626 CORPORATIONS. [ART. 23

duly licensed, without fully complying with all the provisions of this
sub-title of this article, shall be subject to the fines and penalties imposed
by section 205 of this article; and the term "Insurance Company," as
used in this article, shall be taken to embrace every corporation, associa-
tion, partnership or individual engaging in such business; and every
such corporation, association, partnership or individual making any
engagement for the payment of any money or other benefits in the event
of sickness, accident or death, or other contingency, either to the mem-
ber, policy or certificate holder, or by whatsoever name the same may
be known, or to their families or representatives, or entering into any
contract or agreement in which the chances or probabilities of the dura-
tion of life, or the rate of mortality or hazard of occupation are in any
way involved as an element or condition of such contract or agreement,
shall be deemed and taken to be a life insurance company, within the
meaning of this article, and shall be subject to all the requirements
of law applicable to said life insurance company; provided that the
said business may be conducted on the mutual or co-operative plan, and
that all such organizations shall, prior to beginning business and there-
after, have in force bona fide applications for membership from at
least one hundred persons; and in case said organization issues its
certificates for a maximum sum of less than five hundred dollars, these
said applications shall at least equal ten thousand dollars of insurance;
and if any certificate of insurance on one life be issued in excess of
five hundred dollars, then they shall at least equal the amount of insur-
ance now required by law for a mutual company, and in addition thereto,
comply with the seven following sections of this article for said mutual
or co-operative organization; provided, that nothing herein contained
shall be construed to apply to the granting of relief or benefits to mem-
bers or their families by any societies of a purely and exclusively
religious, charitable or benevolent description, which are not operated ,
with a view to a profit by their officers or members.

Where an organization is incorporated "for social and fraternal beneficial
purposes," charges entrance fees, dues and assessments, and pays Its mem-
bers a specific sum in case of sickness, accident or death, and also maturity
benefits, it does an insurance business within the meaning of this section,
although it has a lodge system and ritual International Fraternal Alliance
v. State, 77 Md. 556.

This section referred to in construing section 213—see notes thereto.
Maryland Casualty Co. v. Gehrmann, 96 Md. 648.

Cited but not construed In Barton v. International Fraternal Alliance, 85
Md. 30; Metropolitan Ins. Co. v. Dempsey, 72 Md. 293.
See notes to sections 182 and 193.

1904, art. 23, sec. 176. 1888, art. 23, sec. 128. 1888, ch. 424. 1892, ch. 488.
1894, ch. 256. 1902, ch. 338.

193. Organizations, as described in section 192, issuing certificates
for the payment of money or other benefits in the event of sickness, acci-
dent or death, or other contingency, either to the member, policy certifi-
cate holder, or by whatsoever name the same may be known, or to their
families or representatives, but issuing no certificate, certificates or any
other form of contract of payment in the aggregate of a greater sum