directed to present at each triennial session comprehensive and comparative summaries for the three years preceding.

XIII. The Council, as occasion may arise, will hold communication with the general Congregational bodies of other lands, and with the general ecclesiastical organizations of other churches of evangelical faith in our own land, by delegates appointed by the Council or by the provisional committee.

XIV. The presiding officers shall retain their offices until their successors are chosen, and the presiding moderator at the opening of the session shall take the chair, and the secretary shall at once collect the credentials of delegates present, and shall report the names of persons representing bodies already in affiliation with the Council, who shall prima facie be the constituency of the same, for immediate organization and business. The moderator shall then name the committee of nominations, subject to the approval of the Council, which shall at once proceed to the election of its presiding officers. In the absence of the moderator and the assistant moderators, the provisional committee is authorized to appoint some person to act as moderator of the opening session of the Council.

XV. Such reports from committees, and statements from societies or theological seminaries as may be furnished to the secretary seasonably in advance of the session, may be printed at the discretion of the publishing committee, and sent to the members elect, together with the program prepared by the provisional committee. Not more than ten minutes shall be given to the reading of any such report.

XVI. Reports and statements shall not be referred to committees except by vote of the Council.

RULES OF ORDER.

The rules of order shall be those found in common parliamentary use, not modified by local legislative practise, with the following explicit modifications:

I. When a question is under debate, no motion shall be received, except the following, namely: to amend, to commit, to postpone to a time certain, to postpone indefinitely, to lay on the table, and to adjourn, which shall have precedence in the reverse order of this list, the motions to lay on the table and to adjourn

alone being not debatable. But the Council at any time, on the motion of one member, seconded by five other members, and by a two-thirds vote of those present and voting, may order a vote to be taken upon the pending question; after this is so ordered, the debate shall not be cut off for one half hour, provided any member desires to speak; but during that time no speaker shall speak more than five minutes.

2. No member shall speak more than twice to the merits of any question in debate, except by special permission of the body; nor more than once, until every member desiring to speak shall have spoken.

3. Ordinarily, voting shall be viva voce, or by show of hands; but any member may call for a division, in which case the number voting on each side shall be counted, announced by the Chair, entered in the minutes, and published in the printed reports of the proceedings.

4. If the report of committee contains nothing more than matters of fact for information, or matters of argument for the consideration of the Council, the question is: Shall the report be accepted? and that question, unless superseded by a motion to reject, to recommit, to postpone, or to lay upon the table, shall be taken without debate. Such a report, if accepted, is placed upon the files of the Council, but, not being an act of the Council, is not entered on the minutes.

(a) If the report is in the form of a vote or resolution, or of a declaration expressing the judgment or testimony of the Council, the additional question arises: Shall the report be adopted? and motions for amendment are in order. Such a report, if adopted, with or without amendment, is the act of the Council, and is entered on the minutes.

(b) If a report gives the views of the committee on the matter referred to them, and terminates with the form of a resolution or declaration in the name of the Council, the questions are: Shali the report be accepted? and Shall the resolution or declaration be adopted? and while the report at large, if accepted, is placed on file, that part of it which has become the act of the Council is entered on the minutes.

CHARTER-TRUSTEES OF NATIONAL COUNCIL.

The following was adopted by the National Council, 1886:— Whereas, The General Assembly of Connecticut, at its session, January, 1885, passed the following act of incorporation :

"Resolution incorporating the Trustees of the National Council of the Congregational Churches of the United States.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY, JANUARY SESSION, A. D. 1885.

Resolved by this Assembly,

SECTION 1. That Julius H. Seelye, Frederick A. Noble, Henry Fairbanks, William M. Taylor, George F. Magoun, E. S. Jones, Samuel B. Capen, Henry A. Hazen, William H. Moore, Lavalette Perrin, and such other persons as may be associated with them, and their successors, be, and they hereby are, constituted a body politic and corporate, under the name of The Trustees of the National Council of the Congregational Churches of the United States.

SECT. 2. The object of the corporation is to do and promote charitable and Christian work for the advancement of the general interests of the Congregational churches of this country in accordance with resolutions and declarations made from time to time by the National Council of the Congregational Churches of the United States; and said corporation may co-operate with any other societies under the charge and control of churches of the Congregational order in the United States.

SECT. 3. Said corporation may acquire, by purchase, gift, devise, or otherwise, and hold and dispose of real and personal property for the purpose of its creation, not exceeding sixty thousand dollars in value, and may make any contracts for promoting its objects and purposes, not inconsistent with law.

SECT. 4. The said National Council may make rules, orders and regulations for the government of said Board of Trustees, and said Board shall, at all times, be subject to the direction and control of said Council.

SECT. 5. The persons named in the first section of this resolution shall be the corporators under this charter, until the appointment of Trustees by said National Council, at its next regular meeting, which Trustees, when so appointed, shall be the successors of said corporators, with all the powers conferred upon this corporation, and said Council may fix the number of said Trustees and their terms of office, and may provide for filling vacancies in their number.

SECT. 6. This act of incorporation shall take effect when accepted by a majority of the persons mentioned in Section I hereof, and by said National Council at its next regular meeting."

And whereas, The persons named as corporators have unanimously accepted the aforesaid act:

Resolved, That the same be, and it is hereby, accepted by this Council.

Resolved, That this National Council, by this act, constitutes and empowers its provisional committee for the time being as the Trustees incorporated by the foregoing act, who shall have in charge and administer all moneys and other values belonging to it, or which may be contributed, bequeathed, or intrusted to it, limited only by their charter, the acts of this Council, or the expressed will of the donors.1

Resolved, That these Trustees shall hold office during the period of three years, or until their successsors are appointed. They may choose their own officers; adopt all needful rules; meet from time to time, as there is need; fill vacancies in their number occasioned by resignation or disability, during the intervals between the regular meetings of the Council; and adopt such measures to secure the ends of their appointment as seem to them expedient. Not less than four members shall constitute a quorum at their meetings for business, and they shall keep a full record of all such meetings, and report to this body.

At a meeting of the Trustees held at Memorial Hall, Hartford, Conn., Friday, Feb. 4, 1887, the report of the committee appointed by the National Council, Messrs. Nathaniel Shipman, Elisha Carpenter, and Charles E. Mitchell, of Connecticut, "to prepare by-laws for the Trustees of the National Council," was presented, accepted, and, after amendment, adopted as follows: —

1 See Minutes, pages 40, 41, 122, 123.

I.

BY-LAWS.

1. The officers of the corporation shall be a president, vicepresident, fifteen directors,1 or such other members as may constitute, for the time being, the provisional committee of the National Councils, also a secretary, treasurer, auditor, and a finance committee of five persons, of whom the secretary and treasurer, if members of the corporation, shall be members ex officio.

All these officers shall be elected by ballot, and shall hold their respective offices for the term of three years, unless removed by death, disability, or resignation; that is to say, from the time of their election until the first meeting of the New Trustees appointed from time to time by the National Council at its triennial meetings. All officers, except secretary, treasurer, and auditor, shall be members of the corporation.

2. The duty of the president shall be to preside at the meetings of the corporation and of the directors; to exercise a general oversight of the affairs of the corporation; to execute the instructions of the directors, and to make such suggestions to them as he may deem desirable.

3. The vice-president shall discharge the duties of the president in the absence of that officer.

4. The directors, of whom not less than four shall constitute a quorum, shall have the control, direction, and management of the property and affairs of the corporation; shall regulate salaries; shall make rules in regard to the disbursement of money; shall accept devises, legacies, and gifts upon the trusts respectively annexed to them; shall buy, sell, and convey by their attorney appointed for that purpose all real and personal property; shall fill vacancies in their own number and in all offices, the appointments so made to be in accordance with By-Law 1, and to continue until the next meeting of the corporation; and shall report to the National Council.

5. The secretary shall keep the records of the corporation, of the directors, and of the finance committee; shall issue all orders. on the treasurer, and all notices for any meeting of either body, which notices shall be sent by mail, postage paid, at least ten days before the date of the meetings; shall preserve all important documents; shall conduct the correspondence of the society; shall

1 See Minutes, pages 40, 41, 122, 123.