en's convention (_Deutsche
Frauenkonferenz_) was held at Vienna, under the auspices of the
general society for popular education and the amelioration of
women's condition. The other two sittings of this society had
been held at Leipsic and Stuttgart. The soul of this new movement
was Captain Korn, whom I have already mentioned. His study of the
woman question in the United States may have prompted him to
awaken a similar agitation among the women of the Austrian
empire. Addresses were delivered at this convention by ladies
from Vienna, Hungary, Bohemia and Styria and all the various
interests of women were discussed. * * * * The proceedings of the
convention attracted considerable attention, and produced
favorable impressions on the audience, which was recruited from
the better classes of the population. But the newspapers of
Vienna ridiculed the young movement, its friends grew lukewarm,
and every trace was soon lost of this first and last Austrian
women's rights convention.

In one important particular the Austro-Hungarian empire treats
women more fairly than is the case in other European countries.
Elise Krasnohorska, the Bohemian author, writes me:

Women have a voice in the municipal, provincial and national
elections, though male citizens duly authorized by them cast
their vote. With this single reserve--a very important one, it
must be confessed--our women are politically the equals of men.
At Prague, however, this is not the case. The Bohemian capital
preserves an ancient privilege which is in contradiction to the
Austrian electoral law, and which excludes us from the elective
franchise. Universal suffrage does not exist in the empire, but
the payment of a certain amount of taxes confers the right to
vote. I do not enter into the details of the electoral law, which
is somewhat complicated, which has its exceptions and
contradictions, and is in fact an apple of discord in Austria in
more than one respect; but, speaking generally, it may be said
that a woman who owns property, who is in business, or who pays
taxes, may designate a citizen possessing her confidence to
represent her at the polls. Our women are satisfied with this
system, and prefer it to casting their ballot in person.

It may be said, also, that women are eligible to office, or