The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-05-12
The Knights OF Honor rs Life Insur-
Rnce Organization.

The Knights Of Honor rs D Lie InSur'
nnce Organization.
We have been favored with the follow
ing slip from an agent Of one Of the Oldest
and best Of the regular life insurance COM
y.nies Of the country:
The Knights Of Honor now claim a
membership OF about sixty thousand, who
ue to receive at death the sum OF two
thousand dollars each.
Thus is created liability OF one hun
lled and twenty million dollars. .
The SUN Of twenty dollars per annum Is
their largest estimated cost TO each mem
br. Now thirty.ive years would be an
Vausual average expectancy for insured
Eres; but ior the sake Of argument, we
viii admit an average expectancy OF forty
years.
Sixty.thousand members contributing
Eealy dollars per year for forty years,
pud be eight hundred dollars each, or
IL aggregate Of iortY.eight million dollars,
REHABILITATION. .-
lgre1Ie liabilities . ..... ~ w 009
lgrptc c,lrrtllns FROM members,"..-.. 4S,O00,00O
Ndsirncy s11'VVO'VVV
Howthis deficiency is to be made up is
DE question that must be answered BY
d Cooperative Insurance Companies Of
stlsao nam,, before they can be relied
IPoa by those desiring 10 provide for
theIr loved ones.
No insurance has ever proved perma'
asntly successful except such as has been
Aasei upon the average rate of mortality
aRbiRiay at the same time the principle
u Compound interest on money held N
DGrt osainst each policy obligation.
Thisarray Of figures looks quite formi'
lltIe and at first glance would seem TO Jbe
inas! conclusive against the usefulness
dalte insurance organization based upor
iheaSessment plan. But there Is this Z
X aid about all such arguments. First
they are IalIacious in the fact that they as
Iume that the organization referred to haI
come to stand still atagiven membership
his isnot the case. Asa matter Of actua
experience a certain per cent Of member
EealTays dropping out and a still large
Pet cent being added. We do not speal
'tay one organization, but of ali that ar
ogiuited on the assessment plan. Their
sIvays gain Of new blood sufficient
cntended, to keep the organization
aahealthy condition. Such at least ha
Sesn the experience of the leading asses
aent OSanizations now before the public
We are not prepared to say, with ou
injted knowledge OF the life insuranc
business that these organizations may nc
tuaIy be cornered, but this possibillt
dos Rotdo away with one essential mer
a't they can fairly claim -viz-that thel
insurance is as good as anybody's insu'
noe a long rs it lasts, and q great de-
SsaPcFlhan that offered by the reguli
snnaics.
We do not say this to the disparag
Rai Of the regular companies-by !
asia' torwe really do not look upo
ae'vo as competitors. The assessmei
Pan furnishes cheap life insurance &
Ss masses, and thus fills q sphere Of us
n'aes' not reached by the regular cor
sa'a. The latter are too expensive I
We masses, and expensive as they are th'
SsHot always secure, as the last e
"a" have conclusiveIy proved. A nul
S'o' them have disastrously failed, al
%aei' failure have inflicted heavy loss
'a@ose who had paid large amounts
Einsuretl. ''N 10 V'"'l " ~
@epresumC that lie insurance ont
''eTe fund principle is the preleral
S@ eIinsurance, but 1t has It's pecul
'ASiu the shape OF corruption and n
4lSaSenent, aud, besldes, It Is 100 eEpt
s.s0'each those who most need lie
.a''ace' Tho laboring man who
~"0p'a few dollars per year must 81