Chapter 77
wills. A will, un-technically speaking, is virtually a bill of sale or transfer of property by its owner to those he may designate, but differs from the ordinary bill of sale in that there is no consideration mentioned on the part of those who will receive the property, and the will is not operative until the death of the maker of it. No one can execute a will unless he is presumably in his right mind and knows what he is doing. Nor can a will
be made by an idiot or one insane. The will must be signed and witnessed by several witnesses, each witness signing as a witness in the presence of all the other witnesses. While it would appear that everyone has a right to dispose of his property as he chooses, a will is not likely to stand in law if it can be proved that the maker of it was under undue or unfair influence and, therefore, distributed his property to the prejudices of those who would
be entitled to it if no will was made. For example, a will is not likely to hold good if its maker unfairly disowned close legal heirs like a wife, husband, or children, or bequeathed his property to some institution which it could be shown he probably would not have done had not unfair pressure been brought to bear upon him at the time he made his will. All legal heirs should, as a rule, be mentioned in the will, even though they
are given insignificant sums. As the laws differ in the several states, it is suggested that it is better and safer to consult a good lawyer or one familiar with conditions. Wireless telegraphy The exact date of the discovery or invention of wireless telegraphy is not accurately known. Many scientists discovered it theoretically before Marconi made it practical. Some scientific authorities claim that it was originated by
Professor Dolbear of Massachusetts. In 1899, messages were sent from England to France, and recently an intelligible message was flashed across the Atlantic Ocean. Unscientifically speaking, wireless telegraphy consists of discharging powerful electric currents into the atmosphere, their vibrations being taken up by the natural electricity in the air and received by wires placed at an elevation. Practically all seagoing steamers are equipped
with wireless telegraphy. Women's suffrage The first convention in the interest of women's rights was held July 19, 1808 at Seneca Falls, New York. In 1850, a National Women's Rights Convention was held in Worcester, Massachusetts. From that time, women's suffrage was agitated in America and in England, and many of the leading women of the world strongly advocated it. It is growing rapidly and is being recognized throughout the country, although all of the
states have not given the vote to women. Under the Constitution of the United States, a native-born woman may hold any office, including that of president, even though the woman in all states cannot vote at the presidential election. The Constitution of the United States does not recognize sex, and in the eye of national law, women have all of the rights of men.
