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members; those who are tardy shall be called to give a reason for their delay.

7. No member shall withdraw from the body until the close of the session, without leave of absence first obtained from the moderator.

8. After the association is opened in the morning by prayer, the minutes of the preceding day shall be read by the scribe.

9. The moderator shall preserve order and decorum in the body; and when he speaks to the merits of any question, he shall leave the chair and address himself to the scribe.

10. Every member when he wishes to speak shall address the moderator.

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

12. Every motion, except for adjournment, shall be reduced to writing, if the moderator or any two members desire it.

13. When a question is under debate, no motion shall be made except for amendment—or the previous question-to postpone-or for an adjournment. The previous question is, Shall the main question now be put?

14. No motion, except for reconsideration, shall be acted upon until seconded.

15. When any member, in debating or otherwise, shall transgress the rules of the body, the moderator shall, by his own authority, or at the request of any member, call him to order; and if a question shall arise concerning his being in order, it shall be decided by an appeal to the body.

16. When two or more rise at once, the moderator shall name the member who is first to speak.

17. Whilst the moderator is putting any question, or addressing the body, no one shall walk out of or across the house; nor, in such case, or when a member is speaking, shall entertain private discourse, or read any printed book or paper; nor whilst a member is speaking, shall pass between him and the chair.

18. No motion, committed to writing, shall be finally decided upon, until it shall have had three several readings, if any member require it.

19. In cases of equal divisions of votes, the moderator shall have a casting vote.

20. If three or more members object against the appointment of a committee by nomination, the committee shall be chosen by ballot.

21. The moderator shall continue in office until the next annual meeting of the general association, and shall have power, upon the application of any district association, to convene the general association, and likewise, in case of necessity, to alter the appointed place of an⚫nual meeting; of both which he shall give public notice in such papers published in Hartford, New Haven, and New London as he shall judge to have the most exten sive circulation.

22. These rules and orders shall be read at the opening of every session of the association, and shall be in force during the pleasure of the body, any rules to the contrary, previously made, notwithstanding.

II. Officers and Standing Committees.

1. The general association, like the district associations, has its register, or keeper of the records, in whose hands the minutes of each

meeting are placed by the scribe, to be copied into a book for future use and reference.

2. The general association appoints every year, a treasurer, who keeps the accounts, superintends the printing of the minutes, has charge of the moneys raised by the association for the payment of its incidental expenses, and pays out those moneys as directed by the votes of the association.

3. One minister in each district association, is appointed by the general association to receive from every pastor and stated supply, the annual contribution, or tax for defraying the incidental expenses of the general association.

4. One minister in each district is appointed by the general association to collect the statistical accounts of the churches, and to make returns to a general agent, who is also appoint- • ed by the general association to digest and arrange the returns and to make his report annually.

5. A committee of one in each district is appointed to certify the standing of ministers travelling out of the bounds of the state.

6. Four persons are annually appointed by the general association as a committee on the Everest Fund.*

* Dr. Soloman Everest of Canton, who deceased April 3d, 1822, left a residuary legacy including nearly one half of his personal property, and amounting in all to fourteen thousand dollars, to religious charities. One half of this legacy was to the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions; and one fourth part to the Missionary Society of Connecti

The committee on the Everest fund present their report to the general association every year.

III. The General Association as a Missionary Society.

1. The general association began to take measures for prosecuting missions to the new and frontier settlements of the country, as early as the year 1774. In 1788 those measures were systematized by forming and adopting the constitution of the Missionary Society of Connecticut, which is as follows.

CONSTITUTION

OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF CONNECTICUT.

ART I. This society shall be known by the name of The Missionary Society of Connecticut.

ART. II. The general association of the state of Connecticut shall be the said Missionary Society.

ART. III. The general association shall annually by

cut. The other fourth part was directed by the testator "to be applied for the purchase of bibles, religious tracts &c. for distribution: for the support of the Domestic Mission in this state: for the education of indigent pious youth for the Gospel ministry to any or all of the above purposes, as shall be thought most expedient by a committee which the general association of the sate of Connecticut shall from time to time, appoint for that purpose."

ballot appoint twelve trustees, whereof six shall be clergymen and six shall be brethren of the churches, who shall conduct the business of the society in the manner hereafter described.

ART. IV. The object of this society shall be to christianize the heathen in North America, and to support and promote Christian knowledge in the new settlements within the United States, and both shall be pursued as circumstances shall point out, and as the trustees under the superintendence of the General Association shall direct.

ART. V. The General Association and the trustees shall adopt such measures, from time to time, for raising funds, as they shall judge expedient.

ART. VI. The trustees shall have power to apply the funds of the society according to their discretion, in all cases in which they shall not be limited by the General Association or by the donors. They shall correspond with other missionary societies; shall have power to appoint and dismiss missionaries, to pay them, and generally to transact all business necessary to attain the ends of the society; and shall be paid their necessary expenses, but nothing for their services.

ART. VII. The trustees shall annually appoint a secretary, who shall keep a fair account of their proceedings. They shall also appoint a chairman, who, with four of the trustees, shall be a quorum to transact business; or if the stated chairman shall not be present, any seven of the trustees shall be a quorum.

ART. VIII. The chairman shall have power to call a meeting of the trustees at his discretion, by letters left with them, or at the houses of their residence; and it shall be his duty to call such meeting whenever re-. quested by two of the trustees; and in case of the death of the chairman, or of his absence from the state, any two trustees are hereby empowered to call a meeting.

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