The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-01-19
Masonic Mutual Art Association.

Recorder.
Masonic Mutual Art Association.
We learn from the Winchester TINS
that a meeting was held in Martins
burg, w. Va, on January 9Th, in which
about sixty delegates representing the
Lodges in Virginia, West Virginia and
Maryland, were assembled, to consider
the propriety OF forming sort OF
Masonic Life Insurance Company. The
Times says
The result OF their action was this,
ia nut shell None but Master
Masons in good standing, in regular
occupation, trade or profession, with the
certificate of the Master of the Lodge
under seal accompanied by s. could be-
come members. The membership was
not limited as to the age of the member,
and vet as to the number Of the Asso-
citation. When a brother died there
went out at once an assessment
of 81 on each member, say $1,000 from
a membership of 5000 members, was in
sixty days paid by the Treasurer Of the
Home office to the widow Of the deceased
brother and if he left no family then
to his legal representatives, and on the
failure OF these, after the payment Of the
expenses of the funeral and last illness,
the residue went to the sinking fund.
The protection of all investments be-
longing to the Association was made
ample by requiring the Directors to re-
quire from the Treasurer good and suf-
ticient bond in sum fully large enough
to provide against any trouble in this
quarter. Shepherdstown being the
nearest Virginia town to Maryland
with backing facilities, the Home office
was located there The Board of Di-
rectors is composed of 81 prominent
Masons, some Of whom are required to
live in Jefferson county, in order to ia
cilitate the practical working Of the AS
ssciaton as local or home board
There were good many more than
enough of the delegates who at once
paid their s. 90 to secure the charter
and prominent lawyer present, an
earnest, active and well posted Mason,
was charged with the duty of securing
it from the Secretary Of State. |. is
proposed then that the charter men,
bers at once meet in Charlestown and
proceed to organize By electing Pres
ident, vicc-President, Secretary and
Treasurer, with a Board of Directors.
This in brief is the work performed by
the convention. At 10 o'clock it adj
iourned to meet in Winchester on the
22d of February next, when with such
brothers as Parker, Neill, Travers,
Love, Grantham, Brent, Harrison, Den
nv, Nadenbousch and long list which
might be given of earnest, active,
thoughtful, prudent Masons fully and
energetically at work, we may hope
that when a Mason dies IN our midst his
widow and little ones will be cared
for by this systenatized scheme of
Benevolence, the Master Masons Mu
tual Aid Association" and not left to
the colder and more stinted charity Of
mere gratuitous contributions among
Masons. 1t is a reproach upon the Or
der that chill January, with its CONGO
infant wars, should almost freeze the
orphanage of Masons in many cases
That the Great Master of the Celestial
Lodge may put it in the hearts Of us
all so to labor and so plan that this
project of Benevolence shall be a COM
pleie success, ought to be the fervent
desire OF every Mason whose heart is
under the influence of the cardinal
principles Of the order.
We are inclined to think from an OBJ
servation OF the workings OF similar
institutions, that the brethren who have
gone into the scheme are apt to he dis
appointed. These "co operative asso-
Citations, as they are generally called,
work pretty well for short time, a few
years. The members are prompt with
their payments, and the families Of
those who die early are well provided
for. But they grow tired of paying.
Those who drop out of the association
are more than those who come in, and
1t soon dwindles away until the last
man who has paid perhaps $1,000 for a
constantly decreasing insurance, dies
and his family gets nothing at all The
subject has been much discussed in the
American Grand Lodges of late, but in
most cases the action has been adverse
to the plan. In some of the Grand
Lodges, however, it has been approved
and State Associations have been form
ed EDITOR NJ. c.
DOSArIoN.-Mr y. Benjamin, an old
citizen of Preble county, and one Of the
oldest Masons in Ohio, has given $1,000
to the Masons' Widows and Orphans
Home, about to be established in ONO,
and has paid over the money.