Chamberlain Literary Society. Constitution
Preamble
We the students of Centre College having entered into an association for our mutual improvement in literature, elocution and morals have formed the following constitution for the regulation of this society.
Article 1
This society shall be denominated the Chamber lain Philosophical and Literary Society of Centre College.
Article 2 Of Members
Section 1
The members of this Society shall be of three kinds: regular, irregular and honorary.
Section 2
The regular members of this Society shall consist of College students, and those in actual preparation for College. Upon these shall devolve all duties, obligations, powers and privileges which shall hereafter be mentioned, except such as shall be particularly specified with regard to the others.
Section 3
The irregular members shall consist of all those who have dissolved their connection with this Society as regular members.
Section 4
The honorary members shall consist of gentlemen of distinguished literary ability. These, in conjunction with irregular members, shall have the privilege of participating (except by vote) in all the exercises of this Society after the performance of its stated duties.
Section 5
It shall require four-fifths of the regular members voting to elect an applicant for regular or honorary membership.
Section 6
The form of admission of a regular member shall be as follows – when a person shall have been introduced the President shall rise and require an affirmative answer to each of the following questions: Are you desirous of become a member of this Society? Do you solemnly promise upon the word and honor of a gentleman never to reveal any of the secrets of this Society?
He shall than take his seat in front of the officiating officers and hear the Constitution read. After which the President rising shall request the candidate to rise, and ask him the following question.
Are you now willing to become a member of this Society?
The President shall then request the members to rise and witness his solemn promise. He shall then address the candidate thus
Do you now renew your solemn promise before these witnesses never to divulge any of the secrets of this Society? And likewise do you promise to perform all the constitutional duties assigned to you, and to advance the interests of this Society, as lies in your power?
The President hall then, requesting the members of the house to take their seats, address the candidate thus
Sir, you are now admitted to full membership in this Society. We hope you will cherish a love for it, be faithful and diligent, and by your honorable conduct prove yourself worthy of our esteem and respect. You will now take your seat as a regular member.
Section 7
Every regular member (except those specified in by-laws Article 2, Section 1) shall pay to the Censor Morum at the next regular meeting after his initiation five dollars as his initiation fee.
Article 3 Of Exercises
Section 1
The exercises of this Society shall consist of composition, debate, and declamation.
Section 2
The members of this Society shall be divided into three equal classes, each of which shall perform at every regular meeting alternately, one of the duties specified in Article 3, Section 1.
Section 3
No unimportant subject, nor any of an immoral tendency, shall be written upon or discussed in this Society.
Section 4
After the regular debaters shall have discussed the question, the President shall give his decision upon it according to the arguments. He shall then lay it before the house upon its merits, when any member may deliver his sentiments upon the subject.
Section 5
A committee of five shall be appointed at the beginning of every session whose duty it shall be to propose questions for debate. Each member of this committee shall hand in a question in writing at the opening of each meeting under penalty of twenty-five cents.
Article 4 Of Officers
Section 1
The officers of this Society shall be a President, Censor Morum, Recording Secretary, and two Critics. These shall be denominated the officiating officers, and shall mutually share in the government of the Society.
There shall also be a Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, and Librarian. These officers, except the Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, and Librarian, shall be exempt from the performance of the exercises of this Society specified in Article 3, Section 1.
Section 2. Duties of the President
It shall be the duty of the President, including those specified in Article 3, Section 4, to take the chair at every regular meeting of this Society; call the house to order at the appointed time; cause the Society to be opened with prayer; bring all business before the house in the regular order; give the casting vote in case of a tie; initiate all members; appoint all committees; appoint his associate officers (Censor Morum, Recording Secretary, and two Critics); supply all vacancies; present all motions which he may deem of importance; initiate fines; and decide all points of order.
Section 3. Duties of Censor Morum
It shall be the duty of the Censor Morum to collect all fines and monies due the Society, and pay them to the Treasurer; to report all conduct deemed worthy by him of suspension or expulsion, and to prosecute the offender or choose someone to prosecute for him; to regulate the going out of members as specified in By-Law Article 18 and 24; to notify any member when he may be arraigned for trial; and (ex officio) take charge of the hall and make all preparations necessary for the sitting of the Society. He shall also initiate fines, and in the absence of the President perform all his (the President’s) constitutional duties.
Section 4. Duties of Recording Secretary
It shall be the duty of the Recording Secretary to call the roll at the opening and close of every regular meeting, and report absentees; to keep a faithful record of the proceedings of each meeting; to read the minutes of each meeting at its close and the opening of the next; to arrange the members into equal classes in such a manner as the officiating officers may direct; and in the agsence of the other officiating officers to call the house to order and to appoint someone to act as President.
Section 5. Duties of Corresponding Secretary
It shall be the duty of the Corresponding Secretary to receive all letters addressed to this Society, and read the same at the next regular meeting after their reception; to read all letters in behalf of this Society, before it, previous to their being mailed; keep the diplomas of the Society and see that its graduates received them; and preserve the archives.
Section 6. Duties of the Critics
It shall be the duty of the Critics at the end of each performance in composition and declamation to read their criticisms on the same.
Section 7. Duties of Treasurer
It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive from the Censor Morum all monies belonging to the Society; to keep them subject to its order, and report every six weeks; to give orders in writing for the purchase of such articles as the Society may require; and to pay no accounts but those he has given orders for.
Article 5 Of Punishments
Section 1
The punishments of the Society shall be fines, suspension, and expulsion. These shall be inflicted as the nature of the case requires. The first as provided for in Article 4, Sections 2 and 3; the second by the President; and the last by the officiating officers.
Section 2
When any member shall have been fined, if at the regular time of settling the fines, the President refuses to take it off, he (the member) shall have the privilege of appealing to the officiating officers, whose decision shall be final.
Section 3
When any member shall have been arraigned before the President by the Censor Morum for any conduct deemed worthy of suspension he shall have the privilege of defending himself and of choosing any member to act as his assistant, and also of appealing from the decision of the President to the five officiating officers.
Section 4
When any member shall have been arraigned before the officiating officers by the Censor Morum for any conduct deemed worthy of expulsion, he shall have the privilege of defending himself, and of choosing any member to act as his assistant, and also of appealing from their decision to the Society, and it shall require four-fifths of the regular members voting to sustain his appeal.
Section 5
No fine shall be less than twenty-five cents nor more than one dollar.
Section 6
All fines appealed for and not remitted shall be doubled. Every fine and fee of every description not paid at the next regular meeting after its assessment shall be doubled, and if not paid at the next regular meeting after it has been doubled, it shall be trebled, and if it be not then paid, the member owing the same shall be suspended for three meetings, and if it be not then paid, the member shall be expelled in the manner provided for in Article 5, Section 1.
Section 7
If any one of the officiating officers shall be guilty of a breach of order or violation of duty, he shall be fined by his associate officers (from whose decision there shall be no appeal), censored, or removed from office by a majority of two-thirds of the regular members voting.
Section 8
The punishments of the officiating officers shall be fines, censure, and removal from office.
Section 9
If two or more of the officiating officers be guilty of the same violation of duty or breach of order, they shall be arraigned before the Society on motion of any member. They shall be permitted to defend themselves or to employ any two members as their substitutes, and it shall require a majority of two-thirds of the regular members voting to remove them from office, censure, or fine a sum not less than fifty cents nor more than one dollar.
Article 6
Section 1
All elections of this Society for officers and members shall be by ballot.
Section 2
The President shall be elected every sixth regular meeting, and it shall require a majority of the regular members voting to elect him.
Section 3
The Corresponding Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected at the second regular meeting of every session.
Section 4
The Librarian shall be elected at the first regular meeting in June and in January.
Article 7 Miscellaneous
Section 1
If any member inadvertently reveal any of the secrets of this Society, he shall be fined one dollar. If intentionally, he shall be expelled as provided for in Article 5, Section 4.
Section 2
No member shall be permitted to apply to this Society for a diploma. The Society may confer diplomas on what regular members it pleases, provided two-thirds of the regular members voting concur therein. Every member shall pay two dollars and fifty cents on the reception of his diploma.
Section 3
All appeals on points of order, from the decision of the President, shall be to the officiating officers alone.
Section 4
Any member who shall have fines assessed against him to the amount of five dollars during the first five months of the session, or the same amount during the second five months of the same, shall be expelled as for in Article 5, Section 4.
Section 5
A declamation shall be at least twenty lines in Lovell’s U.S. Speaker or some pieces equivalent thereto. A composition shall be at least what would make as much as one page of neatly written letter paper.
Section 6
No declamation shall be spoken more than once during the same session by the same member. No composition shall be read more than once during the same session.
Section 7
Any member or members of this Society who shall use any profane or obscene language, or exhibit signs of intoxication, in this hall shall be arraigned before the officiating officers, and if found guilty shall be expelled in the manner provided for in Article 5, Section 4.
Section 8
A system of by-laws shall be adopted for the regulation of this Society.
Section 9
All motions for altering, amending, or suspending this constitution shall be made in writing, recorded in the minutes, and read out at the next regular meeting before any vote shall be taken thereon, and no Article or Section shall be altered, amended, or suspended, except by a majority of four-fifths of the regular members voting.