The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-13

PlaiQheli. as Chairman OF Correspondents
OF the General Federation Of Women
, Clubs. as Vice President and Director o
l the New Jersey State Federation, holdin,
the iast-named. office at present, as also tn,
chairmanship of the Department OF Educa
ton. She is also President OF the Plain
field Branch Alliance OF Unitarian ant
, | other liberal Christian women. Her iden-
tihcation with the woman suffrage move
ment dates froIa 1892, when she was elected
President OF the New Jersey State Asso-
= citation and has held the Office ever since
The last address was awaited with a
great deal of interest, and when Diana
Hirschler, of Massachusetts,, stepped before
the audience she was loudly applauded
The theme assigned to her for discussion
was "Woman's Position in the Law" Mrs.
Hirschler spoke in part as follows
Woman md the Law.
AT the opening of the century woman
was creature of the common law. The
common law is mass of customs and de
cisions handed down from the Dark Ages.
Let. us note with some care woman's
position in 1900. The law writer's usually
expound the law upon the married woman.
The woman unmarried Is not discussed
This can possibly be explained by the fact
that only recently haze many women ex-
erclSed the prerogative OF remaining sin
gle: in earlier days she passed from the
! guardianship of her father to that of her
husband. she was under a perpetual tute-
lage But We do find the latest authori
ties. Pollock and Maitland. giving chap
ter to woman They explain that il is
/ devoted to widows and spinsters We will
note then woman's relation to the public
and to individuals. The law recognized no
! relation to the public. Women were not
represented in the law-making power on
/ the bench, in the jury box, nor were they
] allowed on the witness stand for IL was
/ said, a woman must not be heard on ac-
! count of her frailty' and again. it was
objected that the blood OF a man must
not be tried by woman Thus were one
half OF the people shut off from the
duties and privileges belonging to the
whole. and thus were the other half sub
ject to the temptations OF dominion and
power.
Regarding the married women we must
pause. On marriage the woman passed
into what was called coverture. |. G.. the
cover. protection, wing of her husband. and
while she was snugly tucked away he COB
bled uD all she possessed her personal
property and the proceeds of her real prop
erty during life and any right to sue which
he should reduce to possession. In fact
she was so securely covered that the law
didn't see her. and when property came
which one would Judge should belong to
both. viz. the children, the law said Tuck
them under you wing. also; to him who
hath shall be given" and the children be-
came his.
In short. marriage Invested a woman OF !
her legal self. her personal property her !
power over her real property. and as she /
had no will over them during life she had |
none after death.
a One-Sidcd Contract.
ION the other hand, the law recognized .
that she had a personality before cover
ture, and may have contracted debts. and
said her husband must pay them. but il
he spent all her money and the debt re-
mained unpaid, it still hung over her-her
'frailty.' suppose was such that she could
bear having her money subtracted from
her and her debts added to her.
Concerning the husband. marriage d.
vested him of nothing except the power to
dispose Of one-third life interest in his
real estate at his DEATH II added to him
power over and control of his wlfe's self.
Blackstone says a husband may give his
wife moderate chastisement. | have looked
in vain through Blackstone to find sim
liar right granted to the wife against her
husband. And old writer says: If a man
beat an outlaw, a traitor, a pagan. or his
wife, it is dispunishable. for. By the law
common. these can have no action and he
adds plaintively. God grant gentle women.
better sport, and better company. He
might within bounds restrain her liberty:
he might and did sell her at the auction
block as late as the first quarter OF this
century
Admission to tomorrow's hearings at the {
Capitol will be by ticket only. Susan L. I
Anthony Will have in charge the speakers /
who will address the Senate Judiciary I
Committee. Clara Bewiek Colby will speak
on Our Work with Congress- Laura NJ {
Johns on Limited Suffrage Mary c. C. I
Bradford on Results OF Woman Suffrage
in the Enfranchised States" Jessie Cas-
Sidy Saunders on THE Position of Women
in Foreign Countries" Mrs. Carrie Chap I
man Gait on The Latest Phase of the
Movement"
Rev. Anna Howard Shaw will have In
,harge those who will address the House
Judiciary Committee: Harriet Stanton 4
Blatck will make an address on The Po- r
itical Position of Women in England" :,
Lille Devereux Blake, The Constitutional :,
Elizabeth Sheldon Tillin7,- c
hast. The Economic Basis OF Suffrage" =
iala Hammond Butt, THE Changed Iu.
ellectual Qualifications of Women of This
century," Catharine Waugh McCulioch :,
The Protective Value Of the Ballot" Rev. :,
NINA Howard Shaw will make the closing y
address, =
This afternoon at o'clock the election :,
Il officers will take place and an inter- =
sting time may be looked for. Notwith- =
tanding the favorable outlook for the SUE =
ess OF Mrs. Gait. something may happen =
between now and the hour set aside for =
he election which may change the present :,
spect and put into the field a candidat- :,
5 yet unknown.
At the work conference at 3 o'clock this
fternoOn Elnora NJ Babcock. chairman OF =,
ammittee on press work will preside u,
he addresses by the following State -
residents will be heard: Massachusetts :,
,lice Stone BLACKWELL California. Ida =,
Iusted Harper; Pennsylvania. ida Porter y,
'oyer Iowa. Ina Light Taylor: South u
arolina Virginia u. Young; Kansas. Nan p,
lie Z. Garrett: Michigan. Emily b. a.
tetcham: Mississippi. Nala Hammond p"
iutt: New Jersey. DIR. Florence De Hart; / .
'hio. Georgia Hopley; District OF Column ~
la. Nettie Louisa White, and Kansas. a.
aura 4. Gregg. -
Tonight's session will be taken up with u
he following programme; Address By
label LOOMS Todd, OF Massachusetts, on
The Village Beautiful" 4. Emmagens 3,
aul Superintendent Street Cleaning De. Ut
First ward, Chicago, Women P'
the Street Cleaning Department" Sofia 10
oovna Friediand. OF Russia. THE Russian II
Jonah" DIR. Julia Holmes Smith. dean HI
I National Medical College. Illinois, de
Women on Managing Boards" Elizabeth m
urrill Curtis, of New York. The Duties =
I Freedom"
LAWToN'S PICTURE.