4 September 1862 Mutual Aid Association

Until quite recently, it was an established truth that no one could seriously dispute that our society suffered from an utter lack of associative spirit and of any effective initiative to organise associations of any kind, and most particularly to found benevolent or mutual-aid societies. It was a stock theme of the old local press, which from time to time strove in vain to stir public opinion, combating the ignorance, routine and reprehensible mistrust with which our fellow Madeirans met every new idea, even the most philanthropic and altruistic. Fortunately, public feeling allowed itself to be influenced by these ideas, above all those concerning the principles of mutualism, which have now put down deep roots among us and have even produced the most beneficial and valued results. We would like to believe that the rest of the country has not advanced much further than we have in this respect, but it is certain that our backwardness was manifest when set against what was happening abroad.

The attempts go back a long way, but for many years they always proved fruitless or, what amounts to the same thing, yielded meagre or almost nil results. It is true that various scientific, literary and artistic societies were organised among us at relatively distant periods, and some of them left honourable traditions behind them. In the article Academies (Academias) we have already referred to the Assembleia dos Únicos do Funchal and the Arcadia Funchalense, which were active in the third and last quarter of the 18th century, and we shall still have to make special mention of the Sociedade Patriótica that existed in 1834, the Sociedade Funchalense dos Amigos das Sciencias e Artes founded in 1821, and others besides. None of these societies, however, pursued a purely humanitarian aim or the practice of benevolence among its members, of the kind that has recently, and more properly, come to be called mutual aid.

We believe that around 1840, or shortly afterwards, some efforts were made to found an association to assist its members in sickness and infirmity, but it seems to us that it never achieved a proper organisation, still less began to operate.

On page 500 of the second volume of the Epocha Administrativa we read that in 1850 the illustrious civil governor of this district, José Silvestre Ribeiro, launched among us, perhaps for the first time, the idea of true mutualism. He inspired and demonstrated the need for an association intended especially for the craftsmen and workers of Funchal, and set out at once the general principles on which it should be founded. Some attempts were made to turn this idea into reality, and a large meeting was even held for the purpose, but for reasons unknown to us the efforts then made came to nothing.

The cholera epidemic which, in the third and last quarter of 1856, killed some six thousand people on this island according to official figures – though information from other sources raised the toll to ten thousand – gave rise, once the panic of that great public calamity had passed, to the idea of founding a society that would not only practise mutual aid among its members but also assist the widows and orphaned children of deceased members. According to issue 13 of the newspaper A Madeira (‘Madeira’), published in this city from April 1857 to January 1858, the society was inaugurated on 17 December 1856 under the name Sociedade de Beneficência do Funchal. We do not know on what basis its statutes were framed; we know only that it did not last long. A new attempt, though once again without appreciable results, was made to found a mutual-aid society. It was inaugurated on 29 December 1858 under the name Associação dos Artistas Madeirenses, in the presence of some four hundred workers and many persons of standing in Funchal society, and on that occasion the distinguished teacher and illustrious Madeiran Marceliano Ribeiro de Mendonça delivered a most remarkable speech.

At last the ideas scattered over many years across the thankless and barren ground of the Madeiran archipelago were to bear blessed fruit. The principles of mutualism germinated, developed and flourished under the creative drive of a few men full of faith and enthusiasm who, sparing no sacrifice and facing almost insurmountable difficulties, succeeded in founding a society that is not only a genuine source of pride for our island but also one of the most flourishing and important mutual-aid associations in our country. It was on 4 September 1862, in a house in Rua da Bela Vista, the residence of the merchant and property owner Henrique José Maria Camacho, that the foundations were laid of a body originally called the Associação de Beneficência do Funchal, and later given the name it still bears, Associação de Socorros Mútuos 4 de Setembro de 1862. It was Henrique Camacho who conceived the idea of this foundation and who set its establishment in motion. He was ably and devotedly assisted by others, among whom it is only just to single out Fernando José Rodrigues, an employee of our customs house, and Pedro Júlio de Gouveia, an intelligent and energetic workman who rendered the most signal and valuable services to the nascent society. There were twenty-seven founding members, almost all of them artisans. Their portraits are still kept today in the meeting room, where they were hung in 1872 as a fitting tribute to the founders of so useful and meritorious an association.

The direction and management of this society’s affairs have met with varying fortune, especially in times not very recent, but the establishment of the savings bank (Caixa Económica) and the zeal of the governing bodies of recent years have overcome and neutralised the earlier errors and shortcomings. In 1872, ten years after its foundation, the society had one thousand seven hundred and thirty members and about 15 contos (one million réis) de réis in funds. Ten years later, in 1882, membership had risen to two thousand four hundred and sixty-one and its funds had reached 31 contos de réis. By 1890 these funds had fallen to 21 contos de réis, because the careless and less than zealous management of the previous six years had allowed expenditure to exceed income. This created an awkward and perilous situation for the association, which was fortunately averted by the vigorous measures then adopted.

Forty years after its foundation, in 1902, the society had one thousand four hundred and seventy members and approximately 104 contos de réis in funds, which ten years later, in 1912, had reached the considerable sum of 182 contos de réis. According to the latest published report, covering the year 1918, the funds of this flourishing society stand at 248 contos de réis.

Besides the zeal and dedication that many of the governing bodies have shown on the association’s behalf, there is no doubt that its prosperity and comfortable position are due chiefly to the Caixa Económica, which has operated alongside it since 1878. This has been the most powerful factor in its progress in recent years. Today it is a reputable credit institution, enjoying the greatest prestige and confidence in our community. The initiative for its foundation is owed to the distinguished Madeiran Councillor (conselheiro, honorary title of the royal council) Manuel José Vieira, who, in this as in other matters of the greatest weight and importance to the association, rendered it the most valuable and disinterested services, and was one of its most meritorious and helpful members. The hanging of his portrait in the association’s main hall is perhaps the most fitting act of justice ever paid there to the members who have rendered the society the finest and most signal services. In 1918 the Caixa Económica yielded approximately 20 contos de réis, a very large sum for our community, where there are several highly respectable credit establishments in which the public places the fullest confidence. It is worth noting here that the creation of this savings bank was the first attempt of its kind made among us, and that it was crowned with the greatest success, although in its early years its business was small and many people were reluctant to transact business with it. It was a new institution, hence the reserve and the unfounded doubts that part of the public expressed about the confidence it inspired.

The building that houses the offices, medical consulting rooms and other premises of this worthy society stands in Rua de João Tavira and is owned by the association itself. It was acquired in December 1889 for the sum of 6,562,377 réis (old Portuguese money of account; 1$000 = 1,000 réis, 1:000$000 = one conto = 1,000,000 réis).

In the general assembly’s meeting room hang, as we mentioned above, the portraits of the founders, together with those of the members Manuel José Vieira, João da Silva, Guilherme Pedro de Melim and José Augusto da Silva, in recognition of the outstanding services they rendered to the association.

For thirty-three years it kept the name of Associação de Beneficência do Funchal (Funchal Benevolent Association). In 1895, under the provisions of the statutes of 21 December 1894, it took the name Associação 4 de Setembro de 1862, after the date of its foundation.

The association’s first statutes were approved by royal decree (alvará régio) of 5 January 1863. They have since been revised several times, in keeping with the progress of mutualist principles and the changing needs of the society. The instruments approving the various revisions of the statutes are dated 1 February 1879, 2 May 1888, 21 December 1894 and 9 October 1907 respectively.