Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-02
PROGRESS OF WOMAN
Much Reason for CongratuIa-
ton in France.
DEPLORABLE LEGAL STATUS
Loses All Rights After Her
Marriage.
TRYING TO SECURE NEW LAW
Efforts to Obtain a Revision Of the
Divorce Statutes-Universal Suf-
frage Movement Growing.
TRYING TO SECURE NEW LAW

divorce ScaCute6-U6VeTSa1 0u4-
frage Movement Growing.
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence # The Star and the CA:a:;
accord heralu.
PARIS. September 8. 1905.
Mime. Maria Martin, editor Of LIE Journal
des Femmes, organ of the woman's nove-
ment in France. has just returned from
meeting of the international executive COM
mittee at Copenhagen full of enthusiasm. and
when I asked her what she and her col
leagues had accomplished for the cause dur
ing the last few years she said:
1.-The movement has not yet reached its
full development. It is still In an element
airy stage, but we are making gradual and
substantial progress. We are grained,
h1peful and confident"
"In what respects has the cause of won-
ans emancipation advanced?" I asked.
81 A woman now has the right to appear
as a witness In all the courts OF justice In
France. just the same as man. although
it is more of a duty than right" replied
Mime. Martin.
for women in France. They are now ad-
mitted to practice at the bar. and we nave
two doctors of laws and four licentiates, or
practitioners. Nine; Chauvin Is our most
prominent woman lawyer. She Is also
professor in q college for women.
SO. Women physicians are now recognized
as the equals of men. We have hundreds
of women doctors. and they are being DIS
tributed in every neighborhood throughout
France. They are not only success1ul prac-
titioners, but many OF them are makins
good incomes. In addition 10 our own
French doctors we are educating hundreds
Of Russians. Poles and women from otner
nations who have not been able to secure
equal facilities in their own countries:
"a The government has recognized their
superior qualifications and is employing
women teachers in greater numbers for the
public schools. although they still receive
smaller pay for the same work. But tnat IS
the rule everywhere, believe. I know 1t ID
the same in your country. Nowhere 90
women receive the same compensation LOT
the same ability and the same work as men'
although they often accomplish more Vaiu-
able results. There has been some I'M
provement in France in this respect OF late
years, and we are encouraged 10 expect
more.
| government technical schools. but we think
| that will soon be arranged Ihe cnieI oiI
| fculty Is that the schools for girls 90 not
prepare them to pass the examinations,
| and they must have private instruction.
| We are working at that and hope to nave
| public schools at which girls can receive
such preparation as will enable them TO
PASS the admission examinations for techni-
cal schools without being subject 20 the
! expense of private instruction, as at pres
| ent. -. .
| science more and more The greatest scien-
tiffc discovery of recept years was mace by
| a woman-Mme. Curie.
| "7 Women are more and more SUCCESSFUL
| in literature, and are getting better pay
| and wider recognition. A few years ago
many of our ablest women writers CONSIDER
| ed it necessary to use masculine names IN
| rin
| not so any longer. Merit is now recognized
| equally In women and men,
So The government Is opening the ooors
| of the civil service to women more ana
| more, especially in the post ONCE. teie-
| graph and telephone services In the two
| latter branches of the government nearly
most everything except the outdoor work
but their pay is much less than that re-
ceived by men employees Women stenos-
raphers and clerks are gradually ihVaoihs
the other departments. go 90
20 In commercial and mercantile life
women are improving their position You
will notice that in the great shops all the
| cashiers and bookkeepers are now women
and the proportion of women employees
upon the payrols is increasing every year,
because they are recognized as equally
competent and in many respects are mucn
quicker and more clever than men.
Legal Status Of Women Deplorable.
"The material condition Of women. there
fore, is much better than it ever was before
in France, and is improving every year.
but I regret to say that their legal status
has not been changed. although we are
hopeful Of securing the passage OF laws
THAT will give them the same rights that
they enjoy in the United States. England
and other countries. Nothing has been
done yet, but we have secured the sup
port Of public opinion and many 1nnuen-
lfSal men in public and private life are now
Tailed with US to secure justice
1.-The legal status of woman In France
is deplorable She has no rights at an
and. although she may have contributes
everything to the family estate and ne
nothing whatever, the moment the marriage
Vows are exchanged he becomes the sole
owner, and she has no legal claim to any
thing, not even to the clothes on her back
or the ring which he places on her niger
as pledge of love ana ioyai.y NO woman ohat'
ever without the consent of her husband
, He Is the autocrat of her mind, her pooy
! and her soul. The magistrates very otien
| exercise their discretion In direct violation
| | of law, and stretch the statutes for the
, benefit of women litigants That Is es-
! pecially true in cases where women nave
been abused by their husbands or have
been accused of crime. We are trying to
J correct this situation by having the entire
; code of laws relating to women revised
We have asked the chamber OF deputies
to pass a law giving wives absolute equality
with their husbands and the exclusive con-
troll of their own estates. We have taken
as out model the law for the protection OF
married women enacted in England in 1882
This provides that neither husband mol
wife can sell or dispose of any property
without, the consent of the other. It also
gives the wife equal control over the chill.
4 dren-the same as you have in the United
States.
4 1--WE are also trying to secure law fol
the protection of illegitimate children ant
; discarded mistresses. In France there arr
e no such crimes as seduction or bastardy Of
& breach of promise. and 1t is forbidden t.
seek the father OF a child. woman WHIT
has been betrayed and deserted canno
prosecute; she can claim no indemnity
either for herself or for the support of thu
3 child. BY the code Of Napolean the man Il
3 always innocent: the woman Is always
guilty In France we have nothing lik'
suits for breach of promise. A woman wht
4 has been betrayed has no recourse what
! ever, and we want a law compelling thu
father to support the child, and to indem
: nifty what your people call a common Law
! wife Here in France man who ha
= lived with a woman forty years and ha
slhad a dozen children by her may lawful!
q desert them at any moment and leave then
| q