Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 4.djvu/898

 In 1887 Dr. William M. Baird, Speaker of the Assembly, had a bill introduced conferring School Suffrage on women in villages and country districts, and advocated it from the floor. It passed unanimously, March 23, not on its merits but because the Speaker wanted it. It was passed by the Senate March 31, by 15 yeas, 2 nays, and signed April 8, by Gov. Robert S. Green.

This year Aaron M. Powell and the Rev. A. H. Lewis secured a law raising the "age of protection" for girls from 10 to 16.

In 1894 the courts decided that the law granting School Suffrage to women was unconstitutional and that an amendment to the constitution would be necessary to enable them to exercise it. The suffrage association immediately took steps to secure a resolution submitting this amendment to the electors, as previously described. In 1895 it was introduced in the Senate by Foster M. Voorhees (now Governor) and passed in June by 13 yeas, 2 nays. It passed the Assembly by 36 yeas, one nay. It had to be acted upon by two Legislatures. In March, 1896, it passed the Senate unanimously; and the Assembly by 57 yeas, one nay. A technicality required it to pass the third Legislature, which it did in March, 1897 — Senate, 15 yeas, 1 nay; Assembly, 42 yeas, 5 nays.

In April, 1894, it was enacted that women might be notaries.

In March, 1895, a bill was secured making women eligible to appointment as Commissioners of Deeds, after having failed in 1891, '92 and '94, and Miss Mary M. Steele was appointed.

In 1896 Miss Mary Philbrook, an attorney, with the help of the suffrage officials, secured a bill making women eligible as Masters in Chancery and was herself the first one appointed.

This year the State Teachers' Association secured a law permitting a Teachers' Retirement Fund to be created, which, with some amendments in 1899, enables a teacher after twenty years service, if incapacitated for further work, to receive from $250 to $600 per annum. Some improvement also was made in the property laws for women.

In April, 1898, through the efforts of the Federation of Women's Clubs, a law was passed and an appropriation made for State Traveling Libraries.

Dower and curtesy obtain. The widow is entitled to a life use of one-third of the real estate and, if there is a child or chil-