1890 Constitution

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Constitution. [1890]¹

Article I.

Name and Object.

Section 1. The name of this association is The Woman’s Literary Club of Baltimore.

Sec. 2. The object of the Club is the advancement of its members in literature, and their association for the discussion of the questions of the day—social, political, literary and artistic—by written papers, and otherwise.

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Article II.

Officers.

Section 1. The officers shall be a President, two Vice-Presidents, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and six members of the Executive Committee, who together shall constitute the Board of Management, in which shall be vested the government of the Club.

Sec. 2. The President, Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and Executive Committee shall be chosen at each annual meeting by ballot, and shall continue in office until the next annual meeting, or until their successors are elected.

Sec. 3. The President shall preside at the meetings of the Club, and she shall also be Chairman of the Board of Management. She shall, with the Secretary, sign all written contracts of the Club, and she shall perform such other duties as the Board of Management may assign her.

Sec. 4. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall discharge the duties of her office.

Sec. 5. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all the meetings of the Club and of the Board of Management, shall notify members of their election, issue notices of all meetings of the Club and of the Board of Management, conduct the correspondence, and keep the records.

Sec. 6. The Treasurer shall collect and, under the direction of the Board of Management, shall disburse the funds. She shall report to the Executive Meetings when required, and shall read to the Club a semi-annual report of the expenses and receipts on the second Tuesday in January and the second Tuesday in May, each year.

Article III.

Board of Management.

Section 1. No expenses shall be incurred in excess of the funds already in the treasury.

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Sec. 2. Four members of the Board of Management shall constitute a quorum.

Sec. 3. The Executive Committee shall constitute the House Committee.

Sec. 4. The Board shall exercise the right, at its members’ discretion, of inviting strangers, distinguished in science, literature or art, who may visit the city, to partake of the privileges of the Club during their stay.

Article IV.

Members.

Section 1. Members shall be chosen from women over twenty-one years of age who are interested in intellectual pursuits, and willing, when called upon, to prepare a paper or engage in a discussion upon some topic of common interest.

Sec. 2. It shall be further understood that the women of this association have banded themselves together in the hope of encouraging by their influence right and serious views of life and literature, and that the acceptance of membership in this Club shall be considered a tacit admission of this purpose.

Sec. 3. Moreover, that any member who persistently refuses to comply with the requirements of the Club as set forth in Section 1 shall, after

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remonstrance, be considered to have withdrawn from the Club.

Sec. 4. No reports of the meetings shall be given to the press without the approval of the officers.

Sec. 5. Proposed names of new members must be presented in writing to a member of the Board of Management, with the names of those who propose and second the nomination, and the address of the proposed member.

It must be stated whether such a person is willing to join the Club, and able and ready to fulfill the required duties.

Sec. 6. The Board shall vote by ballot on each person so proposed, and such person shall be declared approved unless two ballots are cast in the negative. The names of those approved shall be read to the Club the same day and the following Tuesday, and such persons shall then be considered elected unless any member of the Club who has objections to the admission of such new members shall have communicated them to some member of the Board of Management, in which case the Board shall reconsider its action.

Sec. 7. The meetings of the Board for the approval of new members shall be held twice a year, on the first Tuesday in May and the first Tuesday in January, and those persons duly elected shall be admitted to full membership on the first Tuesday

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In October and the first Tuesday in February respectively.

Sec. 8. Members residing in the City of Baltimore, or within twenty miles thereof, shall be classed as resident, all others as non-resident members.

Sec. 9. Honorary membership shall be extended only to those who will confer distinction upon the Club by their attainments in literature or science, and only upon invitation by the Board of Management.

Article V.

Dues.

Section 1. The annual dues of resident members shall be ten dollars, payable in advance, on half on the first day of October, and one half on the first day of February.

The annual dues of non-resident members shall be five dollars, payable in advance, on the first day of October.

Sec. 2. When the dues of any member shall remain unpaid for one moth, the Treasurer shall notify her of the fact, and unless the same shall be paid within two weeks thereafter, she will be supposed to have withdrawn.

Sec. 3. Non-resident members shall not be entitled to a vote, and shall bear no share in the property of the Club.

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Article VI.

Meetings.

Section 1. The annual meeting of the Club for the election of officers and the transaction of other business shall be held on the last business Tuesday of May.

Sec. 2. Regular literary meetings shall be held on all Tuesdays except the last one of each month, when there shall be a social meeting or Salon.

Sec. 3. Special meetings of the Club may be called by the President at any time.

Every notice of a special meeting shall designate the business to be transacted at such a meeting, and no other business shall be in order.

Article VII.

Amendments.

Section 1. No alteration of the Constitution shall be made unless the same be proposed at a regular meeting and be finally adopted by a vote of two-thirds of the members present at a subsequent meeting where twenty shall constitute a quorum.

Sec. 2. The Board of Management shall be authorized to frame a code of By-Laws for the Club, which shall be printed for the use of the members. Any changes which may be desired from time to time shall be suggested by the Board and decided by vote of the members.

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By-Laws.

1. The President shall make a report to the Club at the anniversary meeting.

2. Each member has the privilege of bringing a non-resident guest at any time.

3. Members wishing to invite residents of the city as guests may obtain invitations by application to the Committee on Invitations. The number of such guests at any one meeting shall be limited to five, and no resident of the city may be invited more than once during the season.

4. At the meeting for the election of officers, nominations may be made by members of the Club. The six members of the Executive Commitee shall be separately voted for.²

Transcribed document held at the Maryland Center for History and Culture, Woman’s Literary Club of Baltimore Collection, MS 988.

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