-The A. O. U, W." 
 
 A MUSICAL LECTURE 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY ORIGINAL SONGS 
 
 Set to Familiar Tunes with 
 Introductions in Prose, and setting forth the Origin, 
 History and Achievements of the 
 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen 
 
 By SAM BOOTH 
 
“The A. O. U. W. 
 
 tt 
 
 A MUSICAL LECTURE 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY ORIGINAL SONGS 
 
 Set to Familiar Tones with 
 Introductions in Prose, and setting forth the Origin, 
 History and Achievements of the 
 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen 
 
 By SAM BOOTH 
 
A WORD OF EXPLANATION 
 
 The songs included in this little book have nearly 
 all, atonetinje or another, been published in the A. 
 O. U. W.—the Workmen’s official organ of the Grand 
 Jurisdiction of California. lam continually receiv¬ 
 ing applications, however, for some of them, from 
 brethren in various paits of the country, and so, be¬ 
 lieving that their circulation will be for the good of 
 the Order, 1 have been persuaded to publish them 
 collectiv'ely in this more convenient and enduring 
 form. 
 
 1 arranged them as they are now presented, with 
 explanatory introductions in prose, for my ow^n con¬ 
 venience, as a Musical hecture, and delivered it a 
 number of times with more or less success, and I 
 have no doubt but there are many brothers of the 
 Order who can use them in a similar manner with 
 still greater success. There are others who can make 
 selections from them and sing them for their own 
 amusement, under the head of '“Good of the Order,” 
 or at Lodge Entertainments, and if they get as much" 
 fun out of them as their composer, they will cer¬ 
 tainly have no cause to complain. 
 
 Fraternally, in C., H. and P., 
 
 vSAM BOOTH. 
 
 Published with the consent and by the authority of 
 Chas. E. Snook, 
 
 Grand Master A. O. U. W. of California 
 
 Price, per copy, in paper cover, 15 cents. In pack¬ 
 ages of ten or more, 10 cents per copy. Send orders 
 to Sam Booth, Grand Receiver, C. T. Spencer, Grand 
 Recorder, or Win. 11. Barnes, Grand Lecturer, A. O. 
 U. W., Room 66, Flood Building, San Francisco. 
 
 souvenir edition on fine heavy paper and hand¬ 
 somely bound in flexible cloth cover will be prepared 
 and sold for 50 cents per copy. 
 
 Those desiring this souvenir edition wdll please 
 send in their orders as early as convenient, so that 
 tlie}^ can be provided for. 
 
THE A. O. U. W 
 
 Its Origfin, History and Achievements 
 A MUSICAL LECTURE 
 
 BY SAM BOOTH, P. G. M. W. 
 
 It is said, that the man who makes two blades of 
 grass to grow where only one did grow before, is, to 
 that extent, a benefactor of the race. In like man¬ 
 ner, in regard to the difusion of useful knowledge, 
 it may be said, that he who imparts to others in¬ 
 formation which may be helpful to him, and 
 through him in ever-widening circles to others, is 
 also a benefactor of the race. I also contend that 
 the man who evokes a smile on faces where only 
 soberness and frowns are accustomed to dwell, may 
 also have some claims to be considered a benefactor 
 of the race. The first enlarges our material re¬ 
 sources; the second extends the sphere of our 
 knowledge; the third contributes to our pleasure in 
 the enjoyment of the other two, if we have them, 
 and to our happiness, whether we have them or not. 
 I propose to make a feeble attempt in the direction 
 of both of the two latter propositions. 
 
 For a time, so long ago that the memory of man 
 goeth not back to the contrary, the more intelligent 
 of the classes of men whose lot it is to earn their 
 bread by the sweat of their faces, have been study¬ 
 ing and contrivirig ways and means of ameliorating 
 their condition, while life and health permitted 
 them to pursue their avocations, and to make pro¬ 
 visions for those dependent on them when death 
 
 3 
 
or failing health prevented them from doing so. 
 And so we read of trades guilds and labor organizsi. 
 lions in the old trade centers of ancient and me¬ 
 diaeval times. That they were the means of doing 
 good, and of easing the burdens of those who were 
 oppressed and heavy laden, we have no reason to 
 doubt. We have trades unions and labor leagues in 
 
 our own times, and they are all calculated and in¬ 
 tended to be of great benefit to their members and 
 their families. That they are not always conducted 
 with the highest wisdom, and that they sometimes 
 fall short of the high ideals, and fail in attaining 
 the great objects of their champions and projectors, 
 is to say that they are human, and the offspring of 
 human hands and brains. 
 
 In 1868, there was living at Meadville, Penn., a 
 member of one of these organizations by the name 
 of .rOHN JORDAN UPCHURCH, a master mechanic 
 in the railroad shops of that town. This man, 
 though born to the lot of the poor whites of the 
 south before the war, with few natural advantages, 
 hardly any opportunities in the way of education, 
 and suffering withal most grievous misfortune in 
 his early youth, had, nevertheless, by diligent ap¬ 
 plication of qualities, characteristic of a down Bast 
 Yankee, rather than a native of the Carolinas, 
 worked his way up to positions of trust and re¬ 
 sponsibility. With his habits of shrewd observa¬ 
 tion, he had seen, and experienced in his own per¬ 
 son, the inutility of the present methods of redress¬ 
 ing the wrongs suffered by the laboring classes and 
 adjusting the differences between labor and capital, 
 and also of making provision for the families and 
 dependents of the “breadwinner,” while in health, 
 against the time when he could no longer do so. 
 For years he had been-pondering and turning these 
 matters over in his mind, and at length, on the 27th 
 day of October, 1868, with twelve of his friends and 
 fellow-craftsmen, he evolved the scheme which 
 eventually became known to the world as the 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen. 
 
 And this brings us to our first song, “Father 
 Upchurch,” to the air of “A Fine Old English 
 Gentleman.” Kl3( 
 
“FATHER UPCHURCH.’’ 
 
 Air—“A Fine Old English Gentleman.” 
 
 ril sing to you a modern song, made by a modest 
 pate, 
 
 Of an antiquated Workman, with a very small 
 estate. 
 
 Who earned a modest livelihood in Pennsylvania 
 State. 
 
 And came to see his children, living by the Golden 
 Gate— 
 
 This fine American Gentleman, all of the modern 
 time. 
 
 When he was born no songs were sung, no flatter¬ 
 ing things were said. 
 
 Nor did kin.. Fortune on his path her bounteous 
 blessings shed. 
 
 Nor was the realm of knowledge to his youthful 
 vision spread. 
 
 But every day he had to say, he’d earn his daily 
 bread— 
 
 Like a fine American Gentleman, all of the modern 
 time. 
 
 As one by one the years rolled on, he came to man’s 
 estate. 
 
 And tnen, no doubt, he cast about until ne found his 
 mate; 
 
 Then like a loyal citizen he began to populate 
 
 The otate of Pennsylvania at a very rapid rate— 
 
 Like a fine American Gentleman, all of the modern 
 time. 
 
 To keep his numerous family well clothed, and 
 housed, and fed, 
 
 And make provision for them against the time 
 when be was dead, 
 
 A mutual Protection plan kept running through his 
 head 
 
 And lo! our Ancient Order on its glorious mission 
 sped — 
 
 From this fine American Gentleman, all of the 
 modern time. 
 
 5 
 
Prom State to State the Order grew among the 
 great and small. 
 
 And lodges organized in every city and town hall, 
 
 And thousands of good citizens to join them got a. 
 call 
 
 And look on “Father Upchurch” as the daddy of 
 them all— 
 
 This fine American Gentlem.an, all of the modern 
 time. 
 
 It’s two and thirty years now since the Order first 
 began, 
 
 And like a heavenly benediction through the coun¬ 
 try ran. 
 
 And fifty thousand families now bless the good old 
 man 
 
 Whose kincay heart and fertile brain wrought out 
 the glorious plan— 
 
 Of this fine American Gentleman, all of the 
 modern time. 
 
 —Sam Booth. 
 
 THE BROTHERHOOD OP WORKMEN. 
 
 Between the trade guilds and labor unions, an¬ 
 cient and modern, and the Ancient Order of United 
 Workmen, is this essential difference: that, where¬ 
 as, members of the ancient guild of weavers, or 
 glovers, or the modern carpenters’ union must be a 
 weaver, a glover, or a carpenter, there is no such 
 restriction in regard to the members of the A O 
 U. W. 
 
 The glory of our Order is, that its members 
 comprise “all sorts and conditions of men,” the 
 only stipulation on joining the order being, th'^t 
 they shall be white males, between the ages of 
 eighteen and forty-five, able to earn a living for 
 themselves and those dependent on them, acknowl¬ 
 edge a belief in the Deity, be of good moral char¬ 
 acter, and physically able to pass a medical exami¬ 
 nation. 
 
 It is almost impossible to conceive of conditions 
 more liberal, combined with safety, than these. In 
 
 6 
 
almost every Dodge may be found men of various 
 trades, professions and nativities; also, men who 
 never had the opportunity of learning a trade, and 
 men who have no need to work at one. And while 
 it is by its birth and nationality emphatically an 
 Ameiican institution, go into almost any Lodge, and 
 you will hear, as the business of the Lodge is trans¬ 
 acted, not only the twang of the Yankee and the 
 dialect of Dixie, but the brogue of County Cork and 
 the patois of the Fatherland. Men may differ in 
 their religious beliefs, each going their own way, as 
 they fondly believe, to the same heaven. One man 
 may be a redhot Republican gold money expansion¬ 
 ist, arid the man sitting next to him a sixteen-to-one 
 dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, while on the opposite 
 side of the room may be a rank, rabid, long-haired 
 Populist, who believes that the country is going to 
 the dogs anyhow. But all forget these differences 
 when pey meet in a common Brotherhood before 
 the Altar of Workmanship to sacrifice in the inter¬ 
 est of “Charity, Hope and Protection.” 
 
 And this brings us to our second song “The 
 Brotherhood of Workmen.” 
 
 THE WORKMAN 
 Air—“The Showman.” 
 
 Of all the guilds of Charity, in country, town or 
 city. 
 
 That ply the gentle labors of Beneficence and Pitv 
 
 For kindly hearts and gentle hands and charitable 
 deedi 
 
 And works of Dove’s sweet ministry, the Workmen 
 take the lead. 
 
 And so we sing the Workmen, the Brotherhood of 
 Workmen., 
 
 For Charity is*all the plea that binds us to the 
 Workmen. 
 
 7 
 
Here laborirg men sit side by siae with lawyers 
 and physicians, 
 
 And simple-minded, honest men with cunning 
 politicians; 
 
 Here famous men and millionaires are in the same 
 degree. 
 
 And claim a common brotherhood with men like 
 you and mm. 
 
 And so we sing the Workmen, the Brotherhood of 
 Workmen, 
 
 For Kindness and Fraternity abound among the 
 Workmen. 
 
 Here you may meet fraternally your many friends 
 and neighbors. 
 
 Good men and true to share with you your pleasures 
 and your labors; 
 
 Here you may find a Brother’s aid for all the ills 
 of life, 
 
 And when you die we give two thousand dollars to 
 your wife. 
 
 And so we sing the Workmen, The Ancient Order 
 of Workmen, 
 
 For Charity and Fraternity abound among the 
 Workmen. 
 
 —Sam Booth. 
 
 HEAVEN-BORN CHARITY. 
 
 Unon the Altar of every Workman Lodge is the 
 Bible, not as an ostentatious assumption of superior 
 goodness, or as the emblem of any particular or dis¬ 
 tinctive creed, but because it is the clearest revela¬ 
 tion of God's will to man, and because within its 
 pages are found the best rules for the guidance of 
 our lives and conduct, and unless it is there, and 
 in its place, no Lodge can be regularly opened, and 
 no Lodge business legally transacted. It is opened 
 at the thirteenth chapter of St. Paul’s first epistle to 
 the Corinthians, wherein the great apostle is ex¬ 
 patiating on the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity, 
 the “greatest” of which, he declares, is Charity, and 
 it is open at this particular place, so that it may be 
 
 8 
 
a constant reminder to all Workmen that their 
 dealings with each other, and with all mankind, 
 may be governed by this sublimest of all the 
 virtues. 
 
 Charity is but another name for the warmer seir- 
 timent of Love, and though it may imply the feel¬ 
 ings which condones, pities, and sympathizes with 
 sorrow and misfortune, as the ruling principle of a 
 Worknran’s creed, it also implies material aid and 
 assistance, as well as kind words, for the distressed 
 and unfortunate. But while our hearts may over¬ 
 flow with sympathy, and our hands be wide open 
 with liberal assistance for a brother or a stranger 
 in distress, there is nothing more repugnant to a 
 true and self-respecting Workman than the idea of 
 giving or receiving “alms.” When we undertake to 
 aid a brother or a brother’s family in distress, we 
 are only fulfllling an obligation which each one as¬ 
 sumes toward the other on becoming members of 
 the Order—“Helping a brother to help himself.” 
 
 And this brings us to our third musical illustra¬ 
 tion, “Heaven-born Charity,” to the air of “Brown 
 Octoher Ale.” 
 
 “HEAVEN-BORN CHARITY.” 
 
 Air—“Brown October Ale,” from Robin Hood. 
 
 0 will ye come with me, my lads, 0 will ye come 
 with me. 
 
 And join your hands with Workmen bands in sweet 
 Fraternity, 
 
 To shield from ill each Workman’s home, bid want 
 and sorrow flee^ 
 
 And bring new Hope to every man, and practice 
 Charity. 
 
 Then out, lads, and shout, lads, the Workman’s 
 roundelay,, 
 
 In all our days we’ll sing the praise of Heaven- 
 born Charity. 
 
 Then out, lads, and shout, lads, the Workman’s 
 roundelay, 
 
 In all our days we’ll sing the praise of Heaven- 
 born Charity. 
 
 9 
 
0 will ye come with me, my lads, 0 will ye come 
 with me 
 
 Where sorrow sighs with tearful eyes .and little 
 children mourn, 
 
 To bring relief to hungry homes and cheer the 
 hearts forlorn, 
 
 Bring joy and peace to every sonl, and drive despair 
 away. 
 
 Then out, lads, and shout, lads, the Workman’s 
 roundelay, 
 
 In all our days we’ll sing the praise of Heaven- 
 born Charity. 
 
 Then out, lads, and shout, lads, the Workman’s 
 roundelay. 
 
 In all our days we’ll sing , the praise of Heaven- 
 born Charity. 
 
 HE WAS IN IT. 
 
 There are many wise saws warning us “Never to 
 put off till to-morrow what we can do to-day,’’ that 
 “Delays are dangerous,’’ and “We know not what a 
 day nor an hour may bring forth,” etc. It is bad 
 plough to neglect these warnings when one has no 
 one but himself to think about, but when there are 
 others, perhaps helpless ones, dependent on us, and 
 we refuse to avail ourselves of the opportunity to 
 provide for a “rainy day,” our neglect becomes 
 criminal. For lack of this providential foresight, 
 involving, perhaps, a little thrift and sacrifice in 
 the meantime, our jails are filled with criminals 
 and our poorhouses with paupers; while those who 
 are guilty of this neglect, after enduring an old age 
 of discomfort and privation, leave to those who 
 come after them a legacy of poverty and possible 
 degradation. Instances of these neglected oppor¬ 
 tunities, with the cruel consequences they entail on 
 their innocent victims, are within the knowledge 
 and experience of almost every one. You have at 
 this moment, undoubtedly, many of you, in your 
 niind’s eye instances of men with families depend¬ 
 ent on them, who at one time or another wmre able 
 to lay by a little and so make provision for them, 
 
 10 
 
or to take out a policy in their favor in the Work¬ 
 men, or some such kindred organization, but who, 
 for lack of a little forethought, or perhaps unwill¬ 
 ingness to forego the indulgence of some appar¬ 
 ently cheat) luxury—the habitual cigar or drink, 
 perhaps—have brought upon those they love untold 
 and unremitting hardship, and upon themselves un¬ 
 ceasing regret. Alas! too late they come to realize 
 that— 
 
 “The saddest words of tongue or pen. 
 
 Are those sad words, Tt might have been.’ ’’ 
 
 In further illustration of this part of our theme 
 we introduce our fourth song, to the air of “He Was 
 In It.” 
 
 HE WAS IN IT.” 
 
 I called at the house of a friend whom I knew— 
 
 He was in it. 
 
 And asked him to join the A. O. U. W., 
 
 And get in it. 
 
 He asked what it cost to get in and to stay; 
 
 I told him tbe price of a drink every day,' 
 
 But he said that he thought it was too much to pay, 
 To get in it. , 
 
 The rain fell one day in a pitiless shower— 
 
 He was in it. 
 
 He got .drenched to the skin by the heavy down¬ 
 pour— 
 
 He was in it. 
 
 He caught a bad cold by the wetting, he said; 
 
 He had pains in his limbs, and his back, and his 
 head. 
 
 Pneumonia set in and they put him to bed. 
 
 He was in it. 
 
 In spite of good nursing his symptoms grew worse 
 Every minute. 
 
 The doctors and physic soon took from his purse 
 What was in it. 
 
 They told the poor wife to be patient and brave. 
 While vainly they tried the poor husband to save. 
 By the side of Lone Mountain—God’s acre—they 
 dug him a grave. 
 
 He is in it. 
 
O’er the hills to the poorhouse the family did go 
 They are in it. 
 
 The purse nad got empty, the larder also; 
 Nothing in it. 
 
 And O! the sad wail and the heartbroken cry 
 Of the wido-« and orphans as hopeless they sigh, 
 The objects of pity to all who pass by. 
 
 While they’re in it. 
 
 A moral there is to the tale I have told 
 Are you in it? 
 
 The healthiest people are apt to catch cold. 
 
 And get in it. 
 
 If you are invited the Workmen to join. 
 
 Don’t say it’s too dear, and the offer decline; 
 
 And I pray you take heed to this story of mine. 
 And get in it. 
 
 —Sam Booth. 
 
 THE CLASSIFIED PLAN. 
 
 To those who have been identified with our grand 
 old Order for any considerable time, its early strug¬ 
 gles and difficulties, and the way they have been 
 triumphantly overcome, is a most interesting study. 
 The “Old Line” life insurance companies regarded 
 us as bungling novices in the business, and pre¬ 
 dicted speedy failure. And it is probably true that 
 we have made mistakes. But one of the most 
 gratifying circumstances connected with our Order 
 is, that when the mistake has become apparent, it 
 has been rectified, and the remedy applied, not only 
 without injury, but with the most satisfactory re¬ 
 sults to the Order. The manner of levying the Ben¬ 
 eficiary Assessments is a case in point. In the 
 early history €‘1 the Order, the “Level Assessment” 
 plan was universally adopted, and it worked well 
 enough while the Order was young, and is, in fact, 
 in vogue yet in some of the younger and more 
 vigorous Grand .Turisdictions. But experience, and 
 a study of mortality tables and mortuary statistics, 
 convinced the wisest and best men of the Order 
 of the unfairness and inequality of assessing the 
 
 12 
 
young men, whose life expectation was compara¬ 
 tively long, at the same rate as the old man, whose 
 life expectancy was naturally short. And so, after 
 long and serious consideration, the “Classified 
 Plan” of assessment was adopted in the Supreme 
 Lodge, and permitted to such Grand Jurisdictions 
 as, hy vote of its members, desired to adopt it. It 
 was adopted by California in September, 1896, and 
 the condition and prospects of the Order to-day, as 
 compared with its condition and prospects before, 
 and at the time of its adoption, are gratifying 
 proofs of tne wisdom of that proceeding. 
 
 And this will serve to introduce our fifth musical 
 number, “The Classified Plan,” to the air of “Billy 
 Barlow.” 
 
 THE CLASSIFIED PLAN. 
 
 Air—“Billy Barlow.” 
 
 O Workmen and Brothers, come list to my song, 
 
 Of how our dear Order is marching along; 
 
 For the thirty-two years since the good work began 
 To the time we adopted the “Classified Plan.” 
 
 When good “Father Upchurch” his mission pro¬ 
 claimed, 
 
 And the Order of United Workmen was named— 
 The wisest and best ever thought of by man. 
 Undreamt of by him was the Classified Plan. 
 
 Through old Pennsylvania the Order did go; 
 
 Ohio, Missouri, New England, also; 
 
 Through cities and towns like a cyclone it ran. 
 With never a thought of the Classified Plan. 
 
 J'he North and the South, lately met in fierce fight. 
 In “Charity, Hope and Protection” unite. 
 
 With our own California well up in the van, 
 Though still not a thought of the Classified Plan. 
 
 For twenty-five years we were prosperous then. 
 
 And were joined by all kinds and conditions of 
 men— 
 
 The banker, the tradesman, the skilJed artisan— 
 And as yet with no need of the Classified pjan. 
 
 13 
 
In the meantime the members grew older apace, _ 
 And enough of young men were not taking their 
 place; 
 
 By a glance through the ranks the observer might 
 scan 
 
 The time had now come for the Classified Plan. 
 
 For as members grew older, it soon became known. 
 Assessments went up, as our numbers went down; 
 California v»ras doomed, and lay under a ban. 
 Unless we adopted the Classified Plan. 
 
 But thanks to the wisdom and courage of all, 
 
 Who saw the decline, and prevented the fall, 
 Baines, Danforth, and “Dave,” and the “Little grey 
 man.” 
 
 Who worked with their might for the Classified 
 Plan. 
 
 And now was arrested the hand of decay— 
 
 Of membership-failing and dwindling away; 
 
 New hope was inspired, and new confidence ran 
 Through all the broad land with the Classified Plan. 
 
 Mechanics and merchants left fact’ries and stores, 
 The professor his books, and the farmer his chores. 
 The mining prospector his pick and his pan. 
 
 To join with us under the Classified Plan. 
 
 Through the length and the breadth of our great 
 Golden State 
 
 'the brethren were roused by the earnest debate; 
 Old Lodges revived and new Lodges began 
 To work with new life on the Classified Plan. 
 
 Then let every Workman unite hand and heart 
 To build up our Order, each doing his part; 
 
 And the blessing of God and the praises of man 
 Will attend the good work of the Classified Plan. 
 
LOCKED OUT. 
 
 We have been laboring to but little purpose if we 
 have not made it apparent by tnis time that frater¬ 
 nal, co-operative, beneficiary societies are a good 
 thing. But like many other goods things—good in 
 themselves—^it is quite possible to get too much, or 
 to many of them. Whiskey —sl little of it is said 
 to be a good thing, when used in moderation, or as 
 medicine. Water, wind and fire are man s most 
 useful servants, and each a blessing when used 
 properly. But when abused, or when they get be¬ 
 yond control, they become dangerous, and some¬ 
 times involve their erstwhile masters in destruc¬ 
 tion. And so, in like manner, it is quite possible 
 to.assume too many fraternal obligations—to be¬ 
 come a member of too many beneficiary orders. 
 
 A man who is a member of half a score of frater¬ 
 nal and beneficiary orders, some of them working 
 in opposition to each other, will find it utterly im- 
 pcssible to discharge his obligations to all. Such a 
 man will be liable to the appraisement that he may 
 be “worth more dead than alive.’’ It is told of the 
 wife of such a man, that when a neighbor was con¬ 
 gratulating her on the prospect of becoming a r'ch 
 woman when her husband died—being his benefi¬ 
 ciary to so many orders of which he was a member 
 —replied, “Yes, but, confound it, he won’t die.’’ 
 Another serious objection to being a member of too 
 many orders is, that if he attends to his duties he 
 will be out and away from home too many nights 
 in the week, and perhaps too late at night, and thus 
 render himself liable to suspicion, and be the cause 
 of domestic trouble, and he will be a lucky m_an if 
 he gets out of it as easy as the hero of the follow¬ 
 ing song, who was “Locked Out.” 
 
 LOCKED OUT. 
 
 Air from “The Mikado.” 
 
 When I got home last Saturday night 
 The hour was growing late, 
 
 “Good Fellowship” Lodge had been quite full. 
 
 To take in a candidate. 
 
But when I got there and tried the door 
 The dog began to bark; 
 
 The door was locked and barred, and I 
 
 Was left alone in the dark—the dreadful dark. 
 
 I kicked and yelled for an hour or two, 
 
 Till I could no longer doubt 
 My wife had got mad, and gone to bed, 
 
 And locked and barred me out. 
 
 The night was cold, and a drizzling rain 
 Did not for a moment cease. 
 
 And a big policeman took me in 
 Because I disturbed his peace. 
 
 He took me down to the City Hall, 
 
 With pimps and thieves to dwell. 
 
 And left me there till morning came. 
 
 In a dark and dismal cell—dismal cell. 
 
 I paid my fine, and I went straight home 
 In a fury of rage and pain. 
 
 And then my wife made weary my life when I came 
 home again. 
 
 But now we have both been^'econciled. 
 
 And all is peace again; 
 
 We’ve joined a Lodge of the D. of H., 
 
 Called “Harmonie” number ten. 
 
 She sits in the Chief of Honor's chair. 
 
 And I sit by her side, 
 
 .4nd while she governs the Lodge, I act 
 As her counsellor and guide—and guide. 
 
 I call her “Sister Mary Ann,’’ 
 
 And, tickled to death I am. 
 
 When she, for advice, turns over so nice 
 And calls me her “Brother Sam.’’ 
 
 A HOT TIME. 
 
 If the Ancient Order of United Workmen had 
 never done anything more than to introduce the 
 system of “co-operative fraternal life insurance,” 
 that achievement alone would entitle its founders 
 to the gratitude of mankind. It is no exaggeration 
 to say, that during the thirty-two years of its ex¬ 
 istence it, and the kindred organiz^tiorrs modelled 
 
 1 () 
 
after it, and following its lead, have done more in 
 this direction for the amelioration of the condition 
 of the poor and lower-middle classes than had been 
 accomplished by all the so-called fraternal, benevo¬ 
 lent and social societies which had ever been in ex¬ 
 istence up to the time of its organization. It has 
 distributed one hundred and ten millioii dollars, al¬ 
 most exclusively among rhe ncLd> classes above al- 
 Im'eG to, in small fortunes of two thousand dollars 
 each, to the widows and orphans or other benefi¬ 
 ciaries of its deceased members. Fifty-five thou¬ 
 sand homes have been made brighter and more 
 cheerful—if not rescued entirely from want and 
 degradation—by its beneficent ministrations, and 
 not less than two hundred and sixty thousand per¬ 
 sons have been directly benefited by its aid. But 
 while the great majority of our members join the 
 Order for the sake of the beneficiary advantages it 
 holds out, it is no less admirable, in my opinion, 
 for its fraternal and social privileges. While it is 
 true that but few of the Lodges avail themselves to 
 the full extent of these privileges, the Lodges that 
 do enjoy them could tell those that do not that thev 
 lose the most enjoyable features of Lodge member¬ 
 ship. There is not much enjoyment to be got out 
 of the unvarying monotony of ordinary Lodge busi¬ 
 ness, and the members of a Lodge who can bring 
 out nothing more in the way of entertainment, need 
 not expect anything but empty benches in a listless 
 Lodge. 
 
 It will be said by some Lodges that they have no 
 talent for entertaining either themselves or ariy- 
 body else. I doubt if there are any Lodges in quite 
 such a predicament. Who have not among their 
 members some one, or more, who can sing, recite, 
 or tell a story? At any rate, there are none who 
 cannot make an effort in this direction, and ten to 
 one but they would agreeably surprise themselves 
 with the result. 
 
 One sometimes hears, even among our own men:- 
 bers, talk belittling the fraternal feature of the Or¬ 
 der. It is safe to say that such members—if they 
 attend their Lodge at all—pay but little heed to 
 that question in the Order of Business, “Are there 
 
 17 
 
any members sick, in distress, or out of employ¬ 
 ment?” And still less do they consider that but for 
 this fraternal feature, as exemplified through the 
 Supreme Board of Relief, we in the Grand Jurisdic¬ 
 tion of California would haye been paying one or 
 two assessments a year more than we have been 
 called u])on to do. They have not read bow, that 
 sorne years ago, when a portion of our country was 
 stricken with an epidemic of yellow fever, or the 
 more recent calamity at Galveston, and the death 
 rate in those sections v/as abnormally great in con¬ 
 sequence, that the members of the Order all over 
 the country came to the rescue, and by extra as¬ 
 sessments on themselves helped their brothers in 
 distress to tide over their misfortunes. It is this 
 social and fraternal feeling, I take it, which brings 
 us here to-night, and as a_ musical contribution to 
 this end, we will introduce “A Hot Time with the 
 Workmen To-night.” 
 
 A GOOD TIME WITH THE WORKMEN. 
 
 Air—‘‘A Hot Time in the Old Town.” 
 
 Brother Workmen gather round us here 
 And join us in a song. 
 
 For the great and glorious order 
 Unto which we all belong. 
 
 Bring your sisters and your mothers 
 And your sweethearts and your wives. 
 
 And get two thousand dollars 
 Of insurance on your lives. 
 
 CHORUS: 
 
 Sing, boys, sing, for every Lodge and brother, 
 Sing, boys, sing, for sister, wife and mother, 
 Sing, boys, sing. Protection for each other 
 And a good time with the Workmen to-night. 
 
 Here you meet your friends and neighbors 
 In a kina and friendly way. 
 
 And may spend a pleasant evening 
 After working all the day. 
 
 18 
 
Or, if you should he unfortunate 
 And troubles round you press, 
 
 You’ll have friends to call and comfort you 
 In sori'ow and distress. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 Then sing, boys, sing, etc. 
 
 If you’re traveling through the country. 
 
 You will find from end to end 
 In every town a Lodge of Workmen 
 And in every lodge a friend. 
 
 Or, if design or accident 
 
 Should snap your thread of life 
 The protection of the order would 
 Be given to your wife. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 Sing, boys, sing, etc. 
 
 FAIRY TALES. 
 
 When the four bonanza kings had swept the Com¬ 
 stock, and cleared out, as they thought, every 
 thing of value at Gold Hill, Nevada, they are reput¬ 
 ed to have divided among them something over 
 ten million dollars apiece. How this vast sum was 
 accumulated, how many poor, foolish people, were 
 “manipulated ’ out of their scanty savings to swell 
 the aggregate, will never be known, till the Record¬ 
 ing Angel’s books are finally experted. Our quartet 
 of railroad magnates are reputed to have “annexed” 
 a great deal more than this, and most of it, in the 
 hands of the original syndicate or their successors, 
 is being multiplied into more and more millions. 
 
 part O'f this has been diverted to nobler uses. A 
 “dispensation of Providence,” as we sometimes call 
 these visitations, led perhaps the noblest of them 
 and his nobler wife, to appropriate a portion' of his 
 accumulations to the endowment of the great un'- 
 versity at Palo Alto in memoiy of a beloved and 
 only son, taken from them in early youth. Exactly 
 how much money has been devoted to this magnifi 
 
 19 
 
cent enterprise perhaps no one but those immedi¬ 
 ately interested can tell, but ten millions is prob¬ 
 ably a low estimate. It was a glorious conception 
 and it is coming to glorious maturity. It will en¬ 
 able the ambitious youth of our Golden State to lit 
 themselves for great and useful lives, leaving be¬ 
 hind them perhaps legacies in the realms of litera¬ 
 ture, art and science which may be benefactions to 
 the entire human family. Since the organization of 
 the Order in California, twenty-six years ago, we 
 have distributed to the beneficiaries of our brothers 
 who have “gone before” the sum of ten million dol¬ 
 lars. Five thousand homes have felt the kindly 
 touch of its splendid beneficence. Five thousand 
 families have been rescued from penury and want—• 
 the widowed mothers restored to comparative ease 
 and cbmfort, the sons afforded opportunities of edu¬ 
 cation and the attainment of positions of honor and 
 usefulness in the community, and the daughters to 
 become the proud and happy mothers of the com¬ 
 monwealth. During the six years in which I have 
 handled the funds of this institution, it has been 
 my happy privilege to distribute over three mil¬ 
 lions and a half of this money. And when Carne¬ 
 gie, Stanford, Peabody and a few more of us get up 
 yonder, and Peter asks us what we have done with 
 the money intrusted to us, and what good it has 
 done to those we gave it to, I think I can make 
 about as good an accounting as any of them, and 
 this will serve as an introduction to “Fairy Tales.” 
 
 Air—“Fairy Tales.” 
 
 When Upchurch and his chosen few 
 Founded the A. O. U. W., 
 
 The “old line” prophets said they knew 
 T’was only a fairy tale. 
 
 They said five years would surely see. 
 
 The last of this Fraternity, 
 
 And every Workman Lodge would be, 
 
 A vanishing fairy tale. 
 
 Fairy tale, fairy tale—we hear them every day. 
 
 List for awhile with a synical smile, 
 
 Then wink and walk away. 
 
 20 
 
Four hundred thousand men now grip, 
 
 Fraternal hands in Workmanship, 
 
 Fairy tales, fairy tales—this is no fairy tale. 
 
 A hundred million dollars we 
 Distributed from sea to sea. 
 
 So vast a sum, it seems to he 
 A wonderous fairy tale. 
 
 In fifty thousand Workmen’s homes. 
 
 Instead of hungry sprites and gnomes. 
 
 The Workmen’s benediction comes, 
 
 A blessed fairy tale. 
 
 Fairy tales, fairy tales, we hear them every day. 
 Telling of cheer and wiping the tear 
 Of want and care away. 
 
 Children singing all day long 
 .Joyful strains of a Workman song,— 
 
 Fairy tales fairy tales, wonderful fairy tales. 
 
 Our D. of H. is moving on, 
 
 From Floi'ida to Washington, 
 
 And the good work which they have done. 
 
 Reads like a fairy tale. 
 
 Men sa^.. that girls,—both old and young, 
 
 Could neither speak, nor hold their tongue. 
 
 But time has proved their stories wrong. 
 
 And only a fairy tale. 
 
 Fairy tales, fairy tales, we hear them now and then, 
 Some of the “girls” can govern a Lodge as well as 
 some of the men, 
 
 With Ney and Norman at the head, 
 
 The Order is bound to thrive and spread. 
 
 Fairy tales, fairy tales, beautiful fairy tales. 
 
 “CATCH HOLD AND PUSH.” 
 
 To an outsider, and to one unaquainted with A. O. 
 U. W. literature, the mystic initials, “C. H. and P.”. 
 are a puzzle and a source of curiosity To the 
 initiated, however, they stand for a motto, which 
 every true Workman is proud to acknowledge, and 
 for Virtues, which he is bound to practice The 
 great apostle of the Gentiles, in his exordium of the 
 Virtues, and in the passage which lies before the 
 
 21 
 
eyes of every Workman as he stands before the 
 Altar of his Lodge, says, that “the greatest of these 
 is Charity.” We are also told that “it is Hope 
 which nerves the toiler’s arm, inspires the weary 
 mind, and incites to noble deeds.” And that “Pro¬ 
 tection” is a sentiment without which all our pro¬ 
 fessions are vain. These three joined together 
 make a combination which might well be the shib- 
 oleth of the most exalted form of the most ad¬ 
 vanced type of civilization. 
 
 In their name, then, and under their inspiring in¬ 
 fluence, the Ancient Order of United Workmen is 
 entitled to take front rank among the agencies 
 which have for their object the elevation and hap¬ 
 piness of mankind. 
 
 But “C., H. and P.” have been construed in the 
 formation Oi other sentences and combinations, and 
 without specifying all of them, or trying to extend 
 the list, we may mention the construction put up¬ 
 on them by the Alameda, California, Extension 
 Committee. Their definition of the meaning of “C.. 
 H. and P.” is, “Catch Hold and Push,” and whether 
 they find inspiration in the defination or not, 
 certain it is, that the Brothers of that county are 
 among the most active, energetic, and successful! 
 woi’i^ers of the Order in the state. 
 
 I have taken the liberty to make it the “burden” 
 of a song to the old Scotch air of “Cornin’ Thro' 
 the Rye.” 
 
 “CATCH HOTfi) AND PUSH.” 
 Air—“Cornin’ Through the Rye.” 
 
 If you wain to win life’s battle. 
 
 Catch hold and push. 
 
 Go where bullets fiercest rattle— 
 Catch hold and push. 
 
 Victory comes to those who win it 
 In the final rush. 
 
 And the men most strictly “in it” 
 Catch hold and push. 
 
 22 
 
Tf you want to get possession, 
 
 Catch hold and push. 
 
 If you’d be in the “procession,” 
 
 (...atch hold and push. 
 
 If iJame Fortune you would woo her, 
 
 Do not stand and blush. 
 
 Those who with success would sue her. 
 Catch hold and push. 
 
 Whatsoe-er be your condition, 
 
 Catch hold and push. 
 
 Pedagogue or politician— 
 
 Catch hold and push. 
 
 Those who win official favor, 
 
 Cultivate “the Push;” 
 
 And don’t depend on good behavior— 
 Catch hold and push. 
 
 If your Lodge is poor and lowly. 
 
 Catch hold and push. 
 
 If new members come in slowly. 
 
 Catch hold and push. 
 
 Let your burdens be each others’, 
 
 Let the growlers hush; 
 
 Success will come when all the Brothers’ 
 Catch hold and pash. 
 
 A GRANGER’S VISIT TO “FRISCO.” 
 
 Very early in the history of the r^ce, the good 
 book says, it was not good for a man to be alone, 
 and ever since and all the way down the ages, man 
 has been of the same opinion himself. Some of us 
 find this out earlier in life than others, and, t^kirg 
 time by the forelock and a woman by tne armlock, 
 have so much longer in which to enjoy whatever is 
 fairest, sweetest and happiest in life. In like man¬ 
 ner society, under whatever name—social, chari¬ 
 table or fraternal—has come to the same conclu¬ 
 sion. And hence the Mason® for rrn.s''rt th" 
 
 Order of Eastern Star, the Odd Fellow has for hel))- 
 meet Rebecca, and the Workmen have for sisters 
 the ladies of the Degree of Honor. 
 
 23 
 
As women are the first and most painful sufferers 
 when sickness, death or other misfortunes invade 
 the home, so they are, naturally, the most inter¬ 
 ested in caring for and preserving the home. The 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen is emphatically 
 the conservator of the home, and hence the ladies 
 of the D. of H. love the Workmen, and vise versa. 
 And why shouldn’t they be a mutual admiration 
 society, since they are not only sisters and brothers 
 in the lodge-room, but, in many instances, sustain 
 even closer and more sacred relations in the home. 
 
 And this will be further illustrated by “A Grang¬ 
 er’s V isit to San Francisco, and What Came of It.” 
 
 A GRANGER’S VISIT TO SAN FRANCISCO AND 
 
 WHAT BECAME OF IT. 
 
 Air—“The Cork Leg.' 
 
 I’m right from the mountains of Siskiyou; 
 
 Come listen awhile, and I’ll tell to you 
 Of how, up there, on the Oregon border. 
 
 We started a Lodge of our Ancient Order, 
 
 Ri tu ri nu, etc. 
 
 Last summer and fall we had done quite well. 
 
 And I came to the city the crops to sell. 
 
 And I happened to meet an old friend one night. 
 Who took me around to look at the sights— 
 
 Ri tu, etc. 
 
 We went to the place where the Lodges meet. 
 
 In a beautiful hall on Market street; 
 
 T’was an open meeting for social glee— 
 
 A sort of brotherly jamboree—ri tu, etc. 
 
 There were speeches and music and reading and 
 song; 
 
 And all in good humor, and none of them long. 
 There was fiddling and dancing for those who did 
 like it. 
 
 And they ended it all with a doughnut racket— 
 
 Ri tu, etc. 
 
 24 
 
Bi other Barnes, he told what the Order had done, 
 For the orphans, whose fathers had left them alone, 
 And the widows, whose husbands were laid on the 
 shelf. 
 
 That I almost w'ished I was a widow myself— 
 
 Ri tu, etc. 
 
 The stories and speeches seemed all so true, 
 
 About what the order was bound to do, 
 
 1 was half persuaded to join them too, 
 
 And start up a Lodge in Siskiyou—ri tu, etc. 
 
 I applied for admission and paid my fee. 
 
 And stayed in the city to take my degree, 
 
 And then for home I was soon en route. 
 
 With my benefit papers all duly made out— 
 
 Ri tu. etc. 
 
 1 talked with my neighbors when I got home, 
 
 I got up a meeting and asked them to come, 
 
 I made them a speech, and I told what I’d done. 
 
 And we started a Workman Lodge of our own— 
 
 Ri tu, etc. 
 
 And the women, God bless them, helped on the 
 scheme. 
 
 For they know we are doing it all for them. 
 
 And one of the ladies, she took it upon her. 
 
 To introduce the Degree of Honor—ri tu, etc. 
 
 Now the best thing that ever occurred to me, 
 
 Was jcining the order of that degree, 
 i^nd I bless the luck every day of my life. 
 
 For the Chief of Honor is now my wife—ri tu, etc. 
 
 THE A. 0. U. W.—THE OLDEST, THE SAFEST. 
 AND THE BEST. 
 
 It is the legitimate boast of Workmen that they 
 are participants in the oldest, the safest, and the 
 best life insurance organization doing business on 
 the mutual co-operative beneficent plan. That we 
 are the oldest is proved by the date of our organiza- 
 
 25 
 
tion, as compared with the date of any other or¬ 
 ganization doing business on a similar plan. The 
 two and thirty years of our existence has given us 
 the stamp of maturity. The mistakes we may have 
 made have been frankly met and honestly remedied, 
 and the experience we have gained places us beyond 
 the stage of further experiment. Four hundred 
 and twenty thousand good and true men, represent¬ 
 ing over two millions of people, have pinned their 
 faith on the permanence and perpetuity of the 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen, a record far ex¬ 
 ceeding that of any of the mushroom societies that 
 are still in the experimental stage. In proof of our 
 safety we are proud to place on record the facts that 
 in paying out one hundred and ten million dollars 
 to the beneficiaries of deceased brothers, and in 
 handling an insurance business of over eight hun¬ 
 dred million dollars, not one dollar is known to 
 have been diverted from its legitimate purpose and 
 into the pockets of those who have the handling of 
 it. Moreover, if it were known that such had been 
 the case, the party so offending would be cast out 
 of the Order as a disgrace to the brotherhood and a 
 thing unfit for the society of decent men. If the 
 foregoing is true, it surely follows, without further 
 argument, that an organization of which such 
 things can be said must be the best. 
 
 “Do We Want It?” 
 
 THE A. 0. U. W.—DO WE WANT IT? 
 
 Air—“Do We Want Him.” 
 
 Of our great Fraternal Order—the A. O. U. W.— 
 
 Do we want it? Do we want it? 
 
 Come gather roxind while in its praise we sing a 
 verse or two— 
 
 Do we want it? Well, I should say so. 
 
 For two and thirty years now has her Charity been 
 known^ 
 
 Inspired by “Hope” the weary minds which else 
 were sad and lone. 
 
 And the mantle of “Protection” round the weak and 
 helpless thrown. 
 
 Do we want it? Well, I should say so. 
 
 26 
 
A.—A.—0. U. W. 
 
 Join a Workman Lodge and nothing ill can 
 trouble you. 
 
 , You’ll meet companions, good and true, 
 
 The world will have no dread for you. 
 
 Of all the Orders, old and new. 
 
 The Workmen is the best. 
 
 From the everglades of Florida it reaches up to 
 Maine— 
 
 Do we like it? Do we like it? 
 
 From Canada to Washington it crosses hill and 
 plain— 
 
 Do we like it? Well, I should say so. 
 
 In every town and hamlet on this Occidental strand. 
 From Oregon to Mexico, the Workman’s altars 
 stand, 
 
 And the gentle touch of Workmanship is felt on 
 every hand. 
 
 Do we want it? Well, I should say so. 
 
 A.—A.—0. U. W. 
 
 Join a Workman Lodge and nothing ill can 
 trouble you. 
 
 To aid a Workman in distress—this is the Work¬ 
 man’s task—■ 
 
 Do we like it? Do we like it? 
 
 The tears of sorrow, turned to joy, is all the praise 
 we ask— 
 
 Do we want it? Well, I should say so. 
 
 And when at last the summons from death’s angel 
 shall appear. 
 
 And the weeping wife and children gather round a' 
 Brother’s bier. 
 
 The Workman’s Benefaction comes, to comfort and 
 to cheer. 
 
 Do we like it? Well, I should say so. 
 
 A.—A.—0. U. W. 
 
 Join a Workman Lodge and nothing ill can 
 trouble you. 
 
 —Sam Booth. 
 
 27 
 
THE WORKMEN WILL BE THERE. 
 
 Air—“My Hannah Eady” 
 
 We are the Ancient Order, a United Workmen band; 
 Our Lodges have been planted in all this glorious 
 land, 
 
 In every town and hamlet the Workmen’s altars 
 stand. 
 
 And Workmen Lodges meet, with Master Workmen 
 in command. 
 
 Soldiers, sailors, merchants, tailors, clergymen and 
 cranks. 
 
 Plowmen, ranchmen, Danes and Frenchmen, join 
 the Workmen ranks; 
 
 Bankers, bakers, undertakers ’round our altars come. 
 To give protection, and with kind affection to pre¬ 
 serve the Workman’s home. 
 
 —Chorus: 
 
 O Brother Workmen, we all love you, 
 
 And Workmen Sisters, we love you too; 
 
 And when G.abriel blows his horn 
 The Resurrection morn 
 
 The United Workmen surely will be there. 
 
 It’s two and thirty years now, since the Workman 
 plan was made. 
 
 By good old Father Upchurch, and its firm founda¬ 
 tions laid. 
 
 And now, one hundred and ten million dollars have 
 been paid. 
 
 And fifty thousand families have felt its kindly aid. 
 Every station, occupation, finds a welcome dear; 
 Every region and religion’s represented here; 
 
 Every County gets the bounty of our Order true, 
 PTom San Diego and from old Bodego, aw’ay irp to 
 Siskiyou. 
 
 —Chorus: 
 
 O Brother Workmen, we all love you. 
 
 And Workmen vSisters, we love 3 'OU too. 
 
 And when Peter at the gate 
 
 Shall pass in those who wait 
 
 The United Workmen will be there. 
 
 28 
 
 
THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
 RARE BOOK COLLECTION 
 
 Green 
 
 249 
 
’^^O'EARKELL 
 
 I