Cañon City record., 1902-05-15


this organization is not in any sense
labor organization. The name
Workman has given that impres-
sion to some, but q workman need not
be laboring man any more than
Mason" need be a brick layer. or an
''Odd Fellow" possess some oddity
distinguishing him from the rest of
his fellow beings. 1t is true the order
was organized as a protest, in GER
tain sense, against strikes by laboring
capital and labor.
1t embraces in its membership men
of all professions and Legitimate vo-
cations, and on its roster are the
names of many eminent men in all of
the learned professions
The order was organized on the 27th
of October, 1853, at Meadville, Penn
sylvania, by John Jordan Upchurch,
who had had the matter under con-
sideration since 1854. 1t is the pio-
neer frzternal beneficiary order in the
United States, and the largest with
q single exception. For generation
it has led all others in all things con-
nected with fraternal life insurance,
and stands today on foundation as
solid as the Rock of Ages
While it sis second to none in fra
ternAlism. vet il points with pride to
its record at beneficiary organiza-
tion. In the 3sls years of its exist
ence it has paid to the widows and
orphans OF It's deceased members
over tis, 500. 900. Its membership is
confined to the United States and
Canada. and numbers at present over
$50. 0oo Its governing bodies are
First. the subordinate lodges, made up
of the individual members: second.
the grand lodges-4o in number-com-
posed of the subordinate lodges of a
state or states, province or provinces.
and a supreme lodge, the highest tri-
bunal of the order. made up of its
officers and standing committees. and
of three duly elected representatives
from each grand lodge. A grand
officers and standing committees there
of, together with one representative
from each subordinate lodge in its ter
ritory. Only white male citizens of
the full age of IS years and under Is
years of age eligible to membership.
He must be of good moral character.
believer in = Supreme Being, the
Creator, and preserver of the universe,
and must not be a saloon keeper or
bar tender. When the order was first
organized no medical examination was
required and the age limit, when one
was made, was 81 to 30 years, The
consequence was that in few years
some of the older jurisdictions found
that they were burdened with a great
many old and unhealthy members
that the death rate was heavy, and as
at that time, each member. young and
old, paid 81 on each assessment call
into the beneficiary fund to pay death
losses; the result was that the cost
became so high that the younger
members began to drop ont, thus csus-
ing an increase in the average age of
membership and a incresae also in the
death rate. To offset this the sn-
preme lodge in 1895. adopted what is
known as the classified assessment
plan, prescribing certain conditions
under which grand lodges must adopt
it or receive no relief, otherwise its
adoption was optional. Ten grand
lodges adopted it at once, Others adopt
ing it later on until now the plan is
operative in ST of the 40 grand
lodges,
Under this plan, briefly followed
ont, member entering at is wears
of age pays 60 cents per 81 900 protec,
tion monthly until he is sS years old.
From a5 of -. inclusive, he pays IS
cents per 81 200 monthly. From so
to Sa. i5 cents; from IS TO 30. IS
cents; from 40 to s5, 81. o5; As to so,
81 5S, and at 50 years of age ano over,
81. 50 per 81 900 monthly. In addition
to these payments each member pays
with each assessment from TO IL cents
per sI, 900 protection, to the guaranty
Fund. which amounts to about one
million dollars each year and is used
to pay death losses in jurisdictions
in excess of those that are paid by la
classi;ide assessments, which is the
maximum for all Jurisdictions. If the
death rate of a grand lodge requires