Of the Society for the Promotion of Folly.
WHEREAS it hath pleased God to endow the human species with a boundless capacity for folly; and whereas such a natural endowment may be taken as a sure and certain proof that folly is pleasing to the Almighty, and is itself in a manner of speaking divine:
THEREFORE let it be known to all sincere friends of folly, that a Society for the Promotion of Folly is hereby constituted with the aim and purpose of promoting folly in all its most pleasing forms.
ARTICLE I. Every member shall use all diligence to maintain the distinction between folly and mere foolishness, which is deprecated.
ARTICLE II. The Society shall be governed in the most picturesquely illogical manner; to wit:
Par. 1. On the first Thursday after the second Tuesday in April, all members shall gather to elect the members of the Supreme and Illustrious Senate of the Society in the following manner: Each member shall write his own name, and no other name, on the ballot provided; and, the ballots being collected and tallied by means of the Society’s own gilt abacus, every member receiving one vote shall be considered a Senator, with all the rights and privileges of that position.
Par. 2. The Supreme and Illustrious Senate shall meet occasionally, as they shall see fit, to address the business of the Society, and shall see to it that the said business shall always be postponed until the next meeting of the Supreme and Illustrious Senate.
Par. 3. On the second Monday after the first Friday in July, the Supreme and Illustrious Senate shall meet to elect the Grand Exalted Imperator of the Society.
Par. 4. Pursuant to the principle in Par. 2, the election of the Grand Exalted Imperator shall be postponed until the next meeting of the Supreme and Illustrious Senate.
Par. 5. As no Grand Exalted Imperator can ever be elected, Dr. Henricus Albertus Boli is ordained as Grand Exalted Imperator for life.
Par. 6. It shall be the duty of the Grand Exalted Imperator to see that the meetings of the Supreme and Illustrious Senate are provided with the best claret obtainable with the funds belonging to the society; or, in times of fiscal distress, the funds belonging to the Grand Exalted Imperator.
ARTICLE III. Membership in the Society shall entitle each member to all the privileges belonging thereto, to wit:
Par. 1. Every member of the Society, upon his initiation into the Supreme and Illustrious Senate, shall be eligible to receive one fresh dandelion flower for his buttonhole.
Par. 2. No authority shall attempt to deprive a member of his right to shout “Ljubljana!” at odd intervals.
Par. 3. Literary endeavors by members of the Society shall be encouraged with all reasonable vigor, provided that such endeavors shall not produce such literature as would be recognized as such by a commercial publisher.
Par. 4. Once every month, the Society shall provide each member with one large custard pie with whipped cream, along with a schedule of public appearances of prominent politicians and celebrities, to be used as the member shall see fit.
ARTICLE IV. In the event that any of the provisions of this Constitution and Charter shall be found inadequate, the matter shall be brought up as Society business at the next regular meeting of the Supreme and Illustrious Senate, in accordance with the provisions of Article II, Par. 2.