districts school meetings are held for elections, and
there are, by the statutes, three classes of voters described by
law.

1. Every person (male or female) who is a resident of the
district, of the age of twenty-one years, entitled to hold lands
in this State, who either owns or hires real estate in the
district liable to taxation for school purposes.

2. Every citizen of the United States (male or female) above the
age of twenty-one years, who is a resident of the district, and
who owns any personal property assessed on the last preceding
assessment roll of the town exceeding $50 in value, exclusive of
such as is exempt from execution.

3. Every citizen of the United States (male or female) above the
age of twenty-one years, who is a resident of the district and
who has permanently residing with him, or her, a child or
children of school age, some one or more of whom shall have
attended the school of the district for a period of at least
eight weeks within the year preceding the time at which the vote
is offered.

Several of the large cities hold their elections on the first
Tuesday in March, while the majority of the rural districts hold
their school meetings on the second Tuesday in October.
Preparations were at once made to call out a large vote of women in
the cities holding spring elections, but all such efforts were
checked by official action. The mayor of Rochester wrote to the
governor, asking him if the new law applied to cities. Mr. Cornell
laid the question before Attorney-General Ward, who promptly gave
an opinion that inasmuch as the words "school meeting" were used in
the law, women could only vote where such meetings were held, but
were not entitled to vote at the elections in large cities.
Meantime the New York City Association called a meeting of
congratulation on the passage of the bill on February 25, when
Robinson Hall was crowded to overflowing with the friends of woman
suffrage, some of whom addressed the vast audience.[238]

A mass-meeting of women was held at Albany, in Geological Hall,
Mrs. Blake presiding. It was especially announced that the meeting
was only for ladies, but several men who strayed in were permitted
to remain, to take that part in the proceedings usually allowed to
women in masculine assemblies, that is, to be silent spectators.
Resolutions were passed, urging the women to vote at the com