The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-14
The CAUSE OF WOMAN.
, VOM.AN LAWYERS Fight FOR
HER HIGHER DEGREE.
The columbian tint, crSity Incident --worren
voters In Massa chusetts Who Decline
10 VOte-SufTrnEe In Indiana-Thc
Negro Parallcl--DiyOrce In England.


Negro Parailel--Divorce In England.
The statement made In this column last
ecek that instead Of "all having been
GAINED" by women they were still struggling
for foo,hold, has Just received practical
iIlus,ration in Washington city During
the last two years for the first time woman
has been permitted to enter the law de-
nsr,ment of Columbian University In that
CITY and prepare for it's degrees. This
woman Mrs Emma Reba Bailey, was
first graduated as bachelor Of laws at the
Washington College Of Law, and then.
after the most strenuous efforts, special
PERMISSION was secured from the Executive
Board for her to enter the Columbian law
department. From this she received the
degree of master Of laws last June, without
any special opposition. The camel had got
ito head under the tent, and Mrs. Bailey
applied next for admission to the graduate
department, known as the National School
Of Jurisprudence and Diplomacy. This
ranks with any similar college in the United
states. having among its lecturers Justices
.. he Supreme Court and diplomatists Of
International fame. The deep-seated
hostility OF faculty and students to the
admission OF women broke out afresh,
some of the former declaring they would
rofuse TO lecture to class containing them.
The Executive Board was again persuaded,
however. and admitted Mrs. Bailey with the
understanding that this should not be
construed as establishing precedent
When the nine members Of the class
were ready for their diplomas this month.
seven OF the male students. superior because
of their sex, but not because of their class
standing declared they would not take
part in the graduating exercises unless the
woman was barred out. The one man
who refused 10 join in the rebellion was
Senior Alfredo Alvarez Calderon, son of
the Minister from Peru. who had not been
in this country long enough to become
imbued with its peculiar style Of chivalry
toward women as frequently illustrated
in it's universities The other seven noble
knights hailed from the District. Maryland
Kentucky. Tennessee, New York and two
from Pennsylvania. These smart young
men alleged that Mrs. Bailey was not
sufficiently grounded in the basic principles
of the law" that she "had not the necessary
intellectual grasp" and that her thesis
was not up to the lofty standard they
had established" They carried their
briefs. pleadings and arguments to Dr.
Needham. president Of the university and
dean Of the law school, who announced
his decision as follows:
Mrs Baley's work has been duly approved
and passed by the severa professors in charge.
Her thesis is very able paper. and was
read and passed upon by the faculty. so that
II WAS not merely decided upon by one COM
having passed through the lands Of a reader.
There has been no discrimination in her
worked hard and we'll She is entitled to
receive the degree in course. and it will he
conferred in the me manner as upon the
other graduates.
rot take part in the commencement exer-
rises would not receive their diplomas.
Mrs. Bailev's thesis was entitled, Shall the
Power Of the President Be Extended or
Restricted''. Evidently in case Of the
rSst ricted. as. according to the press de-
spatches. six Of the seven obstreporous
Youths backed down from their lofty posi-
tions and meekly accepted their sheep
skins; Then Tennessean,. it seems. true to
feed his diploma rather than put himself
on a level with a woman by accepting it.
For many years women tried in vain to
gain admission to the law school Of Column
nl2n lnlNeTeWV, ana Illdly, IA howard
University was the only place in the national
capital where they could prepare for this
profession, the Washington College OF Law
was established in 1894 by two practising
attorneys. Mrs. Ellen Spencer Mussey and
Miss Emma NJ Gillett, the latter a master
women. there have been several men among
it's graduates. It's faculty includes a
number Of eminent members of the bar and
they speak in the highest commentator of
the legal ability of the women students.
Mrs. Mussey Ia the only woman dean of a
law school in the whole world.
The only institution in the District where
women can At themselves for the medical
profession is Howard University, which.
although principally for coored students,
also admits white ones.
paragraph has been going the rounds
setting forth the very small number of
women who voted at the recent municipal"
elections in Massachusetts, and asserting
that the number is constantly growing
smaller In Boston, it said, only II, 800
women cast their ballots.
The fact is that women have no munich
pal suffrage in Massachusetts,. In 1870
10 burst OF generosity which never has
been repeated, the Legislature provided
that woman 81 years OF age, who could
stand the educational test. and who should
give notice in writing that she wished to be
assessed poll tax S2). and who should give
in under oath a statement Of her taxable
property and be thereupon assessed. and
who should go at the appointed time and
regist er-- the woman who would do all
this, and repeat it every year, should he
allowed to vote for school trustees She
could not attend the primaries and help
select the candidates she could not vote
for supervisors or any other officials nor
for appropriations or new schoolhouses or
the selection of teachers or any question
connected with the public schools, but
simply could make a choice of trustees
from ballot prepared without her sanction
And under these conditions men pretend
10 be shocked and grieved that the women
Of Massao husetts do not rush en- masse to
the polls! The requirements have been
modified somewhat and the poll tax
abolished for both sexes; but simply for
this mere fraction OF a vote women have |
To observe all the regulations imposed
upon men for the exercise az the full suf-
frage on every question and every official.
national, State and municipal 1t is most !
not that so few. but that so many
n II 800 women in Boston would undergo |
all