Any question may be taken up out of its proper order by a two-thirds vote.
Rules of the Assembly. By-laws. With the exception of the rules relating to the transaction of business in the meetings, the by-laws of a society include all the rules of such importance that they cannot be changed in any way without previous notice. They cannot be suspended even by a unanimous vote, or amended, except by a vote of a majority of the organization or as they provide. Sometimes the most important parts of the by-laws are called the Constitution, but this causes complications and is a real defect, unless it is desired to make these parts, called the Constitution, more difficult to amend. The by-laws should provide for their own amendment.
Any one desirous of organizing a society should read very carefully the detailed account of the steps to be taken as given in R. O. R. pp. 284-292. In that account the procedure is given for each of the meetings until the organization is completed, and also for a regular business meeting of the society afterwards. The distinction between constitutions, by-laws, and, rules of order, and what each should contain is more fully described in R. O. R. pp. 264-269. No one should attempt to prepare the rules for a society without examining the by-laws of other similar societies and reading the article in "Robert's Parliamentary Law" on By-laws and Other Rules, which gives several models with explanatory notes.
Rules of Order comprise the rules governing the transaction of business in the meetings and prescribing the duties of its officers in so far as they are not
