SECTION I
1. A Grand Lodge consists of the Masters and Wardens of all the regular Lodges in its jurisdiction, who, when duly assembled, have the inherent power to elect the Grand Officers, which are a Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master, Grand Senior Warden, Grand Junior Warden, Grand Secretary, Grand Treasurer, Grand Senior Deacon, Grand Junior Deacon, Grand Pursuivant and Grand Tiler.
2. The Present Grand Officers, and all Past' Grand Masters, and Past Grand Wardens and Past Masters of Regular Lodges under the same Grand jurisdiction, are members of the Grand Lodge, and to constitute a quorum for business it is necessary there should be the representatives of five Regular Lodges.
3. The Grand Lodge thus organized should meet at least once a year, and this meeting to be considered and denominated the Grand Annual Communication, or Convention of Deputies from each Lodge within its jurisdiction. The Grand Communication thus convened, [109] shall have a right at all times, and possess an inherent power and authority to make local ordinances and new regulations, as well as to amend old ones, for their own particular benefit, and the good of Masonry in general: provided always, that the ancient landmarks be carefully preserved, and that such regulations be first duly proposed in writing, for the consideration of all the members, and be finally regularly enacted by the consent of the majority. This has never been disputed, for the members of every Grand Lodge are the representatives of all the Fraternity in Communications, and are an absolute and independent body, with legislative authority: provided, as before observed, that the Grand Masonic Constitution be preserved inviolate; nor any of the landmarks removed. And at this Grand Lodge the different Lodges by their officers or deputies, shall attend with or without notice.
4. No brother whatever can be admitted into the Grand Lodge, unless he is a member of some regular Lodge; nor does the appointment of a brother to an office in the Grand Lodge prevent his holding an office in the private Lodge whereof he is a member.
5. A brother of the rank of Master, having business, or whose attendance may be necessary in point of evidence or intelligence, or a brother of eminence, upon motion, or leave asked and obtained, may be admitted into the Grand Lodge; but such brother, being admitted, shall not be allowed to vote, nor have a right to speak to any question or matter in debate, without leave, or unless desired to give his opinion, and then he is to confine himself to matters that concern Masonry only.
6. No Master or Warden of private Lodges, or other members of the Grand Lodge, shall ever attend the same, without the jewels which he ought to wear in his [110] own private Lodge, except for some good and sufficient reason to be allowed of in the Grand Lodge. And when any officer of a private Lodge, from such urgent business as may necessarily plead his excuse, cannot personally attend the Grand Lodge, his own Lodge may nominate and appoint any one of their members (being a Master Mason) with his jewels and clothing, to supply his place, and support the honor of his Lodge in the Grand Lodge: provided such deputy has a certificate of his appointment, with the seal of the Lodge, and attested by the Secretary.
SECTION II
IN CASE OF THE ABSENCE OF ANY OF THE GRAND OFFICERS
1. If the Grand Master is absent at any meeting of the Grand Lodge, either stated or occasional, the Deputy Grand Master is to supply his place; if the Deputy Grand Master be likewise absent, the Senior Grand Warden takes the chair; and in his absence, the Junior Grand Warden: and although by old regulations, the Master or Past Master of any private Lodge, who has been longest a Mason, had the preference of the chair, in the absence of the Grand Officers, yet now the rule is, that the Master of the senior private Lodge who may be present, is to take the chair. Nevertheless, any of them may waive the privilege, to do honor to a Past Grand Officer, or any eminent brother and Past Master. In all cases, the brother filling the chair may nominate his deputy, and call on any eminent brethren to fill the vacancies of the Grand Lodge pro tern.
2. The Grand Master at all times, when he finds he must necessarily be absent from any Lodge, still has the privilege of giving a special commission, under his hand and seal of office, to any eminent brother, being a member [111] of the Grand Lodge, to supply his place, if the Deputy Grand Master should not attend, or be necessarily absent.
3. In case of the death of a Grand Master, or any other Grand Officer, the same order of succession and precedency shall take place, as is above set forth, till the next election,; when they shall be regularly chosen, and duly installed.
SECTION III
OF THE PARTICULAR BUSINESS
1. The business of the Grand Lodge at their stated Annual Communications, is seriously to discourse of, and sedately to consider, transact and settle all matters that concern the prosperity of the Craft, and the Fraternity in general, or private Lodges, and single brothers in particular here, therefore, are all differences to be seriously considered and decided, that cannot be made up and accommodated privately, nor by particular Lodges. And if any brother thinks himself aggrieved by the decision of any private Lodge, he may, by lodging an appeal in writing with the Grand Secretary, (who shall summon the parties and their witnesses' to appear at the next ensuing Grand Communication,) have the matter reheard, and finally determined upon; and the Grand Lodge may adjourn from day to day, until the business is finished. And the Grand Master, or presiding officer, when the Lodge is regularly opened, shall communicate to the Lodge the nature of whatever business is to come before them; and for the sake of admitting witnesses, it is esteemed most proper to try all matters of controversy in a committee of the Lodge; and in order thereto, the presiding officer shall direct a committee of the whole Lodge, to meet in the Lodge room on the succeeding day for the aforesaid purposes; [112] who shall examine and determine upon all and every kind of business that may be referred to them, and make a report of their proceedings to the Grand Lodge on the same evening, for their ratification.
2. In hearing all complaints and punishing delinquents, according to the laws of the Craft, they are instructed to adhere most religiously to the old Hebrew regulation, viz: " If a complaint be made against a brother, by another brother, and he be found guilty, he shall stand to the determination of the Lodge; but if the accuser or complainant cannot support his charge, and it should appear to the Lodge to be groundless, being the result of hatred, malice or some unwarrantable passion, he shall incur such penalty as the accused would have done, had he been duly convicted."
3. All matters of controversy before the Grand Lodge shall be determined by a majority of votes; that is to say, the Grand Master or presiding officer having one vote, (unless in case of an equal division, and then two,) the Deputy Grand Master one vote; the other Grand Officers for the time being, collectively, one vote; the Past Grand Officers and Past Masters, collectively, one vote; and' the officers, or their deputies, of each particular Lodge, collectively, one vote.
4. The Grand Master, or presiding officer, shall for the sake of conveniency in voting, direct every collective body to sit together, that when a question is before the Lodge, they may consult among themselves how the vote shall be given, and when the question is put, either by holding up of hands, or otherwise, one of those collective bodies shall vote for the whole, and that duty should fall on the senior Mason.
[113] SECTION IV
OF PARTICULAR REGULATIONS
1. The election of the officers of the Grand Lodge shall be annual. The Grand Master shall be elected by' a majority of ballots, who shall have the privilege of appointing his Deputy. The other Grand Officers shall also be elected by a majority of ballots agreeably to the manner of voting laid down in the succeeding section; all of which elections shall be for one year, and until a new election shall take place.
2. Whenever application is made to the Grand Lodge, by a sufficient number of brethren, for a Charter to form a new Lodge, the Grand Lodge shall not grant the Charter, unless the skill of the petitioners as Masons, and their good conduct as men, will justify it. Great regard should always be had to the morals of such brethren as are entrusted with this important charge; therefore it is highly essential, that when the petitioners are not sufficiently known to the members of the Grand Lodge, that a certificate of their Masonic and moral characters, from two or more eminent brethren, showing them to be Master Masons regularly made, should accompany the petition; this being done, the Grand Lodge shall then issue a Charter, authorizing the petitioners, with such other brethren as they may call to their assistance, to enter Apprentices, pass Fellow Crafts, and raise Master Masons, agreeably to the ancient customs.
3. When a Lodge becomes too numerous for working together, and application is made by some of the members for leave to separate, and form a new Lodge, the cause of their separation should be certified by their Lodge, to the annual stated Grand Communication, at the same time recommending the most proper and fitting [114] brethren as officers of the new Lodge, before a Charter shall issue.
4. The Grand Master, or in his absence out of the state, his Deputy, or either of the intermediate Grand Officers, may grant a dispensation for forming a new Lodge, to continue in force until the next stated Grand Communication, provided the petitioners comply with the requisition in the preceding article; which dispensation shall have the seal of the Grand Lodge, attested by the Grand Secretary, and entered by him in the book of proceedings-the fee for which shall be one guinea to the Grand Secretary. Still it shall rest with the Grand Lodge at their next Grand Communication, whether a Charter shall issue.
5. Whenever a Charter shall issue from the Grand Lodge, which can be clone at no other time than in Grand Communication, they shall direct a dispensation to issue, signed by the presiding officer, with the seal of the Grand Lodge, and attested by the Grand Secretary, directed to some Past Master, with powers to appoint his Wardens, to install the officers of the new Lodge, and set them to work agreeably to ancient customs and usages; but the Master of this new Lodge shall receive his degree in the presence of three Past Master sat least-all of which must be done before that Lodge can be entitled to a representation in the Grand Lodge.
6. Every Charter issued from the Grand Lodge, shall be signed by the Grand Master for the time being, or in case of his death or absence out of the state, by the Deputy Grand Master and Wardens, sealed with the seal of the Grand Lodge, and attested by the Grand Secretary, directed to three reputable brethren, authorizing them to call in other brethren to their assistance, and to enter Apprentices, pass Fellow Crafts, and raise Master Masons, agreeably to ancient customs and usages; [115] the fee for which shall be, for the purpose of Grand Charity and other contingencies; and - to the Grand Secretary for providing parchment and affixing the seal, to be paid previous to the delivery of the Charter.
7. The members of the Grand Lodge, and of all Warranted Lodges within their jurisdiction, so far as they have abilities and numbers, have an undoubted right to exercise all degrees of the Ancient Craft, and consequently the Royal Arch; but no Masons of any denomination can hold any Lodge, without a warrant for the place where held. Nevertheless, Royal Arch Masons must not at processions, nor in any other place, except in the Royal Arch Lodge, be distinguished by any garment or badge, different from what belongs to them as officers or members of the Grand, or their own private Lodges.
8. That each person admitted to any degree of Masonry in the Grand Lodge, shall pay a fee of - for the purpose of the Grand Charity.
9. Each Lodge on record, shall annually on the stated Grand Communication, pay to the Grand Treasurer for the time being, as a support to the Grand Lodge, the sum of; or a sum of money equal to, for each and every member belonging to such Lodge.
10. The several Lodges on record shall transmit to the Grand Lodge annually, a list of all the officers and members composing each Lodge, distinguishing their rank and degree; together with such other matters relating to the Craft in general, as may be deemed proper to communicate; and that the said list be recorded by the Grand Secretary in a book to be set apart for that purpose; to the end that the Grand Lodge may at all times know the number of laborers engaged in this great work.
11. Every brother requiring a Grand Lodge
certificate [116] or diploma, which is impressed on parchment,
and signed by the proper officers, and signed also opposite the
seal by the member himself, shall pay to the Treasurer the sum
of, towards the Grand Charity Fund. Nor is any brother to be entitled
to such certificate, without a previous certificate from the Lodge
of which he is a member, setting forth his regular behavior, and.
that he has discharged regularly all Lodge dues.
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