The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-02-06
MAKE PROGRESS
IN PHILIPPINES
Woman Has Advanced in Profes.
sional and Industrial Life,
Says One of Them.
IS HUSBANDS REAL PARTNER
Shares With Him the Cares of Busi.
ness, Especially In Its Financial
Aspeots---Many Take Up
Legal Profession.

New York--Mme. jaime De veyra,
wife Of one of the representatives OF
the Philippine Islands to the United
States, has recently been visiting wom-
ems clubs in New York city. telling
what she has already told the women
of Washington. They have fine systems
of education, she says. good schools.
and a high degree of economic useful
ness. Nine. De Veyra wore, in giving
her talks, one of the beautiful gowns
OF the Philippines, delicate pine
apple fabric. hand-woven and hand
embroidered, shaped like gauzy-
winged butterfly.
Things are made very easy for the
Filipino woman in many ways" she
said. ''The professional opportunities
are as good for her as for the men
Women are. already members of the
Philippine Bar Notwithstanding
which Is impossible for the women OF
Great Britain--they are in business
for themselves, and they are success
full practicing physicians. Laws made
for our women combine the best OF
Spanish and American precedentS.
Made Easy for Women.
Everything has been made much
more simple for US than for either the
American or Spanish women. Married
women hold their property in several
ty, and they are guardians of their
own children. or the property which
accrues to a married couple, the wife
Is half administrative, and these are
vested rights which cannot be taken
from her. 1t Is not unusual for the
mother of a family to have not only
a household leadership, but economic
control. NJ. De Veyra, who is interested
in history, tells me that before the
Spanish came we had a matriarchai
system, and this has made the Pilip.
ptno women self-respecting and val
liant
"0f our 3,141 islands, only 400 arc
inhabited. the principal ones being
Luzon, Mindanao and vIsayas; yet
even In rural little Barrios you will
End some sort of woman leader. One
old woman who has had seventeen
children, thirteen having lived to grow
up, and who has. many grandchildren
and greatgrandchildren still exercises
full sway over the family, and has the
last word to say in all financial affairs.
The married children as well as 9th
ers look up to her, not only as moth
er, but as an adviser.
Women. when they marry, go into
partnerships with their husbands.
While the men handle the workers.
the women attend to the finances, Get
as cashiers, pay the workers, and over
see much of the business. They have
equality with men in everything eX-
cept In voting. which the governor gen
eral has recommended in his messages
to the legislature. When 1t was first
recommended the women had not
made much of an effort to gain the
vote, but this year appeals came from
the provinces and women's clubs and
associations. In 1907 there were only
thirty women's clubs, but now there
are 307. A petition signed by $4,000
women was sent to the lawmakers
who granted joint legislative hear
ing on woman suffrage. Three Filipino
women spoke. Two of them were prac-
tlcing lawyers, and the one who was
said to have made the best speech was
Nine Conception Calderon, widow OF
the man who wrote the constitution
of Mallolos.
Adept With Needle.