THE SOUTHERN CROSS SOCIETY.

Evening Post, Volume LV, Issue 127, 31 May 1898, Page 2

THE SOUTHERN CROSS SOCIETY.

<ft MISS BENJAMIN'S PAPER. ' In spite of the stormy wratlier a fair number of people wen; present; last nielli to bear Lady Stout read the paper refused by the National Council of Women. Mrs. Tell was 1»i the chair, nnd m introducing the paper Lady Stout remarked that not only had the Council declined to read the paper itself, but had also refused to allow her (Lady Stout) to do so. THE BEJECTED ADDHEBS. As a preface to her paper Miss Benjamin explained that the Women's Council had at first asked her to write on the law as it affected women and children, but she had pointed out that as women and children formed parts of the social organism, all law affected them directly or iudireotly. There was no proper antagonism between the interests of men aud women, and the champions of women's rights erred in looking upon men as the natural foes of women. The majority of broad-minded meu perceived that by raising women they were raising the race. Women should educate themselves aud their daughters to become deserving of equal rights and capable of fulfilling equal duties, and the rights would be their own. The present paper would be confined for the most part to those inequalities in respect of the two sexes which still prevailed iv the law of our own colony. EXISTING INEQUALITIES IN THE LAW. The subject would be best treated in two divisions: — (1) The inequalities attaching 'to all women, married aud unmarried, and (2) tlio«/e which affected married women aud incidentally the relations of parent and chjld. ' OF WOStEKTIN GEtfEBAL. The New Zealand women not under coverture laboured under tew disadvantages imposed by law on account of their sex. One t of the most important inequalities remaining was woman's ineligibility for a seat in either House of Parliament. This , placed women in an analogous position to that of aliens, lunatics, aud so on, and the disqualification should at once be removed. • Again, no woman could be empannelled as a juror. Liability to serve on juries was a duty required of ever}' male citizen, and there was no reason why women should be exempted on account of sex from a civic duty they were capable of performing. Women were also excused from military service, all the burden of defence was thrown on men, and the only share women took in warfare was the relief of .suffering. Perhaps in time to come they might take a more active part, as their physique was developed by physical training. As for the appointment of women Judges or Justices, there was nothing iv law, either under the Justices ot the Peace Act. 1882, dr under any other statute, to prevent a woman from becoming n Magistrate or, if she had been admitted to the liar, a Judge. OF MARKIED WOMEN. With reirard to her rights over property, the married woman at common law had none apart from her husband, but this harsh doctrine had been mitigated until by the Married Women's Property Acts she could exercise the' same rights over her separate property as a feme sole. Some inequalities still existed, but mostly in favour of the married women. Equity, in its care for her, allowed her to be restrained from anticipating or alienating her separate estate, whereas the "meek married man" had no such defence. Then, again, no woman under coverture could be imprisoned for debt, aud the judgment creditor's only remedy lay against her separate property. A husband, also, was bound to provide for his wife under a personal obligation, by work or otherwise, whereas a destitute husband could by law receive no support unless his wife owned separate property. In the matter of divorce a man, however, could petition on the ground of adultery alone, but a woman would be required to prove some aggravating circumstance over and above the infidelity. StTPPOBT AND CONTROL OF CHILDREN. A married woman with separate property had a similar liability to support her children and grandchildren to that of a man. Tho man had beyond this certain dutic-s and corresponding rights. The father was the natural guardian of his infant children. Under a statute of Charles 11. he could dispose of the custody of such childreu independently of their mother.. The Law Amendment Act of 1882, however, gave the Supreme Court power to grant the mother access to her children, and even control over them, at its discretion. The Infants Guardianship and Contracts Act, 1887, went still further in the same direction, charging the Court to consider " the wishes as well of the mother as of the father." WELL-MEANT ADVICE. 11l conclusion Miss Benjamin warned the Council against hasty and crude decisions upon momentous subjects, and especially the < relations of husband and wife. She criticised strongly the method of unanimously passing resolutions '* after a short and totalty inadequate discussion," and pointed out that many of the women's schemes " were quite impracticable," or, " if given effect to, might revolutionise society in a way that few of them thoroughly appreciated." " The concluding paragraph, which apparently had caused the Council to look ■upon the paper as flippant, ran as follows : — " I have spokeu strougty : my remarks may not meet with the approval of the Council, but, to use a colloquialism, ' them's my sentiments,' and it is as well that you should know them." At the conclusion of tli^e paper a short discussion ensued, in which Mrs. Plimmer, Miss Watson, and Mr. Douglas took part. it hearty vote of thanks was curried both to the Southern Cross Soc^ty for reading the paper, and to Miss Benjamin. It was announced that at the next meeting ou Monday week a debate on the Shakespeare-Bacon controversy would be held.