The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-04-07
N. ". A. Sanitarium at Colo
RADIO Springs to Give Free
Treatment to Members
MEMBERS SUPPORT HOSPITAL
$4,000 Already Raised and Fund
Needed for Maintenance to- be Rails
ed by Small Per capita Tax on Mem
, bers Of the Order.


AT the last meeting of the execu-
tive council of the Modern Woodmen'
Society, held at the headquarters of
the society in Rock Island, Ill.,, it was
decided to conduct that society IS,
sanitarium, located at Co1ora o.
Springs, Colo, for the treatment of
members afflicted with tuberculosis,
free of all charge to members.
The Modern Woodmen Society, sew
eral months since, acquired 1880 acres
of land within seven miles of Colorado
Springs, and has established thereon
an up,to-date sanitarium, the tent
colony PIN being employed. The
first colony was opened for the recep-
tion of patients on January l, 1909.
1t is equipped to care for sixty
patients, to which number admissions
will be limited for the present.
The tents are octagonal structures,
with Single roofs, canvas sides, hard
wood floors on solid cement founda-
tfons, heated by a central plant, equip
ped with all modern conveniences,
such as telephones, ETC., and each tent
will accommodate one patient. An
administration building for physicians,
nurses, dining hall, baths of all kinds,
ETC., stands in the center of the
colony.
Dr. j. E.. White, formerly of the
Nordrach ranch sanitarium, the medi-
cal director in charge, states that only
those consumptive members who are
durable, or whose lives may be pro-
longed for considerable length of
time, will be admitted as patients.
The wisdom of this rule is apparent.
Rigid medical examination as condi-
ton precedent to admission will be in
sisted 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
sixty tents. Each tent or tent house,
completely equipped, represents an. ex-
pense of $3.50, and number of local
camps or lodges, of the society have
decided to donate tents AS there
are. over $4,000 local camps of Modern
WOodmen, and over 100000 mem
bers, it is anticipated that several
colonies will soon be equipped in this
way.
The members and local camps of the
society have voluntarily contributed to
the sanitarium fund over $4,000, and
at the last national convention a. per-
manent tax of ten cents per member
per year was voted to the support of
this work.
The last official Woodman reports
show that during the years 1891 1907,
inclusive, 14.5 per cent Of the total
mortality, or $3.50 deaths, were charg-
ed to tuberculosis, and that 1879 per
cent of the total insurance losses in.
those years, or $9,O65,0OO, resulted
from this cause. AS the mortality
experience of the Woodmen Society
has been unusually favorable, being
but 70 per cent of the expected at all
ages under the national fraternal CON
gress table, a death rate of but 6.29
per 1,000-or but 4.98 per 1000, if
the experience of the first five mem
bership years be included-the heavier
insurance losses inflicted upon other
societies experiencing higher NOR
tality may be conservatively approx
mated.
If the Woodmen Society, with It's ex-
ceptionally favorable mortality, finds
it to be "Good business" to fight con
in this way, why should not
other fraternal societies, life insurance
companies, labor organizations, the
and international church
bodies, etc4 find it profitable, from the
of business or benevolence,
or both, to take such action?
Each life saved to the Woodmen So
ciety by means of this sanitarium will,
it is stated, represent saving of
81 ,700-the 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 a useful, self-sustaining citi-