women have had the municipal franchise, and a few years ago this was extended to wives and all women were made eligible to the offices for which they could vote. At the last election thirty-five were elected to city councils, nine to that of Stockholm. Until three or four years ago only a small proportion of men possessed the suffrage, but then the taxpaying qualification was made so small that now not more than one-fourth of the men are disfranchised. Women will be admitted to the electorate on the same terms as men, and doubtless in the near future all restrictions for both will be abolished.

This proposed act of the Swedish Parliament will hasten the day when all the women of the Scandinavian countries will be fully enfranchised. In all of them now they have everything but the parliamentary suffrage, that is, in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. In Norway they have the complete franchise with a very small tax-paying qualification which will probably be removed by the present Parliament. It has just passed a bill making women eligible to all public offices except that of membership in the king's cabinet, those of the state church and those in the diplomatic and military service. They were already eligible as members of Parliament and one was elected last year. Hundreds have been elected to town and county councils. A number are sitting on the council in Copenhagen and other cities in Denmark, while one-third of the council of Reyjavik, the capital of Iceland, is composed of women. A bill to give women the full suffrage has passed one Icelandic Parliament and is sure to have its final passage in the next. A similar bill has twice been adopted by the Danish Lower House and will ultimately get through the Upper House, which is largely composed of the aristocracy. Thus it will be seen that political freedom for the women of Scandinavia is near at hand.

Harper's Bazar. 46: 258. May, 1912.

Votes for Women. Ida H. Harper.

In our own country there is encouragement on every side. The Kentucky Legislature by a large majority in both Houses has granted to all women who can read and write a vote on all matters connected with the public schools and eligibility to all school affairs. The most significant feature of this victory is that the bill was sponsored by the State federation of women's clubs.

The convention of 119 men, sitting at Columbus, Ohio, to remodel the constitution of that state, has voted more than two to one to add an amendment giving full suffrage to women. All amendments must be acted upon by the electors and this one must run the risk of defeat.

In Wisconsin, Michigan, Kansas and Oregon constitutional amendments have been submitted to confer the complete suffrage on women, and these will be voted on in November. In Oregon the suffragists are receiving an unusual amount of assistance from men, who have formed a strong Men's suffrage league. They feel that it is high time they should do for the women of their state what the men of California to the south, Washington the north and Idaho to the east have done, and it is almost unthinkable that they would allow the enemies of woman suffrage to defeat the measure. Here, too, it is a great joy to see the women's clubs aroused to their responsibilities and allying themselves with the work of the Suffrage association.

In Kansas the wives of the governor, chief justice of the supreme court, chancellor of the university and a former governor are at the head of the organized work, while womcn in all parts of the state are opening a lively campaign.

Proximity in Chicago will enable Wisconsin and Michigan to have the help of that city's leading suffragists, among them the beloved Jane Addams.

The legislatures of Maryland and Virginia have rejected the woman-suffrage bills by large majorities. Over six hun

dred of the leading women of Maryland went before that legislature and saw their bill treated with such contempt that they went home in a very "militant" state of mind. In Massachusetts, at the request of the State federation of labor, the Suffrage association gave them full charge of the bill, although assisting in the arguments before the legislators. It was defeated, of course, but by the smallest majority on record.

New York has caused the suffragists the longest contest of any state. Only a few times has it ever been possible to get the bill out of the committees so as to compel the legislators to show their colors. This winter has been one of those times, and the bill passed both houses, but was reconsidered and laid on the table. The women of New Jersey succeeded in forcing the bill out of committee and may get a vote on it. These instances show that the suffragists are

gaining.

In California and Washington the women have passed beyond this phase of the struggle. They say it still seems like a dream, that it is all over, and that they can now take up the great work they have longed to do but could not because they were absorbed in trying to get the means by which to do it. They are being placed on boards and committees of all kinds and say that never before did they know the true meaning of the word "chivalry."

Woman's Journal. 43: 97. March 30, 1912.

China Grants Woman Suffrage.

Press despatches report that the Chinese National Parliament at Nankin has granted equal suffrage to the women of China, the law to take effect immediately, and that one woman, Yik Yuan Ying, a college graduate, has been elected a member of Parliament from the province of Canton. Women voters, according to this despatch, will be subject to the same restrictions as men-that is, they must be able to read and write, must be property owners, and 20 years of age.

A letter to the Boston Herald from Canton, the head and heart of the modern progressive movement in China, says:

"The Provincial Assembly, since the fire which destroyed its beautiful hall, has been meeting in the new theatre near the east end of the river front. It is composed of representative revolutionists from the different districts. As a sign of the progressive character of the people here, ten women have been seated as representatives."

Woman's Journal. 43: 223. July 27, 1912.

Portugal Gives Votes to Women.

From the new Portuguese Republic comes the report that under the Electoral law, just passed, a limited number of women in Portugal have been given the parliamentary franchise. The same law puts a property qualification on the men, but so slight a one that manhood suffrage is practically established. However, the number of women enfranchised by this law will be comparatively small because of the age limit and educational test.

About a year ago Dr. Carolina Angelo, a woman who since died, entered her name on the registry as a citizen. Her application for the vote formed a test case. The judge ruled that she was entitled to citizenship. By this legal decision women in Portugal were declared eligible for the franchise on the same grounds as men. By the new law, the Senate has now partially confirmed this legal decision by granting the vote to women over 25 years of age, who have passed a certain educational test.