STOP
Early Journal Content on JSTOR, Free to Anyone in the World
This article is one of nearly 500,000 scholarly works digitized and made freely available to everyone in
the world by JSTOR.
Known as the Early Journal Content, this set of works include research articles, news, letters, and other
writings published in more than 200 of the oldest leading academic journals. The works date from the
mid-seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries.
We encourage people to read and share the Early Journal Content openly and to tell others that this
resource exists. People may post this content online or redistribute in any way for non-commercial
purposes.
Read more about Early Journal Content at http://about.jstor.org/participate-jstor/individuals/early-
journal-content .
JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary source objects. JSTOR helps people
discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content through a powerful research and teaching
platform, and preserves this content for future generations. JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit
organization that also includes Ithaka S+R and Portico. For more information about JSTOR, please
contact support@jstor.org.
THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF LEARNED
SOCIETIES
Upon the invitation of the presidents and secretaries of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American His-
torical Association, extended to thirteen representative Ameri-
can learned societies devoted to humanistic studies, a conference
was held in Boston on September 19, 1919. The following
societies were represented by delegates: the American Philoso-
phical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,
the American Antiquarian Society, the Archaeological Institute
of America, the Modern Language Association, the American
Historical Association, the American Economic Association, the
American Philosophical Association: and, unofficially, the
American Philological Association and the American Oriental
Society, the latter being represented by Professors J. B. Jewett
and D. G. Lyon. Mr. William E. Thayer was chosen permanent
chairman and Mr. Waldo G. Leland permanent secretary. The
object of the conference was the establishment of a union of the
humanistic societies in America, so as to enable this country to
be properly represented in the Union Academique, a proposed
international organization of learned societies devoted to human-
istic studies, steps towards the formation of which were taken
under the auspices of the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles
Lettres at a preliminary conference held in Paris on May 15 and
17, 1919.
It was formally resolved by the conference in Boston that,
'It is the sense of this Conference that American learned socie-
ties devoted to humanistic studies should participate as a group
in the Union Academique.' Professor James T. Shotwell, of
Columbia University, and Mr. William H. Buckler, of Baltimore,
were appointed as American delegates to the session of the
Union Academique to be held in Paris in October. Among the
votes adopted by the conference was the statement that 'This
Conference desires to express its deep interest in the subject of
explorations and researches in Western Asia and hopes that a
scheme of cooperation may be considered by the Union Aca-
demique. '
78 Notes of Other Societies, etc.
A draft of a Constitution of the affiliated American societies
was then considered and adopted. It is as follows:
Constitution
Aet. I. This body shall be known as the American Council of Learned
Societies devoted to Humanistic Studies.
Art. II. Sect. A. The Council shall be composed of delegates of the
national learned societies of the United States which are devoted to the
advancement, by scientific methods, of the humanistic studies.
Sect. B. Each of the thirteen societies herein named shall, upon ratifi-
cation of this convention and constitution, be admitted to representation in
the Council:
The American Philosophical Society.
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The American Antiquarian Society.
The American Oriental Society.
The American Philological Association.
The Archaeological Institute of America.
The Modern Language Association of America.
The American Historical Association.
The American Economic Association.
The American Philosophical Association.
The American Political Science Association.
The American Sociological Society.
The American Society of International Law.
Sect. C. Other societies may be admitted to representation in the Coun-
cil by vote of three-fourths of all the delegates.
Aet. III. Sect. A. Each society shall be represented in the Council
by two delegates, chosen in such manner as the society may determine.
Sect. B. The term of office of delegates shall be four years, but at the
first election of delegates from each society a short term of two years shall
be assigned to one of the delegates, and thereafter one delegate shall be
chosen every two years.
Art. IV. The officers of the Council shall consist of a chairman, a vice-
chairman, and a secretary-treasurer, who shall be chosen for such terms
and in such manner as the Council may determine, but no two officers shall
be from the same society.
Art. V. The Council shall determine its own rules of procedure and
shall enact such by-laws, not inconsistent with this constitution, as it may
deem desirable.
Aet. VI. The Council shall hold at least one meeting each year, which
meeting shall be not less than two months prior to the stated annual
meeting of the Union Aeademique.
Aet. VII. The Council shall choose such number of delegates to rep-
resent the United States in the Union Aeademique as may be prescribed by
the statutes of the Union, and shall prepare their instructions, and in gen-
eral shall be the medium of communication between the Union and the
societies which are represented in the Council.
Notes of Other Societies, etc. 79
Art. VIII. The Council may upon its own initiative take measures to
advance the general interests of the humanistic studies, and is especially
charged with maintaining and strengthening relations among the societies
which are represented in it.
Art. IX. Sect. A. In order to meet its own necessary administrative
expenses and to pay the annual contribution of the United States to the
administrative budget of the Union Academique the Council shall, until
otherwise provided, assess upon each society represented in it an annual
contribution of not less than twenty-five dollars, nor more, except as a
minimum contribution, than a sum equal to five cents for each member of
the society.
Sect. B. The Council may receive gifts and acquire property for the
purpose indicated above.
Art. X. The Council shall make a report to the societies each year set-
ting forth in detail all the acts of the Council and all receipts and expendi-
tures of money.
Art. XI. Identical instructions from a majority of the societies which
are represented in the Council shall be binding upon it.
Art. XII. The Council may be dissolved by a vote of two-thirds of the
societies represented therein.
Art. XIII. Amendments to this constitution may be proposed by a vote
of two-thirds of the Council and shall take effect when ratified by a major-
ity of the societies represented in the Council.
Art. XIV. This convention and constitution shall be presented to the
societies named in Article II, Section B, and shall be put into effect when
they shall have been ratified by any seven of them.
The meeting of the Committee of the Union Academique was
held in Paris on Oct. 15-18, 1919, the American representatives
being Mr. Buckler and, in the absence of Prof. Shotwell, Dr.
Louis H. Gray. A constitution of the Union was drafted, which
is to be submitted to the American learned societies for ratifica-
tion, but no copies of it are known to have reached this country
as yet. It was also decided that the next meeting of the Union
be held in May, 1920.
The foregoing information was communicated by the Corre-
sponding Secretary of this Society to its Directors in a circular
letter dated Dec. 13, 1919, so that they might make such recom-
mendations as they might see fit to the Society at its Annual
Meeting.
The Constitution of the American Council of Learned Socie-
ties Devoted to Humanistic Studies has already been ratified
by eight of the thirteen societies participating in the Boston
Conference, viz: the American Philosophical Society, the Amer-
80 Notes of Other Societies, etc.
ican Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Antiquarian
Society, the American Philological Association, the Archaeolo-
gical Institute of America, the American Historical Association,
the American Economic Association, and the American Socio-
logical Society. Six of these societies have appointed their
delegates to the Council, the first meeting of which, it is now
expected, will be held in New York City on February 14.
Although the American Oriental Society has not yet ratified
the Constitution of the American Council, it has been asked to
send two informal representatives to the coming meeting, and
the President of the Society has appointed as such Prof. Morris
Jastrow, Jr., and Prof. Maurice Bloomfield.
P. S. — At the first meeting of the American Council, held in
New York on February 14, organization was effected. The fol-
lowing officers were elected: Prof. Charles H. Haskins, chair-
man; Prof. John C. Rolfe, vice-chairman; Prof. George M.
Whicher, secretary-treasurer. Professor Jastrow attended the
meeting as the informal representative of this Society.
PERSONALIA
M. Sylvain Levi, Honorary Member of this Society, has been
commissioned by the French Minister of Public Instruction to
organize the department of Oriental Languages in the reconsti-
tuted French University of Strasbourg.
