The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-01
DID RIGHT THING
PYTHIAs TOOIS ONLY PRAC-
TICAL COURSE
MEMBERS OF ORDER LOYAL
Increased Assessments VIII he Paid
CheerfuIIy, and but Few Pol
icies VIII Be Allowed
to Lapse.

members of the Endowment rank
Knights Of Pythias, are standing Loyalty
by the order" said Col. e. II. Milham,
one Of the members of the grand lodge
which met recently at Chicago to take
action regarding the future conduct Of
the financial affairs Of the order. THE
members to whom I have spoken in re-
gard to the necessity Of increasing the
assessments have, almost without eXcep
ton, signified their willingness to ac-
cept the small added cost, and the indi-
cations at present are that we Will not
lose 500 members out OF the entire en-
rollment of the Endowment rank. The
knights are loyal to the order and there
is absolutely no weakening anywhere
along the line
THE action of the supreme lodge at
Chicago has, been. approved by Auditor
Hart, of Indiana. who is one Of the best
insurance men in that state. In recent
interview in one of the indianapolis pa
pers Mr. Hart says:
THE Endowment rank, Knights Of
Pythias, had the usual two horns TO its
dilemma. One horn was 10 raise the
amount of it's deficit by an additional
assessment. while the other was 70 go
into the hands of a receiver. Because OF
the utilization of the Endowment rank
Pythias a receiYerShip would mean TAX
ing control by the courts Of all the af-
fairs and property of the Knights Of
Pythias throughout the United States.
THE supreme lodge has acted in a
very sensible and honorable manner to
its membership in concluding to raise
the rates IN accordance with the table
of the fraLernal Congress, which is an
association of the better fraternal com
panies OF the country By this means
the affairs of the Endowment rank will
in a few months be in splendid shape, so
that it's delinquent death losses will be
Vided against
Two years ago. when the Kraternal
insurance law of Indiana went into effect,
/ accepted the financial statement Of the
Endowment rank, but felt considerable
hesitancy about it. I only concluded TO
accept the responsibility of the entire Or
der for the financial affairs Of the insur-
ance department. This year when the
financial statement was presented there
had been some material betterment In
that the order showed an increase Of 5000
members and was IN 10 worse financial
condition than 1t was two years ago, but
l refused to issue 2 license to the rank
consented, however, that ii might trans
act business IN Indiana until after the ex-
animation Of it's affairs was completed
by The Insurance departments of Illinois
and Come cticut, and the report of that
examination was acted upon by the su-
preme lodge.
Mr.. Neal, of Lebanon. the new president
Of the board of control of the Endowment
rank, strict business methods Will pre-
vail and there will be no investments in
the shape Of second mortgages, and I
am quite sure no personal pull on the
ed.
Auditor Hart expressed aInaZement at
the 1ooseness of business methods that
characterized the management Of the En-
doETneTt rank before the recent investi-
cation. "Why any board of directors
should have permitted such an investment
as was made in the Lexington hotel
he said, and IN half a dozen other items
that went to make up the ranks So
called assets, is more than any sane per-
son can understand. This all grew out
of too much one-man power and a super
abundance of hypoeriticaI brotherhood
THE fraternal Insurance companies
generally, however. have come to a rec
ognition of the inexorable truth that
death natures certificates in fratelual
company just the same as it does In amy
other insurance company and unless
rates bear some relation to the mortaH
ty, it Is only question of q very brief
experience until disaster is written across
their horoscopes.
And so the older companies that be-
gan on light mortality cost have, in
many instances increased their rates
and a number of others are contemplat-
ing such g change. At the last session
of the Indiana Legislature the minimum
rate law, a creature of the wisdom Of
the national fraternal congress, vas in
corporated into our statutes, so that here
alter no fraternal insurance company can
come into Indiana unless an amount e1ual
TO these rates at least is charged against
the mortality cost to the membership
The decision of the supreme lodge at
Chicago this week TO raise the rates of