constituted a proxy, unless he be a present or past officer of this or a State Grand Chapter.

SECT. 2. The General Grand Chapter shall meet septennially, on the second Thursday in September, for the choice of officers, and other business: dating from the second Thursday in September, A. D. 1805, at such place as may, from time to time, be appointed.

SECT. 3. A special meeting of the General Grand Chapter shall be called whenever the General Grand High Priest, Deputy General Grand High Priest, General Grand King, and General Grand Scribe, or any two of them may deem it necessary; and also whenever it may be required by a majority of the Grand Chapters of the States aforesaid, provided such requisition be made known in writing, by the said Grand Chapters respectively, to the General Grand High Priest, Deputy General Grand High Priest, King or Scribe.—And it shall be the duty of the said General Officers, and they are each of them severally authorized, empowered and directed, upon receiving official notice of such requisition from a majority of the General Grand Chapters aforesaid, to appoint a time and place of meeting, and notify each of the State Grand Chapters thereof accordingly.

SECT. 4. 1. shall be incumbent on the General Grand High Priest, Deputy General Grand High Priest, General Grand King, and General Grand Scribe, severally to improve and perfect themselves in the sublime Arts, and work of Mark Masters, Past Masters, Most Excellent Masters, and Roya. Arch Masons; to make themselves Masters of the

several Masonic Lectures and Ancient Charges ;to consult with each other, and with the Grand and Deputy Grand High Priests, Kings and Scribes of the several States aforesaid, for the purpose of adopting measures suitable and proper for diffusing a knowledge of the said Lectures and Charges, and an uniform mode of working, in the several Chapters and Lodges throughout this jurisdiction; and the better to effect this laudable purpose, the aforesaid General Grand Officers are severally hereby authorized, and empowered, to visit and preside in any and every Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, and lodge of Most Excellent, Past, or Mark Master Masons, throughout the said States, and to give such instructions and directions as the good of the Fraternity may require; always adhering to the ancient landmarks of the order.

SECT. 5. In all cases of the absence of any Officer from any body of masons, instituted or holden by vir tue of this Constitution, the officer next in rank shall succeed his superior; unless through courtesy said Officer should decline in favor of a past superior Officer present. And in case of the absence of all the Officers from any legal meeting of either of the bodies aforesaid, the members present, according to seniority, and abilities, shall fill the several Offices.

SECT. 6. In every Chapter or Lodge of Masons, instituted or holden by virtue of this Constitution, all questions (except upon the admission of members or candidates) shall be determined by a majority of votes; the presiding Officer for the time being, being entitled to vote, if a Member; and in case the votes

should at any time be equally divided, the presiding Officer as aforesaid, shall give the casting vote.

SECT. 7. The General Grand Royal Arch Chapter shall be competent (on concurrence of two thirds of its members present) at any time hereafter, to revise, amend and alter this Constitution.

SECT. 8. In case any casualty should, at any time hereafter, prevent the septennial election of Officers, the several General Grand Officers shall sustain their respective offices until successors are duly elected and qualified.

SECT. 9. The General Grand High Priest, Deputy General Grand High Priest, General Grand King, and General Grand Scribe, shall severally have power and authority to institute new Royal Arch Chapters, and Lodges of the subordinate degrees, in any State in which there is not a Grand Chapter regularly established. But no new Chapter shall be instituted in any State wherein there is a Chapter or Chapters holden under the authority of this Constitution, without a recommendation from the Chapter nearest the residence of the petitioners.— The fees for instituting a new Royal Arch Chapter, with the subordinate degrees, shall be ninety dollars; and for a new Mark Master's Lodge, twenty dollars; exclusive of such compensation to the Grand Secretary, as the Grand Officers aforesaid may deem reasonable.

ARTICLE II.

OF THE STATE GRAND ROYAL ARCH CHAPTERS.

SECT. 1. The STATE GRAND CHAPTERS shall sev. erally consist of a Grand High Priest, Deputy Grand High Priest, Grand King, Grand Scribe, Grand Secretary, Grand Treasurer, Grand Chaplain, and Grand Marshal, and likewise of the High Priests, Kings and Scribes, for the time being, of the several Chapters over which they shall respectively preside, and of the Past Grand and Deputy Grand High Priests, Kings and Scribes of the said Grand Chapters; and the said enumerated officers (or their proxies) shal! be the only members and voters in the said Grand Chapters respectively.

SECT. 2. The State Grand Chapters shall severally be holden at least once in every year, at such times and places as they shall respectively direct; and the Grand or Deputy Grand High Priests respectively, for the time being, may at any time call a special meeting, to be holden at such place as they shall severally think proper to appoint.

SECT. 3. The Officers of the State Grand Chapters shall be chosen annually, by ballot, at such time and place as the said Grand Chapters shall respectively direct.

SECT. 4. The several State Grand Chapters (subject to the provisions of this Constitution) shall have the sole government and superintendence of the seve ral Royal Arch Chapters, and Lodges of most Excellent, Past and Mark Master Masons, within their re

spective jurisdictions; to assign their limits and settle controversies that may happen between them; -and shall have power, under their respective seals, and the sign manual of their respective Grand or Deputy Grand High Priests, Kings and Scribes, (or their legal proxies,) attested by their respective Secretaries, to constitute new Chapters of Royal Arch Masons, and Lodges of Most Excellent, Past, and Mark Master Masons, within their respective jurisdictions.

SECT. 5. The Grand and Deputy Grand High Priests severally, shall have the power and authority, whenever they shall deem it expedient, (during the recess of the Grand Chapter of which they are offi. cers,) to grant Letters of Dispensation, under their - respective hands, and private seals, to a competent number of petitioners (possessing the qualifications required by the 9th Section of the 2d Article,) empowering them to open a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, and Lodge of Most Excellent, Past and Mark Master Masons, for a certain specified term of time: provided, that the said term of time shall not extend beyond the next meeting of the Grand Chapter of the State in which such Dispensation shall be granted; and provided further, that the same fees as are required by this Constitution for Warrants, shall be first deposited in the hands of the Grand Treasurer. And in all cases of such Dispensations, the Grand or Deputy Grand High Priests respectively, who may grant the same, shall make report thereof, at the next stated meeting of the Grand Chapter of their respective jurisdictions, when the said Grand Chapters, respectively, may either continue or recall the said Dispensations, or may grant the