cross complaint in which may be set forth any one or more causes for divorce against the plaintiff; and if upon the trial of such action both parties shall be found guilty of any one or more of the causes for divorce, then a divorce shall not be granted to either of said parties.

CONNECTICUT.

There is no age limitation in the Connecticut laws for contracting marriage, and once married the laws are not friendly to untying the agreement. A residence of three years within the State is necessary to entitle the citizen to apply for divorce and, among other grounds for divorce are desertion and total neglect of duty for three years, habitual drunkenness, cruelty, or if one of the spouses has left the marital abode and has not been heard from in seven years.

There is a distinct line of demarkation in the property rights of persons married subsequent to 1877. Parties married before April 20th, 1877, may, by written contract, duly recorded, substitute for their rights as existing at that date those given to parties thereafter married. The husband married before April 20th, 1877, has a right to the use of the wife's real estate during her life and an estate by curtesy after her death. All the personal property of any woman married since the 22nd of June, 1849, and before April 20th, 1877, and all of the personal property acquired thereafter by a married woman, and the avails of such property if sold, shall vest in the husband in trust, to receive and enjoy the income thereof during his life, subject to the duty of spending therefrom so much as may be necessary for the support of his wife and children. Upon his death the remainder of the trust property shall be transferred to the wife, if living, otherwise as she may by will have

directed, or in default of such will to those entitled by law to succeed to her estate. A marriage contract after April 20th, 1877, gives neither the husband nor wife any interest in the property of the other, except as a survivor. Her earnings are her own property. The property of either is not liable for the debts of the other, unless they be for the support of the family for which the husband is liable. On the death of either the survivor has the use for life of one-third of the property, real and personal, which right cannot be defeated by the will of either. If there be no will the survivor takes one-third absolutely, and if there is no issue, one-half. They may contract either before or after marriage for a provision in lieu of this statutory share.

The inheritance tax on property passing to husband, wife, ascendant or descendants, is one per cent. from $10,000 to $50,000, two per cent. on $50,000 to $250,000, three per cent. on $250,000 to $1,000,000.

The father and mother are given equal rights in the custody and guardianship of their children.

Minors and women are prohibited from working more than ten hours in any day or more than fifty-eight hours in a week. This regulation to ten hours must be considered as beneficent-many poeple believe electrocution kinder than hanging by the neck until dead. With so great a number of cotton and other manufacturing plants as operate in the State of Connecticut wherein women and children are so largely employed it would seem that the "woman's influence," minus a woman's ballot, has left much to be desired.

DELAWARE.

The State of Delaware declares the personal property owned by the wife at the time of her marriage or acquired

by her after her marriage is her separate property not subject to the disposition of her husband nor liable for his debts, but the wife cannot dispose of this property, notwithstanding it is her "very own," without the consent of her husband. Nor can a married woman mortgage her separate real estate without the consent of her husband.

The earnings of a wife are her separate property and not subject in any way to the husband's authority.

A widow is entitled to dower, as at common law, but if the husband dies without leaving issue she is entitled to one-half instead of one-third of the real estate.

Mnors under twelve years are prohibited from working in factories, but canneries where perishable vegetables and fruits are canned are excepted.

Minors under fourteen are not permitted to work at any gainful occupation during school hours.

No person of less than twenty-one years of age shali work in any bar room.

Children between seven and fourteen years must attend school at least five months in each year, and there is prohibition of employment of children in places dangerous morally or physically.

Seats must be provided in mercantile establishments for women.

One day in a week a woman may be employed for twelve hours, and in manufacturing establishments, laundries, printing plants, bakeries, telephone or telegraph offices they are limited to ten hours work a day.

The State of Delaware has no minimum age when minors may contract a valid marriage.

Among other grounds for divorce are desertion for two years or neglect to provide for three years, habitual drunkenness and cruelty.

There is no inheritance tax on property passing to husband, wife, ascendants or descendants. To all others there is an exemption of $500 and above that a tax of one

per cent. to brothers, sisters or their descendants; two per cent. to great uncles, great aunts or their descendants. To all others five per cent.

Delaware has not only capital punishment and graduated fines and imprisonment for conviction of violations of the law, but sanctions whipping for certain offenses.

The control and guardianship of children is given preferably to the father and he may by will name a guardian even though the mother survive.

There is local option in several counties.

The age of consent is eighteen years and the penalty for rape is a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment for not more than twenty years.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Sec. 940 of the Code provides that if a person die intestate his real estate shall descend to his lawful heirs in the direct line of lineal descent equally. Sec. 955 provides that both in the descending and collateral lines the inheritance shall be distributed per stirpes-"They shall, by representation, be considered in the same degree as the father or mother would have been if living, and take the share that would have gone to the deceased parent." If there are no lineal descendants the estate, if acquired from the father, goes to the brothers and sisters of the blood of the father or their representatives, then to the grandfather and his descendants until the heirs fail and then to the mother and her descendants and to maternal ancestors and their descendants. When the estate comes by inheritance from the mother it goes to her brothers and sisters of the blood, then ascends to the mother's ancestors. Emily A. Spillman, a woman lawyer of the Bar of Washington City explains the laws of intestacy and descent further in an article under that head, as follows:

"The inheritance in the husband or wife of the intestate

is deferred until all of these designated lines fail. If the husband or wife should be dead, then the inheritance passes to the kindred of such husband and wife, and where the intestate had been more than once married and the several husbands and wives have died before the intestate, the estate shall be divided among the kindred of all of them in equal degree equally.

Ante-nuptial children are made legitimate upon the marriage of their parents, and capable in law of inheriting and transmitting property as though born in wedlock.

Illegitimate children can inherit from their mother or from each other or the descendants of each other, the only exception being, that the child cannot take by inheritance from the mother if she was mentally incapable of making a will and remained so until her death. The mother can inherit from the child when descendants or brothers or sisters and their descendants fail, and if the mother is dead, her heirs can take as though the child had been legitimate."

The labor laws in effect in the District of Columbia are the work of Congress and provide that children under fourteen years of age shall not be employed in any occupation dangerous to life, limb or morals nor in any factory, mill, workshop or mercantile establishment, nor after seven in the evening or before six in the morning. Only in the event that labor is necessary for the support of the child or an invalid father, mother, younger brother or sister may children between twelve and fourteen be employed in any gainful occupation. Children between fourteen and sixteen must have school certificates if permitted to work. Boys under ten and girls of less than sixteen years of age are prohibited from selling papers or merchandise on the public streets or in public places without a badge or permit issued by the Superintendent of Schools.

Seats must be provided for females who work in stores, offices, shops or manufactories.

The District of Columbia has a Red Light Injunction and Abatement Law.