The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1921-02-10
WHY THE ENGLISH
WOMEN FIGHT ON
For Example, q Mother Is Not
the Legal Parent of Her Own
Child-Other Freaks
of the Laws.
BY Margaret Walter.

London.-English women have got
their vote, there Is a woman member
Of parliament, Oxford receives wom-
en- students on equal terms with men
and confers the same degrees upon
them, there are more than 200 women
Justices Of the peace in the British
Isles, and women sit as directors and
shareholders in many of the biggest
businesses in the country. But there
are still one or two little things that
women feel need putting right before
they can settle down to a peaceful
life again.
The fact that Cambridge has just
voted against admitting women to its
degrees is not among them. This
is Cambridge's loss, not the women's,
and of course those girls who dote
on mathematics and know what a
tripos is will still continue to go to
Cambridge and listen to lectures as
they have always done and they will
probably still continue to come out
ahead Of the men in the unrewarded
examinations as has happened with
alarming frequency Of late years.
These little things don't worry them.
And There Are Others.
But there are other things-agitat-
ing things, some Of them, now being
fought over. 1t is very difficult for
married woman to engage in bust.
ness. A creditor has to take chances
unless she has a free separate estate.
She has a right only to the property
she brings to her marriage. A woman
may only dispose by will Of her sep
arate property and has no power
to receive On her husbands death.
But she has equal responsibility with
her husband, If they have property,
In maintaining her children or
grandchildren if the latter become
burdens on the state.
A wife has no right over food or
household effects or savings from the
Housekeeping money unless living
apart from her husband. A woman
may pledge her husbands credit if
nounce that he declines to allow It.
If child dies under 81 (not havfsg
been able to make a wilD all his
property goes to the father.
If wife dies intestate all her per-
sonal property goes to her husband,
whether she has children or not. Real
estate goes to her husband for life
and then to the eldest son.
II husband dies intestate and
there are no children and if the es-
tate is up to $4,000, all goes to the
widow. If more than $4,000, half goes
to the widow and half to the crown;
that is, the government If more
than $4,000 in real estate, one-third
goes to the widow for life and the
rest to the crown or distant rela-
tiyes.
May Leave Wife Destitute.
The husband is not obliged by law,
as in many other countries, to provide
by will for his wife. After having had
his wifes services for the best years
of her life he may leave her desti-
tute.
A woman is nominally entitled to
maintenance by her husband. This
Is only enforceable if she becomes
chargeable on public funds or gets
legal separation. A woman can get
separation and maintenance order on
four grounds:
(a) II deserted by her husband.
CD If treated by him with persist
ent cruelty.
(c) If he has failed to supply her
with reasonable maintenance foe her
self and her infant children. or
(d) II he has committed an ag-
gravated assault upon her.
If deserted it Is unlikely she will be
able to serve summons upon him or
get the mauont of maintenance If
summons Is served. Husbands some
times return just often enough to es-
cape the charge Of desertion. If with
out money a woman cannot leave her
husband. If she leaves him he may
charge her with deserving him.
Where husband refuses to pay
separation allowance, arrears are
wiped out by Imprisonment, which
does not help dependant wife. II
a woman and her children go into the
poorhouse the guardians call on the
husband to repay them.
Unfaithfulness in the husband ia
not ground for separation, but wife's
unfaithfulness prevents her getting an
order. While wife can only get a
judicial separation from her husband
if he is unGa:thful. he can divorce her
on this ground.
A married woman Is not legally the
parent Of her own child. Under com
mon law the father is sole guardian
and entitled to custody Of the child.
Anything mother does she does like
nurse with authority delegated from
her husband. He has sole right to de-
eide education. religion, place of
abode. He can remove child from
Its mother. Even after his death his
shild must be brought up in his re-
Ngion. II he changes his own reli-
Mion he rnay change the religion Of
his child II ne agrees to give up
his rights the agreement is not EN-
forceable. If he gets his child adopted
he may claim it back, though this
| might be contested. He may appoint
a guardian to act with the chiId's
mother after his death, or the court
may appoint a guardian to act with
her. The mother may only appoint a
guardian to act after her own and
fathers death.
These are some Of the freaks of
TnO1i0h q MT hot oLo