MACCABEES, The, a secret fraternal beneficiary association havinv its general offices at Port Huron, Mich. An association bearing the name of Knights of the Maccabees of the World was first organized in the city of Lon don, Canada, in the year 1878, by W. D. Mc Laughlan and several other gentlemen of that city. The Association grew rapidly, and its tents, as its local lodges were called, sprung up all over the Canadian provinces and in many of the States of the American Union. In 1914 it united with the Knights of the Modern Mac cabees, long a rival organization under the general title of the Maccabees.
The Association takes its name from the Maccabees, a chivalrous and religious people whose history is given in the apochryphal writ ings of the Old Testament. The leading char acter in this history was Judas Maccabeus, a valiant soldier and one of the foremost generals of the period in which he lived. During the wars in which the Maccabees were engaged and in which he was their leader he required that a portion of the fruits of all their victories should be set aside for the benefit of the widows and orphans of those who had fallen in battle.
It was this particular practice and charac teristic that probably suggested to Mr. Mc Laughlan and his co-laborers the name for their new society, because the purpose of this society, as set forth in their laws, was to unite frater nally all white male persons of sound bodily health and good moral character, between the ages of 18 and 70 years of age, and to provide for such members benefits in case of disability, and to the beneficiaries of such members bene fits in case of their death.
The main purpose of this Association is to provide social and fraternal intercourse -for its members, and benefits in the way of insurance to the families of deceased members. The con stituent organizations have distributed about $80,000,000 among the disabled members and the beneficiaries of the deceased members. The assets of the new united organization amount to $20,000,000. There are more than 300,000 members.
Its work is conducted on •the lodge system under ritualistic ceremony. Its form of gov ernment is thoroughly representative, every member having a voice in the conduct of its affairs, making of its laws, the election of its officers and the fixing of their compensation.
The general meeting of the lawmaking "body (The Supreme Tent) is held once in three years, at which the members are represented through delegates chosen from subordinate tents, conventions and great camps. In the interim between the meetings of its governing, body its affairs are administered by a board of seven trustees, consisting of the supreme commander and six others elected by the Su preme Tent. The board of trustees has the general custody and management of the funds of the Association; under its direction all in vestments are made, the laws of the Asso ciation requiring that all investments shall be made in government, State and municipal bonds.