Bylaws of Medina Lodge No. 58, F&AM of Ohio

We the committee appointed to amend & revise the code of bylaws of Medina Lodge No. 58 beg leave to report the following and recommend that the former code be repealed, all of which is respectfully submitted, 16 May A. L. 5821 :

Rufus Ferriss
Jason Hubbel
Booz M. Atherton
 

Article 1st ~ The stated and regular meetings of this Lodge shall be on the Wednesday of or previous to each full moon.

Article 2nd ~ Every member shall attend in decent attire, also every Brother shall conduct himself with due order and propriety during the time the Lodge shall be open, and every Brother while speaking shall address the Master standing in due form, and no Brother shall address the Master more than twice on the same subject unless he be by the Master thereto required, and in no case shall debate be permitted while the Craft are at work.

Article 3rd ~ The annual election of officers shall be on the first regular communication in November annually, at which time each of the officers shall be chosen by separate ballots and the votes of the majority of the members present shall be necessary to constitute a choice.

Article 4th ~ No degree shall be conferred on any candidate unless such candidate shall have been proposed at least on regular communication previous, except in cases of emergency which shall be determined by the unanimous vote of the members present, and no degree shall be conferred on any candidate unless by the unanimous consent of all the members present ascertained by ballot.

Article 5th ~ Every candidate for the degree of Entered Apprentice shall on making application deposit with his petitioner the sum of three dollars which shall be retained if the ballot is clear, and passed to the credit of said candidate as part of his initiating fee, and if the ballot is not clear said sum shall be returned to said candidate, and when the ballot shall be clear, unless such candidate shall present himself to take said degree within six months the money shall be refunded to him and should he afterwards appear he shall be considered in the light of a new candidate and balloted for anew.

Article 6th ~ The fees for conferring the degree of Entered Apprentice shall be ten dollars; for passing to the degree of Fellow Craft, two dollars, and for raising to the sublime degree of Master Mason, three dollars, which shall be paid to the Secy. at the time of conferring the degree. And in no case shall the Lodge give any credit to any candidate for any such fee either directly or indirectly.

Article 7th ~ A committee of three expert Masons shall be chosen at the annual election of officers, whose duty it shall be to make presentment in writing of any offenses which may be alleged to have been committed by any Brother against the rules and principals of the Order as in their discretion they shall think the good of the Craft may require, and no member shall be dealt with for any alleged unmasonic conduct until he shall have one month notice of the exhibition of such complaint by being duly served with a copy thereof, if he may be found, and shall have an opportunity of being heard in his defense, and shall have heard, if he will, the accusations and proofs exhibited against him.

Article 8th ~ No Brother shall be admitted as a member of this Lodge unless he shall have been raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason, and shall have stood proposed as a candidate for membership over one regular communication and shall receive the unanimous ballot of the members present at a regular communication in his favor, and subscribe his name to the bylaws, excepting those raised in this Lodge who on signing the bylaws shall be considered as members of course.

Article 9th ~ Every member of this Lodge, except Secretary and Tyler, shall pay to the Secy. or Treasurer at each communication which he shall attend the sum of twelve and half cents for the use of the Lodge and also twenty-five cents on the annual election of officers for the use of the Grand Lodge, and every visiting Brother after the first visit shall pay twelve and half cents for each visit and it shall be the duty of the Secy. to keep a book of debt and credit for this express purpose which shall be audited together with the accounts of the Secretary and Treasurer by a committee appointed for that purpose at the regular communication next previous to the communication for the choice of officers, and the report of said committee shall be made previous to proceeding to said choice.

Article 10th ~ All questions which it may be proper for the Lodge to decide shall be decided by a majority vote excepting as herein before expressed; except in case of suspension or expulsion of a member in either of which cases a majority of two thirds of the members present at a legal communication shall be required. An application for restoration shall be decided by an unanimous ballot.

Article 11th ~ It shall be the duty of the Stewards to return to the Secy. a true list of all the furniture belonging to the Lodge at the communication for the choice of officers, a copy of which list shall be handed over to their successors, and it shall also, by order of the Lodge, be their duty to present a bill for refreshments at every legal meeting before the Lodge is closed, and they shall be holden responsible for the furniture of the Lodge.

Article 12th ~ Any member, by signifying his desire to that effect, on payment of all arrearages, shall be discontinued from his membership of this Lodge without any vote on that subject, but no certificate of such member's standing, or Masonic character shall be given but by vote of the majority of the members present at a legal communication.

Article 13th ~ The Tyler, for the time being, shall receive as compensation for his services for each Lodge night fifty cents, and for notifying special lodges and serving summonses, such sums as the Lodge may determine from time to time.

Article 14th ~ All business respecting admission of candidates for any degree shall be done in a Lodge of Master Masons, unless the Master shall deem it expedient, for obtaining information or other good causes, to transact the same in an inferior degree, and if any Brother shall divulge any of the secret transactions of this Lodge, except to a Brother, he shall, on conviction thereof, be expelled or suspended or otherwise dealt with as the case may require, and it shall be the duty of the Master to cause this article to be read every Lodge night.

Article 15th ~ The foregoing articles shall be the bylaws of this Lodge, and not subject to any alteration or amendment unless proposed by a member in writing and the proposition referred to the next regular communication and approved by two thirds of the members present.