FRASERVILLE 



2318 



FRATERNAL SOCIETIES 



her. Lastly, the Fraser River salmon are 

 justly famous, and the fisheries are the most 

 important in Canada. For additional infor- 

 mation relating to these industries, see BRIT- 

 ISH COLUMBIA. 



FRASERVILLE, jra'zervil, the county town 

 of Temiscouata County, Quebec, situated in 

 the southeastern part of the province and on 

 the right bank of the Saint Lawrence River, 

 at the point where it receives the waters of 

 the Riviere du Loup. Rimouski is sixty-six 

 miles northeast, and Quebec is 115 miles south- 

 west. Railway transportation is provided by 

 the Intercolonial and Temiscouata railways; 

 the latter makes Fraserville its terminus. 

 There is regular steamer service by the Sague- 

 nay Line, and local lines ply between Fraser- 

 ville and Tadoussac, a seaside resort. The 

 place was settled in 1874, and was incorporated 

 as a city in 1910. Fraserville is the corporate 

 name for the town of Riviere du Loup: French 

 Canadians comprise the greater part of the 

 population, which in 1911 was 6,774; in 1916, 

 estimated, 7,000. 



The city lies in the midst of some of the 

 most picturesque scenery of the province, in a 

 locality that offers fine fishing and hunting 

 (moose and deer) ; consequently it has won 

 favor as a summer resort. There are several 

 hotels, also an armory, a $50,000 post office 

 and large wholesale houses. Besides the public 

 schools, there are three colleges and a convent. 

 The largest industrial establishments are the 

 repair shops of the railroad; these employ 

 about 400 men. Pulp mills, gristmills, brick- 

 yards, foundries and factories for making but- 

 ter, furniture and building materials are among 

 the other manufactories. Abundant water and 

 electric power is provided for manufacturing 

 purposes. E.T. 



FRATERNAL SOCIETIES, voluntary asso- 

 ciations formed for the purpose of mutual ad- 

 vantage, and conducted solely for the benefit 

 of members and beneficiaries. These societies 

 are organized on the lodge system, with rituals 

 and pass words, and each member pays, by 

 means of assessment, a certain amount to the 

 common fund. Each society has general power 

 to adopt its own constitution and by-laws, 

 within limitations, and may manage its own 

 internal affairs as it deems to its best inter- 

 ests. Men alone are eligible to membership 

 in some of these societies; others admit both 

 men and women, and a few are for women 

 only. A number of them have memberships 

 running into the millions. 



History. The early fraternal societies were 

 founded somewhat along the same lines as the 

 English "friendly societies," which were first 

 organized as clubs for the sick and paid small 

 sums for the benefit of their members. This 

 idea finally developed into payment also for 

 disability, funerals, accident, disease and old 

 age benefits. Several of these societies founded 

 branches in the United States and Canada in 

 the early part of the nineteenth century. In 

 1868 the Ancient Order of United Workmen 

 was founded by John Upchwich, it being the 

 first order in the United States to develop 

 cooperative relief on a large scale, in the form 

 of life insurance or death benefits. During the 

 next ten years many other fraternal societies 

 were organized, and from 1881 to 1890 many 

 additional ones were introduced; but the 

 greater proportion of these were short-lived, 

 owing to unsound financial methods. Since 

 1900 there have been few new societies organ- 

 ized. 



Governing Methods. All the older associa- 

 tions elect representatives from the subordi- 

 nate lodges within what is known as the grand 

 jurisdiction limit. The latter, in turn, sends 

 delegates to the supreme body, which is the 

 highest authority. The grand jurisdiction usu- 

 ally covers a state, and has supervision of all 

 the lodges in its territory. The supreme body 

 generally elects its officers, but they may in 

 some cases be elected by a direct vote of all 

 the members. 



In 1898 The American Fraternal Congress 

 was formed for the purpose of establishing 

 reserve funds, and in 1901 the younger fra- 

 ternal societies formed the Associated Fra- 

 ternities of America. In 1903 these general 

 societies united under the name of the Na- 

 tional Fraternal Congress of America. 



Membership. The principal organizations in 

 the United States and Canada having more 

 than 200,000 members in 1917 are listed below: 



Freemasons 1,760,277 



Odd Fellows 1,622,100 



Modern Woodmen of America 921,899 



Eastern Star, Order of 800,000 



Woodmen of the World 732,385 



Knights of Pythias 729,053 



Rechabites, Independent Order of 701,040 



Good Templars, International Order... 620,000 



Loyal Order of Moose 620,000 



Improved Order of Red Men 479,033 



Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks 442,658 



Order of Eagles 400,000 



Royal Arch Masons 422,359 



Ancient Order of United Workmen 350,000 



Knights of Columbus 346,560 





