have improved, in so far as measures in favor of woman's
suffrage and the reform of the civil rights of woman have since 1848 been
repeatedly introduced and supported by petitions.[82] As for the civil
rights of woman,--the principles of the Code Napoleon, the minority of the
wife, and the husband's authority over her are still unchanged. However, a
few minor concessions have been made: To-day a woman can be a witness to a
civil transaction, _e.g._ a marriage contract. A married woman can open a
savings bank account in her maiden name; and, as in Belgium, her husband
can make it impossible for her to withdraw the money! A wife's earnings
now belong to her. The severe law concerning adultery by the wife still
exists, and affiliation cases are still prohibited. That is not exactly
liberal.

Attempts to secure reforms of the civil law are being made by various
women's clubs, the Group of Women Students (_Le groupe d'etudes
feministes_) (Madame Oddo Deflou), and by the committee on legal matters
of the Federation of French Women's Clubs (Madame d'Abbadie).

In both the legal and the political fields the French women have hitherto
(in spite of the Republic) achieved very little. In educational matters,
however, the republican government has decidedly favored the women. Here
the wishes of the women harmonized with the republican hatred for the
priests. What was done perhaps not for the women, was done to spite the
Church.

Elementary education has been obligatory since 1882. In 1904-1905 there
were 2,715,452 girls in the elementary schools, and 2,726,944 boys. State
high schools, or _lycees_, for girls have existed since 1880. The
programme of these schools is not that of the German _Gymnasiums_, but
that of a German high school for girls (foreign languages, however, are
elective). In the last two years (in which the ages of the girls are 16 to
18 years) the curriculum is that of a seminary for women teachers. In
1904-1905 these institutions were attended by 22,000 girls, as compared
with 100,000 boys. The French woman's rights movement has as yet not
succeeded in establishing _Gymnasiums_ for girls; at present, efforts are
being made to introduce _Gymnasium_ courses in the girls' _lycees_. The
admission of girls to the boys' _lycees_, which has occurred in Germany
and in Italy, has not even been suggested in France. To the present, the
preparation of girls for the universities has been carried on privately.

The right to