t her legal
existence is not suspended. So practically has the ancient unity
become dissevered and dissolved that the wife may not only have
her separate property, contracts, debts, wages, and causes of
separate action growing out of a violation of her personal
rights, but she may enter into legal contract with her husband
and enforce it by suit against him."

The writer of the following letter is a successful farmer,
remarkable for her executive ability in all the practical affairs
of life, as well as for her broad philanthropy. One year she sent,
as a contribution to our Washington convention, a tub of butter
holding about sixty pounds, which was sold on the platform and the
proceeds put into the treasury of the National Association:

_Dear Friends assembled in the Washington Convention:_

Last week our new town-house was dedicated. The women accompanied
their husbands. One man spoke in favor of woman suffrage--said it
was "surely coming." In this town, at the Corners, for several
years they tried to get a graded school, but the men voted it
down. After the women had the school-suffrage, one lady, who had
a large family and did not wish to send her children away from
home, rallied all the women of the Corners, carried the vote, and
they now have a good graded school. Our village is moving down,
that the boys and girls may have the benefit of the good school
there. I think the women who have been indifferent and not
availed themselves of their small voting privilege, by which we
might have established the same class of school in our village,
will now regret their negligence, at least every time they have
to send three miles for a doctor. Thus, stupid people, blind to
their own interest, punish themselves. I regret not being able to
send a fuller report of the good that woman's use of the ballot,
in a limited form, has done for us in this State. The voting in
the town-hall is the "infant school" for women in the use of the
ballot. Thanking the ladies all for meeting at the capital of the
nation, and regretting not to be counted among the number, I am,

Yours sincerely, MARY A. P. FILLEY.

_North Haverill, January 5, 1884._

In closing this chapter some mention should be made of the
invaluable services of Senator Blair,[193] who, in his place,