Morning journal and courier., 1888-01-11
Total.

''I learn through the grand secretary of the \ State that on January l there were upwards of 10, 500 members of our order belonging to the sixty lodges in this jurisdiction. Of on our rolls, which is not as satisfac tory a showing as we ought to be able to make Our territory is being invaded by the we'll paid agents of other associations claiming the name of Odd Fellows, and great exertions are being made by them to enroll within their ranks the young men of our order, to whom we must look for our perpetuity. sBy the mortuary record it will be seen that death has been more than usually busy within our ranks during the year just past, the number receiving his summons being con- siderably larger than for any previous year
 in our history, the record for 1881 approach ing it the nearest in which year 45 deaths were reported, followed by 19 deaths only in
 1889.
 "The average age of the deceased mem
 bers we find to be somewhat in excess of the average of one year ago, being but trife under 5S years. Upon scanning the list it will be found that among the younger mem bers of the association the death rate has not materially changed from the report of last year. there being eight who were 40 years or under, while for sixty years and upward there are twenty three, one of which reached the ripe old age of 83, Brother Harlehigh
 Skinner of Naugatuck lodge No. 63.
 l cent on the average membership for the year, being one death for each 53 1-6 mem- bers.
 ~"Of the total amount of benefits paid $45,- 900 has been raised by direct assessment, twenty y-seven calls having been made upon the members for this purpose, while there has been paid from the accumulated surplus and the contingent fund $35, 800, making about one assessment for each 134 deaths. GAS have before stated, a very marked improvement has taken place in the matter of new members since the change in the rate of assessment and admission fee went into effect October 1. From January to that date our admission of new members numbered but twenty-six, while the suspensions for non-
 payment of assessment numbered sixty; this
 loss, in addition to the heavy death rate for
 the same time, made quite perceptible
 shrinkage in our mbership from our re-
 port of one year ago. With the advent of
 the new rules, however, this has been all
 changed and for the three months of Octo-
 Der, November and December there have
 been received, as additions to our numbers,
 thirty-three members of the order, and the
 suspensions have dropped to about three for
 each of the months named, and Of those
 suspended application has been made for reinstatement in several cases. Thus, you
 will see, an entire revolution has taken
 place. and we are once more on the gain.
 The average age of the new members receiv-
 ed for the year is 31 years, 10 months and 12
 days, the average of the deaths as before
 stated was 59 and the average age of those
 lapsed through non- payment of assessments
 was fl years month and il days The av-
 craze of the total losses, lapses and deaths
 combined is fraction less than AS years.
 The average of our accessions makes quite a
 favorable showing in comparison with this.
 "In all respects the business for the year
 1887 has had careful attention, has worked smoothly and the year closes with a more cheerful outlook and better promises for the future than appeared before us one year ago."
 Botsford, was as follows: