41.
Official Organ Of The Slavonic Benevolent Order Of The State Of Texas, Founded 1897. 7-=Y 7+.5F
HUMANITY
BENEVO L IINCE
VOLUME 58 — NO. 29
BROTHERHOOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 with Undeliverable Copies to: SUPREME LODGE SPJST, POB 100, TEMPLE, TEX 76501
JULY 22, 1970
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK Saturday, July 4, yours truly and son Terry, took a trip to District V's Convention Fund raising old - fashioned Fourth of July celebration at Brother J. M. Skrabanek's Lone Pine Ranch. They had a very huge crowd and a really cooperative group of District V workers. All are to be complimented for the fraternal, brotherly way the big job was accomplished, which was described in letters in the last issue, plus this one. The proceeds will help Ns-. trict V and the two Houston lodges host and treat the delegates and visitors to the XXI Convention in 1972. Actually, this may be called a state endeavor. Congratulations to all! The next day, Sunday, July 5, we took in the Czech play at Lodge 88, Houston, It was good and congratulations to the ones who sacrificed so much of their lelsure time to make it a reality. Pictures of the cast and all are in the Czech section. An infant born in 1968 in the United States can expect an average lifespan of over 70 years. The life expectancy of Americans, at birth, according to government estimates cited by the Institute, went up from about 47 years to over 70 years between 1900 and 1968. Since the beginning of the century, life expectancy has gained about 23 years. Much of this increase occurred
YESTERDAY'S KISSES Yesterday's kisses,- are today's memories Yesterday's kisses are gone with the breeze. They have already served their youth. For I, as do you, know 'tis the truth. They've served us with happiness true They've brushed away those tears of blue Yes, yesterday's kisses are gone with the breezes Yesterday's kisses are but today's memories. during the first fifty years and can be credited to the advent of antibiotics, other control drugs, as well as to generally improved medical conditions. However, over the past decade, life expectancy has virtually leveled off. • • The 25th edition of the Life Insurance Fact Book, the nation's most complete annual record of life insurance statistics is off the press. Following are some of the highlights of the 1970 Fact Book: —Only 3 per cent of applications for life insurance are declined. Many people who would formerly have had to pay higher premiums due to poor health or hazardous occupation can now buy insurance at standard rates, due to advances in job safety and pub-
lie health which enabled more liberal underwriting by companies. Extrarisk policies, with higher premiums to compensate for poor health or hazardous occupations, have made life insurance available to many who could not otherwise have obtained it in the past. —Americans bought nearly $159 billion of life insurance protection during 1969, the largest amount ever purchased in a single year. The record total showed again of $8 billion or 5 per cent over 1968 purchases. Most of the increase was in ordinary policies bought on an individual basis, which accounted for $113 billion or about 70 per cent of all new life insurance purchases. —Oy er 130 million policyholders, or nearly 2 out of 3 individuals across the nation, had life insurance at the beginning of 1970. The highest concentration of ownership was in the East North Central and Middle Atlantic parts of the country. Among the states, New York had the largest total, followed by California. —Of the 1,812 life insurance companies in business last year 136 were active more than a half-century. Among these, 29 were 100 years old, or older. --Over 7 out of 10 deaths of holders of ordinary life insurance policies last year weare due to two principal causes;