The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-10-31
Anolent order ., United werkmep


Court House last Monday night by Rev.
A, A. Marshall, Grand Foreman of the
Ancient Order Of United Workmen for
this jurisdiction, pronounce BIT en excellent
lecture. The occasion was the twenty
first anniversary Of the organization Of the
Order. J. e. Breazeale, Master Workman
of the local Lodge presided, and introduc.
ed the speaker, who selected as bis subject,
4sThe position Of the Ancient Order OF
United Workmen in the insurance system
of the World" The lecture was full Of
information and showed research, study
and comprehensive understanding OF the
insurance system. Beginning at the origin
Of Lille insurance he traced 1t to the present
time, with its different plans and systems,
and showed that it had been reduced to
science.
After speaking of the different plans of
insurance, he gave some interesting infor-
nation in reference to the A. O. U. W.,
from which the following extract is taken: !:
But to supply aplace felt to be necessi-
ty in the insurance world, there has
sprung up system called co,operG-
tive insurance, where number OF
persons organize together and .stipulate
that, upon the death OF member, each
one will pay into q common fund cor.
tain sum, often in proportion to age. The
value of this system is first: That it oper-
ates upon the natural prsnasam plan-thatt IS
no more Is collected from each one In
sured than is absolutely necessary to meet
the present demand, so that instead OF &C
onmulating large surp!us-of which
many companies boast-this surplus is
left in the pockets of the insured. That is,
being cooperative system, each man
r,nto bfc inor ranra q pntI1a1 cnat
THE CERTAINTY oF PAYMENT.
Being cooperative and relying for its
next installments upon its policy holders,
it can not afford to contest claims. There
is also q fraternal feature not to be de-.
spised, and in the well.ordered ritual and
parliamentary methods much that is
helpful and instructive. Lam not here to
draw any invidious CON parsons between
our own society and others, but rather to
speak of its distinctive features, leaving
each one to decide for himself as to its rel
atiYely value
1st. A word as to its origin. 1t was es.
tablished in Pennsylvania by j.. ). Up.
child, who was born in North Carolina,
lived awhile iu this State Georgia and
Alabama then before the war moved to
Meadville, Penn, where in 1858 he organ
lied the first lodge of A. O. Q. w. The
year following the Grand Lodge of Penn
syIvul,ia was organized. Being himself q
uycLa..iC it was at first an effort to organ.
ize. working men into society for mutual
improvement, and at the same time to pro:
vide fund for the widows and orphans OF
deceased members. In this respect, at least,
its origin was like that of Masonry and
Odd Fellowship, and other charitable or
gsnigations-and as for that matter, the
Church itsef-born among the poor and
toiling masses. It soon outgrew the expec-
tation of its friends, and received into its
fellowship men of all ranks and spread oyer
the whole country from Maine to Califor-
MIA. until now it is the largest CO. operative
insurance society in the world, having in
force over 2l5, 900 policies and carry ing 430
hundreds of millions of dollars of insu-
rance. By way of comparison, let me say
nearly as much as is carried by the N. Y.
Mutual, 3 times as much as is carried by
Mutual Benefit, d tunes as much as is car
ried by the Northwestern, 5 times as much
as the Pennsylvania Mutual-all large
companies At the same Time 1t ls ABOUT
twice as much as the knights of Honor,
about times the Royal Arcanlum. so
YOU see We are no baby. But not only are
we the largest cooperative insurance COM
pany IN the WOrlQ, we are aiso Ioo ttSuPe'.t
| having the lowest death rate. While as
have stated, the average of human life is
essentially uniform, there is, OF course, Q
varying proportion, according to care and
skill with which company selects its risks,
SO that by taking only good risks, the prop. o. y
abilities Of life are heightened or rather the
death rate is diminished, and in co.opera-
tive insurance this is material, inasmuch
as all deaths are paid for BY direct assess
ment. And, ne have this lower death rate,
notwithstanding we are the Oldest cooper
alive company Of any Importance. -
During last year our death rate was a.!2
to 1000, knights of Pythias (organized IN
1877, 1873 to 1000, knights of Honor (or-
ganized in 1874, 1879 to 1000, while other
Years showed correspondingly to our ad-
vantage. So that to those to whom cheap
ness, as we'll as security is an item, know
of no place where insurance could be bot
ter carried than in The A. 0. U. w.
Another special feature of our Order to
which call attention, is the separate ben,
eficiary jurisdiction, whereby the funds o.
each Grand Lodge are kept Mt home ant
| managed by men who may be known BY