786 SCIENCE. 
gether with abstracts of the papers, pre- 
pared by the authors and edited by the 
Secretary. It is not intended that the 
Society shall maintain a library, and an 
exchange of publications with other societies 
is not expected. The assessment for the 
current year was set at two dollars. The 
Secretary was authorized to arrange for a 
meeting of the Society in New York City 
in connection with the meeting of the 
American Association for the Advancement 
of Science. The charter members number 
one hundred and fourteen, consisting of 
those attending the second or third confer- 
ence who signed a statement of desire that 
a society be formed and of those who other- 
wise expressed to the committee or Council 
their wish to join when the society should 
be organized. 
The constitution and by-laws follow : 
CONSTITUTION. 
ARTICLE I.—Name and Purpose. 
1. Thisassociation shall be called The Astronomical 
and Astrophysical Society of America. 
2. The purpose of this Society is the advancement 
of astronomy, astrophysics, and related branches of 
physics. 
ARTICLE II.—Membership. 
1. Those persons whose names were signed on or 
before September 15, 1899, to the annexed statement 
of desire to form such an association shall constitute 
the charter members of this Society. Other persons 
may be elected to membership in the Society by the 
Council hereinafter provided. 
2. The Council shall prepare and publish in the 
form of a by-law uniform rules for the government of 
such elections. 
ARTICLE III.—Officers. 
1. The officers of the Society shall consist of a 
president, two vice-presidents, a secretary, and a 
treasurer, who, in addition to the duties specifically 
assigned them by this constitution, shall discharge 
such other duties as are usually incident to their 
respective offices. These officers, together with four 
other members of the Society, shall constitute a 
Council to which shall be entrusted the management 
of all affairs of the Society not otherwise provided 
[N. 8. Von. X. No. 267. 
for. The president and secretary of the Society shall 
serve respectively as chairman and secretary of the 
Council, and every officer of the Society shall be 
responsible to the Council and shall administer his 
office in accordance with its instructions. 
2. The Council shall enact such by-laws as may be 
found needful and proper for administering the af- 
fairs of the Society, and may from time to time 
modify or repeal such by-laws. 
3. The president, the vice-presidents and the treas- 
urer shall be elected annually in a manner to be pre- 
scribed by the Council, and shall serve until their 
successors are duly elected and qualified. Two mem- 
bers of the Council shall be chosen at the first annual 
meeting of the Society to serve for a period of one 
year, and two members shall be chosen annually to 
serve for a period of two years or until their succes- 
sors are duly elected and qualified. The term of of- 
fice of the secretary shall be three years or until his 
successor is duly elected and qualified. 
ARTICLE IV.—Meetings. 
1. The Council shall determine the time and place 
of each meeting of the Society and shall provide for 
an annual meeting, at which officers shall be elected. 
2. The Council shall have charge of the programme 
for each meeting. 
3. At meetings of the Society, regularly called, 
twenty members shall constitute a quorum. 
ARTICLE V.— Finance. 
1. The Council shall levy an annual assessment 
upon the members of the Society sufficient to provide 
the funds required by the Society for the ensuing 
year ; provided that this assessment shall not exceed 
the sum of five dollars per member in any year. 
2. If at any time there shall be required for the 
purposes of the Society a larger sum than can be ob- 
tained in accordance with Section 1 of this article, the 
Council shall present at an annual meeting of the So- 
ciety astatement of such need and of the circumstances 
attending it, and the Society shall thereupon deter- 
mine by ballot a policy to be adopted in the matter. 
3. No officer of the Society shall receive any com- 
pensation for services rendered to it, but the Council 
may by resolution direct the treasurer to reimburse 
to any officer expenses necessarily incurred by him in 
the discharge of his official duty. 
ARTICLE VI.—Amendments. 
1. This constitution may be amended by the affirm- 
ative votes of three-fourths of the members present 
at any annual meeting of the Society, but no amend- 
ment shall be voted upon unless a notice setting forth 
the nature of such proposed amendment shall have 
