§ 3. The senior Book Agent at Cincinnati shall be the Treasurer of this Society, and the Board of Managers may appoint such Assistant Treasurers as it deems wise.

IV. General Committee.

T 406. There shall be a General Committee of the Freedmen's Aid and Southern Education Society composed as follows:

(1) Of the Bishops; (2) Of the Corresponding Secretaries, Treasurer, and Recording Secretary of the Board of Managers, who shall be ex officio Secretary of the General Committee; (3) One representative from each of the General Conference Districts respectively, to be appointed by the General Conference (¶ 70), and (4) an equal number of representatives, to be appointed by the Board of Managers; and the said District representatives shall be the same as those elected on the General Committee of the Missionary Society. The Committee shall meet annually in such place and on such day in November as shall be fixed by the Corresponding Secretaries, to receive and consider the annual report of the Board of Managers; to determine what institutions shall receive aid for the ensuing year, the total amount to be expended, and as far as practicable the amount each school shall receive; to fix what amount shall be apportioned to each Annual Conference to be raised for the use of the Board, and to counsel and direct the Board in the general administration of its affairs. It shall have authority, for neglect of official duties or for other cause, to declare the seat of any member vacant in the Board of Managers. If a vacancy shall occur in the Committee by death, resignation, removal from the District, or otherwise, the Bishops shall fill it. Expenses

incurred by the Committee in the discharge of its dutics shall be paid by the Treasurer of the Board.

V. Duties of Presiding Elders and Pastors. T407, § 1. Each Presiding Elder shall, as early in the Conference year as possible, inform each Pastor in his District of the amount to be raised in his Charge, and he shall also inquire at the Third Quarterly Conference if the amount asked for has been raised, and, if it has not, urge that it be raised before the close of the Conference year.

§ 2. At the last Quarterly Conference of each year, a Committee of not less than three nor more than nine shall be appointed, of which the Pastor shall be Chairman, to be called the Committee on Freedmen's Aid and Southern Education, whose duty it shall be to aid in carrying into effect the provisions of the Discipline and the plans of the Officers and Managers of the Society for the support of this cause, so that at least the amount asked for each year in the Charge shall be secured. This Committee shall also see that information

concerning this work is diffused among the people.

T 408. The Pastor shall, once a year, with the aid of the Committee on Freedmen's Aid and Southern Education, present the claims of this work to his people, and ask subscriptions and collections for the support of the same. The Pastor shall preach, or cause to be preached, a sermon on the occasion. He shall report to the Annual Conference the amount collected for this cause, and the collections shall be published in a column in the General Minutes, and also in the Minutes of the Annual Conference,

CHAPTER VII.

THE BOOK CONCERN.

1. Publishing Houses.

¶ 409. The principal Publishing Houses of the Book Concern shall be in the cities of New York and Cincinnati; but there shall be Depositories of our publications at such other places as the General Conference may from time to time determine.

¶ 410. The General Conference shall quadrennially elect two Agents for the Publishing House in New York and two Agents for the Publishing House in Cincinnati; which Agents shall have authority, under the supervision of the Book Committee, to regulate the publications and all other business of the Concern, except that which belongs to the Editorial Departments, in such manner as the interests of the Church may require.

¶ 411. It shall be the duty of the Agents of both Publishing Houses to publish such books, tracts, periodicals, etc., as are ordered by the General Conference or by the Book Committee. They may nominate an Editor, who, when elected by the Book Committee, shall have editorial supervision of all manuscripts intended for publication.

¶ 412. The Agents at Cincinnati shall supervise and manage the business in the West in cooperation with the Agents at New York. Either House shall have authority to publish any book or tract previously issued by

the other House, when in the judgment of the Agents or of the Book Committee the interests of the Church require such republication, and the plates for the same or for any new work about to be published by either shall upon order be supplied by the other at cost. Printed sheets shall be supplied by either House to the other at master's rates, and bound books of the General Catalogue at not less than fifty per cent discount from the retail price.

¶ 413. Each House shall pay such proportion of the appropriations made by the General Conference or of the dividends authorized by the Book Committee as the General Conference or the Book Committee may from time to time direct.

¶ 414. The Publishing Agents shall keep a separate account with each department of the business, and with each periodical published under their supervision, and they shall set forth in their reports to the Annual and General Conferences the amount of sales, receipts, and expenditures for books, periodicals, and depositories under their control, together with a statement of the profits or losses on the same. They shall furnish to the Local Committee, hereinafter designated, at each of its monthly meetings, a full and satisfactory statement of the transactions of the preceding month; and, if the Local Committee shall so require, present for examination vouchers for all payments during the period specified. And they shall afford said Committee every possible means and facility for a full and intelligent understanding of the business.

415. The Agents both at New York and Cincinnati shall annually take an account of stock, including in their inventory all the assets of whatever nature of the respective Publishing Houses at their estimated cash value,

except real estate, which shall be appraised by the Local Committees respectively at the beginning of each quadrennium, and this valuation shall not be changed during the quadrennium except by the purchase or sale, improvement or destruction, of property; said account shall also contain a full and detailed statement of all liabilities, profits, and losses. And they shall hand over to their successors in office such statement of assets and liabilities as shall be approved and certified by the Book Committee.

¶ 416. The Publishing Agents and Editors are required to give their undivided attention to the duties of their respective positions, and to require of their employees the faithful performance of the work assigned to them.

¶ 417. Every Annual Conference shall appoint a committee, which, in the absence of an Agent, shall attend to the collection of the accounts forwarded from the Book Concern, and make accurate return for the same. Every Presiding Elder and Pastor shall do all in his power to collect debts due the Concern. If any Minister or Member of our Church, indebted to the Book Concern, shall refuse or neglect to make payment, or come to a just settlement, he shall be dealt with in the same manner as in other cases of debt or disputed accounts.

T418. The profits arising from the Book Concern, after a sufficient capital to carry on the business is retained, shall be regularly applied to the relief of Effective, Supernumerary, and Superannuated Ministers, their wives, widows, and children. The Publishing Agents shall every year forward to each Annual Conference a statement of the dividend to which it is entitled, together with a draft for the same.

419. Any Member of an Annual Conference who