man of executive ability, capable of controlling men; and it should never be forgotten, that, to control others, it is necessary to control one’s self. An excited chairman can scarcely fail to cause trouble in a meeting.
A chairman will often find himself perplexed with the difficulties attending his position, and in such cases he will do well to heed the advice of a distinguished writer on parliamentary law, and recollect that
“The great purpose of all rules and forms is to subserve the will of the assembly rather than to restrain it; to facilitate, and not to obstruct, the expression of their deliberate sense.”
41. Clerk or Secretary [and the Minutes]. The recording officer is usually called the “Clerk” or “Secretary,”[1] and the record of proceedings the “Minutes.” His desk should
- ↑ When there are two secretaries, he is termed the “recording secretary,” and the other one the “corresponding secretary.” In many societies the secretary, besides acting as recording officer, collects the dues of members, and thus becomes to a certain extent a financial officer. In most cases the treasurer acts as banker, only paying on the order of the society, signed by the secretary alone, or by the president and secretary. In such cases the secretary becomes in reality the financial officer of the society, and should make reports to the society of funds received and from what sources, and of the funds expended and for what purposes. See § 52 for his duties as financial officer.
