The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1893-08-24
WOMEN BEFORE THE LAW.
antique Precedents In Force In Great Brit
ain Nearly All Favor Men.

antique Precedents In Force In Great Brit
ain Nearly All Favor Men.
The laws of England are, in most
cases, what might be called ''men's
laws" so unequal is the justice they
deal to men and women respectively.
For instance, man is eligible for
every Office in the kingdom and is under
no restrictions as to voting.
On the other hand, there are many
offices woman can not fill, such as
member of parliament, county council
lor, etc, although she may be queen.
She can vote in certain municipal and
school elections, but for nothing higher.
She cannot serve on jury except in
one special case.
All English temporal peers sit and
vote in the house of lords.
A woman may be peeress in her
own right, but she has no seat or vote.
There is one recorded case of female
baronet
All professions are open to man.
A woman may not be a clergyman,
soldier, sailor, barrister. or solicitor.
She may not even drive cab or bus
for hire in London. But women have
been parish clerks and sections. A
woman was once high sheriff.
The law relating to inheritance of
land prefers males to females. In near
ly every case an eldest son inherits to
the exclusion of all other children.
When daughters inherit land, they
share it equally. AS regards personal
property, man is his wife's heir, but
widow is her husbands heiress only
to limited extent.
When a man survives a wife pos
sessed of land he will, in certain cases,
own it all for his lifetime. In similar
cases, when a wife survives her hus-
band she will have a life interest in
only one-third of his lands.
A mans domicile is not altered by
his marriage. A woman has to adopt
her husbands domicile for her own
A husband is prima facie entitled to
the custody of his children. A wife has
no such right, nor will the courts
readily grant it.
A man has the right to select the re-
ligion of his children.
A man has full rights over his own
property. A woman married before
January l., 1888, has only limited rights
over property which was hers before
that date
All these points are decidedly favora-
BILE to the man. But he does not have
it all his own way, as the following
facts show:
Any adult man may be made bank
rupt or imprisoned under the Debtors
act. A married woman can be made
bankrupt only if trading separately
from her husband. She can not be i'm
prisoned under the act.
If man orders goods in his wife
name, he must usually pay for them.
A man must generally pay for all nee
essary articles his wife orders He is
even responsible, to a certain extent,
for debts she has incurred before mar
riage.
A man is responsible if his wife COM
mits libel or slander, or does any wrong
full act for which damages could be
claimed. He is responsible in this case
also, to certain extent, for such acts
committed before marriage. A wife is
never responsible for her husbands
wrongful acts.
A man may be compelled toallow his
wife sustenance money when she is car
rying on a suit against him, or is forced
to live separately from him.
In some cases married women may
testify privately as to whether their
signatures to documents were made
without fear or favor. Equity will as
sist wife if her husband has made
some mistake in executing a power of
appointment in her favor.
There seems to be some manifest in
justice on both sides, but the wheels of
legal reform move slowly, and probably
dozen Dickenses may write hundred
''Bleak House arraignments of the
powers that be before any changes will
be made for the benefit of either party
| n. Y. Sun.