in common with the others which make it a typical representative of its class. It conducts a life insurance business as its raison d'etre, and calls to the aid of that business the glamour which attaches to a secret society, and the enthusiasm for "the cause" which reduces expenses to the minimum by supplying, as a labor of love, that service which makes the largest item in the expense account of the "regular" insurance companies. Its business is conducted on the assessment plan, and while no sick benefits are allowed, a council may yet provide against a member's certificate lapsing during his sickness. The various organizations of this class in Worcester have in the aggregate a very large membership. The Improved Order of Red Men, introduced into Worcester in 1880, combines the two schemes of sick benefit and life insurance. Every member has a claim for sick benefits the same as in the Odd Fellows, but the life insurance plan is a separate function, and is optional; it is carried on by means of special assessments as in the Royal Arcanum.

This order is interesting because of its origin, and the peculiarities of its ritual, which is based upon the customs of the North American Indians, especially the Iroquois. The tribes usually bear an Indian The order was founded during the War of 1812 by the soldiers at Fort Mifflin, near Baltimore, for the purpose of promoting patriotism, harmony and good fellowship in the army. This order has also a branch for the ladies, under the title of the Daughters of Pocahontas.

MILITARY MATTERS.

NE of Worcester's chief glories in the history of the last half century is the service of her sons in the war of the Union. In that great contest to preserve the life of the nation, the brilliancy of the record of their patriotism, bravery, and self-sacrifice is undimmed by comparison with that of any other community in the land. The memory of the Worcester soldiers of 1861 to 1865 will ever be kept green by a grateful people, and fitting memorials of stone and bronze commemorate their valor. The beautiful Soldiers' Monument on the Common was erected in 1874 at a cost of over $50,000.

Post 10, Grand Army of the Republic, named for General Ward, was organized April 13, 1865. Between two and three thousand members have joined this post since its formation, and many thousand dollars have been dispensed in relief funds. The Woman's Relief Corps and the Sons of Veterans were formed in 1883, and the Daughters of Veterans in 1890, all auxiliary to the Grand Army.

The history of Worcester in the war for the Union has been so often and so fully recited that a detailed account would be superfluous in this volume. The following references to printed authorities on this subject may, however, properly appear here:

Reverend Abijah P. Marvin's "Worcester in the War of the Rebellion" is an interesting and valuable book, which gives a very full account of Worcester's part in sustaining the Union. Histories of the Fifteenth, Twenty-first, Twenty-fifth, Thirty-fourth, and Thirty-sixth Regiments have been published. "The Story of Company A, Twenty-fifth Regiment," by Samuel H. Putnam, has been widely noticed and much commended as a true picture of the daily life of a soldier; and the narrative of Amos E. Stearns, an Andersonville prisoner, has more than local interest.

In the list of Worcester's martyrs in the Rebellion, the names of John William Grout, who fell at Ball's Bluff; General George H. Ward, who fell at Gettysburg, and for whom the local Grand Army post was named; Thomas J. Spurr; S. F. Hayden, Jr.; Dexter F. Parker; Reverend Samuel Souther; the Wellingtons; the Bacons; Thomas O'Neil, and Henry Mc

Conville, are prominent. Of those who gained distinction in the conflict, Charles Devens, Josiah Pickett, William S. Lincoln and A. B. R. Sprague are well known. Worcester sent 3,927 men, counting each enlistment as one, to the war for the Union, at a total direct money cost of $586,054. Of this amount, $245,653 was paid for bounties and expense of recruiting; $93,650, commutation and substitutes; $246,751, state aid for families.

Of Worcester military companies of to-day, the Light Infantry is the oldest, having been organized in 1804. The City Guards, organized in 1840, is now attached to the militia. A history of this company has recently been prepared by Lieutenant Samuel Hathaway. The Emmet Guards were formed in 1860. The Chamberlain Light Battery, Battery B, M. V. M., is of more recent organization, and the Wellington Rifles is a militia company formed in 1894. The new Armory building, at the junction of Salisbury and Grove streets, was completed in 1890 at a cost of nearly $125,000.

The Worcester Continentals, the only independent company at present, paraded for the first time July 4, 1876. The uniform is nearly a facsimile of that worn by Revolutionary soldiers, and the company always attracts much attention, and has gained a wide reputation.

In the Spanish War of 1898, Worcester responded readily, four of her five militia companies entering the service. Battery B was as prompt for duty as the other organizations, but the government was unable to make use of light artillery in large force in that peculiar conflict, and after a brief absence on coast duty in the eastern part of the State, the Battery returned to Worcester. The limited field of operations, and the short duration of the war, prevented the acceptance of any other organized bodies from Worcester, although some attempts were made towards their formation. Recruiting for the regular army has been actively carried on during the present year.

The Worcester Light Infantry, the City Guards and the Wellington Rifles were mustered into the United States service as Companies C, A and H, Second Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry. These companies left Worcester for Camp Dewey, South Framingham, May 3, and after a physical examination, such as were pronounced fit for duty were mustered in. On the 12th of May the regiment was transported to Lakeland, Florida, and later to Ybor City in that state. June 13th the Worcester men, as part of the Fifth Army Corps, sailed for Cuba, and landing on the 23d, marched to Siboney, and later to El Caney. From the first day of the engagements near Santiago, the Worcester companies were in active service, and at times under fire, until on the 14th of July the city surrendered. During the next month the men experienced great suffering from exposure, disease, lack of proper food and