SECTION I
Of the Election of the Grand Offices generally
1st. The election of all the officers of the Grand Lodge shall take place by ballot, on the second evening of every Grand Annual Communication, and shall have the priority of all other business of that evening, the minutes of the Grand Master's proceedings during the recess, having been previously read.
2d. In all cases of election of officers, the suffrages of a majority of all the members present who are entitled to vote, shall be necessary to constitute a proper election.
3d. There shall be at least two candidates in nomination in the election of every officer.
4th. All these elections shall be for one year, and until another election shall be made; nevertheless, the Grand Master, the Deputy Grand Master and Grand Wardens, may be elected for two years successively, and the other [288] Grand Officers as often as may be the pleasure of the Lodge. 5th. Every member of this Grand Lodge shall with the preceding limitations, be eligible to any office therein, and may be elected whether he be present or absent. 6th. Election to an office in the Grand Lodge shall be no cause of disqualification from holding an office in a Subordinate Lodge.
SECTION II
Of the Grand Master
1st. The Presiding Officer shall request the Grand Lodge to nominate some skilful brother or brethren for the office of Grand Master. Should there be only one member in nomination, it shall be the indispensable duty of the Most Worshipful to nominate one other in opposition, with this exception, that if the present Grand Master is again eligible, and willing to serve another year, he shall instruct his Deputy to nominate the candidate in opposition.
2d. The Grand Master, if eligible, shall be at all times in the nomination.
3d. The members shall then prepare their ballots for one of the brethren in nomination, to be collected by one of the Grand Deacons, when the Grand Master shall instruct two of the members to examine the ballots, and report to him in writing the number of votes in favor of each candidate, and he shall immediately cause the brother having the greatest number of votes, to be thrice proclaimed aloud by the Grand Secretary, GRAND MASTER OF MASONS.
4th. The Presiding Officer shall then cause the Grand Master elect to be conducted to the Chair, and after introducing [289] him to the members as a skilful and faithful brother, shall proceed to invest him with the badges of his office, and install him in clue form; upon which all the members shall salute him according to the ancient customs of Masons.
SECTION III
Of the Deputy Grand Master, Grand Wardens, &c.
1st. The Grand Master elect shall next nominate some skilful brother for the office of Deputy Grand Master, and the Grand Lodge shall nominate one or more in opposition, and the member having the greatest number of votes shall be declared duly elected, and shall in like manner be introduced, installed, and saluted by the brethren.
2d. In like manner shall the Grand Lodge proceed in the election of the Grand Wardens, and all the remaining officers.
SECTION IV
Of the Grand Secretary and his Deputy
1st. The office of Grand Secretary is of very great importance in the Grand Lodge, from the variety and multiplicity of business committed to his care, and from the learning, abilities and attention necessary for the proper management of it.
2d. All the proceedings of the Grand Lodge are to be drawn into form and recorded by him.
3d. All petitions, applications and appeals, are to pass through his hands; and no Charter or other instrument of writing is authentic without his attestation, and affixing the Grand Seal.
4th. As soon as possible after each Grand Annual Communication, he is to transmit to each Lodge four [290] copies of the proceedings of the Grand Lodge, a list of contributions paid to the Grand Treasurer, and accurate lists of the Officers, Past Masters and Members of every Lodge in Communication.
5th. The general correspondence with Lodges, and with brethren throughout the world, is to be conducted by him, agreeably to the voice of the Grand Lodge, and the instructions of the Grand Master or his Deputy. And it is particularly his duty, once a year, to write Circular Letters to all the Grand Lodges in North America, and such as are known to be established in Europe.
6th. He shall have bound in volumes of uniform and convenient size, each year's proceedings of our sister Grand Lodges from year to year as they accumulate, to be placed in and form part of the Grand Lodge Library; and shall have printed with each year's proceedings of this Grand Lodge, such standing Laws, Resolutions and Edicts as may be passed after the publication of this Text-Book, in form of an appendix.
7th. The Grand Secretary, by virtue of his office, shall be a member of the Grand Lodge, and have a right to vote along with the Grand Wardens in all cases except an choosing Grand Officers.
8th. He shall also have the right of appointing his own Deputy or Assistant, who must be a Master Mason; but such Deputy shall not by virtue of that appointment, be a member of the Grand Lodge. 9th. He shall furnish each Lodge working under a Dispensation, with a code of By-Laws, under which they are required to work.
[291] SECTION V
Of the Grand Treasurer and his Assistant
1st. To the Grand Treasurer is committed the care of all moneys raised for the General Charity and other uses of the Grand Lodge, an account of which he is regularly to enter in a book, with the respective purposes for which the several sums are intended. He is likewise to disburse the same on legal orders, and to keep an accurate account of his disbursements, and as compensation for his services shall be allowed five per centum commission on all moneys which may come into his hands as Grand Treasurer.
2d. The Grand Treasurer, or his Assistant, shall always be present in Grand Lodge, and ready when required, to attend the Grand Master and other officers, with his books for inspection, as well as any Grand Committee that may be appointed, for examining and adjusting his accounts.
3d. The Grand Treasurer shall receive in payment of annual contributions, all sums that may be offered by the Subordinate Lodges, if in notes of chartered banks; and should any loss be thereby sustained, he shall charge the same to the Grand Lodge.
4th. He shall regularly render his accounts, up to the close of each Annual Communication, and shall furnish the Grand Secretary annually, a list of Delinquent Lodges, including the preceding Grand Annual Communication, which shall be published with the proceedings; he shall also open and keep an account against the Grand Secretary, in which he shall charge him with all fees for Charters, Revivals, Diplomas, &c.
5th. The Grand Treasurer shall ex officio be a member of the Grand Lodge, and of the Committee of Investment [292] of the surplus funds, and vote with the Grand Wardens.
6th. He shall have a right to appoint an assistant, who must be a Master Mason; but such assistant shall not thereby be a member of the Grand Lodge.
SECTION VI
Of the Grand Deacons
1st. The Grand Deacons are ex officio members of the Grand Lodge.
2d. Their duty is principally to assist the Grand Master and Senior Grand Warden, in conducting the business of the Grand Lodge.
SECTION VII
Of the Grand Tiler and Grand Pursuivant
1st. The Grand Tiler and Grand Pursuivant must be intelligent Master Masons. But neither of them is by virtue of his office, a member of the Grand Lodge.
2d. The Grand Tiler's duty is to attend at the outside of the Hall door, and to take care that none but members or visitors duly authorized, shall enter; and not even members or visitors while the Lodge is in session, without first reporting them through the Grand Pursuivant, and receiving the Grand Master's permission.
3d. The Grand Tiler is also to summon the members on any special emergency, by order of the Grand Master or his Deputy, signified to him under the signature of the Grand Secretary or his Clerk.
4th. The business of the Grand Pursuivant is to attend with inside the door of the Grand Lodge, and to report from the Grand Tiler the names of all brethren applying for admission. He is also to carry messages [293] while the Grand Lodge is open, and to perform sundry other services, only known in the Grand Lodge.
SECTION VIII
Of the Grand & Stewards
1st. Previously to each Grand Annual Communication, the Grand Stewards shall wait on at least two members of the Steward's Committee, and obtain their sanction to a specific Bill of Fare, which shall in no respect be exceeded by the Grand Stewards; nor shall the Committee authorize the expenditure of more than fifty dollars, during any Communication; and the refreshments shall be limited to eatables only.
2d. The Grand Stewards shall at no time
admit any brother into either of the rooms appropriated for their
department, except the members of the Grand Lodge, and those who
shall be regularly admitted to visit.
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