Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-26
Further Discussion Of Sex Equality
Question Is Faced by League Assembly

GENEVA.-Even o straw may show
the way the wind blows, and this year
there blew into the Assembly Of the
League Of Nations q straw which, ex-
tremely small in itself, nevertheless
seems to have been carried by O wind
not to be ignored.
The appearance Of a resolution upon
the agenda Of the First Committee Of
the Assembly, that con1mitte which
deals with the progressive codification
Of international law. has admitted the
straw. and the ever increasing demand
of women the world over for an equal
status In world affairs Is the wind that
has been behind 1t.
Now the codification Of international
law is big undertaking; 1t Is also an
undertaking which, because Of the
nature of the world at the present time,
is bound to be carried forward, under
whatever difficulties. It Is, moreover,
an undertaking which, once estab-
lished. even In part, will not be easy
to move.
Choice Of Nationality Denied.
When the first attempt to deal with
it was made, last March, at the Hague,
matters did not 60 far OF the three
questions regarding which the posi-
bility of codification was discussed,
only one produced practical results.
That was the question Of nationality,
and that managed to get itself off the
lines of wisdom by dealing with the
particular points which concerned
women in q manner calculated to come
into violent contact with that strong
wind blowing. in favor of equality.
The conference issued convention
containing, among other things, four
or%inIoc XvbiNh aYnapt fnr nna detail
excluded woman from the right Of
choice of nationality, and compelled
her to follow the choice of her hus-
band. It was a small matter; only q
comparative handful Of women would
be affected by it, and, so far as that
went, many of the handful would never
really care. But it. was bristling with
those dangers which the alert feminist
Is ever watchful to detect, since 1t
sought to introduce into the first eff
forts toward international law the
self-Same inequality that feminists
have been fighting everywhere in ma
tional law.
United States Protests.
The United States protested and. to-
gether with Belgium, succeeded IN OBJ
tanning the adoption Of a recommended
ton by which states were asked to con-
slider "the possibility Of introducing
into their respective laws the principle
Of equality between the sexes In re-
gard to nationality'-but 1t was only
q recommendation and the convention
proper went out for ratification to the
world in general In what was looked
upon as an almost wholly unsatisfac-
tory condition.
Matters, however, did not rest there.
It Is not easy nowadays to adopt legts-
lation to which the majority OF think
ing women are opposed. The conven-
ton was not popular anywhere. No
state has ratified it-but, OF course,
there has hardly been time for that;
certain states have made sweeping res
CREATIONS in regard to it; others, In
GLIDING the United States, have re-
jected it altogether.
And now there blows into the As
sembly that little straw. Docteur Ores
ties Ferrara. the delegate for Cuba, has
introduced into the First Committee,
under item 10 Of the agendA peo-