The sun., 1896-02-29
GRoWTn OF FR47ERNAL orDERs.
Grent Incrense in ORGANIZATIONS that Pay
Sick Benefit. and Life Insurance.

Sick BENEFIT. and Life Insurance.
At the recent great camp" o: the Maccabces
of New York. held at jamestown. in Chautaulua
county. II report of membership vas made show
ing that during the past five wears the New York
member hip of the knights of the Maccuhces
has increased from 1000 to $4,000. This or
ganization was established in 1851 the camps
or district divisions being known rs hives 1t
distributes in a year through its various lodges.
to the number OF 800 more than s. 900 900 in
sick and death benefits. The present reserve
fund for such benefits is SS.OOo.OOO. Yet the
Knights Of the Mrccabees are By no means the
first of the fraternal organizations IN II" coun-
try. but rank fifth. from which fact the great
and increasing influence. membership and re-
sources of these organizations ma! be figured.
First in rcelcct Of membership come Tie odd
Fellows with nn "numc-ation Of more tIan
l.OOO,OOo Then foiiuw the Free MasOaS OF va
rious lodges an,! subdivisions TO the number OF
500. 600 Next come the Knights OF rythias. who
number nearly 100000. and thea the Order of
United Wnrkmen to he number Of f:iO.uoO. The
knights of the Maccalecs wt,onumh"r!l0.O0J.
follow in hi,h !!ace The udh fr!i"ws are mo-,
New York Illinois. and Ala-sachn~"tts follow.
though a. some distance behind The the Keyst"nS p,
fSSS Of "G"gf %gsh 'G the "iay Ts
est sbnr" Is for the relief OF sicl. mem
bers. Free Masons are much more numerous
IN New York than in any other state. and the
New York oafes hay" nnsar.y double the mem
comes second IN the list Of states and in tho
South. particularly. Free MasGns are far more
numerous than ar" members of the Dad Fellows
lodges. which are strongest in the West, and
particularly III California. where the MasOns
number : 900 and the odd Fellows 10000.
The Ancient Order o. United Workmen was
founded in 1868 and is subdividcd into ~
grand and 5000 sub lodges. The bencv-
olcnt fund distributed by this organization
amounts to more than STO0O.OrO IN a
year. and is distributed throughout tho
whole country. Following the knights of the
Maccabees comes the Royal ArcanUm with II
membership OF nearly "OO. 900. then the In
proved Order ~ Red Men. the United Order OF
American Mechanics, with a membership Of
15O.O the knights of Honor. IN" lorc-tcrs
the knights of the Golden Eagle the American
Legion Of Honor. and the Order Of Chosen
Friends The total membership Of these fra
tcrnal organizations j. in excess of 5.o0O.OO0,
and the amount rf money diabursed By them in
u year exceeds 1J.OOO.UOO.
II is a peculiar thing about thesc organ Iat ions
that by far the larger DnmDe" have been estab-
that time TIA" increase in membership has been
relatively even lnrrcr than the increase in tla
number OF scparat" organizations. To three
causes j. this iunrkcI growth attributed; First.
to the increasing popularity OF life insurance
associations ana to the principle OF life insur-
ancc when applied to Sick benefits: second To
the fact that these organizations nrc essentially
and exclusively social in character. and, third.
that they eschew. and more strongly each year.
any identification with politics or with the
political ambitions of members rock upon
which many otherwise promising social organ
iZatons have split and gone to pieces.