The Theosophist - January 1891.
ARTICLE I
Constitution
1. The title of this Society, which was formed at New York,
United States of America, on the 17th of November 1875, is the “Theosophical
Society.”
2. The Theosophical Society is an International Body.
3. The objects of the Theosophical Society are:
First - To form the nucleus of a Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or colour.
Second - To promote the study of Aryan and other Eastern literatures, religions, philosophies and sciences, and to demonstrate their importance to Humanity.
Third - To investigate unexplained laws of Nature
and the psychic powers latent in man.
4. The Theosophical Society is absolutely unsectarian, and no assent to
any formula of belief, faith or creed shall be required as a qualification
of membership; but every applicant and member must lie in sympathy with
the effort to create the nucleus of an Universal Brotherhood of Humanity.
5. The Society does not interfere with caste rules, nor other social observances,
nor with politics, and any such interference in its name is a breach of the
constitution. The Society is not responsible for the personal opinions of
its Fellows.
ARTICLE II
Fellowship
1. The Fellows of the Theosophical Society are either Active,
Corresponding, or Honorary. Corresponding Fellows are persons of distinction
and learning, who are willing to furnish information of interest to the Society.
Honorary Fellows are persona eminent for their contributions to Theosophical
knowledge, or for their services to Humanity. All other Fellows are classified
as Active.
2. Admission to the grade of Corresponding or Honorary Fellow shall rest with
the President; but the Councils of Sections may submit to the President for
approval the names of persons whom they consider worthy of that honor. Neither
of these two classes have the status or responsibilities attaching to Active
Fellowship.
3. Fellowship in the Society is open to all persona without distinction of
sex, race, creed, caste or colour; but no ward, and no person under eighteen,
shall be admitted without the consent of their legal guardians.
4. Every application for membership must be made on a form duly authorized
by the executive of the Society, and must be endorsed by two Active Follows
of the Society and signed by the applicant.*
5. In a country where a Section exists, applications must be forwarded to the
General Secretary; in all other cases to the President.
6. All applications for Fellowship shall be filed at the Head-quarters of the
Society, after being duly registered by the General Secretary of the Section
receiving them.
7. No dignity or privilege shall be conferred upon, nor any obligation accepted
from, any Fellow of the Theosophical Society, that conflicts with any of the
Rules of the Society, or is contrary to the spirit of its Constitution.
8. Any diploma, certificate, dignity, privilege, or obligation issued or accepted,
in contravention to these Rules, shall be necessarily null and void.
ARTICLE III
Branches and Sections
1. For the convenience of administration the Fellows of the
Society are organized into local Branches** and territorial Sections.
2. A Branch is constituted by the issue of a Charter, which must be recorded
at the Head-quarters of the Society, signed and sealed by the President and
countersigned by the Corresponding Secretary of the Society and by the General
Secretary of the territorial Section, if any, in which the proposed Branch
is located.
3. No Charter shall be issued to less than five applicants, who must be Active
Fellows.
4. No Branch shall be obliged to accept any Fellow as a member who has not
been duly elected by the Branch, and who has not agreed to abide by its Bye-laws,
but every Fellow of the Society residing within the territorial limits of a
Section is, ipso facto, a member of that Section, and within the jurisdiction
of Us Council, unless a special exception for valid reasons is made by the
President.
5. No Fellow shall be on the roll of active members of more than one Branch
at once.
6. A person may be an Active Fellow of the Society without joining any Branch:
such person will be classified as “Unattached.”
7. A territorial Section may be formed by the President of the Society, who
shall prescribe the limits of its jurisdiction, upon the application of not
less than seven chartered Branches within that territory.
8. All Branches and unattached Fellows within its geographical limits shall
be subject to its jurisdiction.
9. Each Section shall have autonomous jurisdiction within its pre-scribed geographical
limits, subject to the terms of the Constitution and Rules of the Society,
as herein prescribed.
10. Each Section shall have the power of making its own Laws and Bye-laws and
of fixing its own Entrance Fees, Dues and Subscriptions. Provided always that
such Laws and Bye-laws do not conflict with the Objects and Rules of the Theosophical
Society herein contained, and that no objection is made by the President within
thirty days after his receipt of a copy of the same from the General Secretary
of the Section. The General Secretary shall forward to the President, within
seven days of their adoption, copies of the Constitution, Rules and Bye-laws
of his Section and of any alterations thereof, under registered cover.
11. No Constitution, Rule, or Bye-Law of a Branch shall be valid until confirmed
by the President, or by the General Secretary of the Section in which such
Branch is situated, who shall be ex-officio the agent of the President.
12. The executive officer of each Section shall be a General Secretary, to
be chosen annually according to the Rules of the Section.
13. He shall be ex-officio a Secretary of the Theosophical Society, and as
such shall be the only official agent of communication between his Section
and the President of the Society.
14. The General Secretary shall forward to the President annually, on or before
the 1st day of November, a brief report of the work, receipts and expenses
of the Section during the year, and a list of the names and addresses of all
who have joined, left, deceased or been expelled during the preceding twelvemonth.
He shall at once notify the President of the issue of a Charter to any new
Branch.
ARTICLE IV
Officers
1. The Society shall have a President, a Corresponding Secretary,
a Vice-President, ex-officio Secretaries, a Recording Secretary, a Treasurer
and an Assistant Treasurer. The office of Vice-President shall rank next after
that of Corresponding Secretary during the tenure of office of the present
incumbent.
2. The right of the President-Founder, Colonel H.S. Olcott, to hold the office
of President of the Theosophical Society for life, is recognised and re-affirmed.
3. The similar right of Madame H.P. Blavatsky, as co-Founder, to bold the office
of Corresponding Secretary for life, is likewise recognised and re-affirmed.
4. The office of Corresponding Secretary shall not be filled when left vacant
by the present incumbent; but it may be revived at any time by the unanimous
vote of the Sections in favour of a specified individual. In such case the
new incumbent shall not hold office for more than seven years without re-election.
5. The Vice-President has no administrative function beyond those by Rule herein
provided, except in case of the death or resignation of the President, in which
event the functions of the latter shall devolve upon him until a new President
is elected.
6. The office of President shall become vacant by reason of any of the following
causes: Resignation; Death; or under Rule 2, Art. VI.
7. The resignation of a President shall be addressed to the Vice-President,
who shall at once communicate it to the General Council; such resignation to
take effect according to its terms.
8. The President shall have, the right to appoint his successor, and also to
fill a vacancy in the office of Vice-President; subject, however, in cither
case, to ratification by a two-thirds majority vote of the Sections. And it
shall be the duty of the General Secretaries of Sections to communicate to,
the President the decision of their respective Sections within three calendar
months after receiving from him notice of the said appointment or appointments.
Should the nominee or nominees fail to obtain the required two-thirds Vote
of ratification, the President shall make a new nomination.
9. Should the office of President become vacant without a nomination having
been made under the preceding Rule, then the Vice-President shall enjoy the
same rights, and may offer himself as a candidate.
10. The Recording Secretary and Treasurers of the Society shall be appointed
by the President and hold office during his pleasure; but such appointments
shall become void by a majority vote of the Sections, which, shall be taken
by the President upon the written demand of the General Secretary of any Section.
ARTICLE V
General Council
1. The general control and administration of the Society
is vested in a General Council, consisting of the President, Corresponding
Secretary, Vice-President and General Secretaries of Sections.
2. The business of the General Council may be conducted by correspondence;
all questions to be decided by a majority of votes, as communicated to the
President, who shall have a casting vote in case of a tie. The names of Sections
voting for or against any proposal shall be communicated by the President to
the General Secretaries together with the decision of the Council.
ARTICLE VI
The President
1. The President shall be the chief Executive Officer of
the Society. He shall have discretionary powers in all matters not herein specifically
provided for, and be responsible for their exercise and for the due performance
of his duties to the General Council from which he derives his authority.
2. The President may be deprived of office, at any time, for cause shown, by
a three-fourths vote of the General Council; provided, however, that opportunity
has been given him to disprove any charges brought against him before the General
Council. Such charges to be sent in duplicate to the President and Vice-President.
3. Upon receiving a copy of such charges, the Vice-President shall at once
forward to each other member of the General Council a copy thereof, together
with a copy of the defence offered by the President, and take their votes thereon.
And it shall be the duty of every member of the Council to communicate his
vote to the Vice-President within thirty days of the receipt of such communication.
Pending the issue of the above proceedings the executive powers of the President
shall vest in the Vice-President.
4. The same procedure shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the case of the Vice-President.
5. The President shall be the custodian of all the archives and records of
the Theosophical Society.
6. The President for the time being shall be one of the Trustees and Administrators
of the Society for all real-estate, funds, un-invested monies, and other property
of all kinds, of which the society as a whole is or shall at any time become
possessed.
7. The President shall be the Court of Final Appeal in disputed questions arising
between Fellows, or in or between Branches or Sections. But all differences
between Branches or Fellows must, in the first instance, be submitted for settlement
to the Council of the Section, appeal being resorted to only in exceptional
cases, or when the Council of the Section is unable to decide the case.
8. The President shall have the power to delegate any one or more of his powers
to persons chosen by himself, and shall fill pro tem all vacancies that occur
in the offices of the Society.
ARTICLE VII
Charters and Diplomas
1. All Charters, whether of Sections or of Branches, and
all Diplomas of Fellowship, shall draw their authority from the President,
as the Executive of the General Council, and may be cancelled by the same authority.
2. The local administration of the Sections and Branches shall be vested in
their respective officers, according to the terms of their charters.
3. The Branches shall enjoy complete internal self-government, pro-Tided that,
they do not infringe the Constitution, nor contravene the Rules of the Society,
or of the Section to which they belong.
4. Every application to the President for a Charter for a Section or a Branch,
shall contain an undertaking on the part of the applicants that the said Section
or Branch will abide by the Rules of the Society.
5. Every application for a Charter for a Branch shall be signed by at least
five active Fellows of the Society. Such application, if for a Branch within
the limits of any Section, must be addressed to the General Secretary of that
Section: in other cases, to the President of the Society, who shall exercise
his discretion as to the issue of the Charter.
ARTICLE VIII
Head-Quarters
1. The Head-Quarters of the Society are established at Adyar,
Madras, India.
2. The Head Quarters and all other property of the Society, including the Adyar
Library, the Permanent and other funds, shall continue to be vested in the
President as Trustee for the Society, until such time as the Trust Deed ordered
by the Convention of. December 1890 shall have been duly executed.
ARTICLE IX
Expenditure
I. The legitimate objects of expenditure shall be:
The maintenance of Head-quarters, including repairs and improvements to the
property.
The support and extension of the Adyar Library.
Wages of employes.
Purchase of books.
Office and travelling expense.
Publications.
Conventions.
And such other worthy objects as may from time to time present themselves.
2. Any surplus income, over and above a reasonable provision for current working
expenses, and such other disbursements as may be provided for by these Rules,
shall be invested by the Trustee in Government or other first-class securities,
and added to the Permanent Fund, inaugurated by order of the Convention of
1883.
ARTICLE X
Accounts
1. The accounts of the Society shall be audited yearly by
a qualified Committee appointed by the President.
ARTICLE XI
Fees and Dues
1. It shall be the duty of each Section to contribute as
liberally as its circumstances allow towards the maintenance of the Executive
Staff and the upkeep of Head-quarters.
2. The fees payable towards the support of the Executive Staff by Branches
not comprised within the limits of any Section are as follows; For Charter
? 1; for each Diploma of Fellowship 5 Shillings; for the annual-subscription
of each Fellow 2 Shillings.
3. Unattached fellows not belonging to any Section or Branch shall pay an annual
subscription of 5 shillings to the Head-Quarters.
ARTICLE XII
Conventions
1. Each Section shall bold an annual Convention for legislative
and social purposes at such time and place as may be prescribed in the Rules
of the Section.
2. The President shall also have the power to convene meetings at discretion.
ARTICLE XIII
Offences
1. Any Fellow who shall in any way attempt to involve the
Society In political disputes shall be immediately expelled.
2. No Fellow, Officer, or Council of the Theosophical Society, or of any Section
or Branch thereof, shall promulgate or maintain any doctrines being that advanced,
or advocated by the Society.
3. Any Fellow of the Society accused of slandering another Fellow; or of willfully
offending the religious feelings of any other Fellow at any meeting of any
Branch or Section; or of being guilty of gross misconduct; or any Fellow convicted
of any offence under the Penal laws of the country he inhabits, involving moral
turpitude, shall be given an opportunity to defend himself, at a special meeting
of such Branch or Section; and on being found guilty, or failing to make valid
defence, the Executive of the Section may, if deemed expedient, expel such
fellow, notifying the President of the fact that his name may be removed from
the register of Fellows; provided, however, that the accused shall have the
right of appeal to the President whose decision shall be final; and pending
the President’s decision his rights of membership shall be suspended.
ARTICLE XIV
Revision
1. The present Constitution and Rules of the Theosophical
Society shall remain in force until amended by a full two-thirds vote of the
General Council.
2. Should any proposed alteration lack only one vote of the requisite two-thirds
majority, the President may in his discretion cast the additional vote required.
3. Any proposal for the alteration or amendment of the Constitution and Rules
of the Theosophical Society must, in the first instance, be communicated to
the President in writing, who shall within 30 days transmit the same with his
remarks thereon to the General Secretaries of the Sections.
4. No alteration nor addition to the Rules of the Theosophical Society shall
be made without four month’s previous notice having been given to the General
Secretary of each Section of the proposed alteration or addition, who shall
at once ascertain the opinion thereon of his Section and report the same to
the President.
5. All previous Rules of the Theosophical Society are hereby repealed, and
all Rules or By-Laws of Sections or Branches which conflict with these Rules
are hereby declared illegal and invalid.
ARTICLE XV
Affiliation
1. It shall be competent to the President to affiliate any Society with the
Theosophical Society at his discretion.
Note. - The following have already been affiliated:
(i.) The Sanskrit Sabha of Benares, with Pandit Bapu Deva Shastri as President.
(ii.) The Literary Society of Benares Pandits, with Pandit Rama Misra Shastri,
Professor of Sankhya, Benares College, as its President.
(iii.) The Hindu Sabha, founded by M. R. Ry. A. Sankariah Avergal, B.A., Naib
Dewan of Cochin .
At a Bharat Mahamundala (Convention) of orthodox Pandits and other friends
of Hindu Religion and Sanskrit Literature, convened at Haridwar, 30th May 1887,
the following Resolutions were unanimously adopted: -
Resolved, - That this Sabha unanimously records its appreciation of the selfish
and efficient aid given by the Theosophical Society to the cause of our national
religion during the past ten years throughout India, and in disseminating in
distant countries a knowledge of the teachings of our holy sages.
Resolved, - That this Sabha earnestly recommends all Princes and others favourable
to Hindu religion (Sanatana Dharma) to assist the Society as much as possible
to make the Adyar Library as useful and powerful a national undertaking as
its projectors intended that it should be.
Signed by the Members of the General Council: -
H.S. OLCOTT, P. T. S. ,
SHAMA CHARAK BHATTA, Delegate N. E. Section of India.
BERTRAM KEIGHTLEY, Special Delegate American, British, and European Sections.
B. NABASINGA BOW, Delegate, Southern Section.
J. BOWLES DALY, Gen. Sec. Ceylon Section.
J. K. DAJI, Gen. Sec. Central Indian Section.
PANDIT GOPI NATH, Gen. Sec. N. W. Section, India.
POSTSCRIPTA
I. Shorthand notes were taken of the various interesting and instructive Lectures
which were delivered before the Convention, and arrangements will be made for
their publication.
II. The appointment of Commissioners to act during the President's furlough
does not carry with it the right of interference with the duties or work of
General Secretaries of Sections as defined in the Revised Rules of the Society,
or with the special powers by me conferred upon H. P. Blavatsky in a recent
order.
H. S. OLCOTT, P. T. S.
Adyar, 7th January 1891.
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