



Produced by Garrett Alley, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.






LEGAL STATUS

OF

WOMEN IN IOWA.

COMPILED BY

JENNIE L. WILSON, LL. B.

Member of the Polk County Bar.

DES MOINES:
IOWA PRINTING COMPANY.
1894.




Preface.


This book has been prepared for the purpose of presenting to the women
of Iowa, in a brief and concise form, those laws which pertain to
subjects in which they are most deeply interested, and about which there
is a strong and growing demand for certain and accurate information.

In this age of general intelligence, when learning in some degree is so
readily attainable, the maxim, that "Ignorance of the law excuses no
one," has a measure of justice in it, which could not be claimed for it
in former times, and it is most certainly true that, "As the subjects of
law, if not as its makers, all ought to know enough to avoid its
penalties and reap its benefits."

Every woman should understand the law of her own state concerning
marriage, divorce, the care and custody of children, and the mutual
rights and duties of husband and wife incident to the marriage relation.
She should know something of the law of minors and guardianship, of
administration, and descent of property, and her knowledge should
certainly embrace that class of crimes which necessarily includes her
own sex, either as the injured party, or as _particeps criminis_.

In the arrangement of this work, a very brief synopsis of the common law
upon these subjects is given, as the principles of the common law
underlie our entire statute law, and a knowledge of the former is
absolutely essential to render much of the latter intelligible.