The record-union., 1895-05-28
TIE VOMAN'S CONGRESS.
Calm Review Of It's Work bv Annie
Laurie"
Facts About the Rights of Women
Under the Laws of the State
of California

those Iour days, but L cannot say that
have been entirely happy. The subject
announced for the consideration of the
Congress was Home"
/ have heard some things about home.
it is true, but I have heard good deal
more about the ballot-box.
On Monday the subject for considera-
| ton was supposed to be 1.-The Home and
Education" 1t turned out to be "Edu-
cation and Woman Suffrage" On Tues
day the subject was announced as "The
Home and Esthetics." II turned out tC
be "Esthetics and Woman's Suffrage y
On Wednesday it should have been 1.-The
Home and Economics" and 1t became
"Economlcs and Suffrage" and on
| Thursday it became Suffrage" pure and
simple.
The things / heard about home were
sometimes interesting, but they did not
satisfy me. l heard that the American
women did not have homes-they had
workshops. | heard that women did not
have husbands-they had masters. and
heard that the only thing that would
| lift the poor old world out OF its dreadful
slough of despond was woman suffrage.
| | heard this. not from one speaker, nor
| from two, but from a dozen.
| heard it not once but scores of times,
and am beginning to get a little tired OF
| it. When a good, sensible woman said
or about schools, NOBODY talked back;
but, when a woman talked about the
| Slavery OF American Wives" the room
was not big enough for the women who
wanted to argue, and they did not talk
back. they agreed.
l heard there also that an American
wife does not own her own children.
| They always say her own children at the
| Congress, and that the American wife
does not own her own clothes, and that
an American woman's husband can col
| lect the money she makes for herself and
spend it, and that she has no redress.
the Rev. Ada Bowles, who was one OF
the leaders of the Congress, told about a
man who took his boy. 3 years old, away
from his mother and put him in dive in
New Orleans. and she said the wife could
do nothing.
Miss Bowles also said, again and again,
and yet many times again, that every
woman in that Congress who came out of
the house in the morning came out OF
her husbands house and put on her
husbands bonnet. [ could not see any
such awful ignominy in this state OF
affairs, even had it been true. but the
women IN the Congress always grew
breathless with horror at the thought OF
such degradation.
have read all these things before The
doings OF suffrage conventions are tele-
graphed far abroad i'll these days, but
somehow they seemed 10 be worse when
| heard them than when | read them.
knew they were not true, but l could see
that the hundreds Of women who were
drinking in the words OF the speeches as
III lo Il tr
thought they were true. 30 | went to the
best lawyer l know, and he's one of the
best lawyers on the Pacific Coast, one day,
between sessions, and said: Tell me
the truth about the laws concerning
women" And the lawyer said: ''Been
TO the Congress-" And l said, "Ye es. 4"
And he said, 81 thought so." And he
took down the law books and showed
me that every syllable OF the statements
about law which those women have
been making was absolutely and entirely
false
He began with the statement that a
married woman doesn't own her own
children. OF course she doesn't own
them. No human being owns another.
But she has quite as much control over
them as her husband, and when there is
trouble between husband and wife the
lew always gives the children 10 the
mother when it's possible to do so.
The law puts the whole burden of the
support and education of children born
in marriage, upon the father. He is re-
sponsible for and may be compelled to
pay tor their nurture, clothing and edu.
ca ion, and for their debts contracted for
these purposes and the mother is respon-
sible for nothing. If the support and ed
ucation which The father OF a Legitimate
child is able to give are inadequate, the
mother must assist, otherwise she is I'M
der no legal obligation to devote d dollar
OF her estate to her child. Here's the law
Civil Code Of California:
Section 1877. The father of legitimate
unmarried minor child is entitled to its
custody, services and earnings; but he
cannot transfer such custody or services
to any other person, except the mother
without her written consent.
section l93. The husband and father
as sucI. has no rights superior to those OF
tho wife and mother i'll regard to the care.
custody, education and control of the
children of the marriage while such hus-
band and wife 1.-Two separate and apart
from each other.
.'Section l99. The wife may bring an
action for the exclusive control OF the
children Of the marriage, and the court
may, during the pendency OF such action,
or at the final hearing thereof, or alter
wards, make such order or decree IN re-
gard to the support, care, custody, educa-
tion and control of the children OF the
marriage as may be just and in accord
ance with the natural rights of the parents
and the best interests OF the children, and
may at any time thereafter amend, vary
or modify sucn order or decree as the
natural rights and the interests of the
parties, including the children, may re-
Quire.
Section 2l4. When husband and
wife live i'll a state OF separation, without
being divorced, any court OF competent
jurisdiction may Inquire into the GUS
sody OF auy unmarried minor child of the
marriage and may award tho custody of
such child 10 either for such time and un-
der such regulations as the case may re-
quire.
section l3S. In an action for divorce
the court may, before or alter Judgment
give sucn direction for the custody, care
and education OF tie children OF the mar
riage as may seem necessary or proper
and may at any time yacate or modify the
same"
asked the lawyer about that everlast-
ing bonnet, and whether she owns it or
not. The lawyer said:
''Under the Latin, or civil law, under
the English or the common law aud un.
der the modern French Code Napoleon
the property OF the wife, outside her
dowry, is generally known by the term
paraphernaiia. IL is q term applied TO
her apparel and to her ornaments, such
as are suitable to her station and degree
The civil law and the common law have
alike always recognized a special prop
erty OF the wife III these ihngs.''
Section l57 of the Civil Code: "Neither
husband nor wiio has any interest in the
property OF the other, but neither can be
Q xcluded from the others dwelling.
Section l5S. Either husband or wife
may entor into.an engagement or traus-