TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 153 
table represents the rate of mortality as observed among the male members generally 
of friendly societies throughout England and Wales; but if reference be made to 
Appendix A. of the Report of the Select Committee of the House of Lords appointed 
to consider certain matters connected with Provident Associations, Session 1847-48, 
paper No. 126, some interesting examples will be found of remarkable differences in 
the rates of mortality and sickness in those societies. In a very able paper by Mr. 
Farr, in the second edition of M‘Culloch’s ‘Statistics of the British Empire,’ it is 
stated that there is reason to believe that further inquiries will show, that not only 
sickness, but mortality will increase in friendly societies generally ; and the results 
of a recent investigation among the members of Odd Fellow Sacieties appear to sup- 
port this opinion, in so far as respects mortality. Recently a careful examination 
was made into the rate of mortality among the members of one of the learned socie- 
ties of the metropolis, composed exclusively of the members of the medical profession, 
and the results are strikingly corroborative of the general principle which seems to 
regulate the mortality of other classes, namely, that the humble but industrious του Κα 
ing classes, whose prudential habits lead them to become members of these societies, 
are subject to a less rate of mortality than any other, and that the higher the class of 
society over which the observations extend, until the peerage, or highest class of all, 
is observed, in which there is less of the regular and healthful daily exercise essential 
to the condition of the industrious workman, the greater the rate of mortality; and 
for intermediate classes, a varying degree of mortality is observable, following pretty 
closely the scale of their position in social rank. 
The results of this inquiry will be found in detail in the following table :— 
Taste IIT. 
απ ERR EE en a a a ee ΘϑοΞ 
Y f Numb - . Mortalit: Mortali' t. A 
Membership. nee Ἐπ εις. Died. wrt cenit Depletion Wale jen 
1— 4 2198-0 9 0.409 998 25—30 
5— 9 2190°5 14 0°639 1:063 31—35 
10—14 1353°5 20 1477 1:157 36—40 
15—19 811°5 11 1:355 1°319 41—45 
20—24 578°5 8 1:383 1:560 46—50 
25—29 4100 17 4146 1°935 51—55 
30—34 2000 7 3°500 2°529 56—60 
35—39 74:0 6 87108 3°474 61—65 
40—44 18°0 4 2°222 4:947 66—70 
7834-0 96 1:225 
For the whole period under observation, it is therefore evident that the rate of 
too is somewhat higher than among the general population of England and 
ales. 
From the facts brought forward, it therefore appears that the duration of life in 
the German States of Europe, among the higher provident classes, embracing the 
principles of life assurance, 18 fully equal to that among the like classes in this coun- 
try, and the value of life amongst those classes approximates closely to the rate of 
mortality for the general population of England and Wales; but among the humbler 
provident classes who enrol themselves members of friendly societies of this country, 
there is experienced a prolonged duration of life above all others. 
With the view to determine whether any and what law prevailed in relation to the 
period which has elapsed from the date of assuring to the date of death among those 
persons dying in the years 1839-49, distinguishing the age at the time of being as- 
sured, a detailed abstract has been made of each policy, classifying those together of 
the same age at the date of assuring, and at the same time setting forth the period 
elapsing until the day of death, and thence arriving at the average period which elapsed 
from taking out their polieies till the day of death, for those entering the Society at 
different ages. The following table shows the results arrived at :— 
