C. Hassler (Poet Laureate), Ixxv 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 RATERNAL insurance differs from all other 
 
 bership. It is a representative government resting upon 
 the shoulders of its members. Every important measure 
 must be understood and approved by the majority. A 
 fraternal society succeeds best where its membership un- 
 derstands its full workings ; knows fully the system upon 
 which it is founded ; is fully acquainted with the details 
 of its management ; knows where every dollar goes ; and 
 is fully imbued with its early history, its. progress, its 
 mistakes, and its great achievements. 
 
 Not only is it necessary that the membership have a 
 full knowledge of the society, but it is also necessary that 
 all facts be so concisely collated and published that the 
 world at large may readily understand the same. Fra- 
 ternal insurance needs only to be known among men to 
 be appreciated and endorsed ; it is a new force in the 
 world's affairs, and only just beginning to receive the 
 consideration which its magnitude commands. The best 
 way to reach the people is by a free use of " printer's 
 ink." Every fact published in regard to fraternal in- 
 surance is a potent factor in its development. 
 
 This book is intended to be a statement of the general 
 features of fraternal insurance, together with statistics 
 
 classes of insurance, from the fact that the 
 society is under the direct control of its mem- 
 
4 
 
 Introduction. 
 
 pertaining to the individual societies, and more particu- 
 larly in regard to our own order, The Modern Woodmen 
 OF America. I hope that this book will be of benefit to 
 the Deputies in ihe field, in providing them with the am- 
 munition to be used in battling for the order. It is hoped 
 that the officers of the Head and Local Campg, and those 
 connected with the management, may find much valu- 
 able information in its perusal. Every Neighbor will be 
 benefited by learning more about our great order. These 
 pages may have some little efi'ect in giving the public a 
 better idea of fraternal insurance, and in drawing the 
 different societies together in closer fraternal comity. All 
 fraternal societies should be united in promoting the 
 great work of protecting the homes of our land. 
 
 But little merit can attach to this book by reason of 
 any original matter furnished by the author, but the good 
 <^iat it will do will come from collating and preserving 
 some of the best thoughts heretofore published on the 
 subjects herein treated. It is hoped that this book may 
 be regarded as only a step in the right direction, and may 
 have importance as being one of the early contributions 
 to what in the future will become the ripe and abundant 
 literature of one of the greatest classes of benevolent or- 
 ganizations known to mankind. 
 
 Fraternally submitted, 
 
 Head Consul M. W, A, 
 
 Greenville, III., October 1st, 1894. 
 
 \ 
 
] 
 
 i 
 
 4 [ife] Insurance. 
 
 i 
 
\ 
 
Sermon by Rev. DeWitt Talmage^ Preached 
 in the Brooklyn Tabernacle, 
 
 And let them gather all the food of 
 those good years that come, and lay up 
 corn under the hand of Pharoah, and 
 let them keep food in the cities. 
 
 — Genesis XLI., 35th Verse. 
 
 WORDS were the words of 
 ph, the president of the first 
 insurance company the world 
 Pharoah had a dream that 
 him. He thought he stood on 
 the banks of the river Xile, and saw coming up out of 
 the river seven fat, sleek, glossy cows, and they began to 
 browse in the thick grass. Nothing frightful about that. 
 But after them, coming up out of the same river, he saw 
 seven cows that were gaunt and starved, and the worst- 
 looking cows that had ever been seen in the land, and in 
 the ferocity of hunger they devoured their seven prede- 
 cessors. Pharoah, the king, sent for Joseph to decipher 
 these midnight hieroglyphics. Joseph made short work 
 of it, and intimated that the seven fat cows that came 
 out of the river were seven years with plenty to eat ; the 
 seven emaciated cows that followed them were seven 
 years with nothing to eat. ''Now," said Joseph, ''let us 
 take one-fifth of the corn crop of the seven prosperous 
 years and keep it as a provision for the seven years in 
 which there shall be no corn crop." 
 
 The king took the counsel, and appointed Joseph, be- 
 cause of his integrity and public-spiritedness, as the 
 
8 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 president of the undertaking. The farmers paid one- 
 fifth of their income as a premium. In all the towns 
 and cities there were branch-houses. This great Egyp- 
 tian life insurance company had millions of dollars of 
 assets. After a while the dark days came, and the whole 
 nation would have starved if it had not been for the pro- 
 vision they had made for the future. But now these suf- 
 fering families have nothing to do but go up and collect 
 the amount of their life policies. The Bible puts it in 
 one short phrase : In all the land of Egypt there was 
 bread." I say this was the Fikst Life Insurance Com- 
 pany. It was divinely organized. It had in it all the 
 advantages of the "whole life plan," of the "tontine 
 plan," of the "endowment plan," and all the other good 
 plans. We are told that Rev. Dr. Anhate, of Lincoln- 
 shire, England, originated the first life insurance com- 
 pany in 1688. No, it is as old as the corn-cribs of Egypt, 
 and God himself was the author and originator. If that 
 were not so I would not take your time and mine in a 
 Sabbath discussion of this subject. I feel it is a theme 
 vital, religious, and of infinite import — the morals of 
 life and fire insurance. It seems to me that it is time 
 for the pulpit to speak out. 
 
 But what does the Bible say in regard to this subject ? 
 
 If the Bible favors the institution I will favor it ; if the 
 Bible denounces it I will denounce it. In addition to 
 the forecast of Joseph in the text, I call your attention 
 to Paul's comparison. Here is one man who, through 
 neglect, fails to support his family while he lives or after 
 he dies. Here is another man who abhors the scriptures 
 and rejects God. Which of these men are the worst ? 
 Well, you say the latter. Paul says the former. Paul 
 says the man who neglects to care for his household is 
 more obnoxious than a man who rejects the scriptures. 
 " He that provideth not for his own, and especially those 
 of his own household, is worse than an infidel." 
 
Major Charles W. Hawes, Head Clerk Modern Woodmen of America, 
 Fulton, 111. 
 
The Woodman^'s Hand-Book. 
 
 9 
 
 Life insurance companies help most of us to provide for 
 our families after we are gone. 
 
 But if we have the money to pay the premiums and 
 neglect it, we have no right to expect mercy at the hand 
 of God in the judgment. We are worse than Tom Paine, 
 worse than Voltaire, and worse than Shaftesbury. The 
 Bible declares it : we are worse than an infidel. After 
 the certificate of death has been made out, and the 
 ninety days have passed, and the officer of a life insur- 
 ance company comes into the bereft household and pays 
 down the hard cash on an insurance policy, that officer 
 of the company is performing a positively religious rite, 
 according to the Apostle James, who says : True 
 religion and undefiled before God and the father is tliis : 
 to visit the fatherless and the widow in their afifliction," 
 and so on. 
 
 When men think of their death they are apt to think 
 of it only in connection with their spiritual welfare, and 
 not of the devastation in the household which will come 
 because of their emigration from it. It is meanly selfish 
 for you to be so absorbed in the heaven to which you are 
 going that you forget what is to become of your wife and 
 children after you go. You can go out of this world not 
 leaving them a dollar and yet die happy if you could not 
 provide for them. You can trust them in the hands of 
 the God who owns all the harvests and the herds and the 
 flocks ; but if you could pay the premium on a policy 
 and neglect them, it is a mean thing for you to go up to 
 heaven luhile they go to the poor-house. 
 
 You, at death, move into a mansion, river front ; and 
 they move into two rooms on the fourth story of a tene- 
 ment house in a back street. AVlien they are out at 
 elbows and knees the thought of your splendid robe in 
 heaven will not keep them warm. The minister may 
 preach a splendid sermon over your remains, and the 
 quartette may sing like four angels in the organ loft, but 
 your death luill he a swindle. 
 
10 
 
 The Woodman' s Hand-Booh. 
 
 You had the means to provide for the comfort of your 
 household when you left it and you wickedly neglected it. 
 
 Oh," says some one, I have more faith than you : 
 I believe when I go out of this world the Lord will take 
 care of my family." Yes, he will provide for them. Go 
 to Blackwell's Island ; go through all the poor-houses of 
 the country, and I will show you how often God provides 
 for the neglected children of neglectful parents — that is, 
 he provides for them through public charity. As for 
 myself, I would rather have the Lord provide for my 
 family in a private home, and through my own industry 
 and paternal and conjugal faithfulness. " But," says 
 some man, " I mean in the next ten or twenty years to 
 make a great fortune, and so I shall leave my family, 
 when I go out of this world, very comfortable." 
 
 How do you know you are going to live ten or twenty 
 years ? If we could look up the walk of the future we 
 would see it crossed by pneumonias, and pleurisies, and 
 consumptions, and colliding rail trains, and runaw^ay 
 horses, and breaking bridges, and funeral processions. 
 Are you so certain that you are going to live ten or 
 tw^enty years that you can warrant your household any 
 comfort after you go away from them ? Besides that, 
 the vast majority of men die poor. Two only out of a 
 hundred succeed in business. 
 
 Are you certain that you are going to be one of the 
 two ? There are men who die solvent who are insolvent 
 before they get under the ground, or before their estate 
 is settled. How soon the auctioneer's mallet can knock 
 the life out of an estate ! A man thinks the property 
 worth $15,000. Under a forced sale it brings $7,000. 
 The business man takes advantage of the crisis, and he 
 compels the widow of his deceased partner to sell out to 
 him at a ruinous price or lose all ; or the administrator 
 is ordered by the Surrogate to wind up the whole affair. 
 The estate was supposed at the man's death to be worth 
 
The Woodman s Hand-Book. 
 
 11 
 
 $20,000, but after the indebtedness has been met, and the 
 bills of the doctor and the undertaker and the tombstone 
 cutter have been paid, there is nothing left. 
 
 That means the children are to come home from school 
 and go to work. That means the complete hardship of 
 the wife — turned out with nothing but a needle to fight 
 the great battle of the world. Tear down the lambre- 
 quins, close the piano, rip up the Axminster, sell out the 
 wardrobe, and let the mother take a child in each hand 
 and trudge out into the desert of the world. A life in- 
 surance would have hindered all that. 
 
 The great indifference of many people to this important 
 subject accounts for m.uch of the crinie and pauperism of 
 this day. 
 
 Who are these children sweeping the crossings with 
 broken brooms and begging of you a penny as you go 
 by ? Who are these lost souls gliding tinder the gas- 
 lights in thin shawls ? Ah ! they are the victims of 
 want, and in many of the cases the forecast of parents 
 and grandparents might have prevented it. God only 
 knows how they struggled to do right. They prayed 
 until the tears froze on their cheeks, they sewed on the 
 sack until the breaking of the day, but they could not 
 get enough money to pay the rent ; they could not get 
 enough money to decently clothe themselves, and one 
 day in that wretched home the angel of purity and the 
 angel of crime fotight a great fight between the empty 
 bread-tray and the fireless hearth, and the black-winged 
 angel shrieked : ''Ah I I have won the day."' 
 
 Says some man : " I believe what you say — it is right 
 and Christian, and I mean some time to attend to this mat- 
 ter." My friend, you are going to lose the comfort of your 
 household in the same way the sinner loses heaven — by 
 procrastination. I see all around me the destitute and 
 suffering families of parents who meant some day to at- 
 tend to this Christian duty. During the process of ad- 
 
12 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 journment the man gets his feet wet, then comes a chill 
 and a delirium, and the doleful shake of the doctor's 
 head, and the obsequies. If there be anything more 
 pitiable than a woman, delicately brought up, and on her 
 marriage day, by an indulgent father, given to a man to 
 whom she is the chief joy and pride of life until the 
 moment of his death, and then that same woman going 
 out with helpless children at her back to struggle for 
 bread in a world where brawny muscle and rugged soul 
 are necessary — I say if there be anything more pitiable 
 than that, I don't know what it is ; and yet there are good 
 women who are indifferent in regard to their husband's 
 duty in this respect, and there are those positively hostile, 
 as though a life insurance subjected a man to some fatality. 
 There is in this city to-day a very poor woman keeping a 
 small candy shop, who vehemently opposed the insurance 
 of her husband's life, and when application had been made 
 for a policy of $10,000 she frustrated it. She would never 
 have a document in the house that implied it was pos- 
 sible for her husband ever to die. One day in the quick 
 revolution of machinery his life was instantly dashed 
 out. What is the sequel f She is with annoying tug 
 making the half of a miserable living. Her two children 
 have been taken away from her in order that they may be 
 clothed and schooled, and her life is to be a prolonged hard- 
 ship. Oh, man ! before forty-eight hours have passed away 
 appear at the desk of one of our great life insurance com- 
 panies, have the stethoscope of the physcian put to your 
 heart and lungs, and by the seal of some honest company 
 decree that your children shall not be subjected to the 
 humiliation of financial struggle in the dark days of your 
 demise. 
 
The Woodman' s Hand-Booh. 13 
 What Eminent Men Say of Life BeneMs. 
 
 Hon. Hugh McCullough : ''I regret that I did not 
 take out a policy when I was younger." 
 
 Kepresentative Randall: ''I think enough of life in- 
 surance to have my own life protected for the benefit of 
 my family for a considerable amount." 
 
 Hon. William Springer, Illinois : " I am a believer in 
 life insurance, and have carried a policy for the past 
 nineteen years." 
 
 Henry Clews, Banker and Broker, New York : " It is 
 not only a financial provision, but it insures a man a 
 longer lease of life. He is relieved from anxiety. Busi- 
 ness worry and anxiety kill many men. They are what 
 kill most New Yorkers." 
 
 Bishop Huntington, of Syracuse : " I need to say 
 nothing more than that my life has been insured for 
 many years past, with two policies." 
 
 Cyrus W. Field, of New York, carried $250,000 life in- 
 surance, and regarded the fact as the strongest opinion 
 he could offer in favor of the system. 
 
 T. DeWitt Talmage : I more and more believe in 
 life insurance. I carry about $60,000 on my life. As 
 soon as I married I felt it a religious duty, through life 
 insurance, to protect my home in case of decease." 
 
 Senator Frye, of Maine : " I carry on my life, I think, 
 $12,000, and should carry more if I could afford the ex- 
 pense." 
 
 W. H. Bulkley, of Hartford : ''In my opinion life in- 
 surance is the most beneficent scheme now in vogue 
 among men." 
 
 Benjamin Franklin : " A policy of life insurance is the 
 cheapest and safest mode of providing for one's family." 
 
 Dr. George C. Lorimer, Pastor Immanuel Baptist 
 Church, Chicago : " It would be of no advantage to any- 
 
14 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 one to know how much insurance I carry. It is enough 
 to say that I carry as much as I can afford to pay on, and 
 would recommend my fellow-citizens, especially preachers, 
 to follow this example." 
 
 Bishop Brewer, of Montana : "I have $1,000 on my 
 life only. I wish it were ten times that amount." 
 
 Life Insurance and Religion, 
 
 Good people sometimes get very curious vagaries. A 
 few days ago a man and his wife who had become con- 
 verted under the preaching of Sam Jones and Sam Small 
 came into a well known life insurance office to surrender 
 a policy that the man had taken out. The reason, as 
 given, was that they had become Christians and de- 
 termined to trust God's providence, and that they were 
 convinced that life insurance was not compatible with 
 that trust. We honor that man and his wife for living 
 up to principle when it involved sacrifice, but at the 
 same time they were ver}^ much mistaken. Instead of re- 
 garding life insurance as an interference with providence, 
 they ought to have regarded it as an instrument for 
 good, founded on principles acknowledged to be Chris- 
 tian, and perfectly fitted to be an instrument in the 
 hands of Providence. Let us examine this matter as 
 carefully as we can from the religious standpoint. 
 
 First. Life insurance was originated by a clergyman 
 for purely benevolent purposes. 
 
 Second. The persons most frequently benefited are 
 ihe widow and orphan — classes whom the Bible de- 
 clares to be objects of God's special care — in fact He is 
 <jalled the God of the orphan and the wddow. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 15 
 
 Third. Life insurance is founded upon the idea of 
 present sacrifice and self-denial in order to procure future 
 benefits — a Christian idea, and a prominent one. 
 
 Fourth. It teaches and aids men to regard and pre- 
 pare for the uncertainty of life — a Christian dut}^ taught 
 on higher grounds by the clergyman, but just as faith- 
 fully by the insurance agent. 
 
 Fifth. Life insurance originated and is used exclu- 
 sively among civilized nations, and is not fitted for the 
 barbarian or semi-barbarian. Even the border life of 
 our own country is found to be a less favorable field for 
 it, and no one would expect the " unspeakable Turk " to 
 insure his life for the benefit of his numerous family. 
 
 Sixth. Christianity makes much of home and invests 
 all its ties with a peculiar sacredness. In the home life 
 is to be found the sweetest happiness of earth, and in it 
 the coming man secures that training and nurture which 
 we are taught is the holiest duty of Christian parents. 
 Life insurance does not interfere with any tie or duty of 
 home, but it seeks and tends to perpetuate them ; to pre- 
 vent their being broken up ; to provide for a continuance 
 of that training and nurture even when the bread-winner 
 of the family is no more. 
 
 Seventh. The legislatures of nearly all our states have 
 endorsed life insurance as in accord with the highest 
 principles of civilization and beneficence ; have protected 
 investments in it by many special laws, introduced as 
 safeguards, and to secure the benefits to the parties for 
 whom they were originally intended. 
 
 Let us sum this up. Life insurance is the creation of 
 Christian men, prompted by high Christian principles to 
 carry out the same ideas that are exemplified in building 
 orphan asylums and widows' homes, and in many re- 
 spects in a better way, since it tends to insure the con- 
 tinuance of the home ; it teaches men Christian virtues, 
 and it aims chiefly to benefit the very class that the Bible 
 
16 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book, 
 
 declares to be the special objects of God's care ; it is pro- 
 tected by the legislature of Christian states, generally 
 used by the better elements in every community, and en- 
 tirely disregarded by the evil elements, the rowdy, the 
 vicious and depraved. 
 
 If, as this man and his wife assert, God undertakes to 
 provide for all the needs of his servants, then here is an 
 instrument that is fitted for that very purpose, which is 
 singularly free from any antagonism to Christian men or 
 Christian work. 
 
 Providence stirred the heart of that English clergy- 
 man who originated life insurance to do a greater work 
 than he knew in devising an effective means for future 
 relief of suffering Christians and God's poor, left desti- 
 tute of their natural protectors. 
 
 Providence seems to have directed Christian minds to 
 the perfection of the system, as a means for such relief, 
 until it has become wonderfully effective. 
 
 Providence undoubtedly has used, and will continue to 
 use, it as a means by which to provide for Christian 
 widows and orphans. If so, this good man has made a 
 serious mistake and is discarding one of the very means 
 provided by Providence for the help of his own house- 
 hold. 
 
 And so it may happen, now, as of old, that the men 
 who wage war upon this institution prevail nothing, be- 
 cause they are fighting not only against man but against 
 the Providence of God. — Investigator. 
 
 Notes to be Remembered. 
 
 A life policy is a sure indication of prudence and thrift. 
 Many a man has saved his property to his family by 
 life insurance. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 17 
 
 Life insurance has the great advantage of providing 
 money for immediate use to support a family or cancel 
 liabilities. 
 
 Life insurance is the cheapest and safest way of provid- 
 ing for a family, and if a man has no other means to 
 depend upon, it is a matter of moral and religious obliga- 
 tion. 
 
 The duty of life insurance is recognized in the fact 
 that little sympathy is shown by the world for the widow 
 and orphans of the man who has neglected to provide for 
 the contingency of death. 
 
 How many men, supposed to be doing a prosperous 
 business, die suddenly ? Their affairs are found mixed 
 up, heavy debts have been contracted, greedy creditors 
 step in, and all go to satisfy their claims. The family is 
 scattered. They might have been provided for by life 
 insurance ; but the wife opposed — she did not consider 
 it a paying investment. The property already accumu- 
 lated was enough. Too late the truth dawned upon her. 
 She has no one but herself to blame, and in this knowl- 
 edge there is the keenest agony. 
 
 In this age of enlightenment there are few women who 
 turn pale at the breaking of a mirror, or have a presenti- 
 ment of evil when a dog howls beneath their window, 
 and yet there are many who cherish as foolish supersti- 
 tions. They are afraid to have their husbands insure — 
 it seems so much like inviting death. The mere matter 
 of making provision for one's family does not hasten 
 the event, which, sooner or later, comes to all men. The 
 time and place for the husband's death is appointed ; by 
 setting his house in order, and so regulating his affairs 
 that the sweet peace maj^ not be broken, he does not 
 change the infinite laws or hasten the time one jot. 
 
 The following is one of the well authenticated tables in 
 use among London assurance companies, showing the 
 average length of life at various ages. This table is th^ 
 
18 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 result of careful carculation, and seldom proves mislead- 
 ing. Of course sudden and premature deaths, as well as 
 lives unusually extended, occasionally occur ; but this is 
 a table of the average expectancy of life of an ordinary 
 man or woman : 
 
 Age. 
 
 1. 
 10. 
 20. 
 30. 
 40. 
 
 More years to live. 
 
 39 
 
 51 
 
 41 
 
 34 
 
 28 
 
 Age. 
 50. 
 
 70. 
 80. 
 
 More years to live. 
 
 21 
 
 14 
 
 9 
 
 4 
 
 Men Who Have Their Lives Insured for 
 Large Amounts. 
 
 From the New York Sun. 
 
 Few people have any idea of the enormous amount of 
 money that is nowadays paid into insurance companies 
 merely for investment purposes. The great life insurance 
 companies to-day have become more than life insurance 
 companies ; they are great institutions into which money 
 can be placed and by a judicious investment by officers 
 and men who devote their lives to that kind of work it 
 often doubles in the ten or twenty years that the investor 
 pays in. 
 
 Life insurance nowada3^s is patronized by the wealthiest 
 men of the country, and patronized to an extent that 
 seems almost incredible. There is one man, John Wan- 
 amaker, who carries $1,505,000 on his life, and he pays 
 in premiums every year more than $50,000. Nearly all 
 of his insurance is of the character that will enable liim 
 to draw the full amount of his insurance in his lifetime. 
 
 Of the prominent men of New York City who are ex- 
 tensive patrons of life insurance, Mr. Chaun(?ey M. De- 
 pew is the largest. He is insured in many companies, 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 19 
 
 and carries a total insurance of about $500,000. On 
 some of it he p^iys as low as $40 a thousand a year, but 
 on others he pays as high as $G0 a thousand. His life 
 insurance annually costs him more than the average 
 bank president gets in salary. Tlie Lorillards, Pierre, 
 his two sons and his two daughters, carry, all told, about 
 $710,000 insurance on their lives. Tlie sons and daught- 
 ers are insured for $100,000 each, while Mr. Lorillard 
 himself carries $310,000 insurance. Theodore A. Have- 
 meyer and four members of his family carry an amount 
 aggregating more than $500,000. 
 
 The individual carrying on his own life the amount 
 next to that carried by Mr. Depew is Mr. James R. Pitcher. 
 Mr. Pitcher's insurance aggregates $465,000, and if he 
 lives and pays premiums at the rate that he is paying 
 them now for the full term of his insurance, he will be 
 able to draw in the neighborhood of $500,000. George 
 K. Henderson, another wealthy citizen, has his life in- 
 sured for $410,000, and his, too, is most of it on the en- 
 dowment plan, and he doesn't have to die to win. Of the 
 men who carry more than $300,000 on their lives, the 
 most prominent in New York is Mr. J. A. Bostwick. His 
 insurance foots up $335,000. 
 
 The list of people who carr}^ between $200,000 and 
 $300,000 insurance in New York City is very large. 
 Among the most prominent names are those of Mr. T. B. 
 Armstrong, whose insurance is $232,000 ; Mr. Alexander 
 Barrett, who carries $200,000 ; Mr. William P. Clyde, the 
 steamship man, who carries $200,000 ; Isidor Cohnfeld, 
 $290,000; John L. Cunningham, $220,000; Anderson 
 Fowler, $200,000 ; Edward A. Mc Alpine, the tobacco 
 man, $200,000 ; William Fellows Morgan, $200,000 ; I. 
 B. Newcome, $250,000 ; J. C. Osgood, $260,000 : F. E. 
 Eoberts, $200,000 ; C. H. Yenner, $250,000 
 
 Of the men who carry lesser amounts than these, whose 
 names are, some of them, mucli better known, there is 
 
20 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 Supreme Court Justice Morgan J. O'Brien, who is insured 
 for $50,000 ; ex-Secretary Charles S. Fairchild, who is 
 insured for $100,000 ; Mr. J. W. Alexander, the vice- 
 president of the Equitable, who carries $140,000 on his 
 life, and William J. Arkell, the publisher of Judge, in- 
 sured for over $50,000. Samuel Borrowe, who is also 
 connected with the Equitable Insurance Company, has 
 insurance amounting to $173,370. James B. Colgate is 
 insured for $106,000. Judge Dittenhoefer is insured for 
 over $100,000, and Henry E. Dixey, the actor, carries 
 something more than $50,000. Mr. A. Dolge, of Dolge- 
 ville, who insists on insuring the lives of all of his em- 
 ployes, has on his own life $160,000, and on the lives of 
 his employes about $163,000. 
 
 E. M. Field, the one who failed some years ago, and is 
 supposed to be penniless, pays premiums on insurance 
 that at the end of twenty years from the time he began 
 paying may net him $150,000. Duncan R. Harris has 
 insurance to the amount of $100,000 ; F. C. and H. B. 
 Hollands, bankers, have together about $200,000 insur- 
 ance ; J. H. Haverly has $120,000 ; John W. Lovell, the' 
 publisher, has $160,000 ; Dr. Charles McBurney, the sur- 
 geon, is almost as well insured. 
 
 Of the presidents of the three biggest life insurance 
 companies in this city, John A. McCall, of the New York, 
 carries the heaviest insurance on his life ; it aggregates 
 $170,000. Henry B. Hyde, of the Equitable, is not far 
 behind him ; he has $165,000 on his life. Richard A. 
 McCurdy, of the Mutual, is insured for $106,000. 
 
 Ex-Secretary William C. Whitney has always been a 
 prominent patron of life insurance, and at present car- 
 ries something more than $100,000. Mr. S. V. White is 
 another who has been interested in life insurance from 
 the beginning, and his policies now amount to about 
 $175,000. Spencer and Wayland Trask, brokers, carry 
 between them about $140,000. 
 
The Woodman's Hand- Book. 
 
 21 
 
 While Mr. Depew devotes so much of his money to 
 paying premiums on life insurance, the Yanderbilts, with 
 whom he is more closely associated than anybody else, 
 haven't yet taken to that kind of investment to any great 
 extent. So far as could be learned from the various 
 companies, the total insurance of all the members of tlie 
 Vanderbilt family amounts to a little over $100,000. 
 
 In Brooklyn the man who is most heavily insured is 
 Mr. P. B. Armstrong, Avho carries at the present time 
 about $225,000. Edward B. Bartlett, who died recently 
 and left his business in such a bad condition, was in- 
 sured for more than $150,000. The Rev. T. De Witt 
 Talmage, who has learned the value of insurance through 
 his various experiences with fire, has his life insured for 
 more than $60,000. This is exclusive of the amount that 
 Russell Sage carries on Talmage's life to insure the pay- 
 ment of a loan which he made on the Tabernacle, burned 
 recently. Another prominent Brooklynite Avho carries a 
 large insurance is Frederick Loeser. 
 
 William Barnes, Jr., the young man not afraid of his 
 shadow, has his life insured for more than $100,000, and 
 therefore has no reason to be afraid of his shadow. 
 Gorton W. Allen, who was the jSTcav York State Com- 
 missioner at the World's Fair, and who lives at Auburn, 
 carries $150,000 insurance. Franklin D. Locke, the anti- 
 snap leader of Western New York, also indulges in 
 $100,000 insurance. Matt Arnot, the Elraira millionaire, 
 who is said to be one of the most liberal campaign con- 
 tributors in the whole state, or the whole United States, 
 for that matter, has a $100,000 policy. 
 
 One hundred thousand dollars, by the way, is the 
 largest amount that any insurance company in the east 
 will carry on the life of one man, and those who are in- 
 sured for amounts greater than this have their insurance 
 in several companies. 
 
22 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 Smilh M. Weed, the Plattsburg statesman, patronizes 
 the insurance companies to the extent of $200,000. A. 
 G. Yates, the wealthy lumber dealer of Rochester, and 
 the warm friend of Mr. H. H. Warner, of that town, has 
 his life insured for $243,000, following the advice of Mr. 
 Warner, who is himself insured for $200,000. Herbert 
 C. Pell, of Tuxedo, carries $212,000 on his life. Edward 
 Lauterbach, of the firm of Hoadley, Lauterbach <k John- 
 son, is insured for about $125,000. 
 
 It is not only in the east that men of great wealth have 
 resorted to this means to invest their money and get 
 thereby a larger rate of interest than can be had in most 
 ordinary investments. From Maine to California and 
 from Canada to Florida there is hardly a city of any im- 
 portance whatever that does not contain at least one very 
 large patronizer of life insurance, and the number who 
 carry amounts varying from $50,000 to $100,000 is pretty 
 large. In California there are upward of twenty men 
 who carry as much as $100,000 on their lives, besides 
 several women. Am.ong the most prominent men there 
 who are insured are Stephen White, M. J. D. Young, 
 AVilliam H. Crocker, Colonel C. F. Crocker, and Timothy 
 Hopkins. The Chamberlins, of Denver, have put away 
 in life insurance something like $400,000. Senator AVol- 
 cott, of Colorado, protects himself with more than $150,000. 
 
 There are several United States Senators who carry a 
 very large insurance on their lives. Most prominent 
 among them is John R. McPherson, who doesn't invest 
 all his money in sugar stock. He carries an even $300,- 
 000. His friend, Franz 0. Matthieson, who was the pro- 
 prietor of Matthieson & Weicher's sugar refinery before 
 that refinery went into the sugar trust, and who is now 
 one of the prominent men in the sugar trust, is insured 
 for about $385,000. United States Senator Calvin S. 
 Brice carries a total of about $250,000, but his insurance 
 is mostly all the old style or straight life insurance. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 23 
 
 Senator Eustis, who is now an ambassador, has $100,000 
 insurance. Of other men who live in Washington, al- 
 thougli it is not their home, and who carry large insur- 
 ance, there are Samuel M. Bryan, $205,000, and T. E. 
 AVagerman, $250,000. United States Senator John Sher- 
 man carries about $300,000 insurance on his life. Un- 
 like Mr. Brice, Mr. Sherman invested in endowment 
 insurance. 
 
 Chicago doesn't contain so many men who invest their 
 money in life insurance as New York. The man who 
 carries the largest insuranje out there is M. T. 
 Green, who is insured for $362,000. Only one of the 
 Armours is insured, and he carries only $100,000. J. Q,. 
 Adams is insured for $218,000. N. K. Fairbank, the lard 
 man, carries $100,000 on his life. Mr. Higginbotham, 
 who had the World's Fair on his shoulders, has $200,000, 
 and James, L. Houghteling, his friend, carries $155,000. 
 George M. Pullman, the palace-car man, wealthy as he 
 is, only carries $100,000. 
 
 Neither Grover Cleveland nor Benjamin Harrison has 
 his life insured for any large amount. Each carries 
 small policies, but Baby McKee's father has protected 
 himself for the benefit of the baby with a $75,000 policy.- 
 
 Indiana, like Illinois, hasn't proven itself to be a tre- 
 mendous patron of life insurance, although the number 
 of small policy-holders is very large. The Studebakers, 
 of South Bend, carry the largest amount of insurance. 
 They aggregate about $450,000. 
 
 Colonel James E. Pepper, of Lexington, Ky., who is 
 interested in the Breckinridge fight, has his life insured 
 for $125,000, and from all the stories that have been 
 coming from Kentucky recently, it would appear that it 
 is a mighty good precaution for Mr. Pepper. It is said 
 that since Colonel Breckinridge announced his intention 
 of running again for Congress there have been a very 
 large number of applications for life insurance in large 
 
24 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 amounts in Kentucky, and if things go on as they are 
 going now, it looks as if some of the companies might 
 be hit hard before the campaign is over. Life insurance 
 companies have to pay when you get shot just the same 
 as if you die a natural death. 
 
 The Howards, of New Orleans, carry between them 
 about $400,000 insurance on their lives. They are among 
 the largest policy-holders in the south. The largest 
 single policy-holder in the south is J. S. Carr, of Dur- 
 ham, N. C, who carries $545,500 on his life. He carries 
 on the lives of members of his family about $200,000 
 more. Ex-Governor Holt, of North Carolina, carries 
 only $57,452 on his life, but he carries upward of $500,- 
 000 on the lives of members of his family, and Lawrence 
 S. Holt, a relative of his, who resides in Burlington, is 
 insured for $172,000. Baltimore's heaviest patron of life 
 insurance is Bernard M. Baker, who carries nearly half 
 a million of dollars. 
 
 Boston has always been a good j)atron of life insur- 
 ance. The man who carries the heaviest insurance there 
 is Mr. J. R. Whipple, who pays premiums on more than 
 $600,000 on his own life. There are two men who are 
 insured for more than $500,000 — Mr. E. H. Abbott and 
 Mr; George Samuel C. Lawrence. More than a dozen 
 men are insured each for more than $200,000. Among 
 them are C. H. Taylor, Charles C. Pulsifer, Albert A. 
 Pope, and R. G. Chase. George D. Robinson, once gov- 
 ernor of the state, but better known as the lawyer who 
 defended Miss Lizzie Borden so ably and secured her ac- 
 quittal, has his life insured for $50,000. One of the 
 Borden famil}^ also has her life insured for $50,000. The 
 patent medicine business enables C. I. Hood, of Lowell, 
 to carry $285,000 insurance. 
 
 General Russell A. Alger, who had such a bad attack 
 of the presidential bee in 1892, carries now $148,000 on 
 his life. He took most of it out when he got back from 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 25 
 
 the war and went into politics, and he pays premiums on 
 the greater part of it at a rate of about $50 on each 
 thousand. Mayor Pingree, who also lives in Detroit, has 
 his life insured for $140,000, and Frank C. Pingree, one 
 of his relatives, carries $72,000 insurance. These are 
 the most prominent of the one hundred and odd names 
 from Michigan cities. 
 
 The best patron of life insurance in Minnesota is John 
 McKinley, of Duluth. He pays on $300,000 worth of 
 policies. Ex-Governor John S. Pillsbury, of Minneapolis, 
 carries $150,000, and his brother Charles $100,000. W. 
 C. Washburn, Avho is another flour man, has his life in- 
 sured for $125,000. Governor Merriman, interested in 
 the same business, but living in St. Paul, carries $102,- 
 000. J. J. Hill, the railroad king of the northwest, is 
 insured for $100,000. 
 
 The best patron of life insurance in Kansas City is 
 Willard E. Pinner ; his life is insured for $373,000. In 
 St. Louis John W. Kaufman has $325,000 insurance. 
 John M, Thurston, who hails from Omaha, and who was 
 prominent in the Hawaiian troubles, was wise enougli 
 before he went to Hawaii to take out a policy of $100,- 
 000 on his life in favor of his wife. 
 
 Thomas A. Edison, the inventor, has his life insured 
 for $130,000. Frank A. McGowan, who Avas the mayor 
 of Trenton, N. J., and Avho is a considerable power in 
 politics there to-day, has $250,000 on his life. Chris. 
 Magee, the thorn in the side of United States Senator 
 Quay, spends a great deal of the profits of his business 
 in life insurance. At last accounts his policies footed up 
 $375,000. 
 
 During the Homestead strikes, when Bergman, the 
 anarchist, shot H. C. Frick, of the Carnegie company, 
 the life insurance companies stood to lose $310,000 in a 
 lump, but Mr. Frick got well. Notwithstanding his nar- 
 row escape, he has not endeavored to increase his insur- 
 
26 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 ance at all. The recent strikes and the riots and violence 
 practiced in Pennsylvania have made some companies 
 rather chary about the character of the risks that they 
 are taking out there. Mine owners and iron-mill owners 
 are not considered the very best risks. Of the iron men 
 who are already insured in Pittsburg, W. G. Friday car- 
 ries $300,000. Henry Phipps, of the Carnegie company, 
 has $113,000. Senator Don Cameron, of Pennsylvania, 
 carries $200,000 insurance on his life, and E. P. Wilber, 
 president of the Lehigh Valley Railroad company, who 
 lives in Bethlehem, has just half that amount. 
 
 General E. Bird Grubb, who says he lives in Jersey 
 when he wants to run for gov'ernor of that state, and in 
 Philadelphia when he isn't looking for political favors 
 over there, has an insurance of $100,000 on his life. 
 George Boldt, who is now running the AValdorf Hotel in 
 New York City, but used to be a great Philadelphia man, 
 has $232,000 worth of policies. The family that carries 
 the largest insurance in Pennsylvania is the Disston 
 family. There are five members of it insured, and their 
 insurance aggregates $1,510,000. Two of them carry 
 $600,000 each. This aggregate is larger than the amount 
 on the life of John Wanamaker, but, including the 
 other two Wanamakers in Philadelphia, Mr. Wanamak- 
 er's insurance would foot up to $1,750,000. 
 
 John Hauck, of Cincinnati, has $250,000 on his life. 
 M. E. Ingalls, of the same city, has $285,000, and the 
 Stix family — Henry, Joseph, Nathan, and William com- 
 bined—have $350,000. 
 
 The AVick family, in Youngstown, Ohio, carry a total 
 of $435,000, nearly all of which is investment insurance. 
 George A. Dohman, who belongs to more societies than 
 any man in Pennsylvania, has, besides his various society 
 insurances, $89,000 in life insurance. That is the largest 
 amount carried by any man in Wilkesbarre. In Spring 
 Forge, Penn., P. H. Glatfelter has $453,000, and W. H. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 27 
 
 Glatfelter $220,000. They are among the best patrons in 
 that part of the state. 
 
 Governor Ladd, of Rhode Island, had his life insured 
 for $195,000. United States Senator Camden, of Park- 
 ersburg, AV. A^a., carries $75,000 on his life. Milwaukee 
 has two $500,000 men, E. H. Abbott and James L. Gates. 
 
 To-day there are in the United States 7,419,856 persons 
 holding life insurance policies. If they all died to-mor- 
 row the companies would have to pay $5,280,585,718. 
 But 5,679,328 of these persons are insured in industrial 
 companies. If the rest, 1,740,528, only should die, the 
 companies w^ould have to pay $4,624,838,670. 
 
 Comparative Cost of Management 
 
 The most interesting statistics to the life insurance 
 agent is undoubtedly the expense ratio of the various 
 companies operating in the field. 
 
 While the expense charge of a level premium policy is 
 an unknown quantity, the expense element of a flexible 
 premium company is always limited in the policy con- 
 tract, but this limit varies so much with the different com- 
 panies, and often deviates to such an extent from the 
 actual amount used for management, that it would be an 
 injustice to consider the limit as the amount actually ex- 
 pended for management, for which reason the following 
 table of cost and management to each one thousand dol- 
 lars of insurance in force of the companies mentioned 
 is given, with a comparison to the cost for management 
 on each one thousand in the leading level premium com- 
 panies : 
 
28 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 FLEXIBLE PREMIUM COMPANIES. 
 
 Northwestern Masonic Aid Association.. 
 
 Maine Benefit Association 
 
 Provincial Provident Institution 
 
 Covenant Mutual Benefit Association 
 
 Chicago Guaranty Fund Life Society. . .• 
 
 Hartford Life and Annuity Insurance Company. 
 
 Pranlilin Life Association 
 
 Bay State Beneficiary Association 
 
 Massachusetts Benefit Association 
 
 Mutual Reserve Fund Life Association 
 
 Northwestern Life Association 
 
 Des Moines Life Association 
 
 * Provident Savings Life Assurance Society 
 
 * National Life Association 
 
 United Life Insurance Association 
 
 * Security Mutual Life Association 
 
 * National Life Maturity Insurance Company. . . 
 
 * Fidelity Mutual Life Association 
 
 t Industrial Benefit Association 
 
 i Connecticut Indemnity Association 
 
 LEVEL PREMIUM COMPANIES. 
 
 Canada Life Assurance Company 
 
 Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company. . 
 
 Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company 
 
 Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. . 
 
 .x^tna Life Insurance Company 
 
 Traveler's Life Insurance Company 
 
 Equitable Life Assurance Society 
 
 Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company 
 
 Mutual Life Insurance Company 
 
 Germania Life Insurance Company 
 
 Manhattan Life Insurance Company 
 
 New York Life Insurance Company 
 
 Home Life Insurance Company 
 
 Union Central Life Insurance Company 
 
 Union Mutual Life Insurance Company 
 
 Michigan Mutual Life Insurance Company 
 
 Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company 
 
 t John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company 
 
 t Prudential Insurance Company 
 
 t Metropolitan Life Insurance Company 
 
 *Does an investment insurance business in addition to straight life. 
 
 t Industrial business. X Investment and industrial business. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 29 
 
 Death Rate of Nations. 
 
 The following table shows the annual rate of mortality 
 per 1,000 in Great Britain, England, and France, includ- 
 ing the deaths of soldiers at home and abroad. — Insur- 
 ance Cyclopdsdia, Vol. V., p. 542 : 
 
 Years. 
 
 Great 
 Britain. 
 
 England 
 AND Wales. 
 
 France. 
 
 1857 
 
 21.7 
 
 21.8 
 
 23.8 
 
 1858 
 
 23.0 
 
 23.2 
 
 24.1 
 
 1859 
 
 22.2 
 
 22.4 
 
 27.0 
 
 1860 
 
 21.4 
 
 21.3 
 
 21.4 
 
 1861 
 
 21.5 
 
 21.6 
 
 23.2 
 
 1862 
 
 21.5 
 
 21.5 
 
 21.7 
 
 1863 
 
 23.0 
 
 23.0 
 
 22.5 
 
 1864 . 
 
 23.8 
 
 23.8 
 
 22.8 
 
 1865 
 
 23.3 
 
 23.4 
 
 24.3 
 
 1866 
 
 23.5 
 
 23.6 
 
 23.3 
 
 1867 
 
 22.0 
 
 22.0 
 
 22.7 
 
 1868 
 
 22.1 
 
 22.2 
 
 24.0 
 
 1869 
 
 22.8 
 
 22 6 
 
 23.5 
 
 1870 
 
 22.8 
 
 22.9 
 
 28.3 
 
 1871 
 
 22.6 
 
 22.6 
 
 
 Grand Averag-e. . 
 
 22.4 
 
 22.5 
 
 23.7 
 
 *Less40 % 
 
 13.5 
 
 13.5 
 
 14.2 
 
 * Fully 40 per cent of all who are born die before they are 25 years of age. 
 
 Insured for $^30,000 and Over. 
 
 C. H. Venner, New York City $250,000 
 
 J. B. Newcombe, New York City 250,000 
 
 Thoraas Y. England, Philadelphia, Penn. 250,000 
 
 G. G. Green, Philadelphia, Penn 250,000 
 
 Dr. William Pepper, Philadelphia, Penn 250,000 
 
 J. V. Farwell, Chicago, 111 250,000 
 
 W. T. Green, Chicago, 111 250,000 
 
 Keith Edison, Chicago, 111 260,000 
 
 J. C. Osgood, New York City 260,000 
 
30 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 Franz Matthiessn, New York City 270,000 
 
 D. K. Mills, Philadelphia, Penn 270,000 
 
 Isidor Confield, New York City 290,000 
 
 E. M. Hukell, Pittsburg, Penn 300,000 
 
 H. H. Warner, Rochester, N. Y 800,000 
 
 C. H. Call, Marquette, Mich 800,000 
 
 J. L. Gates, Milwaukee, Wis 800,000 
 
 Marshall A. Phillips, Philadelphia, Penn 800,000 
 
 R G. Peters, Eastlake, Mich 801,815 
 
 J. S. Carr, Durham, N. C 810,000 
 
 P. Lorillard, New York City 810,000 
 
 H. R. Shoch, Philadelphia, Penn 319,000 
 
 J. A. Bostwick, New York City 885,000 
 
 James R. Pitcher, New York City 850,000 
 
 Willard E. Winner, Kansas City, Mo 878,000 
 
 Mrs. George Hearst, San Francisco, Cal 400,000 
 
 C. A. Coffin, Boston, Mass 400,000 
 
 Dr. R. C. Flower, Boston, Mass 400,000 
 
 George K. Anderson, New York City 410,000 
 
 P. H. Glatfelter, Spring Forge, Penn 465,000 
 
 Chauncey M. Depew, New York City 500,000 
 
 Theo. A. Havemeyer, New York City 600,000 
 
 E. H. Abbott, Boston, Mass 500,000 
 
 J. R. Whipple, Boston, Mass 500.000 
 
 Edwin Kuth, Chicago, 111 500,000 
 
 George Gooderham, Toronto, Ont 500,000 
 
 W. W. Gibbs, Philadelphia, Penn 500,000 
 
 J. B. Stetson, Philadelphia, Penn 515.000 
 
 Hon. John Wanamaker, Philadelphia, Penn 1,500 000 
 
niie 
 
 ini§iiiiraini(se, 
 
D. C. ZiNK, Head Banker. 
 
The Philosophy of It. 
 
 JJ Yl UMAN experience in all times 
 and places has demonstrated 
 the fact that he who attempts 
 to disturb the fixed habits and com- 
 mon belief of a people by introduc- 
 ing new ideas or changes challenges 
 opposition and persecution harmon- 
 izing with the magnitude of the in- 
 novation in question. This fact is the result of an innate 
 propensity in man, an intolerance of change, which im- 
 pels him to punish the innovator whose ideas clash with 
 his repose or self-interest. And what is true of man is 
 equally true of society. Whether this spirit of con- 
 servalfism, or rather inertia, tends to the good or ill of 
 mankind we will not discuss. It is enough to know that 
 this intolerance of change, or propensity to resent change, 
 exists, and that it is common to all peoples, to all times, 
 and under all systems of religion, philosophy, and gov- 
 ernment. 
 
 The foregoing observations lead up to the so-called 
 persecution now waged against that form of co-opera- 
 tion represented by the system of fraternal insurance. 
 Evolved, as it was, out of the exigencies of the times, to 
 meet a condition of things hitherto unprovided for, 
 the progress of this system has been one of evolution. 
 Evolution, as the reader well knows, does not involve 
 revolution. It goes straight ahead. Its sign is supposed 
 to be a straight line, not a circle. It is a creation to 
 meet conditions and questions relating to the economic 
 structure of society as embodied in its concrete entity. 
 
34 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 It, therefore, is an innovation, and, as such, is destined 
 to pass through the crucial test of intolerance born of 
 ignorance, misrepresentation as set forth by unscrupu- 
 lous representatives within, and interested traducers with- 
 out, its folds, the natural mutability of all institutions of 
 human creation, and the damnable opposition of sine- 
 cures who regard everything as a hollow pretense which 
 does not pay tribute to their treasuries. We therefore 
 submit a few instances by way of analogy, and believe 
 that the thoughtful reader wiW not only be able to dis- 
 cern the true inwardness of the present agitation against 
 a comparatively new system, but will be able to arrive at 
 a correct conclusion as well. 
 
 Life insurance in its incipient stages was greeted with 
 ridicule and opposition of the most positive character. 
 Evolved in 1671, it was at the outstart the subject of 
 much controversy. Laws inhibiting its operation were 
 passed, and it was declared unlawful in France to lay a 
 wager on the life of the Pope, Emperor, King, dukes, 
 princes, bishops, lords, or persons." The general belief 
 was that life insurance was " nothing more than a wicked 
 game of chance, w4th individuals as the stakes." How 
 is it to-day ? Life insurance is the greatest financial sys- 
 tem of the world. It outvies banks and governments. 
 Hundreds of millions of dollars are held by individual 
 corporations. It is now regarded as an indication of 
 prudence for a man to carry a reasonable amount of in- 
 surance. The v/icked game of chance" of yesterday 
 has become the necessity of to-day. It furnishes the 
 sinews of war to governments, corporations, and trusts. 
 It is courted on all sides, and it is yet in its early stages. 
 
 But, the reader may say, if the above is a true resume 
 of facts, wherein lies the necessity of concerted co-opera- 
 tive action ? We will explain. These institutions have 
 diverged from the paths in which they originally started. 
 The " wicked game of chance," whose beneficent features 
 
The M^oodman's Hand-Book, 
 
 35 
 
 are recognized by all, has been relegated to the back- 
 ground. The banking and investment features have 
 been so interwoven with it that one is in a maze of doubt 
 and bewilderment when he endeavors to fathom its in- 
 tricacies. Monopolies and trusts have fastened their 
 poisonous fangs upon its exponents so that now they are 
 pliant tools to do their bidding. This is why the rank 
 and file of humanity is subverting its interests when it 
 contributes to the coffers of these institutions. 
 
 Reference to official reports shows that two companies 
 alone — the Mutual Life and the New York Life — repre- 
 sent nearly $100,000,000 in railroad securities. The 
 Equitable Life swells this with $40,000,000 more of like 
 securities. What is the lesson of this ? These vast 
 trusts were organized without a dollar of capital ; there 
 never was a dollar of personal responsibility, and there 
 is not a dollar of responsibility connected with them to- 
 day. They Avere organized wholly and solely in the in- 
 terests of philanthropy — to protect the home and loved 
 ones. And jet — mark this statement — these institu- 
 tions have so manipulated matters through legislatures 
 and otherwise that they practically own and control these 
 vast accumulations. The policy-holders have no rights 
 which they are bound to respect. 
 
 The above are the conditions which called forth the 
 present system, which has been aptly termed fraternal- 
 ism. Coming, as it does, to correct the abuses which 
 have perverted the true purposes of the system just 
 described, is it to be wondered at that it should incur its 
 deadly hatred and its uncompromising hostility ? We 
 hardly believe so. ' The system of fraternal insurance is, 
 according to the unchanging logic of events, destined to 
 pass through trials similar to those which beset savings 
 banks and life insurance. That the test will not be so 
 bitter or malevolent will, w^e believe, be conceded by those 
 who consider the fact that the innovation is not so 
 
36 
 
 The Woodman^s Hatid-Book. 
 
 radical as were these at the time the}^ were introduced. 
 At the same time, though, there will be a struggle to 
 create proper legal environments which will protect the 
 worthy' from the unworthy, as well as the entire system, 
 from its enemies. What we now need most is honesty of 
 purpose and action, an intelligent administration of the 
 principles underlying the system, a true statement of its 
 plans and purposes among the general public, a zealous 
 supervision of its rights, and a determined front against 
 abuses wdiich are liable to creep into it. With these pur- 
 poses kept steadily in view, both by officers and mem- 
 bers, the cause is impervious, and will withstand tenfold 
 more opposition than has thus far been hurled against it. 
 
 Immediately after the war the savings bank became 
 the symbol of neutral territory — a place wiiere capital 
 might meet labor, that both might profit through the 
 mutuality of interests. The wise and reasonable pru- 
 dence and the consistent economy, which will go far 
 toward solving many of the economic questions of the 
 present day, were a text twenty-five years ago. They be- 
 came the title of many a beautiful story, and furnished 
 the foundations for many a fairy castle in Spain from the 
 end of the war until 1877. Nearly everybody had some 
 interest in a savings bank in those days. Looking back- 
 ward now, it would seem that the country was divided 
 into two classes — those who conducted savings banks 
 and those who put their money into them. Children 
 saved their pennies, servant girls hoarded their dimes, 
 clerks and mechanics came with their weekly or monthh^ 
 stipends, and the " pick and shovel brigade " of laborers, 
 as they were called, made continual processions to the 
 doors of these savings banks. What was the result ? 
 Disreputable and irresponsible men " stole the livery of 
 heaven," speaking metaphorically, to attain their per- 
 sonal ends. Chaos ensued, and it was next to an impos- 
 sibility to separate the worthy from the unworthy. 
 
 1 
 
Tlte Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 37 
 
 Monopoly saw the germs of a dangerous rival looming 
 up in the indistinct outlines of warring masses. The 
 clamor was heard in the halls of legislation. Doubtful 
 at lirst, it swayed in the balance, and faint-hearted ex- 
 ponents were fearful as to the final outcome. The laws 
 were revised. These institutions were required to show 
 a certificate of character as essential to the continuance 
 of their existence. The unworthy dropped out, or were 
 forced out, as is now the case with fraternal insurance. 
 'Those properly constructed and manned had fostering 
 laws placed around them. They lived down the stigma 
 attached to their systems by charlatans and adventurers, 
 and to-day they stand forth in bold relief as not only 
 among the safest fiduciary institutions of the land, but 
 as representatives of hundreds of millions of dollars held 
 in trust. Is not this an illustration of the imperisha- 
 bility of a principle founded upon the bed-rock of com- 
 mon sense and nurtured b}^ laws of a supervising cliar- 
 acter — ^laws whose province it is to protect rather than 
 to crush ? AVe certainly believe so. The savings banks 
 have survived an onslaught far more powerful and vin- 
 dictive than that which has been waged thus far against 
 fraternal insurance. And shall we, in the light of tliis 
 experience, supinely throw up our hands ? Perish the 
 thought ! 
 
 And why should it not ? Are not its purposes en- 
 nobling, elevating, and practical ? Is it not a practical 
 form of beneficence which embodies in its context the 
 payment of stipulated sums in case of sickness or death? 
 Is there anything immoral or dangerous in this ? Does 
 it not afi'ord a competency during life and a benefit in 
 after years when, perchance, sickn'ess, disappointment, or 
 old age may have incapacitated one for battling against 
 an adverse fate ? It is philanthropy exemplified in its 
 truest and broadest sense. It is an enemy to poverty 
 and crime. It encourages frugality and steadfastness of 
 
38 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 purpose, and promotes the well-being of all who identify 
 themselves with it and live up to its teachings. 
 
 These are the cardinal points of the system now un- 
 dergoing a process of renovation. That it will live and 
 spread out its protecting environs as people understand 
 it better should not be doubted for a moment. It, like 
 truth, is imperishable, and it will be in the floodtide of 
 its prosperity when its traducers shall have passed into 
 the oblivion they so richly merit. — Fraternal Monitor. 
 
 Life Insurance. 
 
 Life insurance is as old as Roman history. Its first 
 phase was the payment in Utopian days of a single sum 
 for a fixed and limited benefit, such as a sea voyage or 
 other temporary enterprises, much after the manner of 
 marine insurance. A century and a half ago, England 
 adopted whole life insurance upon level annual payments. 
 This shortly became popular in Europe, and later met 
 with wonderful success in this country. But American 
 sagacity was not satisfied. The level premium system 
 companies had abused the trusts committed to their care. 
 Enormous sums accumulated in their coff'ers, as against 
 the future when the premiums to be paid should fall be- 
 low the costs of the risks which they had stipulated to 
 carry, were squandered upon illegitimate enterprises until 
 the panic of 1873 in America disclosed the incapacity of 
 many to fulfill their contracts, and ushered in a carnival 
 of receiverships. Men of intelligence began to examine 
 into the credentials of old-line life insurance. They 
 found there was no provision in their calculations for re- 
 placing sums lost through* the many loopholes of bad in- 
 vestment ; that the laws were ineffectual to prevent 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh, 39 
 
 chicanery on the part of the management ; that they ran 
 great risks in having to guarantee the rates of interest 
 and mortality for years to come. They found the officers 
 extravagantly housed in sumptuous apartments, drawing 
 fat salaries, limited only by their own notions of the value 
 of their services. They also found, when the necessity 
 of insurance had ceased, that they would only receive a 
 small fraction of their overpayments, and that promises 
 of dividends were a snare and a delusion. 
 
 Such a state of things could not continue. Something 
 must be instituted which would do away with such glar- 
 ing defects. American ingenuity w^as equal to the emer- 
 gency, and the natural premium or assessment insurance 
 came to the surface in a number of different forms. It is 
 quite true that its originators were for the most part men 
 lacking in life insurance education and training. The 
 old-line companies were able and willing to deride it for 
 its weakness, and avail themselves of every opportunity 
 to denounce the new scheme. But it contained the germ 
 of something grand ; success was but a matter of time. 
 Thanks to the very criticisms of our opponents, w^e began 
 to see our mistakes and to remedy them ; until the public, 
 with that keen foresight which characterizes our American 
 people, recognized the value of the assessment or natural- 
 premium system of life insurance, and straightway en- 
 rolled themselves under our banners until we soon had 
 upon our books a membership greater than the old-liners 
 had accumulated in a half a century. — E. B. Harper he- 
 fore Mutual Life Underwriters. 
 
 Who is Benefited by the Fraternities? 
 
 The husband is interested and benefited by the assur- 
 ance of assistance in the hour of sickness and need. The 
 
40 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 wife is benefited in the hour of distress ; she is not a 
 burden to her husband ; the son and daughter also feel 
 their independence. 
 
 The wife is interested in having her husband join a 
 benevolent order. The wife of to-day is the widow of to- 
 morrow. The wife should provide for the widow. The 
 neglected wife becomes the penniless widow. Therefore, 
 it is the duty of every wife to give her personal attention 
 to securing her husband's admission into a benevolent 
 order. In addition, it associates him with those who 
 would aid him in sickness and befriend him should mis- 
 fortune overtake him. The wife and family are not the 
 only ones benefited by his belonging to the order ; it 
 benefits the man himself. It cultivates thrift and 
 economy. Small sums formerly frittered away in odds 
 and ends, in little nothings, are now husbanded, and thus 
 habits are formed that tend to industry, economy, and 
 competence. There are times in the life of almost every 
 man when he needs a helping hand, a little credit, loan, 
 or extension of time. Such help may tide him over a 
 difficulty, perhaps float him out into the broad sea of 
 prosperity. Such aid or favor can be more easily secured 
 by the members of an order. In joining an order men 
 or \Yomen have their ideas broadened and their views (»r 
 life enlarged, opportunities are opened that might not 
 have been enjoyed in any other way. The mind is freed 
 from anxiety for the future of the family in case of sick- 
 ness or death, thus health is improved ; all moves on freer 
 in life's work. They have more hope, courage, and 
 strength, and as a consequence they succeed better. It is 
 the liberal soul that is made fat. It is the stagnant pool, 
 not the overflowing fountain, that dries up. 
 
H. C. Hedges, Head Adviser. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 41 
 
 Wonderful Growth of Assessment Life 
 Insurance. 
 
 Twenty-five years ago the science of life insurance was 
 in an embrj^o condition in this countr3^ It was then 
 plain life insurance with but few speculative features. 
 
 There were at that time about eighty-three old-line 
 companies that did the bulk of the business in this coun- 
 try, and they used the same tables of premium rates that 
 they employ to-day. 
 
 Twenty-five years ago fraternal insurance on the lodge 
 plan was inaugurated by the organization of the Ancient 
 Order of United Workmen at Meadville, Penn. Its 
 proposition to insure members at actual cost met with 
 violent opposition from every old-line company, but its 
 advent was the dawn of a new era in life insurance. 
 
 It is interesting to note the changes time has wrought. 
 In 1882; ten years ago, there were but thirty old-line 
 companies of importance surviving out of the original 
 eighty-three. 
 
 On the other hand, assessment insurance had developed 
 in a remarkable degree. The Ancient Order of United 
 Workmen, the pioneer of beneficiary orders, had not only 
 attained a large membership, but was one of a family 
 numbering fifty-nine beneficiary societies. — Fraternal 
 Monitor. 
 
 Legitimate Fraternity Never Fails. 
 
 Amid the crash of corporations, business enterprises, 
 schemes, and associations by a hundred names, it is with 
 pride that the record of the past can be pointed to, and 
 nowhere along the line is there the record of the failure 
 
42 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 of a single legitimate fraternal order. Wherever a fra- 
 ternity has been builded upon honest fraternal founda- 
 tions, that institution is still in existence. Masonry, Odd 
 Fellowship, Woodcraft, Druidism, Forestry, Redmanship, 
 Good Templars, Pythianism, Workmanship, Knights of 
 Honor, Royal Arcanum, American Legion of Honor, 
 Chosen Friends, and others, instituted for the good of 
 mankind, and for truly sacred and unselfish purposes, are 
 still here, and will be here as long as the necessity exists 
 for mutual relief and protection. 
 
 No other cause of any character can show such a record. 
 Creeds, religion, parties, sects, monetary, moral, benevo- 
 lent, charitable, and business enterprises of every variety 
 have changed, been added to or taken from, appeared 
 and disappeared by hundreds, but the legitimate frater- 
 nities stand to-day as at the beginning, only gathering 
 strength and influence, and aggregating for humanity's 
 good as the years and centuries go by. 
 
 Opposition in almost every form has been hurled 
 against them. Money and influence have been lavishly 
 expended to destroy them, but while the men who de- 
 nounced them are relegated to oblivion and have been 
 forgotten, the grand orders are still here. The fraternities 
 may well be pardoned for having some pride as they re- 
 view this great record. — San Francisco Call. 
 
 Benefit Societies and Their Origin. 
 
 We find upon oareful investigation that the first bene- 
 ficiary organizations that ever existed were known as 
 Friendly Societies. The uncertainties of human life and 
 health and the effects of these on the well-being of those 
 who are dependent for their subsistence on human labor, 
 
 •r 
 
TJie Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 43 
 
 are too manifest not to have arrested the attention of 
 men in all ages and to have taxed their ingenuity to 
 guard against them. It is probable, therefore, that traces 
 of some sort of institutions, corresponding more or less 
 closely to the friendly societies of modern Europe, might 
 be found wherever mankind have not depended for their 
 means of living on the spontaneous product of the soil. 
 At all events, they had their prototypes in the cases, 
 boxes or chests, or kists — as they were called in Scotland 
 and Germany — -of the guilds and corporations of mediseval 
 Europe, wdiich were funds not only for maintaining the 
 dignity and ministering to the conviviality of the mem- 
 bers, but for providing for the aged and the sick. They 
 were found in Anglo-Saxon England, and like the other 
 institutions connected with municipal life, they probably 
 formed part of the legacy of the Romans to the Teutonic 
 conquerors of Europe. 
 
 Friendly societies are a form of mutual insurance, and 
 like all insurances, they depend upon the principle of 
 substituting the certainty which attends the fortunes of 
 large numbers of men for the uncertainty which belongs 
 to the fortune of each. Their main objects are the se- 
 curing, in virtue of a small periodical payment during 
 health and vigor, of a weekly sum during sickness, a sum 
 to cover funeral expenses at death, and sometimes of a 
 pension after a certain age. 
 
 In many respects, therefore, joining a society of this 
 character is better than becoming a depositor in a sav- 
 ings bank. Sickness may come before the savings are 
 considerable, they may be melted away by long-continued 
 sickness ; but after the first payment is made in one of 
 these societies, the member is secure of succor, at least 
 for a time, and in the event of death his family are not 
 thrown on the cold charities of the world. It is possible, 
 on the other hand — but hardly probable — that a 
 difficulty may be experienced, in certain circumstances, 
 
44 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 in keeping up the payments required, and in this case, 
 in most societies, lie altogether forfeits the expected 
 benefits. 
 
 One great mistake that originally existed in the forma- 
 tion of friendly or benefit societies was to assume that 
 each member should pay an equal sum, whatever his age 
 might be. This is still in vogue in England to some 
 extent, but in this country it is nearly, if not quite, en- 
 tirely eliminated. It was certainly unjust to the younger 
 members, w^ho are less likely to become burdensome to 
 the funds than the middle-aged ; and, indeed, there is a 
 rising scale of probability of sickness throughout all the 
 years of a man's life. It is well to remember that as 
 sickness varies more considerably than mortality with 
 the salubrity of the localities inhabited and the occupa- 
 tions of the members, no absolute reliance can be placed 
 on published averages. All of them, however, agree in 
 this, that increase of years is attended by increased 
 liability to sickness. To admit all ages, then, at an equal 
 payment is clearly making the younger members pay 
 for the elder. 
 
 A well-constituted benefit society involves, in the first 
 place, the principle of payments appropriate to particular 
 ages, as no other plan can be considered equitable. It 
 stands forth before the middle and the working-classes as 
 a permanent institution, like the old-line life insurance 
 societies to the upper classes, and necessarily requires its 
 members to consider the connection they form with it as 
 an enduring one, because its grand aim is to expressly 
 make provision at one period of life for contingencies 
 which may arise at another — for youth, in short, to 
 endow old age. 
 
 It is essential to the character of a proper benefit 
 society that individuals be not admitted indiscriminately. 
 To take a person in bad health, or of broken constitution, 
 is unjust to those members who are healthy, because he 
 
The Woodmcur s Hand-Bool:. 
 
 45 
 
 is obviously more likely to become a speedy burden upon 
 the funds. Here, as in life insurance societies, it is 
 necessary to admit members only upon their showing 
 that they are of sound constitution and in good health. 
 And in our judgment it would be well not to grant o.ny 
 benefits until after the member has been a year in the 
 society. By these means men would be induced to enter 
 when they are hale and well instead of postponing the 
 step until they have a pressing need of assistance, when 
 their endeavor to get into a benefit society becomes little 
 else than a fraud. The most careful medical examina- 
 tion having shown that even physicians are often de- 
 ceived. — Woodman. 
 
 A Practical View. 
 
 A member at the age of forty years has an expectancy 
 of life ecjual to twenty-seven and one-fourth years ; one 
 hundred members of that age have a combined age of 
 two thousand seven htmdred and twenty-five years, and 
 if all were contributing members for the full period of 
 their lives, $200,000 would be necessary to meet their 
 obligations ; and if there were no additions to this num- 
 ber to change the age, it would require from each of 
 these men $74 monthly to meet the final payments. 
 Xow then, if a lodge of fifty members whose average age 
 of membership is about forty years goes along and 
 maintains its existence without new members to keep 
 down the age, they are just so much a drag upon the 
 society or order to which they belong as the difference is 
 between what they pay in and the $74 which is necessary 
 to keep them alive. If this latter amount had really to 
 be paid, there would be no beneficiary societies ; but it 
 
/ 
 
 46 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 would show the necessity for work. Do you know how 
 many new men introduced into your lodge, say of one 
 hundred men, will keep you in a healthy condition ? Six 
 new men yearly, of an average of thirty years, will keep 
 a lodge in healthy operation. Sixty new men will keep 
 a society of one thousand men at the average age of forty 
 years, provided additional men of thirty years' average 
 are taken in to even up the men who may be taken in at 
 an initial age above forty years. 
 
 Impress this fact upon your minds, brothers, that if 
 you are belonging to a lodge that is doing no work, that 
 it requires this proportion of six to one hundred to place 
 your lodge in a healthy condition, after you have enough 
 men in it to bring the average age to forty years. 
 
 This statement is made after a very careful analysis of 
 the progress of assessment societies; and in this issue of the 
 Guide we have the matter figured out so plainl}^ that we 
 think all must understand it. We present the main facts 
 to the members of all fraternal societies, that if each 
 lodge organized will determine that it will do its duty to 
 all lodges. The demand for work is really very light — 
 six new members under thirty years for every hundred 
 members. A lodge that cannot raise this proportion of 
 increase had better go out of business. — Exchange. 
 
 Privileges of Fraternity. 
 
 Fraternity embodies many indisputable benefits. Many 
 are the men who connect themselves with secret and 
 beneficial orders who do not look after or take part in 
 the necessary workings of the order, and accordingly 
 sacrifice their attendant benefits. Some have expressed 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 47 
 
 themselves ■ to the effect that it is an old story to go to 
 lodge, and that they have had their apportionment of ex- 
 perience in their younger days. True, one can get con- 
 siderable experience, should he begin when young and 
 be a regular attendant for a period of years, and yet when 
 looking back upon the bonds of friendship which were 
 created through his associations with the lodge, the good 
 times which were had, and the substantial benefits en- 
 joyed, it will only be in a very few cases where any re- 
 gret can be expressed ; on the contrary, a value will be 
 placed upon it, which, were it possible, would not be ex- 
 changed for gold. 
 
 From day to day men constantly come together in 
 business relations, their intercourse is from necessity 
 short and to the point, on account of business matters, 
 and they scarcely stop for a friendh^ greeting or to make 
 a neighborly inquiry. This conduct unthoughtedly 
 grows into months and years, and the business man con- 
 tinues to think that he has no time to spend in the lodge 
 or among his friends and brothers in social ways, and in 
 the care of tlie order. The grind of daih^ toil is very 
 wear3nng, and should be relieved. A i)leasant evening 
 occasionally spent in the lodge-room, where the detail of 
 cash value" is lost sight of for a few minutes, and gen- 
 uine pleasure indulged in, counts for more in resting the 
 mind and preparing one for the following day's work 
 than many people recognize. There is a little book pub- 
 lished, called Ethics of Eest," wherein it is stated that 
 rest does not come so much through absolute avoidance 
 of work for a period as in a change of occupation, em- 
 ploying different muscles from those in constant use, and 
 directing one's thoughts in a different train from its cus- 
 tomary following; that the stoppage of work, and in a 
 sense the laying of one's self on the shelf for rest, is in 
 fact not so conducive to beneficial rest as some recreation 
 would be. 
 
48 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 This reasoning is an argument in favor of the occasional 
 rest and recreation which comes from one mingling with 
 one's brothers in lodge or ruling meetings. Life is too 
 short to keep one's brain in a worry all the time, and as 
 we only have once to live on this earth, one should be 
 mindful of his happiness here, and be benefited by con- 
 tributing to the happiness of others. It is no conde- 
 scension for a man in any business or high social stand- 
 ing to contribute his voice and abilities in conducting a 
 beneficial order or lodge, and he makes friends by it. If 
 one absents himself entirely from the meetings, it will 
 more than likely be thought by some that the absentee, 
 while apparently glad enough to enjoy the benefits of the 
 order when ill, and to carefully protect his standing as a 
 member for the sake of his family, he seems to feel a little 
 better than his associates would be. The eff^ect in any 
 case of that kind, while it absolutely might not do the 
 member any harm, will perhaps show more clearly how 
 he would be benefited was he even an occasional attend- 
 ant and co-operator in the aff'airs of the order which he 
 encouraged b}^ his membership. 
 
 The social features of any particular lodge are just 
 what the members have a mind to make it ; that is, can 
 be made to interest their members, and contribute largely 
 to the acquaintance and filial regard of one for another, 
 or it can amount to naught if no energies are bent to 
 bring out the virtues of its privileges. — Exchange. 
 
 Perpetuity of Co-operative Societies. 
 
 A glance into history on this subject proves interesting 
 for many reasons. Almost every nation has its societies 
 for mutual assistance under some name, and they have 
 well-defined aims and certain methods of attaining their 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 49 
 
 objects. But it may be truly stated that not one would 
 be able to keep its promises or continue on its course 
 were it not for the principle of co-operation, which is a 
 necessary part of the plan. Co-operation signifies the 
 work of many for one, the work of one for all ; it means 
 much for little, the most for the least cost ; the best pro- 
 duct for the least expenditure of productive effort. 
 
 Realizing this to be a fact, men in all ages have com- 
 bined to accomplish together that which was impossible 
 of attainment by single effort. 
 
 The societies of the ancients, the clubs and guilds of 
 mediaeval history, the Athenian devotees of Ceres, the 
 orders having their birth in the time of the crusades, re- 
 ligious confraternities, and the guilds of trade, all sprang 
 from the desire of individuals to have the help of many 
 to attain a given object. And such unions, properly con- 
 ceived and wisely guided, have never failed. 
 
 In early times these mutual organizations were formed 
 to promote some religious, political, or social object ; to 
 reduce or cast off depression ; to preserve caste, or 
 abolish it ; to extend kingdoms or change kings ; to pro- 
 tect classes ; to assuage suffering ; to give alms ; to shield 
 the members of the association. Farther than to objects 
 of this character, the principle of co-operation can hardly 
 be said to have gone. It was reserved to a more recent 
 period for the idea of financial co-operation in fraterni- 
 ties to prevail. We can see the dim dawn in the Count 
 of Winton Society, founded in 1168, still existing in 
 Enp-land. The following list, taken from the report of 
 the chief registrar of parliament, gives us a slight view 
 of the development and perpetuity of the co-operative 
 insurance idea, because their survival to-day, after hun- 
 dreds of years of beneficent existence, proves the success 
 to be one of fact, not theory : 
 
 "The Count of Winton Society, 1168 ; Lord Evans So- 
 ciety, 1358 ; Society of Linton, 1708 ; Norman of Lon- 
 
 4 
 
50 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 don, 1703; Earl Skilton, 1704; Defoe Benefit, 1687; 
 Ovington of Northumberland, 1711 ; Gould Smith of 
 London, 1712 ; Mutual Brothers of London, 1717 ; Hope 
 of London, 1720 ; Royal Artillery, 1751 ; Canterbury 
 Friendly Society, 1737 ; Whittenton's Mens' Society, 
 1754; Charitable Society, 1759; The Amerly Clothiers' 
 Society, 1760 ; Norton, 1760 ; Old Spread Eagle Society, 
 1762 ; Wheat Sheaf Friendly Society, 1763 ; The Kingsley 
 Friendly Society, 1765 ; Meriden Friendly Society, 1768 ; 
 Amicable Life, 1772 ; Clergy Mutual, 1829 ; Equitable, 
 1762; Friends' Provident, 1832; Hand-in-Hand, 1696; 
 London Life Association, 1806 ; Metropolitan, 1835 ; 
 Mutual, 1831 ; Scottish Equitable, 1831 ; Scottish Pro- 
 vident, 1837 ; Scottish Widows, 1815." 
 
 There are to-day over ten thousand other societies of 
 this kind in England alone, embracing a membership of 
 more than seven million. The oldest is over seven hun- 
 dred years old ; the next oldest is over five hundred 
 years of age. Millions upon millions of dollars have 
 been paid in claims by organizations. To quote the 
 words of the Transcript . 
 
 Most of these societies have been paying a benefit 
 of over $1,000 on the death of a member, for an annual 
 average cost, aside from dues for expenses, old and young 
 of insurable age, of $10 for each $1,000 protection. This 
 proves not only the stability of the system, but also that 
 substantial benefits can safely be furnished at actual cost. 
 There has never been a single failure of an assessment 
 society, that is, a national society in which there was no 
 limit to the number of members to be admitted, and at 
 the same time the benefit paid being limited to a specified 
 sum, not exceeding $1,000." 
 
 Can we estimate the good that has been done through 
 the ages to those who sleep upon a thousand hillsides 
 now ? How much bearing of each other's burdens," 
 unheralded and unknown to the recipients, there was 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Boo Jc. 
 
 51 
 
 among the fraternities of the past the world will never 
 know. But by the deeds known, and the existence still 
 among us of those institutions, we would be as false and 
 ungrateful as Judas to refuse to acknowledge their su- 
 perior worth. 
 
 Do we wonder that the present century has given birth 
 to conscientious and hard thought upon the financial 
 science of co-operation ? 
 
 A diamond in the rough is a diamond all the same, 
 but when it has been faceted by the skilled fingers of the 
 lapidary its inner light sparkles and speaks of the beau- 
 ties which ever existed there. And do we wonder that 
 those who have been accustomed to looking at the dia- 
 mond in the rough stand incredulous before the finished 
 gem, saying ''it is too wonderful — it cannot be done ! 
 — Fraternal Monitor. 
 
 To be Remembered. 
 
 That no legitimate fraternal society has ever failed in 
 the history of this nation, and that the standard legiti- 
 mate orders from the days of Masonry down to the last 
 legitimate order formed are still here ; and that cannot 
 be said of any other branch of business or enterprise, 
 'moral, religious, political, or sectarian. 
 
 These orders collect nothing in advance. They carry 
 their members from month to month, and the members 
 are only required to pay monthly the actual expenses of 
 the preceding month. If at the end of the month he 
 discharges his indebtedness for the month before, he can 
 do so and remain in, and if he declines he has the right 
 and privilege to withdraw, and not assume the expense 
 for another month, and having been carried himself up 
 
52 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh 
 
 to the time for which he has paid, the society owes him 
 nothing, and if every institution was to go out of exist- 
 ence on the first day of next month they would not owe 
 one penny to a single one of their members. — Canadian 
 Rainbow. 
 
 Annual Address of John H, Butler^ President 
 National Fraternal Congress. 
 
 The following address was delivered at the third 
 annual session, held in Boston, November, 1889 : 
 
 Gentlemen of the National Fraternal Congress, and Brothers : 
 You have assembled for the fourth time and in third 
 annual session, as representatives of fraternities whose 
 purposes are to develop in their living members tlie true 
 spirit of brotherly love, and to provide for the widows, 
 orphan children, and dependents of deceased members 
 abundant protection. The world has witnessed the ma- 
 jestic growth of associations whose time-honored records 
 for valiant achievements in charitable work bear illus- 
 trious testimony to the existence of noble instincts and 
 aspirations in humanity. The great brotherhoods which 
 have been founded within the shrines of Masonry and 
 Odd Fellowship, and whose mystic cords, reaching back- 
 ward into the historic past, have multiplied with the 
 years, and through which millions of hearts, irrespective 
 of race or clime — so that they believed in God — have 
 been bound in fraternal union, are enduring monuments 
 to a grandeur and nobility in manhood. The amount of 
 good which these organizations have accomplished is 
 well nigh inconceivable in its extent ; yet they have 
 never claimed or attempted to offer substantial benefits 
 to the homes and families of their deceased members. 
 
The Woodman' s Hand-Booh. 
 
 53 
 
 To their poor and unfortunate with unstinted hand have 
 they brought their generous offerings, not alone of 
 money, but of brotherly sympathy and a strong uplifting 
 arm. Beside the newly-made graves of the departed 
 they have through the centuries mingled their tears 
 with those of the widow and the orphans, and by acts of 
 kindness and watchfulness lightened the sorrow in their 
 saddened hearts and homes. 
 
 Beyond this in the line of helpfulness and aid the 
 older fraternities have not carried their charitable pur- 
 pose. If the comforts of the home which the husband 
 and father had supplied were to be continued after his 
 decease, he must needs purchase the protection of those 
 who made a business of providing it. Unfortunately this 
 protection could not be purchased under existing market 
 rates at a price within the ability of those whose need of 
 it was the greatest. For the home of him who could 
 meet the purchase price of the commodity it would not 
 probably be required. On the other hand, where the 
 requirement even of the necessities of life was actual the 
 heavy cost barred its acquirement. Those who 'did not 
 need could have ; those who did need could not have. 
 
 An humble mechanic in a small Pennsylvania village, 
 twenty-one years ago, quietly, unostentatiously, and even 
 to himself unconsciously touched a spring which set in 
 operation a movement which has proved in itself to be 
 the most valuable and important system of protection for 
 the home mankind has ever possessed. 
 
 He lived to witness the development of his simple idea 
 into the great fraternal beneficiary system. He saw the 
 army of brothers from his little band of men in Meadville 
 increase year by year in numbers, in strength and char- 
 acter, until there had passed in review before his happy 
 vision almost a million of fraternal men enlisted under 
 the standard which he had raised, and confident of pro- 
 tection assured to their homes. The records spread 
 
54 The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 before him evidenced the distribution, by virtue of its 
 simple operation, of more than one hundred millions in 
 the homes of the common people of his country ; those 
 who needed could have, because the beneficent system 
 had brought the price of protection within the means of 
 the humblest mechanic at the bench, the clerk at his 
 desk, and the laborer who tilled the soil. 
 
 A few years ago his spirit was borne by the angels to 
 the eternal realms, there to receive the reward due the 
 faithful who have served well their fellow men ; and to 
 hear the messages of gratitude which shall arise from 
 thousands of homes made and to be made comfortable 
 by the benefaction of fraternities founded upon his 
 simple plan. His body was tenderly laid to rest by his 
 mourning brethren. His memory is held in loving re- 
 membrance by the fraternal men of every society and asso- 
 ciation, and the grand order which he founded has 
 erected, and is even now dedicating by fitting ceremonies, 
 and with words which will endure even after the ma- 
 terial which composes it shall have crumbled into dust, a 
 magnificent monument to perpetuate the name of John 
 J. Upchurch. 
 
 The method of this system is of the simplest character. 
 It is briefly described : Aid promised by mutual efi'ort 
 and guaranteed by fraternity. That brotherly love 
 taught and inspired by the example of the older frater- 
 nities is the element that is applied to the collection 
 and distribution of the benefits formerly supplied only 
 through business or commercial channels. Every thought 
 of gain or profit is eliminated from the process. The sole 
 mercenary feature which can exist under the system 
 only adds to its stability, and lies in the natural fact that 
 each brother is inspired by the love of his own home to 
 protect the widow and the fatherless in the home of his 
 deceased brother. But around the system, as a sustain- 
 ing power and support, a reserve force of vital strength, 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 55 
 
 maintaining its solidity and guaranteeing its perpetuity, 
 is the fraternal sentiment, to a greater or less extent ex- 
 isting in the heart of every man, which is kindled and 
 kept aglow by the ennobling influences and the love of 
 kindly deeds and charitable work encouraged and pro- 
 moted within the lodge-room and council-chamber. 
 
 Annual Address of A. R, Savage^ President 
 National Fraternal Congress. 
 
 At the fourth annual session, held at AVashington, D. C, 
 November, 1890, President Savage delivered the follow- 
 ing address : 
 
 Gentlemen of the National Fraternal Congress, and Brothers : 
 Permit me to congratulate you on this assembling in 
 fourth annual session in the capital of our country. Rep- 
 resentatives of those benevolent and fraternal organiza- 
 tions scattered all over our land which to-day are doing 
 more than all other organizations combined in practical 
 ways to succor the helpless, to relieve the distressed, and 
 to ameliorate the sufferings of humanity, whose beneficent 
 work has, within the last quarter of a century, demon- 
 strated anew the fact that human invention ever keeps 
 ^ pace with human need, and whose fraternal precepts and 
 loving deeds have leaped over sectional lines and gathered 
 citizens of far distant states into great brotherhoods ; it 
 is well that we gather beneath those walls in which find 
 expression the wisdom and eloquence of our greatest 
 statesmen, jurists, and orators. 
 
 The year just closed has been one of general prosperity 
 to the fraternal beneficiary societies who constitute this 
 congress. We have increased in numbers and in 
 
56 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 strength. As the years go by, and as we learn their les- 
 sons and profit by their experiences, we become more 
 firmly anchored in the hearts of the people, and never 
 has there been a day when the fraternal beneficial system 
 had so strong a hold in the confidence and good judgment 
 of the members of the orders as to-day. It is well for us, 
 before beginning the labors of our session, to turn our 
 eyes backward over the path upon which w^e have traveled. 
 I do not know that history records any instance of so 
 marvelous a development of a charitable, or human, or 
 social principle so far-reaching in its efi'ects as that em- 
 bodied in the constitutions of the fraternal orders. Citi- 
 zens divided in interests, separated b}^ locality, of every 
 tenet in religion and every shade of political conviction, 
 unknown to each other, when enlisted under the white 
 banner of charity and drawn to each other by the bonds 
 of fraternity, become brothers in spirit and in deed, 
 giving of their substance as well as of their sympathy to 
 those upon whom want has fallen and upon whose path- 
 way the shadow of misfortune is resting. 
 
 We began in darkness, but evermore our paths have 
 been tending toward the light. We began in ignorance ; 
 we have learned wisdom by sharp and profitable experi- 
 ence. We had no place either upon statute-book or in 
 the decisions of the courts. No more had we any recog- 
 nized position among the varied social forces which sur- 
 round and control mankind. Courts looked upon us with 
 disparagement ; legislatures with suspicion ; and society 
 as the latest Utopian experiment devised by idealists, per- 
 chance to live, and living to die, marking one more of the 
 failures of enthusiastic and unwise men whose hearts felt 
 more grandly than their eyes were permitted to see wisely. 
 But by patience and intelligence, and steadfastly continu- 
 ing in good works, all this has been changed. Old prin- 
 ciples of jurisprudence have been adapted to this modern 
 beneficiary device, and the judicial conception of fraternal 
 
1. Dr. T. L. Potter, Head Physician, Ackley, Iowa. 
 
 2. Dr. Frank Swallow, Head Physician, Valley Falls, Kas. 
 
 3. Dr. C. a. McCollom, Head Physician, Minneapolis, Minn. 
 
1 
 
 j 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 57 
 
 beneficiary work is fast crystalizing into permanent form, 
 and it is hailed with pleasure that as our works are be- 
 coming better known among men, and as from time to 
 time judges, some of whom have been members of these 
 orders and have become personally and practically ac- 
 quainted with our aims and objects, have declared those 
 purposes from the bench ; judicial utterance has tended to 
 confirm us in our work, and to recognize and declare the 
 many important distinctions which exist between fraternal 
 benefit societies and business insurance corporations. 
 One after another the legislatures of the several states, 
 when asked by the societies, have written upon their 
 statute-books laws w^hich are as well a safeguard to their 
 people as a recognition of us and a protection to us. 
 And the great heart of the masses of our fellow-citizens 
 is every year becoming more and more moved with 
 wonder and approval as we manifest our suitableness to 
 the nineteenth century civilization. 
 
 Our existence is no accident, nor is it any mere inven- 
 tion of man. In God's great plan for the uplifting of 
 mankind through the ages to the splendor of human per- 
 fection there are no accidents. These societies are rather 
 the natural outgrowth of this century, and they burst 
 forth into existence because the time was ripe for them. 
 
 Never before under the social and political conditions 
 existing would it have been possible to have united the 
 men of the difi'erent sections of our country in one com- 
 mon society, whose foundation-stone is practical fraternity. 
 Stirred by prejudice and by passion, separated by in- 
 terminable distances and formidable natural obstacles, 
 not always having kindly sympathies one with another, 
 but sometimes rather moved to hate than to love ; before 
 the railroad, the telegraph, and telephone had annihilated 
 space as well as time, men failed to look beyond the nar- 
 row surroundings of their own lives, either to seek or to 
 offer help. When for the first time the people of the 
 
58 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 various sections of our country began to recognize that 
 citizenship was not sectional, and that manhood was 
 national and universal ; when the Atlantic was joined to 
 the Pacific by bands of iron and steel ; when the north 
 and south were beginning to break through the barriers 
 of bitterness and woe, then sprang up from the earth, 
 full armed, this giant of beneficence. 
 
 To-day, after a little more than twenty-five years, at 
 least one in forty of all the population of our country, 
 including men, w^omen, and children, are members of 
 some one or more of these societies, and at least one in 
 ten are their beneficiaries. Should one ask me whether 
 such a plan, built upon such a foundation, was liable to 
 endure, my first answer would be, nothing in this gene- 
 ration can fail which meets so perfectly the common 
 wants of a common people." This is not the time for a 
 discussion of the theory of organized fraternal bene- 
 ficence. That we have assembled here in this congress 
 is the evidence and proof of our convictions. Before us 
 is the problem : How may we best improve, amend, 
 and modify the details of our work and put into practical 
 shape and operation the lessons learned in the school of 
 experience ? " Each year brings new lessons by which 
 we may profit. We are just beginning to turn the light 
 of philosophy upon our plans, and to tabulate, to analyze 
 and compare. Vital statistics are gradually becoming 
 more and more important to us, and we are learning to 
 rely less upon wild, impetuous, unregulated impulse, 
 either for sustaining existence or promoting growth, and 
 more upon methodic, philosophical, and wisely-directed 
 efforts. 
 
 We come into sharp competition with the old line " 
 insurance companies. We come into competition with 
 the open assessment associations, which have taken in 
 part our form, but have left our substance. We come 
 into competition with orders which claim to be allied to 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 59 
 
 us, but have neither our form nor our substance. But our 
 field is peculiarly our own, never to be successfully in- 
 vaded by any competitor so long as the warfare we wage 
 is only for the widow and the orphan, and not to promote 
 selfish, temporal interests. Let benevolence, and not 
 gain, be our corner-stone, and our building shall stand 
 immortal, eternal. I believe we can in no way so well do 
 ourselves and our societies the most good as by declaring 
 in the most emphatic manner our belief in the old ^Hand- 
 marks." Let us stand steadfast, where this congress has 
 always stood, extending the right-hand of fellowship to 
 those who build upon such a foundation as we have built 
 upon. The most exalted form of fraternal benevolence 
 is that exemplified by men who gather round a common 
 altar and take upon themselves a sacred vow to be faith- 
 ful unto death to the loved ones, to care for the widow, to 
 lift up the orphan, and relieve the sick and the distressed, 
 and never to make even the form of fraternity a pretense 
 for personal gain. 
 
 I also congratulate you upon the fact that after these 
 many years merit and not cheapness is becoming the 
 criterion of excellence by which fraternal societies are 
 judged. 
 
 I think this congress should adopt some more sys- 
 tematic and efficient method of making its influence felt 
 n legislative halls when legislation, either favorable or- 
 adverse, is under consideration. Notably, in two or three 
 states this last year dangerous, if not hostile, laws have 
 ibeen enacted w^hich might have been defeated by con 
 certed action. We cannot be too vigilant. There should 
 be a sentinel upon every out-post, and the entire army, 
 when it sleeps, should sleep upon its arms. 
 
 Surely the voice of a million and a half of men and 
 women, uttered with force and authority, cannot fail to 
 be heard and heeded by the most obdurate of legislators. 
 
60 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 Report of the Committee on Good 
 of the Orders, 
 
 At the fourth annual session of the National Fraternal 
 Congress, held at Washington, D. C, November, 1890, 
 the Committee on the Good of the Orders made the fol- 
 lowing report : 
 
 To the National Fraternal Congress : 
 
 Brothers : Your Committee on Statistics and the 
 Welfare of the Orders fraternally present the following : 
 
 We find in the statistics of fraternal insurance or- 
 ganizations, as compiled from sworn reports for 1890, 
 made to insurance departments, the following interesting 
 figures : 
 
 Eighty-four fraternal societies reported 1,085,771 cer- 
 tificates in force, w^ith a risk of $1,296,104,142, with lia- 
 bilities of $1,589,272, and assets of $3,042,296. This is 
 a gain in five years of 304,340 certificates. Contrasted 
 to this, we find at the close of 1890 that our old line 
 friends had a risk of $3,542,955,751, with a liability of 
 $664,489,398, and assets of $753,228,759. The figures of 
 the old line friends cover all the classes of policies issued 
 by them, and it is impossible to separate from this vast 
 array of numerals that portion which represents simple 
 life insurance and that portion which represents endow- 
 ments and other investments. 
 
 The fraternal organizations have every reason to be 
 proud of the position they have attained and the respect 
 and confidence of the community that is shown by their 
 numerical strength. The volume of business transacted 
 by us is constantly increasing, and we believe that our 
 system represents a benefit more directly conferred upon 
 humanity and productive of results of greater advantage 
 to the state, to the community, and to the individual 
 than any system of co-operation ever heretofore devised. 
 
The Woodman's Hand- Booh. 
 
 61 
 
 If it were possible to follow in the homes that have 
 been darkened by grief, to the firesides that have been 
 dimmed with the sorrow of bereavement, and if we could 
 trace to their ultimate ends the opportunities that have 
 been opened to the despairing through the operation of 
 our benefit features and the exercise of that fraternity 
 which constitutes the corner-stone of our organizations, 
 we could lay before the world a history that would chal- 
 lenge the admiration of the philanthropist and excite 
 the wonder of the economist. The advent of the first 
 fraternal benefit organization, starting as it did, with no 
 history behind it and with only hope before, offering to 
 do that which seemed almost impossible of accomplish- 
 ment, without capital other than the assumption that the 
 fraternity which began its development in the Garden of 
 Eden so permeated humanity as to make it possible to 
 systematize it, and make it a powerful engine for the 
 education and elevation of mankind ; starting out imma- 
 ture, with much of indirection, apparently groping its 
 way toward a desired goal, all together formed a pros- 
 pectus which to the minds of many seemed chimerical. 
 Criticism of the severest kind met our venture at the out- 
 set. Prejudices were appealed to, and every means was 
 taken by some of our opponents to check our growth and 
 hasten our downfall. And if you and I had been told 
 twenty years ago that fraternal insurance in the short 
 space of time that has intervened would have achieved 
 the wonderful success we meet to-day to celebrate, like 
 doubting Thomas of old, we would have asked for positive 
 evidence before giving to the bold prospectus even a cold 
 assent. 
 
 We have not only deserved success, we have done more, 
 we have won it, and it behooves us to so direct and manage 
 our affairs that we shall maintain it for all the ye.ars to 
 come. To do this it is absolutely necessary that the 
 membership of our orders be educated not only to a 
 
62 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 thorough appreciation of the benefits derived from but 
 that their appreciation of their duties to our institutions 
 should be increased. Whatever may be the condition of 
 our orders, whether they be maintained at the present 
 high standard, whether they be increased in their mag- 
 nitude, or whether they are to suffer from laxity and 
 from depression — whatever the condition may be, the 
 responsibility cannot be divided. It rests with equal 
 weight upon the shoulders of those who have been se- 
 lected to fill the highest office and upon the shoulders of 
 him who occupies the seemingly least important position 
 in the fraternity, and without the active co-operation of 
 all, without united effort and united participation in the 
 work that must be done, we shall fall short of our ideal 
 and be unable to improve all the opportunities that are 
 contained in the plan of co-operative fraternal insurance. 
 
 A membership of one million imbued with the en- 
 thusiasm that should be kindled by a knowledge of the 
 good that can be done would be an army of active, in- 
 telligent workers, which in a very few years would place 
 nearly all the business that is now known as straight life 
 insurance within co-operative institutions of our kind ; 
 and it is not too much to say that the year 1900 would 
 witness an immense roll of fraternal orders paying out to 
 the families of departed brothers an amount larger by 
 far than the amounts now paid by all the insurance 
 systems in existence, and at a cost far below the minimum 
 of to-day. 
 
 While we are fraternal, and while we truly believe that 
 fraternity is our corner-stone, our watch-word, and our 
 strength, yet it is essential that the business departments 
 of the order shall be conducted without sentiment, upon 
 clearly-defined lines, and all the transactions be in ac- 
 cordance with well-defined and explicit laws. Business 
 and sentiment will not successfully mix, and that all may 
 have due protection and the rights of every individual be 
 
T/ie Woodman's Hand-Book, 
 
 63 
 
 strictly upheld, such laws as are necessary for the proper 
 conduct of affairs must be observed in every department. 
 
 One of the problems with which we are confronted is 
 how to overcome the indifference of the general member- 
 ship — how to infuse them with enthusiasm, how to 
 develop the spirit of fraternity which so many seem to 
 lack, and the absence of which keeps our council cham- 
 bers almost naked. There are too many who believe 
 their whole duty discharged when their financial obliga- 
 tions are met, and who are willing that the few should do 
 the work for all. If fraternity means anything, it means 
 that we have no right to restrict its benefits to ourselves, 
 and we have no right to feel that as we have secured the 
 future of our loved ones we have no further to go, and 
 that we have discharged by this act of self-protection our 
 full duty to the human family. The fraternity which 
 makes life worth living is the kind that goes out into the 
 highways and byways and invites our fellows to the feast 
 that has been prepared, and true fraternity will not rest 
 until all who are worthy have been brought under its 
 protecting influence. 
 
 As business men we should look to the personnel of 
 those whom we invite ; the physical characteristics are 
 of no more importance than the moral, and the man who, 
 though in the enjoyment of perfect physical health, with 
 an inherited prospect of longevity, is unbalanced by 
 moral integrity is as unfit a candidate as the man who 
 carries through life the heavy burden of inherited or 
 acquired severe physical disability. The habits of those 
 who attempt to come with us should be as rigidly scruti- 
 nized as should be their physical condition, and he who 
 wilfully does that which will impair his life or tend to 
 lessen his usefulness to the order or to the community 
 should be refused admission to our ranks, and those who 
 join us should be held to accountability for their conduct 
 while they remain. 
 
64 ' The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 Your committee believe it is within the power of the 
 legislative bodies of our orders to declare what shall — at 
 least what shall not be — the meeting places of our sub- 
 ordinate bodies. We believe that the assembly chambers 
 should be so situated that the surroundings will place no 
 temptations in the way of the member, be he young or 
 old. The environment that induces men to put into 
 their mouths that which will steal away their brains 
 should be prescribed, and we have no right to ask our 
 associates to meet in places where the path leads through 
 temptation and disgrace. We believe there is no right, 
 expressed or implied, to increase the hazard after mem- 
 bership has been obtained, and the fair presumption 
 when application for membership is granted is that the 
 condition of the applicant at the time he becomes a 
 member will, as far as lies in his power, be maintained. 
 Where this is not done, as we find voluntary acts are in- 
 creasing the risks far beyond what it was at the date of 
 acceptance of the petition for membership, we believe it 
 is due to the institution from which we expect so much 
 that the corrective forces of the order should be brought 
 into play, and the evil be remedied either by persuasion 
 or, where this fails, by expulsion. It is clear that the 
 habit we have most in mind is the excessive use of in- 
 toxicants, and we are convinced that this one thing has 
 done as much to hurt fraternal societies as many other 
 causes combined. 
 
 It is not expected that we can prevent physical de- 
 generation or check the ills that follow in the wake of 
 fleeting time. Men are born to live, to suffer, and decay. 
 Our orders get their strength from the self-respecting and 
 the law-abiding, and our continuance depends upon the 
 support of this element of our people. To successfully 
 appeal to this class of the community we must go to them 
 with a record which shall be ever fair, and to keep it 
 clear we must purge out that which is noxious and 
 
lite Woodman's Ha ad-Book. 
 
 65 
 
 daugeroiTs. If those whose habits have deprived them 
 of general respect seek our asykim, our own self-respect 
 and respect for those whom we are seeking should act as 
 an insurmountable barrier to their admission ; and if 
 this be true, it follows there should be a remedy applied 
 to those Avho, having gained admittance, abuse their 
 privileges, violate their obligations, and bring upon our 
 orders a hazard which fraternity was never intended to 
 accept. 
 
 It is not expected, nor is it necessary, that our orders 
 shall become total abstinence societies, but the man who 
 voluntarily becomes untrue to his obligations and wilfully 
 shortens the probability of his life is doing the orders 
 such injury as can only be prevented or repaired by 
 stringent measures on the part of those with whom he is 
 associated. 
 
 Too many are apt to look with leniency upon this 
 question of the use of intoxicants, and the statement is 
 sometimes made that to exercise the right of purification 
 wotild be a hardship, would create harsh criticisms, and 
 would bring fraternal societies into disrepute. T\'e believe 
 the opposite is true, and that if it became known that we 
 protected ourselves from the evils that are within, at the 
 same time using the utmost vigilance against the evils 
 that are without, it would strengthen us, and would be of 
 great advantage in seeking new memberships from a 
 self-respecting and properly constituted general public. 
 
 How shall we get down to the hearts of those of our 
 members who, having secured their initiation, are never 
 after seen in the lodge-rooms, and who manifest com2~)lete 
 fraternal indifference. The noblest sentiments, the most 
 fervid eloquence, the wisest laws r;^ay be imperishably 
 graven between the covers of our books, and elegantly 
 bound copies may adorn the home of the indifferent, but 
 their value to him or the order he claims is less than the 
 benefit to be derived by an invalid from a lost prescrip- 
 
 5 
 
66 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 Hon. These are not members for fraternity sake, but 
 they remain because here they get what is not to be got 
 elsewhere at half price, building on the hope that others 
 will do the work and carry all their burdens. It is not 
 fair that the careless and inactive should have all the 
 great advantages that are created by the workers. Those 
 who till the soil, who plant the seed, who nurse the crop 
 to full maturity, and Avork all through the harvest, should 
 get their reward, and others should not criticise or be 
 dissatisfied. 
 
 Briefly, the welfare of our orders is only to be secured 
 by and through the help of the members of the subor- 
 dinate councils, the enactment of wise laws and their 
 careful observance. When our army of a million mem- 
 bers are brought to a realizing sense of their obligation 
 and their duty we will witness a growth and an increase 
 of strength in every feature of fraternal beneficiary 
 orders that will surpass the highest hopes of our most 
 ardent well-wishers. 
 
 Enoch S. Brown, ) 
 
 W. 0. RoBsoN, > Committee, 
 
 B. F. Nelson, ) 
 
 Government of Co-operative Companies. 
 
 The fundamental principle of co-operative insurance is 
 mutuality. Classification into assessment and fixed 
 premium companies is another affair, proceeding on the 
 basis of modes of collecting the contributions for the pay- 
 ment of death claims. But the principle of mutuality 
 divides companies into co-operative and proprietary, ac- 
 cording as the society is managed solely in the interest of 
 the insured or primarily in the interest of certain others. 
 All companies organized under the assessment laws, and 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 67 
 
 all companies doing an assessment business, with one or 
 two exceptions, are nominally co-operative, as is also a 
 considerable number of the regular companies. The idea 
 of mutuality is that each is equally or proportionately 
 interested in the company through his insurance therein, 
 and that there is no other interest, and certainly no in- 
 terest superior to that of policy-holder. Common sense 
 dictates that the control be vested in the parties interested, 
 who in such a case comprise the entire membership. 
 This is nominally accorded in every co-operative com- 
 pany. For the proper government of such a company, 
 then, it remains only to devise methods by which the will 
 of the members ma}^ be definitely ascertained and reg- 
 istered, and to see that it is executed. 
 
 But this is just what is by all possible means avoided 
 in a large number of institutions. The attitude of those 
 who are temporarily in possession of executive powers is 
 expressive of the idea that the members do not knoAV 
 wdiat is to their interests, are not to be trusted to choose 
 for themselves, and consequently must be cajoled by a 
 mere pretense of popular government. It is considered 
 a wise business practice to place such restraints and 
 hindrances in the way of the expression of the will of 
 the members that in practice it will not be possible for 
 them to enunciate it. Among these checks is the system 
 of requiring them to meet in person at a certain place on 
 a certain day to vote — a thing which is plainly impractic- 
 able when the members are scattered throughout the 
 country. But since even this plan might admit of too 
 strong an expression of the will of some members who 
 by reason of their propinquity know a deal about the 
 management, a proxy system is added ostensibly as a 
 measure of fairness to those wdio are unable to attend in 
 person. This system is borrowed from stock corporations, 
 wherein it has proven also a very bad mode of govern- 
 ment and a convenient tool for conspiring cliques of 
 
68 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Bo jk. 
 
 speculators. Yet in such companies it ought to work 
 much more equitably than in a co-operative organization, 
 because the number of voters is not likely to be so great, 
 and also because the business is conducted only for profits 
 made by transactions with outsiders, while in mutual 
 companies the question is merely one of equitable and 
 economical distribution. In insurance companies the 
 proxy system makes the executive officers autocrats, be- 
 cause they alone have the power and opportunity to obtain 
 large numbers of proxies. It is notorious that these men 
 often assume the airs of more complete ownership of the 
 companies over which they preside than do the real own- 
 ers of proprietary companies. To endeavor to disturb or 
 modify their supreme control is treason. It would take a 
 mandamus and a force of constables to compel one of 
 these magnates to permit such access to the books of his 
 company as would enable another who was not to his taste 
 to merely announce his candidacy to the members and 
 solicit their votes or proxies. 
 
 Such popular government is a farce, and is everywhere 
 understood to be a farce ; but its results are never mat- 
 ters for laughter, and often for lamentations. The grip 
 of these men upon what they esteem their companies is 
 not even loosened when by their mismanagement the in- 
 stitutions have been brought to tlie brink of ruin. It is 
 still trading stock " upon which they can drive a shrewd 
 bargain for reinsurance at a profit to themselves, what- 
 ever may be the result of the deal to the members. In a 
 company which is truly mutual, in which the members 
 are not denied a voice, coming upon difficulties would call 
 for conference of representatives of the members who 
 would endeavor to find some solution of the trouble which 
 would avert disaster. Instead, we usually see the very 
 persons who by their folly or criminality caused the im- 
 pending ruin still entrenched behind their proxies, brazen 
 and impenitent, calmly demanding their pound of flesh 
 
The Woodman'' s Hand-Boolc. 
 
 69 
 
 before the welfare of the members can be looked after. 
 The pos-ition of members at such a time seems to be 
 merely that of dumb cattle, to be sold and delivered with- 
 out a word to say about it. Members so construe the 
 situation, as every reinsuring company has found to its 
 sorrow ; they resent it, and in many cases refuse to re- 
 main, regardless of the advantages offered. There is a 
 company to-day seeking reinsurance whose original 
 owner " disposed of his interest betimes, turning over 
 his proxies to a speculator who now stands at the door 
 with itching palms, refusing to permit the interests of the 
 policy-holders to be considered until he is taken care of. 
 Not so very long ago, in the winding up of a certain com- 
 pany, the person whose mismanagement had brought the 
 company to the verge of ruin held his position in spite 
 of a storm of protests, and, since it became impossible for 
 him to feather his own nest by reason of the commotion, 
 after many negotiations succeeded in preventing anything 
 being done for the policy-holders. Yet he was modest, 
 for he only demanded one dollar for himself for every two 
 given the members, as a reward for having destroyed the 
 company. If this were not forthcoming, nothing could be 
 done. 
 
 Such occurrences are not uncommon ; there is rarely a 
 failure vrhich is not accompanied by just such proceedings 
 on the part of the very persons who are responsible for 
 the difficulties. And success is often almost as disastrous 
 to the original members as failure ; the lack of considera- 
 tion on the part of managers for the rights of members 
 is notorious. Does any one suppose that inequitable, 
 tricky policy conditions would continue for a moment if 
 the members were given an opportunity to say what 
 should be ? Does an}^ sane man suppose that that relic 
 of barbaric days, the warranty, would remain in applica- 
 tions if members were taught its significance and could 
 by vote remove it ? Does any reasonable person believe 
 
70 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 that unfair and dangerous modes of apportioning losses 
 would be tamely submitted to if members could know 
 the facts and remedy them ? Or that robbery of retiring 
 members w^ould continue to be a distinguishing feature of 
 American life insurance ? Or that a company would be 
 forced to the wall without a careful examination into its 
 affairs by a committee of the members with expert as- 
 sistance, with a view to remedy the situation and to bring 
 the culpable persons to justice, instead of leaving them 
 free to trade on the ruins ? It is incredible that if af- 
 forded a free opportunity to express their will the mem- 
 bers would not manage better than do their self-consti- 
 tuted masters at this writing. But suppose they do not ? 
 Then mutual insurance is a failure, and should be so con- 
 fessed ; and they who are to be proprietors should furnish 
 the capital required of proprietors, assume the obligations 
 of proprietors, and cease to sail under a false flag. In 
 mutual companies the members have a right to rule ; 
 rule they ill or rule they well, they have the right to rule. 
 They alone lose by their ill success or profit by their suc- 
 cess ; it is not a matter of importance to any one else 
 whether they succeed or fail. 
 
 It is commonly urged against allowing the unrestricted 
 control of the members, that insurance is a business 
 matter, that the members are ignorant, that they are flckle 
 and variable. It is true that insurance is a business 
 matter — their business, and nobody's else — to manage 
 what is their right. It is true that members know little 
 of the business — if they know less than many managers 
 of companies, regular as well as assessment, God help 
 their ignorance ! — but they must be taught, and they 
 will be found willing to be taught and willing to trust 
 those who are able to instruct them, and who faithfully 
 serve them. It is not true that in such matters they are 
 fickle and variable, that they are likely to forget those 
 who serve them well ; but it is true that they are likely 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 7i 
 
 to throw off their shoulders men who seek to turn their 
 offices into sinecures or to plunder the interests in their 
 charge. And there is the rub ; that is the true reason of 
 the distrust of popular control. 
 
 Let us turn to facts. The nearest approach to popular 
 control in the insurance societies of this country is found 
 in the fraternities which make use of the representative 
 system. It is true that these organizations ha^ve not as 
 yet evolved very far from primitive methods of transact- 
 ing business, though there are creditable exceptions to 
 this rule. But in the matter of economically conducting 
 their business along the simple lines which they have 
 adopted, these organizations are easily first among all 
 companies. The United Workmen find it possible to 
 carry on the affairs of a society embracing almost four 
 hundred thousand members at a cost of but 75 ceuts per 
 $1,000 insured. Even in this order, which is now more 
 than a quarter of a century old, there has as yet been no 
 absolute necessity for the adoption of methods of appor- 
 tioning losses more equitable and scientific than the 
 method of uniform assessment. Granted the means of 
 so doing, however, there is to my mind no doubt that 
 Mpon occasion the}^ will rectify all errors, for there are no 
 interests to serve but those of members. In all the his- 
 tory of the fraternities there is not a shred of evidence 
 that the system of government leads to unstable manage- 
 ment ; on the contrary, trustworthy executives are com- 
 monly continued in office so long as they wish to remain. 
 But their emoluments are usually kept at a reasonable 
 figure, and any proof of a tendency to plunder is likely to 
 result disastrously, not for the members, as in proxy- 
 . governed institutions, but for the plunderers. 
 
 The same situation is found to obtain in the great 
 Australian regular mutual company, where the members' 
 control is even more direct ; it is also found that the 
 people, being given the opportunity, take delight in iidu- 
 
72 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 eating themselves in insurance, with the result that no 
 institutions have arisen in that country doing business 
 upon unsafe plans. But their actuaries are men of 
 science, devoted to their science, and not to the interests 
 of manager-ridden companies ; and in consequence, as 
 they are a class worthy of popular confidence, they pos- 
 sess it, and the affairs of mutual companies are directed 
 by their skill. In Great Britain, on the contrary, there 
 was originally the same gulf between companies and 
 popular societies as in this country ; but the control of 
 such societies has been singularly stable, the chief active 
 officers of the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows and of 
 the Foresters literally spending their lives in the harness, 
 and being honored by everybod3^ These same societies 
 were the first of the popular organizations to reform 
 their methods and conform to scientific principles, led by 
 the two officers referred to. The societies of importance 
 which have made no move in that direction are for the 
 most part proxy-ridden institutions. As for success in 
 business management, the affiliated friendly societies 
 possess funds in excess of $50,000,000, and are by far 
 the most successful organizations in England. Although 
 for a long time unprotected by law from embezzlement, 
 loss of funds has been very uncommon, and the economy 
 of management is unequalled. Concerning the compara- 
 tive advantages of this representative mode of govern- 
 ment, the chief registrar of the British government has 
 said : ''The}^ can unite the vigilance of local manage- 
 ment with the directing and correcting influences of a 
 central authorit3\ The}" afford a field for legitimate am- 
 bition, since every member, by passing witli credit 
 through the various offices in his own particular branch, 
 may hope to be elected to the higher offices of the dis- 
 trict and the central body, and eventually to reach the 
 position of Grand Master, High Chief Ranger, etc., of the 
 order, the elect of a constituency of picked voters, such 
 
Dr. I. L. Potter, Head Physician. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 73 
 
 as no county or borough member of the House of Com- 
 mons can boast of. Nor can there be any doubt that, 
 owing to these and other advantages, the federate bodies 
 are every year outstripping isolated societies more and 
 more in the race." — Miles M. Dawson. 
 
 Secret Societies. 
 
 The arguments against secret societies are composed in 
 large part of misunderstanding and misrepresentation. 
 Such organizations are by no means dangerous, either to 
 societies or individuals ; and the attempt to make them 
 appear so is not to be commended. They embrace in 
 their membership a large measure of intelligence and 
 morality, and their designs are in harmony with accepted 
 principles of duty. The fact of their secrecy is not the 
 awful thing that their enemies represent. It does not in- 
 volve any plotting against the peace and welfare of the 
 community, and does not serve to shield any of the evils 
 that good people abhor and avoid. The idea that citizens 
 of high standing are not to be trusted behind closed 
 doors is a manifest absurdity. There is no reason to sup- 
 pose such men forget the obligations of honor and the 
 rules of creditable behavior when they enter a lodge- 
 room. They are fairly entitled to the presumption of 
 innocence, to say the least, and the mere privacy of their 
 proceedings is not a valid ground of condemnation under 
 any circumstances. The curiosity with regard to what 
 they do and say is natural, but it may easily assume an 
 offensive aspect and become a source of gross injustice, 
 notwithstanding its virtuous intentions. 
 
 It does not seem to occur to the critics of these orders 
 that the policy of secrecy is a well established one in the 
 
74 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 present system of civilization. A large share of the work 
 of adjusting the affairs of the world and promoting the 
 interests of mankind is performed with more or less 
 avoidance of publicity. There are reasons why this 
 practice is thus favored ; it has advantageous uses, as ex- 
 perience has demonstrated, and it is likely to continue 
 forever. The senate of the United States becomes a 
 secret society every time it goes into executive session, 
 and the same is to be said of the supreme court every 
 time that it retires to make up a decision in a case. 
 There are times when religious bodies find it necessary 
 or expedient to conceal their proceedings from the pub- 
 lic ; in fact, there is a certain degree of secrecy in all 
 plans of church government, but nobody thinks of de- 
 nouncing them on that account. The secret societies do 
 not hide everything that they do. Their operations are 
 largely open to popular inspection, and nobody need be 
 in doubt for a moment as to their general objects and 
 services. They meet in secret, and preserve resolute 
 silence touching given features of their work, but enough 
 is revealed, nevertheless, to prove that they have a right 
 to exist because of their practical usefulness. 
 
 There is abundant evidence of the fact that the bene- 
 factions of these organizations are constant and extensive. 
 They have reduced the matter of charity to a science. 
 Their plans of relief and their schemes of insurance are 
 definite and effective, and their members have an assur- 
 ance of help that never fails and never waits. It is not 
 too much to say that their care for the needy and dis- 
 tressed is equal to that of the church, so far as material 
 wants are concerned, and this entitles them to generous 
 consideration from religious people. They cannot be 
 considered very bad when the good that they do is so 
 pronounced and far-reaching. This is the point that 
 refutes most of the arguments of their critics. They do 
 not pretend to be spiritual institutions, but they do teach 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 75 
 
 doctrines that produce excellent results from a moral 
 point of view. The influence they exert is unquestion- " 
 ably on the side of faithful citizenship, of practical 
 philanthropy, and of the sort of sympathy with mis- 
 fortune that is none the less worthy because it is not pro- 
 claimed from the house-tops. They are not perfect in 
 their theories and methods, we may readily believe ; they 
 have their shortcomings, like other agencies of civiliza- 
 tion. But it is only the simple truth to say that with 
 all their delinquencies, actual or imaginary, they are a 
 decided benefit to society, and should have respect and 
 encouragement accordingly. — Globe-Democrat. 
 
 Confidence, 
 
 If the present membership of all the fraternal insur- 
 ance societies w^ere doubled, or quadrupled, they would 
 not be one whit more safe than they are now, for the 
 cogent reason that the bond that holds a fraternal society 
 of this kind together is confidence. 
 
 Erstwhile this confidence was a blind confidence, 
 springing out of the thought that there was something 
 magical in the term fraternal, and that all things fra- 
 ternal were hedged about with a mysterious something 
 that made inquiry and knowledge necessary. 
 
 Now it is different. Members are no longer content 
 with being told the thing is done ; they want to know how 
 it is done, and they only give their confidence to make 
 the bond when they are fully and freely instructed about 
 the affairs of their society. They demand, in return for 
 their confidence, the confidence of the men who are 
 elected managers. 
 
 Members of any given association really care very 
 little whether the cost of protection is something more in 
 
76 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 their own society than some other, so long as they know 
 why it is so. They understand, without any special in- 
 struction, that this kind of insurance, even in that society 
 which is the most expensive, costs two-thirds less than by 
 the old-line method. They also comprehend that the 
 fraternal society, by its system of small payments, makes 
 life insurance possible to them ; and further, that if fra- 
 ternal societies wxre blotted out, ninety per cent of the 
 people who compose them would never have protection, 
 because of their inability to make large payments, and 
 their indifference in the premises. 
 
 These things the people now-a-days know without the 
 telling ; what they need to keep their confidence alive is 
 the truthful facts often told about their own special 
 society. If the death rate is larger than usual, and de- 
 mands an increased number of assessments, they want 
 to know it — increased assessments without reasons 
 destroy confidence. If the growth in membership is 
 small, they want to know the reason why. They want to 
 know how much money is received and paid out, and what 
 for ; not that they are looking for dishonesty, but that 
 they are looking for something to strengthen their con- 
 fidence. 
 
 AVhat members want is that the progressive facts about 
 a society in which they are concerned shall be published 
 monthly in the order press, and not buried away in the 
 sepulchral proceedings of a supreme lodge. Confidence, 
 to live and flourish, must dine on facts, and an order 
 newspaper makes an elegant bill of fare. — Intelligencer, 
 
 The Springfield (Illinois) Sunday Argus says that every 
 man, in order to provide for the future welfare of those 
 dependent upon him, should carry a reasonable amount 
 of insurance upon his life ; that the great fraternal and 
 beneficiar}^ orders of the day afford the best insurance at 
 
The Woodman'' s Hand-Booh, 
 
 77 
 
 the very minimum of cost, and adds : When a man 
 foresees that a town is going to be a big city, invests all 
 his spare cash there and makes a fortune, people praise 
 him for his splendid business ability, which enabled him 
 to pick up millions where thousands were before. But 
 he is no more to be commended than he who forestalls 
 the loss of his life and replaces it to his family so far as 
 he can with insurance. Tis the part of intelligence, of 
 paternal love, of husbandly affection. AVouldn't you 
 hate to have it said, if vou were to die, ' he was too mean 
 to insure his life ? ' " 
 
 The Fraternal Benef^ciary Order of the 
 Future. 
 
 Fraternal insurance orders are practically an American 
 institution. Friendly societies, it is true, there have been 
 in England for a long time, but these, as a rule, only 
 furnished relief in case of sickness or gave a small sum 
 at death to cover burial and other expenses. As the term 
 is now used and understood, it may be said that when 
 the first lodge of the Ancient Order of United Workmen 
 was instituted in 1868, fraternal insurance had its birth. 
 A little over a quarter of a century, then, covers the period 
 to which we must confine our attention in looking for the 
 practical operations of the present fraternal insurance 
 system. While this history has been comparatively brief, 
 in our judgment it is time that the record should be 
 carefully scanned, with a view of eradicating any defects, 
 and, if possible, devising improvements to be incorporated 
 into the fundamental law of the several societies. If 
 any defects exist, we, as friends of the system, should in- 
 vestigate and find them, with a view of eliminating that 
 
78 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 which is objectionable, rather than to wait until our 
 enemies discover and take advantage of the imperfections. 
 
 It is unquestionably true that many societies have been 
 formed by men who were honest and well-meaning but 
 unacquainted with insurance rules and laws of mortality. 
 Where this has been the case, frequently too liberal 
 certificates have been issued and promises made to the 
 incoming members which never can be fulfilled. The 
 founders of such societies have allowed themselves to 
 make inconsiderate promises of payment in case of death, 
 accident, disability, and sickness, which can never be met 
 by anything like the number of assessments contem- 
 plated. Estimates of the number of assessments which 
 would be required have been made which were grossly 
 inadequate, and as the cost of the insurance has been 
 yearly increased, a discontented and sometimes re- 
 bellious membership has resulted. This is disastrous to 
 any organization, and especially a fraternal one. 
 
 The fraternal insurance order of the future, while its 
 fraternal platform should be the broadest possible, will 
 have its insurance contract drawn upon conservative 
 business principles, with no promises made on behalf of 
 the order which the laws of mortality do not show can be 
 safely entered into and as surely fulfilled. 
 
 While it shall not be my purpose to particularize as to 
 what I may consider defects in the laws of some of the 
 orders of to-day, I hope that two or three suggestions in 
 a general way will not be considered out of place. With- 
 out doubt the rate of assessment in many societies was 
 made too low. What was thought to be a sufficient rate 
 to carry the insurance taken w^as fixed upon with a view 
 of collecting the amount required in monthly assess- 
 ments When, as has been the case in many instances, 
 it was found necessary to double and triple the assess- 
 ments each month to pay the claims, the members have 
 become dissatisfied. This dissatisfaction has arisen not 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 79 
 
 so much at the actual cost of carrying the insurance as 
 to the constantly increasing number of assessments they 
 have been compelled to pay. The rates should, then, be 
 fixed large enough in the start so that single monthly 
 assessments will carry the amount of the certificate taken. 
 
 Many societies have disregarded all laws of mortality 
 by accepting and insuring members at too advanced 
 ages without adequately increasing the rate. This has 
 been and is being remedied in most orders ; and without 
 doubt all societies that have not already done so will soon 
 see the need of reducing the age of admission and grad- 
 ing the assessments or the amount of the certificate in 
 accordance with the mortality tables based upon age at 
 the time of joining. 
 
 In nearly all of the orders the rate charged for the first 
 few years after the organization of the society was not as 
 large as it should have been. Only the amount needed 
 for the current death rate was collected and too cheap 
 insurance furnished, which necessarily was largely in- 
 creased later on. The members from the start should be 
 made to pay a reasonable amount for the insurance 
 carried. The balance above what is required for the pay- 
 ment of actual losses could be held in reserve or safely 
 invested for the benefit of the society. Fifteen assess- 
 ments from the start in most societies would have created 
 a fund the interest upon which would have made ample 
 provision for the payment of the running expenses of the 
 organization. 
 
 One of the most flagrant mistakes made by officers and 
 organizers in the past has been the laying of too much 
 stress upon the cheapness of fraternal insurance. Many 
 have been led to believe by enthusiastic members and 
 poorly-informed organizers that the cost of their insur- 
 ance would be but a trifling sum, and they have not 
 considered or been duly impressed with the importance 
 and real worth of the protection afforded. While the 
 
80 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-BooL 
 
 cheapness may be spoken of in contradistinction to the 
 exorbitant rates charged by old line companies, the in- 
 coming member should be taught to understand that 
 while it will cost him something to keep up the assess- 
 ments it is money well expended. 
 
 Thus far fraternal insurance has been largely experi- 
 mental. That it meets a want felt by the people of the 
 land is demonstrated by its thousands of adherents. That 
 it has been a national blessing, the millions of dollars 
 given annually to the beneficiaries of its members clearly 
 proves. The large number of its adherents and the un- 
 told good accomplished, however, should all the more 
 impress the founders and managers of the different 
 orders with the responsibility resting upon them. They 
 should be led to lay so broad and deep the foundation 
 principles of their respective societies that the fraternal 
 system may not prove a failure, but that the laws may 
 be so molded that it may be handed down from genera- 
 tion to generation. — Albert Morgan, at National Fraternal 
 Congress. 
 
 Response to Address of Welcome. 
 
 W. A. Northcott, Head Consul of the Modern Wood- 
 men of America, made the following response to the ad- 
 dress of welcome delivered at the National Fraternal 
 Congress, held at Cincinnati, November, 1893 : 
 
 It affords me much pleasure to respond to this most 
 courteous welcome to the beautiful city of Cincinnati, the 
 metropolis of the great commonwealth of Ohio. We 
 come, Mr. Mayor, to hold this session of the Fraternal 
 Congress as the representatives of nearly forty societies, 
 that hold in their membership one million five hundred 
 thousand of the brainy workingnien of this great re- 
 
Humphrey Pierce, Member Auditing Committee, 
 Appleton, Wis. 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 81 
 
 public. A congress that has collected and disbursed, 
 during the last year alone, the vast sum of $28,000,000 
 to the families of deceased members. Think of the great 
 good this has done ; think of the desolate places made 
 glad ; of the tears it has wiped from the cheek of the 
 widow ; it has clothed and fed little children and sent 
 them to school ; it has held homes together. This is a 
 great organized charity that is not indiscriminate, but 
 goes to the worthy and the helpless ; and in this great 
 work we deserve the encouragement and support of every 
 good citizen of the nation. 
 
 It is proper, Mr. Mayor, that you, as the chief execu- 
 tive of this municipality, should welcome us as the rep- 
 resentatives of these societies. Next to the government 
 itself, there is no greater organization in the land, and 
 one that deals with the vital interests of more people. 
 Nine millions of souls are dependent upon these societies, 
 and directly interested in the deliberations of this con- 
 gress. The benefit societies of the United States embrace 
 a membership of nearly three million, and those interested 
 in the benefits carried by these members form a vast 
 army. In a short time all similar societies in the United 
 States will be enrolled as members of this congress, and 
 the immensity of its influence for good cannot be over- 
 estimated. 
 
 These fraternal benefit societies are like representative 
 governments. The members of the order are its rulers, 
 and the officers its servants. It is not a joint stock com- 
 pany, managed by a few individuals, with an indefinite 
 tenure of office, and without accountability, but it is a 
 great fraternity that has immediate control, through its 
 delegates, of the aff'airs of the orders. If officers become 
 incompetent or corrupt, they are speedily displaced and 
 new ones put in their places. These orders possess the 
 power of self-preservation and self-perpetuation. The 
 statistics of history show that but two or three fraternal 
 6 
 
82 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Boo k. 
 
 benefit societies have failed since the foundation of this 
 government ; while the number of mutual insurance 
 companies without the fraternal feature that have failed 
 is very great. The fraternal insurance order, once estab- 
 lished, seems almost immortal. They are of the people, 
 for the people, and by the people. From a consideration 
 of these statements the importance of the fraternal feature 
 in our societies becomes obvious, even from the standpoint 
 of the soundness of the insurance. But there is still 
 more in our societies than the insurance feature. There 
 is something in the brotherhood of man ; there is some- 
 thing in the sympathy in times of distress ; a kindly visit 
 from a brother when we lie on a sick bed, and the help 
 given to our families when we are so unfortunate as not 
 to be able to help them ourselves. None of us are so 
 strong or so fortunately situated that there may not come 
 to us a dark hour when we need a kindly hand to help us. 
 This does not come to us as charity, for we have a right 
 to it ; we would do the same ourselves for other brothers 
 in distress, and we have a right to expect the same from 
 them. One stick is easily broken, but a bundle of sticks 
 is invincible. It is a grand thought that in that great 
 territory extending from the shores of the Atlantic west- 
 ward to " where California's brooks wash down her sands 
 of gold," live three million freemen, bound together as 
 with a common cord for the mutual benefit and protection 
 of their families. We are proud, as their representatives, 
 to meet here to-day to deliberate for their common wel- 
 fare. 
 
 This congress has a great work to do. As one of its 
 new members I appreciate the' great work that is to be 
 done in this and coming sessions in developing its great 
 power for good. As yet it is but comparatively an infant 
 that will feel the strength and power and growth that 
 coming years will bring. Great questions must be solved 
 at this meeting, great work will be done. Let us bring to 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 83 
 
 these deliberations that fraternal spirit which our societies 
 teach. Let. this fraternal spirit not be bounded by state 
 lines or restricted by the ambitions of individual societies, 
 but rather let us feel and appreciate the magnitude of 
 the work before us, and the proper spirit that should 
 guide us. 
 
 Mr. President, let me thank you for the honor you have 
 conferred upon me in asking me to respond to this ad- 
 dress of welcome ; and, Mr. Mayor, let me again thank 
 you for this generous and hearty welcome which you give 
 us on behalf of your people, to the hospitality of your 
 beautiful city. 
 
 The Lodge a School. 
 
 Let a Neighbor attend his Camp regularly and he will 
 become better qualified to discharge his duties as a citi- 
 zen of the republic. The proceedings of a Camp are con- 
 ducted in conformity with the rules prescribed for the 
 deliberation of congress, and familiarity with the affairs 
 of a Camp qualifies a man for any public business. The 
 organizations with which Americans organize and govern 
 themselves has often been noticed by travelers. Very 
 few Americans are unconnected with some fraternity, and 
 in these societies they are subject to discipline. This pre- 
 pares them for a wider field of action. The spirit of 
 good-will diffused throughout a Camp encourages a 
 Neighbor to take part in its proceedings. If he makes 
 a mistake he is not laughed at, and he is not afraid to 
 try again. Many an awkward, blundering Neighbor has 
 been drilled into a graceful, prompt, and adroit debater, 
 and at some public meeting astonishes his outside ac- 
 quaintances with his apparent spontaneous readiness. 
 Money and energy are the chief means of success in 
 
84 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 business, but they will be unprofitably spent unless the 
 •possessor has business tact ; and many a citizen of ten 
 talents' worth virtually buries them in the earth by not 
 knowing how to use them. — The Triangle. 
 
 A Suggestion. 
 
 We wish to impress on the minds of our readers the 
 importance of having benefit certificates made payable 
 to the wife. The husband and father whose wife has 
 proved worthy of his love should not have her troubles 
 complicated by naming the children with her as benefi- 
 ciaries. If the money is paid to the wife, she can use it 
 in the care and education of the children at the very 
 time when it is most needed ; but if a portion of it is to 
 be paid to the children, the money can only be reached 
 through the guardian, and is accompanied with both ex- 
 pense and difficulty. To a great degree the purposes of 
 the order are frustrated by these hampering restrictions. 
 The mother love can safely be trusted to take care of the 
 little ones. Let the money go to her. — The Echo. 
 
 So much has been said and written on the relation of 
 fraternal societies to the church, a great deal of which 
 has been misleading and unwarranted, that many people 
 no doubt have been influenced not to connect themselves 
 with such societies. The following from the pen of Rev. 
 J. H. Chandler, of St. Paul, Minn., presents the matter 
 in its true light : " The true relation of the church and 
 the lodge is that of helpful allies. The beneficial order 
 can do a kind of work in providing for the sick benefit 
 and the provision for the family in case of death which 
 
The ]VoodmaiLS Haud-l^ook. 
 
 85 
 
 the church cannot do, but which it may wisely sanction 
 and recommend. The lodge stands, too, for friendship ; 
 surely an excellent thing. But these benefits are not all 
 that a man needs. In addition to these ties and this pro- 
 vision for needs of the few years of a man's life, the 
 church comes with its message concerning 'the com- 
 munion of saints and life everlasting.'" 
 
 General Fund. 
 
 The following is the report of the Finance Committee 
 of the National Fraternal Congress, held in November, 
 » 1888 : 
 
 To the President, Officers, and Members of the National Fra- 
 ternal Congress : 
 
 Brothers : The nature of the objects of the National 
 Fraternal Congress must of necessity lead to the con- 
 sideration of all subjects which affect and are of interest 
 to fraternal and beneficial societies, and to their con- 
 sideration in their broadest and most comprehensive 
 sense. 
 
 These societies have become a feature of our national 
 greatness, and while such associations in some form or 
 other date back almost, if not entirely, to the beginning 
 of civilization itself, still their present modernized and 
 improved existence, the result of experience and of ad- 
 vance in human thought, have made them such a power 
 for good in human affairs that it well becomes those who 
 are interested in their continued and future usefulness to 
 carefulh^ study the subject and seek to keep them as they 
 are now — abreast of the times — and to improve, as far 
 as possible, their condition and stability, to the end that 
 
86 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 their glorious record for good works may be made more 
 resplendent, and that their beneficent influences may 
 continue to be a marked feature of our age and genera- 
 tion. 
 
 With these ideas in mind, your Committee on Finance 
 have deemed it wise to submit some suggestions regard- 
 ing the general financial management and policy of such 
 societies and associations as are represented at the present 
 session of the congress. 
 
 It is well known and acknowledged in the business 
 world that insufficient financial facilities in the manage- 
 ment of any great enterprise are, as a rule, the precursors 
 of a puny existence, if not finally of its entire failure. 
 That fact is as applicable to such societies as ours as in 
 any other department of business. It is true, and we 
 are all proud of it, that one of our sturdy safeguards is 
 fraternity. Indeed, many of us look upon that beautiful 
 sentiment as the very base and corner-stone of our pros- 
 perity. Accepting that as the fact, along with it must be 
 a financial policy which shall not only not cripple the 
 management of the business and monetary aff'airs, as 
 well as the growth and development of the various asso- 
 ciations, but that will render it independent and strong 
 to pursue vigorously the work which shall keep them 
 along with and abreast of the business procession of the 
 age. If such a policy is not pursued we cannot hope for 
 progress and success, and those societies and associations 
 who map out and pursue a liberal and aggressive line of 
 action in this regard will very soon forge ahead and leave 
 far in the distance those who do not. 
 
 We utilize the thoughts above suggested in the con- 
 sideration of the contribution to and use of what is 
 known in our organizations as the ''General Fund." 
 This fund is provided and used for defraying the general 
 expenses of our organizations from the subordinate up 
 to and including the supreme. There is now, and always 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 87 
 
 has been, amongst many members of these societies an 
 idea that the fraternal sentiment in the membership 
 should induce some of the members to perform all the 
 duties and labor incident to their success and stability, 
 and with little or no other reward than the gratification 
 of that sentiment, and hence are always complain- 
 ings — first because the dues the}^ have to pay are exces- 
 sive, and that expenses are too heavy in all departments 
 of the organization. This idea should be educated out 
 of the membership, and the doctrine of fair compensa- 
 tion to those who year after year bear the burden and 
 heat of the day " in performing the labor and duties 
 which are a necessity to success. To do this, and to pro- 
 vide for expenses of various kinds, which necessarily are 
 incurred, the dues paid into the " general fund " should 
 be sufficient to at all times prevent any j)aucity in that 
 fund, either in the subordinate or supreme bodies of the 
 organization, and the policy in the use of this fund 
 should be to have the compensation of all the officers 
 who have onerous, exacting, and important duties to per- 
 form such as will insure securing the services of those 
 full}^ competent to perform those duties in a creditable 
 and business-like manner, and also to have at command 
 funds sufficient to provide all necessary facilities for 
 prosecuting the work actively and vigorously. It is the 
 province of the supreme or legislative branch, which 
 makes the laws for and executes them in these associa- 
 tions, to require the subordinate organizations to make 
 such provisions as are herein suggested by legislative 
 enactment, and it is just as necessary for the superior 
 body to make liberal provisions in the matter of its 
 revenues in order to successfully regulate and prosecute 
 its work as that the subordinate and intermediate or- 
 ganizations should be required to do so. 
 
 What can be more embarrassing to the executive of- 
 ficers of organizations such as those represented at this 
 
88 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 congress, and which collect and distribute millions of dol- 
 lars annually, and at the same time manage and regulate 
 all the details of such important institutions, than to find 
 themselves with an insignificant, if not an empty, ''gen- 
 eral fund " with which to prosecute their work ? And 
 how can success and a creditable administration be looked 
 for from those in authority if they are thus hampered ? 
 The treasuries of the ''general funds" of many of the 
 supreme and intermediate bodies whose representatives 
 are at this session are too low to insure a healthy and 
 vigorous administration, and in most cases needlessly so. 
 One or two of the organizations within the past year or 
 two have found it necessary to increase their revenues to 
 an extent commensurate with their needs, and the result 
 has been noticed since in the impetus given to the orga- 
 nizations all along the line. The opposition to increasing 
 the income generally comes from a fear of unrest and 
 complaint among the membership, but these organiza- 
 tions are mainly composed of citizens who will not object 
 to a small additional tax if the occasion for it is explained 
 properly to them, and they made to realize that it is done 
 to make the organization more prosperous, and hence 
 their interests better conserved. 
 
 Experience has proven to all of us who have been 
 actively interested in our associations and societies that 
 continued growth is necessary to continued prosperity, 
 and that that growth can only be accomplished by unre- 
 mitting effort, and that means consequent expenditure 
 for all reasonable expenses incurred. To the membership 
 we believe it is only necessary to make the proper repre- 
 sentation and explanation in order to receive instead of 
 complaint and mutterings of unrest the most cordial co- 
 operation by a ready compliance with the demand for a 
 generous general fund." 
 
 Your committee must not be understood as suggesting 
 a want or* absence of economy in the use of the " general 
 
The Woodman's Hand-BooJc. 
 
 89 
 
 fund " by those in whose care it is placed in either the 
 subordinate. or superior bodies of the organization. On 
 the contrary, the most rigid economy should be exercised 
 at all times consistent with the needs of a A^gorous and 
 business-like policy, but that economy should be a wise 
 and not a false one. It should be such as while used to 
 add vigor and health to an already healthful body, should 
 so judiciously govern the expenditures as to produce 
 maximum results with a reasonable minimum of expense. 
 
 The question as to what are necessary expenses, or to 
 what extent and in what directions the general fund " 
 should be used for the purpose of promoting the general 
 prosperity of the organization is hardly a proper one to 
 be discussed in this paper, as the exigencies of the cases 
 as they arise in the work would have much to do in in- 
 fluencing the determination of such a question, and it 
 would necessarily have to be left to the discretion and 
 judgment of the legislative bodies in session or to the 
 executive officers in the interim. It can safely be taken 
 for granted that those to whose care so important a ques- 
 tion is committed by their constituencies in organizations 
 like ours, where all are imbued with the spirit of fratern- 
 ity, love, and honor, will always be found true to their 
 trust, and careful in administering it. 
 
 Submitting the foregoing thoughts for the considera- 
 tion of the congress regarding the general fund," your 
 committee beg to submit the few suggestions regarding 
 the care of the "benefit fund," that magnificent accumu- 
 lation of small financial atoms which is contributed by 
 the membership for the beneficent purposes to which it 
 is dedicated. As to the various systems in vogue in the 
 several organizations of levying the assessments, and the 
 wisdom or unwisdom of the level or graded plans, we 
 shall not venture suggestions, those being matters of in- 
 ternal affairs in the several organizations. The question, 
 however, of the care of these funds, and the safeguards 
 
90 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 necessary in order that the entire membership shall feel 
 perfect security, and the confidence of the public be 
 challenged, is a subject which is of the utmost irnportance 
 to all. Too much care can not be taken in selecting de- 
 positories and distributing the funds into deposits of 
 moderate dimensions in two or more different depositories, 
 according to the amount of money on hand at any one 
 time, so that in case of financial disaster to any the risk 
 of loss will be reduced to a minimum. The systems or 
 regulations adopted for the handling of those funds is 
 also a matter of grave importance, and cannot be too care- 
 fully considered before adoption. The depositories having 
 been selected by proper authority, the money after being 
 deposited therein should be drawn out to pay claims to 
 beneficiaries only on checks signed by the financial 
 officer to whose care it is entrusted, and countersigned b}^ 
 the executive officer of the association. The disburse- 
 ments should also be under the careful eye and the 
 accounts subject to the scrutiny of a diligent finance 
 committee or board of trustees. These are the ordinary 
 precautions taken by corporations where large amounts 
 of money are received and disbursed, and surely none 
 less should be adopted by organizations like ours. The 
 bonds of financial and executive officers should be ample 
 to cover their responsibility, and the sureties should not 
 be members of the order if it can be avoided, for the 
 reason that the courts in some states have taken very 
 peculiar views of the relation of one member to another 
 in becoming surety for him in a fiduciary capacity in the 
 organization of which they with others are members. 
 This is especially so in the case of subordinate and inter- 
 mediate bodies in such organizations as are represented 
 here, where they are not incorporated under the laws of 
 the state where they are located. To avoid possible legal 
 complications, therefore, it would seem wise to accept 
 only as sureties those who are not members of the or- 
 ganization to which the surety is given. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand- Book. 
 
 91 
 
 111 the regulations made for disbursing the funds, while 
 all the precautions above mentioned should be taken and 
 the most watchful care observed by those who are charged 
 with that duty, still there is a possibility that over-caution, 
 bordering almost, in rare cases, on to crankiness, may seek 
 to throw so many conditions around the officers who are 
 charged with handling the funds as to hamper them 
 seriously, and at the same time not materially add to the 
 safety of the trust. The wise course is to pursue a con- 
 servative business-like policy in the matter, and thereby 
 insure comparative safety, and at the same time leave the 
 officers charged with the disbursement of the money with 
 sufficient freedom not to delay the adjustment and pay- 
 ment of claims to those who are entitled to receive 
 promptly that which provident members have left them 
 as ttjeir heritage. 
 
 The summary of the argument is that in all the business 
 to be done regarding the finances, from the subordinate 
 branches up to and including the legislative and execu- 
 tive authorities of each and every society, prompt, careful 
 business methods should be observed. The same business 
 rules as are peculiar to successful business in every-day 
 business life are applicable in these associations, and if 
 they are always adhered to there is every reason to expect 
 that the result will be such as to satisfy the most pro- 
 nounced skeptic of the usefulness and stability of fra- 
 ternal organizations. 
 
 Fraternally submitted, 
 
 E. M. SCHRYVER, ) ^ 
 
 . B. F. Nelson, \ ^'^^'i^'^' 
 
 A Timely Warning. 
 
 James Leahy, aged forty-six years, was adopted as a 
 Neighbor of Court Camp, No. 454, Springfield, 111., in 
 April, 1888, and carried a certificate for $1,000, made 
 
92 
 
 The Woodman' s Hand-Book. 
 
 payable to his wife at his death. He was employed as 
 night caller at the Wabash railroad shops, at Springfield. 
 On the night of October 17th, last, he stepped upon the 
 platform of a caboose to make a call, when, without a 
 word of warning, a train of freight cars struck the car 
 upon which he was standing, knocking him off and kill- 
 ing him. instantly. This claim was passed upon at the 
 October meeting of our Board of Directors, and immedi- 
 ate settlement thereof ordered. 
 
 John Brown, aged fifty years, was a Neighbor by 
 adoption of Camp No. 113, located at Savanna, 111. He 
 carried a certificate for $2,000, in favor of his wife. He 
 had been a member of Woodcraft about two months, 
 having been adopted in July. On the first day of October 
 he was accidentally killed by the caving in of a sandbank 
 in the yards of the C. M. & St. P. Railroad Co., at Savanna, 
 111. His claim was adjusted at the recent meeting of the 
 Board, and the $2,000 w^ill be handed over to his widow 
 without delay. 
 
 And still another case is that of the sudden death of 
 Neighbor John T. Dahl, late of Camp No. 1258, Rice 
 Lake, AVis. Neighbor Dahl carried a certificate for $2,000 
 in favor of his wife. He had been a member but fifteen 
 days. His wife had been very ill and he had sat up with 
 her for many long and weary nights, until he was almost 
 exhausted. On the evening of September 30th, while in 
 the act of pumping some water, he fell to the ground with 
 cerebral hemorrhage, from which he never recovered. 
 The claim for $2,000 also received the attention of the 
 Board, and the full amount will be paid to the wife im- 
 mediately. 
 
 Your attention is called to these cases of sudden and 
 accidental deaths as a warning to those who are not mem- 
 bers of the Modern Woodmen of America, as also to any 
 Neighbor of our order who may be in the habit of per- 
 mitting himself to become suspended. To the first we 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 93 
 
 would say, make application for membership immediately. 
 The rate is very low. You will never miss the mone}^ in- 
 vested, and at night you can lie down to rest with the 
 full satisfaction of knowing that in case 3^ou are taken 
 from your loved ones they will not be left to the cold 
 charity of the world. Do not hesitate for a moment. It 
 is a duty you owe to your wife and little ones. Come and 
 join the grand army of sons of the forest. To any Neigh- 
 bor who may be negligent in the prompt payment of his 
 assessments, we have only to cite you to the instance 
 where the husband and father had been in the habit of 
 permitting his certificate of $3,000 to become void from 
 time to time. He was careless in the payment of his as- 
 sessments and dues. It was the last day of the month. 
 His wife asked whether the assessment had been paid. 
 It had not. He would go around to the clerk and settle 
 the next day," but the wife herself took the last dollar in 
 the house and settled in full with the order. That same 
 night the husband was accidentally killed. The order 
 paid over the $3,000, and the mother and babies were 
 saved from poverty and want. Heed the warning. Be 
 prompt in the payment of your assessments. You can- 
 not afford to have your name placed upon the list of sus- 
 pensions, for death may overtake you when least expected. 
 Pay to-day, and feel happy and contented to-morrow. 
 
 Future Cost. 
 
 When the relative cost of co-operative vs. old line in- 
 surance is discussed, there is but one argument advanced 
 by the old liners which is not readily met by the advo- 
 cates of fraternal insurance, and that consists in the 
 statement, confidently advanced, that, although the in- 
 surance may be cheaper at the present time, it is only a 
 
94 
 
 The Woodman's Hond-Booh. 
 
 question of a few years when all the members having ad- 
 vanced in years, and the death rate per thousand members 
 having equally advanced, the number or frequency of 
 assessments must necessarily advance in the same ratio, 
 and thus the cost of the insurance to the persistent mem- 
 bers will be enormous at the period in life when advanced 
 age will render it impracticable to substitute better and 
 cheaper insurance. No instances are cited in support of 
 this proposition, but it is ingeniously declared to be sus- 
 ceptible of mathematical demonstration. 
 
 Fraternal insurance advocates can hardly appeal to the 
 experience of Am^erican fraternities in answer to this 
 argument, for the reason that none of them have been 
 organized long enough to give their experience statistical 
 value, and the older societies have organic defects which 
 exclude them as criterions for the newer and better-or- 
 ganized bodies ; still, the experience of the newer societies 
 as to the effect of young blood, lapses, etc., encmirage all 
 fraternal insurance advocates in the belief that not only 
 is that class of insurance temporarily cheaper than old 
 line, but that the time will never come when in any well 
 regulated society it will cost one-half the price of the 
 same protection in old line companies. 
 
 A singularly appropriate and convincing argument has 
 been placed at the disposal of all fraternity men by some 
 facts lately collated by one of their number. 
 
 Masonry has been organized in this country over one 
 hundred years ; Odd Fellowship over seventy-three years. 
 Neither society has ever had any physical test for mem- 
 bership, nor inquired as to the family history of candi- 
 dates, but a total membership of more than a million has 
 been gathered upon social qualifications alone, and no 
 efforts are made to keep the average age of the member- 
 ship low. These societies have been initiating members ; 
 losing some by lapses and others by death for nearly a 
 hundred years, and still, in the year 1891, an assessment 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 95 
 
 of $24 upon each of the living members would have paid 
 $2,000 to the family of every member who died during 
 that year. If after an existence of a century these so- 
 cieties, with never a medical examination, could insure 
 their membership) upon a basis of $12 annually for $1,000 
 of indemnity, is it unreasonable to conclude that societies 
 such as ours, with rigid medical examination, can main- 
 tain a rate of $6 annually per $1,000 of indemnity until 
 they attain an equal age ? 
 
 The conclusion is irresistible, that with a good plan, 
 intelligently devised and honestly administered, the mem- 
 bers may not only view the present with satisfaction, but 
 safely leave the future to take care of itself. — Woodman. 
 
Dr. H. O. Larrabee, Member Auditing Committee, 
 Winona, Minn. 
 
1 
 
BIMn(Dinisifl 
 
National Fraternal Congress. 
 
 HE National Fraternal Congress is 
 a union of the fraternal benefi- 
 ciary societies of the United 
 £ States and Canada. It was or- 
 ganized at Washington, D. C, 
 ^ November 16th, 1886. 
 
 ^^y^^^J^^^^^^^ The object of this congress is 
 
 to bind these fraternal benefi- 
 ciary societies into closer relationship for mutual benefit 
 and protection. Its purposes are effected in the follow- 
 ing ways : 
 
 First. It secures proper and uniform legislation in 
 favor of these societies. 
 
 Second. It secures more perfect medical examinations 
 and matures a better system of securing healthy risks. 
 
 Third. It promotes a friendly feeling between the 
 managements of the difi'erent societies and prevents un- 
 friendly criticism and petty jealousies between them. 
 
 Fourth. It upholds and exemplifies the benefits of 
 fraternal insurance, as against other systems. 
 
 The good accomplished by this congress grows with 
 each year of its existence. The time will soon come when 
 it will be one of the greatest powers in behalf of fraternal 
 insurance. 
 
 It has already accomplished much in securing proper 
 legislation and promoting a more amicable relationship 
 between its members. 
 
 The last congress through its committee secured the 
 passage of the bill in congress of the United States for- 
 
100 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 ever settling the question of admission of the fraternal 
 papers through the mails as second-class matter. This 
 work alone would justify the existence of the congress. 
 But it has a great work to do in the future in promoting 
 and maturing the great system of fraternal insurance. 
 
 This congress was brought into existence through the 
 efforts of the Supreme Lodge Ancient Order of United 
 Workmen. At the preliminary organization Leroy An- 
 drus was elected President, and R. C. Hill, Secretary. 
 Sixteen orders were represented, with an aggregate mem- 
 bership of 535,000, and carrying insurance to the amount 
 of $1,200,000,000. 
 
 The first annual session was held at Philadelphia, 
 November 15th, 1887. John Haskell Butler was chosen 
 President and Oliver M. Shedd, Secretary. At this meet- 
 ing the following resolution was adopted : 
 
 To the National Fraternal Congress : 
 
 Your committee to whom was referred the resolutions, 
 presented by Representative AY. H. Barnes at the last 
 session, and laid over for consideration at this session of 
 the congress, respectfully report that they recommend 
 the adoption of the preamble as presented by Representa- 
 tive Barnes, which reads as follows : 
 
 Whereas, There are a large number of associations 
 under various names, presenting to the public proposi- 
 tions of various characters, that have arisen since and 
 are meeting with favorable reception because of the 
 success of the standard legitimate fraternal benefit orders, 
 and while it is not the province of this congress to either 
 reflect upon or endeavor to retard the growth or pros- 
 perity of any organization, yet we deem it a duty to our- 
 selves and the public to define what in our judgment is 
 a fraternal society, and to be recognized as such. There- 
 fore we recommend the adoption of the first resolution 
 amended to read as follows : 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 101 
 
 Resolved, That a fraternal society is an organization 
 working under a ritual, holding regular lodge or similar 
 meetings, where the purposes are confined to visitation of 
 the sick, relief of distress, burial of dead, protection of 
 widows and orphans, education of the orphan, payment 
 of a benefit for temporary or permanent physical dis- 
 ability or death, and where these principles are an 
 obligated duty on all members, to be discharged without 
 compensation or pecuniary reward ; where the general 
 membership attends to the general business of the order, 
 and where a fraternal interest in the welfare of each other 
 is a duty, taught, recognized, and practiced as the motive 
 and bond of the organization. 
 
 The last session of this congress, it being the seventh, 
 was held at Cincinnati, Ohio, November 21st, 1893. At 
 this meeting thirty-nine societies were represented, having 
 an aggregate membership of about 1,400,000 members, 
 and which had paid out during the year 1892 something 
 over $28,812,925.87 to their beneficiaries. 
 
 W. A. Northcott, Head Consul of the Modern Wood- 
 men of America, responded to the address of welcome 
 delivered by the mayor at this session. 
 
 Director J. W. White w^as chosen chairman of the Com- 
 mittee on Legislation, which is the most important com- 
 mittee of the congress. 
 
 Director J. G. Johnson was chosen a member of the 
 Committee on Fraternal Press, and prepared the address 
 in behalf of the committee, which was submitted to con- 
 gress, on account of the Manderson-Hainer bill. 
 
 The present officers and committees of the Fraternal 
 Congress are as follows : 
 
 OFFICERS. 
 
 President. — N. S. Boynton, Port Huron, Mich. 
 Vice-President.— A. Will, 134 Fifth avenue, Pitts- 
 burg, Penn. 
 
102 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 Secretary and Treasurer. — 0. M. Shedd, Lock Drawer 
 W, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 
 
 COMMITTEES. 
 
 Constitution and Laws. — L. A. Gratz, 131 Main street, 
 Louisville, Ky.; Julius M. Swain, 120 Tremont street, 
 Boston, Mass.; H. H. Miller, First National Bank build- 
 ing, Chicago, 111.; Albert Morgan, Columbus, Penn.; 
 Howard H. Morse, 142 West 125th street, New York City; 
 Charles Naylor, 118 North Fifth street, Philadelphia, 
 Penn.; James H. Livingston, 628 Forest street, Baltimore, 
 Md.; W. R. Cooper, Knoxville, Tenn. 
 
 National, State, and Provincial Legislation. — John W. 
 White, Rock Falls, 111.; M. G. Jeffries, Janesville, Wis.; 
 D. P. Markey, Port Huron, Mich.; Dr. Oronhyetkha, 
 Toronto, Canada ; Dr. E. R. Hutchins, Des Moines, Iowa ; 
 Dr. J. W. P. Bates, 1020 East Eighth street, Baltimore, 
 Md.; J. A. Langfitt, 140 Diamond street, Pittsburg, Penn.; 
 Will T. Walker, 600 Minnesota avenue, Kansas City, Kas.; 
 Lee R. Sanborn, 48 West Eagle street, Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
 Credentials and Finance. — John J. Acker, State street, 
 Albany, N. Y.; Frank N. Gage, Chicago, 111.; T. J. Smith, 
 180 West Fourth street, Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 
 Statistics and Good of the Order. — J. E. Shepard, Law- 
 rence, Mass.; D. E. Stevens, 208 and 210 South High 
 street, Columbus, Ohio ; M. W. Sackett, Meadville, Penn. 
 
 Fra.ternal Press. — W. S. Linton, Saginaw, Mich.; Dr. G. 
 H. Shields, Hannibal, Mo.; J. G. Johnson, Peabody, Kas.; 
 W. R. Spooner, 430 East 117th street. New York City ; 
 Emma M. Gillette, 302 F street N. W., Washington, D. C. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 103 
 
 Orders who are Members of the Fraternal 
 Congress^ with Secretaries^ Address. 
 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen. — M. W. Sackett, 
 Meadville, Perm. 
 
 Knights of Honor. — B. F. Nelson, St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 American Legion of Honor. — Adam Warnock, 200 Hunt- 
 ington avenue, Boston, Mass. 
 
 Royal Arcanum. — W. 0. Robson, Boston, Mass. 
 
 Knights and Ladies of Honor. — C. W. Harvey, Indian- 
 apolis, Ind. 
 
 Order of Chosen Friends. — T. B. Linn, Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 Endowment Rank Knights of Pythias. — J ohn A. Hinsey, 
 14 and 16 Pacific avenue, Chicago, 111. 
 
 Order of United Friends. — 0. M. Shedd, Poughkeepsie, 
 N. Y. 
 
 Home Circle.— Julius M. Swain, 120 Tremont street, 
 Boston, Mass. 
 
 Knights of Maccabees. — N. S. Boynton, Port Huron, 
 Mich. 
 
 Knights of the Golden Eagle. — William Culbertson, Boe 
 527, Philadelphia, Penn. 
 
 Knights of the Golden Rule.— T. J. Smith, 180 West 
 Fourth street, Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 
 Equitable Aid Union. — John T. Irvin, Columbus, Penn. 
 
 Improved Order Heptasophs. — Edward Erickson, 932 
 Madison avenue, Baltimore, Md. 
 
 Supreme Camp Fraternal Legion. — M. J. Block, 1020 
 East Baltimore street, Baltimore, Md. 
 
 National Union. — J. W. Myers, Hartford Block, Toledo, 
 Ohio. 
 
 Order Golden Chain.— A. Stanley Weir, 220 North 
 Charles street, Baltimore, Md. 
 
 Royal Templars of Temperance. — E. B. Rew, 48 West 
 Eagle street, Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
104 
 
 Ths Woodman' s Hand-Book. 
 
 Order Pilgrim Fathers. — James E. Shepard, Lawrence, 
 Mass. 
 
 Fraternal Mystic Circle. — C. E. Kowley, 208 and 210 
 South High street, Columbus, Ohio. 
 
 Order Mutual Protection. — G. Del Vecchio, Room 310, 
 269 Dearborn street, Chicago, 111. 
 
 Royal Society of Good Fellows. — D. Wilson, M. D., 180 
 Summer street, Boston, Mass. 
 
 Northern Mutuul Relief Association. — Walter Wright, 10 
 Tremont street, Boston, Mass. 
 
 Protected Home Circle. — P. D. Stratton, Sharon, Penn. 
 
 Order of Golden Cross. — W. P. Cooper, Knoxville, Tenn. 
 
 Modern Woodmen of America. — C. W. Hawes, Fulton, 
 111. 
 
 Iowa Legion of Honor. — J. H. Helm, Box 350 Cedar 
 Rapids, Iowa. 
 
 Legion of the Red Cross. — John B. Treibler, 612 Van 
 Buren street, Wilmington, Del. 
 
 Woodmen of the World. — John T. Yates, 206 Sheeley 
 Block, Omaha, Neb. 
 
 Knights of St. John and Malta. — J. L. McElroy, 515 
 East 119th street, New York City. 
 
 Artisans' Order of Mutual Protection. — Louis Maloney, 
 538 Taskee street, Philadelphia, Penn. 
 
 Independent Order of Foresters of Ontario. — John A. Mc- 
 Gillivray, corner Yonge and King streets, Toronto, 
 Canada. 
 
 National Provident Union. — William J. Gorsuch, Room 
 148, No. 41 Park Row, New York City. 
 
 Order of Shield of Honor. — William T. Henry, 205 East 
 Fayette street, Baltimore, Md. 
 
 Royal League. — C. A. Warren, Opera House Building, 
 Chicago, 111. 
 
 Order of Select Friends. — W. J. Linn, Fort Scott, Kas. 
 Fraternal Aid Association. — Will T. Walker, 600 Union 
 avenue, Kansas City, Kas. 
 
Perry Perkins, Member Auditing Committee, 
 Des Moines, Iowa. 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 105 
 
 American Order of Home Protection. — John W.Eddy, 
 Helena, Montana. 
 
 Xational Reserve Association. — J. C. Hennessey, Mis- 
 souri Pacific Railroad, Kansas City, Mo. 
 
 ORDERS NOT MEMBERS OF FRATERNAL CONGRESS. 
 
 Catholic Benevolent Legion. — .John D. Carroll, 38 and 
 40 Court street, Brooklyn, X. Y. 
 
 Free Sons of Israel. — H. J. Goldsmith, 27 Second ave- 
 nue, Nev\' York City. 
 
 Benai Brith. — S. Hamburger, Fifty-seventh street and 
 Third avenue. New York City. 
 
 Golden Star Fraternity. — J. B. Faitoute, 22 Clinton 
 street, Newark, N. J. 
 
 Northwestern Legion of Honor. — D. M. Rowland, Ma- 
 rengo, Iowa. 
 
 Empire State Degree of Honor. — H. W. Seymour, Stock- 
 ton, N. Y. 
 
 Independent Order Of Foresters of Illinois. — T. W. Saun- 
 ders, Rooms G and 7, No. 53 Dearborn street, Chicago, 111. 
 
 Catholic Mutual Benevolent Association. — C. J. Hickey, 
 543 Madison street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
o . o 
 
I 
 
Statistics of Fraternal Insurance Societies. 
 
 AMERICAN LEGION OF HONOR. 
 
 John M. Gwinnel, Supreme Commander, Newark, N. J.; salary, 
 $3,000. 
 
 Adam Warnock, Supreme Secretary, Boston, Mass.; salary, $3,900. 
 George W. Kendrick, Jr., Supreme Treasurer, Philadelphia, 
 Penn. ; salary, $2,500. 
 
 Commenced business as an order, December 18th, 1878. 
 Date of first assessment levied, September 6th, 1879. 
 Issue certificates from $1,000 to $3,000 ; graded rates : 
 
 Age. Rate on $1,000. 
 18 and 29 $ .40 
 
 29 and 30 42 
 
 30 and 31 44 
 
 31 and 32 46 
 
 32 and 33 48 
 
 33 and 34. .50 
 
 34 and 35 52 
 
 35 and 36 54 
 
 Age. Rate on $1,000. 
 
 36 and 37 1 .56 
 
 37 and 38 58 
 
 38 and 39 60 
 
 39 and 40 62 
 
 40 and 41 64 
 
 41 and 42 66 
 
 42 and 43 68 
 
 Age. Rate on $1,000. 
 
 43 and 44 $ .70 
 
 44 and 45 72 
 
 45 and 46 74 
 
 46 and 47 76 
 
 47 and 48 78 
 
 48 and 49 80 
 
 49 and 50 84 
 
 Expense of management provided for by one assessment each year. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $58,854.08. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.00. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 15.3; 1892, 16; 1893, 
 16 ; 1894, 16. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 36 years ; January 1st, 1895, 36 + 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 30 ; 1892, 32 ; 1893, 36 ; 1894, 36. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $14.96 ; 35 years, 
 $18.36; 40 years, $21.76. In 1894, 30 years, $14.96; 35 years, $18.36; 
 40 years, $21.76. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $3,069,865 ; 1894, $2,751,079. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $159,473,000. 
 
 Totcol amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $142,901,500. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 62,076. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 56,060. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 1,085; January 
 1st, 1895, 1,086. 
 
110 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 ANCIENT ORDER OF UNITED AVORKMEN. 
 
 Lewis L. Troy, Supreme Master Workman, Chicago, 111.; salary, 
 $1,000. 
 
 M. W. Sackett, Supreme Recorder, Meadville, Penn.; salary, 
 $3,000. 
 
 John J. Acker, Supreme Receiver, Albany, N. Y.; salary, $400. 
 Commenced business as an order October 27th, 1868. 
 Date of first assessment levied, 1871. 
 
 Issue certificates for $2,000, at an uniform rate of $1.00 per assess- 
 ment. 
 
 Expense of management varies in difTerent states. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $561,591.66. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.67. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 9.72 ; 1892, 10.19 ; 1893, 
 10.11 ; 1894, 10.43. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 40 + years ; January 1st, 1895, 41 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 19; 1892, 20; 1893, 20; 1894, 
 
 20. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $10.00; 35 years, 
 $10.00 ; 40 years, $10.00. In 1894, 30 years, $10.21 ; 35 years, $10.21 ; 40 
 years, $10.21. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $6,479,175.38; 1894, $7,116,807.99. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $657,550,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $682,742,000. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 328,775. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 341,371. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 4,831 ; 1895, 4,973. 
 
 ARTISANS' ORDER MUTUAL PROTECTION. 
 
 Samuel Biggin, Most Excellent Master Artisan, Tacomy, Penn. 
 Louis Maloney, Most Excellent Recorder, Philadelphia, Penn.. 
 salary, $2,000. 
 
 John F. Vanleer, Jr., Most Excellent Cashier, Philadelphia, 
 Penn. 
 
 Commenced business as an order May 1st, 1873. 
 
 Issue certificates for $1,000 and $2,000 at the following rates : 
 
 f 1,000. f -2.000. m,000. S2,000. 
 
 Between 18 and 30. . .$3.50 $5.75 Between 40 and 45. . .$4.50 $7.75 
 Between 30 and 35.. . 3.75 6.25 Between 45 and 50. .. 5.25 9.25 
 Between 35 and 40. . . 4.00 6.75 
 
 No other payments are required and no assessments made. Each 
 member makes but four payments a year, and the dues never increase, 
 no matter how many deaths occur. 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 Ill 
 
 Pays in addition $5 per week sick benefits for twenty weeks in a 
 year, wliich amount is not deducted from the face of the certificate. 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita of 80 cents per 
 annum, initiation, benefit certificate and supply fees. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $3,380. 
 ' Cost of management per member 1894, $1.00. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 10; 1892, 11; 1893, 5; 
 
 1894, 6^. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 37 years ; January 1st, 1895, 38 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 11 ; 1892, 14; 1893, 6; 1894, 7. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $14.00 ; 35 years. 
 $16.00 ; 40 years, $18.00. In 1894, 30 years, |14.00 ; 35 years, $16.00 ; 40 
 years, $18.00. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $15,000 ; 1894, $18,500. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $2,725,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $3,093,000. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 2,521. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 2,804. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 28 ; January 1st, 
 
 1895, 28. 
 
 ECLECTIC ASSEMBLY. 
 
 A. Palmer, Supreme Secretary, Bradford, Penn. 
 
 Commenced business as an order, organized November 14th, 1892 ; 
 chartered January 3d, 1893. 
 
 Date of first assessment levied, May 1st, 1893. 
 
 Issue certificates for $500, $1,000, $1,500, $2,000, $2,500, $3,000. 
 
 Expense of management provided for by membership fees, certifi- 
 cate fees, quarterly dues, and 25 per cent of assessments for first two 
 years of life of certificate. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $1,349.87. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $6.39. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, — ; 1892, — ; 1893 — ; 
 1894, i. 
 
 Average age, January 1st, 1894, 36.7 years; January 1st, 1895, 37.7 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments, year 1891, — ; 1892, — ; 1893, 8; 1894, 12. 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, .77 ; 35 years, 
 .82; 40 years, .90. In 1894, 30 years, .77 ; 35 years, .82 ; 40 years, .90. 
 Losses paid in year 1893, none ; 1894, $1,500. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $180,500. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $389,500. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 113. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 313. 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 4; 1895, 8. 
 Have an annual premium divided into equal monthly payments. 
 
112 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 EMPIRE KNIGHTS OF RELIEF. 
 
 E. D. Angell, Supreme President, Buffalo, N. Y.; salary, $600. 
 P. E. Hunger, Supreme Secretary, Buffalo, N. Y.; salary, $2,500. 
 Henry L. King, Supreme Treasurer, Buffalo, N, Y.; salary, $600. 
 Commenced business as an order 1889 (under incorporation 1891). 
 Date of first assessment levied, January 1st, 1890. 
 Issue certificates for $1,000, $2,000, $3,000. 
 
 MONTHLY ASSESSMENTS. 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000, 
 
 20 
 
 .,$ .50 
 
 28 
 
 .,$ .66 
 
 35 . . 
 
 .$ .83 
 
 42 
 
 , $1.04 
 
 49 
 
 . .$1.35 
 
 21 
 
 , .52 
 
 29. . . 
 
 .. .68 
 
 36 ... . 
 
 .. .85 
 
 43, , , 
 
 . 1.07 
 
 50, , , 
 
 ., 1.4C 
 
 22 
 
 . . .53 
 
 30 
 
 .70 
 
 37 
 
 .88 
 
 44 
 
 . 1.10 
 
 51 , 
 
 , 1.50 
 
 23 
 
 .55 
 
 31 
 
 . .72 
 
 38 
 
 , .90 
 
 45 . . . 
 
 1.15 
 
 52 
 
 1.6C 
 
 24 
 
 . .57 
 
 32 
 
 
 39 , 
 
 . .93 
 
 46 
 
 1.20 
 
 53. . , 
 
 ., 1.7C 
 
 25 
 
 , .60 
 
 33 , 
 
 . . .77 
 
 40. . . . 
 
 . .95 
 
 47. . . . 
 
 . 1.25 
 
 54 , 
 
 .. 1.8C 
 
 26 
 
 , .62 
 
 34 
 
 .80 
 
 41 
 
 .. 1.00 
 
 48. . . . 
 
 , . 1.30 
 
 55. . . 
 
 .. 1.90 
 
 27, , 
 
 . . .64 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax or general 
 assessment of $2.00 per year; also application fees. 
 Cost of management 1894, $7,787.70. 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $4.51. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 0 ; 1892, 5 ; 1893, 6 ; 
 1894, 3. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 32 years; January 1st, 1895, 33^ 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 12; 1892, 12; 1893, 12; 1894, 12. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $10.40; 35 years, 
 $11.96; 40 years, $13.40. In 1894, 30 years, $10.40 ; 35 years, $11.96; 40 
 years, $13.40. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $15,000; 18.-^4, $13,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $3,181,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $4,342,000. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 1,401. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 2,046. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges Jaauary 1st, 1894, 75 ; 1895, 99. 
 
 EQUITABLE AID UNION. 
 
 Albert Morgan, Supreme President, Colutnbus, Penn.; salary, 
 $1,800. 
 
 James W. Merritt, Supreme Secretary, Columbus, Penn.; salary, 
 $1,350. 
 
 E. Cook, Supreme Treasurer, Columbus, Penn.; salary, $850. 
 Commenced business as an order April 25th, 1879. 
 Date of first assessment levied, July 23d, 1879. 
 
1 
 
 L 
 
 Committee on Ritual and Laws, 1892. 
 
 1. Joseph B. Kearns, Fulton, 111. 2. Dr. E. R. Hutchins, Des Moines, Iowa. 
 
 3. Judge A. M. Cavan, El Paso, 111. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 113 
 
 Issue certificates in amounts from $325 to $3,000. Amount of life 
 benefits regulated by age of members instead of graded assessments, 
 according to the following table : 
 
 Applications Between 
 the Ages of — 
 
 Expectancy 
 
 in Years 
 and lOOths. 
 
 By Paying 
 $1.00 Entitles 
 Them to — 
 
 By Paying 50 
 cts. Entitles 
 Them to — 
 
 By Paying 25 
 cts. Entitles 
 Them to — 
 
 
 
 
 $Q 000 
 
 fRi ^00 
 
 ,<fi750 00 
 
 %\) 1 Kjyj \J\J 
 
 21 and 22 
 
 
 
 
 737 50 
 
 
 40 1 7 
 
 9 QOO 
 
 I,'±OU 
 
 725 00 
 
 23 and 24 
 
 QQ 4Q 
 
 9 8=;o 
 
 1 49^^ 
 
 712 50 
 
 24 and 25 
 
 Qft ftl 
 
 9 800 
 
 1 400 
 
 700 00 
 
 25 and 26 
 
 Qft 19 
 OO. 
 
 9 7'=i0 
 
 ill, t 0\J 
 
 I,0 / O 
 
 687 50 
 
 26 and 27 
 
 4Q 
 ot .'to 
 
 9 700 
 
 1 Q 1=^0 
 J , oou 
 
 675 00 
 
 27 and 28 - 
 
 oO. / o 
 
 9 fi^O 
 
 1 H9^ 
 
 662 50 
 
 28 and 29 
 
 QA 1 Q 
 OO. lo 
 
 9 ftOO 
 
 1 QOO 
 
 f{.=iO 00 
 
 29 and 30 
 
 OO. OO 
 
 9 ^^0 
 
 1 97^ 
 
 OO / o\y 
 
 30 and 31 
 
 QA ftQ 
 
 9 t^OO 
 
 1 9'^fl 
 
 fi95 00 
 
 31 and 32 
 
 QQ Q9 
 
 
 1 99"=^ 
 
 612 50 
 
 32 and 33 
 
 QQ 91 
 OO.Zl 
 
 9 400 
 
 1 900 
 
 ^<00 OO 
 
 33 and 34 
 
 Q9 c^A 
 OZ.OU 
 
 9 Qc;0 
 
 1 17*^ 
 
 '^87 f\0 
 OO 1 0\} 
 
 34 and 35 
 
 Ql 7Q 
 
 ol. /o 
 
 9 QOO 
 
 1 1 f^O 
 1, JOU 
 
 f^7^ 00 
 
 35 and 36 
 
 Ql 07 
 
 9 9=;o 
 
 1 1 9^^ 
 
 "^(^9 '^O 
 
 36 and 37 
 
 30.35 
 
 2,200 
 
 1,100 
 
 550 00 
 
 37 and 38 
 
 29.62 
 
 2,150 
 
 1,075 
 
 537 50 
 
 38 and 39 
 
 28.90 
 
 2,100 
 
 1,050 
 
 525 00 
 
 39 and 40 
 
 28.18 
 
 2,050 
 
 1,025 
 
 512 50 
 
 40 and 41 
 
 27.45 
 
 2,000 
 
 1,000 
 
 500 OO 
 
 41 and 42 
 
 26.72 
 
 1,950 
 
 975 
 
 487 50 
 
 42 and 43 
 
 25.99 
 
 1,900 
 
 950 
 
 475 00 
 
 AO AA 
 
 25.27 
 
 1,850 
 
 925 
 
 462 50 
 
 44 and 45 
 
 24 54 
 
 1,800 
 
 900 
 
 450 00 
 
 45 and 46 
 
 23.81 
 
 1,750 
 
 875 
 
 437 50 
 
 46 and 47 
 
 23.08 
 
 1,700 
 
 850 
 
 425 00^ 
 
 47 and 48 
 
 22.36 
 
 1,650 
 
 825 
 
 412 50 
 
 48 and 49 
 
 21.63 
 
 1,600 
 
 800 
 
 400 00 
 
 49 and 50 
 
 20.91 
 
 1,550 
 
 775 
 
 387 50 
 
 50 and 51 
 
 20.20 
 
 1,500 
 
 750 
 
 375 00 
 
 51 and 52 
 
 19.49 
 
 1,450 
 
 725 
 
 362 50 
 
 52 and 53 
 
 18.79 
 
 1,400 
 
 700 
 
 350 00 
 
 
 18.09 
 
 1,350 
 
 675 
 
 337 50 
 
 54 and 55 
 
 17.40 
 
 1,300 
 
 650 
 
 325 00 
 
 The Beneficiary Fund is derived from assessments upon the insured 
 members in sums of 25 cents to $1.00, according to age and amount 
 of insurance as denoted by the table. 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per centage of assess- 
 ments. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $55,613.41. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.78. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, $13.80 ; 1892, $14.40 : 
 1893, $16.00; 1894, $16.00. 
 
114 
 
 The Woodmmi^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 Averag-e age, January 1st, 1891, 41.28 years ; January 1st, 1895, 
 41.51 years. 
 
 Number of assessments, year 1891, 23; 1892, 28; 1893, 29 ; 1894, 18. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $11.60; 35 years, 
 $12.89; 40 years, $14.50. In 1894, 30 years, $14.00 ; 35 years, $15.56 ; 
 40 years, $17.50. 
 
 Losses paid in 1893, $850,583; 1894, $794,981.66. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $47,594,725. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $43,511,010. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 31,168. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 29,203. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 867 ; January 
 1st, 1895, 880. 
 
 FRATERNAL AID ASSOCIATION. 
 
 Will T. Walker, General President, Kansas City, Kas. ; salary, 
 $600. 
 
 E. Rouse LL, General Secretary, Lawrence, Kas.; salary, $1,200. 
 
 L. C. Stine, General Treasure)', Ottawa, Kas.; salary, $100. 
 
 Commenced business as an order October 14th, 1890. 
 
 Date of first assessment levied, April 1st, 1891. 
 
 Issue certificates for $1,000, $2,000, and $3,000, at following rates : 
 
 Age at Nearest Age at Nearest Age at Nearest 
 
 Birthday. $1,000. Birthday. $1,000. Birtliday. $1,000. 
 
 18 to 1^6 $.45 46 to 47 $.75 52 $1.30 
 
 27 1o 31 50 48 .80 53 1.45 
 
 32 to 37 55 49 90 54 1.65 
 
 38 to 40 60 50 1.00 55 1.85 
 
 41 to 45 65 51 1.15 
 
 Expense of management provided for by setting aside 15 per cent 
 of all benefit funds collected and certificate fees. 
 Cost of management 1894, $8,861.43. 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.83. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891,5; 1892,2.86; 1893, 
 2.43; 1894, 2.27. 
 
 Average age not reported. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 6 ; 1892, 6 ; 1893, 10 ; 1894, 8. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $5.00; 35 years, 
 $5.50; 40 years, $6.00. In 1894, 30 years, $4.00; 35 years, $4.40; 40 
 years, $4.80. 
 
 Losses paid in 1893, $28,459; 1894, $28,277.09. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1884, $6,224,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st. 1895, $8,689,000. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 3,156. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 115 
 
 Total membership in absolute o'ood standing January 1st, 1895, 4,826. 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 115 ; January 1st, 
 1895, 162. 
 
 Exclude all hazardous risks, Southern States, and cities of 200,000 
 population. Pay one-half of benefit in case of total and permanent 
 disability, and remainder at end of five years. 
 
 FRATERNAL LEGION. 
 
 George M. Ballard, Supreme Commander, Newark, N. J.; sal. 
 ary, $100. 
 
 M. J. Block, Supreme Adjutant, Baltimore, Md.; salary, $600. 
 C. H. Thomas, Supreme Treasurer, Baltimore, Md. ; salary, $200. 
 Commenced business as an order October 1st, 1881. 
 Date of first assessment levied. May 27th, 1883. 
 
 Issue certificates for $500, $1,000, $2,000, and $3,000, according to the 
 
 following table of rates on $1,000 : 
 
 
 
 
 Between Ages of 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Between Ages of 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Between Ages of 
 
 Rate. 
 
 21 and 22 . , . . 
 
 S . 38 
 
 33 and 34 .... 
 
 .$ .60 
 
 
 .$ .87 
 
 22 and 23 
 
 , .40 
 
 34 and 35 
 
 .62 
 
 45 and 46 
 
 . .90 
 
 23 and 24 
 
 .42 
 
 35 and 36 
 
 . .64 
 
 46 and 47 . . . . 
 
 . .94 
 
 24 and 25 , , . , 
 
 .43 
 
 36 and 37 , , . . 
 
 . .66 
 
 47 and 48 
 
 . .97 
 
 25 and 26 , . . . 
 
 .44 
 
 37 and 38 , . , 
 
 . .69 
 
 48 and 49 
 
 . 1.01 
 
 26 and 27. 
 
 .46 
 
 38 and 39 
 
 . .71 
 
 49 and 50 
 
 . 1.06 
 
 27 and 28 
 
 .48 
 
 39 and 40 
 
 .74 
 
 
 . 1.10 
 
 28 and 29 
 
 , .50 
 
 40 and 41 
 
 . .76 
 
 51 and 52 
 
 . 1.16 
 
 29 and 30 , , . . 
 
 .52 
 
 41 and 42 
 
 , .79 
 
 52 and 53 
 
 . 1.21 
 
 30 and 31 , . . . 
 
 .54 
 
 42 and 43 
 
 . .81 
 
 53 and 54 
 
 . 130 
 
 31 and 32 
 
 . .56 
 
 43 and 44 . . 
 
 , .84 
 
 
 . 1.37 
 
 32 and 33 
 
 , .58 
 
 
 
 
 
 Expense of management provided for by assessments. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $4,631.11. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.39. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 10.5 ; 1892, 10.2 ; 1893, 
 10 ; 1894, 11.3. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 38.5 years ; Januar^^ 1st, 1895, 37.8 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments, year 1891, 23; 1892, 25; 1893, 28; 1894, 22. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $11.22; 35 years^ 
 $15.02; 40 years, $17.82. In 1894, 30 years, $9.68; 35 years, $11.88; 
 40 years, $14.04. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $63,258.88. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $3,895,500. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $3,692,000. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 2,657. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 2,585. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 53 ; 1895, 52. 
 
116 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 FRATERNAL MYSTIC CIRCLE, 
 
 D, E. Stevens, Supreme Mystic Ruler, Columbus, Ohio; salary, 
 $4,000. 
 
 Charles E. Rowley, Supreme Recorder, Columbus, Ohio ; sal- 
 ary, $1,500. 
 
 J. G. Reinhard, Supreme Treasurer, Columbus, Ohio; salary, 
 $600. 
 
 Commenced business as an order January 1st, 1885. 
 
 Date of first assessment levied, September 5th, 1885. 
 
 Issue certificates in two circles. Circle " A " to men only. Circle 
 B " to men and women. 
 
 In Circle "A" certificates are issued in amounts of $1,500 and 
 $3,000. In Circle ''B," $500, $1,000 and $1,500. Ages covered in 
 either circle, 18 to 49 years. 
 
 Age. 
 18 to 21. 
 22 , 
 
 23 
 
 24 
 
 25 
 
 26 
 
 27 
 
 28 
 
 29 
 
 30 
 
 Rate. 
 $1.10 
 . 1.14 
 . 1.18 
 . 1.22 
 . 1.26 
 . 1.30 
 . 1.36 
 . 1.42 
 . 1.48 
 . 1.54 
 
 CIRCLE A. 
 Age. 
 
 31 
 
 32 
 
 33 
 
 34 
 
 35 
 
 36 
 
 37 
 
 38 
 
 39 
 
 40 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 B1.60 
 
 41 .... 
 
 , . , $2.40 
 
 1.69 
 
 42 , , , 
 
 . . . 2.50 
 
 1.72 
 
 43 
 
 2.62 
 
 1.78 
 
 44 , . . 
 
 , , , . 2.74 
 
 1.86 
 
 45 
 
 ... . 2.86 
 
 1.94 
 
 46 
 
 3.00 
 
 2.02 
 
 47 , 
 
 . 3.14 
 
 2 10 
 
 48 ... 
 
 3.30 
 
 2.20 
 
 49 
 
 3.46 
 
 2.30 
 
 
 
 Age. 
 18 to 21, 
 
 22 
 
 23 
 
 24 
 
 25 
 
 26 
 
 27 
 
 28 
 
 29 
 
 30 
 
 Rate. 
 
 .69 
 .72 
 .75 
 .78 
 .81 
 .84 
 .87 
 .90 
 .93 
 
 CIRCLE B. 
 
 Age. 
 
 31.. 
 
 32., 
 
 33.. 
 
 34. , 
 
 35. . 
 
 36., 
 
 37., 
 
 38. . 
 
 39. 
 
 40. . 
 
 Rate. Age. Rate. 
 
 $0.96 41 $1.44 
 
 . 1.02 42 1.50 
 
 , 1.05 43 1.59 
 
 , 1.08 44 1.68 
 
 ,a.ll 45 1.74 
 
 . 1.17 46 1.83 
 
 , 1.23 47 1.92 
 
 1.26 48 1.98 
 
 , 1.32 49 2.10 
 
 . 1.38 
 
 Expense of management provided for by not exceeding 12i per 
 cent of assessments. 
 
 Cost of management 1893, ^30,643. 
 
 Cost of management per member not reported. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 5.2; 1892, 5.4; 1893, 
 5.20. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 33 years. 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 10 ; 1892, 12 ; 1893, 13. 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $8.06 ; 35 years, $9.62 ; 
 40 years, $11.96. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 117 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $158,526. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $29,704,750. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing- January 1st, 1894, 
 12,674. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 407. 
 
 HOME CIRCLE. 
 
 Uriah W. Tompkins, Supreme Leader 261 Broadway, N. Y.; sal- 
 ary, $300. 
 
 Julius M. Swain, Supreme Secretary, Boston, Mass.; salary, 
 $2,200. 
 
 John Haskell Butler, Supreme Treasurer, Boston, Mass.; sal- 
 ary, $500. 
 
 Commenced business as an order October 2d, 1879. 
 Date of first assessment levied, January 1st, 1881. 
 Issue certificates in amounts from $500 to $3,500, at graded rates, 
 pro rata, as follows on $1,000 : 
 
 Between Ages of 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Between Ages of 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Between Ages of 
 
 Rate. 
 
 18 and 19 
 
 $ .24 
 
 29 and 30 
 
 ,$ .46 
 
 40 and 41 
 
 $ .68 
 
 19 and 20 
 
 .26 
 
 30 and 31 
 
 .48 
 
 41 and 42 
 
 .72 
 
 20 and 21 
 
 .28 
 
 31 and 32 
 
 , .50 
 
 42 and 43 
 
 . .76 
 
 21 and 22 , . . , 
 
 .30 
 
 32 and 33 
 
 . .52 
 
 43 and 44 
 
 . .80 
 
 22 and 23 .... 
 
 .32 
 
 33 and 34 
 
 .54 
 
 44 and 45 
 
 .84 
 
 23 and 24 
 
 .34 
 
 34 and 35 
 
 .56 
 
 45 and 46 
 
 . .88 
 
 24 and 25 
 
 .36 
 
 35 and 36 
 
 .58 
 
 46 and 47 
 
 .92 
 
 25 and 26 
 
 .38 
 
 36 and 37 
 
 . .60 
 
 47 and 48. 
 
 .96 
 
 26 and 27 
 
 .40 
 
 37 and 38 
 
 .62 
 
 48 and 49 
 
 . 1.00 
 
 27 and 28 , , . 
 
 .42 
 
 38 and 39 .... 
 
 . .64 
 
 49 and 50 
 
 , 1.04 
 
 28 and 29 
 
 .44 
 
 39 and 40 
 
 . .66 
 
 
 
 Expense of management provided for by one assessment upon the 
 membership, same amount and collected same as benefit fund assess- 
 ment. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $11,656.13*. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.67. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891,7; 1892, 8.50; 1893, 
 8.50; 1894, 9.70. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 36 + years ; January 1st, 1895, 36 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 16; 1892, 17; 1893, 18; 1894, 19. 
 
 Cost of insurance per 1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $8.64; 35 years, 
 $10.44 ; 40 years, $12.24. In 1894,30 years, $9.12 ; 35 years, $11.02 ; 40 
 years, $12.92. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $144,500 ; 1894, $156,000. 
 
 * Cost of management includes every expenditure for whatever purpose, including 
 books, regalia, and supplies sold to the order, and should be called an expense. 
 
118 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $14,837,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January ]st, 1895, $15,138,000. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 6,766. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 7,183. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 178 ; January 
 1st, 1895, 182. 
 
 HOME FORUM BENEFIT ORDER. 
 
 Dr. p. L. McKinnie, Grand President, Evanston, 111. 
 
 L. E. Pish, Grand Secretary, 56 Fifth avenue, Chicago, 111. 
 
 S. J. Caswell, Grand Treasurer, Rockford, 111. 
 
 Commenced business as an order January 1st, 1893. 
 
 Date of first assessment levied, March 1st, 1893. 
 
 Issue certificates for |500, $1,000, and $2,000, at the following rates : 
 
 
 
 , From $500 to $2,000 OiUii. 
 
 
 Age at Nearest 
 
 
 Age at Nearest 
 
 Age at Nearest 
 
 
 Birthday. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 Birthday. $1,000 
 
 Birthday. 
 
 $1,000 
 
 From 16 to 24 years. . 
 
 .40 
 
 46 years. . . .| .60 
 
 51 years 
 
 $ .80 
 
 From 25 to 33 years. . 
 
 .. .45 
 
 47 years 60 
 
 52 years 
 
 .90 
 
 From 34 to 37 years. . 
 
 .. .45 
 
 48 years 65 
 
 53 years . . . . 
 
 1.00 
 
 From 38 to 39 years. . 
 
 .. .50 
 
 49 years 70 
 
 54 years 
 
 1.15 
 
 Prom 40 to 41 years. . 
 
 .50 
 
 50 years 75 
 
 55 years 
 
 1.25 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Prom 44 to 45 years . . 
 
 . . .55 
 
 
 
 
 Expense of management provided for by annual dues. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $6,766.73. 
 
 Cost of management per member, 1894, 66 cents. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, — ; 1892, — ; 1893, 2.7 ; 
 
 1894, 1.56. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 331 years; January 1st, 1895, 33i 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments, year 1891 —; 1892 — ; 1893, 7 ; 1894, 7. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1 000 in 1893, 30 years, $3.00; 35 years; 
 $3.00; 40 years, $3.50. In 1894, 30 years, $3.00 ; 35 years, $3.00; 40 
 years, $3.50. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $12,000 ; 1894, $22 000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $5,100,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $16,645,500. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 3,346. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 10,196. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 102 ; January 1st, 
 
 1895, 400. 
 
 Admits men and veomen on equal terms , gives permanent disabil- 
 ity benefits for loss of hand, foot, or eye from accident. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 119 
 
 lOAVA LEGION OF HONOR. 
 
 Dr. E. R. Hutchins, Grand President, Des Moines, Iowa ; salary, 
 $800. 
 
 J. H. Hel:^!, Grand Secretary, Cedar Rapids, Iowa ; salary, $1,200 
 John Helsixger, Grand Treasurer, Sabula, Iowa ; salary, $100. 
 Commenced business as an order March 19th, 1879. 
 Date of first assessment levied, March 10th, 1880. 
 Issue certificates for $1,000 and $2,000 at the rate of fifty cents on 
 $1,000 and $1.00 on $2,000; ages over 20 and under 45 years. 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax. 
 Cost of management 1S94, $7,854.35. 
 Cost of management per member 1804, $1.26. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, — : 1892, — : 1893. 
 8.50; 1894, 7.25. 
 
 Average age January Ist. 1894, 38 years ; January 1st, 1895, 38 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 18 ; 1892, 19 ; 1893. 17 ; 1894. 15. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1S93. 30 years, $8.50 ; 35 years. $8.50 ; 
 40 years, $8.50. In 1894, 30 years. $7.50: 35 years. $7.50: 40 years, 
 $7.50. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $105,500. 1894, $91,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $12,353,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $12,609,000. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894. 
 6,210. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing .January 1st, 1895, 
 6.350. 
 
 Xumber of subordinate lodges January 1st. 1894. 187 : .January 1st. 
 1895, 191. 
 
 IMPROVED ORDER HEPTASOPHS. 
 
 F. L. Brown, Supreme Archon, Scranton, Penn. : salary, $1,500. 
 Dr. E. Eareckson, Supreme Secretary, Baltimore, Md. ; salary, 
 12,000. 
 
 GUS. Brown, Supreme Treasurer. Baltimore. Md. ; salary, $600. 
 Commenced business as an order August 2Sth, 1878. 
 Date of first assessment levied. June 6th. 1S79. 
 
 Issue certificates in amounts from $1,000 to S5,0U0, graded rates, 
 pro rata, as follows : 
 
120 The Woodman's Hand-Boo k. 
 
 Between the ages of Rate per $1,000. Between the ages of Rate per $1,000. 
 
 21 and 22 | .50 38 and 39 $ .82 
 
 22 and 23 51 39 and 40 85 
 
 23 and 24 52 40 and 41 88 
 
 24 and 25 53 41 and 42 91 
 
 25 and 26 54 42 and 43 94 
 
 26 and 27 56 43 and 44 98 
 
 27 and 28 58 44 and 45 1.02 
 
 28 and 29 60 45 and 46 1.06 
 
 29 and 30 62 46 and 47 l.n 
 
 30 and 31 64 47 and 48 1.16 
 
 31 and 32 66 48 and 49 1.21 
 
 32 and 33 68 49 and 50 1.27 
 
 33 and 34 70 50 and 51 1 .33 
 
 34 and 35 72 51 and 52 1.40 
 
 35 and 36 74 52 and 53 1.47 
 
 36 and 37 76 53 and 54 1.54 
 
 37 and 38 79 54 and 55 1.62 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax of $1.00 per 
 annum and special assessments, same as mortuary, if needed. 
 Cost of management 1894, $28,661. 
 (^-'ost of management per member 1894, $l,46i. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 8 ; 1892, 8 ; 1893, 7.10 ; 
 1894, 8. 
 
 Average age, January 1st, 1894, 37.4 years; January 1st, 1895, 38.1 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments, year 1891, 9 ; 1892,10; 1893,9; 1894, 10 
 mortuary ; 1 expense. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $5.76; 35 years, 
 $6.60; 40 years, $7.92. In 1894, 30 .years, $7.04; 35 years, 8.04; 40 
 years, $9 68. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $179,000; 1894, $285,000. 
 Total amount of insuj'ance in force January 1st, 1894, $30,224,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $36,799,000. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 15,069. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 19,563. 
 
 Number of subordinate conclaves January 1st, 1894, 233 ; January 
 1st, 1895, 276. 
 
 INDEPENDENT ORDER OF FORESTERS. 
 
 Dr. Oronhyteka, Supreme Chief Ranger, Toronto, Canada ; sal- 
 ary, $8,000. 
 
 John A. McGillivray, Supreme Recorder, Toronto, Canada; 
 salary, $5,000. 
 
 T. G. Davey, Supreme Treasurer, London, Ontario ; salary, 
 $2,000. 
 
The Woodman' s Haiid-Book. 
 
 121 
 
 Commenced business as an order June, 1874. 
 Date of first assessment levied, October, 1875. 
 
 Issue certificates for $500, $1,000, $2,000 and $3,000, g-raded, pro 
 rata. 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 18... 
 
 .$ .60 
 
 26 . 
 
 ..$ .68 
 
 34.. 
 
 ..$ .76 
 
 41. . . 
 
 $ .90 
 
 48. . 
 
 ..$1.22 
 
 19... 
 
 . .61 
 
 27. . 
 
 .. .69 
 
 35. . 
 
 . . .78 
 
 42.. 
 
 . .92 
 
 49. . 
 
 .. 1.35 
 
 20... 
 
 . .62 
 
 28. . 
 
 .. .70 
 
 36. . 
 
 . . .80 
 
 43 , 
 
 .95 
 
 50.. 
 
 .. 2.50 
 
 21. . . 
 
 . .63 
 
 29 . 
 
 .. .71 
 
 37 . 
 
 . . .82 
 
 44... 
 
 . .98 
 
 51. . 
 
 .. 2.60 
 
 22... 
 
 .64 
 
 30 . 
 
 .. .72 
 
 38. . 
 
 .. .84 
 
 
 
 52.. 
 
 .. 2.70 
 
 23. .. 
 
 . .65 
 
 31. . 
 
 .. .73 
 
 39.. 
 
 .. .86 
 
 46. .. 
 
 . 1.07 
 
 53. . 
 
 .. 2.85 
 
 24. .. 
 
 . .66 
 
 32. . 
 
 .. .74 
 
 40. . 
 
 . . .88 
 
 47. . . 
 
 . 1.14 
 
 54. . 
 
 .. 3.00 
 
 25 . . . 
 
 . .67 
 
 33. . 
 
 .. .75 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita of 50 cents per 
 annum and five per cent of assessments. 
 Cost of management 1894, $133,156.92. 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $2.13. 
 
 Deaths per 1,OUO beneficial members in 1891, 6.40 ; 1892, 6.23 ; 1893, 
 5.45; 1894, 5.39. 
 
 Averag"e age January 1st, 1894, 35 years; January 1st, 1895, 34.80 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 12; 1892, 12; 1893, 12; 1894, 12. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $8.64 ; 35 years, $9.36 ; 
 40 years, $10.56 In 1894, 30 j^ears, $8.64; 35 years, $9.36; 40 years, 
 $10.56. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $392,185 ; 1894, $511,162.30. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $67,781,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $86,506,500. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 54,484. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 70,055. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 1,503 ; January 1st, 
 1895, 1,875, 
 
 Amount in surplus fund March 1st, 1895, $1,258,811.44. 
 
 KNIGHTS AND LADIES GOLDEN STAR. 
 
 John L. Armitage, Supreme President, Newark, N. J. ; salai-y, 
 $400. 
 
 Rev. G. p. Lacey, Supreme Secretary, Newark, N. J. ; salary, 
 $1,400. 
 
 George W. Downs, Supreme Treasurer, Madison, N. J. ; salary, 
 $400. 
 
 Commenced business as an order 1884. 
 
 Date of first assessment levied January 1st, 1885. 
 
 Issue Certificates for $50, $100, $150, $200, $500, $1,000, $1,500, $2,000. 
 
122 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 $50 and $200, inclusive, are funeral benefit classes, and pay fixed 
 monthly rates. 
 
 $500 and $2,000 are general classes, and p-iy assessments as per the 
 necessities of the beneficiary fund. 
 
 The members in the general classes have special benefits, as, for 
 instance, disability, total disability, and annuity clauses included in 
 their certificates. 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax of 25 cents 
 quarterly. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $6,134.78. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, average, $1.00. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 9; 1892, 10 ; 1893, 12 ; 
 1894, 13. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 41 years ; January 1st, 1895, 40 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 21 ; 1892, 23 ; 1893, 24; 1894, 24. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $10.56; 35 years, 
 $12.96; 40 years, $15.36. In 1894, 30 years, $10.56; 35 years, $12.96; 
 40 years, $15.36. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $S0,332.32; 1894, $78,179.59. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $5,793,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $5,649,000. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1891, 
 5,601. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 5,921. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 68; 1895, 71. 
 
 KNIGHTS AND LADIES OF HONOR. 
 
 L. B. LOCKARD, Supreme Protector, Bradford, Penn.; salary, $2,500. 
 C. W. Harvey, Supreme Secretary, Indianapolis, Ind.; salary, 
 $2,500. 
 
 C. F. Dudley, Supreme Treasurer, Indianapolis, Ind.; salary, 
 $2,r,00. 
 
 Commenced business as an order September 6th, 1877. 
 Date of first assessment levied, January 4th, 1878. 
 Issue certificates for $500, $1,000, $2,000, and $3,000, the following 
 showing rate on $1,000 : 
 
 Prom 18 to 25 years $ .30 
 
 Prom 25 to 30 years 35 
 
 Prom 30 to 35 years 40 
 
 Prom 35 to 40 years 45 
 
 Prom 40 to 45 years 50 
 
 Prom 45 to 46 years $ .55 
 
 Prom 46 to 47 years 60 
 
 Prom 47 to 48 years 65 
 
 Prom 48 to 49 years 70 
 
 Prom 49 to 50 years 75 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita, fixed at each 
 session Supreme or Grand Lodge. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $41,303.23. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, 51 cents. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 123 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 12.98; 1892, 12 65; 
 1893, 12.89 ; 1894, 11.6. 
 Average age not given. 
 
 Number of assessments, year 1891, 29 ; 1892, 29 ; 1893, 29 ; 1894, 29. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $11.60 ; 35 years, 
 $13.05; 40 years, $14.50. In 1894,30 years, $11.60 ; 35 years, $13.05 ; 
 40 years, $14 50. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $957,000 ; 1894, $1,089,123.80. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $82,159,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $88,480,000. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 75,155. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 80,763. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 1,842 ; January 
 1st, 1895, 1,918. 
 
 KNIGHTS AND LADIES OF SECURITY. 
 
 E. G. Miner, President, Topeka, Kansas. 
 
 J. M. Wallace, Secretary, Topeka, Kansas ; salary, 50 cents each 
 certificate written. 
 
 M. B. KiRKPATRiCK, Treasurer, Topeka, Kansas. 
 Commenced business as an order February 22d, 1892. 
 Date of first assessment levied, July, 1892. 
 
 Issue certificates for $500, $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, at 50 cents per 
 $1,000. 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax of $1.00 
 each member ; certificate fee, $1.00 ; Medical Director, 50 cents. 
 Cost of management 1894, $10,000. 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.65. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1892, 4 ; 1893, 4 ; 1894, 2.75. 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 37 years ; January 1st, 1895, 37 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1892, 3 ; 1893, 5 ; 1894, 9. 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, $2.50; 1894, $4.50. 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $2,871.88 ; 1894, $21,687.90. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $1,822,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $10,695,500. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 1,264. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 6,044. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 56 ; 1895, 206. 
 Has a copy-righted Reserve Fund plan, whereby all pay the same 
 into the Reserve Fund, whether they die the first or the fiftieth year. 
 
124 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 There is a clause in the beneficiary certificate which reads as 
 follows : 
 
 " And it is herein further provided and agreed by and between the 
 order and the insured, that, for the purpose of creating- and main- 
 taining a reserve fund, on the death of the party insured the National 
 Council shall retain $50 of each thousand of said beneficiary certifi- 
 cate, less one dollar for each year the said beneficiary certificate shall 
 have remained in force, the dollar on each thousand to be paid to the 
 National Council the same as quarterly dues of twenty-five cents per 
 quarter per $1,000." 
 
 KNIGHTS OF HONOR. 
 
 Marsden Bellamy, Supreme Dictator, Wilmington, N. C. ; sal- 
 ary, 14,000. 
 
 B. P. Nelson, Supreme Reporter, St. Louis, Mo. ; salary, $4,200. 
 Joseph W. Branch, Supreme Treasurer, St Louis, Mo. ; salary, 
 $3,600. 
 
 Commenced business as an order Jane 30th, J873. 
 
 Date of first assessment levied, September 5th, 1874. 
 
 Issue certificates for $500, $1,000 and $2,000 at graded rates, pro rata. 
 
 Between the ages of 
 
 For $1,000. 
 
 Between the ag 
 
 es of 
 
 For $1,000. 
 
 18 and 30 
 
 $ 40 
 
 40 and 41 . , 
 
 
 $ 63 
 
 30 and 31 
 
 42 
 
 41 and 42 
 
 
 66 
 
 31 and 32 
 
 44 
 
 
 
 
 32 and 33 
 
 46 
 
 43 and 44 
 
 
 72 
 
 33 and 34 
 
 48 
 
 
 
 75 
 
 34 and 35 
 
 50 
 
 45 and 46 
 
 
 hO 
 
 
 52 
 
 46 and 47 
 
 
 85 
 
 3H and 37 
 
 54 
 
 47 and 48 , . 
 
 
 90 
 
 
 56 
 
 48 and 49 
 
 
 95 
 
 38 and 39 
 
 58 
 
 49 and 50 
 
 
 1 00 
 
 39 and 40 
 
 60 
 
 
 
 
 Expense of management provided for by certificate fees and per 
 capita 35 cents per annum. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $81,987 79 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, 67 cents. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 14.7 ; 1892, 16.3 ; 1893, 
 15.67; ld94, 
 
 Average age not given. 
 
 Number of assessments, year 1891, 30; 1892, 32; 1893, 32; 1894, 32 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $13.44; 35 years 
 $16.64 ; 40 years, $20.16. In 1894, 30 years, 13 34 ;. 35 years, $16 64 ; 
 40 years, $20 16. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $4,017,486 ; 1894, $3,845,116.65. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $256,257,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $225,422,500. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 123,354. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 121,085. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 2,575; 1895, 2,580. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 125 
 
 KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS. 
 
 [Endowment Bank.) 
 
 J. A. HiNSEY, President, Chicag-o ; salary, $2,000. 
 H. B. Stolte, Secretary, Chicag-o ; salary, $3,000, 
 Commenced business as an order November, 1877. 
 Date of first assessment levied, January 81st, 1878. 
 Issue certificates from $1,000 to $8,000, at g-raded rates, pro rata, as 
 follows, on $1,000 (payable monthly) : 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. Rate. 
 
 21 .. 
 
 .$ .70 
 
 27.. 
 
 .80 
 
 3.8 
 
 $ .90 
 
 39. . 
 
 . .$1.10 
 
 45. . . .11.35 
 
 22... 
 
 . .70 
 
 , 28.. 
 
 .. .80 
 
 34. . 
 
 . .95 
 
 40. . 
 
 .. 1.10 
 
 46.... 1.4t 
 
 23... 
 
 . .70 
 
 29. . 
 
 . . .80 
 
 35. . 
 
 . . .95 
 
 41. . 
 
 .. 1.15 
 
 47 ].4£ 
 
 24. . . 
 
 . .70 
 
 30. . 
 
 . . .80 
 
 36 . 
 
 . 1.00 
 
 42. . 
 
 . . 1.20 
 
 48 . . . 1.5C 
 
 
 
 31. . 
 
 . . .85 
 
 37 . . 
 
 . 1.00 
 
 43. . 
 
 . . I.k5 
 
 49 1.5n 
 
 26. . . 
 
 .75 
 
 32. . 
 
 . . .90 
 
 38. . 
 
 . 1.05 
 
 44 . . 
 
 . . 1.30 
 
 50 1.6(: 
 
 Expense of management provided for by payment of 60 cents per 
 each $1,000 carried by each member, in monthly installments of 5 
 cents per $1,000. 
 
 Cost of management, 1894, $57,391.37. 
 
 Cost of management per member. 1894, $1,65 +. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 14.40; 1892, 13.90 ; 1893, 
 12.76; 1894, 12.06. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 41.7 years; January 1st, 1895, 
 41.26 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 12; 1892, 12 and 1 extra ; 1893, 
 12; 1894, 13. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1898, 30 years, $9.60; 35 years, 
 11.40; 40 years, $13.20. In 1894, 30 years, $10.20; 35 years, $12.00 ; 40 
 years, $13.80. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $802,900 ; 1894, $809,560. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $70,759,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $76,270,000. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 32,922. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 36,371, 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges, January 1st, 1894, 1,698 ; January 
 1st, 1895, 2,112. 
 
 KNIGHTS OF ST. .lOHN AND MALTA. 
 
 James W. Streeton, Supreme President, 102 Grand street, New 
 York City ; salary, $300. 
 
 J. L. McElroy, Supreme Secretary, 515 East 119th street. Now 
 York City ; salary, $900. 
 
 T. E. Bo WEN, Supreme Treasurer, postoffice l)ox 1474, New York 
 City ; salary, $100. 
 
126 
 
 The Woodmmi^s Hand Book. 
 
 Commenced business as an order March 13th, 1883. 
 Date of first assessment levied, May 12th, 1883. 
 Issue certificates for $1,000 and |2,000, graded, pro rata, as follows, 
 on $1,000: 
 
 Age. Rate. 
 
 18, 19, 20 1 .24 
 
 21 and 22 .28 
 
 23 and 24 32 
 
 25 and 26 36 
 
 27 and 2M 40 
 
 29 and 30 44 
 
 Age. Rate. 
 
 31 and 32 $ .48 
 
 33 and 34 52 
 
 35 and 36 56 
 
 .37 and 38 60 
 
 39 and 40 64 
 
 41 and 42 68 
 
 Age. Rate. 
 
 43 and 44 $ .72 
 
 45 and 46 76 
 
 47 and 48 80 
 
 49 and 50 86 
 
 51 and 52 1.10 
 
 53 and 54 1.2G 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax of 40 cents, 
 semi-annually 
 
 Cost of management, 1894. $3,809.31. 
 
 Cost of management per member, 1894 84 cents. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 5.0; 1892,7.8 ; 1893, 
 9; 1894, 7.5S. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 34.8 years; Januai'y 1st, 1895, 35.75 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments, year 1891, 11 ; 1892, 14 ; 1893, 21 ; 1894, 15. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $9.24; 35 year?, 
 $11.76; 40 years, $13.44. In 1894, 30 years, $6.60* 35 years, $8.40, 
 40 years, $9.60. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $41,746 ; 1894, $32,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st. 1894, $3,926,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $1,383,000. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 3,320. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 3,562 insured, 1,443 social. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges, January 1st, 1894. 76; January 1st, 
 1895, 87. 
 
 KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN EAGLE. 
 
 Jacob H. Hull, Supreme Chief, Baltimore, Md. 
 
 William Culbertson, Supreme Master of Records, Philadel- 
 phia, Penn.; salary, $600. 
 
 Timothy McCarthy, Supreme Keeper of Exchequer, Philadel- 
 phia, Penn.; salary, $100. 
 
 Commenced business as an order September 1st, 1891. 
 
 Date of first assessment levied, January 1st, 1892. 
 
 Issue certificates for $1,000 at uniform rate of 50 cents per assess- 
 ment. 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax of $1.00 
 per annum. 
 
 Cost of management, 1^94, $ »,631.3'/. 
 
 Cost of management per member not reported. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book . 
 
 127 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 1 ; 1892, 9.2; 1893, 13; 
 1894, 13. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 41 years; January 1st, 1895, 41.6 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, none ; 1892,24; 1893,24; 1894,31. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $12.00; 35 years, 
 $12.00; 40 years, $12.00. In 1894, 30 years, $15.50; 35 years, $15.50; 
 40 years, $15.50. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $49,000 ; 1894, $44,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $3,490,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $3,093,000. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 3 490. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1 st, 1895, 3,093. 
 
 Number of subordinate castles January 1st, 1891, 41 ; 1895, 829. 
 
 The membership of the order is over 65,000. It is optional for 
 members of the order to join the Death Benefit Fund. 
 
 L. Y. Johnson, Supreme Commander, Meridian, Miss.; salary, 
 
 T. J. Smith, Supreme Secretary, Cincinnati, Ohio ; salary, $1,200. 
 W. C. Streetor, Supreme Treasurer, St. Louis, Mo.; salary, $600. 
 Commenced business as an order August IGth, 1879. 
 Date of first assessment levied, July 1st, 1880. 
 
 Issue certificates for $500, $1,0J0, and $2,000, at the following rates 
 (average cost on graded plan of assessment) : 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax and ten per 
 cent from returns on assessments. 
 Cost of management 1894, $3,543.89. 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.02. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, junior 10.7 rsenior 
 42.5; 1892, junior 10.8, senior 48.6; 1893, 29.7 ; 1894, 10.7. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 42 years; January 1st, 1895, 43 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, junior 28, senior 53 ; 1892, junior 
 34 ; senior, 60 ; 1893, 22 ; 1894, 18. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $13.64; 35 years, 
 $13.64; 40 years, $13.64. In 1894, 30 years, $9.20; 35 years, $10.80; 40 
 years, $12.60. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $44,169.21 ; 1894, $65,500.00. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $3,344,500. 
 
 KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN RULE. 
 
 $400. 
 
 $ 500 
 1,000. 
 2,000. 
 
 $ .31 
 .62 
 1.24 
 
128 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $3,669,500? 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894^ 
 3,300. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 3,625. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 83 ; January 1st, 
 1895, 87. 
 
 KNIGHTS OF THE MACCABEES. 
 
 {Supreme Tent of the World.) 
 D. P. Markey, Supreme Commander, Port Huron, Mich.; salary, 
 
 $5,ono. 
 
 N. S. BOYNTON, Supreme Record Keeper, Port Huron, Mich.; sal- 
 ary, $5,000. 
 
 C. D. Thompson, Supreme Finance Keeper, Port Huron, Mich.; 
 salary, $1,000. 
 
 Commenced business as an order September 1st, 1883. 
 
 Date of first assessment levied, September 1st, 1883. 
 
 Issue certificates for $1,000, $2,000, and $3,000, at the following 
 rates : 
 
 RATE OF ASSESSMENT — NORTHERN DISTRICT. 
 
 Between the Ages of For $1,000. For $2,000. ForS>3,000. 
 
 18 and 25 $ .40 $ .80 $1.20 
 
 25 and 30 45 90 1.35 
 
 30 and 35 50 l.Ou 1.50 
 
 35 and 40 60 1.20 1.80 
 
 40 and 45 75 1.50 2.25 
 
 45 and 48 90 1.80 2.70 
 
 48 and 51 1.00 2.00 3.00 
 
 51 and 52 1.25 2.50 
 
 52 and 53 1.50 3.00 
 
 53 and 54 2.00 
 
 54 and 55 2.50 
 
 Expense of management provided for by certificate and member- 
 ship fees, and such per capita tax of the assessments as may be set 
 aside from year to year, as the Board of Trustees of the Supreme Tent 
 may prescribe, not to exceed in any one year 12 per cent of the 
 whole amount paid into the Supreme Tent. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $114,875.18. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.73. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 5.40 ; 1892, 6.30 ; 1893, 
 6.84; 1894, 6.05. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 35 years; January 1st, 1895, 35.66 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 12; 1892, 13; 1893, 13 ; 1894, 13. 
 Cost of life and disability per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $6.50; 35 
 
Rev. F. F. Farmiloe, Head Chaplin, M. W. A., Rockford, 111. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 129 
 
 years, $7.80 ; 40 years, $9.75. In 1894, 30 years, $6.50 ; 35 years, $7.80 ; 
 40 years, $9.75. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $502,933 ; 1894, $674,794.81. 
 
 Total amount of life and disability benefits in force January 1st, 
 
 1894, $90,847,000. 
 
 Total amount of life and disability benefits in force January 1st, 
 
 1895, $115,366,000. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 56,469. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 76,620. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 1,230 ; January 
 1st, 1895, 1,757. 
 
 KNIGHTS OF THE MACCABEES. 
 
 ( Great Camp Michigan. ) 
 
 N. S. BOYNTON, Great Commander, Port Huron, Mich. ; salary, 
 $1,000. 
 
 Thomas Watson, Great Record Keeper, Port Huron, Mich. ; sal- 
 ary, $2,000. 
 
 R. J. Whaley, Great Finance Keeper, Flint, Mich. ; salary $500. 
 Commenced business as an order June 11th, 1881. 
 Date of first assessment levied, October 21st, 1881. 
 Issue certificates for $1,000 and $2,000 at the following rates on 
 $1,000 : 
 
 Over 18 and under 25 years. .$ .75 Over 40 and under 45 years. .$1.50 
 Over 25 and under 30 years. . .85 Over 45 and under 48 years. . 1.75 
 Over 30 and under 35 years . 1.00 Over 48 and under 51 years. . 2.00 
 Over 35 and under 40 years. . 1.25 
 
 Expense of management provided for by annual per capita of $1.00, 
 payable semi-annually in advance, charter fees for new tents, and cer- 
 tificate fees. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $78,031.19. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.37. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 5.90; 1892, 5; 1893, 
 5.40; 1894, 5.70. 
 
 x\verage age January 1st, 1894, 34 years ; January 1st, 1895, 35 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 5 ; 1892, 5 ; 1893, 5 ; 1894, 5. 
 
 Cost of life and disability benefits per 1,000 in 1893, 30 years, 
 $5.00 ; 35 years, $6.25 ; 40 years, $7.50. In 1894, 30 years, $5.00 ; 35 years, 
 $6.25 ; 40 years, $7.50. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $378,650 ; 1894, $437,181.09. 
 
 Total amount of life and disability benefits in force January 1st, 
 1894, $77,040,000. 
 
130 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 Total amount of life and disability benefits in force January 1st, 
 1895, $84,640,000. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing- January 1st, 1894, 
 54,088. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 189 ), 
 60,949. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 852; January 1st, 
 1895, 901. 
 
 LEGION OF THE RED CROSS. 
 
 H. P. ACKLEY, Supreme Commander, Camden, N. J. 
 J. B. Treibler, Jr., Supreme Recorder, Baltimore, Md. ; salary, 
 $800. 
 
 J. H. Livingston, Supreme Treasurer, Baltimore, Md. ; salary, 
 $200. 
 
 Commenced business as an order, September 19th, 1885. 
 Date of first assessment levied, March, 1887. 
 
 Issue certificates for $1,000, at 50 cents per assessment (not graded). 
 
 Expense of management provided for by dues of $1.00 per year. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $3,302.26. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, 95 cents. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 11.10; 1892, 10.80; 
 1893, 6.12; 1894, 9.89. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 36.87 years; January 1st, 1895, 
 37.44 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 15; 1892, 22; 1893, 12; 1894, 23. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $6,00; 35 years, 
 16.00; 40 years, $6.00. In 1894, 30 years, $11.50; 35 years, $11.50; 
 40 years, $11.50. 
 
 Losses paid in 1893, $14,000; 1894, $35,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $2,863,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $3,536,0()0. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 2,863. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 3,542. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 39 ; January 1st, 
 1895, 51. 
 
 MODERN WOODMEN OF AMERICA. 
 
 William A. Northcott, Head Consul, Greenville, 111.; salary, 
 $2,000. 
 
 Charles W. Hawes, Head Clerk, Fulton, III.; salary, $2,500. 
 David C. Zink, Head Banker, Grand Island, Neb.; salary, $600. 
 Commenced business as an order January 5th, 1883. 
 Date of first assessment levied, July 1st, 1884. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 131 
 
 Issue certificates for $500, |1,000, $2,000 and $3,000, graded rates, 
 pro rata, as follows, per $1,000 : 
 
 An applicant who is past 41 years cannot secure a certificate for 
 more than $2,000. 
 
 Expense of mangement provided for by per capita, $1.00 per an- 
 num, payable semi-annually in advance. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $69,464.17. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, 66 cents. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 5.31 ; 1892, 5.15 ; 1893, 
 5.11 ; 1894, 5.08. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 37.53 years ; January 1st, 1895, 
 36.99 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 11 ; 1892, 11 ; 1893, 11 ; 1894, 11. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $4.75; 35 years, 
 $4.95 ; 40 years, $5.12; 1894, 30 years, $4.75 ; 35 years, $4.95; 40 years, 
 $5.12. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $906,200 ; 1894, $1,104,500. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $184,133,500. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $236,713,500. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 88,223. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 114,945. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 2,121 ; January 
 1st, 1895, 2,650. 
 
 Territory confined to ten of the northwestern states, and excludes 
 large cities. 
 
 Excludes hazardous occupations. 
 
 William H. McCabe, President, Brooklyn, N. Y. ; salary, $500. 
 William J. Gorsuch, Secretary, Room 100 Times Bldg., New 
 York, N. Y. ; salary, $1,500. 
 
 William Nagle, Treasurer, Brooklyn, N. Y. ; salary, $500. 
 Commenced business as an order January, 1883. 
 Date of first assessment levied 1883. 
 
 Issue certificates for $500 to $3,000, graded, pro rata, as follows on 
 
 $1,000 : 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Between Ages of 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Between Ages of 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Between Ages of 
 
 Rate. 
 
 18 and 30 
 
 .$ .35 
 
 46 and 47 , . 
 
 .$ .75 
 
 51 and 52 
 
 $1.10 
 
 30 and 35 . , . , 
 
 , .45 
 
 47 and 48 .... 
 
 . .80 
 
 52 and 53 , 
 
 , 1.25 
 
 35 and 40 , . 
 
 . .55 
 
 48 and 49 
 
 . .85 
 
 53 and 54 
 
 . 1.40 
 
 40 and 45 . , . . 
 
 .65 
 
 49 and 50 
 
 . .90 
 
 54 and 55 , . 
 
 . 1.60 
 
 
 . .70 
 
 50 and 51 
 
 , 1.00 
 
 
 
 Age at Nearest Birthday. 
 From 18 to 28 years. 
 From 29 to 33 years . 
 From 34 to 37 years 
 From 38 to 39 years . 
 
 ,$ .40 
 , .45 
 .45 
 .50 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age at Nearest Birthday. Rate 
 
 From 40 to 41 years $ .50 
 
 From 42 to 43 years 55 
 
 From 44 to 45 years 55 
 
 NATIONAL PROVIDENT UNION. 
 
132 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 Expense of manag-ement provided for by per capita tax of $1.00 
 per annum, paid semi-annually. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $6,134.21. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.02. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 10.90 ; 1892, 12.50 ; 1893, 
 13.60; 1894, 9.33. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 391 years ; 1895, 39f years. 
 
 Number of assessments, year 1891, 21 ; 1892, 23 ; 189:^, 25 ; 1894, 24, 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 29 years $8.75 ; 30 years, 
 $11.25; 35 years, $13.75; 40 years, |16.25. In 1894, 29 years, $8.40; 
 30 years, $10.80 ; 35 years, $13.20 ; 40 years, $15.60. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $170,000 ; 1894, $150,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $12,375,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $11,631,000. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 6,254. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 5,900. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 87 ; January 1st, 
 1895, 89. 
 
 The slight decrease in membership has been a weeding out process, 
 as is shown by the decrease in assessment and death rate. The 
 National Provident Union is a society for the cultivation and dissem- 
 ination of patriotism, and for the education of its citizens in a knowl- 
 edge of the government of the United States, its constitution, and 
 the rights and duties of American citizenship. 
 
 Its government is vested in a National Union, States, and Coun- 
 cils, with legislative, executive, and judicial branches, a transcript 
 as nearly as can be consistent with economy of the government of the 
 United States. Its chief officers are elected by popular vote. The 
 law-making power is vested in a congress elected by the citizens. 
 
 NATIONAL RESERVE ASSOCIATION. 
 
 P. W. Sears, Supreme President, Kansas City, Mo.; salary, $1,800. 
 
 J. C. Hennessey, Supreme Secretary-Treasurer, Kansas City, 
 Mo.; salary, $1,800. 
 
 Commenced business as an order May 8th, 1891. 
 
 Date of first assessment levied for death loss, April 1st. 1893. 
 
 Issue certificates in amounts of $500, $1,000, $1,500, and $2,000, at 
 the following rates, pro rata, on $1,000. 
 
 Age. Rate. Age. Rate. Age. Rate. 
 
 16 and 17 $.32 35 and 36 $.45 48 $.72 
 
 18 33 37 47 49 75 
 
 19, 20 and 21 34 38 48 50 80 
 
 22 and 23 35 39 50 51 85 
 
 24 36 40 52 52 90 
 
 25 and 26 37 41 54 53 95 
 
 27 38 42 56 54 1.00 
 
 28 and 29 39 43 58 55 1.10 
 
 30 40 44 60 56 1.20 
 
 31 41 45 63 57 1.30 
 
 32 and 83 43 46 66 58 1.40 
 
 34 44 47 69 59 1.50 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 133 
 
 Expense of management provided for by the levying- of three gen- 
 eral fund assessments annually. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $4,468.12. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1994, $1.34. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 189J, none ; 1892, none ; 1893, 
 2.21 ; 1894, 2.1Q. 
 
 Average January 1st, 1894, 32 + years; January 1st, 1895, 36 + 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, none ; 1892, 6 ; 1893, 11 ; 1894, 12. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $4.40; 35 years, 
 $4.95; 40 years, $5.72. In 1894, 30 years, $4.80; 35 years, |5.40 ; 40 
 years, $6.24 (includes expense, assessments, and reserve). 
 
 This ''cost^>f insurance per $1,000" in 1893 and 1894 is composed 
 of three elemoits, and is divided as follows : 
 
 -1893- 
 
 Age 30. 
 Age 35 . 
 Age 40. 
 
 Death 
 
 Losses. Reserve. Expense. Total. 
 $2.40...$ .80... $1.20... $4.40 
 - 2.70... .90... 1.35... 4.95 
 . 3.12... 1.04... 1.56... 5.72 
 
 Death 
 
 -1894- 
 
 $2.70. 
 3.04. 
 3.51. 
 
 Reserve. Expense. 
 .$ .90... 11.20.. 
 . 1.01... 1.35.. 
 . 1.17... 1.56.. 
 
 Total. 
 .$4.80 
 . 5.40 
 . 6.24 
 
 Loss^.0 paid in year 1893, $4,500 ; in 1894, $9,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $3,114,000. 
 T'>tal amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $4,673,000. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 2,251. 
 
 Total membership In absolute good standing January 1st, 1895 
 3,324. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 69; January 1st, 
 1395, 87. 
 
 NATIONAL UNION. 
 
 F. Fairman, Senate President, Chicago, 111.; salary, $1,200. 
 
 J. Yv^. Myers, Senate Secretary, Toledo, Ohio ; salary, $3,500. 
 
 C. O. EVARTS, Senate Treasurer, Cleveland, Ohio ; salary, $2,500. 
 
 Commenced business as an order May 14th, 1881. 
 
 Date of first assessment levied, August 28th, 1882. 
 
 Issue certificates in amounts of $1,000 to $5,000, graded rates pro 
 
 rata on $1,000 as follows : 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate 
 
 20... 
 
 .$ .20 
 
 30... 
 
 .$ .30 
 
 39.. 
 
 .$ .39 
 
 48.. 
 
 .$ .56 
 
 57. . . 
 
 .$ .84 
 
 21... 
 
 . .21 
 
 31... 
 
 . .31 
 
 40.. 
 
 . .40 
 
 49.. 
 
 . .58 
 
 58... 
 
 . .89 
 
 22... 
 
 . .22 
 
 32... 
 
 . .32 
 
 41.. 
 
 . .42 
 
 50.. 
 
 . .60 
 
 59... 
 
 . .94 
 
 23... 
 
 . .23 
 
 33... 
 
 . .33 
 
 42.. 
 
 . .44 
 
 51.. 
 
 .. .63 
 
 60... 
 
 . 1.00 
 
 24... 
 
 .24 
 
 34... 
 
 .34 
 
 43.. 
 
 . .46 
 
 52.. 
 
 . .66 
 
 61... 
 
 . 1.06 
 
 25... 
 
 . .25 
 
 35... 
 
 . .35 
 
 44.. 
 
 . .48 
 
 53. . 
 
 .. .69 
 
 62... 
 
 . 1.13 
 
 26... 
 
 . .26 
 
 36... 
 
 . .36 
 
 45.. 
 
 . .50 
 
 54.. 
 
 .. .72 
 
 63... 
 
 . 1.20 
 
 27... 
 
 . .27 
 
 37... 
 
 . .37 
 
 46.. 
 
 . .52 
 
 55.. 
 
 . . .75 
 
 64... 
 
 . 1.30 
 
 28... 
 
 . .28 
 
 38... 
 
 . .38 
 
 47.. 
 
 . .54 
 
 56.. 
 
 . . .79 
 
 G5... 
 
 . 1.40 
 
 29... 
 
 . .29 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
134 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax of ninety 
 cents per annum. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $51,366.75. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.14. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 6.60 ; 1892, 6.90 ; 1893, 
 7.80 ; 1894, 7.61. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 39.30 years ; January 1st, 1895, 
 39.87 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 14 ; 1892, 15 ; 1893, 18 ; 1894, 18. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $5.40 ; 35 years, 
 6.30; 40 years, $7.20. In 1894, 30 years, $5.40; 35 years, $6.30; 40 
 years, $7.20. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $1,006,000 ; 1894, $1,154,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $135,011,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $136,726,000. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 43,559. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 44,707. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 655 ; January 1st, 
 1895, 686. 
 
 Do not increase rate on certain occupations, but every member's 
 rate increases yearly from one to ten cents, according to age. 
 
 NEW ENGLAND ORDER PROTECTION. 
 
 Henry W. Oakes, Supreme Warden, Auburn, Maine ; salary^ 
 $1,000. 
 
 D. M. Frye, Supreme Secretary, Boston, Mass., 43 Milk St.; sal- 
 ary, $1,500. 
 
 John P. Sanborn, Supreme Treasurer, Newport R. I. ; salary, 
 $1,000. 
 
 Commenced business as an order November 12th, 1887. 
 Date of first assessment levied. May 1st, 1888. 
 Issue certificates for $1,000, $2,000, and $3,000. 
 
 Between the ages of 1st Rate, $1,000. Between the ages of 1st Rate, $1,000. 
 
 18 and 25 $ .30 45 and 46 $ .55 
 
 25 and 30 35 46 and 47 60 
 
 30 and 35 40 47 and 48 65 
 
 35 and 40 45 48 and 49 70 
 
 40 and 45 50 49 and 50 75 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $24,289.30. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.65. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 6.49 ; 1892, 6.19 ; 1893, 
 5.88; 1894, 7.02. 
 
 Average age not given. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 135 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 13 ; 1892, 12 ; 1893, 13 ; 1894, 15. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $4.55; 35 years, 
 $5.20; 40 years, $5.85. In 1894, 30 years, $5.25; 35 years, $6.00; 
 40 years, $6.75. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $152,000 ; 1894, $192,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $25,808,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $29,811,000. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 13,652. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 15,768. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 211 ; January 1st, 
 1895, 231. 
 
 NORTHERN MUTUAL RELIEF ASSOCIATION. 
 
 George R. Kelso, President, Boston, Mass. 
 Walter Wright, Secretary, Boston, Mass. ; salary, $600. 
 Frank E. Dimick, Treasurer, Boston, Mass. ; salary, $200. 
 Commenced business as an order September 19th, 1883. 
 Date of first assessment levied, January 18th, 1884. 
 Issue certificates for $500, $1,000, $1,500, and $2,000 at the following 
 rate on $1,000, remaining same through life. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age, 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 16 to 25 . . . 
 
 . . .$ .50 
 
 33... 
 
 . ..$ .59 
 
 41 , , . 
 
 .,$ .72 
 
 49 . 
 
 , .$ .91 
 
 26 
 
 , .. .51 
 
 34 ., 
 
 ... .60 
 
 42 
 
 . . .74 
 
 50 . , . 
 
 , .94 
 
 27 ,., 
 
 , , . .52 
 
 35,.. 
 
 . .62 
 
 43 , 
 
 . . .76 
 
 51 
 
 . . .98 
 
 28 ., 
 
 . . . .53 
 
 36 . . 
 
 ... .63 
 
 44... 
 
 .. .78 
 
 52, 
 
 . 1.01 
 
 29..., 
 
 .54 
 
 37. . . 
 
 , . .64 
 
 45 
 
 , . .81 
 
 53 
 
 . 1.04 
 
 30 . 
 
 . . . .56 
 
 38 , , 
 
 ... .66 
 
 46 
 
 . . .83 
 
 54 
 
 .. 1.09 
 
 31 
 
 . . . .57 
 
 39 .. 
 
 ... .68 
 
 47 ... . 
 
 .. .85 
 
 55 ... 
 
 . 1.13 
 
 32 .,, 
 
 , . . .58 
 
 40 
 
 . .70 
 
 48 
 
 .. .88 
 
 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax and certifi- 
 cate fees. 
 
 Cost of management 1893, $2,282.68. 
 
 Cost of management per member not given. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 13 ; 1892, 14 ; 1893, 20. 
 Average age not given. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 16 ; 1892, 19 ; 1893, 22. 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $12.32; 35 years, 
 $13.64 ; 40 years, $15.40. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $42,372.50. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $2,531,457.50. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 1,573. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 32. 
 
136 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand Booh. 
 
 ORDER MUTUAL PROTECTION. 
 
 William F. Denbach, Supreme President, St. Louis, Mo. ; salary, 
 150. 
 
 G. Del Necchio, Supreme Secretary, Chicago, 111. ; salary, $1,500. 
 G. F. SCHMATSTIEG, Supreme Treasurer, Chicago, 111. ; salary, 
 $300. 
 
 Commenced business as an order January, 1878. 
 Date of first assessment levied, 1879. 
 
 Issue certificates for $500, $1,000, and $2,000, at graded rates on 
 $1,000 as follows : 
 
 Between Ages of Rate. 
 
 18 and 25 $ . 35 
 
 25 and 30 35 
 
 30 and 35 40 
 
 Between Ages of $2,000. 
 
 18 and 25 | .65 
 
 25 and 30 70 
 
 30 and 35 75 
 
 Between Ages of Rate. 
 
 35 and 40 $ .45 
 
 40 and 45 50 
 
 Between Ages of $2,000. 
 
 35 and 40 $ .80 
 
 40 and 45 90 
 
 Between Ages of Rate. 
 
 45 and 48 $ .60 
 
 48 and 50 70 
 
 Between Ages of $2,000. 
 
 45 and 48 $1.00 
 
 48 and 50 1.20 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax of $1.20 per 
 annum. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $6,101.85. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.71. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891,10; 1892, 8; 1893, 
 10; 1894, 9.552. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 39 years ; January 1st, 1895, 40 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 19 ; 1892, 24 ; 1893, 25 ; 1894, 25. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $10 ; 35 years, 
 $11.25; 40 years, $12.50. In 1894, 30 years, $10 ; 35 years, $11.25; 40 
 years, $12.50. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $56,000 ; 1894, $55,982.25. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $5,709,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $5,789,000. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 3,442. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 3,664. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 70 ; January 1st, 
 1895, 67. 
 
 ORDER OF CHOSEN FRIENDS. 
 
 H. H. Morse, Supreme Councilor, New York, N, Y.; salary, $3,000. 
 T. B. Linn, Supreme Recorder, Indianapolis, Ind.; salary, $2,500. 
 W. J. Newton, Supreme Treasurer, Washington, D. C; salary, 
 $2,000. 
 
 Commenced business as an order May 28th, 1879. 
 Date of first assessment levied, January 29th, 1880. 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 137 
 
 Issue certificates for $500, $1,000, $2,000, and $3,000, at the follow- 
 ing rates on $1,000 : 
 
 At the Ages of Rate. At the Ages of Rate. 
 
 18 and 25 $ . 70 41 and 45 $1 .20 
 
 26 and 30 80 46 and 50 1.50 
 
 31 and 35 90 51 and 54 2.00 
 
 36 and 40 1.00 
 
 Expense of management provided for by an assessment for that 
 purpose. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $56,681. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.50. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 12.54 ; 1892, 13.59 ; 
 1893, 13.95 ; 1894, 12.75. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 35.14 years ; January 1st, 1895, 
 34.81 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 13 ; 1892, 14 ; 1893, 14 ; 1894, 15. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $11.20; 35 years, 
 $12.60; 40 years, $14.00. In 1894, 30 years, $12.00; 35 years, $13.50; 
 40 years, $15.00. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $934,480; 1894, $948,150. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $53,103,000. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $57,005,000. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 35,892. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 37,779. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 710 ; January 1st, 
 1895, 738. 
 
 ORDER OF GOLDEN CHAIN. 
 
 O. B. Craig, Supreme Commander, Baltimore, Md. ; salary, $1,800. 
 A. Stanley Weir, Supreme Secretary, Baltimore, Md. ; salary, 
 $1,800. 
 
 W. H. Sadler, Supreme Treasurer, Baltimore, Md. ; salary $750 
 and $5.00 per $1,000 after the first $100,000. 
 
 Commenced business as an order December 22d, 1881. 
 
 Date of first assessment levied March 19th, 1883. 
 
 Issue certificates for $1,000, $2,000, and $3,000, at the following 
 rates per $1,000 : 
 
 Between Ages of Rate. Between Ages of Rate. Between Ages of Rate. 
 
 21 and 22 $ .32 31 and 32 $ .47 41 and 42 $ .72 
 
 22 and 23 33 32 and 33 49 42 and 43 76 
 
 23 and 24 34 33 and 34 51 43 and 44 80 
 
 24 and 25 35 34 and 35 53 44 and 45 85 
 
 25 and 26 36 35 and 36 55 45 and 46 90 
 
 26 and 27 37 36 and 37 57 46 and 47 95 
 
 27 and 28 39 37 and 38 59 47 and 48 1.00 
 
 28 and 29 41 38 and 39 61 48 and 49 1.06 
 
 29 and 30 43 39 and 40 64 49 and 50 1.12 
 
 30 and 31 45 40 and 41 68 50 and 51 1.18 
 
138 
 
 The Woodman'' s Hand-Booh. 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax and one 
 expense assessment per year. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $21,503. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $2.46. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 6.33 ; 1892, 9.49 ; 1893, 
 7.8 ; 1894, 8. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 34-f years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 15; 1892, 19; 1893, 15; 1894, 17. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $6.75; 35 years, 
 $8.25; 40 years, $10.20. In 1894, 30 years, $7.65; 35 years, $9.35; 40 
 years, $11.56. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $176,961 ; 1894, $192,405.50. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $20,617,500. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $22,278,500. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 8,304. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 9,142. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 128 ; January 1st, 
 1895, 149. 
 
 Pay death benefits from $1,000 to $3,000; sick benefits from $5 to 
 $15 per week ; total and permanent disabled members, $500 to $1,500. 
 
 ORDER OF GOLDEN CROSS. 
 
 F. I. Day, Supreme Commander, Lewiston, Maine ; salary, $1,200. 
 W. R. Cooper Supreme Keeper of Records, Knoxville, Tenn.; 
 salary, $1,800. 
 
 J. D. Swain, Supreme Treasurer, Nashua, N. H.; salary, $1,700. 
 Commenced business as an order July 4th, 1876. 
 Date of first assessment levied, 1877. 
 
 Issue certificates for $1,000 and $2,000, graded on $1,000 as follows : 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 Age. 
 
 .m,ooo. 
 
 
 
 36 
 
 . . .$ .63 
 
 46 
 
 ...$ .83 
 
 26 .... 
 
 , .51 
 
 37 
 
 . , .64 
 
 47 
 
 
 27 .... 
 
 .52 
 
 38 .... 
 
 66 
 
 48 
 
 88 
 
 28 .... 
 
 .53 
 
 39 .... 
 
 68 
 
 49 
 
 91 
 
 29 
 
 .54 
 
 40 
 
 ... .70 
 
 50 
 
 94 
 
 30 
 
 .56 
 
 41 ... 
 
 . , .72 
 
 51 
 
 98 
 
 31 .... 
 
 .57 
 
 42 .... 
 
 . . .74 
 
 52. ... 
 
 , .. 1.01 
 
 32 .... 
 
 .58 
 
 43 
 
 76 
 
 53 
 
 ... 1.04 
 
 33 .... 
 
 .59 
 
 44 
 
 78 
 
 54 
 
 , . , 1.09 
 
 34 
 
 .60 
 
 45 , , , 
 
 81 
 
 55 , 
 
 . .. 1.13 
 
 35 .... 
 
 .62 
 
 
 
 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita of eighty cents 
 per annum and expense assessment. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $23,903.18. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, 96 cents. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 11.10 ; 1892, 11.50 ; 1893, 
 11.87. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 139 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 14 junior, 36 senior ; 1892, 14 
 junior, 38 senior ; 1893, 15 junior, 20 senior ; 1894, 1 expense, 16 bene- 
 fit, junior. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, junior $7.50, 
 senior $10 ; 35 years, junior $9.30, senior $12.40 ; 40 years, junior 
 $10.50, senior $14. In 1894, 30 years, $8.96 ; 35 years, $9.92 ; 40 years, 
 $11.20. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $343,263 ; 1894, $411,504.78. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $31,979,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $34,880,000. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing- January 1st, 1894, 
 22,107. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 24,762. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 407 ; January 1st, 
 1895, 455. 
 
 Senior class recently abolished. 
 
 ORDER OF PILGRIM FATHERS. 
 
 John L. Bates, Supreme Governor, Boston, Mass. ; salary, $1,200. 
 James E. Shepard, Supreme Secretary, Lawrence, Mass. ; salary, 
 $2,500. 
 
 A. V. Bugbee, Supreme Treasurer, Lawrence, Mass. ; salary, 
 $1,200. 
 
 Commenced business as an order March 15th, 1879. 
 Date of first assessment, levied, March 19th, 1880. 
 Issue certificates for $1,000 and $2,000 ; graded rates on $1,000 are 
 as follows : 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. Rate. 
 
 27, . . 
 
 , $1.05 
 
 33, . . 
 
 $1.20 
 
 39, 
 
 , , $1.35 
 
 45 
 
 .,$1.60 
 
 50. ,,$1.85 
 
 28, , . 
 
 , 1.05 
 
 34 , 
 
 , 1.20 
 
 40 
 
 ... 1.35 
 
 46 
 
 . 1.65 
 
 51 1.90 
 
 29. . 
 
 1.10 
 
 35, . . 
 
 1.25 
 
 41 
 
 . .. 1.40 
 
 47 
 
 , 1.70 
 
 52 2.00 
 
 30. , . 
 
 , i.io 
 
 36... 
 
 .. 1.25 
 
 42 
 
 . .. 1.45 
 
 48... 
 
 .. 1.75 
 
 53 2.10 
 
 31, . 
 
 , . 1.15 
 
 37 
 
 .. 1.30 
 
 43 
 
 . .. 1.50 
 
 49 
 
 . 1.80 
 
 54 , , ., 2.20 
 
 32 , 
 
 .. 1.15 
 
 38 
 
 . 1.30 
 
 44 
 
 . ., 1.55 
 
 
 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax of 75 cents 
 per annum. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $15,306. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, 86 cents. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 8.4; 1892, 8.6; 1893, 
 9 ; 1894, 8.4. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 41 years ; January 1st, 1895, 41x^2 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 12 ; 1892, 14 ; 1893, 14 ; 1894, 14. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $7.70; 35 years, 
 $8.75; 40 years, $9.45. In 1894, 30 years, $7.70; 35 years, $8.75; 40 
 years, $9.45. 
 
140 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $262,000 ; 1894, $276,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $28,787,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $30,725,000. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing- January 1st, 1894, 
 16,948. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 18,338. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 151 ; January 
 1st, 1895, 161. 
 
 ORDER OF SELECT FRIENDS. 
 
 J. A. Wells, Supreme Protector, Erie,.Kas.; salary, 25 cents per 
 new member. 
 
 Dr. W. I. Linn, Supreme Recorder, Ft. Scott, Kas.; salary, $1,200. 
 
 A. H. Sears, Supreme Treasurer, Ft. Scott, Kas.; salary, $300. 
 
 Commenced business as an order June 5th, 1888. 
 
 Date of first assessment levied, September 1st, 1890. 
 
 Issue certificates for $1,000, $2,000 and $3,000, as follows on $1,000 : 
 
 Between ages of Rate. 
 
 18 and 24 $ .35 
 
 24 and 30 40 
 
 Between ages of Rate. 
 
 30 and 36 $ .45 
 
 36 and 42 50 
 
 Between ages of Rate. 
 
 42 and 46 $ .60 
 
 46 and 50 75 
 
 Expense of management provided for by certificate fees, sale of 
 supplies, and semi-annual per capita. 
 Cost of management 1894, $5,954.46. 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.42. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 8.38 ; 1892, 3.80 ; 
 1893, 6.94; 1894, 7. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 39.8 years; January 1st, 1895 
 38.28 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 7 ; 1892, 10 ; 1893, 13 ; 1894, 13. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $5.20 ; 35 years, $5.85; 
 40 years, $6.50. In 1894, 30 years, $5.20; 35 years, $5.85; 40 years, 
 $6.50. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $47,888 ; 1894, $54,098.30. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $6,891,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $7,791,000. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 3,604. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 4,190 beneficiary ; 47 social. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 94 ; January 
 1st, 1895, 100. 
 
 Admit men and women on same terms and conditions. Pay one- 
 fourth the amount of certificate in case of loss of one hand or foot, 
 and one-half in case of total and permanent disability caused by acci- 
 dent. 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Booh 141 
 
 ORDER SHIELD OF HONOR. 
 
 B. D. WOOLMAN, Supreme Master, Philadelphia, Penn. 
 
 W. T. Henry, Supreme Secretary, Baltimore, Md.; salary, $1,500. 
 
 J. W. Meeks, Supreme Treasurer, Baltimore, Md.; salary, $600. 
 
 Commenced business as an order November 1st, 1885. 
 - Date of first assessment levied, November 1st, 1885. 
 
 Issue certificates for $1,000 at uniform rate of 25 cents per an as- 
 sessment. 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per centum tax levied 
 upon Grand and subordinate lodges, and from revenue derived from 
 institution and benefit certificates. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $6,515.39. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, 63 cents. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 8; 1892, 7.25; 1893, 
 8.5; 1894, 9i. 
 
 Average age not given. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 32 ; 1892, 32 ; 1893, 40 ; 1894, 47. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $10 ; 35 years, $10 ; 
 40 years, $10. In 1894, 30 years, $11.75; 35 years, $11.75; 40 years, 
 $11.75. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $85,000 ; 1894, $104,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $10,230,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $10,401,000. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 10,230. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 10,401. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 107 ; 1895, 108. 
 
 The Shield of Honor was instituted May 11th, 1875, but the 
 Supreme Lodge assumed control of the death benefits on November 
 1st, 1885. 
 
 PROTECTED HOME CIRCLE. 
 
 p. D. Stratton, President, Sharon, Penn. ; salary, $2,000. 
 J. W. Mason, Secretary, Sharon, Penn. ; salary, $1,500. 
 Alexander McDowell, Treasurer, Sharon, Penn. ; salary, $500. 
 Commenced business as an order August 7th, 1886. 
 Date of first assessment levied, November 1st, 1886. 
 Issue certificates for amounts from $500 to $3,000, graded, pro rata, 
 as follows on $1,000: 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 15 to 25.. 
 
 . .$ .50 
 
 33 , . . 
 
 ..$ .66 
 
 41, . . 
 
 . .$ .84 
 
 49 
 
 . .$1.16 
 
 26. . 
 
 .. .52 
 
 34. . . 
 
 . . .68 
 
 42 
 
 . . .88 
 
 50 , , 
 
 , . 1.20 
 
 27.. 
 
 . . .54 
 
 35 , , 
 
 . .70 
 
 43 
 
 . . .92 
 
 51 , . 
 
 ,. 1.28 
 
 28. . 
 
 . . .56 
 
 36 .. 
 
 .. .72 
 
 44 
 
 . . .96 
 
 52 . , 
 
 .. 1.36 
 
 29.. 
 
 . . .58 
 
 37 , , 
 
 .. .74 
 
 45 
 
 . 1.00 
 
 53 . . 
 
 .. 1.44 
 
 30.. 
 
 .. .60 
 
 38 . 
 
 , . .76 
 
 46... 
 
 .. 1.04 
 
 54, . . 
 
 .. 1.52 
 
 31.. 
 
 . . .62 
 
 39 .. 
 
 . . .78 
 
 47 
 
 , 1.08 
 
 55 
 
 .. 1.60 
 
 32 . 
 
 . . .64 
 
 40. . 
 
 . .80 
 
 48, . , 
 
 , , 1.12 
 
 56. . , 
 
 .. 1.76 
 
142 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax of $1 per 
 annum. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $21,974.67. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $2.08. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 5.6; 1892, 5.4; 1893, 
 7 ; 1894, 5. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 37 years; January 1st, 1895, 
 37i years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 12; 1892, 12; 1893, 12; 1894, 12. 
 
 Cost of insurance per |l,000 in 1893, 30 years, $7.20; 35 years, 
 8.40; 40 years, $9.60. In 1894, 30 years, $7.20; 35 years, $8.40; 40 
 years, |9.60. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $77,500 ; 1894, $67,500. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $10,785,500. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $14,523,500. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 8,856. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 12,201. 
 
 Number of subordinate circles, January 1st, 1894, 135 ; January 
 1st, 1895, 188. 
 
 KOYAL ARCANUM. 
 
 Chill W. Hazzard, Supreme Regent, Monongahela, Penn.; sal- 
 ary, $3,500. 
 
 W. O. ROBSON, Supreme Secretary, Boston, Mass.; salary, $5,000. 
 E. A. Skinner, Supreme Treasurer, Westfield, N. Y.; salary, 
 $3,000. 
 
 Commenced business as an order June 23d, 1877. 
 Date of first assessment levied, February 2d, 1878. 
 Issue certificates for $1,500 and $3,000 at the following rates on 
 $3,000 : 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 21.. 
 
 ..$1.00 
 
 22.. 
 
 . . 1.04 
 
 23.. 
 
 .. 1.08 
 
 24.. 
 
 . . 1.12 
 
 25.. 
 
 .. 1.16 
 
 26.. 
 
 . . 1.20 
 
 27.. 
 
 .. 1.24 
 
 Age. Rate. 
 
 28 $1.28 
 
 29.... 1.32 
 30.... 1.38 
 31.... 1.44 
 32.... 1.50 
 33.... 1.56 
 34.... 1.62 
 
 Age. Rate. 
 35. . . .$1.68 
 36.... 1.74 
 37.... 1.80 
 .38.... 1.86 
 39.... 1.96 
 40.... 2.06 
 41.... 2.16 
 
 Age. Rate. 
 42.... $2. 26 
 43.... 2.36 
 44.... 2.46 
 45.... 2.58 
 46.... 2.70 
 47.... 2.82 
 48.... 2.96 
 
 Age. Rate. 
 49.... $3.10 
 50.... 3.26 
 51.... 3.42 
 52.... 3.60 
 53.... 3.80 
 54.... 4.00 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax of 30 cents 
 per year from members under Grand Council ; $1.00 per year from 
 members under Supreme Council. 
 
 Cost of management 1894. $89,395.70. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, 58 cents. 
 
 Dea ths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 9.02 ; 1892, 8.80 ; 1893, 
 9.11 ; 1894, 8.74. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 143 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 39,99 years; January 1st, 1895, 
 40.229 years. 
 
 Number of assessments, year 1891, 15 ; 1892, 15 ; 1893, 15 ; 1894, 16. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $6.90 ; 35 years, 
 $8.40; 40 years, $10.30. In 1894, 30 years, $7.36; 35 years, $8.96; 
 40 years, $10.99. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $3,770,750 ; 1894, $3,959,599.98. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $432,748,500. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $46;i, 063,500. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 148,224. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 159,307. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 1,543; January 
 1st, 1895, 1,588. 
 
 Sick benefit provision, by which a totally disabled member is 
 protected by his Council and kept in good standing. 
 
 A good building and vault for the preservation of its records. 
 No unnecessary expense for reserve fund. 
 
 ROYAL LEAGUE. 
 
 R. S. ILES, Supreme Archon, Chicago, 111. ; salary, $600. 
 
 C. A. Warren, Supreme Scribe, Chicago, 111. ; salary $3,000. 
 
 Holmes Hoge, Supreme Treasurer, Chicago, 111. ; salary, $600. 
 
 Commenced business as an order November 11th, 1883. 
 
 Date of first assessment levied, September 1st, 1884. 
 
 Issue certificates for $2,000 and $4,000, graded, on $2,000, as follows : 
 
 Between Ages of 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Between Ages of 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Between Ages of 
 
 Rate. 
 
 21 and 22 
 
 $ .67 
 
 30 and 31 
 
 .$ .93 
 
 38 and 39 
 
 ,$1.25 
 
 22 and 23 
 
 . .69 
 
 31 and 32 
 
 . .96 
 
 39 and 40 
 
 . 1.31 
 
 23 and 24 , . , 
 
 . .72 
 
 32 and 33 
 
 . 1.00 
 
 40 and 41 
 
 . 1.37 
 
 24 and 25 
 
 , .75 
 
 33 and 31 
 
 . ].04 
 
 41 and 42 
 
 . 1 44 
 
 25 and 26 , . . , 
 
 . .78 
 
 34 and 35 , , 
 
 1.08 
 
 42 and 43 
 
 . 1.51 
 
 26 and 27 
 
 .81 
 
 35 and 36 . , . 
 
 1.12 
 
 43 and 44 
 
 , 1.58 
 
 27 and 28 
 
 .84 
 
 36 and 37 , , 
 
 , 1.16 
 
 44 and 45 
 
 . 1.65 
 
 28 and 29 
 
 . .87 
 
 37 and 38, . , . 
 
 . 1.20 
 
 45 and 46 
 
 , 1.72 
 
 29 and 30 , , . 
 
 . .90 
 
 
 
 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax of 80 cents 
 per annum. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $5,270.80. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, 48 cents. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 4 ; 1892, 5 ; 1893, 5.80 ; 
 1894, 4.5. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 34 + years ; January 1st, 1895, 
 34 + years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 10 ; 1892, 10 : 1893, 11 ; 1894, 9. 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $5.11 ; 35 years. 
 
144 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh, 
 
 $6.16 ; 40 years, $7.53 ; 1894, 30 years, $4.19 ; 35 years, $5.04 ; 40 years, 
 $6.17. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $174,500 ; 1894, $173,750. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $33,586,000. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $39,798,000. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing- January 1st, 1894, 
 9,745. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 11,610. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 104; January 
 1st, 1895, 113. 
 
 Losses include $1,850 paid for total disability claims. 
 
 ROYAL SOCIETY OF GOOD FELLOWS. 
 
 W. R. Spooner, Premier, New York City ; salary, $3,600. 
 O. L. F. Luther, Supreme Secretary, Boston, Mass. ; salary, $3,000. 
 James G. Whitehouse, Supreme Treasurer, Providence, R. I.; 
 salary, $2,000. 
 
 Commenced business as an order February 23d, 1882. 
 
 Date of first assessment levied, June 1st, 1886. 
 
 Issue certificates for $500, $1,000, $2,000, and $3,000, as follows : 
 
 Between the ages of Rate per $1,000. Between the ages of Rate per $1,000, 
 
 18and35 $.20 49 and 50 $.38 
 
 35 and 40 23 50 and 51 40 
 
 40 and 45 25 51 and 52 43 
 
 45 and 46 28 52 and 53 45 
 
 46 and 47 30 53 and 54 50 
 
 47 and 48 33 54 and 55 58 
 
 48 and 49 35 55 and 56 65 
 
 Expense of management provided for by per capita tax of 15 
 cents per month on each beneficial member. 
 Cost of management, 1894, $35,056,56. 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $2.72. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 11.7; 1892, 12.5; 
 1893, 11.6; 1894, 11.3. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894,42 years; January 1st, 1895,40.82 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments year 1891, 45; 1892, 50; 1893, 50; 1894, 53. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $10; 35 years, 
 $11.50; 40 years, $12.50. In 1894, 30 years, $10.60 ; 35 years, $12.19 ; 
 40 years, $13.25. 
 
 Losses paid in 1893, $287,449 ; 1894, $323,859.78. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $24,806,500. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $27,210,500* 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 10,676. 
 
James A. Lombard, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 
 Member Committee on Mileage and Per Diem. 
 
\ 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 145 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 12,870. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 219 ; January 1st, 
 1895, 228. 
 
 KOYAL TEMPLARS OF TEMPERANCE. 
 
 L. R. Sanborn, Supreme President, Buffalo, N. Y. ; salary, $1,000. 
 
 E. B. Rew, Supreme Secretary, Buffalo, N. Y. ; salary, $1,800. 
 
 Merchant's Bank, Supreme Treasury, Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
 Commenced business as an order February 16th, 1870. 
 
 Date of first assessment levied, March 1st, 1878. 
 
 Issue certificates for $125 to $2,000, graded, as follows : 
 
 Benefit 
 $125. 
 
 Class A, from 16 to 25 % .07 
 
 Class B, from 25 to 30 07 
 
 Class C, from 30 to 35 .08 
 
 Class D, from 35 to 40 09 
 
 Class E, from 40 to 45 10 
 
 Class F, from 45 to 50 11 
 
 Benefit 
 
 Benefit 
 
 Benefit 
 
 Benefit 
 
 $250. 
 
 $500. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 $2,000. 
 
 $ .13 
 
 $ .25 
 
 $ .50 
 
 $1.00 
 
 .14 
 
 .28 
 
 .55 
 
 1.10 
 
 .15 
 
 .30 
 
 .60 
 
 1.20 
 
 .17 
 
 .34 
 
 .67 
 
 1.35 
 
 .19 
 
 .38 
 
 .75 
 
 1.50 
 
 .22 
 
 .43 
 
 .85 
 
 1.70 
 
 Expense of management provided for by semi-annual general fund 
 assessments of 30 cents per $1,000. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $15,938.93. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.29. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 14.5 ; 1892, 15 ; 1893, 
 16.09 ; 1894, 15.70. 
 
 Average age January 1st, 1894, 47i years ; January 1st, 1895, 47.50 
 years. 
 
 Number of assessments, year 1891, 23 ; 1892, 25 ; 1893, 26 ; 1894, 26. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $15.60 ; 35 years, 
 $17.42; 40 years, $19.50. In 1894,30 years, $14.40 ; 35 years, $16.10; 
 40 years, $18.27. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $314,928 ; 1894, $317,636.25. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $16,729,400. 
 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $16,763,400. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 12,243. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 12,975. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 497; January 
 1st, 1895, 510. 
 
 WOODMEN OF THE WORLD. 
 
 [Sovereign Camp Jurisdiction.) 
 
 J. C. Root, Sovereign Consul Commander, Omaha, Neb.; salary, 
 $3,000. 
 
 John T. Yates, Sovereign Clerk, Omaha, Neb.; salary, $1,500. 
 
146 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 F. F. ROOSE, Sovereign Banker, Omaha, Neb.; salary, $300. 
 Commenced business as an order January 1st, 1891. 
 Date of first assessment levied, September 1st, 1891. 
 Issue certificates for $500, $1,000, $1,500, $2,000, $2,500, and $3,000 
 (also monument, $100), at the following- rates for $1,000 and monument : 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 16 to 21 
 
 . . . .$ .35 
 
 38 to 40 . . . 
 
 , . , ,$ .60 
 
 48 . . . 
 
 . . , .$1.00 
 
 22 to 25.... 
 
 . . . .35 
 
 41 to 43 . . . 
 
 65 
 
 49 . . . 
 
 . ... 1.10 
 
 26 to 29 
 
 40 
 
 44 to 45 , , 
 
 75 
 
 50. . . . 
 
 1.15 
 
 30 to 33 
 
 , .45 
 
 46 
 
 80 
 
 51 , , 
 
 , 1.30 
 
 34 to 37 , , . 
 
 50 
 
 47. . . . 
 
 90 
 
 52, . . 
 
 . ... 1.50 
 
 Expense of management provided for by percentage of assess- 
 ments. 
 
 Cost of management 1894, $34,635.97. 
 
 Cost of management per member 1894, $1.21i. 
 
 Deaths per 1,000 beneficial members in 1891, 3.30 ; 1892, 4.30 ; 1893, 
 5.80; 1894, 4.98. 
 
 Average age, January 1st, 1894, 38.21 years ; January 1st, 1895, 
 36.87 years. 
 
 Number of assessments, year 1891, 7; 1892, 9; 1893, 14; 1894, 13. 
 
 Cost of insurance per $1,000 in 1893, 30 years, $6.30 ; 35 years, $7 ; 
 40 years, $8.40. In 1894,30 years, $5.85 ; 35 years, $6.50; 40 years, 
 $7.80. 
 
 Losses paid in year 1893, $219,200 ; 1894, $215,400. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1894, $30,780,200. 
 Total amount of insurance in force January 1st, 1895, $41,612,200. 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1894, 
 14,057. 
 
 Total membership in absolute good standing January 1st, 1895, 
 20,272. 
 
 Number of subordinate lodges January 1st, 1894, 658 ; January 
 1st, 1895, 739. 
 
 Average age at death, 1894, 42.88 years. 
 
 Above does not include Pacific jurisdiction and Canadian jurisdic- 
 tion Woodmen of the World. 
 
The Woodmwn's Hand-Book. 
 
 147 
 
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148 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Booh, 
 
 MEMBERS IN GOOD STANDING JANUARY 1st, 1895. 
 
 NAME OF ORDER. 
 
 MEMBERSHIP. 
 
 NO. SUBORDINATE 
 ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen 
 
 Royal Arcanum , , 
 
 Knights of Honor 
 
 Modern Woodmen of America , 
 
 Knights and Ladies of Honor , 
 
 Knights of Maccabees (World) , 
 
 Independent Order of Foresters 
 
 Knights of Maccabees (Michigan) 
 
 Americi\n Legion of Honor 
 
 National Union 
 
 Order of Chosen Friends 
 
 Knights of Pythias (Endowment Rank) 
 
 Equitable Aid Union , 
 
 Order of Golden Cross , 
 
 Woodmen of the World , 
 
 Improved Order Heptasophs , 
 
 Order Pilgrim Fathers 
 
 New England Order Protection 
 
 Royal Templars of Temperance , 
 
 Royal Society of Good Fellows 
 
 Protected Home Circle , 
 
 Royal League 
 
 Order of Shield of Honor 
 
 Home Porum 
 
 Order Golden Chain 
 
 Home Circle 
 
 Iowa Legion of Honor 
 
 Knights and Ladies of Security 
 
 Knights and Ladies Golden Star, 
 
 National Provident Union 
 
 Fraternal Aid Association 
 
 Order of Select Friends 
 
 Ot'der Mutual Protection 
 
 Knights of the Golden Rule 
 
 Knights of St. John and Malta 
 
 Legion of the Red Cross f 
 
 National Reserve Association 
 
 Knights of the Golden Eagle 
 
 Artisans' Order of Mutual Protection. . 
 
 Fraternal Legion 
 
 Empire Knights of Relief 
 
 Eclectic Assembly. 
 
 341,371 
 
 4973 
 
 159,307 
 
 ]588 
 
 121,085 
 
 2580 
 
 114,945 
 
 2650 
 
 80,763 
 
 1918 
 
 76,620 
 
 1757 
 
 70,055 
 
 1875 
 
 60,949 
 
 901 
 
 56,060 
 
 1086 
 
 44,707 
 
 686 
 
 37,779 
 
 738 
 
 36,371 
 
 2112 
 
 29,203 
 
 880 
 
 24,762 
 
 455 
 
 20,272 
 
 739 
 
 19,563 
 
 276 
 
 18,338 
 
 161 
 
 15,768 
 
 231 
 
 12,975 
 
 510 
 
 12,870 
 
 228 
 
 12,201 
 
 188 
 
 11,610 
 
 113 
 
 10,401 
 
 108 
 
 10,196 
 
 400 
 
 9,142 
 7,183 
 
 149 
 
 182 
 
 6,350 
 
 191 
 
 6,044 
 
 206 
 
 5,921 
 
 71 
 
 5,900 
 
 89 
 
 4,826 
 
 162 
 
 4,190 
 
 100 
 
 3,664 
 
 67 
 
 3,625 
 3,562 
 
 87 
 
 87 
 
 3,542 
 
 51 
 
 3,324 
 
 87 
 
 3,093 
 
 829 
 
 2,804 
 
 28 
 
 2,585 
 
 52 
 
 2,046 
 313 
 
 99 
 
 8 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 i48tt 
 
 COST OF INSURANCE IN 1894. 
 
 NAME OF OEDEE. 
 
 Home Forum 
 
 Fraternal Aid Association 
 
 Modern Woodmen of America 
 
 Royal League 
 
 National Reserve Association 
 
 Order of Select Friends 
 
 New England Order of Protection. . . 
 Knights of Maccabees (Michigan). . . . 
 
 National Union 
 
 Woodmen of the World 
 
 Iowa Legion of Honor. 
 
 Knights of Maccabees (World) 
 
 Improved Order Heptasophs 
 
 Knights of St. John and Malta 
 
 Protected Home Circle 
 
 Order Pilgrim Fathers 
 
 Royal Arcanum 
 
 Order Golden Chain 
 
 Independent Order of Foresters 
 
 Order of Golden Cross 
 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen. . 
 
 Knights of the Golden Rule 
 
 Home Circle 
 
 Order Mutual Protection 
 
 Legion of the Red Cross : 
 
 Order of Shield of Honor 
 
 Fraternal Legion 
 
 Empire Knights of Relief 
 
 Knights of Pythias (Endowment Rank) 
 
 Royal Society of Good Fellows 
 
 Knights and Ladies Golden Star 
 
 Knights and Ladies of Honor 
 
 National Provident Union 
 
 Order of Chosen Friends 
 
 Knights of the Golden Eagle 
 
 E^quitable Aid Union 
 
 Artisans' Order of Mutual Protection. 
 
 Royal Templars of Temperance 
 
 Knights of Honor 
 
 American Legion of Honor 
 
 
 COST OF INSUEANCE PEE 
 
 a 
 
 . a> 
 
 $1,000 1894. 
 
 
 30 Years. 
 
 35 Years. 
 
 40 Years. 
 
 7 
 
 $ 3.00 
 
 $ 3.00 
 
 $ 3.50 
 
 8 
 
 4 00 
 
 4.40 
 
 4.80 
 
 11 
 
 4.75 
 
 4.95 
 
 5.12 
 
 9 
 
 4.19 
 
 5.04 
 
 6.17 
 
 12 
 
 4.80 
 
 5.40 
 
 6.24 
 
 13 
 
 5.20 
 
 5.85 
 
 6.50 
 
 15 
 
 5.25 
 
 6.00 
 
 6.75 
 
 5 
 
 5.00 
 
 6.25 
 
 7.50 
 
 18 
 
 5.40 
 
 6.30 
 
 7.20 
 
 13 
 
 5.85 
 
 6.50 
 
 7.80 
 
 15 
 
 7.50 
 
 7.50 
 
 7.50 
 
 13 
 
 6 50 
 
 7.80 
 
 9.75 
 
 10 
 
 7.04 
 
 8.04 
 
 ;».68 
 
 15 
 
 6.60 
 
 8 40 
 
 9.60 
 
 12 
 
 7.20 
 
 8.40 
 
 9.60 
 
 14 
 
 7.70 
 
 8.75 
 
 9.45 
 
 16 
 
 7.36 
 
 8.96 
 
 10.99 
 
 17 
 
 7.65 
 
 9.35 
 
 11.56 
 
 12 
 
 8.64 
 
 9 36 
 
 10 56 
 
 16 
 
 8.96 
 
 9.92 
 
 11.20 
 
 20 
 
 10.21 
 
 10.21 
 
 10.21 
 
 18 
 
 9.20 
 
 10.80 
 
 12.60 
 
 19 
 
 9.12 
 
 
 
 25 
 
 10.00 
 
 11.25 
 
 12 50 
 
 23 
 
 11.50 
 
 11.50 
 
 11.50 
 
 47 
 
 11.75 
 
 11. '25 
 
 11.75 
 
 22 
 
 9.68 
 
 11.88 
 
 14.04 
 
 12 
 
 10.40 
 
 11.96 
 
 13.40 
 
 13 
 
 10.20 
 
 12.00 
 
 13.80 
 
 53 
 
 10.60 
 
 12.19 
 
 13.25 
 
 24 
 
 10.56 
 
 12.96 
 
 15.36 
 
 29 
 
 11.60 
 
 13.05 
 
 14.50 
 
 24 
 
 10.80 
 
 13.20 
 
 15.60 
 
 15 
 
 12.00 
 
 13.50 
 
 15.00 
 
 31 
 
 15.50 
 
 15.50 
 
 15.50 
 
 18 
 
 14.00 
 
 15.56 
 
 17.50 
 
 7 
 
 14.00 
 
 16.00 
 
 18.00 
 
 26 
 
 14.40 
 
 16.10 
 
 18.27 
 
 32 
 
 13.34 
 
 16.64 
 
 20.16 
 
 36 
 
 14.96 
 
 18.36 
 
 21.76 
 
1486 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 MANAGEMENT EXPENSE IN 1894. 
 
 NAME OF ORDER. iPER MEMBER. 
 
 TOTAL. 
 
 
 $ .48 
 
 ,« 5 270 en 
 
 
 .51 
 
 
 
 .58 
 
 
 Order Shield of Honor 
 
 .63 
 
 6 515 39 
 
 Home Forum 
 
 .66 
 
 6,766.73 
 
 
 .66 
 
 
 
 .67 
 
 81 987 79 
 
 Knights of the Golden Eagle 
 
 .79 
 
 2 631 37 
 
 Knights of St. John and Malta 
 
 .84 
 
 3 809 31 
 
 
 .86 
 
 15,306.00 
 
 
 .95 
 
 
 
 .96 
 
 23,903. 18 
 
 
 1.00 
 
 58^854 08 
 
 Artisans' Order of Mutual Protection 
 
 1.00 
 
 3 380 00 
 
 Knights and Ladies Golden Star 
 
 1.00 
 
 6 134 78 
 
 National Provident Union 
 
 1.02 
 
 6 134.21 
 
 
 1.02 
 
 3 543 89 
 
 
 1.14 
 
 51,366.75 
 
 
 1.21 
 
 34^635. 97 
 
 
 1.26 
 
 7 854 3=i 
 
 Royal Templars of Temperance 
 
 1.29 
 
 J. ij, tvOO. i70 
 
 National Reserve Association, 
 
 1.34 
 
 4,468. 12 
 
 
 1.37 
 
 78 031 19 
 
 
 1.39 
 
 4,631.11 
 
 Order of Select Friends 
 
 1.42 
 
 5,954.46 
 
 
 1.46 
 
 28,661.00 
 
 
 1.50 
 
 56,681.00 
 
 Knights and Ladies of Security 
 
 1.65 
 
 10,000.00 
 
 Knights of Pythias (Endowment Rank) 
 
 1.65 
 
 57,391.37 
 
 
 1.65 
 
 24,289.30 
 
 
 1.67 
 
 561,591.66 
 
 
 1.67 
 
 11,656.13 
 
 
 1.71 
 
 6,101.85 
 
 
 1.73 
 
 114,875.18 
 
 
 1.78 
 
 55,613.41 
 
 
 1.83 
 
 8,861.43 
 
 
 2.08 
 
 21,974.67 
 
 Independent Order of Foresters 
 
 2.13 
 
 133,156.92 
 
 
 2.46 
 
 21,503.00 
 
 Royal Society of Good Fellows 
 
 2.72 
 
 35,056.56 
 
 Empire Knights of Relief 
 
 4.51 
 
 7,787.70 
 
 
 6.39 
 
 1,349.87 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 148c 
 
 INSURANCE IN FORCE — LOSSES PAID IN 1894. 
 
 XAME OF ORDER. 
 
 Total Insurance 
 in Force 
 
 Tqti 1 1 QQ^ 
 
 J an, ibi, loyo. 
 
 Losses Pnid. 
 in isyi. 
 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen 
 
 $682,742,000 
 
 $7,116,807.99 
 
 
 463,063,500 
 
 3 959,599.98 
 
 
 236,713,500 
 
 1,104,500.00 
 
 
 225,422,500 
 
 3,845,116.65 
 
 American Legion of Honor 
 
 142,901,500 
 
 2,751,079.00 
 
 National Union 
 
 136,726,000 
 
 1,154,000.00 
 
 Knights of Maccabees (World) 
 
 115,366,000 
 
 674,794.81 
 
 Knights and Ladies of Honor 
 
 88,480,000 
 
 1,089,123.80 
 
 
 86,506.500 
 
 511,162.30 
 
 Knights of Maccabees (Michigan) 
 
 84,640,000 
 
 437,181.09 
 
 Knights of Pythias (Endowment Rank).. 
 
 76,270,000 
 
 809,560.00 
 
 
 57,005.000 
 
 948,150.00 
 
 
 43,511,010 
 
 794,981.66 
 
 
 41,612,200 
 
 215,400.00 
 
 
 39,798,000 
 
 173,750.00 
 
 Improved Order Heptasophs 
 
 36,799,000 
 
 285,000.00 
 
 
 34,880,000 
 
 411,504.78 
 
 
 30,725,000 
 
 276,000.00 
 
 
 29,811,000 
 
 192,000.00 
 
 Royal Society of Good Fellows 
 
 27,210,500 
 
 323,859.78 
 
 Order of Golden Chain 
 
 22,278,500 
 
 192,405.50 
 
 Roval Templars of Temperance 
 
 16,763,400 
 
 317,636.25 
 
 Home Forum 
 
 16,645,500 
 
 22,000.00 
 
 
 15,138,000 
 
 156,000.00 
 
 
 14,523,500 
 
 67,500.00 
 
 Iowa Legion of Honor 
 
 12,609,000 
 
 91,000.00 
 
 National Provident Union 
 
 11,631,000 
 
 150,000.00 
 
 
 10,695,500 
 
 21,687.90 
 
 Order Shield of Honor 
 
 10,401,000 
 
 104,000.00 
 
 
 8,689,000 
 
 28,277.09 
 
 Order of Select Friends 
 
 7,791,000 
 
 54,098.30 
 
 
 5,789,000 
 
 55,982.25 
 
 
 5,649,000 
 
 78,179.59 
 
 
 4,673,000 
 
 9,000.00 
 
 Knights of St. John and Malta 
 
 4,383,000 
 
 32,000.00 
 
 Empire Knights of Relief 
 
 4,342,000 
 
 13,000.00 
 
 
 3,692,000 
 
 63,258.88 
 
 
 3,536,000 
 
 35,000.00 
 
 Artisans' Order Mutual Protection 
 
 3,093,000 
 
 18,500.00 
 
 Knights of the Golden Eagle 
 
 3,093,000 
 
 3,093.00 
 
 Eclectic Assembly 
 
 389,500 
 
 1,500.00 
 
148c? The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 DEATH RATE AND AVERAGE AGE — 1894. 
 
 NAME OF ORDER. 
 
 AVERAGE AGE 
 
 MORTALITY PER 
 
 JAN. ist, ioyo. 
 
 1 Ann 1 Qc\A 
 
 
 33.33 
 
 1.56 
 
 
 36. 
 
 2.10 
 
 
 
 2.27 
 
 
 37. 
 
 2.75 . 
 
 
 33.5 
 
 3. 
 
 
 34. 
 
 4.5 
 
 
 36.87 
 
 4.98 
 
 
 37.5 
 
 5. 
 
 
 36.99 
 
 5.08 
 
 Independent Order of Foresters 
 
 34.8 
 
 5.39 
 
 
 35. 
 
 5.7 
 
 
 35.75 
 
 6.05 
 
 38. 
 
 6.5 
 
 
 38.28 
 
 7. 
 
 New England Order of Protection 
 
 * 
 
 7.02 
 
 
 38. 
 
 7.25 
 
 
 35.75 
 
 7.58 
 
 
 39.87 
 
 7.61 
 
 Order Golden Chain 
 
 36. 
 
 8. 
 
 Improved Order Heptasophs 
 
 38.1 
 
 8. 
 
 
 41.25 
 
 .8.4 
 
 
 40.23 
 
 8.74 
 
 
 39.66 
 
 9.33 
 
 Order Shield of Honor 
 
 * 
 
 9.50 
 
 
 38. 
 
 9.55 
 
 
 36. 
 
 9.7 
 
 
 37.44 
 
 9.89 
 
 
 41. 
 
 10.43 
 
 
 43. 
 
 10.7 
 
 
 37.8 
 
 11.03 
 
 
 40.82 
 
 11.3 
 
 Knights and Ladies of Honor 
 
 * 
 
 11.6 
 
 Knights of Pythias (Endowment Rank). . . 
 
 41.26 
 
 12.06 
 
 
 34.80 
 
 12.75 
 
 
 36. 
 
 13. 
 
 
 40. 
 
 13. 
 
 Royal Templars of Temperance 
 
 47.5 
 
 15.7 
 
 
 36. 
 
 16. 
 
 Equitable Aid Union 
 
 41.51 
 
 16. 
 
 *Not reported. 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 USe 
 
 DATE OF ORGANIZATION AND AGE OF SOCIETIES. 
 
 
 
 
 
 AGE JAN 
 
 
 NAME OF OEDEE. 
 
 DATE OEGANIZED. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 YEABS. 
 
 MONTHS. 
 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen 
 
 Oct. 
 
 27, 
 
 1868 
 
 26 
 
 3 
 
 Royal Templars of Temperance 
 
 Feb. 
 
 16, 
 
 1870 
 
 24 
 
 11 
 
 
 June 
 
 30, 
 
 1873 
 
 21 
 
 7 
 
 
 June 
 
 1, 
 
 1874 
 
 20 
 
 7 . 
 
 
 July 
 
 4, 
 
 1876 
 
 18 
 
 6 
 
 
 June 
 
 23, 
 
 1877 
 
 17 
 
 7 
 
 Knights and La'dies of Honor 
 
 Oct. 
 
 6, 
 
 1877 
 
 17 
 
 3 
 
 Knights of Pythias (Endowment Rank).. 
 
 Nov. 
 
 1, 
 
 1877 
 
 17 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 1878 
 
 17 
 
 
 
 Aug. 
 
 28, 
 
 1878 
 
 16 
 
 5 
 
 
 Dec. 
 
 18, 
 
 1878 
 
 16 
 
 1 
 
 
 March 2, 
 
 1879 
 
 15 
 
 10 
 
 
 March 15, 
 
 1879 
 
 15 
 
 10 
 
 Iowa Legion of Honor 
 
 March 19, 
 
 1879 
 
 15 
 
 10 
 
 
 May, 
 
 
 1879 
 
 15 
 
 8 
 
 Order of Golden Rule 
 
 Aug. 
 
 16, 
 
 1879 
 
 15 
 
 5 
 
 
 Oct. 
 
 2, 
 
 1879 
 
 15 
 
 3 
 
 
 May, 
 
 
 1881 
 
 13 
 
 8 
 
 
 June 
 
 11, 
 
 1881 
 
 13 
 
 7 
 
 Order of Golden Chain 
 
 Dec. 
 
 2, 
 
 1881 
 
 13 
 
 1 
 
 
 Feb. 
 
 23, 
 
 1882 
 
 12 
 
 11 
 
 
 Oct. 
 
 1, 
 
 1882 
 
 12 
 
 3 
 
 
 Jan. 
 
 1, 
 
 1883 
 
 12 
 
 
 
 Jan. 
 
 5, 
 
 1883 
 
 12 
 
 
 Knights of St. John and Malta 
 
 Mar. 
 
 13, 
 
 1883 
 
 11 
 
 10 
 
 Knights of Maccabees (World) 
 
 Aug. 
 
 1, 
 
 1883 
 
 11 
 
 4 
 
 Northern Mutual Relief Association 
 
 Sept. 
 
 19, 
 
 1883 
 
 11 
 
 3 
 
 
 Nov. 
 
 11, 
 
 1883 
 
 
 2 
 
 Order of Chosen Friends 
 
 Nov. 
 
 11, 
 
 1883 
 
 11 
 
 2 
 
 Knights and Ladies Golden Star 
 
 
 
 1884 
 
 11 
 
 
 Fraternal Mystic Circle 
 
 Jan. 
 
 1, 
 
 ]885 
 
 9 
 
 11 
 
 Or der Shield of Honor 
 
 Nov. 
 
 1, 
 
 1885 
 
 9 
 
 3 
 
 Protected Home Circle 
 
 Aug. 
 
 7, 
 
 1886 
 
 8 
 
 4 
 
 Empire Knights of Relief 
 
 Jan. 
 
 1, 
 
 1889 
 
 6 
 
 
 Fraternal Aid Association 
 
 Oct. 
 
 14, 
 
 1890 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 Woodmen of the World 
 
 Jan. 
 
 1, 
 
 1891 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 
 May 
 
 8, 
 
 1891 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 Knights of Golden Eagle (Death Benefits). 
 
 Sept. 
 
 1, 
 
 1891 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 Knights and Ladies of Security 
 
 Feb. 
 
 22, 
 
 1892 
 
 2 
 
 10 
 
 Home Forum 
 
 Jan. 
 
 1, 
 
 1893 
 
 2 
 
 
 Eclectic Assembly 
 
 Jan. 
 
 3, 
 
 1893 
 
 2 
 
 
148/ 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 INCREASE DURING 1894. 
 
 NAMK OF ORDER. 
 
 INCREASE 
 MEMBERSHIP. 
 
 INCREASE 
 LODGES. 
 
 Modern Woodmen of America 
 
 Knig-hts of Maccabees (World) 
 
 Independent Order of Foresters 
 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen 
 
 Royal Arcanum 
 
 Knights of Maccabees (Michigan) 
 
 Home Forum 
 
 Woodmen of the World 
 
 American Legion of Honor 
 
 Knights and Ladies of Honor 
 
 Knights and Ladies of Security 
 
 Improved Order Heptasophs 
 
 Knights of Pythias (Endowment Rank) 
 
 Protected Home Circle 
 
 Order of Golden Cross 
 
 Royal Society of Good Fellows 
 
 New England Order Protection - . . 
 
 Order Chosen Friends 
 
 Royal League 
 
 Fraternal Aid Association 
 
 Order Pilgrim Fathers 
 
 National Union 
 
 Northern Relief Association 
 
 Order Golden Chain 
 
 Royal Templars of Temperance 
 
 Legion of the Red Cross 
 
 Empire Knights of Relief 
 
 Order Select Friends 
 
 Home Circle 
 
 Knights Golden Rule 
 
 Artisans' Order Mutual Protection 
 
 Knights and Ladies Golden Star 
 
 Knights St. John and Malta 
 
 Order Mutual Protection 
 
 Eclectic Assembly 
 
 Order Shield of Honor , 
 
 Iowa Legion of Honor 
 
 Fraternal Legion , 
 
 National Provident Union 
 
 Knights of Golden Eagle 
 
 Equitable Aid Union 
 
 Knights of Honor 
 
 26,722 
 
 554 
 
 2o'l51 
 
 527 
 
 15^571 
 12', 596 
 
 372 
 
 142 
 
 11,083 
 
 45 
 
 6,861 
 
 49 
 
 6^850 
 6^215 
 
 298 
 
 81 
 
 6,016 
 5,608 
 
 1 
 
 76 
 
 4^780 
 4^494 
 
 150 
 
 43 
 
 3,469 
 
 314 
 
 3,345 
 
 53 
 
 2,655 
 
 48 
 
 2^194 
 
 9 
 
 2,116 
 
 20 
 
 l',887 
 
 28 
 
 1,865 
 
 9 
 
 1,670 
 
 47 
 
 l'390 
 
 10 
 
 1^148 
 1,073 
 
 30 
 
 18 
 
 838 
 
 21 
 
 732 
 
 13 
 
 679 
 
 12 
 
 645 
 
 24 
 
 586 
 
 6 
 
 417 
 
 4 
 
 325 
 
 4 
 
 283 
 
 
 260 
 
 3 
 
 242 
 
 11 
 
 222 
 
 
 200 
 
 "4 
 
 171 
 
 1 
 
 140 
 
 4 
 
 *62 
 
 *1 
 
 *354 
 
 2 
 
 *397 
 
 
 *1,965 
 
 13 
 
 *2,269 
 
 15 
 
 *Decrease. 
 
The Woodman'' s Hand Book. 
 
 148g 
 
 SALARIES— 1894. 
 
 NAME OF ORDER. 
 
 PRESI- 
 DENT. 
 
 SECRE- TREAS- 
 TARY. URER. 
 
 Independent Order of Foresters 
 
 Knights of Honor 
 
 Royal Arcanum 
 
 Knig-hts of Maccabees (World) , 
 
 American Legion of Honor 
 
 Royal Society of Good Fellows 
 
 Knights and Ladies of Honor 
 
 Order of Chosen Friends , 
 
 National Union 
 
 Fraternal Mystic Circle 
 
 Modern Woodmen of America , 
 
 Knights of Pythias 
 
 Order Pilgrim Fathers , 
 
 Woodmen of the World 
 
 Order of Golden Cross 
 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen. . , 
 
 Order Golden Chain , 
 
 Royal League 
 
 Improved Order Heptasophs , 
 
 Protected Home Circle , 
 
 Empire Knights of Relief 
 
 National Reserve Association 
 
 New England Order Protection 
 
 Knights of Maccabees (Michigan) 
 
 Equitable Aid Union 
 
 Home Circle , 
 
 Royal Templars of Temperance 
 
 National Provident Union 
 
 Knights and Ladies Golden Star. . . . . . 
 
 Knights of the Golden Rule 
 
 Iowa Legion of Honor 
 
 Order of Shield of Honor 
 
 Artisans' Order of Mutual Protection. 
 
 Fraternal Aid Association . , 
 
 Order Mutual Protection 
 
 Order of Select Friends 
 
 Knights of .St. John and Malta 
 
 Legion of the Red Cross 
 
 Fraternal Legion 
 
 Knights of the Golden Eagle 
 
 $8,000 
 4,000 
 3,500 
 5,000 
 3,000 
 3,600 
 2,500 
 3,000 
 1,200 
 4,000 
 2,000 
 2,000 
 1,200 
 3,000 
 1,200 
 1,000 
 1,800 
 600 
 1,500 
 2,000 
 600 
 1,800 
 1,000 
 1,000 
 1,800 
 300 
 1,000 
 500 
 400 
 400 
 800 
 
 600 
 50 
 
 300 
 100 
 
 ! 5,000 
 4,200 
 5,000 
 5,000 
 3,900 
 3,000 
 2,500 
 2,500 
 3.500 
 i;500 
 2,500 
 3,000 
 2,500 
 1,500 
 1,800 
 3,000 
 1,800 
 3,000 
 2,000 
 1,500 
 2,500 
 1,800 
 1,500 
 2,000 
 1,350 
 2,200 
 1,800 
 1,500 
 1,400 
 1,200 
 1,200 
 1,500 
 2,000 
 1,200 
 1,500 
 1,200 
 900 
 800 
 600 
 600 
 
 12,000 
 3,600 
 3,000 
 1,000 
 2,500 
 2,000 
 2,500 
 2,000 
 2,500 
 600 
 600 
 
 1,200 
 300 
 
 1,700 
 400 
 750 
 600 
 600 
 500 
 600 
 
 1,000 
 500 
 850 
 500 
 
 500 
 400 
 600 
 100 
 
 100 
 300 
 300 
 100 
 200 
 200 
 100 
 
148/i, The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 Table Showing Membership and Death Rate of the A. O. 
 U. W., in naeh State, Yeari894. 
 
 Name of Grand Lodge and Grand Recorder's Address. 
 
 PENNSYLVA.NIA GRAND LODGE. 
 
 J. M. McNair, Grand Recorder, Pittsburg, Penn 
 
 Ohio Grand Lodge. 
 
 Walter Pickens, Grand Recorder, Toledo, O 
 
 Kentucky Grand Lodge. 
 
 D. C. Kennedy, Grand Recorder, Ludlow, Ky 
 
 Indiana Grand Lodge. 
 
 Fred. Baker, Grand Recorder, Evansville, Ind 
 
 Iowa Grand Lodge. 
 
 L. O. Howland, Grand Recorder, Cedar FaUs, Iowa 
 
 New York Grand Lodge. 
 
 N. J. Horton, Grand Recorder, Dunkirk, N. Y 
 
 Illinois Grand Lodge. 
 
 Charles P. Hitch, Grand Recorder, Paris, 111 
 
 Missouri Grand Lodge. 
 
 W. F. Bohn, Grand Recorder, St. Louis, Mo 
 
 Minnesota Grand Lodge. 
 
 Olof Olson, Grand Recorder, Will mar, Minn 
 
 Wisconsin Grand Lodge. 
 
 H. C. Heath, Grand Recorder, La Crosse, Wis 
 
 Tennessee Grand Lodge. 
 
 W. H. Weakley, Grand Recorder, Nashville, Tenn 
 
 Michigan Grand Lodge. 
 
 W. Warne Wilson, Grand Recorder, Detroit, Mich 
 
 California Grand Lodge. 
 
 D. S. Hirshberg-, Grand Recorder, San Francisco, Cal 
 
 Ga., Ala., Miss.. N. and S. Car., and Florida Grand Lodge. 
 
 Joseph Ehrlich, Grand Recorder, Albany, Ga 
 
 Kansas Grand Lodge. 
 
 E. M. Forde, Grand Recorder, Emporia, Kas 
 
 Ontario Grand Lodge. 
 
 M. D. Carder, Grand Recorder, St. Thomas, Ont 
 
 Oregon Grand Lodge. 
 
 Newton Clark, Grand Recorder, Portland, Ore 
 
 Massachusetts Grand Lodge. 
 
 J. Edward Burtt, Grand Recorder, Boston, Mass 
 
 Maryland Grand Lodge. 
 
 A. F. Colbert, Grand Recorder, Baltimore, Md 
 
 Texas Grand Lodge. 
 
 William P. Cole, Grand Recorder, Dallas, Texas 
 
 Nevada Grand Lodge. 
 
 John Lothrop, Grand Recorder, Dayton, Nevada 
 
 Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona Grand Lodge. 
 
 W. T. Boyd, Grand Recorder^ Denver, Col : 
 
 Nebraska Grand Lodge. 
 
 George H. Barber, Lincoln, Neb 
 
 The Dakotas Grand Lodge. 
 
 J. D. Lavin, Grand Recorder, Columbia, S. D 
 
 Montana Grand Lodge. 
 
 James Sullivan, Grand Recorder, Helena, Mont 
 
 Washington Grand Lodge. 
 
 J. M. Pickins, Grand Recorder, Chehalis, Wash 
 
 New Jersey Grand Lodge. 
 
 J. H. Lippincott. Grand Recorder, Camden, N. J 
 
 British Columbia Grand Lodge. 
 
 H. Youdall, Grand Recorder, New "Westminster, B. C 
 
 Manitoba and N. W. T. Grand Lodge. 
 
 J. M. Matthew, Grand Recorder, Winnipeg, Man 
 
 Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho Grand Lodge. 
 
 D. Thorburn, Grand Recorder, Ogden, Utah 
 
 Delaware Grand Lodge. 
 
 C. E. Woods, Grand Recorder, Wilmington, Del 
 
 Quebec and Maritime Province Grand Lodge. 
 
 A. T. Patterson, Grand Recorder, Montreal, Quebec 
 
 West Virginia Grand Lodge. 
 
 Silas M. Hathaway, Grand Recorder, Wheeling, W. Va — 
 Supreme Lodge. 
 
 M. W. Sackett, Supreme Recorder, Meadville, Penn 
 
 Total 
 
 Certificates, 
 in Force 
 Jan.1,1895. 
 
 Death Rate 
 per 1,000. 
 
 16,697 
 
 15.14 
 
 4,948 
 
 20.16 
 
 2,219 
 
 24.16 
 
 5,616 
 
 11.02 
 
 9,555 
 
 7.82 
 
 29,088 
 
 16.32 
 
 18,504 
 
 13.25 
 
 24,018 
 
 11.94 
 
 13,124 
 
 8.12 
 
 6,890 
 
 13.24 
 
 1.851 
 
 16.08 
 
 22,652 
 
 9.61 
 
 16,614 
 
 15.14 
 
 2,191 
 
 15.49 
 
 25,438 
 
 6.58 
 
 27,561 
 
 7.60 
 
 6,440 
 
 7.84 
 
 41,005 
 
 7.29 
 
 3,541 
 
 12.35 
 
 3,892 
 
 14.58 
 
 1,103 
 
 21.77 
 
 7,309 
 
 7.21 
 
 18,066 
 
 5.53 
 
 8,536 
 
 5.85 
 
 4,366 
 
 8.42 
 
 4,905 
 
 7.02 
 
 4,931 
 
 8.60 
 
 645 
 
 10.55 
 
 1,937 
 
 7.23 
 
 2,944 
 
 8.44 
 
 2,554 
 
 6.10 
 
 2,226 
 
 5.66 
 
 341,371 
 
 10.43 
 
The Woodman^ 8 Hand-Book. 
 
 Report of Committee on Statistics and Good of 
 
 the Order, 
 
 To the National Fraternal Congress : 
 
 Gentlemen : Your Committee on Statistics presents for your con- 
 sideration a detailed statement of the condition of the orders com- 
 posing this Congress to such extent as information could be readily 
 obtained. 
 
 The Knights and Ladies of Honor, with us in 1892 and now with- 
 drawn from the Congress, are included in this tabulation for the rea- 
 son that was their condition not shown a comparison of the figures of 
 1893 with 1892 would indicate a positive loss to fraternal assurance 
 generally, instead of merely a loss in the membership of this Con- 
 gress. 
 
 The difficulty of former years confronts us in this, that the variance 
 in keeping records prevents any report whatever on many subjects of 
 not only general but vital interest. 
 
 Your committee believes this condition should be remedied, and 
 that it could very readily be done, each retaining its present system, 
 if the recording officers of the various bodies would get in closer 
 touch, and by correspondence receive and impart most valuable infor- 
 mation as to how any given thing may best be done, and how any part 
 of the record heretofore neglected may be brought up to date. Your 
 committee are well aware that, like his watch, each Supreme Secre- 
 tary believes his plan the best, but possibly we could each be taught 
 something of whose existence we are in entire ignorance, did we 
 consent and then submit to be receptive. 
 
 One order failed to make any report and another declined for good 
 reasons to submit one. One new order appears, and in addition the 
 figures relating to the Knights and Ladies of Honor are given for 
 reasons heretofore explained. The figures in each case are believed 
 to be correct and just, and, where possible, have been verified by 
 reference to sworn reports made to different insurance departments. 
 
 Your committee finds from reports from the several orders the fol- 
 lowing condition of membership, finances, etc. 
 
 MEMBERSHIP. 
 
 Total membership January 1, 1893 1,208,483 
 
 Members admitted in 1893 240,470 
 
 Members died in 1893 13,149 
 
 Members lapsed in 1893 120,838 
 
 Net membership December 31, 1893 1,314,966 
 
 A net gain for the year of 106,483 
 
 PROTECTION. 
 
 The amount written in 1893 was $ 421,690,215 
 
 The amount terminated in 1893 was 249,376,332 
 
 A net gain in protection of 172,313,883 
 
 Total protection in force December 31, 1893 2,611,162,033 
 
148i 
 
 The Woodman'' s Hand-Book. 
 
 FINANCES. 
 
 BENEFIT FUND. 
 
 Balance on hand December 31, 1892 $ 1,929,450 
 
 Collected by assessments, etc., in 1893 27,422,441 
 
 Benefits paid in 1893 26,945,780 
 
 Balance in benefit fund December 31, 1893 2,405,359 
 
 The g-ain in amounts collected over 1892 was 1,839,520 
 
 The gain in benefits paid over 1892 was 1,622,302 
 
 EXPENSE FUND. 
 
 Balance on hand December 31, 1892 $ 343,564 
 
 Collected for this fund in 1893 1,812,545 
 
 Expenses paid in 1893 1,814.110 
 
 When we come to the consideration of proportion of expenses to 
 benefits' paid, we find a condition that no other form or plan of insur- 
 ance or protection — call it what you will — of any form or nature has 
 ever equalled, it being but $67.03 for each $1,000 paid in benefits. 
 
 The amount of protection to each certificate in force steadily de- 
 creases from year to year, being $2,053 in 1891, $2,016 in 1892, and 
 $1,985 in 1893. 
 
 The death rate in 1893 was but a fraction in excess of ten to the 
 thousand lives at hazard (10.421), a marked reduction from the preced- 
 ing year. This death rate is so abnormally low when compared with 
 the rate of both old line and natural premium life insurance companies 
 as to be almost incredible. That the average death rate in thirty- 
 three associations should show such remarkable results may rightfully 
 ask for evidence in substantiation. Your committee meet such chal- 
 lenge, should it be made, with one demonstration that appears to 
 fully meet the demand. 
 
 The Ancient Order of United Workmen, the oldest and the largest 
 of any, has been selected as a test, because its age being greatest it 
 cannot be claimed that the selection was unfairly made in favor of a 
 low death rate, and its great size insures a fair and just average. Its 
 total membership, December 31, 1893, was 328,775; but its lives at 
 hazard during the year were 320,392. The whole number of deaths 
 was 3,239, and its death rate in 1893, 10.11 to the thousand, as against 
 10.42, the average death rate of all the orders. Some of our number 
 have a higher, and some a lower rate, and it may be said that the 
 average rate is unfair, but it is not so. Supposing all the organizations 
 represented here had been in 1893 merged into one giant order, the 
 death rate of that one order would have been 10.42. We are dealing 
 with fraternal assurance represented here as a whole, and not with its 
 component parts. 
 
 Our loss from lapses, withdrawals, and suspensions, all causes 
 other than death, was eighty to the thousand members, marking the 
 same spirit of persistence as in former years. The increase over 1892 
 was not marked, and may wholly be charged to the business depres- 
 sion throughout the country, and not to loss of confidence in our plan. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 The cost of caring for protection in force at end of year was 69 
 cents per $1,000. A small increase in cost over 1892. 
 
 As in former years, a comparison is made between the orders com- 
 posing this Congress and twenty-five of the leading life insurance 
 companies of this country, not for the purpose of disparaging these 
 companies, or making undue or unworthy claims for ourselves, but 
 merely to show the relative growth, condition, and importance of the 
 two plans. 
 
 On the thirty-first of December, 1893, the showing was as follows : 
 Twenty-five old line life insurance companies had straight 
 
 life policies 1,167,049 
 
 The fraternal organizations represented here had mem- 
 bership of , 1,314,966 
 
 Old line life insurance in force $3,213,431,147 
 
 Fraternal protection in force 2,611,162,033 
 
 Life insurance paid 57.192,615 
 
 Benefits paid 26,945,780 
 
 Life insurance policies paid (for death) 19,112 
 
 Benefit certificates paid (for death) 13,149 
 
 Their ratio of loss to mean amount insured was 1.33 ; with us it 
 was .95. 
 
 In expenses of management a just comparison cannot be made. 
 We know that our expenses for securing new members, payment of 
 salaries, rent, legal expenses, and every other item, excluding subor- 
 dinate lodge expenses, jwas $1,814,110, and if all lodge expenses be 
 included, our total expense account of every name and nature, for 
 supreme, grand, and subordinate branches and medical examiners' 
 fees would not exceed $6,000,000, while their expense account for 1893 
 was $48,636,986, divided as follows : 
 
 Paid agents $ 27,942,940 
 
 Paid officers and employes 6.443,767 
 
 Paid taxes and fees 2,784,367 
 
 Paid office and agency expenses 11,465,912 
 
 What portion of this expense may properly be charged to account 
 of plain life policies cannot be determined from any data at hand, as 
 it covers life, endowment, tontine, and all other policies. This is 
 not presented to show that the companies are unduly expensive in 
 the pursuance of their plan, but for the sole purpose of showing that 
 our plan should justly be commended that it costs so much less to 
 secure practically the same results. 
 
 It may be said in answer to this that these companies have a re- 
 serve which we have not. This is conceded, but it is paid for in an- 
 other wa,y than through the expense account. If they and we were 
 each doing a plain term insurance where a reserve is not required and 
 the volume of business remains the same, our expenses would not 
 change materially, neither would theirs be less. 
 
 Trusting that the presentation here offered may be of interest 
 to^this Congress and of value to our fraternities at large, we are. 
 
 Respectfully, 
 
 J. E. Shepard, 
 D. E. Stevens, 
 M. W. Sackett, 
 Committee on Statistics. 
 
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 Woodmen of America. 
 
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Modern Woodmen of America. c 
 
 RECORD OF BENEFIT CERTIFICATES. 
 
 Year. 
 
 In force 
 beginning 
 of year. 
 
 Issued 
 during the 
 year. 
 
 Total 
 
 Discontin- 
 ued by 
 suspension. 
 
 Discontin- 
 ued by 
 death. 
 
 In force at 
 close 
 ofyear. 
 
 1883 
 
 
 562 
 788 
 3,694 
 4,706 
 . . 8,139 
 . . 11,943 
 . . 17,950 
 . . 12,354 
 . . 14,348 
 . . 25,139 
 . . 24,385 
 . . 36,584 
 
 562 
 
 . . 1,350 
 . . 4,966 
 . . 9,275 
 . . 16,438 
 . . 27,229 
 . . 42,930 
 . . 51,901 
 . . 57,042 
 . . 77,224 
 . . 97,029 
 .. 124,807 
 
 
 
 562 
 1,272 
 . . 4,569 
 . . 8,299 
 . . 15,286 
 . . 24,980 
 . . 39,-547 
 . . 42,694 
 . . 52,085 
 . . 72,&44 
 . . 88,223 
 .. 114,945 
 
 1S84 
 
 1885 
 
 1886 
 
 1887 
 
 1888 
 
 1889 
 
 1890 
 
 1891 
 
 1892 
 
 1893 
 
 1894 
 
 562 
 1,272 
 4,569 
 . . 8,299 
 . . 15,286 
 , 24,980 
 . . 39,547 
 , 42,694 
 , 52,085 
 . . 72,644 
 . . 88,223 
 
 76 
 391 
 954 
 
 . . 1,112 
 .. 2,164 
 . . 3,283 
 . . 8.991 
 4,671 
 4,251 
 . . 8.355 
 . . 9,335 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 22 
 40 
 85 
 100 
 216 
 286 
 329 
 451 
 527 
 
 Grand Totals, 
 
 160,592 
 
 43,583 
 
 2,064 
 
 114,945 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 Total number of certificates issued from January Sth, 1883, to December 
 
 31St, 1894 160,592 
 
 Totalmumber of suspensions 43,583 
 
 Total number of deaths 2,064 
 
 45,647 
 
 Total number of certificates in force December 31st, 1894 114,945 
 
 Increase". January 1st, 1894, to December 31st, 1894 26,722 
 
 MEMBERSHIP STATEMENT, JAN. 1, 1894, TO DEC. 31, 1894. 
 
 
 1893. 
 
 DEDUCTIONS. 
 
 ADDITIONS. 
 
 m 
 
 
 
 
 Qond 
 Jan. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Good 
 Dec 
 
 
 
 STATE. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 'embers 
 Standi 
 1st, m 
 
 verage 
 
 Tempor 
 Suspe 
 
 Deaths. 
 
 Total. 
 
 1 
 
 II 
 || 
 
 Ibtal. 
 
 
 veraae 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 37,817 
 
 38. 
 
 2,736 
 
 204 
 
 2,940 
 
 10,043 
 
 238 
 
 10,281 
 
 45,158 
 
 37 
 
 58 
 
 
 9,405 
 
 37.58 
 
 934 
 
 60 
 
 994 
 
 3,485 
 
 90 
 
 3,575 
 
 11,986 
 
 37 
 
 42 
 
 Wisconsin 
 
 9,756 
 
 36.70 
 
 662 
 
 60 
 
 722 
 
 4,109 
 
 
 4,171 
 
 13,205 
 
 36 
 
 28 
 
 Kansas 
 
 11,661 
 
 37.68 
 
 1,313 
 
 78 
 
 1,391 
 
 3,991 
 
 ti 
 
 4,072 
 
 14,342 
 
 37 
 
 21 
 
 Nebraska 
 
 11,098 
 
 36.94 
 
 2.030 
 
 71 
 
 2,101 
 
 4,925 
 
 165 
 
 5,090 
 
 14,087 
 
 36 
 
 47 
 
 Minnesota 
 
 3,412 
 
 35.92 
 
 415 
 
 15 
 
 466 
 
 3,062 
 
 28 
 
 3,090 
 
 6,036 
 
 34 
 
 60 
 
 South Dakota 
 
 1,281 
 
 36.18 
 
 211 
 
 
 218 
 
 644 
 
 18 
 
 662 
 
 1,725 
 
 35 
 
 90 
 
 North Dakota 
 
 401 
 
 33.86 
 
 136 
 
 3 
 
 139 
 
 804 
 
 5 
 
 809 
 
 1,071 
 
 32 
 
 60 
 
 
 2,765 
 
 36.30 
 
 435 
 
 22 
 
 457 
 
 1,934 
 
 30 
 
 1,964 
 
 4,272 
 
 35 
 
 73 
 
 
 627 
 
 32.87 
 
 427 
 
 7 
 
 434 
 
 2,870 
 
 
 2,870 
 
 3,063 
 
 32 
 
 90 
 
 Total, 
 
 88,223 
 
 37.53 
 
 9,335 
 
 527 
 
 9,862 
 
 35,867 
 
 717 
 
 36,584 
 
 114,945 
 
 36 
 
 99 
 
d Exhibit of Business Since Organization. 
 
 GENERAL FUND STATEMENT. 
 
 
 From Nov. 1, 1892, to 
 Dec. 31, 1893. 
 
 Frcmi Jan. 1, 189U to 
 Dec. 31, 189U. 
 
 Balance October 31st, 1892 
 
 
 
 $59,196.08 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 $ 62,922.17 
 
 Receipts — 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 $81,614 
 
 00 
 
 
 $ 99,801 
 
 00 
 
 
 
 14,949 
 
 15 
 
 
 37,350 
 
 98 
 
 — 
 
 
 1,691 
 
 00 
 
 98,254.15 
 
 1,681 
 
 50 
 
 188,833.48 
 
 
 
 
 157,450.23 
 
 
 
 201,755.65 
 
 Disbursements — 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2,833 
 
 30 
 
 
 2,499 
 
 98 
 
 
 Clerk hire, Head Clerk's office 
 
 8,852 
 
 43 
 
 
 9,671 
 
 59 
 
 
 
 1,473 
 
 19 
 
 
 1,557 
 
 54 
 
 
 Postage, Head Clerk's office 
 
 3,554 
 
 82 
 
 
 4,122 
 
 59 
 
 
 Salary Head Banker 
 
 750 
 
 00 
 
 
 600 
 
 00 
 
 
 Expense Head Banker's office 
 
 217 
 
 62 
 
 
 320 
 
 60 
 
 
 Salary Head Consul 
 
 2,862 
 
 43 
 
 
 1,999 
 
 92 
 
 
 Expense Head Consul's office 
 
 2,948 
 
 55 
 
 
 2,112 
 
 42 
 
 
 Board of Directors 
 
 . 8,183 
 
 54 
 
 
 6,009 
 
 44 
 
 
 Litigation 
 
 5,424 
 
 70 
 
 
 1,346 
 
 44 
 
 
 General expense 
 
 12,125 
 
 92 
 
 
 8,318 
 
 31 
 
 
 Modern Woodman, including third- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 class postage ■ 
 
 22,647 
 
 27 
 
 
 16,625 
 
 74 
 
 
 
 12,144 
 
 18 
 
 
 32,821 
 
 43 
 
 
 Furniture 
 
 122 
 
 85 
 
 
 654 
 
 93 
 
 
 Auditing Committee 
 
 457 
 
 51 
 
 
 540 
 
 74 
 
 
 
 273 
 
 25 
 
 
 134 
 
 74 
 
 
 Expense Field Work 
 
 
 
 
 12,949 
 
 23 
 
 102,285.64 
 
 Mileage and per diem Head Camp 1892 
 
 7,868 
 
 32 
 
 
 
 
 
 Expense Head Camp 1892 
 
 2,288 
 
 18 
 
 94,528.06 
 
 
 
 
 Balance December 31st, 1893 
 
 Balance December 31st, 1894 
 
 
 
 $62,922.17 
 
 
 
 $ 99,470.01 
 
 ASSESSMENTS LEVIED, CLAIMS PAID, AND AVERAGES. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Assess- 
 ned. 
 
 
 ibursed 
 •ies. 
 
 )ership, 
 
 io to 1,0 
 mbershi 
 
 3| 
 
 
 n Force 
 31st. 
 
 Year. 
 
 umber of 
 ments Lei 
 
 eath Claii 
 
 M 
 
 s s 
 gftq 
 
 btal Meml 
 Dec. 31st. 
 
 Death Rati 
 verage Me 
 
 er Capita 
 Managcm 
 
 verage Ag 
 
 isurance t 
 December 
 
 
 < 
 
 Ci 
 
 
 
 * ^ 
 
 
 
 
 1883 
 
 
 
 
 562 
 
 
 
 
 $ 1,180,000.00 
 
 1884 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 $ 696.88 
 
 1,272 
 
 .78 
 
 $ .72 
 
 38.05 
 
 2,590,000.00 
 
 1885 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 13,835.21 
 
 4,569 
 
 1.31 
 
 .68 
 
 37.46 
 
 9,594,000.00 
 
 
 7 
 
 22 
 
 40,519.59 
 
 8,299 
 
 2.65 
 
 1.31 
 
 36.25 
 
 17,000,000.00 
 
 1887 
 
 8 
 
 40 
 
 81,000.00 
 
 15,286 
 
 3.11 
 
 .94 
 
 35.40 
 
 32,080,000.00 
 
 1888 
 
 9 
 
 85 
 
 170,000.00 
 
 24,980 
 
 3.40 
 
 1.04 
 
 34.70 
 
 53,180,000.00 
 
 1889 
 
 8 
 
 100 
 
 222,616.70 
 
 39,547 
 
 2.52 
 
 1.62 
 
 33.00 
 
 83,048,000.00 
 
 1890 
 
 11 
 
 222 
 
 476,000.00 
 
 42,694 
 
 5.19 
 
 1.17 
 
 35.10 
 
 89,624,000.00 
 
 1891 
 
 11 
 
 238 
 
 500,800.00 
 
 52,085 
 
 5.12 
 
 .76 
 
 36.20 
 
 108,887,000.00 
 
 1892 
 
 11 
 
 341 
 
 695,000.00 
 
 72,644 
 
 5.17 
 
 .72 
 
 37.51 
 
 151,857,000.00 
 
 3893 
 
 11 
 
 428 
 
 906,200.00 
 
 88,223 
 
 5.41 
 
 .70 
 
 37.53 
 
 184,133,500.00 
 
 1894 
 
 11 
 
 531 
 
 1,104,500.00 
 
 114,945 
 
 5.08 
 
 .62 
 
 36.99 
 
 236,713,500.00 
 
 Total 
 
 
 2014 
 
 $4,211,168.38 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 *Computed upon deaths occurring, and not on claims allowed. 
 
Reserve Fund. 
 
 N this department the author has 
 compiled selections treating the re- 
 serve fund from both standpoints, 
 and submits a few introductory 
 thoughts, giving his own conclu- 
 sions on this question : 
 
 First. We are of the opinion that 
 every fraternal insurance society should in its infancy 
 lay aside a certain per cent of its benefit assessments to 
 be used in the future in reducing the cost to its member- 
 ship ; this would properly be called an emergency 
 fund." 
 
 Second. It follows, as night follows day, that the cost 
 of insurance in a fraternal society depends upon the 
 average age of the membership. If the average age of 
 the membership is known the cost of insurance is easily 
 determined. As a society grows older the average age 
 increases, and consequently the cost. As the years go by 
 it is impossible for any society to maintain such an im- 
 mense growth as to keep the average age at a standstill. 
 
 Third. The actuaries have made the estimate that the 
 actual cost of insurance, where the increase is steady and 
 is greater than the losses b}^ suspension and death, is 
 $10.00 for each $1,000 of insurance. Those who oppose 
 the reserve fund make the point that the cost of insur- 
 ance if carried by the Odd Fellows and Masons would 
 have been about this amount, and that these societies 
 have had a sufficient growth to have carried insurance at 
 about this cost without any reserve fund. But in this 
 argument one important factor is overlooked. New fra- 
 
152 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 ternal societies are constantlj^ being organized, and they 
 carry the members at an amount much less than $10.00 
 per year per $1,000. These young societies get the in- 
 crease in membership and the older and more costly 
 society quits growing, and consequently the cost of 
 insurance becomes too burdensome. If the cost of in- 
 surance of all societies was established at $10.00 per 
 $1,000, or if there^ was but one great society in the whole 
 country, no reserve fund would be needed. But it is the 
 competition of the younger societies that creates the ne- 
 cessity of some provision in the nature of an emergency 
 fund. 
 
 Fourth. While the society is young and the cost of 
 insurance small a certain per cent of the benefit fund 
 should be set aside each year. This accumulated em- 
 ergency fund would offer an inducement to younger men 
 to join the society. It could be used to keep the assess- 
 ments below a certain maximum limit. Properly invested 
 the interest would be a constantly growing accretion. 
 Members who failed to do their duty in paying assess- 
 ments and became suspended would leave behind them, 
 for the benefit of the more loyal members, the amounts 
 they had paid into the emergency fund. 
 
 Fifth. Fraternal insurance is a new force in the 
 history of the United States, but experience has already 
 taught us that as our societies grow older and are brought 
 into competition with younger societies the growth ceases 
 and the cost of insurance constantly increases. This rule 
 is inequitable. The only remedy is for the society when 
 young to provide for an emergency fund. It is true that 
 none of our societies, not even the oldest, is likely to 
 reach the cost of old-line insurance. These old-line 
 companies are no equal competitors to any fraternal 
 insurance society. 
 
The Woodman' s Hand-Booh. 153 
 A Reserve Fund for Fraternal Orders. 
 
 In the year 1888 the writer subscribed to views on this 
 subject expressed substantial!}^ as follows : 
 
 The accumulation and maintenance of a reserve fund 
 is not in harmony with the principles, the purposes, or 
 the methods of the system upon which a fraternal bene- 
 ficiary organization is founded. It is not necessary for its 
 success, perpetuity, or security. On the contrary, a careful 
 consideration of the question leads to the apprehension of 
 danger in a fund of sufficient magnitude to be worthy 
 the name of a reserve fund. A less fund will be attended 
 with many of the menacing evils and none of the corres- 
 ponding advantages of a reserve. The true mission of a 
 fraternal society is not merely the collection and distri- 
 bution of pecuniary benefits. It is to develop in the 
 lives and homes of the members character in its highest 
 and noblest significance. Its purpose is not alone nor as 
 its most important feature to protect the member's 
 family after his death, but to make him by the practice 
 of benevolent acts, the cultivation of his charitable in- 
 stincts, and the practice of the cardinal principles of his 
 order, a better man — a more worthy husband and father 
 — and his wife, sons, and daughters true women and men. 
 Faithful and persistent adherence to this idea and the 
 universal dissemination throughout the society's member- 
 ship of a strong fraternal sentiment will become a safe- 
 guard more reliable than a monetary reserve." 
 
 More than five years have passed since these views 
 were declared. They have been j^ears not uneventful in 
 the history of the beneficiary system. More and more as 
 the years come and go, each freighted with the lessons of 
 experience, do we become impressed with the necessity 
 of throwing around our associations all the protection 
 which the best business judgment demands. Is the re- 
 
154 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 serve fund an essential for absolute security ? This is 
 no new question, but it remains as yet without a satisfac- 
 tory answer. There is probably no advocate for a fund 
 possessing the characteristics of a reserve fund of the 
 insurance companies. The term more commonly used is 
 emergency fund. This is the statutory name in some 
 states for a fund compulsory upon assessment companies 
 for use in reduction of assessments, or in such other 
 equitable division or apportionment as the company's 
 rules or contracts may provide. It is conceded that those 
 who favor this emergency fund in a fraternal order pre- 
 sent strong reasons for the accuracy of their position. 
 The fact is undeniable that in the history of every society 
 there will in all probability be a time or times when such 
 a fund would prove a great relief, to the management at 
 least, in keeping the assessment rate equalized. The 
 advocates urge that its existence will increase the confi- 
 dence of the membership and insure their stability as 
 members ; that with such a fund always available death 
 benefits will be paid with greater promptness, and mem- 
 bers be the less likely to withdraw because of the greater 
 pecuniary value of membership. Perhaps the name 
 itself implies nearly all which can be said in its favor. 
 The term emergency " explains the reason for the 
 fund's existence. 
 
 The question again recurs — do we need such a fund ? 
 Will the emergency come ? and if so, may there not be 
 other sufficient resources to meet it ? 
 
 The question is one of much importance, and ought to 
 be decided correctly. The interests involved are im- 
 mense. 
 
 The estimated membership of the fraternal orders ex- 
 ceeds 1,500,000. If the average certificate is $2,000, the 
 protection promised to the beneficiaries of our system is 
 almost inconceivable in magnitude. Many persons are 
 members of several societies, and yet it may not be ex- 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 155 
 
 travagant to claim that at least there are 500,000 indi- 
 viduals who are depending for the sacred object of home 
 protection solely upon the perpetuity of some one fra- 
 ternal society. The blessings of education, the com- 
 forts of life, the difference between possible destitution 
 and sufficiency for the daily wants of life for half a mil- 
 lion homes, at least, depend upon the success of this 
 system. It is no child's play, therefore, for the diyersion 
 of the hour that the lodge-room is opened and its work 
 performed. The highest wisdom of every friend of fra- 
 ternity must therefore be in continual exercise to protect 
 the system and throw around it ever}^ possible safeguard. 
 
 Fully realizing such responsibility, and weighing with 
 due consideration this as one of the vital questions, I feel 
 constrained to still adhere to the opinions hereinbefore 
 expressed, that a reserve fund is not consonant to tlie 
 fraternal system, even when it partakes of the character 
 of an emergency fund. 
 
 One substantial objection is, that as a rule the men 
 best fitted to manage and successfully conduct our orders 
 are not financiers. It is no discredit to them or their 
 abilities to advance this statement. In fact there are few- 
 men who by nature, education, or experience prove them- 
 selves such. It is one thing to collect assessments, how- 
 ever large they ma}^ be, keep them securely deposited in 
 safe banking institutions until disbursed under the ordi- 
 nary mortuary demands, and quite another to invest with 
 discretion, sagacity, and absolute safety the millions which 
 would constitute even a moderate emergenc}^ fund of such 
 orders as the Ancient Order of United Workmen, Knights 
 of Honor, or the Royal Arcanum. The supreme bodies 
 of each of these magnificent fraternities are composed of 
 men, not only of commanding abilities in their several 
 vocations, but also skilled in the special work of a frater- 
 nal order. Furthermore, they are men of high integrity, 
 and for the most part devoted heart and mind to the 
 
156 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 noble work for which they have all labored earnestly and 
 in many cases made great sacrifices. And yet from the 
 more than two hundred members composing these three 
 supreme bodies would it be easy to select suitable com- 
 mitees, with financial experience, skill, and sagacity to 
 properly manage such a fund and maintain as should be 
 its adequate investment ? These supreme bodies under 
 our system are representative in their character. The fra- 
 ternal order gives to every member, by delegated au- 
 thority, voice in its management. This is an essential 
 and valuable feature, and cannot — should not — be 
 abandoned. Consequently the fitting selection to properly 
 financier our fund to-day may be changed in the next 
 year. One careless or injudicious committee may undo 
 the work of years of wiser predecessors. 
 
 It may be said that orders when they have found a 
 satisfactory treasurer or finance committee re-elect year 
 after year, thus rendering the position reasonably perma- 
 nent. Tliis is true ; nevertheless there is a possibility of 
 and the power to change. A fair view of this question 
 must give due weight to the foregoing objection. 
 
 It may not be inopportune nor uninstructive to recall 
 in this connection the losses which have resulted from 
 unfortunate investments by those charged with the care of 
 the immense sums in the hands of great insurance cor- 
 porations, who are, presumably, selected for their especial 
 fitness for such work. Disasters are not unknown to fol- 
 low the efforts, in similar directions, of those considered 
 financial f^xperts of deservedly high reputation. AVhile 
 large business corporations, insurance and others, have 
 withstood such losses and maintained their credit, would 
 this be true of a fraternal order ? We depend upon the 
 confidence and fraternal co-operation of a large and 
 widely-scattered membership. A portion of such mem- 
 bership of no inconsiderable consequence do not keep too 
 well informed of the work in hand or the true condition 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 157 
 
 of affairs. Viewed through the lenses of ignorance, of 
 misconception, or of misrepresentation, a small disaster 
 may become magnified or distorted. A loss of funds, 
 either, by dishonesty or unskillful handling, will shake 
 that confidence so essential to success. The injury which 
 loss of a portion of the fund may, through apprehension 
 and fear, create, wull be greater in proportion than any 
 increase of confidence produced by the existence of the 
 fund itself. 
 
 The requirement of the fraternal order to-day is not so 
 much the emergency fund as the education of its mem- 
 bership to a perfect realization of the order's true prin- 
 ciples, its real aim.s, its usefulness, its power to do good 
 to its members and their families, its helpfulness in 
 charitable and benevolent pathways, and of the subord- 
 ination of the insurance feature, as such, to its higher 
 potencies and influences. In other w^ords, the theory of 
 our societies being that the real reserve fund lies in their 
 fraternity, the membership must be persistently taught 
 this truth, and by repeated lessons and advice thoroughly 
 imbued with this sentiment. Mutual aid and co-opera- 
 tion is the member's constant duty. If our system con- 
 tinues to work as it has hitherto worked with marvelous 
 success, we need no emergency fund. The emergency 
 certainly has not yet arisen. With painstaking effort to 
 preserve in practice and in harmonious development, 
 the theory upon whicli have been reared these magnifi- 
 cent associations of men, the emergeficy will never occur. 
 The duty of the hour, therefore, lies not so much in the 
 accumulation of a monetary reserve as in a more liberal 
 and an increasing expenditure of money to educate every 
 member to justly appreciate what he owes to his order, 
 and what it can and will do for him and his if he will 
 be receptive to its beneficial influences. There should 
 be no hesitation on the part of members to contribute 
 freely and abundantly for, and the governing bodies and 
 
158 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 their officers should devote their untiring energies to- 
 wards, this object, and thus will be constructed, upon 
 enduring foundations, which no emergency can shake, 
 the true reserve of our s^^stem, in harraony ever with its 
 aims and principles, /ra^erm^^. — John Haskell Butler, in 
 the Mutual Underwriter. 
 
 We reproduce above an article written by John 
 Haskell Butler on A Reserve Fund for Fraternal 
 Orders." It is certainly well presented, bristles with ar- 
 guments in favor of the non-reserve system, and perhaps 
 will be received with unqualified approval by such ex- 
 ponents. But does not Mr. Butler fail to grasp the situa- 
 tion in its various aspects ? He says : 
 
 ''And yet, from the more than two hundred members 
 composing these three supreme bodies (Workmen, 
 Knights of Honor, and Arcanum), would it be easy to 
 select suitable committees with financial experience, skill, 
 and sagacity to properly manage such a fund and main- 
 tain as it should be its adequate investment ? These 
 supreme bodies under our system are representative in 
 their character. The fraternal order gives to every mem- 
 ber, by delegated authority, voice in its management. 
 This is an essential and valuable feature, and cannot — 
 should not — be abandoned. Consequently the fitting 
 selection to properly financier our fuud to-day may be 
 changed in the next year. One careless or injudicious 
 committee may undo the work of years of wiser prede- 
 cessors." 
 
 To our thinking, such a position is calculated to ma- 
 terially retard the progress and proper development of 
 fraternal insurance. It must be humiliating to one of an 
 American turn of mind to have such a distrust of demo- 
 cratic representative methods of government. The idea 
 that wisdom has gone out of the people, and in some 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 159 
 
 mysterious way been lodged in the heads of a few per- 
 sons, hardly seems to be consonant with the underlying 
 principles of the system ; and yet this is preached by 
 men who are supposed to be champions. One of the 
 lessons the fraternities have to teach the country is tliat 
 democratic government of insurance and other financial 
 institutions is safe, economical, stable, and conservative, 
 and that the fact of sweeping changes being possible is 
 a safety-valve for any organization. If there is a pos- 
 sibility of and the power to change the management of 
 an organization, it will be less at the mercy of selfish fac- 
 tions than otherwise. No one would endeavor to in- 
 augurate a change unless for cause. If such a change is 
 not possible cabals have an organization at their mercy. 
 
 But, aside from considerations of policy and the prin- 
 ciples of co-operation, there is another phase in which 
 this matter should be viewed. The belief that emergency 
 reserves should not be created for fraternal organizations, 
 for the reason that it would not be easy to select com- 
 mitees with the skill and sagacity necessary to manage 
 them, does not meet the proposition squarely. It is an 
 evasion. It seeks to avoid a condition rather than to 
 confront it fairly and squarely. 
 
 If a reserve is necessary to perpetuate an organization 
 and maintain its calls upon the membership at an uni- 
 form rate, considerations of policy should not be allowed 
 to e::ert too much influence. The question to be con- 
 sidered is, how can the best safeguards be thrown around 
 it ? To avoid its creation for these reasons would be 
 simply to postpone action. An emergency reserve is either 
 necessary or it is not. If it is not, considerations of ex- 
 perienced skill and sagacity should not enter into its dis- 
 cussion. We believe the past has shown the advisability, 
 if not the necessity, of the creation of a snug reserve to 
 guard against unforseen contingencies, to preserve the 
 entity of an organization, and to attain the degree of 
 
160 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 efficiency which should always be present. This being the 
 case, the size of the reserve and the manner in which it 
 should be invested w^ould be the proper subject to con- 
 sider. We think Mr. Butler has evaded direct issue on 
 this question in the article referred to. — Fraternal Moni- 
 tor. 
 
 Either forward or backward ; there is no middle course 
 to be followed by an order. To push the work in all di- 
 rections, to add new forces, new ideas, new factors and 
 promoters means success and achievement. To stand 
 still means to retrograde. When an order begins to lose 
 enthusiasm, wdien nothing is done by the supreme 
 governing body to inculcate new ideas and new life into 
 the corporate body of the organization, then it can be 
 truthfully said that it is approaching the danger line, if 
 not disruption ; it does not stand still, it retrogrades. 
 
 No body of men is better cognizant of this potent fact 
 than are the managers of the old-line life insurance com- 
 panies ; and the greater the company the greater the 
 efforts to revivify and reanimate the body by infusing 
 new plans of operation and new wares to offer the public. 
 True, a great many old-line companies have failed — eight 
 hundred, in round numbers. These failures, however, can 
 largely be attributed to connivance and machinations at 
 the hands of those wdiose duty it was to exercise super- 
 visory powers. But we do not wish to enter into the 
 relative merits of old-line and fraternal insurance, or test 
 the standards of honesty, morality^ and probity that 
 should be possessed by the leaders of both systems, but 
 we w^ish to say loudly, clearly, and emphatically to all 
 fraternal men to keep ever on the watch for methods and 
 manners that are not only new but that have merit in 
 them. Old methods surely have and have had their 
 merit and due meed of praise and use. The fraternal 
 * system of to-day has evoluted through many phases since 
 
State Deputies. 
 
 3. Charles L. Ward, Ellendale, N. D. 
 
 4. Joseph B. Thoburn, Peabody, Kas. 
 
 1. William A. Rodenberg, East St. Louis, 111. 
 
 2. F. R. Van Slyke, Madison, S. D. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 161 
 
 its inception to the plane it occupies, and consequently 
 the modus operandi must evolute in like ratio. Putting 
 the question plainly and squarely without a quibble, why 
 do people join fraternities nowadays ? The answer comes 
 back forcefully — ''for the insurance and protection." 
 In its incipiency the unselfish fraternal idea may have 
 animated and prompted most applicants ; to-day it is for 
 a business reason. And can the membership be charged 
 with mercenary motives for this ? Hardly. The orders 
 now solicit through paid deputies members upon this 
 basis, and hence they must cope with the monopolistic 
 concerns to furnish at a better rate what they promise. 
 
 In the last issue of the Monitor a contributor of national 
 reputation inveighed against fraternal orders accumulat- 
 ing a reserve fund, contending that true fraternity was 
 not based on business principles of that sort, but was a 
 loving Charitas, and as such a mercenary proceeding 
 such as creating this sum would be odious and distasteful. 
 Already a number of intelligent writers of all shades 
 have taken issue with him on this, and shown him that 
 he was certainly befogged in his ideas of the scope of the 
 fraternity of io-daj. The need of this modern concomi- 
 tant of insurance is beginning to be seriously felt by the 
 older class of orders. These orders when begun were 
 hardly constructed scientifically, but based on the broad 
 principles of humanity. To-day they are opening their 
 eyes to a dwindling membership and increased assess- 
 nients. In illustration we will cite the Ancient Order of 
 United Workmen. This is one of the oldest post mortem 
 organizations in the country. Like most others organized 
 at the time it made no limitation provision as to the 
 number of assessments per year, but as its membership 
 was then in the prime of manhood and the death rate 
 correspondingly low, this was either not considered at all 
 or only given cursory thought. Now that the organiza- 
 tion has passed through a number of decades it has ac- 
 
 11 
 
162 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 cumulated a vast experience. Instead of resorting to an 
 absolute reserve fund it has taken recourse to a system of 
 relief fund. Every grand jurisdiction is limited to a 
 stated number of assessments per year, graded, apparently, 
 upon the average age of the membership as well as the 
 general salubrity of the local climate. Should the num- 
 ber of deaths in any one year exceed the stipulated 
 number for the jurisdiction, then the Supreme Body pays 
 the same from its relief fund. This system has not 
 worked to the eminent satisfaction of the membership, 
 and at the last gathering of the Supreme Body it was 
 modified with the hope that it would amply meet all re- 
 quirements and expectations. The upshot of the whole 
 matter with this grand organization, as well as others con- 
 structed on varying lines, is that a permanent reserve will 
 have to be created. If this is not done then fraternities 
 will ere long be divided into those of the young and those 
 of the old. Instead of each paying its protection equitably, 
 as the purport is, the younger element will be compelled 
 to carry in addition to its own load a fair portion of the 
 older, too — which is inequitable and fraught with dis- 
 aster in the long run. Once more, imbibe new ideas, 
 brethren ! Take example from the enemy, and the light 
 of true fraternity will ever continue to shine as a beacon 
 for those seeking safety in thy harbor. — Exchange. 
 
 Views of Dr. Bemis. 
 
 The monthly meeting of the University Historical and 
 Political Science association was held at the university 
 law building last evening. Dr. E. W. Bemis, of the 
 University of Chicago, lectured before the association on 
 the subject of assessment life insurance. The lecturer 
 
The Woodman' s Hand-Booh. 
 
 163 
 
 traced the history of business assessment companies, of 
 fraternal insurance companies which have no lodges, and 
 of those which have. He showed how they start usually 
 with a very low death rate of perhaps six or eight out of 
 every thousand members, and found that the rate in- 
 creased gradually to twelve, and even in a few cases to 
 sixteen in every thousand. Even then the cost is less 
 than in old-line companies, and no fraternal insurance 
 association of national character and based on lodge 
 features was ever known to fail. But the danger is that new 
 assessment companies constantly starting with less mor- 
 tality may attract the healthier and younger members of 
 the older companies, thus involving them in abnormally 
 high and fatal cost from high death rate. But it was 
 shown how some of the best assessment companies are 
 trying to guard against this with fair prospects of success 
 by grading assessments more scientifically, according to 
 the age at which new members will be admitted. The 
 €Ost of management in fraternal, or even in business 
 assessment companies is necessarily less than in old-line 
 companies, which have to guard an enormous invested 
 fund. The assessment system of insurance is especially 
 healthful to those who only desire insurance from about 
 the age of thirty to that of fifty-five, and are willing to in- 
 vest in a good building and loan association or otherwise 
 from year to year the diff'erence between the expense of 
 an old-line policy and that of a business assessment com- 
 pany. Such a person could afford at the age of fifty-five, 
 if alive, to drop all insurance and yet be better off" in 
 most cases than one insured in an old-line company. 
 But the latter, it must be admitted, provides at present a 
 more secure insurance for old age than the assessment 
 companies. The old-line companies have adopted many 
 improvements through competition and example of assess- 
 ment companies. Finally , the lecturer held that no state 
 insurance could expect to be cheaper than the best 
 
164 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 assessment insurance, perhaps not quite as cheap ; but it 
 could be made more secure, and might be an excellent 
 thing for accidents, at least in our factories and workshops, 
 but with some provision for the wage-workers as well as 
 the employers, and the state to bear a considerable share 
 of the expense. State regulation and strict enforcement 
 of wise laws, of which Massachusetts furnishes the best 
 example, should be had in matters of insurance of all 
 kinds in every state of the union. — Madison (Wis.) 
 Democrat. 
 
 Reserve Funds and their Investment, 
 
 Among the questions which come up for solution at the 
 hands of those having in charge the conduct of fraternal 
 organizations — and there is quite a number of them — 
 there is none which requires more careful and painstak- 
 ing consideration than the handling of the reserve fund. 
 Indeed, this is supposed to be the keynote of the whole 
 situation, the success of an organization and its valid 
 claims to public consideration being weakened or 
 strengthened in proportion to its ability to refer to it and 
 its accumulating power as the nucleus of a fund to be 
 used at stated intervals to assist in taking care of the 
 maturing obligations due those who have persisted and 
 remained faithful during the allotted time. 
 
 The fraternal system of co-operation, as operated to- 
 day, is in the nature of a revolt against the old-line sys- 
 tem of furnishing benefits at a given time or at death. 
 It is a rebuke to the excessive charges of the latter, both 
 as regards the conduct of its business and the benefits it 
 affords. There is danger, therefore, unless certain car- 
 dinal principles are kept ever in view, that in endeavor- 
 ing to avoid the Scylla of old-line extortion the fraternal 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 165 
 
 system may run afoul the Charybdis of " something for 
 nothing." • Both of these extremes are to be avoided. 
 The co-operative dollar has no greater paying capacity 
 than has that of any other system. It, however, is on a 
 parity with anything else — a fact which some of the op- 
 ponents of co-operation apparently view with suspicion. 
 The vital element of dissimilarity between the two sys- 
 tems is this : The old-line system creates two funds 
 where only one is necessary. Its one element embodied 
 in computing its schedule of rates meets its current lia- 
 bility as it ensues. The other element, known as a legal 
 reserve, comprises a fund which improved at a very low 
 rate of interest reaches the maximum of the polic}^ obli- 
 gation at the age of ninety-six years. It is a manifest 
 absurdity to provide for two contingencies when only one 
 can occur. The member is bound to die eventually. 
 This mortality element takes care of this contingency, no 
 matter whether it occurs before or after the time set down 
 by the tables of life expectancy. The reserve, therefore, 
 is an element which must always be kept intact. If it is 
 encroached upon the company is insolvent, and instead 
 of being a source of strength it is an element of weakness. 
 The fact that lapses occur cuts no figure in computing 
 the cost. On the contrary, the fraternal system of co- 
 operation eschews this element of reserve. For its cer- 
 tificates which mature at a given time it lays aside a fixed 
 amount from each payment to equalize the cost in after 
 years and to create the nucleus referred to above. It, 
 however, is in no sense a legal reserve as held by the old- 
 line companies, and the difference between these two ele- 
 ments constitutes one of the elements of saving in favor 
 of the fraternal system. Another item which cuts no 
 small figure in reducing the cost to members is that of 
 expense. An old-line company uses twenty-five per cent 
 of its receipts for expenses ; thirty-five per cent for mor- 
 tuary losses, and forty per cent for reserve. It thus will 
 
166 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 be seen that seventy per cent of* the amount required to 
 meet obligations is consumed in expenses — ^ a ratio which 
 can hardly be said to inure to the profit of the member. 
 
 The next question to be considered is that of reserve. 
 The vast unnecessary accumulations required under the 
 old-line system render the proper investment of these a 
 matter of great moment and solicitude to those operating 
 under it. The fact that this is only computed on a four 
 per cent basis shows that it is unwieldy ; the further fact 
 that the major portion of this reserve is invested in un- 
 productive securities or stocks subject to the manipula- 
 tion of those who can see nothing wrong in inflating or 
 depreciating them to meet their wishes is also a serious 
 menace to their security. These considerations com- 
 bined, a four per cent rate of profit and a twenty-five per 
 cent expense rate, show that this reserve is not very pro- 
 lific in furnishing an increase to those whose money is 
 invested. 
 
 We will now refer to the reserves lieldby the fraternal 
 societies. These, of course, are small in comparison with 
 old-line reserves, and yet it behooves the organizations 
 possessing them to make them as productive as possible. 
 In the handling of this fund the following considerations 
 should be observed : The keeping intact of this fund 
 until required for the purposes for which it was created ; 
 the placing of safeguards around it ; the methods to be 
 employed to cause it to produce the maximum ratio of 
 gain at the minimum liability of loss, and the placing of 
 it where it can be gotten at when needed without the 
 hazard of loss in consequence of an urgent realization 
 on it. 
 
 In looking over the plans of the orders we find that 
 some of them have treated this subject in a manner which 
 indicates that those having their affairs in charge desire 
 to avoid all the responsibility possible as to their invest- 
 ment. They either have investing committees whose 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 167 
 
 opinions are absolute in this matter, or the}^ delegate their 
 powers to some trust company which pays them a small 
 ratio of profit, and carries the balance over to the profit 
 side of its own account. This may be the proper way to 
 view the matter, and again it may not be. AVe are in- 
 clined to believe that it is not. We will concede that it is a 
 great relief as to responsibility, and that those so doing 
 are only actuated by the idea of insuring the absolute 
 safety of the funds entrusted to them. There, however, 
 is another point of view. The supreme lodge of an or- 
 ganization in handling matters entrusted to it has an 
 important duty to perform. It has assumed the responsi- 
 bility of handling its affairs in all their details in a man- 
 ner which it believes will best subserve the interests of 
 the membership. Therefore when it delegates to other 
 institutions the care of its investments it to a certain ex- 
 tent curtails its own prerogatives, and while there may 
 be a fancied avoidance of responsibility, there is really 
 none should loss ensue by reason of its having placed in 
 the hands of others the duties which properly devolved 
 upon it. AVe will agree that the handling of reserve 
 funds is a great responsibility, and that only orthodox 
 business methods should obtain in fulfilling it. — Selected. 
 
 The Natural Premium as Applied to 
 Fraternal Insurance, 
 
 The subject I nave selected for this paper is as old as 
 is insurance upon lives. 
 
 Of the natural premium I can tell you nothing new, or 
 anything you do not already know, but I trust I may, in 
 applying it to our work as developed from year to year, 
 
168 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 present it in such a manner that it may not be entirely 
 devoid of interest, and possibly may have some value. 
 If you shall agree with me that our work is mutual as- 
 surance on human lives, then my point of departure is 
 at once determined. If you do not admit the premise, I 
 must establish it, and therefore a few words in answer to 
 any possible denial that we do an insurance business. 
 Every order here promises protection to tlie family of a 
 deceased brother, and that protection is the payment of 
 a sum of money. We fix the amount ; we assert that the 
 payment is certain if the obligations are kept. In " fact," 
 we agree to make certain the protection, and in 'Maw" 
 covenant, and are bound by the law to pay, a specified 
 sum at death. We "assure," we 'Mnake certain," and no 
 insurance company of any kind does more or less than 
 this ; therefore, to all intents and purposes, our business 
 is mutual assurance on the assessment plan, and any 
 fundamental law or principle that underlies and governs 
 insurance on lives certainly applies to us. 
 
 As far as the law of mortality extends, so far at least 
 we are in the same boat with our friends — the enemy," 
 otherwise known as old-line companies. We criticise 
 them, and deservedly so ; but do we always draw the line 
 where criticism is no longer legitimate ; the work they 
 do is admirable ; the way they do it is our cause of quar- 
 rel. 
 
 From their experience we may, if we will, derive most 
 valuable information, and as it lies ready to our hand I 
 submit it should be utilized b};^ every fraternal order. 
 Then should we better know ourselves, could clearer read 
 our future, and knowing in great part what must come, 
 could lay our plans to meet it with greater skill. 
 
 The natural cost of $1,000 insurance for each year of 
 life is a readily-computed sum, and from the mortality 
 tables we find it for the several ages, and this cost is the 
 natural premium on well-selected lives. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 169 
 
 So far the old and the new run in common lines, but 
 right here in practice begins a wide divergence. None 
 of the fraternal orders collect the natural cost of the in- 
 surance, or anything to provide for tlie future by equaliz- 
 ing, or rather by distributing, the burden between the 
 earlier and the later years of each particular life. On 
 the contrary, the old-line companies do collect in full, 
 and add an amount to be credited to the reserve of each 
 particular policy, thereby making each member a co- 
 insurer on his own life to the amount of the reserve, and 
 then pile on a loading for expenses and contingencies. 
 We confine ourselves to the natural premiums. They 
 adopt the level premium. 
 
 In the wide departure from their plan lies the secret of 
 our success thus far in giving maximum insurance at 
 minimum cost, and that success is the more remarkable 
 that it has been secured in direct violation of all rules of 
 precedent. 
 
 We have therefore collected what money we needed, 
 and disregarded in great part the law of mortality, and 
 year by year our assessments have become more frequent, 
 until now the natural premium may profitably and un- 
 derstandingly be applied as a test of our true condition.— 
 J. E. Shepard. 
 
 Increase the Assessments. 
 
 The Monitor would belie its name and avowed policy 
 were it not to call attention to the errors which it believes 
 obtain in the system of ante-mortem benefits. One of 
 these lies in the fact that not a few of the orders rely too 
 much upon increase of membership. They do not assess 
 enough and they thus throw themselves open to the 
 gravest charge which can be made against them. It is 
 only a matter of justice that every member who is a 
 
170 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 beneficiary shonld pay the exact cost of what he receives. 
 Funds not required for immediate use should be invested 
 securely and at the highest rate of interest consistent 
 with safet3^ This w^ill afford a means of reducing the 
 burden of assessments and will not throw the fraternities 
 open to the accusation of " robbing Peter to pay Paul." 
 
 The Monitor was discussing the system with an old-line 
 insurance official recently, and he admitted that it could 
 pay its benefits indefinitely provided it charged at the 
 rate of about $500 during a period of seven years for each 
 $1,000 benefit stipulated. This is nearer the actual cost 
 than is the rate of assessment now in vogue in certain 
 quarters. No one offers the objection that the return to 
 persistent members is not adequate for the investment. 
 The difficulty is to convince people how such, returns can 
 be attained, and this being the case, it is a short-sighted 
 policy for an organization to stand in its own light when 
 greater results could be had on a basis that will equalize 
 the burden among the entire membership. 
 
 The number of assessments should be regulated by the 
 approximated amount necessary to meet obligations after 
 the maturing period shall have been reached. It is 
 an error to presume that there is time for this when the 
 maturities begin. The earlier years is the time in which 
 to create a snug reserve with which to reduce the cost in 
 later years. The first members should not receive bene- 
 fits at a nominal cost, leaving those who come in later to 
 pay more. Each year's business creates its own liabili- 
 ties, and each year should place in reserve its equity of 
 the cost when such liabilities mature. The mortuary so- 
 cieties made a similar mistake in the earlier years of 
 their existence, and, while such a course has not been 
 fatal, it has served the purpose of increasing the cost of 
 the protection they afford. 
 
 Now is the time when the fraternities should make pro- 
 vision for the future. Nor, in doing so, would they add 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 171 
 
 any undue burden to their membership. Indeed, we be- 
 lieve there. would be far more confidence created were this 
 to obtain. The members would have no occasion to fear 
 for later years. They would be assured that these were 
 taken care of. They would go in for legitimate results 
 from legitimate methods. 
 
 Besides, th^ enemy would be shorn of its power to suc- 
 cessfully combat fraternalism. Law-makers would look 
 upon it with more favor. The system would be elevated 
 to a higher plane, and would commend itself more gen- 
 erally to a better class of people. This matter lies with 
 the fraternities themselves, and we trust they will look at 
 it squarely and honestly. — Fraternal Monitor. 
 
 That Reserve Fund Again. 
 
 Beloit, Wis., June 27th, 1892. 
 
 Editor Modern Woodman : 
 
 Esteemed Neighbor : The writer notes with interest 
 the article by Neighbor F. AV. Stevens, on the question 
 of Reserve Fund." It is a timely and interesting 
 article. In the opinion of the writer, the subject is one 
 to call forth the best thought of the intelligent and think- 
 ing memberr^ of our order. 
 
 Neighbor Stevens claims he is getting full value every 
 time he pays an assessment," and we doubt if there is a 
 member of the order that will disagree with him. Neigh- 
 bor S. recommends the member who is seeking a reserve 
 fund to lay up something for a rainy day, and thereby 
 establish his own reserve fund." This advice is good, 
 and we doubt not every man who reads the article will 
 say, amen. Every man ought to lay up against a rainy 
 day." 
 
172 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 Says Neighbor S. : A large reserve fund in societies 
 serves only as a bone of contention." The writer of this 
 article would be extremely sorry to see any element in- 
 jected into the order that would be the cause of a bone 
 of contention." Under proper restrictions, however, the 
 Modern Woodmen of America reserve fund could never 
 become a bone of contention, nor could there ever be any 
 cause of dispute how it should be expended or invested. 
 Our idea would be to have the reserve fund invested in 
 government bonds, the interest of which only should be 
 used, except in cases of extraordinary emergenc}^ when 
 it might become necessary to use it for the purpose for 
 which it was created, i. e., the payment of death claims. 
 
 Now, the average Woodman when he enters our order 
 has a certain expectancy of life- — it may be ten, twenty, 
 thirty, or even forty years. The great mass of the mem- 
 bers have joined, why ? because it has been represented 
 that they can get cheap insurance. In entering a fraternal 
 insurance order one should look to the future, when we 
 who are in the prime of life to-day are on the down-hill 
 side of life. What does the Modern Woodmen of America 
 promise for the future ? Neighbor Stevens may say, as 
 some of my own near Neighbors have said, let the 
 morrow care for itself ; give me cheap insurance to-day 
 and I will run my risk of the m.orrow." This may be 
 and possibly is good fraternal insurance, but is it good 
 logic ? 
 
 Under our present system a man who joins our order 
 and dies within one or five years gets very cheap insur- 
 ance, and we who live out our expectancy must pay a 
 proportionate increase as the years roll by to provide for 
 these early deaths. This feature is not as yet excessively 
 objectionable, but the ratio will increase yearly, and it is 
 the reserve fund that must come in play to protect the 
 long-lived members, by making a provision by which 
 those members who die early will leave a proportionate 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 173 
 
 share of assessments which will go into this reserve fund 
 and thus -lessen the assessment on those who enjoy a 
 " long and prosperous life." 
 
 What is needed is not cheap insurance " to-day, but 
 w^hat will continue to be cheap insurance long after you 
 and the writer have gone to join the silent majority. 
 Neighbor Stevens hits the nail square on the head when 
 he says : If the majority of the members in a society 
 get old, the death rate is bound to increase." It is just 
 here where the reserve fund comes in play. Keep your 
 assessments low and the new blood will continue to flow 
 in in a steady, ever-increasing stream. Let the old 
 age " assessment get in its perfect work and the effect is 
 soon perceptible in the young blood," and then, alas for 
 you and I, who have clung to our fraternal society 
 through good and evil report — we find ourselves in the 
 evening of life perhaps unable to meet the increase in the 
 assessments, or perhaps unwilling, and the membership 
 suffers a rapid decline and the assessments go up the 
 sliding-scale in the same proportion. 
 
 Take warning from other societies, and provide the 
 Modern Woodman of America with a guarantee against 
 the almost certain increase in the death ratio to the cor- 
 responding decrease in the membership, caused by in- 
 creased assessments. Keep the assessments low and new 
 members will continue to flock to our standard. 
 
 The above is only the opinion of one humble member 
 of the order, who is desirous of seeing the order of Modern 
 Woodman of America continue on its present highway of 
 prosperity for a century to come, and longer. 
 Fraternally yours, 
 
 F. F. LiVERMORE, 
 
 Beloit Camp, No. S4.8. 
 
174 The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 The Reserve Fund, 
 
 MoLiNE, III., August 21st, 1892. 
 Editor Modern Woodman : 
 
 My Dear Sir : I am pleased to see that the question 
 of a " Reserve Fund " is being agitated, and heartily side 
 with Neighbor Livermore, of No. 348. 
 
 I am fifty-six years of age, have been in " a number 
 of assessment companies the past twenty years — some 
 of which have ''gone to the wall" — and I am forced to 
 the conclusion that it is as much the duty of the fra- 
 ternal insurance order to ''lay by something for a rainy 
 day " in its early, vigorous, and prosperous days as it is 
 the duty of the man who starts out in life in vigor, vim, 
 and hopefulness to carve for himself a fortune and posi- 
 tion. 
 
 What are the results of a failure so to do ? 
 
 First, with the man : He engages in the activities of 
 life ; he may be successful and acquire a competency ; 
 the chances are in his favor for fifteen or twenty years. 
 How many in each one hundred succeed ? Those who 
 do are all right, but what of those who fail ? Age creeps 
 on ; each year it is more difficult for them to earn the 
 comforts of life. If sickness or misfortune overtake 
 them, they become a charge upon their relatives or com- 
 munity. Here is where a reserve, " laid by for a rainy 
 day," would help to tide over" the emergency and carry 
 him along comfortably the balance of his days. 
 
 Secondly, with the society : When young and vigorous, 
 and in its days of prosperity, we all rejoice at the low 
 cost of insurance ; how easy it is to draw in new mem- 
 bers ! Such low rates were never before known, and 
 speedily we mount up to thirty thousand, forty thousand, 
 sixty thousand members ! Our order is young, we have 
 a low death rate, are only in healthy sections — now is 
 
The Woodman's Hand- Book. 
 
 175 
 
 the time to lay a little by for a rainy day. We'll hardly 
 miss it. By and by, when assessments come upon us 
 thicker (and they surely will), we can occasionally draw 
 upon our reserve and " ease up " a little, and all will go 
 along smoothly, with no one to grumble at the increasing 
 assessments, and threaten to ''drop out" if they continue 
 at that rate. 
 
 Do you doubt that the assessments will increase as the 
 order increases in age ? Let me warn you of your folly. 
 I am a member of a similar association Avhich has not 
 yet celebrated its twentieth anniversary. When I united 
 fourteen years ago my assessments were about $18 per 
 annum ; now they cost me $30 ! The order maintains its 
 numerical strength, too ; in fact, increases a little, and 
 numbers over one hundred thousand. But men of 
 twenty-five who Avent into it at the start are now over 
 forty years old, and the older ones are fast being 
 gathered home," while the new ones barely keep up the 
 average membership. If this society had made a few 
 extra assessments for a '' rainy day " when it was only 
 costing us $18 per annum, it would to-da}^ have a reserve 
 from which it could draw sufficient to reduce the cost 
 from $30, as I now pay, to $25 or $26, and there would 
 be no one to find fault at the cost ; for when we can ob- 
 tain insurance at $9 to $12 per $1,000 at the age of thirty 
 we are getting a good thing, and ought to take it. Let 
 us have a reserve fund carefully (sacredly) invested, not 
 to be touched, as Neighbor Livermore says, except in 
 ^' extraordinary emergencies." It need not be too large — 
 can accumulate very gradually, and will ''not be felt" as 
 a burden to be paid by any jSTeighbor, only something 
 laid by to which all will be entitled to a due proportion, 
 and it will be a stimulant to our continuity ; we'll have 
 something laid up, then, for our future benefit if we re- 
 main steadfast. Fraternally yours, 
 
 G. W. Griffin. 
 
176 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 Reserve Fund, 
 
 In an intelligent discussion of the above question it 
 will be essential to well and fully understand what is 
 meant by the term '^Reserve Fund." 
 
 The term in its application to life insurance represents 
 different conditions when applied to level premium or 
 old-line life insurance companies, to natural premium or 
 co-operative assessment companies, and to secret fraternal 
 mutual benefit organizations. 
 
 In the former we mean when referring to reserve fund 
 that portion of the premium paid by the policy holders 
 which, when placed at four and one-half per cent com- 
 pound interest, with the added annual payments there- 
 after required, interest compounded, will amount to the 
 face of the policy. 
 
 The insurance premium of old-line companies may 
 properly be divided as follows : First, the amount 
 actually required to meet the death losses each year ; 
 second, the amount required to create the necessary legal 
 reserve, and third, the loading for expenses. 
 
 The death rate being fixed upon the basis of mortuary 
 tables of expectancy, the required reserve becomes a 
 known and definite factor which under state supervision 
 guarantees the solvency of the company, and secures a 
 policy holder in the fulfillment of the agreement of the 
 company. 
 
 It may not be out of place here to say that the ratio 
 of actual to expected deaths, as proven by the experience 
 of life insurance companies, is only eighty-eight per cent 
 of that fixed by the mortuary tables. This excess, 
 together with the excess interest received above that 
 legally required for the reserve, together with extra load- 
 ing for expenses over and above requirements, forms the 
 large and profitable accumulative factors of the old-line 
 companies. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 177 
 
 The fact that old-line companies thus have a fixed pre- 
 mium to be collected uniformly throughout the life of 
 the polic}^ with no reserve liability upon the part of the 
 insured makes the necessity for a reserve fund in proper 
 proportion to its insured liability apparent without argu- 
 ment. It is a requirement born of the very necessities of 
 its existence. 
 
 Natural premium or co-operative assessment companies 
 cannot rightfully be said to have a reserve fund in the 
 signification of the term as applied to the old-line com- 
 panies. The reserve which they accumulate should more 
 properly be called an emergency fund or regulating assess- 
 ment fund. Upon this subject we quote from recognized 
 authorities : 
 
 ''While nominally a reserve, it is the cohesive force re- 
 lied on by the company to hold its membership together, 
 and the only actual use that may be made of it by a suc- 
 cessful company will be to reduce future charges. In 
 other words, the policy holder pays now for such extra- 
 ordinary or unusual death losses as may occur in his com- 
 pany in the future which would not be covered by the 
 rates charged under the table used by the company." 
 
 Another eminent authority, E. B. Harper, says upon 
 this point, in reviewing the history of assessment co-opera- 
 tive companies : 
 
 '' Another important result is the general conviction of 
 the necessity of an emergency fund, a precise knowledge 
 of -the functions it is to perform in the economy of assess- 
 ment insurance, its management and distribution. Re- 
 tiring members have been conclusively shown to be of 
 better average mortality than those who remain, and it is 
 but just that they should contribute from their interests 
 in some forfeitable fund a sum equal to the burden thrown 
 upon the remainder by their voluntary retirement. In 
 this way only may the actual mortality of the association 
 be kept always within the standard, and the last man be 
 
 12 
 
178 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 guaranteed the payment of his certificate in full under 
 any contingency which can arise. Fortunately this 
 emergency fund need not be large, and can in no event be 
 properly compared to the enormous reserve required by 
 the level premium system for an entirely different pur- 
 pose. Even should it disappear through carelessness or 
 bad investment, unlike the other or investment feature, 
 it may be easily replaced by other contributions, and it 
 does not work the ruin of the company, as it is simply an 
 emergency fund, and not a savings bank deposit." 
 
 I have thus quoted at some length the best authorities, 
 and I might truthfully say it is the united expression of 
 the large majority of assessment companies as represented 
 in the National Association of Mutual Life and Accident 
 Underwriters, in order to clearly show, if possible, the 
 actual necessity that exists in co-operative assessment 
 companies for an emergency, or rather reserve, fund. The 
 argument as to the necessity of such a fund seems to be : 
 
 First. That the fact of the insured having contributed 
 to a fund in excess of the present necessities of the com- 
 pany, and that so long as he continues to meet the re- 
 quirements necessary to his continued insurance he has 
 an interest in said fund, will per force add to the per- 
 sistency of membership in the company. 
 
 Second. That the collection of this excess amount ad- 
 justs to a greater or less degree the equities that should 
 exist between persistent members and those who withdraw. 
 
 Referring now directly to the question proposed, viz.: 
 ^' Is the creation of a reserve fund in any form by any secret 
 fraternal organization desirable ? " I would say that a re- 
 serve fund, such as is provided for in old-line companies, 
 needs no argument to prove it not desirable, it being di- 
 rectly averse to the fundamental principles of our organi- 
 zations ; that an emergency fund or equalizing assess- 
 ment fund similar to that adopted by assessment co-opera- 
 tive companies is or is not desirable, is not so clear. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 179 
 
 The argument first advanced by co-operative companies 
 in support of a reserve fund we believe to have force when 
 applied to their class of organizations. Their member- 
 ship is isolated and apart, each individual standing alone, 
 bound to the organization by no other tie than that of 
 individual interest as represented by the monied consid- 
 erations involved. The membership is solicited and 
 obtained entirely through paid agents, whose interests 
 are measured alone by the fees they receive. The con- 
 tinuance of the connection depends largely upon the 
 favorable showing of the company as compared with its 
 competitors. 
 
 The prospective participation in the future in an ac- 
 cumulated reserve, by reduction of assessments or other- 
 wise, may act as a preventative to withdrawals and 
 increase the general persistency of membership. 
 
 Secret fraternal organizations rest upon a distinct and 
 far-removed foundation from that of co-operative com- 
 panies. It is true that in its business methods co-opera- 
 tive companies follow closely in our footsteps, but in no 
 way else does it resemble fraternal societies. 
 
 Through our lodge system and the obligations and 
 teachings of our rituals we bind our organizations closely 
 together in bonds of fraternal support, aid, and sympath}^ 
 We build upon this foundation, and more and more each 
 year of our history are we led to prize the wisdom that 
 first devised and the judgment that still maintains the 
 superstructure of fraternity. It is not a theoretical ad- 
 junct that has no existence in fact, but a living, vital 
 principle, continually exercising its beneficent influence 
 in welding stronger and stronger the links of the chain 
 that binds us together in bonds of unselfish helpfulness. 
 
 We contribute our dollars, not alone superinduced by 
 the contracted view of our own advantage, but with the 
 broader and more exalted one of care and protection to 
 our fellowman. Born and nutured in this spirit, the con- 
 
180 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 tributioiis we are called upon to make becomes a charity 
 in the fullest meaning of the term. It appeals to the 
 best and noblest instincts of our nature, and secures our 
 promptness and loyalty to discharge every financial and 
 other duty with cheerfulness and fidelity. In this lies 
 the secret of our strength, and furnishes the cohesive 
 power of a fraternal brotherhood. Does this not secure 
 us the requisite persistency of membership sought to be 
 maintained by co-operative companies by a monied re- 
 serve ? It most certainly does. 
 
 The second argument advanced by co-operative com- 
 panies in support of a reserve fund, viz.: That it adjusts 
 the equities that should exist between persistent members 
 and those who withdraw, we believe to be wrong in the 
 premises assumed. I do not believe there exists in equity 
 either in a co-operative company or fraternal association 
 any unpaid debt upon the part of the member who with- 
 draws with all assessed liabilities fully discharged. The 
 protection both ofi'er is contingent upon the discharge of 
 obligations incurred by reason of the current death losses. 
 
 It is a mutual agreement between the members that 
 each will pay a stipulated rate of assessment for a stipu- 
 lated amount of protection in such number as may be 
 required to produce an amount sufficient to liquidate the 
 current death rate with such other equitably fixed amounts 
 as may be necessary to pay the current expenses of con- 
 ducting the business. What obligation can, then, in 
 equity, possibly attach to one who withdraws, who while 
 mutually participating in the benefits has fully discharged 
 his just proportion of the burdens incurred ? 
 
 A reserve or emergency fund, to accumulate which an 
 added per centage must be taxed to that required to meet 
 the current necessities, would, therefore, be directly op- 
 posed to the fundamental principles upon which this 
 class of insurance or protection is based, unless not only 
 those who witlidraw but also the representatives of those 
 
Tkc Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 181 
 
 who died were entitled to receive the amount they had 
 contributed thereto. 
 
 There is another argument advanced by co-operative 
 companies which although not so generally published is, 
 to my mind, a more powerful incentive in leading them to 
 accumulate a reserve or emergency fund than those here- 
 tofore referred to, viz.: The reputation of stability and 
 solvency such an accumulation may encourage among 
 the general public. As to whether this may be a neces- 
 sity of co-operative companies or not, I will not now 
 argue, but I am convinced that there exists no such 
 necessity in our fraternal societies. So long as fraternal 
 societies continue to discharge their obligations in the 
 same prompt, just, and speedy manner which they have 
 done in the past, I am satisfied that no accumulation 
 within their power to raise would in any degree add to 
 the confidence either to the membership itself or the gen- 
 eral public. 
 
 The question of the ability of well-conducted fraternal 
 beneficiary societies to fully meet and discharge their 
 obligations in the future with the same promptness and 
 fidelity they have done in the past, and that the cost of 
 maintaining protection will not be materially advanced, 
 seems well established by the past experience of insurance 
 companies. We append two tables, showing yearly ex- 
 perience, which we think will be of interest in this con- 
 nection. 
 
 Table of the New York Life Insurance Company, show- 
 ing the death losses to each $1,000 of insurance in force 
 for forty-two years, from 1845 to 1886, inclusive : 
 
182 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 Year. 
 1845 
 1846.. 
 1847.. 
 1848. . 
 1849.. 
 1850.. 
 1851 . . 
 1852. . 
 1853. . 
 1854.. 
 1855 . 
 
 Year. 
 
 
 Year. 
 
 1856. . 
 
 . . . .15.5 
 
 1867 , 
 
 1 QK'y 
 
 1 1 ti 
 
 1 QftQ 
 
 1858 , 
 
 , ,12.0 
 
 1869. . 
 
 1 OCft 
 
 1 c o 
 
 
 1860 
 
 . . . .12.4 
 
 1871 , 
 
 1861 
 
 . , .10.3 
 
 1872 , 
 
 1862 
 
 . , 7.5 
 
 1873, . 
 
 1863 , . 
 
 . . , .11.2 
 
 1874 
 
 1864. 
 
 .... 9.1 
 
 1875 
 
 1865 
 
 . . . .10.8 
 
 1876. . 
 
 1866, , 
 
 , . , . 7.9 
 
 
 . 8.1 
 . 8.5 
 . 7.4 
 .11.5 
 ,11.6 
 .11.9 
 .11.7 
 .12,0 
 ,12.1 
 ,12.1 
 
 Year. 
 1877.. 
 1878.. 
 1879.. 
 1880 . . 
 1881.. 
 1882.. 
 1883.. 
 1884. . 
 1885.. 
 1886.. 
 
 .12.8 
 ,13.5 
 ,12.3 
 .12.8 
 ,13.3 
 11.4 
 .11.4 
 9.8 
 ,11.5 
 , 9.1 
 
 .... 3.8 
 .... 4.1 
 .... 8.5 
 .... 9.5 
 .... 9.7 
 . ...16.5 
 ....10.3 
 ....11.9 
 ....16.9 
 ....13.2 
 Average, 11.2 
 
 Table compiled from the sworn reports to the Insur- 
 ance Department of the State of New York of all the 
 level-premium companies doing business in that state for 
 thirty years, from 1859 to 1888, inclusive, showing the 
 average death loss to each $1,000 of insurance : 
 
 Death Loss to Expense to Each 
 Each $1,000 $1,000 of In- 
 of Insurance 
 in Force. 
 
 Year. 
 
 1859 $ 9 02 
 
 6 37 
 6 94 
 6 91 
 
 6 73 
 8 01 
 
 7 29 
 
 1860 
 
 1861 
 
 1862 
 
 1863 
 
 1864 
 
 1865 
 
 1866 6 19 
 
 1867 7 18 
 
 1868 6 48 
 
 1869. 8 23 
 
 1870 9 92 
 
 1871 10 81 
 
 1872 12 00 
 
 1873 11 94 
 
 surance in 
 Force. 
 
 $ 3 70 
 
 4 99 
 
 5 57 
 
 5 50 
 
 6 49 
 
 6 59 
 
 7 48 
 
 8 68 
 
 8 46 
 
 9 70 
 9 74 
 9 72 
 9 02 
 8 80 
 8 42 
 
 Grand average for 
 
 Death Loss to 
 Each $1,000 
 of Insurance 
 Year. in Force. 
 
 1874 $11 40 
 
 1875 13 00 
 
 1876 12 20 
 
 1877 12 47 
 
 1878 13 59 
 
 1879 14 01 
 
 1880 14 53 
 
 1881 14 65 
 
 1882 13 73 
 
 1883 13 99 
 
 1884 13 30 
 
 1885 13 95 
 
 1886 13 15 
 
 1887 13 22 
 
 1888 13 19 
 
 thirty years 10 81 
 
 Expense to Each 
 $1,000 of In- 
 surance in 
 Force. 
 
 I 8 20 
 7 48 
 
 7 79 
 
 8 79 
 7 60 
 
 7 57 
 
 8 61 
 8 53 
 8 31 
 
 8 98 
 
 9 89 
 9 40 
 9 62 
 
 10 20 
 10 59 
 8 14 
 
 In addition to the above tables, we are assured by care- 
 fully-compiled statistics that the mortality rate in British 
 companies, which extends over much longer periods, 
 prove nearly the same ratio of death losses to each $1,000 
 
The Woodmaii's Hand-Book. 
 
 183 
 
 of insurance in force, the combined average being twelve 
 and a fraction to each one thousand. The various 
 friendly societies in Great Britain and Ireland, represent- 
 ing millions of members and long years of experience, 
 only show a yearly mortality rate of 12.7 to the thousand. 
 The secret societies of this country, including those that 
 are purely fraternal as well as those which have the added 
 feature of a stipulated amount of benefit to be paid at 
 the death of a member, show a less mortality rate on the 
 average than that experienced by either American or 
 British life companies, or the friendly societies, their 
 death rate not exceeding ten to a thousand. 
 
 A consolidation of the above table of experience of the . 
 New York Life shows a death rate per thousand as fol- 
 lows : Two years of sixteen, two years of fifteen, eight 
 years of twelve, twenty-seven years of eleven and under, 
 ranging from three upward. It will be noted that from 
 1860 to 1886, inclusive, twenty-seven consecutive years, 
 in no one year has the rate exceeded thirteen. 
 
 The foregoing experience, when considered in connec- 
 tion with the fact that fraternal beneficiary societies have 
 had thus far a less mortality rate than that shown to 
 exist in life companies, seems to me to be conclusive 
 proof that in no one year are we likely to be burdened 
 beyond our ability to pay, and yet retain growth and 
 prosperity. 
 
 In all fraternal beneficial societies the reserved right is 
 held to assess its membership without restriction to pay 
 its current death rate. 
 
 That this death rate will never reach a point in any 
 one year, or in an aggregation of years, that will, en- 
 danger the life or prosperity of an}^ well-established and 
 well-managed fraternal beneficial society, we think fully 
 established by past experience. 
 
 A reserve or emergency fund would, to our mind, not 
 onh^ be an element of inequality, as we have shown, and 
 
184 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 therefore contrary to the principles of our organization, 
 but would entail more or less distrust and contention en- 
 gendered by the danger of mismanagement and fraud, 
 far more hurtful than any benefit likely to be obtained. 
 
 M. W. Sackett. 
 
 As its leading article this issue the Monitor submits an 
 address delivered before the National Fraternal Congress, 
 held at Cincinnati recently, on the subject of reserves 
 and their presence in the context of mortuary society 
 work. The position taken by the writer clearly em- 
 ,phasizes the need of a reserve, and as heretofore these 
 societies have repudiated the idea as useless and a 
 menace to their existence, it is thus rendered all the 
 more conspicuous. The Monitor has always contended 
 that fraternal societies have no immunity against the 
 laws of average or the mortality tables. In the endow- 
 ment idea it has repeatedly called attention to the in- 
 equity obtaining by reason of the early members getting 
 their benefits at less cost than those coming in afterwards, 
 through the non-accumulation of a reserve. In a mor- 
 tuary plan the same result ensues by reason of an 
 abnormally low cost during the first decade and after- 
 wards an increase which not infrequently causes dissatis- 
 faction among members. There is nothing gained b}^ 
 any system pointing to this defect in the other. The 
 same element of danger exists in both, and it behooves 
 them both to avoid it or make provision for it. The 
 endowment orders, we are pleased to state, have already 
 made this provision, and as a result are in much better 
 condition than their mortuary friends. These, no doubt, 
 will begin to make provision against this danger which 
 is already beginning to loom up ominously, and the 
 manner in which they face it will largely determine the 
 success which will attend their efforts in the future. 
 
Secretaries of State Meetings, M. W. of A, 1894. 
 
 1. M. A. Thayer, Sparta, Wis. 5. F. S. Johnson, Spring Valley, 111. 
 
 2. M. R. Carriek, Lansing. Mich. 6. C. C. Calkins, Lincoln, Neb. 
 
 3. E. E. Murphy, Leavenworth. Kas. 7. A. H. Hooper, St. Paul, Minn. 
 
 4. Aug. Smith, Des Moines, Iowa. 8. F. R. Hyde, Sioux Falls, S. D. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 185 
 
 It is the veriest nonsense to claim undue advantages 
 by reason of the fraternal plan of furnishing benefits. 
 We admit and advocate that this system possesses 
 features and advantages not open to systems which 
 operate differently. There, however, is a limit beyond 
 which no fraternal society can safely go. Excessive calls 
 on members are calculated to chill their fraternal ardor, 
 no matter how strong it may have been at the outstart. 
 It is I'ar better to endeavor to approximate a normal cost 
 at the beginning ; to charge this no matter what the 
 current liability may be, and after the normal rate has 
 been reached to keep the ratio proportionate to liabilities, 
 crediting back the surplus to members or refraining 
 from making unnecessary calls. Unbridled exponents of 
 fraternalism have claimed too much for it. They have 
 done it more harm than good. They have endeavored to 
 distort a grand principle by claiming merits not within 
 the bounds of reason. The people, as a rule, are much 
 more intelligent than some suppose them to be, and in 
 the long run a plan which is capable of solution, which 
 is reasonable, which promises benefits at actual cost, and 
 not less, will win. The high ground the system is as- 
 suming these da3'-s is the precursor of a higher field of 
 usefulness and a wider range of operations. Let those 
 Avho essay to direct its interests understand their business 
 thoroughly, and let them build on a basis which has a 
 proper regard for the period of maturity. — Fraternal 
 Monitor. 
 
 The Reserve Fund Question. 
 
 In regard to that " reserve fund," I must agree with 
 Neighbor Livermore in his article in the July Woodman. 
 We do need a reserve fund ; and to prove that we do, we 
 need only to look at the history of mutual benefit as- 
 
186 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 sociations organized by the Odd Fellows, Masons, and 
 other orders which have failed ; also look at the death 
 rate of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, runninii 
 from thirteen to twenty-four deaths per one thousand, in 
 several states. The record of co-operative insurance 
 companies bears out the assertion. We need a reserve 
 fund to keep down our expenses as we get older. While 
 we are young is the time to lay up a reserve and to 
 establish a maximum death rate, and by the time we are 
 old enough to have an excess we can have a reserve fund 
 to fall back upon. I w^ould suggest that a per capita tax 
 of, say, $1.00 per year be levied and set aside to meet any 
 emergency or increase in the death rate above ten or 
 twelve per thousand per year, this fund to be invested in 
 first mortgages on real estate, bearing a fair rate of in- 
 terest, and deposited with the state department. The 
 interest on this fund would soon amount to enough to 
 keep down a large per cent of our increase in death rate. 
 Establish an emergency fund and the assessments are 
 sure to be kept low ; keep the assessments low and you 
 will continue for all time to come to get new blood into 
 the Camps. When such a fund is established we will be 
 on a never-failing plan ; we will have something to base 
 our future security on ; will have taken a great step to- 
 ward perpetuating our order ; will have accomplished 
 something worthy of perpetuity. I should like to have 
 this matter discussed through 3^our columns, also by the 
 local Camps, and have our delegates to the next Head 
 Camp meeting instructed so that they may know the feel- 
 ing in their several districts in order that action may be 
 had on the matter at once. I am willing to abide by the 
 decision of the majority. While our assessments are low 
 let us prepare a fund that will assist us in the future, 
 that the interest accruing therefrom may help to keep 
 down assessments. Fraternally yours, 
 
 F. A. Chidkster, 
 
 Aurora, Neb. 
 
The Woodmaii's Hand-Book. 
 
 187 
 
 By What Means Can Assessment Bene£cial 
 Orders be Best Perpetuated? 
 
 The perpetuation of assessment beneficial orders in- 
 volves a problem yet to be solved, and hence demands 
 the earnest thought of this Fraternal Congress. The 
 gravity of this question is increasing in rapidly accelerat- 
 ing ratio from year to year, and it involves points of such 
 vital interest to these associations that their considera- 
 tion cannot be safely delayed. The originators of our 
 beneficial orders, while making excellent provision, as 
 everybody thought, for the uncertain future of their 
 members, had their minds concentrated upon conditions 
 then present, rather than upon future contingencies, 
 and, as results have proved, did not take into account the 
 uncertainty of that gradual increase of membership 
 which would keep their average age at a safe and desir- 
 able figure. 
 
 In other words, let us assume that the average age of 
 members at the date of organization was thirty years, at 
 which the annual rate of mortality is found to be eight 
 in the thousand. From thirty up to fifty the annual 
 rate of mortality is sixteen, and the number of assess- 
 ments increased by one hundred per cent. 
 
 At the average age of sixty the increase is to thirty in 
 the thousand, at sixty-five to forty-four, and so on. It 
 is the part of wisdom to anticipate and prepare for the 
 increase in expense incident to this increased death rate. 
 But how ? 
 
 One remedy presents itself for favorable consideration, 
 and that is the sinking-fund plan. How it is to be 
 created, and where to find for it a safe repository, are 
 questions for fraternal legislation, but the fact that means 
 must be adopted for its creation and care, and made 
 effective as early as possible, is strongly emphasized by 
 
188 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh, 
 
 present conditions. Twenty-five years have elapsed since 
 the first of these orders began its effective work. Its 
 origin was humble, but the sentiment that had animated 
 its founder sprang from the most kindly emotions of the 
 human heart. Naturally it involved more of kindness 
 and charity than sound business ability, and this pre- 
 ponderance of liumanitarianism was at the expense of 
 financial efficiency, upon which the ultimate success of 
 the entire system depends. 
 
 I have in my mind's eye a fairly prosperous order with 
 fourteen thousand active members. For a benefit of 
 $2,000 it is safe to assume that the cost averages $24 per 
 member for assessments annually. Ten per cent of the 
 collections on this basis being set aside for a sinking 
 fund, would give in ten years $336,000, not counting in- 
 terest in the meantime — a sum sufficient to guard 
 against excessive assessments in emergencies. It would 
 also bring a feeling of safety which many in our bene- 
 ficial orders do not possess, and would add largely to our 
 clientele. Perhaps it might be better still if the prin- 
 cipal were allowed to accumulate, not for ten years, but 
 for all time, and use the interest only when emergencies 
 arise, and continue to add to the principal in the same 
 way, and in fift}' years the annual income would reach 
 hundreds of thousands. The ten per cent can be reduced 
 from time to time as the conditions may warrant. 
 
 You may say that this is a long-distance view ahead. 
 Yes ; but if the originators of these assessment orders had 
 looked ahead only half as far, our condition would be 
 greatly in advance of what it is to-day. A grand work 
 was accomplished in the organization of these orders, and 
 their promoters exercised remarkable energy and judg- 
 ment in pushing them forward to public recognition. 
 They introduced popular features and adapted the whole 
 system to the easy comprehension and availability of the 
 people, and, very justly, they enjoyed a large measure of 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 189 
 
 success. After such service rendered to humanity, they 
 may be readily excused for omitting to provide ways and 
 means of guarding against the consequences of the ad- 
 vanced and advancing ages of their constituencies, the 
 necessity for which was not then so readily or keenly felt 
 as now. Can we found a better monument to perpetuate 
 their good deeds than to make ample provision for the 
 inevitable now, and to do it in the most effective way ? 
 Has it not become a necessity ? 
 
 A point which addresses our subject with a great deal 
 of force, and which has employed the best thought of the 
 medical profession in our ranks, is better selection in the 
 matter of membership. Quantity has had the preference 
 over quality with those who were entrusted with our re- 
 cruiting for too long a period. In this statement I do not 
 seek to criticise organizers, or members, or management, 
 but the spirit of the hour, which in this country goes 
 into things with a mad rush, soon expends its force 
 in the search for novelty, and failing to find it rushes 
 out again just as madly. Membership in a fraternal 
 order is as much a matter of pure business in its finan- 
 cial department as keeping an account in a savings 
 bank, and it should be conducted with the same precision 
 and high regard for system and perfect accuracy in every 
 detail. The official management should be as clear-cut 
 and precise as that of the best financial institution, where 
 every scrap of security for any proposed undertaking is 
 scanned with the severest vigilance. 
 
 Much of the security and much more of the success of 
 an assessment order is found in its young blood ; in the 
 vigor and moral stamina of its membership ; that stamp 
 of youth which promises many years of active life ; that 
 quality of vigor which conquers the obstacles to existence 
 and establishes for its possessor an honorable mainte- 
 nance ; and that moral force which is the best preserver 
 of these attributes. In this we have the secret of the early 
 
190 
 
 The Woodman' s Hand-Book. 
 
 success and popularity of the orders. It is said that old 
 men are wanted for counsel. We have an abundant 
 supply. But young men are wanted for active effort, and 
 here the lack is becoming quite too significant. Staring 
 us in the face is the fact that the young men, who were 
 the life and hope of the orders fifteen or twenty years 
 ago, are the sedate and mature counsellors of to-day, and 
 the accession of young blood has not kept sufficiently 
 apace with the tendency to grow old to give assurance of 
 future prosperity, if not of safety. 
 
 There must of necessity be an inflow of young blood in 
 all our assessment orders sufficient to maintain an 
 average minimum age of the membership, and provision 
 made for guarding the young against an undue expense, 
 or the orders will suffer the natural consequences — a 
 rapid increase in the death rate, carrying with it an 
 ominous increase in the cost for assessments. When the 
 assessments are considered high recruiting flags and ex- 
 perienced organizers find it difficult to secure member- 
 ship for some of the older orders ; nor do they find it 
 easy to get them for any. All recall the time when only 
 a few days were needed to get enough acceptable names 
 for a lodge. An organizer in the west averaged a lodge 
 a week for a popular order for a year. Then the appli- 
 cants paid from five to ten dollars for the privilege of 
 joining an order. How is it now ? He must be a man 
 with special gifts and experience to succeed at all, and is 
 regarded as successful when he organizes a lodge in from 
 four to six weeks. While some of the stronger orders 
 still adhere to the rule that membership is something of 
 specific value, and require fees of from $5 to $10, others 
 are willing to admit them at a nominal charge, usually 
 enough to pay the medical examiner and cost of certifi- 
 cate. 
 
 The work of recruiting generally has become an oner- 
 ous expense, because of the labor and time needed to 
 
/ 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Boole. 191 
 
 achieve success. Organizers are paid from $100 to $150 
 a month and expenses, when they receive salaries ; or 
 from $4 to $8 per member when they depend npon the 
 result of their labors for remuneration. This augurs a 
 gloomy prospect for natural growth in the future. The 
 question arises, why this radical change in conditions in 
 so brief a period? The answer is not so much in the 
 multiplicity of orders as in the growing expense for assess- 
 ments, and the consequent chilling of that enthusiasm 
 which must be a factor in their prosperity. May we not 
 assign as the cause of this fading of interest on the part 
 of both members and non-members the growing expense 
 and growing feeling of uncertainty of benefits in assess- 
 ment orders ? If this is true, it is only needed to see a 
 danger to avert it, and I trust it will be so in this instance. 
 I am certain it will. 
 
 It is not members of advanced age who are dangerously 
 affected by an increased expense. They realize that the 
 promised indemnity is cheaper to them at the increase 
 than the same amount of insurance is in any old-line 
 company. They realize, also, that if there is no recruit- 
 ing it must be only a matter of time when the cost will 
 be too burdensome to carry, and consequently the orders 
 will collapse, and all will be lost. Younger persons, 
 however, will not voluntarily assume liabilities and re- 
 sponsibilities with menacing possibilities, when they have 
 an understanding of the situation, if it is not made clear 
 that they will have the benefit of their longer expectancy. 
 
 Under the plan of grading the assessment according to 
 age of the applicant at the time he joins an order, I hold 
 that there should be an increase with advancing age in 
 ■order to guard against taxing young men for old risks. 
 There must be absolute protection against an uncertain 
 and growing expense to induce a sufficient inflow of young 
 members to maintain the average minimum age. If that 
 is found to be impracticable the cost should be regulated 
 
192 
 
 The Woodman' s Hand-Book. 
 
 by an emergency fund. The larger the membership the 
 more difficult it is to maintain the minimum age. An 
 absolutely fair and equitable system of life insurance is 
 that in which a member starts with a charge commensu- 
 rate with his estimated longevity, which should increase 
 yearly as his chances diminish. A table of costs for 
 every year — or, if preferred, every five years' period — 
 can be easily made up from the actuaries' tables of ex- 
 perience. Under such a rule every member would be on 
 an equal footing as far as assessments are concerned, each 
 paying only his due proportion according to age. 
 
 An emergency fund would enable us to limit the num- 
 ber of assessments in providing means to pay an excess 
 of death claims over a fixed number per year. 
 
 Again, it might be well to equalize in some measure the 
 differences that are so frequently seen between the actual 
 and estimated duration of life. Say a member who dies 
 within a year from his admission shall be entitled to only 
 one-half or three-fourths of the benefit, the proportion 
 increasing up to, say, ten years, after which pay the full 
 amount. Perhaps, too, it might be well to turn over the 
 amounts thus scaled from the benefit to the credit of an 
 emergency fund. Those who live and continue to pay 
 into the treasury of an order are entitled to some consid- 
 eration, and something like the plan suggested would, it 
 seems to me, compensate them as far as the orders can in 
 safety do so. 
 
 We may say to the man of twenty-five to thirty-five 
 that the older members, who joined an order in the morn- 
 ing of life, have made it ; have supported it and built it up,, 
 so as to aff'ord younger men of later days the splendid 
 opportunity it ofi'ers them to provide for their dependents. 
 But the reply will be that the younger men do not deem 
 it necessary to go into an old order, where they will have 
 to assume the heavier death rate due to a membership 
 advanced in years ; that they can start a new order of 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 193 
 
 their own, with no auch weight to carry. And that, I 
 may note in passing, accounts to some extent for the 
 multiplicity of mutual benefit orders. Until the older 
 orders adopt some practicable means for regulating the 
 cost of membership to younger members, they will find it 
 more difficult each year to secure recruits among them or 
 hold those they have. 
 
 I have, too, great faith in the cultivation of the fraternal 
 side of the orders. That can be built up into a tower of 
 strength, or, to change the metaphor, it can be made one 
 of the greatest attractions and strongest ties. Other 
 orders without the benefit department illustrate the power 
 of fraternity — draw men together and bind them in^the 
 bonds of brotherhood, producing a constant increase in 
 numbers and influence. It is singular that the benefit 
 feature, w^hich ought to enhance the force of the fraternal 
 has really overshadowed and weakened it, but we all 
 know that such is the fact. The fraternal spirit in the 
 orders, if elevated to its proper place, becomes a conspicu- 
 ous attraction to the young, who are always socially in- 
 clined, and more or less susceptible to the sentimental 
 view of life. If we can devise any way to arouse this 
 spirit and give it full play we shall have secured a strong 
 ally in our efforts to perpetuate our orders. We must 
 give to the young the advantages to which their age en- 
 titles them if we would appeal successfully to those of 
 them who are intelligent enough to be desirable members, 
 and enlist them in the work of recruiting their fellows. 
 The orders' plan and system of operations must be fair 
 to all alike — burdensome to none — or the new and 
 younger members will go out faster than they are taken 
 in. In fact, they must know that they are not "taken 
 in," in the sinister sense of the phrase, else their admis- 
 sion will do more harm than good. Hence organizers 
 should be cautioned to make no misrepresentations ; to 
 explain frankly their system of operations ; show the 
 
 33 
 
194 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh, 
 
 reasons for and the advantages of every feature of the 
 cost as near as it can be given, and appeal to the intel- 
 ligence and sense of duty of those whose membership is 
 desired. 
 
 Another thought occurs : It is that the mortality of a 
 city or thrifty community, which has an ordinary and 
 natural growth, averages about the same in a given period 
 of years — is the same now as twenty-five or fifty years 
 ago. If this follows without an effort, the question 
 naturally arises, why may we not, by an effort, secure 
 like results in the orders ? So we could, were it possible 
 to provide for a similar inflow of fresh blood. The ac- 
 cretions to a city are from births and new-comers — a 
 constant moving of population, which, like a flowing- 
 stream, insures a healthful condition. In the orders it 
 must be remembered that nearly one-half the expectancy 
 of life — and that the best half — has been spent before 
 one is admitted to membership. Is not this fact sug- 
 gestive of the advisability of lowering the minimum 
 limit, say from twenty-one to eighteen, or still lower ? 
 Whenever the inflow in a beneficial order is as free and 
 certain as that in a thrifty city, no danger will menace 
 its existence because of its older members. Until this is 
 consummated, however, it will stand us in hand to provide 
 the surest and most practical method of neutralizing the 
 diff'erences wrought b}^ time on our memberships. 
 
 Other points occur to me, but I must not make this ar- 
 ticle too long. The suggestions herein given are the re- 
 sults of some reflection and long experience, and are 
 thrown out with the hope that the matter will receive the 
 thoughtful consideration of those who are better able 
 than myself to suggest a plan to avert the danger I have 
 but dimly foreshadowed, and that the conclusions will be 
 submitted to the legislative bodies of the orders here 
 represented for action. . : / 
 
 • T. J. Smith. 
 
The Woodman'' s Hand-Booh. 
 
 195 
 
 Average Age, 
 
 " Will not the death rate increase as an order grows 
 older ? " is often inquired. Up to a certain maximum, 
 yes. And that maximum is the average age of forty 
 years for its members, which is the average age of the 
 members of all fraternities over half a century old. But 
 beyond this it can never go in any standard, progress- 
 ive society, that by the addition of what is termed " new 
 blood " each year fills up the gap from loss and presents 
 even a slight increase at the end of each year. In such 
 an one the average age will be forty, and the death rate 
 one per cent, ad infinitum. And here let us say that new 
 blood is not meant to be young blood, as many suppose, 
 but those of an eligible age who, fresh from a recent 
 medical examination, give promise of long and useful 
 lives. The moment this accession of new blood ceases to 
 be added to the body or losses are larger than gains, then 
 the average age and death rate advances. Orders, busi- 
 ness enterprises, etc., are like bicycles — kept moving 
 steadily forward there is progress and safety ; but with 
 laziness, failure to work, neglect, lethargy, carelessness, or 
 ignorance, they fail. Neither this order nor any other 
 order of business is exempt from the law of earnest work, 
 and the most vital truth we can utter is, that " He who 
 by the plow would thrive, himself must either hold or 
 drive." 
 
''Pur Autre Vie.'' 
 
 It Provides for our depend- 
 ent ones when our arms are 
 powerless in death. 
 
 The 
 
 Modern Woodmen 
 
 of America. 
 
 A Benevolent and Bene&t 
 Fraternity. 
 
 It pays its CertiScates of 
 
 $500 
 
 $IyOOO 
 $2yOOO 
 $3,000 
 In full promptly. 
 
 Cheapest and Best^ 
 
 Because it Takes the Cream of Insurance, 
 both as to Territory and Character of Mem- 
 bership. Pays no Dividends to Stockholders. 
 
 Popular. Progressive. Equitable. 
 
$3>^35>ooo Paid to Its BeneGciaries. 
 
 HERE are two thousand, six hun- 
 dred and fifty Camps and one 
 hundred and fifteen thousand 
 members in good standing. The 
 largest number of assessments 
 called during any one year was 
 eleven. The Modern AVoodmen 
 of America now pays to its 
 beneficiaries an average of $100,000 per month. The 
 grandest system of mutual fraternal insurance ever yet 
 devised. Its salient features are a limited and selected 
 territory, selected risks, a central jurisdiction, with a 
 minimum running expense, graded assessments, and no 
 dividends to stockholders. 
 
 The following is a statement of claims allowed from 
 organization to August 31st, 1894 : 
 
 Year. 
 1884 
 1885 
 1886 
 1887 
 1888 
 1889 
 1890 
 1891 
 1892 
 1893 
 1894 
 
 Xo. of 
 
 Xo. Claims 
 
 
 
 Assessments. 
 
 Allowed. 
 
 Amount. 
 
 Jlemhership. 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 $ 4,000 
 
 2,000 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 14,000 
 
 4,569 
 
 7 
 
 21 
 
 42,000 
 
 8,050 
 
 8 
 
 40 
 
 86,000 
 
 15,280 
 
 9 
 
 85 
 
 172,000 
 
 24,980 
 
 8 
 
 100 
 
 204,000 
 
 39,540 
 
 11 
 
 218 
 
 464,000 
 
 42,762 
 
 11 
 
 241 
 
 476,000 
 
 56,203 
 
 11 
 
 341 
 
 695,000 
 
 72,644 
 
 11 
 
 451 
 
 955,000 
 
 88,223 
 
 8 
 
 347 
 
 731,000 
 
 108,895 
 
 Totals 
 
 .$1,852 
 
 $3,843,000 
 
 
 The growth of the Modern Woodmen of America has 
 been greater than any other fraternal benefit society in 
 
200 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 the United States, territory considered, and the cost to 
 its members has been lower than any other. The mem- 
 bership by states August 31st, 1894, in absolute good 
 standing, was as follows : 
 
 Illinois 43,559 North Dakota 895 
 
 Kansas 13,848 Missouri 2,193 
 
 Nebraska 14,149 
 
 Iowa 11,401 Total Aug. 31st, 1894. . .108,895 
 
 Wisconsin 12,258 Membership Dec. 31, 1893. 88,223 
 
 Minnesota 5,314 
 
 Michigan 3,711 Net increase Jan. 1st, 1894, 
 
 South Dakota 1,567 to Aug. 31st, 1894.. 20,672 
 
 Certificates issued January 1st, 1894, to August 31st, 1894, 26,667. 
 
 The average cost of management per year for each 
 policy-holder of twenty-five leading old-line life insurance 
 companies for the year 1892 was $29.34. 
 
 The avejage cost of management per year for each 
 member of the thirt3^-two fraternal insurance societies 
 belonging to the National Fraternal Congress for the year 
 1892 was $1.20. 
 
 The cost per member of management of the Modern 
 Woodmen of America for the year 1892 was 75 cents ; 
 and for the year 1893 it was 70t cents. This is the 
 cheapest of any insurance societ}^ in the world. 
 
 The average death rate in said twenty-five leading life 
 insurance companies for 1892 was between sixteen and 
 seventeen to each one thousand members. In the thirty- 
 two fraternal orders above mentioned it was 10.G95, in- 
 dicating an average age of about forty-one years. In the 
 Modern Woodmen of America it was only 5.31 for 1892, 
 and 5.34 for 1893. The average age for 1892 w^as 37.55, 
 and for 1893 was 37.53. 
 
 The average cost to carry $1,000 in the thirty-two fra- 
 ternal societies for 1892 was $12.03. The average cost in 
 the Modern Woodmen of America for the years 1890, 
 1891, 1892, and 1893 has only been $4.95 per $1,000 for 
 each year. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 201 
 
 No other society in the United States can show so cheap 
 insurance for these four years. 
 
 It provides for the payment of $500, $1,000, $2,000, or 
 $3,000 at death to the families of deceased members ; 
 also, care and attention in sickness. Assessments for the 
 purpose of paying benefits are graduated according to 
 the age of the person at joining, the grading being in 
 proportion to the average expectancy of life by the 
 standard American tables. The rate does not increase, 
 but remains the same as at the beginning, special induce- 
 ment being thus oflPered to young and middle-aged men. 
 
 The ordinary expenses of the Local and Head Camps 
 are paid by semi-annual dues in addition to the assess- 
 ments, the amount of which dues is regulated by the 
 Local Camps. 
 
 The Modern Woodmen has paid every beneficiary, and 
 has relieved its distressed members and their families 
 faithfully. Every law of the state and nation has been 
 complied with, and it to-day stands in the front rank of 
 respected and honored fraternities. Its membership is 
 composed of the leading men of every community. 
 
 No person will be admitted to beneficial membership in 
 this order until he has been examined by a physician in 
 regular practice and found to be a good risk, and all ap- 
 plications must be passed upon by the Head Physician. 
 Persons seeking membership must be of exemplary char- 
 acter, of sound physical health, over eighteen and under 
 forty-five years of age. 
 
 The following occupations are prohibited : Railway 
 brakemen, railway engineers, railway firemen and switch- 
 men, miners, employes in gunpowder factories, whole- 
 salers and manufacturers of liquors, saloonkeepers, bar- 
 tenders, balloonists, sailors on the lakes or seas, plow- 
 grinders and brass workers, professional base ball players, 
 professional firemen, and soldiers in the regular army. 
 
202 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 The financial matters are guarded by an admirable 
 system of checks and counter-checks, making fraud and 
 deception impossible, and its bond of fraternal union 
 admirable. The financial system is almost perfect. All 
 moneys received by the Head Clerk are remitted to the 
 Head Banker. These receipts of the Head Clerk are 
 published monthly in the official paper, and receipts 
 given by him must correspond in amount with his pay- 
 ments to the Head Banker. The Head Banker can pay 
 out no money except upon an order signed by at least 
 three members of the Board of Directors, the Head Con- 
 sul, and the Head Clerk. All orders must be issued upon 
 claims submitted to and approved by the Board of Direc- 
 tors. No one can draw a cent from the general fund ex- 
 cept upon such an order. 
 
 Deputy Head Consuls, having written a.uthority, are 
 authorized to institute local Camps. The adoption fee is 
 $5 and medical examination fees for each applicant. 
 Charter for new Camp $100. 
 
 In each congressional district is a resident Deputy 
 Head Consul, whose duty it is to organize new Camps. 
 Apply to the deputy of your district, or C. W. Hawes, 
 Head Clerk, for full information. 
 
 The following is a table of the assessment rates in force 
 from and after January 1st, 1893 : 
 
 Age at Nearest Birthday. 
 
 $500. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 «2,000. 
 
 $3,000. 
 
 From 18 to 28 years 
 
 $ .25 
 
 1 .40 
 
 $ 80 
 
 $1.20 
 
 
 25 
 
 .45 
 
 .85 
 
 1.30 
 
 
 25 
 
 .45 
 
 .90 
 
 1.35 
 
 
 30 
 
 .50 
 
 .95 
 
 1.45 
 
 
 30 
 
 .50 
 
 1.00 
 
 1.50 
 
 
 30 
 
 .55 
 
 1.05 
 
 
 
 35 
 
 .55 
 
 1.10 
 
 
 An applicant who 
 
 is past forty-one 
 
 cannot 
 
 secure 
 
 a cer- 
 
 tificate for more than $2,000. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Buok. 203 
 The Modern Woodmen of America. 
 
 By J. G. JOHNSON, Director. 
 
 Among the many modern fraternal orders guaranteeing 
 death benefits to their members, the Modern Woodmen 
 of America is one of the strongest, numericall}", finan- 
 cially, and fraternall}^ Its certificate is encumbered with 
 no side issues, such as sick or disability benefits, but is a 
 direct promise to pay one, two, or three thousand dollars 
 at the member's death, while in good standing. 
 
 As at present organized this order is an Illinois corpo- 
 ration, acting under a charter granted by the State of 
 Illinois, May 5th, 1884. As thus organized it loses none 
 of the fraternal characteristics found in its most favored 
 competitors, but has, in addition to these, all the advan- 
 tages to be found in strict state supervision and control, 
 insuring to its membership honesty and fidelity upon the 
 part of its ofiicers in the conduct of its business. 
 
 Prior to the date of incorporation straggling and spas- 
 modic efforts to properly organize the order had been 
 made ; but a year and a half of this work had only re- 
 sulted in the recruiting of a membership of six hundred 
 at the date of the incorporation above mentioned. 
 
 In the ten years since its incorporation the numerical 
 growth of this order has been phenomenal. By steady, 
 substantial, and continuous accretions it has advanced 
 from a membership of six hundred in 1884 to one hun- 
 dred and twenty thousand in 1894, and the most gratify- 
 ing feature of this increase is found in the fact that years 
 of public inspection and private investigation seem but 
 to strengthen it in public esteem ; more new certificates 
 (24,385) having been written in 1893 than in any year of 
 its existence, and more in the first eight months of 1894 
 than in any previous year of its history. 
 
204 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 Under its present charter the order's Head Office is 
 located at Fulton, Illinois, and its business is restricted 
 to the states of Illinois (north of the 38th parallel, and 
 excepting Cook county), Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, 
 Wisconsin (except the city of Milwaukee and suburbs), 
 Michigan (except the city of Detroit and suburbs), Kan- 
 sas, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Missouri (north of 
 the 30th parallel, and excepting St. Louis county) ; thus 
 giving it a territory in which to operate the healthiest on 
 earth, and within that territory practically a village and 
 country membership, with its sanitary and physical ad- 
 vantages, and consequent low death rate, which is 
 unequivocally demonstrated by the low cost of the pro- 
 tection furnished its members by this order. 
 
 Its charter also divides its governing bodies into 
 " Local Camps " and a " Head Camp," the former com- 
 prising the local organizations scattered at various points 
 throughout the above named states, and the latter being 
 the legislative and governing assemblage of the order, 
 which meets every two years, and is composed of dele- 
 gates representing the local Camps in the various states. 
 
 Local Camps adopt and govern the membership under 
 the laws of the order and local Camp by-laws, collect and 
 remit assessments, and participate, by an accredited 
 delegate, in the general legislation of the order. There 
 are at present two thousand six hundred local Camps 
 organized. 
 
 The Head Camp elects the Head Officers of the order, 
 enacts and amends the Fundamental Laws," provides 
 for the management of the business and revenue therefor 
 during the interim, dictates the general policy of the 
 order, and passes upon all business of a general nature 
 coming before it. The next Head Camp will be the ninth 
 in the order's history, and will be held at Madison, Wis- 
 consin, beginning the first Tuesday in June (4th), 1895. 
 Under our present law it will be made up as follows : 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 205 
 
 December 27th, 1894, delegates elected by all legally 
 organized Camps (^. e. Camps having ten or more mem- 
 bers) will meet at the capital of their respective states, 
 and there organize a State Convention." This conven- 
 tion, among other duties, will elect delegates and alter- 
 nates to the Head Camp on the basis of one delegate at 
 large, and in addition one delegate for every five hundred 
 members within such state, or major fraction thereof ; 
 and also alternates for such delegates. These delegates 
 need not necessarily be elected from those in attendance 
 at this State Convention, but may be selected from the 
 entire membership within the state. The delegates 
 chosen at these state conventions will receive credentials 
 from the Head Clerk, which will entitle them to member- 
 ship in the Head Camp at Madison the following June. 
 In case any delegate cannot attend, the Head Clerk will 
 commission his alternate in his place. These accredited 
 delegates (who will by that time number probabl}^ two 
 hundred and thirty), with three selected Deputy Head 
 Consuls, and the standing committees and Head Officers, 
 numbering about twenty-five, will make about two hun- 
 dred and sixty members of the Madison Head Camp, or 
 about double the number in the last preceding one. 
 
 In the interim between the meetings of the Head Camp, 
 the business of the order is under the supervision of the 
 Head Consul, Head Clerk, Head Banker, Board of Di- 
 rectors, and Auditing Committee. 
 
 The Head Consul has general supervision of the busi- 
 ness of the order, and special charge of the fraternal 
 features and increase of membership. The Head Clerk 
 has general charge of the accounting department, books, 
 records, and supplies. The Head Banker has charge of 
 the funds of the order. The Head Consul, Head Clerk, 
 and Head Banker are located hundreds of miles apart, 
 but the business is so systematized that each department 
 is in constant touch with every other, and the financial 
 
206 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 records, though kept in separate offices, have not in the 
 past three years shown a discrepancy of a cent. 
 
 The Board of Directors meets each month at the office 
 of the Head Clerk, at Fulton, Illinois, and transacts all 
 the financial business of the order properly coming before 
 it. It investigates and approves or rejects death claims, 
 and orders all assessments necessary to pay them. 
 
 The Auditing Committee meets every six months at 
 the office of the Head Clerk, compares the books and 
 vouchers, and passes upon bills for special services, if any, 
 of the Head Officers. 
 
 Thus it will be seen that the system above detailed il- 
 lustrates a perfect system of representative government, 
 each officer's accountability being direct to the Head 
 Camp, and the Head Camp being composed of the direct 
 representatives of the membership at large. 
 
 All of the transactions of the order are from month to 
 month published in detail in the official organ of the 
 order, The Modern Woodman, a copy of which reaches 
 overy member. 
 
 A per capita tax of $1, yearly, is levied upon the mem- 
 bership for the expense of conducting the business of the 
 order, and the system of business is so efficient and 
 economical that the entire expense for 1893 has been 
 about 70 cents per member. There are at present no un- 
 paid bills, and this fund shows a surplus of over $100,000. 
 But this large surplus will be greatly depleted within the 
 next year in paying per diem and mileage of delegates to 
 the coming state conventions and the Madison Head 
 Camp, which two items it is estimated will call for an ex- 
 penditure of not less than $50,000. 
 
 The searching medical examinations insisted upon by 
 this order, together with its selected territory, prohibited 
 occupations, and graded assessments, have combined to 
 make the cost of indemnity the lowest in the histor}^ of 
 fraternaLsocieties, age and membership considered. The 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 207 
 
 assessments called have never exceeded eleven in any 
 year, and this rate has been maintained even during the 
 last three years, wherein the ravages of la grippe have 
 abnormally increased the cost of life insurance in every 
 known organization. 
 
 Since its organization this order has paid the benefi- 
 ciaries of its deceased members over $4,000,000, and dur- 
 ing the year 1893 $906,200 ; no allowed claims are hung 
 up or delayed, and the stated contributions of the mem- 
 bership to the Mortuary Fund more than meet all 
 demands upon it. 
 
 Fraternal life indemnity is no longer an experiment. 
 Building and loan associations w^ere at one time sneered 
 at by financiers, but to-day they hold more of the people's 
 savings than the savings banks. So fraternal societies, 
 though at one time derided by those engaged in the busi- 
 ness of insurance, to-day carry certificates of indemnity 
 upon more lives than any other form or plan of life 
 insurance, and it should be borne in mind that in the 
 recent financial panic neither the building and loan as- 
 sociations nor the fraternal societies were heard asking 
 for receivers to protect them from those holding valid 
 claims against them, but amid the crash of vast financial 
 institutions whose chief claims to confidence were their 
 capital and surplus," these associations of and for the 
 common people, relying only upon the plighted faith of 
 their membership, promptly paid every claim upon pre- 
 sentation. 
 
 Of all these societies now doing business, we know of 
 none which in scope, purpose, or successful management 
 in all its departments excels or equals the Modern Wood- 
 men of America. ■ 
 
208 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 Bene£ciaries. 
 
 By a. R. TALBOT, Directoe. 
 
 In the study of the principles that are fundamental in 
 the Modern Woodmen of America, and the methods and 
 rules adopted by it in carrying out the objects of its crea- 
 tion and in the development of the great scheme of pro- 
 tection which it provides, there are many factors which 
 challenge our attention. The experience of the past few 
 years has taught us that much confusion exists in the 
 minds of members, and much embarrassment is experi- 
 enced by the members of the order because of the many 
 different classes of beneficiaries that may be designated 
 under the laws and rules of our order. If by what shall 
 be said in the following lines we shall be able in a man- 
 ner to aid and assist the members in properly designat- 
 ing beneficiaries in their certificates in the future, and 
 help to discover the correct line of payment of benefits 
 to beneficiaries heretofore named under former rules and 
 laws, there shall have been accomplished all that is ex- 
 pected in this brief statement. 
 
 And first, let it be said that in a mutual fraternal benefit 
 society such as the Modern Woodmen of America the 
 beneficiary designated in the contract of indemnity or 
 the certificate diff'ers from the beneficiary named in an 
 ordinary policy of insurance, in this, that in the latter 
 the beneficiary obtains a vested right or interest in the 
 policy, while in the former the beneficiary has no vested 
 right in the contract of indemnity. This is made so by 
 the very nature of the organization itself. The object 
 of the institution, as clearly stated in our Fundamental 
 Laws, is to promote true neighborly regard and fraternal 
 love ; to bestow substantial benefits upon widows, chil- 
 dren, heirs, and relatives of deceased members, etc.;" 
 and in the management of the order there is given to the 
 
5 
 
Tlic Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 209 
 
 member the privilege of appointing or designating that 
 member or part of his family, or t'hose dependent upon 
 him, as he may choose, within the lines named and 
 directed in the organic law and rules of the order. 
 
 The Modern Woodmen of America was originally or- 
 ganized under a statute of the State of Illinois which 
 permitted the organization of such institutions, and which, 
 taken together with the decisions of the supreme court of 
 Illinois, permitted the member to designate, practically, 
 any one he chose as such beneficiary. During the session 
 of the legislature of the State of Illinois in the winter of 
 1892 and 1893 there was a new law passed by the legis- 
 lature affecting such institutions as the Modern Woodmen 
 of America, which law went into force on June 22d, 1893. 
 This law is what is known as a law for the organization 
 and management of fraternal beneficiary societies, and 
 known as the Fraternal Beneficiary Society Act of that 
 session of the legislature. 
 
 In this new law, among other things, it is provided that 
 " payment of death benefits shall only be made to the 
 families, heirs, blood relations, affianced husband or 
 afhanced wife of, or to persons dependent upon the mem- 
 ber ; and such benefits shall not be willed, assigned, or 
 otherwise transferred to any other person." 
 
 Another section of this law provides a method whereby 
 institutions of our kind might continue to do business 
 and be considered duly organized without further re-or- 
 ganization, provided that certain application for such 
 permission be made with the Commissioner of Insurance 
 at Springfield, Illinois, and other preliminary steps pro- 
 vided in said act be complied with. In due course of 
 time the management of the Modern Woodmen of America 
 made such application, as in said law required, to the In- 
 surance Commissioner of Illinois ; and the Modern Wood- 
 men of America was thereupon permitted to do business 
 under said new law, and required by it to confine its 
 
 14 
 
210 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 business to the issuance of such certificates as should 
 have designated therein the beneficiaries outlined in said 
 law. It will be observed, however, that all of the cer- 
 tificates written prior to the passage of the new law above 
 referred to would be valid, and the designation of the 
 beneficiary, and the changes in the beneficiary made by 
 the member, either by will or otherwise, prior to the taking 
 efi'ect of said new laAV, on June 22d, 1893, would be held 
 good ; but that after the taking effect of said new law and 
 the acceptance of its provisions by the Modern Woodmen 
 of America, as above stated, the beneficiaries designated 
 would then have to be confined to the line embodied in 
 the law, which is the basis upon which all certificates are 
 issued. 
 
 The new law does not afi'ect certificates written before 
 it went into efi'ect. In designating the beneficiar}^ there- 
 fore, the member will be careful to observe that he should 
 designate only those who are mentioned and included in 
 the statute, to-wit : Members of his family, or the family 
 itself, heirs, blood relations, affianced husband or affianced 
 wife of, or some person or persons dependent upon the mem- 
 ber ; and it should be distinctly borne in mind that after 
 the beneficiary has been thus designated, that the law 
 forbids that such benefits shall be luilled, assigned, or in 
 any way transferred to any other person or beneficiary. 
 This, however, does not aff^ect the mode of transferring 
 and assigning or changing the beneficiary designated by 
 any member heretofore made prior to June 22d, 1893. 
 
 In discussing this subject in detail it will be our aim to 
 present some suggestions as to the status of the wife of 
 the member in the various states of our jurisdiction where 
 the member designates his legal heirs as the beneficiary. 
 But before passing to that we observe that the designation 
 or appointment of the beneficiary in all cases can be 
 changed at any time during the life time of the member, 
 and another and different beneficiary substituted in place 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 211 
 
 of the former one in accordance with the rules and regu- 
 lations of the order. On the back of each certificate the 
 member will find a blank form, upon which at any time 
 he may change the beneficiary ; and by surrendering the 
 certificate and transmitting it to the Head Clerk he will 
 have issued to him, upon the payment of the usual fee, 
 a new certificate designating the beneficiary as desired 
 b}^ the member. 
 
 In this connection it may be well to state that it is not 
 necessary that the certificate should be delivered to the 
 beneficiary. The contract for the protection to the bene- 
 ficiary lies between the order and the member himself, 
 and its terms are binding upon the order, if all other con- 
 ditions are complied with, whether the certificate has 
 ever been in the possession of the beneficiary designated 
 or not. 
 
 Coming now to the difi'erent beneficiaries that may be 
 designated as provided by the statute, it becomes im- 
 portant to know who are included in these distinct terms, 
 ^' families," '^leirs," blood relations," ''affianced hus- 
 band," or '' afiianced w^ife," or " persons dependent upon 
 the member." 
 
 Families. — There are few happier w^ords connected 
 with the history of human society than '' home " and 
 ^'family;" and the common acceptation of the word 
 
 family " is such as to include the father, mother, and 
 children of the home, the protection for which our order 
 has become famous. It seems that the best law writers, 
 in defining the word '' family " in its use here made, con- 
 sider it to mean the father, mother, and children, al- 
 though some authorities have held that the broad mean- 
 ing of the word family " would include servants and all 
 those who live together under one roof and under the 
 common support of one head ; but in those cases, as one 
 author clearly expresses it, '' there is absent that peculiar 
 feature, which can be better understood than described. 
 
212 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 which distinguishes the family even from those who may 
 dwell within the limits of the curtailage." It has been 
 held, however, by good authority, in considering who are 
 included in the family of any person, that the indigent 
 mother and sisters who live with the man and are sup- 
 ported by him are members of his family ; and a widowed 
 daughter and her minor children residing with a father 
 who was a widower were held to be members of his family. 
 A dependent mother and dependent minor brothers and 
 sisters residing with an unmarried man have been held 
 to be members of his family. A minor brother and sister 
 residing with an unmarried man have been held to be 
 members of his family. Children of the wife by a former 
 husband have been held to be members of the husband's 
 family, and so with adopted children. 
 
 The supreme court of Michigan in the case of Car- 
 michael vs. The Northwestern Mutual Benefit Association, 
 51 Michigan, 494, considering the word ''family," says : 
 " It is an expression of great flexibility. It is applied in 
 many w^ays. It may mean the husband and wife having 
 no children and living alone together, or it may mean 
 children, or wife and children, or blood relations, or any 
 group constituting a distinct domestic or social body." 
 
 It seems apparent that in designating a beneficiary it 
 should always be sought, if possible, to ascertain the in- 
 tention of the member in making the appointment or 
 designating the beneficiary, and to carry out that inten- 
 tion, for the designation of the beneficiary is largely in 
 the nature of a will on the part of the member making 
 the designation. The designation "family" must or- 
 dinarily mean wife and children. 
 
 Heirs. — As to who is meant by the designation of " my 
 legal heirs," or " my heirs," as beneficiary, gives rise to 
 some perplexing and complicated questions that can only 
 be settled and proper distribution of the benefits made at 
 the member's death by referring to the statute law of de- 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Booh 
 
 213 
 
 scent or distribution of property of the state in whicli the 
 contract of indemnity is made ; and as this involves the 
 laws of distribution of the various states of our jurisdic- 
 tion, it seems proper that a brief statement of the rule in 
 each of the ten states should be made. All the more does 
 this seem apparent when it is important that we learn, 
 if possible, the status of the wife and her interest in the 
 benefit when the designated beneficiary is heirs." In 
 this connection it may be well to add that the interpreta- 
 tion and the enforcement of the contract of indemnity 
 known as the certificates issued by our order must be 
 made according to the laws of the state in wdiich said 
 certificates or contracts of indemnity are delivered to the 
 member. The question, who is an heir ? within the 
 meaning of the term used here is frequently asked. Mr. 
 Blackstone, the celebrated law writer (2d Black. Com., 
 page 201) defines an ''heir" to be "he upon whom the 
 law casts the estate immediateh^ on the death of the an- 
 cestor." Taking this definition as a basis, and applying 
 the statutes of the various states of our jurisdiction 
 relative to distribution of personal property, respectively, 
 we are enabled to determine what interest the survivors 
 of deceased neighbors have in the benefits where the in- 
 demnity named in the certificate is made payable to 
 "heirs" as beneficiary. Very frequently the member 
 designates his "heirs" as the beneficiary, believing he is 
 providing protection for his wife and children in equit- 
 able proportion ; but in some of the states of our juris- 
 diction the w^ord "heir" would exclude the wdfe from 
 participating in or receiving any of the benefits under 
 such a designation ; and inasmuch as it is believed that 
 the great mass of Woodmen desire to protect the wife as 
 well as the children of the family, it is important that we 
 know, if possible, the meaning and effect of the word 
 " heirs " as used. 
 
214 
 
 The Woodman' s Hand-Bo ok. 
 
 Illinois. — In Illinois under the law of distribution of 
 personal property the designation legal hieirs," where 
 the deceased member leaves a widow and a child or chil- 
 dren, it would exclude the widow from participating in 
 the benefits. The supreme court of that state has de- 
 cided in the case of Gauch vs. St. Louis Mutual Life In- 
 surance Co., 88 111., page 251, that where insurance on the 
 life of deceased is payable to his " legal heirs," in such 
 case the Avidow is not a legal heir. However, should de- 
 ceased leave no cliildren, but his wife only surviving him, 
 then such widow would take the benefits under the desig- 
 nation ''legal heirs." 
 
 Iowa. — The same rule prevails in Iowa as that just 
 stated in Illinois. Where a deceased leaves a widow and 
 child or children the widow is not an heir where the desig- 
 nated beneficiary is ''legal heirs," but the benefit in such 
 cases goes entirely to the surviving child or children. 
 The supreme court of Iowa, in Phillips vs. Carpenter et al., 
 79 Iowa, page 600, has clearly expressed the rule as fol- 
 lows : " Where a deceased left a widow and one child, 
 and also a life insurance policy payable to his legal heirs : 
 Held, that the widow was not included in the term * legal 
 heirs,' and that the whole amount of the policy was pay- 
 able to the guardian of the children." 
 
 The statutes of Iowa provide that " if the intestate 
 leaves no issue, one-half of his estate shall go to his 
 parents and the other half to his wife," and under this 
 statute and the decisions of the Iowa supreme court, the 
 widow heing the sole survivor, would take half of the 
 estate, one-third being by virtue of her dower interest and 
 one-sixth of the estate as heir-at-law. 
 
 See Smith vs. ZucJcmeyer, S3 Iowa, llf. 
 Carpenter vs. Phillips, 79 Iowa, page 692. 
 
 Kansas. — In Kansas the statute provides that ''if the 
 intestate leaves no issue, the whole of his estate shall go 
 to his wife," and if he leaves no wife or issue, the whole 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 215 
 
 of his estate shall go to his parents. In Dodge vs. Beeler, 
 12 Kansas, 524, the court says : Under our statute, 
 upon an intestate's death one-half his property descends 
 to his wife and the other half to his children." See also — 
 Schermerhorn vs. Mahafie, S^. Kan., 108, 
 Comstock vs. Adams, 23 Kan., 513. 
 
 In this state the rights of the husband and the wife 
 are alike as to inheritance. 
 
 Michigan. — In Michigan, after the debts are paid, one- 
 third of the personal property goes to the widow of the 
 deceased, and the remaining two-thirds to his children, 
 except that if there be but one child, to the widow one- 
 half of the residue and to such child the other half. If 
 the deceased leaves a widow and no children or the issue 
 of a deceased child surviving him, then such residue, if 
 it shall not exceed the sum of $1,000, shall go to such 
 widow, and if it exceeds the sum of $1,000 such excess 
 shall be distributed one-half to such widow and the other 
 half to the father of the deceased, if living ; if not, such 
 other half shall be distributed equally to the mother and 
 the brothers and sisters and the issue of any deceased 
 brother and sister in equal proportions, share and share 
 alike ;• and if. there shall be neither father nor mother, 
 brother nor sister, nor issue of such brother or sister sur- 
 viving, then such residue shall go to the widow. 
 ^ee Hascal vs. Cox, 4-9 Mich., 4-3S. 
 
 Minnesota. — In Minnesota, after paying the debts, the 
 personal property would be distributed as follows : To 
 the wife one-third, and the remainder to the child or 
 children equally, if any there be. If no children, then 
 the entire residue would go to the widow. 
 
 Missouri. — In Missouri the wife would not take if the 
 deceased left a wife and child or children. If, however, 
 there were no children or descendants of children, no 
 father nor mother, no brother nor sister, nor their de- 
 scendants, the wife would then take the residue of personal 
 
216 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 property after paying the debts. In Missouri personal 
 property does not descend directly to the heirs, but passes 
 to the administrators for payment of debts and other 
 claims under the administration law. 
 See 19 Missouri, 1^05. 
 
 Nebraska. — In Nebraska, in distributing the personal 
 estate after payment of debts, the residue of property 
 would be distributed equally between the wife and child, 
 the wife taking the same share of the residue as a child 
 of the intestate would be entitled to. If the intestate 
 leaves a wife and no kindred, his estate shall go to such 
 widow absolute. 
 
 North Dakota — South Dakota. — In North Dakota 
 and South Dakota the law is identical. In these two 
 states, if the intestate leaves a widow and child, the per- 
 sonal property, after the payment of debts, will be divided 
 equally between the widow and children. If the deceased 
 left a wife and more than one child, one-third of the per- 
 sonal propert}^ would pass to the wife and the remainder 
 to his children in equal shares. If no children were left 
 surviving, the property would pass to the widow. 
 
 Wisconsin. — In Wisconsin, after the payment of debts, 
 the widow would receive an equal share with the children 
 where the deceased leaves wife and child or children ; in 
 the distribution of the property she stands in the same 
 relation as a child. 
 
 Thus it will be seen that in designating heirs" as the 
 beneficiary, the different states of our jurisdiction put a 
 different interpretation on the term used touching the in- 
 terest the wife takes in the indemnity or benefit provided, 
 and if the member would be sure to protect the wife he 
 should clearly express it by designating the interest he 
 desires her to have in the benefit. The general current 
 of authority is to the effect that when applied to the suc- 
 cession of personal property the word heirs " means next 
 of kin, and the widow is excluded. For full information 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 Ill 
 
 as to what members of the family or relatives, aside from 
 widow or children, would take in each particular case 
 under term heirs/' reference must be had to the statutes 
 of the respective states of our jurisdiction. 
 
 Blood Relations — Affianced Wife. — We scarcely 
 need stop to suggest an explanation of who are included 
 in either of these sub-divisions. " Blood relations " is a 
 term denoting kindred or relation, which all understand, 
 and any designation of a person w^ho is thus related to 
 the member would be a good designation. 
 
 The term " affianced wife " needs no explanation to a 
 member who finds himself in the condition in which he 
 seeks to have such a certificate wTitten. We must, how- 
 ever, suggest that there can be no vested right in the 
 certificate to the affianced wife such as will preclude the 
 member from changing the beneficiary and designating 
 some other beneficiary in lieu thereof. 
 
 We come now to the last description of persons named 
 in the statute who are permitted to be named as benefici- 
 aries. 
 
 Persons Dependent Upon the Member. — There are 
 various tests which have been suggested by those who 
 have given this subject much thought and study as to 
 how to clearly define the term " persons dependent upon 
 the member." It has been suggested that it should in- 
 clude those only whose support the law makes incumbent 
 upon the member. But this is found to be not a just and 
 a uniform rule, consequently others have suggested those 
 w^hom the member is morally and in duty bound to sup- 
 port ; but courts have uniformly been very liberal in 
 construing this expression, and have upheld the designa- 
 tion if there was any possible way of so doing ; so it has 
 been held that an indigent mother and sister who lived 
 with a man and are supported by him as members of his 
 family, and a widowed daughter and her minor child re- 
 siding with a father who was a widower were held to be 
 
218 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 dependent upon him. Children of a wife by a former 
 husband residing with the family have been so held. 
 
 Webster defines the word dependent " to mean " one 
 who depends ; one who is sustained by another, or who 
 relies upon another for support or favor;" but it has 
 been determined by courts that servants are not to be 
 classed among dependents " as those who are supported 
 by the master. In Ballou vs. Guile, 50 Wis., 614, the su- 
 preme court of that state defined dependent " as follows: 
 We think the true meaning of the word ' dependent ' in 
 this connection means some person or persons dependent 
 for support in some way upon the deceased." This defi- 
 nition seems to have been approved by many other courts 
 in considering similar language to that under considera- 
 tion. 
 
 In Missouri the question arose under a statute authoriz- 
 ing certain benevolent corporations to provide by assess- 
 ment on their members certain benefits for the relief and 
 aid of the families, widows, orphans, and other depend- 
 ents of the deceased members. In defining these terms 
 the court said: ''The words 'other dependents' are 
 inserted to include persons who not being either members 
 of the family of the deceased nor his widow or orphans, 
 are yet dependent upon him in some manner." Any 
 other construction would require the court in each case 
 to enter into an investigation of the fact how far the 
 widow, or orphan, or any member of the family, was self- 
 supporting, which, if followed out, instead of furthering 
 the objects of these associations would soon produce their 
 complete destruction. This is in accord with the con- 
 struction placed upon the statute of Michigan in Lodge 
 vs. Narin, 60 Mich., 44, where it is held that the laws of 
 Missouri expressly forbid corporations of this sort from 
 paying benefits to any but the member's family or de- 
 pendents. The intent of the provision is clearly to shut 
 out all persons who are not actual relatives, or sustaining 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 219 
 
 any place of relatives in some prominent way or in some 
 actual dependence upon the member. 
 
 After all, it may be said that in determining who are 
 included in the word dependents," no direct or uniform 
 rule can be laid down, as it is always a question of fact. 
 
 Thus it can be easily seen that the easiest, simplest, 
 and safest designation to make to carry out the intentions 
 of the member is for the member, in designating the 
 beneficiary, to clearly and fully express the intention, as 
 
 wife," ^' wife and child," or particularize by name the 
 different members of the family. To illustrate, courts 
 have held that an adopted child was entitled to benefits 
 under the designation of children ; " that orphan 
 children " held not to include adult children. Wife and 
 their child " {i. e. of wife and insured), child by former 
 wife held, under circumstances, included, but their 
 children," held to include only children common to them. 
 Designating wife and children " entitles them to share 
 equally. Wife divorced (for her own fault) has been held 
 not entitled as heir " or member of the family to receive 
 benefits, but a wife divorced from bed and board has been 
 held entitled to receive as widow. 
 
 In Riley vs. Riley, 75 Wisconsin, 464, it has been held 
 that the second wife was entitled to benefit as against the 
 representatives of the member's first wife, who had been 
 designated in the certificate as the beneficiary, though 
 such designation had not been changed. 
 
 Where the designation is " wife and children," a child 
 born after the death of the member will be entitled to re- 
 ceive an equal share with the other children, such desig- 
 nation including an unborn child. 
 
 In closing these suggestions, it might not be out of 
 place to urge upon the members, and those soliciting 
 members and filling out applications, that much annoy- 
 ance, inconvenience, and trouble will be saved by the 
 exercise of care in such work, ever striving to make clear 
 
220 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 and plain the intention of the member in the matter of 
 the designation of the beneficiary, to name only those 
 who are included in the terms and expressions used in 
 the statute, and in instructions from the Head Office. 
 
 Eligibility for Membership, 
 
 By J. W. WHITE, Dikecto^. 
 
 Orders like ours constantly keep in view the necessity 
 of securing a good class of risks, the limit of moral and 
 physical hazard which the society is willing to assume 
 being carefully determined and set forth. 
 
 In 1883 the condition of membership was defined in 
 xhe By-Laws as follows : 
 
 " Persons to be members must be over seventeen and 
 under sixty-five years of age, of sound bodily health and 
 mind, of exemplary habits, good moral character, and 
 competent to gain a reputable livelihood." 
 
 Subsequent changes were made from time to time by 
 the various Head Gamps, the line of demarcation between 
 desirable and objectionable risks being more closely and 
 clearly drawn, and at the Omaha meeting in 1892 the 
 By-Laws were so changed as to read as follows : 
 
 Section A. Persons to become members must be 
 white males, over eighteen and under forty-five years of 
 age, of sound bodily health and mind, of exemplary 
 habits, good moral character, and engaged in an honor- 
 able and lawful business or vocation. Persons engaged 
 in the following kinds of business or employment shall 
 not be admitted as members of this fraternity : Railway 
 brakeman, railway engineer, fireman, and switchman, 
 miner, employe in gunpowder factory, wholesaler or 
 manufacturer of liquors, saloon keeper, saloon bar-tender. 
 
The Woodman' s Hand-Booh. 
 
 221 
 
 balloonist, sailor on the lakes or seas, plow-grinder and 
 brass-worker, professional baseball player, and profes- 
 sional fireman, or soldier in the regular army." 
 
 A duty is imposed on the local Camp officers and the 
 membership at large to exclude applicants who seek mem- 
 bership that do not meet the strict requirements of the 
 By-Laws, both as to moral and physical qualifications ; 
 and not only is this duty imposed in selecting material 
 for increasing the membership of the order, but the same 
 moral and legal obligation is required in disciplining and 
 expelling members who so far neglect their obligations 
 as to violate the express rules of the order, or who by reason 
 of their own vicious habits are no longer desirable mem- 
 bers, or have entered into and become engaged in a pro- 
 hibited occupation, thereby increasing the hazard which 
 the society is not legally bound and should not be ex- 
 pected to carry in its increased form. 
 
 A difficult question which frequently arises, and one 
 which in some cases is not without perplexing complica- 
 tions, is the one relating to the application of the amended 
 prohibited list to old members ; whether the new list of 
 prohibited occupations in the provisions of the By-Laws 
 above quoted applies to members who become such prior 
 to the change in the By-Law ? If a man became a mem- 
 ber in 1891, while engaged in the occupation of farming, 
 and in 1894 enlisted in the regular army, would his cer- 
 tificate be invalidated because of his change in occupa- 
 tion — the new occupation to which he changes not being 
 in the prohibited class in 1891, when he became a mem- 
 ber, but having been embraced therein in 1892, before he 
 engages therein ? 
 
 A general rule, applicable to all cases, cannot be laid 
 down, but the principle is well established that members 
 of fraternal societies who contract to be bound by the by- 
 laws of the society which may be subsequently adopted 
 is controlled by any change that may be made therein, 
 
222 
 
 Tke Woodman' s Hand-Book. 
 
 and the changed provisions apply to such the same as 
 though the membership dated subsequent to the change. 
 All certificates issued by the^Modern Woodmen of America 
 provide that the member shall comply with and be sub- 
 ject to all By-Laws in force at the time of the adoption 
 of the member, or which may thereafter be adopted ; show- 
 ing the clear intent of the parties to the contract to make 
 the changed provisions of the laws a part of the contract 
 with the member, although he became such prior to the 
 adoption thereof. 
 
 Experience has shown that a class of applicants for 
 admission to our order feel the necessity of securing in- 
 demnity because of a premonition of death ; some in- 
 cipient evidence of a fatal disease has sounded its warning, 
 and the delayed provision for death's rapid approach is 
 sought to be made at the expense of the order. 
 
 Applications for membership are always made as an 
 initiatory step in making provision in view of death, on 
 the happening of which the liabilit}^ of the order ensues, 
 and the society, as a protection for itself and to preserve 
 its existence, seeks for any evidence which may disclose 
 an early precipitation of liability. A careful examina- 
 tion of the applicant by the local physician, and a review 
 of the application by the Head Physician, is made for the 
 purpose of discovering the eligibility of the applicant, 
 and detecting any reason, if such exists, Avhy the person 
 is not physically qualified to become a member of the 
 fraternity. In order that the physician may determine 
 that the applicant is a fit subject for membership, it is 
 necessary that all questions propounded in the printed 
 application should be truthfully answered. A failure on 
 the part of the applicant to so answer does, and should, 
 avoid the liability sought to be established, as such un- 
 truthful statement is a fraud perpetrated on the order. 
 
 The existence of moral and social hazards are recog- 
 nized, and placed on the prohibited list with those of a 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 223 
 
 physical character. A person who is a wholesaler or 
 manufacturer of liquors/' regardless of the fact that in 
 his habits he may be temperate, and thereby not increase 
 the physical hazard, is placed in the prohibited list, and 
 includes one only of the many classes that are embraced 
 in the broader terms " of exemplary habits, good moral 
 character, and engaged in an honorable and lawful busi- 
 ness or vocation." 
 
 The moral stability and perpetuity of this order, its 
 social standing, the esteem in which it is held by the 
 community at large, depends on the individuality of the 
 membership. That high standard of membership which 
 begets confidence and respect should prevail. That 
 respect of the community which invites accessions, makes 
 membership desirable, and adds to the dignity of citizen- 
 ship by reason thereof, is sought. While financial ends 
 are attained by membership, that is not the sole desidera- 
 tum. The rapid growth attained by this order, unparal- 
 leled in the former history of fraternal societies, addresses 
 itself to the attention of those seeking indemnity, and a 
 watchful, paternal care of all neighbors is necessary in 
 order to elevate the standard of membership. 
 
 Our Obligation, 
 
 By C. T. HEYDECKER, Directoe. 
 
 This term, as used by fraternal associations furnishing 
 pecuniary benefits to the widow, orphans, and dependent 
 relatives of members departing this life while in good 
 standing, should be considered by the member in many 
 different ways ; it may be said that in its general and 
 most extensive sense, obligation is synonymous with duty ; 
 more technically, and as applied by us, it is a tie which 
 binds us to pay or to do something agreeable to the state 
 
224 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 law under which we are organized, and the by-laws of the 
 association in which the obligation is made ; and it also 
 gives a right to another to require us to give him that 
 which was agreed upon. 
 
 It has been thought well in this connection to outline 
 our obligation and duty. As a member of the associa- 
 tion, or society, we are met at the very threshold of the 
 society with the question, who should be recommended 
 for membership ? This should not be decided upon the 
 question of his social qualities alone, although it is your 
 duty to see that every person proposed for membership is 
 of good repute, regular habits, and physically such as 
 you would be willing to place your life in the balance 
 with, believing that his will be the one which will endure 
 the longest, because upon the vitality of the new members 
 depends the perpetuity of the society. Then he should 
 be of such a moral and social standing as to merit the 
 confidence and respect of his friends and acquaintances, 
 w^ho are not members, as the society must reflect its social 
 and moral superiority to the outside world by the char- 
 acter of its members. You should not allow any person 
 to obtain a membership by means of misrepresentations, 
 false, fraudulent, or untrue statements, or in violation of 
 any of the laws of the association, nor to retain such 
 membership when so obtained, but should at once put in 
 motion the rules of discipline of the association to either 
 effect his reformation or expulsion from the society, 
 thereby strictly complying with the laws, rules, and usages, 
 holding allegiance and loyalty to and obeying the orders 
 emanating from those in authority for the time being, so 
 long as they do not conflict with our civil or religious 
 liberty. The most important obligation to the association 
 or society is that each member should familiarize himself 
 with all the laws for its government, then live up to them, 
 and insist that each and every member of his society 
 strictly does the same. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 225 
 
 The obligation of officers of the local society is patience 
 and courtesy in the performance of their duty. A large 
 percentage of the members who drop out of the society 
 do so for some real or imagined offense from an officer. 
 The officer should be patient, courteous, and painstaking 
 with the member, remembering that a member retained 
 is equal to a new member obtained ; they should see that 
 collections are promptl}^ made from the members, so that 
 all certificates may be kept in force ; in this capacity they 
 act as the agent of the association or societ}^ Such officer 
 has no right to in any manner violate or abrogate the law 
 by making collections contrary to the law — that is, after 
 the same should have been paid, or when the health of 
 the member has been impaired, except as provided by the 
 laws. Each officer should learn his duty, and then 
 promptly and strictly perform it ; he should, on the day 
 the law provides, make his report and remit at once to 
 balance the same, so that the order can keep its obliga- 
 tion to the beneficiaries of deceased neighbors by prompt 
 payment of the benefits. Much time and expense would 
 be saved the order if this could be done, and claims 
 would be paid more promptly. What excuse can an of- 
 ficer give for not remitting on the day the law requires, 
 other than a neglect of obligation or duty ? A strict 
 observance of this would enable the order to discharge its 
 obligation to the widow, orphan, and dependent bene- 
 ficiary by prompt payment of the benefit. When we 
 have thus kept our obligation, and performed our duty as 
 members and officers by obeying the laws, rules, regula- 
 tions, and requirements of the order, faithfully and con- 
 scientiously held its interests sacred, and done all in our 
 power to promote its usefulness, not inconsistent with our 
 duty to God and our families, then will we come to 
 the performance of those obligations and duties which 
 answer the question, Who is my neighbor ? " It 
 is he who watches over us and gives us timely warning 
 15 
 
226 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 to avert danger ; he who will assist in banishing 
 visions of future woe ; who, with others, has placed a 
 sacred fund in the association which will carry benefits 
 to our widows, orphans, and dependent beneficiaries, 
 whose hearts will throb in sympathy with our loved 
 ones, and will be living guardians for those we leave in 
 this world of woe, helping to lift them upward and onward 
 in life's struggles, knowing that the obligation taken by 
 the members will be faithfully performed, and that we 
 have fought a good fight and have finished our course — 
 we have kept our obligation. 
 
 Suggestions to Local Clerks. 
 
 By C. W. HA\yES, Head Clerk. 
 
 No one should accept official position unless qualified 
 for the discharge of the duties and responsibilities thereof. 
 
 This truism applies with especial force to the local 
 Camp Clerk, for upon his efficiency as an officer, fidelity 
 to his trust, and zeal in the affairs of Woodcraft depends 
 to the fullest extent the interests of the Camp and that of 
 the individual neighbors as members thereof. An elec- 
 tion to the position is an endorsement by the neighbors 
 of the ability and the integrity of the one selected, for 
 into his keeping they must necessarily largely entrust 
 their personal interests as Woodmen, as well as the 
 general welfare of the Camp. 
 
 The position of Camp Clerk is not a sinecure, and none 
 in the order are entitled to more credit or recognition for 
 services rendered than the efficient incumbent of this 
 office. 
 
 The question of his compensation is a matter for the 
 consideration of the Camp, and should be adjusted in 
 
The WoodmaWs Hand-BooTc. 
 
 227 
 
 proportion to the membership thereof, as an item of 
 Camp expense contemplated by the provisions of Division 
 K of the Fundamental Law. 
 
 The order's business, owing to its graded assessments 
 and the different amounts expressed in its benefit certiti- 
 cates, together with the provisions governing suspensions 
 and reinstatements, is not free from complication. It is 
 not every neighbor, however Cjualified he may be in the 
 management of his personal business, who is qualified 
 for the satisfactory discharge of the duties of Camp Clerk: 
 and just here a grave responsibility rests upon the neigh- 
 bors of the Camp, which they cannot discharge in justice 
 to themselves, the welfare of the Camp, and the general 
 interests of the order except by selecting that one from 
 their membership best Cjualified to act as their trusted 
 agent in tJae discharge of the duties of this to them all im- 
 portant position. 
 
 Having accepted the office, the neighbor selected 
 should at once familiarize himself with the provisions of 
 the law sufficiently well to insure the efficient discharge 
 of the duties incumbent upon him. As an aid in this 
 direction, the following suggestions, based upon the pro- 
 visions of the Fundamental Law — the guide for the 
 Head as well as Camp officers, the organizer, and neigh- 
 bors — are offered: 
 
 First. Eligibility for Membership. — Residence within 
 the jurisdiction of the order, as defined in " Section A, 
 Division A." A resident outside of that territory is not 
 entitled to membership. The benefit certificate of a neigh- 
 bor transferring his residence from within to without the 
 jurisdiction is in no way invalidated or affected by such 
 removal. Payment to his Clerk of assessments and dues 
 within the limit of the time prescribed by the law will 
 maintain his certificate in full force and efiPect. 
 
 Second. The applicant must be over eighteen and under 
 forty-five years of age. One who has passed the age of 
 forty-five years, if but for a single day, "is ineligible. 
 
228 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 Third. Must be a white male, of good moral character, 
 and qualified to pass the physical examination before a 
 reputable physician, to be approved by the Head Physi- 
 cian of the medical district of which he is a resident. 
 
 Fourth. Except in cities, he must live within the juris- 
 diction of the Camp to which application is made, or ob- 
 tain from the Camp in whose jurisdiction he properly 
 belongs permission to join another, the distance to be 
 computed by the nearest travelled route. 
 
 The liability for the new Camp is invariably for the 
 first assessment levied subsequent to the date of its char- 
 ter. If a Camp is chartered on the first day of a montli, it 
 will be first liable for the assessment levied upon the first 
 day of the following month, and under this rule if its 
 charter did not issue until the thirtieth day its liability 
 would be the same, regardless of the completion of the or- 
 ganization hy the Deputy. 
 
 The liability for the newly adopted Neighbor into old 
 Camps is for the first assessment levied subsequent to his 
 adoption, which is determined by the report made by the 
 Camp Clerk. 
 
 Under an increased benefit certificate the Neighbor's 
 first liability is for the assessment current at the date 
 borne by the new certificate. 
 
 At death the Neighbor is held liable for the assessment 
 current, and which must be remitted with the Pass Report 
 bearing same number as the assessment. 
 
 The " levy " of an assessment is made by the Board 
 of Directors at its monthly meetings, and publication 
 thereof in the Modern Woodman is notice to the Neigh- 
 bor to pay to his Clerk, on or before the first day of the 
 month following the date thereof, another rate or assess- 
 ment. 
 
 The "call" is notice to the Clerk of Camp to forward, 
 within twenty days from the date thereof, to the Head 
 Clerk the proceeds in the Camp officers' custody collected 
 under the previous assessment made. 
 
The Woodman s Hand-Book. 
 
 229 
 
 An advance payment equal to his one rate of assess- 
 ment is paid by the Neighbor at adoption to his Clerk, 
 and which is converted into the benefit fund of the Camp, 
 where it remains until the Neighbor's first liability under 
 call, when it is remitted to the Head Clerk, thereby dis- 
 charging his said liability, which was for the first assess- 
 ment levied after his adoption. 
 
 Under the same date borne by the call, notice of assess- 
 ment, being the Neighbor's second liability, is given in 
 the Woodma'ii, under which he is required to pay to his 
 Clerk on or before the first day of the following month 
 another rate, or in default thereof, under the law, he stands 
 suspended. 
 
 Any Neighbor who has not paid to his Clerk an assess- 
 ment levied upon the second day of a month on or before 
 the close of business on the first day of the following 
 month stands suspended. This is the operation of our 
 Fundamental Law, which provides, further, that the bene- 
 fit certificate of the Neighbor during such suspension 
 shall be, and is, absolutely null and void. 
 
 The right to fully reinstate within sixty (60) days from 
 date of suspension is guaranteed the Neighbor by simply 
 paying to his Clerk all arrearages and the ctirrent assess- 
 ment and general fund dues, provided the Camp Clerk is 
 satisfied he is in good health. His reinstatement dates 
 from the moment of payment, and no further action is 
 required to be taken either by the local or head ofiice. the 
 Clerk noting such reinstatement, and remitting with his 
 next following Pass Peport. 
 
 If suspended more than sixty (60) days, then the 
 Neighbor, in addition to the payment of all arrearages, 
 must furnish from his Camp or other reputable physician 
 a certificate of present good health on blank '* Applica- 
 tion for Reinstatement"' (Form 53), and he will be re- 
 rated at his acquired age, liability under the increased 
 rate being for the first assessment levied after such rein- 
 statement. 
 
230 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Boo k. 
 
 A Neighbor in suspension for more than one full year 
 can only reinstate as provided in " Section G, Division J." 
 He should apply on regular form No. 5, which must re- 
 ceive the approval of a Head Physician, who, upon ap- 
 proval, will return to the Camp Clerk, who will attach 
 thereto the Neighbor's old certificate, or if lost a waiver 
 therefor, and forward to the Head Clerk, accompanied by 
 $2.00 (being per capita of $1.50 and certificate fee of 50 
 cents), remitted from the amount required to be paid by 
 the Neighbor under the provisions of said section. 
 
 A Neighbor past fort3^-five years of age can reinstate 
 within one year from the date of suspension ; if in sus- 
 pension for more than one year, he can not be reinstated. 
 
 The Pass Report is the medium through or by which 
 the Head Office is informed of the standing of or any in- 
 cident affecting the benefit certificate of each and every 
 Neighbor in the order. An error by the Camp Clerk in 
 formulating the same misleads the Head Clerk, and is 
 certain to result in misunderstanding with the auditing 
 department. 
 
 The first seven pages of the Pass Report are for use in 
 noting thereon by name, under its proper lieading, any 
 and all changes affecting the standing or benefit certificate 
 of the Neighbor during the month for which the same is 
 rendered, and which is invariably for the month preced- 
 ing the date borne by the call. Page eight is a summary 
 of these changes, beginning with item one thereon, with 
 the number of Neighbors in good standing on the first 
 day of the month preceding the date of report. The 
 footing, if the notations be correctly made, will show the 
 number of Neighbors liable under the call, and, therefore, 
 the data for the financial statement, page nine. Never 
 fail to keep a copy thereof by copying the same into the 
 Pass Report Book, supplied for that purpose. 
 
 The first liability of the newly adopted Neighbor is for 
 the assessment levied on the first day of the month fol- 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 231 
 
 lowing his adoption, to meet which he must invariably 
 pay one rate at adoption. On your first Pass Report after 
 such adoption note the fact (giving name), item one, page 
 two, thereof; add to the membership, item three, page 
 eight, and then deduct as not liable, item fourteen, page 
 nine. 
 
 On the next following Pass Report again add him to 
 the membership statement as liable, item two, page eight, 
 and remit his assessment, item one, page nine. 
 
 Full instructions are printed on each copy of the Pass 
 Report for the guidance of the Clerk in formulating the 
 same. 
 
 The per capita of our order is one dollar ($1.00) per 
 year, payable semi-annually, strictly in advance, as pro- 
 vided in Division K of the Fundamental Law ; fifty cents 
 for each Neighbor to be remitted on call accompanied by 
 semi-annual report, which will be mailed the Clerk under 
 date of January 1st and July 1st each year, and which, 
 included in the Camp general fund dues, is required to 
 be paid by the Neighbor to his Clerk of Camp in Decem- 
 ber and June preceding said dates. 
 
 At adoption the applicant is required to pay the Camp 
 general fund dues, pro rata, to the end of the term, but 
 the Camp is not liable to the Head Camp for any per 
 capita on account of said new Neighbor for said unex- 
 pired part of the term. 
 
 The Camp is liable for per capita for all Neighbors in 
 suspension on the first day of a term, and for whom re- 
 mittance is not then made, who subsecjuently reinstate, 
 and the same should be remitted with the next following- 
 Pass Report, as provided on page nine thereof. 
 
 The rules governing the issue of and change in the 
 benefit certificate are as follows : 
 
 First. A duplicate certificate cannot issue in any case 
 until the original has been accounted for, either by its 
 return to the Head Clerk's office, or by the Neighbor fur- 
 nishing a "'Waiver'' therefor, if lost. 
 
232 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 Second. All data on the application must be filled in, 
 and every question thereon answered, with committee re- 
 ports fully made, and certificate of election by the Camp 
 Clerk duly signed, before certificates can issue. 
 
 Third. Enter on the first fold of the blank the Camp 
 number and name of applicant in full. 
 
 Fourth. The application of any one who has passed 
 his forty-fifth birthday cannot be entertained, and if past 
 forty-one years of age for $2,000 only. 
 
 Fifth. To secure a change in the beneficiary, it is nec- 
 essary that the Neighbor fill in the blank form on the 
 back of his certificate, sign same, attested by the Camp 
 Clerk, and forward to this office, with fee of fifty cents. 
 A decrease in the amount of the certificate is secured in 
 the same manner. 
 
 Sixth. To secure an increase, the applicant must com- 
 ply fully with the provisions of Section ^' J," Division 
 ^^I," Revised Law, using the application blank (Form 5). 
 
 Seventh. The fee for any and all changes in the cer- 
 tificate is fifty cents. See Section ''C," Division " H." 
 
 Eighth, A Neighbor suspended more than one year 
 must forward this office with his application for reinstate- 
 ment (Form 5), after approval by the Head Physician, 
 his old certificate, or waiver therefor, if lost, $1.50 general 
 fund dues, and certificate fee of fifty cents. See Section 
 
 G," Division " J." 
 
 Ninth. A Neighbor suspended more than sixty days 
 and less than one year must, in order to reinstate, furnish 
 a certificate of good health. 
 
 Tenth. When adoptions have not been made within 
 sixty days from the date of the certificates, Camp Clerks 
 should return certificate to the Head Clerk's office, or re- 
 quire the applicant to furnish a certificate of " Present 
 Good Health " if he appears for adoption. 
 
 Eleventh. A certificate should not be delivered to the 
 applicant until he has, in the presence of the Clerk, 
 signed certificate at the bottom thereof. 
 
The Woodman'' s Hand-BooTc. 
 
 233 
 
 Twelfth. Adoptions should never be made until the 
 certificate has been received and is ready for delivery. 
 
 Remittances should invariably be made to reach the 
 Head Ofiice within twenty (20 ) days from the date of call, 
 as provided by the law, thereby avoiding the expense, 
 labor, and annoyance attending the issue of second calls 
 to the Camp officers. 
 
 Make all remittances payable to the Head Banker, and 
 never to the Head Clerk, but mail same to the Head 
 Clerk for audit. There is no exception to this rule, ex- 
 cept for Head Physician's fees, which should be enclosed 
 with the application direct to that official. 
 
 ^on-resident Neighbors living at a distance from their 
 Camp should invariably be receipted to for remittances 
 made to their Camp Clerk. For this purpose printed 
 postal card receipts will be. on order, furnished to Clerks 
 at one cent each, no charge being made for the printing. 
 
 The next state conventions will convene at the capitals 
 of the respective states on December 27th, 1S94. and the 
 Head Camp Modern Woodmen of America at Madison. 
 Wisconsin, June 4th, 1895. For eligibility, compensa- 
 tion of delegates, and other particulars, see Division Q," 
 Fundamental Law, which fully explains. 
 
 In correspondence invariably give your Camp number 
 and location when addressing the Head Office. 
 
 In all matters pertaining to the growth and extension 
 of the order, the construction of the provisions of the 
 Fundamental Law. jurisdictional Cjuestions, and eligibility 
 of membership, as well as anything pertaining to the 
 ritualistic or the secret work, to the discipline of the 
 Camp or Neighbor, or the issue of the annual password, 
 address W. A. Northcott, Head Consul, Greenville, 111. 
 
 Mail to the Head Clerk all communications relative to 
 the audit of accounts, the standing of the Neighbor or 
 Camp, claims (benefit and general), and the certificate, 
 supply, and statistical departments of the order. 
 
234 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Bouk. 
 
 Communications in regard to the mailing list, changes 
 in address, etc., should be sent directly to " Modern 
 Woodman Mailing Clerk, Fulton, Illinois," for which 
 purpose envelopes may be procured through the supph^ 
 department, at the same cost as for other envelopes. 
 
 The Fundamental Law provides that the mailing of a 
 copy of the Modern Woodma7i, the official paper of tlie 
 order, containing a notice of each assessment levied by 
 the Board of Directors, to the last known address of a 
 Neighbor shall be conclusive evidence of service of notice 
 of such assessment ; it further provides and makes it the 
 duty of the Neighbor to furnish the Head Clerk w4th his 
 proper postoffice address, either direct or through his 
 Camp Clerk. 
 
 The mailing list is prepared by a competent printer at 
 the Head Office, over thirteen thousand pounds of type 
 being in use for this purpose. It is kept corrected up to 
 date, all changes noted to the mailing clerk being 
 promptly made thereon, the copy for the month being 
 forwarded to the publisher of the Woodmaii only twenty- 
 four hours in advance of the mailing of the edition. To 
 assure the receij^t of the paper (and to a copy of which 
 each Neighbor is entitled), it is only necessary that the 
 Head Clerk be kept informed as to any change in address. 
 
 The name and address of an applicant for membership 
 in the order should be carefully given in his application, 
 from which it is taken for the list. The name of the 
 newly-adopted Neighbor is not given place on the list 
 until the report of adoption is made by the Camp Clerk 
 to the Head Office in the monthly Pass Report. The 
 Clerk should therefore be certain to report an adoption 
 on his next following report. 
 
 The Neighbor is entitled to a withdrawal card upon re- 
 mitting his Clerk of Camp the amount due, both benefit 
 and general, including the current assessment, with fifty 
 cents for said card, provided he has not been suspended 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 235 
 
 more than sixty days (in which case a certificate of good 
 health will be required), and is otherwise in good stand- 
 ing. Upon compliance with the foregoing instructions 
 the Camp Clerk should at once issue such card to the ap- 
 plicant. 
 
 The Clerk should at all times have a set of Death Proof 
 blanks in his possession, as frequently a month can be 
 saved in the payment of a claim by the prompt forward- 
 ing of proofs to the Head Clerk. 
 
 Immediately upon the report of a death reaching the 
 Camp Clerk, he should fill in and mail to the Head Clerk 
 the blank oflScial notice of death," giving such informa- 
 tion as same calls for. Instructions how to formulate 
 proofs accompany each set of papers. 
 
 The Head Clerk will mail to the Clerk of Camp bene- 
 fit orders in full payment of claims approved and allowed 
 by the Board of Directors as soon after the adjournment 
 of the Board as the condition of the benefit fund will ad- 
 mit. He will also mail with the orders full instructions 
 how further to proceed in collecting from the Head 
 Banker. 
 
 The annual password is issued from the office of the 
 Head Consul only, and is mailed in cipher to the Clerk, 
 who will deliver same to the Venerable Consul. How- 
 ever, before the word will be sent the Camp Clerk is re- 
 quired to furnish the Head Clerk with a list of the offi- 
 cers-elect for the year and remit per capita for the term, 
 which done the Head Clerk certifies the fact to the Head 
 Consul. 
 
 Division Q" of the Fundamental Law provides that 
 the local Camp shall give all accused Neighbors a fair 
 trial, while Division E " of the Camp By-Laws provides 
 the form thereof. The accused, if found guilty, is guar- 
 anteed the right of appeal to the Board of Directors. In 
 a majority of the cases where an order of expulsion is 
 entered by the Camp, this is done. It is suggested there- 
 
236 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 fore, that before a trial is begun the Camp Clerk should 
 procure from the supply department a set of appeal 
 blanks (price 25 cents), which are full and complete, and 
 by the following of which the legality of the form of trial 
 will be assured. 
 
 The power to grant dispensations is vested in the office 
 of the Head Consul only. The Head Clerk is commanded 
 by the Fundamental Law to enforce impartially the pro- 
 visions thereof, and is not permitted to waive even the 
 least thereof. Therefore do not petition or expect him 
 to do that which your law says he shall not do. 
 
 Field Work and Deputies, 
 
 By W. a. NORTHCOTT, Head Consul. 
 
 Growth in membership of the Modern Woodmen of 
 America must be continuous and strong, or the number 
 of assessments, and consequently cost of insurance, will 
 increase. One benefit assessment is about the same as 
 the entire annual i^er capita to the general fund. From 
 this it will be seen that it is of vital importance that the 
 assessments be kept at the minimum. It is not only im- 
 portant, but necessary to the life of the order. If we once 
 permit our assessments to grow too heavy our growth in 
 membership will cease, and we pass from the zenith of 
 our strength to the evening of our decline. In the past 
 we have been able to keep the growth in membership 
 going at a magnificent pace, and our assessments have not 
 increased. This has been done without cost to the general 
 fund, the field work paying for itself. No other fraternal 
 insurance society in the United States can show so re- 
 markable a record in running the field work without cost 
 to the general fund. Most societies pay large salaries to 
 
1^ 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 237 
 
 their organizers ; one organization recently cutting down 
 its representation in its supreme body that it might have 
 more money with which to employ organizers to push the 
 work in the field. Each day competition becomes more 
 sharp, and extraordinary eff'orts are being put forward by 
 the societies in our jurisdiction. The hard times recently 
 prevalent made our growth for the last six months of 1893 
 only about one-third of what it was during the first six 
 months of that year. The death rate was unusual]}^ large, 
 and the outlook for an increase in assessments exceedingly 
 gloomy. The Head Consul came to the conclusion, with 
 the advice and consent of the Board of Directors, that the 
 general fund could be put to no better use than in push- 
 ing the growth in our membership. 
 
 A system of appointing a State Deputy in each state in 
 the jurisdiction has been adopted. The duty of the 
 State Deputy is to select competent deputies in his 
 state and fully instruct them and supervise their work. 
 Until they have become very proficient in the work 
 the State Deputy is present at the institution of new 
 Camps organized by them. He gives them schools of in- 
 struction and they make a weekly report to him. All 
 correspondence in regard to field work in his state is re- 
 ferred to the State Deputy. He attends all public gather- 
 ings possible, and assists in every way in his power to 
 promote the welfare of Woodcraft in his state. He re- 
 ceives a compensation out of the general fund in propor- 
 tion to the work done in his state. His earnings are de- 
 pendent upon the success of his efforts in the field. He 
 makes monthly reports to the Head Consul, and is under 
 his general supervision. 
 
 It has been the aim and continued effort of the Head 
 Consul to place men in the field who would have the re- 
 spect and support of the Neighbors of the jurisdiction. 
 It is a matter of pride to the order that to-day we have 
 the best equipped corps of organizers of any society in 
 
238 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 the United States. We know of no other society that 
 publishes its list of organizers, or that retains so per- 
 manently the same organizers. We have deputies who 
 have given many years to this work, and by experience 
 have become proficient. The character and competency 
 of the deputies is continually improving, and to-day they 
 rank as valuable officers of the fraternity. Upon their 
 efforts depend the continuous growth and prosperity of 
 the order. They are in the front of the battle and bear 
 its brunt, and their hands should be upheld by every loyal 
 Neighbor who loves the order. In the heat and dust of 
 the conflict they bear the banner of Woodcraft into new 
 fields of conquest. 
 
 The duties and regulations of the District Deputies are 
 fully set forth in the following instructions of the Head 
 Consul. They are the " bo3^s in the trenches " who do the 
 fighting : 
 
 First. So far as practicable one Deputy Head Consul 
 shall be appointed for each congressional district, as now 
 apportioned. Deputies shall not act outside of their ter- 
 ritory named in the commission, unless by permission of 
 the Head Consul or State Deputy in writing. 
 
 Second. Applications for the position of deputy shall 
 be made on blanks provided by the Head Consul and State 
 Deputy, and shall be accompanied by a letter of recom- 
 mendation from the Venerable Consul and Clerk of the 
 applicant's local Camp, together with a bond with a suf- 
 ficient security in the sum of $300, conditioned for the 
 faithful performance of the duties of the office. 
 
 Third. After a deputy has received his commission, 
 he should at once send $5 to C. W. Hawes, Head Clerk, 
 Fulton, Illinois, for a set of deputy's supplies. He should 
 then make a list of the towns in his district that have no 
 Gamps, and also a list of the Camps that need re-organiz- 
 ing and building up. After he has carefully mapped out 
 his field of operations he is ready to go systematically to 
 work. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 239 
 
 Fourth. The deputy should make himself familiar with 
 the ritual and the Fundamental Laws, and the practical 
 workings of the Camp. He should read carefully all 
 official reports, and the monthly official paper, so as to 
 familiarize himself with the workings of the order. 
 
 Fifth. A new Camp can not be organized without at 
 least ten applicants on a petition for charter, and a char- 
 ter fee of not less than $100 must be collected by the 
 deputy. In no case shall the adoption fee be less than $5 
 for each applicant, and must in each case be enough from 
 each applicant so that the aggregate sum collected from 
 the charter petitioners shall be $100. The Deputy shall 
 make a statement to the Head Clerk when he sends him 
 a petition for charter of how much is paid to the Deput}" 
 as an adoption fee by each applicant. All sums collected 
 by the Deputy in excess of $100 shall remain in the local 
 Camp treasury. The applicant shall in each case, in ad- 
 dition to the adoption fee, pay the fee required by the 
 local physician and twenty-five cents as the Head Physi- 
 cian's fee. 
 
 Sixth. When a Deputy goes into a town to organize a 
 new Camp, he should get acquainted first with the lead- 
 ing men of the town, and obtain as many of them on his 
 petition for charter as possible. If the list is headed by 
 prominent men, the rest of the work will be compara- 
 tively easy. After the Deputy has completed his petition 
 for charter, and has as many as ten names on the same 
 and has collected from the applicants the charter fee of 
 $100, he should have the applicants examined by any 
 reputable physician, and forward the applications with a 
 fee of twenty-five cents each to the Head Physician of 
 his territory. In his letter to the Head Physician ac- 
 companying these applications he should ask him to 
 notify the Deputy at once as to who are accepted and who 
 rejected, so that the Deputy may know who are eligible 
 to office in the local Camp before the benefit certificates 
 
240 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 have arrived. The Head Physician forwards the accepted 
 applications to the Head Clerk, who thereupon issues a 
 benefit certificate upon each ; this requires some little 
 time, and it is a satisfaction to the Deputy to hear at 
 once from the Head Physician as to what applicants are 
 accepted. As soon as the Deputy knows that he has at 
 least ten accepted applicants, he will send the petition for 
 charter, together with $10 charter fee, to the Head Clerk. 
 The Head Clerk will then forward charter, supplies, and 
 certificates to the Deputy, who is now ready to organize 
 the Camp. A meeting night is appointed and the appli- 
 cants notified ; a ballot is taken upon all applicants at once, 
 each applicant being permitted to vote ; if three black 
 balls are not cast they are all elected ; if three black balls 
 are cast in this general ballot, then separate ballots must 
 be taken on each applicant. As soon as the balloting is 
 over the Deputy gives all of the applicants the obligation, 
 and instructs them in the secret and general work of the 
 Camp. The officers are then elected and instructed in 
 the use of the Ritual, how to open and close the Camp, 
 etc. The Deputy should instruct the officers of the 
 Camp as to their respective duties, being particular 
 to instruct the local Clerk how to keep his books and con- 
 duct his correspondence with the Head Clerk. As soon 
 as the Camp is organized the Deputy should send to the 
 Head Clerk a roster of the local Camp officers. 
 
 Seventh. A Deputy Head Consul has no authority to 
 work for an old Camp, unless requested to do so by the 
 Camp, and is paid such compensation for his work as is 
 agreed upon betw^een him and the old Camp. This agree- 
 ment should be clearly expressed in a resolution adopted 
 by a majority vote of the Camp at a regular meeting. It 
 is customary for the Camp to allow the Deputy the en- 
 tire adoption fee of $5 for each new member he adds to 
 the Camp. In working for the old Camp the Deputy 
 should have each application signed by two Neighbors of 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 241 
 
 the Camp recommending the applicant, and the applica- 
 tion must be referred to the usual committee and the 
 usual proceedings had as in all cases of new application 
 for membership in an old Camp. 
 
 Eighth. The Head Clerk has entire charge of the sup- 
 ply department, and the Deputies will be governed by 
 the rules and regulations of his office. With the charter 
 the Head Clerk furnishes certain supplies to the Camp, 
 but these are not sufficient for the proper working of the 
 Camp, and the Deputy should instruct the Camp to order 
 and pay for from the funds in the Camp treasury the ad- 
 ditional supplies that are necessary for the proper work- 
 ing of the Camp. The Deputy should have with him a 
 catalogue of supplies and prices, which will be furnished 
 by the Head Clerk. 
 
 Ninth. Wherever the Deputy finds a defunct Camp he 
 should take up the charter, ritual, and all supplies, and 
 forward them to the Head Clerk. If possible, he should 
 endeavor to organize an entirely new Camp in the town, 
 sending the charter fee of $10 to the Head Clerk and 
 proceeding as though no Camp had ever existed, except 
 that should there be any of the old members of the de- 
 funct Camp who desire to join the new Camp, he will 
 send their names to the Head Consul, who will grant a 
 dispensation, permitting them to join upon the same 
 terms and conditions as new members, and they will pay 
 the same fee ; and in all these cases the old benefit cer- 
 tificate must either be surrendered, or, if lost or destroyed, 
 a waiver signed by the applicant. The Deputy should 
 keep on hand the necessary blanks, waivers of lost cer- 
 tificates, small-pox waivers, etc. 
 
 Tenth. The Deputy should be careful in every case to 
 see that the application blanks are properly filled, par- 
 ticularly noting that the name of the applicant is written 
 plainly and in full, that the beneficiary is properly de- 
 scribed and the name plainly written and in full ; ihw. 
 
242 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh, 
 
 last is of vital importance, and the Deputy can not be too 
 careful in the matter. The Deputy should be present 
 when the examination is made by the physician, and 
 should see that all requirements are fully met by him in 
 making the examination ; and especially that the neces- 
 sary analysis is properly made. The Deputy should note 
 carefully the family history of the applicant, and other 
 points in his examination, and if he believes he is not a 
 proper risk he should at once inform the applicant and 
 not forward his application. In every case where an ap- 
 plicant is rejected the Deputy must return to him the 
 adoption fee paid ; but the applicant does not have the 
 physician's fees returned to him. 
 
 Eleventh. The Deputies must on Monday of each week 
 fill out, on blanks prepared and furnished by the Head 
 Consul or State Deputy, weekly reports to them. This 
 must be insisted upon, as it is necessary for the Head 
 Consul and State Deputy to be informed of the work of 
 the Deputy, and every blank in the report must be filled. 
 
 Twelfth. All commissions are subject to revocation at 
 the will of the Head Consul or State Deputy. The fact 
 that a deputy has knowingly received an applicant of im- 
 paired health, or wilfull}^ misrepresented the intentions 
 of the Fundamental Laws of the order to any Neighbor 
 or applicant, or shall fail to return to a rejected applicant 
 the adoption fee paid by him, or fail to make weekly re- 
 ports as above required, shall be good cause for removal, 
 and create a liability on the bond of the Deputy. 
 
 Thirteenth. A Camp of Modern Woodmen of America 
 is a public benefit to the community in which it is organ- 
 ized, and the Deputy should impress upon the leading 
 citizens the necessity of their co-operating with him in 
 his work. A society which enables men without fortune 
 and who are dependent upon their exertions for a living 
 to provide small estates for their families, which in case 
 of their death might otherwise be dependent upon public 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 243 
 
 charity, should receive the support of all good citizens. 
 Time used in getting the order properly before the promi- 
 nent men of the town and in getting their co-operation 
 will always recompense the Deputy. 
 
 , Fourteenth. A Deputy should never enter into contro- 
 versies with other societies or organizations where it can 
 be avoided. Explaining the many good points of the 
 Modern Woodmen of America should fully occupy his 
 time, to the exclusion of anything like abuse or disparage- 
 ment of other societies. A Deputy must always be 
 careful to solicit no applicant who is not sound physi- 
 cally and is not an eligible risk. He should always be 
 particular in his statements and representations, remem- 
 bering that the good name of the Modern Woodmen of 
 America should never suffer by any misconduct on his 
 part, and he should always keep good faith in his trans- 
 actions with Camps and members. 
 
 The ''Modern Woodman.'' 
 
 By general J. X. REECE, Director. 
 
 The ''Modern Woodman" is the official organ of this 
 order. The position it occupies in our fraternity is one 
 of very great importance to its members. Through its 
 columns not only are the principles of our fraternity 
 spread, the people educated and enlightened, but through 
 its columns comes to us that which is of far more im- 
 portance, the Official Notice " informing us that the time 
 has arrived for us to perform the sacred duty of contribut- 
 ing a small sum for the benefit of the beneficiaries of 
 loved Neighbors whose membership has been transferred 
 from" earthly Camps to the eternal Camp on the other 
 shore. 
 
244 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 This paper is the medium of communicating officially 
 with each and every Neighbor ; for this purpose its value 
 cannot be estimated. Under the law it is essential, as it 
 is the only means provided for giving notice of assess- 
 ments to members. • 
 
 The prompt payment of assessments is necessary to 
 keep the Neighbors in good standing and their benefit 
 certificates in force. 
 
 It is, therefore, important that these notices reach all 
 the members. 
 
 The Head Camp, in its wisdom, decided at its last 
 meeting that the notice of assessments should be pub- 
 lished in this our monthly official paper, and that the 
 publication and the mailing of a copy thereof to each 
 member, addressed to him at the last postoffice address 
 furnished by him to the Head Clerk, shall be conclusive 
 evidence of notice to each member of such assessment, 
 and that each has received a copy of such paper in due time 
 
 In order that these provisions may be carried into 
 efi'ect, it is farther provided and made the duty of each 
 Neighbor to furnish to the Head Clerk his nnino and 
 postoffice address. 
 
 It, then, must be apparent to each and every Neighbor 
 that the entire responsibility of furnishing the Head 
 Clerk their correct names and postoffice address rests 
 solely with them. It has been well said that the ^' Clerk 
 is the Camp." The duty of furnishing the Head Clerk 
 the names and postoffice address of the Neighbors may, 
 therefore, be safely assigned to the Clerk. The law, how- 
 ever, is mandatory, and the Neighbors are charged with 
 the duty of seeing that this information is furnished. 
 
 The Head Clerk has placed in charge of the " mailing 
 department " a practical printer, a gentleman of experi- 
 ence in this class of work. This official is charged with 
 the duty of preparing the mailing list, Avhich shows the 
 names, postoffice address, and the number of the Camp 
 
The Woodman'' s Hand-Booh. 
 
 245 
 
 of each Neighbor, all of which is arranged by states. 
 This list is corrected monthly, showing the changes of 
 location as reported by members ; also the addition of the 
 names of new members received during the month. 
 
 All Neighbors will at once understand the full meaning 
 of tliis law, and agree th^t upon them rests the obligation 
 to furnish the necessary information, in order that there 
 may be a full compliance with its requirements. Any 
 failure on the part of the Neighbors to carry into effect 
 these provisions of the Fundamental Law cannot be made 
 chargeable to the Head Clerk. 
 
 The Neigtibors having recognized their obligation under 
 the law, the future will determine whether they have per- 
 formed that duty according to the law. 
 
 This paper, in addition to being the official channel of 
 communication, is an important factor in holding together 
 and increasing the growth of the order. It is also an 
 educator, and teaches us to have Faith — that faith whicli 
 addresses itself to man's whole being, and sounds every 
 depth of his soul, and stretches itself over humanity. 
 
 It teaches us that Hope is necessary in every condition 
 of life ; that without hope the miseries of poverty, of 
 sickness, and the trials of this life would be insupportable. 
 
 It teaches the Neighbor how to practice Charity — that 
 which is the constant companion and perfection of all 
 virtues ; and teaches that it is in every man's power 
 sometimes to practice charity. 
 
 It teaches Patience, which is the guardian of faith, the 
 preserver of peace, the cherisher of love, the teacher of 
 humility. 
 
 It teaches Economy, the parent of integrity, liberty, and 
 ease, and the beauteous sister of temperance, cheerfulness, 
 and health. 
 
 It teaches Prudence, which is the combination of wis- 
 dom, reason, discretion, and common sense, the offspring 
 of a clear head, a correct judgment, and a good heart. 
 
246 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 It teaches Temperance, that virtue without pride and 
 fortune without envy, the best guardian of youth and the 
 support of old age, the tutelar goddess of health and 
 universal medicine of life. 
 
 It teaches that Fraternity which brings men into closer 
 social relations ; that makes them more thoughtful and 
 helpful ; that expands the sentiments of Faith, Hope, 
 Charity, Patience, Economy, Prudence, and Temperance. 
 
 It teaches the religion that breaks bread to the hungr}^ 
 gives a cup of water to the thirsty, that watches at the 
 bed of the sick, that visits and cares for the fatherless and 
 the widowed. 
 
 And, above all, it teaches us that duty is based upon a 
 sense of justice ; that justice is inspired by love, and is 
 the most perfect form of goodness. It tea.ches us that 
 duty is not a sentiment, but a principle pervading life, 
 and exhibits itself in conduct and in acts. 
 
 It teaches that it is the upholding law through which 
 the weakest become strong, without which all strength is 
 as unstable as water ; that no character, however har- 
 moniously formed and gloriously gifted, can be complete 
 without this abiding principle. 
 
 The New Ritual 
 
 By W. a. NORTflCOTT, Head Consul. 
 
 To revise and change a Ritual which has been for so 
 many years a vital part of Woodcraft, and around which 
 clusters the earliest and best memories of our order, and 
 which is to-day used by more than one hundred thousand 
 Woodmen, is a work to be approached with a full sense 
 of responsibility. The introduction of this revised Ritual 
 and its successful substitution for the old one is an almost 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 247 
 
 herculean task. I am constrained to undertake this work 
 only in obedience to the commands of the Head Camp. 
 In the .performance of this task I have preserved the 
 "busy mart " scene, the grand and imposing lectures, 
 and the beautiful and impressive burial service of the 
 old Ritual. In the years. to come these will be like monu- 
 ments reminding the Woodmen who come after us of the 
 history of the early struggles and achievements at the 
 cradle of Woodcraft — 
 
 " See how far that little candle throws its beams ; 
 So shines a good deed in a naughty world." 
 
 The strength and beauty of ritualistic work depends 
 not so much upon the Ritual itself as the manner in 
 which it is rendered. Any ceremony becomes stale and 
 unprofitable when read by the officers ; the great neces- 
 sity for the complete rendition of the work is for each 
 officer to commit his part and deliver it from memory. 
 Each Camp should select a good team and have it thor- 
 oughly drilled. The cost of the paraphernalia used in 
 this Ritual is so small as to be within the reach of every 
 Camp. 
 
 I desire to thank the Ritual Committee, the Head 
 Clerk, and Board of Directors for their many valuable 
 suggestions. The idea of using the Foresters, with their 
 marching and songs, was first conceived in seeing the 
 work done by Camp No. 566, of Hutchinson, Kansas. 
 To Dr. A. 0. Faulkner, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is due the 
 credit of many valuable suggestions. 
 
 We must grow as a fraternity. We will soon become 
 the largest society in the northwest ; we must be the 
 greatest in fraternal spirit. I hope this new Ritual may 
 be a step toward the improvement of the fraternal 
 feature of our order. Next to home and to country, the 
 Modern Woodmen of America is first in the hearts of 
 its members. Woodcraft is the product of the noonday 
 
248 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 of civilization. It must be great, or it would not be so 
 lifted up in the hearts of the greatest people of this 
 the greatest of all ages. 
 
 We must see that the great destiny of our order is ful- 
 filled. We must look into the future, and our develop- 
 ment must keep pace with the march of time. We are 
 building a structure that will some day afford protection 
 to the homes of a million of freemen, living in that great 
 territory which reaches from the shores of the ^'unsalted 
 seas " westward to where California's brooks wash down 
 their sands of gold. 
 
 I dedicate my humble work in this behalf to the fra^ 
 ternal spirit of Woodcraft. 
 
 Cheapest and Best. 
 
 By J. G. JOHNSOIS, Directoe. 
 
 There is a Chicago firm which advertises in reference 
 to its goods, " not how cheap, but how good." The prin- 
 ciple of selection therein suggested is worthy the con- 
 sideration of every man, whether the article to which it 
 is to be applied is candy or life insurance. 
 
 The old-line life insurance companies reiterate this sug- 
 gestion at every turn, " not how cheap, but how good." 
 They tell us that the only question worthy of considera- 
 tion is, " are a company's contracts to be relied upon ? " 
 and that the question of cost cuts no figure in the calcu- 
 lation. 
 
 This argument passed unchallenged until a few years 
 ago, when some enterprising investigator discovered that 
 of all the companies organized on the old-line plan, more 
 than nine-tenths had gone into liquidation and had utterly 
 failed to carry out their contracts. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 249 
 
 When this became known prudent men began turning 
 to the fraternal societies, and a similar investigation dis- 
 closed .the fact that no fraternal society organized on the 
 lines of the Modern Woodmen or other kindred orders had 
 ever failed to carry out its contracts to the letter. Thus 
 it has come to pass that fraternal insurance has become 
 the popular form of life insurance, and is patronized by 
 all, both on account of its thorough reliability and its low 
 cost. 
 
 It is not too cheap, obviously, because its cost to the 
 member is the exact cost of the indemnity promised, still, 
 it is paid in such small sums and at such intervals that 
 the poorest man, if industrious and saving,, rarely feels 
 its cost as a burden. It could not be more reliable, as it 
 has behind every contract the plighted faith and the 
 financial ability of every member of the order, exactly 
 the same security that is behind a government bond. 
 
 As between fraternal orders and old-line insurance, then, 
 there is no question as to which is ^'cheapest and best." 
 When we come to ask the same question as to tlie various 
 fraternities, we meet a more difficult problem. There are 
 many which have stood the test of time, have buffetted 
 the waves of adversity, have triumphed over difficulties, 
 and stand to-day monuments of wise management and 
 great achievement, having records written in heaven and 
 in the hearts of grateful beneficiaries, and we would not 
 willingly take from such an iota of the credit due to their 
 great achievements, or detract in any way from the evi- 
 dent results of their wise management. 
 
 But among successful fraternities there can be, and are, 
 some which contain in the plan of their organization 
 elements and ideas which promise not only present, but 
 permanent success, and among such societies it is believed 
 the Modern Woodmen of America stands pre-eminent. 
 
 It is now in its tenth year, and still has never yet 
 reached what is generally considered the minimum num- 
 
250 
 
 The Woodman' s Hand-Booh. 
 
 ber of assessments, viz : twelve annually, its highest num- 
 ber being eleven. This, we think, is unprecedented for 
 an order numbering nearly eighty thousand members, and 
 easily stamps the Modern Woodmen as the cheapest among 
 the leading fraternal orders. Any one can easily verify 
 this claim by comparing the cost of his insurance in our 
 order with the cost of a similar amount in any of the 
 large fraternities. In this society ^' double-headers " are 
 practically unknown, but one having been called in the 
 history of the order, and that several years ago. 
 
 We claim that the Modern Woodmen is not only the 
 cheapest, but the best, on the theory that that society is the 
 best which is not only cheapest now, but which can be 
 shown to be so organized that it will ahvays be the cheapest. 
 
 In support of this theory we point to the salient features 
 of our organization, every one of which is a guarantee of 
 the future continuous low cost of the insurance w^e offer. 
 
 First. The graded assessment, which favors, financially, 
 young men, attracting such, and thus keeping the aver- 
 age age of our membership low, with a consequent low 
 death rate. 
 
 Second. Our maximum age, forty-five, and $3,000 cer- 
 tificates being restricted to persons below forty-one, aiding 
 in the attainment of the result mentioned above. 
 
 Third. Selected risks, men in specially hazardous oc- 
 cupations being declined as members, thus avoiding many 
 accidental death claims, and placing all members upon an 
 equality of risk, as nearly as may be. 
 
 Fourth. Selected territory, the business of the order 
 being restricted to the healthy northwestern states, and 
 the large cities and unhealthy districts in even this 
 selected territory being barred, thus giving us practically 
 a ''country" jurisdiction, with its comparatively low 
 death rate and undoubted security from epidemics and 
 the ordinary contagious diseases. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh, 
 
 251 
 
 Fifth. Economical management, the tax for general 
 management being the lowest known, and the treasury 
 showing a surpUis of more than $60,000. 
 
 The above principles and policies are fixed, are em- 
 bodied in our laws, and eno^rafted on our management, 
 and are tlierefore permanent, and in the permanence of 
 those things which go to guarantee the low cost of the 
 protection we ofi'er is found the unanswerable argument 
 in favor of the Modern Woodmen of America being not 
 only the cheapest but the best fraternal benefit society in 
 existence. 
 
 Record of Bene£t Certi£cates. 
 
 Year. 
 
 In Force 
 Beainni?}^ 
 of Year. 
 
 Issued Dur- 
 ing Year. 
 
 ToiaL 
 
 Di-scontin li- 
 ed hy >H.«- 
 pen-rion. 
 
 Discontinu- 
 ed hy Death. 
 
 In Force at 
 1 Close of 
 Yeo.r. 
 
 1883 
 
 
 562 
 
 562 
 
 
 
 bfS-2 
 
 1884 
 
 562 
 
 7SS 
 
 1.350 
 
 ' 76 
 
 2 
 
 1.272 
 
 1885 
 
 1.272 
 
 3.694 
 
 4.966 
 
 391 
 
 6 
 
 4.569 
 
 1886 ' 
 
 ' 4.-569 
 
 4.706 
 
 9.275 
 
 9-54 
 
 22 
 
 8.299 
 
 1887 
 
 8,299 
 
 8.139 
 
 16.438 
 
 1.112 
 
 40 
 
 15.28(5 
 
 1888 
 
 15,286 
 
 11.943 
 
 27.229 
 
 2,164 
 
 85 
 
 24.980 
 
 1889 i 
 
 , 24.980 
 
 17.950 
 
 42.930 
 
 3,283 
 
 100 
 
 39,547 
 
 1890 
 
 39.547 
 
 12.354 
 
 51.901 
 
 8.991 
 
 216 
 
 42.694 
 
 1891 
 
 42,694 
 
 14.34S 
 
 57.(342 
 
 4.671 
 
 286 
 
 52.08-5 
 
 1892 
 
 52.085 
 
 25.139 
 
 77.224 
 
 4.251 
 
 329 
 
 72,644 
 
 1893 
 
 72.644 . 
 
 24.385 
 
 97.029 
 
 S.355 
 
 451 
 
 88,223 
 
 Grand totals 
 
 
 124.008 
 
 
 34.245 
 
 1.537 
 
 SS.223 
 
 RECAPnrXATIOX. 
 
 Total number of certificates issued from January 5th, 1SS3, 
 
 to December 31st, 1893 124,008 
 
 Total number of suspensions 34,248 
 
 Total number of deaths 1.537 
 
 35.785 
 
 Total number of certificates in force December 31st. 1893, 88.223 
 
252 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 Amount. 
 
 $ 351,000 
 680,000 
 1,080,000 
 1,534,000 
 1,881,500 
 2,655,000 
 3,'246|500 
 3,615,000 
 4,466,600 
 4,965,000 
 5,318,000 
 5,493,000 
 6,278,500 
 6,945,500 
 7,469,000 
 8,045,000 
 8,299,500 
 8,178,000 
 8,053,500 
 8,163,000 
 7,724,000 
 7,655,500 
 7,482,000 
 7,182,500 
 6,358,500 
 6,330,500 
 6,588,000 
 6,093,000 
 4,571,000 
 4,175,000 
 3,955,000 
 3,910,000 
 
 Ill 
 JM 
 
 1—) r— t t— 1 CM v-N Cn Cn QQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CQ CO CQ CO CO CO Cn CM CO CM Gn rH i— i r-l 
 
 
 Certificates 
 Decreased 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Deaths. 
 
 Amou7ii. 
 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 spensions. 
 
 Amount. 
 
 $ 4,000 
 61,000 
 148,500 
 239,500 
 334,000 
 446,500 
 519,000 
 563,500 
 510,000 
 704,500 
 638.000 
 650,000 
 725,500 
 802,000 
 817,000 
 754,000 
 843,000 
 786,000 
 735,000 
 634,000 
 671,500 
 551,000 
 592,000 
 593,000 
 468,500 
 438,500 
 469,000 
 395,000 
 376,000 
 287,000 
 234,000 
 194,000 
 
 
 CO 
 
 
 
 
 it 
 
 1 
 
 HiiiiiiiiliiiiliiM^^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 ililillllliililiiliM 
 
 < 
 
 i 
 
 Amount. 
 
 $ 356,000 
 531,000 
 707,500 
 979,500 
 1,197,000 
 1,480,000 
 1,596,500 
 1,699,500 
 1,912,500 
 1,997,500 
 2,167,000 
 1,874,000 
 2,304,500 
 2,190,500 
 2,272,000 
 2,523,000 
 2,291,500 
 2,297,500 
 2,175,500 
 2,242,000 
 1,935,500 
 2,029,500 
 1,914,000 
 1,668,500 
 1,456,000 
 1,476,000 
 1,540,000 
 1,213,000 
 207,000 
 204,000 
 181,000 
 155,000 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 ecember Slst, 
 •dred Age 
 m, 1893). 
 
 1 
 
 213,000 
 525.000 
 798,000 
 1,019,000 
 1,625,000 
 2! 168! 000 
 2,490,000 
 3,059,000 
 3,658,000 
 3,759,000 
 4,258,000 
 4,670,000 
 5,538,000 
 5,975,000 
 6,263,000 
 6,836,000 
 6,640,000 
 6,581,000 
 6,525,000 
 6,430,000 
 6,178,000 
 6,142,000 
 6,104,000 
 5,371,000 
 5,301,000 
 5,543,000 
 5,279,000 
 4,760,000 
 4,264,000 
 4,029,000 
 3,960,000 
 
 il 
 
 1 
 
 
 iSiSHiiiisiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 
 
 9 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 as 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 253 
 
 3,008,000 
 3,032,000 
 2,460,000 
 
 122i000 
 64,000 
 54,000 
 42,000 
 55,000 
 21,000 
 33,000 
 14,000 
 15,000 
 16,000 
 10,000 
 2,000 
 
 
 1,000 
 1,000 
 
 . .S184.133.500 
 
 
 
 CO. : 
 
 
 
 "1: 
 
 
 
 22,000 
 27,000 
 22,000 
 12,000 
 15,000 
 18 000 
 8^000 
 5,000 
 3,000 
 2,000 
 2,000 
 
 4,666 
 5,666 
 
 2,000 
 2,000 
 
 
 
 T-l -TJ O I> C- r-l CO iH i-H -(M -(Mi-H \ \ \ 
 
 
 -si 
 
 
 
 1 $16,883,500 
 
 Sltg^S^S^^^^ : :^ ::: :::::: : | : 
 
 10,000 
 11,000 
 2,000 
 ' 7,000 
 4,000 
 6,000 
 
 
 
 2,000 
 
 
 1 $591, 000 
 
 
 
 : : 33 
 
 §:::::::::::::::::::::::: 8 
 
 i"! 
 
 88 :::::::::::::::::::::: : 8 ^ 
 
 ....:....:.::::::::::: : ^ ^ 
 
 i| 
 
 ^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ %l 
 
 
 3,001,000 
 3,110,000 
 2,609,000 
 1,999,000 
 1,659,000 
 1,248,000 
 884 000 
 605,'000 
 305,000 
 129,000 
 66,000 
 54,000 
 48,000 
 55,000 
 26,000 
 35,000 
 14,000 
 17,000 
 16,000 
 12,000 
 2,000 
 
 
 1,000 
 1,000 
 
 $151,857,000 
 Insurance : 
 
 
 
 -1 
 
254 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
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The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 257 
 
 Roster of Officers of the Modern Woodmen 
 of America, i8g4. 
 
 'ROSTER OF HEAD OFFICERS. 
 
 Head Consul — WlUA AM A. NORTHCOTT, Greenville, 111. 
 Head Adviser — mn AM. C. HEDGES, Lansing-, Mich. 
 Head C/erfc — CHARLES W. HAWES, Pulton, 111. 
 Head Banker — BAYIB C. ZINK, Grand Island, Neb. 
 Head Physician — FRA^^K SWALLOW, Valley Falls, Kas. 
 Head Physician— ISAAC L. POTTER, Ackley, Iowa. 
 Head Physician — C. A. McCOLLOM, Minneapolis, Minn. 
 Head Chaplain— WEN . P. P. FARMELOE, Genoa, 111. 
 Head Escort — W. H. DAWSON, Slayton, Minn. 
 Head TFa^cTiman— EUGENE C. BURKHART, Mexico, Mo. 
 Head Sentry — 'LJjmK E. MENTCH, Carey, 111. 
 
 BOARD OP DIRECTORS. 
 
 A. R. Talbot, Chairman^ Lincoln, Neb. 
 J. W. White, Rock Palls, 111. 
 
 C. T. Heydecker, Waukegan, 111. 
 
 J. G. Johnson, Peabody, Kas. 
 
 J. N. Reece, Spring-field, 111. 
 
 AUDITING COMMITTEE. 
 
 H. O. Larrabee, Chairman, Winona, Minn. 
 Humphrey Pierce, Appleton, Wis. 
 
 Perry Perkins, Des Moines, Iowa. 
 
 COMMITTEE ON RITUAL AND REVISION OP LAWS, 1892. 
 
 Dr. E. R. Hutchins, Chairman, Des Moines, Iowa. 
 Gen. J. N. Reece, Springfield, 111. 
 
 Judge A. M. Cavan, El Paso, 111. 
 
 COMMITTEE ON CREDENTIALS, 1892. 
 
 Marvin Quackenbush, Chairman, Dundee, 111. 
 A. H. HOLLISTER, Madison, Wis. 
 
 J. H. E. Weigant, Leavenworth, Kas. 
 
 17 
 
258 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 Commissioned Deputy Head Consuls, 
 
 Revised to April i8tb, 1895. 
 
 ILLINOIS. 
 
 State Deputy Head Consul. 
 W. A. RODENBERG, 120 North Main Street, East St. Louis. 
 Deputies. 
 
 J. B. Martin, Aurora. C. T. Ray, Rockford. 
 
 J. S. Grim, Knoxville. J. S. Fendley, Danville. 
 
 E. A. Van Zandt, Peoria. F. B. Easterly, Decatur. 
 
 H. D. Foltz, Delay. E. E. Combs, Mulberry Grove. 
 
 E. W. Rupert, Greenville. C. H. Hay, Carmi. 
 
 William B. Bradsby, Greenville. 
 
 IOWA. 
 
 State Deputy Head Consul. 
 J. R. Carrothers, 511 Mulberry Street, Des Moines. 
 Deputies. 
 
 G. L. Williams, Winterset. F. R. Clark, Red Oak. 
 
 Frederick Hewitt, Sioux City. George B. Albert, Marshalltown 
 C. C. Ayres, Agency. J. A. Wood, Brush Creek. 
 
 Smith Parmenter, Jamaica. B. E. Lyke, Britt. 
 
 Edward Werner, Dubuque. F. B. Jewell, Washington. 
 
 C. A. Morris, Webster City. S. Adelsheim, Sioux City. 
 
 J. A. Leyda, Muscatine. C. S. Brayton, Davenport. 
 
 KANSAS. 
 
 State Deputy Head Consul. 
 Joseph B. Thoburn, Peabody. 
 Deputies. 
 
 P. J. Strack, Junction City. Morgan Caraway, Great Bend. 
 
 R. P. Bennett, White City. H. Retschlag, Emporia. 
 
 P. G. Chubbic, Beloit. J. W. Paramore, Topeka. 
 
 W. S. WoUard, York, Neb. J. W. Kaiser, Fort Scott. 
 
 Charles F* Guyer, Wichita. 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 259 
 
 NORTH DAKOTA. 
 
 State Deputy Head Consul. 
 C. L. Ward, Ellendale. 
 Deputies. 
 
 John Courtney, Ellendale. 
 W. H. Smith, Dunseith. 
 W. A. White, Ellendale. 
 J. E. Aznoe, Grand Forks. 
 R. W. Simmons, Lisbon. 
 J. H. Howard, Fairmount. 
 
 SOUTH DAKOTA 
 
 George H. Tweed, Jamestown. 
 James Barnett, Grand Forks. 
 N. H. Bjornstad, Ellendale. 
 Charles L. Brown, Oakes. 
 Fred. M. Kendall, Frederick, S. D. 
 
 State Deputy Head Consul. 
 F. R. Van Slyke, Madison. 
 
 Deputies. 
 
 Harry DeLeray, Deadwood. 
 Charles Christiansen, Vilas. 
 J. M. Johnson, Garden City. 
 W. M. Hicks,'Frederick. 
 John C. Smith, Madison. 
 A. R. Jamison, Elk Point. 
 W. E. Ege, Center ville. 
 A. E. Fuller, Mitchell. 
 
 W. L. Harris, Bristol. 
 
 Ira Wright, Clark. 
 
 E. I. Bunker, Frederick. 
 
 Dr. W. A. Bentley, Gary. 
 
 L. J. Corcoran, Madison. 
 
 Charles H. Roberts, Madison. 
 
 E. C. Dennis, Frederick. 
 
 E. E. Faulkner, Lincoln. 
 
 F. A. Chidester, Aurora. 
 D. L. Corkins, Cordova. 
 George Schoettler, Fall City. 
 F. O. Fritz, Exeter. 
 
 NEBRASKA. 
 State Deputy Head Consul. 
 Dr. a. O. Faulkner, Lincoln. 
 Deputies. 
 
 John Small, Lincoln. 
 
 B. A. Ward, York. 
 
 C. S. Hull, Lexington. 
 G. J. Frost, Emerson, 
 
 MICHIGAN. 
 
 State Deputy Head Consul. 
 C. D. Sharrow, Grand Rapids. 
 Deputies. 
 
 Charles J. Byrns, Ishpeming. 
 W. W. Thomas, Grand Rapids. 
 Bert Fairchild, Hastings. 
 J. D. Malcolm, Grand Rapids. 
 F. A. Reynolds, Ionia. 
 C. H. Brown, Buchanan. 
 
 F. E. Moore, Jackson. 
 Joseph Dellon, Grand Rapids. 
 Rev. John Ambrose, Fremont. 
 E. S. Jelly, Bangor. 
 W. T. Norris, Albion. 
 H. W. Grover, Buchanan. 
 
260 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book . 
 
 MINNESOTA. 
 
 , ', State Deputy Head Consul. 
 
 W. H. Dawson, Slayton. 
 Deputies. 
 
 F. B. Campbell, 618 E. 19th St., A. Corbit, Amboy. 
 
 Minneapolis. 
 A. W. Gregg, Plainview. 
 C. E. Berry, Fergus Falls. 
 C. C. Hatchard, Lake Benton. 
 E. M. Tousley, Howard Lake. 
 George R. Lawrence, Rush City. 
 
 R. A. Mullenger, 518 E. 3d St., 
 Duluth. 
 
 J. Fe Paige, Waseca. 
 W. A. Case, Warren. 
 T. D. Quaintance, Slayton 
 
 WISCONSIN. 
 State Deputy Head Consul. 
 T. H. Love, 417 E. Mifflin Street, Madison. 
 
 Deputies. 
 
 W. E. Hewes, Delavan. 
 W. P. Fanning, Madison. 
 D. P. Crabbe, Eau Claire. 
 T. B. Philpott, Loyal. 
 S. A. Walker, Neillsville. 
 R. L. Love, Madison. 
 Henry Haejner, Menomonie. 
 
 A. G. Haines, Merrimac. 
 
 A. M. Blynn, Mazomanie. 
 J. H. Welch, 64 N. 12::h St., 
 
 Minneapolis. 
 
 B. F. Keeler, Bagley. 
 A. J. Brown, Lodi. 
 
 MISSOURI. 
 State Deputy Head Consul. 
 D. I. Thornton, 2013 Olive Street, Kansas City. 
 Deputies. 
 
 E. C. Burkhart, Mexico. 
 
 C. H. Adams, 614 N. 13th St., 
 
 Quincy, 111. 
 Frank Roybar, Windsor. 
 H. D. Easterly, 1802 E. 16th St., 
 
 Kansas City. 
 
 J. H. Dunkleberg, Cuba. 
 
 B. L. Foster, 1707 Forest Ave., 
 
 Kansas City. 
 W. S. Smith, Lee Summit. 
 John W. Martin, Versailles. 
 
* 
 
History of the Modern Woodmen of 
 America. 
 
 L Root, of Lyons, Iowa, the first 
 Camp being instituted in that 
 1^ city on January 5th, 1883. This 
 day may be regarded as the 
 birthday of the order. Its early 
 
 HE Modern Woodmen of America 
 was founded by Joseph Cullen 
 
 history cannot be better written 
 than by quoting the language of its founder : 
 
 The history of the Modern Woodmen of America dates, 
 for its beginning, back to the year 1880. 
 
 Neighbor Root had been identified with two fraternal 
 benefit orders that were confined to the State of Iowa. 
 He was the principal officer of one, and had been Grand 
 Treasurer of the other, and was a member of several 
 others. Feeling a deep interest in the noble designs of 
 institutions of this character, and having been interested 
 in life insurance as an agent and patron of several of the 
 leading life insurance companies, he made it a subject of 
 investigation, in which he was greatly aided by his prac- 
 tical experience for several years in the insurance busi- 
 ness. 
 
 The yellow fever epidemic in the south had cost na- 
 tional institutions hundreds of thousands of dollars, and 
 climatic diseases in certain portions of the land had 
 caused losses in excess of that experienced in the great 
 states of the northwest. His actual experience in insti- 
 tutions confined to one state had also satisfied him that 
 
264 , The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 limits too circumscribed were a bar to tlie best selection 
 of risks, from a life insurance standpoint, but that an 
 organization could be devised which, if confined within 
 reasonable limits as to territory, could choose its ground, 
 and by establishing subordinate branches in towns of 
 reasonable size, the selection of preferred members could 
 be made a jDractical success. 
 
 He did not, however, strike the real key-note of terri- 
 tory at first, as he only excluded those states south of the 
 imaginary Mason and Dixon's line. 
 
 The more he thought of the theory he had evolved, 
 the more ambitious he became to demonstrate its utility. 
 His daily labor in directing the work of the state fra- 
 ternity of which he was the head kept the subject more 
 vividly in his mind until he determined to make the 
 effort to establish a secret society that should reflect his 
 theories. 
 
 Months passed away ; for this impulse or inspiration 
 dates back into 1880 or ]881. He conversed with others, 
 and cautiously advanced his arguments in favor of a re- 
 stricted, but not a state, institution. In his annual report 
 to his society he advised entering other states, but re- 
 ceived little or no encouragement. The seeds of seces- 
 sion were so thoroughly planted in the minds of the 
 Workmen of the State of Iowa that restricted state juris- 
 diction was advocated and preached in every lodge-room 
 of every fraternal order in the state. 
 
 We liave read of the tulip mania in Belgium, when 
 the whole countr}^ went mad over the value of tulip bulbs, 
 and many lavislied whole fortunes for the possession of a 
 variet;/, until the tidal wave passed, leaving ruin and 
 despair in its train, but it seemed no more in earnest or 
 unreasonable than the craze in Iowa to desert and 
 separate from every life benefit order that had a jurisdic- 
 tion extending beyond the borders of the Hawkeye 
 State." 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book, 
 
 265 
 
 Despairing of making any progress with a new fraternal 
 society that did not have the name of the one state only 
 inscribed on its banners, the originator of the Modern 
 Woodmen op America cast his anxious eyes across the 
 great river into the state of Illinois — that field of beauty, 
 rich in its productions of grand men and broad ideas. It 
 was in that state he expected to receive encoiiragement 
 for his project, and in this he has not been disappointed. 
 
 Having determined upon creating the fabric, the next 
 question was, what shall be its form, shape, and name ? 
 Various conceptions of a form of ceremonies came to 
 mind, but every one lacked newness or originality. In 
 one. Odd Fellowship suggested the idea, in another Ma- 
 sonry had already conceived the form, the test, the cere- 
 mony. In that treasure-house of ancient mystery, the 
 magic numbers and mystic symbols of Pythagoras, the 
 rose cross of Rosencreutz, the grand Eleusinian rites, the 
 exoteric and esoteric doctrines of Greece, and the Dyo- 
 nysian ceremonies had been studied by generations of 
 master minds, to add to the knowledge of the ancient 
 craft the wisdom and the inventions of hundreds of years' 
 experience in secret work designed to impress men by 
 the grandeur of its exemplification of noble truths by 
 symbolic ceremonials and dramatic spectacles, requiring 
 a keen mind, a bright intellect, and a manly courage to 
 enter and remain within its inner vale. The lessons of 
 that immortal drama of Damon and Pythias were re- 
 called, with its God-like lessons of friendship, self-devo- 
 tion, and self-sacrifice, but another pretentious order had 
 already made use of that. 
 
 Thus it became to the willing mind, ready to devise a 
 ritual, a confusion of scenes, teachings, and ideas that 
 were needed to formulate his conception of that which 
 was necessary for an order which he hoped and believed, 
 if properly prepared and panoplied, would commend 
 
266 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 itself to the judgment of practical men, when their atten- 
 tion should be called to it. 
 
 To select a name was a puzzling problem to solve. 
 Being naturally self-reliant, and seldom seeking or accept- 
 ing suggestions in matters of the most importance to 
 himself, the author had little patience witli others when 
 they proposed names for the new child soon to be intro- 
 duced into the world. The words " Knights," Sons," 
 and '' Brotherhood," seemed to be in the minds of all of 
 his immediate friends ; and the word ''Ancient" carried 
 a falsehood upon its face, for nothing bearing its name 
 appears to be venerable in any sense. The word " Royal " 
 haunted him in his dreams, and in his waking moments 
 " Arcana " confronted him as if posted upon every bill- 
 board. Names seemed to be chasing him about like the 
 little " Brownies " so graphicalh^ pictured in the children's 
 magazines, until one Sunday in July, 1882, while listen- 
 ing to a sermon being delivered by Rev. Sidney Craw- 
 ford, at the First Congregational churcli, in Lyons, he 
 spoke of the "Woodmen clearing away the forests." 
 
 It was like the appearance of a rainbow of beauty and 
 promise after a shower. The Gordian knot was cut ; the 
 anxiety experienced in the search for a name seemed to 
 pass away like a dream ; cool and refreshing shade ap- 
 peared to his imagination ; purling brooks, the twitter of 
 birds, the drumming and humming sound of wild fowl 
 flying to its cover, the buzzing of bees, the fleet retreat 
 of the squirrels up the tree ; the crushing, rattling sound 
 of decayed branches and dry leaves under the hoofs of 
 the cattle wandering through the trees crunching the 
 succulent, green leaf from the lower limbs; the "caw," 
 "caw" of the raven, and the hammering of the wood- 
 pecker, all suggested a scene of happiness, promise, and 
 peace ! 
 
 Then the scene changed : The trees looked like great 
 sentinels with a background of white, their great stripped 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 267 
 
 boughs and branches were moving, bending, and the 
 wind sighing a requiem to the departed foliage of which 
 winter's . frost had robbed the forest. A tiny line of 
 smoke outlined itself between the trees, and in a clearing 
 was the rude cottage of a woodman. Voices came to the 
 ear. It was the driver's commands to his cattle, that soon 
 appeared to view, dragging a great log to the mill. The 
 clear atmosphere brought the sounds of cutting, as the 
 keen blade in the lusty hands of the woodmen struck 
 the green, live wood of the tree. Soon a rushing, crash- 
 ing, crackling sound was heard, and the old sentinel of 
 many decades falls prostrate into the soft bed of snow, 
 ready to be trimmed, and sawed, and split with the axe, 
 beetle, and wedge, for use in the world's economy ; pro- 
 viding to man comfort in the shelter and w^armth which 
 it affords after it has passed through the hands of willing 
 and industrious men. 
 
 Locke once wrote that : In this retirement of the 
 mind from the senses, it retains a yet more incoherent 
 manner of thinking, which we call dreaming." 
 
 So the name was selected after weeks of thought upon 
 the subject, at a time Avhen one would least expect to 
 have decided so momentous a question. 
 
 The name so suggestive of useful employment, of a 
 noble avocation, for all labor is honorable — even more ; 
 is commendable — and stamps upon every laborer the seal 
 of self reliance and honesty. It suggests health, vigor, 
 and life. It was a new name for a fraternal organization, 
 and, therefore, " Modern." It was native to the soil of 
 this land, so wdiat could be more appropriate than to 
 add of America ? " As the good people passed down 
 the ' aisles, nodding pleasantly to acquaintances, and 
 staring good-naturedly, with a puzzled air, in the direc- 
 tion of any stranger that might have dropped in, they 
 little dreamed that the author of our ritual was tri- 
 umphantly repeating the words, Modern Woodmen of 
 
268 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh, 
 
 America," over and over again in Lis mind, and each 
 time wondering how strangely it sounded, but how har- 
 moniously it seemed to jingle. 
 
 For the next three or four days he was in danger of 
 getting as much bewitched with it as Mark Twain was 
 with his Pink Trip Slip — punch in the presence of 
 the Passenjare " jingle of Avhicli we have all heard. 
 
 The name being settled upon, the next thing was the 
 preparation of the ritual. In this the author sought no 
 suggestions or advice. For days and weeks he hunted 
 through old and antiquated books, whose lids had not been 
 opened for years, seeking for some historical basis upon 
 which to fashion a ritual that would be unlike any other 
 in existence. Since then a person once wrote to the 
 author that he did not like the ritual ; that it lacked life 
 and dash, etc. The author promptly wrote to his cor- 
 respondent that he presumed it was so, and would he not 
 please write a ritual that would be an improvement ? 
 At last accounts the better ritual, " full of life and 
 dash," had not yet arrived. If the gentleman ever under- 
 took the task, it would take him but a short time to dis- 
 cover that it was no easy matter to prepare ceremonies 
 having originality or dramatic excellence. 
 
 After months of consideration the author finally set- 
 tled upon tlie general outlines of the ritual. It was a 
 skeleton in liis mind when he seated himself at his desk 
 at No. 33 Main street, Lyons, Iowa, and proceeded to 
 commit to paper his ceremony of adoption, which, how- 
 ever, at that time he called initiation." 
 
 He devoted two or three days to the work. As he com- 
 pleted each part it was read to A. T. Wheeler, an attorne}^ 
 who occupied an office with the author ; and when fin- 
 ished it was also read to Samuel Davy and Lewis G. 
 Blaine, and no changes were suggested by either. The 
 opening and closing ceremonies and installation service 
 were also written during the week, and after changing a 
 
The Woodman' s Hand-Book. 
 
 269 
 
 word here and there the manuscript was sent to C. B. 
 Dorr, the printer, at Dubuque, Iowa. 
 
 The author in his ritual had two or three ideas that 
 he wished to permeate it. One was that the objection 
 that was raised against some secret societies of ]3eing a 
 semi-religious body should not be pertinent to the Modern 
 Woodmen of America. 
 
 The belief of an applicant in matters of Diety or re- 
 ligion has no bearing upon the objects of Woodcraft as 
 defined in the ritual. The fact that he is a moral man, 
 of temperate habits and good physical and mental con- 
 dition, are all the pre-requisites of a useful member. 
 
 The fraternity should not arrogate to itself to select 
 the Christian and reject the unbeliever, or to favor the 
 republican and frown upon the democrat. If a man has 
 no regard for the bible, he should not be required to in- 
 sult its sacredness in the eyes of his venerating neighbor 
 by refusing to be obligated upon it. So it were better to 
 dispense with such a requirement. * * * The doors 
 are then left open to the Jew and Gentile, the Catholic 
 and Protestant ; men of whatever nationality can meet 
 upon its broad and liberal platform as adopted sons and 
 neighbors who may be at variance upon every other sub- 
 ject, but are a unit in their obligations to help the de- 
 pendent ones of those who are stricken by death. 
 
 It was six months later that the funeral and burial ser- 
 vices were prepared and published in the second edition 
 of the ritual. The first time that these services were 
 used was while it was still in manuscript, at Oakland 
 cemetery, in Lyons, Iowa, at the grave of John Ott, on 
 Sunday, July 1st, 1883. He was a member of another 
 society that had no funeral or burial ceremony, and the 
 new service was used by substituting the name of that 
 organization. The next day a prominent clergyman 
 commended it in lavish praise, and a worthy gentleman, 
 who is a pronounced liberal thinker, said it was the 
 
270 
 
 The Woodman' s Hand-Booh. 
 
 most appropriate and sensible service that he had 
 ever listened to. 
 
 Its comnoendation from two such adverse, yet fair- 
 minded, gentlemen was encouraging, to say the least, and 
 five years time has yet failed to call to our attention a 
 solitary adverse criticism upon the same. 
 
 The ritual having gone to the printer, a circular was 
 prepared and sent to Mtc Carroll, Illinois, to be printed. 
 
 % ^ Hi % % % 
 
 It was not until November, 1882, that any progress was 
 made in establishing Camps. It was then that Lewis G. 
 Blaine circulated the first Petition for Charter " at 
 Lyons, Iowa, and on January 5th, 1883, Pioneer Camp, 
 No. 1, was instituted, with the following members present : 
 
 J. C. Poot, L. G. Blaine, J. C. Hopkins, J. K. P. Balch, 
 A. Hilton, William Fields, Charles W. Sibley, E. Lukens, 
 William A. Penn, Martin Aikey, A. Marshall, H. Frazier? 
 M. O'Hara, C. D. Scott, C. Newcomer, Dr. L. H. Knis- 
 kern, M. Pudman, Henry Penn, Joe Messmer, Dr. J. A. 
 McArthur, S. H. Stebbins. 
 
 The author of the ritual, J. C. Poot, obligated all 
 present, instructed tbem in the work, and Pioneer Camp 
 was organized as the provisional Head Camp and as its 
 first local Camp. 
 
 J. C. Root was elected Head Consul, Lewis G. Blaine, 
 Head Banker, and Albert Hilton, Head Clerk, to serve 
 until the first Head Camp should convene. 
 
 Pioneer Camp, No. 1, elected as its first officers : 
 
 Venerable Consul — J. C. Root. 
 Worthy Adviser — Harrison Frazier. 
 Excellent Banker — William Fields. 
 Clerk — Albert Hilton. 
 Escort — Charles W. Sibley. 
 Watchman — Martin Aikey. 
 Sentry — M. Pud man. 
 Managers — Joe Messmer, E. Lukens, 
 C. D. Scott. 
 
The Woodman' s Hand-Book. 
 
 271 
 
 The Head Consul installed the officers, and the first 
 Camp of the Modern Woodmen of America had a name 
 and an existence. Only twenty-seven men, of whom 
 tw^enty-one were present, constituted a small beginning, 
 but the majority of them were confident that success 
 would ultimately crown the efforts of its officers to make 
 it a household word in the healthy states of the north- 
 west before many years should roll by. 
 
 Seventeen of the original members are still in good 
 standing ; not one at this writing has died from Pioneer 
 Camp, No. 1. 
 
 As we look back only six years ago, we cannot help 
 wondering what it was that induced these men to lend 
 their names, influence, and personal efforts to an, institu- 
 tion that had simply a name and ritual, but no members. 
 No especial urging was necessary to interest them, but 
 they seemed to realize that the time had come when a 
 movement upon a sensible plan w^ould succeed. Nearly 
 all were members of other fraternal benefit orders and 
 had some knowledge of the benefit to themselves and 
 helpfulness to others that they supplied. They were all 
 men of generous impulses. Stingy men would count the 
 cost and estimate the advantage from a purely selfish 
 standpoint before investing any money or giving any time 
 to a new and perhaps uncertain venture. 
 
 As time ripens aud broadens the mission of our noble 
 order, these men will become historic characters whose 
 names will have about them a lustre of modest light that 
 will command honor and homage from hundreds who 
 have been blessed by the bounties of the great order they 
 aided in establishing. 
 
 The second Camp was established at Fulton, Illinois, 
 through the eff'orts of Thomas L. Taggert, a personal 
 friend of the Head Consul. His first convert was Dr. 
 Henry M. Kennedy, the present Head Clerk. The meet- 
 ing to institute the Camp was held in the basement of 
 
272 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 the Baptist Church. On the evening of the 10th day of 
 February, 1883, the Head Consul, accompanied by L. G. 
 Blaine, C. D. Scott, A. Marshall, A. Hilton, H. Frazier, 
 Harry Evans, and William Fields, walked over the Mis- 
 sissippi river on the ice, and met the following persons 
 at the place mentioned : T. L. Taggert, H. M. Kennedy, 
 M. D., L. Barber, P. J. Bennett, W. J. Carlyle, G. AY. Ma- 
 thers, C. Grimes, W. E. Martin, 0. Park, J. W. Hulbert, 
 and William Bailey. At this writing seven of those 
 named are still in good standing. The objects, aims, and 
 prospects of the proposed fraternity were fully explained, 
 and the fact that the entire membership was less than 
 thirty was discussed. All present, excepting one who 
 retired, decided to accept it and cast their fortunes with 
 the order. The neighbors from Pioneer Camp, No. 1, 
 aided the Head Consul in adopting them in a A^ery primi- 
 tive but none the less effective way. There was a dim, 
 religious light " in the poorly-lighted apartments ; the low 
 ceiling and numerous posts made the room seem cramped 
 and contracted. It reminded us of the dark caverns so 
 graphically described in a book we recently read, that 
 were used hundreds of years ago in which to confer the 
 degrees of the most ancient of secret rites. An ivory 
 door upon hinges of gold opening suddenh^ in the solid 
 wall, the candidate was dazzled and almost struck blind 
 for a moment by the brilliancy of the light, and behold ! 
 he saw seated in groups tlie priests of Isis, clothed in 
 magnificent costumes and decorated with badges of honor 
 and distinction. The humble profane " who came to 
 the scantily-furnished basement in Fulton that night saw 
 no ivory door upon hinges of gold ready to open when 
 the command was given, and all the light " that their 
 anxious eyes beheld was the dim lamps and the printed 
 ritual. The information communicated by the Head 
 Consul was also light " shed upon the mysteries of the 
 new order. 
 
II 
 
 3-S 
 
 fDtE 
 
 D H 
 
 o • 
 
 O 
 2 
 
 P • 
 
 ^3 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 273 
 
 It being decided to practice upon one of the applicants 
 the ceremony of adoption, a volunteer was called for. 
 The great brawny fellows all held back, but a wiry little 
 fellow with sparkling dark eyes, that sometimes look black 
 as a thunder cloud, and at other times are brown, gervtle, 
 and reflective in expression, stepped forward, a willing 
 victim to endure any ordeal that the Iowa strangers might 
 have ready for him. He was the smallest man upon the 
 charter petition, but like the majority of little men (of 
 which the first Napoleon was a notable example), he 
 lacked not in the bravery necessary to be first tested by 
 the gauge of Woodcraft. 
 
 This self-sacrificing gentleman was Dr. Henry M. Ken- 
 nedy. He survived the hardships of the evening, and 
 has ever since been as ready and willing to offer himself 
 as a victim upon the altar of Woodcraft as he was upon 
 his first introduction into its inner chamber. 
 
 The next Camp instituted was Ivanhoe, No. 7, at Lanark, 
 Illinois. The number 7 was given to this Camp, for the 
 reason that correspondents in other localities had promised 
 to organize Camps, and numbers were assigned to them, 
 but they all failed to materialize, and the numbers 3, 4, 
 5, and 6 were afterwards given to Camps instituted by 
 deputies. 
 
 The days of its infancy have passed away forever — 
 the Modern Woodmen of America is now in vigorous 
 youth, endowed with all the stamina, strength, and virtue 
 that it may require to insure to it a longevity and 
 perennial existence. 
 
 W^oodcraft now has a name and place in the world's 
 history. Its teachings influence for good. It inculcates 
 charity and care for the dependent ones. In this it will 
 benefit every mind as well as carry comforts and educa- 
 tion to the widow and the fatherless. Some of its votaries 
 
 18 
 
274 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 are passing every month into that sleep that knows no 
 earthly waking ; it affords a solace to the dying, comfort 
 to the bereaved, and discipline to the surviving members. 
 Heaven's richest blessing cannot fail of being conferred 
 upon an order so worthy thereof. 
 
 Story of the Proofs. 
 
 Death No. 1. — Neighbor Ab. Mayer, died July 14th, 
 1884, at Davenport, Iowa. He w^as five, feet four inches 
 tall, black hair, hazel eyes, and resembled his mother. 
 Was recommended by Junior Deputy Maltby and J. P. 
 Crawford, M. D. He died from indiscretion in eating 
 confectionery, ice cream, etc., on the 4th of July, with 
 the incident excitement and heat. He was known as a 
 reliable salesman of average good health, but had been 
 subject to dyspepsia occasionally. He sleeps at Pine 
 Hill cemetery — the first Woodman that leads the van to 
 the vastless beyond. 
 
 Death No. 2. — Neighbor Cephas Hurless, a farmer, 
 died November 14th, 1884, of disease of the kidneys and 
 inflammatory rheumatism; resulting as a complication of 
 the latter affection was valvular disease of the heart. 
 He was born in Holmes county, Ohio, 1827, and resided 
 in Whiteside county, 111., over thirty years. He was a 
 prominent citizen. Dr. G. W. Remage says : There 
 had never been any heart complication in his case prior 
 to this attack." He was recommended by 0. H. Hender- 
 son, Senior Deputy. His last resting-place is Hazel 
 Green cemetery, in Geneseo township, Whiteside county, 
 Illinois. 
 
 Death No. 3. — Neighbor W. H. Becker died Decem- 
 ber 22d, 1884, of acute rheumatism, complicated with 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 275 
 
 metastasis of the brain." Was first taken sick December 
 11th. Was recommended by Deputy Maltby and Dr. W. 
 A. McDowell. Was five feet eleven inches tall, erect, 
 black hair and eyes, and resembled his father. Was a 
 dealer in agricultural implements, and highly respected' 
 in his Camp and city. His grave is in the city cemetery, 
 at Rockford, 111. 
 
 Death No. 4. — Neighbor William Foy, a sturdy car- 
 penter, a native of Ohio, died January 26th, 1885. He 
 was six feet tall, of erect figure, brown eyes, and hair 
 gray, and resembled his father; was recommended by W. 
 R. Trottler, M. D., and Deputy Maltby. His wife received 
 $1,000, the full amount of his certificate, in a few days 
 after his death. With this money she has erected a hand- 
 some cottage home, and says that upon it should be in- 
 scribed : A home to the thankful. A gift from the 
 Modern Woodmen of America." 
 
 Death No. 5. — Neighbor Ziba A. Trull, a druggist; 
 five feet nine inches tall, with auburn hair and blue eyes; 
 resembled his father. Recommended by Deputy Maltby 
 and Dr. C. H. Latham. In tlie proofs it is said that he 
 had not had any serious sickness for twelve years. At 
 that time he had an attack of remittent fever that had no 
 bearing upon the cause of death. Was taken sick Janu- 
 ary 7th, and died February 3d, 1885, of gastro enteritis. 
 He dropped a $5,000 certificate in another organization 
 to take a $3,000 certificate in the Woodmen. He was a 
 member of the Workmen, Galesburg Odd Fellows, and 
 American Legion. Lysander cemetery, near Pecatonica, 
 111., is his resting-place. 
 
276 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 Head Camps Modern Woodmen of America. 
 
 The Head Camps of the Modern Woodmen of America 
 have convened as follows : 
 
 First Provisional at Lyons, Iowa, January 5th, 
 1883. — Those present were Joseph C. Root, J. C. Hop- 
 kins, J. K. P. Balch, L. G. Blaine, Albert Hilton, William 
 Fields, C. W. Sibley, E. Lukens, William A. Penn, Mar- 
 tin Aikey, A. Marshall, Harrison Frazier, M. O'Hara, C. 
 Newcomer, L. H. Kniskern, S. H. Stebbins, M. Rudman, 
 Henry Penn, Joe Messmer, J. A. Mc Arthur, and C. D. 
 Scott. 
 
 Provisional Head Officers were elected as follows : 
 
 Head Consul — Joseph C. Root. 
 Banker — Lewis G. Blaine. 
 C^er^^ — Albert Hilton. 
 
 The officers-elect were constituted an Executive Com- 
 mittee with all the powers of the Head Camp to do what- 
 ever in their judgment seemed proper and necessary to 
 propagate the order. 
 
 Adjourned subject to the call of the Head Consul. 
 
 Second Regular. — At Fulton, Illinois, June 28th, 
 1883, the following named Camps being represented by 
 delegates : 
 
 Pioneer, No. 1, Lyons, Iowa, four delegates ; Forest, 
 No. 2, Fulton, Illinois, four delegates ; Ivanhoe, No. 7, 
 Lanark, Illinois, two delegates ; Excelsior, No. 8, Mt. Car- 
 roll, Illinois, three delegates ; Tampico, No. 9, Tampico, 
 Illinois, two delegates. 
 
 The following named Head Officers were elected to 
 serve one year : 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 'Ill 
 
 Head Consul — Joseph C. Root, Lyons, Iowa. 
 Banker — A. M. Green, Mt. Carroll, 111. 
 Clerk — Arthur Hilton, Lyons, Iowa. 
 Physician — H. M. Kennedy, Fulton, 111. 
 
 - r C. C. Farmer, Mt. Carroll, 111. 
 Managers — < S. H. Zimmerman, Polo, 111. 
 
 ( J. J. Ward, Sterling, 111. 
 
 At this session the original Fundamental Laws were 
 adopted. 
 
 Section A," Division " I," provided that applicants 
 for membership must be over eighteen and under sixty- 
 five years of age. 
 
 Section F," Division " I," provided that persons 
 desiring to participate in the benefit fund of the fra- 
 ;jrnity could do so upon the recommendation of a neigh- 
 bor and the payment of $5 to the Head Clerk, first sub- 
 mitting to an examination by a reputable physician, and 
 approval thereof by the Head Physician. Thus author- 
 izing and establishing the Independent Camp. 
 
 Third Session — Convened at Fulton, Illinois, May 
 14th, 1884. Eighteen Camps were represented by duly 
 accredited delegates. 
 
 The officers and members of Standing Committees 
 were, on motion, allowed ten cents per mile one way, and 
 $2 per day for time in attendance on this meeting ; local 
 Camps to remunerate other delegates in attendance. Per 
 capita fixed at $1 per year. 
 
 Head Officers were elected as follows : 
 
 Head Consul — J. C. Root, Lyons, Iowa. 
 
 Banker — A. M. Green, Mt. Carroll, 111. 
 Clerk — J)i. H. M. Kennedy, Fulton, 111. 
 Physician — Dr. P. L. McKinnie, Moline, 111. 
 
 ( S. H. Zimmerman, Polo, 111. 
 Managers — \ C. C. Farmer, Mt. Carroll, 111. 
 
 ( J. J. Ward, Sterling, 111. 
 
278 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Boo k. 
 
 At this meeting a Board of eleven Directors were 
 elected, viz : Joseph C. Root, P. L. McKinnie, S. T. Toll, 
 S. H. Zimmerman, H. M. Kennedy, A. M. Green, R. J. 
 Dill, J. J. Ward, E. D. Leland, l/c. Brown, and C. C. 
 Farmer. 
 
 The following table of rates was adopted. Limit of 
 age reduced to sixty years : 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. 
 
 $2,000. 
 
 Age. 
 
 11,000. 
 
 $2,000. 
 
 Age. 
 
 $1,000. $2,000. 
 
 18 to 20, . , 
 
 . . .$ .30 $ .60 
 
 46 
 
 $ .55 $1.15 
 
 55 , . 
 
 $1.00 $2.00 
 
 20 to 24... 
 
 . . .35 
 
 .70 
 
 47 
 
 , .60 
 
 1.20 
 
 56 
 
 1.10 2.20 
 
 24 to 28 , 
 
 . , .40 
 
 .80 
 
 48 , 
 
 .65 
 
 1.30 
 
 57 , 
 
 1.20 2.40 
 
 29 to 33 , , , 
 
 , .45 
 
 .85 
 
 49 
 
 .70 
 
 1.40 
 
 58 .. 
 
 1.25 2.50 
 
 34 to 37 
 
 . .45 
 
 .90 
 
 50 
 
 '.75 
 
 1.50 
 
 59 , , 
 
 ,. 1.50 3.00 
 
 38 to 39... 
 
 . . .50 
 
 .95 
 
 51 
 
 .80 
 
 1.60 
 
 
 
 40 to 41. 
 
 .50 
 
 1.00 
 
 52... 
 
 .. .85 
 
 1.70 
 
 
 
 42 to 43 
 
 .55 
 
 1.05 
 
 53 ,. 
 
 .. .90 
 
 1.80 
 
 
 
 44 to 45 ., 
 
 
 1.10 
 
 54 . . 
 
 . . .95 
 
 1.90 
 
 
 
 A few neighbors now approaching seventy years of 
 age, admitted under the provisions of the foregoing table, 
 are at this date worthy members of the order. 
 
 Adjourned to meet at Moline, Illinois, on Wednesday, 
 February 11th, 1885. 
 
 Fourth Session.— Convened at Moline, Illinois, Feb- 
 ruary 11th, 1885. 
 
 The report of the Committee on Mileage and Per Diem 
 shows forty-nine Head Camp officers, members of stand- 
 ing committees, and delegates to have been present, and 
 the aggregate on account of mileage and per diem to have 
 been $330.22. 
 
 The Head Clerk's report shows seventy Camps orga- 
 nized ; total membership one thousand two hundred and 
 seventy-two, and that from fifty-three Camps then liable 
 there had been received during the previous year : On 
 account of benefit fund, $1,910.47 ; on account of general 
 fund, $447.20. 
 
/ The Woodman^ Hand-Booh. 
 
 279 
 
 Representation to next Head Camp made on the basis 
 of one delegate to each Camp, and Camps with over fifty 
 members, two delegates. 
 
 The following Head Officers were elected : 
 
 Head Consul — Joseph C. Root, Lyons, Iowa. 
 Banker — A. M. Green, Mt. Carroll, 111. 
 Clerk — M. Kennedy, Fulton, 111. 
 " Physician — P. L. McKinnie, Moline, 111. 
 
 " Section A, Division I,'^ was amended, reducing the 
 limit of age to fifty-one ^^ears. 
 
 A per capita of $1 was ordered, with a special of fifty 
 ..onts to be called March 81st, 1885. 
 
 The Head Officers and Managers were constituted the 
 Board of Directors and Executive Council, viz : Head 
 Consul, J. C. Root ; Head Adviser, W. H. Parks ; Head 
 Clerk, H. M. Kennedy ; Head Banker, A. M. Green ; Head 
 Physician, P. L. McKinnie ; Head Watchman, S. T. Toll ; 
 Head Escort, M. H. Underwood ; Head Sentry, M. F. 
 Hertz ; Head Managers, S. H. Zimmerman, J. J. Ward, 
 ind C. C. Farmer. 
 
 Adjourned to meet at Sterling, 111., October 12th, 1886. 
 
 Fifth Session. — Convened at Sterling, Illinois, Tues- 
 day, October 12th, 1886. 
 
 Two hundred and thirty-two delegates, including Head 
 Officers and members of standing committees, were in 
 attendance on the fifth session of the Head Camp, the 
 mileage and per diem aggregating $2,815.46. 
 
 The reports submitted by the Head Officers gave two 
 hundred and fifty-five as a total number of Camps orga- 
 nized to date, with an aggregate membership of seven 
 thousand three hundred and ten. 
 
 Since the 1885 session of the Head Camp there had 
 been received on account of Benefit Fund, $42,514.23 ; on 
 account of General Fund, $9,165.81. 
 
280 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 Vacancies, caused by the death of Wayne H. Parks, 
 Head Adviser, and the resignation of Manager J. J. Ward, 
 had been filled by the appointment of W. H. Hobart, 
 Camp No. 56, as Head Adviser, and A. Richtmeyer, Camp 
 No. 12, as Manager. 
 
 Per capita for the ensuing two years fixed at $1 per an- 
 num. A resolution ordering a special call upon all Camps 
 to forward at once to the Head Clerk the sum of fifty 
 cents for every member in good standing, as a loan to be 
 refunded said Camps, was adopted. Under this call 
 $3,511.62 was received. 
 
 The following named Head Officers were declared 
 elected for the ensuing term : 
 
 Head Consul — J. C. Root, Lyons, Towa. 
 
 Adviser — F. F. Roose, Lincoln, Neb. 
 Clerh — 'R. M. Kennedy, Fulton, 111. 
 Banker — A. M. Green, Mt. Carroll, 111. 
 Escort — D. Kaufman, Omaha, Neb. 
 Physician — P. L. McKinnie, Moline, 111. 
 Watchman — S. T. Toll, Clinton, Iowa. 
 Sentry — M. F. Hertz, Aurora, 111. 
 
 i S. P. Leland, Charles City, low^a. 
 Managers — < S. H. Zimmerman, ) , , 
 
 (C.C. Farmer, ( holding over. 
 
 Adjourned to meet on the second Tuesday (the 13th 
 day) of November, 1888, at Des Moines, Iowa. 
 
 Sixth Session. — Convened at Des Moines, Iowa, Tues- 
 day, November 13th, 1888. 
 
 Three hundred and seventy delegates, including Head 
 Officers and members of standing committees, were in at- 
 tendance on the sixth session of the Head Camp, at an 
 aggregate cost of $9,009.75 on account of mileage and 
 per diem. 
 
Ritual Committee, 1894. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 281 
 
 The reports of the Head Officers show a total of seven 
 hundred and seventy Camps organized to date, with a 
 total membership of twenty-three thousand seven hun- 
 dred and seventy-six neighbors. 
 
 Since the 1886 session of the Head Camp there had 
 been received account Benefit Fund, $222,920.77; account 
 General Fund, $38,253.15. 
 
 Head Officers for the ensuing term elected as follows: 
 
 Head Consul — Joseph C. Root, Lyons, Iowa. 
 Adviser — F. F. Roose, Lincoln, Neb. 
 * Clerk — M. Kennedy, Fulton, 111. 
 
 II " Physician — P. L. McKinnie, Evanston, 111. 
 " Banker — Augustus Smith, Des Moines, Iowa. 
 Escort — C. F. Hamlin, Emporia, Kas. 
 § Watchman — Nathan Jacobs, St. Paul, Minn. 
 
 ^ ^' Sentry — A. C. LeBaron, Sharon, Wis. 
 
 ( C. K. Irwin, Tomah, Wis. 
 Managers — < C. C. Farmer, ) , 
 
 P. Leland, j holding over. 
 
 °L. E. Fish, Moline, 111. 
 S. L. Waide, Muscatine, Iowa. 
 IB. F. Tallman. 
 
 The aforenamed constituting the Board of Directors 
 and Executive Council. 
 
 *Head Clerk Kennedy resigns and is succeeded by L. E. Fish, ap- 
 pointed Clerk pro tern, by Executive Council December 5th, 1888. 
 
 *Prank C. Bray ton, appointed Head Clerk January, 1889. 
 
 fResigned September 6th, 1889 ; S. H. Zimmerman appointed to 
 fill vacancy. 
 
 JResigned July 22d, 1889 ; succeeded by A. C. LeBaron, Sharon, 
 Wis. 
 
 IIRemoved October 26th, 1889, and G. W. Clendenen appointed to 
 fill vacancy. 
 
 Head Clerk Brayton resigned January 9th, 1890, and A. F. Morri- 
 son appointed to fill vacancy. 
 
 °Removed August 1889, and P. T. Baker appointed to fill vacancy. 
 
 ^Resigned July 22d, 1889, and A. W. Bastian appointed to fill 
 vacancy. 
 
 ^Resigned July 22d, 1889, and C. O. Scudder appointed to fill 
 vacancy. 
 
282 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 Adjourned to meet at Springfield, 111., Tuesday, Novem- 
 ber 11th, 1890. 
 
 Jurisdiction Modern Woodmen of America.-— Origi- 
 nally defined by the Fundamental Law (edition 1883), 
 viz: Sec. A. Div. A. The fraternity shall not organize 
 any Camps south of Mason and Dixon's line, but shall be 
 confined to the United States and British possessions 
 north of said line." 
 
 June 28th, 1883, the Head Camp restricted the juris- 
 diction to territory north of a line drawn east and west 
 through Centralia, 111., and confined to the states of Iowa, 
 Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakota, and Nebraska. 
 
 February 13th, 1885, Kansas and Colorado admitted. 
 
 October 13th, 1886, Cook county, 111., and Milwaukee, 
 Wis., excluded. 
 
 November 13th, 1888, Michigan admitted, exclusive of 
 Detroit. 
 
 July, 1890, Colorado withdrew. 
 
 November, 1892, Missouri admitted. 
 
 Qualifications for Membership. — Defined Sec. A. 
 Div. A., Fundamental Law (edition 1883), as follows: 
 
 Persons to be members must be over seventeen and 
 under sixty-five 3''ears of age, of sound bodily health and 
 mind, of exemplary habits, good moral character, and 
 competent to gain a reputable livelihood, without further 
 restriction as to occupation." 
 
 In 1884 limitation of age changed to include those be- 
 tween eighteen and sixty years, and persons engaged in 
 the manufacture or sale of intoxicating liquors declared 
 ineligible. 
 
 In 1885, April 2d, limit of age reduced to fifty-one 
 years, and provision made for the issue of benefit certifi- 
 cates, including all classes within the limit of age, for 
 $3,000, heretofore issued only for $1,000 or $2,000. 
 
 Those engaged in prohibited occupations excluded 
 November, 1888. Sec. H. Div. I. Fundamental Law 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 283 
 
 amended to read : Persons under forty-five years of 
 age becoming members of this fraternity shall state in 
 his application the amount he desires inserted in his cer- 
 tificate,, which shall be either $1,000, $2,000, or $3,000. 
 Persons over forty-five years of age cannot receive a cer- 
 tificate for an amount beyond $2,000," which provision 
 has since remained in force. 
 
 In 1892, the maximum age was fixed at forty-five years, 
 and the minimum age at eighteen years. Persons past 
 forty-one years can only carry $2,000. 
 
 Rock Island Meeting. 
 
 Pursuant to the call issued by the committee appointed 
 at a meeting of "Woodmen, held in Bushnell, Illinois, 
 June 27th, delegates representing local Camps of the 
 Modern Woodmen of America met in Harper's Opera 
 House at 10 o'clock a. m., for the purpose of 'considering 
 the evils which threatened the fraternity, and to confer 
 together and take such action for the good of the associa- 
 tion as might be deemed advisable and proper. 
 
 The meeting was called to order by Joseph L. Haas, 
 of Rock Island, who stated that it had been suggested 
 that the Chairman and Secretary of the committee that 
 issued the call for the meeting be made temporary officers 
 of the convention. On his motion to that effect, it was 
 adopted unanimously, and H. C. Agnew, of Macomb, 
 Illinois, and Van L. Hampton, of Colchester, Illinois, as- 
 sumed the duties of temporary Chairn:ian and Secretary, 
 respectively. 
 
 Hon. William McConochie, mayor of Pock Island, de- 
 livered an address of welcome, which was responded to 
 by the temporary Chairman. 
 
284 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh, 
 
 Spencer Mattison, of Rock Island, was made assistant 
 temporary Secretary. 
 
 A Committee of Three on Credentials was appointed, 
 consisting of S. Mattison, Rock Island ; S. A. Murdock, 
 Havana, Illinois ; and James Blaisdell, Rock Island. 
 
 By unanimous vote, the temporary organization Avas 
 made permanent. 
 
 The following Committee on Resolutions was appointed: 
 J. L. Haas, T. J. Sparks, Prof. George Price, William A. 
 Northcott, Illinois ; Dr. C. A. Fletcher, Dr. C. M.Watson, 
 Michigan ; Dr. J. F. Rood, J. H. Ludington, Wisconsin ; 
 F. P. Baker, J. T. Kunckey, Nebraska ; W. A. Hall, L. P. 
 Allen, Iowa. 
 
 The Committee on Credentials reported the list of 
 Camps and delegates representing them, and recom- 
 mended that regular delegates not having written creden- 
 tials be allowed to vote in the convention, which report 
 was adopted. 
 
 The motion to appoint a Committee on Recommenda- 
 tions was deferred until the afternoon session. 
 
 Motion prevailed that the Chair appoint a Committee 
 of Five on Grievances. 
 
 A motion inviting Dr. P. L. McKinnie to address the 
 afternoon session was amended so as to also invite Head 
 Consul J. C. Root, or any of his friends that might be 
 present, and, being put upon its passage, was carried. 
 The Secretary was instructed to telegraph this invitation 
 to Mr. Root. After final adjournment the Secretary re- 
 ceived a dispatch from Lyons, Iowa, the home of the Head 
 Consul, stating that he was absent from home and could 
 not possibly reach Rock Island to speak that day. 
 
 Upon reconvening at 1:30 p. m., the Committee on Cre- 
 dentials made its final report of the attendance, and pre- 
 sented a revised list of Camps represented, numbering 
 one hundred and seventy-nine, representing Camps in 
 Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota. 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 285 
 
 Upon motion, the chair appointed the following Com- 
 mittee on Recommendations : N. G. Truby, IlliDois ; L. 
 P. Allen, Iowa ; J. H. Russell, Wisconsin ; Dr. A. I. Car- 
 per, Michigan ; J. C. Sloan, Nebraska ; and A. Cummings, 
 Minnesota. 
 
 Dr. P. L. McKinnie was introduced, and addressed the 
 meeting on the evils that threatened the order, and 
 remedies that might be applied thereto, entering into de- 
 tail as to the Bernum fraudulent death beneficiary, and 
 to the official acts of the Head Officers, and the trial of 
 the State vs. J. C. Root and other Head Officers of the 
 association, then pending. Dr. McKinnie answered ques- 
 tions asked him by various members of the convention. 
 
 A. W. Bastain, of Fulton, HI., Head Watchman, and 
 editor of the EchOy was introduced, and spoke in defense 
 of the head management of the order, denying the 
 charges that had heen made derogatory to the Head 
 Officers. Neighbor Bastain was questioned relative to 
 the matters under discussion, and agreed to publish in the 
 next issue of the Echo the official proceedings of this 
 meeting, provided same were furnished within ten days. 
 
 A committee of five was ordered appointed to ascertain 
 by correspondence how many Camps had voted to hold 
 the special Head Camp meeting at Des Moines, August 
 12th. It was afterwards agreed that the Committee on 
 Publishing Proceedings should attend to this. 
 
 Committee on Resolutions reported ; after changes and 
 the addition of the eighth resolution, same were adopted 
 as follows : 
 
 We, the representatives of about two hundred Camps 
 of the Modern Woodmen of America, comprising the 
 delegates from the states of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, 
 Wisconsin, and Nebraska, having only an advisory 
 power, resolve as follows : 
 
 First. We renew our confidence in the association of 
 the Modern Woodmen of America, which now comprises 
 
286 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 about one thousand four hundred Camps, with a mem- 
 bership of about forty-five thousand, and believe that it 
 offers the best and cheapest plan of mutual insurance yet 
 devised, and it is our sole purpose to do all in our power 
 to preserve the association intact and protect it from the 
 evils that threaten it ; and we believe that by wise counsel 
 and prompt action the Modern Woodmen of America 
 will soon be started upon a new era of prosperity and 
 growth. 
 
 Second. That, whereas, there are now pending in the 
 circuit court of Whiteside county, Illinois, against some 
 of the Head Officers of our order, grave charges of fraud 
 and improper management, and that owing to delay and 
 technical obstructions on the part of these officers in 
 answering said charges, the welfare of the association is 
 imperilled ; it is our wish that said charges be vigorously 
 pushed to as early a termination as possible. 
 
 Third. That while we withhold any formal expression 
 as to the guilt or innocence of these parties until the 
 proper tribunal has passed upon the matter, we hereby 
 commend Attorney-General Hunt and Auditor Pavey for 
 the fidelity and energy they have shown in giving the 
 matter a full and fair investigation, and all others who 
 have made efi'orts to preserve the good name of the 
 Modern Woodmen of America. 
 
 Fourth. That we advise all the Camps to send repre- 
 sentatives to the Head Camp called to meet at Des Moines, 
 Iowa, on the 12th day of August, 1890, and we believe 
 that by a full attendance such action will be secured as 
 will place our association on a sound footing, and relieve 
 us from the troubles that now embarrass us. 
 
 Fifth. That we favor the payment by the diff'erent 
 Camps of the double assessment, known as Nos. 5 and 6. 
 We do not only believe that this double assessment is nec- 
 essary, but we are fearful that other double assessments 
 will become necessary. 
 
The WoodmarJs Hand-Booh. 
 
 287 
 
 Sixth. It is our belief that there is too much power 
 vested in the Head Consul and the Executive Council by 
 the laws of our association, and we favor such changes 
 as will restore these powers to the membership, to be ex- 
 ercised through the Head Camp. 
 
 Seventh. It is the sense of this convention that the 
 organization of the so-called " Sovereign Camp of the 
 World, Modern Woodmen of America," at Omaha, Ne- 
 braska, as a separate and distinct order from the Modern 
 Woodmen of America, but borrowing our Ritual, plan, 
 and virtually our name, is without warrant, and a tres- 
 pass uj)on the rights and good of our order, and is 
 severely condemned by us. The benefits of the Modern 
 Woodmen of America can be extended by ourselves, and 
 we are satisfied that we can secure Head Officers who Avill 
 protect us. 
 
 On motion, a committee of five was appointed to formu- 
 late and present to the next meeting of the Head Camp 
 a revision of the Fundamental Laws and Constitution of 
 the association, viz: Dr. E. Mammen, Illinois; Dr. P. L. 
 McKinnie, Illinois; W. L. Kellogg, Iowa; C. M. Watson, 
 Michigan; and F. P. Baker, Nebraska. 
 
 A committee of three was appointed to issue a circular 
 address to the order, to accompany proceedings of this 
 meeting and other documents, viz: W. A. Northcott, 
 Greenville, 111.; Van L. Hampton, Colchester, 111.; and 
 C. W. Hawes, Pock Island, 111. 
 
 A collection of $1.00 each from the delegates present 
 was made to pay expenses of issuing proceedings, etc., to 
 all Camps. The same was placed in the Secretary's 
 hands, with instructions to pay balance to Pock Island 
 county committee after paying balance due on sending 
 out Bushnell circular, and for printing, mailing, etc., for 
 this convention. 
 
 The motion that a committee be appointed to recom- 
 mend candidates for Head Officers at the next election 
 was lost. 
 
288 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 After extending a vote of thanks to the Rock Island 
 Woodmen for their courteous entertainment of visiting 
 Woodmen and to the President and Secretary for their 
 efficient services, the meeting adjourned. 
 
 The Des Moines Meeting. 
 
 Internal dissensions among the management of the 
 Modern Woodmen of America prompted a call for a 
 special meeting of the Head Camp to be held at Des 
 Moines, Iowa, on the 12th day of August, 1890. Before 
 the meeting of this Head Camp an injunction had been 
 granted by Judge Tuthill, of Chicago, restraining the 
 holding of this meeting; and after the delegates had as- 
 sembled in Des Moines the injunction was served on the 
 Head Officers. Head Consul Root called the meeting to 
 order at the Foster Opera House, and stated that the Exe- 
 cutive Council, after deliberation and consultation with 
 attorneys, had decided that it was not advisable, in 
 view of the injunction, to hold a special meeting of the 
 Head Camp. 
 
 Neighbor E. S. Bertram, of Council Grove, Kansas, 
 was elected Chairman of the meeting, which was held, 
 not as a Head Camp, but as an advisory meeting of the 
 delegates present. A Conference Committee was selected, 
 composed of the following members: J. W. Breidenthal, 
 Chairman, and E. R. Hutchins, Secretary; L. E. Tuttle, 
 James M. Graham, C. T. Heydecker, Illinois; E. R. 
 Hutchins, A. D. Peck, B. E. 0. Simonds, Iowa; J. H. 
 Pierce, G. B. Thompson, J. H. Miller, Wisconsin; E. E. 
 C. Murphy, J. G. Johnson, George Briedenthal, Kansas; 
 W. J. Bryan, Dr. W. N. Dorwood, C. C. McNish, Ne- 
 
The Woodrnaivs Hand-BooJc. 
 
 289 
 
 braska; J. R. Dunning, H. C. Hedges, X. ^V. Roberts, 
 Michigan; "W. H. Davidson, H. B. Gress, B. D. Smith, 
 Minnesota; W. S. Stoekwell, South Dakota. 
 
 This committee reported the following resolutions, 
 which were unanimously adopted : 
 
 Neighbors : Your Committee on Resolutions had a 
 continuous session of three hours, and have discussed 
 freely, and as they believed fairly and impartially, the 
 resolutions placed in their hands. With a fraternal and 
 neighborly spirit of loyalty to the order, they have adopted 
 the following, and recommend to you the same action: 
 
 Resolved. First — That the neighbors of the Modern 
 Woodmen of America, in convention assembled, declare 
 their unqualified disapproval of the action of those mem- 
 bers who are responsible for the proceedings of injunc- 
 tion by which a properly-called special session has been 
 defeated and a vast amount of expense and labor un- 
 necessarily sacrificed. 
 
 Resolved. Second — That we request the Head Consul 
 to use every efi'ort to have the Tuthill injunction dissolved 
 as soon as possible. 
 
 Resolved. Third — That it is the sense of this meeting 
 that the original basis of representation be that for the 
 next regular meeting of the Head Camp. 
 
 Resolved. Fourth — That it is the sense of this conven- 
 tion, that at the Head Camp meeting in Springfield, 111., 
 in November, a Grand Head Camp should be organized 
 by the delegates in attendance, and that states having 
 four thousand or more members may at that time or- 
 ganize state jurisdiction, wuth absolute and entire control 
 of their funds. That Illinois may retain the present 
 charter, adopting it for its jurisdiction, with such changes 
 as it may see proper to make, and that contiguous states 
 having less than four thousand members should be 
 grouped together in one or more jurisdictions, as their 
 aggregate membership may suggest. 
 
 19 
 
290 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 Resolved. Fifth — That we earnestly recommend all 
 neighbors to pay their assessments promptly, and thus 
 sustain the credit of our beloved order and tide over the 
 temporary difficulties which at present threaten it. 
 
 The most important action of this meeting was the ap- 
 pointment of the committee of one from each state to 
 prepare the changes to be made in the Fundamental Law 
 and present them at the Springfield Head Camp. The 
 work of reorganization of this order is very largely due 
 to this committee, which was as follows : Illinois, C. T. 
 Heydecker ; Iowa, Dr. E. R. Hutchins ; Wisconsin, J. H. 
 Pierce ; Nebraska, W. J. Bryan ; South Dakota, W. S. 
 Stockwell ; Michigan, H. C. Hedges ; Minnesota, W. H. 
 Dawson ; Kansas, J. G. Johnson. 
 
 While the Des Moines meeting was only an advisory 
 power, it brought together the delegates for consultation, 
 and resulted in arranging the plans which were so suc- 
 cessfully executed at Springfield. 
 
 Second Epoch — Spring£eld Head Camp. 
 
 The Head Camp which convened in the city of Spring- 
 field, Illinois, Tuesday, November 11th, 1890, properly 
 marks the beginning of the second great epoch in the 
 history of the Modern Woodmen of America. It is true 
 that the meetings held that year at Rock Island, Illinois, 
 and Des Moines, Iowa, set in motion the great factors 
 which brought about the reorganization of the order at 
 Springfield. 
 
 The Springfield Head Camp met under peculiar diffi- f 
 culties. The order was almost threatened with dissolu- ' 
 tion from internal strife. The membership had actually 
 decreased during the six months preceding this meeting. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 291 
 
 Many Camps had dissolved, and many others were on the 
 eve of dissolution. A lack of confidence prevailed 
 throughout the entire jurisdiction. There was a deficit 
 in the general fund, and the general expense of the Head 
 Camp to be paid, besides other large obligations already 
 contracted. Meeting under such circumstances, the re- 
 sults of this Head Camp were almost miraculous. Con- 
 fidence was restored and the great ship righted. The 
 Fundamental Laws were wisely revised, and the order put 
 upon a sound business footing. Each delegate went home 
 and reported to his Camp that the Modern Woodmen of 
 America had started on a new era of growth and pros- 
 perity. This Head Camp meeting demonstrated the 
 great value of the fraternal feature in our order. 
 
 To such an extent did the desire for relief prevail among 
 the members of the order at large, who were interested in 
 its social and financial success, and not in the mad strife 
 for retention of office, personal supremacy, or success of 
 individuals, that the morning of the first day of the 
 meeting indicated, from the methods adopted in transact- 
 ing business and the mode of disposing of the same, that 
 this body — composed of one thousand delegates from the 
 nine states in its jurisdiction — had the welfare of the 
 order in view, as a mutual benefit society, in accomplish- 
 ing its chartered objects of distributing to beneficiaries of 
 its deceased neighbors mortuary funds, and all else was 
 subsidiary to this object. 
 
 For three days this body of men remained in session, 
 the sittings extending until late each night, and various 
 committees being continuously at work, the evident de- 
 termination being to restore harmony, as evidenced by 
 the impatience with which the body entertained anything 
 relating to the former troubles among individual mem- 
 bers, and the continuous exertions in the way of devising 
 plans and means for the future growth of the order, as 
 well as amending defects in the organic laws. 
 
292 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book, 
 
 The meeting was called to order by Head Consul Root, 
 and the Divine blessing invoked by Rev. F. F. Farmaloe, 
 of Genoa, Illinois. Then followed the reports of the 
 officers, Avhich were received and ordered printed. 
 
 The committee selected at Des Moines to report the 
 proper changes in the Fundamental Laws was continued 
 by this Head Camp, and their report made through Dr. 
 E. R. Hutchins, who was also chairman of the standing 
 Committee on Laws. While the Head Camp was con- 
 sidering this report in the committee of the whole. Neigh- 
 bor J. W. White, of Tampico, Illinois, was called to the 
 chair. The report was considered section by section by 
 the Head Camp, and after much labor and continuous 
 sittings the great work of reorganization was accomplished. 
 
 During the meeting the delegates were favored with 
 speeches of welcome from Joseph W. Fifer, governor of 
 Illinois, and General John M. Palmer, United States sen- 
 ator from Illinois. 
 
 At this meeting of the Head Camp all of the present 
 (1894) officers of our order were elected, except that in 
 the case of the vacancy caused by the death of Director 
 Mathews, who was elected at this time. Director Reece is 
 now filling that office. 
 
 There were nine hundred and sixty-one delegates in 
 attendance at this Head Camp, and it cost the order in 
 mileage and per diem $23,339.91. At the time of this 
 meeting there were about forty thousand members in good 
 standing. 
 
 Changes were made in the Fundamental Laws so as to 
 place the business and financial management of the order 
 in the hands of the Board of Directors, consisting of five 
 members. Independent members were abolished. The 
 basis of representation to the Head Camp was changed 
 from that of one member from each Camp to one dele- 
 gate for each five hundred members or major fraction 
 thereof, and one delegate at large from each state. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 293 
 
 Omaha Head Camp, 
 
 The eighth annual session of the Modern Woodmen of 
 America convened at Omaha, Nebraska, on the 15th day 
 of November, 1892. The period between this meeting 
 and the Springfield Head Camp in 1890 had been one of 
 great prosperity for the order. During this time the num- 
 ber of new certificates issued had been, in round numbers, 
 thirty-eight thousand. The membership in good stand- 
 ing had increased from forty thousand to nearly seventy- 
 three thousand. During this time, in round numbers, 
 $1,100,000 had been paid to the beneficiaries of deceased 
 members, while the whole amount for all the 3^ears prior 
 to this time had only been $890,199.15. This amount 
 had gone principally to widows and minor children, and 
 Avas discriminate charity that went to the right place. It 
 went to make desolate places glad ; to wipe the tear from 
 the cheek of the widow, and to clothe and feed little 
 children and send them to school. During this period 
 $58,011.15 had been accumulated in the general fund by 
 wise economy, and every just claim against the order had 
 been paid promptly and in full ; and our credit was good 
 for the full face of our orders at any bank in the jurisdic- 
 tion. During this period four hundred and ninet3^-four 
 new Camps had been added to the roster ; the cost of 
 insurance to each member had not been increased ; the 
 cost for carrying $1,000 for a person thirty-seven years of 
 age still remained at $4.95 per year. The ratio of increase 
 had grown with each added month, and the fraternal 
 spirit had kept pace with this growth. 
 
 At this Head Camp the following committees were ap- 
 pointed : 
 
 Committee on Resolutions. — E. S. Bertram, Kansas ; E. 
 S. Smith, Illinois ; Thomas J. Conlin, Minnesota. 
 
 Committee on Claims. — James M. Graham, Illinois; 
 Jacob M. Sholl, Illinois ; Charles J. Wilson, Iowa. 
 
 ( 
 
294 
 
 The Woodman'' s Hand-Booh. 
 
 Committee oti Mihage and Per Diem. — T. K. Mills, Tov:a ; 
 J. A. Wells, Kansas ; R. E. Henshie, Illinois. 
 
 Committee on Distribution of Reports of Head Officers. — 
 R. H. Balding, Kansas ; 0. J. Downing, Illinois ; W. F. 
 Beck, Illinois. 
 
 Committee on Elections. — 0. F. Avery, Illinois ; W. S. 
 Pidcock, Illinois ; M. A. Thayer, Wisconsin. 
 
 The reports of the Head Officers were presented- and 
 referred to the proper committee, and afterwards approved. 
 
 Marvin Quackenbush, chairman of the Committee on 
 Credentials, reported the following delegates as composing 
 the Head Camp, which report was approved : 
 
 William A. Northcott, Head Consul; Hiram C. Hedges^ 
 Head Adviser; Charles W. Hawes, Head Clerk; David C. 
 Zink, Head Banker; Frank Swallow, Head Physician; 
 W. H. Dawson, Head Escort; Louis H. Haase, Head 
 Watchman; Lunie E. Mentch, Head Sentry; J. W. White, 
 J. G. Johnson, C. T. Heydecker, A. R. Talbot, and J. N. 
 Reece, Board of Directors; H. 0. Larrabee, Humphrey 
 Pierce, and Perry Perkins, of the Auditing Committee; 
 J. S. Fendley, Joseph B. Kearns, and Allison M. Cavan, 
 Committee on Rituals and Revision of Laws; Marvin 
 Quackenbush, A. H. Hollister, and J. H. E. Weig^nit, 
 Committee on Credentials. 
 
 Illinois — Dr. Charles Kerr, Albert M. Green, Albert 
 Askey, Horace S. Moore, 0. J. Downing, William H. 
 Shaw, Alonzo Richtmeyer, Walter S. Poust, Albert D. 
 Ellison, Henry C. Mead, Gustavus A. Thornburg, L. W. 
 JefFery, Ambrose L. Gaines, Fay S. Johnson, 0. F. Avery, 
 Ransom Bullock, Frederick E. Foster, George W. Reilly, 
 Joseph McCrory, Arthur N. Talbot, H. W. Mallory, Jacob 
 Mack Sholl, John C. Read, George Lawson, Jr., S. H. 
 Weirman, Anderson E. Ford, William Frederick Beck, 
 Adelbert C. Fassett, Dr. J. A. Collins, Joseph S. Daily, 
 James M. Graham, Elbert S. Smith, D. A. Drennan, Zeno 
 K. Wood, Dr. Morris H. Goodrick, Wilfred S. Klein, 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Boolc. 
 
 295 
 
 Martin L. KepliDger, Theodore P. Baxter, Rolen E. Hen- 
 shie Walter S. Pidcock, Joseph H. Kerr, George A. 
 Anthony, Andrew J. Grimes, James M. Thomas, Jr., 
 Albert Head, Chester H. Latham, T. F. Hopkins. 
 
 Iowa— Edward Werner, Dan B. Horne, David C. Mish- 
 ler, John S. Roberts, David C. Griffith, Thomas K. Mills, 
 Dan Miller, Joseph Stranad, Abraham Block, Charles B. 
 Fitch, Charles J. Wilson ; there being three vacancies, viz: 
 John F. Beverly, James Porter, and T. J. Symington. 
 
 Wisconsin — Moses A. Thayer, William T. Symonds, 
 John V. Stevens, Moses W. Waterman, F. F. Livermore, 
 / G. N. Fratt, J. G. Nish, D. F. Crabbe, and J. W. Munson. 
 
 South Dakota — Arthur Phillips, and G. H. Henning. 
 
 North Dakota — Charles L. Ward. 
 
 Minnesota — Benjamin D. Smith, Thomas J. Conlin, 
 and C. A. McCoUom. 
 
 Michigan — J. Tyler Alcott, John A. McDowell, and 
 M. Ralph Carrier. 
 
 Kansas — E. S. Bertram, Edward E. Murphy, Uberto 
 S. Griffin, Robert H. Balding, E. Chenoweth, John W. 
 Breidenthal, Joseph A. Wells, Joel T. Tinder, M. D., T. 
 A. Beck, W. H. Parsons, Alfred A. Arnott, J. M. Kirk- 
 patrick, and J. T, Cooper. 
 
 Nebraska — W. J. Bryan, Franklin F. Roose, William 
 A. Saunders, Joseph F. Lake, Zach. W. Haggard, Sher- 
 man F. Ashby, A. M. Walters, Clark C. McNish, Isaac J. 
 Tyndale, Wesley T. Wilcox, T. E. Wilson, D. I. Thornton, 
 and C. Marshall. 
 
 The changes in the Fundamental Laws were fully con- 
 sidered in the three days' sessions. Many changes were 
 made, the principal ones being as follows : 
 
 Three Head Physicians, instead of one. Section A, 
 Division C. 
 
 Duties of Local Clerks. Section F, Division D. 
 Ineligibility of Head Banker to succeed himself. Sec- 
 tion G, Division D. 
 
296 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 Additional protection for the general fund. Section T, 
 Division D. 
 
 Cost of supplies to local Camps. Division F. 
 
 Change in charter fee for new Camp, and providing for 
 the revoking of charter of weak Camps. Division G, 
 Sections A and C. 
 
 Change in the cost of withdrawal cards, and change in 
 beneficiary certificate. 
 
 Change in matter of members engaged in the pro- 
 hibited occupations. Division I. 
 
 Change in assessment rates, and incorporation of $500 
 policy. Division I, Section F. 
 
 Change in the maximum age to forty-five years, and in 
 the amount of beneficiary allowed correspondingly. Sec- 
 tion A, Division I. 
 
 Making the monthly paper the ofiicial notice of assess- 
 ment. Division J. 
 
 Providing for a complete mailing outfit, to be the prop- 
 erty of the order. 
 
 Making the payment of local dues in advance obliga- 
 tor}^ Division K. 
 
 Change in regard to the suspension of Camps for non- 
 payment of assessments or dues. Division N. 
 
 Changing the date of meeting of state conventions, 
 and arranging for the payment of mileage and per diem 
 to delegates. Division Q. 
 
 Fixing the standing of deputies in the Head Camp. 
 Division R. 
 
 Rock Island, Illinois, was selected as the permanent 
 location of the Head Office. (Owing to an injunction, 
 the Head Office has not yet been removed.) 
 
 The Neighbors and Royal Neighbors of Omaha enter- 
 tained the Head Camp in excellent shape, and all went 
 home with pleasant recollections of their visit to Omaha. 
 
 The old officers were all re-elected, and the following 
 salaries fixed : Head Consul, $2,000 per annum ; Head 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 297 
 
 Clerk, $2,500 ; Head Banker, $600 ; Directors and Audit- 
 ing Committee, $8 per day and actual traveling expenses. 
 The new officers were installed by State Deputy Dr. A. 0. 
 Faulkner, of Lincoln, Nebraska. 
 
 The work of this Head Camp was done with mature 
 deliberation, and with the utmost harmony, and could 
 only result in strengthening the order. 
 
 Great Gatherings. 
 
 I 
 
 Shakespeare says there is nothing in a name, but the 
 name of Modern Woodmen of America has been no in- 
 considerable factor in its greatness. The word Wood- 
 man " carries with it an idea of the forest, the beautiful 
 groves. Because of our name every Camp feels a sort of 
 necessity in taking to the woods at least once each year 
 for the purpose of holding a picnic. These picnics bring 
 the neighbors together and advertise our order to the 
 public. On the 4th day of July, 1894, over two hundred 
 celebrations were held under the auspices of the Camps 
 of Modern Woodmen. No fraternal society in the United 
 States has as many public gatherings as ours. The 
 parades are magnificent. Woodmen in uniform, wearing 
 upon their breasts the badges of fraternity, and bearing 
 aloft the white banner of charity, have marched to the 
 strains of music down the streets of nearly every town in 
 i.his great northwest. This public endorsement from the 
 very flower of the manhood of our territory has been one 
 of the greatest factors in promoting the growth and pros- 
 perity of our order. It seems almost that nearly every 
 Woodman is an orator, at least every neighbor under- 
 stands our system and its workings, and is able to tell it 
 to the world. These magnificent public addresses on 
 
298 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 Woodcraft have done much to make ours the most popu- 
 lar order in the jurisdiction, if not in the United States. 
 
 It has become a custom to organize certain portions of 
 the state into what is called Log-Rolling " or ''Picnic" 
 associations. Each Camp sends a delegate to these 
 associations, which have regularly-elected officers and laws 
 for governing it. Funds are usually raised by assessing 
 each member in the association five or ten cents. The 
 greatest and oldest of these associations is the Northern 
 Illinois and Southern Wisconsin Picnic Association. The 
 great gatherings of this association at Rockford, Beloit, 
 Elgin, and Sycamore, are still fresh in the minds of the 
 readers of the Woodman. The world has probably never 
 known a kindred association of equal magnitude and suc- 
 cess. Its tenth annual meeting will be held at Madison, 
 Wisconsin, during the session of the next Head Camp, 
 and it will no doubt eclipse all former meetings. 
 
 The Central Illinois Picnic Association has had great 
 meetings at Havana, Peoria, Springfield, and other places. 
 It had no meeting in 1894, but the neighbors will see to 
 it that it is revived and continued in its great work. 
 
 The organization of the Southern Illinois Picnic As- 
 sociation was brought about by the efforts of the Camp at 
 Jerseyville, Illinois, where the first meeting was held in 
 September, 1892. The meetings at Greenville, Illinois, 
 July 4th, 1893, and at Litchfield, August 1st, 1894, were 
 immense gatherings, and give promise of a great future 
 for this association. The meeting in 1895 will be held at 
 Carlinville, Illinois. 
 
 Similar associations should be formed in eastern and 
 southeastern Illinois. Danville and Decatur are both 
 noted for their great Woodman gatherings. 
 
 The Southeastern Log-Roiling Association of Nebraska 
 is one of the greatest in the jurisdiction. The picnics at 
 Lincoln, Beatrice, and Omaha will long be remembered 
 as great events in Woodcraft. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 299 
 
 The Southeastern Kansas Log-Roiling Association was 
 organized at Weir City in October, 1891. Since that time 
 splendid meetings have been held at Fort Scott, Ottawa, 
 and CofFeyville. The meeting at Coffeyville this year was 
 remarkable in every respect. The parade was more than 
 one mile in length. The next meeting will be held at 
 Fort Scott, in 1895. 
 
 Iowa has just begun to catch the impulse, and the 
 Central Iowa Picnic Association was organized at AVin- 
 terset, in August, 1894, and includes the large Camps at 
 Des Moines, Indianola, and other towns in central Iowa. 
 
 Missouri, although the last state admitted into the jur- 
 isdiction, is now thoroughly organized with these picnic 
 associations. The Log Rolling Association of South- 
 eastern Missouri was organized at Sullivan, in June, 
 1894, and has since held meetings at St. Clair and other 
 points. The Northwestern Association of Missouri had 
 its first meeting at Kansas City, in June, 1894, and is 
 now thoroughly organized, and its meeting in 1895 will 
 be better, if possible, than the meeting in 1894. Through 
 the efforts of State Deputy Thornton four of these asso- 
 ciations are now organized in Missouri, and actively at 
 work. 
 
 While there are none of these associations in Mich- 
 gan, Minnesota, North or South Dakota, yet these states 
 have their great gatherings in Woodcraft. The state 
 officers of Minnesota are very active in promoting these 
 public gatherings. It will not be long until every state 
 in the jurisdiction is thoroughly organized into picnic 
 associations. 
 
 But these gatherings in the summer months are not all 
 the work done in this line. Public banquets and enter- 
 tainm.ents occur more frequently in the winter. The 
 state meetings to be held December 27, 1894, in each 
 state will be gatherings that will be productive of great 
 good for Woodcraft. Every delegate will go home 
 
300 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 knowing more about the order, enthusiastic in its sup- 
 port, and ready to tell his Camp about its good work. 
 
 We are proud of our public gatherings, and justly so, 
 for they excel those of all other fraternities. 
 
 In Conclusion. 
 
 On this first day of October, A. D., 1894, we can look 
 back across the ^^ears at the birth, early struggles, and 
 proud achievements of the Modern Woodmen of Amer- 
 ica with an abiding conviction that its future will place 
 it in the very front rank of fraternal insurance. To-day 
 we number 112,000 members in good standing, the very 
 flower of the manhood of this great Northwest. We have 
 2,500 local Camps in good standing and working order. 
 We do not owe a dollar to a living man, and have a bal- 
 ance of $120,000 in our general fund. Our orders can 
 be cashed in any bank in the jurisdiction w^ithout dis- 
 count. We disburse monthly, in round numbers, the 
 enormous sum of $100,000 to the beneficiaries of our de- 
 ceased members. Our cost of insurance has remained 
 the same for the last five years, and is the cheapest of 
 any established society in the world. The cost has never 
 been more than $4.95 per $1,000 for each year at the 
 average age of the membership. Our growth is phenom- 
 enal, and for the first nine months of 1894 29,404 new 
 men were enrolled in our ranks, and 401 new Camps or- 
 ganized. Entire harmony prevails with the manage- 
 ment, and every department of the order is working in 
 conformity with the great system. 
 
 We must look into the future and provide for the com- 
 ing years. The next Head Camp convenes at Madison, 
 Wisconsin, June 4, 1895, and will have important mat- 
 ters for consideration. The question of enlarging our 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Book, 
 
 301 
 
 jurisdiction and the question of establishing an emer- 
 gency fund must receive action. The reports of the 
 Head Officers and of the Law Committee with their sev- 
 eral recommendations will be in the hands of the delegates 
 many months before the Head Camp meets, and they 
 will have time to carefully consider these matters, so that 
 when the time comes they can act with mature judg- 
 ment. The great success of the order is due to the 
 system and to the loyalty of the brainy workingmen 
 who compose its membership. Tt is the duty of the of- 
 ficers and delegates at the next Head Camp to broaden 
 the foundations upon which, before many years, will 
 rest a great structure that will afford protection for the 
 families of more than a million of freemen. 
 
BCRN- DIED: 
 Clark County, ruinois, March 1, 1846. Urbana, Illinois, May 10. 1892 
 
 " Unveil thy bosom, faithful tomb ! 
 
 Take this new treasure to thy trust! 
 And g-{ve these sacred relics room 
 To slumber in the silent dust." 
 
 He was a charter member of Urbana Camp, No. 269, Urbana, Illinois, organized 
 November 26, 1886, to whom was issued benefit certificate No. 8,177, for $2,000, pay- 
 able at death to his beloved children, Lueva May Mathews, daughter, and Claude M. 
 Mathews, son. 
 
 He v.-as a delegate from Camp No. 269 to the Head Camp Modem Woodmen of 
 America, which convened a: Springfield, Illinois, November 11, 1890, at which meet- 
 ing he was elected a member or the Beard c: Directors. 
 
 At the first meeting of the Board c: Directors he was elected its Chairman, which 
 position he held at the date of his decease. 
 
Hon. Milton W. Mathews (deceased), Ex-Chairman Board of Directors, 
 Modern Woodmen of America, Urbana, 111. 
 
Mxercises in Memory of the late Hon. 
 Milton W, Mathews. 
 
 l_i ill the evening, for the purpose 
 1^^^ of holding memorial exercises 
 ii^ honor of Milton W. Mathews, 
 late Chairman of the Board of 
 r^^^ Directors. 
 
 HE HEAD CAMP at Omaha was 
 called to order at half-})ast seven 
 
 After the invocation by Head 
 
 Chaplain F. F. Farmaloe, Neighbor E. S. Smith, of 
 Illinois, presented the following resolutions on behalf of 
 Neighbor Bertram of Kansas, Chairman of the Committee 
 on Resolutions : 
 
 Whereas, It hath pleased an All-Wise Providence to 
 take from us the late Chairman of the Board of Di- 
 rectors, Hon. Milton W. Mathews, of Urbana, Illinois, 
 therefore be it 
 
 Resolved, That in the death of Chairman Mathews the 
 order of the Modern Woodmen of America has lost a 
 worthy and valuable member. 
 
 That by his integrity, sterling worth, and active care 
 for the interest of our order, he has won the high esteem 
 and love of all its well-wishers. 
 
 That we sincerely mourn his death, and realize that 
 therein this order has lost one of its most upright, genial, 
 earnest, and eloquent advocates. 
 
 Resolved, That we deeply sympathize with his bereaved 
 widow, son, and daughter in their extreme sorrow. 
 
 20 
 
306 
 
 The Woodmmi^s Hand-Buok. 
 
 Resolved, That the Head Clerk be and is hereby in- 
 structed to cause a copy of these resolutions to be en- 
 grossed and transmitted to the family of Neighbor 
 Mathews. 
 
 After the reading of the above resolutions, Neighbor 
 J. G. Johnson, of the Board of Directors, delivered the 
 following address on behalf of the Board of Directors : 
 
 "There are in this audience many who were delegates to 
 that most remarkable of all Woodmen gatherings, the 
 Springfield Head Camp of 1890. Many a time during 
 the past two years have my thoughts drifted back to that 
 historic little city, the capital of Illinois, and to the never- 
 to-be-forgotten sessions of that great gathering. I can 
 easily recall the great capitol building, with its grand ap- 
 proaches, towering dome, massive columns, spacious cor- 
 ridors, broad stairways, and ample legislative halls. 
 
 ^' I have in my mind's eye the great representative's hall, 
 in which the Head Camp met, with its immense audi- 
 torium set with circling seats, and with its front and rear 
 galleries, its committee rooms and lobbies, its throne-like 
 speaker's stand, canopied with our nation's colors, and 
 flanked on either side with portraits of those two great 
 sons of Illinois — the intellectual giants of the epoch in 
 which their state sprang into national fame. 
 
 "I stand in fancy to-day, as I stood through many of 
 those memorable sessions, away over in one corner of the 
 rear of that great meeting-room, and look over its crowded 
 interior. 
 
 " Occupying all the right side of the room was the 
 Illinois delegation, nearly five hundred strong. Crowded 
 together on the left side was Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, 
 Minnesota, Michigan, Dakota, and Kansas, nearly five 
 hundred strong. Surrounding all and filling the gal- 
 leries were hundreds of watching Woodmen, well know- 
 ing that the battle had been set in array, and absorbingly 
 interested in its outcome. *' 
 
The Wuodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 307 
 
 That was the time when men's souls were tried — when 
 the very life of this great order of ours hung trembling 
 in the balance — Illinois on the one hand, and all the re- 
 maining states on the other. 
 
 It had been whispered about that the Illinois delegates 
 had held a secret caucus ; that organization had been 
 effected ; that our ranks were full of practiced politicians, 
 and that it had been agreed that one man — the most ex- 
 pert and experienced member of the delegation — had 
 been selected to lead her forces. 
 
 ^'Accounts of this great civic warrior were passed from 
 neighbor to neighbor, and when they finally reached me 
 they had grown to such proportions that it would not 
 haye surprised me to haye found in him, upon closer ac- 
 quaintance — 
 
 " ' A monster of such hideous mien, 
 
 That to be hated need but to be seen.' 
 
 Finally, I remember that some trembling Kansan came 
 to me, as I was perched among the Kansas delegates sur- 
 yeying the situation, and whispered to me that the Illinois 
 Achilles Avas eyen at that moment addressing the Head 
 Camp. I looked where he indicated, and saw away over 
 by the Head Clerk's desk, among the Illinoisans, a strik- 
 ing figure — a man not tall, but well formed, and with 
 the figure, the face, and the manner of a statesman, a 
 classic head crowned with iron-gra}^ hair, and a face 
 which beamed with good nature while he spoke, and in 
 every lineament, from the broad brow from which tke 
 gray hair was brushed, and from under which a pair of 
 bright eyes twinkled with mirth, to the curious little curl 
 at the end of his gray beard, their could be read an open 
 story of intelligence, ability, candor, courage, and humor. 
 
 This was Milton W. Mathews, our lamented Director 
 and neighbor — to honor whose memory, and to place the 
 tribute of affection upon Avhose tomb, this Head Camp 
 has set apart this hour. 
 
308 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 " It is needless for me to say that when we came to know 
 him we forgot to dread him. One of his inimitable 
 stories would upset every argument, and distrust among 
 delegates vanished before his reassuring manner. 
 
 " He at once took a commanding position in the sessions 
 of that Head Camp, and by his frankness and neighborly 
 spirit did much to inculcate and cherish that confidence 
 and esteem among neighbors which, starting at Spring- 
 field, was taken into nine states by the returning dele- 
 gates, has ever since been, and is now, the sheet-anchor 
 of this order's prosperity. 
 
 ^' When the officers for the ensuing term came to be 
 selected he was made one of the Directors ; and I often 
 think how singular it was that when the clause of our 
 fundamental law constituting the Board of Directors was 
 under consideration, he rose and pointed out that no pro- 
 vision had been made for the appointment of a successor 
 in case one of the board should die. The defect was 
 remedied as he suggested, and his own death first called 
 for the exercise of the power conferred. 
 
 "At the first meeting of the board he became its chair- 
 man, and it was an honor not only worthily but willingly 
 bestowed. He soon made every member his warm friend, 
 and by his timely suggestions and wise council always 
 harmonized differences, reduced friction, and made every 
 session which he attended a pleasure to every one who 
 participated. 
 
 "When we first commenced our association upon the 
 board no one would have dreamed that our number 
 would be broken by his death. We were all pretty 
 rugged, but no one seemed stronger nor better able to 
 endure hard and protracted sessions than he. At all of 
 the sessions of the board held during the first year after 
 its organization, no one seemed to enjoy better health 
 than our chairman; but in the winter of 1891-'92 we 
 noticed that he wasn't well; that there were frequent 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 309 
 
 times when he seemed unable to get his breath, and when 
 he began taking precautions against colds, and frequently 
 brought medicine with him to the meetings, then we, 
 who were never sick, began to be solicitous about his 
 health. But instead of improving we noticed that the 
 sick spells came more frequently and were more violent. 
 I remember meeting him at Peoria early in the spring of 
 1892, on some business of the order. He was taken sick 
 at the hotel and I sat up with him all night, and I really 
 feared he would die before morning. His breath would 
 almost entirely fail, and when I would raise him up and 
 fan him he would revive. He was constantly in pain and 
 couldn't sleep, and yet he seemed to be always thinking 
 more of the trouble he was making for me than of his 
 own suffering. Toward morning, at his request, I went 
 to the physician's room and procured some morphine, 
 but when I prepared it for him he hesitated, and said, 
 ' I wouldn't like to take this and go to sleep and never 
 wake; I am not quite ready for that yet.' Such was his 
 will-power, however, that after a fitful sleep of two hours, 
 induced by the drug, he arose, dressed, took a carriage 
 for the depot and the train for his home in Urbana; and 
 although he had been sick there for three days, and as 
 near death as most men ever come and recover, he would 
 not have me telegraph his wife, but instead had me tele- 
 graph for a carriage to meet the train at I'rbana to take 
 him home, so that his family should not be distressed 
 until he could be there to reassure them. Shortly after 
 this I visited him at his home, and I think I never saw 
 a man who took more interest in, or more comfort with 
 his family. His wife is gentle and refined, and minis- 
 tered to his comfort as only an affectionate woman can; 
 and I could easily see that the lovely young daughter, 
 just blooming into womanhood, and the manly boy, who 
 reflects his father's image, were his hourly pride and the 
 spring of his ambition. 
 
310 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 " Along in the spring months we missed him at our meet- 
 ings. He would promise us (and himself) that he would 
 come, but we would see him often but for a day, and 
 sometimes not at all. Then April came, and as the air 
 was more balmy we hoped that he could go with the 
 other officers to Kansas ; but when the time came he was 
 too ill ; but, although confined to his home, his thoughts 
 were with us, and at every point we would find a letter 
 from him wishing us a pleasant journey, and adding a 
 few words of regret to be read to the neighbors at our 
 meeting. 
 
 ''From that time it was a struggle for the mastery be- 
 tween this determined man and the king of terrors. Day 
 after day disease fastened to him more tenaciously ; day 
 after day the power of resistance became weaker, but the 
 brave spirit never faltered, and his determination never 
 wavered. Kind hearts sympathized and kind hands 
 ministered, and anxiou3 eyes watched the unequal con- 
 test, but at last there came a day when his physicians 
 tearfully told him and his that the days of watching and 
 ministry would soon be ended, and that mortality would 
 again surrender to the grim monster — death. They say 
 he never quailed when they told him, but like a true man, 
 realizing that his end was near, he deliberately set his 
 house in order, and silently waited the coming of the 
 sombre guest. His business was all arranged, not only 
 fo'r the present but for the years to come ; and letters of 
 farewell dictated to dear friends, telling them that death 
 was near, but that he did not fear to die. The future oc- 
 cupied his thoughts, and he told one near to him that he 
 felt a confidence that there was for him a share in the 
 great atonement made once for all men on Calvary. 
 
 "And so, day after day, strong in mind though weak in 
 body, he lay and thought and watched for the messenger. 
 What a vigil ! How dear life must have seemed to him. 
 He had tasted many of its sweets, but the best seemed 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book, 
 
 311 
 
 just opening before him. He had reached that place 
 where effort might be relaxed, and things desired come 
 easily and abundantly. What a panorama of his own life 
 must have passed before him as he lived it over and over 
 again in those last brief days ! His childhood days in Il- 
 linois and Indiana ; his early struggles in the school-room 
 and the law office ; his legal career from a struggling begin- 
 ning to an honorable and lucrative position at the bar 
 of his state ; his political career, from his election as 
 state's attorney to the presidency of the senate ; his jour- 
 nalistic experience, from an obscure country editor to the 
 presidency of his state editorial association ; as he 
 thought of the home he had made, so soon to be left for- 
 ever ; the wife and loved boy and girl, so soon to be left 
 alone ; the anxious and tender friends on ever side, so 
 soon to be sorrowing at his grave ; as he reluctantly re- 
 linquished forever the dreams of greater honors and 
 pleasures which he well knew the future had in store for 
 him, it must have been hard for him to give it all up and 
 be content to die with so much to live for. But I am told 
 no word of complaint or regret passed his lips in all 
 those days of waiting ; but, facing the inevitable with 
 calmness and courage, he awaited the coming of the 
 messenger — 
 
 " 'Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch about him, 
 And lies down to pleasant dreams.' 
 
 On Tuesday, May 10th, 1892, the end came, silently 
 but surely, and the wires carried to all the officers of our 
 order the sad, but not unexpected, intelligence that our 
 beloved fellow officer and neighbor was dead. 
 
 " On Saturday, May 14th, the funeral took place at Ur- 
 bana, and was attended by many of our Head Officers, 
 It was the largest funeral I ever attended. Five thous- 
 and of his friends crowded into the great Mathews Hall 
 at the Illinois State University, while a procession, civic 
 
312 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 and military, over a mile long, brought the casket from 
 his home and laid it, covered with flowers, before them. 
 The large stage provided room for the governor and state 
 officers, dear friends from the state senate and house of 
 representatives, and the University of Illinois, the city 
 officers of Champ'aign and Urbana, the county bar asso- 
 ciation, the chief officers of this and other like societies. 
 Many eloquent friends recited his virtues and mourned 
 his untimely end. The choir from the State University 
 sweetly sang his favorite hymns, and the ministers gently 
 spoke the words of admonition and comfort, and then the 
 vast throng passed reverently by the open casket and 
 looked for the last time upon the features, calm in death, 
 of their friend and neighbor. 
 
 It was a sombre day ; the rain fell steadily, as though 
 the heavens, even, were joining in the universal grief ; and 
 at the grave when the last sad rites were finished, the 
 apple blossoms, wet with the falling rain, fluttered down 
 upon the lowered coffin, nature's reminder that after 
 things which perish there springs eternal the perfect fruit. 
 
 Milton W. Mathews was a successful lawyer. He un- 
 derstood the frame-work, the anatomy, the foundations of 
 law ; was familiar with tlie great streams. and currents 
 and tides of authority. He had breadth and scope, learn- 
 ing and logic, and above all the sense of justice which 
 regulated every act in his professional career. 
 
 ^' Milton W. Mathews was a model representative. Faith- 
 ful and incorruptible, he believed that his constituents 
 were entitled to the fruit of his experience, to his highest 
 thought and his best efl'ort. He was loyal to his own con- 
 victions, loyal to the party to whose fortunes he had allied 
 himself, but ever courteous, honorable, and fair as an 
 adversary, and counted in the ranks of his political op- 
 ponents many of his warmest personal friends. In 
 worthily serving the state, he reflected upon the district 
 he represented the honors which his services earned. He 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 313 
 
 neither bought nor sold nor mortgaged his honor or 
 himself, and throughout his political career coula say 
 with Aristides, 'these are clean hands.' 
 
 Milton W. Mathews was a polished orator. With a 
 striking face and figure, an intellectuality of the highest 
 order, a vocabulary boundless in extent and rich in illus- 
 tration and metaphor, with that indefinable something 
 called magnetism, in an unlimited degree, he filled tlie 
 stage, he captivated the audience, and whether con- 
 vinced or not by his reasoning and logic, no hearer ever 
 failed to accord him the highest praise for liis manner 
 of presenting his subject. 
 
 ''Milton AY. Mathews was an ideal Woodman. Proud 
 of the order, and jealous for its advancement in numbers 
 and influence, and yet anxious that its growth should be 
 of sound timber and its influence in the best direction. 
 Genial and friendly with his fellow officers, and still set- 
 ting each an example of industry and integrity. Com- 
 petent to worthily fill the highest positions to which his 
 duties called him, and still a neighbor in the fullest 
 sense with the great body of our membership ; honorable, 
 sociable, charitable, he filled the measure of an ideal 
 Woodman, and in every place and work assigned Iiim 
 he honored the order which honored him. 
 
 "At the full meridian of intellectual greatness, with 
 many years of usefulness to himself, his family, this 
 order, and the state still before him ; at the time when, 
 perhaps, more than ever before, his talents and leader- 
 ship were required in this and kindred orders to which 
 he was attached, this good, honest, capable, true, and 
 trusted man and neighbor has closed his eyes in the 
 dreamless sleep of death. 
 
 "To the stern decree of an all-wise and overruling Prov- 
 idence we bow with grief-stricken hearts. At the portals 
 of his grave every officer and neighbor in this great fra- 
 ternity mourns. 
 
314 
 
 The Woodman' s Hand-Book. 
 
 ' He did not fall 
 Like drooping flowers that no man noticeth ; 
 , But like a great branch of some stately tree, 
 Bent in the tempest and flung down to death, 
 Thick with green leafage ; so that piteously 
 Each passer by that ruin shuddereth. 
 And saith, " The gap this breach hath left is wide. 
 The loss thereof can never be supplied." ' 
 
 "As a born leader of men, as statesman, legislator, law- 
 yer, friend, officer, and neighbor, we bonor bim and 
 revere his memor}^ 
 
 ''To the loving wife and son. and daughter, to his state, 
 and to us he has left a legacy greater, better, and grander 
 than earthly riches — a good name, a reputation untar- 
 nished, an integrity unimpaired. 
 
 ''The grave has closed over him. He has gone to that 
 far country, invisible and unknown to mortals, but where 
 every sense of the eternal fitness of things tells us there 
 must be a place prepared for such princely souls. But 
 he has left behind him his words and his works, the 
 magnetic w^ords which inspire loyalty to right, and the 
 words of a born warrior for truth, justice, and charity." 
 
 At the conclusion of Neighbor Johnson's address, the 
 Head Consul called upon the various members of the 
 Board of Directors for an expression of their sentiments, 
 and called first upon Neighbor J. W. White, who said : 
 
 " Head Consul and neighbors, at a meeting some time 
 ago the Board of Directors requested Neighbor Johnson 
 to prepare a memorial address for this occasion, which 
 address you have just heard, and I have thought that his 
 remarks, while in his own language, fully express the 
 feelings and sentiments of the officers of this organiza- 
 tion. As an opportunity is given, however, I cannot 
 forbear saying a v/ord to add to the tribute so grandly 
 bestowed, but which falls far short, only because human 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 315 
 
 language is inadequate to express the sentiments of all 
 the friends and neighbors that should pay tribute to 
 the late Senator Mathews. Not only, Head Consul, do 
 we pay tribute to Senator Mathews, but the whole state 
 of Illinois, where he was known, paid tribute to him. 
 As has been told you, there were gathered the governor 
 and state officers, and many members of the different 
 organizations to which he belonged at his home, in the 
 hall that was erected to his memory, because it was one 
 of his monuments, gathered there to pay that final trib- 
 ute, the last tribute it was possible to pay him. 
 
 But as I think of Senator Mathews, I think of him as 
 I last saw him while there was breath in his body. It 
 was at Peoria, in a hotel. I said to him, ' Senator, you 
 are tired, and I think you want a rest. AVill you be 
 with us at our next meeting ? ' ' Oh yes, I will be with 
 you at the next meeting. I am a little tired, but, Neigh- 
 bor White, I am going to keep my benefit certificate 
 good.' Senator Mathews' benefit certificate was kept 
 good, and he has had the reward. 
 
 "Xot only have that wife and those children been paid 
 the benefit certificate which the Modern AVoodmen of 
 America promised him that they Avould pay, but a higher 
 and greater payment has been made. I am not a hero 
 worshipper, and I do not bow at the shrine of mortal, but 
 I do bow to the Cross of AVood and the American flag, and 
 these alone. It may be that when mortals are called 
 into the presence of the Judge, from whose decree there 
 is no appeal, that the sentence of condemnation may not 
 be passed on the weaknesses of mankind, except as they 
 are unredeemed by the virtues of life. And when Sen- 
 ator Mathews came before that great Judge, I believe the 
 sente?ice was passed in his favor, because no man had a 
 larger heart or did more for humanity ; no man, meas- 
 ured as we measure men, who had more friends within 
 the circle of his acquaintance. 
 
316 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh, 
 
 He said to us at one time : ' I want you to come 
 down to Urbana, to my town, some time, and hold a 
 meeting there ; but wait until summer comes ; wait until 
 the flowers are in bloom, when everything looks nice.' 
 We did go there when the flowers were in bloom, but the 
 flowers were scattered on his bier, and weeping friends 
 wet them with their tears. 
 
 I cannot say more than has been said by Neighbor 
 Johnson, nor more than is said in thought by every 
 neighbor. And what every neighbor would say of Sen- 
 ator Mathews, ever}^ man would say, because they were 
 all his friends. He was a bright, brilliant genius, a wit, 
 and an orator. No man in the state of Illinois, except 
 one, perhaps, was his superior. I recall being in Spring- 
 field at a state bar association where there was assem- 
 bled the state bar at a banquet. Many of the members 
 spoke, and to close Senator Mathews was called. He 
 spoke, and after he was through the laurels were all 
 given him. His wit and his genius were such that all 
 those present, and there were present men who were ora- 
 tors, paid tribute to him as an orator — 'the noblest 
 Roman of them all.' 
 
 ^' Senator Mathews was not only an orator, but he was 
 also a warm friend and a warm neighbor." 
 
 Neighbor C. T. Heydecker succeeded Neighbor White, 
 in the following remarks: 
 
 had hoped that I might be spared this sad occasion; 
 I hoped what Neighbor Johnson had prepared on behalf 
 of those wdio sat in close council with Neighbor Mathews 
 would be allowed to stand as an expression for all of us; 
 but it has been seen fit by our Head Consul to ask us, in 
 this unguarded moment, to shed a tear of sympathy and 
 spread a blanket of greenness, if possible, over the grave 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 317 
 
 yet hardly made green by nature. Neighbors, you never 
 knew Milton Mathews as we, who were so closely associa- 
 ted with him, did. Silently, two years ago, the board sat 
 down in solemn conclave, silently and alone, and with 
 that hero of heroes entering into a solemn compact to use 
 our most earnest efforts until together we should, by his 
 guiding hand and assistance, be able to place the finan- 
 cial affairs of the order in a better condition. Neighbor 
 Mathews did his part nobly — the greyest hero of all. 
 He has gone, neighbors, and from his place, which we 
 feel safe in saying has been assigned him^ looks down, 
 with guiding hand watching over us. 
 
 "Milton Mathews was a AVoodman in every sense; and 
 in the two years in which he was our co-laborer spent a 
 a great portion of his time in advising, in helping, in 
 guiding us; and ever by his society and kind words en- 
 couraged and aided us in our work. 
 
 ''Milton Mathews has gone; and while it may be re- 
 gretted by the membership at large, none know so well 
 the loss we have sustained, and no one mourns it more 
 than those who sat close beside him in confiding, earnest 
 council. The Head Officers went that sad May morning 
 and sadly gathered around the remains of mortality and 
 bade it farewell. To Woodmen men like Hon. Milton 
 Mathews represent a type of character worthy of imita- 
 tion, worthy of recognition; and we recognize his sterling 
 qualities, his frankness, his noble and true character as a 
 man and Woodman." 
 
 Neighbor A. R. Talbot : '' Head Consul, it seems un- 
 necessary that I should say anything in addition to what 
 has been said. It is impossible for me to express to the 
 neighbors here the thoughts that fill my mind to-night. 
 I think I knew Senator Matthews perhaps as well as any 
 one could know a man with two years' association in 
 
318 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 business, and I want to say that no man I have ever 
 known for that length of time so impressed me with the 
 great sense of the responsibility resting upon one holding 
 a position of trust, as did Senator Mathews. He was a 
 friend of the order of Woodcraft such as we rarely find. 
 He was a genuine friend to his immediate associates in 
 the work of the order, and none, aside from his family, 
 can feel his loss so keenly as we. In the management of 
 any business he-was a man whose chief aim and object 
 was to do it promptly, honestly, and well. 
 
 ''The great struggle in the life of Senator Mathews 
 seemed to be to do anything that he could to help elevate 
 those around him. And if he could carry their burdens, 
 it was to him a pleasure to do so. The highest object 
 that Senator Mathews had was to do the greatest good 
 possible. His efforts we all know, and it may well be said 
 of him, ' he went about doing good.' 
 
 '' He was a man who never shrank from duty, but was 
 always ready to do more than his part. He delighted in 
 the great principles which we believe in. He always en- 
 deavored to lift the cloud from those that were in dark- 
 ness, and to say some encouraging word to any that 
 seemed in doubt or oppressed. Such a man, it seems to 
 me, possesses that most commendable combination of the 
 heart and head that go to make a great man. 
 
 "And I want to say, neighbors, only one word more: 
 that while we sit here in this solemn hour, and while we 
 have been considering the great work of Senator Mathews 
 since his death, I am convinced tliat in the month of 
 May, when bud and blossom marked the changing season, 
 when we, with light hearts, were buny about our daily 
 toil, Senator Mathews, brave and reconciled, in peace, 
 went sweeping through tlie gates of the New Jerusalem. 
 There he awaits us. And all that we can say is, ' neigh- 
 bor, good-bye; we will be with you in the morning.' " 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 319 
 
 The Head Consul asked Neighbor E. S. Smith, of 
 Illinois, to close the remarks on the resolutions offered, 
 which he did in the following language: 
 
 "Head Consul and Neighbors, it was my pleasure to 
 know Senator Mathews something more than twenty 
 years ago. He was slightly my senior. Senator Mathews 
 was born in a township in the southern part of Cham- 
 paign county, Illinois, and when he liad grown to man- 
 hood and was about to prepare himself for the practice of 
 law, he came to the city of Urbana, dependent upon his 
 own resources for support. He made the acquaintance 
 of some young men there, one of whom was an attorney, 
 who were engaged during some of their spare time in at- 
 tending and establishing Good Templar organizations in 
 that vicinity. They had weekly meetings, and invited 
 ' Milt. Mathews,' as he was called, to go with them 
 This lawyer of whom I spoke was a very logical, method- 
 ical, and painstaking man, and his addresses took on 
 that nature. After the meeting was over, Milton said: 
 • George, why don't you put more life into it ; that is 
 what you want to do ; put more life into it ; stir them 
 up.' Well, the organizers thought perhaps they would 
 have some help, and agreed among themselves that they 
 would call on ' Milt.' at the next meeting for a speech. 
 The result of it was, after that Milton had all the speak- 
 ing to do. There was no use for the prosy lawyer. 
 Milton AV. Mathews was a natural orator, and soon be- 
 came known as the 'silver-tongued orator of Champaign 
 county.' 
 
 " In 1876 it was my pleasure to assist in his nomination 
 and election to the office of state's attorney of Champaign 
 county. He served for two terms faithfully and well ; 
 one of the best prosecutors ever in that position in the 
 State of Illinois. He was a kind-hearted man. He 
 prosecuted no man with the bitterness of enmity. He 
 sought to bring out the truth, and none excelled Milton 
 
320 
 
 The Woodmcm^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 W. Mathews in the ability to do that. He had no ene- 
 mies ; he had opponents many times, and he beat them ; 
 but it was always done in so pleasant away that, however 
 badly they were defeated, they could not help joining 
 with him in the laugh over the victor3^ 
 
 His pleasures were found principally at home. He was 
 not a society man ; his great enjoyment was at his own 
 fireside with his family, and yet with his friends that he 
 met at his office or on the street he never had anything 
 but pleasant words, and his society was sought by all. 
 He never could speak to you without the bright smile and 
 the hearty laugh following. He entered into the news- 
 paper business and became the owner of the Champaign 
 County Herald, and made it the best county paper in the 
 State of Illinois. He had a wealth of originality. I re- 
 member one illustration of this : It is proverbial, I be- 
 lieve, that the church organizations ask the newspapers 
 to insert many notices for them and render advertising 
 services free of charge. 
 
 Neighbor Mathews printed some postal cards some- 
 thing like this : 'To the members of this congregation : 
 You are notified that the Champaign County Herald is the 
 best county newspaper published in the State of Illinois, 
 and you are asked to subscribe for it. Subscription price, 
 $2 per year in advance.' At the foot was a request to the 
 pastor to read that at his morning services, and the cards 
 were addressed to the pastors of the various churches in the 
 city. He awaited their reply. One pastor read the card ; 
 some of them took it kindly, but some answered quite 
 bitterly, and he published their replies in the following 
 paper, with such remarks as only Milton W. Mathews 
 could make, raising very aptly the question of reciprocity 
 in advertising — all so neatly done as to attract attention 
 and offend no one. 
 
 He was original, and dealt always in originality. He 
 was always good natured. He was always faithful to his 
 
Officers of Camp No. 120, Omaha, Nebraska, 1894. 
 
 1. C. H. T. RiEPEN, A^enerable Consul. 4. G. R. Young, Manager. 
 
 2. George D. Rice, Clerk. 5. L. B. Hoyt, Manager. 
 
 3. Simon Trostler, Adviser. 6. J. G. Edmundson, Seutry. 
 
 7. G. F. Elsasser, Banker. 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 321 
 
 friends. He never forgot a friend, and never forgot a 
 kindness done him. He was always humorous. I saw 
 him hardly two weeks before his death ; he was unable 
 to get out of his room ; he could scarcely speak above a 
 whisper, and yet he had the same jolly smile, and the 
 same funny anecdotes. His humor and pleasantness 
 stayed with him to the last. 
 
 ''When he became fully aware that the end was near, 
 and the family was called around him, he was telling 
 them good-bye, and was distributing some of his personal 
 effects. He gave his boy, a lad of thirteen years, I think, 
 a uniform which he wore, and his sword and hat. If you 
 knew Senator Mathews, you know he was quite portly in 
 the latter years of his life, and he said : ' My son, you 
 will soon be large enough for the sword, you will soon fill 
 the hat, but it will be a good while, son, before you can 
 fill out those pants.' 
 
 " Especially prominent in the individuality of Neighbor 
 Mathews was his anxiety to do something to assist others, 
 or in some way add to their pleasure. It delighted him 
 to make others happy. He watched for the opportunity, 
 and always improved it. 
 
 " No one who knew Senator Mathews could have but the 
 kindest feelings for him, and I believe that in his life the 
 world will be benefitted even in the far future. 
 
 " Head Consul, I would move that the address of Neigh- 
 bor Johnson be spread upon the journal of this Head 
 Camp, and published with the published proceedings." 
 
 It was moved to amend the motion of Neighbor Smith 
 by including all of the speeches made at these memorial 
 exercises, which amendment was seconded. Before put- 
 ting the motion. Head Consul Northcott said : 
 
 " I am sorry that the time is so limited that other neigh- 
 bors cannot give an expression of their sentiments, as I 
 
 21 
 
322 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 know many of you would like to do. This evening's 
 memorial exercises tipify more than anything else the 
 great possibilities and benefits of the fraternal features of 
 our order. No neighbor who has listened to-night but 
 will go home with a higher appreciation of the fraternal 
 side of this order. 
 
 We have listened with admiration to that great epic 
 from Director Johnson ; we have listened with fraternal 
 admiration to those words of love that came from his as- 
 sociate officers and friends. I remember that I received 
 a letter from his private secretary, which read : ' Senator 
 Mathews desires me to say to you, Neighbor Northcott, 
 that he is going to die, but that he will die bravely.' 
 . " How grand it is ! Here are neighbors who have never 
 met Neighbor Mathews, but because he was bound to 
 them by that tie of fraternity, that tie of Woodcraft, they 
 all honor his memory. And how it will be appreciated 
 by his family ! There is a great deal in the uncovered 
 and bowed head at the grave of a neighbor. 
 
 " ' He was a man whom the spoils of office could not buy ; 
 A man of honor, a man who would not lie.' " 
 
 At the conclusion of the Head Consul's remarks, the 
 resolutions, as presented by the Committee on Resolu- 
 tions, were adopted unanimously by a rising vote. And 
 the memorial exercises were closed. 
 
With the Axe, the Wedge, and Beetle 
 Dismal forests have been cleared. 
 * * * * * 
 
 Work we will! our cause is just. 
 Charity our hope and trust.** 
 
I/ist of Some of the Public Speakers on 
 Woodcraft. 
 
 ILLINOIS. 
 
 Hon, W. A. Northcott, Greenville. Hon. W. R. Jewell, Danville. 
 Maj. C. W. Hawes, Fulton. Hon. H. Clay Wilson, Springfield. 
 
 Hon. J. W. White, Rock Falls. Judge Jas. Oeighton, Springfield. 
 Gen. J. N. Reece, Springfield. Hon. Jas. M. Graham, Springfield. 
 Hon. C. T. Heydecker, Waukegan. Hon. E. S. Smith, Springfield. 
 Rev. F. F. Farmaloe, Rockford. M. Quackenbush, Dundee. 
 Judge C. J. Lindley, Greenville. Hon. E. A. Nye, Danville. 
 Hon. W. A. Rodenberg, Rev. J. M. Robinson, El Paso. 
 
 East St. Louis. Hon. Frank Joslyn, Elgin. 
 Hon. W. I. Klein, Barry. Judge A. M. Cavan, El Paso. 
 
 IOWA. 
 
 Hon. Perry Perkins, Des Moines. C. G. Saunders, Council Bluffs. 
 Dr. I. L. Potter, Ackley. J. R. Carrothers, Lincoln, Neb. 
 
 John Roberts, Ackley. Dr. E. R. Hutchins, Des Moines. 
 
 Dr. I. H. Fry, Marshalltown. Rev. F. Stanley Adams, Keosauqua. 
 
 MISSOURI 
 
 W. W. Wertenberger, St. Joseph. S. C. Emerson, St. Clair. 
 D. I. Thornton, Kansas City. Dr. F. M. Martin, Maryville. 
 Hon. J. M. Jones, Kansas City. John A. Sidney, Hannibal. 
 Hon. Geo. L. Walls, Kansas City. Hon. A. W. Florea, Jefferson City. 
 H. G. Parcell, Kirksville. W. C. Sherrill, Excelsior Springs. 
 
 NEBRASKA. 
 
 Dr. A. O, Faulkner, Lincoln. Hon, Wm. J. Bryan, Lincoln. 
 
 Capt. W. H. Woodward, Lincoln. C. C. McNish, Wisner. 
 
 Rev. Charles Shepard, Lincoln. Dr. S. F. Ashby, Fairmont. 
 
 D. C. Zink, Grand Island. George Morrow, Omaha. 
 Hon. A. R. Talbot, Lincoln. 
 
 KANSAS. 
 
 Hon, J. G. Johnson, Peabody. Hon. J. W. Breidenthal, Topeka. 
 
 Dr. Frank Swallow, Valley Falls. Dr. J.J. Tinder, Parsons. 
 
 P. J. Strack, Junction City. V,H, Grinstead, Leoti. 
 
 Hon. E. E. Murphy, I^eaven worth. Hon. James Fike, Colby, 
 
 Joseph B. Thoburn, Peabody. E. S. Bertram, Council Grove. 
 
 H. S. Martin, Marion. P. G. Chubbic, Beloit. 
 
 MINNESOTA. 
 
 W. H. Dawson, Slayton. 
 Alfred Terry, Slayton. 
 Hon. B. D. Smith, Mankato. 
 Harry Franklin, St. Paul. 
 Hon. W. A. Funk, Lakefield. 
 E. A. Ranson, Crookston. 
 
 W. J. McAllister, Slayton. 
 
 Dr. Thomas Lowe, Slayton. 
 
 Dr. C. A. McCollom, Minneapolis. 
 
 Charles G. Laybourn, Minneapolis. 
 
 Dr. H. O. Larrabee, Winona. 
 
326 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 WISCONSIN. 
 
 Thomas H. Love, Madison. M. H. Thayer, Sparta. 
 
 Dr. A. H. Hollister, Madison. Dr. Isaac Buckeridge, Beloit. 
 C. E. Whelan, Madison. P. F. Livermore, Beloit. 
 
 Humphrey Pierce, Appleton. 
 
 MICHIGAN. 
 
 C. D. Sharrow, Grand Rapids. 
 
 J. A. McDowell, West Bay City. 
 
 M. R. Carrier, Lansing. 
 
 H. C. Hedges, Lansing. 
 
 J. Tyler Alcott, Grand Rapids. 
 
 J. A. Lombard, Grand Rapids. 
 
 C. J. Byrns, Ishpeming. 
 
 J. W. Burns, Port Huron. 
 
 Rev. J. Kilpatrick, West Bay City. 
 
 W. C. Hicks, Benton Harbor. 
 
 Rev. R. J. Jones, Gaines. 
 
 Dr. G. F. Knowles, Manistee. 
 
 S. H. Clink, Muskegon. 
 
 Charles F. Howe, Coldwater. 
 
 NORTH DAKOTA. 
 Charles L. Ward, Ellendale. 
 
 SOUTH DAKOTA. 
 
 P. R. Van Slyke, Madison. Judge John Pusey, Miller. 
 
 Frank R. Hyde, Sioux Falls. 
 
 2/ist of Twenty Cities Having I^argest 
 Membership, October ist, 1894. 
 
 TOWN. 
 
 STATE. 
 
 NO. OF 
 
 MEMBER- 
 
 CAMPS. 
 
 SHIP. 
 
 Springfield 
 
 Illinois . ... 
 
 6 
 
 1180 
 
 
 Nebraska .... 
 
 3 
 
 1136 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 3 
 
 886 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 7 
 
 784 
 
 
 Nebraska .... 
 
 5 
 
 722 
 
 
 Minnesota. . . . 
 
 12 
 
 670 
 
 Rock Island 
 
 Illinois .... 
 
 3 
 
 647 
 
 St. Paul 
 
 Minnesota .... 
 
 7 
 
 640 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 2 
 
 597 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 1 
 
 581 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 3 
 
 573 
 
 
 Iowa. ..... 
 
 2 
 
 524 
 
 
 Iowa 
 
 2 
 
 391 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 1 
 
 380 
 
 Beloit 
 
 Wisconsin. . . . 
 
 2 
 
 367 
 
 
 Iowa 
 
 1 
 
 344 
 
 Aurora 
 
 Illinois ..... 
 
 1 
 
 342 
 
 
 Iowa 
 
 3 
 
 301 
 
 
 Kansas 
 
 1 
 
 295 
 
 Topeka 
 
 Kansas 
 
 1 
 
 295 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book, 327 
 
 I,ist of Fifty I^argest Camps. 
 
 October ist, 1894. 
 
 CAMP 
 NO. 
 
 NAME. 
 
 LOCATION. 
 
 STATE. 
 
 NO. OF 
 MEM. 
 
 51 
 
 Rockford .... 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 617 
 
 60 
 
 Silver Leaf . . . 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 581 
 
 120 
 
 
 
 Nebraska .... 
 
 532 
 
 1454 
 
 
 
 Nebraska .... 
 
 362 
 
 106 
 
 Muscatine .... 
 
 Muscatine .... 
 
 Iowa 
 
 344 
 
 54 
 
 Aurora 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 342 
 
 38 
 
 Moline 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 332 
 
 1626 
 
 Easterly .... 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 322 
 
 348 
 
 
 Beloit ...... 
 
 Wisconsin .... 
 
 315 
 
 356 
 
 
 
 Kansas 
 
 295 
 
 536 
 
 Topeka 
 
 
 Kansas .... 
 
 295 
 
 365 
 
 Banyan 
 
 
 Wisconsin .... 
 
 279 
 
 872 
 
 Central Illinois . 
 
 Springfield .... 
 
 Illinois 
 
 278 
 
 984 
 
 Dubuque .... 
 
 Dubuque ... 
 
 Iowa 
 
 276 
 
 144 
 
 Decatur 
 
 
 Illinois ..... 
 
 275 
 
 31 
 
 Robin Hood . . . 
 
 
 Iowa 
 
 265 
 
 454 
 
 
 Springfield .... 
 
 Illinois 
 
 260 
 
 249 
 
 
 Paris 
 
 Illinois 
 
 256 
 
 112 
 
 Mound City . . . 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 253 
 
 667 
 
 Galesburg .... 
 
 Galesburg .... 
 
 Illinois 
 
 248 
 
 83 
 
 Iron Wood , . . 
 
 
 Iowa 
 
 247 
 
 87 
 
 Charter Oak . . 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 239 
 
 843 
 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 239 
 
 945 
 
 
 
 Nebraska .... 
 
 237 
 
 27 
 
 
 Davenport .... 
 
 Iowa 
 
 237 
 
 566 
 
 Hawthorne . . . 
 
 
 Nebraska .... 
 
 236 
 
 47 
 
 
 Sycamore .... 
 
 Illinois 
 
 231 
 
 29 
 
 Rock Island . . . 
 
 Rock Island . . . 
 
 Illinois 
 
 230 
 
 254 
 
 Vermillion . . . 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 226 
 
 309 
 
 Island City . . . 
 
 Rock Island . . . 
 
 Illinois 
 
 220 
 
 171 
 
 
 Council Bluffs . . 
 
 Iowa 
 
 217 
 
 352 
 
 Litchfield .... 
 
 Litchfield .... 
 
 Illinois 
 
 215 
 
 630 
 
 Flour City .... 
 
 Minneapolis . . . 
 
 Minnesota .... 
 
 209 
 
 219 
 
 Gem City .... 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 207 
 
 975 
 
 UaR Jjeai .... 
 
 Hiawatha .... 
 
 Kansas 
 
 one 
 ZVO 
 
 1490 
 
 Bay City . . , 
 
 
 Michigan .... 
 
 204 
 
 1 no 
 108 
 
 U. 0. Grant . . . 
 
 Des Moines . . . 
 
 Iowa ...... 
 
 202 
 
 2002 
 
 Kansas City . . . 
 
 Kansas City . . . 
 
 Missouri .... 
 
 200 
 
 12 
 
 Sterling" 
 
 Stpylinc 
 
 Tl 1 1 nni Q 
 
 XXlXXaWJLO ..... 
 
 198 
 
 1550 
 
 C. W. Hawes . . 
 
 Rock Island . . . 
 
 Illinois 
 
 197 
 
 384 
 
 Oakdale ... 
 
 Salina 
 
 Kansas 
 
 196 
 
 110 
 
 Blooming- Grove . 
 
 Bloomington . , . 
 
 Illinois 
 
 195 
 
 201 
 
 Jack Oak .... 
 
 Macomb 
 
 Illinois 
 
 194 
 
 674 
 
 Minnehaha . . . 
 
 St. Paul 
 
 Minnesota .... 
 
 189 
 
 452 
 
 
 Greenville .... 
 
 Illinois 
 
 182 
 
 52 
 
 
 Belvidere .... 
 
 Illinois 
 
 182 
 
 690 
 
 
 Ac k ley 
 
 Iowa 
 
 180 
 
 969 
 
 
 Lincoln 
 
 Nebraska .... 
 
 179 
 
 443 
 
 Appleton .... 
 
 
 Wisconsin .... 
 
 177 
 
 174 
 
 Lake 
 
 Waukegan .... 
 
 Illinois ..... 
 
 177 
 
328 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 The Banner Camp, 
 
 About one year ago the following offer was made by the 
 Head Camp : 
 
 A handsome banner will be presented to the Camp 
 having the largest membership in good standing at the 
 close of the day's work, December 31st, 1893, as shown 
 by the records at the Head Clerk's office. The banner 
 will be held by the successful Camp for the ensuing year, 
 and will be known as the ' Banner Camp.' At the end of 
 the year it will be given to the Camp having the largest 
 membership in good standing." 
 
 After this prize was offered competition became very 
 brisk, the leading workers being Camps No. 120, Omaha, 
 Nebraska ; No. 60, Elgin, Illinois, and No. 51, Eockford, 
 Illinois. Toward the close of the year it became apparent 
 that either Elgin or Omaha Camp would be the winner, 
 and until the reports were received, no one could tell 
 which would be the successful one. 
 
 At the close of the year 1893 Camp No. 120 was the 
 largest in the jurisdiction, and had six hundred and seven 
 members in good standing, and won the right to carry the 
 magnificent banner, and be known as the ^' Banner Camp " 
 for the year 1894. The presentation of this banner to 
 the Camp by Head Consul Northcott took place in the 
 presence of thousands of people at the great Omaha 
 picnic, August, 1894. The response was made by C. H. 
 T. Riepen, Venerable Consul of the Camp. 
 
 Camp No. 51, Rockford, Illinois, won the prize for the 
 greatest growth during the months of December, 1893, 
 and January and February, 1894. This magnificent 
 Camp is now the largest in the jurisdiction, as shown by 
 the pass reports on the first day of September, 1894. 
 Closely following this Camp in membership is the grand 
 old Silver Leaf Camp, No. 60, of Elgin, Illinois. One of 
 
Officers of Camp Xo. 51. IIockford. Illinois, 1894. 
 
 1. F. L. Morgan, Escort. 6. Dr. J. E. All.\bex, Physician. 
 
 2. L. :^L Hess, Manager. 7. A. W. B.a.nks, Manager. 
 
 o. J. F. \Vkix(,artnkr. Watchman. 8. Ed^vark P. Thomas, Clerk. 
 
 4. Frank E. HuMESTON. Venerable Consul. 9. ' ir-r.^F Petersox. Gentry. 
 
 5. T. F. Hopkins, Banker. 10. T. W. Clark, Adviser. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 329 
 
 these two Camps will probably be the banner Camp for 
 1895, but at this writing it is impossible to say which one 
 of the two will be the winner. 
 
 Camp No. 2002, of Kansas City, Missouri, won the prize 
 for the largest growth during the three months of March, 
 April, and May, 1894. This Camp was only organized in 
 June, 1893, and now has a membership in good standing 
 of over two hundred. 
 
 We publish a photograph of the handsome banner and 
 of the officers of the Camps named above, and do but 
 give merit where merit is due in placing them on the roll 
 of honor. 
 
 Winners of Hustler Buttons. 
 
 Every neighbor who wears one of these buttons attracts 
 attention wherever he meets a Woodman. Every w^earer 
 has brought at least five new members into his Camp. 
 The " Hustler Button " was offered for the month of April, 
 1893, and also for the period extending from November 
 1st, 1893, to May 1st, 1894. We publish below a list of 
 the names of every Woodman in the jurisdiction who is 
 the proud possessor and entitled to wear one of these 
 buttons. Not a neighbor in the jurisdiction, except the 
 four hundred and eight named below% are entitled to wear 
 this button. 
 
 At least two thousand members have been brought into 
 the order by the winners of these buttons ; besides, some of 
 the winners have brought in as many as twenty-five mem- 
 bers. The great good of this scheme will be fully 
 realized when we consider that in many of these cases the 
 five new members have been added to very small Camps, 
 and this infusion of new blood has been the stimulant 
 that has started many a Camp on a new era of growth 
 and prosperity. 
 
330 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 Camp. No vie. 7 own. State. 
 
 1484 P. C. Mowrey Port Huron Michigan. 
 
 1880 W. H. Williamson. . . Easton Illinois. 
 
 1872 George L. Miller . . . Pierron , Illinois. 
 
 1626 C. W. Frew Decatur Illinois. 
 
 89 B. J. Lawman Manchester Iowa. 
 
 1762 W. W. Myers Hopkinton Iowa. 
 
 281 John L. Berner .... Morris Illinois. 
 
 1146 J. M. Bushnell .... Wyocena Wisconsin. 
 
 106 J. A. Ledya Muscatine Iowa. 
 
 1370 J. H. Langdon Gretna Nebraska. 
 
 1370 J. L. Harley Gretna Nebraska. 
 
 61 Ole Ostby Dundee Illinois. 
 
 1589 W. E. Gordon Old Ripley ..... Illinois. 
 
 100 S. H. Sheldon Iowa Falls Iowa. 
 
 1626 C. E. Lowry Decatur ....... Illinois. 
 
 872 F. X. Reisch Springfield Illinois. 
 
 1809 A. Maes Aniwa Wisconsin. 
 
 1809 W. Purdy Aniwa Wisconsin. 
 
 1809 E. Bignall Aniwa Wisconsin. 
 
 1809 H. J. Weeks Aniwa Wisconsin. 
 
 1385 T. J. Reynolds .... Modesto Illinois. 
 
 613 Paul Schmidt St. Paul Nebraska. 
 
 1112 John T. Lenton .... Pender Nebraska. 
 
 2106 N. H. Burton Sullivan Missouri. 
 
 1260 E. P. Illsley Sleepy Eye Minnesota. 
 
 636 J. J. Taylor Loup City Nebraska. 
 
 2088 C. E. Borofe Gallatin Missouri. 
 
 1551 J. S Pendley Danville Illinois. 
 
 949 C. W. Hardy . ... Waterville Kansas. 
 
 613 G. F. Holm St. Paul Nebraska. 
 
 1458 E. W. Barcroft .... Walshville Illinois. 
 
 466 William E. Sharp . . . Aurora Illinois. 
 
 955 James Caverly .... Midland Michigan. 
 
 339 E. C. Vanderpoorten . Watseka Illinois. 
 
 598 E. D. Bartholomew . . Necedah Wisconsin. 
 
 1052 E. S. Rakliff Cunningham .... Kansas. 
 
 156 B. B. Davis Strawberry Point . . Iowa. 
 
 156 T. R. McDonald .... Strawberry Point . . Iowa. 
 
 1504 H. C. Peterson .... St. Paul Minnesota. 
 
 2052 Henry Struck Maryville Missouri. 
 
 572 H. A. Fischer Staunton Illinois. 
 
 • 945 Fred. A. Maxfield . . . Omaha Nebraska. 
 
 786 H. C. Pickett Altamont Illinois. 
 
 106 J. A. Leyda Muscatine ...... Iowa. 
 
 1837 C. J. Schaefer ... Eddyville Iowa. 
 
 402 Charles H. Cramer . . Lake Mills Wisconsin. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh, 
 
 331 
 
 Camp. Name. Town. State. 
 
 2106 John S. Blanton .... Sullivan Missouri. 
 
 2002 D. I. Thornton .... Kansas City Missouri. 
 
 2002 C. S. -Fisher Kansas City Missouri. 
 
 2002 P. C. Palmer .... Kansas City Missouri. 
 
 430 William L. Lovell . . . Crete Nebraska. 
 
 630 James Paul . . . . . Minneapolis Minnesota. 
 
 254 Georg-e W. Reilly , . . Danville Illinois. 
 
 1100 William E. Cutts ... Broomfield ..... Nebraska. 
 
 1100 Ira N. Kirby Broomfield Nebraska. 
 
 i052 H. A. Scott Cunningham .... Kansas. 
 
 253 R. F. Hubbart Parmer City . . . . .Illinois. 
 
 1210 R. Homberger .... Sauk City Wisconsin. 
 
 760 William Achenbach . . Alma Wisconsin. 
 
 760 Ph. Zeller Alma Wisconsin. 
 
 2106 J. R. Bullock Sullivan Missouri. 
 
 660 Charles Cox Table Grove Illinois. 
 
 909 J. G. Johnson ..... Peabody Kansas. 
 
 149 Charles J. Forth .... Palmyra Illinois. 
 
 1355 William Brownfield . . Bee . . . , Nebraska. 
 
 1355 P. C. Gumbell Bee Nebraska. 
 
 1504 C. J. Sund St. Paul Minnesota. 
 
 1253 G. M. Traut Ivanhoe Illinois. 
 
 1253 E. G. Payne Ivanhoe ....... Illinois. 
 
 1599 J. W. Kaiser Port Scott Kansas. 
 
 633 Georg-e T. Harlan . . . Girard Illinois. 
 
 633 C. P. Van Sickle . . . Girard Illinois. 
 
 1804 A. J. Scranton .... Millersburg- Illinois. 
 
 1364 J. P. Routh Hiattville Kansas. 
 
 60 C. S. Higinbotham . . Elgin Illinois. 
 
 1599 M. H. Fuqua Port Scott ...... Kansas. 
 
 726 Thomas E. Hitt .... Carleton Nebraska. 
 
 1679 Peter Johnson .... Hays City Kansas. 
 
 456 James T. Ohlwine . . . Huron . South Dakota. 
 
 1439 John J. Burns Gaines Michigan. 
 
 1188 R. B. Stoddard .... Geneva Iowa. 
 
 1188 S. C. Parks Geneva Iowa. 
 
 1800 O. L. Shadford .... Agency Iowa. 
 
 1983 J. D. English Axtell Nebraska. 
 
 1142 Julius Rohwer Ida Grove Iowa. 
 
 2002 D. M. Hughes Kansas City Missouri. 
 
 2002 J. R. Hughes Kansas City Missouri. 
 
 282 R. C. Stirton Monticello Iowa. 
 
 1589 T. B. McElroy . ... Old Ripley . . . . „ Illinois. 
 
 1589 W. C. Tyler Old Ripley Illinois. 
 
 1589 J. W. Brown Old Ripley Illinois. 
 
 1589 E. R. Gum Old Ripley Illinois. 
 
332 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 Camp. Name. Town. State. 
 
 1589 J. B. Lon^ Old Ripley ..... Illinois. 
 
 199 R. P. Wait . • . . . • Reynolds Illinois. 
 
 339 J. E. Zamwalt Watseka Illinois. 
 
 1960 James P. Anderson , . Wells , . Minnesota. 
 
 1960 J. H. Joice Wells Minnesota. 
 
 1960 George H. Donbarz . , Wells Minnesota. 
 
 384 J. A. Banker Salina Kansas. 
 
 2066 A. D. Crotts Pretty Prairie .... Kansas. 
 
 186 John A. Wilson .... Rural Illinois. 
 
 1728 Walter Dunn Viola Minnesota 
 
 51 L. M. Hess Rockford Illinois. 
 
 51 W. H. Mcintosh .... Rockford Illinois. 
 
 51 C. T. Ray Rockford Illinois. 
 
 51 F. L. Morgan ..... Rockford lUinois. 
 
 760 Charles Neumeister . . Alma Wisconsin. 
 
 367 George Howard .... Leavenworth .... Kansas. 
 
 942 David Heckman .... Liberty Kansas. 
 
 942 F. M. Lewis Liberty . Kansas. 
 
 942 G. W. Kerr Liberty Kansas. 
 
 J 666 L. P. Johnson Hoisington Kansas. 
 
 2124 M. D. Gibbs • Steelville Missouri. 
 
 1983 S. A. Olson Axtell Nebraska. 
 
 1983 H. A. Carlson Axtell Nebraska. 
 
 1983 W. J. Swartz Axtell Nebraska. 
 
 1791 J. F. Quinley Papillion Nebraska. 
 
 1983 J. S. Freeland Axtell Nebraska. 
 
 599 J. E. Shears Central City Nebraska. 
 
 1748 F. A. Bardeen Otsego Michigan. 
 
 219 C. E. Soule Quincy Illinois. 
 
 219 John L. McLean .... Quincy Illinois. 
 
 420 Amos Conrad Vandalia Illinois. 
 
 420 A. Marquis Vandalia Illinois. 
 
 420 A. C. Walter Vandalia Illinois. 
 
 1942 W. C. Sherrill Excelsior Springs . . Missouri. 
 
 1941 Dr. C. W. Pyle .... Rich Hill Missouri. 
 
 1941 C. W. Orris Rich Hill Missouri. 
 
 1446 E. A. Stockslager . . . Humphrey Nebraska. 
 
 163 Herbert Vandresser . . Genoa Illinois. 
 
 83 Edward Werner .... Dubuque Iowa. 
 
 1301 J. W. Wise Winchester Kansas. 
 
 1301 W. F. Weatherford . . Winchester Kansas. 
 
 1301 J. R. O. Carley .... Winchester Kansas. 
 
 466 C. S. Hull Aurora Nebraska. 
 
 456 Alexander Mcintosh . Huron South Dakota. 
 
 1509 J. B. Reed Jewell City Kansas. 
 
 1509 George E. Jennings . . Jewell City Kansas. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 333 
 
 Camp. Name. 
 
 I'own. 
 
 State. 
 
 1477 
 
 Winfield Baldwin . 
 
 
 
 276 
 
 George D. Hurlbut 
 
 
 
 2002 
 
 F. P. McKeigan . . 
 
 
 
 2002 
 
 J. H. Forris .... 
 
 
 
 2002 
 
 Edward Rodman . . 
 
 . , Kansas City , . . 
 
 
 1616 
 
 Charles A. Mueller 
 
 
 
 1845 
 
 Frank C. Cusick . . 
 
 
 
 1658 
 
 
 
 
 909 
 
 H. B. Van Nest . . 
 
 
 
 613 
 
 George D. Jeffers . 
 
 . St. Paul 
 
 
 111 
 
 J. A. Mize .... 
 
 . Des Moines . . . 
 
 . . Iowa. 
 
 1323 
 
 Dr. R. K Hull . . 
 
 
 
 1918 
 
 H. A. Phillips . . . 
 
 Grand Meadow . 
 
 . . Minnesota. 
 
 1761 
 
 J. H. Shipley . . . 
 
 
 
 367 
 
 J. H. E. Weigant . 
 
 . Leavenworth . . 
 
 . . Kansas. 
 
 1765 
 
 Patrick Boyles . . 
 
 
 
 282 
 
 J. F. Petcina . . . . 
 
 
 
 208 
 
 C. E. Shugart . . . . 
 
 
 
 1203 
 
 J. B. Fields .... 
 
 
 
 1558 
 
 T. M. Barlow . . . . 
 
 . Walshville . . . 
 
 
 309 
 
 
 
 
 1138 
 
 W. C. McHenry . . . 
 
 
 
 1138 
 
 E. T. Worden . . . . 
 
 
 
 1960 
 
 N. C. Nelson 
 
 . Wells 
 
 
 65 
 
 H. C. Blanchard . . . 
 
 . Mendota 
 
 . . Illinois. 
 
 776 
 
 W. T. Gates 
 
 . ShuUsburg . . . 
 
 . . Wisconsin. 
 
 776 
 
 
 
 
 452 
 
 S. G. Sparks . . . . 
 
 
 
 1029 
 
 G. W. Martens . . . 
 
 
 
 1636 
 
 
 . Edna 
 
 
 1636 
 
 J. W. Ward 
 
 
 
 1446 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 A. J. Angell 
 
 
 
 1216 
 
 A. D. Loffler . . . . 
 
 
 
 1454 
 
 J. F. Lyons 
 
 
 
 1454 
 
 Joseph Daubaum . . 
 
 
 
 2076 
 
 Dr. T. S. Manning . . 
 
 
 
 1253 
 
 Elisha Proctor . . . 
 
 
 
 1253 
 
 Jesse Porteous . . . 
 
 
 
 1253 
 
 William Kuehlker . . 
 
 
 
 723 
 
 
 . Mt. Horeb .... 
 
 
 1558 
 
 E. P. Moss 
 
 . Walshville . . . 
 
 
 354 
 
 W. H. Gleim . . . 
 
 . Brush Creek . . . 
 
 
 2038 
 
 H. W. Sunderlin . . 
 
 . Odell 
 
 
 992 
 
 E. C. Phillips . . . . 
 
 . Table Rock . . . 
 
 
 1864 
 
 
 
 
334 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Book, 
 
 Camp. Name. 
 
 Town. 
 
 
 JOD4 
 
 J . Jj. Markei 
 
 Tlirx -M^-l ^4-4- 
 
 
 iyby 
 
 W. Li. Emerson . . . 
 
 TTT _ 1 1 _ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 blo 
 
 T7^ A TT , . ,n _ 
 
 
 
 1 ceo 
 
 TTI T~> "TITT ^ ^ ^ ^ -4- -4- 
 
 
 
 1 UKQ. 
 
 J boo 
 
 James Bradford . . . 
 
 C?4- T^^^,^"U 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 r reu. ocniiiing^ . . . 
 
 
 
 •79Q 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 T ^f/^Vl■f^^ilr^ 
 
 
 
 August Lindquist . . 
 
 A 1 
 
 
 Jo/7 
 
 
 
 
 
 Noel Brazelton . . . 
 
 
 
 191ft 
 
 
 
 
 95y 
 
 James i±. Wiiiara . . 
 
 
 
 OCT 
 
 William Bushnell . . 
 
 
 
 Zoi 
 
 James W. Sherrill . . 
 
 
 
 1 OOA 
 
 
 
 
 1 OOrt 
 
 looU 
 
 
 T>1„„ TJ^Il 
 
 
 ftQR 
 
 OOO 
 
 ijreorge vv . vv on , . . 
 
 
 
 1 c:C/l 
 
 i0O4: 
 
 
 
 
 1 1 oo 
 
 C. J. Byrns 
 
 
 
 obo 
 
 William F. W^eisbard 
 
 
 
 lol4 
 
 
 
 
 1553 
 
 George S. Stebbins . 
 
 
 
 1 AGO 
 
 xLiCi. M. Jtvopplm . . . 
 
 
 
 o7 
 
 
 
 
 4yi 
 
 Cnaries J^ . Aibrignt . 
 
 
 
 1446 
 
 
 
 
 702 
 
 Martin Hassett . . . 
 
 
 
 2020 
 
 R. A. Thornell , . . 
 
 
 
 ool 
 
 Louis Weidenbeck . . 
 
 
 
 65 
 
 John D. Ozment . . , 
 
 
 T 1 1 1 n i^i a 
 
 f\An 
 9425 
 
 
 
 
 1 TO/I 
 
 ]7z4 
 
 
 
 
 Ibzo 
 
 Charles J. Safarik . . 
 
 
 
 
 XT' T Oi-.r.^+V. 
 
 
 
 191R 
 
 
 
 
 688 
 
 John R. Maxon . . . 
 
 TVTi n rl f>n 
 
 "Ps^pbr•a,^ka, 
 
 688 
 
 J. H. Tarkington , . 
 
 
 . . . Nebraska. 
 
 459 
 
 
 
 . . . Illinois. 
 
 1301 
 
 Reuben McClure . . 
 
 
 
 1553 
 
 
 
 
 2096 
 
 
 
 
 886 
 
 Charles Elliott . . . 
 
 
 
 1921 
 
 Charles Hancock . . 
 
 
 . . . Nebraska. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 335 
 
 Camp. Name. 
 
 Town. 
 
 State. 
 
 1921 
 
 A. W. Lambert . . 
 
 
 
 448 
 
 
 
 
 352 
 
 J. H. Rodecker . . 
 
 
 
 2162 
 
 
 
 . . . Illinois. 
 
 110 
 
 C. C. Hopkins . . . 
 
 Bloomington 
 
 . . . Illinois. 
 
 1054 
 
 C. A. Coats . . . - 
 
 
 
 1950 
 
 
 
 . . . South Dakota 
 
 1178 
 
 
 Hartland . . . 
 
 . . . Wisconsin. 
 
 1468 
 
 
 
 
 316 
 
 J. T. Hall 
 
 
 
 2002 
 
 H. C. Elberg . . . 
 
 
 
 95 
 
 
 
 
 135 
 
 J. T. McClure . . . 
 
 . . Alton 
 
 . . . Illinois. 
 
 1255 
 
 J. W. Davis .... 
 
 . . Herring-ton . . 
 
 . . Kansas. 
 
 1814 
 
 Ed. Zilke .... 
 
 . . Oakfield .... 
 
 
 1014 
 
 Henry B. Nash . . 
 
 
 
 1800 
 
 H. E. Woodford . . 
 
 . . Agency City . . 
 
 
 1712 
 
 Arthur J. Hays . . 
 
 
 
 1712 
 
 
 
 
 2205 
 
 John S. Shearer . . 
 
 
 
 226 
 
 
 . . Tipton 
 
 
 2013 
 
 A. C. Olson .... 
 
 
 
 1503 
 
 N. B. Carver . . . 
 
 
 
 1062 
 
 
 
 
 713 
 
 J. B. Johansen . . 
 
 
 
 1954 
 
 Don W. Fraker . . 
 
 
 
 283 
 
 A. M. Edwards . . 
 
 
 
 1138 
 
 W. C. McHenry . . 
 
 
 
 669 
 
 A. S. Overman . . 
 
 
 
 630 
 
 J. E. Wolf 
 
 
 
 630 
 
 C. H. Patterson . . 
 
 
 
 83 
 
 Phil Pier, Jr. . . . 
 
 
 
 1666 
 
 Jacob W. Shirley . 
 
 
 
 865 
 
 
 
 
 1054 
 
 D. C. Stansberry . 
 
 . . Stockham . . . 
 
 
 404 
 
 W. H. Weeks . . . 
 
 
 
 404 
 
 
 
 
 404 
 
 
 
 
 402 
 
 Richard Krull . . 
 
 . . Lake Mills 
 
 
 1943 
 
 J. M. Rush .... 
 
 
 
 1943 
 
 
 
 . . . Nebraska. 
 
 1943 
 
 
 . . Battle Cretk . . 
 
 
 1022 
 
 J. T. Fulton .... 
 
 
 
 437 
 
 Harry F. Faith . . 
 
 . . Fillmore . . . 
 
 
 532 
 
 
 . . Pittsfield . . . 
 
 
 532 
 
 S. N. Jones .... 
 
 . . Pittsfield . . . 
 
 
336 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 Camp. Name. Town. State. 
 
 532 M. R. Peckenbaugh . . Pittsfield Illinois. 
 
 47 M. F. Carlson Sycamore Illinois, 
 
 47 Frank Mitchell .... Sycamore Illinois. 
 
 1825 Peter Schaub Marion Wisconsin. 
 
 1512 A. R. Gillespie , . . Buckingham .... Illinois. 
 
 1117 Thomas J. Kilpatrick . Belmont Wisconsin. 
 
 1699 C. B. Stewart Plainville Kansas. 
 
 2205 R. G. Holaday Minneola Kansas. 
 
 2205 C. F. Wagner Minneola Kansas. 
 
 2205 George B Doolittle . . Minneola Kansas. 
 
 76 V. G. Chaffee Coleta Illinois 
 
 633 Frank Brown Sharon Wisconsin. 
 
 633 Charles Chadsey .... Sharon Wisconsin. 
 
 27 William Fayr .... Davenport Iowa. 
 
 27 James A. Larkin . . . Davenport ....... Iowa. 
 
 1939 H. B. Harwood .... East Dubuque .... Illinois. 
 
 1625 O. O. McDown Colony Kansas. 
 
 1585 James McGinness . , . Devon Kansas. 
 
 1025 John Emerson .... St. Clair Michigan. 
 
 178 George B. Roberts . . Greenview Illinois. 
 
 359 F. J. Murphy Abilene Kansas 
 
 2236 Thomas C. Hogan . . . Monroe City Missouri. 
 
 636 Joseph McCoy Loup City Nebraska. 
 
 1923 John Florin Waumandee Wisconsin. 
 
 1326 A. A. Driggers .... Madelia Minnesota. 
 
 141 George L. Buxton . . . Kirkland Illinois. 
 
 1087 J. H. Sipe Danvers Illinois. 
 
 316 R. D. Phillips Kearney Nebraska. 
 
 316 T. A. Tollefsen .... Kearney Nebraska. 
 
 316 D. F. Smith Kearney Nebraska. 
 
 2089 D. C. Anthony .... Stockton Kansas. 
 
 2089 C. A. Flint Stockton Kansas. 
 
 849 George Mueller .... Hartford Wisconsin. 
 
 1253 H. C. Payne Ivanhoe Illinois. 
 
 2217 J. R. Padfield Atwater Illinois. 
 
 1278 Casper A. Krupp . . . Thorp . Wisconsin. 
 
 1412 J. E. Kays Kansas City Kansas. 
 
 1105 P. H. Lannon Saunemin ..... Illinois. 
 
 1710 O. P. Biglin O'Neill Nebraska. 
 
 374 L. J. Merrill Clinton Wisconsin. 
 
 374 R. W. Cheever .... Clinton Wisconsin. 
 
 1364 Samuel Cooper • • • ^ Hiattville Kansas. 
 
 1992 S. L. Baker Atlanta Nebraska. 
 
 1992 L. C. Holmes Atlanta Nebraska. 
 
 1362 A. Deickmann Belleville Illinois. 
 
 1362 Charles F. Krebs . . . Belleville Illinois. 
 
Officers of Silver Leaf Camp, No. 60, Elgin, Illinois, 1894. 
 
 1. Charles A. Ki:mball, Banker. 5. C. S. Higinbotham, Manager. 
 
 2. Geokge Robinson, Clerk. 6. R. R. Rowe, Sentry. 
 
 3. Dr. a. L. Mann, Physician. 7. Oliver M. Ober, Venerable Consul. 
 
 4. F. C. Merrefield, Adviser. 8. A. A. Hammers, Escort. 
 
 9. F. A. Bull, Watchman. 
 
The Woodman's Iland-Booh. 33 
 
 Camp. Name. 
 
 Towii. 
 
 0//-,+/, 
 
 1983 
 
 J. F. McGaughey . 
 
 
 
 2099 
 
 John Caranahan . . 
 
 
 Missouri. 
 
 ]616 
 
 
 
 
 1616 
 
 T. A. Wilson 
 
 
 
 1616 
 
 Thomas Schilling . 
 
 
 
 1616 
 
 George J. Grim . . 
 
 
 
 1616 
 
 
 
 
 1521 
 
 Ora Godsey .... 
 
 
 
 607 
 
 Willis Rowcliffe . . 
 
 
 
 1347 
 
 W. N. Copling. . . 
 
 
 
 633 
 
 Dr. A. H. Simons . 
 
 
 
 869 
 
 W. H. McGraw . . 
 
 . . Lake Geneva . , . 
 
 . Wisconsin. 
 
 19 
 
 J. A. Hasler .... 
 
 
 
 950 
 
 W. D. Cox 
 
 
 
 1796 
 
 John G. Weber , . 
 
 
 
 1714 
 
 
 
 
 1913 
 
 
 
 
 2055 
 
 
 
 
 100_9 
 
 John W. Smith . . 
 
 
 
 1333 
 
 
 
 
 2065 
 
 
 
 
 2065 
 
 F, L. Ludemann . . 
 
 
 
 623 
 
 
 
 
 1991 
 
 B. F. Purdy .... 
 
 
 
 1991 
 
 O. B. Spellman . . 
 
 
 
 1991 
 
 L. R. Adlington . . 
 
 
 
 607 
 
 
 
 
 845 
 
 A. G. Alexander 
 
 . . Council Grove . . . 
 
 . Kansas. 
 
 2008 
 
 T. T. Marcott . . . 
 
 . . Brady island. . . . 
 
 . Nebraska. 
 
 902 
 
 E. A. Makepeace . 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 W. A. Startzman . 
 
 
 
 2153 
 
 J. R. Habbegger 
 
 . . Jamestown . . . . 
 
 , Illinois. 
 
 1864 
 
 D. F. Stumpf . . . 
 
 
 
 1216 
 
 W. E. Bussler . . . 
 
 . . Beresford 
 
 . South Dakota, 
 
 1699 
 
 R. T. Yeagy .... 
 
 
 
 197 
 
 J. K. Medberg . . 
 
 
 
 709 
 
 Thomas Hodges . . 
 
 
 
 506 
 
 Peter F. Clark . . . 
 
 
 
 1 caa 
 
 Samuel P. Hager . 
 
 
 
 462 
 
 Charles J. Davis . . 
 
 
 
 633 
 
 C. W. Moomaw . . 
 
 
 
 1606 
 
 George P. Nelson . 
 
 
 
 1095 
 
 C. W. Knight 
 
 
 . Nebraska. 
 
 691 
 
 D. Z. Stower . . . 
 
 
 
 335 
 
 
 
 . Wisconsin. 
 
 - 335 
 
 Dr. R. W. Hoyt . . 
 
 . . New Lisbon . . . . 
 
 
 22 
 
338 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 Camp. Name. 
 
 
 State. 
 
 1446 
 
 John Sherman .... 
 
 . Humphrey . . . 
 
 . . . Nebraska. 
 
 518 
 
 James R. Kincaid . . 
 
 . Pawnee . . . . , 
 
 . . . Illinois. 
 
 1536 
 
 George McClure . . . 
 
 . DeWitt 
 
 , . . Nebraska. 
 
 1536 
 
 C. H. Buck 
 
 . DeWitt . . . . , 
 
 , . . Nebraska. 
 
 546 
 
 W. H. Boug-hton . . 
 
 . Phillipsbursf 
 
 . . . Kansas. 
 
 1983 
 
 J. R. Husband .... 
 
 . Axtell 
 
 
 1983 
 
 Emil G. Olson .... 
 
 . Axtell , 
 
 
 760 
 
 B. Jost 
 
 
 
 760 
 
 F. Arndt 
 
 . Alma 
 
 . . . Wisconsin. 
 
 421 
 
 C. B. Smith . . 
 
 . Marinette . . . , 
 
 . . . Wisconsin. 
 
 421 
 
 M. H. Maxwell . . . 
 
 . Marinette . . . , 
 
 . . . Wisconsin. 
 
 50 
 
 J. A. Provoost .... 
 
 . Pecatonica . . , 
 
 . . . Illinois. 
 
 1521 
 
 G. O. Miller 
 
 . Franklin . . . , 
 
 . . . Nebraska. 
 
 594 
 
 Gideon Tripp .... 
 
 . Trippville . . . , 
 
 . . . Wisconsin. 
 
 1944 
 
 Artie Heligass . . . 
 
 . Lynxville . . . , 
 
 . . . Wisconsin 
 
 622 
 
 J. A. Pollard .... 
 
 . Keokuk . . . . , 
 
 
 64 
 
 John Stonick .... 
 
 
 
 1852 
 
 C. O. Mohler .... 
 
 
 
 1852 
 
 J. T. Copeland .... 
 
 
 
 2065 
 
 Julius Kohlbohn . . . 
 
 
 
 571 
 
 James L. Baldwin . . 
 
 
 
 571 
 
 William H. Smith, Jr. 
 
 
 
 1649 
 
 
 
 
 2192 
 
 J. B. Humphrey . . . 
 
 . Afton , 
 
 
 2192 
 
 William Brinkman . 
 
 
 
 456 
 
 
 
 
 612 
 
 E. B. Pride 
 
 
 
 1067 
 
 
 
 
 1050 
 
 Ray M. Campbell . . 
 
 
 
 1303 
 
 
 
 
 1454 
 
 Charles B. Shufelt . . 
 
 
 
 1467 
 
 W. P. Ellis 
 
 . Redfield 
 
 
 1423 
 
 D. W. Porter .... 
 
 
 
 1423 
 
 
 
 
 495 
 
 
 
 
 495 
 
 J. R. Stucker .... 
 
 
 
 908 
 
 T. P. Boecker .... 
 
 
 
 2002 
 
 J. W. David .... 
 
 Kansas City . . . 
 
 Missouri. 
 
 2002 
 
 
 
 
edka 
 
 psirtmeinil 
 
 " Upon the eMciency of the ^ledical 
 Department, more than to any other, 
 depends the future prosperity of our 
 Order." 
 
The Medical Department. 
 
 HE position of the Head Physician in a 
 fraternal order is much different from 
 the position of medical director in a 
 company making insurance only the 
 motive. Fraternal insurance is two-fold. First, the 
 neighborly feeling to be fostered and cultivated between 
 the members ; and second, the purely insurance phase 
 of the subject. From the neighborly view of the matter 
 the active solicitor of the membership is the lay member 
 who suggests to his friend the advantage to be gained by 
 joining the order. From this point of view we will offer 
 a few suggestions that must not be overlooked. First, 
 only solicit men whose character is known, whose habits 
 cannot be questioned, and the fact of their becoming mem- 
 bers will add honor to the Camp ; that they will advance 
 the Camp in a social way, that their influence w^ill be for 
 all things good, thus becoming a factor in the general 
 make-up of the community in which the Camp is located ; 
 and this duty falls more especially upon the committee 
 appointed to investigate the standing of the applicant. 
 This covers the moral hazard of the applicant. The oc- 
 cupation, age, and social position in the community in 
 which he lives, married or single, covers the sanitary haz- 
 ard of the risk. These points should all be considered b}^ 
 the committee before signing the report. It is the duty 
 of the Clerk to see to it that the questions in the applica- 
 tion over the warranty are all answered ; that if the ap- 
 plicant is not successfully vaccinated he signs a small- 
 pox w^aiver, and that no blanks are left not filled," as a 
 large percentage of applications returned to Camps for 
 
342 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 correction are for omissions caused by carelessness in 
 filling in " all answers to questions. Oftentimes the 
 parties making out the application think that the ques- 
 tions are somewhat silly," and do not answer, or if they 
 do the answer is a " bluflP." This is not in accordance 
 with business, as all the questions are put for a purpose, 
 that purpose being the answer to the final question, ''Is 
 the applicant a good risk, and will it be fair to all the 
 members to ask them to stand their share of the amount 
 asked for in the certificate to be issued to the new mem- 
 ber?" When he becomes a neighbor and has finished 
 his work in this world, the contract must then be fulfilled. 
 Then the question must come up, ^' Was he qualified ? " 
 This should have been answered before, hence the im- 
 portance of knowing well what you are doing. To the 
 membership, then, belongs the task of ansAvering the 
 questions of the moral and sanitary hazard. 
 
 To the Camp Physician comes the personal responsi- 
 bility of passing upon the physical condition of the appli- 
 cant, and to fully form a reasonable opinion of the ex- 
 pectancy of the applicant's life he must review all the work 
 gone over by the committee, weighing the moral and san- 
 itary hazard with the famil}^ record and the results of the 
 physicah examination he has made. The final question 
 is answered, and he affixes his name to the certificate, 
 stating that he has " carefully examined the applicant in 
 accordance with above blank form, and having thoroughly 
 considered the statements made by him in this applica- 
 tion, I hereby certify that in my judgment as a ph}^- 
 sician he is of sound bodily health, and so far as I can 
 ascertain there are no indications of disease, either from 
 ancestry, present physical condition, or personal habits, 
 which should debar him from participating in the finan- 
 cial benefits of the order." To do this the Camp Phy- 
 sician must forget that he is the friend of the applicant, 
 and not appear as his attorney and try to fix him up, but 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 343 
 
 give the order ^' the benefit of the doubt ; " and shouid he 
 find that he cannot pass him, do not tell him nor allow 
 him to .know why. The report will come back in the 
 regular way. Oftentimes the Camp Physician is, as it 
 were, placed between two fires. Self-preservation is the 
 first law of nature.' Protect yourself and at the same 
 time the order. A letter written to the Head Physician 
 stating facts will take the case out of your hands. One 
 at a distance cannot be hit very hard, while one at home 
 might be blamed to his hurt in a financial way. The 
 Camp Physician will always be protected in the perform- 
 ance of his duty. 
 
 Tuberculosis causes more deaths than any other disease 
 which we have to contend with, and applicants under 
 thirty-five (35) years showing one or more family 
 taint cannot be accepted. The fact of the consumption 
 being contracted will not be considered. Also, a party 
 waiting upon and nursing a case of tuberculosis (should 
 the fact be known) is cause for rejection. We cannot run 
 the risk. We now have numbers; we want quality, not 
 quantit3\ The party who has been rejected is, as a rule, 
 posted, and will put the most expert examiner to his 
 pins, and should any of his answers to the questions pro- 
 pounded lead you to believe he is hiding behind some 
 " don't know," give the order " the benefit of the doubt." 
 
 Incipient kidney disease is one of the most difficult 
 subjects the medical examiner for life insurance has to 
 deal with, and special care is required. The specific 
 gravity should be taken while the urine is fresh, and 
 most urinometers are tested and marked with urine of 
 the temperature of the body. In cases where there is 
 a question, this should be taken into consideration. The 
 temperature of the body as taken with clinical thermo- 
 meter, with the respiration and pulse rate should corres- 
 pond, and when carefully taken they will. The weight 
 and height of the body should be taken from actual 
 
344 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 measurement and weight upon a scale known to be ac- 
 curate. Never guess at the height and weight, nor any 
 other fact required in the examination. 
 
 Your attention is also called to the following table of 
 heights, weights, measures, and expectancy of life accord- 
 ing to the American standing : 
 
 TABLE OF HEIGHT, WEIGHT, AND CHEST MEASUREMENTS. 
 
 Height in Feet 
 and Inches. 
 
 Chest at Nipples, 
 Inches. 
 
 standard Weight, 
 Pounds. 
 
 Fifteen Per Cent 
 Underweight, 
 Pounds. 
 
 Thirty Per Cent 
 Overweight, 
 Potmds. 
 
 5 — 
 
 83 
 
 120 
 
 102 
 
 156 
 
 5— 1 
 
 34 
 
 124 
 
 105 . 
 
 161 
 
 5— 2 
 
 35 
 
 128 
 
 109 
 
 166 
 
 5— 3 
 
 36 
 
 132 
 
 112 
 
 172 
 
 5— 4 
 
 36 
 
 136 
 
 116 
 
 177 
 
 5— 5 
 
 37 
 
 140 
 
 119 
 
 182 
 
 5— 6 
 
 37 
 
 144 
 
 122 
 
 187 
 
 0 — 7 
 
 38 
 
 150 
 
 127 
 
 195 
 
 5- 8 
 
 38 
 
 156 
 
 133 
 
 203 
 
 5—9 
 
 39 
 
 162 
 
 138 
 
 211 
 
 5 — 10 
 
 39 
 
 168 
 
 143 
 
 218 
 
 5 — 11 
 
 40 
 
 174 
 
 148 
 
 226 
 
 6 — 
 
 41 
 
 180 
 
 153 
 
 234 
 
 N. B. — Fifteen per cent underweight or thirty per cent overweight 
 will not be considered in excess, providing there are no other unfavor- 
 able conditions. 
 
 TABLE OF EXPECTANCY. 
 
 AGE. 
 
 EXPECTANCY. 
 
 AGE. 
 
 EXPECTANCY. 
 
 AGE. 
 
 EXPECTANCY. 
 
 Years. 
 
 Years. 
 
 1 
 
 Years. 
 
 Years. 
 
 Years. 
 
 Years. 
 
 21 
 
 41 
 
 
 31 
 
 34 
 
 
 41 
 
 27 
 
 22 
 
 40 
 
 
 32 
 
 33 
 
 
 42 
 
 26 
 
 23 
 
 40 
 
 
 33 
 
 33 
 
 
 43 
 
 26 
 
 24 
 
 39 
 
 
 34 
 
 32 
 
 
 44 
 
 25 
 
 25 
 
 38 
 
 
 35 
 
 31 
 
 
 45 
 
 24 
 
 26 
 
 38 
 
 
 36 
 
 31 
 
 
 46 
 
 23 
 
 27 
 
 37 
 
 
 37 
 
 30 
 
 
 47 
 
 23 
 
 28 
 
 36 
 
 
 38 
 
 29 
 
 
 48 
 
 22 
 
 29 
 
 36 
 
 
 39 
 
 28 
 
 
 49 
 
 21 
 
 30 
 
 35 
 
 
 40 
 
 28 
 
 
 50 
 
 20 
 
 The Modern Woodmen of America does not accept nor 
 solicit any person who habitually uses malt or alcoholic 
 stimulants to excess, nor those who are now broken down 
 
Officers of Kansas City Camp, No. 2002, Kansas City, Mo., 1894. 
 
 1. GeorctE Stevensox, Bauker. 6. 
 
 2. D. I. Gessly, Chairman Managers. 7. 
 
 3. Dr. p. C. Palmer, Physician 8. 
 
 4. George L. Walls, Venerable Consul. 9. 
 
 5. John Derry, Manager. 10. 
 
 George L. Wallace, Escort. 
 P. M. Rowland, Adviser. 
 J. R. Hughes, Deputy. 
 
 C. A. Adams. Watchman. 
 
 D. M. HlitHES, Deputy. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 345 
 
 from the effects of the same, even though they have 
 abandoned the habit. A probation of one year will be 
 required' in all these cases. As in all fraternal orders, 
 the class make the rule, and no exception can be taken. 
 We are the servants, the order is the ruler. 
 
 C. A. McCoLLOM, Head Physician. 
 
 Report of Head Physician, 
 
 To the Officers and Members of the Modern Woodmen of 
 America, Greeting : 
 
 The close of the first year of my stewardship in this 
 office being near at hand, I have thought it advisable to 
 give you a brief report of the work done, in order that 
 you may have some idea of the medical department of 
 the order, and of the business transacted by it thus far. 
 
 From January 1st, 1891, to December 1st, 1891 (eleven 
 months), there has been received at this office thirteen 
 thousand four hundred and eleven applications ; of this 
 number four hundred and twenty-eight have been re- 
 jected, and one thousand four hundred and nineteen 
 returned for correction, vaccination waiver, or further in- 
 formation or transfer. 
 
 As regards the applications sent in, it is due to say that 
 they, as a rule, have been first-class, and the rejections, in 
 a majority of the cases, have been for a family history of 
 consumption or poor physical condition. 
 
 Of the returns made for additional information or for 
 transfer, a large majority of these belong to the latter 
 class ; this became necessary owing to the adoption of the 
 new form which went into effect May 1st, and was neces- 
 sitated for the reason that at that time there were four 
 different blanks for application in use. This office 
 thought it advisable to change the form of blanks, that 
 
346 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 the order might obtain more fall and definite information 
 regarding the applicant, and accordingly suggested this 
 cliange to the Board of Directors, and was instructed by 
 them to prepare such blanks, which was accordingly done 
 and submitted for their approval, which, I am pleased to 
 note, they did without hesitancy, thus giving to the order 
 what we consider a form as good as that used by any 
 old-line " or fraternal organization dow in existence. 
 
 A great many complaints have reached this office from 
 Camp physicians relative to the new application blank — 
 in this, that the compensation, $1, is too small for the 
 amount of labor performed in filling out the new form of 
 blanks. You will notice, by referring to the Local Camp 
 By-Laws, Division B, Section C, page 32, of the order, 
 that the fee for adoption is one that is regulated by the 
 local Camp. This, of course, is subject to the approval 
 of the Head Consul. 
 
 I would recommend that the Bj^-Laws be so amended 
 that the fee for adoption be increased sufficiently to allow 
 the local physician $2 for such an examination, believing, 
 as I do, that the " laborer is worthy of his hire," and that 
 upon tlie efficiency of the medical department, more than 
 any other, depends the future prosperity of our order. 
 And here let me emphasize : That none other than 
 graduates of reputable medical colleges be elected Camp 
 Physicians." 
 
 Li conclusion, I wish to thank the officers and mem- 
 bers of the order for the valued assistance given me. I 
 also desire to compliment the examiners of subordinate 
 Camps for the care and discretion they have shown in 
 the examination of applicants. 
 
 Trusting that I have merited your approval, and that 
 the future may show that in the administration of the 
 affairs of this department I have sustained the high 
 standard of the order, I am, 
 
 Yours fraternally, 
 
 Frank Swallow. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 347 
 
 A Few Words to Camp Physicians, 
 
 The following remarks are offered, not as instructions, 
 but rather as practical suggestions to our local Camp 
 Physicians. They are not intended to prescribe or cover 
 in full the duties of Camp Physicians, but to point out as 
 clearly as possible the manner in which examinations 
 may be most readily and effectively made. They should 
 be, and are, regarded as a confidential communication 
 from the local Camp Physicians to the Head Physicians 
 of the Modern Woodmen of America, and in return the 
 Head Physicians will gladly communicate with them at 
 any time, and in every case, when in their opinion it is 
 desirable or necessary for the good of the order. 
 
 Life insurance is protection. It protects the loved ones 
 dependent upon the insured from the financial loss oc- 
 curring upon his untimely death ; it relieves him and his 
 friends from the pecuniary responsibilities connected 
 with or produced by the great uncertainty of human life 
 by entirely transferring that responsibility to the Modern 
 Woodmen of America when fraternally associated with 
 them as a neighbor. The business of all life insurance 
 is based on the fact that while the longevity of a single 
 individual is very uncertain, yet the fact is established 
 that there is a fixed law determining very closely the 
 average age at death of large numbers of individuals of 
 the same age, and in compliance with this law it may 
 reasonably be expected that any man of sound health, of 
 temperate habits, having a healthful occupation, and pos- 
 sessing a good family history, will live as long as the 
 average of those of the same age, or, in other words, will 
 live out his expectation of life. Involving as it does the 
 purely medical questions of the past and present health, 
 the family history, habits, hygienic surroundings, and 
 occupation of the person, the business requires for its 
 
348 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 successful prosecution and financial stability the assist- 
 ance of those persons whose lives are devoted to the study 
 of such questions, namely, medical practitioners ; and in 
 Anew of tlie enormous sums of mone}^ involved, and the 
 dangers of misrepresentation and fraud, it is necessary 
 that our local examiners should possess a good, thorough 
 medical knowledge and sound judgment. The main suc- 
 cess of any life insurance is to make a high standard in 
 the selection of risks, and maintain it. These should 
 always be fully up at least to the average in health, good 
 personal and family history, temperate habits, healthful 
 occupation, etc., and they should approximate closely to 
 the average physical conformation of healthy men. The 
 physicians should fully inform themselves of the health, 
 habits, family history, physical condition, and occupation 
 of the applicant for insurance, and in ever}^ instance 
 where doubt exists in the mind of the medical examiner 
 the order should be givon the benefit of the same, thereb}^ 
 guarding well the interest of those alread}^ insured, and 
 protecting those desirous of becoming members of the 
 fraternity. Under the present management of our able 
 and efficient Head Consul, W. A. Northcott, and the con- 
 fidence inspired by the conscientious and honest business 
 ability possessed by our Honorable Board of Directors, 
 the Modern Woodmen of America have added three 
 thousand names to their list of members during the 
 month of January, 1893 — unparalleled by any other 
 order in existence to-day doing business in the same ter- 
 ritory — and yet there is room for many more to avail 
 themselves of the opportunity to protect their dear ones 
 from the cold, unwilling charity bestowed by a selfish, 
 busy world when they shall be called hence. By putting 
 away a few dollars each year we can secure the protection 
 of the widow and orphans. Their treasure-box will be 
 made secure for them in time of need. 
 
 I. L. Potter, Head Physician, 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 349 
 
 Report on Medical Examiners to Fraternal 
 Congress, 
 
 What can be done by Medical Examiners, and how can 
 it be done best ? 
 
 The three points which we must investigate to enable 
 us to judge of the insurability of any applicant are his 
 family history, his personal history, and his present 
 condition. 
 
 To get at these points the services of a medical man are 
 requisite; and to do it so as to make it valuable requires 
 the aid of a man with not only a knowledge of medicine, 
 but with a knowledge of men and of disease. To elicit 
 from the applicant an account of his family history so 
 trustworthy that we can base on it a proper estimate of 
 his vital expectancy, must usually be the work of one 
 well versed in the history and progress of disease, and 
 equally well skilled in judging and analyzing the testi- 
 mony of the witnesses, who may be ignorant or dishonest, 
 or both. The causes to which death is attributed by the 
 popular mind are often wholly erroneous and misleading, 
 and the old man who falls a victim to disease of the pros- 
 tate gland is often said to have died of gravel or kidney 
 disease, and the young woman who loses her life by 
 phthisis after her first pregnancy is not unfrequently 
 said to have succumbed to liver disease or to child-birth. 
 Only careful questioning by one who knows the general 
 history and ordinary course of these various maladies can 
 discover what was the real lesion, what the full signifi- 
 cance of said lesion, and what the probabilities of its 
 influence on the health of the next generation. 
 
 An applicant may be so dishonest and untruthful as to 
 deceive any one, even the most experienced, but this is 
 exceedingly rare, and it is usually easy for a skilled 
 physician, by careful inquiries, to draw out the whole 
 
350 
 
 The Woodma'nJs Hand-Book. 
 
 personal or family history of an applicant, provided the 
 applicant knows it himself; but the more common diffi- 
 culty lies in the fact that an applicant ' only knows the 
 story as it has been told him by an ignorant aunt or an 
 illiterate nurse, or even a quackish physician. Only a 
 week or two ago a young man told me in all good faith 
 that his mother's appoplexy was owing to her having used 
 a lead wash for her hair for twenty years; that there was 
 nothing hereditary in it, and that his sister, who had fallen 
 a victim to appoplexy had done so because she had had 
 several abortions. Another applicant had been told, and 
 fully believed, that his father had phthisis because he 
 had used tobacco. 
 
 In all these cases it is in the province of the Medical 
 Examiner, and it is in this that his first usefulness ap- 
 pears, by critical judgment and searching inquiry to 
 develop the real meaning and bearing of the various 
 cases of death that have occurred in the family, and the 
 various attacks of illness which the applicant himself has 
 experienced. 
 
 Those applications in which the instituting officer who 
 has had no medical education, or the young physician 
 who has had no practical knowledge of the history, or the 
 symptoms, or the usual course of the disease, are very 
 apt to involve their companies in unexpected loss. 
 
 For these reasons we say that the services of the Med- 
 ical Examiner in obtaining and properly stating the fam- 
 ily and personal history are very important ; the per- 
 sonal history quite as much as the family history, for 
 precisely the same kind of knowledge and experience is 
 necessary in giving a summary of the applicant's per- 
 sonal history as is required to give his family history. 
 Entirely aside from any attempt of the applicant to con- 
 ceal the unfavorable points in his personal history 
 (though the Medical Examiner must not fail to be on his 
 guard against such deception), one cannot without much 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Booh. 
 
 351 
 
 tact and judgment give a correct statement of every ap- 
 plicant's own history from the applicant's own narrative. 
 One candidate who has a keen sense of pain or bodily 
 discomfort, or has been tenderly reared and cosseted, 
 remembers with a shudder what he suffered at one time 
 from a cold in the head, or a boil, or a pain in his knee, 
 or a headache, or some other trifling and unimportant 
 ailment, and tells these experiences so as to make it 
 appear that he has been afflicted with such a succession 
 of diseases that the examiner might think him to have 
 been a great invalid, if he does not know how to read the 
 man and understand his exaggerations. On the other 
 hand, there are many whose lives have been so busy and 
 eventful that they have but little remembrance of any 
 illness that has not kept them from their duties a long, 
 long time, and they therefore consider all their brief ill- 
 nesses to have been of no consequence, even though they 
 may have been very severe at the time. And in this 
 way the examiner must winnow (out?) from the abund- 
 ance of statements of disease of one man the few that 
 have any importance, and with another he must make 
 searching and repeated inquiries to be sure that he has not 
 in alluding to his trifling ailments omitted some sickness 
 that may be of the utmost importance as to his proba- 
 bilities of longevity. 
 
 Hence, as I have said, a knowledge of the ordinary 
 course and history of disease, as well as a knowledge of 
 men and the proper weight to be attached to their rep- 
 resentations is an important part of the armament that 
 every Medical Examiner should possess, especially when 
 investigating the family and personal history of appli- 
 cants. 
 
 But it is when we come to the determination of an ap- 
 plicant's present condition that the work of the Medical 
 Examiner assumes its paramount importance. Here, 
 too, the general knowledge that has just been alluded to 
 
352 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh, 
 
 is important, and would go far to enable the examiner to 
 solve the problem before him, but technical knowledge 
 and scientific learning now become indispensable ; and 
 he will always be the best Medical Examiner who, in ad- 
 dition to keen powers of observation and mental acumen, 
 is also master of the arts of physical diagnosis. In this 
 respect probably no one accomplishment is more abso- 
 lutely necessary than such a skillful mastery of ausculta- 
 tion and percussion as will enable him to get a correct idea 
 of the state of the lungs and the heart. Phthisis among 
 the younger applicants, and heart disease among the 
 elder, are great consumers of life insurance funds ; and I 
 know of nothing in the Medical Examiner that can sup- 
 ply the want of the skilled ear and touch in auscultation 
 and percussion. The care that is now taken in every 
 first-class medical school to teach these accomplishments 
 gives us the right to expect that our examiners will be 
 experts in this department, and be fully competent to de- 
 tect even the earliest traces of incipient diseases of the 
 heart and lungs. He is one of the worst enemies of the 
 society who, being entrusted with this duty, thumps the 
 applicant's chest a few times, listens to the breathing in 
 a cursory and perfunctory way, and does not know 
 enough to make explorations so as to detect disease even 
 if it be present. Such examinations do no credit to the 
 examiner, and can be of no advantage to the society 
 whom he pretends to serve. The condition of the lungs 
 and heart can be learned with a great degree of certainty 
 b}^ one who has been so educated that he can test them in 
 accordance with the methods of the best observers, and 
 is so skilled that he can fully interpret the significance of 
 the minor variations from the normal type that he may 
 detect ; and these qualifications we must insist on. 
 
 Such an amount of readiness also in the art of chem- 
 istry and the use of the microscope as is necessary to 
 examine the urine carefully is quite as essential as the 
 
\ 
 
Head Officers Royal Neighbors, 1894. 
 
 1. Mrs. W. E. Cady, Sup. Chancellor, Omaha. 5. Mrs. Winnie Fielder, Supreme Recorder, Peoria. 
 
 2. Mrs. E. D. Watt, Sup. Grand Oracle, Omaha. 6. Mrs. G. M. Shaver, Sup. Outer Sentinel, Omaha. 
 
 3. Mrs. C. H. T. Riepen, Sup. Mnrshal, Omaha. 7. Mrs. B. C. Douglas, Sup. Inner Sentinel, Blue Md. 
 
 4. Dr. F. a. Grahaji, Head Pyhsician, Lincoln. 8. Mrs. F. L. Horton, Sup. Vice Oracle, Clifton, Kas. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 353 
 
 art of auscultation and percussion; and it does not wholly 
 suffice to be able to use a few tests, and see if a cloudy 
 band or zone is formed, or a precipitate of a certain color 
 is deposited. He must also have knowledge enough at 
 least to know whether the cloudy band is or is not albu- 
 men, and whether the precipitate is or is not character- 
 istic of the presence of sugar. In nothing is a little 
 knowledge more dangerous than in the analysis of urine; 
 and not a few men are rejected in life insurance because 
 the examiner is not learned enough to say whether the 
 appearances really declare the presence of albumen or 
 sugar, and quite as many others are recommended in 
 whose urine an expert would have found palpable indica- 
 tions of disease. 
 
 Furthermore, in addition to all this knowledge and 
 skill, we must also employ men who have patience and 
 care in doing the work thoroughly and lovingly. No 
 matter how much a man may know, or what experience 
 he has had, if he is not willing to take time for the 
 thorough and patient study of doubtful cases, he is sure 
 to disappoint his employer sooner or later. 
 
 Last, and most important of all, is a keen sense of 
 honor and duty in a physician, that will make him 
 ashamed of doing his work ineffectively, determined to 
 let no blemish escape his watchfulness, and so rigidly 
 truthful as to be incapable of affixing his name to any 
 statement that is not wholly true and exact. Our so- 
 cieties may be in danger of meeting some heav}^ losses 
 from dishonest examiners, and one cannot but feel that 
 there is a vast opportunity for such rogues to operate, 
 but after all it will be found that in the long run our 
 average losses are incurred through the agency of ex- 
 aminers who are not dishonest or incompetent, but are 
 simply not painstaking enough. 
 
 Let the Medical Examiner realize that the chart or re- 
 cord of every examination which he forwards to the head- 
 
 23 
 
354 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 quarters of the society must be reliable, or that he will be 
 seen to have forfeited his good standing as a man and 
 a physician; that negligence in this kind of work not 
 only shows him to be unfaithful to the interests of his 
 employers, but destitute of the true spirit of scientific re- 
 search and devoid of the capacity of scholarly perform- 
 ance. Let him learn to feel this absolutely and earnestly, 
 and his work will soon become more valuable. 
 
 To be a first-class examiner one must have a large 
 acquaintance with men and with disease, must have been 
 well taught in physical explorations, must feel an honest 
 pride in doing his best work, and must be zealous and 
 indefatigable. Experience, education, honesty of pur- 
 pose, and professional pride are all combined in those 
 who are our best examiners. 
 
 It is true that this standard is a high one, and there 
 are comparatively few who come up to it in every respect, 
 but it is only by holding our banner aloft proudly that 
 we can expect our men to do us the most credit. But to 
 reach such a standard it is necessary that examiners 
 must be selected solely on account of their qualifications 
 as examiners, and not at all on account of their social 
 qualities, their genial habits, or their being able to exert 
 a large influence in persuading new applicants to join 
 the order. Indeed, there are grave doubts to be felt re- 
 garding any examinations which are made by the same 
 men who have induced the candidates to seek member- 
 ship — it is too much like the same lawyer acting as 
 counsel for the defense and judge — a procedure which 
 though it might benefit the client, would hardly pro- 
 mote the administration of justice. 
 
 Finally, we would conclude b}^ saying that the Medical 
 Examiners should be appointed and not elected ; that 
 their term of service should be during good behavior ; 
 that none should be appointed except those who have 
 beea well educated, who have had experience as medi- 
 
The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 355 
 
 cal practitioners, who do not require the fees for a livli- 
 
 hood, who are manly and upright, and who are scholarly, 
 
 accurate, and sedulously careful. 
 
 Eespectfully submitted, 
 
 Joel Seaverns, ^ 
 
 R. N. Seaver. > Committee. 
 
 Darius Wilson, ; 
 
 Boston, Mass., Nov. 12, 1889. 
 
 Head Physicians^ Territory, M, W. A. 
 
 The Omaha Head Camp provided for and elected three 
 Head Physicians. The Board of Directors have subdi- 
 vided the general jurisdiction into " Physicians' Dis- 
 tricts," and have assigned same as follows : 
 
 First District. — Dr. Frank Swallow, Valley Falls, Kan- 
 sas : States of Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, South 
 Dakota, and Missouri. 
 
 Second District. — Dr. C. A. McCollom, 408 Masonic 
 Temple, Minneapolis, Minnesota : States of Minnesota, 
 Michigan, Wisconsin, and that part of Illinois lying north 
 of the south line of Henderson, Warren, Knox, Peoria, 
 Woodford, Livingston, Ford, and Iroquois counties. 
 
 Third District. — Dr. Isaac L. Potter, Ackley, Iowa : 
 State of Iowa, and that portion of Illinois lying south of 
 District No. 2 above described. 
 
 Applications must be sent to the physician in charge 
 of the district of which the applicant is a resident. 
 
The 
 
 all Men(giIhiIb(D)r 
 
 (D)ir Hmernesi, 
 
The Royal Neighbors of America. 
 
 HE Royal Neighbors of America is an associa- 
 tion which combines Modern Woodmen of 
 America, their wives, mothers, sisters, daugh- 
 ters, and widows, and the principles upon which 
 it is founded are as old as humanity itself. From the pages 
 of sacred history we learn of the creation of this our fair 
 land, which was crowned with innumerable gifts to man, 
 but was not complete until that of an help-meet was 
 added, then were the richest virtues of heaven made the 
 heritage of the race that was to come ; these are they 
 that have made the home a joy to behold, and given faith 
 for doubt, courage to strive, and hope in the ultimate 
 supremacy of honor ; these virtues form the true prin- 
 ciples of fraternity. The Royal Neighbors are an help- 
 meet to the Modern Woodmen of America. 
 
 The beauties of the ritualistic work of the order are un- 
 surpassed. Its government is simple, and the interests of 
 the order as a whole are fully represented in and pro- 
 tected by a Head Camp. The expenses incident to the 
 operation of the order are merely nominal. 
 
 Nearly six years ago, December, 1888, a little band of 
 women (the wives of members of Hazel Camp, No. 171, 
 Modern Woodmen of America, of Council Bluffs, Iowa,) 
 met and formed a social society to be known as the 
 " Ladies Auxiliary " of Hazel Camp ; its objects being to 
 entertain and help to increase the membership and en- 
 courage the building up of the order of the Modern 
 Woodmen of America. This society met once a month, 
 giving socials and entertainments, and assisting in many 
 other ways, continuing on in this manner until October, 
 1890, when it was determined to form a secret organiza- 
 
360 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 tion. With this purpose in view these ladies energetically 
 went to work, and the result was that at a meeting held 
 January 2d, 1890, their work had been so well performed 
 that the ritual and constitution were adopted, and articles 
 of incorporation drawn up, when, on April 25th, 1890, the 
 order was duly incorporated under the laws of the state 
 of Iowa, with the Head Office at Council Bluffs, the fol- 
 lowing persons being the incorporators, viz : Miss Lillian 
 Huff, Mrs. M. L. Kirkland, Mrs. M. B. Hayden, Mrs. S. 
 Hennessey, Mrs. E. F. Belknap, Mrs. J. A. Swanson, and 
 Mrs. M. B. Filbert, all of whom were the first Head Camp 
 officers. Then the new order of the Royal Neighbors of 
 America was given a name and a place among the many 
 fraternal orders of the world. Thus this new society 
 sprang into existence, choosing for their motto : Faith, 
 modesty, courage, unselfishness, and endurance, with the 
 great purpose of helpfullness to each other and loyalty to 
 the order of the Modern Woodmen of America, ever 
 standing true to them, caring for the sick, and encourag- 
 ing those fallen by the wayside, never allowing an op- 
 portunity to pass without trying to promote the growth 
 of the Modern Woodmen of America. 
 
 June 26th, 1890, the first meeting of Head Camp was 
 held at Council Bluffs, Iowa. This meeting was held for 
 the purpose of completing the organization of the Head 
 Camp. On July 3d, 1890, the original society was reor- 
 ganized into the first subordinate Camp, and given the 
 name ''Lily Camp, No. 1, of CouncilBluffs, Iowa," which 
 has still on its roll of membership some of the originators 
 of this order, and has always had the honor of having a 
 Head Camp officer from among its members, there being 
 two at the present time. 
 
 At a special meeting held April 7th, 1891, a resolution 
 was passed admitting men, who were members of the 
 Modern Woodmen of America in good standing, as hon- 
 orary members of the order. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 361 
 
 The first annual meeting of the Head Camp was held 
 the first Wednesday in January, 1892, in Council Bluffs, 
 Iowa. S-ix Camps were reported, with an aggregate mem- 
 bership of three hundred. The following named persons 
 were elected as Head Camp Officers for the year 1892 : 
 
 Supreme Oracle — Mrs. G. W. Eastman. 
 
 Supreme Vice-Oracle — Mrs. A. E. Blazer. 
 
 Supreme Recorder — Mrs. J. R. Carrothers. 
 
 Supreme Receiver — Mrs. P. J. Hennessy. 
 
 Supreme Marshal — Mrs. N. J. Swanson. 
 
 Supreme Chancellor — Mrs. W. E. Cady. 
 
 Board of Managers — Mrs. J. E. Van Gilder, Mrs. S. 
 
 H. Filbert, Mrs. K. C. Ramsey, Mrs. E. E. Adams, 
 
 Mrs. C. S. Sprackman. 
 
 At the Head Camp meeting of the Modern Woodmen 
 of America, held in Omaha, Nebraska, November 15th, 
 1892, a request was made by the Royal Neighbors of 
 America that they be recognized as an auxiliary of that 
 order, when a resolution was adopted recognizing them 
 as such, and by this action the order was stimulated to a 
 more substantial growth. 
 
 At the second annual meeting of the Head Camp, held 
 at Omaha, Nebraska, January 4th and 5th, 1893, eighteen 
 Camps were reported, with an aggregate membership of 
 eight hundred and fifty. This convention marked a new 
 epoch in the order, when it w^as at this time realized that 
 a beneficiary plan should be adopted. The matter was 
 taken up and discussed, and the proposition made a part 
 of the Revised Constitution. The following named persons 
 w^ere elected as Head Camp Officers for the ensuing year : 
 
 Supreme Oracle — Mrs. G. W. Eastman. 
 Supreme Vice-Oracle — Mrs. A. Olsen. 
 Supreme Recorder — Mrs. Florence Brown. 
 Supreme Receiver — Mrs. P. J. Hennessey. 
 Supreme Marshal — Mrs. 0. E. Walker. 
 
362 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh 
 
 Supreme Chancellor — Mrs. M. M. Hodges. 
 Supreme Inner Sentinel — Mrs. E. Huminston. 
 Supreme Outer Sentinel — Mrs. T. G. Franks. 
 Board of Managers — Mrs. K. C. Ramsey, Mrs. A. E. 
 
 Blazer, Mrs. E. D. Watt, Mrs. H. E. Shidner, and 
 
 Mrs. J. E. Van Gilder. 
 
 The third annual meeting of the Head Camp was held 
 in Peoria, Illinois, January 3d, 4th, and 5th, 1894, when 
 the total number of Camps reported in good standing 
 was forty-five, making the number of new Camps organ- 
 ized during the year 1893 twenty-seven, with an aggregate 
 membership of seven hundred and eighteen, and the total 
 aggregate being one thousand^ five hundred and sixty- 
 seven. 
 
 At this meeting it was decided that in order to com- 
 plete the insurance department it would be necessary to 
 re-incorporate, when it was decided to re-incorporate 
 under the state laws of Illinois, the matter being placed 
 in the hands of the Supreme Board of Managers, with 
 power to act in the matter of re-incorporating and com- 
 pleting the establishment of the insurance to conform 
 to the statute laws of Illinois. The Head Office of the 
 order was permanently located at Peoria, Illinois. The 
 present Head Camp Officers were elected at this meeting, 
 viz : 
 
 Supreme Oracle — Mrs. E. D. Watt, Omaha, Neb. 
 Supreme Vice-Oracle — Mrs. F. L. Horton, Concordia. 
 Kas. 
 
 Supreme Recorder — Mrs. Winnie Fielder, Peoria, 111. 
 Supreme Receiver — Mrs. Florence Brown, Council 
 Bluffs, Iowa. 
 
 Supreme Chancellor — Mrs. W. E. Cady, Omaha, Neb. 
 Supreme Inner Sentinel — Mrs. Lizzie Douglass, Con- 
 cordia, Kas. 
 
 Supreme Outer Sentinel — Mrs. G. M. Shaver, Omaha, 
 Neb. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Boole. 
 
 863 
 
 Board of Supreme Managers — Mrs. K. C. Ramsey, 
 Manito, 111.; Mrs. Mary Wind, Council BlafFs, 
 Iowa; Mrs. Lizzie Grist, Decatur, 111.; Mr. Ira L. 
 Maxson, Horton, Kas.; Mr. Tom G. Franks, Peoria, 
 111. 
 
 After this meeting there was a great awakening among 
 the Modern Woodmen Camps in the interests of the Royal 
 Neighbors of America, which has resulted in an addi- 
 tion to the order of nineteen Camps, with an aggregate 
 membership of nine hundred prior to June 15th, 1894. 
 
 At a meeting of the Board of Managers, held April 
 28th, 1894, a committee of three, consisting of Head Clerk 
 C. W. Hawes, Directors J. G. Johnson and J. W. White, 
 of the Modern Woodmen management, were appointed to 
 assist the Supreme Board of Managers of the Royal Neigh- 
 bors in the final completion of the insurance department, 
 which places the work beyond a doubt of its near com- 
 pletion, which will be on a plan similar to that of the 
 Modern Woodmen of America. 
 
 From this small beginning an order has been developed 
 into a membership of twenty-five hundred strong, and 
 destined to be the associate of Woodcraft for all time to 
 come. 
 
 Mes. E. D. Watt, Supreme Oracle. 
 
 The third annual convention of the Royal Neighbors 
 of America met in Peoria, January 8d, and remained in 
 session five days. The most important work done was 
 the perfecting of a plan of insurance. Articles of incor- 
 poration were taken out under the laws of Illinois. 
 Policies will be issued for $500 or $1,000. The next 
 gathering will be held at Kansas City, Kansas, the first 
 Wednesday in January, 1895. The following officers 
 were elected at Peoria : 
 
364 
 
 The Woodman' s Hand-Book. 
 
 Supreme Oracle — Mrs. E. D. Watt, Omaha, Neb. 
 Supreme Vice Oracle — Mrs. Horton, Concordia, Kas. 
 Supreme Recorder — Mrs. Laura Ash, Elgin, 111. 
 Supreme Receiver — Mrs. Florenco Brown, Council 
 Bluffs, Iowa. 
 
 Supreme Chancellor — Mrs. W. E. Cady, Omaha, Neb. 
 Supreme Marshal — Mrs. C. H. Riepen, Omaha, Neb. 
 Supreme Inner Sentinel — Mrs. Lizzie Douglass, Con- 
 cordia, Kas. 
 
 Supreme Outer Sentinel — Mrs. G. M. Shaver, Omaha, 
 Neb. 
 
 Supreme Board of Managers — Mrs. Lizzie Grist, 
 Decatur, 111.; Mrs. K. C. Ramsey, Manito, 111.; 
 W. I. Slemmons, Peoria, 111.; Mrs. Mary Wind, 
 Council BluflPs, Iowa; Ira Maxon, Nortonville, Kas. 
 
 Head Physician — Dr. Graham, Lincoln, Neb. 
 
 This is the first order that we know of that is composed 
 of and controlled chiefly by women. That they are am- 
 bitious and determined to succeed we have no doubt; in 
 fact, the adoption of an insurance feature goes to show 
 the business qualifications of the women at the head of 
 the order, and they certainly deserve their full meed of 
 success. They have our most sincere wishes. — Fraternal 
 Monitor. 
 
 Women in Fraternal Societies. 
 
 At the National Fraternal Congress Emma M. Gillette, 
 of Washington, D. C, delivered an address, the vital 
 points of which are embodied below : 
 
 The reason that in ordinary life insurance there is op- 
 position to women is because the women who do insure 
 lead very unhealthy lives, especially at the period of 
 maternity. That is why the percentage of women that 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh, 
 
 365 
 
 die is 1.23 per cent to 1.10 of men. Aseptic practice has 
 lessened danger of death. The science of medicine has, 
 I believe, more power for good in treatment of pregnancy 
 than is generally believed. Then there is what is called 
 the "moral hazard," an indefinite term. 
 
 This, as applied to female risks, seems to be a liability 
 to fraudulent insurance. This is because men are sup- 
 posed to insure wives to put them out of the way. Under 
 the change of laws so that the woman has control of her 
 own funds, the same risk lies in insuring men. The 
 other hazards are said to be lack of integrity in women, 
 difficulty in securing examinations, and monetary difficul- 
 ties. As to lack of integrity, a woman may deny she has, 
 it is said, an incurable disease. This is the result of legal 
 disability which gives women the idea that the foundation 
 of business is fraud, not honesty. Her financial depend- 
 ence exaggerates the value of dollars. Fraternal societies 
 based on equality of sexes have not these risks. As to 
 difficulty of examination, women generally recognize that 
 in entering into the business world they must submit to 
 to business rules. If they do not recognize this they have 
 no business to be admitted. As to monetary interest, 
 women earn now about $4,000,000 annually. 
 
 This is the measure of monetary interest for insurance. 
 The women who insure are educated professionally and 
 in business. They are wage earners who cannot afford 
 to be sick on pain of losing salaries. The value of wife 
 insurance is great in the matter of home expenditures. 
 It would seem to be the best policy to have the insurance 
 of parents divided. Men have no immunity from dis- 
 ease. A wife dying may leave a poor sick husband. 
 Had she left an insurance a great deal of hardship would 
 have been avoided. The wife will meet sickness and 
 death with greater calm if she knows her illness will not, 
 in the case of a fatal end, embarrass the family. In sick- 
 ness she will be less hesitant to ask for the best treat- 
 
366 
 
 The Woodman^ s Hand-Book. 
 
 ment. The Penn Insurance Company in 1893 justifies 
 itself with figures for insuring men. Meeck's tabula- 
 tion (1881) gives the death from childbirth and puer- 
 peral diseases as 9.1. These tabulations are incomplete. 
 The percentage of deaths from pregnancy in the Ameri- 
 can Legion of Honor is 5.11, and in the Knights and 
 Ladies of Honor from female diseases, excluding tumor 
 and cancer, 8.74. 
 
 The speaker called present legislation largely a sex ar- 
 istocracy. The cry the men put up when the officials at- 
 tempted to give women the preference in opening the 
 Cherokee strip — " Equal rights to all, privileges to none " 
 — is a good business motto. Death is robbed, men say, of 
 some of its pangs by the thought that provision has been 
 made for the family. The wife knows as well as the hus- 
 band the household needs. Generosity that puts all the 
 insurance on the wife and none on the husband does not 
 deserve the name. As the Penn Insurance Co. report is 
 right in saying that the home surroundings should at first 
 be made the subject of careful investigation. In localities 
 where the company has female examiners they should be 
 invariably employed to examine applicants of their own sex. 
 
 The results in the orders that have admitted women are 
 best shown by reference to their latest reports. The fe- 
 male membership in three of the largest orders in 1893 is 
 given as follows : Knights and Ladies of Honor, 32,500 ; 
 Order of Chosen Friends, 11,732 ; American Legion of 
 Honor, 8,662 ; total, 52,894. 
 
 This forms a fair basis of calculation. The reports of 
 the Chosen Friends for s^even years, ending 1893, shows 
 that the excess of men's deaths over women's was from 
 2.05 per cent to 4.80, and that it was never less. In the 
 American Legion of Honor after the first two thousand 
 the proportion is in favor of the women. Though there 
 are more females than males in the Knights and Ladies 
 of Honor, the number of male deaths has been in excess 
 of the women. 
 
The Woodman^ s Hand-Booh. 
 
 367 
 
 Fraternal societies," said the speaker, " organized 
 within the last fifteen years generally admitted women 
 unless they were founded on the military idea. The sav- 
 age instinct of man to don a uniform [laughter] dates 
 back to war paint and feathers, and is incomprehensible 
 to the other sex. Had the stor}^ of the Garden of Eden 
 been written by a woman [laughter, of course] for the 
 credit of her sex, Adam would have fallen ; the serpent 
 would have tempted him with a uniform instead of with a 
 knowledge of good and evil. [More laughter and ap- 
 plause.] Sir knights with no jousts, tournaments, or cru- 
 sades are anachronisms explainable only on the grounds 
 of this hereditary instinct. They yield to popular de- 
 mand sufficiently to have auxiliary societies of women. 
 * * % * % % ^ * * 
 
 " Besides the business question, we have a social one. 
 How have women done their part in the council-room ? 
 In my own city and order it is better in every way to have 
 women members. The only council that ever tried to ex- 
 clude them has finally surrendered its charter and was 
 consolidated with a council having women on its rolls. 
 In the meetings the decorum has been greater, the busi- 
 ness more expeditiously transacted. The conviviality de- 
 veloped after the lodge has frequently made the dignified 
 head of the family the butt of the comic newspapers and 
 the paragrapher. The point of the joke is lost when the 
 husband and wife are both on the same side of the door. 
 
 " Women are glad to acknowledge the value the partici- 
 pation in the business of the lodge-room has been to them. 
 It has been a training in organization, self-control, ready 
 debate, and hence crystalization of thought, and the sub- 
 mission to the will of the majority in order to accomplish 
 good results. The lessons of justice, liberty, equality, and 
 fraternity should be like the handful of corn in the earth 
 on the top of the mountain — 'The fruit thereof shall 
 shake like Lebanon.' " 
 
t 
 
 24 
 
The Woodman'' s Hand-Book. 
 
 371 
 
 OPENING ODE. No. i. 
 
 E. D. Leland. T'wng— Webb. 
 
 1. A - gain with welcome greeting, Kind Neighbors now we come, 
 
 
 (2. m , 
 
 ft f 
 
 — ^ — # — ^— 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 Fine. 
 
 To watch and guard the 
 
 S • : 
 
 fu - ture, For t' 
 
 ^ 
 
 aese we love at h 
 ^ ^ ^ — # 
 
 ome. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 H 
 
 D. S. We now as-cribe the hon - or Due to His ho - ly name. 
 
 Each thankful to the Giv - er Of ev - 'ry earth-ly claim, 
 
 I 1 J J ^: 
 
 2 The officers in station, 
 
 The Camp-fire all ablaze, 
 And every wandering Stranger 
 
 On it with joy may gaze. 
 The working tools are ready. 
 
 The Beetle, Axe and Wedge, 
 The Perfume, Fruit and Water, 
 
 We to the Strangers pledge. 
 
 3 Guard well your treasures, Neighbors, 
 
 And ever ready be 
 To help the mourning loved ones. 
 
 When we have crossed life's sea. 
 Let justice rule your actions, 
 
 And generous conduct own. 
 That happiness and plenty 
 
 May all our efforts crown. 
 
372 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 OPENING ODE. No. 2. 
 
 M. H. Underwood 
 
 —Harwell. 
 
 
 
 1 s— ^ 
 
 ^t-H- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -.-y-i^ 
 
 s S 1 J. ^ 
 
 L s S ' ^ 
 
 
 J x,v..gx.^v,x^, , ^ Un-to God, , 
 
 "j Grateful praise and love,so ten-der, For the joy of meeting here. 
 
 From all cares and sorrows free, Here we meet fra-ter-nal-ly- 
 From all cares and sorrows free, Here we meet fra-ter-nal-ly — 
 
 ^ ^ .(2. ^ ^ I ^ N ^ ^ I 
 
 V-V— 
 
 -A-4- 
 
 Round our Camp-fire's rud-dy glow, 
 
 Let our band no discords know. 
 
 2 With the Axe, the Wedge and Beetle 
 
 Dismal forests have been cleared ; 
 By their use a faithful people 
 
 Cities fair and grand are reared. 
 Emblems of our chosen band — 
 Idle, then, we will not stand; 
 
 Work we will! our cause is just, 
 
 Charity our hope and trust. 
 
 3 Neighbors, then, be mindful ever. 
 
 From our ranks all discord spurn, 
 From our lives the dross we'll sever, 
 
 That our Camp-fires long may burn. 
 Then our shield will brightly gleam, 
 And our stars will radiant beam; 
 
 Palms of peace will round us stand, 
 
 As we jonrney, hand in hand. 
 
The Woodman'' s Hand-Book . 
 
 373 
 
 CLOSING ODE. No. i. 
 
 yw^ie— America. 
 
 ^ ^ 
 
 1. Long live 
 
 mi 
 
 der bright, Off - spring of 
 
 truth and right, Sent from a - bove; Long may our 
 Neigh - bors stand, A firm, u - nit - ed band, 
 
 -#- -0- -»- -»- -»-• -#- - #- 
 
 — \- r — 1^ 1-+ 1 r — ^ 
 
 
 
 ^> S « ^ 
 
 ^ 1 I 
 
 Strong pil - lars 
 
 WTT=r\ 
 
 b^' ' i 
 
 in our land. Our pride and love. 
 
 r: 1 
 
 r' — — s • — 1 — ^ \ • — 1 — n 
 
374 
 
 The Woodman^s Hand-Book. 
 
 CLOSING ODE. No. 2. 
 
 Tune— liHTnox. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1. Now 
 
 let us, ere we 
 r- ^ • 
 
 i 
 
 part, The 
 
 :^ 
 
 pledge of friendship 
 
 give, 
 
 
 
 — ^-r— ^— r 
 d h-id — 
 
 — 1 « «! J 
 
 , • • 1— - 
 
 
 E'er to be one in heart, And al-ways faith-ful live; 
 
 
 
 — ^ — A r- 
 
 
 
 
 — • 0 • A — 
 
 — #— 
 
 
 
 And 
 
 in our band let 
 — - X 
 
 there be found The 
 m » m m . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 And in our band let there be found The hope of peace and 
 
 hope of peace and happiness. The hope of peace and hap-pi - ness. 
 
 hap-pi-ness. The hope of peace and hap-pi - ness. 
 
 2 In all our walks we prove, 
 
 And by the open hand, 
 Our warm fraternal love 
 
 For those who join our band. 
 These words repeat before we go: 
 
 Love rules above and here below, 
 
 Love rules above and here below. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 375 
 
 THE BRAVE OLD OAK, 
 
 Hbnby F. Chorlet. Mrs. W. A. Northcott, 
 
 1. A song to tlie oak, The brave old oak Who hath ruled in the greenwood long; 
 
 ■ |> ,(g «-r(^ ^-rf^ *-rf=2 T rfS^tr 
 
 |22 p--J(U — iZK 
 
 5t 
 
 r 
 
 Here's health and renown to his broad green crown, And his fifty arms so strong. 
 
 -(22. 
 
 •©> — -»—»—* 
 
 •P2- 
 
 4— M- 
 
 i 
 
 1=4 
 
 f5> 
 
 There's fear in his frown when the sun goes down, And the fire in the west fades out; 
 
 -0- 
 
 Heshoweth his might on a wild midnight "When the storm thro' his branches shout, 
 
 -•—•--I 
 
376 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 The Brave Old Oak. 
 
 Chobus. 
 
 Then here's to the oak, the brave old oak, Who stands in his pride a - lone; 
 
 
 rf=2 ^- 
 
 :t==t: 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 — ^ 
 
 1 
 
 -0- 
 
 nl 1 
 
 »- 
 
 m 
 
 
 
 b>_IJ 
 -<J — J- 
 
 
 
 -1=2 — Y 
 
 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 -5^ — id- 
 
 
 
 
 
 — 1 — 1- 
 
 
 
 And still flourish he, a hale, green tree,"When a hundred years are gone. 
 
 2 In the days of old, when the spring with cold 
 
 Had brightened his branches gray, 
 Through the grass at his feet crept maidens sweet, 
 
 To gather the dew of May, 
 And on that day to the rebeck gay 
 
 They frolicked with lovesome swains; 
 They are gone, they are dead, in the churchyard laid, 
 
 But the tree it still remains. 
 
 3 He saw the rare times when the Christmas chimes 
 ' Were a merry sound to hear, 
 
 When the squire's wide hall and the cottage small 
 Were filled with good Woodman cheer. 
 
 Now gold hath the sway we all obey, 
 And a ruthless king is he; 
 
 But he never shall send our ancient friend 
 To be tossed on the stormy sea. 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Booh. 
 
 377 
 
 ROCK OF AGES. 
 
 Dr. Thos. Hastings. 
 
 
 
 
 
 -\ 
 
 
 
 ib-^- 
 
 -^■^ — ^ — J — 
 
 i 
 
 fete 
 
 
 -1 1 J. 
 
 
 
 
 1. Eock 
 
 # 
 
 of 
 # 
 
 A - ges, cleft foi 
 
 
 me, Let me 
 
 ^2 
 
 hide my - self in 
 
 1 1 ' 
 
 
 
 
 
 - « — #— 
 
 
 
 i=^— f==t- 
 
 -©> — — »-= — » — 
 
 
 - ^F— 
 
 
 "1 — 
 
 
 
 1 ^- 
 
 ^ 
 
 1 1 1 -, 
 
 
 
 -^-^ — J — ~i — 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^^^=^^^ 
 
 :J7^ - 
 
 
 ITT-* 
 
 
 1 J r 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 _ 
 
 -.^-i — # 0 J 
 
 1 
 
 Thee; Let the wa-ters and the blood, From Thy riv- en side which 
 
 i 
 
 — ?y- — »— w-^z? — ^g: — r"^~ 2? • — # — 2? 
 
 flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save me from its guilt and pow'r. 
 
 ^ tf^^r^^ ^-r«2 »^^r(^-. 1 1 i- 
 
 2 Not the labor of my hands 
 Cen fulfill Thy law's demands; 
 Could my zeal no respite know, 
 Could my tears forever flow, 
 All for sin could not atone. 
 
 3 Nothing in my hand I bring. 
 Simply to Thy cross I cling; 
 Naked, come to Thee for dress, 
 Helpless, look to Thee for grace; 
 Foul, I to the fountain fly, 
 
 Thou must save, and Thou alone. Wash me, Savior, or I die. 
 
 While I draw this fleeting breath, 
 When mine eyes shall close in death, 
 When I soar to worlds unknown, 
 See Thee on Thy judgment throne j 
 Eock of Ages, cleft for me, 
 Let me hide myself in Thee. 
 
378 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 THE MERRY WOODMAN AND THE SAW. 
 
 (Tune from "H. M S. Pinafore.") 
 
 1. Kind Woodman I've im-por-tant in-form-a - tion, Sing 
 
 2. Kind Woodman at your work do not be sigh - ing, Sing 
 
 -9— 
 
 hey, the gallant Woodman that you are — 
 hey, the gallant Woodman that you are — 
 
 A- 
 This 
 
 (i 
 
 * * 
 
 -i- 
 
 i5 
 
 bout a cer - tain rare in - 1 - ti 
 ver - y night the chips will be 
 
 a - - - tion, Sing 
 fly - - ing, Sing 
 
 €—9- 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 379 
 
 The Merry Woodman and the Saw. 
 
 
 
 
 N~ 
 
 1 
 
 
 hey, the mer-ry ^ 
 hey, the mer-ry "\ 
 
 iVood-man a 
 Vood-man a 
 
 ^ 
 
 nd the 
 nd the 
 
 
 
 saw. 
 saw. 
 
 1 """^ 
 
 T 
 T 
 
 he 
 he 
 
 
 ^ir"iii ^sr"i^ — 
 
 — « 
 
 — ^ 
 
 -# 
 
 
 J ^ ^ 
 
 -V 
 
 LU___ 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 1?'— 1 
 
 ^ r- 
 
 
 
 
 1 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 r ^ 
 
 mer - ry, mer-ry Wood-man, The mer-ry, mer-ry Wood- man, Sing 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -17 , 7 • • 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 F 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -9- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -H ^1 1* 1 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 V 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 hey, the mer- ry 
 
 Wood - man 
 
 and the 
 
 ^ 
 
 saw. ... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 — > 
 
 
 
 
 -J '1 1 X— ^ - 
 
 
 i 1 ^ 
 
 \-l ! 
 
 
380 
 
 The Woodman's Hand-Booh, 
 
 THE WOODflAN'S JUBILEE SONG. 
 
 (Tune "To the Work," W. H. Doane.) 
 C. C. Hassler. Arr. by J. G. Ray. 
 
 
 
 1 i 
 
 i^-H 
 
 
 -A 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -J J— 
 
 — ^ — 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Hi 
 
 # — 
 
 1^ 
 
 
 
 1. When you hear far 
 
 ^ . r- -r --g:^-g:4 
 
 ana near 
 
 r f- 
 
 Voic-es sc 
 # ^ 
 
 )unding loud and clear, 
 -•- -»- -0-* -m- -#- 
 
 
 
 
 — # 
 
 0 
 
 — » — » » — ^ 
 
 -1— — 1 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -9 — 1 — H 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -^ 
 
 
 — ^ ^-^ -. 
 
 ^ — 1^- 
 
 
 
 — ^~ 
 
 
 
 
 t 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -I* — — 
 
 
 
 
 As they s 
 -#- - 
 
 well on 
 
 r r 
 
 a bright 
 
 r r 
 
 and 
 -•- -1 
 
 9- 
 
 oy - ful 
 
 sum-mer day; 
 
 ^: r r , 
 
 ^ r r - 
 
 h 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 /— 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 r-i — ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 i 5 : 
 
 
 p^— 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1- 
 
 
 
 
 'Tis the tramp, stead - y tramp 
 
 Of the woodmen from the camp, 
 
 
 
 — m » — 
 
 
 
 
 » • — • »— 4 
 
 
 
 
 0 
 
 -» — 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^ [— 
 
 
 
 -V — ^- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 — i< 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 — A = ^ -1 
 
 
 
 
 — ^» — 
 
 
 
 • — ^ ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 « — 
 
 — 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 As they haste to 
 -#- 
 
 -#- -#- -1— 
 
 the woods o'er the 
 
 hills 
 -#- 
 
 far a - way. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^ -1^ 
 
 
 
 1 1 1 -1 
 
 ^ — 
 
 
 
 
 
 -4- V V n q 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Chorus. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 #-r 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 h 
 
 -?= 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -4- 
 
 J • * " 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 To the woods, 
 
 then 
 
 a - 
 
 way, 
 
 To the 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 r — r 
 
 
 
 r 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 • • 
 
 
 
 
 — 1 
 
 
 LI , 'U 1 1 
 
 To the woods then a - way, then a - way, 
 
The Woodman's Hand-Book. 
 
 381 
 
 The Woodman's Jubilee Song. 
 
 woods the Woodmen love; As free from 
 
 \^ V V ^ \^ V 
 
 To the woods the Woodmen, the Woodmen love; 
 
 care, with Neighbors share, with Neighbors share 
 
 i 
 
 As free from care, with Neighbors share, 
 
 5: 
 
 All the 
 
 - ures of the Wood - men's day. 
 
 2 See them go, high and low, 
 
 Friends and Neighbors that you know. 
 
 Won't you join while you may, and still there's lots of room? 
 Fall in-line, rain or shine, 
 We will have a jolly time, 
 
 i^'or the Woodmen Neighbors are to-day on the boom. 
 
 3 Hear the notes, stirring notes, 
 
 Of the music as it floats, 
 How it makes every heart round this Camp Fire now feel gay, 
 
 And at night, with deligh^. 
 
 Friends and Neighbors all unite. 
 In their praise of the pleasures of the Woodmen's day. 
 
Team of Victory Camp, No. 452, Greenville, Illinois. 
 
 1. W. A. McLain, Venerable Consul. 
 
 2. Dr. N. H. Jackson, Worthy Adviser. 
 
 3. C. E. Cook, Banker. 
 
 4. Alfred Adams, Escort. 
 
 5. M. C. HuETER, Watchman. 
 
 6. Isaac Norman, Chief Outlaw. 
 
 7. Dr. B. F. Coop, Outlaw. 
 
 8. W. E. Robinson, Chief Forester. 
 
 9. Robert C. Morris, Forester. 
 10. Ward Reid, Forester. 
 
 11. S. W. Robinson, Forester. 
 
 12. Charles A. Hueter, Forester. 
 
 13. Fritz Leidel, Forester. 
 
 14. Elvin W. Miller. 
 
 15. Will S. Foster, Forester. 
 
 16. Don V. Poindexter, Forester. 
 
 17. J. W. Blanchard, Forester. 
 
 18. Frank T. Reid, Forester. 
 
 19. J. G. Ray, Forester. 
 
The Origin of the Secret Society. 
 
 The following is a paper read by Neighbor Edwin Beard, Wat- 
 seka, Illinois, at the meeting of Camp No. 91, Milford, Illinois : 
 
 Venerable Consul and Neighbors : 
 
 There is a vast difference between the social status of humanity in 
 primeval history and that in the history of our own times. As the 
 plane of civilization rises, society becomes more complex. There is 
 a mighty gulf between the simplest forms of animal life and the mar- 
 velous structure — the symbols of ourselves — of which it has been 
 said : " We are fearfully and wonderfully made." 
 
 All people do not accept the theory of evolution in nature, but no 
 one doubts that there has been from the earliest time until the pres- 
 ent, and which is still continuing, and will so continue, an evolution in 
 society. One of the traits that go to make up the present fabric 
 of society, one of the most endearing as well as one of the most ancient^ 
 i« the cause of our assembling here to-night. 
 
 ,.\way back in the pristine ages, when society was yet chaos and 
 Civ^ilization an unborn child, as if by instinct of nature and self- 
 preservation men banded together to secure themselves, their homes, 
 their property, and their dependents against the attacks and inroads 
 of enemies. In the process of time these assemblages attained to the 
 dignity of tribes ; from tribes they grew to migratory nations ; from 
 that to states with fixed abodes, governed by laws wisely formed and 
 ably executed, though too often rather by the conquest of the sword 
 than the power of the pen. This was the instinct of self-preservation^ 
 which is more amply enrolled upon the pages of history. 
 
 But there is another trend of this idea of preservation less ob- 
 servant, less apparent, less known, but equally human and equally in- 
 stinctive — less general, but more special. More special and better 
 adapted to the wants of those for whose protection it had its birth 
 and origin. It seems to have arisen to supplement laws, legislative 
 enactments, and governmental statutes. This idea is the secret and 
 fraternal lodge, whose beginning dates almost as far back as the com- 
 mencement of history itself. It can claim for its past a time as remote 
 as Solomon and equalling his reign in glory. Who can read of the 
 heroic deeds of the Knights of St. John without feeling the noblest 
 emotion swelling and surging in his breast ? 
 
 Throughout the middle ages in Europe, when nations were gov- 
 erned by feeble laws and ruled by the palsied hands of kings, the code 
 of no country then was strong enough to protect the rights of all its 
 
iv 
 
 SeleUed Literature. 
 
 people. Not only did there spring up the feudal system, in which the 
 lord or baron became the shield and protector of the peasantry who 
 tilled his estate, and who in return swore to an unswerving- fealty, 
 but throughout all the civilized portions of Europe at that period 
 there grew up thousands of secret and powerful institutions which 
 championed the cause of home, liberty, and loved ones, unterrified 
 alike by kings and emperors, or the plottings of an ambitious and too 
 earthly church. These secret organizations were not composed of 
 members who were slaves of the soil, nor did they belong to that 
 upper class composed of courtiers, knights, and aristocrats. They 
 came from the great middle classes of society, the traders, the ar- 
 tisans, the builders, the architects, the inventor, and the merchant — 
 the true forerunners of our modern civilization. These silent, secret- 
 working orders had not the glare and glitter that marked the institu- 
 tion of chivalry. The one was strong, aggressive, and open ; the 
 other was hidden, defensive, and unconquerably potent. One, having 
 lived out its day of usefulness, has departed to return no more ; the 
 other numbers its millions in the lodges of to-day. 
 
 Among these secret organizations that claim a common kinship in 
 origin, purpose, and usefulness there still exists some of the old, to 
 which large numbers of new ones have been added. On the highest 
 hills and in the lowest valleys congregate the devoted brethren of 
 that ancient and majestic order of Freemasonry. The Independent 
 Order of Odd Fellows numbers its members by the hundreds of thous- 
 ands, and wherever the man goes who wears the three-linked badge 
 of his noble oi'der, there goes a man with the instincts of the Good 
 Samaritan. That beautiful order of the Knights of Pythias, con- 
 tinually expanding and multiplying, and whose grand design is to per- 
 petuate and spread the sublime sentiment that knit the soul of Damon 
 to his Pythias, is no doubt represented here -to-night. All these so- 
 cieties, and many others that might be named, have wrought work 
 that time never can efface, and for which, were human monuments to 
 be built, though piled stone on stone, justice would not be done. 
 
 But there is one great distinction between the secret societies I 
 have named and the one for whose advancement we have met to-night. 
 All societies but ours have been founded upon the one central idea of 
 mutual protection and self-preservation. This is founded upon a still 
 nobler principle — one of the greatest and purest of all motives that 
 govern human action. All secret organizations save the Modern 
 Woodmen of America work for the interests of each individual and 
 the order as a whole. Let this statement not be deemed as a deroga- 
 tion from the stainless records of those most worthy and older orders. 
 But here we have a young and growing order, glorying in its youth- 
 ful vigor and its never-failing success, whose one great, grand aim and 
 purpose is dedicated to the life of another. If it is sweet to die for 
 one's country, if it is God -like to give up one's life for another, it is 
 noble and manly to live for the life of another. This is our creed. It 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 V 
 
 is deeply engraven on the tablets of our hearts. It is lettered out on 
 our spotless banners white. Badges, symbols, and certificates of 
 membership bear its impress, and on every charter, ritual, or manual 
 there may be seen, as though written in letters of living light, the 
 motto of our faith — Pur Autre Vie.'''' 
 
 The birthplace of the Modern Woodmen is within the confines of 
 our own great state. Its members are composed principally of the 
 sturdy yeomanry of the country. Avoiding the great cities with 
 their thousands of enervating influences, their unhealthiness, and 
 their moral blights, it confines itself to the pure and wholesome at- 
 mosphere of the country. Its territory comprises the fairest portion 
 of the state of Illinois. In the great corn belt of our state, a body of 
 tillable soil that is unsurpassed in the abundance of its productions 
 by any other of equal area on the face of the earth, is the fatherland 
 of the Modern Woodmen of America. No other similar institution 
 was ever organized under auspices so favorable, nor had a beginning 
 so promising, or a success so unparalleled. 
 
 It is said that Hercules while even in infancy manifested some of 
 that extraordinary prowess that enabled him in after years to gain 
 undying fame and immortal renown by strangling with his infant 
 hands the great serpents that attacked him in his cradle. This order 
 of ours, like an infant Hercules, while still rejoicing in the glorious 
 period of thrifty youth, has achieved already such wonderful results 
 that search where we will the like cannot be found. 
 
 Such a favorable beginning augurs well for the future. Certainly 
 in our own case we can say "a good beginning is half." Surely we 
 have here proven the adage, "well begun, half done." The order 
 has well started, it has always conquered the difficulties which beset 
 it, and you and I can abide by the conviction that it has come to 
 stay. 
 
 The society of Modern Woodmen is distinctly an American pro- 
 duction. It is deeply hearted with the American idea of home. Like 
 the Odd Fellows' order, it is indigenous to American soil ; that soil, 
 that land, that country which above all others on earth is permeated 
 with the sweet and binding influence of home. That nation is most 
 powerful whose people have the strongest love and veneration for the 
 institution of home. The French race has had a great historj^, yet 
 the French language contains no word for home. No wonder that the 
 population of France is at a standstill. No wonder that the popula- 
 tion during an entire generation has grown only a million, while Ger- 
 many, her ancient enemy just across the Rhine, the fires of whose 
 hearth have lit the imaginations of her greatest poets, adds a million 
 of souls to her census every year. I pity the man without a country ; 
 I weep for the man without a home. Who here to-night has not felt 
 the gush and thrill of joy when after time and distance have sep- 
 arated him from the loved ones at home, he turns once more his face 
 toward the dearest spot on earth ? 
 
vi 
 
 Selected Literature, 
 
 It was for the protection of this home, this retreat from the slings 
 and sorrows of the world, that our noble order was founded. It was 
 to keep the fire of the domestic altar undying- that originated our in- 
 stitution. It was founded to be the protecting shield, through whose 
 massive covering no dart or missile of the enemy could penetrate. 
 That though the leader perished, the advancing column should con- 
 tinue on. That though the good head of the family should cease n ) 
 more to be, though the loving father should be suddenly stricken 
 down by the one foe that never fails, the family of his pride and de- 
 light should not suffer or want. That though the devoted husband 
 should pay the debt of nature, the wife of his youth should still feel 
 about her the strong arm of his influence. That though the brother 
 should be laid away in rest forever, his sister, the sole relic of that 
 once happy home, should not be left unprovided for. That though a 
 dutiful son, the last, the only surviving prop of an aged and affec- 
 tionate mother, should pass to an untimely end, that dear old mother 
 who had suffered the pangs which gave him birth and life, and whose 
 soft white hand, though old and withered now, had so often soothed 
 him in the long, long hours of night, should not be left alone in her 
 old age without means of support. And she is not. The little vine- 
 clad cottage is paid for, or shall be, every dollar of it. That lonely 
 mother, that desolate widow, shall still sit secure in her own home ; 
 her cruise of oil shall never go empty, and the fuel at her fireside shall 
 always be replenished, for she has money, and she has friends who 
 will not forget the widow while there is a dollar left in the coffers of 
 the order of which her husband, son, or brother may have been a 
 member. And when the lamp of life has flickered out in that with- 
 ered, shrunken form, no shroud of charity shall her decent limbs en- 
 fold when her burial day shall come, for that has all been guarded 
 against by one whose motto was "Pur Autre Vie," and lived for 
 another life. 
 
 A member in good standing in our order knows that his family 
 will not suffer want when he has done with life. He knows the gaunt 
 wolf will never bark at his door. He knows that at the hour of his 
 death he leaves a legacy that will serve as a bulwark against the tides 
 of poverty. This thought cheers him on in life's unceasing strife, 
 braves him to breast the heaviest surges of an uncertain sea. He 
 knows that the trees he now plants will some day bear rich fruits, and 
 he knows that he has an interest in a bank that will never break, and 
 on which no run will ever be made. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 Our Fraternities, 
 
 vii 
 
 At a meeting of the Modern Woodmen of America, held in Wood- 
 men hall, at Lincoln, Nebraska, on the evening- of December 10th, 
 1891, the following brilliant, eloquent, and beautiful address was de- 
 livered by Captain W. H. Woodward. It is poetry set in prose, and 
 is worthy of a careful perusal by all classes : 
 
 It is recorded in holy writ that the scribes of Israel and Judah 
 used every year to go up to the Holy City and with songs, prayers, 
 and sacrifices to commemorate the triumphs of the fathers by the Red 
 Sea, at the fords of Jordan, and upon the fields of Barak's victory. 
 The states of Greece used to celebrate their national festivities, and 
 in their assemblies were wont to listen to the stories of their mighty 
 ancestors as told in the history of Herodotus or the immortal verse of 
 Iliad or Odessey. We have no feasts of the passover or tabernacles 
 of commemoration. We have no amphictyonic councils or Olympian 
 games. We have met here not to celebrate the deeds of great men 
 or to worship at their shrine, but to celebrate principles which live 
 long after men are dead and forgotten. Celebrations of this character 
 are held in obedience to that faculty of our natures which enables us 
 to communicate our thoughts, our sympathies, and our happiness 
 with what is distant in time and space, and, looking beyond, to hold 
 communication at once with our ancestors and our posterity. Upon 
 the one hand history portrays to us the successes and triumphs of the 
 past, while upon the other, by anticipation, spread before us the 
 bright pictures which those of a future age may enjoy. We stand to- 
 day in the central office of this wonderful telephonic connection, 
 adjusting the wires which, correctly or incorrectly, must transmit the 
 thoughts, the sentiment, and the sympathies of the one age to that of 
 another. 
 
 Standing in that relation we are here assembled to celebrate and 
 emphasize the principles taught by one of the noble fraternities of 
 America, and while so doing to pay our homage to the precepts and 
 teachings of the noble order to which we belong. 
 
 Past events are celebrated, not so much because of the brilliancy 
 and excitement with which they were ushered in upon the stage of 
 action as because of the effects which they have had upon posterity. 
 The most brilliant military achievements and some of the greatest 
 battles, though exciting great admiration at the time, have not a 
 single claim to lasting commemoration. Of the thousands of victories 
 which have been won, of all the human battlefields which have been 
 drenched with human blood, of the thousands of chieftains whose 
 stars of glory they hoped would ever shine upon the pages of their 
 country's history, how few continue long to interest and instruct 
 human kind. 
 
viii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 The names of great generals whose deeds at this time challenge 
 our admiration can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Leaving 
 no lasting results upon the prosperity and happiness of humanity, 
 they pass away and are forgotten. They are only mentioned in his- 
 tory as so much loss of human life or the destruction of so much 
 property. 
 
 Upon the other hand, events exciting but little or slight attention 
 at the time they transpired, coming with no display or gorgeous 
 array, no rush of adverse battalions, no tramping of cavalry or 
 thundering of artillery, have transmitted their successes through 
 succeeding ages to succeeding generations. Their importance is in 
 their results. They are called great because great things have fol- 
 lowed them. 
 
 Go with me into the past ; follow me as I lead you into the unpre- 
 tentious surroundings of the different places where fraternities like 
 ours have been formed. There you may see grouped about on rude 
 wooden chairs a few men from the humble walks of life. In the work 
 in which they are engaged they have neither high social position, 
 the power of wealth, or the prestige of political favor to aid them. It 
 is the birth time and the christening of the several orders into whose 
 living those men breathed the breath of truth and infused the blood 
 of friendship. There, in the cradle of their infancy, they rocked and 
 nourished the child which to-day, with the vigor and nobility of full 
 manhood, exerts an influence for good over the intellectual develop- 
 ment and social well-being of this people, more powerful, I believe, 
 than any other organization throughout the length and breadth of this 
 broad land ; and at this hour their colossal grandeur is the pride of 
 their members and the wonder of the world. At the formation of 
 many of these orders our country was in the infancy of its physical, 
 educational, social, and political growth. But what a mighty change. 
 Upon the broad prairies where the buffalo roamed at will are broad 
 cultivated fields, flourishing towns, and large commercial cities. 
 Along the pathway where the brawny Indian stood the railway 
 engine speeds its way. As we look over the growth and development 
 of our country and these fraternal orders, it seems more like romance 
 than reality. 
 
 There is scarcely a town in the whole land, from the pine forests 
 of Maine to the arid plains of Southern California, from the orange 
 groves of Florida to the cascades of Washington, where cannot be 
 found a building upon the windows of whose upper story are to be 
 seen the signs of the different fraternal organizations, organized 
 for a noble purpose, and within whose community is not felt the bene- 
 ficent influence of good fellowship. And to-day from every hill and 
 valley throughout the length and breadth of our common country are 
 ascending the thanks of thousands to our all-wise Creator for having 
 given us such noble, good men as those who founded these respective 
 orders. - 
 
Selected Literature, 
 
 ix 
 
 To the encouragement and fostering care of the liberal institutions 
 of our country may be attributed the large prosperity and success of 
 these fraternal organizations. On the soil of free America, more 
 than anywhere else, flourishes every institution having for its object 
 the alleviation of distress, the throttling of vice, and the elevation of 
 the human race. What these great fraternities do for their own 
 members in the way of protection and help cannot be estimated. The 
 light which in this way has been let in to dispel the gloom of dark- 
 ness, and has brightened both the home and the heart, can never be 
 measured. The cups of human misery which have been brushed 
 away for the cool and healing potions administered by a brother's 
 plenteous hand can never be counted. The friendship here taught 
 rests in motion. The current of fellowship in every Modern Wood- 
 man's breast causes considerations for the well-being of those with 
 whom he is associated. It brings men together in a spirit of loving 
 companionship as they tramp along the pilgrim way of earth, 
 shoulder to shoulder, hand clasped in hand, heart beating with heart, 
 as they march along life's rugged pathway together. Upon such a 
 fellowship the very breath of heaven wafts its sweetest perfumes. 
 
 As the bringing together of both the lamps of the two travellers 
 affords greater light for the guidance of their footsteps, so indeed do 
 their rays penetrate further into the darkness which skirts their 
 pathway. In this room the members are taught to recognize the 
 great brotherhood of men, to discern the ties which bind together 
 the great human family ; and if they but follow the teachings their 
 good influence will extend far beyond the pales of the order. An 
 orderly and well regulated family, trained to the practice of honesty 
 and industry, truthfulness, and religion, cannot dwell by the side of 
 a neighboring family of loose morals and slack habits without shed- 
 ding into the household of the latter the sunlight of a good example. 
 The need of humanity for sympathy and aid, the mutual dependence 
 of human kind, and the duties that result from it, these truths are 
 the basis and essence of all fraternities. 
 
 Sir Walter Scott has written that " the race of human kind would 
 perish did they cease to aid each other." Aristotle declares that 
 " whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a God." 
 The longing desire of man for human sympathy is as universal as the 
 air. These organizations exisit and impress themselves upon social 
 life, for they aid us in smoothing the rugged points and edges of life 
 for each other. 
 
 You do not find this idea of mutual dependence limited to rational 
 existence. The material world is filled with it. The flowers that 
 adorn and refresh the globe are dependent alike upon the earth, and 
 air, and water. The streams that rush unceasingly to the sea find 
 their never failing source of supply from the evaporation of that 
 oeean which they aid in filling. 
 
X 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 On every side, in every phase of life, you find this truth of mutual 
 dependence, the reciprocal idea of nature's economy, closely inter- 
 woven with and permeating- every atom of life. In the association of 
 man with man is this truth more clearly defined and developed. To 
 it he owes the protection and preservation of his character, his prop- 
 erty, and his life — for in union there is safety as well as strength. 
 It is the bed-rock of government, this cohesion of individuals for the 
 protection of the whole. It is the difference between civilization and 
 barbarism, between law and anarchy. It is the associated harmony 
 of individual force, the glad bondage of liberty, the clear, cool 
 atmosphere of government, law, society, civilization, and peace before 
 the miasmic mists of unbridled license and anarchy. 
 
 These fraternal organizations have carried brightness into many a 
 darkened home, and sent a thrill of joy into many a despairing soul. 
 Oh, ye cynics, who sneer at fraternal association's ; who ridicule the 
 little ceremonies that attach themselves to this work ; who walk 
 upon the plane of being above the rank and file, and breathe a more 
 exclusive atmosphere. Oh, ye skeptics, who doubt the truth of a 
 human brotherhood, who call friendship a sham and charity a de- 
 lusion ; who speak of beneficial orders with a shrug of the shoulders, 
 and dispute the good of their existence, come with me and visit one, 
 only one of those little households into which, through the agency of 
 the lodge, light has entered, and if you do not hang your heads in 
 shame, then, indeed, shall I believe that there are some souls into 
 whose flinty walls the truth can never enter. 
 
 This is a selfish world ; in stating this I state a truism ; but it is 
 well now and then to stop and consider the cold selfishness that so 
 often dominates our humanity. I think we do not appreciate, or 
 rather, that in the whirl and clatter of life we do not remember often 
 enough that we owe certain duties to those around us, the perform- 
 ance of which we should not evade. That in this human life so filled 
 with experiments and saddened with miseries, we too often uncon- 
 sciously utter the cry of Cain, Am I my brother's keeper ? " 
 
 Now, I believe it to be my duty and your duty to do some good in the 
 world ; and I believe that I can do it more effectually, more directly, 
 more certainly, by maintaining my connection with fraternal organi- 
 zations like ours. 
 
 In a nation full of healthful life like ours contests never cease. 
 The life of a nation, like that of individuals, is a perfect battle against 
 the attacks of decay. The spirit of liberty among a great, free, and 
 active people can never say, "My work is done." The preparations 
 for new contests are continually ringing in our ears. The contest be- 
 tween knowledge and virtue on the one hand and ignorance and 
 corruption on the other goes on. This contest will never stop 
 until the lion and the lamb shall lie down in peace together. The 
 future of this people holds in its apocalypse the figure of a man ; a 
 man who makes his own laws and keeps them ; who serves the state 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xi 
 
 and yet is free ; who keeps his covenant with God without a bond and 
 without an oath ; who signs no contract and breaks no obligations ; 
 who lives for himself without selfishness, and dies for others without 
 regret. Toward this type of ideal manhood all the tendencies our 
 civilization are converging, and it is the imperative duty of every 
 patriotic and loyal citizen to see to it that no obstruction hinders or 
 delays its consummation. This ideal man, who is to be the coming 
 glory of our race, will never be born of despotism. There are two 
 kinds of socialism in this world, the one rational, the other irrational. 
 The one the socialism of the philosophers and sages, the other the 
 socialism of the rabble and the mob. The one is above the ordinary 
 level of citizenship, the other below it. The one by constant approxi- 
 mations brings us nearer and nearer to the standard ideal of humanity 
 which is to be the glory of our civilization ; the other gravitates ever 
 downward toward the howling animal which runs with bloody jaws to 
 devour and kill. Fraternizing human hearts on a platform broader 
 than party and wider than sectarianism induces a generous spirit of 
 toleration and breaks down prejudice. In order to prevent men from 
 becoming selfish they must be reached through their social natures. 
 They must be often called away from the sordid pursuits of life, from 
 the buying and selling and getting gain, and be made to see and feel 
 that life is something nobler than this. Man may be taught that the 
 sweet consciousness of being helpful to his fellows is the sweetest cup 
 of joy this life affords ; that the thing that society needs now is not 
 more money nor more brains, but more heart, more human sympathy, 
 and more self-sacrifice. It ought not to be, as it is, one of the pro- 
 verbs of the world, that "man's inhumanity to man makes countless 
 thousands mourn." The truthfulness of this proverb is a mournful 
 commentary on the condition of the human race. 
 
 It must be conceded that the chief cause of selfishness in the world 
 is the lack of sympathy among men, and the reason that society is so 
 filled with jealousy is that mankind stands so far apart as not to 
 know each other. The mountain when seen from a distance repels 
 the beholder with its beetling cliffs, its cold and barren rocks, and its 
 snow-covered crest ; but on a nearer approach may be seen sparkling 
 brooks leaping and laughing among the rocks ; may be seen flowers 
 here and there lending their sweetness and beauty to charm the be- 
 holder away from the contemplation of the rougher aspects, and the 
 experienced eye may discover even among its caverns and gulches 
 indubitable evidence that the forbidding surface covers mines of the 
 most precious metals. The mountain exterior may be rough and i-e- 
 pulsive but its heart is filled with gold and silver and Ihc most 
 precious and rarest jewels. 
 
 So of the human character. Let these forbidding aspects be in- 
 spected by him who carries the lamp of charity and whose soul sends 
 out the light of truth and love, and a thousand new beauties appear 
 that but for his nearer and better approach would never have been 
 
xii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 discovered. The Woodman may be poor, he may have rough and 
 hard hands and a sunburned face, he may feel that a cold and in- 
 different world passes him by careless of his toils and burden, but he 
 knows that with his labor-stained and scanty wardrobe he will meet 
 with a hearty welcome from his brethren wherever he may meet 
 them, and a willing ear and a sympathetic heart in all the sorrows of 
 life. When disease has wasted his strength and robbed his wife and 
 child of the support of his strong right arm, when gaunt want came 
 in and sat down by his household as a guest by the side of poverty, 
 his brothers unlocked their treasures and opened up the inexhaust- 
 ible treasures of gentle hearts, and drove away want and made plenty 
 come in and abide at his hearth a constant guest. 
 
 He has himself borne these burdens and performed these kind 
 offices for others. He has been an eye witness to these demonstra- 
 tions. He knows it is not the mean, empty profession of charity. He 
 has given as well as received, and whatever may be his wealth or 
 position in life he is made to feel that at a common altar, consecrated 
 to this sacred work, that he is the peer of any of the noble men who 
 constitute this noble circle. And so he is. 
 
 He has not lived that has not blessed others. He may have passed 
 the allotted time from the cradle to the grave, but he has known 
 nothing of the exquisite enjoyment of life. He may have had all that 
 wealth and position could give him, he may have had every want met 
 and tasted all the sensual pleasures that riches could purchase him ; he 
 may have inhaled all the sweet odors of flattery that float around those 
 in high places, but his soul at last will be as barren as a desert, for he 
 has never wiped a tear from the face of the weeping or planted a new 
 joy in the human heart. We talk of our rapid progress and our civil- 
 ization. It remains to be seen what is the substantial value of our 
 grand discoveries. This can only be told when sufficient time shall 
 disclose to what extent their influence and power elevates and purifies 
 the great mass of humanity. If this boasted civilization reaches man 
 wherever he may be found and fills him with the noblest aspirations to 
 be like his Creator, to make his life nobler and his heart kinder, then 
 let the song of praise be sung ; let the shout ring out loud and clear 
 that man, immortal man, is coming up by our improved locomotion to 
 a higher plane, that the electric light has made him see with a 
 brighter, clearer vision his duty and destiny ; that the telegraph and 
 telephone have put the language of truthfulness and soberness upon 
 his lips, then we can say with joyful huzzas, all hail, progress ! But 
 if this cannot be truthfully said, then let our boastings cease. If the 
 lever of progress is not long enough to reach to the depths of human- 
 ity, is not strong enough to lift man to a better life, it is not worthy 
 the name. Man must be the local point of all this modern light or it 
 is no better than darkness. The chiefest and best science is that of 
 knowing how to live. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xiii 
 
 When the last page of the history of the race is written and the 
 record of human progress is complete, that page will be the brighest 
 that contains the record of that peerless age, more than any other 
 period, in which was accomplished the subduing of human hate and 
 conquering of man's selfishness, and in leading the great mass of 
 humanity out of the marshes and malaria of discord and strife up to a 
 high and generous plane, with a proper regard for others rights and 
 reputations, where they inhale the pure atmosphere of mutual confi- 
 dence and respect. 
 
 It will outshine the boasted times that produce here and there 
 some mighty warrior, gifted statesman or orator, an accomplished 
 painter or eminent poet. These men of wonderful power and gifts 
 come once in a century and flash across the path of humanity like a 
 brilliant meteor. The golden age will be when men of whatever 
 talent or station will come to a better understanding of themselves 
 and their relations to God and their fellow men. We have given too 
 much attention and worship to individual genius and not enough to 
 the ordinary man. Let not so much care be given to improving ma- 
 chinery and increasing locomotion, but rather let the deep concern be 
 for a higher type of humanity. 
 
 The grand mission of our order is in bringing humankind into 
 better relations with themselves. We should adopt the creed of our 
 great poet, Longfellow,: 
 
 " Conscious of right, not fearing wrong ; 
 Because I am in love with love, 
 And the sole thing I hate is hate ; 
 For hate is death, and love is life, 
 A peace, a splendor from above ; 
 And hate a never-ending strife, 
 A smoke, a blackness from abg^ss 
 Where unclean spirits coil and hiss. 
 Love is the Holy Ghost within ; 
 Hate the unpardonable sin ; 
 Me who preaches otherwise than this 
 Betrays his master with a kiss." 
 
 The Fraternal Feature. 
 
 A gentleman once said to the Head Consul : " How can you take 
 the responsibility of guaranteeing the payment of the benefit certifi- 
 cates, in case of the death of the members of your order, when you 
 have no reserve fund and are dependent upon the voluntary payments 
 of the members? Suppose they should refuse to pay, and what 
 guarantee have you that they will continue to pay their assessments ? " 
 Mr. Northcott replied : " How can the United States government, 
 
xiv 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 with a large debt, much exceeding- the money in the treasury, place 
 a two per cent bond upon the market ? It is because each govern- 
 ment bond has back of it sixty-five millions of the greatest people on 
 the globe, who are bound together by a common interest. So every 
 certificate in the Modern Woodmen of America has back of it fifty- 
 five thousand of the brainy working men of this northwest, who have 
 a common interest in seeing that it is paid in full." 
 
 The Modern Woodmen of America is much like the representa- 
 tive government. The members of the order are its rulers and the 
 officers are its servants. It is not a joint stock company managed by 
 a few individuals with an indefinite tenure of office and without ac- 
 countability to any one but themselves, but it is a great fraternity 
 that has immediate control through its delegates of the affairs of the 
 order. If officers become incompetent or corrupt, they are speedily 
 displaced and new ones put in their places. This order possesses the 
 power of self-preservation and self-perpetuation. The statistics of 
 history show that but two or t'hree fraternal benefit societies have 
 failed since the foundation of this government, while the number of 
 mutual insurance companies without the fraternal feature that have 
 failed is very great. The fraternal insurance order once established 
 seems almost immortal. 
 
 From a consideration of these statements the importance of the 
 fraternal feature in our order becomes obvious, even from the stand- 
 point of the soundness of insurance. But there is still more in our 
 great order than the insurance feature. There is something in the 
 brotherhood of man. There is something in the sympathy in times 
 of distress ; the kindly visit from a Neighbor when we lie on a sick 
 bed, and the help given to our families when we are so unfortunate as 
 to not be able to help them ourselves. None of us are so strong or so 
 fortunately situated that there may not come to us a dark hour when 
 we need a kindly hand to help us. And this does not come to us as 
 charity, for we have a right to it ; we would do the same ourselves 
 for other Neighbors in distress, and we have a right to expect the 
 sam J from them. One stick is easily broken, but a bundle of sticks is 
 invincible. It is a grand thought that fifty-five thousand Neighbors 
 are bound together as with a common cord for mutual benefit and pro- 
 tection. — Head Consul Nortlicolt. 
 
 Our Territory, 
 
 We frequently hear the inquiry made as to the reason why the 
 Modern Woodmen can furnish insurance for the benefit of our wives 
 and children at so much lower rate than any other similar order. We 
 have heard this answered in various ways, but we think one great 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 XV 
 
 underlying fact that controls in this matter is not fully appreciated 
 by the Woodmen, generally. Surely it cannot be that all of this dif- 
 ference is caused by superior economy in management, although the 
 record of fraternal societies shows that its economy in expenses is 
 equalled by none. 
 
 Neither can we believe that it is caused by extra precaution taken 
 by our Head Physicians and those co-operating with them, although 
 these precautions doubtless save us thousands of dollars every year. 
 
 The fact, however, which we desire particularly to emphasize as 
 the great reason for the low death rate, and hence cheapness of the 
 indemnity in the Modern Woodmen, is, that our territory is the most 
 healthful on the face of the earth. 
 
 It will be found impossible to select any such an extent of territory 
 that can compare with it in the health and long life of its inhabitants. 
 It is drained by the great chain of lakes on the one side to the sea, and 
 the remainder by the mighty Mississippi, the Missouri, Ohio, Arkan- 
 sas, and the Platte. 
 
 Its surface is such that almost every acre will soon be brought 
 under cultivation, thus leaving no malarial swamps to breed disease 
 and death. 
 
 Its climate is cold enough in winter to destroy the germs of disease 
 that breed in the heat of summer. 
 
 No epidemic has yet been able to travel across this empire, known 
 as the northwest, and none ever will be. 
 
 In the United States the average number of deaths each year is one 
 out of every eighty-one inhabitants. In the gulf states the rate is one 
 in sixty-three ; in the southern states one in seventy ; in the middle 
 states one in eighty-three ; and in the northwestern states, one in one 
 hundred and twenty. 
 
 Thus it will be observed we occupy the best territory in the country. 
 
 More than this : we have taken out of this territory the southern 
 end of Illinois and all the large cities, such as Chicago, Milwaukee, 
 and Detroit, which makes it next to impossible for a contagious dis- 
 ease to strike us hard enough to cripple us, let alone to kill us. 
 
 This we regard as the principal reason why the Modern Woodmen 
 furnishes the cheapest indemnity by far of any society or company in 
 the world. — Director M. W. Matheics. 
 
 The New Versus the Old, 
 
 Old men tell us that within their memory it cost twenty-five cents 
 to send a letter from Virginia to Massachusetts. Now two cents takes 
 one from California to Upper Canada, and a nickel takes one from 
 here to the Antipodes. Surely no one will dispute the advantages of 
 this change to the masses of our people. 
 
xvi 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 Old ladies tell us of the time, within their memory, when a box of 
 matches cost twenty-five cents, and contained twenty-five matches. 
 Now the same amount of money supplies an ordinary family with 
 matches for all purposes for a year. Surely no one will question the 
 g-eneral benefit we as a people dc rive from this marked reduction in 
 the price of this useful article. 
 
 Under the old regime, people in ordinary circumstances were com- 
 pelled to forego postal communication with friends and relatives, 
 and also to be content with the uncertain results of flint, steel, and 
 tinder. People in better circumstances exclusively enjoyed the ad- 
 vantages of the mails and the luxury of the ''locofoco " match. 
 
 It is a mark of marvelous progress in material things when the 
 people of one generation enjoy as every-day comforts those things 
 which were luxuries with the preceding generation. 
 
 Life insurance, under the old plans and in the last generation, was 
 a luxury none but the well-to-do could afford. Were a speaker in any 
 assembly to-day to ask those present whose fathers carried life in- 
 surance for the benefit of their families to stand up, how meagre 
 would be the response. In the last generation the man who carried 
 life insurance was the exception. In this generation the man who is 
 without this protection is the exception. 
 
 This wonderful change has been wrought solely by the introduction 
 and popular adoption of the co-operative plan of life insurance, the 
 best example of which we believe the Modern Woodmen of America 
 to be. These modern institutions are operated so exclusively in the 
 interest of the members that the cost has been reduced almost in the 
 same ratio with the cost of postage and matches. 
 
 Some of the luxurious old companies which saw their best days 
 under obsolete conditions, and found their scattering patrons in a 
 generation which is rapidly passing away, still strenuously insist that 
 twenty-five cent postage must be better than two-cent postage, because 
 — it costs more. But the ordinary man of this generation is getting 
 to be as skeptical upon that point as he would be upon the proposition 
 that the flint and steel was handier than the friction match. 
 
 The luxurious old companies insist that skepticism is a sin which 
 should not be tolerated ; but we all remember that Gallileo was that 
 kind of a skeptic, and so was Columbus, and Sir Isaac Newton, and 
 hosts of others among the brightest men the world has produced, and 
 we know that their skepticism as to the value of theories which were 
 universally accepted by preceding generations, stoutly maintained, 
 has conferred incalculable benefits upon generations succeeding them. 
 The (insurance) world moves." — Director J. G. Johnson. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xvii 
 
 A Welcome for Woodmen. 
 
 Following- is the address of welcome by Hon. C. D. Holies, at Green- 
 ville, Illinois, June 25th, ]891, at a picnic of the Modern Woodmen of 
 America : 
 
 Mr. Chairman, Modern Woodmen, Ladies, and Gentlemen : 
 
 In the magnificent constellation of counties which compose the 
 great State of Illinois, Bond ranks among the smallest — a stur of the 
 least magnitude ; so small, indeed, that she seldom comes within the 
 range of political telescopes, and is scarcely known by many of those 
 who study the political sky ! But though her modest light is dimmed 
 by the Jupiters and Saturns of our state system, pure and bright she 
 ever shines, a guiding-star for those who love her best. 
 
 It is true that Bond is little, but allow me to assure you, ladies and 
 gentlemen, that she is very proud. She is old, but her heart is young. 
 She is proud of a brave and patriotic past, of a bright and promising 
 future, and having exercised the virtues and encouraged the sym- 
 pathies of the human heart that knit the world in kin, she has kept 
 her youth. 
 
 But to-day, Mr. Chairman, she is more than proud ; for here, in 
 her native woods, beneath arching boughs, the first temple of the 
 Almighty, where music from nature's sweetest harps echoes from 
 shrub and stump, from hill and dale, where stereotypes of Divine 
 ideas appeal to the living soul, inspiring with hope and renewing faith 
 in the Fatherhood of God and in the brotherhood of man — here with 
 a heart full of happiness and content, full of sunshine and gladness, 
 little Bond welcomes to her hospitality the chief officers and repre- 
 sentatives of the Modern Woodmen of America. She welcomes you 
 to the home of your worthy Head Consul, a home that he has honored 
 and that you have honored by honoring him. She welcomes you as a 
 society whose influence is widespread ; whose protecting arm is ever 
 stretched out to aid the faint and weary ; whose charity, flowing like 
 a crystal stream, un contaminated by ambition or self-interest, waters 
 the earth with gladness ; whose bounty has lifted from the depths of 
 despair the widow and the fatherless, has carried peace and comfort 
 to many a shattered hearth, and ""from the altar of each peaceful 
 heart arises the fragrant incense of its thanks ; " an organization that 
 in a few short years has massed together more than fifty thousand of 
 the brave and brainy men of the great northwest under its banner, 
 on which has been inscribed by the hand of loving charity, in letters 
 of living light : Pur Autre Vie. What a grand thought ! What a 
 noble object of life ! What ambassadors to the heart ! What won- 
 drous words ! Words, Mr. Chairman, that in a cold and selfish world 
 stand out like jeweled stars on the mantle of night. It is not strange, 
 then, my friends, that an order founded upon such grand and humane 
 
 a 
 
xviii 
 
 Selected Literature, 
 
 principles should add more than nine thousand to its membership 
 during the present administration, and become a pillar of strength 
 among the great benevolent and benefit associations of the nation. 
 May you continue to grow and prosper. May your future as a society, 
 and as individuals, be as bright and cloudless as the blue sky above. 
 May your meeting here, under the auspices of " Victory " and asso- 
 ciate Camps, be one not only of pleasure and profit, but a page il- 
 lumined in your history. May we all receive new inspiration to go 
 forth to higher and nobler achievements in the cause of humanity. 
 These, my friends, are the heartfelt wishes of our people, and rest 
 assured that this occasion will ever be cherished as a bright spot in 
 the pathway of life by the sons and daughters of little Bond, who 
 greet you to-day with their brightest smiles of welcome. 
 
 \ 
 
 The Ritual Needs no Apology. 
 
 The following interesting paper was read before the National Fra- 
 ternal Congress by Chill W. Hazzard, of the Royal Arcanum : 
 
 The use of any ritual is apt to be viewed with contempt by the 
 practical man, and those who defend it often do so in a feebly apologetic 
 tone. The fact remains, however, that almost every association of 
 human beings which has lived long enough to pass into history has 
 effectually used the poetry of symbolism. Ritualism seems to be a 
 law of human nature, co-ordinate with the inevitable order of things, 
 perennial and perpetual. 
 
 A ritual, strictly defined, means a book in which rites or forms of 
 observance are set down. As used in the topic given for my discus- 
 sion, it means the use of rites, forms, words, motions, and signs. A 
 wider definition would define a ritual as a system of observances which 
 address the imagination, memory, and feelings through the senses 
 by certain ceremonies or acts intended to express proper feelings, or 
 to illustrate an idea with reference to special ends. 
 
 The motives which have produced ritualism — and it prevails 
 everywhere — the actual mainspring of its existence, is man's irre- 
 sistible craving for expression in forms. 
 
 Ritualism thus defined has shaped the externals of all the great 
 religions of the world. Thus placed upon an ethnic basis, it must 
 command respectful consideration. 
 
 The Egyptians were a race pre-eminently given to ceremonies and 
 rituals of an elaborate character. Wilkinson says (Ancient Egypt, 
 Volume III.) that "no nation took greater delight in the pomp of 
 ceremonies than the Egyptians. The public mind was constantly en* 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xix 
 
 tertained by the splendor of striking- and impressive ceremonies. The 
 intricate mysteries of their temples were made splendid by proces- 
 sions of robed priests." In fact, everywhere we encounter, in the 
 study of Egyptian history and monuments, ritualism of an elaborate 
 and most extraordinary character. 
 
 Turning to India, we find in Brahminism a nature-worship purer 
 than any other of the polytheistic systems. The Brahmin worship- 
 ped in beautiful temples carved with ritualistic designs, filled with 
 shrines, towers, altars, and emblems, and his mind was appealed to in 
 ceremonies made up of symbolism, consecrated fire, purification, in- 
 vocation to the sun, and sacrificial ceremonies to the new moon. 
 
 Buddhism is styled the Protestantism of the East ; it objected to 
 the ceremonials of Vishnu. It is a religion of ''individual salvation 
 based on personal character." As long as Buddha lived, his followers 
 maintained personal asceticism, but at his death Buddhism followed 
 the natural instinct of humanity, and appropriated ceremonials and 
 ritualistic forms of worship. The Buddhist never enters his temple 
 without an offering of flowers or rice ; he joins his hands and lifts 
 them to the height of his forehead ; he goes to his temple at least 
 once in every full moon ; he burns incense of sandalwood dust. This 
 is the art idea, the use of objects to arouse the mind and fix the 
 thoughts. 
 
 The followers of Confucius, in China, have ceremonials and a cer- 
 tain play of symbolic imagery, combined with liturgal law, for the 
 observance of rites. Altars dedicated to the earth are square, those 
 dedicated to the heavens are round. In winter the priests wear blue^ 
 in the summer saffron ; when the moon is full they celebrate the adora- 
 tion in robes of cream white. Confucian worship is full of symbolic 
 and pictorial ritual. Before the gates of the temple stands a copper 
 statue whose mouth is covered with three fingers, denoting silence. 
 Doctor Pompelly in his Middle Kingdom says : " I never entered 
 their temples without a feeling akin to awe, or rather that sentiment 
 which ever attaches to the contemplation of those things hidden be- 
 hind the veil of mystery." And in saying this the learned doctor 
 bears testimony to the power of ritual to impress the novitiate with a 
 feeling which will make the ceremony most effective. 
 
 Turning now to a most ancient mystic faith, that of Persia, the 
 people of Darius and Xerxes, we encounter marks of ritualistic ser- 
 vice, repeated in lines of strength and beauty. It was not a system of 
 idolatry. Rawlinson says of it, that it " comprised prayers and thanks- 
 giving to the good spirit of creation. " Fire altars burned perpetually, 
 and around them priests, in white robes, led the people in prayers to 
 the sun, as a symbol of the Supreme God. The sacred fire which 
 burns even to-day on the altars of Bombay is a symbol of purity, 
 warmth, and life. Zoroaster discovered God in the eternal fire ; the 
 flame was to him then, and is to his followers to-day, a type of im- 
 mortality and of the resurrection of the soul. 
 
XX 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 The same elaboration of ritual exists in the ancient religions of 
 Assyria, Babylonia, Media, Parthia, not always decorous, sometimes 
 not even decent, but impregnated throughout with man's love for 
 ceremonies, mysteries, rites, and ritual. 
 
 Mahomedanism is based on one simple affirmation of faith. 
 ''There is but one God, and Mahomet is his prophet." Surely this 
 does not invite the use of ceremonial. It does not suggest those strong 
 appeals to the senses ; no sacrifice, no mysteries, no ritual. It evokes 
 no sentiment, it teaches morals, and has codes, and is fatalistic. Yet 
 symbolism underlies the undying beauty of its temples. Its heaven is 
 a garden of delight with a river flowing through it ; its hell a couch 
 of fire and grievous pain. Among the oriental peoples, forms and 
 ceremonies cannot be repressed. The rabbi reads the Koran with a 
 drawn scimiter in his hand, to indicate that Moslemism won its way 
 by conquest ; the shoes of the worshippers are removed, and the faith- 
 ful prays kneeling toward Mecca, and this he does five times a day at 
 the call of the muezzins. The followers of Mahomet nurture their 
 religious feelings through ritualistic forms very intense, while their 
 pious pilgrimages to Damascus, Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina are 
 still considered the holiest actions of a Mahomedan's life. 
 
 In Judaism we meet the most pronounced type of ritualistic prac- 
 tice ; especially impressive, as it is said to be the outgrowth of Divine 
 direction. It marks the climax of ceremonial observance. The 
 Hebrew ritual was consecrated almost by God's word of mouth, and 
 its beneficent effects suggested most pointedly in commands to those 
 who were to " work in the sanctuary according as the Lord had com- 
 manded." The service of the tabernacle was expressly provided for, 
 and that of the temple was elaborate and wonderful. The sons of 
 Aaron wore a special apparel, girted about the waist with a girdle of 
 needle-work, while the high priest wore a belt of blue, purple, and 
 scarlet, intermingled with white, and marked with flower forms. 
 The vesture of the high priest was resplendent with gems. The 
 ritual of the temple was magnificent ; the eye was arrested by the 
 sacrifice, the ascending smoke, the flame, the moving priests, the 
 motion of the celebrants, the lustre of lights, wreaths of fragrant in- 
 cense, and the pontifical splendor of Solomon. The ritual dominated 
 the service in a series of symbols whose impressiveness was especially 
 eloquent. 
 
 I make no allusions to the ceremonials of Greece'or Rome, because 
 they seem to have been derived from the Egyptian. 
 
 Mexico and Peru had a ritual, formal and pompous. According to 
 Prescott they overlaid their temples with precious metals, and the 
 Temple of the Sun was " literally a mine of gold." What more effec- 
 tive appeal as a spectacle than these costly temples of South America, 
 dancing with lights and glistening with gold, while in symbolism 
 their services were unusually rich. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xxi 
 
 We turn to the savage races, to the barbarous tribes, and we find 
 the ritualistic instinct absent, entirely undeveloped. They have 
 nothing, worthy the name of religion ; they have something little 
 above superstition, a fear of the future, half awakened emotions not 
 expressed in either the art or music of a ritual. Their half animal 
 mind barely touches the realm of religious ideas. They are the 
 vulgar dupes of medicine men ; the rites they perform are the frenzied 
 exorcism of evil spirits, or the imbecile pandemonia of a war dance. 
 And yet among the wildest tribes of Africa we read of certain acts of 
 worship, which show the universal instinct for forms, although they 
 be silly, empty, and stupid. 
 
 I have followed ritualism through mankind, showing that it is not 
 a chance or a modern device. It is a constitutional inherent necessity 
 in man, to express his feelings in an outward sensible form which to 
 him fitly excites or responds to the emotions, or serves to express an 
 idea by a symbol. 
 
 The acknowledged power of the Roman church, the beautiful ritual 
 of the Protestant Episcopal church, the growing tendency of all the 
 churches to a form of service less rigid and more elaborate, show that 
 with the enlightenment of the new century and the advancement of 
 civilization the growing enrichment of public worship forbids the 
 idea that the ritual is a relic of barbarism or the plaything of fools. 
 Rather it increases the solemnity of worship, and clothes its cere- 
 monies with majesty and beauty. It anchors our faith by its iteration, 
 impresses the indifferent or forgetful mind, breathes upon our devo- 
 tions the sanctity of music and poetry, attracts the unthinking, turns 
 thoughtlessness into attention. Beautiful symbols summon the un- 
 seen to communicate with the actual, stirs the imagination, and 
 refines the feelings. Such are the uses of ritual, and its gracious 
 offices should be welcomed, not spurned. The church that is to-day 
 the strongest, the Roman Catholic, is the most ritualistic, while that 
 one which endeavored to discard all forms in worship, the Quakers or 
 Friends, is fast dying out. 
 
 The social demand of fraternal and secret societies in this time 
 has grown beyond the ordinary man's ability to meet. There must be 
 some other inducement than the mere routine of business. Hence the 
 attraction of a ritual must be added to draw him to the sessions. 
 Literary exercises are desirable, but experiment has proven that for 
 general lodge purposes an interesting program of sufficient merit is 
 difficult to maintain for any length of time, and in some memberships 
 impossible. The same effort put forth to render impressive a ritual, 
 to keep it free from errors that mar, to develop its literary beauty and 
 adorn its services with song, in fact, to give spirit and character, im- 
 pressiveness and beauty to every part of the ceremonial, will have a 
 better effect on the attendance than a literary effort which involves 
 far more effort, and soon becomes spasmodic and irregular. I have 
 rarely sat in a lodge-room of inattentive or listless members when the 
 
xxii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 ritual was properly performed. To this end, therefore, I commend 
 those who object to a ritual as dull from iteration or cumbersome 
 from inability to secure proper rehearsals. I admit the difficulty, but 
 fail to find a suggested substitute which involves less. 
 
 In a paper prepared recently and read before the Monongahela 
 district convention, Royal Arcanum, Past Grand Regent Lathy, treat- 
 ing the subject, said : 
 
 I do not know of any order which has succeeded without a ritual, 
 secret or otherwise ; in fact the rule has been, the better the ritual, or 
 rather the better the ritualistic work is performed, the more success- 
 ful the society. The superiority of our organizations over what 
 "might be termed the business life insurance concerns lies in the fact 
 that we utilize the gregarious tendencies of human nature to herd 
 together. But men, though gregarious, are not ruminant, and when 
 herding they must have something more to do than merely to look at 
 or rub against each other. The brain must be occupied, the mind 
 diverted, so that the ordinary cares of life may be for the time for- 
 gotten. There must be something to do at each meeting, and the use 
 of a ritual not only insures the doing of it, but the doing of it decently 
 and in order. Whenever men meet regularly some forms must be 
 adopted to govern the proceedings. 
 
 The main object of any deliberations held on this subject will 
 hardly be whether a ritual is needed, but rather how may each 
 society here represented obtain a better ritual, or the best ritual ? 
 
 It is easy to criticise ; my experience leads me to the conclusion 
 that it is easier to tear down than to build up. "The boys on the 
 fence can always play better ball than the ones in the field until they 
 get down and try it," as Brother Lathy says, and if some of the 
 critics would try their hands at a. perfect ritual, perhaps they would 
 see the difference. 
 
 A good ritual may be outlined as follows : 
 
 First. It mu3t be short. 
 Second. It must be impressive. 
 Third. It must be decorous. 
 
 Fourth. It must be sprightly, and if possible musical. 
 
 Fifth. It should have marching movements and responsive read- 
 ings which will embrace the entire membership. 
 
 Sixth. The candidate should be instructed in the work as he ad- 
 vances, and not be compelled to stand and listen to a long lecture after 
 the ceremony is really over. Just at this point most rituals fail. 
 
 Seventh. The candidate should be warmly welcomed by all the 
 members present as a part of the ceremony. 
 
 Eighth. The parts should be memorized 
 
 Let me here remark that the ritual may be the best that wisdom 
 can inspire or the brightest genius conceive, unless the officers do 
 their parts well it will fail to satisfy. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xxiii 
 
 If it must be read from books, let it be carefully read and properly 
 rendered. 
 
 Rattled off in the style all too common, the evident object being to 
 g-et through, it becomes nonsense to the candidate, and its lesson is 
 lost. 
 
 An indifferent ceremony well rendered is better than an excellent 
 one indifferently done. 
 
 The chief object of an initiatory ceremony, however, must be kept 
 constantly in mind, and even at the risk of being tiresome, I will re- 
 iterate : 
 
 First. It must be framed and must be rehearsed so as to create in 
 the mind of the applicant at the very threshold of his membership a 
 favorable impression of the institution with which he is allying him- 
 self ; it must win his admiration and respect. 
 
 Second. The ceremony must be well performed. Lodge meetings 
 will receive increasing attention from impressive and well-recited 
 lessons. 
 
 Third. Members of fraternal benefit societies will become im- 
 pressed by well-delivered lectures — such as abound in every ritual — 
 on the nobility and sacredness of their unselfish mission. The mere 
 business features become subordinate, and the brothers will learn to 
 appreciate that charity which is the broad foundation stone, and that 
 fraternity which is the bulwark of every protective assessment associa- 
 tion. In no method can we teach these great truths or keep them so 
 constantly in view, as by frequently rendering with care and fidelity 
 the brief but impressive and harmonious lessons of the book of the 
 ritual. 
 
 Fourth. The ritual to be effective must be dignified, elevating, and 
 instructive. The work of the ritual must not be too broad, it must 
 not degenerate into anything of a farcical nature, calculated to give 
 offense, but it should be made entertaining. It must not be a roaring 
 farce like the Sons of Malta, but be a beautiful, useful, uniform, har- 
 monious, and impressive ceremony. 
 
 Fifth. Every ritual should be memorized. If too long for that, it 
 must be cut down. The reasons for this need not be urged before this 
 intelligent assembly. They are apparent, cogent, and conclusive. 
 No ritualistic ceremony, however perfect it may be, can be impres- 
 sive and give satisfaction, if it be read to the candidate. The most 
 brilliant and attractive order the world has ever known has become 
 illustrious through its ritualistic achievements, which would be tame, 
 flat, stale and unprofitable if rendered from books by Masters and 
 Wardens. The object of an initiation is to impress upon a candidate 
 the characteristics of an order, and make them real to him. Who 
 that has seen the three burning tapers, or passed under the living 
 arch, or sat in meditation before mortality, will ever forget the lessons 
 then impressed in lectures recited, not read to him. 
 
-xxiv 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 Sixth. The ritual must not be too long. We, brethren, are for the 
 most part actively engaged in business, and late hours must be 
 avoided if the lodge meetings are to be made attractive. Twenty min- 
 utes is long enough in which to initiate a candidate, under ordinary 
 circumstances ; and ceremonies which at any time require more than 
 half an hour should be cut down. Preparation should be made before- 
 haad, certain officers have charge of the paraphernalia, and when an 
 initiation is to occur should have all the material conveniently at 
 hand, so that no time be wasted in its preparation. When the time 
 comes push the work along vigorously and without delay. Do not 
 suborn deliberation to haste, but see that each moment is occupied. 
 
 Objection is made to the ceremonials of the orders as puerile. In- 
 telligent men say their ears are vexed with badly pronounced English 
 and attempts at the dramatic which are only ludicrous. 
 
 I might venture to say that no man has mingled much in the 
 orders who has not, at times, been humiliated in this way. He feels 
 self-abased by the illiteracy of officials who stumble over good English, 
 while the tragic or dramatic parts of the ceremony, intended to bo en- 
 acted so as to create an impression for good, are read from a book or 
 slowly deciphered from a card which, by reason of finger and pencil 
 marks, is almost unreadable. The ideal of the author of the ritual is 
 burlesqued, and the whole performance is both a travesty on the dra- 
 matic and a grotesque imitation of an intended solemnity. It is bathos 
 instead of pathos. 
 
 Does this argue against a true ritual? Does it follow because a 
 country church service falls far short of the grand cathedral worship 
 that the one must be condemned ? Men are impressed by true ritual. 
 The church service under vaulted dome, surrounded by the acces- 
 sories of art, the chants accompanied by grand organ effects which 
 roll through vaulted roofs, the modulated tones of a good reader, re- 
 sponses from a well-trained choir, the solemn lights, the rich vest- 
 ments, the orderly worshippers, the bowed heads. Breathes there a 
 man, be he Catholic or Protestant, churchman or heretic, who is not 
 moved by such concord ? 
 
 So, also, who has not seen the noisy audience of an opera house 
 hushed to stillness at the prayer scene in the Pirates of Penzance, or 
 the cathedral scene in the Huguenots ? Who has not felt heart 
 throbs of sympathy as Knights Templar under an arch of steel in 
 beautiful ritual laid to rest one of their fraters ? 
 
 The fraternal ritual is a bond which will cement. Its universality 
 is its boast ; it knows no state lines, it is national. At its altar men 
 of all religions may kneel ; to its creed disciples of every faith may 
 subscribe. 
 
 The use of rites and symbols is an instructive one. It belongs to 
 our humanity. Whether found in the temples of Greece or in the 
 groves of Rome, the caves of India, or amid the rocks of Gaul, by the 
 oaks of Britain, in the cathedrals of Europe, or the temples of Mexico, 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 XXV 
 
 or in the lodg-e-rooms of the nineteenth century, ritualism has 
 elevated the tone of mankind, strengthened the social feelings, refined 
 and extended the amenities and charities of life, softened the bitter- 
 ness of war; it has proven a potent influence in extending, elevating, 
 and refining civilization, and in advancing the moral, intellectual, and 
 religious character of mankind. 
 
 This being its history in the past, who will gainsay its future V 
 Who shall deny to the grandest charity ever conceived in the hearts 
 of men, this wonderful product of nineteenth century civilization, the 
 beneficial plan of co-operative and voluntary mutual assessment in- 
 surance, the benefits of so powerful an auxiliary, that mystic tie which 
 binds together so many men in an effort to promote the happiness of 
 the human race ? " 
 
 Woodcraft, 
 
 The following is the address delivered by Judge C. J. Lindly, of 
 Greenville, Illinois, at the entertainment given by Victory Camp, 
 No. 452, February 22d, 1898 : 
 
 It was said that Plato remonstrated with his friend Archytas be- 
 cause he framed machines for useful purposes on mathematical prin- 
 ciples; that Archimedes apologized for a supposed perversion of 
 science for those inventions that were the wonder and admiration of 
 after ages. The philosophers of that age taught the use of mathe- 
 matics for the development and discipline of the mind, but it was 
 thought improper to apply it to useful inventions that would serve to 
 make easier life's burdens, or that would in any way tend to lift them 
 from the "stooping shoulders of the world's weary workers." In the 
 art of healing they thought it wrong to prolong life by the aid of 
 medical science. In many respects the civilization of the past may 
 have been abreast or even excelled us, as in "poetry, eloquence, and 
 philosophy, in both brilliant rhetoric and subtle logic, " but the crown- 
 ing distinction of our civilization is the practical application of all 
 progress in knowledge and science to the convenience of man, and for 
 the comfort and happiness of the human race. 
 
 Thus mathematics has not only been used to develop the mind, 
 but to overcome the obstinate resistance of nature, and with science 
 to subjugate all material forces and physical laws to the mind and 
 purposes of man. As a result of this practical trend, the multiplicity 
 of labor-saving machinery makes life's labors light, and science 
 makes the night as light as day. The wonderful relief and restora- 
 tions made by medical science of to-day would have been considered a 
 miracle a century ago. This idea of being practical has been carried 
 into our lives, our homes, our thoughts, and has lengthened the life 
 
xxvi 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 of man. This advancement of humanity has been made gradually, 
 and is like the incoming tide of the ocean — "the undertow may leave 
 bare the strand, but each succeeding wave mounts a little higher and 
 makes its mark upon the shore." 
 
 As a result of the activity of the mind, the Divinity within us, 
 progress is stamped upon everything, and with this advancement 
 comes practical lessons that teach us how to give vigor to steps and 
 something more than tiresome aim in life, and warns us that in this 
 world we should be something more than an echo. This spirit grasps 
 the good of all ages from the history of the past, applies it to the 
 necessities of the present, and thus transformed by the practical 
 modern mind, and taken in conjunction with the progress of mental 
 science and the practical tendencies of the age, it becomes the founda- 
 tion of our present advanced civilization ; thus none of the good is 
 lost, for the coin of the past is reminted, and comes forth "bearing 
 the image and superscription of a fairer future and a diviner destiny." 
 
 The basis of human actions of this day is its methodic philosophy 
 and wisely-directed efforts ; they rest not upon the wild, impetuous, 
 unregenerated impulses of the past. Among the many offsprings of 
 this practical age are the fraternal organizations which fill our land 
 from shore to shore, that have done so much under " the white banner 
 of charity " to relieve the distressed and to ameliorate the sufferings 
 of humanity ; and in this great and grand northwest, of which our 
 state forms an important part, the most conspicuous fraternal bene- 
 ficial society is the Modern Woodmen of America, the local members 
 of which have gathered here to-night with their wives, daughters, 
 friends, and sweethearts to pass a pleasant social evening, and to 
 gather around the banquet board of the Woodmen of this forest. 
 
 Woodcraft bears the stamp of the age. It is practical because it is 
 popular, progressive, and equitable ; because its membership is con- 
 fined to the states of Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska, 
 Minnesota, Michigan, the two Dakotas, Colorado, and Missouri, ex- 
 cept the cities of Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, and St. Louis, a garden 
 spot that is the healthiest on earth, a territory across which no epi- 
 demic has ever been able to sweep ; practical, because it does not 
 include the great cities within its territory, because it excludes from 
 membership the vicious and depraved, because those engaged in 
 hazardous occupations can not become members, because sobriety and 
 honesty are demanded of every Neighbor ; practical, because its 
 membership is made up of young and progressive men, because the 
 best citizens of the states within its territory are promoters of Wood- 
 craft, because it is not a stock company, managed for the benefit of 
 a few, because it has a representative government in which the mem- 
 bers are the sovereign power and have absolute control. Its represen- 
 tatives meet once every two years to consider plans, to tabulate, to 
 analyze, to compare, to remodel, to perfect, to equalize burdens, and 
 to elect its officers. It is practical, because it has the cream of terri- 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xxvii 
 
 tory and character of membership ; because the only warfare it wages 
 is for the relief of its members living and the widows and orphans of 
 its members dead, and not to promote selfish, temporal interests ; be- 
 cause it teaches friendship and morality and is a place where men can 
 meet as brothers and "heart beats true to heart ; " because, in short, 
 its foundation-stone is practical fraternity, and it enables us to make 
 provision while living for the contingency of death. It is eminently 
 practical and cannot fail, because it meets so perfectly the common 
 wants of a common people. 
 
 We are making this an age of reflection as well as an age of 
 reason. As the solid strata that lie unseen beneath the surface give 
 shape and contour and direction to the lofty mountain range, so there 
 is a motive underlying our actions that prompts every prudent man 
 at all times and under all circumstances to consider well the future 
 of those dependent upon him after he has passed over the "dark 
 river called death." Woodcraft answers this purpose, and by small 
 monthly payments, the lowest minimum assessments that are possible, 
 it guarantees at death a specific sum. Some men consider this matter 
 lightly, as the fitful shadows play upon the waters, coming and going 
 with the " drift of the changing clouds," so they consider only for a 
 moment this important question when the angel of death has rung 
 down the curtain upon the " stage of another human life." We are too 
 apt to view death as something far in the future. As one standing on 
 the seashore watches the distant snowy sail that glides silently along 
 the horizon afar off, beautiful, unknown, so to us sails the ship of life, 
 and only He who holds in His hands our destiny knows the hour of 
 the call. Hope, the twin sister of immortality, is ours for the present, 
 but disappointments are the lessons of life and none fail to learn them, 
 for life is filled with " scarlet buds and sombre blossoms." 
 
 This day is the anniversary of the birth of the father of our 
 country ; his patriotism is like a beacon light leading on the brave 
 heroes and illuminating the long struggle for liberty, and its light 
 faded not till the prize was won, and even now it shines brightly, and 
 will shine on forever. From the final victory at Yorktown, this 
 nation has " stood under the blue and the stars, nature's flag, sublime 
 and free." In his life three traits were most prominent: courage, 
 purpose, and persistency, and these having been so deeply and per- 
 manently planted in the hearts of our people, they have enabled them 
 to pass more rapidly the milestones of civilization than any other 
 people. It is in the early period of a nation's existence, the time of 
 its origin and growth, of weakness and danger, that love of country 
 seems most strongly developed ; it is then that sacrifices are cheer- 
 fully made, dangers and toil readily met, and life is more freely given ; 
 it was ever so at the birth of this nation, whose foundation could have 
 been in no other way laid, and has secured to us liberty and freedom. 
 Yet how much stronger should be our love of country when the same 
 objects demand our vigilance, when added to these are all the sacred 
 
xxviii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 memories this day recalls, when every lofty mountain, every plain and 
 valley, every hill and dale, every stream and majestic river, every 
 craggy cliff and frowning headland stands as objects made sacred to 
 the memory of the past, and as altars on which our ancestors have 
 offered their blood as a sacrifice for liberty. This is a subject on 
 which we love to dwell, but time forbids. 
 
 In the days of Washington, the territory that is now the home of 
 Woodcraft was unclaimed from nature ; the rapid transformation of 
 this vast domain into peaceful homes since civilization has here 
 "crowned nature with its glory" would fill volumes; yet no more 
 rapid has been this transformation than has been the growth and de- 
 velopment of our orga.nization, the Modern Woodmen of America. 
 And we are proud to note that its most rapid growth and greatest 
 success has been under the administration of our honored citizen and 
 Neighbor, W. A. Northcott, who is a member of this Camp and Head 
 Consul of the Modern Woodmen of America. 
 
 Modern ! I like that word. It brings with it a world of meaning. 
 It represents all the advancement of the past and present. It has 
 taught man the greatness of mind and placed it above genius. The 
 wonderful inventions that surround us, the network of railroads, the 
 electric highways in our cities, the cable, the telegraph, the telephone, 
 the phonograph, the electric spark that illumines our cities, the dis- 
 coveries in science, the complicated inventions of the hour, the won- 
 derful telescope, through which none can look without a feeling of 
 awe, as it seems to lift us up and bear us away into the unknown and 
 infinite, revealing to us what it would almost seem had not been in- 
 tended for human eye to behold. These are marvelous to contemplate, 
 yet v/e are now taught that there is one thing more wonderful than 
 all these inventions and discoveries, and that is the mind that con- 
 trived them. One thing is more inspiring than the stars, and that is 
 the mind that discovers their hidden laws and unlocks their com- 
 plicated movements. It is this higher part of man that Woodcraft 
 around its camp-fires seeks to elevate, to brighten, and ennoble ; and 
 while it inspires us with hope, it teaches us charity "that extends 
 beyond the grave." Modern ! What a world of victories that word 
 represents, of mind over matter, of education over ignorance, of 
 liberty over tyranny, of freedom over oppression, of religion over 
 idolatry, of Christianity over superstition, of charity over selfishness 
 and greed, of man over himself. How properly has it been applied to 
 Woodcraft ; for this is one of the modern societies that has brought 
 life insurance within the reach of all, the rich and poor alike. As 
 the seven prismatic colors of the rainbow contain within themselves 
 the whole substance of light, so this word " modern " represents the 
 substance or the climax of all progress made by man. It calls to our 
 mind the vast changes made and the objects to be attained in the in- 
 itiation of a candidate into secret orders. How our blood chills when 
 wo review the initiation into the ancient mysteries, which took place 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xxix 
 
 in groves and caves ; how the candidate was thrust into the yawning- 
 mouth of the cave, surrounded by a black and gloomy lake ; the 
 ground trembled and rumbled beneath his feet ; the mountain tops 
 quaked, ?ind the dogs made hideous the woods with their howls, after 
 which they advanced in darkness through the desolate abode of Pluto. 
 After passing for three or four days from one horrid representation to 
 another, he was thrown into the river Styx, and left to his own fate. 
 The candidate was then tortured by sword and fire, was passed 
 through flame and inhuman tortures and fatigue, and often sank in 
 despair. When we think of the applicants for the Pythagorean 
 mysteries, who being subjected first to three years abstinence from all 
 food and drink, save barely enough to sustain life, next they were 
 sentenced to three years silence, to teach them humility (for this 
 reason, I suppose, no woman ever applied); and at last being deprived 
 of their property, and only permitted to hear the lectures of Pytha- 
 goras from behind the screens. Or the ancient initiation into the 
 Mexican mysteries; how the candidate beheld the sacrifice of his fel- 
 lowmen upon the altars made to the gods, and was then forced into 
 the cave of initiation, filled with the shrieks of despair bursting from 
 the lips of those about to be made victims to minister to the gods, • 
 with the groans of the dying, while the priests offered the victims one 
 by one. The candidate passed from one terrible scene to another, as 
 he waded through human blood, now warm and now cold, until he 
 reached the place where he was forced up many feet and thrown head- 
 long to the thousands below, who, with their victorious shouts, greeted 
 the new-born soul. How we are elevated in the initiation of Wood- 
 craft; every act performed, every sentence uttered, is intended to 
 elevate man and make him better ; to give him a higher conception of 
 his duties to his fellowman, and make him nobler ; to teach him fra- 
 ternity and charity, thus bringing him nearer the Divine. 
 
 As the colors of the spectrum, though of varied brilliancy and in- 
 tensity, when blended produce a clear, unsullied white, so the feelings 
 of the heart, though of varied depth and power, are limited and har- 
 monized by the medium of Woodcraft, and brotherly love and charity 
 are the characteristics developed. Within the walls of the Camp the 
 inquiring spirit finds meet companions. He may enter Woodcraft 
 fretted with worldly disappointments, bowed down with misfortune, or 
 oppressed with care ; here he listens to words of truth and kindness, 
 which meet him at every step. A new chord is touched, and as it 
 thrills through his frame he begins to feel "how good and pleasant a 
 thing it is for brothers to dwell together in unity." 
 
 Here he is taught that friendship is more than a name. What a 
 charm there is in friendship; how the mind turns to home, where it 
 is seen in its beauty and intensity. "The wife's devotion has ever 
 been the theme of the poet's song and minstrel strain, and filial love 
 has been promised a blessing in its fulfillment." It was seen at the 
 ^ross, when, amid revelings and reproaches, the faithful disciples 
 
XXX 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 stood by and witnessed the last agony. It guided the lone woman at 
 early dawn to the sepulchre to see where they had laid her Friend and 
 Master. It is the basis of Woodcraft. " It is the golden thread which 
 runs through the web of life, imparting strength and beauty." By the 
 camp-fire we are taught to think well of our neighbor, and this is the 
 first step toward seeking to do him good. We learn to regard him as one 
 who has claims upon our sympathy and regard. Woodcraft not only 
 teaches the higher qualities so necessary to the higher man, but 
 through its plan of insurance it secures to the family of the deceased 
 a certain sum of money ; it thus protects our loved ones, and our af- 
 fection for them is the foundation of our social virtue. As the roads 
 are paths at the foot of the mountain all leading to the summit, so 
 every effort of life is in the interest of those bound to us by the ties 
 of home. We labor at all times to leave for them a competency, 
 something to educate the children, and Woodcraft offers the best op- 
 portunity to do this, imposing no heavy burdens upon its members. 
 
 Domestic affections are found alike in the hovel and the mansion ; in 
 the ignorant and wise, in the weak and the strong ; its presence 
 blesses the home of all. Poets have known this, painters have seized 
 upon it, critics have pointed it out in the best ideal delineations, 
 both of ancient and modern times. It brightens the home of the poor 
 and the weak, it softens the gloomy and otherwise forbidding char- 
 acter of the stern Achilles ; it invests with superior beauty and almost 
 sacredness "the aged Priam, suing for the dead body of Hector." 
 It constitutes one of the brightest ornaments with which Virgil knew 
 "how to adorn the character of the hero of the ^neid." Audit 
 stood forth in the affections of Napoleon for his son, and in the grief 
 of Cromwell for the death of his daughter, as a "gentle star glitters 
 on the brow of night." 
 
 It was said that the Egyptians, not being able to calculate the 
 movements of the heavenly bodies, entertained fears at each change 
 or disappearance of the moon from the earth that she would not 
 again return, hence so overjoyed were they on the appearance of the 
 new moon that they instituted a festival, and men were selected to 
 repair to the mountain tops to discover the first appearance of the 
 Hecate, and then with all speed to convey the glad tidings to the 
 people, on arrival of which the festival commenced ; and to the in- 
 vited guests of this Camp to-night, I desire to say the new moon is 
 here, and the feast is prepared, and the tidings are borne to us through 
 eighty thousand Woodmen that the wisest thing you can do is to 
 3oin us in the support of Woodcraft. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xxxi 
 
 Tribute to the Bead. 
 
 The following is an extract from some of the addresses delivered 
 at the memorial exercises, Springfield, Illinois, June, 1893 : 
 
 It has been one year since I gathered with you here in this beauti- 
 ful cemetery, beneath the fraternal banners of Woodcraft, and in the 
 shadow of the monument that marks the last resting-place of the im- 
 mortal Lincoln. During that year thirty thousand new men have 
 joined our ranks. Our order has drawn thirty thousand more homes 
 within its protection. Fifty million dollars of insurance has been 
 written. During the last year nearly $1,000,000 has been paid to the 
 families of deceased neighbors. This sum has gone to make desolate 
 places glad ; it has gone to wipe the tear from the cheek of the widow ; 
 it has gone to feed and clothe little children and send them to school. 
 During the past year eighty thousand Woodmen have been sowing the 
 seeds of fraternity and charity — a charity that shines as brightly in 
 this age of selfishness as do the stars on the dark mantle of night. 
 
 Nowhere else in the ten states which comprise the jurisdiction of 
 Woodcraft could such a scene be presented as we have here to-day. 
 Twelve hundred Woodmen with bright banners and martial music, 
 a vast military pageant, marches to prayer. The winds stir the folds 
 of dark-draped mourning flags. Beautiful flowers, emblems of im- 
 mortality, are placed with loving hands upon the graves of our de- 
 parted neighbors. Springfield, the first city in all the world in 
 Woodcraft, has to-day lifted that white banner of charity a little 
 higher than it has ever been lifted before. This day's exercises not 
 only inspires us who take part, put places Woodcraft higher in the 
 estimation of the public. It is an object lesson in fraternity. 
 
 Mr. Northcott spoke at length on the character of the great north- 
 west, in which this order was planted, and said : Woodcraft is the 
 great champion of home. The strength of a nation is not in its army 
 and navy, but in the number of homes in its midst. Not from its uni- 
 versities, whose ambitious spires kiss the sky, but from the little 
 school house in the valleys and on the hills. Not from the gold locked 
 in vaults, but from the number of its people who own their own 
 homes and are able to have three square meals a day, and are able to 
 send their children to school every school-day in the year. This was 
 the condition of this great northwest. — Head Consul Northcott. 
 
 The value of this beautiful exercise is to the living, and not to the 
 dead. Occasions like this furnish time and opportunity for thought 
 and reflection. They admonish us of the fleetness of time, of the 
 transitory state of all things mortal, and of the certainty of death. 
 These beautiful flowers with which we decorate the graves of our de- 
 ceased brethren are but the precursors of seed which, when buried in 
 
xxxii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 the earth, come forth in new life and fresh beauty ; so we are led to 
 hope that our buried brothers are not dead, but will, in the wise 
 economy of nature and God, come forth into new and brighter life in 
 the great beyond. A great philosopher hath said that it is incon- 
 sistent with all we know of nature and her laws that anything should 
 perish and be lost to the universe ; and how much more so, he says, 
 of man, aye, of that part of man which represents his limitless intel- 
 lectual capacities, his ambitions, his loves, his hopes, and his long- 
 ings. How inconsistent with any conceivable purpose in his creation 
 is the idea that all these should return to dead earth and forever cease 
 to be. 
 
 Let these exercises stimulate us not only to hope for the life be- 
 yond, but to a greater zeal in the discharge of our helpful duties toward 
 each other while time and opportunity lasts with us. The fraternity 
 to which we belong, and of which we are so justly proud, is one of 
 the God-given agencies of this splendid civilization in which it is our 
 blessed lot to live. When we review the history of the human family 
 in all the preceding ages, how truly we can say, and how forcibly we 
 can feel, that our lines have indeed fallen in pleasant places — that 
 this is a blessed day and generation in which we live and act our part 
 in the drama of human life upon earth. There can be no civilization 
 without a degree of co-operation, and the more perfect the co-opera- 
 tion, the higher and better the state of civilization. Voluntary fra- 
 ternal co-operation and its fruits are the richest and ripest products 
 of civilization. When ignorance, suspicion, jealousy, and human 
 greed are so far overcome that universal co-operation becomes pos- 
 sible, then will be the millenium. Let us, brethren, each in his own 
 best way, as well as he can, do his part day by day, and implicitly 
 trust the future to the guiding hand of the All Wise. While we are 
 yet a long way off from that perfect state, yet it is true, and every 
 well-informed, fair-minded man knows it is true, that the present age 
 is in every way better than any age that has preceded it, and all con- 
 ditions indicate and give earnest hope that the future will be better 
 than the present. — Judge James A. Creighton. 
 
 This place, the surroundings, our environments, suggest a thought 
 of dissolution and death. But the accumulation of human experience 
 leads to the inevitable conclusion that this life of ours is not a whole, 
 but a fragment ; that we are nebulous rather than meteoric ; a 
 selected and undeveloped thing, rather than a developed and rejected 
 one. If this world is incomplete, there must be a complete one. The 
 sorrows, anguish, and pains of the human being requires some com- 
 pensation which can be given only in another world. The devastation 
 caused by the battlefield, the epidemic, the calamities innumerable to 
 which we are subject, are such that compensation could not be given 
 in this world. If in this world the soul is weary, it must find rest in 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xxxiii 
 
 another. The consuming- desire of man is purity, and that desire 
 must be satisfied, but it cannot be in this life. If this world is a fail- 
 ure, some other must be a success. Judge Creighton has told us that 
 an atom is indestructible; then the soul must be of that nature, for of 
 much more value to preserve. Scientists tell us that in the early 
 morning of life myriads of infinitesimal objects lived whose duration 
 of life was for a day only ; that in the great laboratory of nature, in 
 whose economy nothing is lost, the remains of these objects have been 
 transformed, so that we are given as a result the beautiful marble 
 which marks the last resting-place of our dead. No, nothing is lost ! 
 We can see joy in the midst of our grief, and be solaced by the an- 
 ticipation of the future. — Director J. W, White. 
 
 Value of An Order Paper, 
 
 Nothing can be more conclusive in the matter of proof as to the 
 helpfulness of an order paper than that demonstrated by an analysis 
 of the late circular issued by the Committee on Extension of the 
 Order. That we might be positive upon this matter, we checked up 
 ail the lodges in the jurisdiction of Pennsylvania, and we find the fol- 
 lowing increase in the lodges wherein the Keystone Workman circu- 
 lates, as compared with those where no copies are taken : 
 
 
 Not Taken. 
 
 Taken. 
 
 
 
 Increase. 
 
 Increase. 
 
 Total. 
 
 
 29 
 
 278 
 
 307 
 
 " 2 
 
 74 
 
 441 
 
 515 
 
 u 3 
 
 62 
 
 225 
 
 287 
 
 
 24 
 
 360 
 
 384 
 
 Total 
 
 189 
 
 1304 
 
 1493 
 
 The totals show that among the lodges that have not taken the 
 Keystone Workman only 189 of an increase has been had, while among 
 the lodges where the paper circulates the increase has been 1,304. 
 When it is further considered that only a little over one-half of the 
 lodges take the paper to any extent, and the further fact that three- 
 fourths of the increase was in lodges where the paper circulates the 
 most widely, the fact of the good the paper does in aiding to build up 
 the order is the more fully emphasized. We admit these figures are 
 a surprise to ourselves, for while being satisfied the Keystone Workman 
 was an agent for good, we had not expected such a forcible demonstra- 
 tion of its efficiency. In the light of the above should not every lodge 
 come to the front at once and place this medium of helpful work in the 
 hands of each of their m-embers.— ^e^/stone Workman. 
 
 h 
 
xxxiv 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 The Press and Societies. 
 
 " Is it of advantage to a society to publish an official paper, and 
 does the benefit derived from such publication warrant the expense ? " 
 First. As to the advantage. 
 
 An intelligently conducted journal, which is conscientiously de- 
 voted to a worthy object, is the strongest engine for good yet dis- 
 covered. If it is the organ of a guild, designed to promote the best 
 interests of its members, it is more of a necessity to the success of the 
 organization than any other influence yet employed. This was proved 
 by the pioneer journals published in the interest of the first beneficial 
 order, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, which organization 
 began to expand and grow and find favor among a wider range of 
 people under the fostering care of its newspapers. 
 
 Why a well-conducted journal in such interest is a necessity is 
 easily explained. In a community of purpose between merchants, 
 manufacturers, and artizans, it is necessary to carry on large corres- 
 pondence regarding the means by which such purpose is to be en- 
 compassed, and the immense growth of these interests at business 
 centers has for many years necessitated the publication of trade 
 journals, to either lead or supplement such correspondence. In some 
 localities these journals are issued daily, in others twice a week, and 
 in only rare instances is the interval between dates more than a week. 
 They post their readers in everything that is transpiring in the in- 
 terests they represent, clearly indicate the state of trade, adduce facts 
 which point to a prosperous outcome or the reverse, and as a means 
 of communication between buyer and seller, manufacturer and the 
 consumer, employer and employe, have become absolutely indispen- 
 sable. They prove that there can be no community without sympathy, 
 and no one need be told that sympathy cannot subsist without commu- 
 nication. 
 
 How much more strongly this sentiment applies to the conduct of 
 a fraternity than to mere business relations. Without sympathy 
 fraternity would be as impossible as vegetation without light and 
 heat. But men must be kept informed regarding the prime objects of 
 this sentiment ; must be constantly advised as to the merits and needs, 
 and told with much reiteration what will best subserve its require- 
 ments. It is only the man of narrow mind and limited information 
 who is without sympathy for everything designed to benefit our com- 
 mon humanity. When his intellect is opened by a fair statement of 
 the truth, his view is enlarged and his selfishness conquered if he has 
 a heart. 
 
 But what are the means for imparting this information most ad- 
 vantageously ? Unquestionably oral lectures are good for the purpose, 
 but they are expensive and cannot reach as many people as the^ 
 
Selected Literature, 
 
 XXXV 
 
 public press. They must be attended at stated times, or not at all. 
 The printed sheet is always ready for reference, and may be conned 
 at leisure and referred to again and again for any point not fully un- 
 derstood at first reading. It is a record with only one meaning, 
 whereas the oral address is subject to various interpretations. 
 Better than all, however, the journal renews the fraternal bond of 
 sympathy in every successive issue, by relating new incidents and 
 putting forward fresh incentives to vigilance and exertion, by arous- 
 ing the ardor of the wavering and encasing faithful workers in 
 strengthened panoply. It corrects distorted conceptions by revealing 
 the reality of the situation, and places in the hands of our friends an 
 influence for good which can be obtained by no other means. 
 
 There is but one way to overcome the scores of impediments which 
 vicious social laws have obtruded against the exercise of universal 
 charity. The gulf which separates grades of persons who are widely 
 different in their natures and circumstances can never be passed save 
 by the means of inter-communication supplied by a liberal and an 
 eclectic press. No matter how good a man may be, he will never 
 really assist his needy brother till he can understand him, till he can 
 fathom the need and feel for or with him. It is the lack of this that 
 keeps the poor aloof from the rich, the ignorant from the learned, the 
 viciously inclined from the pure and noble. Often would they be glad 
 to help and be helped, to teach and to learn, to lift and be lifted, but 
 from ignorance of each other they are helpless to give or receive. 
 Men and women who seem to possess every other requisite for philan 
 thropic work fail utterly through lack of knowledge of each other 
 and the best means to employ for their purpose. How is this knowl- 
 edge to reach them, except through an alert, comprehensive, and 
 reliable journal, edited, published, and circulated, for this identical 
 purpose ? There is no other way, except through processes much 
 more tedious and expensive, and not near so promising in practical 
 results. 
 
 Second. Does the benefit warrant the expense ? 
 
 This is the question the merchant asks when he places his adver- 
 tisement in a newspaper, and he finds his answer in an increase of 
 trade. Thus he is encouraged to continue advertising, which he 
 enlarges as trade increases, and at length he finds that publicity is 
 the main factor of his business. If he quits advertising, his customers 
 fall off, and it is not long before he is forgotten. Having failed to 
 keep in communication with the public, they stop communication with 
 him, and the result need not be described. 
 
 What other means does our order possess of keeping its claims to 
 public confidence continually and reliably before the people at a mere 
 nominal cost, if it decides that the benefit derived from an official 
 journal does not warrant the expense ? Like the merchant, it must 
 have publicity, and further than this, it must have frequent public 
 exhibits of its financial condition, as well as its wants and expecta- 
 
xxxvi 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 tions, if it wishes to enjoy the confidence and patronage of the public. 
 In other words, every fraternal organization must have a mouthpiece 
 that addresses the million in a comprehensive and understandable 
 way, and we might as well ask if the running of a steam engine in a 
 manufacturing house, or the use of a battery at a telegraph station, or 
 even the employment of a teacher in a university, is a benefit war- 
 ranted by the expense, as to apply this question to an official journal 
 for a fraternal society. Were the expense many fold more than it is, 
 the omission to provide such means of frequent communication be- 
 tween members of a fraternity', and between the fraternity and the 
 public, would indicate a lack of interest in the cause and a dereliction 
 of duty on the part of those in authority. 
 
 We cannot surrender any of our props or supports. We have no 
 more reliable coadjutor than the fraternal publications. In a great 
 measure they are like the Arkansas hunting dog, that was the main 
 support of the family. One day " Boss " crowded his head into a large 
 pitcher to feast upon the contents, and his master tried in vain for 
 several hours to release him. Then, finding he could not save the 
 dog, he cut his head off at the neck for the sake of the pitcher. But 
 that did no good, for he had to break the pitcher to get the head out. 
 If we cut off the fraternal journals, there will be nothing left but dead 
 organizations and broken promises. 
 
 Were it advisable to enlarge upon some of the more important of 
 these generalities, we would suggest that our sole medium of commu- 
 nication with the general public are the publications devoted to frater- 
 nity, and that it is only through such discussions as reach the public 
 that we can hope to influence the law-making power and secure the 
 legislation needed to harmonize the laws which govern and protect us. 
 
 We cannot command the necessary space for these discussions in 
 publications other than those under our exclusive control, and, if we 
 could, the utterances thus conveyed would lack official force and 
 prove ineffective. As the politican selects an organ, or manufacturer 
 a journal devoted to his guild, to make known to the people those 
 things supposed to be of mutual interest to them and the writers, so, 
 evidently, should the advocate of fraternity profit by so good an ex- 
 ample by following in the way of these men of ripe experience. This 
 illustration seems to be a conclusive argument. 
 
 Our laws must be harmonized if we desire unanimity of action in 
 those things which affect our associated interests, but how is this to 
 be brought about unless we make our wants known ? And how are 
 they to be made known if not through an alert and intelligent frater- 
 nal press ?—T. J. Smith. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 Our Order, 
 
 xxxyH 
 
 Next to home and to country, the Modern Woodmen of America 
 is first in the hearts of its members. Woodcraft is a product of 
 the noonday of civilization. It must be great, or it would not be so 
 lifted up in the hearts of the greatest people of this the greatest of 
 all ages. 
 
 Fraternal insurance is forging to the front as the best plan of 
 bringing protection to homes within the reach of the common people. 
 Woodcraft is in the front ranks of fraternal insurance ; it has garnered 
 the wisdom and experience of its predecessors. " It is the heir of all 
 the ages in the foremost files of time." 
 
 Woodmen point with pride to a rate of insurance the cheapest the 
 world has ever known ; to a growth that surpasses all history ; to a 
 system that is the wonder of mankind ; to a fraternal spirit that binds 
 together eighty thousand men as brothers. 
 
 " I dipped into the future, as far as human eye could see, saw the 
 vision of the world and all the wonder that would be." Our eyes 
 must be turned to the front ; we must provide for the future. 
 
 Our growth must be maintained ; it must be sound. New logs 
 must supply the burning fire. New territory must be added from time 
 to time. This territory must be good. And "westward the star of 
 empire takes its way." Our growth will not continue if our assess- 
 ments become burdensome. We must grow while our burdens are 
 light. 
 
 We must grow as a fraternity. Our ritual must be improved. 
 We will, one day, be the largest society in the northwest ; we must be 
 the greatest in fraternal spirit. Much of our future work must be de- 
 voted to improving the fraternal feature of our order. 
 
 The work of the administration of the order is becoming immense. 
 The great system must be preserved and improved. The powers and 
 relations of the several departments must become clearly defined. 
 And over all must be a general supervision directing and assisting a 
 harmonious whole. 
 
 There must be no disunion. No state lines can bound the fraternal 
 spirit of Woodcraft. There is not enough water in the Mississippi to 
 separate us. Bound together as one entire jurisdiction, we know not 
 the name of any state. 
 
 We must see that the great destiny of our order is fulfilled. We 
 must look into the future, and our development must keep pace with 
 the march of time. We are building a structure that will some day 
 afford protection for the homes of a million of freemen living in 
 that great territory which reaches from the " unsalted seas " westward 
 to where California's brooks wash down her sands of gold. — Head 
 Consul Northcott. 
 
xxxviii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 I/Ocal Camps, 
 
 The great and absorbing question which to-day is ag^itating the 
 minds and hearts of the neighbors throughout the entire jurisdiction 
 is the one of how to interest and impress upon the minds of all mem- 
 bers of Woodcraft the necessity of their attendance upon all meetings 
 of their Camps. There is one fact that is prominent and cannot be 
 disputed, that is, that in union there is strength, in numbers there is 
 inspiration and power. Many neighbors who read these lines will re- 
 call the experiences of his army life ; how well he remembers the beat 
 of the long roll, the call to arms at the midnight hour, arousing him 
 from peaceful slumbers and dreams of loved ones in their happy 
 homes ; the hurrying to and fro, the sharp and ringing word of com- 
 mand heard in the midnight darkness above the rattling noise of fix- 
 ing bayonets, the hastily formed lines, and the final order, forward ! 
 guide right ! With hesitating steps he moves to the front, gradually 
 inclining to the right until he feels the touch of elbow of his comrade, 
 which like an electric current permeates his whole being, inspiring 
 him with new courage, A spirit of inspiration takes possession of 
 his soul, causing him to feel that in the presence and touch of com- 
 rades like these nothing but death can stay his step and cause him to 
 falter in the presence of the enemy. Thus it is and should be in our 
 organization. We must learn to feel that we are not fighting the bat- 
 tles of life alone ; that our struggle to provide comfort and ease for 
 our loved ones when we have passed away is not one in which all the 
 world fights against us, but that we are a part of a great army, all the 
 members of which are marching shoulder to shoulder, elbow to elbow, 
 with comrades that can be relied upon the same as our comrades who 
 faced death on the battlefield. This is brotherhood ; this is comrade- 
 ship. In order that this feeling may be cultivated it devolves upon 
 us, one and aL, to renew our vows and pledges, one with the other ; 
 let come what may, heat or cold, rain and storm, they will keep up 
 the touch of elbows, and will see that this bond of fraternity is made 
 so strong by association that nothing can sever it. The failure, if 
 any should overtake our order, will be caused by the neglect of neigh- 
 bors to attend and take proper interest in the meetings of their Camp 
 — a failure to keep up the touch of elbows will tend to cause disinte- 
 gration, and thus bring in its train ruin and disaster. 
 
 The addition of new members to our Camps and their retention are 
 questions of primary importance. The great drawback to our order 
 is the fact that too many of our Camps fail to keep up their work in 
 strict accordance with the ritual. Too many of our neighbors seek 
 admission without the remotest idea of ever taking an active part in 
 the work ; they seek admission only for the pecuniary benefits to be 
 derived. Lodge-rooms must be made more attractive, subjects of in- 
 terest to all must be introduced and discussed, a team of bright and 
 
Selected Literature 
 
 xxxix 
 
 active members should be selected in each Camp, and induced to mem- 
 orize the ritual ; they should rehearse their work until they have 
 committed to memory every word of same. This selection should be 
 made of members who will at all times be present at the adoption 
 of members; the work will then be so perfect and impressive that it 
 will ever be remembered by the neighbor as one of the pleasantest 
 hours of his life ; and while the primary object of his seeking admis- 
 sion may not be fraternal, but one of duty to wife and children, and 
 while we recognize this to be the primary consideration in the minds 
 and hearts of all the neighbors, and viewed from this standpoint fra- 
 ternity is of secondary importance, yet the moment the neighbor is 
 obligated he has secured to his family the protection sought. Then 
 fraternity should come to the front, and the work in the Camps, if 
 carried out as outlined herein, will influence him, and by reason of the 
 impressions indelibly fixed upon his mind, and by reason of this work 
 so perfectly done, he will be made to feel that the obligation and signs 
 given, with the grasp of fellcwship, have a significance that implies 
 that there is a new relation existing, so marked as to be discernable 
 by strangers. This feeling will inspire him to carry out in his every- 
 day life the lessons he has been taught, to the end that the principles 
 of brotherly love may be promulgated and the circle of his influence 
 for good broadened. As a further inducement to cause an increased 
 attendance of members upon their Camp meetings, it is suggested 
 that a neighbor in each Camp be selected, one who has some knowl- 
 edge of the military drill, to instruct the members in a few of the 
 foot movements, and teach them how to take the proper position when 
 in line. By devoting a little time at each meeting of your Camp in 
 this instruction, you will not only interest and increase the attendance 
 of the neighbors, but you will soon have caused such a change in the 
 appearance of the neighbors that it will be surprising to all. Instead 
 of the halting and slovenly step which so many times greet us when 
 Camps make their appearance in public, they will have a dignified 
 and military appearance, one that will so favorably impress the pub- 
 lic that it will inure to the benefit of our order. — Director J. N. Beece. 
 
 BeneMs to be Derived Prom Woodcraft. 
 
 The benefits of being a member of the Modern Woodmen of 
 America are too many to be mentioned in a five hundred-word article : 
 The protection of home, the fellowship of Neighbors, the education 
 received in the Camp, and the logging bees ; the lessons taught of 
 good-will towards all men. There is no backache there caused by 
 sawing logs (after the first night), and it occurs to me that one of the 
 
xl 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 benefits of being a member of the Modern Woodmen of America is 
 the fact that we will not be expected to rise before the sun, take our 
 ax and lay low the monarch of the forest, and with our maul and 
 wedge split rails ; this has been done for us by the Ancient Woodmen 
 of America ; but we do hew through the dense forests of want and 
 privation a broad pathway for the loved ones God has placed under 
 our protection. We join the Masons and other kindred orders to 
 gratify a morbid curiosity — the Woodmen from an impulse of un- 
 selfish love for those dear to us. We recognize in each neighbor the 
 same unselfih motive, and we can but respect him for it. We find 
 this fraternal feeling of great benefit to ourselves, as it strengthens 
 our purpose and lightens our burdens. 
 
 If we seek insurance for the protection of our families, we find it 
 at actual cost in this society. There are no large dividends to be de- 
 clared to stockholders or princely salaries paid to presidents or 
 agents, but every dollar and every cent of the assessment we pay is 
 faithfully paid to the beneficiary, and an account rendered to each 
 neighbor before ho is called upon to pay another. 
 
 They tell us this society will be short-lived, and yet there are 
 societies in existence and doing business to-day in the old world that 
 were founded on similar plans over two hundred years ago ; and I 
 have no fears that that will be too short a period to answer my pur- 
 poses. 
 
 We are told our assessments will increase in number as the order 
 grows older. Last year I paid an old-line company a premium on a 
 policy for $1,000, taken out at the age of twenty-seven years, of $16.12. 
 I paid $16.50 for $3,000 in the Modern Woodmen of America, taken 
 out at the age of thirty-eight. At this rate we can stand an increased 
 number of assessments if necessary, and still have the dividends, 
 salaries, and commissions of the old-line companies in our own pockets 
 instead of in — Canada. 
 
 An incident occurred in our city germane to the subject I would 
 like to relate here. A young man was engaged in mercantile business 
 with a capital of about $2,000. His health failed, he struggled along 
 for two or three years to keep his head above water, but reverse after 
 reverse came, and the sheriff came and closed his door and left him 
 penniless. Within three months he died, leaving a loving wife with 
 three small children, but during his health he had placed his family 
 under the protection of fraternal societies, one of which placed in the 
 widow's hands a draft for $3,000, the other $1,000. The members as- 
 sisted her in selecting a little home and placing $3,000 at interest. 
 The baby died in its infancy. With this interest the mother succeeded 
 in keeping the boy and girl in school through our common school 
 course. To-day the boy, a bright lad of eighteen, is filling a respon- 
 sible and lucrative position, and the young lady is giving music les- 
 sons and finishing her musical education, a blessing to that mother, 
 and the pride of the noble brotherhood that has watched over them. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xli 
 
 We find similar incidents on all sides of us, and it is a satisfaction 
 to us to feel that every dollar we place in this fund goes to relieve the 
 burdens of the aged father and mother or widow and orphans of our 
 neighbors, and that it is a substantial offering of love and sympathy 
 in their greatest hour of need, and the comforting thought that the 
 protecting arm of this noble order will sustain those most dear to us 
 when we are called to cross the dark river of death, and the knowl- 
 edge that we have tried to do our duty will soften the pillow of pain 
 in that trying hour. — H. C. Hedges, Head Adviser. 
 
 How to Make Camps Prosper, 
 
 The way to make Camps pj'osper is to rule out all unruly and un- 
 governable members, those who take no interest, or but little, in the 
 fraternity, neighbors who scarcely ever attend its meetings, members 
 who will not read order literature, nor try to post themselves in the 
 work of the Camp, fault-finders and chronic grumblers, narrow- 
 minded and stingy men who want to rule or ruin. No Camp can pros- 
 per with such members. What we want is honest, large-hearted, 
 unselfish. God-fearing, and men-loving men ; men who are willing to 
 devote their time, talent, and money for the promotion of their Camp 
 and the general good of the fraternity ; men who will read, think, and 
 act ; men of sympathy, who can appreciate the noble principles and 
 teachings of the craft ; men who will visit the sick neighbors, care 
 for the needy, look after the widows and orphans of deceased neigh- 
 bors, and who are always ready to assist all worthy distressed neigh- 
 bors ; men who will aid all enterprises calculated to advance the in- 
 terests and promote the harmony of the Camp and the entire fraternity, 
 such men will build up a Camp. Dignified, courteous men should be 
 chosen, more for their ability to fill the place than to honor them be- 
 cause they are good fellows and popular among the neighbors. Many 
 Camps have suffered because they elect to office men who were in- 
 competent. Nature has done for some what art or science can never 
 remove, because they are "made that way." A good Clerk may fill 
 some other office in the Camp to the satisfaction of all, but would not 
 have the ability to preside. There were a good many brave, heroic 
 soldiers in the war who would never make good generals. Camps 
 should be more social, have more frequent visits one Camp with 
 another. Visitors to Camps should have more attention paid them; 
 they should be made to feel more at home in strange Camps. Because 
 •a man is not dressed in the latest fashion is no reason that he should 
 not be treated as a neighbor. There is many an honest heart beneath 
 a ragged coat. We should hold more socials, invite into our halls the 
 
xlii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 public, and let them see what we are doing for the good of our fellow- 
 men, and by our daily walk and conversation let them know that our 
 objects and aims are to do good to all. Neighbors, do you appreciate 
 our noble order and give it your best efforts to increase the member- 
 ship thereof ? Or are you like a great many others, selfish enough to 
 participate in all its benefits but do nothing in return to advance its 
 interests? If this is so, does not your conscience accuse you? We 
 think that the splendid record of the past, together with the bright 
 future before us, should inspire and enthuse the most careless among 
 our members and cause them to do valiantly in the future for the up- 
 building of our order. Members should not forget the fact that the 
 most prosperous Camps are those that have the best attendance. — /. 
 A. Westfall, Knoxville^ 111. 
 
 A Word of Advice, 
 
 The Bible says : '*He that does not make provision for his own 
 family is worse than an infidel." 
 
 My friend, we hope you will pardon us for asking you a few direct 
 questions, as our intentions are pure and good, accompanied with no 
 selfish motives whatever. In the first place, have you a wife ? Have 
 you a family of children ? If so, then let us ask you if you own a 
 house, and do you depend on your salary or wages to support your 
 family V Have you any money laid away to live on in case of sickness, 
 or can you possibly save any money from your salary after paying 
 your rent and feeding and clothing your family ? If that is your con- 
 dition, did you ever once consider seriously what would become of 
 your family if anything should happen to you ? Look at your good 
 wife and dear little children the next time you sit down to your 
 dinner, and ask yourself, how would they get along if death or an ac- 
 cident should render you unable to provide for them ? If you have no 
 wife or children to care for, then a good old father or widowed 
 mother may depend on you to provide for them in their declining 
 years. As long as you are alive and well no worry is necessary, but 
 remember life is uncertain and death is sure, and our object is to show 
 you just how to protect yourself in case you are sick or crippled, and 
 those dependent on you in case of your death ; and with a brotherly 
 feeling for all of God's creation, we beg you to consider this matter 
 seriously and make provisions for yourself and those dependent upon 
 you, by becoming a member of that grand and powerful fraternal' 
 order, the Modern Woodmen of America. You are cordially invited 
 to come and sit with us around our camp-fire. — Woodman. 
 
Selected Literature. xliii 
 From Congressman Bryan, 
 
 Time forbids a lengthy letter, but if you will excuse brevity, will 
 say that I am a member of the order, and I am glad of it. The Modern 
 Woodmen enjoy the fraternal and social advantages of such organiza- 
 tions and receive a safe insurance at a reasonable expense. Assess- 
 ment insurance costs much less than what is known as old-line 
 insurance, and multitudes are thus able to make provision for the 
 members of their families in case of death who would not be able to 
 carry insurance in the regular companies. 
 
 The importance of life insurance grows upon one as he considers it. 
 It enables young men to assume the responsibilities of married life 
 earlier than they would otherwise dare, and thus gives greater 
 stability to social order. Instead of waiting until he has a fortune to 
 lay at the feet of his bride, the young man by insurance protecting his 
 wife against the contingency of his death, has her as his willing com- 
 panion in the securing of a competence which both can enjoy in after 
 years the more fully because they have earned it together. 
 
 I believe the order is under excellent management, and trust its 
 growth in membership may be as rapid as is consistent with the main- 
 tenance of its present high standard. The social advantages of the 
 order depend upon the character of its members. Let there be no low- 
 ering of the bars to the unworthy, and let the medical examination be 
 strict enough to protect from injustice those in the enjoyment of the 
 necessary physical qualifications. — W. J. Bryan^ Lincoln., Neb. 
 
 Human F'ellowship, 
 
 The human heart is like a tendril ; it cannot grow by itself and 
 flourish alone, but leans and reaches out to other hearts and fellow- 
 ships. On this fact rests the permanency of the home, of love and 
 friendship, fraternal groups, human governments, and human society. 
 This instinct and sentiment bound the savage and early man into 
 groups and classes. It is the need men have for society and fellow- 
 ship that makes the city so popular as a habitation for man. Men 
 will suffer poverty and hard toil in a large city rather than go to the 
 country neighborhood and have comparative ease and means. Young 
 women will stay in close quarters and continue in long hours of toil 
 for small pay rather than go to a country home away from their com- 
 panions and friends. I read the insatiable thirst of the human heart for 
 fellowship in many ways and by many signs. The groups of young men, 
 older men, and boys that gather in the store and on the street corners 
 
xliv 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 are drawn there by need of their hearts for fellowship and society. No 
 greater indictment of the homes of any community can be found than 
 the fact that its members leave them for the fellowship of the street. 
 No more pathetic sight is furnished in life than to see a young man 
 whose heart aches for this sympathy and fellowship trying to get 
 satisfaction from the juiceless gossip of the street. Among the hap- 
 piest men in this world is the man who finds this fellowship in his 
 home, who finds the deepest, sweetest, truest responses to his heart 
 cravings around his own fireside, under the cheerful smile of his wife 
 and the glad laughter and frolic of his children, and with the com- 
 panionship of his friends under his own roof. Happy also the man 
 who finds this fellowship in the highest association known to man in 
 this world — the fellowship of men and women at the altar of God and 
 the worship of ihe highest goodness. The fellowships of religion are 
 the strongest and deepest, the sweetest and most satisfying of all the 
 unions and fraternities of man. But for some reason or other the 
 churches have not attracted to their fellowships the toiling masses ; the 
 strong and big-hearted men of our day are not always found in the 
 pews. Where is the fault ? Is the church's light too pale, or her 
 heart throbs too faint, her blood too thin and cold, her sympathy too 
 perfunctory and heartless ? And why does she not draw within her 
 walls the brawn and muscle of our land ? Why are not the rugged, 
 sturdy toilers attracted to her shrine for the sympathy and fellowship 
 their hearts crave ? Why are not the young men warming their 
 neglected and shivering hearts at her sacred altar ? Because the 
 church has not used her opportunity, nor been the place and home it 
 should be to satisfy the cravings and restless throbs of humanity's 
 great and famished heart. Fraternities like the Modern Woodmen 
 of America respond to the need of the human heart ; strong, toiling 
 men binding themselves together to bear each other's burdens, and 
 relieve each other's sorrows, and contribute to each other's joys. In 
 their humanity, their warmth, their thoughtful consideration for 
 the emergencies and necessities of this world they stand in striking 
 contrast to that religion whose only thought and investment is in the 
 next world ; in their strong, hearty, human fellowships, their warm 
 hand-grasps, their response to the needs and sorrows of their fellows, 
 their natural free intercourse and hope-like spirit they satisfy the 
 needs of the human heart for strong, hearty, generous human fellow- 
 ship. I am not among those teachers of religion that condemn the 
 fraternities and benevolent secret orders because they take the place 
 of religious fellowship and are strong competitors of the church by 
 attracting large classes of sturdy men to their camp-fires. Human 
 fellowship, sympathy, and hand-grasps are just the same under what- 
 ever name and fellowship, and so far as fraternities like the Modern 
 Woodmen of America contribute to the happiness of man, slake the 
 thirst of the human heart, help to relieve the burdens and sorrows of 
 life, they are doing a religious work, at least the kind of religion I be- 
 
Selected Literature, 
 
 xlv 
 
 lieve in. But the main object of our noble order is to provide support 
 for our dependent and loved ones, to insure financial aid to our families 
 when we are dead and g-one. So some seventy-five thousand of us have 
 banded ourselves together in a great brotherhood or order throughout 
 this great northwest, and without any capital except our honor and 
 loyalty to our agreement, and the income from our daily toil. When- 
 ever one of our members is taken away, and he was in good standing, 
 we all chip in a little and give it to the deceased neighbor's family, 
 or the person that is dependent on him, so that they will not feel the 
 pangs of poverty in the hour they are stricken with grief. Nothing 
 could be simpler ; it is not a number of private individuals with a cap- 
 ital away up in the millions taking risks on your life and using your 
 necessity lOr their private gain, but, on the contrary, it is a brother- 
 hood mutually agreed to help each other's families in a time of need. 
 It is the principle of co-operation to meet the emergencies of life. It 
 is based on the principle that a great number of men can do a big 
 thing easier than one man can do a small thing ; that is, this great 
 brotherhood of neighbors of the Modern Woodmen can raise $3,000 
 and send it to your widows easier than $50 could be raised by your 
 friends. This is one of the great achievements of civilization, that 
 men band themselves together for each other's welfare. Grinding 
 poverty is the widest door in the house of shame, and the fraternity 
 that gives to the wife and daughters of a deceased member a thousand 
 dollars or more is helping on the morals of the people and closing up 
 houses of infamy. It is every man's duty to make some such provis- 
 ion for his family and save them many heartaches. — J. A. Westfall. 
 
 ''Music Hath Charms/' Mtc, 
 
 If we could have our way, a portion of the time of every Camp 
 meeting would be devoted to music, both instrumental and vocal. 
 There is no way in which an assembly is so much harmonized as by 
 its magnetic charm. No other influence sinks deeper and exerts a 
 more refining and soothing influence. How pleasant a meeting seems 
 when all hearts and voices roll together in melodious sound. It drives 
 dull care away, makes life look more hopeful, and binds the whole 
 brotherhood more closely. The churches all over the land under- 
 stand the philosophy of its inspiration and employ the best talent that 
 can be had to grace their choirs. They know its magical effects upon 
 the human mind. Of course our Camps cannot go into this expense, 
 but they can do better than they do, for there are in all of them 
 musically talented persons who would take pleasure in giving their 
 
xlvi 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 valuable services to our meetings and entertainments were they prop- 
 erly encouraged. And if money has to be expended, in what way can 
 it be expended more advantageously ? 
 
 " Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast," says Congreve ; 
 and it is said that when Orpheus played upon the lyre all nature 
 stopped to listen, and even the stern gods of Hades were softened. If 
 such is the case, how much more will it charm and captivate the 
 mind of the intelligent and cultivated ? In the home music has its 
 influence, and many and pleasant the hours passed in listening to its 
 delightful strains. It is the soul's refuge in trouble and its hiding- 
 place from the world's noise and strife. It soothes the heart and rests 
 the mind. 
 
 If music is all this and more, what more appropriate place can be 
 found for its rendition and enjoyment than in our Camps ? Every 
 Camp should own a good instrument and employ some one to play and 
 lead the singing. Let music ring throughout our Camp-rooms. — 
 Woodman, 
 
 Public Entertainments by Camps, 
 
 No great enterprise succeeds in this driving business era without 
 persistent advertising. Millions of dollars are spent every year for 
 posters and hand-bills, brass bands and bill posters, runners and solic- 
 itors. The public eye must be caught, the public ear arrested, the 
 public attention attracted. 
 
 The Modern Woodmen are no exception to the rule. We have a 
 first-class article to offer, the best and cheapest of its kind in the 
 market, but the great public do not know it in all localities. Great 
 numbers of those in every community are ignorant of its scope and 
 objects. They must be informed. Men are naturally sociable ; they 
 like to be amused ; they will attend a public meeting and spend a 
 whole evening if you have a little music and lunch or speaking and 
 pay you for the privilege, when they would not stop an hour during 
 business hours to hear you talk of Woodcraft if you would pay them 
 for the privilege of talking. Therefore the custom, becoming quite 
 common, of the Camps giving public entertainments should be en- 
 couraged and their number increased. The managers should see that 
 those of the general public who are eligible and desirable should re- 
 ceive special invitation and be urged to come. Music and a little 
 refreshment for the inner man, and even a little dancing, may properly 
 be a part of the programme, but somewhere there should be a brief, 
 plain statement of the objects, aims, and progress of Woodcraft. Those 
 without the fold should have their attention called to our order ; to 
 its rapid growth ; to its cheapness ; to its promptness in payment 
 
iSelecttd Literature, 
 
 xlvii 
 
 The object of the entertainment, of course, is twofold ; to furnish en- 
 joyment to those who already belong- to us, especially to our wives and 
 children, who do not attend our Camp meetings, and to attract the at- 
 tention of those who ought to be our neighbors in the full sense of 
 the term. 
 
 We can not close this article, however, without saying that public 
 entertainments will not-accomplish much in themselves towards in- 
 creasing membership unless they are followed by a little judicious 
 personal solicitation. 
 
 The average man does not appreciate the great duty of providing 
 for his own when he shall be taken. He will be in a frame of mind to 
 listen to personal solicitation and yield to it readily after he has at- 
 tended one of our public entertainments, but it will seldom be the case 
 that it has made sufficient impression upon him to cause him to make 
 application to become a member. After every public entertainment 
 there should be a systematic effort made, consisting of personal solicita- 
 tion by members or by a Deputy Head Consul secured for that purpose 
 beforehand. 
 
 By this means, and by this means only, can we get the full benefit 
 of our labors in providing the entertainment. — Woodman. 
 
 Judicious Canvassing. 
 
 A great many members of the fraternal organizations think it be- 
 neath their dignity to solicit a person to become a member, and there 
 are those outside of such societies who are repelled by injudicious 
 advances toward that end, says an exchange. Both these extremes 
 betoken incorrect principles. In all fraternal orders the principal 
 benefits of membership are received by beneficiaries of the member. 
 The other benefits are twofold ; to the member himself during life, 
 in fraternal surroundings and in the pleasant results of brotherly 
 unity ; secondly, to the organization itself, because the addition of 
 every worthy member brings strength and adds security for its solidity 
 and perpetuity. 
 
 These facts suggest three reasons why members of a fraternal 
 order should feel it a pleasure, pride, and duty in working for new 
 members. If he has a friend in whom he and his family has much 
 interest, he is doing him a decided favor in every way in securing his 
 admission to the order. Then where is the lack of dignity in solicit- 
 ing a friend to do something of lasting benefit to himself and family ? 
 Where is there in such soliciting any element that should repel the 
 one approached ? Again, if a member knows a person who would 
 make a desirable member, and with whom he has some influence, it 
 
xlviii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 is his duty to try and strengthen the order by securing such a member. 
 There certainly is nothing- in this contrary to the spirit of true fra- 
 ternal organization. 
 
 But the other extreme is also to be avoided. The work with a 
 friend or acquaintance should be done with him alone and unosten- 
 tatiously ; not carrying the idea that the order cannot get along 
 without him, that he must join because you want him to, but upon 
 the broad principle of mutual benefit. Never approach a man in a 
 crowd, or at any time except when you have a reasonable length of 
 time to explain things to him, and he has time to listen to you with- 
 out being bored or kept from his business. Be careful with whom 
 you labor. Be careful that they are in every way desirable. Be sure 
 you know what you are talking about, and then do not be afraid to 
 labor with them. — Woodman. 
 
 Brother Joe, 
 
 He is a member of your lodge, but perhaps you do not call him 
 "Joe ;" we gave him this name because it is a plain, ordinary name, and 
 Joe is a plain, ordinary brother. He attends his lodge regularly, but 
 has little to say, visits all membei s who are sick, but lets some " better 
 talker " inform the lodge as to their condition ; never shirks his duty 
 on a committee, although he prefers that Brother Bragg read the re- 
 port. When degrees are to be conferred he is on hand to get the 
 room in order, and sometimes takes a minor part in the work ; he is 
 just plain, ordinary, unassuming, third degree Joe. His lodge has 
 never honored him with an office ; in fact it has never occurred to 
 them that he was deserving, and Joe has been content to do good in 
 his own quiet way, and has asked no reward. At times, when some 
 gifted visitor has showered praise upon the officers for the splendid 
 condition of the lodge, Joe's eyes have lighted up, and a wistful ex- 
 pression has crept over his wrinkled face, half hoping that there 
 might be some word of praise or encouragement for him ; but com- 
 pliments are not for common men like Joe, and he limps off home 
 feeling that after all he is of little consequence, and that the lodge 
 was very kind in electing him to membership. 
 
 Thus he will go on faithfully doing what seems his duty, until one 
 day a very plain casket will be carried to the cemetery, a circle of 
 members wearing the regalia of the order will drop a sprig of ever- 
 green into an open grave, and then all will march back to the lodge- 
 room — all except Joe. At the next meeting a chair, which has 
 always been filled, will be empty, and under "Good of the Order," 
 each member will have some instance to relate of kindness received 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xlix 
 
 by him from the patient, faithful brother who has been called away, 
 the charter will be draped in mourning, and a committee appointed 
 to draft resolutions, and, perhaps, Joe's picture will be enlarged and 
 placed in the hall. What a pity that the dear old brother whose 
 heart would throb with the slightest attention, should not receive a 
 small token of his appreciation while living. But thus it is in this 
 life. We seldom see the use of the common man until he is gone 
 from among us ; but there is One who sees his life in its true light, 
 and the time will come when his deeds shall be recognized and re- 
 warded. — N. W. 0. F. Beview. 
 
 Our Camp F'ires, 
 
 Venerable Consul, Neighbors and Friends : — From the time Adam 
 stood amid the green fields of nature and gave a name to each and 
 every creature, on down through all the ages that have marked the 
 history of man, it has been the custom, either for convenience or 
 gratification, to give a name to every creature or thing ; so the 
 founders of the Modern Woodmen of America selected a name by 
 which the meetings thereof shall be known ; and it seems to me that 
 there is no word in our language that brings to the mind of an Ameri- 
 can more varied thoughts and scenes than the word Camp." At the 
 mentioning of the camp-fire the mind goes back through memory's 
 halls, and sweeping away the cobwebs and dust of years brings forth 
 to view the pictures hung thereon. At the sound of these words, 
 childhood, youth, manhood, and age stand before us in one grand 
 view. It takes the student of civilization back to the snow-paths of 
 the pilgrim fathers as they wind up the rocky beach and into the 
 wild's of New England's rocky shore ; and the giant strides of Ameri- 
 can civilization as "westward the empire of state wended its way," 
 can be traced by the heavenward-wreathing smoke and the dying 
 embers of the "camp-fire," while the stormy Atlantic and the golden 
 Pacific were being united in one bond of love. The log cabin, church, 
 school-house, and block-house arise before us, and we can almost see 
 the Leather Stockings, Royal Delawares, and Cringing Mingoes as 
 they smoke the pipe of peace around its fires or plunge the cold and 
 relentless steel into the heart of the enemy. These words recall the 
 giants of the forest in their solemn majesty, the song of birds, the 
 musical ripple of silvery streams are heard, and we see the white 
 caravans wending their way across the flower-bedecked and verdant 
 prairies to circle at night around its cheering flame while sturdy 
 men guard and protect those they love, and comely matrons lull to 
 sleep within its shadows the statesmen and warriors who were to 
 
 c 
 
1 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 guide and defend this nation of ours ; for from the pure air of the 
 camp-fires of America came the breath of life to this home of liberty, 
 this citadel of freedom. 
 
 And still other scenes there are that come before us at the sound 
 of these words : The bleeding- feet and snows of Valley Forge and the 
 cotton bales of New Orleans are there ; and again the Buena Vista's 
 chaparal gives welcome shade to the dying hero, and the apple tree of 
 the Appomattox buds and blooms and bears its golden fruit as if 
 touched by the magician's wand. Thus it is that every phase of 
 American life, every step in the progress of our nation, from her con- 
 ception in the wilderness to her proud position at the head of the 
 civilized world, has linked with it memories of the camp-fire. While 
 the camp-fire is near and dear to all, yet to no other class, society, or 
 organization has it so great a meaning as to the Modern Woodmen of 
 America. Around its fire and within its circle do we learn the lessons 
 of love and charity that mark our organization. It is here we learn 
 for a truth whom our neighbor is ; here we form bonds of friendship 
 and love with our neighbor, to last until his form is laid in the silent 
 grave ; here we learn to love those traits of character that impelled 
 him to make it possible for us to turn from the tear-bedewed earth 
 that has hidden forever from mortal vision the loved form whose 
 shadow will ne'er again fall athwart the hearthstone of home , to 
 that home, sad and desolate, but not with empty hands and words 
 of mocking sympathy only, but we can come to the loved wife and 
 children and say that the husband and father in the prime of life, in 
 the strength of his manhood, realized that there is one enemy over 
 whom man cannot prevail, and that sooner or later that enemy would 
 cross his path, and whether he come in the lightning stroke or by 
 lingering and painful disease, there could be but one result ; over his 
 cold and lifeless form the cruel hand of death would write, "victory ; " 
 and while he could not stay the heart-aches and sadness, he could, 
 through the munificence of the Modern Woodmen of America, prepare 
 for the welfare of those he loved ; for our camp-fires burn not for the 
 dead but for the living ; not for those who have gone before but for 
 those who remain 
 
 Woodmen ! how truly the words of the poet apply to our organiza- 
 tion : 
 
 " Trust no future, howe'er pleasant ; 
 Let the dead past bury its dead ; 
 Act, act in tne living present — 
 Heart within and God o'erhead." 
 
 Let us. then, keep our camp-fires burning, beacons unto the weary, 
 and as their smoke wreathes neavenward may it ever ascend perfumed 
 with the incense of love and charity. — /. 2\ Sanford^ Dixon^ III. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 State Camps. 
 
 li 
 
 The Modern Woodmen of America has jurisdiction in ten of the 
 states in the northwest. This grand combination of states, the home 
 of the best people on earth, can not be excelled in or by any other 
 country on the globe. 
 
 It is pleasing to know that the organization of this grand institution 
 of ours is patterned after that of our fathers, who declared "that 
 governments that are instituted among men derive their just powers 
 from the consent of the governed ; that whenever any form of govern- 
 ment becomes destructive of these ends it is the right of the people 
 to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its 
 foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form 
 as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness." 
 
 Our National Union is composed of sovereign and independent 
 states who have entered into a compact for particular purposes. Our 
 Modern Woodmen union is composed of sovereign and independent 
 states who have entered into a compact for their particular purpose. 
 Thus our lines run parallel. The National idea, with a big "N," 
 must prevail in our Modern Woodman affairs. 
 
 Instead of there being forty-four nations, there is but one ; instead 
 of there being forty-four sovereignties, there is but one. These states 
 are integral and subordinate parts of one great whole. So it is with 
 our organization. We have jurisdiction in the several separate states- 
 composing the jurisdiction of our order; instead of these separate 
 states being separate and distinct jurisdictions, they are as one ; the 
 separate state organizations are integral and subordinate parts of one 
 great organization. The central idea of our American people is that 
 we are a nation, that we are one people, undivided and indivisible. 
 This idea must prevail in our Woodmen organization. It should be 
 written on the banner of every Camp that our Head Camp is the one 
 head of the organization, undivided and indivisible. With this senti- 
 ment predominant there will be no danger, though the boundaries 
 should embrace the half of a continent. Like the sun in the heavens, 
 which diffuses light and life and warmth, and by its subtle influence 
 holds the planets in their orbits, thus preserving harmony in the 
 universe, so is our Head Camp, through its Head Officers, making 
 prominent the sentiment of unity and fraternity in our organization, 
 diffusing light and protection, and preserving harmony in every part, 
 holding the faces of neighbors always toward their homes, protecting 
 each state organization, composed of representatives of local Camps 
 within its jurisdiction, in the exercise of their just powers, always 
 preserving the harmony of all. 
 
 We must guard with untiring energy and vigilance our organiza- 
 tion ; we must not permit imaginary lines to break the unanimity that 
 
Hi 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 now exists. The process of disintegration, if it ever fastens itself on 
 our order, will come by reason of recognizing state lines, and the 
 adoption of separate state jurisdiction. 
 
 We must cherish and perpetuate our present form of organization, 
 and never for one moment entertain a thought of changing it. The 
 wisdom of our representatives in the Head Camp assembled at Omaha 
 is appreciated to the fullest extent by the local Camps. 
 
 Our Fundamental Laws, as amended, now provide for the election 
 of delegates from each local Camp in the several states, directing 
 that they shall meet at least once in each two years, at the state 
 capital of their respective states ; it also provides that they may elect 
 officers corresponding to the officers elected in the Head Camp, and 
 in addition to considering the good of the order, they shall elect one 
 delegate at large, and in addition thereto one delegate for each five 
 hundred members within the state, or major fraction thereof, and the 
 alternates for same to represent their state in the Head Camp. 
 
 The Fundamental Laws also provide for the payment of expenses 
 of such biennial state meetings to the extent of mileage and per diem 
 of delegates at the rate of $2 per day for one day for each delegate 
 regularly elected and in attendance, and three cents per mile for the 
 distance traveled in going and coming while in attendance on said 
 meeting, the same to be paid from the general fund of the order, as 
 other claims. 
 
 This provision so wisely incorporated in our laws enables the 
 smaller Camps to have representation in the state organization, and 
 have their say in selecting delegates who shall represent the state in 
 the Head Camp. 
 
 The coming together of delegates in the state Camp direct from 
 the membership with whom they are in close touch enables them to 
 impress upon those whom they elect as delegates to represent them 
 in the Head Camp to do so fairly and intelligently ; in this way the 
 needs and wants of the local Camps can be made known to the Head 
 Camp when they convene to legislate for the best interests of the 
 order as a whole. 
 
 The objects to be gained in the organization of state Camps is the 
 securing of a united effort on the part of all local Camps within each 
 state to increase their membership and to promote the interests of 
 the order ; also to secure the best possible work, keeping a faithful 
 watch upon all classes of risks, always giving the order the benefit of 
 all doubts. State Camps organized with these objects in view will 
 show their good work, and the order generally will feel the throb of 
 new life and energy. 
 
I 
 
MinilKDrcDEflSo 
 
Humorous Side of Fraternity. 
 
 Life insurance is a great thing*. I would not be without it. As a 
 means of longevity it is equal to the French duel. My own health has 
 improved since I got my nice new policy with my name beautifully 
 underscored with red ink. 
 
 Formerly I used to have a seal brown taste in my mouth in the 
 morning. My mouth tasted like the dead past. I also had that tired 
 feeling, hot flashes, ringing in the ear, constant desire to evade 
 work, gnawing sensation at the base of the chest, horror of industry, 
 etc. 
 
 But all that has passed away. I am more hopeful, and even my 
 hair looks more hopeful. I would not try to keep house without life 
 insurance. 
 
 Six years ago I was caught up into heaven — and returned with 
 thanks — by one of the most destructive cyclones that ever visited a 
 republican form of government. A great deal of property was de- 
 stroyed and many lives lost, but I was spared. It created a great 
 deal of dissatisfaction in the community, but my life was spared. 
 People who had no insurance were mowed down on every hand, but I 
 was spared as a monument of divine clemency and mercy. 
 
 Of course I had my leg broken in two places, but I might have 
 avoided that if I had taken out an accident policy. 
 
 I look upon life insurance as a great comfort, not only to the ben- 
 eficiary, but to the insured, who very rarely realizes anything pecun- 
 iary from his venture. 
 
 Twice I have almost raised my wife into affluence and cast a gloom 
 over the community in which I lived, but something happened to the 
 physician for a few days, so that he could not attend to me, and so I 
 recovered. 
 
 For nearly two years I was under the care of a distinguished vet- 
 erinary surgeon of Wyoming. He is dead now. One day he was ill, 
 and during a lucid interval he sent for another doctor, but after this 
 doctor had gone, my physician, while delirious, prescribed for him- 
 ielf, and now the sage hen monkeys o'er his lowly tomb. 
 
 For two years he had his fingers on my pulse or in my pocket aA 
 the time. He was a young western physician, who prescribed for me 
 on Tuesdays and Fridays. The rest of the week he attended to dis- 
 eases of horses and children. He said he attended me largely for my 
 society. I felt flattered to know that he enjoyed my society, after 
 associating with horses all the week, horses who had much greater 
 advantages than I. 
 
Ivi 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 My wife first objected seriously to an insurance on my life, and 
 said she would never touch a dollar of the money if I died, but after I 
 had been ill a few months and my disposition had suffered a good 
 deal, she said that I need not delay the obsequies on that account. 
 
 But the insurance slipped through my fingers somehow, and I re- 
 covered. 
 
 In these days of dynamite and swiftly changing presidential ad- 
 ministrations, and dark tunnels through which an engineer goes 
 groping his way at twenty-five miles an hour ; these day of tumbling 
 signs of the times and tipsy telegraph poles, live wires and dead re- 
 pairers; these days when the politician and the deadly bridge 
 policeman with his pull lie down together (under the influence of the 
 same stimulent), these days when death lurks in the air we breathe, 
 the earth we tread, the food we eat, the water — the water we bathe 
 in, the — I say it behooves us to look well to our insurance and our 
 future state, and I take pleasure in hereby certifying and saying to 
 those to whom these presents shall come that since I became insured 
 my health has improved so much that it is a subject of profound con- 
 gratulation on my part and the deepest disgust on the part of those 
 who would naturally inherit my vast wealth. 
 
 The Knights of Pythias held a conclave at Dallas while I was 
 there. I wore a badge in order to be sociable, and by that means 
 learned of different grips and signs of distress. I think I could work 
 my way into a lodge, if I could have time and a large corkscrew. In 
 shaking hands with many strangers during the past year or two 
 while traveling and making a wide acquaintance, looking to any acci- 
 dental turn in affiairs in 1892, I am struck by the large and varied 
 number of grips given me which I am not able to classify. 
 
 I would think that a man who belonged to most all of the secret 
 societies must have very little time to devote to his business after 
 successfully remembering all the grips, signs, passwords, explana- 
 tions, signals, rituals, work of degrees, constitution, by-laws, reports 
 of committees, initiations, communications, and new business, good of 
 the order, violations of obligations, opening odes, manual of arms, 
 laying of corner-stones, and funeral service. If I had all these in my 
 head I could just about remember the combination of my safe, but I 
 would not be mentally adequate to anything further than that. If it 
 rained some good friend who had my best interest at heart would 
 probably have to take me by the hand and bring me in. — BiU Nye. 
 
 When Mr. Pigeon came home }ast evening the first thing he said 
 to bis wife was : 
 
 " Mary, I have joined the Knights of Labor." 
 
 She glared at him with an expression that set his teeth on edge 
 as She cried : 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 Ivii 
 
 "A Knight of Labor, eh! You'll make a sweet old Knight of 
 Labor." 
 
 "Why Mary, its a noble organization, and — " 
 
 "Yes, I know it is ; and now I suppose you'll be a walking dele- 
 gate, or chairman of the committee on boycotting, while I'm hustling 
 around in the back yard trying to rake up enough wood to build a fire. 
 I know you. Pigeon ; in my mind's eye I see you addressing a large 
 and enthusiastic audience, and telling your brethren in toil to shake 
 off the giant grasp of monopoly that is crushing the life-blood from 
 them ; but you don't tell them how your wife is down in the cellar 
 wrestling with a barrel of apples, or trying to plug up a hole in the 
 stove-pipe with a piece of carpet. I can imagine you filling the air 
 with eloquence about the horny hand of the workingman, and an 
 injury to all being the concern to one ; but I can't fancy you nailing a 
 few shingles on the roof to keep the water from soaking the flour 
 barrels. I want you to understand, John Henry, that you have 
 joined enough orders already. You are High Key Bearer of the 
 Knights of Rest, Past Grand Chieftain of the Royal Order of Free 
 Lunch Hunters, Supreme Chancellor of the Ancient Order of Dog- 
 Catchers, and I don't know what else. I have seen you carrying ban- 
 ners, and drilling, and attending conventions until my soul is weary ; 
 and unless you stay at home and act as Right Worthy Grand Coal Car- 
 rier and Wood Sawyer, you will think you are married to an equinoc- 
 tial cyclone. Just drop that book of constitution and by-laws, and trot 
 down to the butcher's for a few ribs, or there will be a dozen lodges 
 in mourning to-morrow, and somebody else will be Grand Key- 
 Bearer." 
 
 And Mr. Pigeon smiled in a husky voice and obeyed. 
 
 A Tale of Woe. 
 
 The Marion and Cedar Rapids papers have been poking fun at one 
 Colonel Van Duzen, and here is an example : 
 
 He represents nearly every company in the world, and does his 
 soliciting in a subdued tone of voice, seldom talking above a whisper. 
 He usually strikes an attitude with his eyes resting on your collar- 
 button, evidently hoping to sever a jugular unless the patient suc- 
 cumbs. The other day, however, the Colonel got left. He started to 
 cross First Avenue bridge, and it being a little dark he could not dis- 
 cern objects readily. One of the heavy posts that stands alone near 
 the bridge was mistaken by him for a man, and he never waits for an 
 introduction when he sees a gentleman whom he thinks might be pos- 
 sibly induced to take a policy. §o h§ tackled the post, and fired off 
 
Iviii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 his two-hours-fever-heat speech at it, not discovering- his mistake un- 
 til the bark beg-an to peel off, and he attempted to pick it up, thirfk- 
 ing the man was giving him some "cast-off clothing " for insurance. 
 The following is said to be a synopsis of the speech that did the "busi- 
 ness : 
 
 *'Good evening, my friend ; can't I' write you up for a few thousand 
 to-day? (Softly.) I can give you any kind of insurance you want, 
 and any time you are dissatisfied I can change you into another com- 
 pany without any further expense. *l can give you a policy so that 
 you can draw $1,000 at the end of ten years if you should survive a 
 few minutes longer. In case you should not live that long — ten 
 years — you would get $2,500, or as much as you would wish to carry 
 on your life. I carry on my own life $25,000, and I hope to be able in 
 a few months to carry additional insurance. I carry more than a 
 great many do who are able to carry more than I do. Let me write 
 you up. The expense is trifling, and if you don't want to pay the 
 amount in money, perhaps you have got some old cast-off clothing, an 
 old watch, revolver, shovel plows, broken-down wagons, odd wheels 
 to a wagon, or mules that you can't use yourself, or something of that 
 kind which you would be willing to give me for a policy. I have a 
 large farm near town, and still have a little room left where I could 
 keep these things. Hadn't you better let me write you up ? Perhaps 
 you have an aged parent or some old friend, I can insure their lives 
 and give you the benefit. I can write as high as $10,000 on an aged 
 person. You need no medical examination. If they should survive 
 thirty days you would be entitled to your benefit. And, again, if you 
 have a friend, not living, but who has been dead not over thirty days 
 and is in a fair state of preservation, you can secure a policy in my 
 company with a trifling additional expense. I have here the circulars 
 of nearly every country in the world. Here is a circular of a Waterloo 
 company, and here is a bundle of papers of our old people's company. 
 Then here is a bundle of papers showing how you can get a big thing 
 in a Toledo company, and I will give you some circulars in regard to 
 the companies at Kansas City, Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Burling- 
 ton, and I also represent several other companies. If you don't care 
 for any of my old insurance on an aged person, I can give you a policy 
 on an infant, if it has been named. In fact, I can accommodate you 
 with most any kind of insurance you want, and I have references for 
 each company, showing that they are all perfectly reliable. Can't 
 you come to my room ? I" have more circulars there, and some blank 
 applications, and I can write you up in just a few minutes. Are you 
 very busy ? I can ca'U again just as well. When will you be in ? " 
 
 No response coming from his victim, he waited a moment until 
 the bark began to peel, when he discovered his mistake and fled. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 lix 
 
 The Countersign, 
 
 He wa8 a bearded man and his breath was redolent with cloves and 
 gin. Upon a time he had endeavored to train his hair into a pompa- 
 dour, and partially succeeded, but only partially, for one-half stood 
 up like undying truth, while the rest pointed in all directions of the 
 marine compass. He wore a winning smile and evidently intended to 
 capture his honor with a glance. But his honor wasn't to be capti- 
 vated, and the prisoner soon found it out. Then he started off on a 
 new tack. Laying down his hat softly, he slowly elevated his right 
 hand to his ear and bowed three times solemnly. Then he laid his 
 left hand on his stomach and his right hand on his head, and began 
 working them circularly. His honor put on his glasses and looked 
 down solemnly at the prisoner. That individual stepped bac*k three 
 paces, three more to the left, and back again, describing a triangle. 
 In a low voice he whispered : " Brother, do you recognize the hail- 
 ing sign ? " 
 
 His honor nodded and turned over a leaf on the docket. The man 
 at the bar then tapped his forehead three times and elevated his arm 
 over his head, saying : 
 
 "The signal of distress, brother." 
 
 The court merely nodded. 
 
 " It will be all right then ? " cheerily asked the prisoner. " I sup- 
 pose I can go. And say, brother, can't you advance a brother 50 cents 
 to relieve his immediate necessities V " 
 
 His honor took off his glasses and said : " Mr. Beebee, I recognize 
 your signals, etc. , but I can not for the life of me recollect the order. 
 So many, you know. " 
 
 "I am surprised, brother, greatly surprised," remarked the 
 prisoner. "I never knew a candidate who forgot his initiation into 
 the United Order of Benevolent Sons of Good Fellowship of the 
 Temple of Solomon," and he gave the hailing sign with embellish- 
 ments. 
 
 " Ah, yes, I had it mixed up with the Ancient Order of Old Billy- 
 Goats," exclaimed his honor. " Do you recognize this sign, brother ? " 
 and he dipped his pen in the red ink and held it up. 
 
 "It isn't in the ritual, is it ?" asked the prisoner as he rubbed his 
 head. 
 
 " It means, Mr. Beebee, that the court has dropped onto your little 
 racket, " sternly replied his honor. Then picking up a blotter he 
 waved it in a circle and said : " Does this sign seem familiar to you ? " 
 
 "Don't recollect it," meekly replied the accused. 
 
 " Well, as I interpret it, it means that you get three months. 
 Now, give the parting sign to the Most Worthy Tiler and Master of 
 the Guard at the door and pass down," and his honor waved his pen 
 
Ix 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 and blotter together, and John Agamemnon Beebee was seized by 
 Deputy Thornton and hustled down stairs. There he told the old 
 soldier that the villain upstairs would be assassinated by the avenging 
 angel of the United Order of Benevolent Sons of Good Fellowship of 
 the Temple of Solomon, Chapter 9, Encampment of the Mississippi 
 Valley.— Tlie Frater. 
 
 Advice to Smart Alecks. 
 
 Always go late ; thus you will avoid filling any vacant office, and 
 will not have so long to stay. 
 
 If the Camp is "just opening," and you can not be admitted at once, 
 keep knocking or ringing the bell, if there be one, so the sentry may 
 not fall asleep. 
 
 When you get into the ante-room, ply the watchman with all 
 manner of questions as to who is in the Camp-hall, what they are 
 doing, etc., and the louder this is done the better, as he may be deaf. 
 
 If there is a brass knocker on the inner door be sure to " hit 'er 
 hard " so that all may know you are coming. If there is no knocker, 
 use your fist. 
 
 When the inner door is opened, walk in boldly with your hat on, 
 to show your independence. If you have a " snipe " in your fingers 
 take it along and leave it on a desk, pedestal, or window sill, so the 
 janitor will remember you " when you are gone." 
 
 After gaining admission to the hall, a remark addressed to some 
 neighbor on the opposite side of the room will have the effect of di- 
 recting attention to yourself, and strangers present may thus be 
 induced to inquire " who is that man ? " 
 
 Before taking your seat, go direct to the Clerk's desk ; that officer 
 may want to see you. If he is very busy you can overhaul his books 
 and papers until you attract his attention. Then ask him to see how 
 you stand ; when the term will end ; when the notices will be out ; 
 how many are on the sick-list ; if your neighbor paid in $1.00 last 
 month ; how many were suspended last term, etc., you have a right to 
 know. 
 
 If the Consul is young and inexperienced, you can gain notoriety 
 and have some fun by asking perplexing questions, raising points of 
 order, appealing from his decision, etc. If you can get him " rattled " 
 he will always miss you when you are absent. 
 
 When the Consul is instructing the candidates you can tramp 
 round the room, talking to this one or that one, or get a few in the 
 ante-room and crack jokes. A restless neighbor will be much en- 
 couraged thereby. 
 
Selected Literature, 
 
 Ixi 
 
 Always remember that tedious sessions are generally tiresome and 
 should be avoided. To this end keep urging the officers to " hurry 
 up and let us get out of this ! " After Camp is closed you can light a 
 cigar, (if you have one) and stand around and talk for an hour. The 
 janitor won't care. 
 
 If you have not succeeded in " making your mark " in the Camp 
 you can spit on the stairs as you go out. Mahogany is a nice color for 
 stairs, anyhow. — Exchange. 
 
 Modesty. — The other night a policeman observed a man hanging 
 around the entrance to a Michigan Avenue hall in a queer sort of 
 way, and he asked him if he belonged to the order in session up- 
 stairs. The man replied that he did, and the officer inquired . 
 
 " Then why don't you go up ? " 
 
 " Well, I was thinking of it." 
 Haven't been expelled, have you ? " 
 
 "No." 
 
 " And you haven't lost your interest have you ? " 
 "No." 
 
 " Aren't afraid of anybody ? " 
 "No." 
 
 " Well, what ? " 
 
 "I might as well tell you," said the man, after beating around a 
 while longer, "I went down to Toledo a few days ago, and somehow 
 the story came back here that I was drowned. My lodge thereupon 
 passed resolutions to the effect that I was honest, upright, and lib- 
 eral, and a shining ornament ; that what was its loss was my gain. I 
 wasn't drowned, as you see, but I kind o' hate to walk in on 'em and 
 bust those resolutions. I've tried it three times and can't get higher 
 than the fifth stair before I weaken." — Detroit Free Press. 
 
 Got the Password, 
 
 "And so, my dear," said Mr. Billings, as he glanced over the 
 morning paper, "you ladies have at last organized a lodge of your 
 own ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed, we have ; and we will show you lords of creation 
 that we can run such an institution and keep our secrets as well as 
 you can," said Mrs. B. 
 
 ' ' I suppose you have a password and grip, and all that sort of thing. 
 It would be too funny for anything if some of you would forget and 
 
Ixii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 give the whole thing" away. I know, of course, you would not do it, 
 but you would not object to telling your own husband the password •, 
 you surely can trust me that far," and Mr. B. held his paper up before 
 his face to hide the smile he could not suppress. 
 
 '' Well, hubby," said Mrs. B. (and she, too, looked very smiling), 
 "If you put it in that light I shall have to tell you, but you must 
 never repeat it. It is : "I was a stranger, and ye took me in.' " 
 
 " But isn't that rather a strange password ? " queried Mr. B. 
 
 "Well, it may be; but then everything about our society is 
 strange," answered she. 
 
 The next Wednesday night was lodge meeting, and Mr. Billings 
 said he guessed he would not go down town that evening, as he was 
 feeling poorly, but would stay at home and read his paper. So Mrs. 
 B. left him cozily reading and went to the lodge. But no sooner was 
 she gone than he commenced rumaging through the closets and 
 drawers, and in the course of half an hour had changed himself into 
 what might be taken for quite a respectable female. As he was a 
 small man (in more than one sense of the word), his wife's clothing 
 were not a bad fit. Laughing at the anticipated fun, he was soon at 
 the lodge-room, and, giving the password, was ushered in. But he 
 was hardly inside the door ere he was seized, blind-folded, and rushed 
 up a plank, then tilted from the end, lighting on something decidedly 
 moist. Before he could regain his feet, some one thrust a lump of ice 
 down his back, and at the same time the bald spot on his head was 
 deluged with water ; then, after mopping him around the floor two or 
 three times, he was thrust out of the door with the advice : "There, 
 you prying old baldhead, if any one asks you what the password is, 
 you just tell them, 'I was a stranger, and ye took me in.' " But he 
 had hardly reached the street before a policeman, from his disheveled 
 appearance, taking him for a female tramp, promptly took him to the 
 lock-up. Mrs. B. says she guesses Billy will begin to make up his 
 mind that she can keep secrets, and that she isn't as green as she 
 looks. But if you want to see just how wicked a man can be, say to 
 Mr. B. : "I was a stranger, and ye took me in. " — Exchange. 
 
 A BEAUTIFUL, and bashful young woman of nineteen summers 
 called recently at the office of a life insurance agent, and asked him 
 timidly if he could tell her how long people of a certain age would 
 live. 
 
 " Madam," replied the agent, coughing respectfully behind a pros- 
 pectus, and drawing his chair near to her, " here are our tables of ex- 
 pectation and average mortality, which contain all the information 
 upon the subject that you can desire." 
 
 "Well," said she, "how long will a man of sixty-seven, and who 
 can eat peas with his knife, live ? " 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 Ixiii 
 
 "According' to our table, madam," replied the agent, ''he should, 
 on the average, survive eleven years, three months, and sixteen days." 
 That would be till the 21st of April, 1896," replied the visitor. 
 
 "Precisely, madam, on the average expectation of mortality, for 
 we must alt die, and it is, therefore, well to insure against loss to the 
 loved ones in a company whose character — " 
 
 "And how much could I insure his life for ? " 
 
 "Oh, for any amount — say $10,000! "he answered, taking up a 
 blank form of application. "Let me recommend the unexpected ad- 
 vantages offered by our non-forfeitable endowment policy." 
 
 "Well," said the young woman, "I think, then, that I'll marry 
 him." 
 
 " Insure him you mean," corrected the agent. 
 
 " Marry him ; you insure him. You see," she added, with a burst 
 of confidence, "I love Herbert, and Mr. Dawkins is old enough to be 
 my grandfather. But Herbert is poor, and I just worship the corner 
 lots that Mr. Dawkins builds on. And Herbert is very patient, and 
 says that if I will only fix a day — no matter how long he will have to 
 wait — he will be happy. And now, you say Mr. Dawkins will die by 
 the 21st of April, 1896 ; and as it wouldn't be decent to marry again till 
 I've been a year in mourning, I'll arrange to marry Herbert on the 
 22d of April, 1897, and if Mr. Dawkins doesn't die by then you'll give 
 me $10,000. Oh, thank you," and with a deep bow she swept out of 
 the office. — New York Telegram. 
 
 Bluf&ng an Agent, 
 
 He was an old man, and said he'd seen better times. I hoped he 
 had ; but as I was unusually busy and didn't want any life insurance, 
 if he'd excuse me — 
 
 "Oh, yes," said he. " All right, young man, I'll drop in again." 
 The next day he did " drop in," and sitting down on my desk, began : 
 
 " Nothing in the world, my young friend, will pay so big a per 
 cent on so little money invested as a policy in the Mutual Benefit As- 
 sociation, the most reliable and the only solid company on earth, 
 capital over seven millions, and so prompt — why, I insured a man 
 last week for $10,000, and the same day he was run over by a street 
 car, so when I sent in the policy and premium, I just said, by way of 
 P. S., 'run over by a horse car not an hour after issued ; better send 
 on check as he can't live ; both legs cut off.' The very next day I got 
 a check payable to his heirs for $10,560. Dividend, my friend, was 
 more than the premium, and don't you call this prompt ? That man's 
 widow got this check before he had been dead fifteen minutes." 
 
Ixiv 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 " But," said I, " I have no wife, and do not want any life insurance, 
 I tell you." 
 
 " The investment, my young- friend, the investment. Look at the 
 dividend. This may get you $560 in one hour, you might say, and 
 then you might have a wife some day. Now, you do want a policy in 
 this company, I know you do. I'm an old man ; have had large and 
 valued experience, and I know you are just aching for one of these 
 policies ; only you are so extremely modest. Now I'll just make out 
 your application ; it will only cost you — let me see. How old are 
 you ? " 
 
 Twenty-six, but — " 
 
 "Twenty-six — hum. Father living? How old was he when he 
 died ? " 
 
 " Just twenty-seven years old." 
 
 " Twenty-seven, hey ? What did he die of ? Accident, I pre- 
 sume ? " 
 
 " No, sir; consumption." 
 
 " Consumption ? You don't look consumptive." 
 
 " But I am consumptive, and — " 
 
 *' Mother's living, I doubt not ? " 
 
 " No, sir ; she died at twenty-eight." 
 
 " What was the cause of her heath ? " 
 
 "Insanity, sir — hereditary insanity; family's full of it. All my 
 brothers, thirteen of us in ail, died between twenty-four and twenty- 
 eight, of the same disease. Dangerous, too, some of them ; my oldest 
 brother was taken about this time one day; he killed his partner, 
 bookkeeper, three clerks, and fourteen customers before they could 
 secure him — " 
 
 " You don't tell me ! This is wonderful. You look like a strong, 
 healthy man, likely to live fifty years. Were you ever sick ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes ; I've had inflammatory rheumatism, pneumonia, small' 
 pox, dysentery, mumps, liver complaint, fits, corns, and — " 
 
 " Good heavens ! And you want me to insure your life ! Well, 
 my company is a good company, willing to take an ordinary business 
 risk, but I must say I never knew them to insure a corpse. I'd like 
 to accommodate you, my young man ; you seem aaxious about it ; I 
 feel interested in your family ; but our surgeon wouldn't pass such an 
 examination. Good day." — Unidentified. 
 
 He Got the Password.— This happened in a little town in 
 southern Illinois, not many days ago. It is in a section where the 
 Farmers' Alliance is strong, and a lodge of that organization exists 
 in the town. They meet Monday nights. There is only one lodge- 
 room in the town, and Tuesday nights it is occupied by the local 
 branch of the Knights of Pythias. The president of the sub-alliance 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 Ixv 
 
 came to town one Tuesday. He had visited the town alliance, and 
 when he saw lights in the lodge-room concluded that he would go 
 over and see the brethren. He gave the proper knock at the outer 
 door. The wicket was raised and an ear was placed at it to hear the 
 password. "I plow — I hoe — I spade," whispered the alliance man. 
 The ear was replaced by an eye, and in turn gave place to a mouth 
 which whispered in reply: ''The h— 1 you do ! " and the wicket 
 dropped with a bang. The indignant farmer shortly after met a 
 "brother " to whom he told his tale of woe. " Why dad blame it," 
 was the sharp comment of the brother, "them's Knights of Pythias, 
 and you've given 'm our password." "Dogged if I hain't," was the 
 response, "but (brightening up), durn 'em, I've got theirs." — N'ew 
 Yorh Herald. 
 
 Afraid He Wouldn^t Pass. 
 
 He was a man well along in middle age, and was willing to be in- 
 sured. The agent had prepared his " application," and turned him 
 over to the searching scrutiny of the accomplished medical examiner. 
 
 " I might as well tell you, doctor, to begin with, that ours has been 
 a family of fatalities and sudden deaths," said the applicant. 
 
 The examiner looked serious as he replied :' 
 
 "Why you seem to be in excellent physical conditioa. What did 
 your father die of ? " 
 "Heart disease." 
 
 " That's bad. How old was he ? " 
 
 "Ninety-two." 
 
 " Um ! And your mother ? " 
 
 " She's gone, too. Killed at a crossing." 
 
 " And her age ? " 
 
 " Mother was a little over seventy." 
 
 " Do you know the age and cause of your grandfathers' deaths ? " 
 continued the examiner. 
 
 "Yes, indeed. Father's father died just a week after his ninetieth 
 birthday. They said he used too much tobacco. Mother's father was 
 only eighty-eight. Falling down stairs finished him. " 
 
 "And your grandmothers ? " 
 
 "One of 'em had consumption at eighty-six, and died in no time. 
 The other was nipped by sunstroke at eighty-four. Oh, they all went 
 quick." 
 
 The examiner did not look so grave as he asked : 
 "Have you any brothers or sisters ? " 
 
 " One sister and two brothers," was the answer. " John went out 
 into the mining country when he was seventy -two ; got in there, called 
 
 d 
 
Ixvi 
 
 Stlected Literature. 
 
 a drunken man a liar, and was shot. Henry was drowned at sixty- 
 nine trying to save two young fellows that couldn't swim. Sister's 
 alive. She's awfully careless ; ate a lot of green stuff the day of her 
 golden wedding ; then danced in the evening with all the old fellows 
 out on the lawn even after it was raining ; took her two days to get 
 over it. She'll go in a hurry, like all the rest, some of these times." 
 
 Well," said the medical man smiling, "I think I'll chance you, 
 and don't believe your application will be ' turned down ' at the home 
 office. Only you must look out for yourself. Be careful about catch- 
 ing hard colds after you are eighty years old. — Chicago Evening Post. 
 
 The Insurance Agent, 
 
 "Here again ? " groaned the merchant. 
 
 " Here again ! " hissed the insurance agent, with a gleeful glare. 
 
 "Now let me show you our new tables of patent adjustable com- 
 pound interest-bearing tontine — " 
 
 " As I have told you — h'm — let me see — " 
 
 "Yes, I know ; eight hundred and forty-one times before." 
 
 "As I have told you eight hundred and forty-one times before, I 
 am insured already, and am crippling my creditors to keep the pre- 
 mium paid up. I cannot afford to insure in another company." 
 
 " You can. You must. You shall ! " 
 
 " Really, sir, the adoption of this lone in my own office — " 
 "Makes you think you will insure after all." 
 " No." 
 
 "You may as well give in. From my boyhood I have held as my 
 motto : ' Persistency is always rewarded.' " 
 " And you intend to persist ? " 
 
 " I shall visit you every day until our company writes a policy for 
 you." 
 
 The merchant bowed his head and furtively brushed away a tear. 
 " Believe me," he said, " I appreciate your efforts, but may it not be 
 that tv70 people can be persistent ? There was once a bald-headed 
 man — the fact that your cheek has spread up into your scalp put me 
 in mind of this incident — who suffered greatly from flies. One day a 
 large blue-bottle alighted on his crown and began to tickle him. He 
 drove him away, but the fly, saying to himself, ' persistency is always 
 rewarded,' returned. Again and again he was driven off, and again 
 and again he returned. Finally the bald man allowed him to settle 
 and get a firm hold, when he cautiously raised his hand and — pardon 
 me there are flies on you." And, rushing on the agent with a club, 
 he dealt him a dozen terrific blows on the head, then fell into his chair 
 with a sigh of relief. 
 
Selected Literature, 
 
 Ixvii 
 
 " Thanks ! " said the agent, who had been sunk in thought. And 
 did the man kill the fly ? " 
 
 "He did," replied the merchant. 
 
 " Ah ! Perhaps some day you intend to put this parable into 
 practice ?" 
 
 "I confess, I did intend." 
 
 " In that case maybe I'd better keep away ; but before I go let me 
 take your application — — ." — Puck, 
 
 The story is reported of a lawyer who had been the victim of an 
 accident. It is thus told by some jolly scribes to one of our neigh- 
 bors : "This limb of the law signed an application for indemnity as a 
 policy-holder, and attached thereto his seal as a notary, before whom 
 the claim was sworn to ; he signed as witness, and gave bis personal 
 certificate as to the injury, and capped the climax by stating that he 
 was personally cognizant that the claimant had been unable to transact 
 his business in the courts." 
 
 " Did he get the claim ?"' 
 
 " Well, no ; the company thought the cause of the accident was 
 too thin." 
 
 " What was it ? " 
 
 " He claimed to have sprained his right wrist while spreading 
 his coat tails apart preparatory to sitting down.,' 
 
 It was morning in sheol, and a number of unfortunates were 
 gathered around one of the fires waiting for the daily toasting to 
 begin. They were gloomily beguiling the time by recounting the 
 various misdeeds done on earth which had led to their deserved 
 eternal condemnation. One had wrecked a savings bank, another had 
 stolen from blind beggars, and a third had betrayed the trust of a 
 dead friend by filching the estate he had been deputed to manage. 
 The whole gamut of things done and undone which had brought un- 
 merited woe to others was run up and down, and sins of every hue, 
 cardinal included, were represented in that unhappy company. 
 Finally one exceptionally miserable victim, who had been noticed as 
 the regular recipient of extra broilings at the hands of the most ac- 
 tive imps, said: "Gentlemen, you think you were bad, and from 
 your histories I judge you all belong here fast enough, but I am un- 
 doubtedly the worst of the lot. I am one of those wretches who re- 
 fused, while in the body, to insure my life. I died suddenly and left 
 a devoted family to the pangs of penury. I wouldn't take a life policy, 
 and now you see me unable to obtain even fire insurance." A thrill 
 of horror ran through the party, and, seared in sin though they 
 were, they instinctively drew in aversion away from such an offender. 
 — Chicago Herald. 
 
Ixviii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 "When I lived in Kansas," said a Detroiter, who was tellings 
 stories in an insurance office a few days ago, "I insured my house 
 with an agent against fire. Along came another agent who insured 
 against lightning, and I took that in. In a few days a chap called on 
 me who insured against cyclones, and I struck a bargain with him. 
 The next caller insured against waterspouts and explosions, and I 
 thought I might as well encourage him." 
 
 " A house couldn't be much safer than that," remarked one of the 
 listeners. 
 
 "And yet I lost it inside of six months." 
 ''How could that be?" 
 
 " Well, there came a freshet in the river, and house, barn, fences, 
 haystacks, and all went sailing down stream. The agent who insured 
 against freshets got there just one day too late." — Detroit Free Press. 
 
 " No, Mr. Smith is not in, unfortunately. Do you know, sir, it is 
 very kind to call so often ? I trust that in time you will bring my 
 husband to a realizing sense of his condition." 
 
 " I certainly trust I shall." 
 
 " Where do you preach next Sunday ? I shall endeavor to get Mr. 
 Smith to go and hear you." 
 
 '' Madam, there seems to be some mistake here. I'm not a min- 
 ister, but an insurance agent. I'm in the life business ; have nothing 
 to do with fire risks, madam." 
 
 Thought They Were Signs of Distress.— " Bub," said a 
 stranger who lived across the street, ''is your father a Mason ? " 
 " No, sir," replied the boy. 
 
 " Does he belong to the ? " 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " Ah ! Perhaps he is an Odd Fellow '? " 
 - " No, sir." 
 
 " Is it possible ! Then he must be an Elk ? " 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " Is he a Grand Army man ? " 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " That's strange. Er can you tell me what in thunder your 
 
 father means, then, when he gets out on the sidewalk every morning 
 and makes all kinds of signs, and swings his' arms and hollers V " 
 
 " Oh, you musn't mind that." 
 Why not ? " 
 
 *' Pa has had St. Vitus' dance for thirteen years." 
 
 Not Good Material. — There are too many people who will not 
 cast their bread upon the waters unless they are assured beforehand 
 that it will come back again in a few days a full grown sandwich, all 
 trimmed with ham, butter, and mustard, rolled up in a warranty 
 deed for one-half of the earth and a mortgage on the other. Such 
 fellows are not good fraternity men. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 Ixix 
 
 Chicago's New Password.— Wife. " Cyrus, this is a pretty time 
 for you to be coming- in. It's half an hour past midnight. You've 
 beert at the club again, drinking." 
 
 Husband (with impressing gravity and maintaining- his equilibrium 
 with much effort) — " M'riar, my dear, you do me injustice. I was 
 caught on jury. Couldn't get off till a few minutes ago. Came 
 straight home." 
 
 Wife. " You are deceiving me, Cyrus. Say memourandransancti- 
 ficadubandanallelolipedonisemically . ' ' 
 
 Husband (cautiously). " Certainly, m' dear. Memoran-moran- 
 bandan-scat — (getting reckless and letting go all holds) — G' out o' 
 my way, madam ! 'f I can't get into my own house 'thout giving 
 'fernal password, I'll resign as head o' this family. G' way ! " — Ex- 
 change. 
 
 A Few Don'ts. — Don't ask for the treasurer's report if you happen 
 to owe back dues. 
 
 Don't rise to a point of order unless you see that the point won't rise 
 to meet you half way. 
 
 Don't blackball a man more than fourteen times ; better let him in 
 the lodge in order to get rid of him. 
 
 Don't smoke in the ante-room. It is very offensive to the brothers 
 who don't happen to have a fifteen-center on tap. 
 
 Don't do all the talking during the session ; the rest of the 
 brothers will think you own the floor if you have it all the time. 
 
 Don't fight in the midst of a lodge meeting. Wait until the close 
 of the session and then go home and tell your wife how the other 
 fellow backed down. 
 
 The inquiry made immediately after a man's death is said to 
 differ with different nations. In France the question is : " How old 
 was he?" A German of scientific turn of mind will ask you : "Of 
 what disease did he die ? " England still retains its spice of the pious, 
 and the first exclamation an Englishman utters on being informed of 
 his friend's death is : Thank the Lord ! he is out of his suffering I " 
 An Italian must cling to life more dearly, who commiserates his dead 
 friend with a "Poor Fellow ! " The Russian phrase is characteristic: 
 " The man is fortunate ; he need work no more," and comes natural 
 from the lips of men who work hard for a minimum of comfort. The 
 Dutchman is held to be fond of money, and to ask : "How much 
 money has he left ? " The American alone thinks of his relatives and 
 his family, and puts the very important question : " How much life 
 insurance did he carry ? " — Indicator. 
 
 It is said of a man in Elmira, N. Y., that he sent in a bill for 
 $13.50 to an executor for expenses incurred in attending his own 
 mother's funeral. We think this fellow just a little meaner than the 
 one who gives as a reason for not insuring his life that his wife might 
 marry again and some other fellow have the spending money. — Guide. 
 
Ixx 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 St. Peter. " Did you ever do anything- very bad ? " 
 Arrival. I — I acted as receiver of a fraternal order." 
 St. Peter. Did you make a distribution to the members while on 
 earth ? " 
 
 Arrival. " N— no ! You see, there were so many thing's I had to 
 ask the court about. My son thinks he will be able to have things 
 ready to make an assessment to cover expenses before very long. 
 There was only about $1,000,000 when I was made receiver, and we had 
 to use this all up in proving some of the claims. I was very economi- 
 cal, and the members will get " 
 
 St. Peter. " Turn to the left, please." 
 
 Secret Society Secrets.— (Wife, 11:30 p. m.)— What's that 
 horrid odor ? Smells like alcohol." 
 
 Husband — " Yes, my dear, we use alcohol at the lodge for initia- 
 tion. Take some alcohol, light it, put salt in the flame, and it gives 
 a ghostly yellow light, makes folks look like ghosts, you know." 
 
 " But that odor comes from your breath. " 
 
 "Yes, m'dear ; in the thirty-seventh degree I personate the chief 
 demon with flames coming from his mouth. I take a mouthful of 
 alcohol and a swallow of salt and then set fire to it. But m'dear, you 
 musn't tell these thingp. Secret s'ciety secrets are sacred you know. 
 — Nortliwesievn Labor U)iion. 
 
 A Wasted Life. — " Ah, yes, his was a wasted life," sighed the 
 bald-headed gentleman. 
 
 "Was ho dissipated? Had 'he antipathy for work? Was he a 
 gambler, a lover of fast horses, a — " 
 
 No, no," interrupted the bald-headed gentleman, " none of those, 
 but worse, far worse. He spent his life endeavoring to persuade people 
 that fraternal beneficiary societies would go to pieces like a rope of 
 sand." 
 
 Splendid Dicipline. — "Yes, sir," said the worthy commander, 
 " I have got my lodge under splendid dicipline. The members will 
 obey my gavel with great promptitude." 
 
 " I suppose one rap will generally call thera to order." 
 
 " One rap ! Why, bless your soul, they have got so used to hear- 
 ing thirteen that nothing less than" that will have any effect on 
 them. Splendid dicipline, sir, just splendid. 
 
 " I don't believe in these secret societies," said one Austin lady 
 to another. 
 
 "That's very singular," replied the other; "your husband is a 
 Forester, an Odd Fellow, and a Knight of Honor, and you will have at 
 least $10,000 when he dies. " 
 
 " But what good does all that do me," was the tearful response, 
 "when he never dies ? " And the poor creature burst into tears. — 
 Texas Siftivgs. 
 
 # 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 Ixxi 
 
 A Brother ix Distress.— "Pardon me. sir, but I'm a brother 
 in distress."* exclaimed a portly gentleman to a perfect stranger, who 
 wore an X. Y. Z. badge on the street. 
 
 '* In what war can I assist you '? " asked the one addressed. Are 
 you in need of money '? ** 
 
 "Xo, but I got a new pair cf pants this afternoon and I want to 
 know if they hang straight. " 
 
 Insttrance Agent : *• It's all right, the doctor says you are the 
 best risk he ever examined. "* Citizen — *' The best risk t " " Yes : 
 soundest constitution and perfect health, you know."* "Did he say 
 that ? "" ''Yes, indeed. Xo trouble about your case. He said there 
 was nothing to prevent you from living one hundred years."* You 
 don't mean it "? "" Honest truth. Come right around to my office 
 and I'll fix up the papers at once."" "Xo. thank you, it won't pay. 
 I'm too healthy. I will join a benefit lodge and get insurance at 
 cost."" — PluladeVphia Call. 
 
 " What, travel with a party of thirteen ? I wouldn't think of such 
 a thing. Thirteen is a mighty unlucky number,"" said the Omaha 
 man. "Thirteen is a lucky number if there ever was one, "' replied 
 the Chicago man. How do you make that out ?'' " Well, I was one 
 of a party of thirteen who went out on a trip, and as some of us were 
 a little superstitious in those days, we all bought accident insurance 
 tickets. Well. sir. the train ran off the track, we all got smashed up. 
 and every blessed mother's son of us got S-50 a week, just for laying 
 around and getting well. Talk about luck I That was the luckiest 
 thing I ever struck."" — Sklected. 
 
 ■■Ibelie^*e there is money in those accident and life insurance 
 companies."' said old Barkins. " They allow you 8I.0CK) for an eye. 
 $3.(*(M:i for two eyes. 81.5Ch3 for an arm or leg. and S3. (XX) for two arms 
 or two legs, but they only give your widow 8-5.000 if you die. Well, 
 its easy enough to see that you can make more than 8-5,000 if you die 
 kinder slow. First, lose your legs, then your arms, then your eyes, 
 and then die. That's three 83.000, and the 80.OOO for your widow 
 besides — 814.000 altogether. I tell you. Jim. there's money in that, 
 and I'm going to get insured right now." — Harper's Bo zar. 
 
 "There comes that life insurance agent again!"* exclaimed a 
 Wall street broker, as he stood at a window in his office the other 
 morning. 
 
 "To see you ? "' 
 
 "Yes. He"s bothered the life out of me for the last six months to 
 take a policy."" 
 
 " My dear sir, you must have encouraged him at the start." 
 
 " Well, I guess I did. He asked me for a light for his cigar, and I 
 gave it to him. It will be a valuable experience to me." — Wall 
 Street Xeirs. 
 
Ixxii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 Husband (coming home late from the lodge). " Going to keep me 
 standing here in the cold all night, Maria ? Lemme in ! " 
 
 Wife (with cold, metallic voice). " If you can distinctly articulate 
 the words 'six long, slim, slick saplings,' Mr. Ferguson, I will unlock 
 the door, and not otherwise." 
 
 Husband (slowly, and with labored enunciation). I have brought 
 you a beautiful (hie) set of furs, M'ria." 
 
 Door opens immediately. 
 
 "Beautiful," said the drummer. "Sixty birds in two hours, 
 and only missed two shots." 
 
 A quiet party sitting in a seat opposite put down his paper, rushed 
 across the aisle of the car and grasped him warmly by the hand. 
 "Allow me to congratulate you, sir ; I am a professional myself," he 
 said. 
 
 " Professional sportsman ? " 
 
 " No, professional liar. I am an agent of the Everlastingly Guar- 
 anteed Association of New York City." 
 
 " Oh," said the drummer, "that settles it. I withdraw from com^ 
 petition. " 
 
 A YOUNG widow in Waukesha whose husband had been dead a 
 month, and whom she had always supposed to be free from all vices, 
 was overhauling his clothes the other day. She found a large plug of 
 tobacco in a coat pocket. "Oh, George, George," she exclaimed de- 
 sparingly, " you and I will never meet in the good world ! " In another' 
 pocket of the same garment she found a life insurance policy for 
 $5,000, of which she had before known nothing, and she burst forth 
 exultantly, "Oh, yes, we will ! we will ! heaven will forgive him for 
 his one little fault." — Labor Review. 
 
 "I'm all right in case anything should happen to me," said a sub- 
 stantial looking citizen, as he stood talking with a friend on the street 
 the other day. " I have $30,000 insurance on my life and an accident 
 policy for $10,000, which would yield me a weekly indemnity of $50 if 
 I should meet with an accident. I don't feel afraid of any mishap." 
 
 Ten seconds later a boy cried " mad dog ! " and the substantial 
 looking citizen was fifteen feet up a telegraph pole before his friend 
 could look over his shoulder and see that the dog was suffering from 
 nothing more serious than a fit. 
 
 Mrs. McGinty : " Did yez say Denny's loife is not insured ? " 
 Mrs. O'Rafferty : " Naw, indade." 
 
 Mrs. McGinty : " Bedad, an' him workin' on th' rocks wid th' 
 
 blasts an' things. Shure, Moike belongs to , or many's a 
 
 time he'd been kilt long ago. Th' other day a blast wint off before he 
 knowed it, an' divil a scratch did he get. Loife insurance is a foine 
 institution, and prevints many a leddy bein' a widdy before her 
 toime." 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 Ixxiii 
 
 Sick man to wife : " If I should die, dear, would you marry again ? " 
 
 Wife (sobbing) : " Oh, I think not, John, but your life is insured 
 for $20,000, you know, and no doubt I should have very strong pressure 
 to resist. " 
 
 " Oh, misery ! " cried the editor. 
 " What's the matter now V " 
 
 "I just threw a poet out of the window ; and his wife, who was 
 waiting for him below, has presented one of our insurance coupons at 
 the cashier's desk. He had it on him ! Another $500 gone when $2 
 would have bought not only his poem but his everlasting gratitude. — 
 Puck. 
 
 "What ! are you going to leave already, Kosciusco ? " murmured 
 the maiden. 
 
 " I must, dearest. I'd give ten years of my life to be able to spend 
 the rest of the evening with thee, but there is a called meeting of the 
 Idiotic Order of Red Muffs, and I am Most Puissant Past Grand Cy- 
 clops, and if I ain't there on time I'll have to pay thirty-five cents fine. 
 I've got to go. Farewell, dearest ! " and he scooted like a beautiful 
 dream. ^ 
 
 A Just Reproof. — A brother who had been out very late every 
 night for two weeks, explaining to his wife that he had been out "on 
 a committee," was roused at three o'clock the other morning by a 
 Thomas concert just outside his window. 
 
 He was about to get up and hurl something at the cat, when his 
 wife restrained him with : " Never mind, John, perhaps the animal 
 is out on a committee." 
 
 Slightly Sarcastic.—" Yes, sir," he said, "it takes a lot of hard 
 work to hold a position in our lodge." 
 " It does ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed. The presiding officer was saying to me to-day that 
 a man without strong mental qualifications ought not to seek a chair." 
 " Er — but you seem to have got along pretty well, haven't you ? " 
 
 He Couldn't Stand Everything.— High Mucky Muck (to ini- 
 tiate). " Mr. Brown, eat what is given you. You will find it equal to 
 the best on your table. " 
 
 Initiate (very much dejected). "Oh, I say, if the initiation is as 
 bad as that, I guess I had better retire now, and give up all hopes of 
 becoming a brother." 
 
 Wanted to Do Something Handsome. — " The secretary wants 
 his salary raised," said one brother to another at the meeting the 
 other night. 
 
 " What's he getting now ? " 
 
 " Twenty-fi.ve dollars a year. I think it ought to be more." 
 " So do I. Let's start a movement to make it $25.50." 
 
Ixxiv 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 It Freezes at 32 Degrees.— Mrs. Maginnis. " I understand that 
 your husband has just received the thirty-second degree, Mrs. Maguf- 
 fin." 
 
 Mrs. Maguffin. " Yes, John is just above the freezing point." 
 
 His Mind Somewhere Else.— "Well, how do you feel ? " asked 
 the presiding officer of the candidate who was initiated the night 
 before. 
 
 Oh, I'm well enough to be out, thank you." 
 " I want to know ! " ejaculated the first speaker, thoughtlessly. 
 
 " John," said the wife to a Master Mason, " did you have cabbage 
 for lunch at the lodge to-night ? " 
 
 " No, my dear," he replied. " Why do you ask ? " 
 
 " Well, then, my dear, I wish you would smoke better cigars." 
 
 A New Name. — "Why do you refer to the lodge as the 'railroad 
 express ? ' " asked a woman of a female friend whose husband was a 
 prominent secret society man. 
 
 " Because the members are always ' through by daylight,' " replied 
 the woman who had often passed the night waiting for her liege lord 
 to come home from the lodge. 
 
 "How many lodges did you say your husband belonged to ? " 
 "Fifteen." 
 
 " Mercy on me ! But think of a man being out fifteen nights a 
 week ! I'm really glad that I'm a widow ! — JSfew York Telegram. 
 
C. C. Hassler, (tlie Woodman Poet), Bloomington, 111. 
 
''Corn£eld Poetry.'' 
 
 BY A BACKWOODSMAN. 
 
 Thar is nothin' in this wide, wide world 
 
 That makes a man so glad, 
 As to know he's drivin' sorrow 
 
 From the hearts of them that's sad ; 
 And there's nothin' cheers a Woodman's heart 
 
 An' makes it feel so light, 
 As to know that those around him 
 
 Are cheerful like and bright. 
 
 Now, the only time for man to work 
 
 Is when thar's work to do, 
 And the only time for man to play 
 
 Is when that work is through ; 
 But it seems as if in this yere world, 
 
 From the time our life's begun, 
 That the poor man's play-day never comes - 
 
 His work is never done. 
 
 And so we look around us. 
 
 Jest to see how we can make 
 Provision for the future for 
 
 The dear ones that we take. 
 Who we swear to love and honor 
 
 Jest as long as life shall last, 
 And protect them in the future 
 
 As we've tried to in the past. 
 
 So, with many thousand others, 
 
 We have jined the Woodman's band, 
 Where the widder is protected 
 
 By the laws of this yere land - 
 Where the rich man and the poor man 
 
 Meet together jest the same. 
 And the foreign born or native's 
 
 Never ask from whence he came. 
 
 My wife was kinder skeered 
 About my jinin', so she sed ; 
 " Now, John, do you be keerful 
 
 And don't you lose your hed. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 I've heered it said a thousand times 
 
 The lodges try their best 
 To skeer a man and make him think 
 
 That he can't stand the test. " 
 
 Sed I, Now looke here, Nancy ; 
 
 Don't worrj', stew, or fret, 
 For if these Woodmen think I'm green, 
 
 I'll fool 'em, now, you bet. 
 I'll take their fun, jest as it comes. 
 
 As meek as any lamb. 
 But if they git to crowdin' me 
 
 They'll find out who I am." 
 
 But when they got me on the floor 
 
 I wish'd I hadn't jined ; 
 It seemed as if their deviltry 
 
 Had all on me combined. 
 They made me chop, they made me split. 
 
 They made me sing and dance, 
 And when I axed 'em who I was, 
 
 They said my name was Pants. " 
 
 When all was over, home I went. 
 
 With glad thoughts in my hed. 
 Of course I thought my wife and babes 
 
 Had long since gone to bed ; 
 But thar was Nancy waitin', 
 
 Tho' her cheeks were wet with tears, 
 She didn't laugh, and couldn't cry, 
 
 Betwixt her hopes and fears. 
 
 " Oh, John," she said, " I'm glad you come 
 And you've insured your life. 
 It proves to me how much you love 
 
 Your Nancy — your dear wife, 
 I often think of your priceless worth. 
 
 In the happy days of yore, 
 And now, she said, as she wiped her eyes. 
 You're worth ^ three thous<md move.'' 
 
 We have men from every station. 
 
 And from every rank in life ; 
 We have doctors from the colleges. 
 
 Where they carve men with a knife ; 
 We have law^-ers, too, and good ones ; 
 
 We have preachers by the score ; 
 We have farmers, clerks, and bankers. 
 
 And the Lord knows many more. 
 
Selected Literature, 
 
 We have life insurance agents, 
 
 Jest as good as in the land. 
 They will give you the endowment, 
 
 Life, or any other plan. 
 Their companies are all the best, 
 
 Their rates they can't be beat, 
 But they all except the Woodmen : 
 
 With it they don't compete. 
 
 There's some will sell you suits of clothes, 
 
 In fashion's latest mode, 
 With neckties, trousers, coat, and vest — 
 
 You'd think they on you growed ; 
 He'll grab a handfull in the back, 
 
 And whisper in your ear, 
 *' So hellup me gracious, friend, when did 
 
 You leave your measure here ? " 
 
 Some say thar's one thing yet to do 
 
 To keep our craft afloat. 
 And that's to bring the ladies in, 
 
 And make them ride the goat ; 
 But others think she can't leave home, 
 
 As the babies thar might cry, 
 For when woman's mind's made up to jine^ 
 
 She'll ride that goat or die. 
 
 This life is but a partnership, 
 
 With share and share alike — 
 One-half of all belongs to you. 
 
 The other to your wife ; 
 So, if the ladies arc to jine, 
 
 And Woodmen's honors share. 
 Alternate nights we'll stay at home, 
 
 And mind the babies thei'< '. 
 
 Now, our doctors, they are dandies — 
 
 And on that you're safe to bet — 
 And versed in all the latest forms 
 
 Of social etiquette ; 
 But if you have the rheumatiz. 
 
 Dyspepsia, or the gout. 
 With blue mass pills they'll shake you up, 
 
 And turn you wrong side out. 
 
 But men in that profession 
 
 Mostly have the skill and tact 
 
 Of knowin' how to reach you 
 If your liver doesn't act ; 
 
Ixxx 
 
 Selected Literature, 
 
 So, if they diagnose your case, 
 They'll do it with great care. 
 
 And they'll find that liver ere they stop, 
 Or they aint no liver there. 
 
 But of all the nice professions 
 
 That the Woodmen's Camp embrace, 
 The lawyer has decidedly 
 
 The advantage in the race ; 
 For the records go to show it, 
 
 And you never see it fail, 
 That the lawyer goes to congress. 
 
 While the client goes to jail. 
 
 But if you get into trouble, 
 
 In a lawsuit or a fight, 
 Or git caught out stealin' chickens 
 
 On a dark and stormy night. 
 The lawyer, just to clear you. 
 
 Will put in his biggest licks. 
 And altho' you git your freedom, 
 
 'Tis the lawyer gets the chicks. 
 
 And it's right that he should have i(ihem, 
 
 As it mostly is the case 
 That the client wants the lawyer 
 
 To bear the half of his disgrace ; 
 And its jest as true as preachin' 
 
 That when honesty's at par 
 There's a thousand times more rascals 
 
 'Mong the clients than the bar. 
 
 So that's the way the Woodman, 
 
 As he wends his way through life, 
 Will always find the neighbors free 
 
 From envy and from strife — 
 Always ready to assist you. 
 
 And from no duty shirk. 
 There reward is in the knowin' 
 
 There is love behind the work. 
 
 But the working days of most of us 
 
 Will soon be past and lost. 
 Like the leaves that fall in autumn 
 
 When they're blighted by a frost; 
 And the shinin' threads of oilver 
 
 Soon will cluster on the brow. 
 For the marks of care and worry 
 
 They are plainly showin' now. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 And the homes where dwell the loved ones 
 
 Soon will be "so lone and still " 
 That the echoes of our footsteps 
 
 Will the rooms and hallways fill ; 
 For the children, they'll be absent, 
 
 And their voices will be missed, 
 And the time will seem as yesterday 
 
 Since first their lips we kissed. 
 
 For the little chair and cradle, 
 
 Once that sat upon the floor. 
 Will be packed up in the garret. 
 
 Or behind the closet door. 
 And the places at the table 
 
 Where they used to sit and eat, 
 Will be empty as the house is 
 
 Of little noisy feet. 
 
 And you'll wake up in the night time 
 
 And listen to the noise 
 Of footsteps on the sidewalk, 
 
 Soundin' kinder like the " boys." 
 But the sound will die away 
 
 On the wintry midnight air, 
 And you'll lay awake and wonder 
 
 Why he isn't almost there. 
 
 And some will leave us when our hearts 
 
 Are bruised and racked with pain. 
 And tho' they go so peacefully 
 
 They'll not come back again. 
 Except in dreams we'll see their faces 
 
 And feel their soft caress. 
 As loving, sweet, and tender 
 
 As when clasped to mother's breast. 
 
 Oh, " this life is what we make it," 
 
 Sometimes the poets say, 
 But they don't advise our meetin' 
 
 With our troubles half the way. 
 The boys and girls that leave our homes 
 
 To climb life's rugged hill. 
 Will find the hand that led us there 
 
 Will lead them if they will. 
 
 The question once was asked of Him, 
 
 Who dwelt upon the earth. 
 And crowned with holy honor 
 
 The lowliest of birth. 
 
Ixxxii 
 
 Selected Literature, 
 
 Who is my neighbor V " let us hear, 
 
 That we may surely know 
 On whom our love shall given be, 
 
 And kindly deeds bestow. 
 
 The answer came in parable, 
 
 Yet all could understand. 
 And the figure clearly painted 
 
 Was the Good Samaritan, 
 Who found the wounded stranger, 
 
 As he on the roadside lay, 
 And did not leave him suffering, 
 
 But helped him on his way. 
 
 Then long live the Woodmen everywhere. 
 
 North, south, and east, and west — 
 Far out where the golden sunbeams . 
 
 Kiss the snow-capped Rookies' crest. 
 And long live our dear old Order ; 
 
 To it we surely pledge 
 Our honor here as neighbors, 
 
 By the beetle, axe, and wedge. 
 
 The Wife's Opinion of the M, W. A. 
 
 BY C. C. HASSLER. 
 
 I never could see any manner of sense 
 
 In these doin's that's hid from the light, 
 In lodges and Camps, that entice our men 
 
 And keep them out half of the night ; 
 And I alius expressed my opinions right out. 
 
 In language that none could mistake, 
 That no man of mine should join 'em, if I 
 
 Could prevent it by hinderin' Jake. 
 
 But, laus ! what a time I did have to be sure. 
 
 For when any new thing struck the town. 
 They made right for Jake, and tried to get him 
 
 To sign the very first name that went down ; 
 But I fit them so hard, by my actions and words. 
 
 That I came out ahead every time, 
 And when lodges of this thing and that started up, 
 
 Jake was never quite ready to jine. 
 
 / 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 Ixxxiii 
 
 There was Freemasons, Old Fellows, Red Men, and I 
 
 Can't begin to tell how many more, 
 And still they kept comin', until I believe 
 
 There must a been nearly a score. 
 They marched thro' the town on the 4th of July, 
 
 Jest to see what a string" they could make, 
 And I peeped through the window to see them go by, 
 
 But I laughed when I didn't see Jake. 
 
 And so it kept goin*, first this thing and that, 
 
 Until one day, along in the fall, 
 I read in the press of a new scheme on foot 
 
 That would jest beat the best of them all. 
 They called it the " Woodmen '" — a queer name I thought — 
 
 And I said, jist by way of a jest. 
 That if I had of named 'em, it seemed to me then. 
 
 That Blockheads " would suit them the best. 
 
 But Jake made no answer to this last remark, 
 
 Tho' he said that he thought it unkind. 
 As he told me of some of the best men in town. 
 
 Who he knew that very day had jined. 
 There was Worley, the baker, and Billings, his clerk, 
 
 And Thompson, who lived cross the way : 
 There was Phillips, the banker, and his brother John, 
 
 And last, but not least. Deacon Gray. 
 
 And then he went on and told me just how 
 
 These "Woodmen " were going to do ; 
 They insure every man who was healthy and strong, 
 
 And they done it almighty cheap, too ; 
 But then it was secret, and that was the pint 
 
 On which we could never agree ; 
 For if ever a woman was stubborn on that. 
 
 Let me tell you that woman was me. 
 
 And I quoted the scriptures, and pinted them out — 
 
 The passages clear as the sun — 
 That sed, Let your light always shine, so the world 
 
 Could see how much good you have done."' 
 But I skii^ped all the places, and purposely, too. 
 
 And let them severely alone. 
 Where they sed far worse than a heathen was he 
 
 Who had failed to provide for his own. 
 
 But they started a Camp, and a big one at that. 
 And the press that came out the next day, 
 
 Jest took 'way my breath when it said that the chair 
 Would be filled by our good Deacon Gray — 
 
Ixxxiv 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 A man who for piety none could excel, 
 
 And whose heart was most fervent to prayer ; 
 
 When the poor or the needy was wanting- a friend 
 He was always the first to be there. 
 
 But still I was deaf to all forms of advice, 
 
 And people soon left me alone ; 
 I though I was right, and I let others know, 
 
 They should 'tend to affairs of their own. 
 What's the use, I would say, for a man that is well, 
 
 And never been sick in his life, 
 To waste all his time and his money to keep 
 
 Some other man's children or wife. 
 
 Thus I reasoned and talked 'mid the comforts of home. 
 
 Surrounded by plenty in life," 
 Never dreaming- how often a woman is called 
 
 To be widow instead of a wife ; 
 But the lesson I learned, I shall never forget. 
 
 For it taught me to think and reflect, 
 And to try to save others the sorrow and pain 
 
 That by prejudice causes regret. 
 
 But a dream, did you say ? Yes, a dream, but the truth 
 
 Was never more vivid or i-eal ; 
 And when I remember that nig-ht, I can pray 
 
 You may never such agony feel — 
 No husband, no home, few friends in the world, 
 
 Alone, save an innocent boy — 
 Our baby — who brought to our once happy home 
 
 Inexpressible comfort and joy. 
 
 Thus reading and pondering over it all. 
 
 One evening, I sat all alone. 
 But my eyes would grow heavy, as time wore along, 
 
 Unmindful of how fast it had flown ; 
 And soon from my hand fell the book to the floor. 
 
 I was sleeping. But ah ! thro' my head 
 Ran a vision, a dream I shall never forget. 
 
 For I dreamed that my husband was dead. 
 
 And with the dark billows of grief that swept o'er 
 
 My soul, came the sting of remorse. 
 For I knew I and baby both paupers were left 
 
 By my own wayward, unthinking course. 
 A mortgage would soon sweep away what was left 
 
 Of a home that my husband, in life. 
 Had prepared for a haven to shield from the world 
 
 His own loving baby and wife. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 Ixxxv 
 
 Thus passed thro' my brain the dark shadow of woe, 
 
 As I sat there in silence alone ; 
 Live specters they flitted before me, until, 
 
 In ray anguish, I uttered a groan ; 
 When, as if in answer to prayer, at the door 
 
 Came a loud knock that caused me to wake, 
 And there — Oh ! the joy language cannot express — 
 
 Stood my husband, my darling old Jake. 
 
 I sprang up and kissed the dear fellow so quick 
 
 That his breath I almost took away. 
 "> My gracious, Maria, how frightened you look ! 
 
 Did you think I had gone off to stay ? 
 I have some news to tell you, perhajjs you won't like, 
 
 And I might as well say it outright. 
 Forgive me, if wrong, but the truth of it is 
 
 I have just joined the Woodmen to-night." 
 
 The rest is soon told. But a word of advice 
 
 I would give to the unthinking wife ; 
 'Tis not to discourage your husband, who knows 
 
 He can only protect you in life. 
 But cheer him with smiles of approval that bring 
 
 To his heart a warm glow of sunshine. 
 For the love of a true woman nearest compares 
 
 To the teachings we know are divine. 
 
 The lessons he learns only fit him to share 
 
 With others the blessings that flow 
 From streams of fraternity, freighted with joys 
 
 That cheer us thro' life as we go. 
 For woman he labors and toils, that her life 
 
 May be free from dark poverty's ray ; 
 For woman he cherishes hopes that are lit 
 
 By the sunlight of love on his way. 
 
 Then give him a smile, when he leaves you at night, 
 
 And another one on his return. 
 And always remember that some day the lamp 
 
 Of this life no longer will burn. 
 But over the river he'll meet you again. 
 
 And greet you with joys of the blest, 
 For he knew 'twas the Woodmen who stood by your side, 
 
 And cheered you when he was at rest. 
 
 But the bright, happy faces, all beaming with smiles, 
 
 Assure me of one thing to-night, 
 'Tis that wives of most of our neighbors sustain 
 
 Their husbands in all that is right. 
 
Ixxxvi 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 Surrounded with plenty, may no shadows fall 
 
 Over pathway of any in life, 
 But that peace and prosperity ever be theirs, 
 
 Is the pray'r of a Woodman's wife. 
 
 Fraternal Mchos, 
 
 BY C. C. IIASSLER. 
 
 In a frontier camp, one summer day, 
 'Neath the friendly shade of an oak tree lay 
 A Woodman, resUng- on the ground. 
 Disturbed by neither noit-e nor sound. 
 Since early morn his swinging- stroke 
 The silence of the forest broke. 
 His trusty friends alone were near. 
 The echoing- forest sounds to hear — 
 The axe, with keen, bright, flashing edge, 
 The rough old beetle and the wedge. 
 
 Three humble friends — yet hy whose aid 
 
 A path was thro' the forest made — 
 
 A path thro' which a moving tide 
 
 Of pioneers marched, fought, and died. 
 
 Defiantly his gaze was met 
 
 By foe that ne'er was conquered yet ; 
 
 But hope his heart fresh courage lends 
 
 At sight of these three humble friends. 
 
 Rough emblems, true, of work and toil, 
 Without whose aid the virgin soil, 
 Unclaimed by hand of man, would yield 
 No golden harvest in the field ; 
 But labor's emblem, then as now, 
 Will place upon the Woodman's brow 
 A crown, blest type of that above. 
 When earned by work inspired by love. 
 
 The giant oak, that long had stood 
 A kingly monarch of the wood. 
 By hand of man it stood untouched, 
 Upheld by strong roots firmly clutched 
 To Mother Earth, defiance waved 
 To wind and storm, and proudly braved 
 All elements that dared to bring 
 Their powers against the Forest King. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 Ixxxvii 
 
 Vain boast, thou Forest King, at last 
 
 Thy rule is o'er, thy reign is past ; 
 
 No longer towering toVd the skies 
 
 Thy waving crest shall proudly rise ; 
 
 A foeman, worthy of thy steel. 
 
 Thy stout old heart at last shall feel. 
 
 'Tis man, God's noblest work on earth ; 
 
 Endowed with attributes of worth 
 
 Of mind and heart, and strength whose hand 
 
 Holds kingly sceptre in the land. 
 
 Hark ! Echoes are ringing again and again, 
 That startle the song-bird, in thicket and glen. 
 In the depths of the forest they sound and resound 
 As if fairies were trying the music to drown. 
 As if mocking the sound it comes hack at the whack 
 Of the axe, but returns on the same hidden track, 
 Yet the gleam of the blade never ceases to flash 
 Until the stout oak reels and falls with a crash. 
 
 Thus one by one, from year to year, 
 Opposing forces disappear. 
 Unlike the ancient woodmen, we 
 Contend with only those who see 
 Imaginary giants stand 
 In paths fraternal, sword in hand, 
 Forgetting monitors within who speak 
 Of strong man's duty to'ard the weak. 
 
 But few decades have past and gone. 
 Yet fruit of muscle, brain, and brawn 
 Are seen by evidence that bring 
 Fresh laure's to the ncw-crovvned king. 
 Where savage tribes once held the rule. 
 Now stand the coUage, church, and school. 
 While towns transformed lo cities grand, 
 But follow work of woodmen's hand. 
 
 So proudly, then, to-day we share 
 
 The honors of the name we bear ; 
 
 And prouder yet, we point the way 
 
 To paths the Woodmen tread to-day. 
 
 And tho' oftimes o'er heights they lead. 
 
 Of prejudice and selfish greed. 
 
 Stout hearts to scale those heights will dare, 
 
 And place our Woodman's banner there. 
 
 Beneath its folds are men whose name 
 Ne'er brings to us the blush of shame. 
 
Ixxxviii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 With fellowmen they proudly stand, 
 The peers of any in the land. 
 Endowed with wisdom, honest pride 
 Inspire their hearts to safely guide 
 Our craft, whose mission under God 
 Soothes hearts who feel his chastening- rod. 
 
 A power for good to-day we wield, 
 Beneath the Palm, the Star, and Shield, 
 While in each Woodman Camp or hall 
 There's safety^ peace^ and light for all. 
 While sixty thousand hearts rejoice, 
 They join in one united voice 
 In re-affirming vow and pledge 
 Upon the beetle, axe, and wedge. 
 
 You ask who fill our ranks to-night. 
 And Modern Woodcraft battles fight — 
 Whose bloodless victories outshine 
 The warrior's deeds of olden time. 
 In palace grand, in humble cot, 
 In homes where love and truth are taught, 
 In haJls of state, in church, and school, 
 There Knights of Woodcraft live and rule. 
 
 Within our own fair State we boast 
 A gallant fighting Woodmen host 
 Who'd hack our chiefs in courts of law. 
 Prom Greenville west to Omaha ; 
 While north and west the ruddy light 
 Shows camp-iires burning clear and bright, 
 Around which neighbors, young and old. 
 Will welcome strangers to the fold. 
 
 As Neighbors, then, with what delight 
 We greet each honored guest to-night, 
 And note each pleasant smile and word, 
 Praternal sympathies have stirred. 
 And as we note each smiling face, . 
 That to our joys lend added grace, 
 We ask, can stronger ties ever be 
 Than those born of fraternity ? 
 
 Praternity, 'tis to thy power 
 
 Mankind is moved to deeds 
 Of love and kindness, while the path 
 
 To purer lives it leads. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 Ixxxix 
 
 May its bonds forever bind us 
 With a warm, fraternal love, 
 
 Guide our footsteps in life's pathway, 
 To a better Camp above. 
 
 There no password is required, 
 
 Neither sign, nor word, nor pledge, 
 Love shall rule without the signal 
 
 Of the beetle, axe, and wedge. 
 There the Neighbors, they will gather 
 
 Round the urn, with hearts so light, 
 As they shower in the pebbles — 
 
 All one color — snowy white. 
 
 Little Crippled Joe, 
 
 BY C. C. HASSLER. 
 
 Somehow or 'nuther every time 
 
 I pass a school play-ground, 
 An' see the boys a playin' there. 
 
 At leap-frog, hare, and hound ; 
 A throwin' of each other down, 
 
 Or rasslin' at back-holt. 
 Jest full of devilment and fun 
 
 As any unbroke colt, 
 I alius turn my eyes away 
 
 Toward the big bord fence, 
 An' look as if awaitin' there 
 
 For studies to commence. 
 I see a bent and crippled boy 
 
 Like one I used ter know, 
 Attendin' school, along with me. 
 
 Called Little Crippled Joe. 
 
 Pore little Joe, he couldn't run. 
 
 Nor jine in any game, 
 Exceptin' mumbly-peg, sometimes 
 
 Hop scotch, if not too lame ; 
 But there he'd set agin the fence 
 
 At recess, while us boys 
 A playin' ante over, made 
 
 The most outlandish noise ; 
 
xc 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 An' many a time I've seed him, when 
 
 He thought I wasn't near, 
 Take out his little handkerchief 
 
 An' wipe away a tear, 
 An' look so pitiful, as down 
 
 His cheeks them tears would flow, 
 It made my heart just ache for him. 
 
 Pore Little Crippled Joe. 
 
 The big" girls, and the big boys, too. 
 
 Sometimes on rainy days. 
 Would Stay in doors at recess time, 
 
 An' have some kind of plays — 
 Some plays that he could jine 'em in ; 
 
 Not them like we hev now, 
 As Tiddledewink, an' them forgot. 
 
 Before you half know how ; 
 But rale old-fashioned games that 
 
 All could jine in whare they set, 
 Like charades, riddles, and the like, 
 
 Them kind you don't forget ; 
 Sometimes they'd kissin' in 'em, too, 
 
 Which some don't like, I know, 
 Yet somehow them girls always loved 
 
 To kiss pore Crippled Joe. 
 
 By an' by, when winter came. 
 
 And froze up ponds and crick, 
 His seat was vacant, for we knew 
 
 Pore little Joe was sick. 
 We missed him in the spellin' class 
 
 On Friday afternoons. 
 When larnin' Jography, we'd sing 
 
 The lessons off in tunes ; 
 The Master 'd alius lead the class 
 
 Fer pVaps an' hour or more. 
 An' we'd all sing an' keep tune by 
 
 A stompin' on the floor ; 
 The girls they'd sing soprany, but 
 
 When every line would close 
 One childish voice we'd always hear. 
 
 Pore Little Crippled Joe's. 
 
 But somewhere 'long 'bout Christmas time, 
 
 The Master sed, one day. 
 That after skool let out he wished 
 
 The skolars all would stay ; 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 An' then he told us mebbe, when 
 
 Skool time begun again, 
 Pore Little Crippled Joe'd be free 
 
 Prom sufferin' an' pain, 
 An' sed as how he wished we'd go 
 
 An" see him, for he knew 
 * 'Twould do his little heart good, an' 
 
 His pap's and mother's, too ; 
 For, boys, that little vacant seat 
 
 On yonder second row 
 Will never more be filled again 
 
 By Little Crippled Joe. 
 
 An" sure enough, on Christmas day, 
 
 When homes are light and glad. 
 The home that once was little Joe's 
 
 Was sorrowin' an' sad. 
 His little stockings hangin' there, 
 
 As if he meant to git 
 Some presents in 'em, touched my heart — 
 
 Methinks I see 'em yet ; 
 His cap and bookslay side hy side, 
 
 His little dinner pail, 
 He'd never need agin on earth, 
 
 Was hangin' on a nail. 
 An' God had one more skool-boy who 
 
 To skool up there would go. 
 Along with (ingeh who could fly 
 
 An' carry Little Joe. 
 
 She Wanted to be a Woodman, 
 
 The funniest story I ever heard — 
 The funniest thing that ever occurred — 
 Is the story of Mrs. Mehitable Byrde, 
 Who wanted to be a Woodman. 
 
 Her husband, Tom Byrde, is a Woodman true, 
 As good a Woodman as any of you I 
 And she wanted to be a Woodman, too — 
 This ridiculous Mrs. Byrde. 
 
xcii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 She followed him 'round, this inquisitive wife, 
 She nabbed him and teased him half out of his life ; 
 And so to terminate this unalloyed strife, 
 He consented at last to admit her. 
 
 But first, to disguise her from bonnet to "shoon," 
 This ridiculous lady agreed to put on • 
 His breech — ah, forgive me, T meant pantaloons, 
 And miraculously did they fit her. 
 
 The Camp was at work on the second degree. 
 The camp-fire blazed up merrily, 
 The officers sat like Solomon, wise. 
 And brimstone burned 'mid horrid cries ; 
 The "goat " roamed wildly through the room. 
 The candidate begged 'em to let him go home. 
 The "devil " himself stood there in the heat 
 As proud as Taintor on his beat. 
 When in came Mrs. Byrde. 
 
 Oh, horrible sounds ! Oh, horrible sight ! 
 Can it be that Woodmen take delight 
 In spending thus the hours of night ? 
 Ah, could their wives and daughtci- know 
 The unutterable things they say and do. 
 Their feminine hearts would burst with woe, 
 But this is not all my story. 
 
 Those Woodmen joined in a hideous ring, 
 The candidate howling like everything, 
 And thus in tones of death they sing : 
 (The candidate's name was Morey) 
 " Blood to drink and bones to crack, 
 Skulls to smash and lives to take, 
 Hearts to crush and souls to burn. 
 Give old Morey another turn 
 
 And make him all grim and gory." 
 
 Trembling with horror stood Mrs. Byrde, 
 Unable to utter a single word ; 
 She staggered and fell in the nearest chair 
 On the left of the Worthy Adviser there, 
 And scarcely noticed, so loud the groans, 
 That the chair was made of human bones. 
 
 Of human bones, on grinning skulls, 
 That ghastly throne of horror rolls, 
 A scalp across the top was flung. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xciii 
 
 And teeth around the arms were strung ; 
 Never in all romance was known 
 Such uses made of human bones. 
 
 The brimstone burned in lurid flame, 
 Just like a place we will not name. 
 Good angels then inquiring came 
 From blissful courts looked on with shame 
 
 And tearful melancholy. 
 Again they dance, but twice as bad, 
 They jump and sing like demons mad — 
 
 The tune is Hunkey Dorey — 
 " Blood to drink and bones to crack. 
 Skulls to smash and lives to take, 
 Hearts to crush and souls to burn. 
 Give old Morey another turn 
 
 And make him all grim and gory." 
 
 Then came a pause, a pair of paws 
 Reached through the floor, up sliding doors ; 
 They grabbed the unhappy candidate ; 
 How can I without tears relate 
 The lost and ruined Morey's fate ? 
 She saw him sink in a firey hole, 
 She heard him scream, "my soul, my soul," 
 While roars of fiendish laughter roll 
 
 And drown the yells for mercy. 
 
 The misguided woman could stand no more ; 
 
 She fainted, and fell right down on the floor 
 
 Midst all the diabolic roar. 
 
 " What then," you ask me, "did befall 
 
 Mehitable Byrde ? " Why nothing at all ; 
 
 She had dreamed she'd been in a Woodman hall. 
 
 A Voodmen^s Bleasure. 
 
 BY C. C. HASSLER. 
 
 Dere vos some who seek for bleasure in de vain persuit of wealth, 
 And dere's others seek to find it at the zacrifice of health. 
 Vile still others over see and land, will dravel far to find 
 The boon their hearts are craving, leaving sweeter choys behind. 
 Dere is bleasure in the humble home dot rings mit choy und mirth, 
 Ven the toils of day is ofer, 'tis the schweetest spot on earth. 
 But the growning choy of others is to vatch the smiles dot greep 
 Across the face of baby in his gradle, fast asleep. 
 
xciv 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 Oh, dot chubby leedle baby, how ve love to hear him crow 
 Ven he first find out he reaches to his mouth up mit his toe ; 
 Und ve vatch his efery motion, yust as glad as ve can be, 
 As ve hear him first say "• Boppy," just so blain as you or me. 
 So eef others hof the riches, they are welcome to their wealth, 
 Ve are glad to be gontented mit the blessings of good health, 
 For it makes our choy the sweeter, as we vatch the smiles dot greep 
 Across the face of baby, in his cradle, fast asleep. 
 
 Ven the evening lamp vos lighted, und each leedle gurly head, 
 Chust wos beeping from the cover out upon the children's bed, 
 Vot a bleasure 'tis to listen to the soft, sweet lullaby. 
 Dot Gatrina sings to quiet efery childish bain und cry. 
 'Tis the same old song she listend to in dear old faderland. 
 Coming from her mother's lips to her as mit a loving hand. 
 She rocked dot gradle chently, while she vatched the smiles dot 
 greep 
 
 Across my own Gatrina's face ven she vos gone to sleep. 
 
 But, von day, I say, Gatrina, for a goot und loving vife, 
 Don't you dink dot some insurance I should hof upon my life ? 
 For if somedings now should happen dot should take me from your 
 side, 
 
 Who vould care for you und baby, after Hans vos gone und died '? 
 For the vorld is cold und selfish ven on charity ve call, 
 Und the vidow's heart is saddened by the tears dot often fall, 
 As alone she sits und vatches to the smiles dot often greep 
 Across the face of baby, in his gradle fast asleep." 
 
 So I choin me den the Voodmen chust so quickly as I can. 
 Und I feel so glad und happy now, just like anoder man , 
 I sing und vissel gaily ven to vork I go avay, 
 Und I go me straight home early at the glosing of the day, 
 Und Gatrina she was happy, for she knows dot Hans has done 
 For the sake of her und baby, vot is right for every one ; 
 Und the thought brings bleasure mit it like the smiles dot dance und 
 greep. 
 
 Across the face of baby in his gradle fast asleep. 
 
 If you ask vy I was broud of our Voodmen Camp und vork, 
 I should boint you mit great bleasure to our managers and clerk. 
 Efery face vill bear inspection, if examined mit a chart, 
 Efery face is a reflection of an honest Voodman's heart. 
 Ven I study dem together, or I take them von by von, 
 I chust say, "Thou faithful servants, all your vork has been veil 
 done." 
 
 Und I feel some smile of bleasure den across my own face greep, 
 As I lay my Voodmen's " baber " down und go me off to sleep 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xcv 
 
 Awakened Memories. 
 
 BY C. C. HASSLER. 
 
 Seems to me there's no hour so lonesome 
 
 As when through the day we have passed, 
 And the shadowy shades of the evening 
 
 On everything 'round us is cast ; 
 When the only sound near us familiar, 
 
 That memories dear can recall, 
 Is the old clock that never stops ticking 
 
 From the shelf where it stands on the wall. 
 
 It has noted the moments of meeting 
 
 With loved ones whose footsteps we knew. 
 And the hour of parting we shrank from, 
 
 Less welcome the nearer it drew. 
 Thus through the long years, in all seasons, 
 
 Be it midsummer, spring-time, or fall, 
 Like a friend, the old clock has kept ticlcing 
 
 Prom the shelf where it stands on tlie wall. 
 
 All the sounds that were once so annoying. 
 
 The boisterous laughter and shout. 
 Our lonely hearts now would but welcome 
 
 Once more to hear gladly ring out. 
 Those voices perhaps in the future. 
 
 Nevermore on our ear they shall fall. 
 To drown the old clock's steady ticking 
 
 As it sounds from the shelf on the wall. 
 
 We can listen to sounds of sweet music, 
 
 To the old songs of childhood, and feel 
 Down the cheek, slowly, sadly, but surely. 
 
 The tear drop unconsciously steal. 
 But at eve, now, instead of sweet music. 
 
 There echoes thro' parlor and hall. 
 Just the old clock'^s loud but weird ticking, 
 
 From the shelf where it stands on the wall. 
 
 One by one, from the old home departing, 
 
 Like birds from the parent nest flown. 
 We watch them go out on life's journey 
 
 Over life's rugged pathway alone. 
 One by one we will wait their home-coming, 
 
 One by one each loved image recall. 
 That will live when the old clock no longer 
 
 Ticks away from the shelf on the wall. 
 
xcvi Selected Literature. 
 
 Modern Woodmen of America, 
 
 ACROSTIC. 
 
 BY MRS. M. L. FOLLETT, LE CLAIRE, IOWA. 
 
 Marching- as an army, over sixty thousand strong- ; 
 Often called to battle with the hosts of sin and wrong ; 
 Daring to protect the weakest, who to us belong-, 
 Each lodge g-oes marching on ! 
 
 Recognition and assistance to our brothers, one and all, 
 Ne'er forgetting the bereaved ones, when by death our comrades fall; 
 Welcoming into our circle rich and poor, and great and small. 
 Our order goes marching on. 
 
 Oh, proclaim the joyful tidings all throughout the great northwest ! 
 Draw our Neighbors, Modern Woodmen, from among the noblest, best; 
 Modern Woodmen ! while they proffer aid to every honored guest. 
 Evermore go marching on. 
 
 No craft is more courageous, should oppression bar the way. 
 
 Or treason dare to lift its hydra head in any way. 
 
 For a Woodman's axe hews to the line, let chips fall where they may, 
 
 And our braves go marching on. 
 
 May the blessing of the Lord of Hosts on every Camp descend. 
 Each Woodman on the arm of truth and righteousness depends ; 
 Remember, victory comes to all who are faithful to the end. 
 In God go marching on. 
 
 Calling every man a brother, making every man a friend, 
 All the world may go marching on. 
 
 Hew to the I/ine, Boys ! 
 
 "Gather up the fragments, that nothing be lost." — Bible. 
 
 Hew to the line, boys, hew to the line, 
 
 Let the chips fall where they may ; 
 We will gather them all, both great and small, 
 
 Perchance for a rainy day. 
 For the Woodman's wife, when her work is done, 
 
 And close to the ingle sits, 
 Will bring from her basket of proverbs wise 
 
 Some of those golden chips. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xcvii 
 
 Hew to the line, boys, hew to the line, 
 
 Let the chips fall fast, indeed ; 
 We will gather them all, both great and small, 
 
 And bid the work God speed. 
 For the widow's home, a desolate place. 
 
 Some chips of love may need ; 
 Then out with loving hands and hearts 
 
 To do those Christ-like deeds. 
 
 Hew to the line, boys, hew to the line, 
 
 Let the chips fall, great and small ; 
 With willing hands and loving heai-ts 
 
 We will gather them one and all. 
 To some who have climbed life's rugged hill, 
 
 And are now on the other side. 
 Some kindly chips for ''.he aged ones 
 
 Might comfort their eventide. 
 
 Hew to the line, boys, hew to the line. 
 
 Let the chips fall where they will ; 
 Give to the young man starting out 
 
 His mission in life to fill. 
 Neighbor, some chips of counsel for him 
 
 When tossed by the world, and driven. 
 And remember who said, "let nothing be lost,'' 
 
 The poor to us have been given. — Biirli B(iv'k\ 
 
 Truth, if not Poetry, 
 
 BY C. C. HASSLER. 
 
 When the neighbors get to crowdin' 
 Thro' the door from off the street, 
 
 With their wives and children with 'em, 
 Loaded down with things to eat, 
 
 An' the smell of good old coffee 
 Comes from out the ante-room — 
 
 Jist like your mother made it 
 With its glorious perfume ; 
 
 Oh, its then I feel like shoutin', 
 An' I think I cannot wait 
 
 For the chicken legs and gizzards, 
 Loaded down upon your plate ; 
 
 An' it seems to me there's nothin' 
 
xcviii 
 
 Selected Literature, 
 
 Suits the neighbors, one and all, 
 
 As the time when Woodmen gather 
 Ai a banquet at their hall. 
 
 Still I'm glad that summer's comin', 
 And that soon the woods will ring 
 
 With the notes that feathered songsters 
 Always warble as they sing ; 
 
 For it's then the jolly Woodmen 
 Always feel as if they must 
 
 Have barbecues or suthin' 
 Like 'em in the woods or bust ; 
 
 And the visions now of baskets 
 Loaded down with things to eat, 
 
 And the plunkin' of the fiddle 
 As it stirs the youngsters' feet. 
 
 Makes me all the more the gladder,^ 
 For I know there's nothin' takes 
 
 As well as Woodmen's frolics, 
 Interspersed with pie and cake ; 
 
 An' it seem to me there's nothin' 
 Lengthens out a neighbor's life 
 
 Like a picnic in the forest 
 With your children and your wife, 
 
 When you know if you get hungry. 
 That you needn't be afraid 
 
 Some one will ketch you eatin' 
 With your fingers, in the shade ; 
 
 Where the nick-nacks, they are lookin' 
 So invitin' that you jest 
 
 Can hardly wait to hide 'em 
 Underneath your Sunday vest. 
 
 Oh, its times like them a comin' 
 That's acausin' me to smile, 
 
 For I know one Woodman's /cuKn's 
 Just about that very style. 
 
 No Assessment in November. 
 
 BY C. C. HASSLER. 
 
 No assessment in November I 
 
 Well, if that don't beat the Jews 1 
 
 Nary a doggoned cent demanded. 
 Now, that'ri what I call news. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 xcix 
 
 No assessment, when I hear 'em 
 
 In the other orders say 
 They air not surprised when hearin' 
 
 Two and three they have to pay. 
 
 No assessment in November I 
 
 Well, I kalkilate that means 
 This old silver Daddy dollar's 
 
 Goin' down in my old jeans. 
 Won't the neighbors stir and hustle 
 
 'Round and bring the fellers in. 
 When they tell 'em how the Woodmen's 
 
 Head Clerk made the neighbors grin ! 
 
 No assessment in November ! 
 
 Just the month, too, when it takes 
 Every dime and every dollar 
 
 That a poor workin' feller makes. 
 Shoes to buy for Joe and Mary, 
 
 Taters for the winter's store, 
 Books and things for John and Sairy, 
 
 Things you hain't thought of before. 
 
 N,o assessment in November ! 
 
 Well, I guess them old-line chaps 
 Won't be tickled when they hear how 
 
 Cost of good insurance draps ; 
 Won't be comin' buzzin 'round us 
 
 Like a swarm of bumble bees, 
 When we pint to this here notice. 
 No assessment, if you please." 
 
 No assessment in November ! 
 
 Well, now that's what I call light — 
 Managers like we hev knockin' 
 
 Double headers out of sight. 
 Harmony and good-will keepin' 
 
 Step to music 'long the line," 
 Woodmen jubilees a drawin' 
 
 Crowds of neighbors glad to jine. 
 
 No assessment in November ! 
 
 We hain't crying after stuff ; 
 Our Head Banker don't keep drawin' 
 
 When he knows he's got enough. 
 Head Physician, he don't Swallow 
 
 Doubtful risks, but takes the cream, 
 When he's through, he can jist mount a 
 
 Stump and make the "eagle scream." 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 No assessment in November ! 
 
 Tell the world to stop and watch 
 How the Woodmen stock is raisin', 
 
 Every day another notch. 
 Lay in fruit and water plenty, 
 
 Buy and sell for all your worth, 
 Keep your camp-fire brightly burnin', 
 
 Let her boom, we want the earth. 
 
 No assessment in November ! 
 
 Means that fewer tear-drops flow 
 Over fathers', husbands', brothers' 
 
 Graves, than did two months ago. 
 Fewer little broken-hearted 
 
 Children papa's footsteps miss, 
 Comin' home at night to meet them 
 
 With a loving, welcome kiss. 
 
 No assessment in November ! 
 
 Stop, jest let the Woodmen give 
 Praise to Him whose mercy plainly 
 
 'Tis thro' which to-day we live. 
 Praise to Him whose hand has guided 
 
 From the Woodmen's door away. 
 Death's dark angel, whose unerring 
 
 Flight no human hand can stay. 
 
 The Modern Woodmen, 
 
 BY D. C. ZINK. 
 
 Oh, bright as Woodmen's beauty's dream, 
 
 Which active fancies trace. 
 Are they who rule with sway supreme, 
 
 The guardian nymphic race. 
 O'er earth's broad prairies and state, 
 
 The Modern Woodmen open bars 
 To strangers ; through evening's vaulted gate 
 
 Look down the twinkling stars. 
 
 Of late, to meet in social " camp," 
 
 Those neighbors do convene, 
 And joining in their glee and sport, 
 
 Where strangers are oftimes seen, 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 With cordial smile and kindly mind, 
 They meet their neighbors there, 
 
 And give an invitation kind 
 
 To strangers wandering there. 
 
 For leagues on leagues are hickory trees, 
 
 And fig their branches fling 
 To bring with treasures such as these, 
 
 Say, what can neighbors bring ? 
 That little pile of rugged chips, 
 
 And forest sear and brown. 
 Where only sound the Woodmen's axe. 
 
 Who cut the hooppoles down. 
 
 Rise up, my neighbors, I heard her call. 
 
 Ye faithful ones and free, 
 And ye, my stately Woodmen tall, 
 
 In throngs, rise up, ye ! 
 And soon the Woodmen 'round her came 
 
 In answer to her cry ; 
 And swiftly gathered round that dame, 
 
 The Modern Woodman's wife. 
 
 The farmer left unsown his land. 
 
 The tradesman fled his shop, 
 The bold mechanic from his hand 
 
 Let plane and hammer drop ; 
 And rushed from every furnace fire 
 
 That lights our dales at night, 
 The Woodmen bringing in their might 
 
 To grant the widow's right. 
 
 With brows bedewed with drops of sweat. 
 
 Those brawny toilers join ; 
 Each wore a magic amulet. 
 
 Transmitting toil to coin. 
 Indignant in their own kind way. 
 
 They rally on the green 
 To sweep the scorners from the path 
 
 Of their own Woodmen queen. 
 
 We send our deputies, our joy, our pride, 
 
 To canvass throughout the northern lands, 
 That Modern Woodmen over prairies wide 
 
 May tread thy golden sands ; 
 Your Menes by the clift and canons deep. 
 
 When dark the rivers run. 
 And Modern Woodmen never stop 
 
 Beneath the tropic sun. 
 
cii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 Who on the plain attain success 
 
 Like the Modern Woodmen can ? 
 Who towers now ahead of the rest ? 
 
 The Modern Woodmen America man. 
 And evermore where brains abound, 
 
 And talent heads the van 
 Of progress, there will still be found. 
 
 The Modern Woodmen America man. 
 
 Keep Humpin\ 
 
 BY A. P. ROBERTS. 
 
 I remember the time when I was a lad, 
 An' lived on the farm long with ma an' dad ; 
 In the long, hot days, how I'd have to hoe 
 Out in the cornfield, row after row. 
 How I'd think of the fishes that lay in the brook. 
 An' I just a longin' to take my hook 
 
 An' line, and sprawl by that ole trout stream. 
 For I loved in them days to loaf an' to dream — 
 An' watch the fish a-jumpin' ; 
 Then I'd groan and bemoan my unfortunate lot, 
 I'd go to my father an' say, " It's so hot — 
 Can't the corn and pertatoes wait well as not ? " 
 But my father, he'd say 
 In a stern sort of way — 
 " Keep humpin'." 
 
 Then I'd work with a will till each sep'rate row 
 Stood forth without airy a weed to show. 
 An' each little rock I would duly install 
 In its own proper niche in the ole crumblin' wall, 
 An, I'd say to my father, as proud as could be, 
 " Ive finished my work, dad ! " and then in high glee 
 
 Off I'd go, skippin' and jumpin'. 
 Then he'd say, " It's well done exceptin' one spot ; 
 Now bring down them cows from the north pasture lot — 
 There's no time to shirk — a farmer has got 
 (So my father would say 
 In a stern sort of way) 
 
 To keep humpin'." 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 ciii 
 
 Take this for your maxim, and may it e'er be 
 Deep-seated and firm as the roots of a tree ; 
 
 Whatever you work, whether peddling corn- 
 Salve or door-mats, or tootin' a horn. 
 Or sellin' of clothes line or cloth by the yard, 
 You'll find that your duty'll be much the less hard, 
 If you put to your labor the heft of your soul ; 
 Half-hearted won't win, you can't reach the goal 
 By occasional skippin' an' jumpin'. 
 If you're fully determined, my friend, to git there, 
 You mustn't sit down by the wayside and swear ; 
 You can gather more courage from a fervent prayer, 
 And as father would say, 
 In a stern kind of way, 
 " Keep humpin'." 
 
 Good -Bye. 
 
 BY C. C. HASSLER. 
 
 Farewell is a word that may serve to express, 
 
 In a measure, our thoughts as we part. 
 But it fails to impress like an old fashion word 
 
 That is born in a fond mother's heart. 
 It will live thro' a life of danger and sin, 
 
 Tho' with speed of the light they should fly, 
 And the heart will grow sad as in fancy we hear — 
 
 God bless you, my boy, good-bye. 
 
 Farewell may a meaning convey as it falls 
 
 From the lips of the careless and gay, 
 But it fails to suffice the sad heart that asks. 
 
 Will they miss me when I am away ? 
 Oh ! not for the world would we banish that word. 
 
 Though with tears it may moisten the eye ; \ 
 But the heart will grow soft as it comes back to us — 
 
 God bless you, my boy, good-bye. 
 
 Good-bye ! Let it live while a mother's heart holds 
 
 A love that none other can know ; 
 There is no other word that can soften her grief 
 
 As her hands press the dear ones that go, 
 Tho' her lips may but whisper the sad parting, still 
 
 'Tis the soul that's expressed in the eye, 
 And the heart of the absent will soften to hear — 
 
 God bless you, my boy, good-bye. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 He Was In It. 
 
 FROM THE SILVER LEAF. 
 
 They had a g-ood Camp at his very door — 
 
 He wasn't in it. 
 They brought him a chance for protecting- the poor — 
 
 He wasn't in it. 
 Let them work themselves as he had done ; 
 They wouldn't need "aid" of any one 
 If they hadn't wasted each g-olden minute — 
 
 He wasn't in it. 
 
 So he passed the lodg-e with haughty tread — 
 
 He wasn't in it. 
 And he scorned the good with averted head — 
 
 He wasn't in it. 
 When men in halls of fraternity met 
 He saw their friendship without regret ; 
 Too high the mark for him to win it — 
 
 He wasn't in it. 
 
 A hearse crept down the street one day — 
 
 He was in it. 
 The funeral trappings made a display — 
 
 He was in it. 
 St. Peter received him with a book and bell — : 
 " My friend you have a ticket to — well, 
 Car will go right down in a minute ! " 
 
 He was in it. 
 
 Neighbor Grimes. 
 
 BY FINN PHENIX. 
 
 "When the silence of fear came over the Camp, 
 And the flesh on our bones felt chilly and damp ; 
 When the "previous question " had silenced the jaw, 
 And the delegates wrestled with wonder and awe, 
 To behold a grey visage, with fire in his eye 
 To stand and declare he would talk, or he'd die. 
 Then his wonderful tones rang out like the chimes 
 Of the old anvil chorus — why, we knew it was Grimes ! 
 Grimes ! we knew it was Grimes. 
 
Selected Literature, 
 
 Though he spoke to the point — for he always spoke well, 
 
 But when he would cease, no mortal could tell. 
 
 For he'd move to amend or to table it all. 
 
 To take in Chicago, or strike out " St. Paul ; " 
 
 But once on his tongue a tartar he caught, 
 
 When " to order " he called Neighbor Mead on the spot, 
 
 For speaking now twice — the worst of all crimes — 
 
 But Mead answered back — my name isn't Grimes ; 
 
 Grimes : My name is not Grimes. 
 
 Alas ! what a joy, we know not our fate. 
 
 To some it comes early ; to others comes late ; 
 
 To some it's a " jewel," to others a " crown ; " 
 
 To some it's despair, to others renown. 
 
 Though seldom it is that both come to one, 
 
 But fortune decreed, and the deed was well done. 
 
 When Jewell arose and declared, forty times 
 
 Hath he spoken this hour, the neighbor named Grimes ; 
 
 Grimes : the neighbor named Grimes. 
 
 But then, to all things there cometh the end. 
 
 To the bad, when their ways with diligence mend ; 
 
 To the good, when their labors are truly well done. 
 
 So it came to the Camp when its race had been run ; 
 
 With its record of good, it adjourned sine die. 
 
 When Messe led the " neighbor with fire in his eye " 
 
 To make the last motion ; and yet many times 
 
 Do we hope, one and all, to meet Neighbor Grimes, 
 
 Grimes, our good Neighbor Grimes, 
 
 To whom I indite these immortal rhymes. 
 
 Old Man Poverty. 
 
 BY F. A. FALKENBURG. 
 
 Down a village street hobbled a man. 
 He was old, decrepit, weak, and wan ; 
 His thick hair covered his shoulders quite — 
 'Twas long and wavy and shining white. 
 His eyes were dim, while his bony hand 
 Clutched a frail cane ; he could scarcely stand. 
 Those are not clothes, but a lot of rags 
 Over his back and around his legs. 
 
cvi 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 Are those shoes ? No, he cannot get trust, 
 But his naked feet are covered with dust. 
 He is never seen in a palace car, 
 Yet visits much and has traveled far ; 
 He has seen each city, village, and town, 
 From the rising sun to the going down ; 
 From pole to pole, from shore to shore. 
 He visits each day the suffering poor ; 
 His dull sunken eye, his long white hair, 
 And his bony hand go everywhere. 
 
 He paused by a cottage gate to rest. 
 Saw flowers by summer breeze caressed. 
 Sweet children playing beside the door. 
 And, peering in, saw something more — 
 A mother lulling her babe to sleep — 
 Baby asleep and mother to weep. 
 
 Old Man Poverty then knocks with a grin. 
 Madam, he said, may I not come in ? 
 Oliver is dead ; we knew he was poor. 
 And Old Man Poverty is at your door. 
 
 You cannot come in, she firmly said ; 
 My husband was poor, and now he is dead ; 
 But Oliver loved us too well by far 
 To leave us in your uncertain care. 
 Your shadow shall never cross my door ; 
 I am a Woodman's widow, sir. 
 
 Our Camp- Fire, 
 
 BY M. H. UNDERWOOD. 
 
 May it never lose its lustre. 
 
 Nor its embers cease to glow. 
 Until myriads round it cluster, 
 
 And all its pleasures know. 
 Until through every shady forest. 
 
 Over hill and through ravine. 
 Shall be heard the Woodmen's music, 
 
 Shall be seen his camp-fire's gleam. 
 'Till e'en the birds shall sit enraptured, 
 
 Listening to the Woodmen's lays ; 
 Till festive frogs shall cease their croakings 
 
 In honor of our camp-fire's blaze. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 cvii 
 
 Let the idle and the thoughtless 
 
 Drift along- with dripping- oar ; 
 Cloudless skies may bend above them, 
 
 Pleasant scenes may skirt life's shore. 
 In their shallops with their loved ones 
 
 They in peace to-day may sail, 
 Dreaming- not that clouds may gather, 
 
 Dreaming not of storm and gale. 
 Heeding not the plaintive calling 
 
 From stranded barks along life's strand. 
 To the struggling, ship- wrecked sailors 
 
 Reaching out no helping hand. 
 
 Wisdom bids us heed the calling, 
 
 That comes to us along life's tide 
 Lest storms and flood our skill shall baffle, 
 
 And friendly aid to us be denied. 
 Thus we anchor in the harbor 
 
 Where the Woodmen camp-fire burns ; 
 In its square we take our places 
 
 Cast our pebble in the urn. 
 Counting not the moments wasted 
 
 For we have seen its mystic gleam — 
 Aid through life the adopted stranger, 
 
 And cheer his home when ends life's dream. 
 
 Protecting the Widow and Orphans. 
 
 ADAPTED FROM INSURANCE OBSERVER (ENGLAND), 1848. 
 
 When God removed papa to heaven, 
 And ma was left to strive for seven. 
 With scarce enough for burial fees 
 (So lingering was poor Pa's disease); 
 Though full of grief, we'd no despair, 
 Relations spoJce so kind and fair. 
 
 Our grandpa said that he, for one, 
 Would think and see what could be done. 
 Our Uncle William and our aunt, 
 Hoped we'd never come to want ; 
 But mother's brothers talked the best — 
 A great deal kinder than the rest. 
 
cviii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 They said that home they'd take us all, 
 
 Only their rooms were few and small. 
 
 We'd promises from Uncle Page, 
 
 To push us forward when of age. 
 
 They then went home — but stop I miss — 
 
 They gave us every one — a kiss ; 
 
 And said, " Be good, and mind mamma. 
 
 And we'll be to you — papa ! " 
 
 So much engaged were they at home, 
 For many weeks they could not come ; 
 Until they heard mamma had found 
 A writing for five hundred pound ; 
 Which some fraternal office paid. 
 So ma commenced a genteel trade. 
 
 And then they came, it seemed so funny, 
 "^o beg mamma to lend them money ! 
 But ma said, No ; if you are poor, 
 A trifle will your life insure ; 
 And then the office [our best friend). 
 Whenever your good life shall end. 
 Will comfort to your orphans send." 
 
 We^re a Great F'raternal Army. 
 
 BY THEO. D. C. MILLER, M. D. 
 
 We've enlisted for the conflict 
 
 In the great fraternal war ; 
 There are foes to meet and conquer. 
 
 We may bear full many a scar I 
 But our leaders are undaunted 
 
 And we all are in the mood 
 To bear one another's burdens 
 
 And to do each other good. 
 
 We have mustered for the battle 
 
 O'er our country's broad domain. 
 From the California borders 
 
 To the fir-clad coast of Maine ; 
 From the sunny vales of Texas 
 
 To giant Lawrence's seaward flow, 
 We will stand by our brave leaders 
 
 And we'll follow where they go. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 cix 
 
 We shall meet and fight and conquer 
 
 All the hordes of wealth and power, 
 If we are in strength united 
 
 In each dark and trying hour ; 
 For our ranks are growing stronger 
 
 And we each are in the mood 
 To be true to one another 
 
 As we do each other good. 
 
 Should the daily press defame us, 
 
 In its selfish greed for gain. 
 As it pleads for life insurance, 
 
 Till the last redoubt we gain ; 
 We will meet the sordid minions 
 
 V7ith a zeal no power can quail. 
 And, with good right arm extended 
 
 O'er the foe we will prevail. 
 
 We are coming from the mountain. 
 
 Marching o'er the fertile plan. 
 As a great fraternal army, 
 
 Countless as the sheaves of grain ; 
 And the people all around us 
 
 Are enlisting for the war, 
 Eager for the hour of triumph 
 
 As they proudly bear each scar. 
 
 On ! right onward ! is our motto. 
 
 In the work we find to do ; 
 We are pledged to one another 
 
 To be loyal, just, and true ! 
 And, when we are crowned as victors. 
 
 When fraternal peace is won, 
 May we all receive life's blessings 
 
 For the grand work we have done. 
 
 Parody on Psalm of I^ife,*' 
 
 Life insurance men remind us 
 We can make our wives sublime, 
 And, departing, leave behind us 
 Widows worthy of our time. 
 We will give them such a send-off 
 On the life insurance plan 
 That, when we departing end off, 
 They can scoop some other man. 
 
cx 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 They Never Would he Missed. 
 
 There are men in our fraternity who never come to lodge, 
 
 And whose claims we can't resist, for they have them on the list ; 
 
 But if their names were stricken off, so far as we can judge, 
 
 They never would be missed, they never would be missed. 
 
 They cannot give the password, and they do not know the sign. 
 
 And of the order's good or ill, they never read a line ; 
 
 They growl about assessments, and they grudge to pay their dues, 
 
 And every call for charity they stubbornly refuse. 
 
 If all the brothers were like these, the lodge could not exist ; 
 
 And they never would be missed, they never would be missed. 
 
 — Sam Booth. 
 
 And there's the accidentals who now and then, en masse. 
 
 Crowd in to beat some motion that some true men wish to pass ; 
 
 They're seen at an election, or when a feast is spread. 
 
 And at the loaded tables are always near the head ; 
 
 They always have some hobby, and on it strong insist — 
 
 Should they stop there accidental calls, they never would be missed. 
 
 — W. H. B. 
 
 There's the self-important member who thinks he knows it all. 
 Whose principle pastime is gyrating around the hall ; 
 He makes himself obnoxious with his winks and knowing nods. 
 And affects to have the power and the wisdom of the gods. 
 So we've got him on the list, and his neck we want to twist. 
 For he never would be missed, he never would be missed. 
 
 K. of H. Beporter. 
 
 But what about the kicker, the chap with chronic bile. 
 
 Who since his advent to the world, was never known to smile ! 
 
 He kicks against the widow, and the orphan, and the sick. 
 
 And the measly, fly-blown rascal should be pounded with a brick. 
 
 If old Nick should run across him and his ownership insist. 
 
 Lots of the folks would jump for gladness, he never would be missed. 
 
 — Forresters'' Magazine. 
 
 There's the " watch-dog of the treasury," who's always there to see 
 
 That nothing is paid out, whate'er the cause may be ; 
 
 Relief, distress, or charity — calls pass unheeded by. 
 
 The foxy member has his way — progress would be to die. 
 
 The funds are his, he seems to think, and must be kept intact 
 
 For his children by and by, when he is off the track. 
 
 We love (?) to see him run the lodge, and always shall insist, 
 
 That when he's called from off the earth the lodge shall still exist. 
 
 And he never will be missed, he never will be missed. 
 
 — Western Odd Fellow. 
 
Selected Literature. 
 
 cxi 
 
 But what about the fellow, who with gigg-les and with grins, 
 
 Will set his jaws to going- just as soon as work begins ; 
 
 He's sure to gab and gossip 'bout the weather and the drouth, 
 
 'Till the candidate hears nothing, for his everlasting mouth. 
 
 Do you think that we would miss him if his lower jaw would break, 
 
 Or grumble if a " special " should be levied for his sake. 
 
 You can bet to pay the dollar, we the payment would remit. 
 
 Unless we had assurance 'twould at least be in a twist ; 
 
 So, when with other nuisances, you're making up your list, 
 
 Just take this fellow with you, for he never will be missed. 
 
 — C. C. Hasslei% in Modern Woodman, 
 
 To Wayne H, Parks, Head Adviser i8S6, 
 Deceased. 
 
 BY DR. P. L. MC KINNIE. 
 
 In honored memory of a noble man, 
 
 A worthy Woodman and faithful friend. 
 
 'Tis well, though bitter be the smart ; 
 
 He wounds who knows to heal ; 
 We bear the blow with trusting heart, 
 
 For out of woe he bringeth weal. 
 
 And Woodmen mourn a neighbor kind. 
 
 To councils here he'll come no more. 
 The Great Head Consul of mankind 
 Hath summoned him the valley o'er. 
 
 Where no dark pebbles cast a shade. 
 
 Where camp-fires bright eternal burn ; 
 
 Where hope and fear at rest are laid, 
 White pebbles only in the urn. 
 
 Where peace her mantle wraps o'er all ; 
 
 In bright Elysianfield 
 He hears the honored Woodman's call 
 
 To wear the crown and shield. 
 
 His life's good fruitage hath he left 
 
 For neighbors, friends, and Woodmen true ; 
 As unto his sad ones bereft 
 
 We would to ours, so may we do. 
 
cxii 
 
 Selected Literature. 
 
 And thus his life in word and deed 
 By our kind action further grow ; 
 
 With faith and hope and love our creed, 
 *' Pur Autre Vie " we bestow. 
 
 The Birth of I/abor and Insurance, 
 
 BY JAMES T. PHELPS. 
 
 We are told as a reason, 
 
 Of the close of the season 
 
 Of idleness, in the sweet Garden of Eden, 
 
 A snake and young Cain 
 
 Caused all of Ere's pain, 
 And set Adam and Abel the garden to weeding. 
 
 Thus labor was born 
 
 To all that is human. 
 
 By the charms of a snake 
 
 And the weakness of woman ; 
 
 Men do not repine, but increase their endurance, 
 
 And strengthen their labor by the aid of insurance.