SUMMARY (Ridvan Askin, edited by Deborah Madsen):

This founding document of the Association of Brotherly Co-operators explicitly recommends a vegan diet for its members. The Constitution consists of a Preamble and thirteen articles. The Preamble states the aim of the association, “seeking Truth, and striving to grow to full stature in Christ – a harmonious condition” (col. 1). In addition to regulating membership, offices, elections, and finances, the document also expounds on the nature of a potential settlement, which, if established, “shall never be sold except by unanimous consent.” Members who own land “shall neither gamble, use profane or vulgar language, use, buy, sell, or give away tobacco, whiskey or other stimulants except for chemical or agricultural purposes” (col. 2). The document also explicitly “recommend[s] the Edenic diet, consisting of a temperate use of pure water, uncooked grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables with or without salt” (col. 2). The association is to “continue fifty years unless sooner dissolved by mutual consent” (col. 2).