State, with such revisions, exceptions and additional laws as were deemed
essential to the successful operation of the Order.

Regular semi-annual meetings of the Grand Councils were held, convening
respectively on the 22d of August and the 22d of February--the latter, in
sacrilege be it said, being religiously observed as the birthday of
Washington.

But extra sessions were almost monthly called during the year of 1864,
prior to the election, to take precautionary and other expedient action
upon the continually recurring changes of that eventful year. No
considerable battle was fought in the front, that was not the signal for
the assembling of this council, and no political event of any importance
transpired that did not receive the solemn deliberations of this already
_de facto_ legislative body. Of course no person ever became a member of
this Council who had not first been inducted into the Temple, and then by
his Temple elected as a representative in the Grand Council, the election
for which purpose was held semi-annually as above, and new representatives
took their seats at each regular session.

The Grand Council embraced in its sphere of labors such duties as
experience seemed to dictate, as being necessary to the fulfilment of the
mission of the Order. It provided remedies for unmistakable evils, and
watched with a zealous care and fostering hand, every interest of treason
within the boundaries of its jurisdiction.

The Supreme Council or Third and highest Degree of the Order in
organization, was built after the pattern of the Federal government at
Washington, and wielded a similar general control over the affairs of the
Order, that our National government exerts over the consequences growing