death the
mother becomes the guardian, if a suitable person, but if she
remarries the guardianship passes to the second husband.

The husband is expected to furnish a suitable support for the family,
but no punishment is prescribed for a failure to do this.

No law existed for the protection of girls until 1890 when the age was
made 14 years. In 1895 it was raised to 16 years. The penalty is first
degree (under 14), imprisonment not less than ten years; second degree
(under 16), not less than five years. In both cases the girl must have
been "of previous chaste character."

SUFFRAGE: The first Territorial Legislature (1890) granted School
Suffrage to the extent of a vote for trustees.

OFFICE HOLDING: Women may hold all school offices. Eleven of the
twenty-three counties have women superintendents. They are not
eligible to State offices but are not prohibited by law from any
county offices. One woman is registrar of deeds and one is deputy U.
S. marshal. There are at the present time about one hundred women
notaries public.

OCCUPATIONS: No profession or occupation is legally forbidden to
women. Ten hours is made a legal working day.

EDUCATION: All educational institutions are open alike to both sexes.
In the public schools there are 914 men and 1,268 women teachers. The
average monthly salary of the men is $31.93; of the women, $26.20.

* * * * *

Thirty Federated Clubs in Oklahoma, with over 700 members, are taking
up successfully a great variety of public work. Guthrie contains eight
of these, with a membership of more than one hundred, and the library
committee has succeeded in starting a library, which has now seven
hundred volumes.

FOOTNOTES:

[406] The History is indebted for material for this chapter to Mrs.
Margaret Olive Rhodes of Guthrie, president of the Territorial Woman
Suffrage Association.

[407] Mrs. Rachel Rees Griffith and her two daughters are known as the
Mothers of Equal Suffrage in Oklahoma. Miss Margaret was the first
Territorial president, while no one has done more in the local club of
Guthrie than Miss Rachel. Mrs. Griffith is nearly eighty years of age,
but fully expects to live to see the women of Oklahoma enjoying the
full franchise.

CHAPTER LX.

OREGON.[408]

After the defeat of the woman suffrage amendment in 1884 no organized
effort was made for ten years, although quiet educational work was
done. On the Fourth of July, 189