\ UUM'"'--^W>.--^; #/ I ^" THE CoitstiMou J §g-f akis O F T H E COLUMBIA ATHENJUI: i ii ADOPTED FEBRUARY 28, 1856. .#^^^^^^^::::::^:lA^^^i::::'r"% COLUMBIA, S. C. PRINTED BY I. C. M O R 4i J. M. ALLEN, f R. L. BRYAN, A. J. GREEN, . '■ \ \ W. W. UTAZiKER, Jr., \ ^ Secretary of the Board. \ '- ^ ACT OF INCORPORATION. I. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Represen- tatives, now met and sitting in General Asseinhly, and by the authority of the same, That all persons who now are or hereafter may become members of an association form- ed in the city of Columbia, and known as the Columbia Athen^um, be, and they are hereby declared, a body politic and corporate, by the name and style of the Columbia Athen^um. II. That the said corporation shall be empowered to retain, possess, and enjoy all such property as it may now be possessed of, or entitled to, or which shall here- after be given, bequeathed to, or in any manner acquired by it. III. That the said corporation shall have succession of officers and members, to be chosen and admitted accord- ing to its by-laws, which the said corporation shall have power to make and alter from time to time, provided the same be not repugnant to the laws of the land. — Said corporation shall also have the right to keep and use a common seal, and the -same to alter at will: to IV. ACT OF INCORPORATION. sue and be sued, to plead and be impleaded, in any of the courts of this State, and to have and enjoy every right incident to corporations. IV. That all books, maps, charts, statues, pictures, and so forth, which have been or shall hereafter be present- ed to said corporation, shall not be liable to seizure and sale under any legal process' whatever, for the debts, contracts, or liabilities of said corporation; and on the dissolution of said corporation, such books, maps, charts, statues, pictures, and so forth, shall revert to the donors respectively, or their legal representatives. V. That this Act shall be taken and deemed to be a public Act, and shall continue of force for twenty years. In the Senate House, this twentieth day of Decem- ber, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, and in the eighty- first year of the sovereignty and independence of the United States of America. JAMES CHESNUT, Jr., President of the Senate. JAMES SIMONS, Speaker House of Representatives. Cfltistiitttiait. ARTICLE I.-MME AND OBJECT. The name and style of this Institution shall be the " Columbia Athen^um," and it shall have for its general object, the encouragement of the amenities and virtues which spring from social intercourse, and the promotion of useful knowledge by the collection of books and periodicals, and by public lectures. ARTICLE II -MEMBERSHIP. Section 1. The members of the Athenseum shall be proprietors and annual contributors. Sec. 2. Any person may become a proprietor upon the payment of one hundred dollars, for which he shall receive a certificate under the seal of the Athe- naeum, which shall be transferable and assignable as the Board of Directors may prescribe, and he shall be exempted from annual dues and contributions. Sec. 3. Any person may become an annual con- tributor upon the payment oi jive dollars per annum, in advance. CONSTITUTION. ARTICLE III.-OFFICERS. Sec. ]. The officers of the Athenaeum shall be a President, Vice-President, and ten Directors, who shall be chosen from the proprietors, and who togeth- er, shall constitute the Board of Direction. Sec. 2. The officers shall be elected by ballot, at the annual meeting of the members of the Athenaeum. Sec. 3. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Direction and of the Association, giving the casting vote upon all equal divisions, and endorse an order for payment upon all accounts approved by the Board of Direction. Sec. 4. The Vice-President shall be invested with the powers of the President during his absence, and in the absence of both of the officers, a President pro tern, shall be elected by the Board. Sec. 5. The Board of Direction shall have power to appropriate funds, enact by-laws, and generally conduct the affairs of the Athenaeum : shall meet at least once a month for the transaction of business ; shall report at the annual meeting of the members their proceedings for the past year, and the state of the concerns of the Athenjigum, and lill all vacancies which may occur in the Board during their term of office. CONSTITUTION. Sec. 6. The Board of Directors sliall appoint a Librarian, who shall also act as Secretary and Trea- surer. It shall be his duty to attend in person, at the Library and Reading Room : keep a fair and exact register of all books, magazines, maps, charts, papers, and all other property in his care ; arrange them in proper order, file all papers immediately on their reception, and keep an accurate account of all books delivered to the members. As Treasurer, he shall collect and receive all moneys due to the Athenaeum, and pay all accounts, or other demands endorsed for payment by the President. He shall deposite all funds of the Athenaeum in its corporate name, and the same shall be drawn by his check only, upon being countersigned by the President. He shall keep regular accounts of receipts and dis- bursements, open at all times to the inspection of the Board, and shall render quarterly statements to the Board. He shall, at the annual meeting of the members, make a full report upon the financial aftairs of the Athenaeum. He shall perform as Librarian, Treasurer, and Secretary, all such duties pertaining to his office as the Board shall direct. He shall be elected annually by the Board, and give bond and security, to be approved by them, for the faithful performance of his duties, in the sum of two thousand dollars. His compensation shall be fixed by the Board. ARTICLE lY -MEETINGS. Sec. 1. The annual meeting of the members of the Athenaeum shall be held on the first Saturday CONSTITUTION. in May. Extra meetings shall be called at the writ- ten request of fifteen members, or when deemed ne- cessary by the President. Sec. 2. Twenty members shall be a quorum for the transaction of business at the meetings of the mem- bers, and five Directors at the meeting of the Board of Directors. ARTICLE V -ALTERATIONS. There shall be no alteration, addition, or amend- ment to this Constitution, unless the same shall have been proposed to the Boai'd of Directors one month previous to the annual meeting of the members, and at such annual meetings approved by two-thirds of the proprietors and two-thirds of the annual con- tributors present. g-fatos. ARTICLE I. Section 1. The Board of Directors shall meet on the first Monday, at 1-^ P. M., of each month, for the, transaction of regular business. The President may call extra meetings when he deems it necessar}'', or when requested to do so by any two members of the Board. Sec. 2. The President shall appoint, at the first regular meeting of the Board after the annual meet- ing, four Standing Committees of three each, who shall serve for one year: a Committee on Finance, on Library and Reading Room, on the Hall and on Lectures. Sec. 3. The Committee on Finance shall receive from the Treasurer all the funds of the Athenaeum, and invest them. They shall report to the Board on all demands against the Athenaeum ; and they shall examine the books of the Treasurer at least once a month, and report thereon to the Board, and shall conduct all the monetary afikirs of the Athenaeum. Sec. 4. The Committee on the Library and Read- ing Room, shall select and recommend to the Board 10 BY-LAWS. such papers, books, periodicals, &c., wliicli they may deem necessary. They shall examine at least once a month, the books of the Librarian, and report there- on to the Board. It shall be the duty of one of that Committee, to attend at least once a week, the Li- brary and Reading Room, and see that the papers are properly filed, and the Library Room and Read- ing Room kept in good order. Sec. 5. The Committee on the Hall shall receive and decide upon all applications for the rent of the Hall, and shall see that it is kept in proper order. Sec. 6. The Committee on Lectures shall procure Lecturers for the Athenaeum, at such times as they may deem proper. ARTICLE II. RULES FOR READING ROOM, LIBRARY AND LIBRARIAN. Sec. 1. The Reading Room and Library shall be open from the 20th March to 2 2d September, in- clusive, — From 8 A. M. to 1 P. M. " 4 P. M. to 6 P. M. " 7 P. M. to 10 P. M. And from 23d September to 20th March, inclu- sive, — Fi-om 9 A. M. to 1 P. M. " 3 P. M. to 5 P. M. " 7 P. M. to 10 P. M. BY-LAWS. 1 1 Sec. 2. The Librarian shall keep a full and accurate catalogue of all the books, magazines, maps, charts, newspapers, and works of art belonging to the Athe- naeum, and arrange them in proper order, which shall, at all times, be open to the inspection of the members. He shall make a record of all books, maps, charts, &c., presented to the Athenaeum, in a book provided for that purpose with the names of the donors. Sec. 3. He shall register, in ledgers prepared for that purpose and to be kept in the Library Room, the name of every member of the Athenaeum, and shall, in no case, deliver a book to any member until the name of such member is so registered ; he shall therein, preserve an accurate account of the title and number of every volume delivered by him ; the name of the person to whom delivered, and the time of taking and returning the same, together with the forfeiture arising from ever}?- defaulter. He shall report to the Board the number of books taken out by the members during the month. Sec. 4. He shall see that the books. Library Room, Reading Room and Hall, are kept in good order ; shall duly observe the instructions which may be given him by the Board of Direction, and take care that the regulations relative to the loaning of books be strictly adhered to. Sec. 5. He shall deliver to any member applying personally, or to his written order, not more than three volumes. 12 BY-LAWS. Sec. 6. Every member may detain each book or set delivered as aforesaid, two weeks, and may renew for two weeks longer, except such works as by order of the Committee on Library and Reading Room, shall be detained for a shorter time, and which shall not be renewed. Sec. 7. Any member who shall detain a book or set longer than the time above limited, respectively, shall forfeit and pay to the Athenceum for every day a volume is so detained five cents. Sec. 8. If any member deface with marginal notes, or by marking, or otherwise injure a book, he shall make the same good to the Librarian ; and if the book lost or injured be one of a set, he shall pay the Athenaeum the full value of said set, and may there- upon receive the remaining volumes as his property. Sec. 9. No member shall be permitted to receive a book from the Librarian until he shall have paid all sums due from him to the Athenaeum, and make good all damages and losses which he may have occasioned. Sec. 10. The books marked as books of reference, thus ("^), and such others as may from time to time be specially designated by the Board, shall not be taken from the Library. Sec. 11. No book shall be reserved by the Libra- rian for any Director or Member. BY-LAWS. 13 Sec. 12. Any member may have the privilege of introducing- friends who are non-residents, whose names shall be registered by the Librarian, in a book provided for that purpose, and who shall receive a card of admission to the Library and Reading Rooms for the term of four weeks. Persons so introduced, may consult books in the Library and Reading Room, but shall not be privileged to take them out of the Rooms. Sec. 13. Any member who shall mutilate any pe- riodical or papers placed in the Reading Room, or remove them from the files, shall be liable to a fine of five dollars. Sec. 14. 'No periodical shall be taken from the Room. Sec. 15. No conversation shall be allowed in the Reading Room or Library, nor shall any person sit in these Rooms with his hat on ; nor will smoking be allowed in these Rooms. Sec. 16. The Librarian shall remove from the files and carefully label and file all daily papers one month old, and all'weekly papers two months old. ■ 14 PROPRIETORS. 1 PKOPRIETORS. Adams, J. P. Green, H. P. Adams, J. U. GOODWYN, R. H. Allen, J. M. Goodwyn, W. S. Arthur, E. J. GoODWYN, A. D. Bauskett, John Gregg, Maxcy Blanding, S. GoODWYN, T. J. Boatwright, J. S. GUIGNARD, J. S. Bower, G. S. Hampton, Wade Bryan, R. L. Hampton, Wade, Jr. Bryce, Robert Hampton, Frank Bryce, C. R. Hope, Edward Britton, E. H. Howell, J. M. Berry, M. H. Jones, James Bedell, Chas. A. KiLLiAN, Eli Barnwell, R. W., Jr. Kay, John A. DeSaussure, W. F. Levy, Lewis Dougal, H. p. Lyons, Jacob Ewart, J. B. Lyons, Henry Fisher, John LaBorde, M. Fisher, E. H. LeConte, John Fair, Samuel LeConte, Jos. GiBBES, R. W. McMaster, F.W. Glaze, William Means, B. W. Green, A. J. Monteith, G. NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS ON FILE. 15 Parker, J. W. Preston, John Preston, John, Jr. Preston, Alfred Preston, Wm. C. Preston, Wm. C, Jr. Pelham, C. p. Phillips, A. R. Reiley, William Rivers, W. J. Reynolds, J. L. Sims, Jas. T. Scarborough, W. H. Stanley, W. B. Shand, p. J. Scott, John S. Smith, W. H. Southern, J. P. Taylor, Thomas Thomas, J. P. Taylor, A. R. Waring, Clark Walker, G. E. Wallace, Andrew Wallace, Wm. Walker, W. W. Wood, W. S. NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS ON FILE. NEW^SPAPERS. South Carolinian, Columbia, S. C. Carolina Times, " Standard, Charleston, Courier, " Mercury, " Lexington Flag, Lexington, Enquirer, Yorkville, Chronicle, " Patriot and Mountaineer, Greenville, Advertiser, Edgefield, Southern Baptist, Charleston, Southern Presbyterian " 16 NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS ON FILE. Constitutionalist, Augusta, Georgia. Morning News, Savannah, " Alabama Journal, . Montgomery, Ala. Mobile Register, .^ Mobile, Ala. Richmond Enquirer, Richmond, Va. Baltimore American, Baltimore, Md. Serai-Weekly Union, ... • . . . Washington City. National Intelligencer, " " Daily Globe, " «' Congressional Globe, ...... " " Pennsylvanian, Philadelphia, Pa. New York Herald, New York. Day Book, " " Journal of Commerce, " '* Shipping and Commercial List, ... " " Albion, " «' Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, ..." " Scientific American, " " Ballou's Pictorial, Boston, Mass, Flag of our Union, " " Press and Post, " " The Daily Delta, New Orleans, La. Mississippi an, Jackson, Miss. Missouri Democrat, St. Louis, Mo. PERIODICALS. Blackwood's Magazine, Am'n. edition. New York. North British Review, Westminster Review, " " " " Edinburgh Review, " '* " Harper's Magazine, " " Hunt's Merchant's Magazine, ... " " The Scalpel " " American Farmer, Baltimore, Md. Church Review, New Haven, Conn. DeBow's Review, Washington City. Russell's Magazine, Charleston, S. C. Southern Quarterly Review, .... Columbia, " rs Au)^ . ^r.f- ^■^■^•ff* LIBRARY OF CONGRES^^^ ^ 029 920J9^ 2