As soon as I was 21 years of age I assure my life for £100. I had to draw part of this before it was due to help me over one of my rough places, but when I got married had to take out another policy which after paying in £240 had to sell it for £80, to help me over [159 : X] another of those financial difficulties.
I enquired about joining the Masons, and found that it was not a benefit society, and was told by one who was down financially that they only helped their members when quite broke, and from what I could learn and my own observation, it was quite a way of getting rid of money, most of it on feastings entertainments and sprees, which I did not want.
So I joined the H of Q, but was of no benefit to me, and required visitation by me of members who were on the sick list, some of whom (I found) had made themselves sick by over-indulgence; so that did not suit me either, and it seemed to me it was more to accumulate money for some future occasion, than to render benefit for the present; that was a very wealthy society.
[160 : XI] And as far as accidents went, I once had an accident when out driving on business, and I received just enough to repair my cart and nothing for the Doctor, and I could not during 2 weeks do anything in my business, so ceased to pay accidental assurance. I was always individualistic, and associations of that sort did not help me.
I joined the Baptist Church, and found useful employment and good company, and that was my “club”.
However, during the 22 years of my married life in England, I managed with many ups and downs, by drawing the balance of my life assurance to get out of the country, and go to Canada.
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