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361193

WC564
.A 5.
1834

YTRGOVINU AMAKUI

YRARELI

CONSTITUTION

OF THE

AMERICAN EDUCATION SOCIETY.

THE object of this Society is to educate pious young men for the gospel ministry.

ART. I. Any person who shall subscribe and shall pay into the Treasury at one time, one hundred dollars, and if a clergyman, forty dollars, shall be an honorary member; and shall have a right to sit and deliberate in all meetings of the Society. But all members hereafter added to the Society, who shall be entitled to vote, shall be chosen by ballot at an annual meeting.

ART. II. A permanent fund, consisting of bequests, legacies, and donations, given for this special purpose, shall be formed by the Directors.

ART. III. There shall annually be chosen, by ballot, a President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary, who shall also be Clerk, and such other officers as may be found necessary; who shall continue in office till others shall be chosen in their stead.

ART. IV. This Society shall, from time to time, by ballot, elect such a number of honorary Vice Presidents as they may judge expedient.

ART. V. The Society shall annually appoint, by ballot, eleven Directors; who, together with the President and Vice President of the Society, shall constitute a Board of Directors, five of whom shall constitute a quorum at any meeting regularly convened. It shall be the duty of this Board to increase the funds of the Society, by soli

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citing themselves, and by appointing and instructing agents to solicit, the aid requisite to achieve the object in view. This Board shall have the power of appropriating all monies for the support of beneficiaries; of examining and selecting candidates for patronage; of appointing committees to examine and recommend its applicants living in distant parts; and, generally, of transacting all business necessary for the furtherance of the objects of this Society, not otherwise herein provided for. The Directors shall also keep a fair record of their proceedings, and annually make report of their transactions to the Society.

ART. VI. Qualified candidates may be aided, in each stage of preparatory education for the ministry; but, except in very singular cases, no applicant shall be assisted, even in the first stage, who shall not produce, from serious and respectable characters, unequivocal testimonials of hopeful piety, promising talents, and real indigence; nor shall any person be continued on this, foundation, whose instructor or instructors, except in very special cases, shall not annually exhibit to the Directors, satisfactory evidence, that in point of genius, diligence, literary progress, morals, and piety, he is a proper character to receive aid from these sacred funds; in addition to which, each beneficiary, after his admission into any college, shall annually exhibit to the Directors, a written declaration, that it continues to be his serious. purpose to devote his life to the gospel ministry.

ART. VII. Any person who has been assisted by this Society, and whose name shall be stricken from the list of beneficiaries, because of misconduct, or other deficiency in regard to the qualifications required by the constitution, and the rules of the Directors; or, who shall have concluded not to devote himself to the gospel ministry, shall, within a reasonable time, refund the sum expended for his education, with lawful interest, whenever required by the Directors.

ART. VIII. The President, and in his absence, the Vice President, in concurrence with three of the Directors, shall have power to call special meetings of the Society.

ART. IX, The Treasurer shall be bound with two sureties, in a reasonable sum, to be determined by the Directors, to the faithful discharge of his duty. He shall vest the property of the society in the safest and most productive forms; make payments and advances of money, from time to time, agreeably to the orders of the Directors; and annually render to the Society a written account of all receipts and expenditures within the year, of the amount of its funds, and of the manner in which they are vested :—this account to be previously

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CONSTITUTION OF THE AMERICAN EDUCATION SOCIETY.

examined and approved, in writing, by a Committee of the Society, annually chosen for the purpose. He shall also give to the Directors, whenever they request it, a particular account of the state of the Treasury.

ART. X. The Society shall meet annually at such time and place as the Directors shall appoint, to elect officers, to hear the report of the Directors and of the Treasurer, and to transact other necessary business.

ART. XI. At all meetings of the Society, twenty members shall be requisite to constitute a quorum; and every meeting of the Society, and of the Directors, shall be opened with prayer.

ART. XII. The Presidents of all Societies, auxiliary to this, which shall pay annually one thousand dollars into the Treasury of this Society, shall be, ex officio, honorary Vice Presidents of this Society.

ART. XIII. Whenever a Society shall be formed, by the inhabitants of any State or district, which shall adopt the essential principles of this constitution, especially the provisions of the sixth article, as the basis of its own, such Society, upon the due notice of its existence, and desire of union, may be received, by a vote of the Directors, as a constituent branch of the American Society.

Every such Branch Society shall possess the right of appointing its own officers, including a Board of Directors and a Treasurer; and also the right of appropriating its own funds for the assistance of beneficiaries, who shall have, in all respects, the requisite qualifications. Every candidate for such assistance shall be examined by a committee of three competent men, two of whom shall be appointed by the Directors of said Branch Society, and one, by the Directors of this Society; and, if approved, may prosecute his studies, preparatory to the ministry, under the immediate superintendence of the Directors of said Branch Society; or, if they shall deem it expedient, such candidate may be committed to the charge of the Directors of this Society. All monies of any Branch Society, not appropriated as above, shall be transmitted to the general treasury; and whenever the exigencies of such Society shall exceed its own resources, it may apply for assistance to the Directors of this Society.

ART. XIV. Presidents of Branch Societies shall be, ex officio, members of this Society, and also honorary members of the Board of Directors.

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