ABSTRACT
We are fond of saying that there is nothing new under the sun. Men less wise than Solomon, if they will but look and see, may discover that the world itself is new. The elements which compose land and water have remained unchanged, and the natural laws which they obey are eternal. But the relations which mankind bears to the animate and inanimate world surrounding it are continually changing. It is in these changed relations that one may discover the newness of the present world, and it is also in these changed relations that every significant political and social question of the present has taken its rise. Most of the earlier economic, political, and religious systems were based upon the principles of authority and dependence. The banner of independence was carried high by the leaders of the revolutions which one by one broke up the old systems. The eras of revolutions – religious, political, and industrial – were transitional in their nature, and paved the way for a system of society having for its watchword neither dependence nor independence, but interdependence. Present society had its beginnings in dependence; its intermediary was independence; and the keynote of the future will probably always remain interdependence. Interdependence is the prime characteristic of the new world of which we are a part. Old institutions have been modified, the “cake of custom” has been broken, and new institutions have been created to bring about a proper readjustment among men in these changed relations. Among the institutions which have performed and are performing services in this respect, the network of fraternal beneficiary societies in the United States deserves full recognition. The social history of the United States cannot be written without taking notice of a / system which includes one out of every fifteen of our population, and which involves the expenditure of 250millions of dollars annually. These societies constitute a complex of organizations which embraces in its scope the most diverse elements with respect to race affinity, material possessions, religious beliefs, political affiliations, intellectual attainment, and social position. The thread of fraternity joins them all in one great round table of equality and democracy.
