Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-03-05
CENTURY WOMEN.
Now Recognized az Man's Equal 40
Never Before.

emy's time!
1t wasn't like It in King Richards
day.
Nor in King Georges day.
Woman didn't count for much be.
fore the law or in the social scheme
of things. She was more or less OF
a chattel. This seems to be one Of the
features of most old civilizations.
But the rise Of woman as a power
equal to that Of man has been steady
and strong. Today women are almost
on an equal basis with men in the
business world. They have created q
society Of their own; they are delvine
in politics, and the recent suffrage
victory in Colorado has brought mar
to earth with dull thud.
What will be the outcome? viii
woman evolve from the chattel she
was in the dark ages into the eventual
ruler Of the world? Will she keep on
going forward and eventually SUPER
sede man? Figures indicate that this
may SohhC ~ po<'c - ~OefsS -
so thousand years from now.
Among the American Indians the
squaws do all the work, are beaten
and treated only as beasts. This Is
taken as an example Of trace Of the
primitive.
The cave man had no use for his
mate except as a creature to bear Of
spring. to feed him, and to give him
an outlet for his wrath.
The great Roman civilization did
not always recognize the social equal
ity of woman, and certainly she was a
legal nonentity. The husband was
all in all. When the dark ages threw
their Mantle over Europe and the
learning Of the world was sealed up
in Latin, men went to war and left
women behind as weaklings, inferior,
mainly because they could not fight
in the wars Their courage was con-
sidered of doubtful quality and often
their sincerity and patriotism were
questioned.
But gradually woman has changed.
Education was given woman 200 or
800 years ago, and then she made
more progress in the world than she
had ever made in the 1000 years pre-
vious
Among the Egyptians, and later
among the Greeks, women were not
wooed and won. The first form Of
trade was bartering, and women were
the first property used In exchange.
A girl was considered the absolute
property of her father, or, II he were
dead, Of her brother or uncle. until
she was married. Then her husband
had the same authority over her that
her father once had, even Of life and
death. When daughters inherited
property they usually received less
than the sons.
At first love and sympathy were ell
ements not recognized in marriage.
This Is well proven by the fact that
brides were either stolen or purchased
and the men and women scarcely
knew each other. At one time re-
spect for women was common In
Egypt, and at one time women con-
trolled property and enjoyed a certain
amount Of independence.
But there are rtill many countries
today where men dictate and the wo-
men must obey; where they rule
the women must yield. II these wo-
men arouse the anger Of their mas
ters'' they are flogged. Their part
is to look after their households. to
relieve their husbands of all RESPONSE
bility, and virtually to be their slaves.
The Hottentots are so cold and indif-
ferent to one another that love Is un-
known to them. The Kaffirs of South
Africa buy their wives with cattle, and
often prize their herds above their
wives.
In Australia q woman suffers COM
plete subjection among the primitives.
According to old Roman law, upon
marriage all of woman's property.
real and personal, and all she subse-
quently acquired by gift or will or her
own labor was absolutely in her hus-
bands control and subject to his
debts. This was largely true accord
Ing to the early English law. He could
will 1t as he pleased, and IL he died
intestate 1t passed with his own prop
erty to his heir. 1t gave a widow the
right of dover, which meant one-third
of her husbands fortune and real es-
tate. There are many parts of Eu-
rope where the old law exists that
q woman's dowry passes into her hus-
bands control as soon as they are
married.
In the United States the laws are
different in different states. though
most protect woman's fortune,
she inherits or acquires 1t by
her own work. In the District Of Co
lumbia the property, real, personal
and mixed, belonging to a woman at
the time Of her marriage, and all such
property which she may acquire or
receive after her marriage from any
person whomsoever by her own skill.
labor, or personal exertion, shall be
her own property as absolutely as If
she were unmarried. She shall be
protected from the debts Of her hus-
band and shall not in any way be la
BILE for the payment thereof.
The laws Of Colorado are liberal in
giving a married woman the fruits
of her own labor Her wages and Ia
bor belong to her as much as II she
were single.
Even more interesting is the ques-
ton Of the guardianship Of children.
In the early history Of America most
states gave the guardianship of the
children to the father. 1t Is Of recent
development to give the mother equal
right with the father in the guardian
ship of minor children. This privi-
lege Is granted in a number Of states.
such as Colorado, Kansas, Maine, Ne
braska, New York. Pennsylvania and
Rhode Island. In the main the pref
erence is still given to the father. Still.
the law Is gradually coming to consid-
er marriage a mutual relation and OBJ