Waterbury Democrat

WHERE WOMEN RULE.
Two Michigan Towns Where the Men Play Second Fiddle.

At present the two towns in which women seem to be supreme are Decatur and Marcellus, both in the State of Michigan. In the former town, which has a population of 1,500, all the town offices except that of dogcatcher are filled by women, and we suspect that if any woman had wanted to be the official dogcatcher she would have got the office. The leading physician of the town is a woman; one of its most popular pastors is a woman.

Two women conduct the principal restaurant. The proprietor of the largest dry goods store is a woman; one of the best shoemakers is a woman, and there are women painters, harness makers, florists and brokers. The postmistress of the town is also a woman. It is needless to say that the women have shut up the saloons of the town, and the only things to drink are ginger beer and water.

In Marcellus the ascendancy of women is even greater, and it is seriously proposed to change the name of the town to Marcella, in recognition of the fact. Out of a population of 1,200 two-thirds of the church members are women. Five of the six school teachers are women. Two members of the public school board are women. The undertaker of the town is a woman, and a handsome blonde at that, the local chronicler adds, with pardonable pride.

The favorite barber of the town is a woman, and another is the proprietress of the leading hotel. But it is needless to go on with the record. About forty women altogether are represented in professional or business life, and they are doing their work so well that everybody is satisfied. They have organized a Twentieth Century Club, in which they discuss still further advances for the sex, and the probabilities are that they will soon hold all the municipal offices in the town, with the possible exception of dogcatcher, which will be given to some worthy man. In the meanwhile, however, they are the power behind the throne, and very little is done in the town of which they do not approve.