A I M S AND OBJECTS -—OF. T H E e m b o l i c K g i g b t s o f A n j e r i a , WITH T H E COMPLIMENTS OF i Active Members of the State of Pennsylvania, I S S U E D BY T H E STATE OFFICERS OF PENNSYLVANIA, =1895 = Hand t o a Friend likely to K n i g h t and see to it that you Your Duty. A I M S AND O B J E C T S " - O F T H E - e m b o l i c K g i g b t s o f A l g e r i a , WITH T H E COMPLIMENTS OF _ Active Members of the State of Pennsylvania, I S S U E D BY T H E STATE OFFICERS OF PENNSYLVANIA, =1895 = Hand t o a Friend likely to become a Catholic Knight and see to it that you secure him. 'TlS I Your Duty. McGRATH'S General Steamship M e t I c e , JAMES J. McGRATH, Agent, 311 Walnut Street, 'EABELÌ Choicest Berths and State-rooms engaged for both the Outward.and Return Passages. AGENT FOR T H E FOLLOWING U N E S : Anchor Line, to Glascow. Red Star Line, to Antwerp. American Line, to Liverpool. Cunard Line, to Liverpool. American Line to Southampton. Allan-State Line. White Star Line, to Liverpool. Thingvalia Line, to Copenhagen. Netherlands-Line,to Rotterdam ^ Amsterdam : . I _ ' 9 ß e a c W e d Q n n Q T ^ l v a n i a OF AMERICA Is c o m p o s e d of 29 active B r a n c h e s located in different sections of this S t a t e , all of w h o m h a v e for this N e w Y e a r an i n t e l l i g e n t a n d p r o g r e s s i v e B o a r d of Officers, w h o s e aim a n d desire is to increase the membership a n d a d v a n c e the g e n e r a l prosperity of the O r d e r . s ««PENNSYLVANIA»* c e o N c m , ßatholic of America. Spiritual Director, REV. B. A. CONWAY H 48th and Lancaster Ave., Philadelphia. President, JAMES F. SHERRY, 1024 Arch Street, Philadelphia. First Vice-President, M. P. McLOUGHLIN, Pottsville, Pa. Second Vice-President, WILLIAM DWYER, Oil City, Pa. Treasurer, JAMES J . BONNER, 1738 N. Twelfth Street, Philadelphia. Secretary CHARLES J . BIGLEY., Secretary, u n ^ § ^ ^ P h I l a d e | p h | a . : 4 THE CATHOLIC KNIGHTS OF AMERIGfl. ORGANIZATION AND OBJECT. The Catholic Knights of America is a Fraternal Insurance Association, instituted at Nashville, Tenn., in 1879, a n d Incorporated April, 1880. Its object is to unite fraternally all acceptable Catholics of every pro- fession, business and occupation, to give all possible moral and material aid in its power to members of the Order, by encouraging each other in business, and by assisting each other to obtain employment. To establish and maintain a benefit fund from which a sum not to exceed two thousand dollars shall be paid at the death of each member to his family or be disposed of as he may direct, provided he is a full rate member, and a sum of one thousand dollars if à half-rate member, and a sum five hundred dollars, if a qparter-rate member. In addition to the insurance feature of our Order, members sick or in distress will receive visits, consola- tion and material relief if necessary from their brother members. 5 W H A T IT H A S D O N E . Organized at Nashville, Tenn., by J. J. McLaughlin, now deceased, in 1879, and Incorporated April 1, 1880, with members, . • ' • • • 9 Membership January 1, 1895, . • 23/668 Number of Branches January 1, 1891, . 5 l 8 Number of Branches Chartered February, 1895, 733 Death Benefits paid 1890, . r $520,026 67 Death Benefits paid 1894, | • $563,500 00 Death Benefits paid since date of Organi- zation to February, 1895, . $5,920,613 33 Amount realized from 1.assessment about, Number of Assessments since organization, Highest number Assessments in 1 year, Lowest number Assessments in 1 year, Average number of Assessments per year , since organization, Amount in Sinking Fund-January, 1890, Amount in Sinking Fund January, 1894, Amount in Sinking Fund January, 1895, $17,000 00 482 42 1 32 $111,470 87 $214,689 52 $268,402 50 P R O M P T N E S S O F P A Y M E N T . Upon the death of a member in good standing the Secretary of the Branch at once, upon the notification of the death, forwards to the Supreme Secretary satisfactory i proof of such death. Upon receipt of this notice the Supreme Secretary draws an order on the Supreme Treasurer in favor of the person or persons named by the deceased in his Benefit Certificate for the amount due, and forwards it to the Treasurer of the Branch of which the deceased was a member. The Secretary o f . the Branch at once notifies the Beneficiaries to come to the next regular meeting, and there pays it to them upon the surrender of the Benefit Certificate. The payment of the Insurance is made as soon as the above requirements are complied with, which takes from 50 to 80 days, and it is expected that in a very short time that arrangements will be perfected whereby pay- ments will be made inside of 50 days. The Supreme Officers are making all exertions to accomplish this result. There is a new and vigorous growth in the Order now and its motto is " forward and upward." SECURITY AGAINST MISFORTUNE. The law provides that a Benefit or rather a National Sinking Fund be established and maintained for an emergency such as an epidemic, &c., when this fund, which now amounts to nearly $270,000.00, may be made available for such an unfortunate event, which we trust may never occur. At our present rate of increase of membership it will not be many years until our Sinking Fund, which increased $54,000.00 last year, reaches the grand sum of One Million Dollars, and as we advance, to that amount and as we get nearer to it, Catholics who have halted will be more anxious to come with us. ' Our present National Officers are admirably suited for the positions they each fill and as they are daily putting the Catholic Knights in a more solid and forward posi- tion it will not be very long when we will be at the top, as the leading and safest of all fraternal life insurance associations. It of course remains with each member to aid in reaching that glorious zenith, and if each member would secure but one new member during this new year we would, by the first of January next, have reached our goal. You can secure that one new member—but will you do it ?—you know you should—you owe it as your duty. RATES OF ASSESSMENTS. Between the ages of 18 and 25 years, $ 7° 45 and 46 years, $1 05 25 " 3° 75 46 " 47 1 10 3 0 . « 35 | 80 47 " 48 " 1 15 1 20 3 5 « 40 90 48 " 49 4 o " 45 " 1 00 49 " 5° " 1 H Keep this before you so you are posted. COST TO JOIN. Admission Fee, . . . $3 00 Medical Examination, . . 2 00 Benefit Certificate, •. . 50 Supreme Medical Examiner, . 50 $6 00 Probable Annual Cost for $2000, to a man 3 5 to 4 0 years based on average since the Order was organized in 1879. average per year for the last fifteen years. Should a man insure at 40 years and live until he was 80 years of age, he would only pay in $1300.00 in 40 years, and yet his family would secure $2000, whether he lived one day after being in- sured or whether he lived 40 years thereafter, also con- sider the small easy payments you make. EASY PAYMENTS. Members are regularly notified of each assessment by the Secretary of jeac'h Branch, and thirty days from date of 1 otice are allowed in which to pay such assessment, thus giving every member of whatever means or station of life, ample time to provide for payment. Should you belong to an old line company your payment would have to be made in one lump, say to a man of 40 years h e would pay in the neighborhood of $55.00 in one pay- ment for a two thousand dollar insurance. Consider that, and think of our easy payments. 9 $32 WHY YOU S H O U L D JOIN. The Catholic who does not belong to a great Brother- hood like the C. K. of A . is not in accordance with the spirit of the age, nor in harmony with our idea of Cath- • olic fraternalization. In union there is strength. Every man needs 'protection for Ijis family in case of sudden death, and the father is very derelict who fails in this important duty. The C A T H O L I C K N I G H T S OF A M E R I C A . offers the opportunity to unite in one grand Brotherhood and will supply financial protection at the lowest possi- ble cost. The have no high salaried officers; they pay no agents | they have no dividends to pay stockholders, but they have a glorious future. Now get your Catholic friends to be with us. W H Y WE W I L L SUCCEED. We are founded for a benevolent and fraternal pur- pose and supported by the Catholic Church We have the commendation and blessing of our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIII, as well as all the Archbishops of the- United States. We have never deviated from the course we started for. Our business policy is both progressive and yet con- servative, and our expenses of management are exceed- ingly low and wise. We use great care in selecting our members and officers, and our authorized doctors are efficient, careful and prudent. 10 We have "always fulfilled every fraternal and financial obligation promptly and without quiver or murmur. W E P R O V I D E all the social enjoyments , and family gatherings of a great society in a becoming manner at a moderate expense. All the financial protection of a powerful life insurance corporation without unnecessary accumulation of capital. Sympathy and aid to the members while living, and to his bereaved family in securing for them every just claim in the shortest possible time. Read this over to your intended new candidate. You will get him if you try. IF . Congress has adjourned. Spring has come. The outlook for a revival of business is growing brighter every day. Capital is gaining courage, and thousands of enterprising men are reaching out with eager hands "to grasp, for themselves and for those dependent upon them, some of the profits that come with business activity. Is the grasp to be effectual on ineffectual? From the seed they are now sowing, thousands of men will reap a harvest before other days of depression dawn ij-if they live ! " If they live / " The " i f " is a momentous one. But the interest of families in this harvest can be protected NOW by life assurance, or 11 neglected by procrastination. The alternatives are .before you.- . Which will you choose ? H e who helps his fellow men in the great battle of life reaps the greatest rewards, while he who lives for himself alone knows nothing of the real pleasure of life Thé vain endeavor to live for one's self dwarfs the heart, dries up every feeling of tenderness/ and shrivels up all that is lovely in character. Work'while you can for the interests of our great brotherhood, and in doing so you will reap the reward. Fraternity, coupled with the benefits for the families of deceased brothers, and which are made to come within the reach of men of moderate means is the boon of these modern times, aye ! the helpmeet of mankind, giving him courage and confidence to struggle for the daily comforts, necessities, and luxuries as well, with a full confidence of the future of his loved ones should the scythe of time and circumstances overtake him. " N o one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of it for any one else."—Dickens. T H E LAND OF " P R E T T Y SOON." " Three things come not back : The sped arrow, The spoken word, The neglected opportunity." 12 I know a land were the streets are paved With the things which we meant to achieve. It is walled with money we meant to have saved, And the pleasures for which we grieve. The kind words unspoken, the promises broken, And many a coveted boon Are stowed away there in that land somewhere— The land of " Pretty Soon." There are uncut jewels of possible fame Lying about in the dust, And many a noble and lofty aim Covered with mould and rust. And, oh, this place, while it seems so near, . Is farther away than the moon. Though our purpose is fair, yet we never get there— To the land of " Pretty Soon." The road that leads to that mystic land Is strewn with pitiful wrecks, And the ships that have sailed for its shining strand Bear skeletons on their decks. It is farther at noon than it was at dawn, And farther at night than at noon. Oh, let us beware of that land down there— The land of " Pretty Soon." —Ella Wheeler Wilcox. 13 There are men who are making money fast, And hope to amass great wealth. They forget that good health will not always last, And that age creeps on with stealth. To protect their wives—they'll insure their live- — " To-morrow " or " Some day soon ; " But ere they're prepared, their health is impaired, And they can't be insured—" Pretty Soon." COMPARATIVE COST. . The expense of policies in " old l i n e " insurance companies remains the same, whether the mortality rate of the country runs high or low. It is based upon a high mortality rate and a liberal estimate for salaries of officers and dividends for stockholders. Assessment companies, pure and simple, having no dividends to pay and salaries only according to work done, furnish life insurance at absolute cost and. this necessarily fluctuates as the mortality is high or low. During the three years ending December 31, 1893, the mortality rate was very high, owing to the ravages of the influenza, or as it is commonly called the " grippe." So the comparison given below, embracing these three years and the preceeding three years in the " average yearly cost of insurance in the C. K. of A.'with the regular yearly cost in a representative old line company, is more than U usually favorable to the latter. In other words, a comparison instituted at the end of the current six years would show a greater difference in the cost: . Age. N. Y. Mutual. C. K. of A 25 $20.20 $12.75 26 21.00 12-75 27 21.50 12.75 28 22 10 12.75 29 22.70 . 12.75 3° 23-3° 13.60 3 1 24.00 13.60 3 2 24.70 13-60 33 25--5° 13.60 34 26.30 13.60 35 27.10 I 5 - 3 ° 36 28.001 37 29.00 15-3° 38 30.00 15-3° 39 31.10 r 5 - 3 ° 40 32.20 17.00 4 ! 33-4° 17.00 42 ' 34-7° 17.00 43 36.10 17.00 44 37.5° 17.00 45 39 1 0 17-85 46 40.70 18.70 47 42.50 19-55 48 44.40 20.40 49 46.40 21.25 15 SWEETNESS. Do not keep the alabaster boxes of your love and tenderness sealed up until your friends are dead, but fill their lives with sweetness. Speak approving and cheer- ing words while their ears can hear them, and while their hearts can be thrilled and made happier by them. The kind things you will say after they are gonej say before they go. The flowers you mean to send for their coffins, bestow now and so brighten and sweeten their homes before they leave them. If friends have alabaster boxes laid away full of fragrant perfumes, of sympathy and affection, which they intend to break over a dead body, we would rather they would bring them now in our weary and troubled hours, and open them, that we may be refreshed and cheered, while we need them and can enjoy them, i We would rather have a plain coffin without a flower, and a funeral without an eulogy, than a life without the sweet- ness of love and sympathy. Let us learn to anoint our friends beforehand for their burial. Post-mortem kindness cannot cheer the burdened spirit. Flowers on the coffin shed no fragrance back- ward over the weary way by which the loved ones have traveled. 16 Sweetness pure and unadulterated is to provide for those after you are gone—then why not be a Catholic ! Knight? ABSENTEE-ISM. How best to increase the average attendance at Branch 1 meetings is a subject of much importance. It has provoked thought and discussion in every Order and J Society that provides for stated meetings of its members. Much will be said upon it from time to time in the hope of lessening the evil of absentee-ism. Just what share of responsibility for this evil belongs to the Branch is not always easy to determine, but the efforts to find it promotes good in proportion to the thoroughness of the investigation For the present the main subject is reserved and a few points herewith presented for the consideration of the habitual absentees. There are a few (a very few) members in every Branch who find it impossible to attend meetings, and this is no reflection upon their standing, as members ready and willing to perform their full duty to the Order. But there are many—far too many—who presistently absent them- selves from meetings without a shadow of excuse. Brother Knight, if you àie classed in this list give the matter of your individual relation to the Order your earnest and honest consideration at least while you read these sentences. ' - , ' ... - • 17 When you were initiated into the Order you gave your solemn promise to "always, according to your power and the spirit of our Order, promote by word and example, the glory of God and the extension of the order and as much as lay in your power, attend the Branch meetings. " You can if'you. will . I N D I V I D U A L EFFORT. Attention has often been called to what would be a grand result for the Order if every member should secure one recruit, but the subject is just as often dismissed with the intimination that the project is an impossible one. But why impossible ? Is there a single member of the Order, anywhere, who cannot with his best efforts induce one person to join the Order inside of twelve months? An affirmative answer to that question would be a mortifying reflection upon the character of thè Brotherhood, and it cannot be accepted as true. The real difficulty in the way is that there is no concert of action and there cannot be none without a great deal of effort. Hard work is what is required— a plenty of it and a persistence in it until the desired result is accomplished. Let every Branch president place this matter before his Branch, not in a half-hearted or perfunctory way, but as if his whole heart and soul were enlisted in the undertaking. Map out the work systematically and let the determination t o succeed be 18 apparent at every step. If the Branch is a large one, it might be well to divide it into sections and even into sub-sections, each under the management of a competent chairman, so that the work may be restricted into avail- able channels and all interference and clashing of efforts avoided. Twelve months diligent, intelligent work on this line would produce results far beyond the expectations of the most sanguine. These results would include benefits other and better than mere increase of member- ship. Where there are no laggards and where every member is an earnest worker Branch unity, is promoted, discipline is preserved, interest is aroused and maintained, the espirt de corps is quickened and harmony and enthusiasm take the place of indifference and the friction of little jealousies. Thus will be plainly demonstrated the advantages to the Branch when membership is increased by this method rather than by the exertions of a few. A STUBBORN FACT. The sworn reports of Mutual Insurance Organizations made to the Insurance Commissioners of the State of New York, show that the affairs of the C. K. of A. are most economically administered. Compared with similar organizations the expense account ranks among 19 the lowest per cent, on the amount of business trans- acted. This is, -j and should be gratifying to every member of the Order. It should also be an incentive to every member to do something during the coming year towards increasing our membership. This, and this alone, supplemented by s,ood local medical examin- ation, will keep down the number of your assessments, and this will, if successfully persisted in, eventually lower them to twenty-eight or even a less number per annum. To gain new members you m