The Ordway new era., 1909-02-19
FIGHTING TUBER RCULOSIS
Modern Woodmen VIII Conduct
Free Sanatorlum for Its Mem
bers-A Business as well as
FraternaI Proposition.

FraternaI Proposition.
AT the last meeting Of the Execu-
tive Council OF the Modern Woodmcn
Society, held at the headquarters Of
the Society in Rock Island. H., it
was decided to conduct that Society's
sanatorium, located at Colorado
Springs, Colo, for the treatment of
members afflicted with tuberculosis,
free OF all charge to members.
The Modern Woodmen Society, sew
cral months since, acquired |, $50 acres
OF land within seven miles of Colorado
Springs and has established thereon
an up.to-date sanatUrium, the tent
colony plan being employed. The
first colony was opened for the rccep-
tion of patients on January /, 1909.
II is equipped to care for sixty patients
to which number admissions will be
limited for the present.
The tents are Octagonal structures,
with shingle roofs, canvas sides, hard
wood ilDOrs on solid cement founda-
tiOnS, heated by central plant,
equipped with all modern conven-
fences, such as telephones. etc, and
each tent will accommodate one patient.
An administration building for ply
sicians, nurses, dining hall, baths of
all kinds, etc, stands in the center Of
the colony.
DIR. J. +. White, formerly Of the
NOrdrach ranch sanatorium, the med
ical director in charge, states that
only those consumptivc members who
are curablc, or whose lives may be
prolonged for considerable length of
time, will be admitted as patients.
The wisdom OF this rule is apparent.
Rigid medical examination rs a con-
dhion precedent to admission will be
insisted upon in every case, and special
blank forms have been prepared for
this purpose.
a movement is already under way
to equip the second colony plant of 80
tents. Each tent or tent house. COM
plctcly equipped, represents an eX-
pensc Of $3.50, and IA number OF local
Camps. or lodges. of the Society have
decided to donate tents. As there are
over 1900 local Camps Of Modern
Woodmen, and over |, 200, 900 members,
it is anticipated that several colonies
will soon be equipped in this way.
The members and local Camps of
the Society have voluntarily contrib
uted to the Sanatorium fund over
$40, 900. and at the last national con-
ventiun Il permanent tax of ten cents
support OF this work.
The last official Woodmcn reports
show that during the years lS9l-l901,
inclusive, 14.5 per cent of the total
mortality, or 5, 1856 deaths were charg-
ed to tuberculosis, and that 1879 per
cent of the total insurance losses in
those years, or S9,O65 900, resulted
from the cause. As the mortality
experience of the Woodmen Society
has been unusually favorable, being
but 20 per cent of the expected at all
ages under the National Fraternal
congress table, Il death rate of but
&. % per l,O0O-or but 4.9S per 1000, il
the experience of the first five men,
bership years be inciuded-the heav-
ier insurance losses inflicted upon
other societies experiencing Il higher
mortality may be conservatively ap-
Eproximated.
If the Woodmen Society, with its
exceptionally favorable mortality,
finds it to be "Good business" to
fight consumption in this way. why
should not other fraternal societies,
life insurance companies, labor organ
izations, the national and internation-
al church bodies, etc, find II profitable
from the viewpoint of business or
benevolcnce, or both, to take such
action?
Each life saved to the Woodmen
Society, by means of this sanitorium.
will, it is stated, represent a saving
of 81, 700-thc average amount of the
Woodmen policies in force-at an eX-
pense for treatment of approximately
one twentieth of that sum. In the
broader sense, each life saved means
the preservation to the family of its
head and breadwinner, and to the
state of useful, self-sustaining
citizen.
| william II. Hackworth, one OF the