Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1889-07-04
KNIGHTS OF HONOR.
THE ELEVENTH SESSION OF THE
GRAND LODGE OF VERMONT.

n
ports of the Order-Oficers Chosen-The
Public Meeting Small but Speaking Ex-
cellent.
Last week Wednesday the eleventh an
nual session of the grand lodge of Ver-
mont of the knights of Honor was held
in this village. Full delegations were
present, representing the ten lodges and
1000 members of the order in the state.
Reports of the grand officers showed the
order to be in good condition and on
a sound financial basis. The following
officers were elected for the ensuing year:
Grand dictator, o. II. Reed of Barre
grand vice dictator, Herbert E. Taylor of
Brattleboro; grand assistant dictator, j.
A. Noyes of st. Johnsbury; grand treas
urer, Allan l.. Pease of Hartford; grand
reporter, John b. Moore of Rutland;
grand chaplain, Francis E. Bennett of
Brattleboro grand guide, Charles A.
Wheaton of Barre; grand guardian, F.
Carruthers of Bellows Falls; grand SEN
tinel, A. j. Marshall of Middlebury; state
medical examiner, DR.. John e. Thomp-
son of Rutland; representatives to SUI
preme lodge, j. E. Head, Bellows Falls,
Nathan A. Bailey, Rutland; alternates,
Henry Clark, Rutland, j. w. Symonds,
Brattleboro. The grand dictator briefly
addressed the grand lodge and installed
the officers. The next session will be
held in Rutland on the fourth Wednesday
in June. 1890. No further business of
public interest was transacted
In the evening a public meeting was
held at Union Hall. The attendance was
smaller than the excellence of the enter
| tal ont hn ~, ahnrn .,tn f,ff ln
speaking deserved. The meeting was
opened by Mr.. j. E. Head and the first
thing on the programme was singing by
the always popular E. w. c. B. quartette.
Following this was a stirring address in
support of fraternal organizations by
Judge L. M. Read. Judge Reads remarks
abounded in good points, felicitously
put. He promised that the object of the
meeting was mainly to discuss fraternal
benevolent organizations. There are
many of these organizations, he said, and
some of the later ones have looked be-
yond the span of this mortal life and con
sidered the welfare of those dependent
upon them. You will find these organ
izations in every village in this broad
land. Some people object to these orders
because they are secret. Now | am going
to tell you great secret, common to all
CARNATIONS are their forms and cere-
monies and modes of recognition. Every
thing else about these organizations may
be known to the whole world. The
speaker then explained how necessary
was secrecy in these regards to protect
the privileges and advantages of the or
ders from outsiders. Going on to speak
more particularly of the fraternal benefit
orders, he said: A large proportion of
mankind when they die leave their families
destitute. Therefore, it becomes as nee
essary for man to insure his life for the
benefit of his family as it is to insure his
house. Fraternal benevolent organiza-
tons are right. They appeal to the best
sentiments of the human heart, benevo-
lence and charity"
A song by Prof. Markham of Brattleboro
! followed and was enthusiastically en-
cored.
Judge A. r. Savage of Auburn. Me-,
supreme dictator of the Knights of Honor
| in America, was then called upon and
made a concise and very full argument in
favor of the organization he represented.
1t is, he stated, the oldest national fra
ternal beneficiary order. 1t was organ
lied l6 years ago and every member was
required to take out one or two thousand
dollars insurance for his family, and the
charter required this provision to be made
for the benefit of family or dependents,
thus making it charitable or benevolent
organization and eXempting it from the
insurance laws of the several states. The
speaker had nothing to say against old
line companies but thought it was much
easier for most men to save a dollar at
time than to save the premium or a policy
| to pay in lump sum. So it is necessary
70, ,Nc,ty {,@I 81
| ance under which their premiums can be
paid by degrees.
| Here the speaker remarked that there
was one organization doing similar
work but that it was not a national Or
ganization in the same sense, being divid-
ed into separate jurisdictions.
| Associations like these, he continued,
adapt themselves to our wants. They
| provide protection at a minimum of cost
The matter of expense was then referred
to and the cost of running these organi-
cations compared with the cost of the old
line companies. The Knights of Honor
have $500 lodges and collect and distrib-
ute three and one half millions of dollars
annually. Since its organization the Or
der has paid out to beneficiaries over ~
millions and for all running expenses out
| side of benefits it has cost each member
his own lodge dues, but if you don't get
three or four dollars worth Of good out
of the fraternal features of the order, it's
your own fault. To prove the stability
of the order the speaker cited its present
age and continued growth, although the
maximum of cost had been reached. The
increase in membership last year was
$3.50. This shows that it meets need.
Experience shows that liability to death
increases from nothing up to certain
well-defined maximum, when it costs a
little over So to carry an insurance of
$1,000. The Knights of Honor have
reached that maximum and others must
reach it in time. There is one satisfac-
ton in not having bank stocks or bonds
it can't 60 to Canada. In the fraternal
features of the Knights of Honor we have
something stronger than bank stock or
bonds, more enduring than brick or mar
BILE buildings. Instances of the elevatine
effect of this feature are seen every day