Estates of less than five thousand dollars are exempt from inheritance tax.

Rhode Island does not inflict death, the extreme penalty for crime being life imprisonment.

Rhode Island granted women suffrage in 1917.

SOUTH CAROLINA.

By the Constitution of the State of South Carolina, adopted in 1895 "The real and personal property of a woman held at the time of her marriage, or that which she may thereafter acquire by gift, grant, inheritance, devise or otherwise, shall be her separate property, and she shall have all the rights incident to the same to which an unmarried woman or man is entitled. She shall have the power to contract and be contracted with in the same manner as if she were unmarried." A husband is liable for the support of his wife and family but he is not liable for other debts of his wife. A widow is entitled to onethird of her husband's real estate and children the remainder; if there are no children she is entitled to one-half and the remainder goes to parents or the descendants of his parents. If there survives no kindred she takes the whole estate.

Children less than twelve years of age are prohibited from working in mines and factories. Children under fourteen are prohibited from working in too close proximity to dangerous machinery and when they are employed they must file with their employer a certificate setting forth name, birthplace, age and residence. Children less than sixteen are prohibited from working at night and their hours of labor are limited to sixty hours in a week or ten hours a day. The hours of work for women are limited to sixty hours in a week, not to exceed twelve hours in any day, and they are not allowed to work after ten o'clock at night.

South Carolina is a Prohibition State since 1916.

The labor laws for the protection of women and children are insufficient and leave much to be desired by advocates of legal safeguards to the health and morality of working women and minors.

The penalty for violation of a girl less than ten years of age is death or imprisonment from five to forty years, and less than fourteen, imprisonment for not more than fourteen years.

A girl of fourteen may contract a valid marriage with her parents' consent, but South Carolina makes no provision for the dissolution of the contract. There are no divorce laws in South Carolina.

There is no inheritance tax on estates.

South Carolina seems to stand among the States much like a certain Jim Downs did in a Kentucky town where a great revival had brought within the fold about all of the population. One night when the revivalist called for those who had not yet accepted religion to come forward to the mourners' bench, while all the congregation stood and sang lustily, Jim Downs started down the center aisle. The revivalist threw up his hands and shouted "STOP, cease singing! Here comes Jim Downs, a man supposed to be impervious to reform, and there's work for all God's people on his case for the rest of the night! We will devote our efforts to this last and hardest seeker of the Truth." The good sisters and brothers of the other States who have labored long and have brought about so many beneficent laws for women and children might well watch this fine old Southern State for its first unbending and then concentrate all of their efforts to make the surrender to the fold of Progress complete. Nowhere in the land is there more chivalry, finer old-fashioned standards of honor, probity and good demeanor, than in South Carolina, but there is a huge population of uneducated negroes to be considered and hence the problems of this State are many. Poor women who must

labor to live, and destitute widows and orphans need protection, but they can get it only along with civilizing education and a certain reorganization of a race which Time alone can produce.

SOUTH DAKOTA.

A married woman may own in her own right in South Dakota real and personal property, and she may manage, sell, and convey and devise the same as freely as though she were unmarried, and she may contract and sue and be sued as if a femme sole. The property of the husband is not liable for the debts or torts of the wife nor is the property of the wife liable for the acts of her husband. But the securing of a wife in her property rights gives her no additional personal rights. The husband is deemed the head of the family and he alone selects the domicile and orders. the mode of life, and the wife must conform to his dictum. The husband is liable for the support of his wife and family and if he does not make proper provision the wife may secure it, and the property of the husband will be held for the obligation. However, if the husband is unable to provide, because of infirmity, it then becomes the duty of the wife to support him and the family and her separate property will be held for the obligation.

The surviving husband or wife remains in possession of the homestead and all the furnishings of the home pass to him or her. If there is no will the survivor takes one-half of the estate, up to $5,000, if there are no children; and one-third if there are children.

South Dakota is a Prohibition State since 1916 and has a Red Light and Abatement Law fashioned after the Iowa law on the subject.

South Dakota does not inflict the death penalty but makes life imprisonment the maximum sentence for crime.

There is a Mother's Pension law which provides that County Court's shall examine into the application of destitute widows who need support for their children and, by an amendment passed in 1915 the relief will also be granted to women whose husband's are divorced.

Children under fourteen are protected from mine working and under sixteen from labor in any place dangerous to life, limbs or morals. Ten hours is the limit allowed for a labor day and children under fourteen must have a school certificate if employed.

A girl of fifteen may contract marriage with the consent of her parents.

Divorce will be granted for desertion, neglect or habitual drunkenness for one year.

There is an inheritance tax on property not exceeding $15,000 passing to wife or lineal descendant, of one per cent.; to husband, ancestor, adopted child or its issue, one and a half per cent.; to brother, sister or their descendants, and to son-in-law and daughter-in-law, three per cent.; to uncles, aunts or their descendants, four per cent, and to all others five per cent.

TENNESSEE.

The rents and revenues of any property owned by a woman in Tennessee at her marriage passes into the control and custody, and may be diverted to the use of her husband. The husband's interest in his wife's lands cannot be taken for his debts. There are three ways to acquire property in Tennessee-by purchase, by inheritance and by marrying it; however, when realty comes by the last method of acquisition it cannot be disposed of by the husband unless his wife joins in the Act of Sale. But the general personal property of a woman, whether acquired before or after marriage, becomes, after being reduced to

possession by the husband, his property, and is subject to his debts, contracts and disposition as his own, being subject only to a first claim by her actual creditors. The and to son-in-law and daughter-in-law, three per cent.; to personal property of a wife is not subject to claims for debts incurred by her husband before marriage. A married woman may sue for her earnings or wages without joining her husband and when engaged in business she is liable for all debts contracted in its conduct.

A widow is entitled to dower of one-third interest in all of her husband's realty and the husband is entitled to curtesy of life interest in all lands of his wife if there was issue born alive. The personal estate passes to the surviving spouse if there are no children and if there are children it is shared by them equally.

When a married woman is living apart from her husband she may be empowered to dispose of her lands as if single, but generally the wife in Tennessee has no right to contract or bind herself in any way without her husband joins. She is liable as though unmarried for debts contracted in any mercantile or manufacturing business in which she may be engaged.

A mother has not the right to appoint a testamentary guardian for her minor children but a father has the right to appoint a guardian for his children until they attain twenty-one years of age. The mother becomes the guardian only if the father is dead and has not provided by will or deed for guardianship.

Tennessee has a Red Light law but a building used for immoral purposes can only be closed on the application of ten citizens and the county or district attorney concurring. Tennessee is a Prohibition State since 1909.

A girl of twelve and a boy of fourteen may contract a legal marriage in Tennessee.

Divorce will be granted for desertion of two years, cruelty, habitual drunkenness and non-support.

There is no inheritance tax on property passing to