Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-14
Legal and Industrial Status
of Women IN Delaware
Some the Subject Given by Miss Mary
r. DeVou n Her History of the Equal Suffrage Assocs
tion of Delaware

The ratification of the Suffrage Amend
uent hv the Tennessee Senate. Yesterday
rendered pertinent n resume nf Mrs Mari
de Nou's history Of tho suffrage movement
in Delaware. a. developed through the
efforts Of the Delaware Equal Suffrage
Association
At the request of Mrs Ida Hustled
Harper. under whose direction a history
Of woman suffrage Is being published by
tho National Equal Suffrage Association
for issue next October. Miss de YOU last
winter undertook the arduous, task OF
writing the history of the movement IN
this State Aided bv Miss Wlnifred Morris
Of Delaware. with chapter on ratlli-
cation. Miss de You has prepared an
interesting story which presents very
valuable data for referenc concerning
the legal and industrial status of women
in Delaware
The phases covered by the compilation
Of Miss de You include laws relating to
women. property rights OF married women,
inheritance, divorce, guardianship ohll-
dren, age Of consent, etc. In industry,
minimum wage. child labor laws, mothers
pensions .worlxwomen' 3 compensation were
prepared under the direction of the Con-
sumers' League of Delaware
In Delaware there IL a total OF l2.201
women engaged in gaipful occupations.
in September, 1919, there were , .i5h en-
gagged in the canning industry The IN
vestigation shows that IN Delaware whete
so many women engaged IN industrial
occupations, there Is no strictly woman
union organization There is n leather
workers union. 90 which a large number
Of women belong. but men are also Nom
bers Of this union. There ~ no provision
in Delaware law. requiring equal pay Tor
equal work hN women iu industry
Slx towns IN Delaware have municipal
suffrage Milford Newark. Rchohuth,
Middetown, Townsend and Wyoming
In the two latter named. the women must
be unmarried to have the privilege oi
voting. I'm all these towns tho women
are required TO be taxpayers. Ia some Of
them the voting can be done Ivy proxy
State offices are closed TO women, but
thev can Serve on State commissions
Women can serve on the Labor Commits
sion of Delaware. the Public Archives
Commission. Mothers Pensions Iurcau
is composed of women entirely; the State
Board of Charities has two women, the
Reconstruction Commission three; one
woman serves on the Park Commission
of Wilmington, Mrs Charles Copeland.
Women may be factory inspectors in
Delaware, which position is now held
by Miss Palmer. Women may sit on the
State Board of Education without being
property owners. They are also eligible as.
school supervisors outside of Wilmington
Miss Anna G.. Barnes was recently chosen
supervisor of rural schools for New Castle
County.
WOMEN TAXPAYERS VOTE.
In Wilmington women taxpayers are
eligible TO vote for members of the city
Board of Education, provided they pay a
school tax
In Delaware there are seven women
practicing physicians, six In Wilmington
and one in Seaford. The only profession
in Delaware women cannot practice is
that of law. Two Wilmington girls, how
ever, are preparing themselves for the
practice of this profession, at the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania, with the ex-
pectation that the inhibition will soon be
removed. Miss Evangelyn Barsky,
daughter Of Nathan Barsky, and
member of the Delaware Equal buffrage
Association, is one of them, and expects
10 enter the practice with her brother
The other is Miss Sybil Ward, daughter
| of III. H. Ward, who expects To practice
with her father.
There are nine women's organizations
in Delaware, including the Equal Suffrage
| Association, the Womer' Christian Tenn
| perance Union, international Sunshine
| Society, Delaware State Association oi