>^% -y^^ .^^j. ?'%• ■.•.••V"""^ ♦ <■• T J * LI BR ARY 01' THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. GIRT OF^ n Received . _ ^-^'<^^', / ^•^ ht r*t ••• CONSTITUTION OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OB Mi$m, Srls, antr §timtm. FOUNDED 1868. -S^^ OP THE '^ $S UNI SIT '4^mvS^3 WM. C BRYANT OP TH«'^>f ;UI7I7ERSIT WM. C BRYANT «fe CO., PRINTERS, 4l NASSAU ST, COR. LIBERTY. 1868. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2008 with funding^from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/constitutionofnaOOnatirich CONSTITUTION OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF itttm, ^xU, m& Mnxm. We, the Undersigned, for the purpose of increasing and perpetuating knowledge, conducting investigations and researches in regard to matters affecting the public welfare, disseminating correct views upon Literature, Art, and Science, and promoting intercourse among those engaged therein, do establish an Institute, and ordain the following Constitution. Name. The name of the Institute shall be "The National Institute of Letters, Arts, and Sciences." ARTICLE II. Organization. Section 1. The Institute shall consist of Academies, not less in number than three, each of which shall be composed of not less than thirty Members, nor of more than two hundred, to be elected as hereinafter pro- vided. Section 2. The following Academies shall be first established : I. The Academy of Letters and the Fine Arts. II. The Academy of History and Philology. HI. The Academy of the Metaphysical and Ethical Sciences. 6 IV. The Academy of tlie Political, Social, and Legal Sciences. V. The Academy of the Mathematical, Physical and Mechanical Sciences. VI. The Academy of the Natural Sciences. VII. The Academy of the Medical Sciences. Section 3. Each Academy shall regulate its own affairs in a manner not inconsistent with the Constitution and the By-Laws of the Institute, and may submit mat- ters of business to the Council for its determination. Section 4. Members of any Academy shall have the right to attend the meetings of any ether Academy of the Institute (except those of a purely business charac- ter), and may read memoirs^ and participate in the de- bates when invited to do so. Members of one Academy may be elected to membershjip in the other Academies. Se;ction 5. When it is in contemplation to form an Academy of the Institute, those, not less than thirty in number, desiring so to do, shall signify their wishes lo the Council in the following manner : " The undersigned, citizens of the United States, desire to organize an Academy of the National In-, stitute of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, to be called the Academy of and respectfully request the- authority of the Council of the Institute for that purpose." A copy of this request shall be sent by the Secretary to each member of the Council ; it shall be read at two successive meetings of that body, and, a quorum being present, a vote shall then be taken thereon. If agreed to by not less than three-fourths of the members present, the authority to act shall be given by the President in the name of the Council, and the Academy so authorized shall be organized by the signing of this Constitution, and by the election of officers, within thirty days there- after ; otherwise the authority shall be null and void. Section 6. The provisions of Section 5, relative to the formation of Academies, shall not be applicable, so far as obtaining the authority of the Council is concerned, to the organization of any one of the Academies men- tioned in Section 2 of this Article, jprovided action be taken on or before the thirty-first day of December, 1868. For the organization of one or more of these Academies before that time, it shall only be necessary that thirty or more of those who sign this Constitution proceed, with the authorization of a committee duly appointed for the inauguration of the Institute, to the election of officers and the appointment of members to represent the Acad- emy in the Council. Section 7. After the organization of an Academy, as provided for in Sections 5 and 6 of this Article, nomi- nations to membership must be made in writing, at a business meeting, by at least two members who are per- sonally acquainted with the candidate, and who must certify to his good moral standing, and specifically set forth his claims to admission. The application shall then be referred by the President to a Committee, who shall thoroughly inquire into the claims of the candidate, and report thereon to the Academy at its next business meet- ing for nominations and elections. Should the majority of the Committee report adversely, the name of the can- didate may be withdrawn ; but should one-fourth of the members present demand a vote, it shall be taken. If three-fourths of the votes be in favor of the candidate his name shall be reported to the Council by the Secretary ; and if accepted at the next meeting of the Council by a like vote to that of the Academy, the candidate shall be enrolled as one of the Academy electing him, and as a Member of the Institute. Business meetings for the nomination and election of members shall be held at least quarterly, at such stated times as the Academies shall respectively appoint, and due notice thereof, and of every special business meeting, must be given to each member of the Academy. Twenty members shall constitute a quorum. Section 8. The Ofiicers of an Academy shall be : A President, A Vice-President, A Secretary, and A Treasurer, each of whom shall hold office for two years, or till his successor is duly appointed. Each Academy shall elect its own officers, but shall report its action to the Council, for approval. Section 9. The Academies shall have power to estab- lish Sections, with the approval of the Council, which Sections shall each elect a Chairman and a Secretary. ARTICLE III. Composition. Section 1. The National Institute of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, shall be composed of Members, appointed or elected as before specified. They must be citizens of the United States, and at least twenty-five years of age. Fellows, who shall be chosen from the Members by a majority vote of the Council, upon the recommendation of the Academies to which they severally belong, and after maintaining a thesis before a meeting of the Mem- bers of the Institute. Fellows shall not be more in number than one in ten of the members of the several Academies. A Member shall have attained the age of thirty-five years before he is eligible to a Fellowship. Honorary Members, not exceeding twenty for each Academy, and fifty for the Council. The former shall be nominated by the Academy by a three-fourths vote, and confirmed by a like vote of the Council ; the latter shall be elected by a unanimous vote of the Council. Honorary Members must be persons who have rendered some marked services to Literature, Art, or Science, or to the Institute. They may be either citizens or aliens. 10 Corresponding Members, elected by an Academy or by the Council. They may be either citizens or aliens, but are not eligible if residing within fifty miles of the City of New York. Founders : Persons who have each contributed a sum of not less than $1,000 to the funds of the Institute. Section 2. Members and Fellows shall each pay a Diploma fee and an annual assessment, to be fixed by the Council. They alone shall have the right to vote, ex- cept as hereinafter provided for Founders. Honorary Members shall be subject to no dues, and shall have the right to visit the collections of the Insti- tute, and to attend and take part in the meetings of the Academies. Corresponding Members shall pay a Diploma fee, to be fixed by the Council, and may visit the collections of the Institute, and attend and take part in the meetings of the Academies. Founders shall be subject to no dues, and may visit the collections of the Institute, and attend the meetings of the Academies, and may be represented in the Coun- cil and in the Board of Trustees, as hereinafter pro- vided. Section 3. The diploma given in the name of the In- stitute shall be signed by the President of the Institute, the Vice-President, who is President of the Academy to which the holder belongs, and the Permanent Secre- 11 tarj ; and shall bear the seal of the Institute and of the Academy of the recipient. Should a Member of the In- stitute be elected to more than one Academy, he shall not receive an additional diploma, but the seal of the Academy or Academies to which he may be elected shall be affixed to his diplomajj^^Ki^Jay^j^lso be signed by the President thereoj^^ op thk ^ AR Officers of the Institute. Section 1. The officers of the Institute shall be : A President, whose term of office shall be two years, and who shall be chosen from the Academies in succes- sion in accordance with their seniority, beginning with the one first organized, provided that any Academy may waive its right to the Presidency. Should two or more be organized on the same day, then the question of pri- ority shall be determined by lot. The Academy from which the President is to be chosen shall nominate two of its members to the Council, who shall, by a majority vote, select one of them for the office of President : Vice Presidents ; the Presidents of the Academies being ex-officio Vice-Presidents of the Institute : A Permanent Secretary : A Corresponding Secretary : A Treasurer : 12 A Council, to be composed of the officers above men- tioned, and of two members elected by eacli Academy, one of whom may be chosen from the Founders, who shall serve for two vears. The Permanent Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer, shall be appointed by the Council, and may be removed by it for cause. There shall be a Board of Trustees, consisting of five persons, two of whom may be Founders, in whom and their successors shall be vested all the property of the Institute. They shall be elected by the Council of the Institute, and shall hold their offices for ten years, and in such manner that one Trustee shall be elected every two years. The five Trustees first elected shall deter- mine by lot which of them shall hold office for two, which for four, which for six, which for eight, and which for ten years. The property of the Institute shall be held or trans- ferred by them, or their successors, as the Council shall direct. The Treasurer shall execute a bond for the due per- formance of his duties, in such form and sum as the Council shall prescribe. Section 2. The Council, shall establish By-Laws for the general management of the Institute ; shall prescribe a seal ; shall have the charge of its museums, collec- tions, libraries, apparatus, and other property ; shall 13 appoint Curators, Librarians, and Janitors ; shall have charge of all publications of the Institute ; shall arrange for public lectures, direct the expenditure of the common fund, and in general conduct all the business of the Insti- tute not specially delegated to the Academies or the Trustees. The Council shall meet at least once in each month, excepting the months of July and August. A majority of its members shall constitute a quorum. Section 3. The Council shall determine — 1. The. conformity of the Constitution and the By- laws of the Academies with those of the Institute : 2. All questions between an Academy and the Insti- tute : 3. And, at its discretion, any question that may arise between two Academies. Section 4. The duties of the several officers of the Institute shall be prescribed in the By-Laws enacted by the Council. A R T I C L E V. Publications. Section 1. The Publications of the Institute shall con- sist of two series : The Proceedings^ which shall be published at the dis- cretion of the Council, and which shall contain reports of 14 the acts of each Academy, with abstracts of memoirs read, and of the debates. The Transactions^ which shall be published at such times as the Council may appoint, and which shall consist only of memoirs read before the Academies and accepted for publication by the Council. Section 2. Every Member and Fellow of the Institute, not in arrears for his dues, shall be entitled to a copy of the Proceedings. Each Founder shall be entitled to a copy of the Proceedings and; Transactions-. [ ARTICLE YI. Funds and Property. Section 1. All money received as Diploma fees, Dona- tions, Bequests, Subscriptions, or from any other source, shall, except as hereinafter provided, belong to the com- mon funds of the Institute Section 2. The Treasurer of the Institute shall place to the credit of each Academy all sums received as yearly assessments from the members thereof; and the ordinary current expenses of any Academy shall not exceed the income derived from this source. Nothing contained in this or in the first Section of this Article shall, however, be so construed as to prevent the Treasurer of the Insti- tute receiving in trust for any Academy, by subscription, gift, or bequest, or from the funds of the Institute, with 15, the approval of the Council, sums for any special ob- ject consistent with the purposes of the Institute. Pro- vided that the title to any property accruing under this or any other Section of this Constitution shall be vested in the Institute. Section 3. No Academy shall contract any debt or obligation the money for the payment of which is not in the hands of its Treasurer, or to its credit on the books of the Treasurer of the Institute. ARTICLE VII. Amendments. This Constitution may be amended by the votes of a majority of the whole number of Academies of the Insti- tute, given in favor of any proposed alteration after the proposed alteration shall have been read at two suc- cessive business meetings of each Academy. Proposi- tions for amendment may be submitted to the Academies by the Council, or may originate in any Academy. In the latter case, the proposed alterations shall be laid before the Academies by the Council, with an expression of the views of that body thereon. <•<►"''. 14 DAY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED LOAN DEPT. This book is due on the last date stamped below, on the date to which renewed. Renewed books are subjea to immediate ree^ll. ■ vt.-v . . 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