Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation http://archive.org/details/planofgovernmentOOcolu REF BV 4070 .C79415 1873 Columbia Theolosical Seminary (Columbia* SO. Constitution of the Theoloaical Seminary of the For Reference Not to be taken from this room 85-01^38 3ohn Bulow Campbell Library Columbia Theological Seminary Decatur, Ga. 30031 PLAN OF GOVERNMENT -OF THE- THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY OF THE- SYNOD OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA COLUMBIA, S. C -A-s A_d.optecL 1:cl 1890. COLUMBIA, S. C.: WILLIAM SLOANE, BOOK AND JOB PRINTER. 1891. PLAN OF GOVERNMENT -OF THE- Theological Seminary -OF THE- m ti :o:- SECTION I OF THE ASSOCIATED SYNODS. 1. Article 1. The Seminary shall be under the direction and control of the Synods of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and South Geogia and Florida, and others which may hereafter be associated with them, through the incorporated body known as " The Board of Directors of the Theological Seminary of the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia," which has always hitherto had charge of the property of the institution, the Associated Synods retaining the power of instruction and ultimate control. 2. Art. 2. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church m the United States shall have the right of general supervision over the interest of this Seminary, and for this purpose the Directors shall lay before the Assembly, at its annual meeting, a report setting forth the existing condition of the institution ; and the Assembly can advise and recommend measures for its welfare. Should the Assembly see reason, at any time, to object to any of the acts of the Directors or other authorities of the institution, it shall send down, in writing, to the Synods, its opinions in the premises, but shall have no controlling negative, nor the right to originate any measures for the management of the Seminary. 3. Art. 3. Alterations or amendments of this Plan of Govern- ment are in every case to be proposed to the Synods at one meeting, but not adopted till the meeting of the subsequent year, except by a two thirds vote in at least two of the Synods and a majority in another. SECTION II. OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. 4. Article 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of fifteen members ; and no one shall be a member of the Board who is not either a minister, a ruling elder or deacon. These Directors shall receive their appointment from the respective Synods, as provided for in the Article immediately following. Vacancies occurring ad interim may be filled by the Board until the next meeting of the Synod not fully represented. 5. Art. 2. Of the members of the Board, the Synod of South Carolina shall elect six; the Synod of Georgia four; the Synod of Alabama three, and the Synod of South Georgia and Florida two ; the term of office of five of whom, viz : two from the Synod of South Carolina and one from each of the other Synods, shall expire each year. Of these fifteeen Directors, four ministers, one from each Synod, shall be designated by their respective Synods as Examiners, whose special duty it shall be to attend the examinations at the close of every term and report thereon to the Board of Directors. 6. Art. 3. The Board shall elect its own President, Vice- President, Secretary, and Treasurer; and shall appoint its own organ, or organs, of communication with the Synods. The Treasurer shall be a member of the Presbyterian Church, but need not be a member of the Board, and shall give a suitable bond.' 7. Art. 4. The Board of Directors shall meet statedly once in each year, at the close of the session, and may meet oftener on its own adjournment. It shall also meet when it is called together by its President, or by any three of its members, not more than two of whom shall be from the same Synod, who are hereby empowered to convene it. It shall appoint an Executive Committee to act ad interwi between its stated sessions. Five members shall constitute a quorum of the Board for the transaction of business ; provided they are not all of one Synod. 8. Art. 5. All Professors of the Seminary shall be elected by the Board of Directors, two-thirds of all the members of the Board being necessary to a choice. But such elections shall be subject to the approval of the Synods, to which they shall be reported at their next stated meetings thereafter ; and if an election is approved by a majority of the Synods, it shall be regarded as complete. 9. Art. 6. The Board shall have authority by a two-thirds vote to transfer a Professor from one chair to another, the act being subject to like approval by the Synods. The Board shall also have authority to fix the salary of each Professor. 10. Art. 7. The Board shall hold all the property belonging to, or to be acquired by, the institution, in trust for the Associated Synods; and nothing in this plan of government shall be understood as in any manner or degree infringing upon its legal and chartered rights. 11. Art. 8. The Board shall appoint such committees of investments as it shall deem necessary. 12. Art. 9. The Secretary of the Board shall conduct its cor- respondence, preserve on file its papers, and keep a record of its proceedings in a book which shall be annually submitted to the in- spection of the Synod of South Carolina, and a certified copy of the minutes of each year shall be sent to the other Synods. 13. Art. 10. The Treasurer shall receive, manage, and (with the joint advice and consent of the appropriate Committees of Investment) invest the funds of the Seminary, under the direction of the Board. He shall give bond for their faithful management, in such sum as the Board shall direct, with sufficient sureties, to "the Board of Directors of the Theological Seminary of the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia." He shall give receipts for all monies received; pay all monies appropriated by the Board ; and make an annual itemized report of the state of the funds, and of the expenditures of the Seminary, to the Board of Directors. And the Board shall appoint, at least once a year, a committee of two or more of its own members, before whom all the bonds, notes and assets of the Seminary shall be exhibited by the Treasurer. 14. Art. 11. The Investing Committees shall aid the Treas- urer in investing the funds of the Seminary such investments always to be made in the corporate name of the institution; and the In- vesting Committees are further required to make an annual itemized report to the Board, through the Treasurer, of whatever funds may have been invested with their advice and consent. 15. Art. 12. When the further continuance of a Professor in the Seminary shall, in the judgment of two-thirds of all the members of the Board of Directors, be deemed undesirable, the Board shall request him to resign, and if he declines to do so it shall, by a vote of two-thirds of all the members, without a formal trial, dissolve his relation to the institution j and this action shall be final. 6 16. Art. 13. When a Professor shall be removed from his chair by the Board, either with or without the instruction of the Synods, that chair shall be vacant from the date of the removing act, and the Board may proceed at once to fill the vacancy. 17. Art. 14. The Board shall annually submit a full written report of the State of the Seminary to the Synods. 18. Art. 15. The Board, for its information, may, at its stated meetings, and at such other times as may be deemed advisable, hold conference with the Faculty in regard to the interests of the institution. 19. Art. 16. The Board shall make all rules and regulations, and generally do whatever it deems for the welfare of the Seminary; provided the same shall not be repugnant to this J^lan of Govern- ment, the orders of the Synods, or the Constitution of the Presby- terian Church. 20. Art. 17. The Board shall open and close all its sessions with prayer. 21. Art. 18. Every Director, previously to taking his seat as a member of the Board, shall solemnly subscribe the following formula: "Approving the Plan -of Government of 'The Theo- logical Seminary of the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia,' I solemnly declare and promise, in the presence of God and the Board, that I will faithfully endeavor to carry into effect all the articles and provisions of said Plan of Government, and to promote the great design of the Seminary." SECTION III. PROFESSORS and faculty. 22. Article 1. The Professorships in this Seminary shall be those of Biblical Literature and Exegesis of Scripture, Didactic and Polemic Theology, Church Government and History, Pastoral Theology and Sacred Rhetoric, and Natural Science in connection with Revelation and Christian Apologetics, and such others as the Synods may, from time to time, establish. There may be also a Tutor of the Hebrew Language, to be appointed by the Faculty, and his salary to be fixed by the Board. 23. Art. 2. The Professors of Didactic and Polemic Theology, of Church Government and History, and of Pastoral Theology and Sacred Rhetoric, shall be ordained ministers of the gospel, and shall have been engaged in the discharge of pastoral duties for at least five years. The other chairs may be rilled by ordained ministers without such experience. 24. Art. 3. The election of Professors shall be by ballot, it having been previously made the order of the day, and a season of special of prayer having been observed for the Divine direction in the choice, immediately before the time of the nomination. 25. Art. 4. Each Professor shall lay before the Faculty and the Board, as soon as practicable after his appointment, a detailed exhibition of the system and method which he proposes to pursue, as well as of the subjects he proposes to discuss in conducting the studies of his classes, and he shall be entitled to their assistance and advice in the conduct of his department. 26. Art. 5. Every Professor, when inaugurated, shall publicly subscribe the Confession of Faith and the other standards, agreeably to the following formula: "In the presence of God and these witnesses, I do solemnly subscribe the Confession of Faith, Catechisms and other standards of government, discipline, and worship of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, as a just summary of the doctrines contained in the Bible, and promise and engage not to teach, directly or indirectly, any doctrine contrary to the Scriptures as interpreted in those standards while I continue a Professor in this Seminary." 27. Art. 6. The method of instruction in this Seminary shall be that of private recitation, and of private and public lectures ; and every exercise shall be opened with prayer. 2S. Art. 7. In case of a vacancy in any Professorship the duties of such chair shall be divided amongst the Faculty, as far as may be practicable, until the next meeting of the Board. 29. Art. 8. The Professors, when it shall be deemed desirable, shall, under the direction of the Board, supply the students with the preaching of the gospel and the administration of its ordinances. 30. Art. 9. Any Professor proposing to resign his office, unless relieved frcm giving such notice by the Board, shall give six months notice of his intention to the Board. 31. Art. 10. The Professors shall constitute a Faculty, who shall meet at least monthly, on a given day; and at all meetings of the Faculty, the Senior Professor shall preside; but, in every other respect, the Professors shall be on an equality, and all questions before them shall be decided by a majority of votes. 8 32. Art. 11. The Faculty shall appoint a clerk, and keep a fair record of its proceedings, which shall be annually submitted to the inspection of the Board. It shall also, in accordance with this Plan of Government, receive and act upon all applications for admission to the Seminary, and for charitable assistance; give certificates to students applying to Presbyteries for license, and to those leaving the Seminary after completing their regular course of studies. It shall fix the time for social worship, morning and evening (and for public worship, if such is instituted), the hours for private recitations, and the days for public lectures. It shall decide all questions of order, and cases of discipline; suspend or dismiss any student who, in its opinion, is unworthy the privileges of the Seminary, whether by reason of indolence, neglect of duty, or other causes, or whose connection with the institution would be injurious to its interests. In all cases where discipline involves such separation from the Seminary, the student shall have the right of appeal to the Board of Directors. It shall do generally whatever is deemed necessary for the successful regulation of the internal concerns of the Seminary; and shall report in writing the state of the Seminary to the Board. And it may suggest or recommend subjects for the consideration of the Board. 33. Art. 12. Whenever a Professor shall hereafter become seventy years of age, he shall be retired at the close of that scholastic year, unless retained in office by an annual election in which he shall receive the votes of a majority of the Board. And when a Professor is thus retired, the Board is authorized to appropriate to him such stipend as it may deem proper. SECTION IV. ADMISSION AND DUTIES OF STUDENTS. 34. Article 1. Students, to be admitted, must furnish the Faculty with satisfactory testimonials of being in full communion with some Christian Church ; of having been regularly educated at some college or university, or in the absence of such testimonials, must satisfy the Faculty, by examination, that they have made attainments necessary for the foundation of a course of Theology. 35. Art. 2. These testimonials being satisfactory, they shall be admitted to full standing in the Seminary, by subscribing the following declaration, viz: ''Deeply impressed with a sense of the importance of improving in knowledge, prudence, and piety, preparatory to the gospel ministry, I solemnly promise, in reliance on Divine grace, that I will faithfully and diligently attend all the instructions of this Seminary, and that I will conscientiously and vigilantly observe all the rules and regulations specified in the Plan of Government, and also obey all the lawful requisitions, and readily yield to all the wholesome admonitions of the Professors of the Seminary while I continue a member of it." 36. Art. 3. The students thus admitted to the Seminary shall be divided into three classes, to be called Senior, Middle, and Junior. The Junior shall embrace those of the first year; the Middle those of the second; and the Senior those of the third. 37. Art. 4. The students of the several classes shall, unless per- mission otherwise is granted by the Faculty, reside at the Seminary during the whole of each term, and be under the particular charge of their respective Professors. Nor shall any student leave town, or be absent from any regular exercise of the Seminary, without permis- sion. And for each absence he shall render a satisfactory excuse to the Professor of his class, or, in case of his absence, to the Senior Professor present. 38. Art. 5. The students shall sustain good, moral and re- ligious characters; manifest a due regard for the Directors, Professors, and each other; pursue the course of studies marked out by the Faculty; observe its regulations respecting the hours of study, private recitations, public lectures, and social devotions; and obey the requistions of their several instructors. 39. Art. 6. The students of the Junior and Middle classes shall write compositions on such subjects, and at such times, as their Professors may direct, and shall submit the same to them for criticism. The students of the Senior class shall write during the year at least two sermons, which shall be submitted to the appropriate Professor for private criticism and approval, and they shall alter and transcribe them until approved by his signature. And the students of all the classes shall, if practicable, deliver a piece of their own composition before the students and Professors once in each month. 40. Art. 7. Any student who neglects his regular studies, is guilty of an indiscretion, exhibits an indifference to practical religion, or otherwise violates this Plan of Government, shall be faithfully admonished in private, or before his class, as the Professor may deem expedient; if the student perseveres in the same course he shall be publicly admonished, suspended, or dismissed from the Seminary by the Faculty. 10 41. Art. 8. Every student having completed a regular course of three years' studies in this Seminary, and returned and replaced all the books taken from the library, shall receive a certificate from the Faculty, specifying the time he has been connected with the Seminary, the diligence he has manifested in his studies, and the moral and religious character he has sustained. 42. Art. 9. The Faculty may, at its discretion, admit to the exercises of the institution such persons besides students as may desire to profit by its instructions. 4^. Art. 10. Students who desire to take only a part of the course taught in the Seminary shall not be matriculated but admitted as special students, subject, however, to the discipline of the institution. SECTION V. COURSE OF STUDIES. 44. Article 1. The course of studies pursued in this Sem- inary shall embrace a period of three years. It shall cover, in general, the ground of Biblical Literature, Systematic Theology, Church History and Polity, Pastoral Duties, Sacred Rhetoric, and the Evidences and Apologetics; and none who do not complete this course shall be entitled to a regular certificate of the Faculty. 45. Art. 2. The course of studies shall be varied or extended, as the improvements of the age may require; provided it never deviates from the Word of God and the standards of the Presbyterian Church, SECTION VI. RESIDENT LICENTIATES. 46. Article 1. Licentiates, or students who have honorably completed a course of Theological studies, may reside at this institution, and enjoy the privilege of the library, and also the public lectures and private recitations of the Professors. 47. Art. 2. Persons thus residing at the Seminary shall be under the inspection of the Faculty, and be required to attend the devotional exercises of the institution. SECTION VII. DEVOTIONAL AND PERSONAL PIETY. 48. Article 1. Religious services shall be held in the chapel every morning and evening, during each term, as the Faculty may 11 direct, and in the following order, viz: The service shall com- mence with a short prayer, imploring the Divine aid and blessing; a portion of the Scriptures shall then be read, and accompanied by such remarks or written exposition as the presiding officer may think proper; after which a psalm or hymn shall be sung, and the whole concluded with an appropriate prayer. These services shall be under the direction of one of the Professors, though a senior student may officiate. 49. Art. 2. There shall be at least one weekly Conference, appointed by the Faculty, with a design to promote the personal piety of the students, and qualify them for the practical duties of the ministry. And, if deemed expedient, the Faculty may occasion- ally set apart a day for fasting, humiliation and prayer, which shall be strictly observed by all members of the institution. 50. Art. 8. Every member of the Seminary shall regularly,, conscientiously and devoutly, attend all these religious services, and such others as the Faculty may appoint. SECTION VIII. EXAMINATIONS. 51. Article 1. There shall be at the close of every term, an examination upon all the studies of the year. 52. Art. 2. All examinations shall be conducted at such times and in such manner as the Board of Directors shall prescribe. 53. Art. 3. No member of the Seminary shall be absent from the examination of his class: and in case of the absence of any student, he shall be examined by the Faculty at the commencement of the next term ; and if his examination be not satisfactory he shall be required to make up the deficiency; otherwise he may not pro- ceed with the class. SECTION IX. VACATIONS. 54. Article 1. There shall be one or more vacations in each year, at such times and of such length as the Board may direct. 55. Art. 2. During each vacation the students shall be respon- sible to the Faculty of the Seminary for their conduct ; and for any unworthy course that may injure the institution they shall be admonished, suspended, or dismissed, as the case may require. 12 56. Art. 3. At the close of every vacation the students shall immediately return to the Seminary; and no excuse for absence, after the term commences, shall be deemed satisfactory, except sickness or unavoidable necessity. SECTION X. LIBRARY. 57. Article 1. The Library shall be deposited in suitable rooms provided for the purpose, and committed to the care of a Librarian appointed by the Board. 53. Art. 2. The Librarian shall give bond, when required by the Board, for the faithful management of the Library, in such sum and with such sureties as the Board may direct; and he shall, at the discretion of the Board, be allowed a suitable sum for his services. He may also appoint an assistant Librarian. 59. Art. 3. The books of the Library shall be regularly num- bered and arranged by a Committee of the Board and the Librarian, who shall also furnish an alphabetical catalogue for the use of the Librarian. And a fair record of all the books given, and of the names of the donors, shall be kept by the Librarian for the inspec- tion of all men. 60. Art. 4. Any book or books which the Committee of the Board and the Librarian may deem too valuable to be lent from the Library, shall be marked and kept there for occasional reference; and they shall never be loaned by the Librarian without a special order from the Board. 61. Art. 5. The Directors, Professors and Instructors, Resident Licentiates, Students of the Seminary, and others to whom the Board by a special order shall grant the privilege, may take books from the Library. 62. Art. 6. No person shall ever borrow or return a book without the knowledge of the Librarian or his assistant, who shall examine the state of the book and keep a record of its title, also of the person borrowing or returning, and of the time when borrowed or returned. This record shall be signed by the person borrowing or returning the book, unless he be a Director, Professor or Instruc- tor, who may obtain books by a written order. They may also have access to the Library on all occasions, whether to return or receive books, or to consult them in the Library. 13 63. Art. 7. The Library shall be opened for lending and re- turning books, during term time, one hour a day four days in a week. And no books shall be lent or returned at any other time, except as specified in the preceding Article, or by the special order of a Professor. And no student or resident licentiate shall ever have more than five books at the same time, in addition to the classics received upon the written order of an Instructor; nor shall he retain any book from the Library more than four weeks; nor shall he carry any such book out of town. The Library shall be opened for con- sultation every day except Sabbaths and other special days, at such hours as the Faculty shall appoint. 64. Art. 8. Any person injuring or defacing a book taken from the Library shall make due satisfaction to the Librarian; any person detaining a book beyond the specified time shall have no other till that be returned ; any person losing or destroying a book shall re- place it, or pay its value; and if it belong to a set he shall take the remaining volumes and furnish a new set, or pay for the whole. The Librarian may require that any book shall be covered by the person borrowing it. 65. Art. 9. The Library shall be aired every week, and oftener if necessary, swept and dusted every month ; and at the close of each term, before the examination, the books shall be removed from the shelves and each shelf brushed; and at the end of every year all the books shall be returned to the Library and the whole prepared for the inspection of the Board, to whom the Librarian shall maice a full and written report of the state of the LiDrary at each annual meeting. 66. Art. 10. The monies received by the Faculty for the bene- fit of the Library shall constitute a fund, to be known as the Library Fund, unless given for the immediate purchase or repair of books. These funds shall be invested by the Treasurer, with the advice and consent of the Investing Committees; and the interest of the same shall be controlled by the Faculty, and appropriated by them to the increase and preservation of the Library. SECTION XI. FUNDS AND CHARITABLE ASSISTANCE. 67. Article 1. The funds of this Seminary shall ever be kept distinct and entirely separate from all others, and they shall be de- posited in the hands of the Treasurer to be managed as required by this Constitution. 14 68. Art. 2. All funds invested for the benefit of the institution shall be invested in the name of "the Board of Directors of the Theological Seminary of the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia," or as it may otherwise direct; and no part of the funds or their in- come shall ever be appropriated, except by an order of the Board, subject at all times to direction and control of the Synods. And the monies thus appropriated by the Board shall be paid by the Treasurer only at the order of the President, or in the case of his absence, death or inability to act, the Vice-President, countersigned by the Secretary. 69. Art. 3. A sacred regard shall ever be paid to the wishes and directions of all Testators or Donors who may bequeath or give anything to the funds of the institution. Any individual or indi- viduals, or bodies, who shall, by will or otherwise, found or endow a Professorship with $25,000, or a scholarship with $2,000 or more, or a fund of sufficient amount for any specific purpose connected with the Seminary, may designate the name by which it shall ever be called. 70. Art. 4. All funds or their incomes, specially designated for charitable assistance, shall be sacredly appropriated to defray or diminish the expenses of worthy students in need of pecuniary aid, or to lessen generally the expenses of a residence at the Seminary. 71. Art. 5. The scholarship funds shall all be dispensed by the Faculty, and they shall make an annual report of the same to the Board, with the names of the beneficiaries and the amount received. 72. Art. 6. The regular account of all the funds and expendi- tures of the institution, and also of the number of the students re- ceiving charitable assistance, shall annually be laid before the Board by the Treasurer. 73. Art. 7. To insure full meetings of the Board a sum may be annually appropriated to defray the actual travelling expenses of the members, not to exceed ten cents a mile. 15 BY-LAWS. 1. The officers of the Board, consisting of President, Vice- President, Secretary and Treasurer, shall be elected by ballot at its annual meeting at the close of the session, and they shall hold office for one year from the time of their election, and until their succes- sors shall have been appointed. 2. The Committees of Investment and the Librarian shall be chosen by ballot, annually, at the same meeting which elects the officers above named, and they shall annually report to the Board. 3. No discussion shall take place without a regular motion. 4. At every annual meeting of the Board, as soon as practicable after the organization of the Board, the following Committees shall be appointed, viz. : An Executive Committee, as provided by the Constitution. A Committee of Ways and Means : To take a general view of the state of the Seminary, and to devise and recommend measures ne- cessary to its success. A Building Committee: To examine the buildings belonging to the Seminary and recommend any repairs, alterations or additions that may be necessary, A Committee on the Library: To consider whatever relates to that subject and recommend measures accordingly. A Connnittee of Latvs and Regulations : To investigate the whole internal management of the institution, and suggest necessary alterations. A Committee of /Audits : To audit all accounts submitted to the Board. A Committee of three members of the Board, as provided in the Constitution, before whom all the bonds, notes and assets of the Seminary shall be exhibited by the Treasurer. This examination of bonds, notes and assets of the Seminary shall be made by this Com- mittee semi-annually, to wit, in May and November. 5. In the absence of the President the Vice-President shall pre- side, and in the absence of both the Board shall choose a temporary President. In the absence of the Secretary the Board shall choose a temporary Secretary. The Board shall also appoint at each meet- ing an assistant Secretary. 16 6. The Board shall annually appoint at least two persons from its own number, or from the Faculty, whose duty it shall be to pre- serve from damage and keep in good order the material property of the Seminary; who shall be authorized to expend for these purposes a sum not exceeding $500 a year, and who shall annually report to the Board. 7. The necessary expenses of the Board for travelling, for stationery, etc., shall be paid by the Treasurer upon the order of the President, countersigned by the Secretary. 8. The President of this Board shall be the organ of communi- cation between it and the Synods. ;> i ?>* ."fi'S* nw? I v,i' BntffKalCE H i*Eli m H I HI I J* I * ' HI I HH J HBBK ' *J-*t 8c 1 ^H^Bfl 1 & NOR vj'-fT*'. iSP Sk FeHp H ' 1 ' * . Tjm fffil /Iffi Hi tHH Hra-tfifl John Bulow Campbell Library Columbia Theological Seminary Decatur, Ga. 30031 85-0ljTn8 For Reference Not to be taken from this room JOHN BULOW CAMPBELL LIBRARY BV4070 .C79415 1873 GCLR Columbia Theologica/Constitution of the 1828 0022773 4