Among the earliest of these silent workers for the woman's rights cause may be mentioned Mary Upton Ferrin. In the 'History of Woman Suffrage" she is spoken of as follows: "The first change in the tyrannous laws of Massachusetts was really due to the work of this one woman, Mary Upton Ferrin, who for six years, after her own quaint method, poured the hot shot of her earnest conviction of woman's wrongs into the Legislature. In circulating petitions, she travelled six hundred miles, two thirds of this distance on foot. Much money was expended besides her time and travel, and her name should be remembered as that of one of the brave pioneers of the work." Mrs. Ferrin's petitions were for a change in the laws concerning the property rights of married women, and for the political and legal rights of all women.

In 1849 she prepared a memorial to the Massachusetts Legislature in which are embodied many of the demands for woman's equality before the law, which have so often been made to that body since that time. This memorial was printed by order of the Legislature (Leg. Doc. Ho. 57) and is called, "Memorial of the female signers of the several petitions of Henry A. Hardy and others," presented March 1, 1849. The document is not signed, and Mrs. Ferrin's name is not found with it upon the records; neither does her name appear in the Journals of the House in connection with any of the petitions and addresses she caused to be presented to the Legislature of the State. For this reason, and because I had never heard of her name in connection with suffrage work, it unfortunately happens that it is not recorded in its proper place, in the text of this book. But for the loyal friendship of the few who knew of her work and were willing to give her due credit, the name of Mary Upton Ferrin and the memory of her labors would have gone with her into the "great darkness."

There may be other early workers whose names or record I have been unable to obtain, and I will say here, to those who read this book, that if they have facts worthy of pres

ervation in connection with the early suffrage work in this State, I shall be glad to receive them and will preserve them for the use of future historians.

While writing these very lines I received a letter from Rev. Olympia Brown, containing the facts relating to the inception of the New England Woman Suffrage Association. Mrs. Brown writes:

"After my return from Kansas in '67, I felt that we ought to do something for the cause in Massachusetts. There was at that time no organization in the State, and there had been no revival of the subject in the minds of the people since the war, which had swallowed up every other interest. In the spring of '68, I wrote to Abby Kelley Foster, telling her my wish to have something done in our own State, and she advised me to call together a few persons known to be in favor of suffrage some day during anniversary week, in some parlor in Boston. I corresponded with Adin Ballou, E. D. Draper and others on the subject and talked the matter over with Prof. T. T. Leonard, teacher of elocution, who offered his hall for a place of meeting. I wrote a notice inviting all persons interested in woman suffrage to come to Mr. Leonard's Hall, on a certain day and hour. At the time appointed the hall was full of people. I opened the meeting, and stated why I had called it, others took up the theme, we had many impromptu speeches, and we had a lively meeting. · All agreed that something should be done, and a committee of seven was appointed to call a convention for the purpose of organizing a woman suffrage association. Caroline M. Severance, Stephen S.Foster, Miss Southwick and myself, were of this committee. I do not remember the other names.

We held a number of meetings and finally decided to call a convention early in the autumn of 1868. This convention was held in Horticultural Hall, and the result was the organization of the New England Woman Suffrage Association."

K.

AN ACT TO GIVE WOMEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR MEMBERS OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Be it enacted, etc., as follows:

SECT. 1. Every woman who is a citizen of this Commonwealth, of twenty-one years of age and upwards, and has the educational qualifications required by the twentieth article of the amendments to the Constitution, excepting paupers and persons under guardianship, who shall have resided within this Commonwealth one year and within the city or town in which she claims the right to vote six months next preceding any meeting of citizens either in wards or in general meeting for municipal purposes, and who shall have paid by herself, or her parent, or guardian, a state or county tax, which within two years next preceding such meeting has been assessed upon her in any city or town, shall have a right to vote at such town or city meeting, for members of school committees.

SECT. 2. Any female citizen of this Commonwealth may, on or before the fifteenth day of September in any year, give notice in writing to the assessors of any city or town, accompanied by satisfactory evidence, that she was on the first day of May of that year an inhabitant thereof and that she desires to pay a poll tax and furnish under oath a true list of her estate, both real and personal, and she shall thereupon be assessed for her poll and estate, and the assessors shall, on or before the first day of October in each year, return her name to the clerk of the city or town in the list of the persons so assessed. The taxes so assessed shall be entered in the tax list of the collector of the city or town, and the collector shall collect and pay over the same in the manner specified in his warrant.

SECT. 3. All laws in relation to the registration of voters shall apply to women upon whom the right to vote is herein

conferred, provided that the names of such women shall be placed on a separate list.

SECT. 4. The mayor and aldermen of cities and the selectmen of towns may in their discretion appoint and notify a separate day for the election of school committees: provided, that such meeting shall be held in the same month in which the annual town meeting or the municipal election occurs. [Approved April 16, 1879.]

THE ACT AS AMENDED IN 1881.

Be it enacted etc., as follows:

SECT. 1. Every woman who is a citizen of this Commonwealth, of twenty-one years of age and upwards, and has the educational qualifications required by the twentieth article of the amendments to the Constitution, excepting paupers and persons under guardianship, who shall have resided within this Commonwealth one year, and within the city or town in which she claims the right to vote six months next preceding any meeting of citizens, either in wards or in general meeting for municipal purposes, and who shall have paid, by herself, or her parent, guardian, or trustee, a state, county, city, or town tax which, within two years next preceding such meeting has been assessed upon her or her trustees, in any city or town, shall have a right to vote, at such town or city meeting, for members of school committees.

SECT. 2. Any woman who is a citizen of this Commonwealth may, on or before the first day of October in any year, give notice in writing to the assessors of any city or town, accompanied by satisfactory evidence, that she was, on the first of May of that year, an inhabitant thereof, and that she desires to pay a poll tax, and furnish, under oath, a true list of her estate, both real and personal, not exempt from taxation, and she shall thereupon be assessed for her poll, not exceeding fifty cents, and for her estate; and the assessors shall, on or before the fifth day of October, in each year, return her name to the clerk of the city or

town in the list of the persons so assessed. The taxes so assessed shall be entered in the tax-list of the collector of the city or town, and the collector shall collect and pay over the same in the manner specified in his warrant.

SECT. 3. All laws in relation to the registration of voters shall apply to women upon whom the right to vote is herein conferred; provided, that the names of such women may be placed upon a separate list, and when the name of any woman has been placed on the voting list of any city or town, it shall continue on the list of said city or town as long as she continues to reside there, and to pay any state or county, city, or town tax that has been assessed on her or her trustee in any city or town in the Commonwealth within two years previous to any voting day.

SECT. 4.

All acts and parts of acts inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed.

SECT. 5. This act shall take effect upon its passage.

L.

THREE DECISIONS OF THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS AGAINST THE RIGHTS OF THE WOMEN OF THE COMMON WEALTH.

THE first decision was in the case of Sarah E. Wall of Worcester, who had refused to pay her taxes under the following protest:

"Believing with the immortal Declaration of Independence that taxation and representation are inseparable; believing that the Constitution of the State furnishes no authority for the taxation of woman; believing also that the Constitution of the higher law of God, written on the