' JEWISH FRATERNITIES. While so cieties for mutual benefit exist in large numbers among the Jews in every land, in the United States the fraternities or orders have. acquired special popularity, and promote not alone Jew ish solidarity but aid in maintaining many chari table institutions. These organizations as a class give pecuniary benefits in case of illness, and death-endowments, which latter insurance fea ture is now being made optional. The oldest and most influential is the Order of Benai Berith ("Sons of the Covenant"), formed 60 years ago, and having a membership of 35,000. Its 330 lodges extend over the entire country, and it has 13 lodges in Algeria, Bulgaria, Egypt, Tur key and Palestine, 42 in Germany, 16 in Ru mania and 10 in Austria. It supports orphan asylums in Cleveland, Ohio, Atlanta, Ga., San Francisco, Cal., a home for the aged at Yonkers, N. Y., a free library in New York, while it co
operates with an orphan home in New Orleans, a technical school in Philadelphia and a hos pital for consumptives in Denver, Colo. The next leading order is the Free Sons of Israel, founded in 1849, with 97 lodges and 9,810 mem bers. The Free Sons of Benjamin (1879) has 192 lodges, 14,088 male and 1,361 female mem bers. The Berith Abraham (1859) has 365 lodges and 70,000 members. The I. 0. Berith Abraham, with 302 lodges and 56,949 members, was founded in 1887. The Ahavis Israel Order (1890) counts 124 lodges. In addition there are seven other fraternities which have been recently started. The Order of Kesher Shel Barzel, founded a home for the aged at Cleve land. Special efforts are now being made by the Benai Berith to institute lodges among the Russian and Rumanian immigrants.