CHAPTER IV.

3& u I e s of © r tr e r ♦
In all well regulated societies, it is absolutely necessary that there should be certain rules, not only for the government of the presiding officer, but for that of the members over whom he presides. It is not so material what these rules are, as that they should be well known and strictly observed.* The Parliamentary law, or that system of regula- tions which have been adopted for the government of legislative bodies in England and America, and which constitutes the basis of the rules for conduct- ing business in all organized societies, whether pub- lic or private, in these countries, is, in many of its details, inapplicable to a Masonic Lodge, whose Rules of Order are of a nature peculiar to itself. Still the Masonic rule is, as it has been judiciously expressed by Bro. French, " that where well settled Parliamentary principles can be properly applied to the action of Masonic bodies, they should always
* Hatsell, who is excellent authority on the subject, says, " whethe* these forms be in all cases most rational or not, is really not of so great in* portance. It is much more material that there should be a rule to go by than what that rule is. —Cited in Jefferson, Man. p. 14.
ORDER OF BUSINESS. 397
govern ; but they should never be introduced where they in any way interfere with the established cus- toms or Landmarks of Masonry, or with the high prerogatives of the Master."* In the discussion of this subject, it is not proposed, in the present chap- ter, to give anything more than a mere outline of the usage to be pursued in conducting the business of a Lodge ; for many of the most important regula- tions to be observed will be found under appropri- ate heads, interspersed throughout this work.
#rtrer at Justness.
1. After a Lodge has been opened according to the formalities of the Order, the first thing to be done is the reading of the minutes of the preceding communication. These are then to be corrected and confirmed by a vote of the Lodge.
2. But to this rule there is this qualification, that the minutes of a regular or stated communication cannot be altered or amended at a special one.f
3. The Lodge being opened and the minutes read, it may then proceed to business, which will generally commence with the consideration of the unfinished business left over from the last meeting. But the order of business is strictly under the direction of the Master, who may exercise his own discretion in
* Application of Parliamentary Law to the Government of Masonic- Bodies. — Americ. Quart. Ren. of Freemas., vol. i. p. 325.
f " No Lodge can, at an extra meeting, alter or expunge the proceeding* of a regular meeting/'- -Ahim. Rez. So. Ca. p. 84, ed. 1852
898 ORDER OF BUSINESS.
the selection of the matters which are to come be- fore the Lodge, subject, of course, for an arbitrary or oppressive control of the business to an appeal to the Grand Lodge.
4. No alarms should be attended to at the door, nor members or visitors admitted during the time of opening or closing the Lodge, or reading the minutes, or conferring a degree.
5. All votes, except in the election of candidates, members or officers, must be taken by a show of hands,* and the Senior Deacon will count and re- port to the Master, who declares the result.
6. No Lodge can be resolved into a " committee of the whole," which is a parliamentary proceeding, utterly unknown to Masonry .f
7. The minutes of a meeting should be read at its close, that errors may at once be corrected and omissions supplied by the suggestion of those who were present during the transactions ; but these minutes are not to be finally confirmed until the next regular communication.
* On the 6th April, 1736, the following regulation was adopted by the Grand Lodge of England.— See Anderson, second edit. p. 178. ,: The opinions or votes of the members are always to be signified by each holding up one of his hands, which uplifted hands the Grand Wardens are to count, unless the number of hands be so unequal as to render the counting useless. Nor should any o'her kind of division be ever admitted among Masons." The Grand Lodge of South Carolina says the right hand, the Grand Ledge of New York, the left. I adopt the middle course, and adhere to the original regulation, which leaves it indifferent which hand is used.
f " Committees of the whole are utterly out of place in a Masonic body. Lodges can only do business with the Master in the chair." — French, ui supra
KULES OF DEBATE. 399
8. Masonic decorum requires that daring the transaction of business, the brethren shall not enter- tain any private discourse, nor in any other way disturb the harmony of the Lodge.*
&ules of Befcate,
9. No brother can speak more than once on any subject without the permission of the chair. t
10. Every brother must address the chair stand- ing ; he must confine himself to the question under debate, and avoid personality.
11. Any brother who transgresses this rule may be called to order, in which case the presiding offi- cer shall immediately decide the point of order, from which decision there can be no appeal to the Lodge.
12. When two or more brethren rise at once in a debate, the Master shall name the brother who is first to speak.
13. No motion can be put unless it be seconded, and if required, it must be reduced to writing.
14. Before the question is put on any motion, it should be distinctly stated by the chair.
* " You are not to hold private committees, or separate conversation, without leave from the Master, nor to talk of anything impertinent or un seemly, nor interrupt the Master or Wardens, or any brother speaking to the Master."' — Charges o/1721.
f " No brother is to speak but once to the same affair, unless to explain himself, o; when called by the chair to speak." — Regulation adopted April 21, 1730. Anderson, second edit. p. 177.
iOO RULES OF DEBATE.
15. When a question is under debate, no motion can bo received but to lie on the table ; to postpone to a certain time ; to commit ; to amend, or to post- pone indefinitely, which several motions, by Par- liamentary usage, have precedence in the order in which they are arranged ; and no motion to post- pone to a certain time, to commit, or to postpone indefinitely, being decided, is again allowed at the same communication.
1G. When motions are made to refer a subject to different committees, the question must be taken in the order in which the motions were made.
17. When a motion has been once made and car- ried in the affirmative or negative, it is in order for any member who voted in the majority to move for a reconsideration thereof at the same com- munication.
18. When an amendment is proposed, a member who has already spoken to the main question may again speak to the amendment.
19. Amendments may be made so as totally to alter the nature of the proposition, and a new reso- lution may be ingrafted, by way of amendment, on the word " resolved."
20. When a blank is to be filled, and various pro- positions have been made, the question must be taken first on the highest sum or the latest time proposed.
21. Any member may call for a division of a question, which division will take place if a ma- jority of the members consent.
COMMITTEES. 401
22. A motion to lie on the table is not debate- able, nor is one in the Grand Lodge to close the session on a given day.*
23. A motion for adjournment is unmasonic, and cannot be entertained. f
24. No motion for the " previous question" can be admitted.^
(Committees.
25. All committees must be appointed by the chair, unless otherwise specially provided for, and the first one named on the committee will act as chairman ; but no one should be appointed on a committee who is opposed to the matter that is referred.§
26. A committee may meet when and where it pleases, if the Lodge has not specified a time and place. But a committee can only act when together, and not by separate consultation and consent.!
27. The report of a committee may be read by the chairman, or other member in his place, or by the Secretary of the Lodge.
* These rules of debate, from ten to twenty-two, are derived from well known principles of Parliamentary law, but are strictly applicable to the con- duct of business in Masonic Lodges.
f The Master alone has the right of closing his Lodge, and a motion for adjournment would necessarily interfere with his prerogative.
$ " The previous question being unknown to Ancient Masonry, should find no resting place in a regular Masonic Lodge.'' — Com. of Corresp. G. L. of Vermont, 1851.
§ On the principle that " the child is not to be put to a nurse that cares not for it." — Grey, cited by Jefferson, Man. p. 52.
|| " Nothing i s the report of the committee but what has been agreed to far committee actually assembled." — Jefferson, p. 53.
402 ELECTIONS.
28. A majority of a committee constitutes a quorum for business.
29. When a report has been read, if no objections are made, it is considered as accepted ; but if ob- jections are made, the question must be put on its acceptance.
30. If the report contains nothing which requires action, but ends with resolutions, the question must be on agreeing to the resolutions.
31. If the report embodies matters of legislation, the question must be on adopting the report, and on agreeing to the resolutions, if resolutions are ap- pended ; but if there is no action recommended by the report, and no resolutions are appended to it, the acceptance of the report, either tacitly or by vote, disposes of it.
32. Reports may be recommitted at any time before final action has been taken on them.
Elections,
33. The election of candidates for initiation, or of Masons for affiliation, must be conducted with white and black balls, and the result will be de- clared by the Junior and Senior Wardens and Master, in rotation, after inspection.
34. When the report of a committee on a petition for initiation or affiliation is unfavorable, it is un- necessary to proceed to a ballot ; for, as the vote must be unanimous, the unfavorable opinion already expressed of at least two members of the committee is in itself a rejection. It is not to be presumed
ELECTIONS. 403
that the committee would report against and vote for the candidate. Of course it is to be understood in these cases that an unfavorable report by a com- mittee is equivalent to a rejection. But some Grand Lodges have said that a ballot must be taken in all cases, and this, though not the general usage, is no violation of a landmark.
35. In an election for officers, two tellers are to be appointed to receive and count the votes, and the result must be declared by the Master.
36. Nominations of candidates for office are in order, and according to ancient usage,'5- but if a member is elected who had not been nominated, the election will still be valid ; for a nomination, though permitted, is not absolutely essential.
37. Where the by-laws of a Lodge do not pro- vide otherwise, the election of an officer may be taken by a show of hands, if there be no opposing candidate.?
In conclusion, to borrow the language of Bro. French, from the able article already quoted, " let me say that no general rules can be laid down that will meet all special cases ; and proper considera- tion and good judgment will almost always lead a properly qualified Master to decide right."
* The old records tell us that on June 24, 1717, " before dinner, the oldest Master Mason (now the Master of a Lodge) in the chair, proposed a list of proper candidates ; and the brethren, by a majority of hands, elected Mr. Anthony Sayre, gent., Grand Master of Masons." — Anderson, sec. ed. p. 109.
t But if the by-laws require a ballot, it must be taken, even if there be no opposition ; for a subordinate Lodge cannot suspend its by-laws, although a Grand Lodge can, by unanimous consent.
BOOK y.
fieto relating h (Jrenb Eobgps.
Lodges are the aggregations of Masons as individuals in their primary capacity. Grand Lodges are the aggregations of subordinate Lodges in their representative capacity. The regular progress of our inquiries has hitherto been from the candidate to the Mason, and from the Mason to the Lodge. I now complete the series by passirg from the Lodge to the Grand Lodge. This will therefore be the subject matter of the Fifth Book.