Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 4.djvu/841

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MICHIGAN.
771
tion, why should not the courts recognize the employment? .... Where the constitution and the statutes are silent as to the qualificaition for a given office, the people may elect whom they will, if the person so elected is competent to discharge the duties of the office. .... None of the duties of prosecuting attorney are of such a character as to preclude one from their performance simply because of sex.

Charles S. Abbott, Allen S. Morse and T. A. E. Weadock were the advocates for Mrs. Abbott, and she also made a strong oral argument in her own behalf. Unfortunately the case was not ‘one which permitted an appeal to the U. S. Supreme Court.

Occupations: No profession or occupation is forbidden by law to women.

Education: All universities and colleges admit women. The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), one of the largest in the country, was among the first to open its doors to them. (1869.) Mrs. Lucinda Hinsdale Stone was a strong factor in securing their admission. In having women on its faculty, it is still in advance of most of those where co-education prevails.

In the public schools there are 3,471 men and 12,093 women teachers. The average monthly salary of the men is $44.48; of the women, $35.35.


Michigan may truly be called the founder of Woman’s Clubs, as the first one for purely literary culture of which we have any record was formed in Kalamazoo, in 1852, by Mrs. Stone, to whom the women of the State are deeply indebted in many ways. At present (1902) there are 133 in the General Federation with a membership of about 10,000, and a number are not federated. This State also leads all others in the number of women’s club houses, ten of the leading clubs possessing their own. There are two of these in Grand Rapids—the St. Cecilia (musical) costing 53,000, and the Ladies’ Literary costing $30,000, both containing fine libraries, large audience rooms and every convenience.