THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY was founded on October 1, 1928, by a group of Masonic students, for Freemasons desirous of seeking and spreading Masonic light. In 1946, The Philalethes magazine was established, to publish articles by its members.

The sole purpose of this Research Society is to act as a clearing house for Masonic knowledge. It exchanges ideas, researches problems confronting Freemasonry, and passes these along to the Masonic world.

Its membership consists of Members and Fellows who are Master Masons in good standing in a recognized Masonic Lodge anywhere in the world.

Chapters of the Society are encouraged to be formed and remain active. These are composed of Members and Fellows of the Society, to assure fellowship among like-minded Freemasons. The papers presented during Chapter meetings should be sent to the Editor of The Philalethes for possible publication in the magazine.

Fellows are chosen from Members of the Society who have shown a dedication to the knowledge of Freemasonry. The number is limited to 40 at any one time.

The Society is governed by an Executive Board, which meets at the call of the President. An annual meeting of Members and Fellows of the Society is held, at a time and place determined by the Executive Board.

The name of the Society is pronounced fill a lay thees with the accent on the third syllable ) lay. It is derived from two Greek words, phil- and alethes. It means "lover of truth."

The name of this organization shall be THE PHILALETHES SOCIETY.

a. To provide a bond for Freemasons who desire to pursue the study of Freemasonry.

b. To provide a means of exchanging ideas and to mutually assist each other.

c. To encourage those Freemasons who have Masonic light to spread and those who desire to receive it.

The membership shall consist of Freemasons who are members in good standing in a recognized Masonic Lodge. Members, not to exceed 40 at any one time, may be chosen as Fellows, for particular service to the Society, its constituent chapters, or its projects. On very rare occasions, for extraordinary reasons, a member may be named as an Honorary Fellow. Non-Masons may become "subscribers" to receive The Philalethes magazine. Members and Fellows will be automatically suspended if their dues are not current. Members and Fellows will be automatically suspended if suspended by their Lodge.

The annual dues, payable on January 1, shall be $30. Life memberships may be obtained for a fee of $400. The joining fee shall be $10.00 and shall accompany the petition with the dues for the first year.

A Fellow-elect must be, or become a Life Member, to be officially designated a Fellow of The Philalethes Society.

The Officers of the Society shall be: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Executive Secretary, Treasurer, Editor, Business Manager, and the Immediate Past President. The following officers shall be elected biennially by the Executive Board: President; First Vice President; Second Vice President; Executive Secretary; and Treasurer. The Executive Board may, by majority vote, select and install a Business Manager, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Executive Board. The Business Manager shall be a member of the Executive Board, with full voting rights. The Librarian and the Editor of The Philalethes shall be selected by the Executive Board and serve until replaced by vote of the Executive Board. All officers must be Fellows of the Society.

An elected Officer may be removed from office for cause by four affirmative votes of the Executive Board.

The Executive Board shall consist of the President, First and Second Vice Presidents, Executive Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian, Editor of The Philalethes, Business Manager, and the Immediate Past President. The administrative affairs of the Society shall be managed by the Executive Board.

The President shall be the presiding officer of the Society and the Executive Board. He shall appoint the committees he deems advisable.

The First Vice President shall assume the duties of the President in his absence or disability; he shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President.

The Second Vice President shall assume the duties of the First Vice President in case of his disability, and those of the President in case of the disability of both; he shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President.

The Executive Secretary shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the President. He shall receive a stipend or honorarium, as shall be determined by the Executive Board.

A Business Manager shall attend to all correspondence of the Society; keep the records; receive all moneys due the Society and deposit them promptly in a bank designated by the Executive Board; keep the financial records; pay all bills when approved verbally or in writing by authorized officers; arrange to have his books audited after January 1 each year; and perform such other duties as are required by the Executive Secretary and/or the Executive Board. He shall submit an annual report to the Executive Secretary and the President. He shall receive a stipend or honorarium, as shall be determined by the Executive Board.

The Treasurer shall collect the annual dues and pay them over to the Business Manager, or deposit them in the designated bank immediately, sending the deposit receipt to the Business Manager, and perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President.

The Librarian shall collect and distribute back issues of The Philalethes; provide photocopies of articles requested; and perform such other duties as may from time to time be considered appropriate. He is authorized to determine payments and charges for the services he renders.

The Editor of The Philalethes shall be responsible for its publication; he shall have the power to determine the contents of the magazine; he shall administer the Philalethes e-mail List-Server, and the Philalethes home-page and its subsites on the World Wide Web, and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President. He shall receive a stipend or honorarium, as shall be determined by the Executive Board.

The day to day operation of The Society shall be the responsibility of The Executive Secretary, Business Manager, and Editor. They will report their activities to the Executive Board of The Society at the Annual Meeting.

The Society shall publish The Philalethes on a basis to be determined by the Executive Board; the Editor shall have full responsibility in determining what to publish; it shall be mailed to every Member and Fellow of the Society. Other publications may be approved by the Executive Board at its pleasure.

The Society shall meet annually at a time and place to be selected by the Executive Board and/or President. Other meetings may be held whenever and wherever the President and/or the Executive Board approve.

A dispensation to form a Chapter of The Philalethes may be obtained from the President, provided that:

a. The formation of a Chapter does not conflict with the laws of the Grand Lodge in which the Chapter will reside. A dispensation will be considered by the President provided that:

1. A letter of intent is signed by five Master Masons, one of whom must be a Member or Fellow of the Society, and returned to the Executive Secretary, or President, with a fee of $10.

2. The letter of intent must include the proposed name of the Chapter, the area of its jurisdiction, and the names of those who will serve as President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer.

3. All members of the proposed Chapter must become members of The Philalethes Society, if they are not at the time of signing. This may be accomplished by including an application from the Society along with the proper fees, and included with the request for a dispensation.

To obtain a charter, the Chapter must return the dispensation, along with a fee of $50, a copy of its bylaws which have previously been approved by the Executive Board, and the transactions of its meetings, all of which must be received by the Executive Secretary by January 1.

Charters will be presented at the annual meeting.

Each Chapter shall make an annual report by January 1 to the Executive Secretary. Failure to do so for two consecutive years shall result in the forfeiture of the charter, and all property of the suspended Chapter shall become the property of The Philalethes Society.

These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board when the proposed amendment is submitted in writing and each member of the Board given sufficient notice of the action proposed; or by a two-thirds vote of the entire membership present, if at least five members, one of whom must be a Fellow, has submitted a proposed amendment in writing, which, if approved by the Executive Board, shall be printed in The Philalethes, along with a ballot, which shall be returned to the Executive Secretary; and the ballots counted by arrangements made by the Executive Board.

(approved by the Executive Board

September 23-25, 1999)