The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-07-24
From the Good TempIar.l

SOLOhbAAs 4ENNs, y uu6 ~, 1914.
In the Grand Lodge Report of 1873,
find that the committee on degrees offer
ed the following report:
I Whereas, sit is apparent to us, from
| the history of other Organizations, tina
it will be highly beneficial TO the well
| fare of our noble order, for us to connec
| some pecuniary interest, either directly
or indirectly with the order OF Coco
Templars in the State of Tennessee"
And in report of 1S72:-"The Grand
Lodge unanimously endorsed and re.
| commended the Total Abstinence class
of the st. Louis Mutual Life Insurance
Company-to our order in Tennessee. ]
don't know the rate offered bysaid COM
pany, but am satisfied that we can get
up a Mutual Life Insurance in our or
der that will be as safe, if not moro so,
much cheaper, and insure the fidelity oil
our members to greater degree than
any other plan that can be instituted.
You may have your benevolent degrees
also, which very much approve of, but
give brothers widow, or sisters hus-
band at either death three or five thous>
and dollars, at so little cost il will, /
think, soon double our membership and
make them stick"
The Conductors Life Insurance or
ganIzatlon has worked successfully, and
is still doing so. II costs them at least
ten dollars on the thoussnd dollars in
surance where ours would cost US only
three dollars and seventeen cents on
the same amount. / will prove it. In
the last two reports OF our Grand Worthy
Secretary, l find he reports as follows:
Number of male members in good
standing for 1872, 4,9I5. Number Of fe-
male members in good standing for 1872,
2,689. Total, 1904.
Number of male members in good
standing for 1873, $3.50. Number of fe~
male members in good standing for 1878,
1879. Total, 1885.
Total membership for the two years,
Is, 13S.
Average yearly membership, Z 1863.
Number of deaths for 1872, %.
Number of deaths for 1873, y.
Total number of deaths for two years,
AZ.
Average yearly deaths, 2314; or, 22~IO0
to the thousand members.
Say that each member pay annually a
fee of twenty-five cents for membership,
said fee to pay the salary of Grand Sec
Rotary and contingent expenses for run
ming the organization, which would be
amply sufficient, and fifty cents on the
death OF each member; il the Z, 1863 mem.
bers went into it, it would give as fol-
lows:
25 cents on 1869 members fees, ST.
1872 %.
so cents on 7, 500 members insurance,
S., 7S4 so.
If the 231z members, The average
shown above, die annually, it would
cost each member only twelve dollars
a year on an insurance OF So, 7S4 so, or
81 II on the thousand dollars of insur-
ance. How would 1 conduct it?
would have but one salaried officer: a
Grand Secretary, whose duty should be
to keep the books. When a member |
dies the secretary of the lodge of which |
he was member, reports the fact to the |
grand secretary, and be to all the other |
lodges, and they remit him their re- |
spectiVe amounts within thirty days, |
and he pays the same-the insurance
70 the beneficiary of the deceased. The |
to be under the supervision |
Of the Grand Worthy officers, who shall |
act as directors.
1t would be optiOnary with every Good |
remplar, whether he joined or not, but
% become a member lie should be re
luired to produce certificate of good
health from his physician, aud pay an~
lually fee of twenty-five or fifty cents,
according to the number ofmembers, for
and fifty cents on the
leath of a member. Any one falling or
efusing to pay within thirty days, for
cit their membership in said Organiza-
ion.
1t may be urged as an objection that
member at the age OF twenty should
ot pay as much as one ut thirty, and
ne at thirty as much as one at forty,
nd so on. That can be regulated, if
ecessary, but 1 don't think any one who
alues the Importance of life Insurance
S they should do would object, as we are
able to die at any time, and She cost Of
assurance so cheap. In conclusion,
ont think my plan perfect, il might
2 imnrpuad, hut 4 I, q - @----a.f>-.l -
9YeraI brothers, and they all ag~ca that
ny or some other cheap plan Of life in
lrance in the order, would TeiOHnd !
realty to the benefit of the order and
s members. If you think so, please iu-
9rt my communication III your valua-
le paper that it may be agitated by the |
ifferent lodges of the State before the
leeting of the Grand Lodge in October.
In L. II. G.
Yours truly, d. G. II.