has made free human beings of them? It is not long since one
of these adopted citizens, in a discussion, said:

When the women show that they want to vote, I am willing to give
them all the rights they want.

Give! I thought. Where did you get the right to _give_
Massachusetts women the right to vote? You did not inherit it. In
what consists your prerogative over the women whose ancestors
fought to secure the very right of suffrage of which you so glibly
talk, and which neither you, nor your father before you, did aught
to establish or maintain?

The improvement in the social or general condition of woman has
been even greater than that in legislation. Previous to 1840, women
were employed only as teachers of summer schools, to "spell the
men" during the haying season; and this only occasionally. They
held no responsible position in any public school in the State.
To-day there are eight women to one man employed in all grades of
this profession, and there are numerous instances where women are
head-teachers of departments, or principals of high, normal and
grammar schools. Previous to 1825, girls could attend only the
primary schools of Boston. Through the influence of Rev. John
Pierpont, the first high-school for girls was opened in that city.
There was a great outcry against this innovation; and, because of
the excitement on the subject, and the _great number of girls_ who
applied for admission, the scheme was abandoned. The public-school
system, as it is now called, was established in Boston in 1789;
boys were admitted the whole year round; girls, from April to
October. This inequality in the opportunities for education roused
John Pierpont's indignation, and moved him to make strenuous
efforts to secure justice for girls. Now there are 6,246 schools,
seventy-two academies, six normal schools, two colleges, Boston
University and the "Harvard Annex" all open to girls. In the town
of Plymouth, where the Pilgrim fathers and mothers first landed,
when the question whether girls should receive any public
instruction first came up in town-meeting, there was great
opposition to it. However, the majority showed a liberal spirit,
and voted to give the girls one hour of instruction daily. This
was in 1793. In 1853 a normal school for girls was established in
Boston; in 1855 its name was changed to the Girls' High and Normal
School. In 1878 the Girls' Latin School in Boston was founded. The
establishment of this