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Show WOMAN'S 60 devised whereby a wife's property could.be in. tniFt for. her, p . iol-low- that their rights of control were great- to Sister Sarah J. Cannon reminded thTmernr; vclopment of women's rights in respect a hers of the diligance we should use in property, the courts began 'to recognize the young mothers to join our association conveyance from the husband to the wife, is , no greater work than that cf the where the same was made to a trustee. for There Let us do what we cantor the use and benefit of the wife. In many Relief society. of the poor among uf, and then hut not all of the States, the old rules have the support efforts to prepare for the future. Debeen abandoned, and conveyances between use our sired the sisters to remember when they husband and wife are recognized as valid. were in need of information they should go While we have seen that a married woIt is their pi e to" man's rights in property have been limited to our home ollicers. instruct and counsel us. If we are giving and subordinated to that of a husband's.down will be able to give to a veryrecent period, still all the while she them our suppori they Sister Harker epke of has been recognized as having a special us what is needed. school of nurses that has been established right known as dower. At common law a the for the benefit of the sisters desired us to wife received an estate for life on the death assist in swelling its numbers. of the husband, rn a third part of the land President W. C. Lyman encouraged simwhich the husband had owned at any time plicity of dreps,advised the sisters to strengthduring marriage. Such a right is now recoginnized in all countries which are governed by en their efforts in the storing of, grain, the common law. And where the dower vited the brothers to assist. Brother J. W. McMurrin made very enright has been abolished by statutes, the the Relief workers, legislatures have almost uniformly enkrged couraging remarks to the rights. Thus in Utah where dower has reminding them of the significance of their in cause. been abolished the wife is given Apostle Richards spoke, emphasized the value of all the real property possessed by keeping of the Word of Wisdom. The visit the husband at any time during marriage. In order to prevent the wife from asserting of the sisters of the General Board are very this right upon the death of the husband, it much appreciated; they seem to inspire us with new determination and greater zeal to is necessary for her to join in any conveyance of such land. perform the work that is before us. B eatkick NiELSO.v ,3take Secy. While, as has been shown, fhe tendency of modern times is to extend the rights of married women with respect to property, it A NOBLE WOMAN LAID TO REST. is interesting to note that the general policy Haren E. Mortensen, born in Denmark, May 6, of the courts in construing the statutes is to 1322, married in the year 1S4G to Knud Morten-sen- ; limit rather than to extend women's rights. She became a member of the Church of Thus a husband's possession of his wife's Jesus Christ of Latter-daSaints in May, K4. property is deemed to be evidence of his In the year IHttf, in the month of April, she, with husband and family emigrated to 'tab;, ownership, and if a husband collects his her crossed the plains in Captain J. F. Sanders' wife's earnings without objections from her, walking the distance from Missouri or if a husband collects his wife's income company, River to Salt Lake Citv; arrived there September and spends the same without objections 5, 18ii3. Two of h er children died on theplains and were from Jier, . i t is presumed that ghe. intends For a couple of years she such property as a gift to him. If property hurled inby the wayside. livd Hyrum," where her youngest child was is in the joint possession and under the joint born. control of a husband &nd wife, it is presumed In the year 18M, with her husband and family settled on the bank of Bear Hiver, when the Rethat the property belongs to the husband. lief Society of Bear Hrver City was organized in As a result of what has been said, it clearthe year LStiS, she was called as a Teacher, and ly appears that the tendency in modern in the year 1S77, she was set apart as first" Countimes is to extend a married woman's rights selor to the President, which position she held wdth respect to property, and it is fair to until six years before her death, when she was make the deduction that in the very near released on. account of her age. She 21), 1910, and was buried Feb. 2, future a married woman's rights in this rein Bear Hiver City cemetary. She was the mothwith that of her huser of 8 children ; her husband and 4 children prespect will be ceded her to the great beyond. Funeral services band. Mabelle S. Cole. ed i one-thir- d y I In early times a married woman could not sue for the return of personal property nor for any damage thereto. Nor could they hind such property by any contracts or liens, except that courts of equity recognized their rights to contract with respect to their separate equitable esRELIEF SOCIETY REPORT. tates. In extending wornen's rights in rePAN JUAN. spect to the ownership of property the legisStake conferance of the San Juan Relief latures have also extended their rights in of And to the control as respect Society was held at Mancos, Colorado, Augproperty.' has been stated, in Utah at the present time, ust 15th and 1.6th. 1909. a married woman can dispose of her propThere was in attendance Stake Preserty the same as if she were unmarried. A ident Mary X. Jones, Sarah A. Dean, first different" rule existed at common law with counselor, President W. C. Lyman, and respect to personal property and real prop- counselors William Halls and W. H. Read. erty, or land, though the rule is the same Sisters Sarah J. Cannon and Hattie Harker with respect to an unmarried woman's right. of the General Board of Relief Society, Elder Upon marriage the husband would not ac- George F. Richards of the Quormn of Aposquire the ownership of the wife's land, but tles and Jos. JV. McMurrin of the First Counhe would acquire right to manage and con-- ' cil of Seventy, besides a good many membtrol the same, and all the rents and profits ers-. The first meeting was devoted to the became his if he collected them, Upon the giving of reports, ten of the society branches death of . the wife, the land descended to her were in the heirs. A wife could not sell the real estate stake represented. is in good running order; officers during her marriage, nor could .she mortgage and members are united. President M. N, the same. There was the furtherlimitation Jones at length of the storing of grain also that she could not contract with refer- and spoke other instructions to the sisters. ence to her land, except in such cases where Sistergave Hattie Harker spoke very touchingly it was set apart to her as her separate equitthe responsibility attached to Motherupon able estate. She could not deed the land hood, hoped the mothers realized that the reto- her husband, nor could - a husband 'deed ligious training of their children was their land to his wife. In the course of the de- - first duty, gaye other very" timely-advicely limited. v. get-tin- g and held by a third her in such eaes (h courU would recognize the rioht to the control ami ownership The recognition by courts of property. and control quity of a wifefl riht to own st-toward ..the enproperty was the first hollargement of her rights in this respmrt. of equity, lowing the example of the courU the various legislative bodies extended women's rights in property from time to time, until the year 1MK). when a law was was passed in New York State, wherein it ownprovided that a wife is the absolute beer of all her property, whether acquired fore or after marriage, and to her separate interferearnings after marriage, free from ence or control of her husband. She was alfo given the power to dispose of such property by gift, sale, or by will. It is gratifying to note that I tab has yielded to the dictates of enlightened justice, and has awarded women the same rights with respect to real and personal It is property that are enjoyed, by men. provided in elTect that the real and personal estate of every female, whether acquired before or after marriage, shall be and remain the property of such female, and shall not be liable for the debts, obligations or engagements of her husband, and may be conveyed, devised or bequeathed by her as if she were unmarried. Many of the states of the union have been slow to extend women's rights in respect to property, but in all of the states of the Union, in Canada and in England, rights in this respect lmve been greatly enlarged. In many of the States, and particularly the Southern States, women are limited in their rights to dispose of property. For instance in a majority of the states, a woman cannot convey real property without her husband consents thereto anp joins in the" deed. So also in many of the States women are prohibited from selling personal property without first obtaining the consent of the husband. In limiting women's rights in the ownership of personal property, it necessarily per-o- n exponent; died-Jan- co-equ- al . - y Each-Societ- - . - .-' were held Feb. 2, 1910, Bishop L. F. Johnson presided. Singing by the Choirf "Sister Thou wast Mild and Lovely." Prayer by Brother Nels Christensen, Song by the Choir: "I Need Thee Every Hour." The following speakers gave words of comfort and paid a high tribute to the character anl exemplary life of the deceased: Counselor Jacob Hansen. Bro. Ole Jensen of the Bear Hiver Ward, Pres. Peter M. Hansen, J. P. Christensen of the High Council and Bro. Willard S. Hansen, all of Bear River Stake, Counselor Christine Mr Jensen of the Bear River Relief. Society, Mary H. Fridal. President of the Elwood Relief Society and Bishop L. F. Johnsen. Secretary Metta M. Jorgensen read the following resolutions from the Bear River City Relief Society. Song by the Choir: "Nearer, My God, to Thee.''' Benediction: Counselor Ole Hansen. RESOLUTIONS -- OF RESPECT. . To the memory of our worthy and beloved Sister Karen E. Mortensen, who departed this life Jan. 29, 1910 - 7 hereas. Gnrl in HJu wicrlnm hns Rpfn fit call hnmp tn sinnfhpr ttplrl nf loW nnr hnble 3 faithful sister who always performed her m or with an untiring devotion, therefore be it r, Resolved, that we emulate her and exemplify her teachings. Be it further Resolved, that we extend our sympathy to her children and that a copy of these. resolutians be presented to them and the same be placed on the records of the Bear River Citv Relief Society . . Sarah M. Fridal, President. v noble-characte- ; |