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Show T- GROWTH OP SECRET SOCIETIES. In the following from the Chicago, Tribune, Catholic societies like the Knights of Columbus - and kindred fraternal orders are included in the tabulated list of "secret" societies. The Tribune says: Every fifth man with whom you shake hands in the. United States and in British Columbia is a member of a secret organization, counting out his possible college fraternity. Ten years ago a liberal estimate was one man to every eight in secret orders. . ""WW" '" . I" 'I'm. "" !' mu BiiMijmwm mm mi ) .11 1 11 11. mm .1. I At the present' rate of growth in the United States aiid in British possessions to the north the present ratio of one to five may be three to five in 1914. For Jn he United States, where the population popu-lation increases one-tenth in a decade, the figures of the secret' societies in ten years have been almost al-most doubled In the year 15)04 the figures of the secret, orders, reported by the central organizations, show a membership mem-bership of 7.414,173. ' , " In 1804 these figures, reported in the. same manner, man-ner, showed a membership-of only 4.12l.375, 7 Thus while the population of the United States and Canada was increasing a possible 20,O00.0'0. the memberships in the secret societies were increasing in-creasing nearly 3.300.001) a virtual, doubling of these, memberships. Considering these, figures for ten years in their application to the whole country, there is a striking comparison in the statement that in the last year in Illinois the increase in the memberships of Masonic Ma-sonic lodges is greater than ever-before-in the history his-tory of the state. ' A -tabulated statement of th" memberships in secret societies for 1 804 and for 150!- shows in detail de-tail where these gains have come in for the secret orders. The table is-not -complete as to all organizations organ-izations in detail, but the sums in total are as nearly near-ly correct as may be possible: IS'.H. If 0i. Oddfollowp 74H.4K4 1.19K.749 Free Masons 722.33-S Wu.Onn Knights of Pythias 4.13.944 S52.327 Ancient Order of United "Workmen r,2").nno 4n.ono Junior Order of United Media nitv... 17r.0fi0 IPJ.ing Improved Order of Red Men ......... lo.l.r.F.O C"4.4!i." Knights of Honor 12!).12S C2.000 Royal Arcanum 113.36S 277,974 Ancient Order of Hibernians of America .... ,100.000 143,000 Ancienc Order of Foresters of America 113.000 221,974 Knights of-the Maccabees PCSoS 330.441 Knights and Ladies of Honor 73,000 73,000 Mo'dcrn Woodmen of America 83.817 711.923 Sons of Temperance 67,003 34.7S9 American Legion of Honor 82,303 Order of United Mechanics -50,164 43,382 Ladies of the Maccabees 130.26S Knights of the Modern Maccabees... 11.".322 Knights of Columbus 98.000 Ladies' Catholic Benevolent association associa-tion : S7.40O Knights of the Golden Eagle 70.000 Tribe of Ben Hur ' CS.S13 Woodmen of the World 217.000 knights of Malta '. ...... 27,000 Equitable Aid union 37,460 National Union 34.67S 67.223 Royal Templers of Temperance 27.311 Order of Chosen Friends 41,274 Catholic Mutual Benefit association associa-tion -!-: 38.000 62.000 Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks -33.000 134.CO0 Catholic Benevolent Legion 32,000 38.2S6 Ancient Order of Forester.s 30,428 6S.789 Independent Order of B'nai B'rith .. 30.C00 30.000 Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen.. 23.000 Catholic Knights of America 24.000 Order of United Friends 20.1'54 Order of the Golden Cross 20.075 United Order of Pilgrim Fathers .... 17,300 Ancient Order of Druids 13.000 Improved Order of Hepsotaphs.. .. .. 15,217 57.255 Order of Eagles ...... 67.400 Court of Honor 66,449 Protected Home Circle ' 55.000 B'rith Abraham Order ...... 42.781 Brotherhood of American Yeomen .. 27.984 Order of Gleaners t 87.400 Independent Order of Foresters ,., 220.000 Improved Order of Hepsotaphs .. 15,217 57.255 Xew England Order of Protection.... 14,996 33,361 Royal Society of GVod Fellows 11.055 ........ Smaller organizations 190,000 361,392 Total 4,126,375 7,414,172 Some of the societies not mentioned in the reports re-ports ten years ago, arc shown in the reports of the present year as having large memberships, while some of those making a showing at that time have disappeared altogether. At the head of the list, however, the Odd Fellows, the Free Masons and the Knights of Pythias show where nearly 1,000,000 of the increase in memberships has come. Other fraternal organizations have out-grown , these pioners iii secret orders. With ihe accentuated accentu-ated insurance features of many of these, however, the comparisons are lost in great measure. Figures, for the Modern Woodmen of America indicate a growth of more than 000,000 in ten years; the Independent Inde-pendent Order of Foresters is listed for the first time with 22.000 members; the Woodmen of the World show 217,000; Knights of the Maccabees show If J0.000, and the Improved Order of Eed Men nearly 200.000, while in the grouped "smaller organizations", or-ganizations", the increase is nearly 200,000 in t?n years. |