g married women is usually
attributed to the monotony of their lives, and since this is much
relieved by their participation in politics we should naturally
expect to find, as a physical effect, a decreased proportion of
insane women where woman suffrage prevails.

From 1870 to 1880 the rate of divorce increased in the United
States 79.4 per cent., three times the ratio of the increase of
population, and in the group of Western States, omitting,
Wyoming, it increased 436.7 per cent., almost four times the
average increase of population, while in Wyoming the average
increase in divorce was less than 50 per cent. of that of the
population.

Compare Wyoming with a typical Eastern State--Connecticut--the
latter has one insane person to every 363 of the population,
Wyoming has one to every 1,497. Nor is this wholly a difference
of East and West, for Idaho, its neighbor, shows one insane to
every 1,029. Especially would voting seem to increase the
intelligence of women, for in Connecticut there are over
seven-tenths as many female idiots as there are male idiots,
while in Wyoming there are only four-tenths as many.

Woman suffrage may have played no part in these statistics, but if
they had shown an _increase_ of crime, insanity and divorce, it
certainly would have been held responsible by the world at large.

* * * * *

NEW YORK.

The History is indebted to Attorney-General John C. Davies for most of
the information on School Suffrage contained in the New York chapter,
and also for the opinion which follows herewith on the right of women
in that State to hold office.

By the Consolidated School Law it is provided, as regarding
School Commissioners, that "No person shall be deemed ineligible
to such office by reason of sex, who has the other qualifications
as herewith provided;" and regarding common school districts, it
is provided that "Every district officer must be a resident of
his district and qualified to vote at its meetings." As certain
women are qualified to vote in any common school district, such
women are thus eligible to any _district_ office, including the
offices of trustee, clerk, collector, treasurer or librarian.

A similar provision in reference to union free schools, that "No
person shall be eligible to hold any scho