omen.

At the legislative hearing in January, 1894, petitions were presented
by this association from seven counties, covering twenty-one towns. At
this date 186 women were reported as holding office, eleven being
district superintendents of schools. The following May the
registration laws were so changed that women have since had the same
time as men in which to register. Under the present law, the assessors
in their regular rounds are required to take the names of women voters
having the same residence as on a previous voting list. These are then
entered on the register for the ensuing campaign without further
trouble.

In September, 1895, a special meeting was called to decide how best to
help the work for the referendum which had been submitted by the
Legislature in order to ascertain how many women desired to vote.
Twenty-five dollars were appropriated toward defraying the expenses of
the State committee appointed to conduct this campaign.

In 1896 much time was spent on measures helpful to women and children.
One of these was to secure the early closing of stores, the result
being that through the entire summer all the principal stores in
Boston were closed at 5 P. M. every day, and on Saturdays at 12 M., as
they have been each summer since.

House Bill 625 of 1896 started with a most innocent appearance under
the title, "A bill to enlarge the powers of the police commissioners
of Boston." In reality it asked that the powers of the police force be
so extended as to allow them to issue permits for the keeping of
houses of ill-repute, with authority for their inspection and control.
Other organizations joined this one in opposition, with the result
that the bill was defeated.

The association also advocated "A bill to prohibit child insurance,"
on account of the injury done to families by absorbing the means which
should be expended for food, clothes and other necessaries in the
payment of policies. It was considered, moreover, in the nature of a
premium for child murder by neglect.

The most interesting event of 1898 was the celebration of the fiftieth
anniversary of the first woman's rights convention. Dr. Merritt spoke
of the rise of the movement, saying that 1848 was as marked an epoch
in the rights of women as was 1776 in the rights of men. Miss Hatch's
paper gave the trend of events previous to the Seneca Falls
Convention, showing that these molded public sentiment and gave rise
to the calling of thi