A wife's earnings or wages for personal labor belong exclusively to her in all states and territories excepting those in which the community system of property prevails (see my article in this magazine for March); the District of Columbia, where, as I understand, a wife's earnings still belong to her husband and his creditors unless he gives them to her or agrees that they shall be hers; in Missouri, where her earnings may be taken by her husband's creditor if the debt is one for necessaries for herself or the family; in Nebraska, where the rule is that of Missouri with the added condition that the creditor must first attempt to claim his due out of property belonging to the husband; and in Tennessee, where the husband or his creditors (but not his ante-nuptial creditors) have absolute control over the wife's earnings. 88 HOW MARRIAGE AFFECTS A WOMAN'S WAGES OR BUSINESS. setting forth the nature of the business, with certain statutory regulations; so in names, dates, and other facts which would Montana. In Arkansas she probably would serve to put creditors on their guard. So if have to record a schedule of her stock in the husband wishes to secure himself against trade, as she must of other personal property, possible liability for business debts contracted in order to hold it unquestionably as her own. by his wife he may file such a certificate. In California, Florida, Idaho Territory, and Thus if any present or possible future credit- Nevada, she must obtain leave of court acor of husband or wife is in doubt whom to cording to certain requirements in each state, trust or whether to trust at all, he may ex- to carry on business alone or as a "sole amine the town records and satisfy himself. trader," as it is sometimes called. In DelaIn such limited space as I have here at ware it is doubtful to what extent a married disposal, I will endeavor to give some idea of woman may assume business relations and the law as at present prevailing in the vari- responsibilities. I do not know exactly how ous states of our country on this subject. the law stands on this point in the District of Columbia. In Georgia she may become a "free trader" if her husband consents thereto, by publishing such consent for one month in a newspaper. In Michigan also she must have her husband's consent. In Kentucky the court may authorize her to transact business in her own name if she and her husband join in a petition to that effect; or she may do so without such permission if her husband has abandoned her, or is in the penitentiary for an unexpired term of more than one year, or has left the state and fails to maintain her, or if she has come to the state alone without him. In North Carolina, an ante-nuptial contract, signed and recorded, or her husband's consent after marriage, also written, acknowledged, and recorded, will authorize a wife to carry on independent business. In Tennessee she cannot carry on any trade or business in her own name unless her husband is insane, so also in Rhode Island, she can only carry on a separate trade or business if her husband is insane, except that if a woman comes into the state alone and lives here without her husband for a year, she has the powers and rights of a widow, but only until such time as he may follow her into the state; and except also that if a husband unjustifiably abandons his wife or fails for six months to provide for her, being of sufficient ability so to do, she may obtain from the court the powers of a single woman. In Texas I understand that a wife cannot legally engage in separate trade or business; and that in Wisconsin she can do so, free from her husband's control and debts only if he has deserted her or failed to provide for her support. A married woman may carry on any trade or business independently in the following states: Colorado; Connecticut; the Dakotas; Illinois (but to form a business partnership, she must have her husband's consent); Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; practically so in Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts (but not as a partner with her husband, or as partner in any firm of which her husband is a member); Minnesota; Mississippi ; probably Missouri; Nebraska; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New York; Ohio; Oregon; Pennsylvania; probably South Carolina; Utah Territory; Vermont; Virginia; Washington; West Virginia; and Wyoming. In Alabama, she must file her husband's written consent to her independent business or trade relations in the Probate Court, unless her husband is insane, non-resident, or has abandoned her. In Arizona Territory she must give a formal The subject of my next paper will be "How public notice of her business in accordance a Married Woman May Make a Will." A CABINET AFTERNOON. BY MRS. CARL BARUS. M ANY habits which have be- and receive a welcome from the inmates. come crystallized into customs The hours and form of reception are the same in the official etiquette of Wash- at all the houses, but one's fancy suggests ington life, have formed them- that the flowers have the sweetest perfume selves without premeditation or in the parlors of the Secretary of Agriculture, expectation on the part of those that a scholarly element predominates among who introduced them that they would become the guests at the home of the Secretary of recognized as binding. A careful study of the the Interior, who supervises the scientific growth of social life at the Capitol fails to bureaus, and that familiar military and indicate just when the practice of keeping naval faces are more frequent at the houses open house on Wednesday afternoons be- of their respective Cabinet chiefs. came an accepted fact with the Cabinet members. It has, however, the force of precedent so far as the memory of existing Washington society is concerned, and it would require considerable argument, if not endanger his position, for a Cabinet officer to disregard this unwritten law. At the opening of our national history, Washington was but a village with important clusters of official residences stationed at intervals along the route between the Executive Mansion and the Capitol. It is only since the Civil War that it has lost its provincial appearance and assumed the air of city life. Forms which had the significance at the outset of neighborly good feeling have now the weight of official position. As in most cities, the west is the court end of Washington. On sunny Wednesday afternoons in January and February one is almost tempted to fancy that a bit of actual court life has transplanted itself on this democratic soil, the carriages with obsequious, liveried coachmen and footmen and ladies in the elegance of rich fabrics and fine feathers so crowd the streets of this neighborhood. The comparison frequently drawn between Paris and Washington never holds better than upon such afternoons when the fashionable world, abroad in its gala attire, gives an animation and sparkle to the street scene which suggest the perennial lightheartedness of the French capital. The deaths which followed so closely in the family of Secretary Blaine at the opening of the first social season of the present administration, closed from public approach what probably would have been the most popular household. The days of retirement are not yet completed, and only personal friends presume to call at the interesting old brick mansion facing Lafayette Square, which has secured for itself historical permanence as the residence of two noted statesmen, Seward and Blaine. The brilliant entertainments, which during the Cleveland régime piqued public curiosity at the home of Secretary Whitney, caused a prestige for lavish hospitality to become associated with his house. When it was known that the in-coming Postmaster-General had secured it, general expectation took the form of a prophecy that he would sustain its past distinction. Reputed the wealthiest man in the Cabinet, and one whose business capacity and energy had made his name familiar over the country, Mr. Wanamaker was the most suitable candidate for the rôle of social leader. A square red brick house on I Street, built a couple of generations ago by a retired army officer, when the gentry of Washington built for themselves in the midst of pleasant gardens substantial houses with wide halls and broad, inviting entrances, it has by its spacious rooms and convenient location proved to be well fitted for hospitality, though the houses on either side have pushed up so closely that it has lost its air of independence and one would pass it by without suspecting it to be the focus of so much newspaper Any one, bearing the passport of respectability and good-breeding, stirred by patriotic or inquisitive instincts, may present his card at the doors of the Cabinet households gossip. 90 A CABINET AFTERNOON. ventional ten-minutes, which should be the extreme limit for such a call, including a visit to the dining-room. Good sense is at present fashionable. Instead of the hot dishes and elaborate ménu spread a few years ago, the simplest entertainment is given with dainty accompaniments of china and glass. Flowers, candelabra, with blossoming candle-shades, and embroidered linen set off the table upon which are found the tea-urn, the chocolate pot, sweet biscuits, salted almonds, and bon-bons. The society column in the daily press gives notice of the intentions of the Cabinet households for the convenience of visitors in the city. As you ascend the steps to the Postmaster-General's house on Cabinet Day 1 between the hours of 3 and 5 p. m., "Buttons" is found waiting with his hand on the knob to swing open the door with a promptness which anticipates the bell. A dignified English man-servant receives your card on a silver tray and passes it to a still more impressive personage, who as you cross over the threshold of the receiving room calls your name aloud in such decisive tones that you are startled at your own importance, and surprised that the announcement falls unheeded on all but the listening ears of the hostess, who standing within a few feet of the doorway extends her hand and repeats your name coupled with the stereotyped greeting"happy to meet you"-then turns and introduces you to the daughter or friend who may be assisting her to receive. Unless the rooms are fairly empty or you are a personal friend, you are not expected to engage your hostess in further conversation, as the line of visitors on pleasant afternoons is sometimes an almost unbroken one, and necessitates brief recognitions. The rooms from which daylight has been excluded, that the glow from numerous lamps with rosy shadings may give a softened coloring to the scene, are fragrant with the odor of flowers and rich with artistic and effective decoration. A half dozen young girls who have been invited to aid in receiving are scattered through the rooms, in gowns as artistic as their surroundings, and by their merry chatter as they greet friends among the guests, help to dispel the formality of the first introduction. Beyond the double suite of parlors is the ball-room which the Whitneys added to the house, and whose light is arranged to serve the needs of a picture gallery. The walls hung with embossed leather and crimson damask are covered with fine paintings, largely representative of the modern French masters. The lover of sensuous impressions receives a feast amid the luxuriance of the tropical foliage of palms, the gorgeous dyes of Oriental rugs and hangings, the rich embroideries, and bric-a-brac which are thrown about with lavish profusion, making a suitable tableau from an Arabian Night tale. The color, warmth, and beauty tempt one to linger beyond the con It is in good form if the reception is a small one, to wish your hostess "good morning" as you leave, but, as a rule, the departures are taken without that courtesy as the constant entrances and exits would create confusion. The Cabinet ladies formerly returned within a week the calls of those who gave a known address in the city, but as Washington outgrew its provincial character, the pile of cards left at the door became each year more formidable. It was manifestly impossible to continue such a social form. The duty of acknowledging the compliment of a visit is now turned over to the private secretary or general factotum, who making out the weekly list of obligations is driven about from house to house and leaves the cards of the family-that of the master being engraved simply, The Secretary of (whatever department he may occupy), the ladies bearing the surname only. This relief from the burdensome task of official courtesy leaves the Cabinet ladies at liberty to assume whatever rôle they choose in the social life of the city, saving the imperative duty of personally calling first each year upon the wives of the Judges of the Supreme Court and the wives of Senators. The question of social precedence in a land where equality was the key stone of the Constitution was a delicate one to adjust, especially as official positions clearly evoked social pride in their holders. Happily the dilemma between the contending parties resolved itself without further acrimony than a few bitter words in past administrations. The Cabinet households accepted their place as lower in the scale than senatorial honors. Mrs. Morton receives on Cabinet days, though the wives of former Vice-Presidents have occasionally chosen to receive on Thursdays (the day selected by the Senators' households), in this way emphasizing their husbands connection with the legislative merce, the official life might not have been body. able to assume the dominant social tone it has secured in Washington-a city built up almost exclusively in the interests of government institutions. Had the headquarters of our national government, as those of other countries, been seated in the central city of trade and com EDITOR'S OUTLOOK. ALEXANDER WINCHELL. PROFESSOR ALEXANDER WINCHELL, the distinguished geologist and author of the well-known "Walks and Talks in the Geological Field," which the members of the C. L. S. C. are now reading, died at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on February 19. Although nearly three-score and ten-he was born in 1824-he had shown to the world, up to within a few days of his death, no signs of waning vigor, although in truth symptoms of heart failure had been menacing him for some little time. His last appearance in public was in the rôle that has made him so well-known, that of a popular expounder of the doctrine of evolution. Few American scholars have reached with their books and their thoughts so many American households as did Dr. Winchell. It is not often that the gift of the original investigator and that of the popular expounder are so well combined in the same person. The scholar, absorbed in his specialty, and habitually writing or speaking only for the small audience of his professional peers, is often impatient of the very thought of addressing himself to a wider public. Very likely he may feel a sort of contempt for the popularizer. No such feeling found lodgement in the mind of Winchell. He took pride in the office of a teacher of the people at large. He loved to write for the general reader and to speak to popular audiences upon the vast conceptions and the far-flying speculations among which his own mind had come to be at home. was especially in his element in combating the idea that the theory of evolution is out of harmony with the Bible. As to the permanent value of what he did in this direction it is difficult to speak fairly without going into details. To scientific men might reach in the conscien- He Dr. Winchell was a man of wide attainments and prodigious industry. A complete catalogue of all his contributions to science, great and small, would comprise several hundred numbers, not to speak of his various works of a popular or semi-popular character. He was long State Geologist of Michigan, and was at the time of his death the president of the American Geological Society. But his inHe terests were not confined to his specialty. He had a working familiarity with a dozen languages; and was well-read in at least some lines of theology and philosophy. had tried his hand with no mean success at modeling in clay. He was exceedingly fond of music and had long been the president of the flourishing University Musical Society at Ann Arbor. He was very methodical in all his habits and while always busy seemed never to be in a hurry. By those who know him from his printed works alone, he will be remembered as the champion of certain ideas. Those who have heard him speak will long retain the recollection of his imposing presence and his grandiose oratory. But those Along with his strong scientific bent Winchell was a religious man; more than this he was a churchman, a Methodist. He felt it his duty therefore to mediate in the muchtalked-of "conflict" between geology and the Bible. He felt it to be little short of suicidal on the part of the church to take an attitude of hostility either to the spirit of scientific research or to the particular conclusions which 1 |