HOW TO BREAK BAD NEWS.
Mr. H. Ha, steward! how are you, my old boy? How do things go on at home?
Steward. Bad enough, your honor; the magpie’s dead.
Mr. H. Poor Mag! so he’s gone. How came he to die?
Steward. Over-ate himself, sir.
Mr. H. Did he, indeed? a greedy villain! Why, what did he get he liked so well?
Steward. Horse-flesh, sir; he died of eating horse-flesh.
Mr. H. How came he to get so much horse-flesh?
Steward. All your father’s horses, sir.
Mr. H. What! are they dead, too?
Steward. Ay, sir; they died of over-work.
Mr. H. And why were they over-worked, pray.
Steward. To carry water, sir.
Mr. H. To carry water! What did they carry water for?
Steward. Sure, sir, to put out the fire.
Mr. H. Fire! What fire?
Steward. Oh, sir, your father’s house is burned to the ground.
Mr. H. My father’s house! How come it set on fire?
Steward. I think, sir, it must have been the torches.
Mr. H. Torches! What torches?
Steward. At your mother’s funeral.
Mr. H. Alas! my mother dead?
Steward. Ah, poor lady, she never looked up after it!
Mr. H. After what?
Steward. The loss of your father.
Mr. H. My father gone, too?
Steward. Yes, poor man, he took to his bed soon as he heard of it.
Mr. H. Heard of what?
Steward. The bad news, sir, an’ please your honor.
Mr. H. What! more miseries? more bad news? No! you can add nothing more!
Steward. Yes, sir; your bank has failed, and your credit is lost, and you are not worth a dollar in the world. I made bold, sir, to come to wait on you about it, for I thought you would like to hear the news.
HOW TO DRAFT
Constitution and By-Laws
FOR THE
ORGANIZATION AND CONDUCT OF LITERARY
SOCIETIES.
All permanent associations formed for mutual benefit must have a Constitution by which they shall be governed.
Where it is intended to organize a society for the intellectual improvement or social enjoyment of its members, a number of persons meet together and select a name for the organization. The next step is to appoint a committee, whose duty it shall be to prepare a Constitution and code of By-Laws for the society. These must be reported to the society at its next meeting, and must be adopted by the votes of a majority of that body before they can take effect.
The Constitution consists of the rules which form the foundation upon which the organization is to rest. It should be brief and explicit. It should be considered and adopted section by section; should be recorded in a book for that purpose, and should be signed by all the members of the society.
Amendments to the Constitution should be adopted in the same way, and should be signed by each member of the society.
In addition to the Constitution, it is usual to adopt a series of minor rules, which should be explanatory of the principles of the Constitution. These are termed By-Laws, and should be recorded in the same book with the Constitution, and immediately after it. New by-laws may be added from time to time, as the necessity for them may arise. It is best to have as few as possible. They should be brief, and as clear that their meaning may be easily comprehended, and should govern the action of the body.