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'OL. VI
MAY, 1932
NO. 8
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A VISIT TO THE CEDARS OF LEBANON
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL
LAST TRIBUTES TO A GREAT LEADER
H. I. KATIBAH
„
DARK PICTURE
BARBARA
YOUNG
THREE THOUSAND YEARS OLD ARE WE
EDNA K,. SALOOMEY
CEDAR OF LEBANON (POEM)
THOMAS ASA
A TRUE ARABIAN TALE
THE COPY 50c
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��THE
SYRIAN WORLD
Tublished monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New York,
N. y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. VI, NO. 8
MAY, 1932
CONTENTS
PAGE
A Visit to the Cedars of Lebanon
SALLOUM
A.
3
MOKARZEL
Cedar of Lebanon (A Poem)
15
THOMAS ASA
Modern Beauty (A Poem).....
Poetry Department—Edited by
16
BARBARA YOUNG
Dark Picture
17
The Singer to His Lady,
THEODORE MAYNARD
Night at La Napoule, France, C. J. M.
An Open Letter to Subscribers
THE EDITOR
TURNER
20
20
21
�CONTENTS (Continued)
Page
26
Last Tributes to a Great Leader
H. I.
KATIBAH
Our Younger Generation,
EDNA
K.
SALOOMEY,
Editor
Three Thousand Years Old Are We
How Have the Mighty Fallen
H. I.
32
35
KATIBAH
True Arabian Tales
Jabla Ibn Al-Ayham
41
A Lebanese Orientalist
45
Political Developments in Syria
45
Syrian World Nezvs Section
55
READERS OF THE SYRIAN WORLD
Should be particularly interested in the
OPEN
LETTER
Appearing on page 21
I
�Avian
^^^^ */
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL,
M(
Editor.
MAY, 1932
VOL. VI, NO. 8
A Visit to the Cedars of Lebanon
What the Editor of the Syrian World Experienced and Observed
on His Visit to This Great Shrine of Antiquity
By
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
ETOR THE visitor to Lebanon not to make the journey to the famous Cedars is to neglect the most interesting item in the itinerary. The road is steep and the Cedars comprise but a small grove
of trees, set In bleak and bare surroundings, at an elevation of almost 9000 feet, but the panorama they unfold, both symbolical and
scenic, is such as to fully,compensate those venturing on the journey.
Because, despite their prosaic setting, in a sheltered depression amidst
bare mountain peaks, they inspire a sense of reverence for living
majesty that all other relics of antiquity seem to lack.
But the visitor must needs have some knowledge of the historical
background of the Cedars in order to more fully appreciate their
importance. Then it would become his advantage to review, like the
Cedars themselves, a procession of the most impressive and significant events in recorded history. The march of endless armies,
whether to victory or defeat, and the successive rise and fall of civilizations, would unfold themselves before his imagination like one
great tableau of glamorous colors. The greatest names of history
would be evoked like passing phantoms against the unchanging background of these seemingly everlasting trees, which from their vantage point on the great highway of old empires, have stood unmoved
while time and events passed on, and not unlike the sphinx of Egypt,
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
were able to witness the enacting of the drama of human life for
thousands of years, and to be the custodians of the secrets of the
ages, although they themselves remain inscrutable.
Modern Lebanon is proudest of these trees and holds them
sacred. They are reverently called the "Cedars of the Lord" and
an outline of a cedar tree has been chosen as the national emblem in
the middle white bar of the French tricolor. Because to the Lebanese the Cedars represent not only a living page of history but those
racial characteristics which lend them the position and prestige they
Jack by virtue of numbers. The simile can be many-sided.
The
Cedars, now only few, once were immense forests that covered the
slopes of Lebanon and supplied timber for great navies and innumerable temples and palaces. So were the Lebanese who once controlled the seas and brought the nations of the earth in closer contact by their maritime commerce. That now they have been reduced to a pitiably small number as compared with other nations does
not diminish their pride, because, like their Cedars, they claim recognition on the basis of merit alone.
And as the Cedars are hardy and mocking of storms, so are
their valiant custodians who have maintained their national integrity
despite the tempestuous upheavals of the ages and the vicissitudes
of events. The Cedar, his national tree, is to the Lebanese the symbol of fortitude, of an inherent quality of durability that cannot be
crushed out or eradicated, of tenacity that cannot be dislodged or
•jiprooted. And as the remaining Cedars have been spared by the
inaccessibility of their mountain shelter, so has the remnant of the
Lebanese who claim direct lineal descent from the Phoenicians.
Their Mountain stronghold was made doubly impregnable by the
valor they displayed in its defence, and throughout the ages they
are known to have enjoyed at least some degree of independence.
With such an appreciation of their historical background, further emphasized by their biblical association and the glowing adjectives of beauty and glory conferred upon them by the ancient
Hebrew prophets, the Cedars of Lebanon are looked upon as a sort
of shrine, and the visit to them somewhat in the nature of a pilgrimage.
It was in such a spirit that I made my visit and found myself
amply compensated by the richness of the actual evidences of ancient
glory the Cedars furnished as well as by a wealth of entertaining
incidents encountered on the journey.
* * *
�..
MAY, 1932
5
The road to the Cedars winds up a steep mountain almost bare
of vegetation for nearly three thousand feet from the starting point
at Becharre. It follows the old foot and bridle path used for countless centuries. This new motor road was opened to the public only
a fortnight before our visit, which was on August 4, 1929. But not
much more should be expected of it than would ordinarily be of all
mountain roads of seasonal and limited use. Then too, one must
keep in mind that the country is poor and deserves credit for even
this initial effort which it is hoped will in time culminate in a beautiful scenic highway to the famous Cedars. As it now stands, it is
a rough stone road unguarded on the open side and of ominous perspective. One of my companions was unable to conceal his nervousness at riding on the side of the car nearer the unguarded end of the
road because his power of imagination was too vivid to stand the
sight of the yawning valley which lay at every turn. One of us had
to exchange places with him.
Halfway up the mountain the rough road took its toll of our
tires and we had to stop to make a change.
We stopped on the
wrong side of the road so as to be able to work in safety. In the
meantime a large seven-passenger car, one of the few in the country
because of their inability to negotiate the sharp bends in the narrow mountain roads, bearing a party of Egyptians, came to a stop
behind us. The driver, a giant Nubian, offered assistance, and when
assured it was not needed, began to survey the distance between our
stalled car and the edge of the road. There was no mistaking his
intentions and we tried to dissuade him with the assurance that we
would not be long at our task, but no pleading could move him. He
jumped into his seat and was off in a minute with the roar of the
motor going at full speed. His axle almost brushed ours, while on
the open edge of the road we saw that his wheels were half on the
ground and half in the air.
It was a frightful moment for us
watchers, but as for the Egyptian driver, we could hear his chuckle
even above the roar of his motor as he cleared the danger point Nor
did his passengers seem to mind. They had the satisfaction of beating us to the Cedars!
It was dusk by the time we reached the Cedars and we had to be
content with viewing them from a distance, deeply etched against
the dark grey background of the surrounding mountains. But the
fact that we were there gave us a sense of relief after the arduous
journey and we repaired to the hotel for rest and refreshments We
were anticipating a quiet and contemplative evening in view of the
�jtf
'THE SYRIAN WORLD
The Cedar of Lamartine Showing the Comtnemorative Plaque of
the Youth of Becharre. This Tree is One of the Oldest and
Most Majestic of the Grove
solitude of the place and the nature of the surroundings, but we were
treated to a surprise entertainment the like of which could not have
been staged anywhere else, and it was most thoroughly enjoyed.
This entertainment was made possible by a combination of ideal
circumstances which do not happen together except by a special whim
of the gods. On the one hand our arrival was on a Sunday eve
when the goatherds of the district gather at the Cedars to attend
mass at the little church within their enclosure. Then, too, the approach of Lord's Day, falling two days later, inspired both natives
and visitors with a holiday spirit. Lord's Day in that section of
Lebanon is synonymous with Cedars' Day because of the reverential
association of the trees with divinity, in that they are called the
Cedars of the Lord, and on that particular day, even before the
opening of the motor road, thousands of celebrants came to the
cedars to engage in native festivals reminiscent of the most ancient
traditions of the country. Added dignity is lent to the occasion by
the presence of a bishop to celebrate the high mass. This particular
year Most Rev. Paul Akel, the Patriarch's secretary, was to be the
HHB
mm
�Ml
SI AY, 1932
7
visiting prelate. He had broken the news to us when we met at the
Patriarchal See of Ad-Deeman, situated in the same district, and
insisted that we remain until the holiday and be his guests. This
exceptional opportunity we had to. miss because of the pressure of
time, but we were not denied a foretaste of the celebration through
the courtesy of a fellow visitor in the person of Kanaan Bey Daher,
one of the notables of the country who is said to have enjoyed exceptional prestige with the authorities during the war.
After dinner, which consisted mainly of the fresh wholesome
products of the country—fresh-killed poultry, laban, goat milk,
cheese, olives, and cooked figs—we adjourned to the open terrace
flooded with the silvery rays of a bright moon in the limpid, cool
atmosphere of an altitude of 9000 feet. The terrace directly overlooked the Cedars and afforded an excellent view of their compactness. Daher Bey looked comfortable in his shirt sleeves and invited
us also to waive ceremony.
The Egyptian party, as well as two
other couples who had arrived later and appeared to belong to the
diplomatic corps, were not averse to the suggestion and a spirit of
companionship was thus quickly established. But the score or more
goatherds remained at a respectful distance, though noticeably curious. The Bey soon put an end to their restiveness by pressing them
to execute the dabke. And a typical dance it was, by natives in their
original costumes, animated by the vigour of muscular bodies made
lithe by a continual life in the open and the necessity of following
their herds in all sorts of difficult terrain, as only mountain goats
can lead to.
The men formed in a semi-circle, and with measured step,
slowly at first, began to sway in a rhythmic motion to the tune of a
reed pipe. The pace quickened gradually until the dancers seemed
lost to their surroundings and were only conscious of their effort.
The occasional shouts they emitted indicated that they were under
the full influence of the spell.
Perhaps for a score of centuries the tradition of this dance, as
executed in this typically native setting, has been kept up uninterrupted. A vision of the god Pan, with the strains of his music echoing among the hills and forests of Lebanon, could be easily evoked
by such a scene as was now enacted in the shadow of the venerable
Cedars.
The dance leader, as if inviting approbation, made the customary gesture of asking the watchers to join the dance circle. I
protested that I did not know how, but at that moment the eighteen-
�Oo
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General View of the Cedars of Lebanon from One of the Surrounding Hills
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�MAY, 1932
year old niece of the hotel keeper, a picture of glowing health and
sparkling youth, volunteered to show me. Such an invitation was irresistible and so it came about that my only dance in Lebanon was
not to the music of a jazz band in the gaudy salons of Beirut or the
fashionable summer resorts with a sophisticated city dame, but to
the tune cf a reed pipe on an open terrace overlooking the Cedars
under the canopy of the stars, and holding hands, at a respectable distance, of course, with a typical young girl of the mountain.
But while on the subject of sophistication I may say that I did
no, nave to go far m search of it. It was present wherever city bred
people were to be found, and here I came upon it in a most unexpectecl rorm.
It was on the following morning when, with one of my companions, I was scanning the open scene from one of the verandas of
7 • u i
, obserVlll£ Particularly a curious row of stone huts
furnished With rusty iron cots, and all having no roofs in the im'
mediate neighborhood of the hotel. I became suddenly consdSL
of someone coming noislessly close to me, and looking around, saw
a the hotel, apparently with no one checking on her time, because,
as I learned later, she and her sister were chambermaids doing the
work on contract. 1 asked her about the row of huts and shf expained that these provided the hotel accommodations for visitors"
the Cedars before the erection of the modern hotel two years since
There was no need tor shelter because of the complete absence of
privacy. But the new hotel was truly modern, because despite its
isolated location, it was one of the few in the'country'to bo
o
bath tubs and running hot and cold water in every room A lt
other conveniences were up to this high standard, and its ratefwere
certamlv reasonable
Blelsed
$2.50 a day on the American p n
be the man who built it, a native Maronite priest of Becharre
we were'a^d te aid w ^ "?"* '° further c—ersation, and
we were avid for more information. And please, dear reader do
not despise the lowly source from which this information comes'be
cause it touches on those very intimate things which we do not reti
about in books, and which cannot be had from the seat of he
mighty Meanwhile, they do not fail to supply that proof of so
P
phistication which I started to tell you about
Now this from the chambermaid: "We meet all sorts of people
in this queer place. My Slster and I come from Batroun-by-theTea"
�I
w
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The Lebanese Goatherds Gathered on a Sunday Morning to Hear
Mass at the Little Church of the Cedars
and we spend the few summer months here, but although we are
accustomed to refined people we have to put up with a lot of simpletons. Some nice men come here and many women wearing hue
clothes, but along with them come some fellaheen who don't know
their shoulder from their elbow. Only the other day a woman came
up here walking all the way from one of the distant villages of the
district, and before visiting the Cedars she took off her shoes, because she had vowed to enter the holy precincts barefoot. Holy,
bah' I think she wanted only to save shoe leather. You in America
must be more civilized. I wish I could go to America! Can you get
me in, please' I think New York is half-way to heaven."
Just then the bell of the little church of the Cedars began to
ring "its call to prayer and we hastened to join the knot of goatherds who had gathered by the door. They scrutinized us as curiously as we did them, with evident reciprocity of good feeling and
all made our entry to the church together.
It was evident that
their clothes were not as clean as their hearts but they were not repellent, because their soft smiles more than counteracted the im-
�A/AY, 1932
pression of their hard features. They were true sons of the mountain and it was even with a feeling of delight that one read in their
eyes and saw m their general features the unmistakable signs of
hardihood and determination. Even in their prayers they gave indication of this hardy nature. There was no softness in their voices
nor any trace of gentle supplication. They had been brought up in
a constant struggle with nature and when they invoked God in
prayer they aJmost assumed the tone of command. Even the officiating priest bore no tone of softness, his words in the act of consecration being hurled with a certain emphasis that sounded ominous to ears accustomed to hearing English. "Khoso Dam Itaw,
Khoso Dam, being the words in the old Syriac language in which
the Maromte mass is sung, and which tradition assures us is the very
language which Christ Himself spoke.
But all this can be explained only by the fact that the people
partake of the nature of their surroundings. How could they be
other than hardy and unbending when for centuries they kept alive
their traditions of fierce self-reliance in their continuous struggle
against nature and man, and when they hold the Cedars in such love
fo.titruderenCe
y bCCaUSe thCT S mbolize
>'
to them
stamina and
The church itself naively portrays the character of the people
who because of their love for France have painted the interior of
the church red, white, and blue in broad stripes that are far from
presenting an artistic appearance. While hanging on a wall almost
facing the only door is a plaque commemorating the visit of General
Gouraud to the Cedars in 1920.
,v, Vtt l°Vu °fuhe Maronites for *« ^ench is proverbial, to the
extent that they have come to be known as the Frenchmen of the
i^ast, and to be accused of being more French than the French themselves. For this there is a tradition of relationship between the two
nations that goes back for more than a thousand vears, and that was
tried and strengthened during the period of the Crusades, when the
enemv
A T "ati«?ns Wht *ide * *k against the common
enemy, and the Franks found m the mountain stronghold of the
Maronites a haven of safety and refuge when driven from the Syrian plains. This friendship has been nurtured and cherished until
it culminated ,n the Maronites' insisting on France becoming the
mandatory power m their country after the World War, hoping that
as they had preserved its friendship in their hearts aU these hundreds of years, it would show them its appreciation in the protection
�12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
expected by a small nation from its more powerful ally.
As we emerged from the church I asked the mountaineers to
line up for a photograph. In so doing I chanced to look up a dead
tree by the door of the church and to my surprise found that it
served as a belfry, perhaps the only one of its kind in the world, in
that the bell was suspended between its bare branches, and the work
of nature made to supplant for devotional purposes the work of
man.
Then began the tour of inspection of the famous Cedars. The
first tree one is shown is that of Lamartine, the famous French poet
who visited the Cedars with his daughter, Julia, in 1832, and sang
their praise in immortal words, declaring them to be "divine beings
in the form of trees", constituting a "temple, an altar almost touching the heavens". The tree is one of the twelve largest in the grove,
fifty feet in diameter and about 150 feet in height. It was dedicated to the memory of Lamartine in 1925 by the youth of Becharre
and is proudly referred to as the queen of the forest.
The visitor is then shown another large tree to which are attributed miraculous properties in that it has a pocket that gives a constant supply of water. It is called The Hermit's Tree because a recluse lived among its branches for a number of years and was provided for with the miraculous supply of water. One is told" that
a certain incredulous Egyptian visitor^wagered that he could dry
up the water pocket and actually drained it of every drop and placed
a trusted guard over it, but when he returned to inspect it on the
following morning he discovered to his great amazement that the
pocket was again full.
A curiosity is then pointed out as one of the natural wonders of
the Cedars. Two old trees, at some distance apart, have intergrowing branches that, judging by their size and the slow growth of the
Cedar tree, must have been joined several hundred years ago. The
fusion is so perfect that the point of jucture is unnoticeable, the limb
appearing as being integral to both trees.
In all there are about four hundred trees in the grove, some of
which are judged as being from five thousand to six thousand years
old. It is the age and the natural properties of these trees that has
given them their eminent place in the record of civilization. Their
wood is light, durable, incorruptible, and seemingly indestructible.
Beams of cedar wood have recently been discovered in the ruins of
Nineva, and found to be still serviceable. The association of the
Cedars of Lebanon with the building of Solomon's Temple is a
�^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^M
MAY, 1932
13
matter of biblical record.
As we strolled in the enclosed precincts of the Cedars, I picked
up a dead branch that lay on the ground. The guide politely warned
me that under the strictest orders nothing was permitted to be carried
away from the Cedars. The purpose, he explained, was to discourage
vandalism which at one time had threatened the trees. Every tourist
and visitor wanted a souvenir and the branches were ruthlessly
broken off. There was a twinkle in the guide's eye, however, that
encouraged me. I want to admit that I am a strict adherent to the
letter and the spirit of the law, and under no circumstances would I
abuse a privilege. I realized that the law was laid to prevent wanton
destruction but could not see how it should be applied to a dead and
fallen branch that was more or less of an encumbrance. And this I
told the guide, and informed him furthermore that Bishop Akel had
presented me with a singular cedar branch bearing eighteen cones
presumably smuggled from the Cedars. Not that I was a privileged visitor from America, I insisted, that I wanted the piece of
wood, bu; because I wanted him to explain how the general rule
which he sought to enforce applied to it.
I could see that the situation was becoming uncomfortable to
him, and although I did not mean to embarass him I did want
the stick, because, somehow, it held a special fascination for me by
its peculiar designs. And designs they were that seemed executed by
a master artist. When later I showed it to our celebrated Gibran
he marveled at the uniformity of the carving and the obvious floral
and arabesque motifs. It was the work of the worms which ate
about the surface and could not cut deep into the core. And therein
lies the secret of the durability and incorruptibility of cedar wood
because ,t contains a substance repugnant to worms, causing it to have
been in such great demand in the past for construction purposes.
The reader now realizes that finally I gained possession of the
stick, but how that was managed is a secret between the &guide and
me.
an ,°neLleaves ther enclosure of these famous trees thrilled and
hlled with a sense of deep veneration for their silent majesty Their
living form seems to quicken the dead past. They provide the connecting link of human evolution and progress for thousands of years
Age holds no terrors for them because their youth and virility are
perennial Their guardians have a right to feel proud of them
and to point out their symbolical significance. They truly are in
the words of Lamartine, "divine beings in the form of trees " '
�14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
A Typical Tree of the Famous Cedars, the Size of Which May Be
Judged by Comparison With the Human Figure to the Right.
�-
-~w^r,
MAY, 1932
15
Cedar of Lebanon
Dedicated to S. A. Mokarzel
By
THOMAS ASA
Five thousand years have wended thru thy shades,
From seed immortal thou hast sprung to grace
The tow'ring mountain side and sun-lit glades,—
Thou seemest ever old, of youth no trace.
From thy proud eminence the world lies bare
To thee; below, the sea-rimmed barren plains,
On which once flourished kingdoms, cities rareTyre, Sidon, Berith, these, how earthly fair!
Dreaming by emerald seas, what now remains?
The antique splendors of that wondrous past
Have bowed in lifeless dust to conquering TimeBut thou limb of Heaven fain would'st outlast
Unbending Time—eternal change! thou seed sublime I
And as of yesteryear, where then thou stood,
bo wilt thou witness in the future years
Mutations strange; kingdoms shall rise and fall
And o'er their crumbling piles thy branches would
inspire them with funereal shade and pall
And o'er their fate thy dewdrops change to tears.
Lebanon has not always been thy home
Thy ribs of steel have hearkened to some' handAnd o'er the boundless deeps of waters roam '
To touch thy prow against some foreign strand;
I here left the Darkness with God-given light
Thy pungent breath, like incense burning, blest
Man's covenant divine; the slumb'ring West
Shall soon arise to fruitfulness and might.
Back to thine ancient home—Edenic East
Where Man to his full stature first attained,
�16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
There spend thy earth-bound days till life has ceased
To stir within thee;—be thou well contained.
Well-favored wert thou in thy sheltered prime,
The gods were kind to thee, thou nature's priest!
And 'neath thy shade sweet Antar mused in rhyme.
Down from thy lofty mountain heights you came,
And, in a distant temple where thou dwelt,
Saw King Solomon's worldly pomp and fame;—
Divined the gentle Christ, who, dying, sent
His Godly message to mankind. Who felt
Not His passing from sea to firmament!
Time's glorious epics passed before thy ken;
And if, one day, thou wilt no longer be,
Repine not o'er thy fate, O Cedar tree,—
Thus goeth the greatest and least of men.
MODERN
BEAUTY
I am the torch, she saith, and what to me
If the moth die of mer I am the flame
Of Beauty, and I have neither joy nor shame,
But live with that clear light of perfect fire
Which is to men the death of their desire.
I am Yseult and Helen, I have seen
Troy burn, and the most loving knight lie dead.
The world has been my mirror, time has been
My breath upon the glass; and men have said
Age after age, in rapture and despair,
Love's poor few words before my image there.
I live and am immortal; in my eyes
The sorrow of the world, and on my lips
The joys of life mingle to make me wise;
Yet now the day is darkened with eclipse;
Who is there lives for Beauty? Still am I
The torch, but where's the moth that still dares die:
ARTHUR SYMONS.
�.
_
MAYy 1932
17
BARBARA YOUNG,
Editor
"I go with the wind, people of Orphalese, but not down
into emptiness; and M this day is not a fulfillment of
your needs and my love, let it be a promise till another
day."
Gibran.
DARK
PICTURE
•pODAY IN The London "Morning Post", read before a glowing fire in a charming 15th century house in Shaftesbury, England, we find the new Kipling poem which has been heralded for
days in the English press. It is a statement of stark realism concerning world conditions at the moment, and of the poet's conviction
that—in plain prose—man's estate must grow worse before it grows
better.
The poem, called THE STORM CONE, is written from a
depth of pessimism which may express Mr. Kipling, but does not,
I feel sure, express England. In a brief fortnight spent in this town
of little more than three thousand souls, scanning the London papers
every day, listening to the talk of a goodly number of men and women, folk from the local county, Dorset, from Devon, from Kancashire, from the Isle of Wight, even from Scotland, I have come upon no word of discouragement nor of fear from these people. England seems to have read and digested the words of that wise old
fellow Epictetus who said, "If we cannot get what we like, let us
like what we can get."
Not so Mr. Kipling. He takes the present situation with a
wry face which is not becoming to a poet of his eminence and mature
experience. He writes in part:
�18
THE SYRIAN WORLD
This is the midnight—let no star
Delude us—dawn is very far.
This is the tempest long foretold—
Slow to make head but sure to hold.
"Stand by! The lull 'twixt blast and blast
Signals the storm is near, not past,
And worse than present jeopardy
. May our forlorn tomorrow be.
"She moves with all save purpose lost,
To make her offing from the coast j
But till she fetches open sea
Let no man deem that he is free."
This is perhaps no over-estimate of the curious and difficult problems which confront the whole civilized world today, but I could
wish that Mr. Kipling had gone at least one stanza further and
given forth a word of assurance along with his gloomy prognostication 5 for while we know full well all that lies behind this arraignment of these times, who among us does not have a persistent and invincible certainty that this too must pass? Suppose the dawn is far?
what of it? Are we sniveling children afraid of the dark or whose
toy is broken: Have our years of prosperity and security robbed us
of the courage and the stamina bequeathed to us by our forefathers,
be they Syrian or American or English? Shall we whine because
our soft living has been taken away, and sit down to brood upon the
inconstancies of fortune? If we do so we are distinctly and definitely
unworthy of our heritage as citizens of the earth and sons of men.
Perhaps all this seems a little hard on Mr. Kipling. It does
not wish to be. But he is a type, so it seems, that is disastrous in the
curious dilemma in which the world finds itself. And we would not
have our poets give way to bitterness and wailing. If, in our blindness and perversity, we have created a puzzle and a riddle which is
hard to solve, let us go after it with keen brain and ready wit, and
unravel the mystery. If they in the marketplace and in the halls
of learning and in the tribunal of justice have lost their vision and
their hope and dream, let not the poets follow like led sheep. For
the earth still rides the firmament unperturbed.
The stars and
moons have taken no note of a senator's sharp word that "we are on
the verge of collapse." Life is good, there are still harvests of grains
and fruits, and rain still falls and sunlight is shed upon the just and
�{MAYy 19 52
19
the unjust; nothing is changed but man's inconstant thinking.
Consider the words of Almustafa, the chosen and the beloved,
where he says that "comfort and the lust for comfort" have become
"a tamer, and with hook and scourge makes puppets of your larger
desires. Though its hands are silken, its heart is of iron. It lulls
you to sleep only to stand by your bed and jeer at the dignity of the
flesh. It makes mock of your sound senses and lays them in thistledown like fragile vessels. Verily the lust for comfort murders the
passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral."
This is our predicament. We have grown accustomed to the
thistledown, and we grasp for it, even at such unseemly cost.
Shall we take defeat sorely who were so elated in our victories?
We would not have our poets do so. And they will not, for poets
have known of old that "you, children of space, you restless in rest,
you shall not be trapped nor tamed
And though of magnificence
and splendor, your house shall not hold your secret nor shelter your
longing. For that which is boundless in you abides in the mansion
cf the sky, whose door is the morning mist, and whose windows are
the songs and the silences of the night."
Here is one poet who knew of a certainty that though "these
things are so"—failures and desolation, war and crime and injustice
of man unto man upon the face of the earth—none of these things
shall be able to interrupt the great stream of human life and true
progress.
A red may-tree grows just outside this ancient mullioned window house through which I look out upon the dark thatched roofs
of little English homes, and lovesome gardens, and past them across
the beautiful Blackmore Vale to distant hills. The window was set
in this old stone house five centuries ago, the may-tree has blossomed
and faded perhaps a hundred years. Life goes on and will go on.
Let the poets reassure all weary and affrighted hearts. The gods
of our fathers have never left the high places. Singing must not
cease though princes fail and judges depart from equity. Perhaps
the dawn is very far, but the dawn is, and that is enough. And let
us not forget that the only potion, inexhaustable and imperishable,
with which to medicine the sickened v/orld is the cup that has been
poured and drunk by all the good and great of the earth, the wine
of love.
�—fr
h.
I'
I!
!
20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
THE SINGER TO HIS LADY
If any song I sing for you may be
But made to please a poet's vanity,
A richly jewelled and an empty cup
In which no hallowed wine is offered up;
A thing of chosen rhyme and cunning phrase;
If love in me grow only soft and sweet,
Remembering not with what worn and weary feet
It journeyed to your fields of golden grain,
The quiet orchards folded in the rain,
The twilight gardens and the morning birds;
If love remembers not, and brings you words,
Words as your thanks; if in an idle hour
It breaks its sword and plays the troubadour—
Then may high God, the Universal Lord
Break me, as I false knight have broken my sword.
If I who have touched your hands should bring eclipse
To love's nobility with lying lips,
Having seen more terrible than gleaming spears
Your gentleness, your sorrow and your tears.
THEODORE MAYNARD
NIGHT AT LA NAPOULE, FRANCE
The darkened outline of the hill,
The evening star, the holy still,
And tired men returning home
From the day's service on the loam!
Against these quaintly fashioned walls
The sea's rich foamy music falls,
And all the house stands here at rest
Against the drowsy, crimsoned west;
So much of peace and beauty lie
On lawn and home, on sea and sky,
So much of art, so much of God
Is here that e'en the dusty sod
Is hallowed, as the night drops down
Her simple loveliness of gown
And cloak, and o'er each dreamy vine
Comes sleep, and lights no longer shine.
C. J. M. TURNER
�I
MAY, 1932
21
An Open Letter
TO THE SUBSCRIBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE
SYRIAN
WORLD
By
THE EDITOR
pOR the second time in two consecutive years I am placing the
fate of the SYRIAN WORLD in the hands of its readers and
friends. But realizing our peculiar Syrian psychology, which is
inclined to regard the support of every intangible, idealistic enterprise as an act of charity, especially when that enterprise is in
the field of journalism, I wish to emphasize at the outset that I
am not appealing for charity, that I will not accept charity, and
that I will not entertain any proposal from anyone who thinks he
is doing me a personal favor by lending support to the publication.
The appeal is a challenge to those among us who are publicspirited and racially-conscious, and who view the enterprise as a
public institution, in which they are personally concerned because
it affects their standing as a people, regardless of whether they
"make money" or not from their investment of $5.00 in the subscription.
For over thirty years I have been following a journalistic
career among the Syrians in America, and never have I bent the
knee to the Baal of servile catering to misconceived notions—notions of patronage and an attitude of condescension to the newspaper profession on the part of some shallow thinking individuals.
If in some cases there is reason to condemn a Syrian newspaper
man for unethical conduct, the onus should not be placed on the
whole profession. I, for one, stand on my record, and for those
of short memories I will mention that as far back as 1912 I started
a newspaper which for personal reasons I later had to discontinue.
But I repaid every subscriber the full amount that was due him,
although none expected or demanded payment. Now the twenty
years that have passed since that incident have not caused me to
change my principle in such matters. Rather, I have become more'
determined than ever to maintain my self-respect and to serve
Mi
mmmmtfc.
�22
THE SYRIAN WORLD
r;
the public in an unservile capacity—to sell my service on its merits
only and to give equal, if not more value, for what I receive I
would consider myself unworthy of the place I now occupy if I
were to act otherwise.
This much for my personal attitude towards support of the
SYRIAN WORLD. And when I tell you, dear reader, in a few brief
words how I have managed to keep the magazine going for almost
six years, 1 hope you will agree with me that I have gone to the
limit of unselfish sacrifice and personal denial. I have my records
to prove that never was the magazine self-supporting. Hence I
could never earn a living, let alone make a fortune, from the
magazine But in spite of dwindling subscriptions, I was determined to keep it up. I considered it a blot on the name of our
people if the only publication in English ever attempted by us
were to be adjudged a failure. My courage was also greatly sustained by the expression of approval and admiration coming from
SvrR, Xnt Tu uT1^ If eVCr 1 haVe t0 discontinue the
\\ ORLD I shall always remember with heartfelt satisfac.on and pride that not a single Syrian intellectual of substantial
standmg but admired the work and encouraged me in it. What
more proof is needed than the fact that every Syrian writer of
o e in America is a contributor to the magazine, a contributor
not for remuneration, but doing so in support of the only enterprise that has done more to enhance the moral prestige of the
Syrians ,n America than anything ever before attempted. These
SYRIAN
va°ueesTr
W m
Wh Sh W SUCh insi ht into true
° Wh
T Se
° ° WU1 live in^ histor as ^Wtual
nam
I ifZ
h
°T °
?
of the honor and promoters of the
y "Polders
prestige of their race. Not
indeed, those materialists who are indifferent to anything except'
piling up fortunes, and who think that simply to have monty with
£5S8T °f * * «"** « -^ ^ - respJct and
Now the promised word as to how I managed to keep the
alive in the face , f such great handicaps I will
now reveal part, but not all. I have done, personally, most
of the literary and physical production of it. Everything unsigned I write, and aside from being editor, news gatherer, proofreader and office manager, I also personally attend to the actual
SYRIA. WORLD
1]
�MAY, 1932
23
making up and printing of the magazine, even having at times
to do part of the type composition. The work sometimes necessitates my working in these various capacities two consecutive days
and nights, 36 to 48 hours, without sleep!
And all this without the magazine bringing sufficient revenue
to pay for its physical production were I to pay for having it done,
let alone allowing remuneration for literary contributions.
The question naturally arises as to how I could continue in
the face of continued loss. Here is the answer: 1 use the facilities of the Syrian American Press, which I own, to produce the
magazine without charging anything against the publication, and
whatever deficit occurs in the accounts of the magazine I make
up from personal work.
But now I in turn will ask a question: Is it fair that this
condition should continue? And I say, even if it is fair it is now
nearing a stage where it will be no longer possible, with the printing buisness affected just as any other by the general depression.
The logical deduction being that the SYRIAN WORLD must either
be made self-supporting or given up.
Taking the latter alternative the question naturally arises:
Is the SYRIAN WORLD needed: Is it a credit to us? Does its continuance help our prestige as a racial element in America : Does
it have a mission towards our own younger generation:
If the answer be in the affirmative we come to the other alternative of making it self-supporting and face the question as
to how this could be done. To the latter question there is but
one answer, and that is: Public support.
This appeal is now addressed to that part of our Syrian public who wish the SYRIAN WORLD continued and are willing to lend
it the needed support. I personally am willing to give to the enterprise as much time, as much energy and devotion, as I have
given it heretofore, without any expectation of reward. In other
words, I am not aiming to "make money" out of the magazine,
but I must emphatically assert that I am no longer in a position
to continue losing money on the venture. I am but one of the
community, and against the $5.00 of the subscriber I am willing
to contribute $5000.00 in personal services. Can a man do more-
�24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
I am even willing and ready to turn the whole management
of the publication to any responsible public body that may want
to take charge, simply to "save our face" as a people by keeping
the publication alive. Such an attempt was made when the SYRIAN WORLD Corporation was launched and found no backing,
thus throwing the whole burden back on my shoulders.
This
burden, as before stated, I cannot further carry alone, and I find
myself forced to pass it on to the public. Hence this appeal.
Now I earnestly ask: Are there not a few thousand Syrians
in the United States and other English-speaking countries who
would pay a $5.00 yearly subscription to the magazine?
I am convinced that there is that number and much more The
question is how to reach them. Solicitors cannot be sent out because of the expense, nor would it be possible for me to travel
and make personal contacts because, confidentially, mine is a oneman business, with the shadow of loss continually stalking it and
immediately I go out, loss enters.
It is my belief that under present conditions there is but one
way to salvation, and that is by a reasonable display of interest on
the part of those who have the vision to realize the immense benehts of the publication if it is helped to weather the present crisis.
Io each of these I now appeal to constitute himself a trustee of
the late of the SYRIAN WORLD, and to realize that its continuance
depends on him. If the magazine should go, that fact would be
taken as proof that we are not a people of culture, all assertions to
the contrary notwithstanding. Can we afford to stand such an accusation? Can't we, with our united effort, insure a few thousand
subscriptions to the SYRIAN WORLD and thereby insure its life?
1 hat question is for you to decide.
As a helpful suggestion to friends of the publication I will
invite consideration of one of the following propositions:
Subscribe now if not already a subscriber;
Pay your subscription if in arrears,
Make a gift subscription if -possible, or
Solicit a new subscription by all means.
i:
c
ii
n
b
P
b
h
�MAY, 1932
25
I am willing to make a substantial concession in the rate of
subscriptions to promote interest in the magazine The onces
S^$]*££* SUbSmber **"**** subscnp^on ; U
ft he makes no m
many and tlto
TneW
°n ^
'
^ how
6ach
subsc*
whl'h
n
,
nption coming through him
o^::ztz
T
W subscriber if he
desires But subsc
^
tions must be paid n advance to save time and postage. Further-
sTi bV^itkdto
erS
'-falthrgh
Paying the
This offer is open until September 1 191?
will enter IK 7th , .
'i T
SYRIAN WORLD
been I h
/
anty
'
but In consid
ACT^MVD,^^
HELP
"educed
wi1
At th,,,-•
.u
that t,me the
eration of value received
IT LIVE;
PLEASE
Yours for the cause
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
HHMSJ
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
26
Last Tributes to a Great Leader
Thousands of Lebanese and Syrians From Greater New York and
Distant Cities Gather to Pay Tribute to the Editor of Al-Hoda
in the Alost Impressive Syrian Funeral Yet Held in America
By H. I.
KATIBAH
'THE LAST funeral rites and obsequies of the late Naoum A.
Mokarzel, famous Lebanese leader and editor of Al-Hoda of
New York, were symbolic and characteristic of his life and spirit.
They partook of the nature of the old and the new, and linked two
worlds, the ancient and the modern. They were fit and proper tributes to a man who, since he left his beloved motherland in his early
twenties, had never returned to it in the remainder of his life, but
who, in the forty-five odd years he spent in this country of liberty
and opportunity, had devoted every ounce of his energy and acumen
to the service of little Lebanon, small in area but great in spirit.
Conceding to none a greater degree of loyalty and devotion in
the service of his adopted country, America, Naoum Mokarzel believed implicitly in the wisdom of that homely proverb: "Charity
begins at home." He knew at heart that no one who is a renegade
to the country which gave him birth, to his homeland, could be anything but a renegade to his adopted country. He loved and cherished
the ideals and principles which made this country great, and he
dedicated his life to the task of inculcating these ideals and principles
in the minds and hearts of his Lebanese and Syrian countrymen who
had remained behind in the beloved homeland. At the same time
he construed it his duty to instill in the tender and impressive souls
of the young generation of Lebanese and Syrians born and brought
up in this country that tried and true heritage of the East, the beautiful and stolid virtues which have stood the test of centuries, which
have survived the ravages and ruthless devastations of untold generations of war, persecution, want, misery, success and triumph.
In his dual role as messenger to the young, adventurous spirit
of Americanism to the East, and of the spiritual, mellow spirit of
stability, serenity and poise of the East to young America, Naoum
Mokarzel amply deserved his title to leadership among his own
people, here and abroad.
�"**»
$1 AYy 1932
27
And it was no surprise that in his funeral both spirits met to
depa'n^heT' *T? ** **.**»* °' ^'^ ^"
Mokarzel and Svr7"^
"^ * ^ * * ^ "oum
The New York Herald Tribune, finding the imposing- fu
neral ceremon.es of the departed Lebanese ilde SSL of
H
£ "T
Val
featUred the fact that
u raJ^'w
4 centurie old comithe serviced
as did f he dead
« 31 FDhr ;r ;
^ ' ^ * > "
SviS is S v/h SymC' ,an d that the ^uage used in the
l
l
k til? Pract,ca]1y ^e same which Christ spoke on this earth and
- -till spoken ,n some of the towns of Syria and Mesopotamia'
he
fact
erecl
that~ ^tyr J^t^[^;^
y
~**
, ,
at his bier, and m the nnumenrile
fe
puts
puonsnta
uem
a d
ii,
AI'HS" andH
Al-Hoda
ri ra tu
rrv
^ papers^-in
all the Arabic
the MWester,,
d
- saa^a s,r,?„r„',t,f*- - »'••
the nT11" ^^T ^
the earthl
>'
remains
of Naoum Mokarzel
special permission from the collector of Iht
? 7 ^ re«' d
P r
at quarantine, together with he H
n ° ' S b°ard the shiP
Ge rge Da her
leader and presidfnt of t^ i
?
°
« > Poli»«l
ing the Syrfa, 5 „ ony £ A££T I^K!^ ' rePrcse"<'
Anthony Mrtn 3 M<£^a^ W,T ^'7° Lebanese fcs>
the giant ship and dropped tafc rf tirs ^ ^ ab<>Ve
had accompamed ^i^^^^l
,„'
-rl,.7«i.1mitt*.
�28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
family and some close friends. While at the pier were fully 1500
of the editor's countrymen with bowed heads and heavy hearts. At
the head of this large crowd was the committee of the Lebanon
League of Progress, whose founder and honorary president was Naoum Mokarzel himself. The committee received the body, covered
it with the American and Lebanese flags and removed it to the waiting hearse.
Then the procession started to Washington street, the first home
of the Syrians in this country, a home dear to the heart of the departed Lebanese leader and mentor, and where for years the office
of his paper, Al-Hoda, has stood. The procession was preceded by
a motorcycle squad from the city, and followed by the mourning
friends, followers and admirers. The office of Al-Hoda, on 55
Washington Street, draped with black and purple, seemed as though
conscious of its great loss and vacancy, now that its moving spirit
and tireless master had passed away.
On the following day thousands, of all classes, representing
Lebanese and Syrian citizens from Greater New York and every
section of the United States, came to the Al-Hoda building where
the body lay amidst a bower of flowers. The bells of St. Joseph,
the neighboring Maronite .Church of New York, tolled their plaintive notes. It was, as an editorial writer of Al-Hoda eloquently put
it, as if the heart of the Syrian colony was sighing in grief and sorrow for its departed son. Mrs. Rose Mokarzel, the widow, and
Salloum Mokarzel, the brother, received the long line of condolers.
The funeral procession started from Al-Hoda building at 12.30
the spacious Catholic Church of St. Peter, on Barclay and Church
Streets, in the neighborhood of the old Syrian quarter and Al-Hoda
building.
The funeral procession started from Al-Hoda building at 2:30
P.M. It was an imposing procession, the like of which has never
been witnessed in the memory of Syrians in this country, and the
line of mourners extended from the middle of Washington Street
to Barclay Street, a distance of eight blocks. According to police
reports there were no less than 250 automobiles in the procession,
besides thousands who followed on foot.
At the head of the funeral procession were six policemen, followed by sixteen arch-bishops and priests of all denominations from
New York and other cities.
Then came the hearse, flanked by the honorary pall-bearers who
were chosen from distinguished Lebanese and Syrians in all walks of
�tMAY, 1932
29
life. They were: Dr. Fuad Shatara, Attorney Joseph W. Ferris,
Attorney Peter George, Emir Joseph Bellamah, M. J. Howatt, Nasib Trabulsi, Joseph Morin, and Fuad Dirani.
Following on foot was a long line of delegations from the numerous Lebanese and Syrian societies and organizations in New York
and various cities of the United States, near and far. Among these
were the Syrian-American Federation of Brooklyn, the LebaneseAmerican Club of Poughkeepsie, St. Nicholas Young Men's Society
of Brooklyn, the Kisrawanite Society of Brooklyn, the Syrian-American Club of New Bedford, Mass. etc.
And behind these the
long line of automobiles carrying the large numbers of those who
were paying the last honor, who were bidding farewell, to one they
had always recognized as leader among his people, patriot and servant of the public.
The streets leading to St. Peter's Church and those adjoining were
soon filled with a huge crowd of participants and watchers. Over
120 traffic policemen, under several inspectors, controlled and guided the traffic. In a few minutes the auditorium of the church, where
the eulogies were delivered, was filled to capacity. The auditorium
has a seating capacity of two thousand, and in the corridors and
spaces behind the church benches hundreds were standing; while
outside almost as large a crowd pressed at the doors to listen in.
The ceremony in the auditorium of the church was under the
auspices of the Lebanon League of Progress, whose acting president,
Shaykh Naoum Hatim acted as master of ceremonies and delivered
a touching speech in which he thanked the mourners and distinguished guests on behalf of his association.
The eulogists who paid their last tribute to the deceased were:
Emir Joseph Bellamah, who came especially from Canada for the
occasion; Mr. As'ad Milkie, well-known writer and speaker, who
had assisted in the editing of Al-Hoda and was a regular contributor
to its pages; Mr. George Dibs, representing Miraat-ul-Gharb, a
sister Arabic newspaper, and its editor Mr. Najib Diab; Hon Anis
Azir Bey, Egyptian Consul General, speaking on behalf of a sister
Arabic-speaking country; Hon. Count Charles de Fontnouvelle,
French Consul General; Mr. Bendali Hafiz, of Washington, who
spoke in Arabic and English; Dr. Khalil A. Bishara, minister of the
Syrian Protestant Church in Brooklyn, and an old friend and admirer of Naoum Mokarzel. At the conclusion Salloum Mokarzel
brother of the deceased, said a few words in a choked voice thanking the eulogists and those who attended the ceremony on behalf of
�30
THE SYRIAN WORLD
the family.
There were others whose eulogies, for lack of time, could not
be delivered, but which appeared later in Al-Hoda. Those were: Dr.
Philip Hitti of Princeton University; Mr. Sa'id Harfoush, on behalf of the Jazzinite Society; Mr. Jacob Raphael, editor of the
Character Magazine and a long-standing friend of the late editor
of Al-Hoda; and Archimandrite Hanania Kassab, and Nasib Arida,
of Al-Hoda staff.
The final and crowning scene in this impressive drama, however, was the religious service in the church. To the plaintive notes
of the organ, the huge crowd of mourners filed in. In a few minutes every seat in the spacious church and its balcony were filled,
and hundreds, who found no seats, stood patiently throughout the
long and solemn service.
The priests, fifteen in number, formed a semi-circle in front of
the sacristy, facing the audience, with Arch-Bishop Francis Wakim,
in his purple robe, his stole and his beret, standing in the center. He
was assisted by Rev. Mansur Estephan, Archimandrite Bernardos
Ghosn, Archmandrite Paul Sanky, Iconomos Thomas Fayyad, Rev.
Nicola Ariktinji, and the rest of the Syrian Catholic clergy in New
York and Brooklyn. Other priests in attendance were: Rev. Joseph
Komaid of Cleveland Ohio; Rev. Silwanos Abu Jowdy of Niagara
Falls, N. Y.; Rev. Francis Lahood of Easton Pa. Rev. Joseph Eid
of Fall River, Mass; Rev. Michael Abu Saab of Springfield, Mass;
Rev. Peter Hawasabian of Paterson, N. J.; and Rev. George Zwein.
Especially impressive was the intonation of the 51st Psalm by Miss
Najibah Morad, accompanied on the organ by Mons. Louis Zwein.
The service was mainly in the Syriac language, the language
which Christ spoke and which has been preserved in the rites of the
Maronite and other Eastern churches. It was interpolated by the
reading of the scriptures in Arabic. And when the chants and responses were over, Father Mansur Estephan ascended the pulpit and
delivered a eulogistic sermon based on a text from Joshua Bin Sirach, "And he rose like fire, and his words burned like a torch
"
It was a truly eloquent sermon by one who knew and loved the
departed editor. Father Estephan, a writer and poet of high calibre,
struck a responsive chord when he emphasized in his sermon the
sincerity of the departed leader as his most prominent characteristic, a sincerity which inspired the forceful editorials of Naoum Mokarzel, which urged him on to a career of ceaseless energy and devotion in the interest of the country he loved above all countries,
vault
ment
editor
ran K
loved
theL
from
comm
(
Mich.
ton, C
tine, .
Okla.,
May :
�MAY, 1932
I
31
Lebanon, and the people he loved above all peoples, the Lebanese.
He pictured intimately scenes from the life of the departed leader
which illustrate this saving virtue of sincerity, and which, we have
no doubt, was the secret of Naoum Mokarzel's great success and
popularity. Whatever his view, political or otherwise, and however strongly and staunchly he differed from those who had other
views, people realized that in Naoum Mokarzel they found a man
on whom they could depend, and who could be implicitly trusted as
a champion of their cause.
It was this sincerity which seemed to nourish his unfailing
energy with a tenacity and strength that amazed his physicians. And
it was this sincerity which made the doctor who performed the operation on him in Paris cry out with amazement: "This man is a gianthad he not been that he would not have lived so long."
It was indeed this sincerity, this devotion to an ideal which had
become part and parcel of his very nature, that impelled him weak
as he was physically, to leave the quiet protection of his editorial
office at 55 Washington Street and take a ship to France, in order
to convey personally to the French authorities the urgent desire of
the Lebanese immigrants that an upright and sincere man be chosen
-President of the Lebanese Republic.
The remains of Naoum Mokarzel lay now temporarily in a
vault ,n St. John's Cemetery in Brooklyn. There is a strong movement afoot among the numerous admirers and devotees of the late
r,n K.hlfr^
'u0 trailSP°rt H1S b°dy t0 Lebano»> that> l^e Gibran Kahlil Gibran, he may rest in peace under the shade of that beloved mountain for which he lived and died.
The great popularity which Naoum Mokarzel enjoyed among
the Lebanese and Syrians all over the United States may be gathered
from the numerous memorial services held for him in the different
communities. Space permits only the mention of a few
iv/r u ^ od\°hi°' May 22' Cin nati, Ohio, May 15- Detroit
Mich. May 8; Mexico City, May 20; Bristow, Okla, May 15 Ca„
^M^Y r0i LHanSng^t-'May 17^ B-noUir'es 'Arge _
oil M
,'c if" ?TdS' M'Ch-' May 29> Oklahoma City,
Okla., May 15; Port Arthur, Texas, May 10; Houston, Texas,'
�32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
EDNA
K.
SALOOMEY,
Editor
EDITOR'S NOTE—The following article was the subject of an address given
by the editor of this department on the occasion of the presentation of a painting made by the Syrians and Lebanese of Boston. Massachusetts, to the Immigration Department at Boston. A complete description of the occas-'on is
published elsewhere in this issue.
THREE THOUSAND YEARS OLD ARE WE
QOD, THE GIVER of gifts, wove an infinitely lovely pattern.
He made as the weft a land, fertile and spacious, and endowed
it with the grandeur of mountains, rivers, and valleys, and with all
the fruits of earth.
He bounded it with vast ocean.
His hand,
which holds eternity within its clasp, wove designs of effulgent colours which surpassed in beauty the land, sea, and sky. These colours God wove out of the hearts and minds of the people which He
brought here in succession to adorn the pattern, and, finally, to inherit its loveliness. This divine creation, we call America.
Such is the Syrian immigrant's conception of his adopted country. Do you wonder now why we hope that nothing shall ever permanently mar that conception? Do you wonder at our resentment
when either our own failing or that of our fellow Americans threatens to distort the beauty of that conception?
We who are Americans by birth have much to learn from immigrants who are Americans by choice. We can learn from them a
lesson which is especially pertinent to our needs during these times
of fear and unrest. If you desire to know the true meaning of fortitude, faith, loyalty to God and country,—you have onlv to consider
the unflinching manner in which immigrants met the challenge of
the prolonged economic distress which was theirs after their arrival
here, without knowledge of the language and without the possibility
�•.-.
MAYy 1932
33
of resorting to family or friends for sustenance. The" very loneliness of their existence would be unbearable to most of us. ' Yet, they
are not to be pitied; rather they are to be envied, because that man
who sets for his goal perfection—be it perfertion of self or country,
shall always find something worthwhile in any struggle.
The Syrian immigrants*, like their predecessors in this country,
were devoid of pseudo-patriotism and sophistry. They looked not
to the state for the solution of their problems, economic or social.
They believed that as the state was composed of individuals, it was
the task of each individual to solve his own problem. This they
deemed was a right which freedom in its fullest sense intended, and
they exercised this right with the spiritual and physical endurance
which sane thinking inspires. We might well emulate their example.
It is distressing that at times immigrants as a group should be
condemned for the faults of a few. We must not let our having
been spared the trials of living in foreign surroundings, make us
smug or intolerant in our opinions. When a surgeon performs an
appendectomy, he does not also sever a patient's arms and legs. For
the very reason which guides the surgeon, we should be more judicious in our assertions.
Mr. Edward Corsi, Commissioner of Immigration of the New
York District, recently addressed the Neighborhood Teachers Association of New York, and gave as the reason for the bulk of America's juvenile delinquency, the lack of understanding between immigrants and their American born children. He advocated teaching
immigrant mothers. Mr. Corsi said, "Our emphasis is entirely on
the child. We do very little to enable the parent to catch up with
him. I have seen the child leave his home, look down on his parents,
and live the life on the streets. Parental influence is completely
destroyed." What a strange influence educators must have if placing emphasis on educating the child has resulted in disintegration of
home life.
As for blaming juvenile delinquency on immigrant
mothers, this assumption, so frequently expressed, is unjust; for
though they do not know the language and customs, they certainly
can distinguish beween right and wrong, and are capable of fulfilling
the demands of motherhood. We relate Mr. Corsi's statements because it matters a great deal what a man of his integrity and authority thinks.
Dr
- Jane clark of Barnard College, through the cooperation of
K
By Syrian immigrants, we mean all those who have come from that
country which geographically has been called Syria from 1400 B. C.
�..
*»**-.«
,:-::
34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
the Department of Labor, made an extensive study of deportation
laws and one of her findings serves as a direct reply to all who
would shunt the entire blame for wrongdoing on immigrants. Dr
Uark said that the social causes of crime are not attributed to the
alien; the roots lie deeper. Also, "the assumption often current in
the United States that aliens are malefactors because of the mere
tact of their alliance has not been borne out in the investigations of
criminologists, who have shown that aliens have not contributed
more than their proportionate share of crime in the population The
task infinitely more difficult than lumping together persons who are
not citizens in the United States and assuming because of that accident of birth they are lawbreakers is to study the social causes of
crime, and the cure for them."
we M\£T<[brOUghtuthhLPhase °f Emigration before you because
we feel that it is worthy of consideration from the viewpoint of natives and immigrants alike. This situation, which Dr. Clark aptly
described, is a rift between natives and immigrants which tends to
break the unity of national thought.
Let there be no misunde staiidu^between us. Let there be only a concreted effort to do our
Syrians are justly proud of the racial heritage which they bequeath to their American-born children. The significance of that
heritage is perfectly expressed by the late Cardinal Newman, eminent theologian and English scholar. He wrote: "Looking at the
countries which surround the Mediterranean Sea, as a whole, I see
hem to be from time immemorial the sea of an association of in,
M ,eH TimS ' such^s deserve to be called the Intellect and the
Mind of the Human Kind. Starting as it does and advancing from
certain centres, till their respective influences intersect and conflict,
and then at length intermingle and combine, a common Thought
has been generated and a common Civilization defined and estabrTredfh V * TJ
^ suchJstarting Point-" Cardinal Newman
traced the trend of conquest and colonization, and he concluded thusold" "not A C1VlllZat^n ?f modern times remains what it was of
old not Chinese, or Hindoo, or Mexican, or Saracen. . .but the
lineal descendant or rather the continuation of the civilization which
o^ountrr
CStine
GrCeCe
-"
^^ '* *' *"*"* ^
son tnat Th^ l^f-''""****:to the h^ of the immortal Emerson, that the foundation of culture, as of character, is the moral
•-,
�MAYy 1932
35
sentiment. Ask, not what is the complexion of a man, or what is
his financial standing, or how much knowledge has he acquiredrather, ask what is his moral sentiment. The country of our forefathers was the birthplace of Christianity and on its teachings do we
base our ethics. These constitute our moral sentiment
Please remember that Syria was very old long before this nation of ours was conceived; that long before Greece and Rome were
inscribing their fame on history's scroll, Syria was creating her endowment for her children, of religion, philosophy science, literature, and commerce. These are the gifts which we bring to this our
country. We bring them as did the wise men of old who came to
the Infant Jesus, with humility, love and solicitude. .
these qual
ities which age has ever manifested in the presence of a child whose
birth personifies continuation of life. We pay homage to a young
nation which we wish to serve in unison with all its children, striving
that the spiritual and material potentialities of the United States
may be fulfilled to the everlasting glory of its name.
M
?^ Chnsrt whose birth in our ^rmer country has hallowed the
name of Syria forever, find His place here in the hearts of all nationalities represented.
As a mark of our devotion and gratitude, we present to our
government through you Mrs.Tillinghast, its worthy representative
this painting. May it ever serve as a memorial of Syrian and Lebanese immigrants who by their courage, self-respect, honour, love
of God and country have taught us their children, native sons and
daughters of the Umted States, to be better citizens! We are happv
a^nTnopt8 ^^ ^^ ' " ^ *»<**>
wil1
^
"AL-JIRN."
A series of articles written by members of the younger generation
'„
tlTj the/dJ- S7e-Yn,10Vati°- -e plannedfwhfch shou d
make this department of vital interest.
This is your department. Whatever may be vour opinion re
garding it, we shall be glad to receive an expision'of Z opinion.
* * *
,l,,MMr:
Far
u
S
*£%%?*
r,^
alouf has
yet answered this
y ,5sue «*We
wo,,der if his
-
department's
m
**£ —
�WMBMW.M
I
36
THE SYRIAN WORLD
How Have the Mighty Fallen
Syrian Poet Likens America to a Modern Ulysses Who Bends the
Bow of Energy to Its Utmost, Steps Aside and Invites the Rest of
The World to Do the Same.
By H. I. KATIBAH
JT WAS AFTER that historic crash of 1929, that memorable and
never-to-be-forgotten day when the high stack of American prosperity, which, like the Tower of Babel, seemed to have reached to
heaven, and to have almost laid hold of its golden gates and pavements, began to tumble down. It was a terrific crash, a stupendous,
spectacular catastrophe j and who does not recall it without a creeping feeling of ominous horror? Yet few there were amidst the very
din of its deafening detonations that truly realized what it all meant.
Few realized that terrible as the crash was, it was nothing to the
mounting crescendo of subsequent reverberations, that followed upon it like the approaching booms of distant thunderings on the heals
of a thunderbolt. And few could even pierce with their inward
vision the flood of misery, poverty and wretchedness which inevitably followed, and which has swept thousands, nay millions, of unfortunate victims before its angry tides. Only today are we beginning to understand some of the inner and deeper implications of
that historic denouement, that terrific crash. The voice of couragous
prophecy that raised itself feebly in the wilderness of those days,
and the mad days of the prosperity frenzy that preceded them, fell
unheeded on deaf ears. Men and women, yes, even children in
their teens, were too occupied with the mad rush for quick profits,
for fabulous wealth that multiplied itself over and over again while
those happy, excited, scrambling speculators dreamed golden and
rosy dreams. It was the day of the Great Opportunity, and people
thought that by some mysterious alchemy they all would become
rich without putting in an equivalent of hard labour and earnest
planning. And now that the piper has led us beyond the fabled
hills of sudden-wealth, and the hills have closed upon those of us
who tripped behind the soothing charms of its notes, we are looking
about with dismay and dejection to find ways and means to pay the
MM
mmmmmmmmmm
�MAY, 1932
37
deceiving piper. We are beginning to remember that it is against all
laws of human nature to take out of a pot more than we had put
into it; and that it is not possible to eat one's cake and still have it.
We are also beginning to see that the rich few, the powerful few
in places of trust and responsibility, cannot keep on eternally robbing
our poorer brethren and still expect them to pay the taxes which
keep those few in the Arcadian palaces of luxury and felicity. It
may be that the rich and powerful will always be with us; but almost two thousand years ago a Hebrew prophet and seer reminded
•us that the poor will also be always with us, and commended them
to our solicitous care and charity. It may be, further, that man at
heart is a beast of prey; but even a beast of prey has enough instinctive wisdom not to kill his prey ruthlessly and wantonly, to find
itself in a few days without any victims to prey upon. The big fish
take heed not to swallow all the little fish at one gulp. And men
in their superior acquired knowledge, have often, too often, lacked
the instinctive wisdom of the beast of prey in the jungle and the big
fish in the depth of the sea. So it has been in the past and so it will
be in the future, until men realize the first elemental lesson that
God or Nature, or whatever you like to name the superior power
that controls and fashions our destiny, first sought to instill in the
heart and mind of the first errant member of the human race mme
ly, that MAN IS HIS BROTHER'S KEEPER,
if th£ broX
er is our slave and victim.
It was in those hectic days following the crash that I found myself sitting next to the famous Syrian poet Khalil Bey Mutran at a
dinner table in the home of my friend and forme/college mate"
Emil Zaydan, m the fashionable quarter of Cairo known as Garden
t'::
,ffaWKhf] Bey ^Utran is a typical Syrian and a ^^1 poet. His
In t ft"1 andua^ marrS' his S°ft V0ice' his genial conversation, sparkling with wit and wisdom, and punctuated with those in
imitable gestures for which Orientals, and'syrians in ^a dcuk are"
famous, the changing expressions of his face that ai equallydo!
th
Smile
KTfS
h-1"11profound
^ Zfwisdom
f SUPPrCSSed
his face and gives his
a spirituality all3
its suffuses
own at
once mark him as an oracle to whom all ears are at once aZ'ed
the cynosure to all eyes that were fixed upon him. He is a proohet
and the son of a prophet, sprung from the land of prophs ands'eer
and through years of reflection and contemplation,^ n the m^
of Ins busy duties as an expert economist in the AgriculturdSo'ety
�28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
of Egypt, he had learned the subtle and beautiful art of conversation. No wonder he is so lionized at every public occasion he attends,
and no wonder we almost forgot to eat as we listened to him in enwrapped attention.
And as the sensational tumbling of the New York Stock Exe
y t0ngU£ in thoSe days k was natural e ou
T?inT?
T Mutran,
rf
gh
that
Khalil Bey
an economist and 'a sage, was led to»speak
r
on that topic.
It was from Khalil Bey Mutran, at that dinner in the serene
atmosphere of Cairo on a clear day in the autumn of 1929 that I
heard the most succinct and brilliant criticism of the American philosophy that I had ever heard before. Its aptness and inevitability
struck me like a bolt from a clear sky, and I have since made use of
it in one of my feature articles for the American newspapers that I
was then serving. I wish to repeat it here for the sake and edification or the readers of this magazine
-hi ,tTHCt' Sdd KhalU Bey Mutran' emPlo^g a picturesque parabe that makes unnecessary a volume of explanation and reasoning
is like a huge giant who bent the bow of human energy to its utmost
and let the arrow fly to its furthest limit. Then hf stepped a7de
and invited the rest of the world to do the same. Few the able
and powerful, could emulate this giant, but the rest of us poor humanity, when we bent the bow to its utmost it snapped in ouV hands
did no?t
I'' Until.Very recently> Khalil Bey explained, people
did not know what a crisis meant. In days of plenty they stored for
in proS
kn^t?1*' '
^Y. they prepared for depression. They
knew by long experience and inherited instinct that prosperity never
lasts, nor depression, and they acted accordingly. When a llZ
m
retrenChed
the
lZTdtdTlT
^ d^
" ^ts
er and did with less rfu
food than was their> usual;
they took
out tightfrom
then- stored provisions sparingly. No one lost all his fortune witT
one sroke, for people in the East followed the wisdom of their
yoTrefer°Verb: ^
aCC rdanCe With the k
°
^th
of
y
-t stretch
But now we speculate on our fortunes years ahead and live
way beyond our income. Our fortune is mo Jy hypothetical if no
fictitious. And when the least setback comes, it tumbles downtfke
a house of cards and melts away before our eye"
Although he did not specifically say it, Khalil Bey Mutran must
m
Tmd th£ "&** UlySSeS -d his strong tow S sTory
« quite familiar to readers of Homer's Odyssey, how Ulysses^
1S?u,W
�MAY, 1932
39
hi
!irSB? aft£r his long meandenngs in the waters of the Aegean
and Mediterranean Seas, to his home in Ithaca, found the drunken
feasting suitors of his beautiful wife Penelope, pressing her for her
hand, while she by a clever ruse, was putting them off from day to
day. Suddenly Ulysses appeared, like a ghost, in the middle of the
orgiastic revelries The revelers did not recognize him at first, but
when he reached for his powerful bow, that none but he was supposed to be strong enough to bend, and, standing to his full length
bent it before them, they realized that their hero and king
had res
turned.
The ideal of individual success, and the philosophy of rivalry
and competition which lies at its roots and foundation, Khalil Mutran pointed out, work out successfully for the few. For the majority
ot humanity it brings only disaster and ruin in its wake. For it is
obvious that while many may compete, only few are destined to succeed ; while all may run, only one wins the race.
And what about the huge number of those who compete and
do not succeed; what about the great majority who exert then
selves in the race, only to fall exhausted by the race-track? Are we
to overlook them, with a disdainful turn of the head as ignoble
failures unworthy of our attention? Are we to leave them behind
nursing their bruises and fatigues, while we press on unconcernedly tor the goalr
The similie would be apt if life were merely a race, and all
those engaged ,n it were racers. But life is too complex to be encompassed by one simile, too intricate for one magical formula to
cover it And besides, it is humanly and physically impossible to
ignore the large majority of humanity, and only concern ourselves
with our own fortune and destiny.
But it happens that in this
strange race of life, the strong owe their strength to the weak: they
are strong be«use the weak are weak. What one has, he has because
he has taken it from someone .who had it or is entitled to it. It is
therefore, sheer folly for the strong to think only of their strength!
and to pay no heed to the weakness of the weak. For that weakness
is the source of their strength.
More fitting than the beast of prey as a symbol of the strong in
the human race, is the shepherd who watches over his flock by nijht
and eads it to the green meadows and the still waters by day not
simply out of compassion, but because only thus does he ensure
he utmost efficiency and results from his sheep. The shepherd who
neglects his sheep, who looks only after his pleasure and comfort,
�iujiifrrhT'ni-Tiitl
40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
who abandons his sheep to the devouring wolves, to the heat of the
noontide and the cold of the night, finds at the end of the season
that his stock of wool and butter is dwindling, and that the sheep
which should give so much milk give less than they should. Practical sagacity dictates that he should be a good shepherd, unless he
is a hired shepherd, and the sheep do not know his voice. Even
then, a better shepherd is hired, and the careless shepherd goes begging for a job in foreign quarters where he is not known.
That is what is happening today in the pastures of Wall Street,
the stock markets and the marts of prodigious profits, where millions of poor sheep are milked and sheered, and then left by to starve
in the dark of poverty and distress. And these sheep, unlike the
dumb ones, have the power of speech and feelings. They can reason, ever so crudely and inarticulately, and their reasoning maychange them to devouring wolves who turn around and rend their
goading masters. Such things have heppened before our eyes in
other countries, and it is not inherently impossible, or even improbable that they may not happen in these American pastures of ours.
The whole question of "success" should be scrutinized more
carefully. Furthermore it should be so construed as to cover the
whole range of human nature. For today it is also true, as it was
two thousand years ago, and as it was from the beginning of time,
that man is not only the body, and happiness does not consist of
food and raiment, and man does not live by bread alone. If the
higher things of life are not taken into consideration, then success
itself is indeed a dismal failure, and the successful are the ones to
be pitied most.
When we think of the thousands who lost their fortunes, who
have become destitute after great riches, who have committed suicide because life proved so empty to them, because it meant to them
only material prosperity and pleasure, we are apt to utter the la
mention of the Hebrew prophet: How have the mighty fallen!
But let us not forget the nameless and countless millions who had
never risen above the level of mere subsistence to know what falline
6
means.
The giant may draw the bow of human energy to its utmost
and let the arrow fly to its farthest destiny, but time comes when
he bow snaps even in the hands of the giant, and the catastrophe
then is great And now the American giant stands with bowed head
bowed ,n shame and contemplation, with the bow broken in his
�JABLA IBN AL-AYHAM
The Story of a Christian King of the Ghassanide Arabs Who EmwZ\l ITT ^2? °f. °mar> A***
* ^cause His DignTty
Was Skghted at the Pilgrimage of Mecca, and Finally Retired I
Live in Constantinofie.
sulaCwaryi°W-0mm0n
beli6f
'
thG
Chris
«*n Arabs in the Arabian Penin-
an arrangement similar to that resorted to ny'thfTurks at er^"A t 7"
war with the Greeks, following the World War
and for*„! 1 Anatollan
sons. But there were manv rhr.;»t", warf and ±or muc,h the same reaPeninsula, who fTkedTlLm0JLt
' ifS "* "^ the Arabian
ious considerations or btauSe 0f fntel ctu^ convictlon
^l' "IT mw* fr°m "**"
ia! and social considerations rZ
,
> but rather for mater-rks of Moslem ^H ^^£Z^J^
* °» ff
tory. It is not here our purpose to ana W
* e7den<* to make it satisfacso much as to present ^2^^^^^^^ C°ntentS °f the ^>
sible mirror of the early days of Mam and tS
I,magaZme as a P1 '
Moslems and Christians of ZS S who I T?** relati°nS between
tions, tribal notions and affiHatLs 1oC'iaT ha t
?" Same radal tradi'
dents.—Editor.
anmations, social background and cultural antece-
A
S1*- ^b P"-s who ruled in Damascus
heart and haughty dignity
When Td
' * P Td
rU er of stout
'
�42
THE SYRIAN WORLD
empire waned from those lands, and the shadow of the cross receded
before the shadow of the crescent, many of the Christian princes and
their followers embraced Islam. Considering that to most people
religion is a traditional loyalty in which intellectual conviction plays
a very small, if not a negligible, part, and in view of the economic
advantages and great social prestige which accrued to the Arabs who
embraced the new, victorious religion, it was not surprising to find
Jabla, the Christian prince of Damascus, temporise on his religious
convictions and embrace Islam.
But Jabla soon discovered that he was mistaken in his mercenary and worldly calculations; that instead of enhancing his royal
prestige with the Moslem Arabs, he was invited to join a democratic
brotherhood in which every Moslem was looked upon as a brother
to every other Moslem, at least in theory, and often in practice.
Kingship and its trappings were foreign to the spirit of the new religion, often repulsive to those fanatic nomads who swept out of
Arabia, with hungry hawk eyes, riding on lean, swift steeds, to subjugate the effete and profligate armies of the heathen and polytheists to the simple, ascetic tenets of Mohammed the son of Abdullah, of the tribe of Qoreish, the first successful organizer of the
Arabs, the Arabian Prophet of Allah.
It might have been different, and our story would not have
been recorded, if Jabla had come fifty or a hundred years later,
when the Arabs had become inured to court life and to the pomp and
glamour of royalty, causing the edge of the democratic, ascetic zeal
of Islam to become somewhat dulled.
But it was Jabla's misfortune to have lived in the days of Omar,
the second Caliph of Islam. And Omar, of all the early protagonists of Islam was the most austere, the most upright and the most
democratic. Innumerable stories are related of his implacable justice and severe simplicity of life. And Omar took Islam very seriously, while Jabla conceived of it as a means to carry him still higher in social esteem and glory among the Arabs. It was inevitable
that the two ideals would soon clash, and that is what we are told
actually happened.
When Jabla declared his Islam, he wrote Omar informing him
of his desire to visit him. Omar was elated and wrote back welcoming him, and so, around the pilgrimage season, Jabla, with five hundred of his retainers and followers of the tribes of Ghassan and Akk,
proceeded to Medina, the first capital of Islam, where Omar had
his simple, nomadic court. And about two stages before Jabla's
mmm
�04AYy 1932
caravan was to arrive at Medina, he again wrote to Omar, and the
latter commanded that the people give him a fitting reception
Everybody m Medma had heard of the conversion of Jabla to £
am, and they were now anxious to see how a Ghassanide king looked
like, what he wore, and how he carried himself.
For the pomp
and glory of the Ghassanide court, as well as that of HL^Z
1
ry
thC kaSt
al
T ^oftl
«**»*«
with Islam
his nationrr Two
al Wu
iterature
the^
foremost Arab
poets before
AlthG
Sflbnll I??"
^
^
^
*** P-gySs of
y am
118 DamaSCUS C UrtS
Ibn ThaL ."I, ?
J
°
- Moreovef, Hassan
Ibn rhabit, the favoured panegyrist of Mohammed the Prophet
who had renounced heathenism and embraced Islam, was also the
beginner, Hassan had extemporized a magnificent poem in the praise
of Jabla so at least one literary tradition has it, in which he enu
merated the virtues of the royal clan of Jafna, gathered around the
tomb of their father, the son of Maria, their pompous cour^nDa
P
ffl Ua
mascus, their prodigous liberality.
~
a b
t0 ente A1 Medina
emissaries to
the
,
;king,
" with provisions
' °mar S£nt
et
the c~
convertedd °rn
Christian
and presents And
tha two hun dred of his picked me
ffiSTSE !
,
" *%* £*
best silken clothes and put on their complete armours.
He himself
r0yal r beS f PUrpk SUrmOU ted
cro^
" hh,!two
°
°
" down
^ hifrom
* beje"
w precious
crown, w
with
stones
that' had come
Maria
his royal ancestress. The blooded steeds of Jabla and his men were
CaPa
mLotsgnThently
Tn.Cd Wkh g°ld
gr
med thC r yal Part
La
°°
'
°
d
f
^, th 171 tS
>' ° Jabla «oved into Me
No wonder, then as chroniclers of those days tell us there was
not a single unmarried or married woman in Medina but adorned
herself in her best clothes and ornaments and went ou ^
ent0U a ge fr
DamaSCUS and l00k at
stvler1tt
; ff
°Tfrom
' thev hid PWP
^eir po^ouJ
styles. It was so different
anything
a out which they had only read or held SffillLTpo^
of praise dedicated to the royal houses of the ri,,.
J P ?
Mundhirites of Al-Hira.
Ghassanides or the
Omar welcomed Jabla as befitted his royal rank and prestige
He drew him near to him, and was elated at heart at this mora v!c
ory of Islam, which had won to it a Christian Arab kng
of suchn
&
lame and renown.
Then on the pilgrimage day, Omar wanted to lead the pilgrims
�Tusmmr-
44
.»
THE SYRIAN WORLD
in the circumambulation of Al-Kaaba, the sacred stone of Al-Haram
enclosure, and he invited Jabla to accompany him. One of the ceremonies of the circumambulation (tawaf) was to discard one's ordinary clothes and that all pilgrims dress alike in a loose, white
wrapper or shroud. Jabla in compliance with the prescribed custom
discarded his regal robes and put on the white izar. On that day,
in the august presence of the sacred Kaaba, all were alike before the
sight of Allah. There was no great or small, no high or low, no
nobleman or serf. All alike were brethren in Islam. Jabla complied with the outward ceremony, but at heart his proud nature rebelled against it. He was a king, and he wanted everyone to know
it. The idea of dressing like the rest of the rabble, sawaqa, ruffled
him. But he said nothing, seeing that the Caliph Omar himself, the
Prince of all the Believers, commander of the armies of the faithful that had conquered all the lands between Asphahan and the
Cataracts of the Nile, was himself dressed in the same simple fashion, like the humblest of his subjects.
It was a memorable pilgrimage, and thousands were pressing
for the ceremony of the circumambulation. The crowd was immense, the Kaaba was congested. And it happened that while Jabla
was moving slowly in the procession, a man of the tribe of Fizara
stepped on the king's garment, and it got loose. Jabla turned angrily to the man and struck him on the face, bruising his nose.
The Fizara man went to Omar and made a complaint against
Jabla, and Omar sent for Jabla and enquired of the incident. Jabla
still angry at the uncouth conduct of a mere subject, corroborated
the story, adding:
"O Prince of the Believers, he did purposely intend to unloosen my wrap. And if it were not for the respect of Al-Kaaba I
would have cloven his face with this sword of mine."
To this Omar calmly replied: "Verily you have confessed. Now
either satisfy the man, or I shall take his side against you."
"And what will you do in the latter case?" anxiously asked
Jabla.
"I shall have your nose bruised, as you bruised the man's nose."
This was beyond Jabla's comprehension.
"How so, O Prince of the Believers", he protested, "when he
is one of the rabble and I am a king?"
To which Omar replied: "Yea, Islam has made you equal.
Verily you have no preference over him except in righteousness and
well-being."
�v
MAY, 1932
45
"I thought", objected Jabla, "that in Islam I would be more
honorable than I was in my pre-Islamic days."
"Let that alone", retorted Omar, "for if you do not satisfy
the man, I shall surely exact the strictest penalty from you."
"Then I would turn to Christianity again", finally threatened
Jabla.
But that was not to move the implacable Omar, who merely
replied:
"Then I would strike off your head. For you would then be
considered an apostate, and death is the punishment of apostasy."
Jabla was cornered. He requested a respite of Omar till the
next day, which Omar granted.
But during that very night, when all the people of Medina
were asleep, Jabla and his men pitched off and stole out of the city
It is further related that, years later, in the reign of Mauwiyah
who was much more worldly and diplomatic than Omar, Jabla, who
had taken refuge in the Byzantine court of Constantinople, was approached by a messenger of the Umayyad caliph and invited to return to Damascus, where he would be given as fief all the famouOnuta. But Jabla refused, and died a Christian and an exile
A LEBANESE ORIENTALIST
A modest Maronite priest who has quietly devoted himself to
a lite of study and research has been pointed out in a recent article
in Al-Basir as one of the outstanding Orientalists in Europe.
Mons^ Michael Faggali officially is the nuncio or vicar of the
Maronite Patriarch in Paris. But in an unofficial, and to the world
at large a more important sense, he is a learned scholar, a lecturer
on Arabic literature in the University of Bordeaux and a fellow in
the Oriental School of Paris, which is attended by hundreds of the
diplomatic corps and others for a thorough training in Oriental
languages, literatures and cultures.
On various occasions Mons. Faggali was sent on scientific missions to Moroco, and was the official French delegate to the Orientalistic congress recently held in Holland
�46
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Od,
CONSTITUTION IN LEBANON SUSPENDED
Presidential Election Crisis Leads to Drastic Action By High Commissioner—Ministry Dismissed and Government Conducted by
Bureaus Under Direction of President.
pOR A LONG time the political issue in Lebanon has been hanging
fire. There were gathering clouds that threatened to break out
any moment into a violent storm. It was only a question of time
when the elements would loosen themselves and give vent to mounting and impounded reactions against evils which cried loud to heaven
for redress, and which everybody decried but apparently could not
correct.
It was, therefore, hardly surprising when Havas cabled from
Beirut on May 9 that the High Commissioner, M. Henri Ponsot,
had announced officially the partial suspension of the Lebanese Constitution, promulgated on May 22, 1926, the suppression of numerous offices in the native government and drastic retrenchment in public expenditures, until a satisfactory revision is made in the said constitution before it is resubmitted to the League of Nations.
There was a rumor at first, based on some cables from Beirut
that M. Ponsot had annulled the constitution, following the same
course he had pursued in the case of the Syrian Government in Damascus in 1928, as a consequence of the intransigence of Syrian nationalists and their refusal to withdraw the six objectionable articles
in the Syrian constitution. But it appears from later communications and reports in the Syrian and Lebanese press lately reaching
this country, that the step which M. Ponsot has taken was in response
to deep-set criticism of the flagrant extravagance in the Lebanese
Government, made necessary by the grandiose and elaborate governmental machinery of a country hardly larger than Vermont, and
much poorer in natural resources and industrial development There
might also have been a political reason for the sudden decision of
M Ponsot to take the executive reins into his own hands The rivalry for the office of president had gone so far, and had become
so bitter, that it was creating a political crisis.
The Mandatory
^H
of the
al
�ddAY% 1932
PRESIDENT CHARLES DABBAS
of the Republic of Lebanon, Who Has Been Appointed Provision
4 Execute During the Suspension of theConstiuZ
47
�48
THE SYRIAN WORLD
power seems to have made up its mind that the coming President
of the Lebanese Republic should be a Maronite. There was little
opposition to this desire until His Eminence Shaykh Mohammed alJisr, President of the Lebanese Parliament, announced his candidacy
on behalf of the different Moslem sects, supported by some Christian factions. It is said that the French authorities intimated to Mohammed al-Jisr that his candidacy would be regarded unfavourably
by them, and that it is the decided policy of both the French authorities in Paris and in Beirut to effect an election of a Maronite
president for the coming term, pince the Maronites, as the largest
sectarian group in Lebanon, are entitled to this honor.
It appears that Mohammed Al-Jisr had persisted in his determination to
run for the presidency, and the Mandatory authorities were faced
by an impasse, from which there was no logical or legal exit except
by the temporary suspension of the Lebanese constitution.
Of this latter surmise there is no indication in the official communique suspending the Lebanese Parliament and holding the Lebanese constitution in abeyance. Only the economic motive is put
forth and emphasized. The communique follows:
"Article 90 of the Constitution of the Lebanese Republic declares that the powers approved in this constitution may be executed subject to the rights and duties of the Mandatory Power constituted in accordance with Article 22 of the League of Nations
Covenant and with the Mandatory Convention.
"Now, whereas the economic crisis which threatens the finances
of Lebanon has created a strong tendency and desire to revise the
constitution and put it in such form as will lighten the burden of
the taxpayer, after it appeared that it is too onerous and expensive
in view of the resources of the country,
"And whereas this wish is in line with the observations made
public by the League of Nations in June 1931, at the 20th convention of the Permanent Mandatory Commission,
"And whereas the need for the realization of these observations
has become more urgent because of the world crisis, which will not
pass away without affecting Lebanon,
"And whereas this condition has become especially clear before
an election which should have taken place in a way calculated to assure and establish order for a new period of six years, with the postponement of necessary reforms to some other time,
"And whereas in time of necessity it is incumbent on the Mandatory Government to assume responsibility for immediate means
�MAY, 1932
49
with due consideration of the interests of the country, which is the
essential object of the mandate, providing that it will give an account
thereof to the League of Nations, in accordance with Article 17 of
the Mandatory Convention,
"Be it therefore decreed:
"Article one—That the enforcement of the Lebanese Constitution, in what relates to both the legislative and executive branches of
government, is hereby temporarily suspended.
"Article two—That in this transitional interval the president
of the government, appointed by a decree of the High Commissioner, shall undertake the executive duties, with the assistance of
the Mandatory Power. The president shall have the support of a
council comprised of the heads of the government departments.
"Article three—That the government functions shall remain
as before distributed among the departments of justice, interior, public works, education, agriculture, public health and public relief.
With this council there will be technical advisors and competent experts.
"Article Four—That the President of the Government has the
right to issue legislative decrees in this transitional period which relate to the balancing of the budget, according to the opinion of the
Council of Directors. These measures, on approval of the High
Commissioner, will become executable law, and this statute shall become effective from the day of its publication."
Subsequently M. Ponsot by decree appointed M. Charles Dabbas, the former president, President of the temporary government,
in accordance with the above articles.
< Receiving the Hon. Mohammed Al-Jisr, President of the Legislative Assembly, and other Representatives, the High Commissioner informed them formally of the measures taken explaining
that the pressing economic crisis and the clamor of the people for
reform have constrained him to take these extraordinary measures.
The after effect of the Lebanese upheaval could be described
at a state of high elation and unbounded optimism, tempered in some
responsible quarters with a cautious and watchful outlook on the
future. On the whole, it may be said that the common people, the
oppressed tax-payers who had to foot the bill for the extravagant
style in which the Representative Assembly and the native government lived, were almost bitter and vindictive in their denunciation of
the discredited representatives and rulers.
Almost in a spirit of rebuke Al-Bashir, which considers the pre-
�50
THE SYRIAN WORLD
sent Lebanese upturn a form of dictatorship, declares editorially that
the suspension of the constitution and of the representative government should have been received in a different spirit than that of rejoicing, because the Lebanese are a liberty loving people by instinct,
and because the republican form of government had many supporters who asked for it and still want it. Nevertheless it was at the
request of the people themselves that the present order supplanted
the constitutional one. The important thing now is to demand the
execution of that measure of justice and economic relief which the
present regime promised. Towards this end Al-Bashir suggests that
the government make a survey of conditions in the country that its
reforms may be of general application to all Lebanon, and not be
satisfied with reforms in Beirut and environs.
In quite a different vein Lisan Ul-Hal warns the public against
undue optimism, and takes the voters to task for their vindictive attitude towards the deposed representatives. Heading the article
with the strange title, "Mary Magdalene and Judas Iscariot", Lisan Ul-Hal says that it is excusable and understandable to cry out,
as the populace has done. "Let the sinner be stoned, let the traitor
be hanged on a wood." But it is also a measure of caution and wisdom to remember that whereas in the former regime we knew where
the money from our taxes went, today we face a dictatorial government which collects these taxes and spends them without any supervision by representatives of the people. The editor gives expression to his misgivings that one man, even as upright and highminded as Hon. Charles Dabbas, could guarantee the equitable collection of taxes and their distribution among the different districts
of Lebanon.
The same paper published an interview by President Dabbas
himself with one of its editors, Zaydan Zaydan, in which he assured
the people that his government had already taken steps for effecting
drastic economy in the salary of the officials and the budgets of the
various departments. The President, setting a good example to
others, reduced his own salary 33%. Similar reductions are contemplated for other officials, especially high ones, while safeguarding the interests of smaller officials.
But now that the blow has fallen and a program of economy
sefcms imperative the native press is crying out that salary cuts
should not be confined to native officials to the exclusiin of the highly paid French advisers. But so far no action is known to have been
taken affecting the latter suggestion.
-
�MAY, 1932
51
TTTF
SYRIAN WORLD
NEWS SECTION
VOL. VI, NO. 8
SYRIANS OF BOSTON
PRESENT SYMBOLIC PAINTING
From a Special Correspondent
A memorable gathering of Syrians,
Lebanese and Americans witnessed a
ceremony in which the loyalty and
patriotism of our fellow countrymen
in this country were given beautiful
expression.
At the suggestion of Mrs. Anna C.
M. Tillinghast, Commissioner of Immigration in New England, American
citizens of Lebanese and Syrian descent presented a symbolic painting
to be hung in the immigration office
in Boston, following the example of
other nationalities.
Accordingly on Sunday, May 15, at
2 P. M., a large group of Lebanese
and Syrian citizens met in the John J.
Williams Auditorium on Shawmut
Ave. and West Brookline Street, Boston, for the ceremony of presenting
their gift.
The picture, a creation of Carin
Elias Rihbany, architect and artist
graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, emphasizes the influence of Christianity on American
freedom and civilization In the foreground, at right, is a representation of
the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers,
to the left Abraham Lincoln emancipating the slaves and in the centre
an outline of a Phoenician ship, suggesting the evolution of a huge trans-
MAY, 1932
Atlantic steamer. While in the background the majest;c figure of Christ,
with outstretched arms, is rising out
of the clouds and blessing the scene
before him.
Mr. Salloum Mokarzel, editor of the
Syrian World, was invited espec;ally
from New York to give the principal
address at the presentation ceremony.
He spoke first in English and then, in
compl;ance with a request from the
audience, in their native tongue.
The chairman of the meeting was
Mr. Elias F. Shamon, a prominent
Lebanese lawyer and public figure of
Boston. Before introducing the editor
of the Syrian World, he asked for a
standing tribute of silence in memory
of the departed leader, N. A. Mokarzel.
The speakers included Miss
Edna K. Saloomey of Milford, Conn.,
who was accorded the honor of making the presentation on behalf of the
Lebanese and Syrians of Massachusetts to the Commissioner. Miss Saloomey is the editor of Our Younger
Generation Department in the Syrian
World.
Her speech was warmly applauded.
A presentation of a beautiful basket
of flowers by Miss Frances Bousard,
President of the Junior Auxiliary of
the St. George Ladies Society to Mrs.
Tillinghast followed. Other speakers
were: Mrs. Margaret Leon, President
of the Syrian Ladies Aid Society;
Agatha Gabaily, representing St-
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
George Ladies Society; Richard Saba,
representing St. George Antiochian
Society; Fred Assad, representing the
Syrian Melchite Society; Miss Lena
Haddad, representing the Syrian Ladies Melchite Sodality; Joseph Thomas, representing the Young Men's
Syrian Association of Norwood; Mr.
George Shagoury, lawyer, representing the Caravaneers Club and Elias
J. Michael, representing the Mass.
Syrian Association of American Citizens.
Among the guests of honor were:
Hon. Anna C. M. Tillinghast; Hon.
William Sterling Youngman, Lieutenant Governor; Hon. Gaspar C. Bacon,
President of the Massachusetts Senate; Hon. Leverett Saltonstill, Speaker
of the Massachusetts House of Representatives; Major Judson Hannigan, President of the Republican Club
of Massachusetts; Shukry Khoury;
Wadie Shakir, Syrian editor of Boston and Dr. Nasim A. Khouri.
Prominent visitors included Mr. Joseph Kaheel, Syrian artist and portrait painter of Portland, Maine; Attorney Michael Aboodeely of Worcester, Mass., and Attorney John A. Ganem of Lawrence, Mass., whose presence testified to the true spirit of
cooperation and patriotism among our
people.
Musical entertainment was supplied
by a forty-piece band of the James C.
Shea Post, American Legion. Midhat
Serbagi rendered solos in French and
Italian, while Salem H. Ataya sang
the Syrian National anthem in Arabic- Thomas Malouf played the lute,
and Nassour Abraham rendered a lyric in Arabic. Popular numbers were
sung Dy Crandon Samya and Miss
bcphie Jurdak, accompanied by Miss
Marion Thayer Hiltz.
Commissioner Tillinghast and other
prominent visitors were guests at dinner of Mr. Philip and Miss Rose Maloof at their home in Bay State Rd.
SYRIANS RECEIVE PRAISE
FROM AMERICAN PAPER
The Syrian American Club of Jacksonville, Fla., celebrated its twentieth
anniversary the last week of May.
A feature of the program was a speech
given over the radio by Mr- Joseph
K. David, prominent Syrian of that
city and popular among Syrians and
Americans alike. Mr. David stressed
m his speech the loyalty and devotion of American citizens of Syrian
extraction to; the country of their
adoption.
Commenting on this speech, the
Jacksonville American, a weekly, said:
"One of the finest utterances on
Americanism and what it can mean
to people of foreign birth was J. K.
David's recent radio address on the
occasion of the 20th anniversary of
the Syrian-American Club held recently in this city.
"Mr. David's remarks breathe the
purest patriotism and devotion to the
country which has adopted him and so
many 0f his countrymen. It should
serve as an inspiration and guide to
all Americans, who in these times of
stress find their faith slipping and
their love for country weakening.
"The really significant thing to remember is that these people exemplify
m their daily lives the aspirations
which Mr. David has so fittingly described. They are a people of good
morals, of keen business ability, of
sterling integrity, of high ethics, who
look upon their citizenship as a rare
privilege, to be expressed in all movements for the public good. America
and American institutions will be forever safe at the hands of such as
they."
AMERICAN FIRM GETS
SYRIAN PIPE ORDER
The McKeesport National Tube Co.
of Pittsburgh, Pa., recently received
�MAY, 1932
5$
an order for 8,000 tons of seamless
tubings to be used in the construction
of a 1,300-mile pipe line, said to be
the longest in the world, to be built
from the Tigris River, on the MDSUI
borders, to Syrian and Palestinian
ports on the Mediterranean Sea.
SYRIANS OF ST. PAUL
HOLD ENTERTAINMENT
A varied and lively program was that
of the entertainment and dance given
last month in Saint Paul, Minn., for
the benefit of St. George Syrian Orthodox Church of that city.
The affair was under the direction
of Miss Lamese Hamati whose father
Rev E- M- Hamati, pastor of the
church, opened it with a speech of
welcome- A one-act play, "The Rich
Economist" in Arabic, was given as
well as musical selections in English
and Arabic, followed by a dance.
Those appearing on the program
were Miss Lamese Hamati, Albert
Abdella, Jim Hafiz, Mrs- Milhim Farah, Sam Owen, Michael Hafiz, Johnny Zien, Albert Jerry, William Ziton,
Misses Louise and Catherine Hanna,
Miss Evelyn Haddad and Miss Elma
Owen.
YOUTH HAS GREAT
SCHOLASTIC RECORD
The Times, of Palm Beach, Fla.. in
its issue of May 20, published the folowmg account of the brilliant scholastic record of a Lebanese boy of
that city.
"Young Joanna Xenos of Chicago,
who went through the eight grades of
grammar school in two years, has a
rival here. He is Elias Chalhub, 16year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. John
Chalhub of 1156 Elizabeth Street
A little over five years ago Elias
came over from Havana and started
in the first grade. He could not even
speak the English language, much less
read and write it. He had had three
years of schooling in Havana—all in
Spanish.
"Elias spent only two weeks in the
first grade here. Then he skipped
to the fifth, where he spent two months
before going to the sixth. After three
months there he went into the seventh
grade where he spent a year, after
which six months in the eighth grade
brought him into high school for three
and a half years and will graduate
next month.
J7h^ he h°Pes t0
and study medicine."
g0
t0
Harvard
RIOTS BETWEEN ARABS
AND JEWS IN YEMEN
Sixty persons were injured in communal riots that took place on May
25 when Arabs attacked Jewish inCrater district
Aden
/ S thG
of
Aden, Arabia,
according to an As-
sociated Press despatch.
The riots resulted when Arabs accused Yemenite Jews of defiling a Mosem mosque. Jewish shops were looted,
the attackers hurling stones and
bottles at the occupants. Armoured
cars patted the quarter, and a newly
formed force of armed police, mostly
Arabs, quieted the rioters. The s^tua
t">n remained tense, and more than
PaStddS6848
WerC made the
'
*»
ARMENIAN IMMIGRANTS
MOVE TO NEW HOMES
The number of Armenian immigrants and refugees in Lebanon and
Syria has been estimated in an official
report of the French Mandatory Government at 130,000. Of those about
�m
THE SYRIAN WORLD
90,000 have already moved from their
ramshackle wooden slums to permanent stone homes, erected through
grants from the American Near East
Relief Fund and the League of Nations, It is stipulated in these grants
that Armenian occupants shall pay
for their new homes on the installment basis over a period of ten years.
The chief locations of Armenian concentration are Aleppo, Beirut, Horns,
Hama and Tripoli.
It is said that Armenians have given
names to their new permanent settlements after the cities of their origin,
e- g., the Marash Settlement, the
Adana Settlement etc
WHO IS IBRAHIM PASHA?
A Lesson in History to Young Syrians
If you are among those fortunate
ones who have old-fashioned Syrian
parents or relatives, you may occas;onally hear them allude in their conversations and remhr'scences of old
times in Syria or Lebanon to a certain "Ibrahim Pasha." And if you are
inquisitive enough to ask: "Who is
this Ibrahim Pasha?", do not be annoyed or exasperated if they look at
you askance and say: "Don't you know
who Ibrahim Pasha is; What then do
they teach you in school?" For verily
knowledge or ignorance are relative
terms, and to the Syrians and Lebanese Ibrahim Pasha has as much
right to be remembered as George
Washington or Thomas Jefferson. Only history so willed it that these succeeded and Ibrahim Pasha failed.
And now to wise you up on Ibrahim Pasha so you would not look so
foolish to your old man or your grand
dad,
Ibrahim Pasha was the son of Mohammed Ali Pasha, founder of mod-
ern Egypt and its first Khedive, Mohammed Ali Pasha had great aspirations. Nominally he was the military
governor of Egypt on behalf of the
Sublime Porte (the Ottoman Sultan),
but secretly he harboured ambitions
of independence and reform. He was
commanded to fight the Wahhabis in
Arabia, and for that purpose sent his
son Ibrahim at the head of a great
military expedition. Once the Wahhabis were subdued, however, Ibrahim Pasha, at the instigation of his
father, started on a campaign of conquest in Syria and Lebanon. His military success was so great and swift
that he drove the forces of the Sultan to the heart of Anatolia. His able
ally was Emir Bashir Al-Shihabi, famous ruler of Lebanon at that time-During the brief period that Ibrahim Pasha held sway in Syria his rule
was a model of justice and efficiency.
Syria never saw a more prosperous
time, and to the present day we call
money in the Syrian vernacular "masari", i.e. Egyptian coins, a reference
to the time when Egyptian money was
so plentiful in the land, and to the
prosperity which came in the wake of
Ibrahim Pasha's invasion.
Many fclk tales and anecdotes about
Ibrahim Pasha are still current among
the people of Syria -and Lebanon, who
have never forgotten the golden age
of justice and equality among people
which he initiated, and often do they
end the recital of those tales and anecdotes with the expression, "sa'allah 'ala iyyam Ibrahim Pasha", (wish
that the days of Ibrahim Pasha would
return)!
And now we fancy some youngester
ask, "but why tell us of Ibrahim Pasha
now; what is the occasion?"
The answer, dear youngster, is that
this is the one-hundredth anniversary
of his invasion of Syria, which took
place in 1832.
�li
MAY, 1932
IRISH EARRINGS IN GAZA
LAID TO PHOENICIANS
Syrian Writer Cites Authorities to
Prove Contention That Phoenicians
Traded With Ireland as Early as
1400 B: C:
A dispatch to the New York Times
from London stated that Sir Flinders
Petrie, upon his return to London
May 13, announced the d;scovery of
primitive gold earrings "probably of
Irish origin," on the site of the ancient Gaza in Palestine. The earrings,
two bent sticks of gold soldered together to resemble a flattened letter
X, are of a pattern on which gold ornaments previously had been found in
Ireland, England and the site of ancient Troy. They date from 1400 B:
C, about the time of the fall of Jericho .
Commenting on the above discovery,
Rev. W. A. Mansur, of Winiside,
Neb., and well known to readers of
the Syrian World, wrote to the New
York Times under date of May 30 as
follows:
The news item in a recent issue of
The New York Times, regard;ng the
primitive gold earrings found by Sir
Flinders Petrie on the site of ancient
Gaza in Palestine, will prove after
careful study to be very important.
That they may be of "Irish origin"
is* the part that will bring to the attention of historians the relation of
Ireland to the ancient peoples of the
Mediterranean Sea.
May I bring to the attention of your
readers some significant thoughts on
the possible relation of Ireland in ancient times to those who possibly first
discovered the island? The following
quotation is taken from Justin McCarthy's book
"Ireland, and Hjer
Story:" I believe it will interest your
readers.
55
"As the child is the father of the
man, so the legend is the parent of
the history. If we would understand
the story of a nation we must begin
by a study of its legendary lore. We
cannot thoroughly comprehend the
character of a people unless we have
made ourselves well acquainted with
the legendary forms that people has
accepted as the pictures of its progenitors .
"One of the most characteris!£c
legends in the earliest history of Ireland is that which tells us the island
was originally peopled by some race
who came from an eastern climate to
the small island lying to the west of
Great Britain. This theory has no. thing inherently improbable in it,
seeing that mankind in its earliest
and most unsettled days was much
given to wandering.
"The natives of Phoenicia, on the
coast of Syria, were among the earliest and most famous navigators and
traders known to the antique world,
and were always wandering in search
of new homes and founding new colonies. Between the nineteenth and thirteenth centuries before Christ they
established many colonies along the
shores of the Mediterranean, and are
believed to have spread their settlements so far as the British islands.
One of the favorite theories of early
Irish history is that they alighted upon Ireland and were the first strangers
who made a home there."
This find by Sir Flinders Petrie will
cause us to restudy the history of the
Phoenicians. George Rawlinson's "The
Story of Phoenicia" is one of the best
on the subject.
The Phoenicians brought the ends
of the world, the world surrounding
the Mediterranean Sea, together.
Their civilizing influence was their
great contribution to mankind.
My opinion is that further study of
�56
the gold earr'ngs will probably convince us that Phoenician traders
brought these from Ireland.
W. A. Mansur
Winside, Neb:, May 30, 1932.
ALL QUIET ON
THE SYRIAN FRONT?
"No news is good news", says the
English proverb, but in polit:cs this is
often the reverse. Lack of news
then becomes an ominous sign of
sinister forces working under cover
before they spring their surprse on
the unsuspecting public. We wonder
if that is the case in the Syrian situation, about wh:ch we find so little
aside of hazy allusions and innuendo
in the Arabic press.
Legally Syria has had an election,
and by all legal precedents the elected
representatives should have convened
right after the election to choose a
president of the Syrian Republic from
among them. But nothing of this sort
has taken place, and Syria today is
without a representative government
to translate the wishes of those who
elected them into legislation, and
without an executive head to carry
out this legislation into actuality. In
fact Syr'a is governed today directly
by the French Mandatory authorities,
through officials appointed by the
French High Commissioner.
This situation 'has not failed to
create an atmosphere of anxiety and
unrest, not to say suspicion, among
pclitically-minded national:sts in Syria. It was rumored, and this rumor
has been reflected in many an article
in the Syrian press, that M. Henr
Ponsot, in view of the drastic steps
he was compelled to take in Lebanon
to save it from an orgy of economic
catastrophe and balance its budget for
the coming year, nrght take a similar step in Syria. But in this latter
THE SYRIAN WORLD
case the impasse is not so much economic as political. It was with reluctance, long-drawn negotiations, political bargaining, wire-pulling and,
some claim, int'midation and highhanded measures, that the Syrian elections were finally conceded. The Mandatory was loathe to hand over the
power to recalcitrant nationalists who
were out of sympathy with its policy,
and were stubbornly insistent on carrying out to the full the program of
the Nationalist Cartel. A compromise
was understood to have been reached,
and some moderate nationalists favorable to the French, were elected in
Aleppo, Horns and Damascus. It was
thought that that would remove the
;
mpasse and sever the Gcrdian knot of
Syrian politics. But evidently it has
not. It seems that either the Mandatory has not been quite satisfied
with the Nationalists' guarantee, or
that the Nationalists are too cautious
and intransigent in their demands.
The trouble, as it seems evident, is
that there is not enough mutual confidence between the Syrian Nationalists and the Mandatory.
ITALIAN FLOTILLA
VISITS BEIRUT
In the last week of April Beirut was
agog with excitement over the v;sit of
an Italian flotilla to its waters.
Among the large crowds who viewed
the Italian ships, or welcomed the
Italian admiral and h-'s men, were
many who remember another visit of
Italian war vessels which created a
different kind of excitement, and was
by no means welcome. That took place
in the spring of 1912 when Italy was
at war with Turkey over Tripolitania,
in Northern Africa.
Two Italian
cruisers accompanied by some destroyers, suddenly attacked Be:rut,
and sank two Turkis'h vessels of war
�MAY, 1932
and fired a few bombshells on the
defenseless city, creating considerable
damage and some less of life.
SYRIAN REVOLUTIONISTS
APPEAL FOR ASSISTANCE
The remnant of the Syrian revolutionists, numbering about 3000, including men, women and children, who
'have retracted to Wadi-1-Sirhan, on
the borders of Transjordania and
Nejd, are said to have been reduced
to the last extremity of need.
For seven years those brave and
unyielding warriors, with the colorful figure of Sultan Pasha Al-Atrash
at their head, have turned down one
plea after another to throw down their
arms and surrender to the French
authorities. Amnesty and repatriation were pronrsed them, but they
held before them single-mindedly one
object, from which they swerved not
a hair's breadth to right cr left. That
object is the complete and unconditional independence of the Syr:an nation .
During these seven years, the "heroes of the Syrian revolution" have
depended for their subsistence on the
voluntary contributions of patr:otic
countrymen, mostly those of them who
-.re in the United States, and thousands of dollars were remitted each
year to the Mujahideen of the Desert.
But the economic depression which
touched the pocket of every businessman and wage-earner ;n this country
has had its far-reaching effect on those
"Strugglers" also.
In a recent appeal published in AlBayan, a pitiable state of dire need
and poverty from which those unyielding revolutionists now suffer, is graphically described by Ajjaj Nuweihid,
Secretary of the High Islamic Council
of Jerusalem, who has acted as in-
57
termediary in transmitting relief to
the desert heroes. The appeal is
broadcast to all friends and sym,pathisers of the former revolutionists
that they may not forget them now in
their times of greatest suffering and
stress: The suggestion is made that
monthly remittances be sent that a
steady relief may be depended upon
to secure the bare subsistence of those
needy warriors.
COMMUNIST ORGANIZATION
DISCOVERED IN ALEPPO
From time to time we hear of communistic activities and plcts unearthed
in Syria: The latest of these, according to a dispatch to Aleph-Ba (Damascus) from Aleppo, came to light
with the arrest of an Aleppian laborer called Samuel, who was discovered hanging a red flag on a telephone post in a suburb of the city.
Under police pressure the laborer devulged the names of his colleagues.
From their names it appears that the
Aleppo communistic organization is
composed of Armenian communists
acting independently cf other Syrian
or Lebanese organizations, but with
evident affiliation and communication
with Moscow.
Inflammatory literature in Armenian was found at the headquarters of
the organization, as well as propaganda paraphernalia, such as a gelatine press, pamphlets, emblems etc.
The arrest also brought to light the
strange, activities of a certain Badi'
Ibn Al-Hajj Sabri, who calls himself
Karimoff, and who is counted among
the most versatile and dangerous Syrian comnrunrstic workers. It is said
that he made extensive travels, with
falsified passports, through Italy,
Austria and Turkey, whence he came'
to Beirut, where he carried on his
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
58
activities under cover. In Beirut he
met an Armenian rebel against the
social order, Moses Gazirian, whom
Karimoff persuaded to go to Aleppo
and form a communistic organ;zation
there. Comrade Karimoff is accredited with fluent knowledge of the
Turkish, French, German, Russian,
Italian and Spanish languages, bes:des
Arabic, his mother tongue!
BENEFIT PLAY GIVEN
IN TORRINGTON, CONN:
"Oh Maw-th-er!," a four act comedy
drama written and directed by David
W. Narsiff of Torrington, Conn, was
well presented at Rialto hall the evening of May 24, and was appreciatively received by a large audience. The
proceeds were for the benefit of St.
Maron's church.
Entertainment numbers were presented between the acts, including
Oriental dancing by Miss Dabine
George; dancing by Dante and Mayo;
and vocal and guitar numbers by
Charles Favali, New York vaudeville
star. A sociable, with music by Koury's Majest'c Orchestra, followed the
performance.
George J. Ganem served as master of ceremonies, and brief remarks
were made by the author, Mr. Narsiff,
and the Rev. Paul Abi-Rezk, pastor
of St. Maron's church, who expressed
appreciation to all who had helped
make the event a success.
The cast of characters included
Daniel Cimmino, Joseplrne Haddad,
Alice Stevens, Anthony George, Ramon Cervilla, Frances Joseph, Josephine Narsiff, Etalo Bredice, Dabine Georye, M:ke Karam, Louis Ganem, Joseph Vercillini, Roger Neri,
Stlomon Narsiff, George George, Joseph Azar and David W. Narsiff. The
usherettes were Eileen Sark's, Whadia Narsiff and Lillian Stevens.
J
YOUR SUMMER READING
Among books you are taking with you to your summer resort do not fail to include, "OTHER ARABIAN
NIGHTS" and "ARABIAN ROMANCES AND
FOLK-TALES", by H. I. Katibah, both published by
Charles Scribner's Sons and beautifully illustrated by the
artist William Berger. Thousands of American children
and adults have enjoyed the quaint charm, whimsicality
and subtle wisdom of these Oriental tales. They are tales
about your own country and people by one who knows
them.
If you have read them you would certainly like to
make presents of them to friends. Order them through
this magazine.
—
<
�MA Yt1932
59
Gibran's Message
To Young Americans of SyrianOrigin
By G. K.
GIBRAN
Author of "The Trophel'1
"Jrsus the Son of Atari,"
Th. S,run W«Ui
lumimi i
Ttu Srri
I believe in you. and I believe in yout destiny.
I believe that you are contributors to this new civilization.
I believe that you have inherited from your forefathers an ancient dream, a sons a orooh
ecy. wh,ch you can proudly lay as a gift of gratitude upon the lap of America^
' W
tree vj
bt ieVC y U
'
TfM-
f Und ! f thiS gr
° "", 2 f, r""
- "'
WCre
m °he hi"S °f Uban
n y«""">m d'""' » '">•d> youth. . young
"
° *
" °
° - " ' ' «^ <°°« ""S and I Zld
,„„,., /"d I,bclievJ ,h-« V°u c« say to Abraham Lincoln, the blessed. "Jesus of Nazareth
touched you. hp, when you spoke, and guided your hand when you wrote: and I shall uX
d
P
all that you have said and all that you have written."
blood J !£"" ^ T°U "" "* ?
EmerSOn ,nd Whitnun
>nd J* »- "I» m »« « runs the
n.tmetrmpry^l"'" " * ^ " ^^«-»--Vou a^i rLve. but 1^
Here to ^J^^rl^T" » » *- * -—» ^hes. you were born
And 1 believe that it is in you to be good citizens.
And what is it to be a good citizen?
conscious of rurkon;:,ed8t "* "^ ^^ ^
M
°" ""^
yOU
' "* b"< «*»* » * .
.o .he oth;: TJi'(z£:zht and dred-but " is au° to kn°w *>< ^«-—»-**
It is to create the useful and the beautiful with your own hands, and to admire what others
have created in love and with faith.
aomire wnat otners
.I..-, ,}\" '" P^" Wea'th bV J2*?' a"d °n'y by Iabor- and to $I*nd " '"an you have produced that your chtldren may not be dependent on the state for support when you are no more.
It is to stand before the towers of New York. Washington. Chicago and San Francisco
bui ded D
d
?vregand
ands7
H' Annoch.
2 Zf".and
T^T
I ""*"<
Pwith
' you. and
"<K
Tyre
Sidon. and
now I am*here
to build
with a»will."
It is to be proud of being an American, but it is also to be proud that your fathers and
mothers cam. from a land upon which God laid His gracious hand and raised HUm"
Young Americans of Syrian origin. I believe in you.
FREE TO SYRIAN WORLD SUBSCRIBERS. This beautiful message by
5! Z*
VM
With
Sent T<S
with Sept
1931
J P?ted
in large type
EVGry PAI
°n
heay
y PflPer
with
ornament-
SUbSCriber Wh0Se te
be
J^T*'
^
is entitled
to a copy, mailed° in heavy cardboard tube. Subscribers whose term begins before Sept. 1931 may secure a copy by renewal
'
�60
THE SYRIAN WORLD
S
PME.NT OF THE OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT. CIRCULATION
m The Syrian World, published monthly at New York, N. Y., April 1. 1932
STATE OP NEW YORK
COUNTY OP NEW YORK.
Before me, a Notary Public, in and for the state and county aforesaid,
personally appeared Salloum A. Mokarzel, who, having been duly sworn
according to law, deposes and says that he is the publisher of The Syrian
World, and that the following is, to the best of his knowledge and belief
a true statement of the ownership, management (and if a daily paper, the
circulation), etc., of the aforesaid publication for the date shown in the
above caption, required by the Act of August 24, 1912, embodied in section
411, Postal Laws and Regulations, printed on the reverse of this form, to wit:
1. That the names and addresses of the publisher, editor, managing
editor, and business managers are:
Name of—
Post office address—
Publisher, Salloum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenwich Street.
Editor, Salloum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenwich Street.
Managing Editor, Salloum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenwich Street.
Business Manager, Salloum A. Mokarzel
104 Greenwich Street.
2. That the owner is: (If owned by a corporation, its name and address
must be stated and also immediately thereunder the names and addresses
of stockholders owning or holding one per cent, or more of total amount of
stock. If not owned by a corporation, the names and addresses of the individual owners must be given. If owned by a firm, company or other unincorporated concern, its name and address, as well as those of each individual
member, must be given.)
Salloum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenwich Street.
3. That the known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1 per cent, or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities are: (If there are none, so state.) None.
\Tl^^}e two ParaeraPhs next above, giving the names of the owners, stockholders, security holders, if any, contain not only the list of
stockholders and security holders as they appear upon the books of the
company but also, in cases where the stockholder or security holder appears
upon the books of the company as trustee or in any other fiduciary relation,
the name of the person or corporation for whom such trustee is acting is
given; also that the said two paragraphs contain statements embracing afiiant s full knowledge and belief as to the circumstances and conditions under which stockholders and security holders whTdo not appear upon the
books of the company as trustees, hold stock and securities in a capacity
other than that of a bona fide owner; and this affiant has no reason to believe that any other person, association, or corporation has any interest
direct or indirect in the said stock, bonds, or other securities than as so
stated by him.
5. That the average number of copies of each issue of this publication
sold or distributed, through the mails or otherwise, to paid subscribers during the six months preceding the date shown above is.
(This information is required from daily publications only.)
S. A. MOKARZEL.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 7th day of April, 1932
[Seal.]
Said Boulos
(My commission expires March 30, 1933.)
s
�61
AUTHENTIC
ORIENTAL RUGS
THE A. SLEYMAN COMPANY. INC.
JERE J. CRONIN
FUNERAL DIRECTOR
MORTUARY CHAPEL
Local or Out of Town Funerals Personally Attended to
LADY ATTENDANT
Expense a Matter of Your Own Desire
115 ATLANTIC AVENUE
BROOKLYN, N. Y.
The large amount of business we do permits us to buy caskets
in large quantity which enables us to give the best funerals very
reasonable. We carry a complete line of the very best manufactured
caskets at $45.00 up. We pay no agents to secure funerals for us but
only give the family who has sorrow the very best of service, reverence
and economy. Our aim is to help those who are in trouble at a very
little cost. No charge for use of our services or funeral parlors.
Telephone—MAIN 1398-1399-8130-3655
BEST SYRIAN FOOD
You will experience a real touch of the East, exemplified by unexcelled Syrian cuisine, at the ARABIAN
SHEIK RESTAURANT, under the expert management of Elias Esper. Take special note of the name
and address. Bring your friends for a real and extraordinary treat.
ARABIAN SHEIK
73 WASHINGTON ST.
TEL. BOWLING GREEN
NEW YORK
9—9837
r
�r
THE ARABIC LINOTYPE
IN THE FAR EAST
Wherever the Arabic language is spoken or Arabic characters used, the Arabic Linotype has found its way into progressive
printing establishments. The Arabic Linotype now is past the experimental stage. In Arabic publishing plants in America it has been in use
for over twenty years, and in other parts of the Arabic-speaking world
its use extends over periods of five to ten years. And the fact that
repeat orders are being received from actual users indicates their complete satisfaction. This should be conclusive proof that just as the
Linotype has long been the accepted standard for type composition in
America and Europe, so is it rapidly becoming the standard in the
Arabic-speaking countries throughout the world.
The use of the Arabic Linotype has spread from America and the
Near East to the Far East, as can be seen by the following list:
FEDERATED MALAY STATES
Government Press, Kedah
3 Linotypes
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS:
Government Press, Singapore
Government Press, Johore
Printers Ltd., Singapore
1 Linotype
1 Linotype
1 Linotype
(' *LINOTYPE"»"0
| MERGENTHALER LINOTYPE COMPANY
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.
Coble: LINOTYPE, NEW YORK
Representatives in the Principal Cities of the World
*
An illustrated descriptive catalog
of the Arabic Linotype sent free
upon request.
SET IN METRO NO. 2 FAMILY
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»
THE SYRIAN WORLD
»
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ATTENTION!
FORWARD!
SAFE!
MARCH ON TO PROGRESS!
START A BANK ACCOUNT
IMMEDIATELY
LET
YOUR
MONEY
Accumulate for Future
NEEDS AND HAPPINESS
INTEREST
3/2 %
"Per zAnnum
ON TIME DEPOSITS
FROM
$10.00
UP
Checking accounts may be opened with $200.00 or more.
FAOUR BANK
D. J. FAOUR & BROS.
Established 1891
Under Supervision of New York State Banking
Department.
Capital and Surplus Over $500,000.00
85
WASHINGTON ST.,
NEW YORK CITY
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
Identifier
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NS 0002
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
TSW1932_05reducedWM
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Volume 06, Issue 08
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1932 May
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 6 Issue 08 of the Syrian World published May 1932. The issue opens with an account of editor Salloum Mokarzel's travel experiences when visiting the Cedars of Lebanon. This article is accompanied by a poem by Thomas Asa titled "Cedar of Lebanon," dedicated to Salloum A. Mokarzel. Barbara Young is again featured for her editorial work on another collection of poems. Salloum Mokarzel then includes an open letter to the "Subscribers and Friends of the Syrian World," in which he places the fate of the Syrian World in the hands of its readers. H. I. Katibha then continues the tribute writings to Naoum A. Mokarzel with an article titled "Last Tributes to a Great Leader." Following that is Edna K. Saloomey's continuation of her discussion on the younger generation. A classic Arabian tale titled "Jabla Ibn Al-Ayam" closes out the issue before the usual conclusion featuring updated political developments in Syria and excerpts from Syrian world news.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
A language of the resource
English
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
Format
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Text/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Barbara Young
Edna K. Saloomey
Habib I. Katibah
Lebanon
New York
Poetry-English
Thomas Asa
Travel
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/1b7702ae3e80474831a252d9aafe124e.pdf
a74db1f623d21bdcac4fea6a970cb157
PDF Text
Text
VOL. VI
THE OLD AND THE NEW ROMANCE
H. I. KATIBAH
THE LOSER WINS (A SHORT STORY)
EDNA K. SALOOMEY
ARE SYRIANS UNPATRIOTIC?
AN EDITORIAL
CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT
ESTABLISHED IN SYRIA
A TRUE ARABIAN TALE
THE COPY 50c
��i—K
TTTE
SYRIAN WORLD
Published monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New Y ork
N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
/
VOL. VI, NO. 9
JUNE, 1932
CONTENTS
Page
The Phoenicians, the Great Pioneers of Civilization
W. A.
REV.
MANSUR
The Old and the New Romance
H. I.
3
14
KATIBAH
Desert Troth (a Poem)
19
THOMAS ASA
Our Younger Generation
EDNA
K.
20
SALOOMEY,
Editor
The Last Are Made First
20
The Loser Wins (a Short Story)
21
Al-Jirn
28
J
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MNMBMMM
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I
CONTENTS (Continued)
Page
True Arabian Tales
31
The Man with a New Code of Honor
The Unrequited Love of Saladin
Impetus (a Poem)
35
40
DAGNY EDWARDS
Editorial Comments
Another Year
41
Are Syrians Unpatriotic
42
An Object Lesson
46
Political Developments in Syria
I
Constitutional Government Established in Syria
47
Who Is the President?
50
Conditions in Lebanon Unsettled
51
Syrian World News Section
53
�I
Syrian
^^^^ «/
MOKARZEL, Editor.
SALLOUM A. Mi
JUNE, 1932
VOL. VI, NO. 9
The Phoenicians
The Great Pioneers of Civilization
Editor's Note—It is no idle boast to claim that the Phoenicians, our ancestors, colonized and civilized Europe. We have the authority of European
historians to prove the claim. What now are Great Britain and Ireland
were in olden times only Phoenician colonies. Read the copious excerpts
from competent authorities, the irrefutable arguments of scholars, contained in the article of Rev. W. A. Mansur. This is a unique study in ancient history and should prove invaluable to the descendants of the famous
Phoenicians, the Syrians and Lebanese of today. The article embodies proof
of most thorough and extensive research and is as much a mark of the
writer's erudition as it is beneficial to young Americans of Syrian and Lebanese descent.
By
REV.
W. A.
MANSUR
"THE RACE was formed to excell," says George Rawlinson,
"not in the field of speculation, or of thought, or of literary
composition, or even of artistic perfection, but in the sphere of action and of practical ingenuity. As ship-builders, as navigators, as
merchants, as miners, as metallurgists, as dyers, as engravers of hard
stones, as engineers, they surpassed all who preceded them, and were
scarcely surpassed in later times by many.
"They were the great pioneers of civilization, and by their
boldness, their intrepidity, and their manual dexterity, prepared the
way for the triumphs of later but more advanced nations. They
�'W".
fi
4
THE SYRIAN WORLD
adventured themselves, in many cases, where none had ever gone
before them, entrusted themselves to fragile boats, dared the many
perils of unknown seas, penetrated deep into untrodden continents,
mixed with savages, affronted the dangers of extreme heat and extreme cold, risked their lives continually night after night and day
after day, not so much stimulated by the expectation of large profits, as by the pure love of adventure; they explored all the shores
of the Mediterranean, the Propontis, and the Euxine, passed the
Pillars of Hercules, and launched their fleets bravely into the Atlantic, circumnavigated Africa in one direction, and reached the
shores of Britain, perhaps of Norway, in another, at the same time
they were, in their own homes, skilled artisans and manufacturers
weavers of delicate fabrics, inventors of dyes of unrivalled beauty'
excellent metallurgists, good gem-engravers, no contemptible sculptors; while, abroad, they were the boldest navigators and the most
successful traders that the Old World ever saw, worthy rivals of the
Cabots and Columbuses and Di Gamas and Drakes and Raleiehs of
later times." (The Story of Phoenicia.)
*
I write that we Syrian Lebanese may have a proper appreciation of the influence of our Phoenician ancestors upon the world
through them. Phoenicia and Phoenicians are the pioneer civilizers
of European races, peoples, and cultures. They were the people
who brought the peoples of mankind to know each other, who created trade between them, and who interchanged their cultures.
We Syrian Lebanese, descendants of the ancient Phoenicians,
are appreciating our ancestors, their place in history, their achievements in world history, and their influence upon the civilization of
mankind. That we may be spurred to achieve a fame similar to
theirs through achievement, that our posterity may emulate their
endeavors, and that the world may be reminded of the debt to the
Phoenicians and Phoenicia, I write of THE PHOENICIANS—
THE GREAT PIONEERS OF CIVILIZATION.
I. GREECE.
It was the Phoenicians who brought civilizing influences into
Greece, the Aegean Islands, and Asia Minor. It was through Phoenician trade that the rudiments of civilization were introduced
into Greece. From the Phoenicians the Greeks learned the art of
living in cities, to enjoy the refinements of civilization, and develop
taste and skill in the manufacture of many kinds of wares.
�JUNE, 1932
5
"But they," says George Willis Botsford, in referring to the
Greeks, "must have been astonished when they saw for the first time
strange black vessels, much larger than their own, entering their
bays. They were Phoenician ships from Sidon, an ancient commercial city, and in them came 'greedy merchant men, with countless gauds' for trading with the natives.
"Though in most respects the Greeks were then as barbarous as
the North American Indians, they were eager to learn and to imitate the ways of the foreigners.
"The chieftains along the east coast welcomed Asiatic arts and
artisans. From these strangers they gradually learned to make and
use bronze tools and weapons, and to build in stone. Skilled workmen
from the East built walled palaces for the native chiefs; artisans decorated these dwellings, painted, carved, and frescoed, made vases
and polished gems. Those chieftains who were wise enough to receive their civilization gained power as well as wealth by means of
it. With their bronze weapons they conquered their uncivilized
neighbors, and in course of time, formed small kingdoms, each centering in a strongly fortified castle." (A History of the Orient and
Greece.)
Greece owes its alphabet to the Phoenicians. "From the alphabet," say Robinson, Smith and Breasted, "which the Phoenicians
brought to the Greeks all the alphabets of the civilized world have
been derived, including our own." (See, Our World Today and
Yesterday)
The Phoenicians introduced civilization into Greece, gave it
the alphabet, also the "Father of Philosophy", Thales, the Phoenician, and the founder of Stoicism, Zeno, another illustrious Phoenician. It was upon Phoenician trade, material things, intellectual
culture, and philosophical initiative that Greece arose from barbarism to civilization.
II. CARTHAGE—NORTH AFRICA.
The Phoenicians sailed everywhere in the Mediterranean promoting trade, making settlements, and establishing cities, while sailors of other peoples hardly ventured beyond their sea and islands.
The Phoenicians were the bravest sailors of their times. They ventured beyond the Pillars of Hercules into the Ocean. They discovered Mediterranean islands, settled colonies, pushed into the interior of Africa. The greatest settlement was Carthage in North
Africa.
KSflSffii. -
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
H. G. Wells says, "Along the eastern end of the Mediterranean, the Phoenicians, a Semitic people, set up a string of independent harbour towns of which Acre, Tyre, and Sidon were the
chief; and later they pushed their voyages westward and founded
Carthage and Utica in North Africa.
Possibly Phoenician keels
were already in the Mediterranean by 2,000 B. C." (The Outline
of History)
"At her zenith," says Wells, "Carthage, probably had the
hitherto unheard-of population of a million. This population was
largely industrial, and her woven goods were universally famous.
As well as a coasting trade, she had a considerable land trade with
Central Africa, and she sold negro slaves, ivory, metals, precious
stones and the like, to all the Mediterranean people; she worked
Spanish copper mines, and her ships went out into the Atlantic and
coasted along Portugal and France northward as far as the Cassiterdes (the Scilly Isles, or Cornwall, in England) to get tin."
With Carthage as a base the Phoenicians thrust out in every
direction, along North Africa, into Sicily toward Italy; to Spain; to
Portugal; to Ireland and Britain; possibly Norway; to Central Africa; to the West coast of Africa. The Carthaginian Phoenicians
carried civilizing influences to the Mediterranean world, Europe as
it was known in that day, the world of ancient times. The struggle
between the Carthaginian Phoenicians and the Romans was a struggle between Phoenician civilization and Roman civilization.
The
Carthaginian Phoenicians gave the world three of the greatest men
of all times: Hanno, the "Father of Discovery"; Hannibal, the
greatest military general; and Augustine, the Greatest Church Father, and these have helped shape the history of Europe and the world.
III. IRELAND.
Ireland was discovered by the Phoenicians, who were the first
to people it. Scholars know of the legend regarding the hardy navigators, the Phoenicians, who originally peopled the island. It is
a matter of pride in our race that our Phoenician ancestors should
be the original and first settlers of Ireland.
"As a child is the father of a man," says Justin McCarthy in
Ireland and Her Story, "So the legend is the parent of the history.
If we would understand the story of a nation we must begin by a
study of its legendary lore.
We cannot thoroughly comprehend
the character of a people unless we have made ourselves well ac-
�JUNE, 1932
-7
quainted with the legendary forms that people has accepted as the.
pictures of its progenitors.
"One of the most characteristic legends in the earliest history
of Ireland is that which tells us the island was originally peopled
by some race who came from an eastern climate to the small island
lying to the west of Great Britain.— Some set of enterprising men
who found themselves oppressed in an Eastern land may well have
crossed the sea to discover a new home, and at last have come upon
the Irish shore.
"The natives of Phoenicia, on the coast of Syria, were amongst
the earliest and most famous navigators and traders known to the
antique world, and were always wandering in search of new homes
and founding new colonies. Between the nineteenth and thirteenth
century before Christ they established many colonies along the
shores of the Mediterranean, and are believed to have spread their
settlements as far as the British islands. One of the favorite theories of early Irish history is that they alighted upon Ireland and
were the first strangers who made a home there.
"Certainly there is much in the character and in the ways of
the Irish, even in our own times, which favours the belief that they
owe the birth of their civilization to the settlers coming from a faroff Eastern or Southern home."
The Phoenicians were the pioneers of civilization in Ireland.
In the character, ways, and influence of Ireland is perpetuated the
influence of Phoenicia and Phoenicians upon mankind.
IV. GREAT BRITAIN.
The Phoenicians were the first to discover Britain, make it
known to mankind, and to start it on its way toward civilization.
History shows many things in common between England and the
English and Phoenicia and the Phoenicians.
"It is with this people," says George Rawlinson about the Phoenicians, "and their characteristics, that we have in the present section to deal, and the people who of all antiquity had most in common with England and the English—the people who first discovered
the British Islands and made them known to mankind at large, the
people who circumnavigated Africa, and caused the gold of Ophir
to flow into the coffers of Solomon." (The Story of Phoenicia)
"The Phoenicians had one more colony towards the west, which
has a peculiar interest for all English-speaking peoples," says Rawlinson. "Phoenician ships from Gadeira braved the perils of the
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
open ocean, and coasting along the western shores of Spain and
Gaul, without (apparently) making settlements, crossed the mouth
of the English channel and from Ushant to the Scilly Isles, and
conveyed thither a body of colonists who established an emporium.
The attraction which drew them was the mineral wealth of the
islands and of the neighboring Cornish coast, which may have become known to them through the Gauls of the opposite continent. It
is reasonable to suppose that the Phoenicians both worked the mines
and smelted the ores. They certainly drew from this quarter those
copious supplies of tin and lead, which they imported into Greece
and Asia, and from which they derived so large a profit."
The famous Phoenicians gave Great Britain three things: first,
they were the first to discover the islands; second, they made them
known to mankind at large; third, they gave it the alphabet. Phoenicians brought Britain out of the unknown to fame among mankind for its tin and lead, and thus paved the way for its civilization and rise in the world. The Phoenicians began a new era, a new
life, and a new place for Britain in the world.
V. SICILY.
The Phoenicians were the first colonizers of Sicily. Sicily lay
in the middle of the. Mediterranean, at the center of Europe, and
became the battle-field of great nations. Phoenicians pioneered into Sicily, to which others followed, particularly the Greeks. From
Sicily they branched out to colonize in the western part of the Mediterraean, to develop trade, and to stamp out piracy.
"The historical importance of Sicily comes, not from its being
the seat of any one nation, but from its being the meeting-place and
battle-field of many nations," says Edward A. Freeman. (The
Story of Sicily)
"Their Sicilian warfare determined their history elsewhere.
"It is the central land of the Mediterranean Sea; it was the
central land of Europe, as long as Europe meant only the lands on
the Mediterranean Sea. As such it became the battle-field of nations
and creeds, the prize for Europe and Africa to struggle for.
"Now Sicily was in the early days of Europe one of the greatest
colonial lands.
It was a chief seat for the planting of colonies,
first from Phoenicia and then from Greece. It is the presence of
these Phoenician and Greek colonies which made the history of Sicily what it was."
It was in Sicily that the Carthaginian Phoenicians were en-
. ... ...... ....
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�JUNE, 1932
9
gaged in the struggle with Rome. Here in Sicily was settled the
destiny between Europe and Africa, Rome and Carthage. Here were
settled the future fortunes between East and West. Those historic
struggles, thos.e destinies of mankind, those philosophies of the future of the world involved the Phoenicians, their race, culture, and
philosophy. Here in Sicily at the center of the world Phoenicians
began civilization, fought for civilization, and diffused civilization to
mankind.
VI. EGYPT.
Phoenician influence over Egypt in a pioneering way may be
seen in these: the appointment of Phoenicians to circumnavigate Africa, the Phoenician settlement at Memphis, and the Phoenician exportation of Egyptian wares to other nations. The Phoenicians were
in good standing with the Egyptians who allowed them to worship
their own gods, carry on their trade, and establish their own settlements. This mutual understanding between Phoenicians and Egyptians brought the Egyptians through Phoenician trade and navigation into touch with other nations and lands, thus receiving greater
knowledge, culture, and civilization.
"Phoenician sailors manned the ships that Neco sent to circumnavigate Africa," says Willis Mason West "Indeed the fame of
these as sailors so eclipsed that of earlier peoples that it had been
customary to speak of them as 'the first men who went down to the
sea in ships.' "
"The early Phoenician trade was," says Rawlinson, "as Herodotus tells us (i.l), very mainly in the 'wares of Egypt'—these they
exported largely to Greece, Asia Minor, Italy. They consisted of
ivory, ebony, skins, ostrich feathers, gums, gems, corn, papyrus;
textile fabrics, toilet articles, pottery, glass, salt fish. The Phoenicians in Memphis are said to have been derived originally from
Tyre. They had permission to worship their own gods openly, and
had a temple dedicated to Astarte, which Herodotus believed to
have been built about the time of the Trojan War, or circa B C
1250."
It was Phoenicia and Phoenicians who supplied the Egyptians
with timber to build their ships. It is said Phoenician genius may
have improved the Egyptian alphabet out of which they created
their own. The interchange of culture and trade between Egyptians and other peoples through Phoenician pioneering is an eminent
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Phoenician contribution to the greater civilization of Egypt and the
Mediterranean world.
VII. HEBREWS.
The Phoenician influence upon the Hebrews is outstanding in
the history of the Hebrew race and religion. The Phoenician kings
of Tyre and Sidon were nearly always allies of the Hebrews. While
the Hebrews were averse to the sea, the Phoenicians were a seafaring people. Their relations as shown in the Bible is a mutual
friendship: commercially, racially, and politically. The Phoenicians built King Solomon's Temple, carried on joint commerce with
the Hebrews, and had interchange of products with Israei.
"And Solomon sent to Hiram the king of Tyre, saying, as
thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars
to build him an house to dwell therein, even so deal with me. Behold, I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate
it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening,
on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of
the Lord our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.
"Send me now therefore a man cunning to work in gold, and in
silver, and m brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and
blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with
me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.
Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon:
for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and,
behold, my servants shall be with thy servants, even to prepare me
timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall
be wonderful great." (II Chro. 2:3-—4, 7—9)
The Temple of Solomon was essentially a Phoenician building,
being designed largely by Phoenicians, and the construction of Phoenician skill. It reveals Phoenician art, architecture, and civilization. The Temple furniture exemplifies Phoenician skill in metal,
cloth, dye, and ornamentation. It was Phoenician sea-faring traders who carried to successful accomplishment the joint commerce
compact with king Solomon. Their fleets brought the eastern and
western ends of the world together. (I Kings 9:27. 10:22. 9:28)
Standing central in the worship, thought, and practical life of
the Hebrew people was King Solomon's Temple ever reminding
them of Phoenician friendsihp, genius, art, and civilization.
.-Mwmmw,
�JUNE, 1932
11
VIII. ARAMEANS.
The civilizing pioneering influence of the Phoenicians shows itself in the adoption of the alphabet by the Arameans. It helped
mould the thought life of a people, it reveals the relating of one
culture to another, it denoted the acceptance of better tools and
methods than already had been used. From the desert the Arameans slowly pushed their way, their power and their commerce with
Damascus later becoming their capital.
"Meanwhile a new wave of Semitic nomads had rolled in from
the desert-bay and by 1400 B. C. occupied its western shoresj that
is, Palestine and Syria. These were the Hebrews in Palestine, and
somewhat later the Arameans, who founded a powerful kingdom at
Damascus. The expansions of Assyria was stopped in the west by
the Aramean kings of Damascus, who were wealthy commercial
rulers. Indeed, these Arameans persistently pushed their caravans
and settlements all along the shores of the desert-bay, and after the
decline of Babylonia they held the commerce of western Asia," say
Robinson and Breasted (in Outlines of European History)
"They received alphabetic writing from the Phoenicians, the
earliest system of writing known which employed only alphabet
signs. The Aramaic language of this merchant people of Damascus
finally displaced that of the Hebrews, and Aramaic became the
tongue spoken by Jesus and the other Hebrews of his time in Palestine. It is called Aramaic because it was spoken by the Arameans,
and it is a Semitic dialect differing but little from its sister tongue,
Hebrew."
The Phoenician alphabet was adopted by the Arameans by
their contact with Phoenician trade which is one of the greatest means
for the diffusion of thought, culture, and civilization. Through mutual trade, prosperity, and peaceful intercourse Phoenicians permeated the Arameans with their own civilization as well as those of
other nations. The Arameans, who are part ancestors to the modern
Syrian Lebanese, bequeathed illustrious legacies to their descendants
in the form of Phoenician genius for trade, diffusion of civilization,
and mutual welfare.
IX. ASSYRIA, BABYLONIA, PERSIA.
The Phoenicians played an important part in the rise and decline of the struggle between the East and West. The Assyrians
were the first to subjugate Phoenicia, exact tribute, and be made to
suffer heavily. On recovering independence Phoenicia's freedom
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was accompanied with a great increase of prosperity,—from circa
630 to 585 B. C. of which Ezekiel's is a good description. Babylonia won Phoenicia on the decline of Assyria's power, the revolt of
Tyre was overcome, and the fidelity of Phoenicia was maintained in
the struggle between Babylonia and Egypt. Finally, the Persians,
in overcoming Babylonia, brought Phoenicia under Persian rule.
Phoenician ships played a decisive part by helping crush the
Ionia Revolt, the Greeks of Asia Minor, in the battle of Lade; and
in the battle of Salamis, their ships taking a leading part, eventuated in the defeat of the Persians, the decision being in favor of the
West over the East.
George Rawlinson says of the Persian navy before the battle
of Lade, "The contribution of Phoenicia to the combined Persian
fleet was probably somewhat less, though not much less, than onehalf j we are told that 'of all the naval states they showed the greatest zeal;' and, not unnaturally, the doings of the fleet are in a general way ascribed to them, though it was really a joint armament contributed by four of the subject nations." (The Story of Phoenicia)
The battle of Lade, which determined the fate of Miletus, and
later led to the battle of Salamis, was a decisive battle in the history
of mankind. "The fall of Miletus was indeed an evil omen to
Europte;" says George Willis Botsford, "for in the fifteen years
which followed this misfortune, Greek civilization came into great
danger from Persia on the east and from Carthage, an African colony of the Phoenicians, on the west. In these years, the forty-six
nations which composed the Persian empire poured their motley
soldiery into continental Greece, while Carthage with a stupendous
army tried to overwhelm Sicily." (A History of the Orient and
Greece)
Here in the decisive battle of the world Phoenicians were the
leaders in the naval battle, they were the heart and chief power of
the fleet. In this battle Phoenicia fought for her own civilization
as well as for the Persian empire. In the battle of Salamis, between
Persia and Greece, Phoenicia and Phoenicians played a star role in
the decisive battle, which event had far reaching influences on the
history of the world, the civilization of the nations, and the future
of the whole earth.
X. MACEDONIA—ROME
The
Phoenicians, situated in a strip of coast land on the eastern
Mediterranean, made heroic effort to maintain its place against the
�JUNE, 1932
13
encroaching empires of both East and West. They submitted generally to the invasion of the Macedonians under Alexander the Great.
Marathus, Byblos, and Sidon submitted, and Tyre, after heroic resistance and seige of seven months, was destroyed. After the death
of Alexander the Great Phoenicia was contended for by the Seleucidae and the Ptolemies, and was ruled respectively by them, Syria
and Egypt. Phoenicia was finally taken by the Romans who made
it a province.
"Her decline, when it came, was caused, not by internal weakness or corruption, but by the necessity of yielding to external force.
Assyria, Babylon, Persia, had each in turn compelled her to submit,
but had respected her character and position so far as to allow her a
sort of qualified independence. But with the conquest of Alexander,
this was changed. What the great conqueror would himself have
done we cannot say; but it was the policy of his 'Successors' to destroy every nationality that was not strong enough to resist them,"
says Rawlinson. "Phoenicia almost ceased to be Phoenicia, partly
won over, partly compelled to Hellenism, under the rule of the
Syro-Macedonians. She was trampled to death by the Romans. Under the iron heel of that relentless power, 'the Scourge of God' far
more truly than any Goth, or Hun, or Vandal, the unhappy country ceased to be in any sense a political entity, and passed into a 'geographical expression.' "
Phoenicia gave the world during the Macedonian and Roman '
period a remarkable literary activity. Strabo states that there was a
philosophical school at Sidon which was familiar with the works of
Aristotle. Tyre had two prominent Stoic philosophers, Antipater
and Apollonius. Byblos rivalled Tyre and Sidon as a literary center
producing Philos, Byblos and Hermippus. Berytus became a center
of a law school that supplied the Eastern part of the Roman Empire with pleaders and magistrates. Marinus of Tyre was the first
scientific geographer; St. Origen, to be out of the way of persecution,
became a resident of Tyre; and Porphry, native of Tyre, rose to become the celebrated opponent of Christianity.
In Phoenicia's later days we find her genius expressing itself
in literature, law, and Christianity throughout the Roman world,
the whole world of ancient times.
Phoenicia passes into history as the smallest nation of antiquity,
and probably of all times, with the largest contributions to the civilization of mankind.
�53,
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14
The Old and the New Romance
By H. I.
KATIBAH
"THERE is an undercurrent of romance that is always missed by
the large majority of people living in its midst. The story is familiar of the old peasant who lived near the enchanting, golden city
of Carcassonne, and always intended to visit it but died without seeing it. In every age there are men and women who grow up within
sight of a neighboring Carcassonne and never find the time to see it.
Often people have no time to do so. The appreciation of the beautiful, of the romantic, requires, as one of its fundamental elements,
that reflection which is engendered by leisure. The man with the
hoe, bent by hard labor and worry, has little time for romance,or the
appreciation of the romantic. But that is not the only fundamental
element. Some who have leisure aplenty and to spare, are yet incapable of appreciating the romantic. Besides leisure, the romantic
attitude is subjective and depends on the subjective response in the
observer. Two may be looking at the same sunset, one calls it glorious, the other "sees nothing in it."
The objective view before
them is not different to each ' of the observers, but the observers
themselves are different, and see the sunset differently. One comes
to it with a rich subjective background which interprets the sunset
in terms of emotions, memories, aspirations which it suggests; the
other receives the same objective impression on a barren background
which suggests nothing but the end of another day of routine drudgery, the call to the shelter of a home and a night's sleep. In the last
analysis beauty is symbolic. It is the reflection of our selves in nature
and in others. The power of romance is the everlasting discovery
of the beautiful; and the capacity for it differs immensely in people.
It is often said of those who are in constant association with the beautiful, with the sublime, with the romantic, and who become insensible to it that "familiarity breeds contempt." But one feels, somewhat, that the explanation is lame. It should be added that "familiarity breeds contempt to the contemptible." A great philosopher once said that the reason "no man is a hero to his valet," as the
proverb puts it, is not because the hero is not a hero, but because the
valet is a valet.
i
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�JUNE, 1932
15
And yet, we are forced to admit, there are types and degrees of
romance, some more superficial, some more profound; some more
sublime, some more common. Just as in the realm of the beautiful
there are types and degrees of the beautiful.
A historian friend of mine once drew my attention to the fact
that books written about the East in the early and middle nineties
were full of gushing rhapsodies about the beautiful scenes of the various countries those writers visited and wrote about. There was no
end of fantastic admiration of the serenity and glory of the Holy
Land, of the majesty of Mt. Lebanon, of the grandeur of Mt. Hermon, of the awe that the Pyramids inspired in those who stood before them. Those early romancers of our country stood entranced
before a Taj-Mahal, lost in deep revery before an ancient mosque
or castle. They rode their diminutive donkeys from place to place
with guidebooks in hand, to hunt those objects of their fascination,'
hardly noticing the crowds of picturesque humanity that surrounded
them on all sides, and that looked up to them with a mixed feeling
o± admiration, envy and curiosity.
Doubtless those entranced tourists and visitors to the Ancient
Lands came with a background completely dissociated with the present. Their mental background was that of the Bible and ancient
historyj and all they saw was in terms of what they had read in the
Old Testament, the New Testament, Herodotus, Marco Polo and
other old historians and chroniclers who walked the earth before us
and looked at its wonders through their own eyes. The romanticism
of those who followed in their steps was vicarious romanticism.
V\ henever they saw a shepherd returning home with his sheep bv
dusk they conjured the Twenty-Third Psalm, or the Parable of the
Good Shepherd who left the ninety-nine to look for the lost sheep
m the hills. Sometimes the association of romance is so thin and
vague that it reminds one of the New England lady who was always
thrilled when she heard "that blessed word Mesopotamia."
One hates to disillusion those good souls, and little harm there
is in their rapturous flights of fantasy and romance. But one must
admit at the same time that it is an inferior type of romance.
It is a relief, however, and a certain gain to all concerned, when
the interest of visitors to our historic shores shifted from the Land
to the People, the living people of our own age and generation. For
those people were not altogether absent from the graphic pictures of
the old romancers, but they were inserted there merelv as illustrating
types of dead ancestors who played their roles in the dramas of an-
�if
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
cient history, sacred and profane, and passed away. No more interest was aroused in the fellaheen of Egypt except the study of
their Hamatic features which resembled those of figures and engravings on the ancient tombs of Luxor an/1 Giza. Times might have
changed incredibly, but to the tourist and writer of the middle nineties, the shepherds of Palestine only served to make alive an ancient
text in the Bible, or explain some pecularity of custom, some realistic description of their humble calling, some feature that had
stumped the Bible reader unacquainted with the surroundings and
conditions of the Holy Land.
Lately, however, romantic writers on the East have begun to
take the living people into the ken of their enlivened interest; to
delineate them against the background of their own environments
and surroundings. What is more important, the People, rather than
the Land, began to occupy the foreground of their canvasses and
written descriptions. Scholars there are still, and will be for generations to come, who will be interested in the East merely because of
its past; who will devote pages upon pages to the study of a TutAnkh-Ammon, a Saladin, a St. Paul or a Mohammed. And living
people will serve for as many generations as museum specimens to
illustrate the subjects of historic research. But alongside of these
are writers who have come to take more and more intense interest in
the people of the East for their own sake; who have centered their
attention on living heroes, instead of dead ones. Gandhi, Tagore,
Mustafa Kemal Pasha, Riza Khan Pehlawi, Sultan Pasha Al-Atrash,
Dr. Taha Hussein, and many other figures less picturesque, are beginning to be studied more thoroughly and appreciatively than similar heroes who lived in the early and middle nineties. Only in a
desultory manner, and out of cupidity and curiosity, more than out
of a desire to understand and bring out the romantic side of the living generation, did the old scribblers and tourists write of men like
Mohammed Ali, his equally great son Ibrahim Pasha, of Midhat
Pasha, the forerunner of political reform and democracy in the
Ottoman Empire, of Butrus Al-Bistani, the pathblazer of modern
renaissance in the Arabic world, of Emir Bashir Al-Shihabi, the
model dictator and social reformer of his day. These were merely
incidents in a gripping drama of political struggles, machinations and
diplomatic machiavellianism. Interest in them was superficial and
secondary, either to the interest in ancient history or contemporary
events detached from their antecedent forces and tendencies.
True, our present romancers are still short of the mark. They
�JUNE, 1932
17
are often engrossed in trivial descriptions of insignificant details and
outer manifestations. Their knowledge, furthermore, of the people
they write about leaves much to be desired. Pages are devoted to
the manner in which Gandhi dresses, eats his milk and dates, how he
carries his spinning wheel with him wherever he goes and has the
goats which supply him with fresh milk follow him in his travels.
With that some serious writers make an earnest effort to understand
the weazened little saint whose pacific gospel threatens to undermine
the vast militaristic empire which has dominated India for almost
two centuries. But the prevailing tendency is still in the direction of
superficial description and gossipy, reportorial discourse.
One advantage in the present approach, even at its worst, is that
it accords opportunity for discussion of living persons and themes.
Mistakes are corrected when they challenge the attention of more
informed persons, and insufficiency of account or explanation is supplied by those who possess them. Here a little and there a little, as
the ancient Hebrew prophet wrote a long time ago, and knowledge
will grow and multiply.
Two attitudes may be marked here of the present tendency of
writers on the East. There are those of them who have lamented
the passing of the romantic in the Ancient Lands. They look with
dismay and misgiving at a Turkey which has given up the picturesque tarboush and adopted the more prosaic, albeit more practical,
hat; they lament the passing of the seductive harem and the advent
of the modern flapper who chews American gum, goes to the movies,
dances to jazz music and takes a job as a stenographer in some business establishment or office. The demolishing of some colorful bazaar or native street to make room for a tramway, or to give place
for a row of modern apartment houses and business offices, almost
wrings tears from their eyes. They fear, and without some justification, that the old romance of the East is passing away, passing
away without hope of return, and that in no distant future the whole
world will be so standardized and regimented that it will be all alike.
There will be no fun, they argue, to travel across lands and seas to
spend the precious months of a long-awaited vacation in China, India, Palestine or Egypt. Only few monuments of the past will survive, but in what incongruous surroundings! Already modern hotels,
with running hot water and individual bathrooms, swimming pools
and tennis courts, flank the base of the Pyramids. There are at least
five thousand radios in Cairo today, and most of the programs broadcast on them come from London, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Rome and
�——— I II
18
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
Bucharest. Could anything be more disheartening to hunters of romance in the Land of the Pharaohs?
We suspect that those modern lamenters of the passing glamour
of the East are still under the spell of the old romance which came
to them from the hallowed pages of the Bible or some equally ancient source. They little realize how tremendous has the change
been in those Ancient Lands, and that the forces and tendencies
working for this change have been identical with forces and tendencies which brought equal changes in the West. They also little realize that at one time the West had the same glamour to tourists of the
East, and that its loss must have been equally disheartening and disillusioning to those as it is to the modern romancers. But nobody,
except reactionary fanatics, would think of trading the modern Western world for that of the Middle Ages, for all the romance and
glamour that the latter still holds for our imagination. The days of
a Cesare Borgia or a Robin Hood are certainly romantic, but who
would contemplate their return even for a moment?
The old romance has its place, undoubtedly, but its place should
be in the memory of the past. But what is more important, what
is infinitely more significant, we believe, is that the new romance of
the East is a far superior type than the old romance. It is possessed
of infinitely more interesting potentialities, varieties and developments. More than that, it is a dynamic, living romance that derives
its vitality from the life of the present; that holds out its hand for
the future; that stands erect and fearless against the distant horizon
and peers with prophetic vision into the unseen future.
There is something of the adventurous and creative in the new
romance of the East; there is the throbbing of new life in every
fibre of its ancient veins, the buoyancy and joy of aspirations reached
for, yet not fully apprehended, of dreams coming true. Such a romance was once the lot of the forefathers of this country, when they
landed, weary and depressed, on Plymouth Rock. They could not
have foreseen, even in their fondest dreams and wildest imagination,
the grandeur that the new Land of Promise was to fall heir to in
less than three hundred years. But theirs was the unique joy and
thrilling adventure to lay the foundation of that grandeur. Such
is the feeling today of our own people who are enthusiastically, yet
cautiously, threading their way to new achievements, new social and
economic conquests, amid the Ancient. World, and into the new, a
world of untramelled liberty, of a sound democracy and unlimited
opportunities for the individual.
2
^\
j.\
t
j
T—
�JUNE, 1932
19
In contrast with it, the Ancient World is dark, dismal and cruel.
No sensitive soul can truly enjoy the contemplation of its romance,
when it reflects on the tremendous cost it has exacted from unnumbered millions, the tears and blood of its wretched and defenseless
victims. Let those who are in perpetual search of the old romance
think again as they look on the Pyramids, not of its majesty and sublimity, but of the millions of slaves cringing under the lash of taskmasters} of widowed mothers and orphaned children who were
crushed to slow death of poverty, hunger and disease, before a
Cheop could lie in peace in such a magnificent mausoleum!
Desert Troth
How quiet is the Desert air!
The moon exalts the silent night.
Wand'ring alone I found you there,
Amid the glow of starry light.
Approaching thee, I .dared not speak,—
The sweet enchantment to dispel.
A sound by night thine eyes do seek,
The distant note of camel bell.
I clasped thy fingers in mine own,
The Damask rose that crowned thy head,
By thy pure maiden beauty sown,
Its perfume by thine own breath fed.
Thy lidded eyes you turned to me,
At my lips' touch they opened wide;
With all the guile of Araby
Their meaning you could never hide.
The jackal sounds its dismal cry,
And slinks 'mid shadows to its lair,—
Once, you, beheld and heard thee sigh,
I now find naught but Desert air.
THOMAS ASA
I
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
20
EDNA
K. SALOOMEY, Editor
The Last Are Made First
MOWADAYS, those parents who came here from other lands are
classified as the First Generation, to distinguish them from native
parents; and their children are called the Second Generation; which
terminology is, probably, just another sign of the modern trend to
be scientific and to classify everything after the manner of zoologists and paleontologists. Nothing escapes being classified, not even
one's emotions, let alone one's parents or self.
One might concede such classification of aliens and their American-born children to be merely explanatory. One might call them
the first and second generations, and let the matter rest at that. But
such rigid classification, which is neither literal nor scientific, should
be dispelled because these people are neither of the first nor of the
second generation, and not even the desire of social agencies to classify them as such for expediency's sake can obliterate the fact that
life began for these people long before the first explorer arrived on
America's shores. These terms are incorrectly used, inasmuch as
people cannot rightly be called first and second generation when in
reality they are the nth generation of their line.
Newcomers to our shores and their children should be considered in the light of their entire past, as when studying the history
of mankind one must needs know the past to understand the present.
The terms, first and second generations, literally dwarf the inherency of these people.
It may be said that these names are used in a technical sense.
When considering humanity, our minds had better be tuned social-
SS£3S£&$ .-- ,,
�JUNE, 1932
21
ly rather than technically. These terms are too narrow for the
breadth and depth of the subjects which they are intended to encompass.
From a social viewpoint, they are far worse because they create
a class consciousness, which is unjust both to the parents and their
children. They give rise to a mental misconception of their intended meaning. First generation, the term, has become synonymous with greenhornj and many people, who would be loathe to
admit it, do, nevertheless, make that comparison mentally.
The children's group despises the artificial barrier which this
classification places between it and other Americans. They feel that
an injustice is being done, not only to their parents and themselves,
but also to ideals on which democracy is based. The artificialities of
the terms in question create a social consciousness which democracy
never intended, for the imposition of them nearly borders on the
caste system.
Most unfortunate of all is the fact that some children, wishing to defeat the sense of inferiority which the use of these terms
has developed in them, attempt to remedy their predicament by trying to lose their identity. They become separated in more ways than
one from their parents. What results? We need not discuss in detail what results; the evidence is available everywhere.
The Loser Wins
m
(A SHORT STORY)
jyjARIE CARAM, sitting meditatively on the upper deck of a
Fifth Avenue bus, looked lovely as a princess riding in state.
There was something about Marie that reminded you of an old
painting whose colours time had mellowed, a Madonna from the
hands of some master. She had a rosy olive complexion and brown
eyes; their deep brown colour as engulfing as the shadows of an
impenetrable forest. Her glistening hair was coiled softly at the
nape of her neck. The chartreuse green of her dress and hat intensified the warmness of her complexion. All her charm and beauty were combined to make one more capable teacher for a New
York public school.
MHHK'
�Il
22
THE SYRIAN WORLD
As eagerly as a child on a first visit to the great city, Marie
gazed at the panorama of Fifth Avenue. This was her last day;
tomorrow she was leaving for Gleufield and home. It would be a
joy to see the dear family again; to meet old friends; and to be
back in familiar places; but already she was feeling lonesome for
New York.
Eight months before, when Marie first came to take up her
work, she had hated the city; its immensity had frightened her and
made her feel like one lost in a cavern. The jostling crowds filled
her with lonesomeness; they were as so many faces, but not one
familiar face; so many people, yet no one with whom to exchange
the day's greetings. Pride alone had restrained her from resigning
her position and making a speedy return home.
It amused her to realize what a change had come over her.
Here she was, feeling lonesome for New York even before leaving
it. Looking down, she gazed rapturously at the fairy-like shop
windows, enticingly filled with all that money can buy to appease human vanity. As she glanced down the length of the Avenue, the
buildings in the haze of the late afternoon's sun appeared to be
glass-encrusted mountains.
Here and there where the scattered
rays of the sun flung themselves, windows became sparkling as jewels. Marie contemplating all this from her elevated position felt
like an idol worshipper. The glamour of the Avenue was accentuated by its people. Shabbily dressed people could make no impression in this crowd. There were too many of the others, the handsomely gowned women, strikingly different in individual mannerisms, yet made to seem alike by the similarity of their masks. Here
men assumed the erectness which sartorial perfection plus a swagger
carte inspire. Self complacency was personified by this section of
humanity. Traffic policemen, inwardly experiencing the same emotions as their fellowmen, appeared to dominate the crowd like Titans. Cars and more cars jammed the street, like slow streams in
both directions; cars with liveried chauffeurs; cars driven by sleek
sons and daughters of men who were constantly trying to fill the
financial gap which their luxury-loving offspring created; taxis with
screeching brakes, darting from one traffic lane to another, and coming perilously near to other cars in their rush.
As the bus wended its way down the Avenue, Marie was mentally bidding farewell to all this. She looked forward eagerly to
the placidity of life in Glenfield, but she knew that one day, going
down Glenfield's narrow, prosaic Main Street with its duplication
�JUNE, 1932
23
of department stores, confectionaries, drug stores, and the old hotel
of which the town could no longer boast, she was going to long
for a sight of these leisurely, lovely ladies, and well-groomed men
strutting down Fifth Avenue.
Becoming truly frank with herself, Marie admitted that it was
really not these surroundings for which she would yearn. It was the
friendship of Joseph Shaker which counted above everything else.
New York meant Joe to her, and Joe it was who gave such a great
meaning to the panorama before her.
As the bus passed by Brentano's, Marie recalled that she wished
to buy a book to take to her sister Eugenie. She alighted from the
bus, determined not to forget this plan because it would mean so
much for Eugenie to have a book from Brentano's in New York.
She would be proud to show it to her high school friends, as one
of their teachers had mentioned the store to them. So Eugenie had
written in one of her letters.
Entering Brentano's, Marie found herself suddenly about to
collide with someone who deliberately stepped in front of her. She
looked up into Joe's smiling face.
"Hello, Marie. Why the rush?"
"Why, Joe," she exclaimed, astonished. "What are vou doing
here?"
"Same thing you're doing. Buying a book for a certain young
lady to read on the train tomorrow. I wonder if you would care
to open up the package and see if you like my choice."
Marie blushed with confusion and pleasure. "It's mighty nice
of you, but I prefer to keep your choice. Thanks, Joe, very "
"Please, don't," he interrupted. "I just hope that you'll enjoy this."
"Indeed I shall," she said assuringly. "Will you help me to
choose a book for Eugenie?"
Joe was more than willing. Walking beside him, Marie felt
a bit proud. She was aware of the observing glances of the clerk
who sold them the travel book which they chose for Eugenie. Joe
certainly could attract any girl's attention and he was not entirely
unaware of the fact. He was handsome in a typically Syrian way;
he had a dark complexion, flashing eyes, and lively, smiling countenance.
As they were leaving the store, he said confidingly, "Honestly,
Marie, I've been blue all day thinking of your going away tomorrow. Meeting you here was the best thing that could have hap-
�24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
pened to me. Now that fate has been so kind, let's make it a perfect day. Let's see," he said glancing at his watch. "It's nearly
six. You can't refuse to have dinner with me."
"But, Joe," Marie said hesitatingly, "I have to pack my trunk."
"What of that? You're going to eat first. No excuses now.
Please say yes."
Marie was undecided. She had never anticipated going out
with Joe. One went alone only with a fiance, not because it was not
the right thing to do, but because it was not customary. But this
time, Marie argued with herself, was an exception to the rule.
"Well, as I shall not see you again for a long time, I'll go; that
is, if you'll take me to the Old Man's Place in Greenwich Village."
Joe laughed. He was amused that Marie should have remembered his telling her and his sister Madeline lbout the Old Man's
Place.
"That's where we shall go," he agreed, while starting to hail
a taxi.
"Let's go by bus," Marie pleaded. "1 get more thrills out
of riding on top of a bus. You know wc haven't any double deckers
in Glenfield."
"All right, if you prefer the bus."
As it was Marie's first opportunity to saunter through Greenwich Village, she asked Joe to show her some of its interesting
places. After walking through several streets whose names she
had learned before from several sources, she suddenly stopped in
front of a low brick church, set back from the street. The lawn and
shrubs which graced its entrance set it apart from surrounding
dwellings.
"Oh, Joe, see; this is the' Little Church Around the Corner.
How lovely!" she exclaimed.
"That's the concensus of opinion, Marie," Joe agreed. "Believe me, I know now for the first time how it must feel when people come here to be married. Lucky fellows."
"Heavens, Joe, but you can think of the most unusual things
to say," Marie teased him.
"Well, my dear, when you are as old as I am, you will be able
to think as I do. At eighteen one is sentimental; at twenty-eight
one becomes sensitive—if you understand what I mean."
"I think I do. And at six-thirty, I wonder what we shall have
for dinner," Marie said, interrupting his serious mood.
"I'm glad you're hungry. We're almost there."
�••
JUNE, 1932
25
Arriving at the Old Man's Place, they were greeted hospitably
by the old man himself who had once used the rooms as his studio.
Marie was charmed by the subdued gayety of its atmosphere. Here
one came to enjoy the intimacy which delicious food and quiet inspire.
J oe told her about the old man who had been in his youth an
aspiring artist, noted more for his success as a host to his friends than
for his paintings. He abandoned his career as a painter after finding
that there was more certain remuneration in cooking the savoury
dishes of his beloved France. He was a benign old man now, plying his trade more for the sake of the friendships which he made
by it than for the money which it brought him.
Mane and Joe were conversing so intently, they scarcely realized the quickness with which time was passing. Joe was happier
than he had ever been, and Marie was enjoying a unique experience.
He wanted to do everything to please her.
"Marie, let's go to a theatre after this. Is there anything you
particularly want to see?"
"Oh, no, no," she answered quickly.
Her very quickness stung his pride. He was aware instantly
of the reason for her refusal. He knew that she would not accept
the invitation from him or anyone else, and he realized that her acceptance of the dinner invitation was a sort of concession on her
part. His sister was guided by the same customs as Marie, and
though he had always thought his sister should not deviate from
them, his vanity was hurt by Marie's refusal.
''But this is your last night in New York," he pleaded.
a bit tired" *' ^ * ^ t0 ^ ^ thbgS' y°U kll0W' and Vm
"If you're tired, my eyes deceive me," he chided.
Marie looked reproachfully at him. She was angered by his
impatience. "You know, Joe, that I wouldn't go to a theatre with
you."
_ "Let's decide this matter now," he said. "Must you be deprived of a pleasure because you feel that you must have your family s approval before doing anything or going anywhere?"
"I'm not being deprived of anything," she retorted, "and I
prefer to have my family's approval, if you wish to put it that way "
that y U Wtnt t0 the theatre with
i
,,T, ?
Madeline and me
last
week?"
he*argued.°
"Because Madeline and you invited me. Are you sorry now
:,;
;:..-.. /._,/ _. •.:--;:.-
�26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
that you did?"
.. ,
"Marie, you know that's not what I meant. It's the principle
of the matter that counts."
"Well, I would enjoy going with you. I don't deny that. But
I'm not going to. I want Dad and Mother to know you and when
you come to Glenfield,—why, then I'll tell you if I shall go out
with you. I'm subject to change without notice."
"A woman's privilege, of course," he conceded. "You're not
in Glenfield, it happens."
"Well, what of it? Just because I'm working in New York
doesn't mean that I shall act any differently than I would in Glenfield. Isn't this ice cream delicious?" she said, attempting to end
their discussion.
"Listen, Marie," Joe continued, undaunted by her irrelevancy.
"You can't really feel that you're right about this."
"W7hy not, Joe?" she parried. "Aren't we friends just the
same. Going to a theatre has nothing to do with it."
"You're not to the point. I know exactly how it is; you're like
Madeline, you have to ask father first if it is alright to go out with
Joe or John."
"I don't want to go with anyone, and I don't know any John.
Why shouldn't I ask Father for his opinion when I feel that it
counts more than mine, and more than the fun of going out with
you."
"Alright. You are justified there, but I wish that you would
express your opinion of my company a little more mildly. If you're
old enough to live alone in New York, to earn your living,—I say
you're old enough to decide whether or not my company is satisfactory. Why must you ask your Father? You're not a baby any
more.
"See here, Joe," Marie replied, "If you're insinuating that
I'm old, you. . you. . I don't like you a bit. If you. Want to know
I'm twenty-four. Now that you know how old I am, please, I'm
going home."
"Please, Marie, don't. Let's stay a few minutes longer. I
didn't mean to provoke you. It may be a long time before I see
vou again."
"No, I'm sorry. There are so many things I must do. I want
to finish everything tonight because I won't have enough time in
the morning. My train leaves at nine."
"I'll see you in the morning. May I call for you and take
�JUNE, 1932
27
you.to Grand Central?"
"No, thanks. I'll taxi over. It's better if you don't come because I will be rushed, and what not."
"Well, I'll be at the information booth at quarter of nine as
we arranged last week. You're not still angry, are you,. Marie?"
"No. Thanks very much for everything. I shall always remember this evening and this place. You don't need to take me
home. Just go with me as far as the subway, please."
Once Marie made a decision, there was no use trying to change
it. Joe learned that beyond a doubt.
At eight-thirty next morning Marie was in Grand Central. Her
mind was in a turmoil. She was happy to be starting at last for
home, and sad at the thought of not seeing Joe again for months,
perhaps forever.
The incident of the previous evening was vivid still. What
could he have been thinking of her? The more she thought of
his having called her old enough, and of belittling her steadfast acceptance of her old-fashioned ideas, the more determined was she
to avoid meeting him again. She decided to go to her train as soon
as it pulled in. At quarter of nine, the gates were opened. Marie
cast a glance at the information booth, but Joe had not arrived. She
wondered if he would come after all. The uncertainty made her
angry. She requested the porter to carry her valise into the train.
At nine o'clock as the train pulled out, a sad faced Marie peered into the darkness of the underground terminus. She wasn't remembering home or family; she was thinking only of Joe, dear,
impetuous, impatient Joe. His friendship had meant so much all
these months. She fingered the book he had given her. Undoing
the wrapper, she took it out. It was just like him to choose this
book, this beautifully illustrated copy of the Rubaiyat.
She peered at her watch. It was one minute past nine. In
one minute, eternity seemed to have encompassed her. She dabbed
her eyes with a new handkerchief, one which she had not intended
using because it was meant for important social occasions.
She heard a low voice saying, "May I sit here?"
It was Joe. "Why, Joe, what are you doing here?"
"Well, I was five minutes late and I didn't know if you were
late or what, so I waited awhile and when you didn't come, I rushed
through the gates just in time to get on the train. Did you think I
was letting you go away without saying goodbye?"
"Oh, Joe. Where are you going from here?"
'0ggSSgUtSSSSSSBSSSSSk
�28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"To the next stop, wherever it is. Listen, Marie, I'd like to
go right on to Glenfield with you to meet your wonderful family.
And I'm going there next week. My father and I together. You
know what I mean? We're going to agree from now on, you and I.
We'll do the same as the old folks did...WTe'll have formality, ambassadors, etiquette. You're going to the theatre with me next time
I ask you. That is if your father says you may. Do you think he
will?"
"If I say yes, he'll say yes, and after he says yes, I'm going
with you. And your father is really coming with you to Glenfield?"
"Of course. He and I planned the trip the first time I met
you. Remember?"
There was scarcely a chance to remember anything.
There was a peremptory shout of "tickets please!"
Al-Jirn
Back in the year 2Btc, the cry of the young was that success
and opportunity had become restricted to a few individuals and
groups. Now in 3Atc, the tables have been turned. There is no
excuse to claim that opportunity is denied you. Your chance is at
hand. You will have to labor as hard and unceasingly as your parents before you. There will be no smooth sailing for anyone, but
putting in at port will be just as gratifying.
3JC
3F
3fc
3JE
ACTION, PLEASE.
Let me be gentle as a summer breeze
That wilts not one flower with its caress,
Loving each petal. Let me be no less
Adoring than the moon bending her knees
In homage to night, as her light she frees
To fill earth with the mysteriousness
Of darkness made bright. Let us, too, confess
Love in unspoken words, not such as these
�_—=
JUNE, 1932
29
Which are empty as sweet. Let me remind
You, praying that you may understand,
How futile are words. But, like all mankind,
i ou are a lover of words many and bland.
I am reconciled; but one thing I fear:
You'll fail to "say it with flowers," my dear.
******
Anyone who thinks romance is dead need only consider the political promises Which, wherever a voter is in hearing distance, shall
tall like a pyrotechnical shower.
******
If you are deserving of the privilege to vote, vou shall determine to separate the wheat from the chaff and take your stand. These
times are not tor apathetic citizenry.
******
CALL AGAIN, BOY FRIEND
Try 5—1540, please.
Sorry, Sir, the line is busy.
(Everyone must love Louise.)
Try 5—1540, please.
Must I get down on my knees?
I've been ringing till I'm dizzy.
Try 5—1540, please.
Sorry, Sir, the line IS BUSY!
******
fn h-fS the,ma^!ne,fnds its fiscal year with this number, we wish
to bid you farewell till we meet again in these pages
m May there be for you happiness ahead, the happiness of creating joy for someone else. Let us dedicate this summer to that end
To he confirmed pessimists, we repeat what some wise person
P
said: we'll make lemonade out of the lemons
be witChhyou°'
and
' ^ ^ ^ ^ ***
* * *
th£ beSt
^Z
of
»"• God
�30
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Long-winded speaker turning to man next to him: "Have you
a watch?"
"No, I haven't. But there is a calendar right in back of you"
A DOCILE audience, in our opinion, is one composed of Syrians.
It will listen with the greatest equanimity to the verbosity of
would-be orators who seem to assume that every occasion for a public gat'h-ering calls for chiding and deriding us. We are hopeful
that in future there shall be orators who are less trite and more
specific in their speeches.
Have you ever observed that most societies holding an annual
celebration find their programs jammed with oratory? These events
are no longer looked on with favour or pleasure by persons who
attend them.
We hope that this summer, when such affairs take place, there
shall be made an effort to limit pseudo-oratory and to create the
kind of atmosphere which will draw the old and young together for
a happy time.
* * *
Recently we had the pleasure of meeting the renowned physician, Dr. Adolf Lorenz, of Vienna, who is in the United States for a
short stay. Dr. Lorenz and his son, who is also a doctor, were interested immediately when we replied to their question regarding
our ancestry. The younger Dr. Lorenz said, "We think you are a
noble race." This was not a vain bit of generous praise; this was
an expression of these men, who are scholars as well as skilled
physicians, and who have an extensive knowledge of our racial
background. It behooves us to show as much interest in our history
as they did, and by our every action to merit their praise.
�JUNE, 1932
THE MAN WITH A NEW CODE OF HONOR
^N-NAMAN, the powerful Arab king of Al-Hira, had two viziers
whom he loved exceedingly because they served him not only in
the capacity of state counsellors but also in the role of boon companions. One day, when the three had indulged in an orgy of debauchery, the king, apparently for no reason except the lust for
blood, ordered the two viziers beheaded. Upon awaking on the following morning and being apprised of the fate of the two viziers, he
became disconsolate, and ordered two magnificent tombs built for
them. Once every year, on the anniversary of the tragedy, he held
court in the vicinity of the twin tombs, and whoever sought him on
that day he ordered him killed in expiation for his folly and
smeared the tombs with the victim's blood. This day he called the
day of vengeance, during which the court of the king was shunned
by all Arabs aware of the despot's practice. But in order also to compensate for his bloody deed, he instituted the further practice of
holding court at the same place, on another day, during which he
munificently rewarded any stranger who chanced upon him This
day he called the day of reward.
Among the Arabs, these two days came to be known as the dav
of good omen and the day of ill omen.
Now the king, as a means of diversion from his great grief and
affliction, began to indulge in the chase, and ventured out recklessly
in the most unfrequented desert wastes and jungles. He also formed
the habit of riding while on these excursions his famous spirited mare
Al-^ahmoum, which none other than he could ride, and which even
he could not hold in check once she warmed to the pursuit of a
�32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
quarry. But the king would not even attempt to control her; suc;
had become his spirit of recklessness.
One day, while engaged in the hunt, an unusually fine zebra
specimen crossed his path, and he gave free rein to Al-Yahmoum in
pursuit. His companions, noticing his extraordinary enthusiasm, refrained from interfering, holding their steeds in check, so that shortly after both quarry and king had vanished from sight.
At the close of the day the king had not yet overtaken his quarry.
His golden-headed arrows were still intact in their quiver, and his
bow slung idly and unused over his shoulder. Night was fast descending and enveloping the plain with a black mantle, and gathering
clouds threatened the approach of a violent storm. The king found
himself alone in the wilderness, and forgetting the quarry in his preoccupation over his own safety, he began to look about for shelter
for the night and against the impending storm. And as good fortune would decree, he noticed a flickering light in the distance, toward which he directed his course. Presently he found himself at
the tent of a bedouin of the tribe of Tai, Hanzala Ibn Abi 'Afra by
name, who lived up to the highest traditions of his tribe then famous
throughout all Arabia for its hospitality and generosity.
The king, an absolute stranger, sought shelter for the night in
the traditional Arab manner, and with no question asked, was extended the customary hospitality. Hanzala bid him enter and wait,
and seeking his wife in another compartment of the tent, informed
her of the presence of the unexpected guest and commanded her to
make the necessary preparations for Ms comfort and entertainment.
Hanzala said that he would proceed forthwith to first milk, then
slaughter their only goat, while she should knead and bake whatever flour they had for bread. Hanzala further contrived to concoct some beverage for the added pleasure and enjoyment of the
guest.
King Naman spent in that lowly tent one of the most enjoyable
nights of his life, and upon arising in the morning he revealed his
identity to his hosts, and bid Hanzala seek him in his capital and ask
of him whatever favor he wished, which he certainly would gratify.
By then the king's companions, having spent an anxious night
searching for him, came upon him and soon were off with him on the
return journey to Al-Hira.
Years passed, during which neither Hanzala nor his wife gave
a thought to the incident because in the Arab's code of honor and
hospitality it would be not only unbecoming, but degrading to do a
V
�JUNE, 1932
33
good deed in anticipation or expectation of reward. But there came
one year when a protracted drought caused Hanzala and his family
great privations and sufferings, and despite his pride, he was compelled to seek aid and relief. His wife, ever thoughtful of the welfare and comfort of the children, reminded him of the king's bidding, and induced'him to seek the great monarch's help now that the
shadow of calamity was waving over them the sceptre of annihilation.
iHanZala left h'S deSCrt abode and set his course in th€ direction
of Al-Hira. The journey in the blistering heat of the day and the
biting cold of night was exhausting. But the will to reach the king
and implore his bounty inspired him with the sustaining courage.
And at last he reached Al-Hira.
But alas! his arrival was on the day of the king's ill-omen—
the day of vengeance. The scene at the tomb of the two murdered
viziers was tragic, because while wishing to reward his erstwhile
host, the king could not break his sacred vow to Al-Lati and Al-Izza
the two gods whom the Arabs worshipped in their pagan days
Hanzala, in his lonely desert abode had not been aware of the
King s vow, and when the king made clear to him the circumstances
and told him that he was doomed, he asked for a period of grace'
that he might return to his family and apprise them of his predicament and otherwise arrange his affairs. This the king granted, but
on condition that someone guarantee his return, under penalty of the
bondsman forfeiting his own life, in case the condemned should fail
to appear.
Bewildered at the tragic turn of events, and having discovered
death lurking where only he had anticipated the assurance of life
for himself and starving family, Hanzala remained for a time
speechless and helpless. For here he was a bedouin in the city and a
stranger m the king's court, where none knew him but the king and
the latter proving unrelenting in his decree of death. Where then
to turn and to whom plead? Would there be found among the
Sy^Toft0^ rlSk * '^ f°r a ~ *
the
Hanzala in desperation, anxiously studied the tense faces of
the v.ziers and attendants. His gaze finally rested on Sharid Ibn
Amura Shaibany, whom he pointed out as his bondsman, only to be
met with a flat refusal because Sharik well knew the temper of the
king in that he would certainly hold his life forfeit with no mercy
shown if the condemned man should fail to return.
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;,
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34
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
But at this development, Firad Ibn Ajdah, of the tribe of Kalb,
equally as prominent as Sharik, sprang forward and offered himself
as the stranger's bondsman. The king was satisfied and pleased because he secretly wished for the escape of Hanzala even at the sacrifice of one of his most prominent chieftains. He therefore gave
Hanzala a year's reprieve, and making him a gift of five hundred
camels, bid him return in safety to his family.
The fatal day approached with no sign of Hanzala's appearance
and An-Naman, repairing in state to the twin tombs declared his
bond forfeit. But his viziers pleaded that the sun had not yet set,
and that the bondsman was entitled to the benefit of the very last
minute before the sun's disappearance. They were anxious to save
the generous man who had risked his life for a total stranger while
the king was equally as anxious to spare the life of the man who had
tendered him such generous hospitality. And as the last rays of the
sun were sinking behind the horizon, and the executioner had raised
his sword to strike the fatal blow, a cloud of dust was seen rising in
the distance and again the king's counsellors prevailed on him to stay
the execution until such time as the traveler should be discernible,
for they argued: Might he not be the very man whom the king's
justice seeks?
The tenseness of the watchers increased as the traveler swiftly
approached in a cloud of dust. Presently a camel could be seen being furiously driven by the rider, and the moments dragged like
days before the rider finally brought his camel to a halt before the
king. He then snatched the koufia wrapped about his head and lo!
he proved none other than the anxiously expected Hanzala.
A spontaneous cry of delight rose from a thousand throats
among the anxious company, giving vent to their long pent-up emotions. Only the king appeared extremely dejected, and having recovered his surprise, addressed Hanzala:
"What caused you to return once you escaped your cruel fate?"
"My pledged honor, O mighty King," replied Hanzala.
"And what causes you to redeem your pledged honor?" the king
insisted.
"My faith," came the unfaltering answer.
"And what may your faith be?"
"Christianity."
At this answer the king and his whole court were stunned with astonishment, and the king asked Hanzala to explain this strange faith
�35
JUNE, 1932
that inspires such noble deeds. Hanzala did so, and An-Naman and
his whole court and subjects embraced the new religion, forsaking
forever the bloody practice of putting to death whomsoever chanced
upon him on his day of ill-omen.
THE UNREQUITED LOVE OF SALADIN
A SHORT STORY
Giving an Account of the Times of the Crusades and the Great
Saladin's Love for a Christian Princess.
(Original Translation from the Arabic)
ANIANETTE, Princess of Transjordania, stood on one of the
impregnable fortresses and raised her hand over her eyes as a
protection from the burning sun, and gazed into the distance over a
plain dotted with the multicoloured tents of the Moslems. It was
only the day before that those tents, in close formation, were pitched
opposite the well-fortified towers of al-Karak Fortress, menacingly,
challengingly. The great Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt and Syria,
had come with his tumultuous armies to lay siege on the "Rock of
the Desert", as that terrible' fortress of al-Karak was then known,
hoping to conquer that redoubtable castle of the Crusaders from
which they controlled all the roads of Syria and its routes of communication.
Indeed, the Fortress of al-Karak was the key of the Christian
Kingdom in Jerusalem, which, at that time, was on its way to destruction and ruin because of the many dissensions and rivalries among the Crusading princes. For the brave Crusading knights who
had remained in the Holy Land after the First Crusade, the Kings
of Jerusalem, the Princes of Antioch, the Grafs of Tripoli and Urfa,
and the noblemen of Karak, who had come from the distant lands
of Europe, had not forgotten, nor did they wish to forget, the old
enmities and feuds among themselves. Faced by the common danger which threatened their very existence, they had refused to unify
their strength and fight together the common enemy. Saladin knew
this, and now he had come to deal the death blow to the remaining
power of the Crusaders. Even the arrival of Saladin had not roused
�the Crusaders to unite their word for common defense.
And as she looked at those far-flung tents of the Moslems,
Anianette sighed. For, alas! the princess could not but confess to
herself that her spouse Renaud de Chatillon, ferocious and cruel
beyond description, was the very person who had brought upon
Syria that terrible catastrophe. He had intrenched himself in that
fortress, from which he sallied to attack and rob the passing caravans, and provoked the hosts of the Moslems to rise in self-defense.
When the Princess' choice fell on Prince Renaud as her husband, after the death of her first one, Count de Millie, she had
great admiration for his bravery, strength and chivalry. She placed
her life and that of her son Humphrau under the protection of his
mighty sword, hoping that Renaud de Chatillon would prove the
pride of the Crusaders and the undisputed defender of the Christian Kingdom.
Princess Anianette sighed, as she gave herself up to pleasant
memories. She recalled the day when she was first married, and
how she had first met the renowned Saladin at that memorable ceremony in which the Crusading knights participated with Moslem
knights in tournaments and festivities. It was a great day of brilliant celebrations and colourful pageantries.
Christian and Arab
knights outdid themselves in display of bravery and valour in the
tournament lists, riding their spirited steeds to the field of honor.
Ajid she remembered vividly how the same Saladin had come out
victorious over all the knights, and how, riding up to her, laid the
prize he had won at her feet, as he recited to her in his native tongue
lines from a famous Arab poet.
The noble Princess felt as if the piercing gazes of that brave
knight were surrounding her on all sides, and that in those gazes was
something of compassion.
Anianette remembered all this. She recalled, besides, that the
brave, noble Saladin, next to the din of battle and combat, longed
most for the soothing songs of poetry, for the gentle murmur of a
stream under the shade of trees in the meadows, and that often did
he spend long hours, with eyes closed and leaning on the silken
cushions of his palace, listening to the seductive notes of the ouds
and flutes.
Breaking her stream of pleasant memories and imaginations,
Anianette withdrew from the parapet where she was viewing the encampment of the Arab armies and retired to her chamber.
And on the following day, there emerged a knight from the
i
�TUNE, 1932
1?
towers of the fortress of al-Karak, and rode in the direction of the
Arab camp. On his person he carried a message from Princess Anianette to the Sultan, in which she informed him that on that same
day the Franks were celebrating the marriage of her son Humphrau
to Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Amory, King of Jerusalem, ward
or Kenaud de Chatillion, whom the mother had married after the
father s death. And in the message was a plea that the Sultan retrain from fighting on that day, coupled with an invitation to share
with the Franks their joys.
Saladin, upon reading the message, almost without hesitation
said to the messenger:
"Inform the Princess that her wish is to Saladin a command
and that forthwith he shall put an end to the fighting."
Then Saladin loaded the messenger with presents to the Princess, saying:
! i
"Take this to the fair lady, and tell her that all these brilliant
pearls and rare precious stones are nothing to compare with a glance
from her shining eyes. And this steed, my own mount, take to the
young prince, her son, and tell him that Saladin hopes that this
steed Sahib, may ever lead him on the road of glory and honor »
The messenger returned to the fortress, and Saladin issued his
command to his army officers and captains to desist from fighting
or attacking the towers of the Christian fortress. And on that sanS
T I .umCeSS Ama"ette sent out food and drink to the Arab knights
which they accepted, sharing with the Franks their wedding festiAs night fell, Saladin, at the head of a picked detachment of
h.s own knights and guards, proceeded to the fortress. He stood
for a moment before the towers, looking at the wedding proLion
wih Humphrau and Elizabeth surrounded by the FranLVk igh"'
Saladin commanded his men to blow the horn, and as they did the
procession came to a sudden stop. Then the bridal coupkdrew to
the edge of the parapet and bowed gracefullv to Sal Jin
A U
men, while the Frankish knights d^SSSS&S&S their
The bridge of the fortress was then lowered, and Saladin and
his party rode into the inner court. Then something happened whTch
no one of the merry crowd, whether of the Frankish hos"s or their
Saracen guests, had anticipated or prepared for
As Princess Anianette advanced to welcome her royal ffuest and
fas men, Saladin gazed at her with rapturous delight. Ks; still
�38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
surpassingly beautiful, as fresh and charming as on that day, long
ago, when he first met her. He gazed and smiled, as his heart fluttered with excitement. But Renaud de Chatillon, who was noticing
every move of Saladin, was consumed with a jealous rage. His impetuous nature could not bear this unseeming behaviour, and before he realized what he was doing, he drew his sword and rushed
towards Saladin, with a savage cry. The Moslem knights, not to
be taken by surprise, drew their swords also and rushed to the defense of their leader and sultan. The fortress reverberated with the
noise of battle, and at once one of the Arab knights stole away on
his steed and gave word to the Moslem camp of the perfidious attack.
The whole camp rose in arms, and, in no time, surrounded the fortress. But Saladin and his men, faced with the superior number of
their enemies, had hastily retreated, as one of the Arab knights had
quickly stationed himself at the draw bridge to keep it down.
On the following day, realizing what his folly had done, and
that the Fortress of Al-Karak was already surrounded by the hosts
of the enemy, Renaud dispatched, post-haste, a messenger to Guy
de Lucien, King of Jerusalem, appealing for. succour and reinforcement. And so it was that the wedding festivities and merriments
were turned into din of battle and the clanking of armaments.
It was a fierce battle, and the brave knights on both sides excelled themselves in deeds of valour, especially the Frankish knights
who defended the fortress till the last breath in the face of the superior forces of the Moslems, who had flocked from every quarter
of Transjordania to the cry of battle.
It was only a matter of time when the fortress should fall, and
finally the brave defenders had to surrender.
They raised the
white flags on {he parapets, and lowered the draw-bridge, as Saladin, at the head of his men, entered the fortress and occupied it,
raising the Moslem standard over it. And when the din of battle
had subsided, the captives were brought before Saladin, among
them being Guy de Lucien, Prince Renaud de Chatillon and Prince
Humphrau, the young bridegroom of Elizabeth, daughter-in-law of
Anianette.
The captives were made to file before Saladin, who was filled
with the pride of victory. He had fought valiantly, and, as a true
Arab, Saladin recognized and respected the valour of his enemies.
So when King Lucien appeared, bound and dejected, before him,
the Saracen Sultan comforted him with kind words and ordered one
of his men to offer him a drink of water mixed with attar of roses.
HMBSHHHMHHHwHHHHMlBBBBMHQMHHINHHHNHBHnM
�JUNE, 1932
39
But when Renaud de Chatillon passed in the review of captives,
and the eyes of Saladin fell on him, the Sultan's wrath rose in him.
He could not forgive his ignoble treachery of a few days past, which
had precipitated the war, and from which the valiant Arab ruler
had narrowly extricated himself, nor could he forget that the despicable villain standing before him was the spouse of the woman
for whom his heart had beaten fast with love, or that he was the
same predatory robber the accounts of whose cruelties and crimes
had spread far and wide, and were well-known to Saladin.
Blinded with rage, Saladin sprang to his feet and drawing his
jewelled dagger from its scabbard, plunged it with a fatal stroke
in the neck of the Frankish prince.
Princess Anianette mourned her husband as becoming a dutiful
wife. She went to church to pray, but in her contemplation could
not but feel a sense of remorse, for she felt then at heart that she
never loved her husband. She bent her head in penitence because,
even at that very sad moment, her thought instinctively wandered
to another man, yes, the very man who had killed her husband.
Time passed, and Saladin found himself the undisputed ruler
of all the lands between Al-Karak and the Mediterranean coast. The
Christian Kingdom had surrendered to the Arab Sultan, and on the
appointed day he rode victoriously at the head of his army into
Jerusalem. And there again the men and women captives were
brought in review past the great Saracem Sultan. It was an endless
line of haggard knights and depressed women. Suddenly he looked
up, and before him stood Princess Anianette herself with an Arab
knight on each side. Saladin looked long at her, but it was a look
full of compassion and sorrow. And the Princess bowed her head
and would not lift her eyes to the Sultan.
It was a terrible moment for Saladin, in which all the conflicting emotions of his heart rose at once in tumult. What was he to
dor Will he take her as his captive, and lead her to his bed-chamber
as his concubine or wife, won by his own valour in the field of battle?
That was his first thought. But other thoughts came to him, and
drove that away. Was he not her husband's murderer, and captor
of her own son? Knowing as he did the pride and hauteur of the
Frankish women, could he expect her to love him as he loved her?
No, no! Saladin could not expect that of Anianette.
Bowing his head for a moment in ominous silence, Saladin soon
again looked up amidst a hush of suspended anxiety and expectation. What would the great and noble Saladin do?
�=
40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Then Saladin spoke. He commanded that the young prince
Humphrau be brought before him, and leading him by the hand,
he took him to his mother, Princess Anianette, saying:
"Behold your son. I am restoring him to you, with his bride.
You are at liberty and free to go wherever you wish."
He wanted also to add, "and your beloved picture shall be engraved on my heart." But he did not. And the princess, riding on
a white steed with her son and his bride, departed after thanking
their noble liberator, and the eyes of Saladin followed them till they
disappeared in the distance.
And as Princess Anianette rode away, she too, wanted to turn
back and cast one last look at the man she secretly loved in her heart.
But she also did not.
And thus it came about that the whole kingdom of the Christians passed into the hands of Saladin, and he became the undisputed
ruler of all the land. But Saladin often felt a pang of pain and
regret in his heart. He realized that with all his might and authority, and in a plain thick with his own brave warriors, and with
his banners fluttering victoriously over its fortresses and cities, he
could not prevent a beautiful Christian princess whom he truly loved
from departing in peace, when she was within the grasp of his
mighty hand!
i
Impetus
All things call to one another:
The tide to the sea,
The sea to the sky,
The sky to the tree,
The tree to the star,
The star to the moon,
The moon to the tide,
The tide to the sea
Eternally,
All things call to one another.
DAGNY EDWARDS
IIIIWHIIIIIIIIIilWWBIIfe.
/
�JUNE, 1932
41
EDITORIAL COMMENT
ANOTHER YEAR
\J^E AGAIN find ourselves at the end of another year.
How we
have managed to continue publication in the face of cumulative
difficulties is a phase in the career of the magazine that leaves a painful memory. Within the last two years we have issued two public
statements on our condition of distress. We succeeded in stirring up
no little amount of interest judging by the numerous communications from admirers urging us to hold on and keep up courage. This
we have certainly done and shall continue to do. But it is with regret we have to admit that all the encouragement volunteered and
all tht assistance offered was of the "lip advice" variety.
The point we have been all along trying to stress is whether our
people realize the enhancement in prestige, the service to the cause
of better understanding, which the SYRIAN WORLD has brought to
them since its appearance, and whether such a service should not be
helped to continue. We have made it sufficiently plain that the magazine was not a money-making enterprise, but inasmuch as it was impossible for one individual to continue to bear the burden alone its
existence was contingent upon the display of a little more public interest and support. The additional assistance required is not large
but is imperative. Can it be had in time to ward off the impending
Mow? On our part we shall continue to use all the fortitude and
patience we have heretofore displayed to keep the magazine alive up
to present, but unless the needed support is forthcoming it is doubtful how long we will be able to hold on.
This is to remind those well-wishers and frienlds who have expressed their fear of the discontinuance of the magazine that the
urgency of the situation does not permit of any delay in taking remedial action.
We are now on the threshold of another year and we would
want to .start it with the necessary confidence.
The assurance of
proper public response would have the effect of prompting us to
better service. It would at least sufficiently relieve us of financial
worms to insure the more punctual appearance of the magazine
wfiich lately has been left to drift more or less with the tides
It is our hope that between now and September, when the
. >
�II
I
HI I III Mllll..Ill
-
42
?HE SYRIAN WORLD
kS S£Venth y€ar
^utlT°TTiUrtoterinsure
will have materialized
continuance'
sufficient actua
l support
effects^XT ign0rmg uhC dePLression" Jt * rather because of the
effects of the depression that we have been forced to make these re
peated appeals. But we claim that a public institution such aT the"
SYRIAN WORLD has come to be viewed, should not be permitted to
fall victim to adverse conditions, especially when so little is^equired
o insure its continuance. We cannot afford to admit mora and ul
tural bankruptcy, especially at this crucial stage in our ex stencet
America when we are in greatest need of being understood not alone
by Americans at large but by our own children. It is rather im
pera ive for us to bequeath to our posterity this legacy of better uT
demanding of their racial background.
It is with hope that we look forward to another year with con
ARE SYRIANS UNPATRIOTIC?
THE Rev. Charles E. Coughlin, popularly known as the Radio
priest, is reported as having made a statement to the Detroit Times
of June 10 in which he attacked the Syrians and Belgians as unpatriotic Americans. We are unable to quote his exact words but
judging from the numerous replies and refutations appear^in a
local Arabic paper of Detroit, the priest is reported to have said hat
Americans should learn a lesson from having helped the Belgian
^J^^ themSdVeS ^^ £**« -ice
ular nrfeTr ^/^ t0 \Corre^ we
Y gather that the popular priest has reference to the charitable assistance given by the
American nation to needy and oppressed peoples during the war He
could not have had in mind the present dire^conomic skuadon because the occasion could not have any bearing on enlistment in the
nulitary service. Besides, the very fact that he couple dement on
of the Belgians with that of the Syrians warrants such acondus on
The ddductipn is natural. The American nation was shocked and
moved by the treatment dealt the valiant Belgians by the bvadinf
Germans, and because America had not yet entered ^he war alTk
"
IHSHHlBHfSHlBMSpBB
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JUNE, 1932
D
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43
could do by way of displaying its sympathy was by feeding the
starving Belgians. President Hoover was then Administrator of
Belgian Relief, and the fact that he is now President of the United
States would indicate that that was the paramount fact in the mind
of Father Coughlin when he referred to the Belgians.
The association of the Belgians and the Syrians in the same
breath would indicate that Father Coughlin had also in mind the
help advanced by America to the suffering Syrians during the war.
Otherwise there would be no logic in associating famine relief with
military service.
These remarks call for an explanation on two distinct points:
First, the help tendered the Syrians by America during the war, and
Second, the Syrians' service record in the American army.
Regarding the first point one cannot help but believe that Father Coughlin has confused between Syrians and Armenians, because,
as compared with the share the latter received of American charity,
the Syrians' share was almost negligible. Not, to be sure, that the
United States was unwilling to more liberally help the Syrians, but
because it was simply unable to. Syria at that time was under Turkish rule and Turkey had entered the war on the side of the Central
Powers. And because the Syrians had manifested pro-Allies sentiments, Turkey would not permit any help to reach them. In fact,
Turkey was accused of deliberately planning ,to starve to the point
of extermination certain elements in the population of Syria, particularly the Christians of Lebanon, so as to eliminate them forever
as a cause of European political interference. This would be in conformity with its known policy towards the Armenians who had
caused her untold political complications for generations.
America's most serious effort to help starving Syrians during
the war was when it commissioned the U. S. S. Caesar to carry provisions arid supplies to Beirut early in 1916. Cleveland H. Dodge,
friend of the Syrians and long interested in American educational
activities in Syria, was instrumental in inducing his .friend President
Wilson to assign the auxiliary naval ship to this mission of mercy,
while the American Red Cross, of which Mr. Dodge was acting President, provided the supplies, with liberal and whole-hearted Syrian
co-operation. The ship never reached its destination because of objections later raised by the Turkish authorities in Syria, and after
it had waited a considerable time at Alexandria pending further negotiations, the Caesar had to discharge its cargo at the Egyptian port
and return to America, having totally failed in its mission.
�**.
44
THE SYRIAN WORLD
This, to be sure, is through no fault of America, nor does it impugn American charitables motives; but the fact remains that the
Syrians could not benefit during the war by America's charitable intentions, anid it is a matter of historical record that 150,000 Lebanese, out of a population of less than one million, died of stravation and pestilence, while America fully knew of the situation and
could not extend a helping hand.
Even in the period following the war the Syrians received but
a small portion of America's charities. Those acquainted with the
true situation are fully aware that all American relief in the Eastern
Mediterranean section was entrusted exclusively to the American
x\ear East Relief. Several reports on the activities of this organization, particularly in Syria, were published in former issues of the
SYRIAN WORLD, coming from the pen of Dr. Chas. E. Vickery the
General Secretary. A study of these reports reveals that this American relief agency maintained at one time numerous refugee camos
orphanages and industrial schools in Syria. But it is also an established fact that these institutions were maintained primarily for the
benefit of Armenian refugees and orphans. The mere fact that they
are located m Syria or Lebanon does not prove that the beneficiaries
therefrom are Syrians or Lebanese. The Rev. Father Coughlin or
y interCSted
bC
attud'vYf
"Fwill
^y
-%hfened
by
a study of theTf
the factsTl
of the situation 'and
have ample
reason for
?rComnlme°ric:P,ni0n " * * ^ "*«
recdved b
"
the
rf
It cannot be sufficiently emphasized that in making these statements there does not exist the least disposition either to belittie
American re ,ef activities or to stress the share that fell to the Armenians of American charity. We are fully conscious of America's
h ich
gSgrTt tude SnSt,an ende
- -cognize with unmitiu
gated gratitude. So are we aware of the
pitiable plight to which the
Armenians were reduced owing to severe and continued perse ution
The editor of this publication would be the last to withhold sym^
pa hy from the oppressed Armenians, not simply on general grounds
on President Wilson during the war in an effort to enlist America's
STLS A" pressed and.pcraecuted Christians under TuLTsh
rule, both Armenians and Syrians, and what he heard from that hu
mane President is sufficient to evoke any man's svmoarhv T£ U»
been receiving confidential reports of which he rSS^'
f f
contents to the visiting delegation, ^£^g£ £
^
mHIHMBMV
�JUNE, 1932
45
gret that while all this was going on, the United States government
was forced to stand by unable to extend a helping hand.
The Syrians, too, have contributed their share towards helping
the Armenians. They have openejd wide to them the doors of their
country and given refuge to over 70,00*) of them despite the meagerness of their own resources and the smallness of their numbers.
Father Coughlin will surely think better of the Syrians on learning
this and not begrudge them their charitable and hospitable inclinations, because to do so would be to put America itself in a false light
as being on the one hand an immense country with unlimited resources anid still raising retriction barriers against refugees from
Turkish cruelty, and as being on the other hand a rich Christian nation which is bent on reminding the beneficiaries of its charity continually and painfully of its benefactions. We cannot be brought to
believe that the truly Christian and generous American nation wishes
to be placed in such light.
Proceeding to the second point, we cannot help but believe that
Father Coughlin is grossly misinformed, and for his better information would quote the testimony of an authority who made a special
study of this particular subject of the Syrians' loyalty to America
and their war record. We refer to Prof. Philip K. Hitti of Princeton whose book "The Syrians in America" (George H. Doran Co
1924) contains the following statement with which we rest our case
Said Professor Hitti:
"Among the foreign born the Syrians hold an enviable war record. In point of loyalty, patriotism and devotion to the institutions of this land, as demonstrated by the war, they have been unexcelled—even by the Americans themselves. In the long list of
pro-German, suspicious and undesirable persons, supplied by four
years of war, not a single Syrian name occurs.
And technically
speaking the Syrians came from a quasi-enemv country. In answer
to a request in the questionnaire to a number'of leafding Syrians in
the country to state something especially interesting about their respective communities, the reference was, in the majority of cases to
some glorious war episode, and the newspaper clippings enclosed
were invariably of that nature.
"According to a careful estimate based on the reports of the
Provost Marshal General and other War Department documents
no less than 13,965 or about 7 percent of the whole Syrian community served in the United States army.
In Portland, Maine 15
-
--
-;
~
-
.
�46
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Syrian youths—100 percent of those eligible for service—volunteered before the draft laws became effective.
"At the Fore River plant, Quincy, Mass., a Syrian foreman of
a gang of rivet drivers broke with his gang a world's record by
driving 2,805 oil-tight rivets into the hull of a steel ship in a ninehour stretch. In commenting upon his achievement The Boston
Herald said, 'There are no better Americans these days than Charlie
Mulham and his fellow Syrians.'
"In Boston, Brooklyn, Cleveland, Manchester, N. H. and other
places a number of Syrian Boy Scout and Red Cross chapters flourished during the war.
"In the famous Fourth of July parade of 1918, the Syrian
float "Liberated Syria" was awarded the second prize.
"The report of the United States Government Loan Organization shows that of the Fourth Liberty Loan alone, 4,800 Syrians
from the Second Federal Reserve District (which is the district of
New York and environs) bought $1,207,900 worth of bonds.
"If such facts constitute a fair criterion of loyalty and patriotism, the Syrians could certainly not be said to be lacking in these attributes."
AN OBJECT LESSON
It was the common practice of the American press at one time,
when reporting cases of crime by foreigners, to designate them by
their nationality, although ignoring such mention under praiseworthy circumstances. The Italians were the principal sufferers from
this pernicious practice, which they attributed to race prejudice and
took effective means to stop.
This should hold a moral for the Syrians. Collective action is
the surest means of promoting racial prestige and insuring self-respect. Under our present social scheme in America there is still more
or less segregation in racial groups. Assimilation has not yet progressed sufficiently to obliterate racial distinction, and in order to accelerate the process of amalgamation and insure the desired homogeneity, each potential component element of the nation should feel
it is on an eequal standing with every other. Racial groups must
therefore insist on this right because only in this manner could they
best serve not only their own cause but that of true Americanism,
which should not tolerate race prejudice or any special claim to superiority.
.,
.
.-
�JUNE, 1932
d
47
CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED
IN SYRIA
Muhammad Bey A I-A bed, former Turkish Ambassador in Washington, Elected First President of the Republic by Compromise with
the Nationalists.
g^i RIA at last appears to have emerged from its political uncertainty and chaos. The long drawn out struggle for the establishment of a constitutional government, a struggle which at one time
resulted in an armed conflict with the French mandatory forces and
lasted for two years, se"ems to have come to an end with the ratification of the constitution and the election on June 1 1 of a president of
the republic. This happy climax, however, did not come about unth
all the strategy of a well organized political battle had been invoked
and a compromise reached which seems to have satisfied both the
French authorities and the Syrian Nationalist bloc. 'The latter had
been manoeuvred into a minority position in the last elections, but
owing to their solidarity and determination were able to gain concessions which saved their face in the eyes of the nation.
The Representative Assembly was called to meet in Damascus
June 7, and long before that date the old city felt the pulsation of a
strong new life as political leaders and their henchmen swarmed to
it from all directions, making of its hotels a beehive of feverish activity. It was known before hand that a bitter struggle would ensue
in the Assembly, due to the uncompromising attitude of the three
principal candidates in the field. But the Liberal Nationalist Party
representing Aleppo and the northern districts of Syria, was known'
to be the strongest, controlling 32 votes out of a total of 69, while
the Nationalists of Damascus could claim only 16, the remainder being pledged to the candidate favored by the French.
A test of strength came at the first meeting when the Assem
bly proceeded to the election of a'chairman who would later become
the President of thef Assembly. Subhi Bey Barakat, northern leader
and candidate for President, polled 32, votes against 23 for Hakki
�48
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Bey Al-Azm, his nearest opponent and the candidate of the French,
while Hashem Bey Al-Atasi, the leader of the Nationalists, received
but 10 votes. The balloting was repeated with practically the same
result, insuring a victory for Barakat.
Both the Administration and the Nationalists were smarting under this defeat and in the caucus held by the latter following the
session they issued a statement in which they attacked the steam-roller tactics of their opponents and announced their I withdrawal from
the Assembly. This tended to alarm the French authorities and
their sympathisers who feared that the work of years in preparing
the way for an orderly election of a constitutional government in
Syria might be destroyed by the action of the Nationalists.
Up to
this time both the French and the Nationalists had assumed an intransigent attitude, but the fear of a'deadlock prompted a spirit of
compromise. The accepted report on later developments is that a
representative of the French High Commissioner took the initiative
in proposing a coalition with the Nationalists to defeat Barakat, and
in this manner the election of Muhammad Bey Al-Abed was brought
about. Barakat continued to poll 32 votes, but with the combined
forces of the Nationalists and the Administration partisans Al-Abed
received 36 votes.
Barakat is said to have taken the result with bad grace, but pressure was brought to bear on the northern group after the election to
abide by the decision of the Assembly so as to spare the country the
ill effects of further suspense and indecision. Only in submission to
the will of the majority, they were told, could they prove their fitness for representative government.
June 11 will' go down in history as the date of the election of
the first president of the Syrian republic.
Prior to the convening of the Assembly the authorities had
taken elaborate precautions for the maintenance of order. Strong
contingents of Senegalese soldiers were stationed at strategic posts
and machine gun detachments assigned to the principal squares,
while military airplanes were at all times circling over the city. The
Syrian press reports that not since the preparations to crush the revolt of 1925-7 was such an extensive military display seen in Damascus. The authorities were not taking any chances, especially with the
Nationalists in an openly rebellious mood, since they had lost out in
the national elections.
But the outcome so transformed popular sentiment that the celebrations following the elections were said to have equalled, if not
�JUNE, 1932
49
to have surpassed, the popular demonstrations attending the coronation of King Feisal. Whether at the advent of a monarchy or a republic, the nationally-conscious Syrian public realized it was em_ barking on a new era, one that spells national sovereignty and holds
forth hopes of great possibilities. But in the case of the republic the
demonstrations were said to have been more spontaneous because of
the birth of a new kind of consciousness in the last twelve years
during which the Syrian public has been trained in thinking in terms
of popular representation and democratic government.
One of the principal reasons for the popular rejoicing over the
election of Muhammad Bey Al-Abed is that aside from being a moderate and one pf the wealthiest men in Syria, he is said to favor the
Nationalists' view of an ultimate Arab federation in which Syria
would play a leading role. Damascus is under absolute Nationalist
control and it is but natural that the population should look upon the
election of the President as a party victory. That they have had to
strike a bargain with the French in order to attain this result is partially discounted by the fact that the French themselves were not
able to carry out their prearranged plans and had to fall back on the
support of the Nationalists even to the extent of taking the initiative
in proposing a compromise.
On the other hand, the Nationalists credit themselves with the
victory because of their success in blocking the election of both the
candidate of the north and the candidate of the French. The former,
Subhi Bey Barakat, had crushed them in the popular elections in his
territory and succeeded in forming a coherent unit of all the representatives of Aleppo and the northern districts. He announced as
his program a policy of complete independence for Syria apart from
any Arab affiliations.
The other candidate, Hakki Bey Al-Azm,
favored by the French, was looked upon by the Nationalists as their
natural enemy because of his having been the head of the Provisional Government in Damascus during the revolution, to the failure of
which he is accused of having largely contributed by his acquiescence
to French Policy.
The candidate of the Nationalists was the veteran leader and
diplomat Hashem Bey Al-Atasi, who was Prime Minister during the
brief reign of King Feisal and who still inspires his followers with
the grand vision of a federated Arab State with Damascus as its capital, thus reviving the old glory that was Syria's during the brilliant rule of the Umayyads. Al-Atasi is a native of Horns and it is
partly for that reason that the Damascene Nationalists have sunk
�mm
50
THE SYRIAN WORLD
their'internal differences to rally around the leadership of this outsider.
The.election was announced'by the firing of 1 7 guns, and immediately following the ceremony of administering the oath of office
the 1 resident went to the executive mansion where he received the
brencn High Commissioner who was among the first to offer congratulations. The President later returned M. Ponsot's visit at the
Residency.
In a press interview outlining his policy, the President stressed
the necessity of "economy and justice to all", declaring that he will
pursue a policy of understanding with France whose cooperation
is essential to Syria at the present stage of its national life.
W
th * A
T r ?reSagC En era °f concili*tion and cooperation is
that the two chief former contenders for the Presidency have been
given high State offices, Subhi Bey Barakat being elected President of
the Assembly and Hakk, Bey Al-Azm invited to head the cabinf
?ferS- , £he French seem thoroughly satisfidd with the
r
turn of affairs and High Commissioner Ponsot is said to be already
preparing to leave for France on his annual vacation
\\hat would,be taken as a sure sign of the President's popularly was the great demonstration given him on the occasion of his first
Msit to the mosque following his election. The usually demonstra-
of
rhT"* °!?amrUS rduid?emSelveS in their Vodferous a«:laim
of the first President of the first Syrian republic", and the streets
leading from the executive mansion to the great Umayyad mosqu^
were thick with humanity. When the President kterTeturned to
to own palace the demonstration was reenacted even on a larger
WHO IS THE PRESIDENT?
MUh
AbeH
rma^1J Bey A1"Abed is the son of Izzet Pasha AlAbed, a native of Damascus who rose to great power in the Turkish
tk rClgn
AWU1 Hamid
Tt is said
twoTho
i Sukan
^ the
the
two who W'M
wie dedI/most influence
on the Sultan were both Syrians
Pa&Abed
Fasha Al-Abed,
n
e
f Trip ]i and the 0ther
^
! r
°
° of Syria
I«
father
of the
first President
Muhammad was still young when his father came to power and
e,
in f ul1 th e advantages f his father s w
sras vr , ,
°
' -^
PrJVate tUt rS and bec me
proficTemt'A
W ?
'. T^
**"German and° English, aside
*
proficient in Arabic
Turkish,
French,
from learning all the arts of diplomacy by being in conftant touch
�wmmm
JUNE, 1932
51
with the Sultan's court. He later was appointed Turkish Ambassador to Washington and upon relinquishing that post traveled extensively in Europe.
Following the war he was appointed to an administrative post
in the Syrian government, but he was at no time definitely identified
with any political party. He is reputed to be one of the wealthiest
men in Syria, and upon hifli election he willingly renounced a part of
his salary.
What his critics hold most against him is that his father had
willed a large sum to the cause of public education in Syria which
the son never released.
On the other hand, his generosity and
charity are amply illustrated by the fact that he gives liberally to the
poor, and maintains at his own expense several needy families,
among them that of a son of the Sultan Abdul Hamid ."who is now
living in obscurity in Lebanon.
CONDITIONS IN LEBANON UNSETTLED
'
PRESIDENT Charles Dabbas of Lebanon, invested with almost
dictatorial powers since the partial suspension of the constitution,
is making valiant efforts to bring about order out of chaos in the affairs of the little republic and improve the desperate condition of its
finances. The reduction of salaries of all officials has eased the situation slightly but there is still the question of taxes which an impoverished people cannot pay and which a needy government cannot forego. The situation is aggravated by the material reduction in
the share the Lebanese government formerly received of customs
revenue which previously was the main item in balancing the budget.
Considering the slow development of the expected reform a
considerable faction of the Lebanese are now beginning to question
the wisdom of the change, especially since the appearance of rumors
that the democratic form of government in the country might be
abolished altogether. High Commissioner Ponsot is said to have
consulted the Maronite Patriarch and many other high personages
in the country on the advisability of the change, with the intention
of seeking approval of such a course by the Foreign Office and the
Mandates Commission of the League of Nations when he submits
his annual report on the conditions and needs of the mandated territory. From present indications it would appear that such a change
would not be welcome, despite the conviction that the present expanded form of government is altogether unfitting to a small coun-
�52
THE SYRIAN WORLD
try like Lebanon. A scaling down of offices and pruning of expenditures would prove more satisfactory. There is even a suggestion,
advanced most seriously by the newspaper Lisan Ul-Hal of Beirut
to appoint a French governor general for the country for a limited
period, to whom the heads of bureaus would be directly responsible
TC that^£ C°Untry'S affairs are Put in order and a treaty
concluded between France and Lebanon that would definitely settle
the status of the latter country. The idea of a French ruler is not
new, but its revival at the present time would indicate the state of
despair among some elements as to the ability of the Lebanese to independently solve their own problems.
Other rumors are to the effect that some sort of federation is
contemplated between Lebanon and Syria and other States under
the French mandate that would insure greater economy in government and closer cooperation in economic development. The Leba
nese are generally opposed to such an arrangement if it is designed
to curtail their political rights or affect their independence. But as
usual, Ponsot is keeping strict silence on his plans, and neither his
proposed plans for the alteration of the Lebanese'constitution no
he contents of the draft treaty that is meant to define the future reS
AA
a d SyHa arC kn Wn
hat° M.
M Ponsot
pWee", uhas reached
u , a tentative °agreement
- Jt is kll0Wn
> h Syrians
ever,
that
with the
on the conditions of the treaty subject to the approval of the French
government. The treaty was made a condition'of the new Wof
government in Syria.
abeyance f
activities
Svria^ndT^b1'' ^T ^ the
u' SUmmer
° P°litical
*
Dendin
the
VnnJT
v
^
g
"turn of M.
Ponsot from Europe, whither he was scheduled to sail the early part
of July. There were rumors that he would not return, it being the
eraltho w f/^ ^7
^ "° ^^ Wm ^ * *
£ trU Cd t0 reS rt t0 more
me hid -T
?
°
P°sitive and effective
methods in bringing order to the country. This latter rumor however, was speedily denied.
'
A
in* F
renlrhdhen^ndl7!,iVe ^f ^^ °f the ^^ in resent•5 Fre^h highhandedness had for its principal actors a French
judge and Mr Emile Eddy, Presidential candidate.
Eddy and a
fellow counsellor sought an interview with the French jurist! an1 it
is said that the latter became impatient and actually ordered h"na
er
Ut f 1S h USe
inddent WaS Ca kd to
tiln
° " Association
-. ^r
"
t»«bovcor
^tenA °
ion of7h
of thee T°
Lawyers'
of Beirut which decided
to
the mixed tribunals for several days in retaliation and protest
;-
�JUNE, 1932
53
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
NEWS SECTION
VOL. VI, NO. 9
MANY MEMORIAL SERVICES
FOR AL-HODA'S EDITOR
Admirers AH Over the World Pay
Tribute to Memory of Late
N. A. Mokarzel
The body of the late N. A. Mokarzel, famous editor of Al-Hoda of New
York, who died in Paris April 6, .of
this year, remains in a private vault
in New York awaiting transportation
to his native Lebanon. It is expected
that this will take place sometime in
the Fall, when the widow would have
made the necessary arrangements
Meanwhile, the great popularity
which the late editor enjoyed among
Arabic-speaking elements throughout
the world, particularly the Lebanese,
is being given concrete expression in
the form of memorial services held in
the United States, Mexico, the prncil»al capitals of South America, Australia, South Africa and elsewhere He
is everywhere held forth as the protagonist of the spirit of progress of
the race and the foremost champion
of his native Lebanon.
Perhaps the most expressive and
touching tribute was that paid the famous editor by the Alumni Association of Madrasat Al-Hikmat (College
of Wisdom) of Beirut on June 17 at
the auditorium of the | college, to 'express the grief at the passing of one
of their most illustrious members The
speakers were drawn from among the
JUNE, 1932
most distinguished personalities of the
country,—government officials, editors,
publishers, men of the professionswho were either classmates of the late
editor of Al-Hoda or who felt natural
Pride m him as a product of their alma mater. Dr. Elias Khouri, President of the Association, opened the
meeting with .the reading of a glowing tribute contributed to the occasion
by Daoud Bey Barakat, editor of AlAhram of Cairo, the foremost .'Arabic
paper in the world and a classmate of
Mr. Mokarzel. Other speakers were
Amin Abbas, .Tonk Shartouny, Judge
Pau Salame, Michel Shibley, Wad'h
Akel editor of Ar-Rassid of Beirut,
Bi8h.ni El-Khouri, editor of Al-Barq
ox Beirut and,.the foremost poet of
Syria, Shibley Bey Mallat, a classmate
and a district governor of Lebanon,
and others.
The Rt. Rev. Ignatius Mobarak,
Maronite Archbishop of Beirut and
titular president of the college although not included in the list of
speakers delivered a glowing tribute
to the character of the editor of AlHoda m which he stressed the rare
Quality of disinterested sacrifice which
Mr. Mokarzel demonstrated on numerous occasions in his long career of
public service and which the Archbishop pointed out as an outstanding
need among public servants in this age
of greed.
The concluding remarks were by
Joseph Mokarzel, editor of Ad-Dab-
�54.
bour, the popular weekly of Beirut,
who as the nearest relative, represented the family in the expression of
thanks to the Alumni Association and
all the distinguished guests present.
The press of Beirut has been devoting much space to the publication
of eulogies coming from all quarters
to the editor of Al-Hoda and to extended accounts of the memorial meetings held for him all over the world.
The editor of the Syrian World
wishes again to acknowledge with
much gratitude the expressions of
sympathy still reaching him from high
quarters everywhere in appreciation
of the character of his late brother,
N. A. Mokarzel.
Al-Hoda having
closed its columns against further
publication of communications of this
character, the editor of the Syrian
World must make grateful acknowledgment to the following prominent
individuals and organizations whose
communications, being in Arabic, he
regrets he cannot reproduce in the
original.
Ameen Rihani, celebrated author
and lecturer and fellow townsman of
N. A. Mokarzel, expressed genuine
grief over the passing of his former
teacher and relative of whose death
he had not heard until his return from
an extended trip in the interior of
Arabia.
Prof. Issa Iskandar Malouf, noted
Lebanese scholar and historian, who
from a study of the life and achievements of the late editor of Al-Hoda
classes his loss as one of the first magnitude to the Arabic speaking world.
The Young Men's Association of Becharre. This association is one of the
most progressive of northern Lebanon. In its letter to the editor of
the Syrian World it makes the official
request that the body of his brother,
N. A. Mokarzel, be permitted to rest
permanently under the welcome sha-
THE SYRIAN WORLD
dow of the Cedars of Lebanon, because
of his invaluable services during his
long career for the native land of the
eternal Cedars.
The Municipal Council of Becharre.
In an official communication to the
editor of the Syrian World, signed by
the president and several officers, the
governing body of the City of Becharre expresses its deep sympathy
and declares the late N. A. Mokarzel
one of the foremost benefactors of
the motherland. The communication
further states that the Council had
passed a resolution appointing an official delegation to meet the body upon its arrival at Beirut, -and that this
sentiment is shared by all the municipalities of the Northern District of
Lebanon who are expected to take similar action.
SYRIAN POST HISTORIAN
OF AMERICAN LEGION
The death of the late editor of AlHoda, aside from bringing expressions
of sympathy from Syrians and Lebanese throughout the United States,
also brought out many interesting
facts of how our countrymen have
branched out in the civic, economic
and political life of the country. The
Syrians are not now the simple traders they were during the early period
of their immigration, and if such has
been their rapid rise in the comparatively short time they have been in
the country, it may safely be said that
they may be expected to be heard from
in a big way in the not distant future.
These remarks are prompted by our
discovery of the fact that the Post
Historian of Robert B. Woodbury Post
No. 67 of the American Legion in
Pottsville, Pa., Francis A. Francis, is
of Syrian extraction. His father came
from the city of Tripoli and settled
I
�JUNE, 1932
in Philadelphia, long before the dawn
of the present century and there became a friend and follower of the late
editor of Al-Hoda when he first began
publication of the paper in 1897. He
remained his friend ever since, and it
was from good authority that his son
received his information on the life
and works of the late editor in compiling the latter's biography which he
had published in the local papers of
his city.
RECENT CHANGES IN
N. Y. ARABIC PAPERS
Number of Dailies Diminishing Under
Economic Pressure
The Arabic papers of New York
have for a long time been complaining of dwindling resources and making urgent appeals to the loyalty of
their subscribers to come to their
support. This crisis in the existence
tf the Syrian press in America has
been referred to before in these columns, but up to a few months past
al! the papers appear to have been
able to carry on. It is only recently,
however, that dents have become visible in the armor of the valiant
knights of the fourth estate, forcing
some to make concessions to the continued onslaught of the inexorable economic necessity.
If they have lost
ground, however, they appear not to
have lost courage, and each and every
paper affected makes bold claim that
the recession is temporary.
Meraat-Ul-Gharb, the second oldest
Arabic paper in the United States, being now in its thirty-third year, had
made recently many attempts at adjustment to present conditions. Having been a daily for something like
eighteen years, it announced a few
55
months ago that it had found it the
safer policy to appear every other
day, or tri-weekly.
Within a short
time, however, it had visioned better
prospects and resumed its daily publication. But again it had to face new
difficulties which made it the wiser
policy for it to retrench to the extent
of appearing three t;mes a week.
This is done with the promise that
it will resume daily publication immediately improvement in conditions
warrants taking such a step.
Al- Bayan, another daily supposed
to have the strong backing of the
Druze and Moslem element of the
Syrian community, had to make the
inevitable bow to economic necessity
and appear tri-weekly, reducing its
size to four pages instead of the regular eight. Al-Bayan took this logical
step without much fanfare and it is
the general understanding that it will
resume its daily appearance with the
improvement of conditions.
As-Shaab, another daily whose versatile editor can go so far as to write
the news and editorials and operate
the Linotype as well, is still published
daily nominally, but the frequent delays and omissions resulting from various causes indicate that the paper
is under a heavy strain. Judging by
its editorial comments, however, one
is led to believe that the Rock of Gibraltar is not as strong. The magic
of hope is inscrutable.
Al-Hoda, the oldest Arabic daily
paper in the United States, is still being published with the same regularity that characterized the career of its
late editor, N. A. Mokarzel, who died
in Paris while on a political mission
for the interest of better government
in his native Lebanon. Al-Hoda is
part of the estate of its founder and
editor and is now being run by the
widow, who has been appointed administratrix of the estate. It is too
�56
THE SYRIAN WORLD
early to judge whether the paper is
"and Syrians, my beloved Syrians, restill going on the momentum of the
presentatives of a wonderful race, one
fame and prestige of its late editor,
cf the oldest in the world, a race that
but to all apparent indications it has
goes back over the ages, a race that
not yet shown any signs of wavering.
grew with the growth of the faith.
Of the Arabic monthly magazines
"They are magnificent Catholics. I
two have already joined the host of
love the Syrians; theirs is a sister
the departed, namely, Character and
race of the Hebrew people from whom
Al-Khalidat. The editors of both bedescended Our Lord Jesus Chrst
lieve in immortality and look forward
Erom the mountains of Lebanon they
hopefully for resurrection.
come, from the wonderful plains of
The Syrian World also clings to life
upper Palestine. They, too, came very
by sheer hope!
quietly to take their place here and to
add their contribution to the welfare
of the country. They brought with
them a wonderful faith; their childA HIGH TRIBUTE FROM
AN AMERICAN CARDINAL ren, like the children of the Italian
race, have grown up to be a credit and
Early this year the Catholics of an honor to us."
Boston celebrated the silver jubilee of
Cardinal O'Connell's elevation to the
episcopacy, which coincided with His
Eminence's 72nd bilthday.
On that
SYRIAN WORLD TEXTS
occasion the cardinal held a reception
USED IN UNIVERSITIES
which was attended by representatives of the different Catholic races
B. J. Baroody, a medical student
in his diocese, and for each of whom at Duke University, Durham, N. C,
he had a kind word. The Syrians were writes enthusiastically of-the Syrian'
singled out with the highest praise, World which he says has opened a
-His Eminence characterizing them as limitless vista for him on Syrian af"my beloved Syrians."
fairs and Arabic literature. Although
It was impossible at the time to ob- taking up the practical science of
tain a copy of the cardinal's address medicine, he asserts he has a natural
which had been quoted in one of the mcLnation for literature.
Besides
Syrian papers. The Rt. Rev. Stephen according to his statement, he is inEl-Douaihy, pastor of the Maronite tensely interested in everything Syrchurch cf Boston, to whom an appeal ian, although born in America.
was made as a last recourse, obliged
"I always pass my copy of the Syrby supplying a copy of the Boston
ian
World around to professors and
Post of Dec. 29, 1931, in which the
students",
writes Mr. Baroody. "In
cardinal's words were quoted. They
fact,
one
of
the professors became so
are words of which the Syrians can
interested
in
Gibran K. Gibran that
justly be proud and which they should
keep alive in their memory that they one morning in chapel he delivered an
may always live up to their true sig- oration on this "Great Syrian" to an
audience of nearly three thousand.
nificance.
I have learned more regarding
"There are Japanese, Chinese, and
nations from all over the world in the the Oriental mind from your publiBoston diocese", said the cardinal, cation than from any other one
source."
»
�JUNE, 1932
SOUTHERN FEDERATION
OF SYRIAN CLUBS
A Federation of Syrian Clubs will
be organized in the South, for which a
Convent:on has been called to be held
in Beaumont, Texas, September 4th
and 5th, writes Mr. H. A. Amuny, of
Port Arthur, Texas, Chairman of the
Federation Committee.
The purpose of the Federation, he
explains, is to create and sustain the
work of the various Syrian Clubs
through companionship of its members in unified effort, by upholding
Syrian institutions, cherishing and
preserving Syrian ideals and traditions, and taking an act;ve part in all
projects for the mutual benefit of
Syrians.
- In July of last year the Young
Men's Amusement Club, a Syrian organization of Port Arthur, Texas, promoted the idea of a Federation to
several hundred Syrians who were attend:ng an entertainment in that city.
No definite action was taken until the
following September, when the Syrian
Girls Friendly Club of Austin, Texas,
caused definite steps to be taken at an
assembly of several hundred Syrians.
A committee composed of Mr. Amuny
as chairman, Mr. Herman G. Nami
of San Antonio, Texas, Mr. J. H.
Campbell of Tyler, Texas, Mr. Fred J.
Yazbeck of Lafayette, La., and Mrs.
M. K. Boyer of Dallas, Texas, was
appointed to draft the articles for a
Constitution and to call a convention
cf all known Syr'an clubs for the
adoption of such Constitution and the
formation of the Federation.
The committee's duties have been
completed, and they now are endeavoring to locate other Syrian clubs in
the territory which the Federation
will cover, namely, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas,
Louis;ana,
Mississippi,
Alabama',
Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina,
57
North Carolina and Florida.
To carry out the purpose of the
league in establishing charitable institutions, providing educational features sueh as the awarding of scholarships, and the creation of a research
bureau, calls for the deliberative
thought of a purely representative
body cf all Syrians concerned.
In some quarters there may bei
rumblings of charging disloyalty or
insinuations of the non-feasibility of
"foreign" organizations, continues Mr.
Amuny. That thought we wish to dispel. The successful culmination of
the venture we are about to make, we
believe, will tend to make better
Americans of us all. If we were to
look into the remote future, we would
visualize our theory as the beginning
of a movement to organize all sons
and daughters of all nationalities that
migrated to America. We are all endowed with some particular trait that
our neighbor lacks. In union, we can
preserve these desirable traditions,
and the pattern of American life will
be strengthened in the retention of
the undeniable quaHties handed down
from earliest civilization.
SYRIAN IN BRAZIL
APPRECIATES SYRIAN WORLD
Sometime ago Mr. & Mrs= W. Boaz
returned from a trip to Brazil and
visited the office of the Syrian World
to make some purchases of books and
secure some back numbers of the magazine. They bought a complete set
of G;bran's works which they sent to
their nephew Dr. Elias J. Kanan at
Porto Alegre, Brazil, together with a
year's subscription to the Syrian
World. By return mail they received
from h;m a letter of acknowledgment
from which we are pleased to quote
the following:
"I received the books of Gibran and
�58
two copies of the Syrian World. I enjoyed them and wish to thank you
sincerely for your excellent choice.
That same day I read almost a whole
copy of the Syrian World and liked it,
and it was with enthusiasm that I
read 'A Poet Returns Home' and
'Touching Reception of Gibran's
Body in Lebanon'.
"Khalil G'bran was a great mystical poet*** He was for me the first
true poet I have read in my life, and
in Portuguese we have some wonderful poetry with deep feeling and extensive meaning.
"A little later I shall try to write
an essay on the life of Gibran, h;s
masterpiece 'The Prophet' and his
death for our local review, the "Revista do Globo". If I can realize this,
I should like also to have it published
in the Syrian World, this wonderful
book that, surely must be the glory
and pride of Arabian and Syrian literature in North Amer:ca."
SYRIAN FLIER VICTIM
OF AIR TRAGEDY
The Arabic paper Al-Islah of Chili
gives a graphic description of the a:r
tragedy which occured over the Chilian Andes on May 23 and resulted in
the death of Abdul Massih Nakrom,
a Syr:an flier in the Chilian air service.
The plane which the Syrian aviator
was flying is said to have been the
newest and finest of the Chilian a-r
fleet. On that day it was in charge
of Nakrour and two other Chilian fliers and was carrying two military
photographers. At the time of the
mishap Capt. La Grissi was at the
controls, but when the plane had risen
to a height of 10,000 feet it was
caught m a stormy current between
two mountain peaks and the motor
stalled. Realizing that Nakrour had
THE SYRIAN WORLD
greater experience La Grissi turned
the controls over to him, and then
began a desperate battle Which ended
•n the crash of the huge plane at the
bottom of the valley. While the intrepid Syrian flier could not save the
Plane, he managed to save his companions who all escaped with minor
injuries, he be-ng the only one killed.
Nakrour was given a military funeral and was highly lauded for his
bravery by the Chilian press.
BAGHDADITE JEW IS
A BRITISH PEER
A few weeks ago Sir Victor Sassoon, British banker and industrialist,
arrived at San Francisco where he'
related how a collector of the port of
Honolulu, Mrs. Jeannette Hyde, hailed
him bafore the court on a charge of
violatii n of the Prohibition Law. The
zealous American official had been
told that Sir Victor, Who was coming
to the United States from China, Was
a l'quor smuggler, and that cases of
liquor, wine and beer in the "not
wanted" baggage room of the President Coolidge Dollar liner from Shanghai belonged to Sir Victor Sassoon.
Released on a $150 bail, Sir Victor recounted his experience to reporters,
saying:
"It was really funny, being hauled
by a woman. Of course I had no idea
I was busting any of your jolly old
United States laws."
The Sassoons are a well-known family in England, but they are also wellknown in the Orient, and many members cf the family have never left
Oriental soil. The Sassoons are originally a Baghdadite Jewish family
that has behind it at least 300 years
of prominence in financial circles. They
have produced many bankers and big
industrialists and the family branch
in India is equally as wealthy.
In fact the wealth of the English
�JUNE, 1932
branch of the family goes back to the
days of the British India Company in
which the Sassoons had extensive Interests. A Sassoon was at one time
Minister of Finance in the Iraqite
Government, while another Sassoon,
Sir Philip Sassoon, is a close friend
cf Lloyd George, War Premier of
Great Britain.
ANOTHER BAGHDADITE JEW
LEAVES IMMENSE FORTUNE
Sassoon and Hardoon! Two names
that sound alike and that seem to bear
the same analogy in worldly wealth.
Their bearers are also alike in that
they both are Jews and both from
Baghdad, that city of fabulous wealth
that produced characters like Sindbad
the Sailor who embarked on the most
romantic adventures and was able to
gather precious metals and precious
stones from the farthest ends of the
world.
The story of Silas Aaron Hardoon
is no less romantic than that of Sindbad. Born in Baghdad, he migrated
tc China and there engaged in trade
and amassed an immense fortune. Upon his death lately in Shanghai, at
the ripe age of 84, he left a fortune
estimated at $50,000,000 to his Chinese
widow, but due to the extent of the
fortune there were many of his blood
relatives who contested the will on the
ground that his marriage to his
Chinese wife was not legal as it was
net in accordance with Jewish orthodox law. The Iraq government came
to the defense of the claimants because they were all natives of Iraq.
The action of the Iraq government
rests on the fact that Hardoon, a n?
tive of Baghdad, never renounced his
Iraquian citizenship and urged that
the case be tried under the laws of
Iraq.
59
SYRIANS OF AKRON
PRAISED FOR CHARITY
Miss Marie Hanna cf Akron, O.,
sends us a capping of the Akron Beacon Journal of May 30 which tells a
pathetic story of how Michael Abdalla, an industrious Syrian, after having
been a prosperous merchant and never
turning down an appeal for help, found
himself destitute and broken in health,
h;s wife dead and theil only daughter
an invalid. But the Syrians remembered with gratitude Abdalla's former
benefact;ons and decided to help him
return to Syria. The Syrian-American
Club, the Syrian Social Club, the Ladies' Aid Society of the Syrian Orthodox Church combined to render the
necessary assistance for Abdalla's repatriation.
Arietta S. Weimer, in
writing the account of the case for
the Akron paper, had many kind
things to say for the char;table inclinations of the Syrians.
SYRIAN FEEDS
HUNGRY VETERANS
When the B. E. F. (Bonus Expeditionary Force) descended on Washington to influence Congress on the question of bonus payment, the men were
dependent on public dcnat:ons for
their support during the time they
were holding siege at the capital.
But, according to Al-Bayan of New
York, there was a day when 2,500 men
of the B. E. F. forgot their worries in
the feeling of plenty provided through
the generosity of a Syrian restaurant
owner of Washington, Ibrahim Mohammad Kazboor, himself an A. E. F.
veteran. Present on the occasion were"
several Representatives who praised in
high terms the spirit of loyalty and
the openhandedness of this Syrian
veteran who provided a square meal
that was in the nature of a feast to
this large number of hungry ex-service men.
�60
THE SYRIAN WORLD
l!??!!!!?^^^
Gibran's Message
To Young Americans of SyrianOrigin
By G. K. GlBRAN
(Wrinaa Ei^Mully f«
TTM Srnan World f
Author ol *TJt* Prophet,
"Jesus the Son of J&imf
latod (roa ih. FirM 1MM a
SttMn WarU, July, 1926
I believe in you. and I believe in your destiny.
I believe that you are contributors to this new civilization
jELttawsr' of *and - ^*~-.i«jarja
hl H J ,t'ie" '*"' r*-*" "y
M EmWSOn and Wh
«"»n and Janus, "In
my veins tuns the
to ,his ,and to produ
he, ,o l^irjcffiur
" •-*- - —
And I believe that it is in you to be good citizens.
And what is it to be a good citizen?
conscous of ".
,Cdg
! *" °'h" ""*' *** **">" "-*
vou, own. b„, always to fa,
o ,hf o*rr ?£;££*' and d,cdbu*k - -u°,o know *« ^ * *- - -*•
^vc Jz: ST- rtbfiS!tht b"u,iful wi,h your own hands-jnd - —" «* —
It is to produce wealth by labor and only by labor, and to soend l«« rh,„ „«,. u
duced that your cbudren may no, be dependent on I state fof s^n wTen^V" no X!
Ir is to stand before the towers or New York. Washington Chicjon a„H E. c
h r
f a Pe P
b S
Rftid
H Ant.och.
2 Su*and
ffT
° "
"»'with
" you.Da3u
S,buTsn"nd
Tyre
and 17
S.don. "
and
now I am° here to
build
and with.Id
a will."
It is to be proud of being an American, but it is also to be proud that your fathers »nH
mothers came from a .and upon which God laid His gracious handld rai«d (ft messengers
Young Americans of Syrian origin. I believe in you.
FREE TO SYRIAN WORLD SUBSCRIBERS. This beautiful message by
2 hZ
> w /' PJiRtGd in laTge type °n hea^ PaPer with ornamentith Sent Tv
:J^mg- EVCry PAID briber whose term begins
with Sept 1931 is entitled to a copy, mailed in heavy cardboard tube. Subscribers whose term begins before Sept. 1931 may secure a copy by renewal
�MM
JUNE, 1932
61
AUTHENTIC
^
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Phone BOgardus 4-4345
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and economy. Our aim is to help those who are in trouble at a very
little cost. No charge for use of our services or funeral parlors.
Telephone—MAIN 1398-1399-8130-3655
BEST SYRIAN FOOD
You will experience a real touch of the East, exemplified by unexcelled Syrian cuisine, at the ARABIAN
SHEIK RESTAURANT, under the expert management of Elias Esper. Take special note of the name
and address. Bring your friends for a real and extraordinary treat.
73
IL
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WASHINGTON ST.
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NEW YORK
9—9837
Tl
�SBSM
Since the appearance of this series,
showing the extent of the use of the
Arabic Linotype in North Africa, the
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ARABIC
LINOTYPES
IN TUNIS
Near East and the Far East, two additional Arabic Linotypes were installed in Tunis, proving that the
demand for this wonderful machine
is increasing constantly because of
the printers' growing conviction of
its indispensability. One of these
Linotypes represents an additional
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the user was thoroughly satisfied
with his investment in the first Linotype and realized the advantage of
purchasing another. This has been
the consistent history of the Linotype from the very beginning, because the machine was made to meet
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"Le Petit Matin," Tunis, Tunisia
(new installation)
One Linotype
S. A. De L'lmprimerie de La
(»TR»DE n ^j DT YPE
MAPK
)
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One Linotype
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BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, U. S. A.
Cable: Linotype, New York
Representatives in the Principal Cities of the World
Linotype Metro No. 2 Family
An illustrated descriptive catalog of the Arabic Linotype sent
free upon request.
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
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FAOUR BANK
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Established 1891
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�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
Identifier
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NS 0002
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
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TSW1932_06reducedWM
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Volume 06, Issue 09
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1932 June
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 6 Issue 09 of The Syrian World published June 1932. The issue opens with an article by Rev. W. A. Mansur discussing the Phoenicians as great pioneers of civilization. This is followed by H.I. Katibah's discussion concerning the romance and beauty of the past. Thomas Asa follows him with a poem titled "Desert Troth," which seems to describe a phantom encounter in the desert. Edna K. Saloomey then continues her discussion on the younger generation, which is followed by two True Arabian Tales. Dagny Edwards' poem "Impetus" closes out the issue before the usual editorial comment, political updates of Syria, and excerpts from the Syrian press.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
A language of the resource
English
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
Format
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Text/pdf
Type
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Text
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Edna K. Saloomey
Habib I. Katibah
New York
Poetry-English
Thomas Asa
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/bb339b721721392304e4195fa9481a93.pdf
c8b476d624a25fcf17e37bd67a2da09b
PDF Text
Text
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THE
SYRIAN WORLD
"Published monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New \ ork,
J
N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
=£
VOL. VI NO. 5
JANUARY, 1932
CONTENTS
Aden as Seen by a Syrian Traveler
3
AMEEN RIHANI
The Prophet (a Poem)
\
6
THOMAS ASA
A rab Contributions to World Civilization
DR.
Poetry, Edited by
F. I.
SHATARA
BARBARA YOUNG
Love is Enough
Issa, a Poem, by
Frontiers, by
7
14
15
ROBERT NORWOOD
16
ALICE HUNT BARTLETT
17
Islam Faces the Challenge of Liberalism
H. I.
KATIBAH
18
�CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
A Legal Opinion
22
FARIS
S.
MALOOF
Death of the Maronite Patriarch
23
Who Are the Maronites
27
MICHAEL ABOUSSLEMAN
Syria in Romance
32
The Brethren
RIDER HAGGARD
Sayings of Alt
".
3g
True Arabian Tales
39
The Lajdy Prisoner Who Enslaved Her Captor
Book Reviews
The Wanderer, by
/
42
KAHLIL GIBRAN
To Bagdad and Back,
By JOE MITCHELL
The Maronites of Lebanon,
By REV. PAUL
43
CHAPPLE
45
ABRAHAM
Political Developments in Syria
45
Syrian World News Section
49
�yrian
«/
SALLOUM A. M<
MOKARZEL, Editor.
JANUARY, 1932
Aden as Seen by a Syrian Traveler
The Once Beautiful and Hospitable Arab City Has Lost its Charms
Despite the Century of English Occupation.
By
/
AMEEN RIHANI
WE approach Aden in the morning and turn into the harbor,
the city is seen crouching at the foot of Mt. Shamsa, which is
like Gibraltar in form, and which rises sheer, abrupt, behind a half
circle of buildings in the heart of Steamer Point. Black masses, coal
piles, are in the foreground; the forts on the hilltops are conspicuous; the harbor-light rises in the center of the picture, and all
around is a scene as dull and drab as any port in the British Isles
But to our left, when the clouds are completely dispelled, another
skyline looms behind the first, a little higher, but similar in form;
and the two mountain summits, a sort of duet, rise together and fall
rhythmically, harmoniously, and vanish in the north. It is a compensation for the commonplace of Steamer Point.
The distance from Steamer Point to Aden proper, or Aden
Camp is about five miles along the coast. We go through the
Somali village of Ma'alla, past the custom-house there, and up a
winding road to what seems like, a blind wall. But soon we reach
the tunnel, which is an opening in the mountain, wide enough at the
bottom for a carriage road and almost closing at a height of about
sixty feet where it is spanned by a bridge. This is the gate of
Aden, and suddenly, as we go through it with a crash, we come upon
the city which is set in the midst of a circle of hills, in the very
crater of a long extinguished volcano.
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
The crater, thanks to Time, is now habitable. The heat is
not as it was before the deluge or many thousand years before the
"before." For since then the volcano had some geological reverses,
was in fact dissipating its fortune; and having eventually gone bankrupt, it is now enjoying a temperature of one hundred degrees Fahrenheit (in summer) and a mixed population of thirty thousand
souls. Some of these souls—the Bunias—are reincarnated in dogs,
cats and peacocks; others—the Parsis—return to the primal fire;
still others—the Moslems—await the Paradise where the houri is
ever a virgin and the garden of each man's happiness is ever filled
with houris; and there are those who care not what becomes of
their souls so long as their capital is safe, and others who pretend
to have charted the whole sea of the Hereafter and found therein
isles of eternal bliss—for themselves alone. They all live in the
crater in peace; but they are as barren of sympathy for each other
as the hills around them.
What abodes of eternal hope and joy are in the crater. The
Bunias have a cremation station; the Parsis have a temple of silence;
the Mohammedans have a mosque and dervish circle; the Jews
have a synagogue and a fellow Jew who is worth thirty million
pounds; the Capuchins have a shop and a confessional; the Episcopals have a church on the hilltop, to which the soldiers march
every Sunday headed by a brass band; and Tommy Atkins has a
dance hall, a cinema and a football field. The hospitable crater!
In the bazaar the town dozes under a canopy of calm. Considerable business is nevertheless transacted; and in spite of the
rivalry, commercial and religious, between four of the shrewdest
and most self-righteous people in the world, the Bunia, the Parsi,
the Bohra and the Jew, nothing ever disturbs the even tenor of security and peace. God save the King! I do not know who of these
four Orientals is the shrewdest!
As a servant the Arab is faithful and trustworthy; but he is
lazy. As a merchant he is honest and reliable; but he has not the
energy of the Parsi or the Bunia. As a man of means or a man of
learning, he is modest and unassuming; but he lacks the curiosity
of the Bohra and the ambition of the Jew. But whatever he is, he
is seldom wanting in dignity and poise.
Many things are done in the crater for the good of the soul,
among them the performance {haiaqali) of the Rashidiyah cult.
We attended this halaqah, which was run at that time by an Egyptian who survived many scandals in Aden. The choir of boys, who
/
�JANUARY, 1932
stood in line facing the men, clapped their hands while singing
melodiously the lines of the Sun poet Al-Fared.
"Thou hast taken but my heart—a part of me;
Is there any harm if 1 were all with thee?"
t
The men cried, Allah, Allah! while swinging their bodies
violently and swiftly to and fro; some of them swooned with devotion—their eyes were all white with ecstasy; and everyone seemed
but a senseless vibrating unit in a mystically animated group. But
there was nothing mystical in the singing, which was all about love.
Hence, I think, the scandals.
On our way back we passed through a narrow lane which was
dimly lighted by a few rays from the electrics in the square; and
I was startled by a figure seated on the ground, against the wall,
and pulling at something with his hand. It was a rope which hung
from a window on the third-top-floor of the house, and the figure
was a punkah boy fanning his master, up in that room, to sleep.
We were passing by the house, under the window, of the Jewish
millionaire, who lived in fear of being assassinated. Besides, he,
a man of eighty-five, had recently taken unto himself a young wife,
a girl of fifteen, who had pinned her hope, it was said, upon the
smallpox epidemic, and he would trust no man, not even the punkah boy, within the house.
The punkah is not the only antiquated thing in this outwardly
modern and progressive city; for in spite of the fact that the
English have now been in Aden eighty-seven years, the streets are
still sprinkled by a man carrying a skin of water on his back, and
the drinking water is still distributed in barrels on carts drawn
by camels. Now, we are told by an Arab historian, who does not
kowtow to the Jinn, that one of the governors of Aden in the 15th
century, Abd'ul-Wahhab by name, had aqueducts built for the conveyance of water to the city from a well ten miles away, where now
is the town of Sheikh Othman. But there are the reservoirs, a
superb monument to the enterprising spirit of the ancient Arabs.
Even in modern history, a hundred years before the English
occupation, Aden was a flourishing and attractive city, a city of
wealth, refinement, hospitality, and picturesque beauty. In 1709
a French expedition, sailing around the Cape, stopped at Aden on
its way to Mokha, to negotiate a treaty for the importation of coffee
into France. A gentleman named La Roque accompanied the expedition and left a record of its voyage and its experiences in an
interesting little volume.
�6
THE SYRIAN WORLD
They remained two weeks in Aden, and the pages of Le Sieur
La Roque glow with enthusiasm. He tells of its handsome buildings, its mosques, its fortifications, and its aqueducts, about a league
from the city, which furnished all the inhabitants with excellent
water. But nothing did he admire so much as the domed public
baths, which were lined with marble or jasper, and adorned with
galleries supported by magnificent pillars.
This was the Aden of those days, an Arab city with a dash of
the splendor of ancient Bagdad. The Bunia traders had already
come from India, and La Roque speaks of them as the Jews of the
Bazaar. But the dominating manner was Arabic; the governor was
a learned Zaidi, who had written a treatise on coffee; the people
dressed in flowing elegant robes and spoke in a flowing elegant accent the language of the Prophet; and, moreover, they practiced
hospitality. But what they wear today would baffle, besides shocking a costumier; what they speak is a hodge-podge of Ordu and
Italian, Persian and English, Turkish and Gujrati, with Arabic as
a background; and hospitality is fast becoming an effete tradition.
The Prophet
Dedicated' to Kahlil Gibran
By THOMAS ASA
i
A trackless empire hearkened to thy word,—
Rose from primordial dust to dreaming spires;
Infused it with the voice of Godly lyres,—
Lead by the vision of the sacred Bird
Of Heaven, whose high message thou hast heard;
And from thy heart emerged the fusing fires,
And love divine in sodden minds inspires;—
Rule thine own people, in one nation gird.
And thou hast formed in thy short span of life.
From Sedrat's shaded desert thou hast made,
An ever-shining beacon to thy fame;
That all the world may wonder that the strife
Of thine own musing, God-like soul hast laid
The enduring wisdom of thy noble name.
This poem was originally published in a former issue of The
Syrian World. It is now reprinted by request in commemoration of
Gibran's birthday which falls on January 6.
"—"'
" " «" —
-
�I
JANUARY, 1932
7
Arab Contributions to World
Civilization
{Excerpts from an address delivered before the Baltimore Open
Forum to a distinguished audience on Dec. 13)
By
DR.
F. I.
SHATARA
THE average person in whose mind the word "Arab" conT'Ojures
up a desert, a camel, a horse, a tent, or a movie Sheik, the
discussion of "Arab Contributions to World Civilization" would
sound fantastic. To many Longfellow's lines are familiar:
"Shall fold their tents like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away
,..."
I
The story writer or the scenario author in their description of
an Arab or of Arab life must of necessity portray the odd and rather grotesque features. Who then is the real Arab? Has he ever
been civilized, and what has he contributed to the world civilization?
The first reference to Arab civilization is that of the Bible to
the visit of the Arab Queen of Sheba, who ruled Southern Arabia,
and who visited King Solomon bringing with her magnificent gifts
of "spices, very much gold, and precious stones."
As early as 800 B. C. the Yaman or Southwestern Arabia was
one of the great marts of the Eastern world. The Himyar Arabs
carried the torch of civilization through the channels of trade and
commerce. They excelled in architecture and engineering. It
will interest you to know that the skyscraper is an Arab invention.
The palace Gamdan, which was constructed for one of the Himyar
Kings, was twenty-two stories high, and was crowned with a belvedere, whose roof was covered with alabaster slates so thin and polished that one could distinguish through them the color of the
birds that flew above the palace. The Tanks in Aden are products
of their engineering skill. Various industries flourished in Yaman
such as weaving, dyeing, carving in marble, rope-making, forging
arms, and masonry.
The Arabs prior to the advent of Mohammed were pagans.
During this period, known as Al-Jahilieh, the Mualaquats were
produced. These poems, or odes, are said to have been the best
�8
THE SYRIAN WORLD
selections in the literary bazaars, and as such were then suspended
on the Ka'ba at Mecca. It is probable, however, that these Mualaquat, of which there were seven, were selected by Hammad ar
Rawiya, one of the most famous professional reciters in the 8th
century A. D.
The Hamasa and Mufaddaliyah are other poems of this period.
The Prophet Mohammed unified the scattered tribes of
Arabia, fired them with a religious zeal and national consciousness
and sent them out to conquer the world. Their conquest carried
them over Syria and Palestine, Asia Minor, Persia, Egypt, India,
China, Northern Africa, and Spain.
Mohammed hurled his followers into the face of a decadent
civilization which was stunned by the terrific blow and brought
tottering to earth. The mighty empires of Byzantium and Persia
met their speedy doom under the blows of the Arabs. The wave
of conquest went as far as India and touched the shore of the Caspian Sea. The Gates of Hercules were renamed Gibraltar, a corruption of "Jabal Tariq" the mountain of Tariq, the Arab General
who invaded Spain. Northwards the wave broke through the passes,
of the Pyrenees, and the plan to shake hands across the Bosphorus
was frustrated by Charles Martel in the Battle of Tours in the year
732 A. D.
Mohammed died in 623 A. D. leaving a united Arabia.
Let us then move on to the Islamic period. Mohammed and
Islam would furnish an immense topic, but only a passing reference
to them can be made.
Whatever the merits or demerits of Islam may be, students
of history must admit that it was a great step from paganism to the
unitarianism of Islam; that many of the tenets of Islam were wisely selected to meet the existing circumstances, that it was the religious spark of Islam which set the flame of Arab nationalism and
civilization, and that Mohammed has left an indelible impression
on world history, and that his followers today are a great force with
which one must reckon.
There is a notion commonly held that Islam was spread by
the sword. This is a false impression, for while it is true that Arab
conquests had to depend on the sword the adoption of Islam was
generally by free choice. Thus says Dorsey in his Man's Own Show:
Civilization:—"Islamism spread with dazzling speed- because the
Christians of Syria and Egypt had had a surfeit of theology and
oppression. They embraced the new religion! They could live with
and under their new masters and enjoy life as they could not under
\
�——
JANUARY, 1932
'
9
their Christian Masters. Free thought, Moslem's crowning glory
for eight centuries and to which our civilization is so greatly indebted, was destroyed by its own orthodox clergy. From the blight
of rive centuries of intellectual sterility the world of Islam is just
now beginning to try to emerge."
Among the Orthodox Caliphs, Umar, the conqueror of Jerusalem, was an outstanding figure. His conquests extended the realm
to Syria and Egypt. It is related that after appointing his governors he went out to bid them farewell. His orders to them were
as follows:
"I have not appointed you over the people of Mohammed
that you may drag them by their hair and scourge their skins,
but in order that you may lead them in prayer and judge between
them with justice, and divide the public money amongst them with
equity. I have not made you lords of their skin and hair."
This indeed would be a good motto for our twentieth century
rulers.
The student of history cannot but be impressed with Arab contributions to all branches of Medieval knowledge. They not only
served as the preservers of civilization after the decay of Rome
and Greece, but they contributed richly to human knowledge and
finally transmitted it to Europe, thus rendering possible the great
Renaissance. Let us briefly consider some of these contributions:
EDUCATION:
I
Wherever the Arab went he carried enlightenment and education. Thus Nicholson says:
"This material expansion was accompanied by an outburst of
intellectual activity such as the East had never witnessed before.
It seemed as if the whole world from the Caliph down to the
humblest of citizens suddenly became students, or at least patrons
of literature. In quest of knowledge, men traveled over three
continents and returned home, like bees laden with honey, to impart the precious stores which they had accumulated to crowds of
eager disciples, and to compile with incredible industry those works
of encyclopaedic range and erudition from which modern science,
in the widest sense of the word, has derived far more than is
generally supposed."
The Arabs built schools on a sound financial basis. Our ideas
of endowing institutions of learning must have been inspired by
the practice prevalent among the Arabs. Wherever a school was
'
�10
THE SYRIAN WORLD
founded some kind of productive investment was made for it.
Thus Saladin endowed al-Madrassah al-Suyufiyyah in Cairo with
thirty-two shops, and al-Salahyyah in Jerusalem with a whole street,
the rentals from which maintained the school.
The Educational contributions of the Arabs are thus summarized by Totah in his thesis:
1 The Arabs contributed a great deal to the content of education
during the Middle Ages.
2 They introduced the system of Arabic notation and the decimal
system. Every school child should bless them for relief from
the Roman notation.
3 They introduced textbooks.
4 If the Renaissance is a contribution to education, then the
Arabs are to be credited as educators for their share in that
movement.
5 It was a worthy contribution to education for the Arabs to
have saved the world for several centuries from ignorance
and barbarism.
6 Arabic colleges provided an example for European universities.
7 The Arabs made a substantial contribution to the social education of Europe. They taught Europe the use of fabrics and
textiles, such as cotton, damask, gauze and muslin deriving
their names from Damascus, Gaza, Mosul (respectively) and
thus made life a little less primitive.
They made the homes more attractive by the introduction of
brasswork, woodwork, rugs and mattresses. Food was enriched
and made more palatable through the introduction of sugar, coffee,
oranges, candy, spices and other delicacies. Such words as the following, which are derived from the Arabic, tell the tale: alcohol,
amber, atlas, azure, camphor, candy, carat, coffee, crimson, cumin,
divan, jar, lemon, lute, mattress, saffron, sherbet, syrup, sofa,
spinach, and sugar.
•
The baths of Cordova, street lights, and general comforts of
Arab cities provided lessons in the amelioration of the existing conditions in Europe.
Of Arab ideas of education, some of which are ultra-modern
even for the twentieth century, the following quotations are illustrations:
,33=
�JANUARY, 1932
11
"Do not impose your ideas upon your children—for
they are created for an age that is not your age."
Al-Ghazali: "The child is a trust with his parents, and his pure
heart is a precious stone, guileless and free of every
mark or form. It is receptive to whatever might be
inscribed on it."
Said Ali:
ASTRONOMY AND MATHEMATICS:
Astronomy sprang from a humble origin—astrology. The
Arabs' interest in the stars began at a very early date in their history. They understood and improved the system of Ptolemy.
They made important astronomical measurements and calculations.
They built observatories in Baghdad, Damascus, Cairo and Seville.
They used astronomical instruments, and Al-Kindi (850 A. D.)
wrote a treatise on weather predictions.
In mathematics, besides introducing the system of Arab notation and the decimal system, they did serious mathematical work
and passed it on to Europe. Algebra is an Arabic word. They developed trigonometry and introduced the sines. In the time of
Al-Ma'num mathematicians measured the degree of the earth's
circumference. Al-Khawarazmi introduced a new computation
system, the Algorist, which word is a corruption of Al-Khawarazmi.
PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY:
Al-Hazen (965—1038) wrote a work on optics enunciating
the law of reflection and making a study of spherical and parabolic
mirrors. He also devised an apparatus for studying refraction and
was the first physicist to note the magnifying power of lenses. He
gave a detailed account of the human eye, and attempted to explain
the change of the apparent shape of the sun and moon when approaching the horizon. The Arabs employed the pendulum for time
measurement and tabulated specific gravities of metals. (Wiedermann)
Their skill in chemistry enabled them to prepare new chemical
remedies and form many combinations of those already in use.
They produced the first pharmacopeia and established the first apothecaries' shops. Many of the names and many forms of medicine
now used, in fact the general outline of modern pharmacy, except
so far as modified by modern chemistry, started with the Arabs.
(Encyclopedia Brittannica).
�._ .
10
THE SYRIAN WORLD
founded some kind of productive investment was made for it.
Thus Saladin endowed al-Madrassah al-Suyufiyyah in Cairo with
thirty-two shops, and al-Salahyyah in Jerusalem with a whole street,
the rentals from which maintained the school.
The Educational contributions of the Arabs are thus summarized by Totah in his thesis:
1 The Arabs contributed a great deal to the content of education
during the Middle Ages.
2 They introduced the system of Arabic notation and the decimal
system. Every school child should bless them for relief from
the Roman notation.
3 They introduced textbooks.
4 If the Renaissance is a contribution to education, then the
Arabs are to be credited as educators for their share in that
movement.
5 It was a worthy contribution to education for the Arabs to
have saved the world for several centuries from ignorance
and barbarism.
6 Arabic colleges provided an example for European universities.
7 The Arabs made a substantial contribution to the social education of Europe. They taught Europe the use of fabrics and
textiles, such as cotton, damask, gauze and muslin deriving
their names from Damascus, Gaza, Mosul (respectively) and
thus made life a little less primitive.
They made the homes more attractive by the introduction of
brasswork, woodwork, rugs and mattresses. Food was enriched
and made more palatable through the introduction of sugar, coffee,
oranges, candy, spices and other delicacies. Such words as the following, which are derived from the Arabic, tell the tale: alcohol,
amber, atlas, azure, camphor, candy, carat, coffee, crimson, cumin,
divan, jar, lemon, lute, mattress, saffron, sherbet, syrup, sofa,
spinach, and sugar.
•
The baths of Cordova, street lights, and general comforts of
Arab cities provided lessons in the amelioration of the existing conditions in Europe.
Of Arab ideas of education, some of which are ultra-modern
even for the twentieth century, the following quotations are illustrations:
�JANUARY, 1932
11
"Do not impose your ideas upon your children—for
they are created for an age that is not your age."
Al-Ghazali: "The child is a trust with his parents, and his pure
heart is a precious stone, guileless and free of every
mark or form. It is receptive to whatever might be
inscribed on it."
Said Ali:
ASTRONOMY AND MATHEMATICS:
Astronomy sprang from a humble origin—astrology. The
Arabs' interest in the stars began at a very early date in their history. They understood and improved the system of Ptolemy.
They made important astronomical measurements and calculations.
They built observatories in Baghdad, Damascus, Cairo and Seville.
They used astronomical instruments, and Al-Kindi (850 A. D.)
wrote a treatise on weather predictions.
In mathematics, besides introducing the system of Arab notation and the decimal system, they did serious mathematical work
and passed it on to Europe. Algebra is an Arabic word. They developed trigonometry and introduced the sines. In the time of
Al-Ma'num mathematicians measured the degree of the earth's
circumference. Al-Khawarazmi introduced a new computation
system, the Algorist, which word is a corruption of Al-Khawarazmi.
PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY:
Al-Hazen (965—1038) wrote a work on optics enunciating
the law of reflection and making a study of spherical and parabolic
mirrors. He also devised an apparatus for studying refraction and
was the first physicist to note the magnifying power of lenses. He
gave a detailed account of the human eye, and attempted to explain
the change of the apparent shape of the sun and moon when approaching the horizon. The Arabs employed the pendulum for time
measurement and tabulated specific gravities of metals. (Wiedermann)
Their skill in chemistry enabled them to prepare new chemical
remedies and form many combinations of those already in use.
They produced the first pharmacopeia and established the first apothecaries' shops. Many of the names and many forms of medicine
now used, in fact the general outline of modern pharmacy, except
so far as modified by modern chemistry, started with the Arabs.
(Encyclopedia Brittannica).
�12
"THE SYRIAN WORLD
Arabic chemistry attempted to find a way for prolonging life
to which the work "Elixir" testifies.
Arab chemists experimented with the transmutation of the
baser metals into the precious ones. They discovered certain acids,
and converted poisonous minerals into soft and salutary remedies,
lhe outstanding figure in Arabic chemistry is Jabir Ibn Hayyar
known to Europe as Geber.
MEDICINE:
The subject of Arab contributions to Medicine may well occupy
an entire afternoon. It is both interesting and extensive, but time
permits only of a brief description.
When the Bedouins left the desert, their notions of medicine
were naturally crude and primitive. The early Caliphs at Damascus
and Baghdad turned to Christian and Jewish physicians. To the
medical knowledge which they borrowed from the Greeks, Hindus
and Persians, they contributed liberally. It is significant that in the
beginning of the tenth century A. D. Arab doctors had to pass an
examination and possess a license before they were permitted to
practice Sinan was the chairman of the Board of Examiners in
Baghdad and that city boasted of more than one thousand physicians. Al over the Arab Empire were scattered numerous hospitals. The inhabitants of Baghdad, Mosul, Aleppo, Hamah,
Hums and Damascus enjoyed full hospital and clinic facilities.
Ibn Sina, (Avicenna) and Ar-Razi, are the shining stars in
the firmament of Arabian Medicine. Avicenna was called the
Second teacher—Aristotle being the first. His Quanon, the predecessor of Osier's Principles and Practice of Medicine, was the
guide for medical study in European Universities from the twelfth
to the seventeenth centuries. The Quanon was still used as a text
book in the universities of Louvain and Montpellier up to the year
1650.
The most striking characteristics of Arab physicians were their
keen sense of observation and their diagnostic acumen. Handicapped by the lack of X-ray, laboratory, and other modern aides
in diagnosis, they compensated by developing to the highest degree
their human senses.
PHILOSOPHY:
According to a story told in the Fihrist the Caliph Ma'mun
-earned that he saw the venerable figure of Aristotle seated on a
�JANUARY, 1932
13
throne, and in consequence of this vision he sent a deputation to
the Roman Emperor, Leo the Armenian, to obtain scientific books
for translation into Arabic. The Caliph's example was followed
by private individuals and thus the works of Aristotle, Plato, and
other Greek philosophers were translated. Later Avicenna, though
a physician, wrote extensively on philosophy. Al-Kindi and AlFarabi were other prolific writers on this subject, but the greatest
contributor and moulder of philosophy was Ibn Rushd—Averoes,
the Father of Averroism or positivism, the archskeptic and great
liberal. Rihani says: "Whatever may be the debt of the world to
the Arabs, one thing is a sun-like certainty. In the change from
the theological to the rational and historical method in philosophy,
they played the principal part."
CONCLUSION:
In summing up and assessing the contributions of the Arabs to
world civilization I can do no better than to quote from Dorsey's
"Man's Own Show: Civilization":
"Baghdad alone did more to keep the torch of learning alight
than all the churches of Christendom. Ptolemy, Archimedes, Euclid, Hippocrates and Galen, all could have found chairs waiting
them in Baghdad's eighth-century university. And while Christian
Oxford was trying to digest the first five propositions of the first
book of Euclid, Moslem Cordova and Toledo were working out
spherical trigonometry and the theory of numbers. Nor would
Oxford have had any Euclid at all had not the Rabbi, ben Ezra,
carried Greek algebra and Hindu decimal notations from Spain to
London in 1158.
"Moorish, Arabic, science slowly trickled, or rather was smuggled, into Christian Europe, and after studying, translating, and
assimilating it for five centuries, Europe began to build her own
structure on those Arabic foundations. But there is not a single
great name in science in all Christian Europe before 1600 that
cannot be matched by an Arabic precursor."
,- --.:,.
�»-»•
.r1"
14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
BARBARA YOUNG, Editor
"This day has ended.
It is closing upon us even as the water-lily upon its own tomorrow.
What was given us here we shall keep.
And if it suffices not then again must we come together
And together stretch our hands unto.the giver."
KAHLIL GIBRAN from THE PROPHET.
£S WE WRITE, the year of our Lord nineteen thirty-two is ten
days gone. It has come to us garmented with gray mist and fog
even with driving rain. The poets are disconsolate for snow. How
shall they weave the pattern of their rhymes in the winter season
it snow be wholly lacking?
Wise editors of a flock of magazines will smile. They know
that now the canny rhymster is penning verses running over with
roses noting, and a gold June moon. For the loveliest of snowy
lyrics written in mid-winter must wait a full twelve-month ere it
can be born into print upon the pages of Good Housekeeping or
bcnbner's or the Atlantic Monthly.
It is a curious and fascinating fact that regardless of wind or
weather a phrase or a word, or even a wisp of thought whose origin
we can by no means discover, may waken suddenly, in this whispering gallery that is the poet's laboratory a flood of echoes that bring
him unheralded ecstasy and a new song. The song may be of tha'
young Maid, "eternal April, wandering alone," and snow be falling
whitely outside the sill! Or it may be a gust of wild and wintry
singing, whilst the plum petals lie white upon the grass.
Poetry is a perverse and an enchanting mistress. She mav
come upon you as you sit a little drearily at vour window, gazin^
down upon the dizzy lines of traffic speeding and stopping; and sh?
may smile and shake her head a little, and whisper in your ear something like this—
ft
—- T
�JANUARY, 1932
15
"O night, O darkness, house of love and sleep,
Home of the pilgrim, keeper of the sheep,
Sower of dreams and harvester of pain—"
And something catches in your throat; your breath quickens;
you are oblivious to the cars speeding and stopping, to your window,
to your very self. 'Something has happened. That which is the
essential you is freed from the domineering senses, and you neither
hear nor do you see nor feel in the every day normal fashion. It
is a moment of divine release. Keep this moment, prolong it if you
can. It will not come often, but when it does come be sure it is the
veritable presence of some heavenly visitant taking no account of
time nor season, nor snow nor ruby-budded maple, but only of a
door of consciousness open and waiting for a guest.
Love is Enough
_
Hearken, ye people. There is a thrilling word
Borne on the wind of morning, a white message
Falling like snow upon the rusty hills
And the gray hearts of men.
It is a word
Simple and common as a wayside flower;
A word that once was clothed in childly guise,
Waxed and grew strong in beauty and in wisdom.
In Nazareth, long gone, Love walked his way,
Worked at his bench, and raised his ringing voice
Among the Syrian hills. O memory,
Fragrant with cedar, redolent with myrrh,
Shaken with starlight and a chanting choir,
And visions of young Mary and her Son,
Bring Love to earth today!
If Love shall walk again—
Or carpenter or merchant, priest or prince—
If only Love shall lift his lofty voice
Among the nations, Noel shall be kept
In very deed and truth, and all men's woe
Be salved with solace and with confidence.
Love is enough to heal a thousand worlds.
_ ,M
.
BARBARA YOUNG
Reprmted from The Times, December 23, 1931.
�r
16
"THE SYRIAN WORLD
ISSA, A Poem, by Robert Norwood.
(Scribner's, $2.50)
r,hl ^e m0rnuin£ a knight ago, a book came to my breakfast
table bearing the above title and the poet's signature. Opening it
at random my imagination was caught by the first words that met
my eyes.
r
"I see a window where
The curtained sky
Is caught, is framed, and there
A tree so high
That all the morning's gray and gold and blue
Between its web of branches filter through.
I hear the fluted call
Of hermit thrushes,
The far-off waterfall
That roars and rushes
To turn the moss-green wooden mill-wheel
slowly
As though the world sang, 'Holy, Holy, Holy!' "
These lines of simple beauty tempted me to turn page after
page unt.1 the seven cantos and ninety-five pages were completed.
*ht j*11 the autobiography of a Flame.
be ma
7kTh° Td P°etry f°r an indescribable warmth
f
TT>
blessedness, who will give the volume ready
There wU it
MAIM?
wlf
r
P etry
aS 0ne reviewer
curlZTh1
I''
r^10USpoetry
°
^marks,
curling his lip,
then religious
is"'that which, to use Dr
Norwood s own words, "celebrates" the beauty and power- of those
things which impart to life its vigor and vision and richness. Here
106
ArthUr
dema ds
noetrr"^
*T° Whidl
*»<««"And
» is°*free
true
poetry,
a sense off*exultation
and exaltation."
here
tl of magT
* lyHC *"* ^ mUSic' ** »«* a sudde»
Dr. Norwood, rector of St. Bartholomew's Church, in New
* ork was born and lived through his childhood in Nova Scotia.
m tHat N rthern W0dd is COU led w
s^rit thrti"/,
,' ^
° out of the 'ancient PEast. ^hHea
spirit
that thn Is to
a consciousness
has made a book wherein the homeliest things are revealed to be the
holiest and the fineness and fragrance, and alwavs the-power of
m a
IS SUn
Page t0
ZL^Av
;? K' we
5 fl
"°m gratitude.
P^' with the unerring
word and line "which
read
with
There is arising from this poem a gracious incense of gratitude
�,-;;--*^
JANUARY, 1932
17
to life for the wealth that the race has gathered from those men
of old.
It is the symbol of fundamental soundness, this recognition
of today's debt to yesterday. It is the flowering branch that lifts
in blessing above the dark-rooted earth.
There are many passages I would like to quote. One must
suffice j
"What folly is in man,
What thin disguise
And pretext of corban,
That holds the eyes
From visions of the Masters who have won
The light that pales the splendor of the sun!
Our learning is not worth
The heavy pains
Of study, if the earth
Regard its gains
Only as aeons doomed at last to dust—
The miracle of man, but moth and rust."
Frontiers
When the storm of life has passed from the frontiers
of the spirit,
And the clamor and the clang turned to whisper of
a dream,
And the sacrifice and splendor, the torture and the
blessing—
Is a disappearing gleam—
.
There will be a mighty quiet on the ramparts of new
measures,
There will lift the same persistenie which has stirred
in every place,
There will be the breathless hurry and the long drawn
urge of seeking—
For the light of Beauty's face.
Alice Hunt Bartlett
Mrs. Bartlett -s the distinguished American editor of the Poetrv Review
of London, and -the author of WASHINGTON PREEMINENT, a drama of
the life of the first President, which has been adopted by the government as
its bas:s for the historical pageant to be given in the National capitol early
in June.
�18
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Islam Faces the Challenge of
Liberalism
By H. I. KATIBAH
IN MY EXTENDED stay i„ Cairo I came ,0 know ma„y of the
w"fc 1^, religious dignitaries, scholars, e/ucato^
me f these were ro se
^waS
rh, orthodox
;h°Saffaway
"rS- of
'r°the
°forefathers- some
" were
"'aaves waltangin,, the
^fAteld forarefCaU8ht t ^ °f "* * ^"
8 0 Which Sp
8 ! the
f n cuiy
ury n..
{ D
' "some were nut-snot^,
' "
1^. inrtl'Lart
tne heart ofT
of the d^
desert;
"ftt';ehboteakgtinSt the,hf-hea-d> equivocal^ hSt
nrelen
"i COnClk ***"*" the dead Past and the living
present, some were altogethre indifferent to religion, holding to
the needs of the present age lie in another direction and that Xion
has brought in the past more woe than weal to the millions of3
who neglected this world and held to the illusory promises "ofThe
l ha
e h
ld pkaSUre t0 k ow
Zaki
TT a'and
" of the
Ahmed
^aJciiP^hfttT
asha, the geniali V\
Arab scholar
popular leader
nan
Arabic movement His home in Giza,a substantial Oriental"
mansion with a little garden in front, facing the Nile about three
hundred yards from the modern bridge, cabled after he orm
£tSfc IS^W^^L" a Mecca to aI] those wh' sss
Oie Arabic hast and work for the restoration of its old glorv and
Clkh
if *
i u
,°f Araby • And a she'kh in the best sense
of he word he certainly is. His hospitality is spontaneous and T,
cere ; his beaming, ruddy, round faec and sparkling eyesTonce
reveal a charming good nature and integrityof emotions that are
always ^ted in our minds with the true Arab gemkman and
without which the outward hospitality is a mocking^kits
a .nan about sixty, but his unusal exuberance and remXble^L
ity make you forget his gray, partly bald head and cl selv clmoed
moustache. At home when with friends, he prefers toapS
the comfortable and loose Jullabiyyah, always immaculLl^white
and a Persian woolen aba or white Arabic gold-br,ided burno"
�JANUARY, 1932
Jg
While on his head lies lightly a skull cap, embroidered around in
golden letters with two lines of Arabic poetry, the purport of which
is a call on the Arabic nation to arise from its slumber of indifference
and dissension. Wherever you turn in his spacious home you find
yourselr face to face with some precious souvenir from some Arab
sovereign or admiring leader, that you sometime wonder if you
are in a miniature Arab museum. The backgammon board he plays
on—and the pasha is an expert backgammon player— is the handiwork of Sultan Abdul-Hamid, exquisitely inlaid with ivory by the
hands of the late Ottoman despot, while in the dining room on the
second floor attractive bureaus and secretaries from the deft cabinet
masters of Damascus line the wall.
While Ahmed Zaki Pasha is a devout Moslem, as may be interred from his life-desire to leave for perpetuity a little mosque
of l<atimide architecture only a few paces away from his residence,
he is primarily a scholar and a genial man of the world. His library
in the Gunyyah Mosque in the city is one of the best private col'
lections of rare Arabic manuscripts and printed works. He tends
to liberalism in his religious views, but not enough to satisfy some
modern Moslem liberals, and a little too much to please the old
reactionaries. Yet to all he opens wide his hospitable arms, and all
are welcome to his home—be they liberals, radicals or dyed- inthc-wool conservatives—provided they are Arabs or lovers of the
Arabs.
t
°?Z ^I I ?amC f° my pension t0 find a telephone message
from Ahmed Zaki Pasha. I called him back and found that he
wanted me to have dinner with him at his home and spend the
evening there.
"Be sure to come", he pressed, "for there is a gentleman from
India I want you to meet, and Ismail Mazhar Bey and others will
be present."
Enquiring of the nature of the meeting, the pasha informed
me that there was going to be an old-fashioned, honest-to-goodness
catch-as-catch-can religious argument. No quarter was to be given
no deference to touchy sensibilities, no mincing of words
The opportunity was a rare one and I could not afford to miss
it for anything Besides, it was the first time I was to meet Ismail
Mazhar Bey the Bob Ingersoll of Egypt, of whom I had heard
a great deal from my Egyptian friends, and with whose published
works and current articles in his outspoken radical magazine I was
already familiar.
The gentleman from India turned out to be an Ahmadiyyah
�20
SSdnS
THE SYRIAN WORLD
aUd th Suh
%
rCt
of his
^
<« was whether the
expected Christ, as predicted in a Tradition of the Prophet, had
actually returned as the Ahmadiyyah sect holds. For the informaec inT 1C
VT b£ Sald that the Ah diyyah is a recent
sect m Islam, going back to the middle of the nineteenth century
and owes its rise to a certain Mirza Ghulam Ahmed of Qadian in
the 1 unjab who claimed that he was the expected Christ. The Ahmadiyyah claim to be strict Moslem orthodox, but discard a lot of
traditions that do not coincide with their peculiar teachings Their
zeal as missionaries is well-attested to by the many converts they
have already made not only in India, but also in London, Paris,
Berlin and our own Chicago. In the Arabic-speaking world, however, they have not been so fortunate. Their activities in Damascus
only brought about their expulsion recently and some rough maltreatment at the hands of pious, orthodox Moslems
Ahmed Zaki Pasha had prepared for the occasion. On a table
m the guest parlour facing his study, he had piled formidablelooking, yellow-leaved tomes of Moslem theology and exegisisIe-R I!""' " ?PI °f al~?aidawi's Commentary, the Traditions of
al-Bukhan and other standard works. It was the strategy of Ahmed
Zaki Pasha and his supporters to show that a certain authenticated
Iradition makes Mohammed say that Christ, the son of Mary
was the expected Messiah to return on earth, and that just preceding
the Last Day. The Ahmadiyyah missionary and his two supporters,
converts from Damascus, on the other hand, made a strenuous
effort to prove that Mirza Ghulam Ahmed of Qadian fulfilled in
his person the prophetical conditions and prerequisities of the returning Messiah.
As the argument waxed hot, Ismail Mazhar Bey grew impatient his massive, thick-built body squirming under the sultry
heat of an oppressive Spring evening in Cairo. Outside, only a few
paces away, the limpid Nile was placidly flowing on in front of the
pasha s mansion, reflecting the myriads of fluttering lights of the
gay Oriental city. But inside the mansion itself serious business
was going on. It was one instance out of countless others in which
Islam was facing the challenge of critical, devastating liberalism.
>u
rSV n \TJS this meSS °f irrelevency you are wading
through: ', finally blurted out Ismail Bey, after a few futile effort!
to make the contestants define their terms at each stage ®f the
argument before trying to prove their points by pointless quotations
He wiped the perspiration off his brow and leaned forward in his
chair.
|1
�JANUARY, 1932
21
"Why waste time", he continued, "delving into niceties of the
Traditions and interpretations of theologians who lived a thousand
or more years ago, and who talk a language we no more understand?
Before we discuss whether Ahmed of Qadian is the expected Messiah or not, let us first see what this Messiah idea is, and whether
it has a place in our modern conception of society and religion.
Gentlemen, we are assuming too much that must first be authenticated in fact and justified by reason. We quote the Qoran and
Traditions as if they were infallible scientific axioms, when even
scientific axioms themselves stand in need of proof and demonstration
There were voices of protest. Ahmed Zaki Pasha insisted
that since the Ahmadiyyah were confessed believers in Islam, all
that was necessary was to argue the relevant point whether Ahmed
of Qadian could be the expected Messiah when an authenticated
Tradition specifies the returning Christ to be the Son of Miriam,
and whether the appearance of the founder of Ahmadiyyah did
fulfill those signs and events which prophecies associated with the
return on earth of Christ the Son of Miriam.
But the point of interest to me was that no one present seemed
to resent the remarks of Ismail Mazhar Bey, devastating as they
were of the very foundation of Islam and all revealed religions.
He was not denounced as a zindiq or mulhid (atheist), and
no voice was raised to tar and feather the brazen heretic and run
him out of Cairo.
True, this was partly due to the fact that Mazhar Bey was a
privileged character in Cairo, whose taunting tirades against ortho-'
doxy have come to be taken with a little gracious smile and a little
pinch of salt. The good-hearted, honest Mazhar Bey could mean
no serious harm by his strutting vaunts of liberalism; they are part
and parcel with the liberal convivialities and amusements of the
easy-going, pleasure-bound city of numerous cafes, vaudevilles and
theatres.
Partly, however, it was due to the fact that times have changed
considerably since the War, and momentous cataclysms which have
made the world shock-proof have had their effect on Egypt and all
other countries of the East.
What heresies could be considered surprising now to the orthodox Moslems of Egypt or Syria after the sweeping heresies of
Mustapha Kemal Pasha and his followers? What socialistic Utopian
vaguaries could be considered impractical when a former absolute
monarchy is engaged today in putting into practice the most radical
ft
�22
7HE SYRIAN WORLD
teachings of Marx and Lenin? And yet, I heard once a great
feminist leader, a prominent Moslem lady of Cairo, call Mustapha
Kemal Pasha the real saviour of Islam, and praise his reforms in
the most enthusiastic, unstinting fashion.
In every day, and in a thousand and one ways, Islam is facing
the challenge of the liberal spirit. The issue can no more be ignored
or dodged by turbaned theologians or ecclesiastical hierarchies which
claim a heavenly source of authority. The decided trend to realism among the college and university students of the East, the
frankly agnostic spirit of the literati, the insistence of the man in
the street that religion should primarily be a matter of conduct
and ethics, and the disregard or even complete discard of the trappings of creed and ritual by thousands of otherwise good churchgoers and honest religionists, are but signs of the age which ushers
in the automobile and talkies to the Lands of the Near East, the
cradle of religion and the descent-place of inspiration.
A Legal Opinion
Mr. Faris S. Malouf, a Syrian lawyer of Boston, Mass., expresses his opinion of the Syrian World as follows:
"la undertaking the publication of the Syrian World, you
have addressed yourself to the noble service of your people. You
have dedicated yourself to a difficult task among very difficult people. Yet, the loftiness of your purpose and the worthiness of your
methods as an editor and publisher have merited the respect and
admiration of your fellowmen.
"You are to be sincerely congratulated upon the literary value
and style of the Syrian World. When the history of the Syrian
people in America is written, the Syrian World and its editor and
publisher will occupy their place among the best and most beautiful achievements of our people. May your excellent publication
always be the open door between the best of what is Syrian and the
best of what is American for our young generation."
�mrawn—i
m
JANUARY, 1932
23
Death of the Maronite Patriarch
JHE DEATH en Dtecember
24, 1931, of His Beatitude Elias
J eter Howayek. the Maronite Patriarch, at his see at Bekerkv
a few miles north of Beirut in Mt. Lebanon, brings to a close a long
md extinguished career of public service both in civic leadership
and ir, presiding over the destinies of one „f the oldest Christian
churches of the East.
Patriarch Howayek was held in reverence and esteem not
alone by hi s own foil
owers but by all the people of Lebanon of
every religious denomination. He was called not simply the Maromte Patriarch, but the Lebanese Patriarch, in gratitude for the
many signal services he rendered the country out of purely patnofic motives, and without distinction for section or creed. During
the World War he was persecuted and threatened with exile by
the lurks, but despite the trying ordeals through which he passed,
he managed to bring considerable relief to the starving and suffering people of Lebanon. At the close of the war, he was unanimously chosen to represent the people of Lebanon at the Versailles
Peace Conference.
Patriarch Howayek lived to the ripe age of eighty-eight, having been born on December 20, 1843 at the village of Hilta, in
the District of Batroun, Mt. Lebanon.
The Patriarch's parents were of modest means, but managed
to give him the education he craved even at a tender age. For
years he plodded five miles on foot every day to attend the school
oi bt. John Maron, until his parents were persuaded to send him as
a boarder to the Jesuit College at Gazir.where he took up the study
of French Latin and Greek, having already mastered Arabic and
byriac. Not content, however, with the limited educational facilities available in Lebanon, he applied on his own initiative for a
scholarship at the Propaganda College'in Rome. The Cardinal
Iretect of the College ,s said to have so admired the ambition of
the young student that he wrote to the Maronite Patriarch recommending a grant of scholarship to him. He spent in Rome seven
years and graduated as a Doctor of Theology and Canon Law
His ordination to the priesthood took place in Lebanon at the
hands of Bishop Joseph Jahjah in 1870. His elevation to the
honorary bishopric of Arka was in 1889, and his choice for the
Patriarchate was reached twelve days after the death of his pre-
�24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Patriarch Elias Howayek
December 20, 1843—December 24, 1931
Acclaimed as the "Lebanese Patriarch" by adherents of all
religious denominations.
�\\
JANUARY, 1932
25
decessor, Patriarch John Haj, on Dec. 24, 1898. For seventeen
years he had been private secretary to the Patriarch and in that
capacity gained much useful experience in the conduct of the exalted office which later he was to occupy.
While bishop he visited Europe and had private audiences
with many rulers, including Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and
Sultan Abdul Hamid. He also raised funds for the restoration of
the Maronite College in Rome which owes its present flourishing
condition to his tireless efforts and sustained interest.
The most trying years of the Patriarch's life were those of
the World War when one hundred and fifty thousand of his people
perished through starvation said to have been purposely brought
about by the Turks in their efforts to exterminate the Christians of
the East and thereby eliminate them as a cause of the constant
meddling of Europe in the internal affairs of the Ottoman Empire
The Patriarch made every effort to stave off the disaster, donating
all the funds and selling much of the property of the Patriarchate
for relief purposes. His activities were curtailed by the relentless
persecution of Jamal Pasha, the Turkish military governor of
Syria, who had him arrested and sought to exile him to a distant
place in the Empire where he would be out of touch with his people.
The Patriarch was saved from such a fate only through the intercession of the Pope and of Emperor Franz Joseph who was his
personal friend.
At the conclusion of the war the Patriarch, despite his advanced
age, undertook the journey to Paris to claim for Lebanon the benefit
of independence which would Irft from it the heavy hand of continued Turkish rule. In this capacity he acted as the national representative of, the people of Lebanon without distinction of creed.
Surely, for a country still basing its political institutions on denominational representation, the unanimous selection of the Patriarch
of one creed as the national representative at such a momentous
occasion as that of the Peace Conference was a notable tribute to
the man's broad and high conception of patriotism. The Patriarch's
efforts culminated in the declaration of the independence of Lebanon in 1920, and the formation of the Republic of Lebanon in
1926, when he was specially invited to attend the official ceremony
on the latter occasion, being accorded a reception by the people
of Beirut, the capital, such as is given only to great national heroes.
The late Patriarch was most solicitous for the well-being of
the Maronites of America, according to the editor of the Syrian
World who published in the March, 1930 issue of the magazine
3
�26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The Patriarch at Home
his
^^"VkC^iTTr hehadheWith
Beatitude late
TOS reported t0
exclaimed, "Is i not strai«rh °r"fTS?
h^e
have now'migrated totX^/K? « °l T, "^
\
t„:uSSSTS,^
* 'he
Ugh fifteen ce turi
redous
which has come do
P
»^cy
i» a generation."
" es should be lost
Even at that time he was rpmrt.j
j
8
other journey to Paris to TaLuard I" T^ * ,U"dertake *People, this time "against the Seed of '
" °f Ws beloved
interests who were E^^$£ZT?**»* fo gn
e Ilttle the
economic resources."
y Possessed of
1e
�JANUARY, 1932
27
Who Are the Maronites
Having received their Christian faith from the Apostles, they maintained it against all -persecution throughout the centuries They
were allies of the Crusaders and were granted special protection
by France.
By
MICHAEL ABOUSSLEMAN
PRACING BACK their history to remote times, the Maronites of
V
Lebanon can claim direct descent from the ancient Phoenicians. They came to be known by their present name, however, only
since the fifth century of our era. Of course, this should not be
taken to mean that they embraced Christianity only at that late age
because their conversion dates back to the time of the Apostles
themselves. But in the first half of the fifth century, when' the
church was torn with internal dissension, a monk-priest known then
as Maron the Hermit, and since as St. Maron, caused them to hold
steadfast to the Roman faith and formed of them a solid unit of the
Cathohe church in the East. Since then they came to be known as
his followers, otherwise Maronites.
St. Maron was an accomplished theologian, an eloquent orator
and above all, a saintly man who was held in the highest esteem
by his contemporaries among the Fathers of the Church, especially
by St. John Chrysostom with whom he exchanged correspondence.
Maron the Hermit had attracted to his monastic life a large following who established themselves on the banks of the Orontes near
Horns. The strife then rampant in the Christian church led to
severe persecution and acts of cruelty, which once resulted in the
massacre of 350 disciples of Maron and caused him to seek refuge
in the fastness of North Lebanon. There he continued his championship of the Nicean Creed, and aside from strengthening the
Christians of the mountain in their faith, he encouraged them in
their struggle for independence and became their natural leader
in all civic enterprises. From that time until our present day the
Maromte clergy has played a leading part in shaping the destinies
oi their peopk, both in their spiritual allegiance and in their political and economic affairs.
Such was the condition of the Maronites in the middle of the
seventh century, and when, shortly after the appearance of Islam,
�.&
26>
7*#£ SYRIAN WORLD
Omar Ibn Al-Kattab was proclaimed caliph (A.D.635) and the
Arab wave of conquest swept over Palestine and Syria, the Maronites, who were in occupation of a large part of the plains, retired to
the fastness of then- mountain stronghold and there resisted the
efforts of the invaders to subdue them. It may here be mentioned
»2Lf "°K
j\hlstory wras ^is proud and valiant people completely subjected by any of the many powerful foreign invaders
who dreamed of world conquest and had to travel to it over the
Syrian highway Persians, Greeks and Romans all stopped short
of the impregnable mountain, as much owing to its natural strength
as to the valor and determination of its inhabitants who in all history
S
rheerMeVer -JC
°f thdr indePenden«=- Thus the ancestors of
the Maronites were ever treated as a privileged people so that by
agreement and understanding only could conquerors continue their
march either to the north or to the south without endangering their
lines of communications.
^
h
Wkh
had
lodJc\
LAByzantine
KhS' ,h°Werulers
T' "?°
°ne miof
^ht
y stroke
dislodged the
from the plains
Syria,
did not deem
it expedient to treat the Maronites as other invaders had treated
hem before, a mistake whose enormity they realized only after
the Maromtes had resisted their onward march to the conquest of
Constantinople for forty years, rising in their way like a brass wall.
It was to be exact, forty two years later, A. D. 677, that the Umav
vad caliph Abdul Malek Ibn Marwan, becoming t^loLt Unites (Maronites of that period) raids on his newly conquered domains and fearful of the ill effects of their hampering tactics on
Islam's stabilization and further progress, contrived to arrange an
armistice with Justinian, the Byzantine Emperor, by which the Caliph engaged himself to deliver to the Emperor, daily, one thousand
dinars, one slave and one pedigreed horse, on the express condition
that he relieve him of the Meredite menace. Thus the youthful
Emperor partly through love of gold and partly through his ignor-
ubt e d
of ri al mtn
?0of cttheeh°e Moslems
M i andrr
° r ^> 3** £?« ^23.
by ruse and treachery succeeded in expatriating twelve thousand of the flower of the Meredites' warriors thus
hSI °Z\ A ^ °W»handS ?C braSS Wdl Which stood between
him and the Arabs. History does not record where this valiant
army settled or what disposition the Emperor made of it In some
accounts, they are said to have been forced to settle in Armenia
while other accounts represent them as having been removed- to
Ulicia. Some historians are positive that they were transported
to Albania, in the Balkans, where their descendants are said to be
{
») ."' ' '
�—
JANUARY, 1932
!
29
A typical scene in the Maronite country of Northern Lebanon.
1 hrtvtng villages rise on the massive shoulders of high mountains
almost on the brink of yawning valleys.
still blown as the Meredites. Whatever the case, the fact remains
hatthedeportatIon0f these warriors from Lebanon opened to the
Arabs the doors of Asia Minor and sounded the death knell of the
Byzantine Empire in the Near East.
Justinian's action had a calamitous effect not only on the
Empire but on the standing of the Maronites who composed the
most cogent unit of Christiandom in the East. Because as a consequence they had to further retrench in their mountain where
they remained for the three succeeding centuries on the defensive,
being continually harassed by Arab raids. It was only in 1098 A
D when the Crusaders invaded Syria and for a time held it against
"rr A thCrM*rTeS fdt thdr PrestiSe stored, inasmuch as they and the Crusaders were fighting for a common cause
and they acted in the country as guides and allies to their co-religionists from across the sea.
The Maronite country became a part of the Crusaders' kingdom, but the Crusaders respected its autonomy and political traditions by allowing its own emirs to remain in power. This condition of security for the Maronites lasted throughout the Crusaders'
occupation of Syria, and proved to be the foundation of the strong
�30
THE SYRIAN WORLD
historical record to'a.'vTh
K ^LoL Jxtf Fn " " 2*7 rf
became St. Louis landed with!,,
France, who later
Simaan, the X of the M, h,.sf army **<« (St. John D'Acre),
KM£SSSJS£S5S
ty of purpose h„weveerX- wl^bfe\f sunt^^ "» ^
Inis condition of persecution and unrest lasted ,,nt;i rf.
bloodiest episode in the h storv of T el
tervene in their hehoif£
Th.nrnferfi^n «f •
r?
rFrance
^T^0"/
If w
^ the
,
caused them to m> as the protector of the Eastern
/i
placing ot the Lebanon under the
the Worid War when ¥117^°" **Tt T' the 0Utbrak °f
lot with
European
•
•"? ^'i""
*<= !.Centarf
,.'? Power!
rowers, SdI
and hbeing
suspicious
of the nrn All,,
•
MMHI
,
�JANUARY, 1932
31
Waik Kadisha (Sacred Valley) where St. Mar on and his disciples
first settled when they came to Northern Lebanon. Some of their
early monasteries may still be seen faintly on the slopes.
1
ade of the Syrian coast by preventing provisions to reach them from
interior points, caused 150,000 of the population to perish from
starvation. In this the whole Lebanese population fared equally,
Moslems, Christians and Druzes, because of the Turks' suspicions
of their pro-Ally sentiments.
The heavy price the Lebanese paid in blood, however, brought
about their freedom from the Turkish yoke. During the peace
conference in Paris the Maronite Patriarch, as the delegate of the
Lebanese at large irrespective of creed, argued for the liberation
of Lebanon and its placing under the French mandate. In 1920
Greater Lebanon was declared in fulfillment of one of the demands
of the Lebanese for the return of their country to its former boundaries, and in 1926 Lebanon was declared a republic as a further grant
of national independence. The Maronites form the largest single
unit of the population of Lebanon, and the present political status
of the country is considered a triumph of their ideals.
�-
THE SYRIAN WORLD
!'
Syria in Romance
Editor s Note—As announced at the opening of our current year, it is part of
our new policy to give an cutline of all works of fiction related with Syra,
in the belief that such a step would further carry out the'policy of the magazine and enrich our readers' stoie of nformation en Syria's place in literature
Suggestions from our readers on available works for this department will be
appreciated.
The Brethren
By
RIDER HAGGARD
Condensed by Dagny Edwards
PROLOGUE
\
J
YUSUF SALAH-ED-DIN, thrice in succession dreamt that his
niece, who dwelt in England, daughter of his dead sister, Zobeide, and a Frankish lord, Sir Andrew D'Arcy, would by her presence
at Saladin's side, in a way not yet revealed to him in his dreams,
withhold him from much bloodshed, and save the world from
great misery. Upon the interpretation of this dream by his holy
Imams and Diviners, Salah-ed-din commanded a certain false
knight, Sir Hugh Lozelle, a Frankish spy who knew the Sultan's
niece, also another spy, disguised as a Christian, and one of his
most trusted and greatest Emirs, Prince Hassan, to capture the
maiden by force, if she refused to come willingly to Syria.
That her dignity be worthy of her high blood and fate, Salahed-din decreed that she become the Princess of Baalbec, ruled, before her, by her grandfather, Ayoub, and uncle, Izzedin. A stout
galley of war, under the command of Prince Hassan was purchased
and with a royal gift of jewels to the lady, his niece, and a letter
to the English lord, her. father, Sir Andrew D'Arcy, the company
set sail for England, with orders to return with the maiden or never
again dare look on the face of the Sultan.
Thus did Yusuf Salah-ed-din, ere he waited patiently till
God should fulfill the vision which He had sent him in his sleep.
1
*
�JANUARY, 1932
33
THE STORY
t
RETURNING quietly from an afternoon of gathering marsh
^ flowers along the sea wall on the coast of Essex, Rosamund
D'Arcy and the twin brethren, her cousins, pale, stately, dreamy
Godwin, and bold-fronted, blue-eyed warrior Wulf, were startled
from the calm of the peaceful ride toward their castle nine miles
away, by a band of armed men who approached them by boat, surrounded the party and barred all paths of escape.
"To the boat," shouted Godwin.
But sails and oars were gone, and mocking voices bade him
let Rosamund into the boat and save them the trouble of carrying
her there.
"Give her up now and go your way with your arms and horses,
for you are gallant young men, whose blood we do not wish to
shed."
At this, the brethren laughed together. "We will give her up
with our last breath, but not before. Who has such urgent need of
the lady Rosamund?"
The answer came, "Lozelle." Now the knight Lozelle, Essex-born and powerful, once had sought Rosamund's hand in marriage. Being rejected, he had voiced many threats, until Godwin
as the elder of the twins, had fought and wounded him. He had
then disappeared, fully a year before.
Rosamund begged them not to let her fall into Lozelle's
hands; she would rather that Godwin kill her there, then to attempt
their escape after her death. One chance remained for the lady
Rosamund, and Godwin spoke these words, "The gray horse you
ride is strong and true. Turn now and spur him into the water of
Death Creek and swim it. It is broad, but the incoming tide will
help you and perchance you will not drown. Bless us and be gone."
Rosamund made the treacherous leap and as she headed for the
bank the woman-thieves shouted in wonder for a deed such as this
they had thought a girl would never dare. Then with a rush the
band came upon the two tall twin warriors whose long swords smote
their faces as swiftly as they came toward them. Three fell and were
killed; three were pushed in the water below; two drowned; several
were wounded, and others made their escape. The battle was not
yet over, when the brethren turned about and saw Rosamund safely
near the opposite shore. Suddenly, one whom the brethren thought
dead, leapt upon Godwin with a bloody sword and smote him to the
ground. Wulf fiercely assailed the man, killing him with two
�34
d
THE SYRIAN WORLD
blows; then lifting Godwin to his saddle, made a swift dash for his
own horse, and shouted aloud the war-cry of the D'Arcy's "A D'Arcyl a D'Arcy] Contre D'Arcy! Contre Mort!" Thus in a flash
they made their way through the ranks of the foe, to safety, and
until the shouts had died away behind them, and the sound of their
horses hoofs was the only sound heard, did darkness fall upon the
minds of Wulf and Godwin.
A-month or more later when Godwin had regained his senses
and was slowly gaining his strength, the strange tale of Rosamund's
escape and their day's battle was retold to Godwin by Sir Andrew
who was so pleased with the bravery and knightly deeds of the brethren that he presented his tale to the king with the prayer that he,
the king, would grant Sir Andrew a command in writing to knight
Godwin and Wulf. This the king did.
Another month'went by, when on the last day of November,
after much preparation, ceremony and feasting, the brethren were
publicly knighted. Now, for the first time, the brethren felt the
cold grip of jealousy pulling at their hearts. Both were in love
with Rosamund, but neither knew which she preferred. Sore at
heart, they finally decided to gain Sir Andrew's permission that each
might speak to her on the same day, Godwin first, asking the lady
to give her answer within a day. To further seal the amity and
love the brethren bore each other, they swore an oath before God
and the I nor, that they would abide by Rosamund's decision, and
that as far as possible, they would suffer neither bitterness nor
jealousy to come between their love because of this woman.
After pleading their cases before Rosamund, the brethren
anxiously awaited her decision, which came the next day. Lovely
Rosamund refused both, but gave her promise that if all were living
in two years' time and if they still wanted her for wife, she would
choose one and marry him at once. She declared they were all still
young for marriage and since it was so difficult to make a choice between two such men, she might in truth learn which was the better
knight. There the matter amicably stood, while the brethren felt
their lives now had a purpose which fired them to dare, do and win
As the brethren left Rosamund, there came up the steps a tall
man clad in pilgrim's hood and carrying a palmer's staff He
sought shelter for himself and mule, also a word with Sir Andrew
1: Arcy, for whom he had a message. His name, they learned, was
JNichoJas of Salisbury, who brought from his master, Salah-ed-din,
a chest of jewels for Rosamund, and the message which told the
tale of his dream, bidding his beautiful niece, whom he had never
n
�'
JANUARY, 1932
35
seen, come to Damascus. Rosamund would not be forced into any
marriage or even to change her religion, but come she must, or
within a year from the day he received her answer, Rosamund would
be lead to him, with honor, if willingly, by force, if unwilling.
The precious gifts and titles of Princess of Baalbec were the bait
to tempt her, but in answer to her father's query, "Will you go and
queen it there?" her only word was, "nay," which answer was
written to Salah-ed-din. At the conclusion, Sir Andrew told the
story of his meeting with Zobeide; how when he was a young man
some twenty years ago, he was wounded and taken prisoner in the
capture of Harenc. Ayoub was governor, and Sir Andrew was
taken to Damascus where he was lodged in Ayoub's palace and kindly treated. There he became a friend to the young Salah-ed-din
and his sister, Zobeide, who although half Sir Andrew's age, loved
him as he loved her, changed her faith and offered to flee to England with him. Luckily, Sir Andrew had once, in battle, saved the
life of one Jebal, young chief of a terrible and cruel people. Their
castles were at Masyaf in Lebanon. Jebel swore that if ever Sir
Andrew needed help, he had but to summon him, and in token of
this oath, Jebal gave Sir Andrew a signet ring which would give
D'Arcy power in Jebal's dominion, equal to the ruler himself. True
to his word, when Sir Andrew sent word that he needed help to
escape to England, Jebal provided such swift horses for Zobeide
and D'Arcy that the cavalry of Ayoub could not overtake them.
Upon reaching Beirut, they were married, and there too, Zobeide
was baptised as a Christian. Before arriving safely in England,
however, a message was brought Sir Andrew from Ayoub and his
son, Saladin, who swore they would recapture Zobeide. Later,
upon her death, Rosamund took her mother's place in the oath in
the heart of the Sultan, Salah-ed-din.
And so the story told, they sought to question the palmer,
whom they did not trust. Early next morning, seeking to rouse him
they found the palmer gone, and though they hunted far and wide
for three hours, Nicholas could not be found.
As time passed on and nothing happened to disturb them, they
soon forgot their fears, although a guard was set every night,
twenty men slept in the Hall and they had arranged that on the
lighting of a signal fire upon the tower of Steeple Church, their
neighbors should come to their assistance.
Towards Christmas, Prior John told them he was going to
Southminster to buy wine for the Christmas feast. He had heard
that a ship laden with wine of Cyprus of wonderful quality had
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
n r
Ge rgi S dreW the wi e
horncunso?
° Rosamund
°
» > andany
filledThen
the
horn cups of all,Tpresent*' except
who refused
hftmg ha own cup, he bade them drink As he
aDDeareHL J
his beaker nil fr,!! ,^ u,
^ ne appeared to drain
meT C*VSo1h.Tn ^^ged m° *an a score of armed
par iaX d L5 Sir A,?H
I I fierce struggle with them, the
Pnnce Hassan,) assumed a^^S^SS?^^
R~
J ?,0!'thS paSSed by- and th<: brethren in their search for
of TehT, ' :h° '" th,e m?'7hile> had <« capture bva band
were in her h« use i^
P
7
Wlth Ut Masouda
°
'* aid, since they
^^,£* -]ied S°» °f the Sand, the'hne't Ped'
u iwnib, i lame and Smoke; and after assuring
4*1
�JANUARY, 1932
ft
: W
37
the Arab that the brethren could ride, and would be kind masters
their bargain was sealed.
But Godwin was troubled for it seemed to him as though in a
dream, that when they were on the treacherous trial ride, with
Masouda in back of him, and Son of the Sand on Wulf's steed, that
as they leapt through the air from one sheer cliff to another, Masouda pressed her lips close upon his cheek.
The next day being the forth day agreed upon, Godwin and
Wulf sought out Masouda, and although once again she warned
them of the danger facing them, she consented to guide them to
Sinan. Leaving at nightfall, with Masouda disguised as a servant
lad, they covered several nights and several days on the mountain
side, when one night they lay down to rest in a spot where many
lions were. Masouda and Wulf slept, while Godwin kept watch
before the fire*. Suddenly as Godwin sat musing and thinking of
the lovely Masouda, he heard an agonized cry, and springing to her
side, he found Masouda hanging from the jaws of a great yellow
lioness. He hurled a burning cedar bough at it, whereat the beast
dropped Masouda, and fought Godwin until he fell, a senseless
mass beneath the heavy weight of the lioness. When his senses
returned, Godwin found Masouda safe, cleaning his wounds. Wulf
had finally wakened from his slumber and half asleep, had smote
the beast dead with his sword. After a few days rest they finally
reached the city and castle of Al-Jebal.
Before the presence of the terrible Jebal, the brethren told
their tale, but even as they finished, messengers entered, followed
by a veiled woman. As she unveiled, the brethren stared, for there
stood Rosamund
Pretending to be her half-brothers, for thus
only could they hope to remain with her, the brethren received the
counsel and assistance of Masouda, who laid plans for their escape.
Fired by the insolence and sneers of Lozelle, Wulf challenged him
to a combat which Jebal sanctioned. After a furious fray which
took place in the moonlight on a narrow bridge, Lozelle was killed
by Wulf, and the brothers made their escape to a cave shown them
by Masouda, before any knew what they were about. Rosamund
and Masouda joined them later, and then followed a desparate
flight to Emesa, swiftly pursued by Jebal's men. All seemed lost,
as the Assassins were directly upon them, when suddenly, from in
front of a hill, rushed squadrons of turbaned cavalry, shouting
"Salah-ed-din Salah-ed-din!"
Too late did the Assassins turn to flee, and but a few lived to
tell their tale to Jebal, the furious, who was himself in love with
�aaas
38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Rosamund, and now doubly infuriated at her escape.
It was Prince Hassan who came to the rescue, and thus they
followed him to Saladin, who kind though he was, and though he
listened well to their tale, was firm in his resolution that Rosamund
should stay with him; moreover, if the brethren should attempt to
steal her, they would die ; and should she escape from him, and
Saladin recapture her, then she should die. Thus with the greatest
of honour did Godwin and Wulf remain in peace at the palace of
Salah-ed-din. Once indeed, the brethren, thanks to Masouda's
good counsel, saved the Sultan's life from a band of Assassins who
entered his palace in disguise. Salah-ed-din gratefully offered the
brethren, each in turn, the hand of Rosamund in marriage, if they
would accept his faith, but the twins refused. Then it was that
Saladin announced they must choose between staying at the Castle
and fighting for him in the coming war between the Cross and the
Crescent or go forth to fight with the Franks... leaving the choice
to Rosamund, who bade them serve the Cross. So giving them safe
conduct to Jerusalem, the Sultan, Rosamund, Masouda and the
brethren, bade their farewells, not daring to think that they would
see each other again alive.
( To be continued in the February issue)
Sayings of Ali
Birth is but the herald of Death.
* * *
A rich miser is poorer than an open-handed pauper.
* * *
The blow is more painful coming from one's beloved.
* * *
Your gray hair is your obituary announcement.
* * *
The thirst for gold is stronger than the thirst for water.
* * *
The victor is he who escapes the iniquity of his own soul.
*
*
T1
A meeting place for the exchange of knowledge is a corner of
Paradise.
.
~.-
�*- A sm
" """'
JANUARY, 1932
-
1-IWMWIIMMIJilL.. -
39
TRVE ARABIAN TA
THE LADY PRISONER WHO ENSLAVED HER CAPTOR
WHATEVER MAY BE said of the Arabs' unscrupulous attitude
toward raiding, robbing of caravans and the murdering of men
and enslaving of women, there are any number of instances which
prove that they are exceedingly responsive to impulses of chivalry
and the grand display of the magnanimous, even when they are engaged in the very business of despoiling innocent travelers of their
property. Such an incident is recorded of Mohammad Ibn Saleh
El 'Alawi, who lived in the reign of the caliph Al-Mutwakil, and
had caused that caliph considerable anxiety by his seditious activities.
Obviously with the intention of recording only his love experience, Mohammad relates the following incident which befell him
while an outlaw and a price placed on his head. It is here recorded
as it is told, in the first person, with the exercise of but little license
in the translation wherever an elucidation of the original would
seem necessary, but with no radical divergence from the general
meaning of the text. Said Mohammad:
When I was a rebel against the caliph I sought by every possible means to rouse the country against him and cause general disturbances of the peace. While thus engaged I once intercepted the
great caravan which had gathered for the annual pilgrimage to
Mecca, and my men were anticipating an immense prize in loot.
The goods were to be distributed on the spot and I sat on a stool in
the open to supervise the division, when from the immense circle
that was drawn about me the curtains of a hawdaj (litter) on one
of the captured camels were parted and the soft voice of a woman
was heard asking about the leader of the raiding party. I looked
up and saw a sight of beauty that held me actually spellbound. For
the lady was not only beautiful but had an air of dignity and refinement which proclaimed her a person of the highest breeding.
�40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Such an apparition could not fail but elicit a sympathetic response,
and to my answer that I was the leader of the party she thus addressed me:
"I am Hamdouniah, daughter of Issa Ibn Moussa, whose high
standing in the court of the caliph you will not fail to recognize.
I am not questioning your motives nor uttering a threat; I only wish
to ask a simple favor as an appeal to your chivalry. You may retain everything you have seized and I promise to further grant you
the sum of thirty thousand dinars, on condition that none of your
men abuse my privacy or seek to uncover my face. As an Arab I
feel sure you will protect the honor of the daughters of families."
I neither argued nor bargained, but immediately called my
men together and issued to them orders to this effect:
"Everything taken from this caravan must be returned, even
the victuals. Whosoever retains even an ighal will lay himself
open to punishment."
I respected the wish of the lady to the extent of not holding
even personal communication with her for the rest of the time she
was in my captivity. When all that had been taken from the caravan was returned to their owners my men and -I escorted them to
the nearest place of safety and departed. It had been for my men
a great disappointment, but for me it was a great triumph in that I
had been able to protect a lady in distress and save her honor.
Time passed and the wheel of fortune took a different turn.
I was taken a captive by the army of the caliph and incarcerated
in prison. Every day I expected to be hanged as the caliph was
bitter against me, and I realized that no appeal to mercy would be
heard. The days I passed in prison were full of sinister portent.
One day, however, the prison keeper came to me with the
news that three ladies were without asking to see me. They appeared, he said, to be persons of importance because one of them
had bribed him with a valuable bracelet for the privilege of admittance. He was coming to have me prepare to meet them.
Presently the ladies came, and no sooner they approached than
the one leading the way exclaimed: "By the head of my father, it
is he!" She then raised her veil and I recognized her as Hamdouniah whom I had protected on the occasion of the raid on the
pilgrimage caravan. Her tears now told an eloquent story of her
affliction at my condition. "I am grieved at thy situation," she
said, "But I dare not undertake to do anything overtly in thy behalf
because of the caliph's bitterness against thee. Thou mayest rest
assured, however, that I shall take all possible means within pru-
�JANUARY, 1932
r,
\\
4j
dence to effect thy release."
She then ordered her two attendants to leave the gifts she had
brought to me, consisting of five hundred dinars in coin, together
with excellent clothing and food and perfumes. Her messengers
continued to call on me almost every day during my imprisonment,
and through her sustained interest I Jacked of nothing in the way
or food and comfort. I was also constantly cheered bv the knowledge of the fact that she was mobilizing every influence to bring
about my pardon from the caliph.
But she herself never called afterwards, a fact I attributed to
her tear of notoriety which would defeat her efforts in effecting
my release. I became desolate because the kindness she now displayed only accentuated the love I felt for her from the moment
of our hrst meeting. Truly, the imprisonment of her love was
exceedingly harder for me to bear than any consequence I felt from
my political offense.
In time, however, the caliph granted me a pardon, partly as a
result of Hamdouniah's efforts. I again became a favorite in court
and my property which had been confiscated was restored to me
1 here remained nothing to complete my happiness except the possession of the one person who had done so much to restore me to
liberty.
What I thought would be the natural course was for me to
ask her father for her hand in marriage, but every time I was met
with positive refusal because of the notoriety the case had assumed
since it was known that I had released her and her escort from captivity Still I would not give up hope, and as a last resort I appealed directly to the caliph, explaining the circumstances of the
case and my despondency over her father's persistent refusal Now
the caliph was much touched by her devotion and the intensity of my
love and he forthwith rode in person to the house of Hamdouniah's
father and would not leave until the latter gave his consent to our
marriage, the caliph himself acting as one of the witnesses and
contributing all the expenses of the wedding festivities.
�c
THE SYRIAN WORLD
42
B00K REVIEW
QiHAjicy
A NEW BOOK BY GIBRAN
77z<? Wanderer, by Kahlil Gibran, New York, Alfred A.
Knopf, 92 pp. Illustrated with original drawings by the author.
$2.50.
The Wanderer was one of the books on which Gibran worked
feverishly when he realized the approach of the end. And he won
in the race with death. The book was finished, text and illustrations, although publication was posthumous. We understand there
are other books on which Gibran was working and which his publisher will bring out in time. Indeed, Gibran must have hastened
the end, when he realized its approach, by summoning his last reserve of energy to give expression to the word which struggled for
freedom from his inner consciousness.
The Wanderer would seem a compromise between The Prophet and Gibran's other books of parables. There is evident in The
Wanderer a desire to create a cohesion of thought and continuity of
action as in The Prophet, by presenting a single person who discourses on diverse subjects. The connection, however, is not maintained as successfully as in The Prophet, which leaves the latter
work' preeminently Gibran's masterpiece. The variety of parables,
philosophical deductions and subtle studies of life and morals as
contained in The Wanderer suggest Gibran's other works, but this
being his latest it would naturally follow that it is also the more
mature and profound. Suffice it to know that it is an addition to
Gibran's works, and one in the creation of which he summoned the
ripe experience of his later years.
The Wanderer is illustrated with reproductions of seven original drawings by the author, one of which is in colors. They are
wmm
�sea
'
.
i<i.
am
mm
JANUARY, 1932
43
all in the symbolic vein characteristic of Gbiran's art. The frontispiece is a beautiful portrait of the Wanderer "with a veil of pain
upon his face."
AS AN AMERICAN SEES THE EAST.
To Bagdad and Back, by Joe Mitchell Chappie.
lishing Co., Boston. Illustrated. 298pp.
Chappie pub-
Not to many is accorded the gift of translating their impressions into word pictures that pulsate with the activity of life. Nor
are there many whose imagination is so vivid as to conjure from the
past and set before the eyes of the reader as in a motion picture incidents of the past, whether of fact or fancy. With such who are
so gifted it is a source of constant pleasure to sit and commune, because they are forever interesting; always resourceful and full of
action and never dull.
Such a writer is Joe Mitchell Chappie, editor of the National
Weekly, who traveled extensively in the Near East and recorded
his observations and experiences in a beautifully gotten up volume
to which he gave the appropriate title "To Bagdad and Back." To
this he was prompted, as he infers in the preface, by the influence
of the immortal Arabian Nights, of which he had a copy as a prized
companion on his journey, and which he constantly read to relive
the age in which the tales were written in their very locale. The
result of .this attitude of mind is most pleasing in that the author
was able to write in a consistently romantic vein and with a true
appreciation of the color of the East. He further adds to the pleasing scheme by "curtaining" his chapters with selections of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, who, although writing in Persian, is said
to have had his inspiration for the immortal poem under the limpid
sky of Bagdad.
The reader feels as he travels with the author that he is his
actual companion on the journey, seeing with him the charms, and
sometimes the disillusionments, of the East, in a most realistic manner. Whether in Iraq, Syria, Palestine, or Egypt, the continuity of
action is invariably sustained.
Only in the description of some of his flying excursions, where
�44
THE SYRIAN WORLD
apparently he lacked the time to make a full investigation, and had
to depend wholly on the information supplied by guides, did the
author commit some discrepancies, sometimes in the recording of
facts and at others in the transliteration of names. In Chapter VII
for instance, "the mountains looming up back of Beirut" were represented to him as being the Anti-Lebanon range, when in fact
this range is invisible from the city. Further on he states that a
detour was made at Shortia (evidently Shtowra) to the famous ruins
of Baalbec, when during the ride, the party came upon some trees
which the guide declared were a few of the remaining two hundred
and fifty of the original 'Cedars of Lebanon'—the trees used in the
construction of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem". Here the guide
was doubly wrong, because the remaining original Cedars are
much more than 250, and furthe.r because the original Cedar Grove
is on the slope of Lebanon facing the Mediterranean, hence invisible
from the plain of Baalbec. So was the guide obviously wrong when
he told the party that "there was a block of stone (in the acropolis
of Baalbec) two hundred feet long", when in fact the extreme
length of the longest stone in the famous Trilithon does not exceed
sixty-four feet, a length sufficient in itself, for one block of stone
it may be judged, to cause wonderment.
There is ample compensation in that same chapter, however
to offset these trivial discrepancies. For Mr. Chappie sheds interesting light on the far-reaching influence if the people of Syria on the
spiritual life of Europe and America since the remotest times.
Speaking of "prehistoric" times, he thus epitomizes the extent of this
influence: "The worship of Baal (the Syrian god after whom Baalbec was named) was practiced in England, Ireland, and America.
I he blood altars of sacrifice at Baalbec are duplicated in Yucatan to
the god Chacmool; in the hills of Wales and in County Clare Ireland Baal's Bridge in Dublin and in Limerick City are titles imported from Lebanon. Huge Druid mounds of the Magi are found
in such places as Saltburn, England, and the Danejon inside the
very city walls of Canterbury, as well as all over Ireland, and there
are several exactly similar in Central America-all catalogued
as
c
'prehistoric' ".
The numerous and splendid illustrations of the book further
he p the reader to visualize the land which the text so well describes.
B
�i mil
JANUARY, 1932
45
A HISTORY OF THE MARONITES IN ENGLISH
The Maronites of Lebanon^ by Rev. Paul Abraham, P. P.
Wheeling, W. Va. 190 pp.
In this book the Rev. Paul Abraham, pastor of Our Lady of
Lebanon Church of Wheeling W. Va., has achieved the most noteworthy success that has so far attended any effort to produce a history of the Maronites in English. The book has all the marks of
exhaustive scholarly research, yet it is adaptable for popular reading and should find considerable appeal among the younger generation Maronites in America for whose benefit the book is obviously meant in the first place. It should also prove a source of correct
information for all those interested in studying the historical background of a people who, although few in numbers, have already
given their adopted country many prominent figures in literature,
the arts, the professions and commerce.
A pre-publication notice of the book which appeared in the
Catholic Observer, the official organ of the Wheeling Diocese, and
is reproduced in the book, contains the interesting information'that
"Father Abraham****was offered a chair of Syrio-Caldaic languages at the Catholic University of America, but this honor was
sacrificed as he preferred to remain among the Syrian people of
Wheeling and serve them in their parish needs."
Especially at this time when Lebanon, the homeland of the
Maronites, is convulsed with the interest attending the death of one
Patriarch and the election of another, should the material of this
book prove interesting to the descendants of the Maronites in America because of the light it throws not only on their past history but
on the many contemporary dignitaries of the Maronite church. A
comprehensive biography of the late Patriarch Howayek is also included.
�46
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Political Developments in Syria
ELECTIONS IN SYRIA RESULT IN
NATIONALIST
VICTORYBLOODY RIOTS ATTEND ELECTIONS IN DAMASCUS AND
OTHER LARGE CITIES.
Another blcody chapter apparently
has come to a close in the recent political annals of Syria. A wireless dispatch to the New York Times from
Beirut dated January 10 features the
fact that the Nationalists had nominated Subhi Bey Barakat, who headed
the Syrian Government in 1925, for
President of the potential Syrian republic. The despatch also mentions
that the Nationalists form an overwhelming majority of the new Parliament.
The plain inference is that the elections were resumed after that the first
balloting resulted In bloody riots in
Damascus and other large cities of
Syria, causng the French High Commissioner to take direct action and
declare martial law. No d:spatches
had previously come from Syria announcing such a development.
If the information regarding the
Nationalists' victory at the polls
proves correct, as in all likelihood it
seems to be, there would seem to be
grounds for the;r complaints that the
election officials in the first balloting
were interfering with the right of the
voters in the free exercise of the^r
franchise. This reported interference,
which led to serious rioting in Damascus during the first election, is what
L-aused their postponement.
The latest Syrian papers to reach
the United States contain no reference
to this development. They give, how-
ever, detailed accounts of the happenings during the first elections. What
tcok plafce on this occasion leaves no
room for doubt that the Syrians have
become militantly conscious of their
po!it:cal rights, and that the strong
grip held by the Nationalists on publie sentiment has not been broken.
The Nationalists complained early
during the electfon that agents of the
native government were stuffing the
ballot boxes. Public demonstrations
took place in which women and students participated. Riots in Damascus were the order of the day and the
objectors forcibly entered the polling
places and destroyed the ballot boxes. The clashes with the police and
military forces resulted in many casualties, estimated in some reports as
high as ten dead and fifty severely
wounded.
High Comm-'ssicner Ponsot, when
notified of the unfavorable turn of
affairs in Damascus, hastened to that
city from Beirut and took personal
charge of the situation. He ordered
the city placed under martial law and
soon French forces were patrolling the
streets and raising barricades, while
tanks moved about ominously in the
principal streets or took up strategic
positions. In the accounts of some
of the native papers, the situation was
compared to that of the war preparations of 1925, when Damascus was
subjected to a severe bombardment
�^H
if
I1
JANUARY, 1932
and many quarters in the city were
laid in ruins. In th;s instance, however, there was no necessity to have
recourse to such extreme measures
and the precautions taken by the
authorities resulted in the ra.nid establishment of order.
As a protest aga'nst the illegal interference of the authorities in the
free conduct of the elections the merchants (f Damascus closed their shops
for a day and the populace held popular demonstrations which, however,
passed without incident.
One of the major incidents attending the protest of the Damascenes was
that which took place at the residence
of Fakhry Bey Baroody, one of the
prominent Nationalist leaders and reputedly the guiding spirit of the youth
of Damascus. According to reports,
the opposition party sought to stage
a demonstration in front of the Baroody residence, and he appealed to
the authorities for protection. It is
cla;med that despite his repeated appeals the authorities treated him with
indifference, and as a result he was
forced to bring into the city a number
of his henchmen from Duma ostensibly for the purpose of self-prttection.
Duma is an agricu^ural town owned
exclusively by Baroody, in the manner of olcl feudal lords, and particularly all the population, inasmuch as
they are tenant farmers dependent
upon the:r landlord, are at all times
ready to comply with his bidding.
About fifty strong men came to Damascus at the call of Baroody and
were stationed at his palace ready for
eventualities. An encounter soon developed between them and the local
police *n which the latter fired several
shots and wounded a number of Baroody's adherents. A French military
detachment soon appeared on the
scene and an (fficer called upon Baroody for an explanation of the presence of the strangers on his pre-
47
mises. Baroody was bold in stating
that inasmuch as he could not secure
adequate protect'on from the authorities he had to take means to protect
himself.
He was never molested
thereafter.
Disturbances of a similar nature,
but on a smaller sca'e, took place in
almost all other cities of Syria. The
blood:est were those which occurred in
Aleppo, where many casualties were
reported to have resulted from clashes
with the police. The funerals of the
victims were witnessed by tens of
thousands of people in every city,
but passed without incident.
In the accounts of sc me papers
doubt is created as to whether the
Nationalists or the Administration
Party were victors at the polls. Subhi Bey Barakat :s said to have been a
candidate of the Opposition, and as
such his election would mean a victory for the government forces. In
all there are sixty-nine members to
be elected to the Constituent Assembly, and of this number forty-nine
candidates of the Government Party
are said to have won in Aleppo and
other districts, leaving a minority for
Damascus which if it were all to be
conceded to the Nationalists it would
not affect the election's result. Subhi Bey Barakat, whom dispatches stated as having been nominated for the
Presidency, is represented in thesa
accounts as a candidate of the Moderates, who uphold the government. The
fact that he was nominated for the
Presidency may, after all, only mean
that the v;ctorious party has commit
ted itself to the republican form of
government, in an effort to dispel
any doubt about its entertaining monarchical designs. The former Egyptian Khedive Abbas Hilmy was much
in evidence in Syria during the elections, but he emphatically denied any
ambition to the throne.
�48
PONSOT PLEDGES
TREATY WITH SYRIA.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
CONTEMPLATE AMENDING
LEBANESE CONSTITUTION.
Prior to holding the national elecWhat some usually well informed
tions, High Commissioner Ponsct consources
assert is being contemplated
voked in Damascus the Advisory
by
way
of
amendment to the Lebanese
Council composed of all former execconstitution
would seem to affect the
utives of the State cf Syr-'a and other
whole
structure
of government, leadnotables of the country. The spirit
ing
to
a
drastic
curtailment in exof the meeting was one of extreme
friendliness, especially that the High penses. The complaint has ever been
Commissioner left no room far equi- that the little Lebanese republic was
vocation as to the future relations emulating its bigger sisters to its
which France proposes to establish own detriment and irrespective of its
with Syria. He prefaced his formal resources. The whole population of
remarks by thanking those present for the country barely reaches 800,000
their past services and called for their yet it has a President, a full-sized
co-operat;on in shaping the future cabinet, and a Representative Ascourse of the country. The purpose sembly composed of 46 members The
of the new elections, he declared, was expense cf maintaining such a huge
to establish a de jure government in- adm.mstrative organization resulted
vested with authority to bring about in such increase in taxation that some
a definite solution of the Syrian ques- responsible statesmen began to question. "I need not repeat," he em- tion the wisdom cf having adopted the
phatically stated, "that the permanent republican form of government at all
solution of the relations between Some even wished for the return of
was
France and Syria shall take the form the conditions when Lebanon
:
autonomous
under
Turk
sh
rule
with
of a treaty in conformity with my
but nominal taxes to pay.
several previous statements on the
As now contemplated, the amendsubject."
ments
would reduce the number of
The High Comnr'ssioner then reRepresentatives
to sixteen, and make
minded his hearers that as far back
it
possible
for
the
President to apas Feb. 10, 1928, he made a declarapoint
his
cabinet
of
one or more
tion to that effect before holding the
mm-sters
at
his
discretion
for the
first elections to the Constituent Asconduct
of
the
whole
government;
sembly, and later, on May 14, 1930,
he also made a similar declaration the government is to be deprived of
when he submitted to Foreign Sec- the right of appoimynent to the Legretary Briand the draft of the Syrian islative bedy, and the Chamber will be
constitution. Nor was he ambiguous curtailed in ?ta privileges of interin the position he tcok on the matter ference with the Executive branch of
the government.
before the League of Nations, he said.
;
What appears to be the most wholeAll of wh ch "will prove to you that
some
change in the Constitution is the
my silence does not imply indifference
proposed
elimination of any reference
or neglect."
to
toe
right
of representation by reThe High Commissioner then urged
ligious denominations.
upon those present the necessity of
From the same source it is learned
clearing the polit;cal atmosphere so
that
the contemplated amendments are
as to pave the way for energetic acto
take
effect before the coming Pretion in the economic field and hasten
sidential
elections which fall in May
the rehabiliation of the country
of the present year.
�D
JANUARY, 1932
49
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
id
;d
ie
te
Icn
s
s
s
f
NEWS SECTION
VOL. VI NO. 5
JANUARY, 1932
PATRIARCH ELIAS HOWAYEK DIES IN LEBANON;
BISHOP ANTOUN ARIDA ELECTED SUCCESSOR
Dead Patriarch Was Great Patriot—Government Declares National Mourning and Accords Him State Funeral** Mandatory Authorities and
Neighboring States Represented.
"
Successor also Known for His Unflinching Patriotism and Leadership in
Economic Rehabilitation.
The venerable old man of Mt. Leb- the physicians' bulletins for the apanon, its leading patriot and the head proach of the end, and when the bells
df the largest single religious group of Bekerky tolled out a d-'rge to anin the country, who was lovingly call- nounce the passing of the Patriarch,
ed the Lebaneses Patriarch in ap- the message was spread in like manpreciation of the universality of his ner from the belfrys of the churches:
character, died at his see at Bekerky, of neighboring villages until it reacha short d'stance north of Beirut, on ed the farthest seetfems of the counthe evening cf December 24. As a try. The fifteen bishops of the Maronmark of universal respect a day of ite hierarchy were notified and alpublic mourning was declared and he most all reached Bekerky the followwas accorded a national funeral. ing day. Notables of the country reFlags were lowered to half mast on presenting all denominations, and deall government buildings and on these legations from every town and village,
of the foreign consulates. According swarmed to Bekerky to express the
to newspaper reports, the display of gref of the whole people. The nainterest manifested at the Patriarch's tive authorities of Damascus and other
death and the honors attending his fu- large Syrian cities sent official reneral were unprecedented in the his- presentatives to condole with the Matory of the country.
ronites over their loss. The NationThe Patriarch was in his eighty- alist Party, as an organized political
ninth year, and although he was con- body of Syria, also sent a special delescious unfr'l the end he could not sum- gate from Damascus headed by one
mon sufficient vitality to shake off his of its principal leaders Fakhry Bey
last illness. He was confined to his Baroody.
bed only for a week.
News of the Patriarch's death
The country had been prepared by reached the Legislative Assembly of
_
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�50
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Lebanon while it was in session, and
the Pres-dent recommended a tenminute period of silence as a tribute
to the memory of the great national
figure who had passed. Upon resumption of the session it was turned
into a memorial meet;ng with the representatives cf all religious creeds
paying high tribute to the one man
whoby general consent had done more
than any other during his long and
active career for the welfare of the
country. .Sheikh Muhammad Al-Jisr,
a Sunnite Moslem and President of
the Assembly, led with a most glowing elegy to the Patriarch's patriotism and unswerving devot:on.
It was recalled that the loving
title of "Lebanese Patriarch," as distinctive frcm the Maronite Patriarch,
g:ven the dead prelate and political
leader, was first suggested by the
foremost Druze leader of his day in
Lebanon, Nassib Bey Janblatt.
Other expressions of condolences
were received frcm His Holiness the
Pope and the President of France.
The funeral was held on the following Saturday, Dec. 26 and was offic-'ally attended by the President of
the Republic and by the French High
Commissioner, as well as by the commander-in-chief of the French army
in the East and the Admiral of the
French fleet in Syrian waters. The
French authorities of occupation sent
a contingent of soldiers and marines
as a further mark of official participation.
After the Patriarch's burial, and according to the customary practice on
such occasions, the b-'shops held a conclave behind closed doors for the election of a new Patriarch. Two ranking notables of the Alkazin family,
who by ti-adition are accorded such
honor, were assigned as guards to
prevent all communication with the
outside as a safeguard against interference. They are also commissioned
lllll
"'--«-
to burn the ballots taken until a decision ;s reached by a two-third
majority.
Although the proceedings of the
council are supposed to be absolutely secret, it was rumored that several
ballots were taken which showed almost an equal division of votes between Bishop Abdullah Khouri and
Bishop Ignatius Mobarak The situation had almost come to an impasse
when the bishops realized the gravity
of the consequence of a disagreement,
in which event Rome would have the
right to intervene and appoint a regent of its own choice. A compromise was then effected whereby Bishop
Antoun Arida of Tripoli was elected
unanimously and the two leading
candidates knelt before Bishop Arida
and kissed trs hand as a sign of submission.
THE NEW PATRIARCH
A STAUNCH PATRIOT
Patriarch Antoun Arida is a native
of Becharre and had his higher education at St. Sulpice in Paris, and at
other seminaries of Europe. His record is without blemish and he is
especially noted for his enterprise,
charity and unbending patriotism.
During the war he not only mortgaged
all the property of his diocese to relieve suffering among all denominates but went to the extent of offering to pawn his episcopal cross. For
this purpose he approached a wealthy
Moslem of Tripoli who, upon discovering the bishop's intentions, advanced
him the money without security.
The new Patriarch has been active
in the economic rehabilitation of the
country. It was through his efforts
that the Kadisha Hydroelectric Co., a
purely native organization sponsored
by the people of Becharre and Northern Lebanon, was made possible. He
was elected President of its board of
1
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mum
-
-
..._
s
>3
His Beatitude Patriarch AntounArida, the new head of the MaroniteChurch in Lebanon.. He is the
center figure with the staff. This is an official photograph taken after the ceremony of installation.
To the Patriarch's right is the French High Commissioner and thePapal Nuncio, While immediately to his left is the President of the Republic of Lebanon.
(Courtesy Al-Hoda)
Cr,
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52
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;
THE SYRIAN WORLD
directors and had devoted much time hopes were an illusion. We now have
to its promotion. One of his other come to realize that they only want
constructive enterprises is the Leban- to exploit us for their own benefit."
on Cement Co. which operates at
Shekka and was ha-led upon its forma- LEBANESE OF U. S. A.
tion as a major step in the exploitaMOURN PATRIARCH
tion by the Lebanese of their naturThe first news of the death of Patal resources and the encouragement riarch Elias Howayek came in a cable
of industrial enterprises in the coun- dispatch to Al-Hoda of New York. It
try.
was a "beat" that Al-Hoda scored
Perhaps no better evidence can be and was much in keeping with the
g;ven of the new Patriarch's construc- journalists enterprise characterizing
tive and practical patriotism than that its whole career. The election of the
to which he personally gave utterance new Patriarch was first announced in
in an interview he granted the editor America in the same manner.
of the Syrian World duting the latThere were expressions of genuine
ter's visit to Lebanon in the summer grief among all classes of Syrians
Vf 1929. At that time Bishop Arida and Lebanese in America over the
was in his native town of Becharre death of the late Patriarch, because he
attend1 ng the annual meeting of the was held in as high esteem by the imKadisha Company, which was about migrants as by those in the hometo open its first power plant. This in- land. Very Rev. Mgr. Stephen Elterview was reported exactly two
douaihy of Boston, the Ma.roivte Vicar
years ago in the January, 1930 issue Patriarchal in the United States, isof the Syrian World and reads in part
sued a call to the Maronite priests
as follows:
in the country to hold special requiem
"We want to prove that collective masses for the Patr-arch on Sunday,
action among our people is possible, January 10. Rev. Mansur Stephen,
and to that end we are now conduct- pastor of Our Lady of Lebanon of
ing the first experiment of any mag- Brooklyn, invited to the services in
nitude. The country is ours and we his church all ministers of the Christshould have first claim to the right ians denominations in the city. Chorof exploiting its resources which are, bishop Francis Wakim, pastor of St.
at best, very meager. We are a homo- Joseph in New York, carrying out the
geneous people in this part of Leb- traditions of centuries between the
anon. We have held together for French and the MaronUes, invited the
centuries past in defense of our right French Ambassador in Washington
to life and freedom of worship. Now to the services held in his church. The
we want to prove the same solidarity Ambassador sent a telegram of re^n the face of economic danger. Our gret and delegated the consul genepeople are now awaking to the neces- ral in New York to represent him.
sity of working together for con- The eulogy on the latter occasion was
structive effort instead of mere de- delivered by Archimandrite Bernardos
fense. We are determined to prove Ghosn, pastor of St. George Melchite
both our initiative and our fitness.*** church in New York.
It was cur hope that those responsible
Reports reaching Al-Hoda from all
for the shaping of our destinies would parts of the country indicated that
be helpful to us in our constructive ef- requiem masses for the dead Patriarch
forts instead of placing all forms of were held in every one of ttie fifty
hindrances in our way.
But our or more Maronite churche».
.
.
.
....
'
:,-.'-.
�JANUARY, 1932
EXHIBIT OF GIBRAN'S WORKS;
MORE MEMORIAL SERVICES
53
anese extraction and had lately v'sited
the United States, and several others
delivered tributes to the genius of
Gibran's Studio at 51 W. 10th. St.
<Jibran.
New York, was transformed into a
In a long communication to Almuseum for an exhibition of his works
of art scheduled to last from January Hoda cf New York from Johannes21 until February 7, inclusive, for berg, Transvaal, South Africa, an acthree hours every day between 2 and count TS given of the elaborate me5 P. M. This is done by the execu- morial service held for Gibran in the
tors of Gibran's estate more for the Maromte church of Our Lady of LebOf
purpose of satisfying the many ad- anon in that city on Nov. 15
mirers of his works of pen and brush Jciating at the requiem mass was the
than for the sale of any of his sketch- Rt. Rev. Dav-d Orley, bishop of Transes and paintings, although each and vaal, who delivered a eulogy in which
all of his art works are subject to he appraised the character of Gibran
from first hand knowledge of his
purchase.
Through the loving care of Miss English works and said he was posBarbara Young, Gibran's literary ex- sessed of the true universal love which
ecutor, under whose direction the ex- is as far from the modern conception
hibition is being held, much of the of the term as heaven is from earth
work of our celebrated artist was re- During his address the bishop procovered from the dust of years and duced a copy of the Syrian World and
displayed to the proper advantage. read from it extracts from G'bran's
I* all fifty six paintings and drawings Message to Young Americans of Syrare on exhibition, including portraits ian Origin, declaring that message
of Edward Markham and Albert Ry- tc be of the stuff of immortal literader and a sketch of a sleeping child ture, and that it should apply to the
done by Gibran in 1896 when he was younger generation of Syrians and
Lebanese in every part of the world.
but fourteen years old.
Officially attending the services
Considering the interest displayed
were the consuls of the United States
in the exhibition, Miss Young said
France and Belgium, the Apostolic
that it might be extended for months Legate in South Africa, the mayor of
so as to afford all an opportunity to
Johannesberg and the presidents of
visit it. After the first three days
various chambers of commerce and ciit was open to the public.
vic organizat;ons.
Meanwhile, memorial services for
Gibran continue to be held in various
parts of the world, especially wherever the Lebanese have large settle- PRIEST SAVES CHALICES
AT RISK OF LIFE
ments. A communicat;on to Al-Bashir
(Jesuit Arabic paper of Beirut) from
Braving a raging fire that was fast
Australia gives an account of a me- consuming the frame structure of St.
morial meeting held there on Nov. 15 Joseph's Syrian Catholic church on
that was officially attended by the con- Wooster Ave., Akron, Ohio, in the
suls of France and the United States early afternoon of Sunday Jan. 24,
and four members of Parliament. Of- Rev. Agabios Riashi, the pastor, heedficially representing the government less of the great danger and despite
was the Minister of the Interior.
all efforts to restrain him, dashed
Alexander Alam, M. P. who is of Leb- through the smoke and flame and sue-
�—
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:.
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54
eeeded in saving the sacred vessels.
In giving an account of the fire
and the priest's act of heroism, the
Akron Beacon Journal of Jan. 25 said
that firemen were making a desperate
effort to save the building, but it
was an old frame structure and the
crash of the roof or of weakened supports seemed certain. It would be
foolhardy to risk one's life inside the
flimsy waiis.
But Rev. Riashi, continues the paper, had handled with loving touch
the sacred vessels around the altar
that same morning, and could not bear
to think that they were at the mercy
of the flames.
"Let me through, please," said the
priest quietly, and he darted suddenly toward the smoke filled doorway.
There were cries of protest and
many hands sought to detain him but
he disappeared inside—and a little
later, it seemed a long while, came
staggering out bearing the sacred
cups. He was choking with smoke
fumes but was uninjured.
A cheer broke out from those assembled near the front of the building, and as Rev. Riashi, shielding the
chalices, walked through the lane that
was formed, men removed their hats
respectfully.
Two fire companies fought the blaze
and afterwards, with the walls still
standing and the damage confined
largely to the interior, it was said the
loss might be about $1,200. The processional crosses,several beautiful pictures and other sacred fittings on the
altar were destroyed.
Placing of the incensers too close
to woodwork in the church was said
by firemen to have been responsible
for the fire.
The damage is only partly covered
by insurance, but Rev. Riashi said that
repair work will be started immediately.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
SYRAMAR GOLF CLUB
HOLDS ANNUAL DINNER.
True to the spirit of their fraternity, the members of the Syramar
Golf Club (contraption for SyrianAmerican Golf Club) are incorrigible
optimists. The year 1932 does not
hold any terrors for them, and they
ushered it in with a rousing jolly
celebration at a dinner dance held at
the Park Lane in New York on Jan.
30. There were about 230 guests and
all shared in the high spirit (s?) of
the occasion.
The golfer's philosophy of life is
essentially a buoyant one, an attitude
that was ably expounded by the President of Syramar, George A. Tadross,
in the pedantic dissertation he delivered at the opening of the speaking exercises. His remarks, however, were
interspersed with many witty comments and observations that met with
appreciative response from the sympathetic audience. And the whole affair
was carried out in conformity with
this policy. The setting, in the Louis
XIV Room of the Park Lane, lent itself admirably to the execution of the
elaborate program.
Richard A. Macksoud acted as master of ceremonies and proved himself
master of the situation. He promised
many surprises and began to unreel
them one after the other. In the
arrangement of the entertainment
program, he said, the committee in
charge, was assisted by one whom he
termed "the youngest manager on
Broadway," Miss Morse. But when
the young lady was later introduced
she corrected that impression by disclaiming the distinction of being the
the "youngest,"—quite exceptional of
a lady— and explained that she was
the only woman manager. Her ability
was amply proven.
Other distinctive features of the
program were several dance numbers
i
�JANUARY, 1932
by Papino and Rhoda, Broadway
favorites, and a number of classical
and popular songs by Gigi of the Metropolitan, all of which were rewarded
with resounding applause and necessitated several encores.
A former President, Henry Hadad,
invaded the green fields of poetry
and proved himself as able in the
manipulation of words as in the creation of ladies' dress designs. He
drew a vivid picture of the happy life
of the golfer and made a bid for membership.
The Club championship is now a tie
between George A. Ferris and Nat
Mallouf, and the final issue will be
settled in the 1932 tournament.
The Entertainment Committee is
composed of Henry Hadad, Chairman,
David G. Malhame, Cecil Saydah.
Richard E. Macksoud, George Shamyer and Nat Mallouf.
In the words of Syramar's poet,
Syramar, long may it prosper
And expand throughout the
nation.
SYRIANS OF BRAZIL
BUILD FINE HOSPITAL.
In a ceremony that was attended by
high officials of the state and city
governments, and by representatives
of civ?c, patriotic, benevolent and
athletic Syrian and Lebanese organizations of the city, the cornerstone of
the new Syrian Hospital was laid in
Sao Paulo, on November 22 and hailed as the crowning achievement of
the Syrian community in Braz'l.
The project was started in 1923
tinder the auspices of the Syrian
Ladies Society of Sao Paulo and the
active leadership of Mrs. Basil Jafet.
The initial move was in purchasing
a twenty-thousand square meter plot
of land for a sum of 350 contos,
which served to bind the project. Lat-
55
er contributions raised the total subscriptions to one thousand contos, or
the equivalent in normal exchange of
$110,000.00.
According to the architect's plans,
the building consists of three stories
and has 140 rooms. The operation
rocm will be fitted out with the most
modern equipment and there will be
a charitable ward open to the needy
of all nationalities. The 'hospital will
be a purely charitable institution not
to be operated for profit. It will be
in charge of the Sisters of Charity.
The Syrians of Braz:l, especially
the Sao Paulo community, have been
most active in civic enterprises calculated to enhance their racial prestige in our sister South American republic. On the occasion of the centenary of Brazil's independence, the
Syrians presented the national governwith a magnificent monument erected
through popular subscriptions exclusively from among themselves. The
government at that time assigned one
of the most prominent plazas of the
capital for the erection of t'he monument and the President of the republic in person officiated at the dedication.
SYRIAN ORGANIZATIONS
ACTIVE FOR CHARITY
The Syr;an Junior League of New
York will give a play at the Booth
Theatre on Sunday evening. Feb. 21,
the proceeds of which will be devoted
wholly to charity. Talent has ,been
recruited from among the members
and their friends, so that the box office receipts, together with the revenue
from the Souvenir Journal, will remain almost intact.
The Junior
League has been in the habit of making annual contribut:ons to. welfare
societies and hospitals catering, to
Syrians.
�66
The Ameriean Syrian Federation,
the largest civic organization among
the Syrians in New York, has ca led
a special meeting for Feb. 4 to discuss ways and means for raising
funds for needy Syrians.
A CHARITY BAZAAR
SPONSORED BY AL-HODA
As its contribution to the relief of
distress among the Syrians and Lebanese cf New York, the Lebanon
League of Progress will hold a bazaar
during the three days and evenings
of Feb. 27, 28 and 29, at Columbus
Hall in Brooklyn, the proceeds of
which will be distributed through the
agency of the Syrian churches of the
city of ail denominations. The Bazaar
is being actively sponsored by AlHoda, the Arab-c daily of New York,
which devotes to its promotion considerable space both in its editorial
and news columns.
CONCERT BY FEDORA KOREAN
Mme. Fedora Korban, popularly
known as the Syrian n-ghtingale, will
give a concert at the Roehric Museum, 103rd. St. and Riverside Drive,
New York, on the evening of Feb. 27.'
The concert will be under the auspices of the Museum management who
entertain great promise for the future
of our noted singer. The program
will consist of a large variety of selections, and it is to be hoped that the
Syrian attendance will be large as a
mark of appreciation and encouragement.
SYRIAN FOOTBALL STAR
The Daily Oklahoman of Oklahoma
City features as the principal attraction of the charity football game to be
THE SYRIAN WORLD
played between the University of
Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University, "Iron Mike" Massad, fullback of the Sooner team, whom the
paper describes as being a tower on
the defensive. Massad is a senior of
Oklahoma University and an American-born Syrian whose father is a
merchant in Ardmore, Okla., and a
native of Marjioun.
We 'have to
thank Miss Ruth Shadid of Elk City
for having sent us the newspaper
clipping and the additional information about this Syrian football star.
PRINCETON WILL UNEARTH
TREASURES OF ANTIOCH
Antioch, the only one cf the four
great centers of the ancient world
which can be almost completely unearthed without disturbing buildings
that have been erected above its ruins,
will be excavated by Princeton University in collaboration w-th the
Musees Nationaux of France, the
Baltimore Museum of Art and the
Worcester Art Museum, according to
an announcement in the Princeton
Herald, organ of Princeton University
on Jan. 29. Our friend and compatriot, Dr. Philip K. Hitti of Princeton,
sent us the clipping of the University
paper containing the announcement.
A five year program for the excavation has been planned and funds for
'ts consummation have been guaranteed, it is further stated. Field surveys
are now being made and the actual
digging will start in March.
Antioch ranks with Rome, Constantinople and' Alexandra as an ancient
center of culture and commerce. "The
excavation of Antioch." said Professor C. Rufus Morey, Chairman, of the
Princeton Department of Art and
Archaeology, "will be of paramount
interest and importance because
buried in its ruins is material relating
I'i
�JANUARY, 1932
to the history of Christianity and the
Seleucid Kingdom, to the solution of
the problems of the part played by
Syria in the evolution of the mediaeval culture of the Mediterranean
and the Crusades. If one adds to this
the prospect of recovering' even a minute pcrtion of the works of art for
which the luxurious city was famous
for a millenium of its existence, from
its beginning around 300 B. C. to its
final florescence just before the Arab
conquest, it is not difficult to understand why the eyes of the field archaeologists have constantly been
turned toward this little Syrian village."
Antioch was founded about 300 B.
C. by one of Alexander's generals. It
became the commercial, political, cultural and literary center of the Near
East. When Syria became a Roman
province in 64 B. C. each Roman ruler
endeavored to surpass Irs predecessor
in beautifying Antioch. . After an
earthquake in 115 A. D. it was restored by Trajan and in the sixth century Justinian repa;red the damage
done during a Persian raid.
LOCAL PUBLICATION FOR
LOS ANGELES SYRIANS
A four-page leaflet in English to
serve the Syrian community of Los
Angeles, California, published monthly and called "Community Newls,"
has made its appearance under the
editorship of Mr. Samuel M. Mamey.
In his prefatory announcement, the
editor admits that the step he has
taken is a "bold venture," and that
he intends to conduct the experiment
for a period of six months, and only
if it proves to be successful and selfsupporting will it be continued.
We believe this to be a wise policy,
but hope the response of the Los
Angeles Syrian community which the
57
editor estimates at about 10,000, will
justify the continuation of the publication,
A copy of Gibran's Message to
Young Americans of Syrian Origin
having been received as a gift from
the Syrian World by the Syrian
Young Men's Society of Los Angeles,
Community News expressed a desire
to publish it in its columns once permission is granted from the publishers.
The Syrian World hereby gladly
grants such permission. It is our aim
that the spirit of the immortal message be carried to as many readers
as possible.
The following news items are copied
from Community News owing to their
general interest:
SYRIANS IN FOOTBALL
Influence in football is being felt
everywhere and is enchanced by the
fact that Syrian students play on college teams.
Tom Kassis, student at Notre Dame,
played All-American, season of 1930.
Glen Edwards, recognized as one of
the best football men in the Pacific
Coast Conference, attends Washington State College. All-American in
1930.
George Haik's name appears on the
roster of Tulane College. Considered
one of the best passers in the Southern Conference.
FEATURED IN FILMS
George Book-Asta, 14, and Basil
Book-Asta, 12, sons of Mr. and Mrs.
Herman Book-Asta. of 8007 Highland Trail, Hollywood, are the two
youths who are prominently identified
in motion picture productions.
Basil, typifying junior parts, has
played in a number of pictures. His
brother George, feature artist, played
important parts in two recent pictures, "Hell's Harbor" and "The Unholy Garden."
�58
THE SYRIAN WORLD
STATEMENT OP THE OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT. CIRCULATION
•f The Syrian World, published monthly at New York, N. Y., Oct. 1, 1931.
STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF NEW YORK.
Before me, a Notary Public, in and for the state and county aforesaid,
personally appeared Salloum A. Mokarzel, who, having been duly sworn
according to law, deposes and says that he is the publisher of The Syrian
World, and that the following is, to the best of his knowledge and belief,
a true statement of the ownership, management (and if a da.ly paper, the
circulation), etc.. of the aforesaid publication for the date shown in the
above caption, required by the Act of August 24, 1912, embodied in section
411, Postal Laws and Regulations, printed on the reverse of this form, to wit:
1. That the names and addresses of the publisher, editor, managing
editor, and business managers are:
Name of—
Post office address—
Publisher, Salloum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenwich Street.
Editor, Salloum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenwich Street.
Managing Editor, Salloum A. Mokarzel
104 Greenwich Street.
Business Manager, Sailoum A. Mokarzel
104 Greenwich Street.
2. That the owner is: (If owned by a corporation, its name and address
must be stated and also immediately thereunder the names and addresses
of stockholders owning or holding one per cent, or more of total amount of
stock. If not owned by a corporation, the names and addresses of the individual owners must be given. If owned by a firm, company or other unincorporated concern, its name and address, as well as those of each individual
member, must be given.)
Salloum A. Mokarzel, 104 Greenwich Street.
3. That the known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1 per cent, or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other secur.ties are: (If there are none, so state.) None.
4. That the two paragraphs next above, giving the names of the owners, stockholders, security holders, if any, contain not only the list of
stockholders and security holders as they appear upon the books of the
company but also, in cases where the stockholder or security holder appears
upon the bocks of the company as trustee or in any other fiduciary relation,
the name of the person or corporation for whom such trustee is acting is
given; also that the said two paragraphs contain statements embracing affiant's full knowledge and belief as to the circumstances and conditions under which stockholders and security holders who do not appear upon the
books of the company as trustees, hold stock and securities in a capacity
other than that of a bona fide owner; and this affiant has no reason to believe that any other person, association, or corporation has any interest
direct or indirect in the said stock, bonds, or other securities than as so
stated by him.
5. That the average number of copies of each issue of this publication
sold or distributed, through the mails or otherwise, to paid subscribers during the six months preceding the date shown above is.
(This information is required from daily publications only.)
S. A. MOKARZEL.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 14th day" of October, 1931
[Seal.]
Edna M. Huckner.
(My
commission expires March 30, 1932.)
'
�""-"'"•"•
59
JANUARY, 1932
n
Gibran's Message
To Young Americans of SyrianOrigin
By G. K.
GIBRAN
Autijor of ilTke Prophet,"
"Jesus the Son of Man,"
I believe in you. and I believe in your destiny.
I believe that you are contributors to this new civilization.
I .believe that you have inherited from your forefathers an ancient dream, a song, a prophecy, which you can proudly lay as a gift of gratitude upon the lap of America.
I believe you can say to the founders of this great nation. "Here I am. a youth, a young
tree, whose roots were plucked from the hills of Lebanon, yet I am deeply rooted here, and I would
be fruitful."
And 1 believe that you can say to Abraham Lincoln, the blessed. "Jesus of Nazareth
touched your lips when you spoke, and guided your hand when you wrote; and I shall uphold
all that you have said and all that you have written."
I believe that you can say to Emerson and Whitman and James. "In my veins runs the
blood of the poets and wise men of old, and it is my desire to come to you and receive, but I shall
not come with empty hands."
I believe that even as your fathers came to this land to produce riches, you were born
here to produce riches by intelligence, by labor.
And I believe that it is in you to be good citizens.
And what is it to be a good citizen?
It is to acknowledge the other person's rights before asserting your own. but always to be
conscious of your own.
'
i
It is to be free in thought and deed, but it is also to know that your freedom is subject
to the other person's freedom.
It is to create the useful and the beautiful with your own hands, and to admire what others
have created in love and with faith.
It is to produce wealth by labor and only by labor, and to spend less than you have produced that your children may not be dependent on the state for support when you are no more.
It is to stand before the towers of New York, Washington, Chicago and San Francisco
saying in your heart. "I am the descendant of a people that builded Damascus, and Biblus, and
Tyre and Sidon. and Antioch, and now I am here to build with you. and with a will."
It is to be proud of being an American, but it is also to be proud that your fathers and
mothers came from a land upon which God laid His gracious hand and raised His messengers.
Young Americans of Syrian origin. I believe in you.
itrnMnvwrntommtsmisMmumti
mmmmmmtw ":• ;•
FREE TO SYRIAN WORLD SUBSC RIBERS. This beautiful message by
Gibran 13x17 indies, printed in large type on heavy paper with ornamental border suitable for framing. Every PAID subscriber whose term begins
with Sept. 1931 is entitled to a copy, mailed in heavy cardboard tube. Subscribers whose term begins before Sept. 1931 may secure a copy by renewal.
�60
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Contributor
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Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
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NS 0002
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This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
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Identifier
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TSW1932_01reducedWM
Title
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The Syrian World Volume 06, Issue 05
Date
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1932 January
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 6 Issue 05 of The Syrian World published January 1932. The issue opens with a travel journal entry from Ameen Rihani detailing his experiences in Aden, which he describes as a “once beautiful and hospitable Arab city.” This piece is followed by a poem titled "The Prophet" by Thomas Asa, a regular contributor to the Syrian World. This specific poem is dedicated to Kahlil Gibran, who passed away the previous year. After an article by Dr. F. I. Shatara discussing Arab contributions to World Civilizations, there is a collection of poetry edited by Barbara Young. H. I Katibah follows with a discussion on the challenge of liberalism for Islam. There is also a focus in this issue on the Maronite Christian religion due to the death of the Maronite Patriarch Elias Peter Howayek. This topic is followed by classic pieces of Arab literature and three book reviews. The issue closes with an update on political developments in Syria and a collection of articles on Syrians world news.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
A language of the resource
English
Creator
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
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New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
Format
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Text/pdf
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Text
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Ameen Rihani
Barbara Young
F.I. Shatara
Habib I. Katibah
Kahlil Gibran
Maronite Church
New York
Poetry-English
Thomas Asa
Travel
Yemen
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/a075a21267ffe42e1041437683c9d85d.pdf
a2b0bea9449fc1c4b80bab869b1675a5
PDF Text
Text
VOL. VI
HH
FEBRUARY, 1932
OUR PRIDE IN OUR ANCESTRY
REV. W. A. MANSUR
SEiJ
BLUE BLOOD
A TRAGEDY OF ARAB TRADITIONS
H. I. KATIBAH
POETRY
BARBARA YOUNG
OUR YOUNGER GENERATION
W-.
EDNA K. SALOOMEY
A CHANCE MEETING IN THE OASIS
*&
A TRUE ARABIAN TALE
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN SYRIA
THE COPY 50c
NO. 6
��=3=
I
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
Tublished monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New York,
Xj. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
FEBRUARY, 1932
VOL. VI NO. 6
CONTENTS
PAGE
...3
Our Pride in Our Ancestry
REV.
W. A.
MANSUR
12
She Is Not Dead (Poem)
ALICE MOKARZEL
13
Ya Baity (Syrian Folk Song)
DR. SALIM
Poetry, Edited by
B
Y.
ALKAZIN
BARBARA YOUNG
The Poetry of Labor
14
A Man Bereaved
17
PADRIAC COLUM
17
Scarcity
LIZETTE WOODWORTH REESE
Sonnet
18
JOHN MASEFIELD
onaBMMIBBBBSBiS
�CONTENTS (Continued)Our Younger Generation, Edited by
Do You Agree?
EDNA
K.
A New Era
SALOOMEY
PAGE
19
21
Al-Jirn
22
Blue Blood
23
H. I.
KATIBAH
Water and Flowers (Poem)
27
AMEEN RIHANI
Excavations in Syria and Iraq
28
DR. HAROLD INGHOLT
Syria in Romandxey The Brethren
36
RIDER HAGGARD
Condensed by
DAGNY EDWARDS
True Arabian Tales
40
A Chance Meeting in the Oasis
Freedom and Slavery
43
KHALIL GIBRAN
Editorial Comment
Apology
Hard Times
Which Shall Survive?
And Now Our Case
Departments
Political Developments in Syria
Syrian World News Section
44
ft
Jf
4
'
47
�&%>
ynan
«/
Editor.
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL,
Mi
FEBRUARY, 1932
VOL. VI NO. 6
Our Pride in Our Ancestry
HIGHLIGHTS IN OUR RACIAL HISTORY WHICH
EVERY SYRIAN AND LEBANESE BOY AND GIRL
OUGHT TO KNOW
By
REV.
W. A.
MANSOUR
"One of our chief objects," said S. A. Mokarzel, "in helping
Syrian-Americans discover themselves is to breed in them a consciousness of appreciation for their racial qualities and inheritances
so that they may comport themselves with a befitting sense of honor
as citizens of this great American nation.
It is, then, in such a spirit of service that this publication was
conceived, and it is with a sense of reverence that we dedicate it to
the memory of a race whose contributions to the progress and wellbeing of mankind shall ever be valued as of paramount importance,
and whose descendants should feel proud of keeping forever alive
their sacred memory." (Syrian World, Vol. I, No. 1, Page 3).
I write deliberately to awaken Syrian Lebanese boys and girls
to the appreciation of their racial ancestors—the Phoenicians. I
wish to keep alive through them the sacred memory of their forefathers—the Phoenicians. I hope to create a realization of their inherited racial talents from their illustrious ancestors—the Phoenicians.
When Syrian Lebanese boys and girls know of their race greatness, they will be thrilled from within. It will open the springs of
their racial soul. They will understand the call to become foremost among modern races. They will assert with confidence their
place, pride, prosperity, and progress in the world.
J
�4
THE SYRIAN WORLD
I write that you may know the greatness of your blood, the
power of your abilities, and the far reaching importance of your race
in modern times. When you appreciate your racial qualities and
inheritances you will then be better able to comport yourselves with
a befitting sense of honor as citizens of this great American nation,
or any nation on earth. It is for these reasons that I thought it
good to write of some things every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl
ought to know about their Phoenician ancestors.
I.
PHOENICIAN ORIGIN OF SYRIANS AND LEBANESE.
It is very important that every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl
ought to know that they are descended from the Phoenician race.
They will find the Phoenicians to be Semitic, Caucasian, white.
They will discover the independent character, progressive nature,
and cosmopolitan type of people to which they belong. They will
realize their ancestors were foremost among the civilizing races of
ancient times.
"Now to what race belonged these -first Lebanese at the dawn
of recorded history?" Philip K. Hitti asks. He answers, "Undoubtedly they belonged to the Semitic race. Some unquestionablyy
were Canaanites who were akin to the Arameans,—both being of the
same Semitic stock. As regards the Phoenicians, they are none other
than the Canaanites who lived on the sea coast and who were called
Phoenician {blood red) by the Greeks who knew the Phoenicians
as traders in purple. The history of the Phoenicians began in
Lebanon about 2000 B. C. Traces of the Phoenician temples, tombs
and forts are still evidenced not only in Tyre, Sidon, By bios, Amrit
and the rest of the coast cities, but also in Afqa, Samar Jubail, Bait
Miri, Hermon and other localities situated far in the interior of
the country." (Syrian World, Feb. 1931, Page 9).
The Phoenicians were a hardy, resourceful, and adaptable
people to conditions and times. They maintained the spirit of independence, while situated in a land which was a thoroughfare of
conquering armies. They were talented in improving things. Their
alphabet has become almost the alphabet of the whole world. Although one of the smallest nations of antiquity, the Phoenicians became the most illustrious people of ancient times. Every Syrian
Lebanese boy and girl ought to know they are descended from the
Phoenicians—a foremost race of ancient times.
�FEBRUARY', 1932
5
//. THE GEOGRAPHICAL HOMELAND OF THE PHOENICIANS.
To understand the character, the nature of their movements
in history, and their relation to the surrounding nations, it is absolutely necessary to know the geographical location of the homeland of our Phoenician ancestors. Their physical environment partly explains the reason for their independent character.
Their
mountainous country partly reveals their interest in navigation.
Their central location partly shows the reason for their developed
adaptability in their relation to adjoining nations, races, and cultures.
S. A. Mokarzel says, "Old Phoenicia is none other than the
Lebanese^ Republic of today. Syria contains within its natural geographical bounderies Palestine, which we know as the Holy Land,
and Phoenicia, the home of the great navigators of old and the
land whose people have given us that great instrument of knowledge and progress, namely the alphabet." (Syrian World, May
1930, Page 37).
Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl ought to locate and study
the geographical position of Phoenicia on the world map. It will
reveal the amazing smallness of the land of Phoenicia. It will
magnify the importance of Phoenicia and Phoenicians in the history
of mankind. It will emphasize the degree to which the Phoenicians,
though small in number, have served the progress of mankind. It
will establish the importance not of numbers, militarism, or bigness,
but of talent, achievement, and progress of a people in its service
to humanity.
Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl ought to know that Phoenicia is a foremost motherland of the progressive urges for the betterment of the nations, races, and cultures of earth.
III.
THE PHOENICIANS WERE THE FOREMOST NAVIGATORS OF ANCIENT TIMES.
Our Phoenician ancestors were the foremost navigators of
ancient times. Hemmed in between desert and sea, they developed
the art of navigation. The forests of Lebanon provided them with
lumber for ships. Without chart or compass Phoenician navigators
followed the Pole Star.
"Along the eastern end of the Mediterranean," says H. G.
Wells, "the Phoenicians, a Semitic people, set up a string of independent harbour towns of which Acre, Tyre, and Sidon were the
�I
II
6
THE SYRIAN WORLD
chief; and later they pushed their voyages westward and founded
Carthage and Utica in North Africa. They were great seamen because they were great traders." (The Outline of History, page 157)
The exploits of the Phoenicians are celebrated in the annals of
navigation. They were the first to push out far beyond the mainland. They passed the pillars of Hercules down the coasts of
Africa, circumnavigating it; along coasts of Europe; and possibly
crossed the Atlantic to the New World. Their navigation took them
to India, Ceylon, even China, and the Far East. These seafaring
people brought the peoples of the earth together through their inter-oceanic navigation and commerce.
Arthur Brisbane says, "Inscriptions found on rocks in the valley of the Amazon revive the belief that the seafaring Phoenicians
from the far end of the Mediterranean discovered America long
before Columbus and the earlier Lief Ericson. Archaeologists think
the Phoenicians went up the great Amazon with their ships and
founded a South American city 4,000 years ago." (See Associated
Press dispatch from Rio de Janeiro, Jan., 1, 1930. Given in full
in Syrian World, Dec. 1929, Page 53).
Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl ought to know that their
Phoenician ancestors were the greatest mariners of antiquity They
ought to know that it was Phoenician galleys that taught the nations
the importance of sea travel and sea commerce. They ought to
know that Phoenician ships carried the goods of the nations which
proved oi civilizing influence upon all. They ought to know that
1 hoemcian genius in ship building laid the foundations of interoceanic travel and commerce of all nations and times.
IV. THE PHOENICIAN ANCESTORS AS THE GREATEST
PEACEFUL COLONIZERS OF ANCIENT TIMES.
Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl ought to know that their
Phoenician ancestors were the greatest peaceful colonizers of the
ancients. The Phoenicians, because of their small number, made
it impossible to extend their possessions by conquest. They secured
their possessions by more peaceful means than any of the ancientsthrough mutual trade and benefit.
"The colonies and foreign possessions of the Phoenicians," says
the author of T^ RE, "were most extensive and valuable, far exceeding those of any other state in ancient or modern times, possessing m its original territory no larger amount of the world's surface
than ancient Phoenicia. These colonies were not obtained by con-
�FEBRUARY, 1932
i
7
quest, or, as in the case of many other nations, by the forcible removal of the original inhabitants; and the settlement of others from
a distance in the vacant territory; but thei-e were peaceful emigrations
of enter-prising traders to such localities as were discovered from
time to time by bold navigators, and which were considered to present opportunities for originating and maintaining commerce"
Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl ought to know the romantic story of the colonies of the Phoenicians among the Islands
of the Mediterranean, the coasts of the Mediterranean countries,
the west coast of Africa, the western coast of Europe, Ireland, England, on the Persian Gulf, the Far East, and possibly along the
Amazon.
I write that Syrian Lebanese boys and girls may be thrilled by
the greatness of their Phoenician ancestors; that they may comport
themselves as worthy descendants of a great people.
V.
THE PHOENICIANS GAVE THE WORLD THE ALPHABET.
Every Syrian boy and girl ought to know that the alphabet
was the gift of the Phoenicians to the world. It is the alphabet of
the Phoenicians which makes possible modern intercourse; the
mediation for the highest type of written language for science, art,
literature and what not; and the possibility of international characters everywhere.
The Phoenician alphabet is the greatest secular gift which any
people has ever made for the progress of mankind.
William A. Masson says in "A HISTORY OF THE ART
OF WRITING," of the Phoenicians, "They carried with them
their wonderful alphabet as -a necessary part of their civilization,
using it in conjunction with their trading enterprises and imparting
it to the Hellenic people among whom they sojourned. No tradition seems ever more thoroughly substantiated, both by internal
evidence and external fact, than that recorded by the Greek authors
that the alphabet used in Hellas came from the Phoenicians.
"The classic authors differed in their opinions as to the origin
of the Phoenician letters. Herodotus the Greek, and Pliny the
Roman, believed that the Phoenicians invented the letters; while
Brosius attributed them to the Babylonians and Tacitus to the Egyptians. But practically all the world now believes that it was the
Phoenicians who introduced the letters into Greece proper."
"What an honor," exclaims Masson, "it confers upon this little
�-
8
THE SYRIAN WORLD
nationality of Phoenicia, nestling along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea twenty-five centuries ago, that her written and spoken
alphabet, modified to the extent that we have indicated, is used today practically the world over, up to the wall of China and the land
of the Rising Sun."
Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl ought to know that the
Phoenician alphabet marks one of the greatest eras in the development and evolution of the human mind. It is the greatest instrument for the human mind. It is the greatest enlargement for the
range of thought and intercourse for humanity. It is the finest
means for the continuity and preservation of man's thought by
writing.
Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl ought to know that measured by its effect upon the human mind, human history, and human
progress, the alphabet of our Phoenician ancestors marks an achievement without any superior in the progress of man and mankind.
VI.
THE PHOENICIANS' GENIUS FOR TRADE.
_ Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl ought to know of the
genius of their Phoenician ancestors for trade. They were a great
seafaring people because they were great traders. They developed
trade routes, sea navigation, and inter-oceanic commerce to extend
their trade. Their country, centrally located between great empires
of the Mediterranean, became a market place for sale and exchange.
Their ships carried their wares, and those of other nations, to every
part of the world.
"The genius of the Phoenicians was for trade," says W. Warde
Fowler, "and the splendid position of Carthage, near the modern
Tunis, with a rich corn-growing country in the rear, had helped
her merchant princes to establish by degrees what may loosely be
called an empire of trading settlements extending not only along
the African coast, but over that of Sardinia and southern and eastern
Spain, and including Sicily, as we have seen." (W. Warde Fowler
in ROME).
Cunningham Geike says in "HOURS WITH THE BIBLE,"
"—Phoenicia lay in the centre of the Old World, and was thus the
natural entrepot for commerce between the East and the West. The
trading routes from all Asia converged on the Phoenician coast;
and the centres of the commerce on the Euphrates and Tigris forwarding their goods by way of Tyre to the Nile, to Arabia, and the
West; and, on the other hand, the productions of the vast regions
�FEBRUARY, 1932
9
bordering the Mediterranean, passing through the Canaanite capital
to the eastern world." (Vol. Ill, page 344).
I hereby challenge Syrian Lebanese boys and girls with the
genius of their glorious Phoenician ancestors—for trade. I challenge them with the heritage which is in their minds and hearts
and destiny. I challenge them toward achievement in trade, commerce, mutual welfare among modern nations.
Let every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl be thrilled by the
glory of our ancestors to create pride in our ancestry, appreciation
of our genius, and the will to move forward to the forefront among
the nations.
VII. INDUSTRIES OF THE PHOENICIANS.
Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl ought to know of the industries of their Phoenician ancestors. They developed their own
materials through manufacture. They drew raw materials from
other peoples and manufactured them into fine luxuries, or food,
or clothing. They improved many things so that their products became popular objects of desire. The Phoenicians at home and abroad became builders and organizers employing vast numbers of
people in their industries.
George Adam Smith says, "Her armour, bowls and webs are
sung by Homer.. Hebrew and Greek writers acclaim the wealth of
Phoenician industries and the size and the range of Phoenician ships.
—The Phoenician markets drew ivory, scented woods, silk and
other stuffs from India and China, and passed them to the West.
Conversely Chinese writings of an early time rate the products of
Syria, which they call Ta-tsin, above even those of Babylon. The
incense of southern Arabia reached the temples of Greece and Italy
through the port of Gaza."
The Phoenicians brought silver and gold from Spain, tin from
England, incense from the east, corn from Egypt and Syria; they
brought the products of all countries to their land and from their
country to every other.
The Phoenicians had productions and inventions of their own:
the celebrated Tyrian purple, glass, ornaments, utensils, toys and
things for the bazaars, inlayings with ivory, and hundreds of luxuries were made and sold to luxury loving people everywhere.
Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl ought to know that Phoenicia and Phoenicians and their colonies became centers of industries
to the peoples of ancient times.
�^..
M. III..-——„, „„—
10
THE SYRIAN WORLD
VIII._ THE PHOENICIANS AS AGENTS OF CIVILIZATION.
Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl ought to know that among
those who laid foundations for international civilization in ancient
times were their Phoenician ancestors. Their trade, through exchange of products of every nation, became a means of civilizing
influence. Their language, their alphabet, became a bond of union
between their colonies and their peoples. Their ships transported
peoples of all nations to one; another's land. The Phoenicians became great agents of civilization.
C. F. Keary says, "But of course the Phoenicians must still be
reckoned as the great transporters of civilization from Egypt and
from Asia to the rest of the world. They could hardly be said to
possess a country} but they possessed cities of vast importance and
no small significance along the coast of Palestine—Lamyra, Aradus,
Byblos, Sydon, Tyre. From these centers went out that boundless
maritime enterprise which made the Phoenicians the trading people
of the world. Very early—in pre-historic ages—the Phoenicians
had possesseed themselves of Cyprus. From that point to the
Grecian coast of Asia Minor, or to the coasts and islands on either
side of the Aegean, was an easy transition} then on to the Mediterranean, to Sicily and Italy, but more especially to the island of
Sardinia} or again to Egypt and the farther coasts of Africa on to
Spain, and finally, through the pillars of Hercules, to the far-off
"tin islands" of the west, which were, it is likely enough, the British
Isles. This is, in brief, the picture of the doings of the Phoenicians long before the days of history had begun to dawn upon the
Aryan nations of the Mediterranean." (The Dawn of History,
pages 315-316)
Herein lies one supreme glory of our Phoenician ancestors,
their civilizing influence upon the world. They are entitled to rank
forever as the greatest of all civilizers. Their influence upon the
world of the ancients marked the beginning of a new trend in the
history of mankind. Their influence opened new thoughts, new
cultures, new modes of writing, new commerce, new principles, new
navigation, and new international relations.
IX.
THE PHOENICIANS AS THE DISSEMINATORS OF
THE SUPREME ETHICAL PRINCIPLE.
Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl ought to know that their
Phoenician ancestors developed through trade the supreme ethical
�FEBRUARY, 1932
11
principle. Fair dealing, mutual gain, and abiding confidence were
essentials developed by Phoenician traders. They established trading posts on the basis of right dealing, the continued satisfaction to
buyer and seller.
"The Semitic peoples, we may point out here," says H. G.
Wells in THE OUTLINE OF HISTORY, "are to this day counting feo-ples strong in their sense of equivalents and reparation.—
Other races and peoples have imagined diverse and fitful and marvellous gods, but it was the trading Semites who first began to
think of God as a Righteous Dealer, whose promises were kept, who
failed not the humblest creditor, and called to account every spurious act."
The Semitic Phoenicians were foremost among the Semites to
plant in human thought the ethical principle of right dealing between man and man. They thought of God as a Righteous Dealer.
They spread this idea among the nations.
It is this contribution of the Semitic Phoenicians of right dealing, this supreme ethical principle, that makes faith in God, in man,
and in the universe of paramount significance to mankind.
Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl ought to know that Phoenicia and Phoenicians are the land and people whose contribution
of right dealing to civilization should awaken pride in their ancestry,
arouse self-esteem, and urge them to high achievement in modern
times.
X.
FIRST TO EMIGRATE TO THE NEW LAND.
Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl in America and the New
World ought to know that they are the descendants of the Phoenicians. They ought to feel the urge of their racial splendor. They
should discover the latent talents within them. They will be filled
with worthy sentiments about themselves and their posterity.
"From the oldest country in the world," says S. A. Mokarzel,
"to' the land known as the New World, they bring their priceless
racial distinction as heirs to the culture of the ages. They come
with the gifts of all the attributes of varied but virile blood—Phoenician, Semitic, Roman, Grecian, and Arabian. And it is a significant fact that the first of the Syrians to emigrate were the Lebanese
of the north who claim direct lineal descent from the Phoenicians.
It would seem that the law of atavism seeks to assert itself and here
finds complete vindication. The great sea-wanderers of old have
bequeathed their wanderlust to their long line of descendants."
�12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
(Syrian World, May 1930, page 39).
Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl ought to know that again
the Phoenicians, through their descendants the Svrian-Lebanese,
are spreading themselves among the nations. The Syrian Lebanese,
the modern Phoenicians, are now establishing themselves through
trade, new homes, and new achievements in many parts of the
world. The Syrian Lebanese are proving themselves, through
leadership, achievement, and endeavor, the worthy heirs to their
illustrious ancestors the ancient Phoenicians.
I write deliberately that Syrian Lebanese boys and girls may
be awakened to appreciate their descent from the famous Phoenilans I wish every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl to feel proud of his
racial heritage. I expect them to rise to a renown similar to that
achieved by their Phoenician ancestors.
Every Syrian Lebanese boy and girl ought to keep alive the
sacred memory of our glorious ancestors the Phoenicians, should
appreciate their racial qualities and inheritances, and through race
pride comport themselves as worthy descendants through splendid
achievement.
She is Not Dead
She is not dead, who lies so silently
Where drooping flowers guard her rest;
She is not dead, beloved child,
Whom angels watched, whom God has blessed.
One muted string in quiet song
Above the mundane rafters sung;
One fallen star come home again
Where deeds in holy light are hung.
Weep not, then, child, for heaven's gain,
For peaceful rest, for ended pain;
Though tears will come and laughter go
Within each aching heart, we know '
She is not dead
ALICE MOKARZEL
)
�f
FEBRUARY, 1932
13
Ya Baity
Translation by
DR. SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
c^*—<# ki err"- ^
O^-J dL9j J5\ dLi
0>tt ^j ^L*
^L,
c~-->^r_5 o-*—!_j
A
i
>
- <j^*3 (y^^r &
d^
^"UJic
I
J
0.
I
(_5^,
3
J C5~?
C)_j^J dL9 j I j>o (iL9
Home, my unpretentious humble home,
To you to hide my faults I come;
In you I drink, in you I eat,
In you I rest my weary feet.
Though humble, still you fill my need.
(As dear as to my soul its creed.)
Born in you, in you I grew,
In you I'll train my tender crew.
I've built you of my heart and bone,
And mixed the mortar with my blood;
Since our souls have become one,
To glory you've become a throne.
No matter what my fate may bring,
You'll see me smile and hear me sing.
Or fair or foul, I take them both,
Embrace what joy or nurse the sting.
My own and my forefathers' toast,
My pride and my children's boast;
In you I'll live, in you I'll die,
From you in dust my bones shall fly.
�J:
Hn
14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
BARBARA YOUNG,
"Work is love made visible."
"We only live to discover beauty.
Editor
All else is a form of waiting."
Gibran
The Poetry of Labor
JN GEORGE MOORE'S "Confessions of a Young Man" we
find a paragraph which reads like a clipping from yesterday's
editorial. He says: "The world is dying of machinery; that is the
great disease; that is the plague that will sweep away and destroy
civilization. Men will have to rise against it sooner or later. . . I
say that the great revolution will come when mankind rises in revolt and smashes machinery and restores the handicraft."
In the East, Gandhi is saying the same thing. A year ago AE
George Russell, the Irish poet came from his little island to urge
upon this wide land of ours a return to the farmland and the timberland. Count Keyserling lecturing in Paris said, "The United
States is dead emotionally, because of machinery." Anne O'Hare
McCormick writing in the New York Times, asserts that "the fate
of all the present issues lies in the lap of the gods of the machine "
Will Rogers, that keen and kindly sage to whom we might
listen with great profit, has said in his own delectable fashionEvery invention during our life time has been made just to save
time, and time is the only commodity that every American both
rich and poor, has plenty of. Half our life is spent trying to find
something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying
to save. Two hundred years from now history will record- 'Amer-
J
�FEBRUARY, 1932
)
15
ica, a nation that flourished from 1900 to 1942, conceived odd notions for getting somewhere, but could think of nothing to do when
they got there.' "
In the minds of all these thinking persons there is more than
meets the eye, and the ear. They have not simply been tossing off
phrases for the sake of making copy. They have been expressing,
in one way or another, a basic principle of human existence, and an
essential tenet of the faiths of our fathers, living yet, that man
shall not live by bread nlo.ie.
Beauty if a saving grace^xnto all people, and there is beauty in
the weaving o: the cloth, in the modeling of the bowl, in the tooling of the leather. »
In a news item ofrecent date I read: "An effort to counteract
the machine-made art of the present time and to revive the old
craftsmanship of the Middle Ages is being carried on by the Greenwich House Workshops at 16 Jones Street. There under the five
hundred-year old apprenticeship system as it was practised by
Michaelangelo and other Masters, youths are being trained in the
arts of stone-cutting, wood-carving, cabinet-making and bronze
work."
Why not multiply 16 Jones Street by a thousand, in all parts
of the land and see what happens? Why not add spinning and
weaving, the making of pottery, hand-blown glass, laces, embroidery and smocking, the making and binding of fine books, the
tooling of leather and the cobbling of sandals, to a wide circle of
16 Jones Street, the country over?
And this I propose not for the employment and rehabilitation
alone of the economic man and woman, though that might very
naturally ensue, but for the quickening and refreshment of the
mind, and for the very sustenance of that element of the human
being which our forefathers were wont to call the immortal soul.
Can we not conceive that happy condition which may be attained if the man or woman who has the soul of a weaver may earn
a contented and competent livelihood beside the loom? When the
man whose fists ache to grip the handles of a plough shall have his
own small acreage and till the generous soil? And when the sandalmaker may sit at his bench and fashion the simple foot-gear of the
pilgrim? This is the poetry of labor, and it can be lived.
This can be done. Nothing is impossible to a civilization
which has achieved the diabolical material and mechanical success
of the past five decades.
�U
16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Do not misunderstand me. I have no such absurd idea that
steel is a vice and a destroyer in itself; nor that wheels and cogs as
such, imperil the breath and sinews of the nation. The menace
lies in the destruction of balance which the unbridled multiplicity
of the essentially innocent machine has brought to pass.
We have the disease of steel, and it is the cancer of the soul.
Sometimes it is steel for steel's sake, and sometimes it is steel for
gold's sake. They are equally fatal. A sliver of the shining stuff
in the mind is as imminent a danger as the sword hanging by a
thread over our couch.
The poets have always been telling the world whither the
crafts of State.were drifting. But the world would not listen. Will
it listen now? It is extremely doubtful. But there is a fistful of
men who have the vision of the poet as well as somewhat of the
fanaticism of the prophet, and these may suffice. Let them fill the
hands of men and women with good raw products and they will
work out their simple destinies to their own pleasure and profit and
to the redemption of the Commonwealth. Put the adaptable resources of this nation into the promotion of handicraft, turn the
idle shops and factories into housing centres for instruction in these
pursuits, encourage the individual selection of the art or trade
which will excite the liveliest interest and pleasure, and in which
therefore, the artisan will the sooner acquire a deftness and skill;
and place as instructors the multitude of men and women among
us who are of the East, and who have by rightful inheritance both
the knowledge and the love of these works of the human hand.
Our education seems to be toward the suppression of this racial
endowment. We do not educate, we inculcate. It is an outsidein process when it should be an inside-out operation. We are sure
that John will make a first-class lawyer, because we are sure that
John will make a first-class lawyer. And it just as absurd as it
sounds, for John himself knows perfectly well that he wants to
farm or to garden or to forest. But we whip him through college
and law school and State Bar examinations and turn him out a very
third rate counsellor- at-law who has still a great yearning for the
soil. This is malpractice upon the human entity, and it has produced
the conditions which stagger us today.
A day or two ago a man who is in the midst of the melee
said, with great weariness, "I can forget the desperateness of the
situation only by listening to my daughteer playing Brahms or
Schubert to me, or by reading some of Masefield's sonnets." And
Hi
i
�:
n
FEBRUARY, 1932
/
17
then he said, "I envy the shepherd on a hill in Judea—if there is
such a being left as a shepherd, today."
There will always be men and women who are potters and
lace-makers at heart, and there will be always, the wheel and the
gadget men. But let us cease this thrusting of lever and throttle into the hand of the poet and the spinner and the wine-presser.Thus
has been our colossal error. All men are not born free and equal, nor
are they born with like tastes and gifts. This is the writing on the
sky, if we shall turn our eyes and read.
A Man Bereaved
My wife and my comrade
Will not come at all
Though the pine tree shall flourish,
The green rush grow tall,
And its cone to the ground
The larch tree let fall.
And I'll not hear her sounding
Songs over the din,
Where the people are crowded,
The harvest being in;
Nor see her come lilting
From the field or the fold,
Nor plaiting her long locks
In the young or old.
PADRIAC COLUM
in Old Pastures
Scarcity
Scarcity saves the world,
And by that it is fed;
Then give it hunger, God,
Not bread.
Scarce things are comely things;
In little there is power;
November measures best
Each vanished flower.
j i
(
�18
THE SYRIAN WORLD
If you dig a well,
If you sing a song,
By what you do without
You make it strong.
And life as well as art
By scarceness grows,
Not surfeit. Theirs must be
The hunger of the rose.
LlZETTE WoODWORTH
REESE
in White April
I
Sonnet
I never see the red rose crown the year.
Nor fed the young grass underneath my tread
Without the thought "This living beauty here
Is earth's remembrance of a beauty dead
Surely where all this glory is displayed
Love has been quick, like fire, to its high ends;
Here, in this, grass, an altar has been made
For some white joy, some sacrifice of friendsHere, where I stand, some leap of human brains
Has touched immortal things and left its traceThe earth is happy here, the gleam remains:'
Beauty is here, the spirit of the place
I touch the faith which nothing can destroy
I he earth, the living church of ancient joy."
JOHN MASEFIELD.
\
J
�(
•I
FEBRUARY, 1932
EDNA
19
K.
SALOOMEY,
Editor
"I will not shut me from my kind,
And lest I stiffen unto stone,
I will not eat my heart alone,
Nor feed with sighs a passing wind.
Tennyson.
With the exquisite words of Tennyson, this department
is dedicated to the younger generation, including all those
vohose hearts are young regardless of their years.
Do You Agree!
i
J
pODAY'S younger generation of Syrians is in a category all by
itself. Some reader will elaborate this statement by adding,
"in more ways than one." By all means, say that; for we are different in more ways than one, to the regret of some of our critics,
and to the joy of others.
We have in mind one fact which distinguishes us from those
who preceded us and those who shall succeed us. This fact is characteristic of this younger generation, which is composed of those
individuals who have been growing up with the twentieth century.
This distinguishing mark is our predicament.
We are wedged tightly between tradition and experiment. Always there has been a struggle between these two to conquer, but
for us, who have been transplanted into surroundings entirely new,
the battle has been keener than any before. We are at a loss whether
to succumb to tradition, or die for experiment. There are some
A
�I "I
20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
amongst us to whom the experience has been so overwhelming as
to cause their reason to be dazed; and they wander about with an
expression like that of Elihu Vedder's painting, "The Sorrowing
Soul Between Doubt and Faith."
In our case, we have been wandering in a desert partly our
own creation and partly a creation of circumstance. Though we
have much in common, as far as problems are concerned, we have
made no effort in common to solve them. We have become so disintegrated by an increasing barrenness of our social life that our
young people go to all extremes looking for a satisfaction to their
gregariousness.
Our progress, individually and collectively, is hindered immeasurably by the lack of unity. There have been occasions when we
have had to pay dearly for this deficiency.
Unlike every other nationality represented in the United
States, we have no organization, social, fraternal, or educational,
of nation-wide scope. Even a mythical unity does not exist amongst
us. We need some such unity for the- three purposes mentioned
above, for social, fraternal, and educational benefits.
Some may contend that they have found their places in the
sphere of existence. All power to them; they are to be congratulated if they have so succeeded. But, it must be remembered that
for every high diver, there are hundreds who have not learned yet
to swim.
It is these people who are groping to adjust themselves that we are thinking of, when we claim that some bond should
exist amongst us. Even those who are self-satisfied will not deny
that genius itself thrives better on sympathetic understanding.
Up to the present time in the history of Syrians in this country,
there has been only one meeting-place, figuratively, for the younger
generation; and that is "The Syrian World." Within its pages we
have learned about "the rest of our world" and what our compatriots are doing elsewhere. We have spanned the entire distance
of the globe, and communed with those in far distant lands. This
magazine is the nearest approach to a means of uniting our common
interests and, we hope, shall be the chosen voice of the younger
generation.
We give you our hand in welcome in hope that together we
may bring understanding out of the chaos engendered by our inarticulateness, passivity, and indifference. Let us be united h§re, that
whatever is noble in us, as a people, may be registered on the consciousness of all. Let us not stiffen unto stone.
r
�23
FEBRUARY, 1932
A New Era
yHE ECONOMIC disaster,vwhich has tremendously influenced
our lives during the past thref. years, needs no retelling, because all of us, more or less, have been uprooted by it from what
we had, in blind, youthful optimism, believed was permanent
security, and thrown helter-skelter into places not of our choosing.
None of us has escaped from the effects of this disaster; for those,
who may not have suffered financially, have, nevertheless, been
distressed by the flaws in the economic system which are like so
many jabs at man's sense of security.
The repetition of this discussion about depression is like poison
to some people, especially to those who think the entire matter may
be settled by psychologists. We think differently for we can not
stifle what is suffocating us, and we depend neither on pyschologists,
nor psychiatrists for that matter.
All of us, before the advent of the depression, had been
dreaming over the chapter of romance and success and joys unending, when life turned the page to the next chapter. It is this chapter in which we are now engrossed beyond our power to escape. For
the first time in our existence, we have come close to an understanding of some of our economic lessons which looked so harmless and
uninviting in the pages of text-books. We know now that our
economic system is a hundred times more vulnerable than Achilles'
heel, and that it is perfect only in so far as the natures of the individuals who create it, are perfect.
Does all this make us feel downhearted? No!
This event in our country's economic history is of immeasurable
importance to us, for its cessation in due course, shall mark the beginning of the second era in the history of Syrians in the United
States.
The immigrant period is over. Our people have no longer to
contend with problems of languages and customs. Even though
the immigration bars were to be removed entirely, which is quite
unlikely, the newcomers would never need to fare as did those who
came here first.
Our younger generation has been given ample opportunity to
avail itself of educational facilities. The opportunity-has been at
the cost of a sacrifice to some parents, but has been given unbegrudgingly. That the old order has changed is proven by the pre-
�I
20
1
THE SYRIAN WORLD
amongst us to whom the experience has been so overwhelming as
to cause their reason to be dazed; and they wander about with an
expression like that of Elihu Vedder's painting, "The Sorrowing
Soul Between Doubt and Faith."
In our case, we have been wandering in a desert partly our
own creation and partly a creation of circumstance. Though we
have much in common, as far as problems are concerned, we have
made no effort in common to solve them. We have become so disintegrated by an increasing barrenness of our social life that our
young people go to all extremes looking for a satisfaction to their
gregariousness.
Our progress, individually and collectively, is hindered immeasurably by the Jack of unity. There have been occasions when we
have had to pay clearly for this deficiency.
Unlike every other nationality represented in the United
States, we have no organization, social, fraternal, or educational,
of nation-wide scope. Even a mythical unity does not exist amongst
us. We need some such unity for the- three purposes mentioned
above, for social, fraternal, and educational benefits.
Some may contend that they have found their places in the
sphere of existence. All power to them; thev are to be congratulated if they have so succeeded. But, it must be remembered that
for every high diver, there are hundreds who have not learned yet
to swim.
It is these people who are groping to adjust themselves that we are thinking of, when we claim that some bond should
exist amongst us. Even those who are self-satisfied will not deny
that genius itself thrives better on sympathetic understanding
Up to the present time in the history of Syrians in this country,
there has been only one meeting-place, figuratively, for the younger
generation; and that is "The Syrian World." Within its pages we
have learned about "the rest of our world" and what our compatriots are doing elsewhere. We have spanned the entire distance
of the globe, and communed with those in far distant lands This
magazine is the nearest approach to a means of uniting our common
interests and, we hope, shall be the chosen voice of the younger
7
&
generation.
We give you our hand in welcome in hope that together we
may bring understanding out of the chaos engendered by our inarticulateness, passivity, and indifference. Let us be united W, that
whatever is noble m us, as a people, may be registered on the consciousness of all. Let us not stiffen unto stone
I
�FEBRUARY, 1932
A New Era
THE ECONOMIC disaster, i^which has tremendously influenced
our lives during the past three- years, needs no retelling, because all of us, more or less, have been uprooted by it from what
we had, in blind, youthful optimism, believed was permanent
security, and thrown helter-skelter into places not of our choosing.
None of us has escaped from the effects of this disaster; for those,
who may not have suffered financially, have, nevertheless, been
distressed by the flaws in the economic system which are like so
many jabs at man's sense of security.
The repetition of this discussion about depression is like poison
to some people, especially to those who think the entire matter may
be settled by psychologists. We think differently for we can not
stifle what is suffocating us, and we depend neither oh pyschologists,
nor psychiatrists for that matter.
All of us, before the advent of the depression, had been
dreaming over the chapter of romance and success and joys unending, when life turned the page to the next chapter. It is this chapter in which we are now engrossed beyond our power to escape. For
the first time in our existence, we have come close to an understanding of some of our economic lessons which looked so harmless and
uninviting in the pages of text-books. We know now that our
economic system is a hundred times more vulnerable than Achilles'
heel, and that it is perfect only in so far as the natures of the individuals who create it, are perfect.
Does all this make us feel downhearted? No!
This event in our country's economic history is of immeasurable
importance to us, for its cessation in due course, shall mark the beginning of the second era in the history of Syrians in the United
States.
The immigrant period is over. Our people have no longer to
contend with problems of languages and customs. Even though
the immigration bars were to be removed entirely, which is quite
unlikely, the newcomers wrould never need to fare as did those who
came here first.
Our younger generation has been given ample opportunity to
avail itself of educational facilities. The opportunity has been at
the cost of a sacrifice to some parents, but has been given unbegrudgingly. That the old order has changed is proven by the pre-
�_
__
,
THE SYRIAN WORLD
oi families in our midst, where one or both parents are ili-ate, whose children are college graduates. In some families,
i.nere are as many as four or five children who hold degrees from
colleges.
What significance has the comparison? It means that we have
not been idle j that we are better fitted for the life here.
The second era shall find us more largely represented in the
field of professional activities. The benefits derived in this field
are computed not so much in terms of money, as in the benefits
which accrue to mankind's welfare. Those engaged in this field
shall deserve unbounded appreciation, for our people shall inevitably reflect their glory.
When the pendulum, that symbol of the trend of the times,
reverses its movement, we shall be prepared to write the second
chapter of our! existence here. May it be as excellent in spirit as
that written by our predecessors who fought against odds, greater
even than a depression.
We know that the younger generation shall not fail. If you
wonder at our power or divination, here is the answer:
"Strange friend, past, present, and to be,
Loved deeplier, darklier understood 3
Behold, I dream a dream of good,
And mingle all the world with thee."
Tennyson.
"AL-JIRN"
In the magazine's January issue, Mr. Faris S. Malouf, who is
deservedly one of Boston's favourite sons, characterized us as being a difficult people.
Coming from Mr. Malouf, who ranks high in the field of
jurisprudence, and who sees with clarity and speaks with discrimination, that characterization merits consideration.
We challenge Mr. Malouf to prove that we are any more
difficult than the rest of God's children.
*r*
*F
T*
Aunt Mary, aged four-score plus, to grandniece: "I want to
dance at your wedding. When shall it be?"
Her grandniece: "We can't say just yet. Selim and I are
saving now for a ten-piece-walnut dining room set."
�—-
rri -r-rwm-irfiirw
23
FEBRUARY, 1932
Blue Blood
A RECENT TRAGEDY OF LOVE AND DEATH CAUSED
BY A BREACH OF A SOCIAL TRADITION AMONG
THE ARABS
By H. I.
KATIBAH
AN AMBITIOUS young man of Baghdad, wealthy and cultured
but of humble origin, who had attained through his application
and brilliancy to the high post of General Director of the Ministry of the Interior, paid with his own life the price of aspiring to
marry into a noble family much higher than his own.
He had returned from a honeymoon trip with his bride to
lovely Lebanon, a month spent with blissful oblivion to the sombre
shadow of tragedy that was dogging their steps, and was attending
to his duties at the ministry when an enraged member of the bride^s
family forced his way to the director's chamber and emptied his
pistol point-blank into the body of his unsuspecting victim.
And the report of that shot has reverberated in every Arabicspeaking land from the furthermost limits of the Land between the
Two Rivers to the furthermost limits of Somaliland and the AngloEgyptian Sudan. It has been reechoed in ever further countries, in
the United States of America, in Canada, in Argentine and Brazil,
in Chile, in Australia, in Transvaal, in Dahomey and in the Malay
Peninsula—in every place where the ubiquitous Arabic newspaper
has found its way.
For it is not an uncommon tragedy, and its implications are
very far-reaching. A great issue hangs in the balances, and the
shot that was heard three months ago was the sign of the challenge,
the challenge of the old to the new, of archaic, decadent aristocracy
to aspiring, vital democracy. Since then the challenge has been
met, and the defendant has been condemned to death for his most
daring crime. The attenuating circumstances, the appeal to the old
nomadic traditions of the desert, were brushed aside, and another
victory for democracy and progressiveness in the East has been
won.
The story of that murder would make interesting reading in
some of our sensational newspapers. It has all the elements of
�24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
violent passions, of deep-seated emotions that spring from centuries
of tribal notions and clannish traditions. It belongs properly to
the glamorous pages of the Arabian Nights and the travel books of
the Arabian Desert and Bedouin life.
The characters of the tragedy are Abdullah Ibn Falih al-Sa'doun, scion of one of the noblest families of Iraq, and Abdullah alSani', son of an ambitious commoner who had risen to wealth and
influence through his own efforts and those of his father and grandfather before him, and a young Sa'doun girl whose father was dead
and whose mother is of Turkish origin.
For over a hundred years the Sa'doun family had ruled Iraq.
From it sprang governors and viziers in the days of the Ottoman
Empire j and it had sent representatives to the Turkish parliament
when the Young Turk regime overthrew Sultan Abdul-Hamid and
introduced a constitutional form of government to Turkey. So
powerful indeed was the Sa'doun family that the Turkish Government in the days of Abdul-Hamid held some of its members as
hostages, educated them in a special school for the nobility and occupied them with government tasks in Constantinople, as it did with
princes of the Sheriffs of Mecca and other scions of noble families
from its far-flung empire. When the World War was over, and
the British succeeded the Turks in Iraq, the prestige and power of
the Sa'douns were recognized by the agents of His Britannic Majesty, and one of the premiers of Iraq a few years ago was a Sa'doun,
Muhsin Bey al-Sa'doun. He was a sincere patriot, but his effort
to reconcile between the intransigent nationalists and the demands of
the British led many to suspect him of treachery.
So heavily
did this charge weigh on the sensitive soul of this noble Arab that
he ended his own life by a shot in the head rather than stand the
stigma of a traitor.
The Sa'douns migrated to Iraq over seven hundred years ago.
They come from a pure Arabic stock, and can trace their ancestry
to the Sheriffs of Mecca. In this way they are distantly related to
the same family from which Feisal, King of Iraq, sprang.
Most of the Sa'douns still lead the nomadic life of the Bedouins in the Muntafik district, named after an ancestor of the Sa'doun family, where they have always been recognized as emirs
and shaykhs of their tribe. But many of them moved to the cities
of Baghdad, Basra etc. where they soon established their influence
and became principal characters in the checkered life of Oriental
cities. But never, neither as Bedouins nor as settled citizens, did
�FEBRUARY, 1932
25
they allow themselves to forget that they are a distinguished clan,
members of a blood nobility that never permitted the admixture of
other inferior blood with that of their family.
Marriage customs among the Arabs go back almost to the prehistoric days of the taboo and totem conceptions of religious restrictions. A Sa'doun would never dream of giving his daughter in
marriage to any but a Sa'doun. Theirs was the noble blue blood,
the pure blood of chivalrous warriors and governing rulers, and
under no condition should it be contaminated with that of other
species of the human race.
On the other hand, the family of the bridegroom in this strange
tragedy was not only of humble origin, but, as the name indicates,
menial artisans who, in the eyes of the Arab nobility, were only
a hairbreadth removed from the status of slavery. The ancestors
of the Sani' family were servants, it was claimed in the defense of
Abdullah al-Sa'doun in the Baghdad court, to the Sa'doun family.
Be that as it may, they were artisans, and in the eye of a full-blooded Sa'doun that amounted to the same thing.
True the Sani' family travelled far on the path of progress,
and many a Sani' was superior in wealth and social accomplishments
to many a Sa'doun. The grandfather of Abdullah al-Sani' was a
prosperous merchant of large means, and his descendants intermarried with the shaykhs of al-Kuweit, whose nobility cannot be
denied. He himself was offered a large capital by the Al-Ibrahim
family, rich pearl merchants on the Persian Gulf, who were also
counted among the nobility of the Arabs. Abdullah al-Sani' was
a man of undisputed worth and high ambition, and like Muhsin
al-Sa'doun had won his promotion through his friendship to the
British.
But all that did not change the situation. Al-Sa'douns were
Qubeili, a genuine tribal Arabs, and al-Sani's were Khudairis, mere
artisans, men who attached themselves to the tribe, and whose origin
was dubious.
And that's that. Abdullah al-Sani' might have succeeded so
brilliantly as to become the premier of Iraq, or he might have devoted himself to some science and distinguished himself as a great
scientist, recognized by the universities and academies of Europe
and America, thus bringing glory to himself and all the Arab race.
Still he was a Sani', and considered beneath any Sa'douni. On the
other hand a Sa'douni might so degrade himself as to become a
burden on society, or he might be a dull clout whose total life would
•or
�26-
1HE SYRIAN WORLD
amount to nil, and in his heart of heart think himself superior to
all the Sani's in existence.
This sort of mentality is not strange to those who know the
old traditions of the East. We all know of Emirs who are cab
drivers and boot-blacks in the streets of Damascus, Beirut or Baghdad.
One of the men who always attracted my attention in Beirut
was an eccentric peddler who usually stationed himself on the corner
of Bab-Edris. He sold candy and displayed a banner with queer
writings on it. I asked about him, and was told that he was an Ayyoubi, a descendant of the great Saladin! On another occasion I
was leaving Baghdad, and a beggar approached my automobile for
charity. Before I had chance to drive him away, a fairly respectable fellow came forward and chased the beggar. Then after a
minute or so he himself asked for a tip. I was surprised, and said
to him: "Only a while ago you chased that other beggar, and now
you are begging yourself, what does this mean:".
Suavely the second beggar replied: "But 1 belong to Ahl alBeit." I "understood what he meant but rebuked him and drove him
away just the same. For those who do not know what Ahl al-Beit
means, we will inform them that it means the descendants of the
Prophet Mohammed.
The blood of the Sa'douns, we are assured, is blue, very blue
indeed, and that of al-Sani's perhaps is red, or black, or whatever
the blood of slaves and artisans may be characterized.
But just here comes science to dispel another antiquated notion,
to disillusion the pride and equanimity of the master class in the
East.
For biology is positive on one point, whatever it may be on
others. It is positive that the blood of the mother has as much to
contribute to the blood constituency and color of the offspring as
that of the father.
According to the marriage customs of those aristocratic families
of the Arabs, it is not necessary for a male member of those families
to marry into the same family, or one of equal rank, not even one
of the same race. From the earliest days of Islam we have records
of marriages between noble Arabs and Greek or Persian captive women; and some of the greatest figures in Islam are children of such
unions. Even today we have members of such noble families as alBakris and Huseinis married to European ladies, and the bride's
own mother in this celebrated case is a Turk, according to account.
�27
FEBRUARY, 1932
But, according to biology, when a Sa'douni or a Bakri is married to a woman of foreign blood, or one not quite as blue, the
blood of the children is undoubtedly determined by that of the
mother and her ancestry. The old conception that a woman is
only "a vessel" for the transmission of the male's inheritable characteristics, is completely exploded and confuted by modern science;
What then becomes of the blue blood of the Sa'dounis and
others who for generations have taken for themselves the liberty
to marry wherever their fancy chose and denied that right to the
female members of their families?
A certain scholar who once undertook the fantastic task of
studying the royal family of the reigning Ottoman sultans came
out of his investigation with the assertion that not one drop in a
million in the blood of that long lineage could be called "royal."
It seems to us like a recrudescence of barbaric notions that in
this day and generation there are still people in the East who seek
to determine the destinies of half of their genre by high-handed
and arbitrarv manners that have no foundation in fact or reason.
Water and Flowers
By
AMEEN RIHANI
Here are flowers, O my Beloved,
Here are flowers;
Let us lay our hearts today
Among the flowers
Let us not be led astray
By the mirage far away;
Here is verdure, and in verdure
Love embowers.
Here are springs, O my Beloved,
Here are springs;
Let us rest and build a nest
Near the springs;
Let us cease our weary quest
For the mountains of the blest;
Here is water, and in water
Blessing sings.
�i
28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Excavations in Syria and Iraq
Important Recent Discoveries Have Materially Added to Our
Knowledge of Origin and Progress of Civilization.
Editor's Note:—Al-Kulliyat, organ of the American University of Beirut,
summarizes in its December issue four public lectures on the progress of excavation work in Syria and Iraq delivered by Dr. Harold Ingholt, Professor
of Archaeology at the Univers;ty. The lectures epitomize almost the whole
history of these ancient lands and are here reprinted by courtesy of our esteemed Beirut contemporary with whom we heartily join in the praise of
the "generousity of the Syrian lady who established the chair of archaeology
at the American University of Beirut" and made possible the addition of
this most important subject in the University's curriculum.
By
DR. HAROLD INGHOLT
EXCAVATIONS AT PALMYRA—
JT SEEMS strange that Palmyra, now a small oasis with only
about 2000 inhabitants, once was the undisputed mistress o£
Syria, Mesopotamia, Egypt and the greater part of Asia Minor,
powerful enough under the famous queen Zenobia to give Rome
a hard fight for the supremacy of the whole of the Near East.
The abundant springs in Palmyra must early have attracted
settlers and the first mention of the city does in reality go as far
back as 1100 B. C, when it was sacked by the Assyrian king TiglatPileser. It was then called Ta-ad-mar, the exact equivalent of its
modern name, Tedmor. For many centuries nothing is heard of
the city but when it reappears in history, in Hellenistic time, it is as
a city of considerable importance. Its location between the Parthian
and Roman empires was of great political significance and during
the first three centuries of the Christian era, it became commercially
important, being one of the chief junctions for the caravans, which
brought goods from China, India and Persia to the Occident The
Palmyrene merchants were assured protection in the dangerous
desert-district by means of the famous mounted Palmyrene archers
and m return the city levied a heavy duty on all the goods which
passed through: silk, perfume, oil, etc., and also made the caravans
�to
to
>3
a>
Main Entrance to the Great Colonnaded Street in Palmyra, Once
Queen of the Syrian Desert.
.
-
.:.
.___
.
, -. -
s
�30
THE SYRIAN WORLD
pay for the right of watering their camels. As the wealth of the
city grew, magnificent buildings were erected, the ruins of which
still bear witness to Palmyra's glory. A big, colonnaded street went
through nearly the whole length of the city, the columns being
adorned with statues of prominent citizens, and the main sanctuary
of Palmyra, the temple of Bel, competed in size and splendor with
the temples of Baalbek and Damascus. The chief authority rested
with the "Senate and the People," but in the latter part of the third
century the Odainath family became more and more prominent and
finally took absolute control. When the Persians in the year 260
A. D. defeated the Roman army in Northern Syria, Palmyra's existence was also in danger, and it was the younger Odainath, who
with his Palmyrene army and the remaining Roman troops, drove
the Persians back to the other side of the Euphrates. Odainath was
later murdered in Horns (266 or 267), but at that time the whole
of Syria and Mesopotamia virtually was under Palmyrene domination, even if it nominally still belonged to Rome. Odainath's widow, Zenobia, famous for her beauty and learning, took advantage
of the next years, in which the Roman emperors had more than
enough to do in the West and having added Egypt and the greater
part of Asia Minor to the possessions of Palmyra, she felt strong
enough to declare war against Rome in the year 271.
The new Roman emperor Aurelian was a much more formidable adversary than his immediate predecessors and in spite of
heroic efforts the Palmyrene armies were defeated near Antioch
and near Horns. Palmyra was besieged and taken in March, 272,
after Zenobia herself had been taken prisoner at the end of her
audacious camel-ride across the desert.
The first excavations in Palmyra took place after the great
war when two French-Danish archaelogical missions worked there
under the direction of Durand and Ingholt (1924) and Gabriel
and Ingholt (1925).
UR OF THE CHALDEES—
A systematic excavation of this most important site, the paternal city of Abraham, was not undertaken until 1923, when an archaeological expedition, financed by the British Museum and the University Museum of Philadelphia, under the direction of the British
archaeologist, C. L. Woolley, started work on the huge mound.
The oldest layers were found in the 1929 campaign, on the
bottom of a 12 nr. deep shaft, containing flint artefacts and pottery
�FEBRUARY, 1932
31
with geometric decoration on a characteristic brown or greenish surface. Above this level lay for 2^m.a layer of homogeneous clay,
free from any foreign particles. This layer can only have been
deposited by a huge flood, which may be the same as the Biblical
deluge.
The most impressive building cleared by the excavators was
the "Ziggurat," the tower-like temple of Ur, built by king UrNammii, who lived about 2300 B. C. The building, which is all
made of brick, sundried in the core, burnt bricks on the outside, consists of three rectangular platforms with tapering walls, the lowest
black, the second red, and the top one blue. Fragments of a stele
were found in another temple representing the king, Ur-Nammu,
sacrificing to the moon-goddess, Ningal, and the moon-god, Nannar, and receiving the order from this last deity to build just that
same "Ziggurat."
The richest and most surprising finds were made in an old
necropolis, in which Woolley discovered a number of royal tombs
dating from about 3200 to 3000 B. C. A beautiful gold dagger,
the lapis-lazuli handle of which was studded with golden beads and
the hilt done in exquisite filigree-work, bore witness to the marvelous skill of the Sumerian goldsmiths, as also a golden helmet,
found in the tomb of a certain Meskalamdug. In another tomb a
beautiful mosaic came to light, mounted on two pieces of wood and
representing the Sumerian army in action and a feast at the royal
court. The most interesting tombs, however, were those of Abargi
and his queen Shub'ad, in which for the first time clear evidence
was found of human sacrifices as part of the Sumerian funeral rites.
In Abargi's tomb no less than fifty-nine skeletons were found in
definite and appropriate positions, so that one might suppose that
the soldiers, the grooms, and the court-ladies had been marshalled
in order and cut down where they stood. The ladies had very
ornate head-dresses: gold-ribbon, four wreaths of gold leaf pendants and one of lapis lazuli and gold beads were wound around
the head and at the back a large "Spanish comb" of gold, its seven
points ending in rosettes with gold and lapis centres. Beautiful
fluted gold vessels, gaming boards, harps, a silver boat for the king's
last voyage and a very naturalistic donkey and bull, respectively
of electron and silver, originally placed as mascots on the rein—ring*
of the chariots, further rewarded the careful excavators. Similar
finds were made in other tombs and as the excavations are still
going on, we may expect still many finds of importance for the
early history of Mesopotamia.
-
�*C£S •*.
**" "'
US
Co
ft
5
The Massive Sarcophagus of King Ahiram Discovered at Jebeil in
Lebanon. The Cover Bears the Oldest Known Inscription in the
Phoenician Alphabet and Dates Back to the Thirteenth Century B.C.
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to
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to
Pa
S
Pa
Some of the Archeological Treasures of the National Museum of Beirut.
m - N WHiPI .-i*.-J»:
t*4
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-"
34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
BYBLOSWhen Renan arrived in Syria in 1860 the first place he chose
to excavate was Byblos, the present Djebeil, no doubt prompted by
the most important role Byblos had played in antiquity, not only
as the chief sea-port for the export of timber to Egypt, but also
as center of the Osiris and Adonis cult in Syria, the temple of Byblos being known as one of the oldest in the world.
Excavations on a larger scale were, however, not undertaken
until after the great war. From 1921 to 1924 the French Egyptologist, Montet, worked there, after him Dunand, and it is not too
much to say that no excavation in Syria has produced richer or more
important results.
Besides tomb deposits of about 3000 B. C, Montet found
what probably is the site of the old temple, and there a number of
most interesting foundation deposits containing vases, cylinders,
ivories, bronzes, scarabs, jewels, all dating from before 2000 B. C.
Several sculptures representing gods or kings of Byblos were also
found within the temple enclosure.
A landslide revealed in 1922 a royal tomb belonging to the
king Abishemu, contemporary with the Egyptian pharao Amenemhet III (1850-1800 B.C.). Even if it had been robbed in antiquity
several interesting pieces were still left: a beautiful obsidian cup
set in gold, the silver "tea-pot," a pair of silver sandals, a golden
weapon in form similar to a sickle, the so-called "harpe," etc ;
the remarkable golden jewels, which by way of Jerusalem and Chicago have come back to Syria and were acquired by the National
Museum in Beirut, probably also have come from the same tomb:
bracelets, rings, a pectoral with the sacred Hathor-cow, and a gilded
bronze bull. Other royal tombs were found near by; one belonged
to king Ypshemuabi, son of king Abishemu, and contained a beautiful obsidian casket, a golden pectoral and pendants, a magnificent
harpe inscribed with the king's name, a silver knife and a silver
mirror with papyrus-handle of gold. The fifth tomb of the group
proved to be the most important of all. It was built for king Ahiram, who lived in the first half of the 13th century B. C. and
whose sarcophagus was found unimpaired in the funeral chamber.
Represented on the sarcophagus was found the king himself, seated
on a throne and receiving homage from his servants; on the two
small sides wailing women tear their hair and beat their breasts.
On the lid the king is seen blessing his son Itoba'al. The sarcophagus in itself, with its mixtures of Assyrian, Egyptian and Phoe\
�FEBRUARY, 1932
35
nician influences, is a most important archaeological document, but
its importance is further enhanced by the Phoenician inscription
engraved on it. The oldest inscription in alphabetical letters was
until then the one on the Mesa-stone, from about 850 B. C, but the
Ahiram one goes back still 400 years and gives us the oldest
alphabetical inscription known, the prototypes of the letters, which
we use today, and with which this article is written.
MINET EL-BEIDA AND RAS SHAMRA—
A subterranean tomb, built of large stone slabs, was found in
1928 by a farmer ploughing his field at Minet el-Beida, a small
natural harbour 13 k. m. north of Lattakiah. The Cypriote vases
left in the tomb and the Cretan character of architecture seemed
to justify further researches, and in 1929 work was begun there by
the two French archaeologists, Schaeffer and Chenet. The excavations soon revealed the great importance of the site in antiquity,
when it was the chief harbour on the Syrian coast for the Cypriote
export of copper, to the Near East.
In Minet el-Beida two burial-grounds were found, one with
many animal bones, deposits of pottery, dating from the 13th centuary B. C, and near a small wall two bronze statuettes of the
Egyptian falcon, the one inlaid with silver, a statuette of a god,
may be the Phoenician weather-and-war-god Reshef, and a gold
pendant of a nude goddess, probably Astarte. In the other necropolis the excavators found tombs similar to the one brought to
light by the fellah, and in one of these a beautiful ivory lid, probably of a toilet-paint box, representing the Cretan goddess of
fertility, flanked by two goats.
On Ras Shamra, the acropolis of Minet el-Beida, the excavators cleared a temple, in and near which a number of interesting
Egyptian sculptures were found, as also two steles with representation of the Bacal and Ba'alat of Sapuna, the ancient name of the
city. But the most important find was that of the library, with
tablets written in Akkadian, Sumerian, and an enigmatic language.
These last tablets have now been deciphered (Bauer, Dhorme and
Virolleaud) and proved to be written in the Phoenician language
with twenty-eight alphabetic signs taken from the cuneiform signsyestem. An epic poem of eight hundred lines is among the texts
discovered, and it will, when published, no doubt give us most welcome information about the Phoenician civilization of the 14th
tentury B. C.
\
\
�Sa
36
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Syria in Romance
The Brethren
By
RIDER HAGGARD
Condensed by
DAGNY EDWARDS
(Continued from December)
Days went by and one hot July night the brethren sat in their
.camp gazing from the mountain top across the plains toward Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. The next day they were to advance
across the desert plain to battle with Saladin, who lay above Tiberias. As they sat there, Godwin had a vision wherein he saw Saladin walking to and fro alone in the royal pavilion. Godwin read
his thought.
It was: "Behind me the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee,
into which, if my flanks were turned, I should be driven, I and all
my host. In front the territories of the Franks, I have no friend;
and by Nazareth their great army. Allah alone can help me. If
they sit still and force me to advance across the desert and attack
them before my army melts away, then I am lost. If they advance
upon me round the Mountain Tabor and by the watered land, I
may be lost. But if, oh! if Allah should make them mad, and they
should strike straight across the desert then, then they are lost, and
the reign of the Cross in Syria is forever at an end. I will wait
here. I will wait here."
Awaking, Godwin told his tale to the king, and all his pleading
prayers, and those of the bishop and Wulf, who saw truth in the
dream, could not change his mind to hold the army. Advancing in
war, the dream was fulfilled terribly, to the extent that one of the
most hideous rights in the history of the world took place, on the
battlefields of Hattin, which broke the power of the Christians in
the East. Wulf settled his score with Prince Hassan for the killing
of his uncle and the poisoned wine, by killing Hassan on the battlefield. But before death took him, Hassan in all friendliness toward
Wulf gave him the badge of his House, the famous star jewel,
that was to stand the brethren and Rosamund in good stead, later,
when they sought to make their escape.
�FEBRUARY, 1932
2?
Awaiting her chance, Masouda instructed the brethren how
Z?M8ht,efape.fr°m.Sakdin's camP> ^ which they were to
pay Masouda s assistant in the plot, the jewel of Hassan. Rosan0t
Slightest detai1 lest in a cas
ToliT
Z before
?Td they
°u thewere
»y Abdul
* they
should be caught
well away. ' That night,
ih°,reckei!ed ^he jewel, was captured and confessed that he
f
th£ P n
C6rtain arden 0
cal
Wh morning
°
"gcame,
?, f ?, f° awas
the
camp. When
Abdullah
dead,g he gave^
no more
of the plan away, but Godwin, Wulf, and the ladies were brought
before the wrath of Saladin, who, however, could not punish them
since there was no direct evidence against the brethren. Finallv
an imam of the Sultan consulted with him. Saladin was pleased
paving the court the imam returned presently with two small'
couTd f°jISa"dalwood tied with silk and sealed, so alike that none
ky thC JeWd kll Wn aS the Star
d
Luc rf I W aPar^ HaS
JB 0nC' m
°
the ther
a ebble of
wlh,
V
7was asked
f "j to give° a box^
P of herthe
same
weight. Rosamund
to each
cousins.
He who had the jewel should die. Beseeching Saladin to be less
cruel and spare her the task, Rosamund was forced to present the
boxes to her cousins, each taking the box nearer to him Opening
nf'w?^
Ileanu"g enchanted Star of Hassan fell to the feel
oi Wulf, as Rosamund cried out,
"Not Wulf! Not Wulfl"
Then it was that the brethren knew which she loved
Later that afternoon, Godwin offered Saladin his life as the
guilty one in place of Wulf; and though loathe to believe him, the
h S Wi8h
biddi
^a
he T^T
ThCnMasouda
"S farewdl
^ Rwho
"d
(as he
thought, for ,t' was -really
in disguise,
again
planned Rosamund's escape, and showed her love for Godwfn
t0 SPeak
Wdf Wh
the d
when'sld° Cntered
^that
vault,'
when Saladin came "in, andi°spoke to them
both saying
he
refused such sacrifice as Godwin was about to make, andfmce thev
were brave men, he would much prefer to kill them in war. Making them a gift of fine horses, he bade them go to Jerusalem where
they might meet again within its streets, in war
agai R0SamU id made her CSCape thr0U h the
of
,
> was£ brought
-genuity
J
of MSoud
Masouda. R
Rosamund; dressed
as Masouda,
by the
latter's uncle Son of the Sand, to Godwin and Wulf in Jerusalem
Ihey placed Rosamund ,n a sanctuary with the nuns of the Holv
Cross, where none would ever dare drag her. Then Godwin fear-
camo Lhefeh °\ ^TSleft behi»d> -turned to Saladin's
camp, for he felt a strange love for that fearless young woman who
\
X
�=—?m
38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
braved death for love of him. Through the trickery of the Sultan
and his imam, who led Godwin to believe that Masouda, though
their prisoner, was well and alive, he entered the prison vault, and
there to his horror and grief found Masouda dead. Then he knew
that he truly loved her, even as she had loved and died for him.
Stung by the mockery of the imam, the same who had planned the
casting of the lots, Godwin smote his eye out with a silver lamp,
then falling across the corpse of Masouda, he lay sick for a long
time.
The siege of the Holy City had begun, and slaughter waged
on both sides. As Godwin lay resting in camp, wondering what the
outcome of the struggle would be, he remembered Saladin's vision,
that through Rosamund much slaughter should be spared. Seizing
an opportunity, Godwin broached the subject to Saladin, who greatly vexed, would not listen to him, although as he left the tent, he
pondered the matter.
Several days later, Godwin by his own wish, though still in
the camp of Saladin, was ordained a priest by the hand of the Bishop
Egbert, amidst the triumphant servants of Mohamet, who rejoiced
at the approaching downfall of the Cross.
Misery and despair settled over the tens of thousands of
fugitives within Jerusalem, and finally the Sultan declared that
only on condition that Rosamund surrender to him that he might
deal with her as she deserved, would he have anything to say to
the embassy sent to discuss terms with him. Then was Rosamund's
hiding place discovered, and the men came to plead with her to return, but she staunchly refused.
The battle went on and on, the people ever suffering new terrors, fearing momentary death. Again they pleaded with Saladin;
again he refused to deal with them till Rosamund surrendered, but
even as he listened to their pleadings for mercy, did he think that
this was the massacre of which he dreamed—eighty thousand lives.
Prayers and sobs mingled with the cries of the people outside
the convent, came to Rosamund as once more they besought her
to go to Saladin. A final message came to her there, from him, telling that if she came to him willingly he would consider the question
of the sparing of Jerusalem and its inhabitants. If she refused,
everyone, save those women and children who might be kept as
slaves, would be put to the sword. Listening to the pleading all
around her, from the Queen Sybilla, the women, children, knights ;
and lords, Rosamund asked Wulf, would he have her die. "Alas!" '
�I
FEBRUARY, 1932
30
he answered, "It is hard to speak. Yet they are many, you are one."
lhen Rosamund of her own will declared that that too was her
wish, and prepared to go. But Wulf declared that he must die with
her, and thus they made confession of their sins before the priest
received absolution and the sacrament for the dying, while all in
the church knelt and prayed, as for souls that pass. So the solemn
ritual ended, and they entered the presence of the Sultan, kneeling
to
before him.
The Sultan heard them speak that Rosamund was ready to pay
the price, to fulfill his vision, and spare the city, and for its blood
he should accept hers as a token and offering. Then did Salah-eddin show his mercy. The terms of his treaty were fair; he was just
and kind, even paying out of his own treasury the ransoms of hundreds of ladies whose husbands and fathers had fallen in battle.
_ For forty days, Rosamund and Wulf lay in separate prisons
awaiting death, while the ransoms outlined in the treaty of peace
were being paid; and when it was over, Saladin took possession of
me city. 1 he Crescent had triumphed over the Cross in Jerusalem
As the camp broke up at length, Rosamund and Wulf were
summoned before the Sultan. Dressed in festive robes, Rosamund
knew not what to think as the ladies of the court clad her in fine
linen and put over it gorgeous, broidered garments and a royal
mantle of purple, and brought her to Salah-ed-din. As she stepped
within his presence, trumpets blew, and a herald cried: "Way for
the high sovereign lady and Princess of Baalbec'" And again they
med, "Way for the brave and noble Frankish knight, Sir Wulf
D Arcy!
And thus Saladin restored to Rosamund her title and
estate, and further, led them to the Convent, where stood a Christ1
P
st t0 PCrf rm the marria e servi
M u-I
°
S
ce. As the service ended the
old bishop withdrew, and another hooded monk uttered the benediction. His hood fell back, and there stood Godwin, the priest!
Once again they stood before Saladin, and this time he declared
that they had drunk the dregs of their cups; the doom which he
decreed for Rosamund had been accomplished, and now that they
were man and wife, they were free to do as they wished, whether
they desired to enjoy their rank and wealth in the East or return
to England. Bewildered and happy the pair chose to return to their
home across the sea, but Godwin, in his newly found joy in the
Cross, declared that he would stay in Jerusalem, and serve the
Cross, that was down, but not forever.
Then bidding Wulf farewell, Godwin was gone.
T-,
Ml HHM
�40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
TRVE ARABIAN TA
W. I+AM6
THE CHANCE MEETING IN THE OASIS
TRIBE of 'Uzra was renowned among the Arabs for the
THE
intensity and purity of its love. " 'Uzra love" was synonimous
with Platonic love in the highest sense. It was a sacred tradition
among the 'Uzraites to love intensely, but in a manner that would
exact the strictest abstention from physical indulgence. No other
Arab tribe had the reputation for devotion in love to equal that of
'Uzra.
The tales of love among the men of 'Uzra are many. Often
they ended in stark tragedy because of the fierce stoicism which
would countenance no weakening in the traditional abstinence. The
following tale, however, is a happy exception. It is related on the
authority of the well-known Arab traditionist 'Amru Ibn Rabi'a
and is here retold in his own words.
Said 'Amru:
Ju'd Ibn Muhje', of the tribe of 'Uzra, was a young poet who
enjoyed a wide reputation both for his intense love as well as for the
traditional reserve of his tribe. He was in the habit of making an
annual pilgrimage to Mecca, where his appearance was anxiously
awaited by a group of poetry lovers and intellectuals who formed
a steadily growing circle about him. For he was also a prolific entertainer with erudite and well authenticated Arab folk tales.
One year, during the pilgrimage season, Ju'd failed to make
an appearance and his absence was greatly felt. I took it upon myself to make inquiries about him and sought the camp of the 'Uzraites for the purpose. I made my object plain to the first group
upon whom I came, and a man from among them emitted a sigh
�FEBRUARY, 1932
41
and quote the well-known verse which signifies desperation in love:
By thy l,fe I swear that my love for Asma
Will neither drive me to die in despair,
Nor set me free to live in peace.
Alarmed I asked the man if anything had befallen Tu'd and to
"or ZTl "^ m~*a*?> he -plied in a spirit of contemptTat
±or me to be so anxious about him only meant that I was of his ilk
wandering in a trackless desert of corruption and ignorance
'
And who may you be to so condemn my friend?" I asked
1 am his brother," was his curt reply.
The year following, at the same season, I found mvself at
Urfa among a group of pilgrims from the <Uzra trite and I
noticed particularly a young man who had almost become un'cog
mzable through his emaciation. Although erect, he seemed noting
but skin and bone, a shadow of his former self. I was Tie tf
recognize him as Ju'd only through his familiar came]T When I
greeted him and asked him of his condition, he emitted uch a deen
sigh that I-thought his soul would depart with it. I hen Lght to
divert him by impressing on him the sacredness of the occasion and
the necessity of prayer. He prayed until sundown, and when he
had finished I heard him exclaim,
"O Allah, the compassionate' the mercifull Be thou mv <mn
The oL^
thC ,Md thM ta
«*«» «P0« « sint thela^f
to me tot he would confide all to IZ^T^^*
That evening, when we were alone, I again asked him £
explanation as to the cause of his exclamatic££t Itmenhat'
he unburdened his heart and recounted to me' the folWing story
my mater,Ml u
8
tribe
KjbC who,
l ^T^
**?
»*s are
tribe J
of Kalb,
aside from
being men of renuhtin,,
f of.uthe
•
them custodians f my
up zfe as?
° p p-y -dts
lay in my path. I had food and drink in sumrienrv 27 £
having partaken of my needs, I reclined to e^yfeme ^
�42
THE SYRIAN WORLD
of the hospitable palms, when from the distance rose a commotion
that attracted my attention. I looked, and there was a horseman
who was chasing a gazelle with such dash and dexterity as to excite
my admiration. For a time I watched the chase with interest, and
finally the hunter not only gained on the quarry, but felled it with
a lance thrust, as if disdaining the bow and arrow. Nor did he,
to my surprise, occupy himself with the task of recovering the carcass, as if his only interest was in the love of the sport. And to
my further surprise, the hunter, having achieved his aim, came
trotting leisurely in my direction apparently seeking the shelter of
the oasis.
"Our first meeting was most cordial. The young man, for
such he appeared to me, proved of most charming presence and conversation. He was not only erudite and conversant with Arab poetry
and folk lore, but of such captivating demeanor as to betray a
feminine charm. Thus we spent a pleasant hour until the hunter
arose to adjust the saddle of his horse, in which operation his armour
partly shifted, displaying the beauty of two breasts that put
ivory to shame in their firmness and translucency. The attempt to
a hasty concealment was abortive, and to my question if she were a
woman the reply came in the affirmative, but with the qualification
that she was one of extreme chastity, although not averse to liberal
conversation.
"And in this we indulged. The scope of the maiden's knowledge
was a revelation to me, and the charm of her manner had on me
the effect of intoxicating wine. Sometime later, overcome by the
heat of the day and the effect of her strenuous labors, she reclined
and fell into peaceful slumber. For a long time I watched over
her, drinking in her beauty with an avidity that was heightened by
the quiet of the place and the strangeness of the occasion. I want
to confess to you that often did I resolve to forswear chastity for
the strong temptation that lay before me, but recalling the tradition of my tribe, and invoking the honor of manhood, I finally
overcame the weakness.
"When she finally awoke and was preparing to leave I asked
permission to visit her, but she protested that her father and brothers were exceedingly strict and of high temper, and all I could
hope for was a chance meeting.
"She then departed, and never since have I seen her. But her
memory lingers with me and my love for her has reduced me to
a skeleton, as you see. It was because I was so weak last year that I
could not attend the pilgrimage."
" : :
.
-,:
-
'•
�FEBRUARY, 1932
43
The tale of the love-stricken young poet touched my heart
and I resolved to contrive for his salvation. I prevailed upon him
to accompany me to the tents of his uncles and there sought the
father of his beloved. I had provided myself with a thousand
dinars in money, a silk robe and a beautifully designed green tent.
The preliminary exchanges of salutations were brief and I hastened to explain to the father that the purpose of my mission was to
ask the hand of his daughter in marriage, to which he replied that I
was more than welcome.
"It is not for myself that I make the request," I protested,
"but rather in favor of your nephew whom I consider to be equally
as worthy."
"Unquestionably he is," he parried in a rather impatient manner, "but if you must insist we will leave the final choice to the
maiden."
I was about to interpose an objection when Ju'd motioned
me to acquiesce, and to my great relief and elation, the girl did express her preference for her friend.
Immediately I made a gift of the silk robe and the tent to the
father and presented the thousand dinars as the girl's dowery, insisting that the marriage ceremony be performed forthwith.
Early on the morrow I met Ju'd and asked him how he had
fared. "No man can be happier than I," he said, "because Selma
expressed towards me a reciprocal feeling that made me forget all
my past sufferings."
With this I felt that I had been amply repaid. I extended to
the young lovers my congratulations and departed.
Freedom and Slavery
By
KHALIL GIBRAN
You are free before the sun of the day,
and free before the stars of the nightj
And you are free when there is no sun
and no moon and no star.
You are even free when you close your
eyes upon all there is
Hut you are a slave to him whom you
love because you love him,
And a slave to him who loves you
because he loves you.
�44
THE SYRIAN WORLD
EDITORIAL COMMENT
APOLOGY
Although every possible effort
has been made to maintain the
regular publication schedule of
the Syrian World, unavoidable
difficulties have retarded the appearance of the February number
to the middle of March. The
lapse will be corrected with the
coming issues.
HARD TIMES
One would like not to discuss
the economic depression. It is
unpleasant to be reminded -of
such painful subjects. The effect is to depress the spirit and
undermine the energy. After
all, the wise ones will tell you,
our ills are only psychological.
The coffers of savings banks are
overflowing with money, only it
needs" to be put in circulation.
Talk prosptrity and you will
have it!
All of which is very good if it
were only practical.
Closed factories, stagnant markets, empty cupboards, with millions of unemployed and hundreds of thousands dependent
upon public charity, are all too
serious and concrete matters to
be treated lightly and delegated
to the class of the ephemereal
and psychological.
Such crises the world has experienced before and emerged
therefrom safe but wiser.
It
would be ridiculous to expect that
the result in the present case
would prove otherwise. In the
commonest way of expressing it,
the world is not coming to an
end. A solution will eventually
be found, although the world
will have to readjust itself to
new conditions. But just what
form the solution will take no
one has yet been able to tell. The
Bolsheviks claim that in their
formula lies the world's only
salvation, while the rest of the
world still hold a diametrically
opposite view. One thing is certain, and it is that such conditions as those which brought about the abnormal and unsound
prosperity which led to the correspondingly heavy depression
cannot be suffered to remain.
There was an orgy that had to
come to an end sometime, and
people who had settled down to
the snug assurance that the bubble could continue along the process of inflation without bursting
will have to face the painful task
of disillusionment.
The important question is:
What will happen in the mean-
mmem
�FEBRUARY, 1932
time?
The economic pressure is already straining heavily at family ties. Parents who cannot now
provide as was their wont, and
children who fancy themselves
deprived of what they had been
accustomed to having as a matter of course, although they
themselves are not productive,
suffer a painful present and vision a dark future. In this case
it is safe to assume that the development of a sorely needed
sturdiness in character will prove
a welcome result from the travail of the depression.
Then there are the national
governments that are sorely
pressed in the task of balancing
their budgets. Large corporate
enterprises, with national and international ramifications, who
had been looked upon as towers
of strength in the world financial
structure, are facing a similar
predicament.
But the most pathetic case is
that of the small man, the one
who through systematic savings
and self-denials accumulated a
small capital with which to open
a shop, a store, or some other industrial or commercial undertaking. He had felt the security of independence through the
individual enterprise he had
painstakingly built up. By the
assiduous cultivation of personal,
contacts and the assurance of
honest individual service he had
45
every reason to believe that he
had a claim on the constant patronage of his clientele. We may
imagine such a man's distress
when through the forced curtailment in expenditures on the part
of his customers, he is reduced
to a position of utter helplessness. For he is neither fit by
training nor capable by former
connections to find other means
of earning a livelihood.
The Syrians in America fall
mostly in the latter category.
Their native initiative prompted
them to seek independent means
of gain which in the majority of
cases were confined to individual
enterprises. That they have not
suffered severely so far may be
attributed principally to their
sense of thrift and their mutual
helpfulness.
During the past few months
a score or more public affairs
were held by the Syrians of New
1 ork City for purposes of charity, and many more are planned.
Similar activities are being constantly reported from almost all
sections of the country.
This constitutes about the only
cheerful news in the otherwise
dark situation. But people would
much prefer to give work in exchange for money than be the
recipients of charity. It may be
said for the Syrians that their
pride would prevent them from
appealing for charity except at
the last extremity.
The fact
�mam..
46
that public affairs are being held
so frequently with the avowed
purpose of alleviating the distress of needy Syrians would indicate that that point of desperation has already been reached.
WHICH SHALL SURVIVE
THE SYRIAN WORLD
tion, edited by Miss Najla Bellamah of Canada, and the only
Arabic feminist publication in
North America, was forced to
suspend before it could run out
the cycle of a full year. It must
be said to its credit that it reimbursed paid subscribers for the
difference due them, but this act
of extreme honesty is poor consolation for the lack of adequate
support for a worthy publication.
Character, a literary Arabic magazine of New York, now in its
tenth year, will suspend "until
such time as conditions warrant
resumption."
During the past few months
the scythe of the depression has
mowed down several worthy and,
in some instances, long established Arabic publications, both
in America and abroad. By virThe daily papers so far have
tue of long and meritorious ser- not been affected except in that
vice some of the defunct period- they are issuing continuous apicals had come to be looked peals, which alternate between
upon as established institutions. threats and pleadings, for the
Most of them, however, had the collection of subscriptions. One
misfortune of being serious or- of them has set a premium of
gans of opinion or scholarly re- 10% discount for payment of
search.
back accounts within a given perLughat-Al-Arab - (The Arabic iod. Another is willing to give
Tongue) of Baghdad, announced as much as 50%.
its suspension because of lack of
When, on the other hand, one
support, although it was consi- reads that such old and supposeddered over a long period one of ly popular publications in the
the foremost sources of authority American field such as Judge and
on Arabic phylology.
The Police Gazette are forced inAl-Khalidat, of New York, to bankruptcy, one is surprised
could not weather the economic that the ratio of mortality among
storm although its editor, Rev. Arabic publications is not higher
Archimandrite Antony Bashir, as than what it has proved to be so
a prolific writer and itinerant far. But we have not yet reachmissionary, was considered to en- ed the end, as the wise ones who
joy exceptional advantages.
view the depression dispassionAl-Fajr, a bi-lingual publica- ately will tell you.
n
�FEBRUARY, 1932
47
AND NOW OUR CASE
DEPARTMENTS
Perhaps it would not be malThe Poetry Department has
apropos to make an allusion here been as regular in its appearance
to^the predicament of the Syrian as the great nocturnal luminary
World. We seem to fare none which is the poet's inspiration.
better than the publications pre- Ever since Miss Barbara Young
viously mentioned. As a pioneer assumed editorship of the departin its field, The Syrian World ment not a single issue has apmay even be going through a peared but had the beautiful faharder struggle than all the miliar heading and the varied
others, owing to the necessity of but consistently excellent materconducting virgin missionary ial. And may we not reiterate
work. Some day we might give that this is a labor of love that
out the full secret of -how we Miss Young has imposed upon
manage to keep the flickering herself and adheres to faithfullight of life burning. That day ly? In plain words, she who commight come either when we reg- mands a handsome price for her
ister a decisive triumph or have literary work has been willing
to lay down our arms in defeat. to make this regular and sustainWe are now navigating the tur- ed contribution free out of her
bulent, eddies of the midstream, deep feeling of friendship for
—the exact middle of our year
the Lebanese and Syrians whom
and between now and the end of she came to know and appreciate
the year we should know how the through our great Gibran of
tide will flow.
whom she was the devoted
One thing is certain. It is that friend . In a future issue, we
we shall never give up if only we expect to make an important anare shown reasonable support. nouncement relative to Miss
Not, to be sure, to make the con- } oung's forthcoming trip to Betinued publication profitable, but charre, Gibran's native town in
only to make the loss bearable. Lebanon.
Delinquent subscribers can ease
the task by prompt remittance,
With this issue the editorship
and those of our enthusiastic
of "Our Younger Generation"
friends who were shocked at the
department will change hands.
possibility
of | discontinuance
To the former editor, Mr. A.
when we put the question to a
Hakim, is due our sincere expublic referendum last year,
pression of thanks for his connow have occasion to validate
scientious and able efforts during
their promises of effective supthe period of his. incumbency,
port.
and it is with reluctance that we
-
' f-'-
HHH
�48
have to concede to his wish to relinquish his self-imposed task.
He has been a constant and loyal friend of the Syrian World,
and there could be no reason to
doubt the validity of the reasons
prompting his resignation.
We are happy to announce,
however, the substitution of an
equally able editor in charge of
this department in the person of
Miss Edna K. Saloomey. To
hear each laud the qualifications
of the other when the two met
in the office of the Syrian World,
one would have difficulty in
choosing between them. What
we consider the more weighty
argument is the one advanced by
the retiring editor in favor of his
successor. Miss Saloom'ey, he
pointed out, is the more logical
person to conduct the department because she is American
born and retains nevertheless all
those finer racial qualities that
are characteristically Syrian.
With a deep understanding of
and appreciation for our wholesome traditions, combined with
her natural sympathy for her
generation and her keen insight
into their problems, her personal advantages as well as her
greater possibilities for service in
the department become obvious.
We can appreciate the reasons
which have caused some irregularity in the Home and Family
Department. We are glad, how-
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ever, to communicate to our
readers the promise of the editor,
Sitt Bahia-Al-Musheer, to be not
only punctual in future, but even
more generous with her excellent
material.
Rev. W. A. Mansur lives up
to his reputation of mentor of
the Syrian-American youth. In
his article published in this issue,
the first he has contributed for
our current year, he brings out
the high lights of Phoenician history which he points out as a
rich heritage of which our younger generation should feel proud
and which it behooves them to
remember. Neither the learned
divine writes, nor do we publish,
such material in a spirit of boastfulness. It is authentic history
that has a direct bearing on our
racial status, and of which we
should be reminded for the very
excellent raesons given by the
author.
The poet in Dr. Salim Y. Alkazin will not be downed. His
inspiration this time is the popular Arabic song which corresponds to the English "Home,
Sweet Home." In rendering it
into English verse, Dr. Alkazin
has succeeded not only in making
almost a verbatim translation, but
has also preserved the exact
rhythm of the original so that
the English version may be sung
to the tune of the Arabic with
the same melodious effect.
n
�MB
FEBRUARY, 1932
ELECTIONS IN SYRIA
LEAD TO BLOODSHED
The general elections which High
Commissioner Ponsot ordered held in
Syria following his return from Europe with a view to the establishment
of a stable government able to enter
into negotiations with France for the
definite stttlement of the Syrian question, and which resulted in bitter and
bloody struggles between the National;sts and the Moderates, were postponed in Damascus and other Syrian
cities pending the return of order.
According to reports in the latest
Syrian mail, the resumption of the
elections was tentatively set for the
early part of March, but so far the
French H-'gh Commissioner has not
committed himself to any definite date.
The troublesome question is whether
the Nationalists will concede the legality of the returns if the elections
are conducted by the present government, inasmuch as they claim that
undue influence is being exercised by
the authorities to support the government t;cket. Apparently reliable reports from Damascus indicate that
the Nationalists have finally decided
to take part in the elections because
the three principal cities where the
elections have been deferred, namely
Damascus, Hama and Duma, are their
conceded strongholds.
That the Nationalists have reached
such a decision is an indication that
they have conceded defeat in the elections, as the general results cannot be
materially altered by the returns of
the three remaining cities. But on
49
what conditions they have agreed to
participate remains unknown.
Disturbances cont;nue to be reported in various parts of the country
as a result of the elections, especially
in Aleppo. Demonstrations of a violent nature are reported to have taken
place in the latter city resulting in a
score of casualties. The Nationalists
are said to have reciuited school
children of tender age to stage antigovernment demonstrations.
Because political demonstrations
often are organized after religious
services in the mosques, where agitators take advantage of unrestricted
right of congregation and speach to
arouse the crowds, police have taken
unusual precautions to deal with this
kind of disturbances. Some police
units have been fitted out with helmets and breast-plates to ward off
missiles such as clubs and stones, but
to further enchance their effectiveness, they have been supplied with
overshoes which they are required to
carry as a part of their regular equipment. To those unacquainted with
the traditions of the East this action
may seem puzzling, but the purpose
becomes obvious when it is recalled
that Moslems, upon entering the
mosques, are required to shed off
their shoes, and in the case of visiting strangers, they are required to do
likewise or to don overshoes. Naturally it is quicker and more convenient for the police to sl;p on their
overshoes when forcing entry into the
courts of the mosques to quell disturbances. Hence the regulation of
carrying this apparently indispens-
�1 <
50
THE SYRIAN WORLD
able adjunct to the maintenance of
peace and order in the East.
Conditions in Aleppo have taken
such a serious turn that French military authorities have had to take over
the handling of the s4tuation. A state
akin to martial law now exists in the
city with military detachments patrolling the streets and tanks and machine
guns stationed at strategic positions.
The commercial activities in the cityare at almost a standstill and men of
all classes are said not to dare to venture out except armed.
Each of the so-called moderate and
extreme Nationalists have protested
to the authorities against the alleged
provocative actions of the other, and
what was expected to be the free
expression cf the will of the people
at the polls threatens to develop into
bloody partisan feuds.
A regrettable incident which threatens to cause international complications was the murder of a Franciscan
monk of Italian nationality, who was
set upon unawares and felled by a
dagger thrust in the back. The Italian consul immediately lodged a protest with the mandatory authorities.
POLITICAL FUTURE
M. Lavastre, accredited representative of M. Ponsot in Aleppo, is reported to have declared in a speech he
made to a political assemblage in
that city that France entertains only
the friendliest feelings for Syria;
that it proposes to have it enjoy much
more than the degree of national independence granted to Iraq, and that
only the stubborn obduracy of the intransigent Nationalists for the past
ten years has stood in the way of
France carrying out sooner its benevolent intentions. As proof of France's
sincere intentions he cited the fact
that she had actually effected the
liberation of many nations, including
Poland. He expressed the belief that
the time for the execution of France's
plans in Syria cannot now be far distant since the moderate' Nationalists,
who were victors in the elections, have
displayed a better understanding of
the only policy which will redound to
Syria's interest and be compatible at
the same time with that of France.
COMING PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTIONS IN LEBANON
Cond;tions in Lebanon seem to be
dragging along in the same manner
existing ever since the establ-'shment
of the republic. During the past six
years the people have come to realize
the benefits of the republican form of
government and to rest on it the:r
pclitical future. About the only serious reason for complaint has been
the excessive taxation necessary to
support a top-heavy administrative
structure wh'ch seems out of keeping
with the size and the resources of the
country. For a country of less than
a million population there is a Representative Assembly composed of fortysix members, a full-sized cabinet patterned on the order of those of the
great powers, a nr'litary organization
and an army of employees most of
whom are admittedly sinecures. The
pressing problem of Lebanon at present would seem to effect the administrative reforms necessary to bring
about the sorely needed economy. This
issue is figuring prominently in the
platforms of the fispirants to the
Presidency, with all indications pointing to the success of M. Enrle Eddy,
a former Premier Who had devised
such a program and was defeated by a
coalition of deputies who had much
to lose by the success of his policies.
It must be remembered that the Lebanese constitution follows closely that
of France in that the Chamber elects
the President. This circumstance, in
�FEBRUARY, 1932
51
the case of Lebanon, would give the
official summer residence.
mandatory authorities the decid-ng
During the stress and uncertainties
voice in the choice of the President
of
the World War, however, the late
inasmuch as half the deputies are
Patriarch
Howayek was forcibly reappointed by the mandatory power
moved
from
his official residence by
and it may be taken for granted that
Jamal
Pasha,
then Turkish military
those deputies follow instructions.
governor
of
Syria,
and was about to
The elections will be held about
be
sent
to
exile
but
for the timely
May 20 at the close of the second
intervention
of
the
Pope
and the
term of President Chas. Dabbas. The
Austrian Emperor.
constitution has been amended so that
At the close of the war Patriarch
m future the President's term will be
Howayek
deliberately broke the tradisix instead of three years.
tion of confinement and seclusion by
going in person to attend the VerPATRIARCH VISITS BEIRUT
sailles negotiations for peace land
there plead for Lebanon's secession
The newly elected Maronite Patfrom Turkey and its placing under
riarch followed the precedent esta- French mandate.
blished by his predecessor in making
When, later, upon the appointment
personally an official visit to the
of
Gen. Gouraud first French High
French High Commissioner at the capital. The visit was made on Feb. 11 Commissioner for Syria and Lebanon,
and was attended by a great popular Patrarch Howayek considered the dedemonstration. While in the city, velopment a triumph of his political
the Patr-arch also returned the visits program, he further broke the tradiof the Christian Patriarchs and digni- tion by proceeding to Beirut to extaries Who had personally offered him tend in person his felicitations to the
their felicitations upon his accession High Commissioner. Thus he established for Irmself a precedent
to the Patriarchate.
whien he consistently followed upon
Although in the strictest sense the
the appointment of each succeeding
visit of the Pariarch is a denominaHigh Commissioner.
tional gesture, much political signiAn incident worthy of note in this
ficance is attached to it in view of
respect was the attitude of Gen. Sarthe fact that the Maronites are the
rail, who was a professed anti-cleric.
largest single religious unit in LeThe Patriarch visited Irm as he had
banon and have been the traditional
vis-ted the others, but the General was
friends of France in the East and
reluctant in returning the visit, and
those most responsible for France's
did so only after heavy pressure from
presence in the country. The move
Par^s. His reception by the Patriarch
assumes further importance in that it
on that occasion was as frigid as that
constitutes a definite break in a tradihe had given him upon his visit. Only
tion long held inviolable for Maronite
the tact of de Jouvenel, Sarrail's sucPatriarchs.
The Patriarch occupies
cessor, prevented a complete break.
m his own sphere a position similar
Upon the death of the late Patrito that of the Pope of Rome, and at
arch Howayek, the question arose as
no time was it known that any into whether the old tradition should be
cumbent of the high office has ever
maintained or the precedent establishleft the confines of his see except to
ed by the late Patriarch followed. The
make the annual journey from BekerFrench High Commissioner had come
ky to Al-Diman, the latter being the
in person to extend his felicitations to
�HP
THE SYRIAN WORLD
52
the new Patriarch, and the country
was all set aguessing as to whether
the Patriarch would return the visit
in person. There was a division of
opinion, according to reports, among
the college of bishops on the question, but the Patriarch finally decided
in favor of the course set by his predecessor. The great popular reception he received in Beirut gave proof
of the popularity of his move.
trip he had taken to Palestine by
special invitation. Openly, no political object is admitted for the visit,
but the extraordinary interest displayed by both the British and French
mandatory authorities in receiving the
Egyptian Prime Minister with state
honors is being generally interpreted
as indicating the existence of a deep
political purpose.
EDITOR OF AL-HODA
ON POLITICAL MISSION
SYRIAN NATIONALISTS
PUNISH FAIZ KOURI
N. A. Mokarzel, editor of Al-Hoda,
the Arabic daily of New York and
founder of the Lebanon League of
Progress, was to sail for Paris sometime in March supposedly on a political mission, the exact nature of
Which was not disclosed. Our readers
will recall that Mr. Mokarzel has been
most active in Lebanese politics, and
through the political organization
which he founded was responsible for
many noteworthy reforms in the home
government. It is conjectured that
his present mission must have some
bearing on the coming presidential
elections. It can be positively stated,
however, that the veteran editor has
no personal ambitions inasmuch as he
has repeatedly and publicly rejected
the proposals put forth by his many
admirers respecting his candidacy for
the presidency.
Reports from Damascus coming
with the late mail indicate the continuance of the bitterness resulting
from the national elections. Subhi
Bey Barakat, leader of the victorious
Moderates and their candidate for the
presidency, arrived in Damascus on
a political mission and there met Faiz
Bey Kouri, formerly an outspoken
Nationalist, and brother of the wellknown leader Faris Bey Kouri, who
was at one time suggested for president of the Syrian State. The action
of Faiz aroused the Nationalists to a
high pitch of indignation and it was
decided at a party caucus to strike
his name from the ballots in the supplemental elections. Faris Bey Kouri
is said to have taken part in the meeting at which his brother Faiz was impeached and banished from the party.
SUDKY PASHA IN SYRIA
Sudky Pasha, the Prime Minister of
Egypt, arrived in Beirut Feb. 11 and
was ofncially received by the French
High Commissioner, who gave a state
dinner in his honor, and by the Lebanese government. His visit to Syria
and Lebanon was an extension of a
Subhi Bey Barakat is a former
governor of Syria and the one Charged by the Nationalists with having
advised the French to bombard Damascus during the 1925 rebellion. The
Nationalists are said to be bitterly opposed to his candidacy, and failing
the election of their leader Hashim
Bey Al-Atasi, they are said to be
willing to throw the weight of their
support to Ahmad Nami Pasha the
Damad, another Moderate.
IWWWWB—MMBlimHIMWirilBW"T
�. FEBRUARY, 1932
SB
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
NEWS SECTION
VOL. VI NO. 6
GIBRAN NOW RESTS
IN PERMANENT TOMB
Remains Removed with Great Ceremony to the Monastery of Mar
Sarkis Which Will Serve as
Permanent Shrine.
Gibran's remains repose at last in
the ideal spot which he had long
hoped to make his home. To many
of his friends he had expressed the
wish to return to his native land and
there acquire ownership of the monastery of Mar Sarkis, located below
the famous Cedars and overlooking
the Sacred Valley of Kadisha, a spot
which even in his early boyhood he
had come to admire and love, and
where he had hoped to spend the closing days of his life.
That wish has been gratified only
to the extent that the monastery of
Mar Sarkis now serves as Gibran's
permanent home, only it was not given him to again see the beauty of the
place with his mortal eyes.
Gibran's remains had reposed temporarily in the church of St. John, in
his native town of Becharre, pending
arrangements for the acquisition of
the monastery. Issaf George Rahme,
Gibran's cousin and devoted companion, who had accompanied the body
from the United States, finally bought
the monastery from the Maronite Carmelite Missionary Order and converted
I
FEBRUARY, 1932
it into a shrine for the great poet.
The tomb, as described in the Lebanese
papers, is a natural grotto opening
on the chapel, the interior of which
was permitted to remain in its natural state, with exquisitely shaped stalactites pending from the domed roof,
reflecting a myriad of dancing colors'
from the bright electric lights. A view
of the interior is permitted through
a large plate glass encased in a frame
of cedar and olive wood, revealing
Gibran's coffin resting on two Corinthian pillars. Atop the chapel, overlooking Becharre and the Sacred Valley, the large cross bears the following inscription:
"Here Repose the Remains of the"
"Prophet Gibran Resting Under the"
"Wings of the Angel of Peace."
The removal of Gibran's remains
took place on Sunday, January 10.
with almost as much ceremony as that
attending the reception of the body
upon its arrival from America. Seven
thousand mourners marched in the
procession, and again there were the
poetical improvisations in the vernacular as well as recitations of original
literary poems and speeches. Both
the government and the clergy were
well represented.
GIBRAN'S SPIRIT
Writing apparently with the utmost
conviction, Emil Zaidan, editor of AlHilal, one of the oldest and most re-
�f
54
spected monthly magazines of Egypt,
claims to have had communicat;on
with Gibran's spirit during a spiritualistic seance he attended this summer while visiting Syria. The editor
admits that he had been indifferent
to the claims of the spiritualists until he was induced by one of his
friends to attend one of their meetings
from which he emerged fully convinced of ail their claims. The spirit of
his father, the famous Arabic scholar
and historian, spoke to him and gave
him much practical advice concerning
the policy of the paper. He was also
able to communicate with the spirit
of Gibran who dictated a message
which the editor published as being
in Gibran's accepted style, but which
literary critics take as a poor imitation. Gibran is said to be happy, in
the "higher spheres", but he wants
his sister Mariana to put a check to
her grief. Gibran also mentioned the
celebrated Syrian writer who uses the
pen name of "May" with whom he
had been in correspondence but whom
he had never met. "May" is a resident of Egypt and at the time of
Gibran's death published a personal
letter which he had written to her.
Hence the natural association between
Gibran's spirit and this lady.
Strange as it may seem, Gibran
has forgotten all his friends of a lifet;me in America. Mrs. Mary Haskel
Minas to whom he willed all Irs art
works he did not choose to mention
(obviously because the medium did not
know of his relationship with her),
nor did the sensitive and generous
spirit of Gibran remember Barbara
Young, his most loyal and devoted
friend, and the host of other friends
he had come to know and love during
the long years, comprising all his
adult life, he had spent in America.
Gibran also referred to the reception
given his body upon its arrival in
Syria, but not a word did his grate-
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ful spirit mention of the memorial
meetings, the church services and the
many other signs of affection shown
him in America.
Truly, for such a respected organ
as Al-Hilal, founded by the practical
and discriminating scholar George Zaidan, to have espoused the cause of
spiritualism and attempted to prove
it in such fash;on, is a sign of decadence from its former high scholarly
standard.
SYRIAN JUNIOR LEAGUE
PRESENTS FINE PLAY
No one who attended "The First
Year", presented by the Syrian Junior
League at the Booth Theatre in New
York Feb. 21, had cause to regret the
time or the money spent on the occasion. The cause was for charity, it's
true, and all those contributing to
the program or investing in tickets
would feel amply repa;d considering the purpose alone. But there was
a good deal more than this spiritual
compensation: the play itself was well
worth seeing and the actors acquitted
themselves like veteran professionals.
To some visiting Syrians who were
not aware that all the actors in the
play were Syrian amateurs, members
of the League and their friends, it
was almost inconceivable that the
young men and women who displayed
such talent were not actually Broadway old timers.
Madeleine Malouf, Nedda Uniss and
John S. Macksoud did full justice to
their roles, although the other actors
acquitted themselves most creditably.
The cast, besides these mentioned,
was composed of Fred Shamas, Adele
F. Macksoud, Victor Hamati, Fred
Zrike, Alfred Zrike and Lyla J. Mabarak.
The attendance was not up to expectations, which is through no fault
of the organization giving the play.
N
i
a
c:
�FEBRUARY, 1932
We venture to predict, however, that
if the League were to make a second
presentation of the same play, the attendance would be more than doubled
in view of the general approval expressed by those who witnessed the
first performance.
Miss Selma Milkie, president of the
Syrian League, made a short appearance before opening of the play to
outline the purpose for which it was
being given and to welcome those supporting the cause.
The League, in its elaborate program, made special acknowledgment
for helpful advice and assistance to
the following: Mr. Nicholas Macsoud,
the artist; Miss Gertrude Wainwright,
the dramatic director of the play;
and Messers. Elias Aboarab, Suhail
Hermos, Basil Couri and George Mabarak for assistance given the program committee.
The Dramatic Committee was composed of Mrs. George Saliba, chairman, and the Misses Lou'se Dibbs,
Mary Mokarzel, Louise Mussawir and
Selma Uniss.
The Program Committee was composed of Miss Madeleine Zaloom,
chairman, and the Misses Alice Diab,
Lyla Mabarak, Najla Macksoud, Mary
L. Milkie, Mary Trabulsi and Selma
Uniss.
LEAGUE OF PROGRESS
HOLDS CHARITY BAZAAR
The Lebanon League of Progress of
New York held its charity bazaar at
the Knights of Columbus Hall on
Clinton St., Brooklyn during the three
days of Feb. 27, 28, and 29. The admission was $1.00 for the three nights
and the varied program of entertainment provided for each night was enthus;astically received by the large
attendance.
The bazaar was especially sponsored by Al-Hoda, whose editor, N. A.
55
Mokarzel, is the founder and the president emeritus of the Lebanon
League. The proceeds of the bazaar,
according to announcement, will be
distributed to the Syrian and Lebanese
needy of the city through the agency
of the various churches irrespective
of denominations.
__
SYRIAN FEDERATION TO
GIVE CHARITY BALL
The American Syrian Federation
of Brooklyn will give a Charity Ball
and Entertainment at the Grand Ballroom of the Elks Club in Brooklyn on
the evening of April 16. The affair
promises to be the most brilliant Syrian social affair of the season. The
proceeds will be devoted to charity.
The Federation carried out th;s
Year its annual practice of distributing Christmas baskets although primarily it is not a charitable organization. Realizing, however, the extent
of distress prevalent this year, it has
decided to extend its char;table activities and is planning the entertainment and ball. The pcsit-on of leadership Which the Federation occupies
in the community insures full success
for any of its undertakings.
The chairman of the committee on
arrangements is Mr. Jos. W. Ferris,
the well known Syrian lawyer and a
former president of the Federation.
A souvenir program is planned for the
occasion and should be well patronized.
Earlier this month, the Federation'
gave a special entertainment at its
clubrooms for the members and their
families, and in honor of the retiring
president, Mr. S. J. Akel, who took
occasion to remind the gathering in
his brief remarks that the Federation
building has actually become the civic
center of the Syrian community in
the city. President George Dagher
was master of ceremonies.
�ill
56
THE SYRIAN WORLD
MME. FADWA KURBAN
MAKES FORMAL DEBUT
SYRIAN COLORATURA
By Alice Mokarzel
Fadwa Kurban, "The Syrian Nightingale" and coloratura soprano of merit,
gave a New York recital in the Roerich Hall of the Roerich Museum on
Saturday evening, February 27.
Miss Sumeyeh Attiyeh, the wellknown Syrian lecturer, formally introduced Mme. Kurban.
The program consisted mainly of
difficult and technical numbers that
were performed with beautiful and
exacting skill.
The famous Mad
Scene from Lucia de Lammermcor, a
favorite of Mussolini and of operalovers, gave Mme. Kurban an opportunity to prove the exceptional
quality of her voice. The other numbers were exceedingly pleasing because of their variety and served to
demonstrate the versatility and range
of Mme. Kurban's vocal powers. Some
had the del:cate and appealing accompaniment of the flute. Included among the numbers were Liebestraum
by Lizt, the Japanese Love Song by
Brahe and The Bell Song from Lakme.
Mr. Alexander Maloof, who was in
the audience, was asked to accompany
Mme. Kurban in two Arabic songs
which were requested after the recital.
In these numbers, sung in her own arrangement, she is very much at ease
especially in the melancholy and languid strains of Wailee Min al Ghoramy.
This recital served to introduce
Mme. Kurban formally to the American public as well as to give her
many friends further opportunity to
hear her. It was indeed an appreciative audience that applauded her efforts, requesting encore after encore
which she rendered graciously, convincing them that' she is justified in
seeking an operatic career.
Mme. Fadwa Kurban
ALEFPIAN FRATERNITY
GIVING ENTERTAINMENT
The Aleppian Fraternity of New
York will give an entertainment at
the Knights of Columbus Hall on the
evening of Sunday, April 10, for the
benefit of Al-Kalimat charities in
Aleppo which extend from maintaining an orphanage and a home for the
aged to the distribution of food and
clothing to the needy of the city without discrimination as to religious denominations. The program is expected to be exceptionally entertanrng as
has been that of all other affairs arranged by this society, which has
command of a large variety of native
talent.
i
<i
�FEBRUARY, 1932
SYRIAN BOY MAKES
MUSICAL DEBUT
Although less than three years ago
he could not distinguish one musical
note from another, Sam Kiami, a Syrian boy of sixteen whose talent was
discovered and trained by Prof. Alexander Maloof, gave a recital on Sunday, March 20, at the Maloof Studio
in Carnegie Hall, which thrilled the
large audience of critics and lovers of
classical music.
Young Kiami played selections from
well known composers like Chopin,
Dilibes and others. H;s teacher feels
certain that the boy has all the qualities necessary to become a concert
virtuoso.
At the concert Mme. Fadwa Kurban sang several operatic selections.
Mme. Adele McCormick, a Syrian by
birth and a noted singer, also rendered
several pleasing numbers.
The three-score or more who were
present at the concert, mostly Syrians, were agreed that the formation
of a Syrian musical club would be
well received by the community to
foster the love of good music and
hold regular private concerts fortnightly and one or two public concerts once or twice a year.
SYRIANS OF BOSTON
CELEBRATE BICENTENNIAL
From a Correspondent
The Syrian-American Club of Boston celebrated George Washington's
bicentennial anniversary, on Sunday
Feb. 28, in the Hall of the Municipal
Building, at the corner of Shawmut
Avenue and West Brookline Street.
Over twelve hundred were present.
Mr. Louis A. George, prominent
Syrian attorney of Boston, was the
master of ceremonies. The invited
guests were, Governor Joseph B. Ely
of Massachusetts, Honorable U. S.
57
Senator David I. Walsh, Mayor James
M. Curley of Boston, Mayor Michael
C. O'Nieil, Jr. of Everett, and ex- congressman, Joseph Conry. The following Syrian organizations were represented by two official delegates:
The Syrian-American Club of Worcester, The Syrian-American Association
of Lawrence, The Syrian Young Men's
Association of Pittsfield, The Mount
Lebanon Society of Fall River, The
Syrian-American Society of Brockton,
The Sons of Lebanon of Quincy, and
The Syrian-American Society of New
London, Connecticut.
Senator Walsh was the principal
speaker of the afternoon. He emphasized the fact that liberty, equality,
and justice is what Washington fought
for, and a government which does not
permit these is not a good government
but a tyranny. The meet;ng was opened by the president T. N. Maloof. A
short talk on Washington's life was
given in Arabic by Mr. Faris Maloof,
prominent Boston attorney.
The musical program was lead by
our well known singer Madhat Serbajy, ass-'sted by Miss Josephine Latturny of Boston. An orchestra of
local Syrian talent furnished the music to an appreciative audience. A
very attractive feature was the appearance on the platform of Bessie
P. Edwards Post American Legion
Drum and Bugle Corp, dressed in
beautiful uniforms. This is a ladies
unit.
One special instance deserves particular mention. In introducing the
Senator, Mr. George suggested that
he was well qualified to be the president of the United States. This remark created quite a stir in the local
press which featured it under this caption "The Syrian-American Club nominates Walsh for President". Unquestionably, this was one of the most
outstanding events in recent years
among the Syrians of Boston.
�JC
58
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Gibran's Message
To Young Americans of Syrian Origin
By G. K.
GIBRAN
Author of I'-The Trophel,"
"Jesut the Son of d4an,"
I believe in you. and I believe in your destiny.
1 believe that you are contributors to this new civilization.
1 believe that you have inherited from your forefathers an ancient dream, a song, a prophecy, which you can proudly lay as a gift of gratitude upon the lap of America.
I believe you can say to the founders of this great nation. 'Here I am. a youth, a young
tree, whose roots were plucked from the hills of Lebanon, yet I am deeply rooted here, and I would
be fruitful."
And 1 believe that you can say to Abraham Lincoln, the blessed. "Jesus of Nazareth
touched your lips when you spoke, and guided your hand when you wrote: and I shall uphold
ail that you have said and all that you nave written."
I believe that you can say to Emerson and Whitman and James. "In my veins runs the
blood of the poets and wise men of old. and it is my desire to come to you and receive, but I shall
not come with empty hands."
I believe that even as your fathers came to this land to produce riches, you were born
here to produce riches by intelligence, by labor.
And 1 believe that it is in you to be good citizens.
And what is it to be a good citizen?
It is to acknowledge the other person's rights before asserting your own. but always to be
conscious of your own.
It is to be free in thought and deed, but it is also to know that your freedom is subject
to the other person's freedom.
It is to create the useful and the beautiful with your own hands, and to admire what others
have created in love and with faith.
It is to produce wealth by labor and only by labor, and to spend less than you have produced that yonr children may not be dependent on the state for support when you are no more.
It is to stand before the towers of New York, Washington. Chicago and San Francisco
saying in your heart, "I am the descendant of a people that builded Damascus, and Biblus. and
Tyre and Sidon. and Antioch. and now I am here to build with you, and with a will."
It is to be proud of being an American, bur it is also to be proud that your fathers and
mothers came from a land upon which God laid His gracious hand and raised His messengers.
Young Americans of Syrian origin. I believe in you.
vmmnmtmmmmmmmmms^mimmmsmmmmvmimimmmmmm^^m^m^^^mm
FREE TO SYRIAN WORLD SUBSCRIBERS. This beautiful message by
Gibran 13x17 inches, printed in large type on heavy paper with ornamental border suitable for framing. Every PAID subscriber whose term begins
with Sept. 1931 is entitled to a copy, mailed in heavy cardboard tube. Subscribers whose term begins before Sept. 1931 may secure a copy by renewal.
jmm
'4
�FEBRUARY, 1932
59
A STUDY
of
KAHLIL GIBRAN
THIS MAN FROM LEBANON
Barbara Young, the American poet who is now Kahlil Gibran's literary executor, speaks with authority in a 48 page
brochure concerning his life and work, illustrated with
several hitherto unpublished protraits of the Poet of the
Cedars, and a reproduction of one pen and ink drawing and
one page of original manuscript.
A few copies of the limited first edition, serially numbered and autographed by the author, are still available.
The price for this edition is $2.50.
Owing to the wide interest in the brochure, a second
printing will be necessary. These will not be numbered nor
autographed, and will be procurable at $1.50 the copy.
Checks may be made payable to the Gibran Studio 51
West 10th Street, New York City.
WorldC°PieS
arC
aiS
°
f r Sak at the
°
°ffice °f
the S rian
^
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
60
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The Arabic
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T^OIXOWING
the World War the
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Linotype was the first and principal item in its consideration.
And now for over ten years the Arabic Linotype has been in
practical and profitable operation in the plant of the American Press in Beirut in a variety of uses. It is utilized to set
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Cable: LINOTYPE, NEW YORK
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An illustrated descriptive
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�THE SYRIAN WORLD
64
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�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
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Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
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New York Public Library
Publisher
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
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1926-1935
Relation
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<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
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English
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Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
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NS 0002
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This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
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Identifier
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TSW1932_02reducedWM
Title
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The Syrian World Volume 06, Issue 06
Date
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1932 February
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 6 Issue 06 of The Syrian World published February 1932. The issue opens with an article by Rev. W. A. Mansur that discusses the racial pride Syrian and Lebanese people should have as a result of the historical accomplishments of their ancestors. Following it is a somber poem by Alice Mokarzel titled "She is Not Dead," which discusses how even though the subject of the poem has passed she lives on in spirit. This is followed by a Syrian folk song translated by Dr. Salim Y. Alkazin as well as another collection of poems edited by Barbara Young. Edna K. Saloomey opens her discussion on the younger generation with Tennyson's poetic words. H. I. Katibah then discusses how a breach in social tradition caused a recent tragedy of love and death in his article titled "Blue Blood." Within its pages he recounts the murder of a man who married outside of his social class. Dr. Harold Ingholt then discusses excavations in Syria and Iraq, which have materially added to knowledge of past civilizations and their origins and progress. After two classic Arab stories there is a poem by the late Kahlil Gibran titled "Freedom and Slavery." Following the editorial comment on the tardiness of the February issue, it concludes with more on the political developments of Syria and excerpts from Syrian world news.
Subject
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Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
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English
Creator
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
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New York Public Library
Publisher
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
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Text/pdf
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Text
Rights
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Alice Mokarzel
Barbara Young
Edna K. Saloomey
Habib I. Katibah
Kahlil Gibran
New York
Poetry-English
Reverend W.A. Mansur
Salim Alkazin
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/84831ff1efb2b40ef0033e1fda69eb78.pdf
9a2f9b9ac3a28dbda13d563e1cb26512
PDF Text
Text
OL. VI
APRIL, 1932
7ha
A GREAT SYRIAN LEADER PASSES
(N. A. MOKx\RZEL)
GIBRAN A YEAR AFTER
A CHALLENGE TO THE YOUNGER
GENERATION SYRIANS
H. I. KATIBAH
AMERICAN POET TO LIVE IN SYRIA
THE PORTRAIT
(A MODERN SHORT STORY)
THOMAS ASA
THE REWARD OF KINDNESS
(A TRUE ARABIAN TALE)
THE COPY 50c
NO. 7
��—,
i I
i
TTTR
SYRIAN WORLD
Tublished monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New York,
N. y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. VI NO. 7
APRIL, 1932
CONTENTS
PAGE
A Challenge to the Younger Generation Syrians
H. I. KATIBAH
Poetry Department, Edited by
... 3
BARBARA YOUNG
Poetry and the Stars
Song of Annaik
While the FJax Crieth
9
\Q
12
JOHN STERLING HANEY
A Lost Dream
13
ALEXANDRIA FADDOOL
A Great Syrian Leader Passes
14
A' Notable Career of Achievement
18
Tributes to a Leader
22
Pioneer and Seer
24
REV.
W. A.
MANSUR
Eternal Guidance (Poem)
ALICE MOKARZEL
?5
�CONTENTS (Continued)
i
Gibran a Year After
.
PAGE
26
On First Viewing Gibran's "The Prophet" (Poem)
GERTRUDE
33
MAGILL RUSKIN
Gibran the Artist
34
DAGNY EDWARDS
American Poet to Live in Lebanon
37
ALICE MOKARZEL
True Arabian Tales
The Reward of Kindness
Our Younger Generation, Edited by
According to Dun
We Have Been Told That
Al-Jirn
42
EDNA
The Portrait (A Modern Short Story)
K.
SALOOMEY
49
'.'...........'.............. 52
[_ S3
*
55
THOMAS ASA
Editorial Comment
N. A. Mokarzel
No March Issue
67
Political Developments in Syria
59
Syrian World News Section
73
68
NOTICE
Owing to insurmountable difficulties it was impossible
to issue the March number. The increase in the volume
of this number is intended as partial compensation. Fuller details appear in the Editorial Comments.
�ffi-
ynan
t/
MOKARZEL, Editor.
SALLOUM A.. Ml
APRIL, 1932
VOL. VI NO. 7
A Challenge
To the Younger Generation Syrians
By H. I.
KATIBAH
QINCE THE CLOSE of the World War a revival of interest in
the civilizations and cultures of the East has made its appearance among reflecting and intelligent men and women in Europe,
England and the United States. And this interest has waxed and
grown ever since. People of sensitive minds and keen perception,
whose souls rebel against the tyranny of iron-clad traditions and the
accepted authority of convention and mass orthodoxy, turned their
faces away with deep humiliation and dismay from the appalling
tragedy with its gargantuan holocaust of human lives and irreparable loss in untold millions of dollars. They turned away sadly to
examine more searchingly and thoroughly the grounds and premises on which such a civilization which would permit of such a
terrific breakdown and denouement is based.
How could these
things be in the Twentieth Century and in countries which profess
to follow the benign, peace-loving gospel of the gentle Nazarene?
Has Western civilization declared its bankruptcy to the whole
world? Has the "White Beast" in the descendants of the Vikings
and warriors of the Norsemen triumphed at last over the White
Christ? Has Western civilization proved itself to be what Sigmund
Freud bluntly declares to be a veneer to cover the deep-set animal
instincts lurking in the breast and heart of the city denizens? or is
there something essentially wanting in what we call Western Civi-
v.
�4
THE SYRIAN WORLD
lization; an element of human development that makes for stabil- \
ity, harmony and peace?
Or, to put the question in a different form, has the West had
time enough to grow and acquire a stock of human experiences that
will give it that perspective of wisdom and grace necessary for a
rounded existence? Has not its progress been lopsided and disproportionate, like that of an overgrown boy with a man's body and
a child's mentality?
These questions and many others of like nature have engrossed
the minds of hundreds of thinkers who have shown solicitous concern about the future of Western civilization. And many divergent
answers have been given.
Some of those answers, like that of Oswald Spengler, an ast
German philosopher and student of history, have been extreme
gloomy and pessimistic. Spengler, and many of his followers, ha
come to the discouraging conclusion that our Western civilizatic
has run its course, has nothing more of its cultural and spiritual n.
ture to give anymore to the world, and for any hope of a new creative culture one should turn to the East, which the German believes is making a new cycle of existence fraught with immense potentialities in the spiritual and cultural fields. The West is bankrupt, Spengler believes, and turns eastward with a dismay tempered
with hope and expectation. Others, less pessimistic, find in the West
all the elements necessary for a wholesome, well-balanced civilization, if only the right adjustment is made in time between its materialistic and idealistic forces. Science, thinkers like James Turslaw
Adams, Prof. John Dewey, Bertrand Russell and the late George
Dorsey believe, has grown way beyond our human needs, while life
itself has been neglected. There has been little attention paid to
the proper application of these sciences and the wonderful progress
in the material and economic worlds which it has evoked and made
possible to a betterment of human life and the elevation of social
conditions to the same level which science has attained.
Be that as it may, it is pertinent to our purpose to point out
here that a strong and acute interest in the East and things Eastern
has been stirred in intellectual centers of the West. And the East,
with its more mature view of life, with its instinctive emphasis on
those human values which make for happiness and contentment,
with its renewed vigor and forward-looking progressive outlook on
the future, with its determined efforts to create local cultures preserving all the good elements of progress which have carried the
�I
^fPRIL, 1932
5
West a long distance ahead of the East in material comfort and supremacy, is more and more in the minds of serious Western thinkers
and writers of our present generation. Back of that interest, we
think, is the feeling that East and West have mutually supplementary forces and elements necessary for a complete and wholesome
lire, be it social or individual.
If that is the case, and there is no doubt in our mind that it is,
then a special duty, a special moral obligation, we believe, rests on
the_ shoulders of a class of people who live amongst us in these
United States, a class of people for whom this magazine, out of all
the publications in this far-flung young continent, was specially designed, and whose particular interests it specially serves. If this
duty, this obligation, is shirked by them, then a great spiritual opportunity would have been missed by them, an opportunity which
others, perhaps less qualified, would take up and exploit. More
than that, a great chance for creative thinking and for contributing
something worthwhile to the heterogeneous and rich culture of
this country, will pass from their hands. And of them will be true
what the Gospel says of the "sons of the Kingdom of Heaven" who
were thrown out into the outward darkness, while others from the
Hast and West will come and lie in Abraham's bosom.
It is needless for me to say that I have in mind the younger
generation of Syrians born and brought up in this country. I have
in mind the second-generation Syrians of whom the late Gibran
said:
_ aI believe that you have inherited from your forefathers an
ancient dream, a song, a prophecy, which you can proudly lay as a
gift of gratitude upon the lap of America"
It is the new generation of Syrians in whose veins the blood of
the intrepid adventurous Phoenicians and proud Arabs courses
through, and whom the beloved poet of the Cedars earnestly and
pleadingly charged «/0 stand before the towers of New York
Washington, Chicago, and San Francisco saying in your heart <I
am the descendant of a people that builded Damascus, and Biblus,
and Tyre and Sidon and Antioch, and now I am here to build with
you, and with a will.' "
The once accepted view of Americanization, still prevailing in
some circles, which essayed to melt the different racial characteristics and differences into one homogeneous amalgam, and for which
the melting pot" was an appropriate symbol, is giving way to a
more natural, more vital conception, one truer to life and its laws of
i
.' <
�wmmm
0
THE SYRIAN WORLD
growth. According to this latter conception the racial differences
are not considered as undesirable elements to be eliminated, but as
desirable ones to be incorporated in the living body of the American
nation. The colorless, standardized unity gives place to a rich
variety in unity. True assimilation of the foreign groups within
the body politic of this country, which this writer has consistently
and persistently advocated, does not mean the absorption of one
racial element by another. It means, rather, the interaction of those
different elements, to produce therefrom a wholesome unity rich in
the contributions of the best and most beautiful in all the races that
threw their lot with the New World.
1
"
;
'
Hegel once predicted in his Philosophy of History that the
destiny of the world will one day be determined on the shores of
the New World. This prophecy is being fulfilled in our own days,
and before our own eyes, but not for the same reasons advanced by
the German philosopher. Instead of a bloody war contending for
the only land still available for conquest and exploitation by overcrowded nations, a new world idea, a world unity through international understanding and international amity is the one distinguishing mark of American leadership today which is holding the
only ray of hope to a distracted and haggard world. And what a
role the different nationals enrolled under the banner of the Stars
and Stripes could play in this gripping drama, in the realization of
this glorious dream, could be left to the imagination of the perspicacious reader. But it is only those who have travelled in Europe
and the different countries of the East and studied for themselves
the amazing and tremendous penetration of American influence
abroad who could fully realize the extent of that influence. Undoubtedly the lion's share in this spiritual conquest of America falls
to American citizens of foreign extraction who had returned to live
m the countries of their origin or those who have translated into
their different national languages the spirit and technique of American democracy and American culture, the spirit of youthful adventure, of buoyant optimism and undaunted courage. One of the first
things that attracted my attention in the East was "the Americanization" of the Arabic press, an Americanization which is effected
not in a semi-conscious effort of imitation, but with a fully conscious
realization of the process of adaptation and its application to local
needs and local problems. The Arabic illustrated weekly, patterned
after the popular American publications, is blazing its way, brushing
aside the cobwebs of tardy traditions, enlightening the popular mind
�14PR1L, 1932
7
to social evils, oddities and scandals, arousing the dormant conscience
of reform in serious-minded citizens, and reaching quarters of human response which the more literary organs left completely untouched.
This is a phase of the Americanization or democratization of the
world for which the younger Syrian-American generation, happily
or unhappily, is not called upon to shoulder. Most of the second
generation Syrians born in this country hardly know enough Arabic
to carry on a kitchen conversation with their grandmothers, and perhaps a limited few could pen a letter in Arabic to their cousins in
Syria or Lebanon without committing a dozen mistakes or more on
the same page.
But this does not exempt the younger Syrians from a service
which they owe to the country of their adoption, a country to which
they have pledged fealty and undivided loyalty.
Paradoxical as it may seem, this service consists in their being
better Syrians than they usually like to admit. It is in assimilating,
as they alone can admirably do, the spiritual culture of the East, in
whose subsoil their very roots are deeply imbedded, and presenting
it in their daily lives, their social intercourse, the spoken and the
written word, in such a manner that the average American can readily understand and appreciate. This is a huge task which may well
challenge every ounce of energy and creativeness in the souls and
bodies of ambitious and highly-aspiring Americans of Syrian abstraction.
Is it not pathetic that while American university students, boys
and girls of Puritan origin, or descendants of American pioneers who
trekked to the Middle West and the Pacific Coast states in their
covered wagons ransack the musty books of history to write about
Mohammed All Pasha, a Tamerlane, a Harun-ar-Rashid, our
younger Syrian generation should avoid the study of Arabic and
things Arabian from a subconscious feeling of inferiority, or lest
their Americanization be challenged? Is it not a sorry comment on
our sense of value and discrimination that while American Orientalists subscribe to the SYRIAN WORLD, as an indispensable magazine
from which they may.draw most valuable information on the current history and thought of the Arabic-speaking East, our younger
Syrians should find little to choose between it and such sensational
piffle as "the Smart Set » "Ballyhoo," and a hundred and one other
oddities temptingly exposed for sale on the magazine stalls at evervJ
street corner?
•:
�8
THE SYRIAN WORLD
A few weeks ago I happened to speak informally before a
group of second-generation Syrians in Boston. I told them sketchily
and briefly of the tremendous renaissance movement going on today
in the Arabic-speaking countries, notably Egypt. It was encouraging and inspiring to see their eyes open wide with interest and amazement as I told them of the trend in religious liberalism in Islam, of
the feminist movement in the land of harems, of the inroad of'industrialism into the ancient lands of artisan guilds and enslaved fellahin, of labour unions and agrarian cooperative societies in the Valley of the Nile, in Damascus, Beirut and Baghdad, of the introduction of the motor pump and labour-saving machineries into countries
where the human hand did all the work before. They asked intelligent questions, and took down names of books dealing with such
subjects. But what surprised me in turn was the fact that these
things had not been known to them before; that they showed as
little knowledge, or if we are inclined to be less charitable, as much
abysmal ignorance about the countries of their forefathers and ancestors as the average American boys and girls from Maine or Vermont.
Forget for the nonce that you are Syrians or of Syrian extraction. Let us assume that you are as American as George Washington and Calvin Coolidge themselves, and that there is not the least
trace of foreign accent or mannerism in your speech and behaviour,
that you are perfectly predestined and preconditioned to the American social life. Let us assume all this and keep in mind that there
is today in America, in Europe, in England, a keen interest in countries and cultures which just happened to be those of your fathers
and forefathers. Is it not the most logical thing in the world that
you should be the ones of all God's creatures to take advantage of
this interest, to exploit it to its utmost limits, to take hold of assets
which were given you as a birthright, and make something of a talent handed you by Providence instead of burying it timidly in the
soil looking furtively to the right and left as you do lest you be
caught with that talent in your hand?
This is a thought which I like to leave with readers of this
magazine which has put up such a valiant and deperate fight to keep
up interest in the East where it was most natural to look for it, but
alas, where the response has been most discouraging and disheartening.
-
�*APRILy 1932
BARBARA YOUNG,
Editor
Poetry and The Stars
J\S THIS month of April passes—the month whose name has been
more upon the lips of poets than any other, the month which
gave to the world the Bard of Avon, and Wordsworth—we turn
from the pressure and the problems of the streets, and look away to
the trees, to the hills, to the stars. The exigencies and the expediences of every day crowd our hearts beyond endurance when Nisan
returns to the earth. Our minds wander from the considerations of
t0 a lon
W.& A
,
& yesterday, and forward to a distant tomorrow.
We find ourselves thinking with streams and stars
A day or two ago a young friend asked me "What have the stars
to do with us anyway?" That question is the reason for the brief
things I shall have to say upon these pages. Needless to record, I
have no answer Who knows what or how much the stars do influence
the destinies of individuals and of nations? But this thing I have
discovered: Turning the leaves of a calendar issued by Sainf Mark's
it8:? ' ^c " T10US ^y 0f "ames ** down upon
the dates between the first of May and the first of June, great poets
Ins 1ZZX grCaf tCaChfS ua?d Philos°Phe-> teat* humanitar-'
lans. And to those of us who believe it, all these lives were an expression of the supreme poetry of the universe. Let me recount the
names: Tagore • Tschaikowsky and Brahms born upon the selfsame
day, St Stanislaus, Schiller-these five born uponfour conse cutrve
1
Florence N
ale
S^^n^r
^^
^
fcSHrn
May 12th; Dante Aliggien, Richard Wagner, Abdul Baha,
Emer-
�10
THE SYRIAN WORLD
son, Bishop Augustine of Canterbury, Venerable Bede, Voltaire and
finally Walt Whitman. Just over the line, and a little into June,
but governed by the same general zodiacal conditions were born
Schumann, Charles Kingsley and Gounod. What had the stars to do
with this bright company:
In no other forty days, I believe, can we discover such a roster
of names denoting genius and power as these. Surely in the destiny
of worlds these are not happenings. There is a pattern woven by
the "versed Fingers", and whether the pattern is indeed set in the
stars, who shall say? Certainly not I. This is but a fragment of
wonder tossed to you in passing.
From immemorial time there have been men and women who
trusted in the firmament for direction and guidance, for comfort
and for consolation, and none more than the poets of the ages. And
with reason—if reason be necessary.
. We have long heard of the "music of the spheres"; the great
composers, the masters of interpreted harmony and symphony have
lived in its ecstasy and intoxication; the masters of the golden word
have caught the words of the songs and set them down upon the
parchment and the printed page. A sound that is no sound has come
since the beginning of time from the stars to the inner ear of man,
and I do not hesitate to assert that all the greatest poetry of the planet, that which has endured and will endure, is poetry that had its
origin from among the heavenly bodies, and not from earthly stir
and circumstance. Suddenly, out of the night, out of deep sleep,
poems are born—from darkness and a strange and high excitement
of the spirit, which has not anything to do with daily round and
common task. From the day's affair we glean, perhaps, a handful
of small grain, and without knowing or intention, we sow it among
the stars when we lie down to sleep. And tomorrow—or another
tomorrow, as dawn breaks, there is a budding and a flowering, and
we say, "The little moment that we now remember has blossomed
through some heavenly magic, into a poem."
The sophisticates among modern poets require that we shall
eliminate all allusion to stars and moon (and roses) from our poems.
Do not listen to them. In a moment they will die and be forgotten
but roses, and stars and moon will endure as long as the earth stands
and poets sing.
\A
�^PRIL, 1932
11
SONG OF ANNAIK
It will not matter
When the song is ended;
It will count nothing
In the last deep stillness—
The long fearsome waiting
For you, O late-in-coming,
The calling to the sky
For you whom I knew not.
It will not matter
That youth went slipping over,
That ashen threads came weaving
My brown braided hair.
It will not matter
That April left my garden,
That now the blue leaf-smoke
Of Autumn stabs the evening.
O lover, O my lover,
The barren winds are crying,
The wild gray geese
They are southward long agone;
The bleak night is jeweled
With one star only,
Yet, I, so long aweary,
Take laughter to my pillow.
All the dark bread
My pale lone mouth has eaten,
All the bitter brew
Is forgotten in a moment;
I walk abroad in beauty
In the deep grass going;
The haw blossoms white,
And the heather-bell is clear.
�12
?HE SYRIAN WORLD
It will not matter
That all the gathered roses
Have lost their singing fragrance
And withered on the stem}
For there is a rose here
That shall not fall nor scatter,
A budding in the hedge here
To open at your bidding—
O lover, O my lover!
O head of dusk and starlight,
O eyes like woodland shadows
In brown shaken water ;
O mouth of wine and honey,
Sweeter than the clover
That's flowering in the meadows
Wherever heaven is!
BARBARA YOUNG
V
WHILE THE FLAX CRIETH
From the snow upon the height
Trickled the waters of Fulfillment,
And there walked among the people
One who burned with a voice.
And the people gathered about him
And they implored:
"Speak unto us we pray thee
Of happiness."
And he stood upon a stone
At the roadside, beyond the Outer Gate,
And he spoke:
"Ye seekers after the Lesser Things,
Ye idlers to the sunward of a wall,
Why clothe ye yourselves in cast-off garments
While the flax crieth unto thee from the fields,
And the loom mourneth in thy hearts?
�*APRIL} 1932
13
Of a truth
I say unto thee,
And my word shall prevail:
There is no happiness. . .
There is only understanding.
And there is no sorrow. .
There is only preparation."
JOHN STERLING HANEY
A LOST DREAM
I lost my dream;
The mystic web I spun
Has lifted; alike are gone
Hope in future's blank wall,
Warmth in today's sullen garb.
I fret for rosy hues.
I lost my dream;
A lonely star longed for
A thought, and seeing
Mine, drew to its solitary
Heights my fantastic notion
Of what should be.
I lost my dream;
No longer do I feel the
Throb of life roused by its
Glamorous scenes; I am become
Again a stumbling, gray-faced
Being; a planet without a sun.
'
I want my dream!
But it has flown.
Would that I too
Could follow, to make
It again my own and watch
It grow into reality.
ALEXANDRIA FADDOOL
I
�,i^^a.^,i^^;.;:v.fi,i;.^iv---v'
14
?HE SYRIAN WORLD
A Great Syrian Leader Passes
Editor of Al-Hoda, Dean of Syrian Journalists in America, Succumbs in Paris While on a Political Mission for the cause of
Better Government in the Motherland.
A WAVE OF consternation swept over the thousands of Syrian
and Lebanese communities throughout the United States at the
receipt of news from Paris that the foremost leader, reformer, literary figure, and dean of Syrian journalists in the United States, Mr.
N A Mokarzel, editor of Al-Hoda, had passed away on April 6
in the French capital whither he had gone on a political mission tor
his motherland. The news was as shocking as it was unexpected.
Upon sailing on the Olympic from New York on March 18, Mr.
Mokarzel appeared to be in the best of health. Despite his sixtyeight years, he was still as vigorous and energetic as a man half his
age. His indomitable will and energy, so manifest in all his writings, was also evident in his physical appearance. The scores oi
admirers who congregated at the pier to bid him farewell, little
realizing that they would not see him alive again, represented the
hopes of thousands of Lebanese immigrants centered on the veteran
editor in his voluntary mission to promote the cause of good government in a nation, though small in size and resources, was rich in
historical prestige, and to the service of which he had devoted his
whole life.
The Lebanese republic which claimed the life devotion culminating in the supreme sacrifice of Mr. Mokarzel is the tiny land on
the shore of the Mediterranean forming in its geographical boundaries and historical traditions what is known in history as the
land of the Phoenicians. It has given the world the great spiritual
and cultural heritage which includes the alphabet and the art of deep
sea navigation and many other basic improvements thus laying the
cornerstone of human progress. Throughout the centuries of
recorded history this small country has been the focal point of nations, forming the center of human interest and activity. As an integral geographical part of Syria and the Holy Land it was closely
associated with the rise of Christianity and played a leading part
M
�^PRIL,1932
jo the crusades.
S
h
But owing to its numerical and geographical resWkh
CCntra Wi n in the
S S rWaS SubI!?ec
ion hvT
'
.
J Vt0
!
°
the rava es
&
PolitifalSei of
and vicissitudes of inva-
0118
Greeks Ro
PfersianVanTTL""
- ?$**"*>
****"«>
>
msians and Turks succeeded
one another
in the occupation
of ->
its
11
If*! AHils
6 W rId W
°
"
br Ught ab Ut itS del
°
°
P
-rance at the hands
r „K1 Tkf r^ °f tThe,Phoenicians was then transformed into the Reto^ther^luT
To"' and7aS given 0Ver t0 French mandate
together with the rest of Syria of which Lebanon forms an integral
^graphical.unit. For nearly twelve years Lebanon has b en mak
fas7o e?M°! r? ltse
? *&* itSdf t0 the neW SCheme of worId ****
fam Jv of
^new m the position it deserves among the
family of nations. The present republican form of government
was promulgated in 1926, and Lebanon thus became fhe firsHe
public among Arabic-speaking countries. But the legacy of ages
of subjugation with its attendant misrule could not be eradicafed
S
e g
Sa fiCe Th£re WaS eed
a"d
win
f,
7
"•"
7 -would break the
" bounds
*<* "nsdfoh
and whole-hearted devotion which
of servility and corruption characterizing former regimes
There
were men m the motherland capable of putting the new households
order if properly sustained and supported. And the Lebanese emigrants, who had tasted of the sweet fruit of orderly republican government in their lands of adoption, were most anxious to see Zs
condition brought about. N. A. Mokarzel was the mouthpiece the
leader and protagonist of this new reform movement.
'
Consequently, when the new presidential elections for the Lebanese Republic were about to take place, Mr Mokarzel iT !t
tempt t0 SUp rt Mr. Emil Eddy? Ph£ liWal j^^J » £
of a constructive program of progress and reform, waged a vigorous
11
1
brin
Al
HM
? nelection.
TTPer A
tlpetition
-H0d* t0
£
""fl-nce
for
Mr Eddy's
was circulated
among thefota
Leb
anese elements in the United States, Mexico and Canada"expreW
their preference for this liberal candidate as the next pre ident The
response was both immediate and generous-thousands of signatures
being secured in support of the candidate favored bv Mr MokarzeT
a fU
r
th C C3USC f g od
Lebanon
W0rt to
° °Mr. government
in
Lebanon bbyv rhe"
the election
offW
the liberal, candidate,
Mokarzel decided to carry to France in person the petitions of the LebaneseTmm grants and impress upon the mandatory power the necessity o^n
proving their interested choice.
But alas! in his arduous pur-"
i'
�16
'
:;
*s
;
THE SYRIAN WORLD
suit of public reform he sacrificed his own life. It was indeed the
end which he would have chosen for himself, and which his whole
life of public activity presaged—that of laying down his life only
to raise aloft the standard of civic reform, and to consecrate his life
to the service of his people to the very last breath.
During his long career of public service he was as tireless in his
energy as he was sincere and ardent in the prosecution of reform
campaigns. He often expressed himself in his fiery editorials as
hoping to die like a soldier on the battlefield. And thus it was given
him to meet his end, his last illness having lasted but a single day,
following an operation for intestinal adhesions.
Mr. Mokarzel's death was announced by Al-Hoda in its issue
of April 7. And as the paper widened its circle of travel, bearing to
its readers the news of the editor's sudden demise when they had
anticipated only tidings of his success and early return, a condition
bordering on pandemonium pervaded the Syrian communities
throughout the country, expressed in the many scores of messages of
grief and condolences which daily swamped the office of Al-Hoda.
They came from civic and patriotic organizations, the clergy and representatives of the professions, as well as from thousands of personal friends and admirers. It was evident that the death of the
veteran editor and reformer formed an epochal event in the life of
the Syrian people in the United States, because he symbolized not
only the struggles and aspirations of the pioneer immigrants but
proved himself during his long career of public service the greatest
and the most spectacular, yet the most constructive leader, the Syrians have yet produced in the whole history of their immigration.
Nor were expressions of the sense of great loss in the death of
Mr. Mokarzel confined to the Syrians of the United States. Press
dispatches had carried the news to Lebanon simultaneously with the
announcement of his death to America, and the passing of the editor
was viewed in the motherland as a national loss. The President of
the republic cabled his condolences while the President of the Legislative Assembly tendered sympathy in his own name and in that of
the nation. The Maronite Patriarch and a number of church dignitaries, deputies and government officials also cabled their condolences, while public demand for the return of the body to the native land finding expression immediately upon the publication of the
news of the editor's death, gave indication of the high place he occupied in the hearts of his countrymen.
�PHOTO BY MARTAR. N. Y.
NAOUM A. MOKARZEL
1864-1932
�I
I
I
�Sftlps;
*APRIL} 1932
17
-
PK Howrani /J
N. A. MOKARZEL ON HIS DEATHBED
Sketched by Mr. Philip Mourani, a Lebanese Artist Resident in
Paris for Thirty Years
Mr. Mokarzel died without issue. Aside from his wife Rose,
nee Princess Bellamah, he is survived by a brother Salloum, editor
of the SYRIAN WORLD, and two sisters Mrs. Catherine Libbus and
Mrs. Liza Rahid of New Bern, N. C.
At the time of Mr. Mokarzel's death his wife was on her way
to Syria for a summer visit. She was reached by wireless, however,
and landed at Lisbon from whence she traveled overland to Paris
and will bring back the body to the United States on the Olympic,
the same steamer which he had taken for Europe only a month previous. The arrival of the body in New York is expected on May 3.
Direction of the funeral arrangements has been left in the
hands of the Lebanon League of Progress, the reform society which
the editor had organized twenty years ago. This sad duty was ceded
to it by the family in response to insistent public demand that the
funeral of the great leader be in keeping with his prestige, although
his expressed wish was for a simple funeral. This is further made
necessary by the fact that from present indications scores of delegations representing Syrian communities throughout the country will
come to New York on the day of the funeral.
�18
THE SYRIAN WORLD
A Notable Career of Achievement
The Life of the Late N. A. Alokarzel Was one of Distinguished
Service and Sacrifice for His Country and People
gEHIND THE daily Al-Hoda, the institution which the late Mr.
N. A. Mokarzel built and which is expected to endure as a living monument to his ideals, stands a record of achievement unparalleled in the annals of Syrian immigration in the United States.
Through long years of bitter struggle, in which he displayed a prodigious capacity for work and a passionate love for his chosen profession, this Lebanese editor was able to establish a daily paper in
Arabic that became not only the moulder of public opinion among
the Syrians abroad but a power to be reckoned with in shaping the
political destinies of the motherland. Not a campaign did he wage
but resulted in signal success, so much so that the mere fact of his
supporting a cause came to be associated in the public mind with its
ultimate triumph. For this two factors were mainly responsible,
namely his undoubted sincerity and the relentless vigor which characterized his every word and action.
This driving force in the famous editor's life was sustained till
the very end, since his fatal illness lasted but a single day. During
his life he had many narrow escapes from death, all attributed by
physicians to his indomitable will.
But almost in every case the
cause of his ailment was ascribed to overwork. Every waking hour
meant to him an opportunity for creative activity. He chose to live
near his office for no other purpose than to economize in time, but
in so doing medical opinion was agreed that he was wasting his life.
To all their pleadings and admonitions, however, he turned a deaf
ear, and no sooner would he feel strong enough to move a hand than
his uncontrollable passion for work would assert itself in feverish
activity.
Nor was this extreme devotion caused by necessity. He could
have retired from the active management of his paper apparently
without financial injury to it. But Al-Hoda was to him all that life
held worthwhile. Not content with writing the editorials, he chose
the material for translation and edited it thereafter and supervised
every detail of the production of the paper. It may sound incredi-
�<JPRIL, 1932
ble that a single man should read every line appearing in every ediY aP Cr
v I °L\
? u f*"**?*1? and ^ough choice, but this actually held true of the late editor of Al-Hoda. Not to mention the
multifarious details of management to which he attended in person
Truly the late Mr. JVJokarzel's career is one of exceptional disWkh achievement
beW to" irCP
> ^ ^ it been given him to
belong to a larger group of people than his limited own he would be
he also took phylosophically, and his expressed conviction which he
applied to his small Lebanese people may well apply to himin that
it is best to be small and independent than large^nd subse^ient
th Jthn7^ °f a Mar°nke fri6St °f a higher educational standard than
M v
f aTage Pansh pnest of Lebanon in those days, Naoum
Z
7 £nJOyed thC adVa tagC f
a^d
2
P^reSsive
su^unding"
and the
the win
willingness to spare no effort
or° expense
in giving
him the
U
e
WaS Wn in
g
Autsl
' He
F-ike,
MtgLebTn
0n
August B
15, ?S
1864, "f?
and almost
as soon as he could
formulate
sounds
was taught to read. When still in his early teens he wa'r Stered a
a boarder In Madras* Al-Hikmat in Beirut, then considered one 0|
nLant,dg",A,tKt,0nSi°;adVanCed eduCati°»
*« country He
speaalized in Arabic and French literature and was esneciaJlvLf
cent m Arabic which he studied with the foremoTArTbic"MarIf
modern t.mes, the late Abdallah Bistany who died in 1930 TJnon
graduating from this college he entered the Jesuit University orBd
rut to take up advanced studies in French. The Jesuits receded
hd rSeSi;? offercTd him the chair °f
SSBSS^
h position he filled
tneir University in Cairo. This
for over a vear
but upon being stricken with fever, his father went to Egjt to
administer unto him and induced him to return to Lebanon for re
operation, later prevailing upon him to remain there
Haying started on an educational career, the youn? professor
decided to establish a school of his own, and owingTh^pracS
methods of teaching and fame for strict disciplinf, hischoo the
first year attracted over a hundred boarders and day pupfls frl
duced the young schoolmaster to undertake tbc'jZZ££g£
I
1
�.
20
i
iiTifiTniiwmin
THE SYRIAN WORLD
them they raised a substantial capital which, in those days, was in
itself a fortune. But Naoum was anxious to raise a larger fund to
increase the capacity of his school and he welcomed the opportunity.
This ideal of establishing a native Lebanese school of higher education he consistently cherished throughout his life, and only a few
years before his death he was known to be negotiating for the purchase of a suitable site for such an institution. He also was known
to be planning to pledge all the resources of his paper to its maintenance.
The two partners left the homeland in 1887 and while in France
bought such religious articles and fancy notions represented to them
as being then in demand in the American market. But the commercial venture proved disastrous, and Naoum again reverted to his
earlier calling and was engaged by the Jesuits as French instructor in
one of their colleges in New York.
A year later saw the young professor engaged in his first journalistic venture. He issued a mimeographed sheet in Arabic under
the name of Al-'Asr, (The Age), but soon discontinued it to take up
the study of medicine. For this purpose he moved to Philadelphia
and it was there that in 1 897, and before finishing his medical course,
he established his newspaper Al-Hoda which was destined to become
under the driving force of his dynamic energy, the leading Arabiclanguage newspaper in America and one that compares favorably
with the foremost in the Arabic-speaking world.
Mr. Mokarzel from the beginning of his journalistic career waged a relentless and sustained campaign against corruption in every
form. His bitter attacks on the despotic government of Sultan Abdul Hamid caused him to be condemned to death and his property
in Lebanon confiscated. His father, the Rev. Antoun Mokarzel,
was sought by agents of the Turkish government in Lebanon, and his
life would have been held forfeit had he not taken refuge with the
Maronite Patriarch who finally convinced the government that the
father was not responsible for the actions of the son, nor was he in
sympathy with his attacks.
After five years of publication in Philadelphia, Al-Hoda was
moved to New York where it changed its frequency from semi-weekly to daily and has been so maintained ever since.
In 1922
the silver jubilee of Al-Hoda was celebrated as a milestone
in Syrian cultural progress and achievement in America at a
banquet attended by the most notable Syrian gathering ever to
come together in America, N. A. Mokarzel was hailed on that oc-
l
HI
�'^fPRIL, 1932
21
casion by common agreement of all factions as the greatest leader
the Syrians in America have yet produced.
His publication was the late editor's consuming passion. He
spared no effort to continue its improvement not only in content matter but in typographical appearance. His progressive spirit was evident from his having adopted every new device calculated to further
efficiency and typographical beauty. Al-Hoda was the first Arabic
publication in the world to use the Linotype, and the first in America
to use a webb printing press. It also was the pionerr in the liberal
use of display captions in its make-up, setting the standard which was
later followed by the Arabic press throughout the world. He often
expressed himself as anxious to prove to the Arabic-speaking world
the advantages of adopting American methods of efficiency.
When in 1912 the convention of Arabic-speaking nations was
held in Paris Mr. Mokarzel attended as the delegate of the Syrians
in the United States. During the Versailles Conference at the close
of the war he was present in the same capacity, while during the war
he helped recruit the Oriental Legion which was being raised by
France to effect the liberation of Syria. He also was instrumental in
sending to Syria through secret channels during the war hundreds of
thousands of dollars from Syrian immigrants to their starving relatives in the homeland.
The Lebanon League of Progress which he founded in 1911
was the instrument through which he sought action on political reforms. He was ever consistent in his demand for an independent
Lebanon under the protection of France, and he is credited with having been the author of the suggestion to make the French tricolor,
with the cedar appearing in the center white stripe, the official flag
of Lebanon.
His last trip to France, which resulted fatally, was also in the
interest of his beloved Lebanon. His avowed purpose was to serve
the cause of good government in that country by inducing the
French authorities to sanction the choice of a liberal candidate in
the forthcoming presidential elections. The news of his untimely
death occasioned genuine and universal sorrow both in America and
in the motherland, and almost simultaneously with the first announcement of his death came the demand from Lebanon that the
body of this illustrious son be permitted to repose permanently in
his native country which he so nobly served. In all probability, this
mandate of the nation will be gratified.
�.....
22
r_,
-immmmk
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Tributes to a Leader
EDITOR'S NOTE—
flool^trJes^lu0** md°JtHe Syrim W°Hd " li^ally
ian World feels equally%^^MZ^^ ^^ ?f ^ Syr~
number of message, rJh
Y sympathisers, only a limited
done fr^y7nglelLtuVrZd
"7*"
^ "* ** b
f eC rdand
as
^des^eadJefaroLeTbZ; ° / °
*» indication of the
editoHn Am^lr
J
*"* °f ** dhti^ished Lebanese
CABLED TRIBUTES FROM LEBANON
Rel>ublk Leh
ZZtlZfdTof theORK
°f
-
Irfhr^V
(OFFICIAL)
F
EXCEEDINGLY GRIEVFD AT TUC
TTT^
PLEASE ACCEPT MSSS "^
CHARLES DABBAS
J
Sit PTeSidem °f ^ *«***» *< *h of the ReMUc of
MOKARZEL, NEW YORK
MOHAMMAD DJISR, PRESIDENT
From
p d n of the Prsss Ass cM n B
4^
7i : L
° ° ->» ' >CEES^G^^E^ ^S^CIATION WAS EXOF OUR GREAT COLIEArnp^ S^£ OF THE DEMISE
M
WITH SSSKALIL KSEIB, PRESIDENT.
From /^ Maronite Patriarrh
SINCERE REGRETS AND CONDOLENCES
PATRIARCH ANTOUN ARIDA.
�IfPRIL, 1932
23
THE GREAT LoIsND°LENCES- * SHARE WITH
V
fhZ ^ me"ller °f «** ****>*» AssenMy Sheikh Joseph Sle-
From the editor of Ad-Dabbour, Beirut
ON CLl^fN^S^8 BEFALLEN
US
-
LEBAN
"
TRIBUTES FROM AMERICA
of Progress.
natem, Prestient of the Lebanon League
Mr MoLTe^T"?^,'he
m St C rdial
°
°
««-*» with
h S eraste
the cause of Right and Lk*y Plf'
' P
« =«<>«s in
PW
dolences.
'
^P1 "V "*» sincere con-
WSJ:CgfJrCy
SeS S,riS Siia
P
°
and the Arabic world at large
">>«- *W*» ***r i.
m
&?** °'DamM'Assis,mt Basin
^^\y served his country
U
^ of * "« r«*
:::; LTafsir^rYour brother -*"-««' <*-
�24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Pioneer and Seer
r
IT IS WITH profound regret that I read of the death of the greatest Syrian Lebanese of our race in America: N. A. Mokarzel.
He was the symbol of our race in America. He was the prophet of
the new era of our race and the leader of the educational, moral, social, political, and philanthropic movements of the Syrian Lebanese
pioneer period in the New World.
N. A. Mokarzel's passing marks the end of the Syrian Lebanese
race pioneer period, and the beginning of the development period
of the race with America as the new homeland. His life story is the
life story of our race in America. His death marks a prominent
date in our race history. His name, place, and achievements and
dreams symbolize the name, place, achievements, and dreams of our
race.
N. A. Mokarzel is the outstanding Syrian Lebanese pioneer in
the history of the Syrian Lebanese race in America. He was the
moulder of the thought life of the younger generation. He led in
the forward movements of the period. He pointed the way to future progress through education, inspiration, and publicity. He lived
what he taught, he exemplified what he wrote, and he led where
he desired others to follow.
He founded institutions of far reaching influence in America,
in our motherland, and wherever Syrian Lebanese dwell, as well as
among the Arabic-speaking peoples. He established the foremost
Arabic newspaper in the New W7orld, the influence of which has
blessed our race. He founded the Lebanon League of Progress for
the aiding of the motherland. He organized the Educational Association for the spreading of enlightenment, culture, and progress.
He initiated the Syrian Lebanese Mahrajan for the perpetuation of
our race culture, solidarity, and progress.
N. A. Mokarzel lives, though dead. He lives in the mind of our
race, in the consciousness of our generation, and he lives in the leadership of today and the rising tomorrow. He was a dreamer of the
better dreams of our race. He was a seer of the better days ahead.
He was a shepherd of his people. He was a beacon to guide the
masses. He was a true statesman of his people. Young and old,
rich and poor, wise and ignorant, people of all classes, religions, parties, and conditions followed his benevolent leadership. He was
�^4PRIL, 1932
25
unselfish, devoted to the welfare of others, and spent his life in doing good.
N. A. Mokarzel is glorious in death, the glory of serving Lebanon: our race, our motherland, and our future. In his death he
challenges us to match ourselves with his ideals, his achievements
and his hopes We Syrian Lebanese shall dream the dreams of the
betterment of our race; we shall uphold our race legacies, and we
shall promote the Americanism, the loyalty, and the progress of our
citizenship in America. We Syrian Lebanese youth shall honor his
name place, and achievements by accepting his ideals, challenges,
ments°PeS'
C Urage
°
'
ViSi n
° ' ^
eff rt t0 greater achieve
°
"
... N- A- Mokarzel's name will live through the ages, his influence
will inspire greatness in others, and his achievements will awaken
progress in the mind, heart, and life of the present and future gcn^ZlT
A-grCatneSS WiU gr°W and glow more and
to bless,
awaken, and inspire our generation, our motherland, and our future
1
xrm^ J^gment that history> experience, and posterity will"
acclaim N. A. Mokarzel the GRAND OLD MAN of the Syrian
Lebanese pioneer period in America.
^
w.
. , __ ,
W inside, Neb.
REV.
W. A.
Eternal Guidance
TO MY UNCLE
The light that glowed a thousand years
In human benevolence, has softly gone,
And silent voices and unseen tears
Mourn this passing of a paragon
Of men and minds j this human heart
That God inspired to guide the way for men;
And now, in claiming, hath spread the glow '
He cast unto these humble children
Of a kindred world, who kneel in reverence
Their torch held high above his pallid face
To cast upon his blessed brow the eternal glow
Of love, that passing years will not efface.
ALICE MOKARZEL
MANSUR
�ua
m
26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Gibran A Year After
The First Anniversary of the Lebanese Poet's Death Reveals Him
a Universal Figure Beloved and Honored in Every Land.
A YEAR ago this month, the month of Nisan, the month of budding blooms and running brooks, the month in which nature
stages its annual victory over death, the month of Resurrection, of
love and hope, of youthful aspirations and longings, the beloved
poet, artist, sage and mystic, Gibran Kahlil Gibran passed away.
It was, to be exact, on the 10th of April, at ten minutes to
eleven on Friday night that the great soul which had comforted
many a soul in its weary march through the Vale of Tears, that had
brought courage and hope to many a faltering step, itself had to face
the dreadful, the glorious ordeal of its own release to the Great Beyond.
There is something touching and beautiful about the last days
of Gibran's earthly life, and the last journey which his body took
before it rested in eternal peace under the shadow of the Cedars he
so much loved, and which so much mingled with his soul's dreams
and visions. Something that reminds us of the fortitude of a Socrates drinking his cup of hemlock in a dismal cell of an Athenian
prison j something that is reminiscent of the Gospel narratives about
the last days and death of the great Nazarene. For to these and all
kindred souls in whose bosoms burns the divine fire of Another
World, in whose eyes shines the light of immortality, death is but
an accident in the Larger Life. They looked at body and all the
material world that surrounds it as so much impedimenta.
Theirs is the motto which one of them, the great German poet
Goethe, enunciated: "Es ist der Geist der sich den Koerber baut",
"It is the Spirit which builds unto itself the body!" And well may
Gibran himself have sung, not only to one of his devoted friends
and followers, to whom he had ascribed the lines, but to all the
thousands of his admiring, revering readers:
"Nay, go fast, faster,
Bride of my dreams,
For the valleys and the higher hills
�^PRIL, 1932
27
That I feared but yesterday,
Now I would cross and climb."
w en Death beck ned Gibran
thiSwtidnwn,vhgf rnt,that
\
° and a11 sentien
to Hd
S mUCh a
his friends
be „« o hu rim
7
°
L ^
' ^
<
I i ^ *?<* SpaCe Were his friends), those who gathered
the ChOS£n f6W Wh
U n his
T„TA
rl kLsTed ^
° ^ P°
"
a ay mt etermt
££L /
T
°
>'' were of the ^ sex? That was
fitting and proper for one who, like the Master, had much of The
feminine in him and whose fine spiritual message found more re
MisTfiarbf* "nderStandin^ heart -d -tholic intuition of worn n
Miss Barbara! oung, poetess, Mrs. William Brown Malonev writer
e
Gibra
nT'HMlSS ^ ^^ MrS" L€0n°bel SC
Gibran, his devoted sister, Mrs. Rose Diab, a cousin, were the min
istenng angels who hovered around the deathbed of al-Musfafa
S^S^SS men present'a friend Mischa Naim^a?d a
hteV
ibran KahH1 Gibran was
to
^l^
ff ?
to Blt7ti7t
Boston, the home of
his early
dreams and struggles- thecarried
home
where he was so misunderstood, yet so loved by thosfwho were nTr
est and dearest to him; the place which he never ceased teca 1his
hi bel0 ed BeCharre
mTe
Stt-**
V
' ^d£^s£
in the world to him. For l
New ;
York which recognized
his eenius
and showered its largess of success on him was only fwo sfon
den from which he contemplated the universe and Zught ?his
houghts after his Godheart. Meticulous in his appearance dmo
like a suave diplomatist, cosmopolitan in his tastes and manners
in
SOdal aCC
aTa^tJat
herrt
°*^s, Gibran MGKS
a ascetic at heart a mystic who set on his journey for the ereat
y fr0
C
a11
£T<Sv
h H his
?° aloneness,
f^ f° *
^ his
«
m" to Only f/ew
a few shared
his ^
silence and
innermost
musings. To those alone, out of the teeming millions of the citv of
skyscrapers, subways and congested thoroughfares the ctv of^n
lofh
Sr7yVheTrned hlS. ^^ ln that ^^studJofhi"2 5 W
1 Oth Street That was his Kaaba, his haram, his retreat from th,'
efficient
^
*"*
SUCC£SS and intoxicated
with
And in Boston, where Gibran looked forward for his annual
varation, for his temporary relaxation from the round of routine and
work, he was received with heavy hearts and reminiscent tenderness
•
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
And here again we see the gentle touch and solicitude of women
which followed him wherever he went. After the bier was met by
a group of distinguished Syrians and former friends of the mystic,
headed by Msgr. Stephen al-Douaihy, it was carried to the home of
the Syrian Ladies' Aid Society on W. Newton Street; and on the
following day services were held for him at the Maronite Church
of Our Lady of the Cedars on Tyler Street, the same street where
his sister's home is, and where in his vacations he spent long hours
in informal conversation with his many friends and visitors.
Right here a word may be said about Gibran's attitude to conventional religion. For it does seem incongruous to many that this
man whose iconoclastic tirades against conventional sectarianism,
which would limit and monopolize the grace of God to an initiated
few, aroused the animosity of some religious officials in high places,
should finally receive the obsequies and approved funeral rites of a
sectarian church. But in truth there was nothing incongruous or improper about it. Like all great mystics, Gibran was intensely religious. And it was because he was intensely religious that he rebelled against all bounds and limitations which would estrange the
soul from its legitimate and free share of participation of the divine.
The same wrath that burned in Jesus who drove the traders and
money-changers from the Temple, burned in Gibran who, in one
of his parables of "the Wanderer" makes a lightning fall on the
head of a bishop who repulsed a non-Christian woman who came to
him asking if there be salvation for her from hell-fire. And as Jesus
justified the poor tax-gatherer who humbly confessed his sins before God and condemned the proud Pharisee who vaunted his righteousness, so also Gibran counted among the saved many millions of
all races, languages and creeds who had never been baptized by the
water and the spirit. Hundreds of years before him the great Arab
mystical poet, Ibn al-Farid, of whose mystical Taiyyah he was so
fond, had sung:
"And if to a stone a Buddha worshiper doth bow,
His fellowship in faith I still forsooth avow."
And with an equal majestic sweep of universal love also Ibn
al-Arabi, perhaps the greatest Arab mystic of all time, also sang:
"My heart is capable of every form;
A cloister for the monk, a fane for idols;
A pasture for gazelles, the votary's Kaaba,
The tables of the Torah, the Qoran.
Love is the faith I hold, wherever turn
His camels, still the one true faith is mine."
�-TTP—h,
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JtPRIL, 1932
-
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Both of those mystics were Moslem, but there was more kinship and affinity between their souls and that of Gibran than between
his and those of many Christians.
But if those mystics, Sufis, could sincerely call themselves Moslem, so could Gibran sincerely call himself a Christian, as indeed so
called themselves innumerable Christian mystics before him, like
Meister Eckhart, Boemhe, Sausa Tanler and the anonymous author
of Theologica Germanica, who were equally bold and radical in their
pronouncements, equally universal in their conception of salvation
and faith.
There can be no doubt that Gibran was truly Christian, and if
he were a xMoslem he would be truly Moslem, or a Hindu he would
be truly Hindu. For to such, and not to priests and clerics, as
it was to Jesus and not to the Pharisees and Scribes of his day, that
it is given to interpret religion properly, and transmit it sympathetically and understanding^ to their fellow men and women.
But Gibran was not only a Christian. In a beautiful sentimental way he was a Maronite. There was something in the associations and memories of that church that attracted him to it It
meant so much to him. It symbolized his early childhood, memories of his father and mother, sisters and brother, dear relatives and
friends who enveloped him with their love and tender care in the
early years of his life in that beautiful village on the edge of the
Qadisha Valley in Northern Lebanon. Its ceremonies and festivals
mingled in his treasured memories of joyous crowds in colorful
festive clothes, solemn moments, impressive processions of blackrobed priests, and an occasional visit of a bishop, or perchance the
Patriarch himself which turned the village into a veritable carnival.
Io be a Maronite, to him, meant not merely or necessarily subscription to certain definite creeds and dogmas, but to belong to an ancient and historic people who shared the same memories, the same
aspirations, the same baptism of suffering and blood, the same rejoicings and the same sorrows. The chanting of its Syriac litanies,
the smell of incense, and the elaborate rites of its priesthood conveyed a certain mystic significance to him that no literalist can understand.
In short his association with the Maronite Church was
what the American philosopher Josiah Royce called "group loyalty"
and which transcends in spiritual value all adherence to creed or
dogma.
So much then for Gibran's particular sectarian attachment. But
in truth Gibran belonged to the whole world. Some of his books
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30
THE SYRIAN WORLD
have been translated into as many as twenty languages, including the
Japanese. If it is incongruous that he was a Maronite, still more
incongruous is the fact that his writings are read by Buddhists and
Shintoists, and that his Arabic translator is a Greek-Orthodox archimandrite!
Many memorial services were held for Gibran—services which
illustrated the variety of people who held him in high esteem, who
revered his spirit, although most of them had never seen his face
in life.
The first of these memorial services was the one held in the
East Hall of Roerich Museum, 103rd Street and Riverside Drive,
New York, on April 29.
It was an intimate group of American and Syrian friends and
admirers of the great dreamer, wanderer and prophet. Dr. Charles
Fleischer introduced the various speakers who included Barbara
Young, Salloum Mokarzel, Claude Bragdon, Syud Hossain, Leonora Speyer, Mischa Naimy and others. It was a beautiful blend of
East and West coming to do honor to one who, perhaps more than
any other, succeeded in interpreting one to the other. It was also
fitting that a Christian and a Mohammedan, a Syrian and an Arab,
supplied the music for the occasion. Prince Mohiudin played "Du
bist die Ruh", on the 'cello, and Anis Fuleihan, who had set some
of Gibran's pieces to music, sat at the piano while Hubert C. Linscott sang.
About a month after, May 24, ar-Rabitah al-Qalamiyyah, the
literary circle which Gibran himself had founded, and in which he
had always been the guiding spirit, held another memorial meeting
for him in the building of the American-Syrian Federation at 123
Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn. At the same time Gibran's friends
and countrymen in Boston were holding another memorial meeting
in the Municipal Building on Shawmut Avenue. The eulogistic
articles and poems in Arabic which poured from every quarter of this
country, and for which al-Hoda had opened wide its columns, are
too numerable to mention. The local American press printed obituaries of him, some of which gave an account of his life and works
at length, and the Associated Press carried the news of his death
to all parts of the world.
Of especial interest are two memorial meetings held in two
cities separated by thousands of miles.
The first of these took place in Sydney, Australia, and was attended by the consuls of the United States and France, four mem-
\
�\APRIL,1932
\
31
bers of the Australian Parliament, and the Minister of the Interior.
m Senator in
j' r "„
'
the New South Wales Parliament,
and a fellow Syrian, was one of the speakers.
The other was held in Johannesberg, Transvaal, South Africa,
and took the form of an elaborate service in the local Maronite
church of Our Lady of Lebanon. Rt. Rev. David Orley, Bishop of
1 ransvaal, delivered the eulogy in which he declared that Gibran's
Message to Young Americans of Syrian Origin" was "of the stuff
ot immortal literature, and should apply to the younger generation
or Syrians and Lebanese in every part of the world."
Among the many American admirers and devotees of the Syrian mystic was the Rev. Dr. William Norman Guthrie, pastor of St.
Mark s on the Bouwene. Often did he read selections of the Prophet
and other works of Gibran from his pulpit, as supplementary to the
Bible reading and often did he present them in pantomime and
tableaux on the stage of his church. It was, therefore, fitting and
proper that Dr. Guthrie should hold a special memorial service for
PrnXf"1 fu4anlagain °n N0V'8- ImPressive scenes from "The
Prophet" and "The Wanderer" were presented in that historic little
church in the heart of Manhattan. The church was crowded with
American and Syrian friends of the great departed spirit
But more impressive than all was the final scene of this moving
drama which took place in the homeland of the Syrian seer and
spiritual hero-in Lebanon the home of the Cedars, where the Poet
ot the Cedars first opened his eyes to the light of day.
The steamship Sinaia, of the Fabre Line, sailed from Provihv ZTY1AgA
T u6t A
f
wL N A M r* |\
Whkh the b d
.
and °
y of
Gibran Ka
Wil Gibran
Lebanese flags. At the pier
were N. A. Mokarzel, the able editor of al-Hoda, a man of action
SinCC ined Gib
wlr fidd'r0^ hiS r^
^
J°
S?mtU
develo me
^ne
Sitor of fh/s
*t
*}
P ^ S. A. Mokarzel,
Fabre Line
^°f "J^ of
*Z "Character
^ SyHan
^ent of the
^
^abre
Line, JI fT
G. Raphael,
editor
Magazine"
Rev Mansur Stephen of New York, Barbara Young, Marfana' he
poe 's sister and many other friends and relatives from Boston as
well as a delegation of Syrians and Americans from Providence'kOn the other side of the Atlantic extensive and impressive nre
parations were being taken to receive the body in a mS fitti^
the greatness of his spirit, and the unique place whicTL occupied
in the literary and spiritual history of our little country Ddegl
�32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
tions came to Beirut from all parts of Syria, from ancient Damascus, from Aleppo, from Horns, Hama, Antioch, Sidon, Tripoli,
from the Holy Land, and from every little town and hamlet in
Lebanon. Especially prominent in their picturesque native dresses,
and the genuine expression of sorrow on their proud faces, were the
men and women who came down from Becharre, the hometown of
Gibran Kahlil Gibran in Northern Lebanon.
The body was received with official pomp and ceremony. Government representatives in official dress were present at the pier,
priests and high church dignitaries in their clerical • robes, and a
large multitude of just plain men, women and children, who were
dearest and nearest to the tender heart of the dead poet.
The body was landed in Beirut on August 21, and from there
removed in ceremony to the Maronite Cathedral of St. George,
where the Rt. Rev. Ignatius Mobarak, Maronite archbishop of Beirut, and his clergy received the body with the chanting of Syriac
songs for the dead.
On the same evening a great civic memorial meeting was held
for Gibran in one of the largest theatres of the city. Hon. Charles
Dabbas, President of the Lebanon Republic, presided in person. The
speakers who eulogized Gibran Kahlil Gibran on that memorial occasion were: Ameen Rihani, poet and scholar, Khalil Mutran, famous Arabic poet, Khalil Kussayyeb, President of the Press Association of Beirut, Mohammed Jamil Beihum, President of the Young
Men's Moslem Society, Representative Michael Zakkour, poet and
editor, Ameen Taki ud-Din, poet, and many others representing
civic and religious bodies.
And then the triumphal march to Becharre, the touching scenes
of mourning women singing sorrowful dirges before the bier, like
the old mourners we read about in the Bible j the different stops on
the way, particularly at Jubail, the ancient Byblos, where a company
of maidens with flowing hair and gowns, sang paeons in praise of
the dead hero, as though he had been alive and was received in
triumph by those who awaited his "home coming."
And when the noise of all this pomp and ceremony had died
away, the body of the mystic who was so fond of silence and solitude
was laid quietly in the little Monastry of Mar-Sarkis (St. Serjius),
of which Gibran was so fond, and in which he often expressed the
wish to Spend the last years of his life. Now his earthly remains
rest there as long as anything in this mutable world of ours may
rest. In a little crypt in the chapel of that monastery, a visitor to
�M. Fromkes, A.N.A.
Copyright 1932, by Marie el-Khoury
GIBRAN
KAHLIL GIBRAN
Collection Madame Marie el-Khoury
Who contributed the engraving in memory of our great artist and p.et and
through whose courtesy it is included in this issue of the SYRIAN WORLB
in commemoration of the first anniversary of his death.
�_j
••"•
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'
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-.
to-
,,
,
.
___
-i -
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;
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�cAPRIL, 1932
33
that picturesque town that overlooks the awe-inspiring Valley of
Qadisha, and lies at the foot of the serene grove of Cedars at the
top of the mountain, may read on a small tablet at the entrance
these words in Arabic:
"Here Repose the Remains of the Prophet Gibran Resting under the Wings of the Angel of Peace."
And thus the drama of the young dreamer and reformer who
as a young lad raised his voice in angry protest against the injustices
and cruelties of the social system under which he lived, who migrated to a new country where his genius could bud and develop undisturbed, whose star rose in the West, who returned in triumph like
a conquering prince to his own country and people, came to an end.
And the land which ever stoned its prophets and turned its
back against its seers received with a great display of love and appreciation one of its greatest and sweetest prophets.
ON FIRST VIEWING GIBRAN'S
"THE PROPHET"
Today I clasped God's hand
And evermore shall walk
Within the shadow of His Majesty.
It was a picture on a wall;
A bit of paper and a few drawn lines.
It was a face
Of misty outline and suggested form.
I stayed my step and gazed
And bowed my soul,
Before this shrine of genius.
Only a pictured face upon a wall,
But I well knew
That I had touched God's hand.
GERTRUDE MAGILL RUSKIN
�9HMNMNNI
34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Gibran The Artist
Exhibition of His Works in America Attracts a Distinguished
1 hrong of Admirers—Permanent Exhibit to be in Lebanon
By
E
DAGNY EDWARDS
fHE ART OF living beautifully} being, rather than doing, was
m St es sential thin
ur> -,i
°
.
& in life to Gibran, and in his words:
Build your own ivory .tower and let the rest of the world take care
t
' \e S^a standard f°r himself, as well as for others, while
on this earth Reticent about his work he refused to exhibit publicity his countless paintings and sketches for fear that his "people"
would want to buy them". But one of his dearest dreams was that
alter his death,.some fifty or seventy-five of the paintings would be
hung m some gallery in a large city where people might see them,
and perhaps love them!" This dream has materialized under the
loving guidance and tireless effort, of his friend, Miss Barbara
Young who acting as his literary executor, has held an exhibition of
the works of;GIbran m the Studio at 51 West Tenth Street, New
York City, where he lived and worked for eighteen years.
th before the
ai penin whkh to k
TJanuary
i
,
^
° ^
° p*«* °n
anu3r9r°r.
21, all the actual work of preparation,.which included selecting, framing, and arranging the portraits, was accomplished by
a group of young people who assisted Miss Young, without thought
of recompense, but amply as a token of the honor and love thev held
lor Gibran. It had been planned to hold the exhibit open until Feb-
thTLt' thT^ *ft Uu "*i PUblidty fr°m the P-s> and ^spt
eached he S?T ^ 1^ had t0 be dimbed befo^ one
XtfX
?K ' ^.^ly.more than one thousand persons
v twed the exhibit with mingled feelings of appreciation, awe and
pleasure so that the time was,extended until April 10.
Visitors
a W
hfe
d6Claring there
if
Fd
wM
\°K
T*
> exhibition a"
it Edwin Markham who recently celebrated his eightieth birthday
stood before a portrait of himself, drawn by Gibran many years ago'
and proclaimed with spirit, "There's something in that picture tf at'
I know is in me but that no one else has ever seen!" So with the
other sketches and paintings, Gibran, with vivid imagination, vital
force, and a few deft strokes, created a beautifully vibrant picture
of poetic imagery, profound in its fundamental depth. People came
�UPRIL, 1932
35
again and again, reverently, as to a rite, seeking they knew not what,
and found spiritual contentment, emanating from the godly serenity of the silent portraits on the walls. The place had acquired the
tremendous consciousness of Gibran, and as one poorly dressed, rather uncultured woman wonderingly exclaimed, "You know thev all
mean something! They're not just pictures, are they?"
As a child, his tiny fingers modelled in snow and stone. He
needed no master, he had no master, and it is a remarkable fact creditable only to his rare genius that Gibran was entirely self-taught in
art When he painted, he drew with most unbelievable rapidity.
Uften, when he was drawing, he had a habit of standing off at a distance getting down on his knees, gazing at,his work for minutes,
then back again at the canvas, he would fly at work,until finished!
Une of his most beautiful drawings, the first "Prophet", (a face he
had carried in his mind for years, before he could give it life with
draWn
half an h Un
Gibran the artist
unlike"?'
V Wl
° inseparably
> linked in> his
waspernot
unlike Gibran
the poet, "l
the two being
sonality ; yet Gibran the man, though utterly different from other
people, was a delightfully charming, always gracious, most loving
PerS n
SeSSed Wkh a
rand seilse of
Pelrlleaving !K
' Ef at his feet, walked
S
humor?
People,
their °troubles
from him
with
light heart and step, comforted, relieved,,exalted, but left Gibran
sore at heart worried with their worries, piled before him in a heap
so high that he could see nothing else!
RvHe?-arph ^hafdt> 4? 9eorge Ru^ell, Debussy, Rodin, Albert
Sdn R^
Klet\Mar?am> Masefield, Ruth St. Denis and
Abdul Baha,are but a few of the notables whom Gibran sketched at
his Studio, and a number of these paintings will be presented to va-
r^d theH8- \he,Mr?Puolit- Museum of Arthas already ac-
S A K JVA hfd °f J°hn Masefie^> poet laureate of England j Albert Ryder, American Painter; "Toward the Infinite", (Gibran s mother in death) ; "I Have Come Down the Ages", and the
smallest pencil drawing taken from his book, "Tesus the Son of
6 LIf£ GrCle
SeVeral
2?£\
^
M^
"of his parting wm go
to the Boston Museum; two or three to the Fogg Museum at Cam
bridge, as well as one each to the Brooklyn Museum, Z Sk
Museum, and International House on Riverside Drive
The exhibition attracted many persons well known in the realm
of art and letters, including Rose O'Neill, American illustratorand
poet; Frederick Diehlman, of the National Academy and Cooper
Union; Bryson Burroughs, Curator of Art, MetropoliL Museum
�—__
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
36
Dr. Serafini, Vice-Consul of Italy; Signor Paolo Abbate, sculptor;
Edwin Markham, "dean of American poets"; Floyd Starr, Director
of Starr Commonwealth, Albion, Mich.; Dr. Fischer, Curator of
Astronomy at the Museum of Natural History; Paul Stirneman,
Eastern Mystic; Mr. and Mrs. Harry Edmunds, founders of International House; James Oppenheim, American poet; Mrs. Alice
Hunt Bartlett, American editor of the Poetry Review of London;
Dr. Douglas Wild, of Rutgers University; John S. Eland, English
painter and etcher; Mrs. James Lees Laidlaw; the Princess Matchabelli; and the Princess Sava-Goiu.
The last day of the exhibit, Sunday, April 10, also marked the
first anniversary of Gibran's passing, and an informal group of about
thirty persons paid loving tribute to his memory, with Miss Young,
at the Studio. Softly lighted candles, sprigs ,of laurel, and roses
graced the room, while the remainder of the beautiful paintings and
exquisite drawings made an appropriate setting for the occasion. The
silvery patter of dripping rain, and a grey, cloud-swept sky outside,
proved a fitting accompaniment for the opening poems read by Miss
Young who told of Gibran's innate love for the rain, which, in his
own words: "seems to release something within me."
In a brief resume of the last days and hours spent with Gibran,
Miss Young declared that he never mentioned his approaching death
to the friends about him, thus lessening their sense of loss before
the final curtain-fall. Miss Young read several of Gibran's earliest
works, written before he was fourteen, while but a student at the
Madrasat Al-Hikmat in Syria (School of Wisdom). These unpremeditated writings show fascinatingly and clearly the remarkable
philosophy, the rare genius of the true artist, unusual in one so
young, yet indicative of the genius of Gibran we know today. Following the short interlude of selected poems, parables and thoughts
of the youngster Gibran, Miss Young concluded the reading by giving a few pages of the introduction and conclusion of his last book,
"The Garden of the Prophet", and also the last few, beautiful pages
of "The Prophet".
In parting, Miss Young suggested to the group that the friends
of Gibran who join that "inner circle" of those who love him, meet
from time to time to read from his works, to discuss and to remember
Gibran, our well-beloved friend; thus to perpetuate the memory of
him who has so enriched this world with his life and works.
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UPRIL, 1932
37
American Poet to Live in Leban on
'Barbara, Young, Friend of Kahlil Gibran, to Make Her H...
ome in
Becharre and Write a Biography of the Poet of the Cedai s
Plans Annual Dramatization of "The Prophet" in English for tht
Benefit of Pilgrims
By
ALICE MOKARZEL
JN HER STUDY of Kahlil Gibran, Barbara Young has written:
"In Becharre, a half a world away, near the Cedars of the Lord,
the body of Gibran is lying—he who was more than any other the
Poet of the Cedars." And it is near these hallowed elements of
Beauty and Truth that Miss Young has chosen to make her permanent home.
Although the decision to live in Lebanon was made after Gibran's death, Miss Young cherished the hope of such a thing years
before, and now, almost coincident with the first anniversary of the
poet's death, Barbara Young will take leave of these Western shores
and after a short sojourn in Europe will settle in the little town of
tfecharre There, where Gibran as a precocious child drew and modelled, and where the youthful Gibran fully determined to carry out
his artistic career, Miss Young will live, a Lebanese among Gibran's
own people.
"I feel that I am returning home to stay", she said. "The fact
that often, unconsciously, I say, 'When I go back to Lebanon,'
proves my love and desire to live there. It is absolutely the most
wonderful thing that has happened to me. In Becharre I will have
my own little Syrian home with its vineyard and olive tree The
house will have a flat roof-top, so that sleeping there on a warm
night, I can reach up and pluck a star and tuck it 'neath my pillow."
"So many people have prophesied that I will return in a few
years she continued, "but I am sure I won't. I have never been in
sympathy with the Western code of existing, with its gadgets and
devices, whereas the beautiful and simple Lebanese life has always
fascinated me."
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
'
There is a lovely Eastern warmth in Barbara Young's voice
that spells of Lebanese tranquility and contentment. What a beautiful picture she would make in Lebanon, in native robes that would
beautifully emphasize her height and stateliness.
She went on to relate how completely at ease she feels among
Syrians and Lebanese and how she loves to hear them call her Barbara in the Arabic way with the accent on the second syllable. Even
now she has a vocabulary of Arabic words which she can say with a
good accent and without the difficulty the average American experiences with Arabic. As Gibran used to say to her, "I feel that you
will burst into Arabic any moment."
It will not be as spontaneous as that, Miss Young is assured, but
will take a few years of serious and conscientious study which she
intends to proceed with as soon as she is settled in Lebanon, so that
she will be able to translate the Arabic works of Gibran into English.
(Only portions of these works have been translated but the translation is not Gibran and the lover of his English will not accept it as
being true Gibran.) What makes Barbara Young especially qualified
as the translator of Gibran is that she has the perfect conception of
his English. Gibran himself has told her, "If anyone can translate
my Arabic works into English, it is you." Even when he was dictating "Jesus, the Son of Man," in feverish ecstasy, he would pause
now and then and recite his parables in Arabic and then translate
them freely into English. Fearful at the time lest she break the
spell of his inspiration, Miss Young refrained from asking him to
repeat them so that she could make note of them. But they are remembered in her heart and wrill find expression upon the leaves of
the volumes of translation.
However, the whole time will not be spent in studying and
translating. For it is for the perpetuation of Gibran's name and the
revelation of his works to those who still do not know him that Barbara Young has so unselfishly pledged her life. To this end she
has planned, among other things, to reproduce in Becharre the Studio
in which Gibran lived and worked in New York for eighteen years.
There will also be in Mar-Sarkis a museum for the purpose of displaying his works—pencil sketches, portraits, oil paintings, woodcarvings and the wealth of art treasures and relics that Gibran collected and cherished throughout his life.
As a perpetual and beautiful tribute to the memory of the "Poet
of the Cedars", Miss Young is putting her most ardent hopes in the
future dramatization of "The Prophet". This to be performed an-
�*APRILy1932
39
BARBARA YOUNG
Friend and Literary Executor of the
Poet of the Cedars
�______£___!
-
40
'.'*? '
THE SYRIAN WORLD
nually, upon his native Lebanon soil and by his own people. The
dramatization will be in English for the benefit of the pilgrims and
because of the universality of the English language. The countless
followers of Gibran all over the world will welcome the opportunity
of witnessing the "Prophet" under such auspicious circumstances.
Whatever profits accrue will go to the materialization of the hopes
and dreams that Gibran constantly cherished for his country. He
dreamed of immense agricultural improvements for Lebanon and
other developments which Barbara Young has also noted in her heart
and which will find release in their realization.
As a youth, Gibran travelled on horseback to every place in the
Holy Land that Jesus is said to have visited. Miss Young hopes to
follow the same path and to visit the favorite places that Gibran
frequented. She plans also to visit his college, "Al-Hikmat", where
Father Haddad taught and whom Gibran described as "the only
man who ever taught me anything." There is a plate in the college
proudly bearing the inscription that Gibran had been a student there.
So many of Barbara Young's numerous admirers here have expressed the fear that she would abandon her own work entirely in
the execution of her unselfish plans, and thus deny them the beauty
and inspiration that pervade her poetry and prose. But Miss Young
is sure that she will not neglect her own writing. The peculiar beauty and climate of Lebanon, she feels, will inspire her to still greater
mediums of inspiration and thought. Her recent book, "Judas, the
Man Who Could Not Die", which had its setting in Lebanon, is a
powerful and stirring dramatic poem and is particularly remarkable
because she has written so vividly of a land she has not known. How
much more then, will be her "Book of Adam" and other works that
she has in mind and which are concerned with the Holy Land.
The energy of Barbara Young is tireless and knows no satiety.
The remarkable thing is that it is always in the interest of others.
Aside from the works of Gibran and her own, she will write a
series of articles about the people, culture and traditions of Lebanon
to convey to the Western world, and about which she believes nothing informative has been written since the middle of the nineteenth
century. The discovery was made by Miss Young after thorough
research in the libraries and institutions and is appalling when one
considers that almost no subject is overlooked by the countless writers of the English language.
On May 4th, Miss Young will sail for England where she and
her daughter will be the guests of Sir Henry and Lady Japp in Lon-
�'*APRIL, 1932
41
don. The "short vacation" she will have while there will be utilized, as usual, in arranging a small exhibit of seventy-five of Gibran's pencil drawings in London. In Paris, where Gibran is known
and esteemed essentially as an artist, the drawings will also be displayed. No oils are being taken to Europe but are being shipped
directly to Lebanon.
A strange and incomplete world it will be for the many friends
of Barbara Young, some of whom have known her for many years
and others for only a short while, but all of whom have been fortunate enough to have known and to become effused by her beautiful and unselfish spirit.
"There is a richness in remembrance and an assurance of eternity that we may not question", she has written, and it is with this
beautiful consolation and the hope that we, too, may be with her in
Lebanon that we bid Barbara Young farewell, rich in the remembrance of her friendship and with the assurance of our devotion for
her which distance cannot dim or diminish.
NEW IRAQI CURRENCY
One sign of sovereignty is the power to issue national currency.
It is, therefore, not surprising to learn that the government of Iraq,
whose complete independence and sovereignty have been recognized
lately by the League of Nations and other international conventions,
has at last taken the step to issue its own legal tender.
The smallest denomination in the new Iraqi coinage is the "fils",
which corresponds to our "cent". It bears en one side the likeness'
and name of King Feisal, and on the obverse the Arabic numeral 1,
to the right of which are inscribed the words in Arabic, "The Iraqi
Kingdom", and to the left the date of issuance in the Christian and
Moslem eras.
The grades of the coins include issues of two, four, ten, twenty,
and fifty fils, the last two being of silver. The paper issues start
with a quarter of a dinar up to 100 dinars. The paper used is said
to be of the best, and the inscriptions, besides the picture of H. M.
King Feisal, are in Arabic and English.
�,. „
Hi
m-Tl--—i
42
THE SYRIAN WORLD
TRVE ARABIAN TA
IYV H-A«£
Tfe Reward of Kindness
Like so many words in the Arabic language the word ma'rouf is very
hard to translate into English. Literally it means "the thing that is known",
and signifies that a good act should be proclaimed by its recipient.
Sometimes the word jamil, or the "beautiful act", is g;ven as a synonym.
The
Druzes in Syria and Jebel-Druze call themselves Bern" Ma'rouf", or "sons
of kindness", implying that they devote themselves to kind deeds, or that
they value this virtue above all others. But the Arabic word has a wider
and subtler connotat:on than the English word "kindness". It means not
only a kind act, but one which entails some sacrifice and magnanimity on
the part of the doer, an altruistic deed wlrch may involve the doer in some
trouble or danger.
The following story is a classical illustration of the highest exemplification of ma'rouf, which was rewarded in no less magnan'mous and chivalrous manner. With some modification it is taken from a collection of Arabic wisdom literature wlrch, it is hoped, will appear in English sometime
in the near future.
Ed.
{T IS RELATED of old that in the reign of the great and noble
Caliph al-Mamoun, illustrious son of Haroun ar-Rashid and the
greatest patron of Arabic culture and literature, there was a chief of
the royal constabulary by the name of Abbas. One day this chief of
constabulary was called to the Caliph's palace, and on his arrival and
appearance before the Caliph, behold! he saw a prisoner securely
bound by hand and foot. As soon as Abbas entered and made his
obeisance to the Prince oi the Believers, the latter called out to him,
saying: "Oh Abbas!" And Abbas replied: "Behold! here I am at
your service O Prince of the Believers."
"Take this prisoner", commanded the Caliph, as he pointed to
the man lying helplessly on the, floor, "and keep him in your personal custody till tomorrow. Take special care of him, and beware lest
tht
�UPRIL, 1932
^
he escape, for I shall surely request him at your hands »
At once Abbas called for some of his men and commanded them
to carry the prisoner away, for he was so heavily bound that he could
not move. Then the chief said to himself: "Since the Caliph is so
anxious to guard this prisoner, there is no securer place for him than
m my own house", and so he gave orders that the prisoner be carried
to his own house.
When this was accomplished and tht prisoner was resting in a
LTZ
th£ Chief S h USe Abbas went to hl
' ° >
d
inquired of
him about the nature or the accusation against him and from whence
nc C3.IX1C
«I am from Damascus", replied the prisoner.
•
i 7 ^!kh r£Ward Damascu« and its people with goodness"
ejaculated Abbas. "Of what part of the city do you come and to
what people do you belong?"
'
"
The prisoner looked at the chief quizzically and saidUi whom ask you in particular?"
<|Know you so and so", inquired Abbas anxiously.
And how did you happen to know that man?" ttaB
asked
the prisoner in turn.
'
-cu- LUC Prii>
long;ISe\SSaSLWith
him Whi
* '
M1
— forget as
«he m efis::„d %£&*?guard te"of h!s—•*
"° m**t unfortunate one! a long time ago I was in the service
of the governor of Damascus when one day "a rebel! on broke out"
carious that the governor was smuggled out of al-Haj jai's Palace
Zl ajamong ^ "« "*" ^ * ^ -P-nfaid rettS
"Then while scurrying forth in one of the narrow streets of the
hidi
i
^itra T&zr - - * £=»^Help me, may Allah help you!", I cried out to him
stirringWhirsSr7 ^' * ^ U*P—bably, not even
"When I entered, the man's wife led me to the inner court of
P
g OUt PriVate
Said: <G into
"Pr^ntlv
H a 'commotion
^^^
S?had
"
Presently T^
I heard
outside. My°pursuers
�44
THE SYRIAN WORLD
entered the man's house, and he was accompanying them as they demanded in angry voices: 'By Allah he has surely taken refuge in
your house!' "
" 'Behold the house before you', the man retorted, 'go in and
search for yourselves.'
"They searched everywhere and could not find me. There
was no part of the house left save that inner room in which I was
hiding, and the man's wife was there with me. They stood at the
door hesitating, as they said to one another:
" 'Verily he must be in there, for he could not have left the
house.'
"As I heard them I trembled with fear, for I realized that my
doom had come. But as they made a motion to enter the room, the
man's wife cried out from inside that it was the harem, and commanded them to leave at once.
"They went away immediately without much ado, and the woman comforted me and told me to sit down and compose myself, for
my legs were shaking with fear, and were not able to carry me anymore. As for the man, he went out to the gate and sat watching.
After an hour's time, he returned and said to me:
"Fear not, for Allah has diverted away their evil from you,
and with Allah's permission you are in safety and security now.'
"I thanked him profusely, saying: 'May Allah reward you with
goodness.'
"Four months I stayed with this man, during which time he
treated me genially as a boon companion, setting aside one room in
the house for my use, and never suffering me to miss anything of
my daily needs, and asking after me all the time. Then when the
rebellion had subsided and conditions returned to their normal
course, I said to the man:
" 'Will you permit me to go out to see what has become of my
men?'
"He consented, but only after extracting from me a promise on
oath that I would return to him.
"I went out into the city, but found no trace of my men, and so
returned to my host, who had done all this to me without knowing
my name or asking any information regarding me, addressing me
only by my filial title (Abu so and so.) But on my return he asked
me what I had planned to do, and I told him that I had set my mind
on leaving for Baghdad. He said:
�I
lAPRIL, 1932
,ou >" 'ThC
45
CaraVan Wij] leave after three d
*ys>
be
hold, I have told
"Again I thanked him warmly, saying: 'You have been very
considerate and generous to me, and I shall never forget vour kindness which some day I hope I will be able to repay as best I can '
ihen my host called to one of his black slaves and ordered
him to groom a steed and prepare it for a long journey, and everybody in the house was set busy buying and preparing the necessary
provisions for the journey. I thought to myself that the man was
about to visit one of his villages in some neighboring district. But
when the day arrived for the Baghdad caravan to leave, my host
came to me in the early dawn and said:
" 'Arise, for the caravan will leave in an hour's time.'
"I was taken by surprise and knew not what to say, for I had
not the wherewithal to buy the necessary provisions or to hire a
mount But when I had risen, behold, I saw my host and his wife
come to me carrying a big bundle of the most gorgeous clothes, with
two new pairs of shoes, and all necessary articles for a long journey.
Then the man brought me a sword and belt and girded my waist
therewith After that he showed me a mule over-loaded with two
wooden chests and a bed. Then he delivered to my hand a bill of
the contents of the chests, which included five thousand dirhams
and leading me to a steed already saddled, he said:
'
" .'Ride and this black slave will serve you on the way and
groom your mount', apologizing at the same time for his and his
»ife s shortcomings toward me. And not content with all this, my
host rode out a long distance to bid me farewell, and I proceeded
with the caravan to Baghdad.
proceeded
renort^f lbeh°ld' t ?T* ^V haVe been on the watch for s°
maU
mSy rCdeem Part f
to him.''
° ^ debt of gratitude
When the prisoner had heard all this, his countenance brightened up, as he said: "Verily Allah has enabled you to repay andreward your man without any effort or cost on your part "
How sor" asked the chief of constabulary in surprise
ma y U are seeki
th, A- 7°' T
T °
"&"> the prisoner replied, "but
the distress I am in and the hardships I have endured have obscured
my appearance from you, so you do not recognize me "
_
Ihen the prisoner related several details which left no doubt
in the chief's mind of his prisoner's identity.
At this Abbas could no longer control himself. He rose up and
I*
i
�46
/
THE SYRIAN WORLD
kissed the head of his prisoner, saying: "What has brought you to
such a pass?"
"Another rebellion, like the one which broke out in your days",
related the prisoner, "took place in Damascus, and it was attributed
to me. The Prince of the Believers dispatched a force thither which
pacified the city, while I was arrested and beaten to the brink of
death. Then I was bound and-sent to the Prince of the Believers,
and behold, my case is a grave one, and my guilt towards him is accounted great. Surely he shall put me to death, and I had come out
of my house without making my will. If, therefore, you wish to
reward me, go to such and such a house (naming the house of a certain man in Baghdad) and fetch me my slave who has followed me
secretly from Damascus, that I may convey my will to him. If you
do so you would have discharged all your obligation towards me."
To this Abbas replied: "Allah will manage what is best."
Then when night fell he called for a blacksmith and ordered
him to remove the chains from the prisoner's hands and feet. After
that Abbas comforted the prisoner and bade him enter a bath, and
gave him suitable clothes to wear. Then he dispatched someone to
fetch the prisoner's slave. And when the latter arrived he fell at
his master's feet, and the prisoner wept, as he dictated his will to his
slave.
As for Abbas, he lost no time, but called for one of his slav«s to
prepare such and such horses and such and such mules, naming ten
of each. Then he ordered ten chests of clothes and provisions, all
that was necessary for a long journey, and when everything was
ready, Abbas brought out a bag of ten thousand dirhams and another
of five thousand dinars and delivered them to the prisoner. Then,
turning to one of his trusted men, his lieutenant in the service, he
said:
"Take this man and see him safely off to the borders of alAnbar."
But the prisoner would not have it thus. He turned to his host
and keeper and said:
"My guilt with the Prince of the Believers is great, and my
calamity is unbearable. And if you excuse yourself to the Caliph
that I have fled he will dispatch after me all the men at his gate and
they will not rest till they bring me back and I shall surely die."
"Escape with your soul", insisted Abbas, "and I will fix the
matter with the Caliph my own way."
The prisoner refused, saying:
�<APRIL} 1932
47
come?/ A1Iah'p Sha,]1 n0t kaVe Baghdad til] l know what will bewiS comeT'
^ y°U ^ m6' y°U may Send after me ««i I
Then Abbas, addressing his lieutenant, saidCarry him to a place of safety since it is his wish to stay, and
would
wTth hi
of hi
TT^V
But
' u
!??ue
ded hi
r
Wkh my life
'
1 Sha11 let him
h my own life as he
T Charge
r
uCafe *
y°U ^
>
Alkh th
know!'then
^^
*t not a dirham
^a^^dS^^ th" ^ Wil1 d° ^ *"»« » "
safety1" ^
lkutmant
Prcm''^d, and led the prisoner to a place of
On the morrow Abbas said his morning prayer scented himself
with balm and prepared for himself a shroud' m'aki>gd the "e e
sary preparations of one going to certain death.
his door^dSsaidfaWn ^
mCSSengers of the
Caliph knocked at
<avs flTlnffT-^ '^ ^^
* Y at this very hour, and
says for you to bring your man and proceed to him at once "
Abbas rose and went alone with the Caliph's messengers carrv
mg his shroud under his arm. And when they reached the Calinh's
palace behold, he was already dressed and sitting in hi usual seat
at
awaiting their arrival.
>
without WhCn
thC C
fPh
SaW that his Chief of
Xtls^urm^" ^ ^
Cnraged and Cned
constabulary came
«* "W°e * *»>
treated AbbIasy°U * ^ * ^ ° **« °f the
°
>" ~
"I pledge my word to Allah", swore the Caliph, interrupting,
your head?
n
'°
^ ^^ ^
fled ! sha11 stri
^ off
Abbas assured the Caliph that the prisoner had not fled and
proceeded to tell all that had passed, and how the prisoner had aved
his life ,n Damascus years back. Then he added in conclusion
"Behold, I and my lord the Prince of the Believers are between
two alternates: either that you pardon me, and in that case I wluld
have repaid my debt of gratitude to that man, or that you give your
command for my execution, and thus would I have defended him
with my own life as he defended me with his. Verily I have alretdv
scented my body with balm and brought mV shroud with me »Y
When al-iMamoun heard this he was greatly moved, and said:
�KB..
48
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"Woe to you, and may Allah not reward you with goodness.
Has he done all that to you, and you only reward him with that
little after having recognized him! Why have you not told me of
him that I may have rewarded him properly in your behalf, and not
have stinted in our reward."
When Abbas heard this, he replied with joy: "Lo, O Prince
of the Believers, for he has sworn that he will not move from his
Dlace till he is assured of my safety."
"Verily", exclaimed the Caliph, "this is even a greater sacrifice
than the first one. -Go to him and calm his spirits, then bring him
hither that I may take charge of his reward."
Abbas was prompt in carrying out the command of the Caliph
and proceeded directly to where the prisoner was hidden and said
to him:
"Be done with fear! The Prince of the Believers has said thus
and thus", recounting to him what the Caliph had said in pardoning
him.
/
At this the prisoner uttered a sigh of relief, as he exclaimed:
"Praised be Allah, save whom none is praised for good or evil
alike!"
Then he rose and knelt twice in prayer, after which he rose in
company with Abbas and proceeded to the Caliph's palace.
And when the two arrived there, and the man was ushered to
the presence of the Prince of the Believers, the latter went over to
him and drew him near to his own seat and engaged him in kindly
conversation. And when it was time for dinner they ate together,
and al-Mamoun bestowed on him robes of honor and offered him
the governorship of Damascus. But the man humbly declined the
honor, at which the Caliph commanded that ten steeds with their
saddles and bridles, ten equipped mules, ten bags of gold, and ten
slaves with their mounts be bestowed on the erstwhile unfortunate
prisoner. Besides, the Caliph wrote his agent in Damascus to show
him special consideration and free him from all taxations in the
future. Then, turning to the man himself, the Caliph commanded
him to write him reports of the affairs of Damascus.
And so it came to pass that whenever the bag of mail arrived
from Damascus and in it a letter from this man, al-Mamoun would
turn to his chief of constabulary and say:
"O Abbas, here is a letter from your friend of Damascus."
�\APRIL, 1932
49
EDNA
K.
SALOOMEY,
Editor
According to Dun
|^
G. DUN and Company, the nationally renowned credit research firm, has compiled some interesting facts on fundamentals of credit. Of the many vital subjects discussed, we quote two
because they are particularly important to us.
"Illiteracy is a serious handicap to overcome and while higher
education is not an essential in business life, an illiterate person cannot expect the same consideration from a credit standpoint as one
with a fair education."
On first thought it may seem unfair to base one's judgement
of an individual's merits on illiteracy. The idealists among us may
argue that a man's worth should be determined by his morals. The
materialists may contend his worth should be determined by brawn
and native talent. Both groups disregard, but cannot deny, the importance of illiteracy as a determinative of a man's worth.
Illiteracy does not indicate lack of morals, intellect, or physical endurance any more than literacy implies the possession of these'
dualities. Yet, it is true and iust to consider illiteracy as heincr a
«enous handicap to one who desires to receive hif>h consideration
from a credit standpoint. It is self-inflicted handicap. The contention is this: an illiterate nerson has a more difficult time "mitring
himself across." He may be Shakespeare for wit. or have the salary of a financier: but unless he express himself, the talent in
him is entirelv lost. The undaunted ones who nrove bv their final
success that they will not be deterred by their illiteracy, onlv prove
�50
THE SYRIAN WORLD
fi
even more vividly that their illiteracy is a handicap for it is only
after years of struggling that they receive the consideration which
was rightly theirs from the start. Success only revealed the ability
We believe the same as did Priscilla, beloved of John Alden, that
a man should speak for himself and write, too.
At present illiteracy, in any case, can scarcely be justified for
there are many opportunities of overcoming it, such as night schools,
libraries, study clubs, and home study courses offered by universities
One needs but to choose discriminatingly, and to determine to pursue as far as possible whatever course is chosen. We have used the
words illiteracy and literacy, in a wide sense. By literacy, we mean
not only the ability to read and write buf also the constant use of
that ability. We firmly believe that the darkness of ignorance be
it our own or the ignorance of others regarding our character,'can
be dispelled by knowledge.
If this problem of illiteracy is faced at the beginning, it shall
solve itself in the end. It is a river which flows in one predetermined course, whereas, literacy is a river with many branches. In the
case of illiterates circumstance in the form of a helpful townsman
or a relative usually determines the career for illiterates. Thev are
prevented from selecting the career best suited to their native ability
havag started in one path, be it factory labour or keeping shop
mav Zll
V t0 thf Cnd " * l0St Th°U^h illiterate*
may be the most exemplary persons, no one in this machine age
with its; hurrying and scurrying, is willing to take time to unearfh
the candle of fine character under the bushel of illiteracy Selfexpression in word as well as deed is a modern requirement Is not
his the age of communication? Recall the radio, telegraphy, wirelessed telephone, all of which prove that this is the age
of 7Ze
mumcation.
wh^Y mSy aSk'-^ WC wHte ab0Ut ilIiteracV
these pages
*hich shall remain a void to illiterate persons. We speak here to
those who are literate, hoping that they shall make an effort to entourage all of the younger e-eneration to take advantage of everv
yto uire
kin f knowied e which
sT^rrm
r
T
,, make
° their *days happier
^ «* on£
serve them in business, but will
June m approaching and the spring term examinations are probably working havoc this verv minute in the minds of some of the
grammar and h,rfi school pupils. Some of them are debating whether it ,s worthwhile to go on.
A word of encouragement may
h
�^APRIL, 1932
51
mean much to these students. Some of them, for lack of a more
convincing reason, will use the need of employment as an alibi for
leaving school It is usually the ones who actually leave because
of a real need for aiding the family's finances, who are spurred on
to night schools and libraries because deprivation whets their appetites for knowledge. But those who use employment as an alibi
need to be shown how the world looks on inadequate knowledge A
sympathetic understanding will show them that four years in high
school or college are not the four centuries that seem to loom on
their horizon.
We crave literacy in its fullest sense for all our people, not so
much that we may be rated highly from a credit standpoint, or a social one, but that life may be meaningful to us. For, just as the
stars reveal their secrets to the astronomer, so shall they reveal
themselves to whoever shall follow the astronomer's course.
Knowledge is a pathway leading to the stars.
"The Nationality of the members of a concern sometimes has
an important bearing on the credit
the standards of business
morality of various nations decidedly differ from ours."
During the course of several years we have known many business men, and we can truthfully say that our nationality merits
highest consideration by virtue of the conduct of the maioritvJ of
our business men.
Men of moderate means prevail among us. T'>ev have won
for themselves honorable names, if not great fortunes." Now and
then we find there is one who has amassed a fortune, but is honored
neither with respect nor confidence which many less affluent persons
k
•
As we are comparatively very few in number, the slightest
shortcoming on the part of even one individual is made to reflect on
our national standing. It behooves each individual to be careful
lest by his action he may jeopardize the welfare of all.
On the whole our people have been bearing the brunt of the
present economic distress with phenomenal strength. Thev are
keeping not only the word of business law, but also its spirit
We salute our business people. To date, in spite of the very
trying situation prevailing our business mortalitv has been as low as
our business morality has ever been high.
�52
THE SYRIAN WORLD
WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT
LONG YEARS ago when the earth was in its infancy, the donkey
was considered to be the wisest of animals.
An old sheik owned a great herd of these, beasts, and their sagacity was the joy of his old age. Other sheiks came to listen and
marvel at the intelligence of the herd.
At such a time there came the prophet himself, the most learned of all the wise men of the East. He was welcomed by the old
sheik with due respect, who immediately led him out to see the
herd, saying, "Behold, O Prophet, these wise and talented donkeys
Converse with them, and judge if they are not truly wiser than all
other animals."
Then, the Prophet addressed the donkeys, saying, "Let us
test your wisdom. Answer this question: what does a donkey require tor a three days' journey?"
They replied, "For a three days' journey, O Prophet, any
donkey should have six bundles of hay plus three bags of dates "
"Very well," said the Prophet. "That sounds like a fair price "
Whereupon, the sheik broke out into loud chuckles, and said,
iJid I not tell you they are truly wise?"
The Prophet answered him, "Wait." Again he addressed the
donkeys.
I will not give you six bundles of hay and three bags
stlnd forth!"""
C
yS
' J°Urney-
Let Wm Wh
°
Wil1
S°
for le
-
And, behold, they all stood forth and commenced to talk at
once One would go for six bundles of hay and two bags of dates:
another, for five bags of hay and one bag of dates. So they argued
until, finally one donkey, whose ears were particularly long, agreed
to go for only one bundle of hay.
Then spoke the Prophet, "Fool, you cannot live for even three
days on one bundle of hay, much less profit by the journey."
THE"oRDEReSlied ^
long earcd
~
011e
' "BUT
l
WANTED
Since that far-off day to this, when earth is no longer in its infancy donkeys have been deemed stupid, and price-cutters have
been known as donkeys.
-
�<JPRIL, 1932
53
"AL-JIRN."
A
^S^TJn t0 US ab°Ut thG
Unha
PPy kddent of the hold-
able OMT
f uY tW°y°UnS NCW Y°rkers' sons of * ^spectaS t0 the
a^ for
for'such"
^committed
^ ^ °Ur
cause
such an actM''
being
by "P
these boys, whoseP-^le
father
had tried so hard to give them the benefits of a public 2Z educa"holier ldn?h° ^igh infentAof this sort> we
* cast aside the
holier than thou" attitude. Our older generation is so proud of
acts w^h hSeymnSHhaVe ^outstanding for their infrequent conacts with the guardians of the law), and now the younger generation threatens to besmirch that record.
It is LOTLl ~
youth, regardless of nationality, has been found to be increasing
its percen age of wrongdoing. Recently reports from Great Brkan
and the New |ork City Police Department showed that delinque K"
Q
among j uveniles is greatly on the increase.
*
It is true indeed, that if the younger generation would follow
the precepts of its elders, respect traditions, and benefit by the wisdom of parents, the police records would be far different.
1 he world in which we are living is such that a parent has to
be more than a devoted and self-sacrificing father; he must be a
lawyer, doctor, sociologist, psychologist and saint... and then some
The average father, though he may be a perfect example of all
that ^excellent in manhood, can scarcely prevent the infinite harm
wrought by bad associations, trashy literature, harmful movies, and
the demoralizing present day disregard for doing the right thing
for its own sake. It is no easy task for any parent to combat the*
influences.
On the other hand, the child finds it no less easy to cope with
the times. Like these two boys, who committed a series of rob-
^Sil^dtSSrous spirit'which is greatest durmg add—>
sion 0^^' ^H ^ *" °f US these ^ is our misapprehension of the meaning of higher standards of living. It has signified
to many that one must have money, plenty of it. Some think that
the more expensive the car, the higher the standards of a person
Some want expensive clothes, a lavishly furnished home: and all
want money.
'
�54
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The father of the two Syrian boys was content in his youth
to earn his meagre living, and his chief aim was to preserve his selfrespect. The sons, blinded by false ideals—rather, we should sayideas—craved money, and being unable to earn it fast enough, did
what so many of their age have done they resorted to robbing
their fellowmen.
It is, as far as we can understand this case, just another case
where the environment outside the home was stronger in influencing
the boys than the goodness of their father.
But, we are not in despair. For every one, who is so weakwilled as were the two brothers, there are a thousand who cherish
honour and self-respect as highly as do their parents.
* * *
IN SPRING A YOUNG MAN'S FANCY
Sing a song of springtime j
In 1932.
Had to go, fall in love;
And don't know what to do.
Can't buy a Wool worth ring;
So, here's farewell to you.
It's no joke to be broke—
My heart's now broken too!
* * *
We hear and read constantly about reasons for being proud of
our ancestry. Let us put aside for awhile our ancestors' achievements, and do something ourselves.
In 1933 at the Chicago World Fair, there shall be an international exhibit of the homelife of people abroad. Other people are
preparing to take part in that program.
How, if at all, shall we be represented? Where are the leaders amongst us, and what are they doing to make Syrians better
known? Why not make a concerted effort to be represented?
We should like to hear from organizations and individuals,
who have any suggestions as to whether we should avail ourselves
of the opportunity offered by the World Fair next year.
�wmsmmm-- m
UPRIL, 1932
55
The Portrait
A MODERN SHORT STORY
By
THOMAS ASA
JN THE comfortably appointed rooms on the second floor of a
_ fashionable brown stone apartment house in the Rue Romondre,
withm short walking distance of the Quartier Latin, two students
who were in their early twenties, and both enrolled for the second
term in the Medical College, sat one evening in the utter solitude
or their study.
Maurice Barany, who was seated at the right of the long mahogany table, looked up from his tract on bacterioscopy and stared
languidly at the high ceiling.
The other student, Eugene Armand, who was somewhat shorter and less robust than Barany, did not notice his friend's lapse into
abstraction, but continued in his close application to the book before
him.
Barany's eyes drifted from the ceiling downward to his companion s face, where they rested with peculiar tenseness.
friPnH?"f^^ ^ TuT^ suddenly> "^ you know your
inend?"
he murmured, half-dreamily.
Eugene Armand started up from his book and looked in surprise across the table.
questioY11^ d° y°U
mean
'
MaUrice?
"
was the
somewhat bewildered
pearanS"6 ^ "" ^^ * ^^ *" ^'-^
my aCti ns
° - aP~
Armand's bewilderment vanished at this more lucid inquiry.
His attractive features relaxed into a pleasant smile. He was weH
acquainted with his friend's romantic moods.
hnlH Tdl' yScholarl
c\ a, T7ascom
Plete happiness seems to have taken
ir
fhT K iT
yr P ations, perhaps, or, as spring is at hand,
the absolute conquest of some pretty soubrette, so charmingly de
scribed by our French novelists," he jested, in good humor.* Y
hi
s
companion
d
TO ZL^4^
~>*^
B
With7dgtd Wty!°
Seri US
° ' ^
friend?
" **"* ^tioned,
�iirnnirririTTiiiriiirmaiifii rut i>f~irrr ,iwiinmf::
\
56
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"You have my word, Eugene," Barany affirmed, rousing himself from his dreamy stupor.
"So I am to felicitate you," Armand continued, with awakened
interest. "Who is the fortunate lady, my dear Maurice?"
"Henriette Ronsard, of good family and substantial fortune,"
was the enthusiastic reply.
"Ah! a lady of fortune,—of twice your age, perhaps. You are
mercenary, my friend; a quality I thought unknown to you," Armand added, in his jesting vein.
"Enough, enough, Eugene!" his companion protested, laughing m his joy. "Mademoiselle Henriette is not yet twenty and
the most beautiful girl in Paris. I met her at a reception given in
honor of the lately returned Countess de Camdon, who, as you
know, is a distant relative of mine. She was attended by her aunt
Madame Ferrande, with whom she is visiting, a charming lady who
seems to be well disposed towards me. Ah, you will love her yourself, Eugene," he added, relapsing in his dreams
"Don't move, Maurice!" exclaimed Armand, arising from his
chair with considerable alacrity. "In a moment I shall have the immortal lover on canvas."
He walked to a near-by closet and, opening it, withdrew an
artist s easel, a tight y drawn canvas, and a box of sketching pencils. He immediately placed the easel in position so that it faced
his companion's profile.
"Maurice, fancy that you have just come from your beloved "
he instructed, smiling at his friend, who readily adopted his sueee'stion without apparent difficulty.
With the sure stroke of the practiced draughtsman, Eugene Armand commenced to fill in the blank canvas before him with his pen' and> with the passage of ten minutes or more, the perfect likeness of Maurice Barany lay revealed on the canvas
Barany's curiosity finally compelled him to partly rise from his
chair and gaze intently at his inanimate features as created by the
truly remarkable talent of his companion.
"Eugene! you flatter me. Am I so distinguished?" he asked
simulating a gratified air. i
'
M JH°- Lif ^?U Brumn3e11 beware- No one could possibly blame
Mademoiselle Henriette for throwing herself at you " Armand
mocked inwardly pleased with his efforts at portraiture
,' Eugene' \*&« the time you waste in the morbid atmosnU
done
ffi
A extravagantly,
J
" m?dlCexamining
°- Le°nard
° Csketch
°uld have
added
the
more closely better," he
�D
UPRIL, 1932
l-
^A\ "Y«- know.my father's wishes, Maurice," Armand said, halfsadly His surviving parent, Monsieur Alphonse Armand, was the
•e
s?
son ^T P YuCmn V\C ?r°VinCe °f Norm^dy, and wished his
son to continue his established practice at Rouen, where he resided."
Honor his wishes, Eugene; but do not neglect your talent.
Capricious fate may yet turn your future in the predestined path "
Barany spoke m the manner of an elderly counsellor, which he
belome W
** •**** ^ ^^ ^
which did not
^
;„ P Y°" eXa?S.f ale m>' ability, Maurice. There are a dozen as good
InTV T S ,Ec°le,^t. Did I not see the deformed Ray
mond Bergault, who really looks as if he lived on nothing but bread
and cheese, draw a line that surpassed Martini's in its perf ectness?"
Eueene It }! Suh°rd)n^ m^lY a Piece de resistance, my dear
Eugene. It is no work of art. Your acquaintance Bergault commands more technique than heart, which is the soul of aft "
t0 ics of no les
terestbut
«tthe
I hour
h
^
f^Vf
'° the
°ther
P
interest but as
was already
late,
two friends,
a half *hour
or so later, retired for the night.
th* 'JheJ°nowfS
da
y
was Sunda
y- The slowly rising sun flooded
ltS
rayS
e^of WhfaTh H "I"
I
' f°rminS "rable patch
es of light and shade along the tree-bordered pavements As it was
still quite early, the street was almost desertedof any mting objlct
gHmmere f the sun
etrateteui^
""*"•
!! *" of
H*
£~
etrated
through the open
windows
the chamber.° His companion, who slept m the same room, was still soundly sleeping The
dressed quietly, not wishing to disturb him
The beautiful morning did not appeal in vain to Armand for
P0CketS
mergS
itT"
7°" "?
^
' ^immediately
Thortiy emerged from
the apartment
house
into "the^street. He
turned his footsteps east towards the Place de la Con orl in the
LuL^neElySCeS'
WhCre hC t0 k
°
^ «*«
baro
^e to the Bois de
Arriving at his destination, he dismissed the carriage after mv
ing the fare The section of the Bois in which hTZnT^i
wa provided with numerous benches, and one of these, which flank
ed the smooth roadway he selected with a keen sense of enjoyment
The immense park, with its forest-like stillness and placid lakTaJ'
ways reminded him of the valley of the Orne in No^mTndy which
explained the strong fascination the Bois held for hinT
For a half hour or more he sat almost motionless ^azine- il
ternately at the lucent sky and then at the crysj^^llt
�58
THE SYRIAN WORLD
rored the vast blue firmament. A heavy peace prevaded him.
y
r otte
He
hat he Was to attend
ChJu f J° #
V .
^ormng services at the
Church of St. Eustache with his friend. The boundless dome of
heaven held mute communion with him, and imbued in him a spirit
P
of sublimity that the Church could never hope to inspire.
I he staccato hoof beats of carriage horses awakened him from
ceive^Z' "K g/ancing somewhat confusedly about him he perceived that a bench near him was occupied by a grave, elderly inB^vardkr0
*
atte tlVely reading an illus
"
^ted edition of the
A gust of wind, that came with fitful suddenness, blew through
the park and passing by them greedily snatched a loose section of
the paper that the man was reading and carried it whirling
to the
s
roadway, a few feet away.
At that moment a handsome carriage, drawn by two coal-black
horses, rounded the curve in the road and swiftly approached the
th£ Sheet
^ardLTf?
^d listlessly
rTf in
• SuddenJy
'rthfBout
vardier, that stirred
the middle of the road,
was caught
It* C*{nCl0US Wn!d and whirled daringly in front of the car^T /l SU/pnsed Jorses reared in bright at the unknown menlv tn t
tUPu 'thC Camage aS they SWUn& mad]y and violently to the right the mutinous paper still supported by the breeze
against their quivering legs. Subdued gasps of nervous fear soun^
ed from the back of the vehicle as the coachman was partly
thrown
y Lnruwn
from his seat by the plunge.
Eugene Armand instantly came to life and bounded towards
the carriage. With a quick upward thrust of his arm, and at cont0 h
hmbS h
SSt aPnd Jerked
' 5 gfaSped the bHdle 0f the horseon
t L
downward
"S
s with all his strength
d Wn!
respondThi*^^ °
" h? shouted> « he felt the horse
respond to his straining arm, and almost instantly the other animal
ceased its plunging, which enabled him to pick up the sheet of nws
paper from under them and crumble it in his hand
Perceiving that the coachman had regained control of his chareS e hlS h
th£ bridle and Ste
£d back t0
men?
t he intention
t f °%
*c pavfment, ;th
with the
of resuming his seatPP
Avoice, however, from the carriage arrested him
Oh, monsieur! be so gracious as to permit us to thank von for
S^f the efe 0f *« - octants, a hfndtriad0;
tone "turn W STST '**• madame'" said A and, « an embarrassed
tone, turning to the carnage and removing his hat; "the service was
�'tAPRILy.1932
59
nothing."
"Indeed, monsieur, I am sure that you saved us from a very
likely'accident, and find myself unable to thank you enough/'
the elderly lady continued, smiling at the attractive Armand, who
bowed in a somewhat diffident manner at this further acknowledghnrJ^i/i^ monsieVr> why y°u shouted 'Guichard' at the
horse you held?" mquired the other occupant of the carriage a
young woman who was extremely lovely in her early maturity
1 own a horse by that name, and it came unconsciously to my
ma em
lk
Ww
H and
Tsmiling
', ^atanSWCred
' dwdlin
g With
^certainty on me
last
word,
the lovely
face of
the girl
sistedlf eld^y" ^ ** ^ "^ ~'" P*
returl^wlng^n * * °f *"*
t0
^ ^^'
the lady said in d
mg EZ&gsr-*
A
rd
«d
~> ° -
"Good-morning, mesdames," Armand said, with another bow
but this belied his mental agitation.
1
'
h*d nl^ f^^ Wh° °CCUpied the bench a ]ittle distance away
hk SUr rise at the swift
of
"T^
or e^entfthTf
events that almost/resulted
in ^
an accident.P He arose from^
his
seat and^proachedArmand, nervously rolling his papTr tocher
Ah! to think that it was due to my carelessness, monsieur " the
elderly gentleman said, striking the newspaper lightly again'st Ss
"You were scarcely to blame, monsieur," Armand protested
smiling in sympathy at the old man, who was evidentlyy taking'the
incident quite to heart.
<-iK.mg me
"Indeed, I hold myself responsible, monsieur. Your brave
actions alone averted a serious mishap," and nodding, with an <Z
pression of gratitude on his thin, deeply lined face, he passed
on to
P
wards the other side of the lake.
Eugene Armand immediately forgot the old man as he disappeared from view, for the beautiful features of the younger of the
two occupants of the carriage were envisioned before htdream n*
eyes, as he imagined that she was again speaking to him drCammg
�I
\
60
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Still dreaming, he withdrew the sketching pad from his pocket,
and, taking a pencil from another, he began to draw with feverish
haste, as if fearful of losing his inspiration.
It was almost midday when Eugene Armand returned to his
rooms in the Rue Romondre. Maurice Barany was out, as he expected. The excursion to the Bois had so sharpened his appetite
that he almost decided to visit the "L'Ecole," a restaurant in the
Latin quarter that catered to students exclusively, without waiting
for his companion's return. But an inner prompting dispelled this
feeling, and, as he removed his jacket and boots to employ the more
comfortable lounge-jacket and slippers, his eyes centered on the
pencil-sketch of his friend which he had not as yet removed from
the easel.
Armand replaced the finished canvas in the closet and withdrew one which was still untouched. He then withdrew an artist's
palette and a wooden case in which he kept his pigments and brushes. He adjusted the canvas on the easel and immediately began to
spread the pigments on the palette. He remembered the sketchbook in the discarded coat, but he felt that he had no need of it. His
hands trembled slightly as he applied the base to the canvas. Gradually, however, his nerves settled under the habitual instinct of the
artist, and soon he was working with the earnestness and ease of one
familiar with his medium.
At two o'clock that same afterncvn, Maurice Barany walked
into the study with a barely perceptible smile on his lips.
His
thoughts so prevailed over his perceptions that he did not at first
notice his friend, still very much immersed in his work.
"Oh! a Gargantuan worker thou art becoming, O desecrator
of the Sabbath," he greeted in his airy fashion.
Eugene Armand looked up from his canvas and gave his friend
a somewhat embarrased smile.
"Explain your running off this morning, my dear Eugene?"
demanded Barany, with assumed severity.
"Your offence was
doubly rude, for this ^norning it was my intention to introduce you
to the best and most beautiful girl in the world."
"Being ignorant of your kind intentions, I hope you will forgive me," answered Armand, smiling again, and reflecting that there
were at least two queens of beauty in the world.
"Well, being unfortunately both poet and artist, you could
hardly be blamed for succumbing to the beautiful morning, so you
are excused, my friend," Barany pronounced graciously, as he advanced towards his companion.
1
�V
^APRIL, 1932
61
«j
Not now; some other time, Maurice," Eugene Armand said,
holding his hand up as if to stop his friend's advance. His voice
quivered slightly and his face flushed uncomfortably
"Ah! something unusual, Eugene?" Barany questioned, his interest awakened.
"Yes; you shall see later," the other said, evasively, forcing
his attention to his work, and all the while uncomfortably conscious
ol the piqued curiosity of his companion.
The following week proved to be very exacting for the two
friends m the Rue Romondre. Several foreign professors and lecturers were scheduled to appear at the Medical College during the
week which necessitated extra hours of annotative work. It was
therefore not strange that Maurice Barany grew alternately despondent and djsgusted because he could not devote more of his time
to Mademoiselle Ronsard, who, to his further chagrin, did not al-
iJr '° T ,an *rr
fr m WS W rL
°,
°
His
companion, on the
other hand, developed a peculiar reticence that so differed from his
generally equable disposition that even Barany, in mental anguish
at the short separations from his betrothed, noticed the changef and
remarked about his frequent absences from the college
environs
6
during recess periods.
During these absences, Eugene Armand would either hurry to
his rooms to devote a feverish hour or two to the near-completed
canvas, or have himself driven to the Bois, where he wandered about aimlessly, peering anxiously at the numerous carriages and
witTtheyh
,T,nd' nStqUfntly' had fallen ^sperately in love
with the beautiful girl he had met under so unusual circumstances,
and visited the park with the hope of seeing her again. But in thf
teZST"" ' "** "" *"" ^^ " ^ ^Ve**^
h. m?\e/ftern°t?n' returning from ^e Bois to the lecture hall,
he met Maurice Barany m the corridor, and greeted him with foreed cheerfulness.
Barany frowned as he recalled that he had not seen his comvtn!T A°V I
^ tW° hJ°UrS °r m°re- But this sentiment instantly
vanished when he noticed the flushed features of his friend, and the
nervous movements of his lips and hands
he J^W6' T 3/e T T11'" hC Said> his uneasiness increasing as
he felt his friend's forehead, which was hot and dry. "Come with
me, he commanned, taking Eugene Armand's arm with the intention of returning to their rooms in the Rue Romondre
Oh, I am quite well, Maurice; you are mistaken," Armand
�\
62
THE SYRIAN WORLD
protested, mildly; but under the vigorous persistence of his companion he went along, without will enough to resist.
In their rooms, Maurice Barany assisted his friend in removing
his clothing, after which he gave him a mild paregoric to alleviate
the fever. He then forced Armand in bed. During all this time
he 'chattered incessantly, scolding his companion for abusing his
health with his mysterious absences, for he ascribed his condition to
that source.
"No reading, no meditating," he ordered his friend, who could
not resist a weak smile at these precise instructions. "This-will be
difficult, Eugene, for man is essentially a meditating animal," Barany
continued, in his prosy way. "Relax as our eminent countryman
Delsarte has taught us and you will be as well as ever in no time."
After Barany had left to return to his lecture periods, Armand
relaxed in bed as best as he could, but as to stop meditating, he not
only found it difficult, but impossible. For a half hour or more he
moved about restlessly, for as soon as his thoughts would dwell on
the ever-persistent memory that haunted him, he would determinedly change his position in bed in an effort to forget. Realizing the
utter futility of his intentions, he finally arose from his bed, and,
clad in his robe de chambre, he made his way slowly to the study.
He unlocked the door of the closet in which he kept his supplies
and withdrew the almost completed canvas. For several minutes
he gazed with passionate longing at the beautiful features that were
delineated in the pure lines of maidenhood. An ethereal fragrance
seemed to emanate from the lifeless face, and he trembled as he
visualized the proximity of his infatuations.
With an effort he aroused himself from the enervating stupor.
Methodically, he adjusted the canvas on the easel, and, taking the
palette and brush in his hands, he began without pause to apply the
careful sympathetic touches that mark the perfect finish.
The time passed so swiftly under the dominant influence of
the work before him that he was almost startled to hear the deskclock strike the hour of four. With a last, barely perceptible touch
of his brush, he hurriedly replaced the evidences of his labors and
returned to his bed in the next room.
He did not realize his utter exhaustion until he had pulled the
bed covers over him. A great weariness, accompanied by a benumbed sensation of his limbs, enveloped him. As he felt himself succumbing to a lethargic drowsiness, he heard the outer door open.
Maurice Barany rushed into the study, threw his books aside
on a table, and entered the bedchamber with a smile on his hand-
M
u
II
�^^/Z, 1932
63
some face.
large'^v^'fro^t"^: "If* m^"^ withdrawing a
bedsid
"Never^e
Man'rice> tjT'^
VS '"^
erT Mau
his old
spirit.
Eugene rephed,
with a touch *-of
T
? W°ndered> •*"»»
whatlZed'lr^t^^r-
tographers, wh"e 1 had eft Zt
T ff my lb r PhsSy's> the Ph°P
ment The s,Vh?nf (,
li L
'° °
« othed for enlarge0
0
he added, ncintfofa^le^J
^' > am P°sit»<'
aS he "^
hdrw
ments from the envekpe
'
<
of the enlargeuprigh? h,nbyedmiled
a8am
"
hC h3nded h
<°
his
*<=nd, who now sa,
paUorESlfffu:ed a„ird\teekPsh0tdTPh, ^ ha"dS'
ed with fever-strickXestthrplctu;: ^ "^
A d
^y
aS he
^
her Wdi
friend," excrmed%
w^hVeThelmed With
"-> Y
Kis a entio from
other photographs which he 1 """""I
"
"
*e
Do you wjsh to see the rest, Eugene ?»
Pardon, Maurice j I feel tired "
P
ed and^ef ZeotXS ^ *> ""** "* ^
fa
« -rt-
xiety"Irk"" ^ ^"^ E^>" Ba J -id, his anI
f r a m Unti f
took
L^cSk
Mdtf
Mrs
T
^
° „ ° "« »«
from him. As the hour of d
'
"8 " °"ght of rest
d,Spe,1,
I;
If
1
a
th
had become so rri al tha, he tl apP ached> Ar "d>s condition
sieur Alphonse K^£ 'Sto"^ 3 ,d**n * M°-
h
se
5
rushed from the apart
">«ttte
Si»ce
:ra
Sv^
r
I doctotoZf. Physaan.
h
summons for the
Loving a hurried
the nearest tel^aph office wheT^ P'^TT'^ PTOeeded to
to Monsieur Armand
d,spatched a detailed message
|-*&?Xtt3»JM; n
had responded somewhat to his treatment
ound th doc
P
°°r
? ;
fnend
�64
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Towards noon, Barany received a laconic telegram from Monsieur Armand to the effect that he could be expected to arrive by
motor at the earliest possible hour.
Having by this time recovered a degree of his wonted composure, and knowing that his companion was in good hands, he left
for the Medical College, where he explained his friend's absence
and obtained for himself temporary leave of absence from his lecture periods. Finding that he could spare a little time from his
friend's bedside, he paid a hurried call at Madame Ferrande's residence, where his betrothed was visiting.
Late that night, an expensive motor sedan stopped suddenly
before the apartment house in the Rue Romondre. A tall, distinguished-looking man emerged from the tonneau and immediately
ascended the short series of concrete steps that led to the apartment
entrance. Before he could ring the bell, however, the door was
opened, and to his surprise and evident pleasure he was admitted by
Maurice Barany, who had been patiently waiting for his arrival.
"My dear boy, I am indeed glad to see you," Monsieur Armand greeted, embracing Barany with fatherly affection. "But my
son—how is he?" he broke off, a worried look in his eyes.
"As well as could be expected, Sir," Barany answered, leading
his friend's father up the carpeted stairs. "The fever is checked,
and he is resting quietly."
The meeting of father and son, after the later had awakened
and with difficulty recognized his parent, was tender, and to Barany's
sentimental nature almost unbearable to witness.
Under the skillful care of his father and the local physician
who first attended him, and who was still nominally in charge of
the case, Eugene Armand was out of bed in a week's time and apparently on the way to complete convalescence.
Monsieur Armand, with the usual acumen of medical men,
had in part guessed the real cause of his son's illness, for though
Eugene seemed to improve rapidly his spirit and former jovial disposition was very evidently affected by some secret burden. To his
further enlightenment, it did not require much persuasion to get his
son to return with him to Rouen.
Maurice Barany missed his friend's presence very deeply, but
being under an even more potent influence, that of Mademoiselle
Ronsard, whose stay in Paris was drawing to a close, he did not feel
his companion's absence as he might have.
The following Sunday Maurice Barany assisted his fiancee from
Madame Ferrande's carriage, which was driven to his apartment-
i
i.
Ii
li
�g^wnwiiiiijjmi', aim xmu
-APRIL, 1932
65
house after church services, where they had gone without Madame
Merrande, who, because of a slight indisposition, had been unable
to accompany them. Getting Henriette's approval, Barany dismissed the carnage with instructions that they would follow later.
Maurice had promised his fiancee that he would show her the
penal portrait his friend had executed some time ago, and had
chosen the present occasion to fulfill the promise. They were both
relieved that the hall-ways were deserted, for both laughingly realized their utter disregard for propriety.
Reaching his rooms on the second floor, Barany unlocked the
outer door that led into the study, which they entered, leaving the
door open. After drawing a chair for his companion, he went to
the closet in which Eugene kept his supplies. He withdrew what
he thought to be the canvas he was looking for, but to his surprise
it proved to be two canvases tightly bound together. With a small
pocket knife he cut the cord as he walked back to where Mademoiselle Ronsard was seated.
As Barany parted the canvases, a sheet of folded stationary
paper dropped to the floor. He bent over and picked it up, and
seeing his name written in his friend's handwriting on the paper
knew that it was intended for him. Placing the canvases on the
mahogany table, he began to read the letter, for so it proved to be,
while his companion regarded him with questioning eyes.
A look of astonishment and pain overspread his fine features
as he continued to read, as if fascinated by the intelligence that was
being revealed in the letter.
The sheet of paper suddenly dropped from his nerveless fingers.
"What is it, Maurice?" Mademoiselle Ronsard cried, her
beautiful face becoming pale.
Without replying, Maurice took up in his hands the uppermost canvas and turned it over. His incredulous eyes stared blankly at the exquisitely painted delineation of Henriette Ronsard
Meeting the bewildered gaze of his betrothed, he handed the canvas to her without uttering a word. As she examined her portrait,
her bewildered comprehension growing on her, Barany went to the
next room and returned immediately with a recent photograph
of
to
Eugene Armand.
_
"Do you know him, Henriette?" he asked, in a voice not entirely under control.
Mademoiselle Ronsard's face tensed as she took the photograph in her hand.
�66
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"Yes, I know him, Maurice," she answered slowly, with dawning understanding. "It is the young man who bravely came to our
assistance in the park." Her breast rose gently and her eyes filled
with tears.
"Then it is to him, unknown to me all this time, that I owe
your precious life," Barany exclaimed with tender passion, taking
his sweetheart in his arms and clasping her to him.
After a while Barany regained possession of the letter from
the floor and gave it to Henriette.
_ "My dear Maurice," she read silently, her bosom still heaving
with emotion, "be not astonished when the full meaning of this
letter dawns upon you. Through a capricious turn of fortune I
was happily able to render a slight service to Madame Ferrande and
her niece Henriette Ronsard, of whose identity at the time I
was totally 111 ignorance. In a lighter mood, you will remember,
you predicted that I should fall in love with your fiancee, and so it
proved. Losing my head completely, I fell madly in love with
f Cr.'ua t°v j ?!?,nger' U"erly unknown to me, but apparently, even
to the blind Milton, an angel of goodness and beauty. It was during that chance meeting in the park that I conceived the idea of preserving her likeness on canvas, the morbid perseverance of which
was the ultimate cause of my illness. Being unable to possess the
original, I cherished, with ever-increasing passion, the form and
spirit that I had transposed to the lifeless canvas. Learning her
identity, on that fateful day, I was levelled to the earth with remorse and pain and, being already in a weakened state, succumbed
to the fever. The memory of the pure love that was inspired by
her, your future wife, has finally cleansed all taint of my passion.
It is because of the supreme joy that I now feel in the most
deserving happiness that has come to both of you, the finest of women and the best of men, my friend, whose friendship I value above
everything else, that I have written this confession to you "
Henriette was crying softly as she finished the letter, and lookSSnovS*0
C mpanion S face saw that
°
'
motion had not left him
&JS »S PlightC(i US aS ?° Priestly father could h*ve done,
Henriette," Barany said in a soft voice, clasping his sweetheart again
her hlw7 /? f°r Y°Z S!k£' Maurice>" his betrothed murmured,
ineffable
" ^^ ^^^^~^thcr^l-l
Is
I i
i
Ifi
I mon
I the <
�*4PRIL, 1932
67
EDITORIAL COMMENT
NAOUM A. MOKARZEL
The editor of the SYRIAN
V\ ORLD mourns in the editor of
AJ-Hoda not only a beloved
brother but the pioneer and dean
of the Syrian journalistic fraternity m America. His loss is irreparable. He not onlv built a
great institution but was himself
a Jiving one in the life of the SyrS18 and ^^ese immigrants.
He was first and foremost in
nnfV ^°Vrement of social and
political reform, of spiritual or
Ju
^,ckeni»g, of charity
and benevolence, of moral uplift
and guidance. He was as brave
as he was kind. If ever he succumbed to human weakness, his
readiness to make amends, even
his Augustinian humility in making public confession, constituted
sufficient atonement. The pages
of Al-Hoda, though masterpiece*
I or Lterary creations, are even
r t0 be ad
I
\
red for reflecting
II cruZdmgandunrele^nginhis
a usades against corruption, yet
t.reless_ m his prosecution and
promotion of those causes which
redounded to the benefit and
I happmess of his fellowmen.
To mourn a relative is human,
but it is equally within the sphere
or the higher human concept to
sense the loss of one who was
near and dear to the heart of the
greater humanity. N. A. Mokarzel was such a man. He be Wto
imme°Hre,t0 ^mily
?f°ple than
He toiJehis
that his public might rest: he
suffered that they might enjoy"
he exposed himself to danger
hT h
5
" is who? ,"?ight
-
d
be
P
Jiis whole life was an epic of devofcon to the public weal. Such
men are rare, and their lofty example is a guiding beacon for
those who follow in the arduous
*ay of public service. Their
Jives are an inspiration.
Thev
supply the influence that shapes
he destinies of nations and spSr
^o worthler and higher achieve
Sltuatlo
suW
»s, the family
submerges lts personal feelingl
m the greater gHef wh.ch g_
euJf a nation. There is consolaJ.on m the fact that the sense of
loss is universal.
N
ay, there can even be a
contentment and elation in the
realization of having giVen £
Wwild such
a worthy man Be
who T °f *? men' those men
ptsist
rlndSerVeandachieve
Persist on the earth by their in
s-dered ever hvmg. Such public
g«attenuates the persona" lo
of the immediate family
Perhaps it is not for the edi-
�II IIIMIIMill I
\
68
tor of this publication to acclaim
N. A. Mokarzel the greatest
public figure yet produced by the
Syrians in America, but historyis bound to render such a verdict.
Trained under his able guidance, and having served with him
for nearly two decades in the exacting and trying duties of publishing Al-Hoda, the editor of
the SYRIAN WORLD shall ever
cherish the memory of N. A.
Mokarzel, not only as a beloved
and only brother, but as a guide
and mentor in the bitter-sweet
duty of public service. The
means might be varied but the
goal is' the same. That which is
planted in the heart early in life
will continue as the controlling
motive throughout the years.
Self-dedication to public service,
in the cause of which the late editor of Al-Hoda laid down his
life, a voluntary martyr to selfimposed duty, should be the most
fitting testimonial to the love and
admiration for the unselfish patriot, the able leader, and the beloved brother.
?
B
THE SYRIAN WORLD
NO MARCH ISSUE
Insurmountable difficulties rendered
impossible the publication of the
March number of The Syrian World
on time. Under the circumstances we
had planned to issue a double number
combining these of March and April,
but it was discovered that Post Office
regulat;ons did not permit if such an
arrangement for publications enjoying second-class postal privileges,
and in conformity with these regulations the March issue had to be omitted, and the serial number of that issue "made applicable to the April issue, thus insuring the proper sequence.
For the loss of the March number
we have made an attempt to compensate subscribers by an increase in
the volume of the present number,
with the further intention of making
whatever additional compensation in
the future condit;ons will permit.
Our readers will realize that we are
straining every effort to live up to
our obligations despite adverse conditions. But we feel that in this there
must be some display of reciprocity.
We would be in a much better position to fulfill their highest expectations of punctuality were they equally
punctual in living up to their obligations. Even the stronger publications
are feeling the weight of the depression, and with a class publication like
The Syrian World, having only a limited appeal, conditions must be proportionately harder. But it is up to
A SAD DUTY
It was our intention to make this that class to vindicate its public spirit
issue a memorial number to Gibran and culture by adequately supporting
on the occasion of the first anniver- its public institutions in times of
Surely no public enterprise
sary of his death. Fate, however, or- stress.
dained that the same issue should can forever be maintained by the limserve as double memorial to the two ited resources of an individual, and if
distinguished Syrians who died with- the Syrians in America look upon
in a year of each other. We trust The Syrian World as a worthy pubthat the two portraits in color in- lic enterprise, they will realize that it
cluded in this issue will be especially cannot thrive on mere lip approbation.
appreciated by our readers.
�*APRIL,1932
69
Political Developments in Syria
SYRIAN NATIONALISTS
WIN DEFERRED ELECTIONS.
Conflicting reports have reached this
country about the Syrian elections
which took place on the 31st of March.
According to an Associated Press dispatch, riots broke out in Damascus,
several persons being killed and many
more wounded. But this seems to be
unfounded, or else must have referred
to later events, following on the fateful elections.
On the contrary, from the Damascus
correspondent of Lisan-ul-Hal (Beirut) it appears that the elections were
carried on peacefully, with no disquieting incidents to disturb the election day, despite the military precautions taken by the Mandatory government. Indeed, it seems that the government in control had anticipated
riots and bloodshed, as actually took
place on the deferred elections on the
20th of Dec. Soldiers in full arms
were stationed in groups at short distances in the different streets and
quarters of the ancient city; machine
gun detachments, mounted on armorplated cars moved through the crowded thoroughfares and bazaars, and
heavy guards surrounded the election
booths to protect the election officers
and prevent any violent interference
with the balloting.
Whether these extreme precautions
in themselves were an effective deterrent of violence and bloody disturbances, or were altogether exaggerated, if not unnecessary, cannot be determined at this distance. It should
be said, however, that M. Henri Pon-
sot, French High Commissioner in
Syria, declared more than once
through 'his representatives, and in an
official communique several days before the election, that the French authorities have no intention whatsoever
of interfering in the pending elections,
which it was solemnly promised will
be allowed to proceed freely, to determine the true wishes of the Syrian people.
The result was that, with the exception of five candidates, one of them a
thorcugh-going Nationalist on an independent ticket, the winners of the
Syrian election were all candidates of
the "Nationalist Block". The three
independent candidates who also won
are: Haqqi Bey al-Azm, Mohammed
All Bey al-Abed, Nazih Bey al-Muayyad, Farid Effendi al-Hajjar and
Fawzi Bey al-Bakri. Of these Nazih
Bey al-Muayyad was until less than
two years ago an exile in Cairo,
Egypt, being one of the leaders of the
revolution which raged in Syria for
two full years before it was finally
put down. He is also a brother-inlaw of Dr. Abdul-Rahman al-Shahbandar, the foremost civilian revolutionary leader often referred to as the
"brains of the Syrian revolution."
This in itself is evidence that the
French authorities were earnest in
their promise of impartiality.
Although there is also ample evidence
that representatives of the Mandatory
held numerous conferences, negotiations and pourparlers with leaders of
the Nationalist Block before such a
promise of impartiality was given out
in an unmistakable manner.
�70
-
-
A few days before the elections, a
Damascus correspondent of a Beirut
daily, announced "the good news" to
his paper that final and definite agreement between leaders of the Nationalist Block and representatives of the
Mandatory representatives in Damascus had been reached on the candidates
to be put in the field. On the basis of
this "agreement" the Nationalist
Block decided finally "to enter the
elections", and some of them at once
declared their candidacy publicly.
With nr'sunderstandings and difficulties thus removed, the candidates of
the Nationalist Block sailed into an
easy and triumphant victory.
One result of the elections wh'ch
occasioned some surprise was the ignominious defeat of Shaykh Taj-udDin al-Hasani, son of the influencial
religious leader of Damascus, Shaykh
Badr-ud-Din al-Hasani, sometimes
styled "the pope of the Moslems", a
title he has won as the foremost Muhaddith,
or
traditionist
and
authority on Moslem jurisprudence.
Shaykh Taj-ud-Din himself was chosen
by the French authorities, with the
supposed approval of the Syrian Nationalists, as head of the Syrian Government after the revolution. But his
equivocal position caused him to be
accused by the Nationalists as an opportunist anxious to be always on the
safe side with the French authorities.
It is almost unbelievable that this influential citizen of Damascus, whose
star of ascendancy was so 'high in the
political sky of Syria up to six months
ago, d:d not receive a single vote, not
even in his own electoral district. But
such 1S the report from Damascus,
which, it is said, "attracted attention
and amazed many."
Another who failed of election was
Riza Pasha al-Rikabi, a dubious character in Syrian politics, who, it was
declared on several occasions, was
THE SYRIAN WORLD
working for the monarchist cause, and
the placing of a member of the Sharifian family, presumably ex-King AH,
son of King Husein and brother of
King Feisal and Emir Abdullah, on
the Syrian throne. At one time it was
rumored that the French authorities
themselves were in favor of such a
solution to the Syrian question, but
later reports contradicted this rumor.
It is, however, quite poss:ble that the
French were and are still in favor of
such a solution which would win them
the powerful sentiment of pan-Arabism throughout the Arabic-speaking
world. But the Syrian Nationalists
have so far steered clear of monarchical entanglements, and declared emphatically for a republican form of
government in Syria. Even in Aleppo,
where the monarchical sentiment is
said to be strong, the Syrian monarchists are in a decided m'nority.
Now it remains to be seen what the
Nationalists will make out of their
victory in the secondary elections.
Will they come to another impasse
with the Mandatory Power, resulting
in another dissolution of the Syrian
parliament, or will they continue their
friendly understanding with it? Much
of the latter alternative depends as
much on the attitude of the French
Foreign Ministry in Paris as on the
attitude of the Syrian Nationalists
themselves. For the latter have not
renounced their fundamental purpose
of attaining complete independence for
Syria, on the basis of substituting the
mandatory form of control for an amicable treaty between independent Syria and the French Nation, a status
which is already in existence and operation in neighboring Iraq, formerly
under British mandate and now an independent state, recognized as such by
the League of Nations, with British
interests and prerogatives in Iraq
guaranteed by an iron-clad treaty.
�'<JPRIL, 1932
LEBANESE POLITICS CENTER
ON THE PRESIDENCY
71
group in that country and claim that
it is only right that a president should
be
chosen from among them. For alThe race for the presidency is monothough
church and state are supposed
polizing the field in Lebanese politics
to
be
separated
in that mandated rethese days. There are agitated, ferpublic,
sectarianism
still constitutes a
vous, almost frenzied activities which
center on one single idea, one single large and important factor in the fashand undivided purpose: Who shall be ioning and direction of political opinion where for untold generations polithe next president of the Republic?
tics
was recognized as a sectarian isSince its creation in 1926, the Lebsue,
and
where officials were chosen to
anese Republic has had one president,
Hon. Charles Dabbas, who has ful- represent their different sectarian confilled the functions of his office as stituencies instead of the people at
large.
best as can be done within the numerBesides these three in the circles of
ous hedges and limitations imposed on
Lebanese
politics there are others who
him from inside and outside—from a
might
be
termed
as "dark horses," and
constitution patterned on that of the
who,
in
case
of
a
deadlock, may turn
French which leaves little for the chief
the
balance
in
the
favor
of one if them.
executive to do, and from the ManTwo
of
these
dark
horses
whose names
datory Power which has not completehave
been
mentioned
oftenest
in the
ly relinquished its authority on that
1
little republic even in internal matters. press are Hon. Mohammed al-Jisr,
The original presidential term of the President of the Chamber of Deputies,
Lebanese Republic was three years, and Dr. Ayoub Thabit. The first is a'
in accordance with which Hon. Charles' Moslem with a powerful backing of
Dabbas was reelected in 1929. Now, the Moslem constituency in Beirut,
an amendment has been made in the Sidcn, Tripoli and other centers where
constitution extending the president- the Moslem population is large or preial term to six years, and the prem- dominates. The latter is a Protestant,
ium for that office has consequently representing minority groups in Lebrisen in the market of politics in a anon, an intelligent and progressive
country where "the office" has always gentleman who spent a number of
meant so much, and where a govern- years in the United States working for
ment official is vested with a halo of the cause of Lebanon and the French
dignity and importance foreign to our mandate during the war. As soon as
conceptions and ideas in this country the war was over he left for Lebanon
where business leads and politics fol- where he played an important role as
iov.'.
a minister of the interior a few years
ago.
According to the welter of political
And while the chances of Dr. Ayoub
articles incessantly pouring out from
ThaMt may be called at this writing
the editorial offices of the Beirut press,
only nebulous, those of Shaykh Mothree names loom out as those of the
hammed al-Jisr are taking more and
loading candidates. These are: Hon
more definite shape, which fact has
Emil Eddy, Hon. Bishara Khoury and
given much apprehension to the three
Habib Pasha al-Saad, all former premoriginal candidates.
iers and members of the Chamber of
That is how the situation stands
Deputies. All also happen to belong
among the Lebanese politicians themto one sect in Lebanon, the Maronites,
selves, and within the circles of the
who constitute the largest sectarian
members of the Lebanese Assembly
�I
If
I!
Si-
I
7.2
One may legitimately ask, "But what
is the popular opinion of the people
themselves?" And since the election
rests not on popular choice but on
that of the Assembly, following the
French system where the Chamber and
Senate choose the president, the question is merely an idle one. However,
one ingenious and progressive newspaper, al-Ahrar, taking a clue from
cur illustrious Literary Digest, undertook a popular or straw-vote campaign
in Lebanon to determine the degree of
popularity of the different candidates
among the Lebanese people themselves, with the following tabulated
results:
Candidates:
Number of Votes:
3781
Emile Eddy
1936
George Bey Thabit
139
Shaykh Mohammed al-Jisr
Dr. Aycub Thabit
279
Habib Pasha al-Saad
167
Shaykh Bishara al-Khoury
67
Jibran al-Tweiny
282
Scattered Votes
399
From which it is only fair to deduce that were it left to the people's
choice Hon. Emile Eddy would most
likely be the next president of the
Lebanon Republic. He has been the
choice of progressives not only in Lebanon but here in the United States
among the Lebanese immigrants who
still feel a strong attachment to, and
sympathy with, the little home of
their origin on the other side of the
Atlantic.
His candidacy was ably
championed by the late Naoum Mokarzel, lamented editor of al-Hoda,
who had never ceased up to the last
minute of his life to wage a bitter war
in his widely read paper against the
reign of chicanery, nepotism, unjustified extravagance and shameless graft
and favouritism that have held the
historic home of the "Maradites" in
the grip of their hands.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
An insight into the honest minds of
the poor tax-payers of Lebanon who,
like Atlas of old, carry the pompous
and onerous burden of what has rightly been called a farcical republic on
their bent shoulders, may be surmised from a casual conversation
which Shikri Bakhash, a progressive
journalist of Zahle and formerly a
resident of New York City, with a
former of al-Buka'.
"And who is your choice for president?", inquired the editor of the
Lebanese farmer.
The latter looked up quizzically and
said: "What have we poor farmers
to do with the choice of a president.
This is a matter in the hands of the
Assembly in Beirut."
"But suppose you were given a voice
in the coming elections, whom would
you vote for," insisted the editor.
"I will vote for the man who will
ease the burden of our heavy taxation, the man who has already demonstrated his solicitous interest for
the common farmer and labourer in
this Mountain, and who firmly carried
out a program of administrative reform and economy when he occupied
the office of premier—and who is this
man save Emile Eddy."
,
FRENCH BARGAIN FOR VOTES?
A Damascus correspondent of a
Beirut newspaper reports on what he
terms a "knowing authority," that the
French authorities have come to a preliminary agreement with the Syrian
nationalists of Damascus to allow the '
latter putting six candidates in the
field for the coming elections, one of
whom would be a Greek Orthodox
candidate, and that the French authorities themselves would name
four candidates, one of whom would
be the other Greek Orthodox candidate!
�tAPRIL, 1932
73
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
NEWS SECTION
VOL. VI NO. 7
SYRIANS RESPOND TO
APPEALS FOR CHARITY
It has been truly said that the present severe depression has been a
blessing in disguise. It has brought
out to the surface our charitable and
brotherly qualities, and made us feel
more keenly and intimately the sufferings of others. Everywhere we go we
see signs and manifestations of this
splendid spirit with which true Americans are combating depression, and
driving the hungry wolves from the
doors of unfortunate ones.
To this general showing of a truly
humanitarian and Christian spirit the
Syrians have made admirable response.
Several Syrian affairs and entertainments whose receipts were designated
for charity and relief purposes have
been held lately all over the United
States, two cf which were held last
month in Brooklyn.
Charity Ball of
American Syrian Federation
The principal affair in the interest
of charity and the creation of a Syrian relief fund, was that held under
the auspices of the American-Syran
Federation at the Elks Club, Brooklyn
on April 16. It was a charity ball and
entertainment, generously supported
by complimentary advertisements to
its souvenir program, and well attended by Syrians of Brooklyn, New York
APRIL, 1932
and the Metropolitan area. The sum
realized by this gala affair for Syrian charity has not been announced,
but it is expected to be commensurate
with the generous donation of time
and labor by the volunteer workers of
the organization.
St. Vincent Holds Dance
On May 1st the Virgin Mary's Conference of St. Vincent de Paul Society
will give a dance and entertainment
in the auditorium of the Knights of
Columbus building. An elaborate program of Syrian music will be supplied,
featuring the talented young singer of
Boston, Miss Najeebee Morad.
Al-Kalimat Entertainment
On the 10th of April al-Kalimat Society, Inc., held an entertainment and
dance at the ballroom of the Knights
of Columbus headquarters on 1 Prospect Park West. The affair was well
attended, the proceeds going to alKal-mat charitable projects in Aleppo.
SYRIAN POLITICIAN HONORED
Our friend George Dagher is a wellknown figure among the Republican
workers and politicians of the city.
He is recognized as a man of ability
and promise. He is the leader of the
1st. Assembly District, Brooklyn, a
high position in local ploitics, and re-
�74
THE SYRIAN WORLD
cently his Assembly District gave a
brilliant affair in Irs honor at the Elks
Club Auditorium in Brooklyn. But
more singular still was the honor tendered him by Republican electors of
his district when it was announced
lately that he has been appointed a
delegate to the Republican National
Convention to be held in Chicago for
the presidential nomination.
A SYRIAN SCIENTIST
-
Among the Syrians who distinguished themselves in the United
States is one who only a few years
ago came to the country as a simple
seeker of knowledge in its many institutions of higher learning. Today
he is a dispenser of knowledge in one
of its principal universities, a promising authority in his field of endeavor,
although still in his thirties.
Michael G. Malti, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at Cornell University, is an unassuming,
noiseless busy man, like most members of his scientific clan. That is why
little has been heard about him. And
we are happy to tell of some of his
achievements.
Chief of these is a book which he
had published in November of 1930,
called "Electric Circuit Analysis,"
and which in this short time has already been adopted as a text-book by
ten colleges and universities, including his own, Cornell. One authority
calles it "one of the best things in its
line that has ever come out."
It is not for us to tell of the contents of this bcok, for it is a technical one dealing with every phase of
electricity. But it has been well received by various reviewers and authorities in the field of electrical engineering, and is declared especially
adaptable to the needs of students.
DRUZE GIRL STUDENT
WINS FELLOWSHIP
Among announcements of the Vassar College faculty, published recently in the New York Times, is one in
which the name of Najla Izzeddin appears as the recipient of an Alumnae
Fellowship of that famous college for
women.
Although Miss Izzeddin is listed as
an Egyptian, she is known to us as a
Syrian by descent. She is the daughter of a Syrian official in the Interior
Department of the Egyptian Government at Cairo. A few years ago,
when she came to this country to continue her studies, American newspapers featured her as "the first Druze
girl to seek a college education." She
made a good record at Vassar, where
she was popular in the social and academic activities of the college. By
her accomplishments, Miss Izzeddin
has helped to dispel a lot of mollycoddle nonsense about the backwardness and helplessness of the women of
the East!
ARABS BOYCOTT
ZIONIST EXPOSITION
A proclamation addressed to "all the
Arabic-speaking peoples in East and
West,': appears in Filistin, an Arabic
paper published in Jaffa, and in other
papers of Palestine and Syria. It is
signed by Rasim al-Khalidi as President of the First Congress of Arab
Youth in Palestine, and contains an
appeal to Arabs everywhere to boycott a proposed exposition to be held
by Zionists in Tel-Aviv. Arab merchants and manufacturers in particular are urged not to enter samples of
their products in the anticipated exposition, nor visit it or hire any space
in it.
�f
-APRIL, 1932
CHARLIE CHAPLIN CAN'T
MAKE SPHINX LAUGH!
On March 10 Charlie Chaplin, dean
of the fun-makers in the movies, paid
his first visit to Egypt., and was "as
'happy as a child," according to his
statement to the newspaper reporters
who met him at Alexandria.
Wherever Charlie went he attracted
big crowds of Egyptian admirers and
curious on-lookers. So much so, the
^gyptian press reports, that he had
to enter Shepherd Hotel, where he
stopped in Cairo, by a ruse, through
-e bac*-door, after climbing a fence.
Somebody told Charlie that there
was one feUow in Egypt who had
never laughed at his jokes, and never
WiH. Charlie did not believe it, and
75
The tragic note in this bankruptcy
;s that investors of large sums had
their loans to the bank secured by
heavy liens, while small investors
had placed implicit trust solely in the
integrity and business ability of the
bankers.
INDUSTRIAL, AGRICULTURAL
EXPOSITION IN BAGHDAD
The Iraq Government contemplates
holding in Baghdad during April according to press reports, an extensive
exposition said to be the largest ever
held m the Near East.
The proposition is said to have been
received with enthusiasm by native
k
v Zas„made- Then th*y t«ok merchants, industrialists and proCnarhe to Giza, made him ride a docile camel, as all tourists do, and ducers, and extensive preparations
were made to insure its success. As
brought him in front of the Sphinx!
an
encouraging sign, of cooperation
Moral: Charlie lost his bet'
among Arabic-speaking countries, it
is further stated that the agriculturists and industrialists of DamasSYRIAN BANK BANKRUPT
cus have given hearty approval of
the Baghdad exposition, and announcWhat is regarded as the "biggest
ed their intention to participate in it.
bankruptcy in Beirut in a long timeOne interesting feature of this exhas been disclosed lately in reports
position will be a baby parade to
coming from that city.
choose the most handsome and healMore than 900 depositors, a large thy specimen of Iraqite babyhood and
proportion of whom of limited means,
crown it "King of Iraqite Babies."
are involved in the sensational bankWho said that Iraq is behind in the
ruptcy of Kiryakos and Zuhair a
race of progressiveness and modernnative bank which had enjoyed the ization ?
confidence and trust of the business
And if Iraq holds a Baby Health
circles of Beirut and other Syrian
Contest, it still has some distance to
cities.
go to catch up with Turkey, nominally
Many of these investors are Syrian
a Moslem country, but which last year
emigrants who had amassed what held a ueauty contest to determine the
would be considered in Syria modest most beautiful girl in the country for
fortunes, and were confident that the
entry in the International beauty conincome from the native bank will en- test.
able them to spend the rest of their
There is no telling what the East
Jives m comparative affluence and secL
is capable of doing now that it has*
urity.
started on its forward march
�76
THE SYRIAN WORLD
gpawaBnaajs^^
Gibran's Message
To Young Americans of SyrianOrigin
By G. K.
GIERAN
Author of "The Trofftel,"
"Jnus ike icn of JSian"
1 believe in you. and I bcliei'e in your destiny.
I believe that you are contributors to this new civilization.
I believe that you have inherited from your forefathers an ancient dream, a song, a prophecy, which you can proudly lay as a gift of gratitude upon the lap of America.
1 believe you can say to the founders of this great nation. 'Here I am. a youth, a young
tree, whose roots were plucked from the hills of Lebanon, yet I am deeply rooted here, and I would
be fruitful."
And I believe that you can say to Abraham Lincoln, the blessed. "Jesus of Nazareth
touched your lips when you spoke, and guided your hand when you wrote; and I shall uphold
all that you have said and all that you have written."
I believe that you can say to Emerson and Whitman and James. "In my veins runs the
blood of the poets and wise men of old, and it is my desire to come to you and receive, but I shall
not come with empty hands."
I believe that even as your fathers came to this land to produce riches, you were born
here to produce riches by intelligence, by labor.
And I believe that it is in you to be good citizens.
And what is it to be a good citizen?
It is to acknowledge the other person's rights before asserting your own. but always to be
conscious of your own.
It is to be free in thought and deed, but it is also to know that your freedom is subject
to the other person's freedom.
It is to create the useful and the beautiful with your own hands, and to admire what others
have created in love and with faith.
It is to produce wealth by labor and only by labor, and to spend less than you have produced th3t your children may not be dependent on the state for support when you are no more.
It is to stand before the towers of New York, Washington. Chicago ?nd San Francisco
saying in your heart. "I am the descendant of a people that builded Damascus, and Biblus, and
Tyre and Sidon. and Antioch, and now I am here to build with you. and with a will."
It is to be proud of being an American, but it is also to be proud that your fathers and
mothers came from a land upon which God laid His gracious hand and raised His messengers.
Young Americans of Syrian origin. I believe in you.
:>/. «•«!
FREE TO SYRIAN WORLD SUBSCRIBERS. This beautiful message by
Gibran 13x17 inches, printed in large type on heavy paper with ornamental border suitable for framing. Every PAID subscriber whose term begins
with Sept. 1931 is entitled to a copy, mailed in heavy cardboard tube. Subscribers whose term begins before Sept. 1931 may secure a copy by renewal.
1
/
�^PRIL, 1932
77
w
AUTH ENTIC
ORIENTAL RUGS
s
s
THE A. SLEYMAN COMPANY. INC.
276 5th AVENUE
NEW YORK CITY
Phone BOgardus 4-4345
ms&mmsm
JERE J. CRONIN
I
1
IS
1
FUNERAL DIRECTOR
MORTUARY CHAPEL
Local or Out of Town Funerals Personally Attended to
LADY ATTENDANT
Expense a Matter of Your Own Desire
115 ATLANTIC AVENUE
BROOKLYN, N. Y.
The large amount of business we do permits us to buy caskets
in large quantity which enables us to give the best funerals very
reasonable We carry a complete line of the very best manufactured
caskets at ?45 00 up. We pay no agents to secure funerals for us but
only give the family who has sorrow the very best of service, reverence
and economy. Our aim is to help those who are in trouble at a very
little cost. No charge for use of our services or funeral parlors.
Telephone—MAIN 1398-1399-8130-3655
s:
BEST SYRIAN FOOD
You will experience a real touch of the East, exemplified by unexcelled Syrian couisine. at the ARABIAN
SHEIK RESTAURANT, under the expert management of Elias Esper. Take special note of the name
and address. Bring your friends for a real and extraordinary treat.
73
ARABIAN SHEIK
WASHINGTON ST.
TEL. BOWI.IXG GREEN
NEW YORK
9—9873
�THE LINOTYPE
IN TURKEY
The spirit of progress that is permeating the thought and action of
modern Turkey is nowhere better illustrated than in the decision of the
Turkish government to use the Linotype for type composition. The government's lead in installing two Linotype machines in its printing office
was quickly followed by the leading publishers of the country, so that
within the course of a year, twelve Linotypes were put in operation in
four of the principal printing establishments in Istanbul. In one particular instance, a battery of eight machines are now in operation, the
first unit having been bought in 1928, followed by the addition of four
machines in 1929, and three in 1930-eloquent proof of the thorough
satisfaction of the publishers with the operation of the Linotype.
The following is the significantly imposing list of Linotypes now in
operation in Istanbul, which is a sure indication of the Eastern nations'
awakening to the most potent means of accelerating progress by the
spread of culture through the printed word:
Government Printing Office
Yunus Nadi Bey, "Cumhuriyet"
Journal D'Orient
Kazim Chinassi Bey and Necmettin Sadik Bey "Journal
Akcham"
Hamit Matbaasi
2 Linotypes
8 Linotypes
2 Linotypes
i Linotype
l Linotype
^TRADE ^| f^ DTYPE MARK*)
r
MERGENTHALER LINOTYPE COMPANY
if i
Brooklyn, New York, U. S. A.
An illustrated descriptive catalog
Cable: LINOTYPE, NEW YORK
of the Ambjc Unotype Mnf
Representatives in the Principal Cities of the World
Set in Metro No. 2 Family
upon request.
^
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IERGENTHALER LINOTYPE COMPANY
m^Ji fj^. Ajil-lf bo)
UlJl JUe I U, <L, ; lo J|
- -^
Brooklyn, New York, U. S. A.
Coble:
LINOTYPE, NEW YORK
Representatives in the Principal Cities of the World
Set in Metro No. 2 Family
�,**^^^^^MMHIMMMRMHP^:
THE SYRIAN WORLD
80
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MARCH ON TO PROGRESS!
START A BANK ACCOUNT
IMMEDIATELY
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UP
Checking accounts may be opened with $200.00 or more.
FAOUR BANK
D. J. FAOUR & BROS.
Established 1891
Under Supervision of New York State Banking
Department.
Capital and Surplus Over $500,000.00
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�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
Identifier
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NS 0002
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
TSW1932_04reducedWM
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Volume 06, Issue 07
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1932 April
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 6 Issue 07 of the Syrian World published April 1932. The issue opens with an apology for the absence of a March issue, and an explanation that as a result the April issue is longer. The first article featured is by H. I. Katibah in which he discusses the challenge to the younger generation, specifically in relation to Western ideals and philosophies. This is followed by poetry edited by Barbara Young. This issue specifically features several articles related to the death of Al-Hoda editor Naoum A. Mokarzel, who is described as a great Syrian leader for his literary and political accomplishments. Following a number of tributes and a poem by Alice Mokarzel dedicated to her uncle, N. A. Mokarzel, there is an article that discusses the anniversary of Kahlil Gibran's death, followed by a number of other articles that discuss Gibran and his works. Following a classic Arab tale, there is more of Edna K. Saloomey's discussion about the younger generation. Thomas Asa closes out the issue with a short story titled "The Portrait." The issue concludes with more on political developments in Syria and excerpts from Syrian world news.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
A language of the resource
English
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
Format
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Text/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Alice Mokarzel
Barbara Young
Edna K. Saloomey
Habib I. Katibah
Kahlil Gibran
kk
New York
Poetry-English
Thomas Asa
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/2137d3a84a235757cc81c39cd48462c8.pdf
672aed4ef51974bd8f10b7fe659fb455
PDF Text
Text
^_
L. VI
SEPTEMBER, 1931
NEW YEAR -NEW POLICY
AN EDITORIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
THE MYSTERY OF AORNHOLT
A SHORT STORY
i *
£«B
1
THOMAS ASA
&m -J
A POET RETURNS HOME
BARBARA YOUNG
THE APPEAL OF THE EAST
H. I. KATIBAH
RIHANI AND HIS CRITICS
A TRUE ARABIAN TALE
ffl
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��SYRIAN WORffiH
Published monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
.
Single Copies 50c.
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New York,
N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
! VOL. VI. NO. 1,
SEPTEMBER 1931
CONTENTS
PAGE
New Year—New Policy
3
AN EDITORIAL. ANNOUNCEMENT
Our Contributors
6
Our Plans for the Future
_•
A Poet Returns Home
Farewell Ceremonies to Gibran's Body 'in America
5
9
9...
BARBARA YOUNG
Farewell, Gibran
SALLOUM
_
A.
12. .
MOKARZEL
Touching Reception of Gibran's Body in Lebanon
14
The Appeal of the East
H. I.
18
.
KATIBAH
Quatrains of Al-Mutanabbi
SALIM Y. ALKAZIN
21
�CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
True Arabian Tales
._
__
22
Haroun Al-Raschid and the Beautiful Wife of
His Messenger
To a Dying Tree
24
THOMAS ASA
Shiites Protest Rihani's Criticism
25
In the Month's News
Conquest of the Air
Scholar in Politics
Deceiving Names
Gandhi in London
__
Home and Family
29
30
31
32
33
BAHIA
AL-MTJSHEER
The Mystery of Aornholt (A Short Story)
35
THOMAS ASA
Song of Friendship
45
EDNA
K.
SALOOMEY
Health and Hygiene
DR.
46
F. I.
SHATARA
Sayings of Alt
__
48
Political Developments in Syria
49
The Syrian World News Section
51
�ynan
%/
SALLOUM A. M<
MOKARZEL, Editor.
VOL. VI. NO. 1.
SEPTEMBER 193
New Year - New Policy
AN EDITORIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
a }
^ITH this issue, marking the beginning of its sixth year, THE
SYRIAN WORLD embarks on a new venture. It has decided to make
a partial concession to popular demand as regards questions of policy.
This concession, to be sure, should not be taken to mean a recession
from its ideal. Rather, it is an experiment in psychology to test the
proclivities of our English-reading public of Syrian-Americans, particularly the younger generation. In this change the same ultimate
end will be sought but through different channels. Our object of
producing an organ of service and inspiration to our younger generation will be adhered to and maintained, but the means employed will
be calculated to gain a wider appeal among this particular class by
using subtler methods of approach. Thus, instead of maintaining
the high cultural standard which has been the admiration of the
select few we shall strive to provide material of a more popular nature for the masses, offering only spasmodically material of a more
solid substance which we hope would be more readily accepted as a
variety in the fare. Practically, we are employing methods designed
to induce our younger generation to first read, and once that end is
achieved the educational results sought will prove more susceptible
of attainment. Our aim, so to speak, is to achieve the beneficial and
practical through the medium of entertaining and easy reading.
Those of our readers who have been following THE SYRIAN
WORLD during the five years of its publication and expressed satisfaction with its policy and standard might well regret our present
decision. They, like ourselves, viewed the publication in the light
of the dual role it was designed to play, both as an educational organ
for our younger generation and a cultural organ of our race among
the general English-reading public. But they will realize that the
�-.
4
, .-,,_.,,. _..
THE SYRIAN WORLD
compromise was made imperative by the stress of economic necessity.
The truth must be admitted and we might as well confess it without
equivocation. We tried to assume for ever so long the brave attitude
of enjoying sufficient support from our people to keep the enterprise
going, but the fact was really otherwise, and but for the considerable
personal sacrifices on the part of the editor the project would have
foundered on the rock of adversity. Equally important of admission
is our desire and determination not to give up the enterprise, especially at this stage. And to make its continuation possible some
radical step had to be taken. This is now being done in the form
of a compromise on the question of editorial'policy
It is our earnest hope that with the proposed change there will
be evidenced more popular support of the magazine. At least we are
determined to give the new policy a fair trial, and only if this also
should fail will we be willing to admit that there is no room in the
Syrian-American field for a publication of the nature of THE SYRIAN WORLD.
Our plans call not only for a wider range in the selection of material but also for a different method in treatment and presentation.
A detailed discussion of this phase of our new policy appears elsewhere in this issue.
In the determination to continue the enterprise we face the new
year with the hope of winning for THE SYRIAN WORLD the popular
support which we trust will be forthcoming both through the appreciation of a new class of readers as well as by the approval and cooperation of our old and steady friends.
We have so far refrained from any allusion in the pages of the
Syrian World to delinquent subscribers. Delay in the payment of
subscriptions is cause for constant complaint on the part of our
Arabic-language press, and it would seem that, to a large extent,
our English-reading public is similarly disposed in the question of
payment. Repeated statements are ignored, and once the delinquents are stricken off the active list they complain they were not
trusted! These should realize that the Syrian World has no intention of imposing itself on anyone, and wili recognize the subsrriber's
willingness to continue his subscription by his actual payment. This
public mention of delinquencies we now make for the first and last
time, and it is our hope that subscribers will realize that in the interest of economy in management as well as in our desire not to
impose the publication on anyone we shall discontinue sending the
magazine to every subscriber who fails to respond to the second
statement.
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
Our Plans for the Future
Since the SYRIAN WORLD was
created to endure, and because
we are firmly determined to
leave nothing undone in order to
assure its continuity, it has been
decided to effect a change in
the editorial policy in the hope
of insuring for it a more popular
appeal.
We had frequently heard
complaints that the general tenor
of the magazine was too scholarly, that its language too technical and far beyond the understanding of the average youth.
And, since it was designed to
serve this youth, its very standard was defeating its purpose.
Now, as set forth in the editorial announcement in this issue,
we1 are conceding a point to what
appears to be public demand, although not swerving from our
main purpose. We shall make
a bid for popularity along the
lines, we believe compatible with
public demand and consistent
with our educational aims.
More and Varied Fiction
We shall provide a veritable
feast of fiction. An Arabian
Nights' story will be published
in every issue of the kind that
will savor not only of the celebrated original tales but imply
either a moral lesson or carry
a certain educational value by
depicting some phase of Oriental
life. Fiction of a general nature
will also be offered as well as
true stories bearing on SyrianAmerican life. These latter we
feel confident will be not only
entertainingly interesting but
provocative in many ways. Added to this will be a series of
short stories based on the best
known novels whose scene was
laid in Syria and other parts of
the East or dealing with Syrian
events and personalities.
Syrian-American Affairs.
_ Realizing the,necessity of forging a stronger link of relationship between the widely scattered
Syrian-American
communities,
especially among the younger
generation of our people whose
relations have been so far confined to their particular localities,
special effort will be made to
give detailed news of the various activities of the different
communities. Also, when possible, historical sketches will be
given of individuals and groups
in our Syrian-American life that
will shed light on the past and
present and give a possible
glimpse as to prospects in the
future-.
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
Our Young GenerHion
We are particularly interested
in the young generation and for
that reason a standing department shall be devoted to the
discussion of their affairs. Not
that other departments of the
magazine will not be of interest
to them. Rather, this particular
department will deal directly
with them and discuss their various problems. And particularly
in this department there will be
speaking of the frankest nature.
No words will be minced in calling things by their right names
or facing frankly the various situations. W7here praise is due it
shall be given, and when criticism is necessary it shall be dealt
out honestly and unreservedly.
Full liberty of expression will
be permitted all shades of opinions by our readers, and our
young public is invited to avail
themselves of this free forum.
Cross Word Puzzles.
Beginning with an early issue,
we shall publish original cross
word puzzles that we trust will
have more than a passing entertainment value. They will be
designed especially to provoke
thought and study about Syrian
history, geography and general
affairs. They are meant to teach
as they entertain and should
prove a test of, as well as an incentive to, knowledge of things
Syrian.
Our Contributors:
Cover Design.
Assad Ghosn, formerly of
New York and now a resident of
Richmond, Va., is one of our
best known native artists in the
United States, specializing in
portrait painting. His art studies
took him' to Italy, Spain and
other countries of Europe where
he spent a considerable number
of years. The cover design he
has drawn for the SYRIAN
WORLD will be fully appreciated
in its distinctiveness. It is symbolic throughout. One can read
in it the whole history of Syria
it a glance. The Phoenician ship,
symbolic of the great enterprise
of our famous ancestors, appears at the base as marking the
rise of our importance in history.
The figures of Jesus and Moses
indicate the two great religions
which Syria has given the world.
An outline of the ruins of Palmyra and Baalbek appear on
either side of the panel portraying Syria's great seats of power
and civilization. Arabian influence is symbolized by the Arab
i
i
I
�-^-i-zr
SEPTEMBER, 1931
on his dromedary crossing the
desert, while the spread of
Islam's influence is symbolized
by the immense mosque. Lebanon, with its famous Cedars, is
outlined on jthe opposite side.
And because Egypt is Arabicspeaking and its people bear a
close blood and cultural relation
with that of Syria, the artist has
it represented by the Pyramids.
The two drawings for TRUE
ARABIAN TALES and HOME AND
FAMILY DEPARTMENTS are byAlfred Eadeh, a budding young
Syrian artist of New York, whose
efforts seem to hold excellent
promise.
An Invitation
We wish to encourage and
draw out our latent native talent
whether in literature or in the
field of art. Consequently we
invite
submission
of
title
sketches for our various departments, and would like to hear
particularly from those who can
execute illustrations in pen and
ink or crayon.
Editors of Departments
yhe regular departments we
have inaugurated will be added in future upon maturity of
plans now under consideration.
HOME AND FAMILY is
bound to be most useful and
constructive. It will appear regularly under the editorship of
one of our ablest Syrian women
:V-ir-rnr«
r
of American birth, who has cultivated not only a genuine appreciation of our better traditions
but a well-grounded knowledge
of the fundamentals of our culture and home life. She is a wife
and a mother and her subject
will encompass all home activities, from the training of children, and decoration and appointment of the home, to the conduct of the cuisine and the preparation of our special Syrian
dishes.
HEALTH JAND
HYGIENE will be under the editorship of our well-known physician and surgeon, Dr. F. Shatara of New York. The recurrence of infantile paralysis makes
his discussion of this subject
most timely. We have the promise of Dr. Shatara that he will
gladly answer questions submitted to him by SYRIAN WORLD
readers.
Habib I, Katibah will again
contribute regularly. Our readers will recall him as our associate
during the first year of THE
SYRIAN WORLD. Since then he
has returned to the Near East
where he spent nearly two years
traveling through Syria, Palestine and Egypt acting as special
correspondent to several American papers. He will give readers of THE SYRIAN WORLD the
benefit of his impressions and
studies on a variety of subjects.
�,1"
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8
THE SYRUN WORLD
A. HAKIM, who had once con- quent messages through the
tributed the series of provocative pages of THE SYRIAN WORLD.
discussions appearing under the
EDNA K. SALOOMEY will contitle of "The Sage of Washingtinue her liberal contributions in
ton Street," will be in charge of
the versatile and entertaining
the department of "Our Young
manner she has so far displayed.
Generation." The widest latitude
LABEEBEE A. J.HANNA will
has been given the editors in the
conduct of their particular de- return as a regular contributor
partments and we feel sure that in a special department now unevery one of them will be der consideration and which we
pleased to hear from his readers are sure will prove helpful.
on any question bearing on his
Contributions from talent yet
department.
unknown to us will be gladly
considered.
We plan to make
DR. PHILIP K. HITTI stands
ready to answer any question on THE SYRIAN WORLD not only
Syrian history and will contri- truly representative of our talent
bute special articles occasionally. but complete in all helpful ways.
Amin Beder, translator of AlREV. W. A. MANSUR will
Mutanabbi,will
continue to concontinue his inspirational and uptribute in poetical form the gems
lifting contributions.
of Arabic wisdom found in Al"
Mutanabbi as in no other single
THOMAS ASA will not only regale us with his charming poetry Arab poet.
but will branch out into the field
Andrew Ghar/eeb still has
of fiction, of which he is capable considerable translations of Gibof producing the finest type, as ran's Arabic works which will
can be judged by his mystery appear in the Syrian World for
story beginning in this issue.
the first time in English.
DR. SALIM Y. ALKAZIN will
have a great deal more to offer
of the charming poetry he has
been contributing since the inception of the magazine.
RIHANI, although retired to the peace of his native
town in the valley of Freike, will
not forget the host of [admirers
and friends he has left behind in
America and will send them freAMEEN
NOTICE
This being the first issue appearing since the two months'
summer suspension, several new
departments under consideration
could not be included owing to
accumulation of other important
material.
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
A Poet Returns Home
Touching Ceremonies Attending the Departure of Gibran's body
From America and Its Reception in the hand of His Birth
Farewell Ceremonies to Gibran s Body
in America
By
BARBARA YOUNG
"Come for leave-taking, O sons of my mother.
Bi-ing now the children with their finger-tips
of lily and of rose.
Let the aged come to bless my forehead with
their withered hands.
And call the daughters of the meadow and
the field.
That they may behold the shadows of the
unknown pass beneath my brows,
And hear in my last breath the echo of
infinity.
Lo, I have reached the summit;
I have outstripped the cries of men,
And I hear naught save the vast hymn of
this eternity."
Gibran
^)N the morning of July 23rd, the silent homeward journey of
Gibran Kahlil Gibran began. Following a dawn veiled with the
mist which he loved so well, his body was borne from the tomb in
Boston to the pier at Providence, there to embark for the last time
upon any earthly travel.
Through the gentle gray rain a long line of cars drove in the
early morning to take farewell of the poet-painter and of his sister
Marrianna, and her cousins, Mr. & Mrs. Assaf George who were
making their journey also with Gibran to Beirut and Becharri. And
one could not but remember his passion for the rain and the snow
and for "all that comes down from the sky," and how he has said a
thousand times when the wind and the tempests would beat upon
his high window, "How I thank God for this! It releases something
.
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
in me." And it seemed fitting that the rain should fall upon him
now, when all that had been within him was released.
Upon the road the cortege was met by the Rev. Philip J.
Nagem of Providence with an escort of a score of cars from that city,
come to conduct the family and friends of Gibran to the ship; wdth
them came also a special police car, which preceded the funeral
procession and halted all traffic so that the progress was unimpeded.
With Miss Gibran and Mr. and Mrs. George were the Rt.
Rev. Mgr. Stephen Douaihy, the writer, and Mrs. Zakia Gibran
Diab. And in the cars following, Mr. and Mrs. N'oula Gibran, Mr.
George's aged mother and his sister, Mrs. Amelia Gibran Parrant
and Mr. Parrant, and a great number of friends of many years.
At the pier where hundreds of both known and unknown
friends had gathered, a farewell service was held. The casket had
been placed upon a bier, and hung with t he American and the
Lebanese flags. Mr. N. A. Mokarzel, the editor of Al-Hoda, had
come from New York with a group of devoted men, among them
the Rev. Mansour Stephen of Brooklyn, S. A. Mokarzel, editor of
the Syrian World, A. K. Hitti, an agent of the Fabre Line, and J.
G. Raphael, editor of the magazine "Character."
Mr. N. A. Mokarzel presided at the ceremonies, voicing a
tribute to the genius and power of this countryman who had so earlymet with death. He was followed by Mgr. Douaihy who expressed
for himself as well as for the Syrians of Boston, and especially of
the Church of Our Lady of the Cedars, immeasurable remembrance and appreciation of all that this simple great man had been
in their midst as friend and brother for many a day; and to Mananna Gibran their endless love and devotion, and their readiness to
serve her loneliness and need in every human fashion.
Mgr. Douaihy and Rev. Stephen who came after him spoke in
Arabic, and with a fervor and sorrow that made it seem a pity that
those who did not know the tongue could do little more than
gather the sense of supreme eulogy and great bereavement . But
there were constantly recurring the words "Gibran" "Lebanon"
"Becharri," and these words made a ringing in every listening heart.
The Rev. Father Nagem of Providence spoke in English and
his words carried deep conviction of the exalted place that Gibran's
work will take among the poets and painters of the world, and his
assurance of the deathless power and beauty of Gibran's influence
upon the thought and life of the race.
Mrs. Mary Kahwaji read a poem in Arabic, paying her sorrowing tribute. Then the words of Gibran himself, a portion of THE
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SEPTEMBER, 1931
11
Prophet taken from the opening pages, was read by the writer,
where it says:
"Almustafa, the chosen and the beloved, he who was a dawn
unto his own day, had waited twelve years in the city of Orphalese
for his ship that was to return and bear him back to the isle of his
birth...And he beheld his ship coming with the mist... And he
thought in his heart, 'How shall I go in peace and without sorrow? Nay, not without a wound in the spirit shall I leave this city...
Yet I cannot tarry longer. The sea that calls all things unto her
calls me, and I must embark!....' Now, when he reached the foot of
the hill, he saw his ship approaching the harbor, and upon her prow
the mariners, the men of his own land...And his soul cried out to
them, 'Sons of my ancient mother, you riders of the tides, how often
have you sailed in my dreams, and now you come in my awakening
which is my deeper dream. Ready am I to go, and my eagerness
with full sails awaits the wind. Only another breath will 1 breathe
in this still air, only another loving look cast backward, and then I
shall stand among you, a seafarer among seafarers. And you, vast
sea, sleepless mother, who alone are peace and freedom to the river
and the stream, only another murmur in this glade, only another
winding will this stream make, and then I shall come to you, a
boundless drop to to a boundless ocean.' "
After this reading Mr. Salloum A. Mokarzel spoke with deep
feeling and fine appreciation of the achievements of Gibran, and of
the intense pride and joy that the Lebanese take in that this man was
one of themselves, and that his immortal name is irrevocably bound
up with the Syrian people; that the little mountain country has
given to this age one of its greatest spirits, and one whose incomparable worth is acclaimed around the world. He alluded to Gibran
as Almustafa, the prophet, the chosen and the beloved, in whom
dwelt knowledge of "those things which are between birth and
death."
After a brief word from Mr. Elias Shamon, a lawyer of Boston,
Mgr. Douaihy pronounced a final word of benediction and farewell,
and the casket was lowered into the ship, while the wind instruments
played the "Funeral March" from Tannhauser, "Asa's Tod" from
the Peer Gynt Suite, and "Nearer, My God to Thee."
At two in the afternoon the ship put out from the pier, and the
earthly chapter of a great life in this western land of steel and
stone, came to an end, leaving a silence and an emptiness in the
hearts, and in the places that knew him, and shall know him no
more. But leaving also a living memory of his words: "Forget not
. ..£?- :,.T
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12
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Mlll^'l
THE SYRIAN WORLD
that I shall come back to you. A little while and my longing shall
gather dust and foam for another body."
Farewell, Gibranl
Text of the address delivered by the editor of The Syrian World
at the farewell ceremonies to Gibran's body at Providence, R. /.,
on July 23.
TORTY-EIGHT years ago a boy was born in a small town in Lebanon whose parents and their friends wished for him what is
commonly wished by simple peasant mountaineers for their children
a long life, vigorous health, independent means and a family.
They could not wish for him more than their imagination could encompass. And the good people of Lebanon, content with little of
nature's gifts, could express themselves in no other terms than those
dictated by the circumscription of their environment and conditions.
But that boy grew to immensely greater proportions than his
most sanguine well-wishers could imagine. He not only broke down
the restrictions of his environment, but s0 expanded as to broaden
materially by his influence the whole horizon of human vision, and
before passing leave an indelible impression on the universal soul
and mind. A small seed planted in the soil of Lebanon, he grew
into a tree whose ramifications covered the world. Although his
life was short, it was replete. His name became one that gives honor
to his people and his age. He is proclaimed universal in his influence,
so that his own people must be satisfied to claim him only by origin.
Indeed, they are proud to have given him to the world.
The boy wandered into strange lands. He had the happy faculty of blending most artistically the old and the new. But his predominant trait was his ability to tap the sources of the mystic past
and bring to mankind the realization that their spirit is eternal. The
mysticism of the ancient East found in him a most happy medium
of expression.
Today, after an absence of three decades in which he contrived
ably to deliver his message to the world, Al-Mustapha returns
home to be laid at rest with his ancestors. He returns in the closing
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�SEPTEMBER, 1931
13
days of the month of Tammouz, when the crops of his homeland are
at the ripening stage ready for the gatherer. His friends of his
earthly sojourn had long and earnestly entreated him to tarry.
But his ship had come, and he could not ignore the call of his first
homeland. The prophet has delivered his message and now his
friends are gathered on the shore to see him borne into the mist.
Becharri, the town in Lebanon nestling in the shadow of the
Cedars, will now receive the mortal remains of her beloved son.
Becharri's distinction henceforth will be not that of being the district
capital, but of being the birthplace of Gibran. It shall not be known
only locally but universally. Gibran's shrine will convert it into a
place of pilgrimage, a converging point for the spirits of her immortal son's admirers throughout the world.
In such a manner will Becharri now receive the body of the
boy who left it a nonentity and became a world celebrity. Gibran
will now rest with his ancestors on the slopes of Lebanon, in the
shadow of the Cedars, and his name will add glory to that already
glorious land, while his fame will be as firmly rooted and virile
as the famous Cedars, despite the passage of time.
The Syrians and Lebanese of America are grateful to Gibran for
the glory he has added to their name, and in no uncertain terms do
they wish to proclaim this gratitude.
Farewell, beloved son of Lebanon, on this your last journey.
And may God speed your mortal remains to the land of your fathers.
But your brothers who tarry in this wonderful land of wonderful
opportunities in which you had chosen to live will keep your spirit
in their hearts, nourishing your memory with that undying devotion
that partakes of the very nature of your own work of pen and brush,
that which has rendered you immortal.
�14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Touching Receptwn of Gibran s Body
in Lebanon
AT last the sea gave up its precious trust to mother earth. Gibran's
body was delivered again to a new life in the hearts of his countrymen in the land where he had seen his first birth. The Poet of the
Cedars is now to rest forever among the sacred hills where his eyes
were first opened to light and beauty. And his last homecoming
was attended by such a display of grief as can be shown only by a
highly sentimental people like the Lebanese, still adhering to their
traditions of unrestrained emotional outpourings whether in joy or
in sorrow. Nor was the reception of Gibran's body an emotional
outburst of his fellow townsmen alone. It was attended by such ,
ceremony as the ancient hills of Lebanon never before witnessed in :
their hoary history.
Both government and people outdid themselves to do honor
to this beloved son who had himself done his native country such
great honor. Clergy and laity vied with each other to render him
reverence and respect. Fraternal and benevolent organizations of
all religious denominations sank their differences in the spontaneous
and overwheming desire to swell the sweeping patriotic movement
to honor the great genius whom the common motherland had produced.
Gibran's ship arrived in Beirut harbor on the morning of August 21. An official delegation immediately went on board to act as
guard of honor during the landing ceremonies. The casket was
draped with a Lebanese flag and transferred to a government steam
launch. And at the moment the body was laid for the first time on
native soil and the coffin opened for inspection, Gibran Twainy,
Minister of Education, pinned 0n the breast of the poet the decoration of Fine Arts conferred on him posthumously by the government by special decree. Gibran was then ready to enter the port of
his homeland.
In describing the funeral procession from the port landing to
the Maronite Cathedral, the newspapers of Beirut stated that the
whole city turned out to greet Gibran on his homecoming. And
judging by photographs reproduced in some Egyptain illustrated
papers there was no exaggeration in the statement. The honor paid
Gibran by his countrymen was genuine and unparalleled in the
history of the city.
�-m I
SEPTEMBER, 1931
15
Walking in the procession were the Minister of the Interior
and representatives of the High Commissariat, the French Admiralty and the army of occupation. Following them wrere representatives of the consular corps, the benevolent societies of all creeds,
Christians, Moslems and Jews, and thousands of school children
of both sexes. A company of militia gave salute when the cortege
passed the Saraya and the police band furnished the music all along
the way.
At the Maronite Cathedral of St. George Archbishop Ignatius
Mobarak received the body with blessed water and incense, chanting lugubrious dirges in Syriac, the ritual language-of the MaronIites. After prayers for the dead were said the body was left in the
cathedral for the night under vigil of a guard drawn from among
the young men of Becharri who had come to Beirut for the "Wel:ome home."
But it was in the evening that the great "civic" memorial
meeting was held in honor of Gibran. The committee in charge had
engaged for the occasion the principal theatre in the city and not
pnly was the meeting under the official auspices of the government
but President Charles Dabbas of the Republic of Lebanon presided
Dver it in person. The speakers were the leading men of the land
md included Ameen Rihani, well known traveler and author;
KJialil Mutran, famous poet; Kalil Kussayyeb, President of the
Press Association; Gameel Baihum, President of the Young Men's
Moslem Society; Representative Michel Zakkour, poet and editor;
\ Kmeen Taki ed-Deen poet and statesman, and many others repesenting civic bodies and religious denominations. The services
vere punctuated with Arabic songs of Gibran's composition put
o music by Wadih Sabra and other outstanding composers for the
ccasion.
But what were perhaps the most touching demonstrations were
hose attending the passage of the cortege through the towns and
/illages of Lebanon, all along the coastal route and up the steep
mountain until Becharri. At prearranged stations the procession was
ibrought to a halt that the natives may pay their tributes and contribute their expression of love to the memory of Gibran. Some of
the demonstrations were not only touching in their spontaneity but
deeply mystical in their traditional allusions. People descended
from the "higher villages to gather in the coast towns where the
Concession was to pass and followed it to the confines of the town.
k'jbis was repeated almost twenty times over the route of about fifty
!es between Beirut and Becharri.
WMMMMMMM*
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
Were Gibran only alive to witness the display of the characteristic Lebanese customs which he so much loved and that were now
being staged in his honor! At various stages along the route young
men in their colorful native costumes would engage in spirited
sword phy before the slowly moving hearse. Others would follow
singing martial songs or improvising eulogies for the beloved dead
in that peculiar form of the vernacular poetry known only tD the
Lebanese. While as a climax to the display of sorrow would conic
women mourners who, also 'extemporaneously, would sing the
praise of the departed to the rhythmic accompaniment of beating
their breasts.
But at one point in the march of the procession there was a radical departure from this general fromula. At a town near Gebail
ancient Byblus and the seat of the worship of the Syrian goddes
Astarte, a company of maidens came out to meet the body. The
wore loose, flowing gowns and their long locks fell in heavy wave
over their shoulders. And they also sang the praise of Gibran bu
did so in the sense of one who is living and not dead. They wel
corned him as "the beautiful bridegroom of our dreams" now re
turned and scattered flowers along the the road before him, am
sprinkled perfume on his casket. They danced before him as the
would in a wedding and their appearance seemed to bring back to lif
scenes that must have been enacted thousands of years back by th
virgins of the temple of the Syrian goddess on these very shore;
Many towns also contributed substantial quotas to the pre
cession, so that by the time it reached Al-Bahsas, which marks th ,
parting of the ways between the coastal and the mountain roads,
had swelled to more than two hundred automobiles and over 01
hundred horsemen. At Al-Bahsas, the governor of the northern di;f
trict of Lebanon, in which Becharri is situated, received the moun I
ers officially and accompanied them to their destination. And
the confines of Becharri practically every man, woman and chi.
who could walk massed on the road to march in Gibran's grei
homecoming procession.
As in Beirut, two distinct services were also held in Becharr
over the remains of Gibran. The body was laid in state in the churcl
of St. John where the clergy again conducted the .services for th
dead, while on Sunday, August 23, a memorial meeting was hel
in- the theatre, of the town presided over by Moussa Nammour
Minister of the-Interior.. Scores of poems and speeches were als
delivered on this occasion.
The thousands of visitors who came to Gibran's native to'
1
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SEPTEMBER, 1931
F«*W o/ /A, i^o^ ^^ *,W>W tf,
to'
/**&«£ of Gibran's body in Beirut
17
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
18
The Appeal of the East
FIRST OF A SERIES OF SPECIAL ARTICLES ON FIRSTHAND OBSERVATIONS IN SYRIA, PALESTINE
AND EGYPT
By H. I.
KATIBAH
Cor days before the bow of our ship turned eastward, plowing its
way across the Atlantic in one more routine trip to the East, my
imagination had conjured all sorts of fantastic visions, scenes and
memories, a mental cyclorama in which I was wrapt around by an
Oriental world of my own creation while walking the busy streets
and thoroughfares of New York.
It is strange what a grip the East, particularly the East of the
Arabian Nights, has on the soul of the Westerner or even a Westernized individual born and reared in the very lap of this same East,
a stone's throw, so to speak, from Damascus, the "City of Delight"
and the scene of many an adventure in the world's most fantastic
and, perhaps, the most favoured tales in the world.
Sixteen years of disillusionment, spent mostly in the truly
magical city of our day and generation, had not expunged my golden
dream of the East. For where in the world do pinnacled palaces
rear themselves high into the sky by the rub of the modern Aladdin's lamp of science more truly than in New York? And where dc
the marids of mechanics bow more obsequiously to do. the bidding
of their capricious masters as in this city of the world's dreams '
come truer
And we of the East, the land of dreamers and poets, fail not
to detect beauty's gesture in the heart of the dinning confusion of
steel and mortar, of roaring engines and screeching wheels;_ nor
fail to appreciate true romance and magic under whatever guise it
appears. On the other hand, our long contact with an extreme
part of the West, a world so unlike our own, has so sharpened out
senses of contrast and discrimination that we begin to distinguis^
readily between cheap yellow lustre and true gold, between th.g
tinsel of romance and romance itself. Appearances do not decen
us so much as'they; do men and women who are confined to or
world of experience. Beneath the bizarre, uncouth garments of th
«pw
..JlffJUJiUlMI
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
I
Oriental; beneath the turban, jubbah and jullabiyyah, the souls of
the Orientals stand naked before our gaze, and we make mental
comparisons between individuals as far apart in environment, language, and traditions as the antipodes, yet as much alike as two peas
in a pod.
Yet, in spite of this, the East retained its appeal to me, its
charm and illusion, as truly as to any roving dweller on the befogged Thames, born with a surging wanderlust in his soul.
True, it was a more realistic and enlightened East that presented
itself to my recollection and imagination, an East with which I had
never completely been out of touch, an East whose social, political
and religious development I had followed with avidity in the press
and in current books and magazines, as well as through first-hand
contact with Eastern leaders whose missions and fancies carried them
to the shores of the United States. But it was a romantic East,
nevertheless.
Coming to this country before the War as a fresh graduate
from the Syrian Protestant College, now the American University
of Beirut, my impression of the East, even of my own Syria, was
rather hazy and desultory. Outside of my home district in the
anti-Libanus I had known only two cities of the Near East, Damascus and Beirut. I knew them, however, as a child who had been
brought up in a Protestant puritan home. Somehow, they belonged
to that heathen world of which we had been so apprehensive in
the Sunday school. As children who migrated from our home in
Yabrud to the missionary boarding school in Damascus or to College
in Beirut, and back home for the summer vacation, we were like
Christian travelling through Vanity Fair. We were strangers to
the big city which always held a fascinating and tantalizing curiosity
for us, and hence was always wrapt with a gossamer of romance
and strange beauty. To me Damascus of the fairy tales was as real,
more real, than the prosaic city of narrow, winding streets, stray
dogs, and ugly frame houses.
That is why my heart fluttered with boyish joy as I thought of
my pending voyage to the East in spite of all the realism and enlightenment which I had acquired about it.
And now, after a stay of about twenty months in which I covered part of Egypt, all of Syria and Palestine and part of Mesopotamia, I find, strangely perhaps, that I am still enamoured of
vhe East, -and th-e illusion of romance with which I always viewed
t had not vanished away.
This mental phenomenon, so unlike that of many of my coun-
�11
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Q
trymen who came back from a visit to the homeland disappointed
xZ disgruntled, may be partly explained by the consideration
hat I did not go there with any too exaggerated notions of what
to find there, I much as by the fact that I looked for romance
LD
5T-
^^^itttXSn Cairo who had the distinction of being
the only one to succeed in interviewing the late Clemenceau on his
ast v it to Egypt, told me that he asked the great *£***£
man and humanist what it was that impressed him most in Cairo^
Was it the pyramids, the Nile or the mosques? And Clemenceau
ePLd: "It i none of these; it is suk Musky. .And here in a nutshell you have the secret of all proper travelling abroad, whethe * its
in the'orient, in Europe or in darkest Africa and here also you my
have the genuine source of true romance in the East.
and
Thafvou could penetrate the teeming masses of humanity in r an
suk Musky in Cairo, or al-Hamidiyyah in Damascus, or any> ofhe eets
picturesque bazaars in any of the cities of the East adds more^zest
Ld significance, it seems to me, to this undifferent.aed, orb dding, the
distant romance. It brings you nearer to the subtle, yet simple, jrno na e yTcharming, workings of the Oriental mind which when
we giveallowance to the peculiar way it expresses itself, we.findI to
>
be surprisingly like that of any other people in the West or in any ^
section of our little globe.
Some people think of romance as something different, some- -uly
thing strange and unlike our daily routine of experience, and it is den
hesf people who are so disheartened when they discover that the aces
East islScoming more and more like the West; who moan at the ladAppearance ofthe fez and the harem from modern Turkey; who e u
dc
are so anxious to preserve the idyllic and georgic appearance of the din
Holy L" d And" with a world so swiftly changing as ours in our ^
modern days these people are bound to be ^J^
*J%&
nointed The trouble with them is that they have not discovered not
STt ue iTature of romance in humanity, the unity that underlies of
and subvenes all the fascinating varieties of life-expressions. They or
^looking
£-«
it
were loosing for
IUI thrills
uuu« for
w their£W
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r^ v^t
and adventure; they were skimming the surface of the East
.ne
u.
once they found out that under the surface life was much alike
d ou,n
world over their interest faded, and, like a giddy butterfly
guis
moved to another flower of new scenes and untrodden land
n th
For the student of life the East, the Near East is of pec t• ecen ls
1
interest and appeal because life there is more natural, the> em
o on
more sincere and expressive than one is likly to find in New
\f th
'""""
�21
SEPTEMBER, 1931
or London, or even on the continent of Europe. One finds the
reactions that one is entitled to find, the response that naturally follows from a given mental or emotional stimulus. Only, some people who are not acquainted with the poetical nature of the Easterner
mistake the picturesque, metaphorical and aphoristic manner in
which he expresses himself for tortuous and evasive subtlety. The
Easterner above all is an inborn and incurable conversationalist. Instead of finding his esthetic release and expression in paintings, or
the florid language of the printed page, he develops it and exercises it in his daily talk.
I have met many Westerners in my recent travels abroad, and
many since, whose genuine interest in the East did not differ much
from mine, or from that of any other who goes to the East with ar
open heart and a sense of universal sympathy and understanding.
And invariably the enthusiasm of those enlightened visitors to
lands hoary with traditions and genuine culture, was due more to
the discovery of likenesses, under the surface of strange customs
and appearances, than to differences and peculiarities.
$ht"
istic
-uly
den
aces
laddc!
Quatrains of Al-Mutanabbi
Translated from the Arabic by
DR. SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
And even I have always found that he
Who hath a sickly mouth and taste of gall,
Will foul and bitter Crystal Waters call,
Tho fresh and sweet as Nectar they may be.
And he who spendeth life in massing Gold,
To ward off poverty and naught besides,
• Towards the Gulf is making mighty strides,
And unto Poverty his soul hath sold.
�22
THE SYRIAN WORLD _
,
OWE
ARABIAN
TALES
'"
) ORIGINAL TRANSLATIONS
HAROUN AL-RASCHID AND THE BEAUTIFUL WIFE
OF HIS MESSENGER
A RAB chroniclers relate a story about Haroun Al-Raschid much
similar to that of King David's episode with Bath-sheba, the
wife of Uriah the Hittite, and mother of King Solomon, but with
very different and much more wholesome results.
While walking in the gardens of his palace, Al-Raschid saw on
the roof of a house close by a young woman whose beauty eclipsed
the full moon, having the large, dreamy eyes of a gazelle and the
graceful form of a houriat from Al-Jannat. To his question, "Who
may the fair creature be:" his chamberlain informed him that she
was the wife of his attendant and messenger Fairuz. Whereupon
Al-Raschid returned immediately to his palace consumed with the
fire of desire to gain possession of her.
That same day Al-Raschid called Fairuz and entrusted him
with an apparently important letter which he bade him deliver to
one of his agents in a distant city. Fairuz, unsuspecting, repaired directly to his house and retired for rest in preparation for an early
start on the morrow.
Early on the morning of the following day Fairuz departed on
his mission, and had no sooner left than the caliph made a clandestine call to his wife. Seeing the caliph at the door the woman could
not help remarking in her surprise, "May Allah guard us against
such a visit. It portends only evil." But the caliph thought she had
not seen through his disguise and hastened to explain: "I am AlRaschid. You may not have recognized me!"
"Yes, my master," replied the woman. "I fully recognize the
illustrious Prince of the Faithful and am surprised that he should
come to drink at the same fountain with his own dog."
This frank rejoinder had its effect on the caliph who lost no time
in making his exit, overlooking in his haste one of his sandals which
he had shed by the door.
�^n
irly
EPTEMBER, 193-1
23
*
Meanwhile Fairuz, after having proceeded some distance, dis\ered that he had forgotten the caliph's letter under his pillow
id returned to seek it. His arrival followed immediately upon the
.parture of Al-Raschid whose sandal he discovered by the door and
-alized that he was sent on this errand only for an evil purpose.
He refrained, however, from making any remark and after regaining the letter proceeded on his journey.
Upon his return he went first to the court of the caliph who
appeared pleased with his dispatch and rewarded him with one hundred gold pieces. This he used to purchase some pieces of jewelry
and other appropriate gifts for his wife.
But upon returning home he bid his wife make immediate prepj arations for a visit to her parents, and upon her inquiring the reason
f for this sudden decision, he told her, with seeming cheerfulness, that
1
the caliph had liberally rewarded him and it was but meet and
proper that they should share their good fortune with her parents.
Having left his wife at her paternal abode, Fairuz departed and
never returned. The brothers of the woman became suspicious and
sought of the husband an explanation of his action, but he would
neither consent to taking back his wife nor give a reason for his
strange behavior, and when they threatened to bring action against
him before the caliph he readily consented to a trial.
It so happened that at the time Fairuz and his brothers-in-law
appeared in court the cadi and the caliph were both present. The
elder brother of Fairuz's wife thus put forth his case:
"Know, O learned judge, that I have given unto the keeping
|of this man a well-kept orchard having full-bearing fruit trees, and
a well of clear water, and surrounded by a high protective wall. He
ate the fruit, damaged the well and destroyed the walls and now
wishes to return the orchard to me without a logical explanation."
Complying with the judge's request for an explanation Fairuz
"Know further, O learned judge, that I have returned the
j orchard to its original guardian even in better condition than when
I received it. My only reason for returning it is that I have discovered traces of the lion's visit to it, and fearing the consequences and
out of deference to the majesty of the lion, I have preferred to
waive my right to the orchard."
At this point Haroun Al-Raschid, who had appeared to be following the progress of the proceedings only casually, straightened in
bis seat and thus addressed Fairuz: "You may return to your orchard
W perfect safety and peace of mind. By Allah, the lion sought your
�-Jam
SE
THE SYRIAN WORLD
24
orchard but touched not its fruit nor its trees and left after only r
brief visit. By Allah I assure you that I have found none other simi
lar to your orchard in the strength of its walls and in the protectioi
of its fruit."
Fairuz understood and readily consented to take back his wife,
while of all those present none but he and the caliph were aware of
the earlier developments of the case.
To a Dying Tree
By
THOMAS ASA
Thou lone sentinel of the open plain,
A hundred years hast thou in silence kept
A faithful watch,—thy solitary reign
Is ended, and too soon wilt thou have wept.
No more shalt thou in utter freedom fling
Thy leafy bowers to the scented air;
No more, no more, thou mute, majestic thing,
For thou art bare, and ever-more be bare.
Cold as the driven snow hast thou become,
Insensate to the breathing atmosphere.
Thy flutt'ring friends of yesterday wilt drum
Their sad lament, but this thou cannot hear.
Nature hast not anything so dear to me
Than thou, O dying monarch of the plain.
Had'st I the pow'r, soon would I bring to thee
The sunlight's glory, the sweet taste of rain.
J
A wayward hand, long hence, had'st planted thee,
That thou some day may offer thy cool shade;
;
And rear thy noble height that all may see
What God in his most happy mood hast made.
�25
SI SEPTEMBER, 1931
Shiites Protest Rihani's Criticism
\
ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE SYRIAN WORLD
CAUSES A STORM IN SYRIA
HE article by Ameen Rihani published in the March issue of
TTHE
SYRIAN WORLD on the Passion Play of the Near East was
unique in that it was the first description by a foreign observer of the
annual rituals held by the Shiites in commemoration of the death
of Al-Hussain, son of Ali. Undeniably, Mr. Rihani has given the
world the first authentic account of an Eastern religious observance
that has been thriving for over twelve centuries with the same religious fervor characterizing its early beginning, but almost unnoticed by the outside world. The actual photographs he was able
to take helped materially to visualize his vivid description.
Appreciating the unusual news and historical value of this article, Lisan Ul-Hal, a daily newspaper of Beirut, translated it into
Arabic. Once its contents were brought to the attention of the
Arabic-reading public it created a sensation and immediately drew
;a storm of protest from Shiite sources. There was a hint in some
replies of the possibility of physical violence being visited on the
author. What the objectors resented most was the author's reference
ko the unsanitary condition of what is commonly known as Howdhul Kurr, a basin found in the court of almost every house in Kerpala and used for a multiplicity of purposes.
All this took place while Mr. Rihani was on his way back to
iyria from the United States apparently unaware of the storm his
rticle had raised. It was perhaps fortunate that his critics should
jave spent their fury unchallenged up to the time when he could
nake a blanket reply to all their attacks. And this he did in his
:haracteristic manner—briefly and to the point. He did not retract
a word of what he had said but claimed that he was prompted to
his criticism by his love for the Arabs and his desire to have them
mend some of their ways. Prime responsibility rests on the friend
and not the foe in pointing out the weak spots in a nation's social
institutions, he said, and he was that friend who criticized to reform
in a spirit of utmost fairness. He was happy, finally, to see that
his criticism had found its mark and aroused the interest which is
the harbinger of reform.
P Since then the storm of protests has abated, as apparently there
,..f..i. n.n, .,i
i
,„,,..
,i m
�>
r.f Mr "Rihani's predilections for the Arabs. Even
f
° ^Th^piy published herewith, received» Batglish ft-Sdoa
whieh is eonsidered the; stronghold of ^ Stae d.s net ,
,
embodies the principal object,ons, ofthe Shutes to
^
h
observations Be it sa.d to *e«tarf « «^Arabic replies of his
indu ge . the J»- stSg "the Arabic literary world is
StHEl - Merits and |viS denied It
rather »
Stdin^n SMS pa-tpa^dlo^ore sympathetic
interpretation of thdra*»- ^ ^^ of fair play and
m\
W .<£££Stt2&i of ^e conditions which gave
rise to the controversy.
RIHANl'S JOURNEY TO KARBELA
I
Editor, The Syrian World
AMEEN R-hani's article appearing in the March issue of-your
^cation
is a remarkable piece, but not a «ay'
one
s
p,,Pyto find that the ^pected ph.losopher of F e k s e- <
g
52 well-known realit.es .and mdu^hbag m
t,cler
^ ^
Was it for the purpose of reform: ££•£*£•£
blisn
l^eople thought, was to write ^^^^ £££
"" I^yT^etSbSrwhat he Ld seen, but what a great
difference there is between seeing and understandmg!
"
�mm.
27
SEPTEMBER, 1931
I
I am not writing in criticism of his illustrious P^onalrty or
his interesting ideas, but only to discuss some of the tag mistakes
:that
O„haplg0eTiine'9 he said "How would he and his Christian
frie, "be^eived in Karbela which is to the Shiah Moslems what
A
.'s
ot
lis
is
an
.n:tic
nd
ive
;M
C<Clgain " line 4, "And at Musaiyeh we beheld the first
vvuf ^ Rmam^rH^eigner we would kg?***
France of the differences between Shntes and Sunmtes. But he is
Cental an Arabian, who was 'brought up among the Moslems,
^ ^tslied a'good deal about their religion. It -£*
i
*n rppH that he calls the visitors to Karbela pilgrims,
i Se everybody kn -that Mecca and only Mecca is the place to
rh the MosUs-no matter if they be Shntes or Sunnites-go
f^rt and only its visitors are -lied pilgrims a,rd taown in
Tratar as "Haii." On the other hand, visiting Karbela I\ajel, OT
Izmiyain "optional and not prescribed religiously as is the case
lifhTe visit of Mecca. Even the visitors of such places do not get
-' S^TS called these visitors "p,lKS^thTfiSh^CW, on page 8 line 7, he
L The Huiwh Canal, which flows from the Euphrates near
ays, itie nusamiy
,
comparatively recent.
Musaiyah fo, atou 2!mik to• ***^
*£ &
£ SltT^oT the* pilgrims were bathing m its turtad
yrour
is i
>rgei
nngs I
that?;
; and
n arsome
iblish
se, as
merirends.
great
fnters
A
, paragraphsu M.
Mr R.ham
Uihani g«*
rives ' .oof of his misunderIn" this
^^
T ; 2^L Bu th'a,
otTh: pit. The thing is that theMos-
f^ZS£t£S£ -red water, i, ,s nought but a
^ T„eVa« that"the water is turbid is because it is drawn from the
VuphTates whkh everybody knows is muddy. And to see a persoa
In Karbela that cana1 .stnion > p
^.^ ^ ^
teSola'S t Recently for irrigation, bur not as a
Ganges to the Shiahs.
�28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Anyone who hears our philosopher speaking about Howdh-Ul
Kurr thinks that the inhabitants of Karbela are a specie of cannibals
or the remnant of an uncivilized tribe. All his description of
Howdh-Ul Kurr is quite unreal and unreasonable. Certainly, somebody had told him about Howdh-Ul Kurr, and the teller is either
a fool or a liar.
Howdh-Ul Kurr is like any other usual basin used in hoiion
Its volume must be at least 27 cubic feet. Its water may be cfaanW
any period without the advice or the prayer of any mullah, i's
water may remain as long as the following three conditions prev;0t
(1) No change in color (2) in taste (3) in smell. This, as can'us
readily seen, is impossible in any basin without frequent change is
water, so it is usually changed many times during the month to
even during the day.
L_
If Mr. Rihani had seen a Howdh with the descriptions that lie
gave, it must be an exceptional case, and the house of one citize,
does not mean that the same conditions obtain in the houses of ai\
citizens of a city counting more than 50 thousand persons.
e
Contrary to Mr. Rihani's imputations, Karbela is in many ways
modern and clean, but Mr. Rihani looked only at the reprehensible
and black side. And is it strange to find some incongruities in a
big city? Take New York, the greatest and the richest city of the
world, do you not find that many of its inhabitants are living in
filthy and unsanitary residences, Yes, it is so, but Mr. Rihani saw
only the small, black spot in Karbela and overlooked all else.
Mr. Rihani concludes by giving a historical outline of the enmity between Omaiyah and Hashem, relating three stories about th,ur
burial of Husain. It is an established fact that the head and bod, .
of the martyr were buried in Karbela and only few historians coiQ
3
test this point.
\
His description of Ashourah was on the whole correct, bu.^t
somewhat exaggerated.
,
In asking the editor of the SYRIAN WORLD to give space in his
magazine for the publication of my reply, I am but appealing to._
his senses of fair dealing and to his disinterested spirit of service to
Arabian culture which gave rise to his publication.
V
Sidon
Kamel MorowaaS
'Sis ~<lf-Z> ni'/^fZ' •^—!+J*'<7''V^-^7?\ T v,', '"{££& Kd&\<.'s'<r-
—nmt».iw>
s.
at
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
29
In the Month's News
CONQUEST OF THE AIR
\
ie
;h
ya
aS
is.
at
^HATEVER can be imagined
can be done. The truth of
this axiom is being forcefully
demonstrated every day. Consider aviation. It seems things are
now being done in the field of
aeronautics that; appeared wrellnigh impossible a tew years back.
From the modest beginnings of
simply demonstrating that flying
in heavier-than-air machines is
feasible it has been given our generation to see marvelous strides
in man's march towards air conquest. Two airmen flew around
the world in seventeen days 5 a
Zeppelin has discovered new
lands in the arctic region in an
expedition of a few days; and
for the first time on record two
American airmen have made a
non-stop flight from America to
Turkey in Asia.
All this took place within the
month of July. Transatlantic
flights have become so common
that they have almost ceased to
be news.
Russell Boardman and John
Polando made their epic flight
from New York to Istanbul, a
iistance of over 5,000 miles, in
Jess than fifty hours. Within the
limits of two days they saw three
continents — America, Europe,
and Asia. Simply to cover three
continents would not be in itself
such a wonderful achievement
had the continents been other
than the three named above. An
airman , leaving Europe could
easily fly over Asia Minor and
reach Africa in less than a day.
But the fact that America is separated from Europe by 3,000
miles of ocean makes the feat of
the American airmen an outstanding one.
Turkey is contiguous to Syria,
and but a few hundred miles
more would have brought the
American airmen to the city of
Aleppo. This should place a
non-stop flight between America
and Syria within the limits of
possibility, and would surely
bring Syria to the attention of
the world as nothing else could.
Perhaps some Syrian aviators
might yet undertake it as did the
two Hungarian-American airmen
who flew from New York to
Budapest /in a plane they named
"Justice to Hungary" for the
avowed purpose of calling the
attention of the world to the
injustice they claim is being dealt
to their mother country.
�=5
50
To our knowledge, there are
at least half a dozen Syrian aviators in the United States, four of
whom have already been mentioned in the THE SYRIAN
WORLD on various occasions. Of
this number two are young women who appear to be great enthusiasts—Mrs. Maloof, of California, who is said to have ordered a speed plane for a transcontinental flight, and Miss Alice
B. Coury of West Virginia
whom we mentioned recently as
being the pride of her home town
of Hopewell. The men aviators
are Fouad Mokarzel of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and Joseph Musleh of Jacksonville, Fla. Who
knows that any one of these
might not yet bring great honor
to himself and his race and place
the name of his country of origin prominently on the map.
In Syria and other countries
of the Near East, aviation is making rapid strides. A Lebanese,
Lt. Akar, made a flight from
Paris to Beirut. Egypt is rapidly
building an air force, manned
exclusively by natives. The
same may be said of Arabia
and Iraq. Recently, on the occasion of the return of the Iraquian Minister from Europe, he
was met at Aleppo, in northern
Syria, by an air squadron from
Bagdad which crossed the desert
in less than half a day.
After all, the East is not
standing still.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
SCHOLAR IN POLITICS
MEWTON D. Baker, Secretary*
of War in President Wilson's,
administration, is; now being_
prominently mentioned as a.pos'
sible Presidential candidate foi
the Democratic Party in the com
ing elections. Describing hi
singular qualifications as a scholar, a writer for an American news
syndicate told how Mr. Baker
can, among other things, recite
by heart a whole Arabic poem
or quote from the Scriptures in
Hebrew. Naturally, when a
scholar has so far advanced in
his quest of knowledge in original sources, Latin and Greek, as
well as many of the modern
languages, may be taken for
granted.
To those of us who appreciate
the difficulties of learning literary Arabic, Mr. Baker's apparent
proficiency in the language seems
indeed to be an achievement. We
take it for granted that he does
not repeat his Arabic poems without understanding, and to understand the advanced Arabic of
poetry means years of study of
the complicated grammar. One
would expect such painstaking
study of Orientalists and University professors but not of
practicing lawyers and men in the
position of Mr. Baker who have
so much to claim their time and
attention. The account seems almost unbelievable and we only
hope it is true.
Be the case what it may, there
�!f
SEPTEMBER, 1931
1
%
r
31
quired the services of fifty carpet layers to move it on "dollies"
into the building. The rug is
said to be the largest hand-tufted
rug ever woven in a single piece.
And it was described as a Persian
rug whose 'finely woven design
represents a voluptuous Oriental
garden.
So far, so good. To the writer
there was something of unusual
interest in a rug of such exceptional qualities especially that it
wras of Persian make and had a
direct bearing on the progress of
a celebrated Eastern industry. It
was with avidity that he pursued
reading further details, of the
piece which had claimed no little
space in one of the principal metropolitan dailies. While following the account, visions arose in
his imagination of how deft Persian hands had executed the
dainty designs of the rug; how it
was shipped across vast stretches
of land and sea to its final destination; how it is bound to.prove
the admiration of thousands of
Westerners who will marvel .at
the masterly craftsmanship of the
East. There was that element of
DECEIVING NAMES
pride rising within his breast that
IT ARL Y this month a rug of ex- swells at every thought of someceptional size was delivered to thing done well by people of
the new Waldorf Astoria hotel his own section of the world.
in New York, which, among But this emotion was short-lived.
other things, caused a traffic snag There was no ground for it exthat gave the police some uneasy cept in his own fancy. For the
moments. The rug measures exceptional Persian rug in ques70x50 ft. and weighs more than tion was not made in Persia, nor
two and one-half tons. It re- by Persian hands, nor was its
is in this enlightening piece of
news on the erudition of Mr.
Baker an object lesson for our
Syrian-American generation who
should find it 4nuch easier to
learn the language than does an
American. They could at least
acquire a speaking knowledge by
a little practice in their home environment if not master the language to the point of reciting
poems. Mr. Baker and scholars
of his fclass take, up foreign languages simply to satisfy their insatiable thirst for knowledge,
while those of our children who
can- take up spoken Arabic as a
matter of course with apparently
no extreme effort on their part
should realize also the utilitarian
advantages that are bound to accrue from linguistic versatility.
At least, those of our younger
generation who would cut loose
from every relationship with
their .ancestry should find in the
example of Mr. Baker something
to think about in the value and
pride In knowing a foreign language.
�*
11
1
llfi 1
THE SYRIAN WORLD
32
manufacture related in any way
to the country of which it bore
the proud name. Who made it
then, and where:
It was made in Maffersdorf,
in Czechoslovakia! Thirty weavers worked on it for ten months,
tying 12,600;,000 knots by hand.
The Czechoslovaks, that new,
small, enterprising nation of
middle Europe who came into
being only after the World War,
were able to best the old Persians
of the East who had been following the rug weaving industry
for centuries, at their own game.
Surely it's time the people of the
East took means to guard their
industries, or whatever remains
of them.
GANDHI IN LONDON
""THE East remains not only
mystical but compelling in
its mysticism. There is that something in its ancient civilization
that at once defies description
and elicits awe and admiration.
It has the distinction of possessing a spiritual quality that seems
to come only with mature age.
The East is old and wise, and
its age and wisdom are bound to
command attention and respect
in due time.
Gandhi today is the acknowledged symbol of the aestheticism
of the East. Nor should he he
considered as standing alone on
his high spiritual pinnacle. For
were it not for his people's ap-
)
preciation of his qualities he ,
could not find the millions oiyx
followers who are willing to do Sr
his bidding to the limit of human sacrifice.
What a refreshing and heartening spectacle it must be when
a man who comes to represent
one-fifth of the whole human
race at an epoch-making political
conference defies all accepted
conventions and acts only on his
own convictions to the extent of
braving ridicule! His is the
strength of the spirit against the
might of the greatest colonial
power the world has ever known.
And the struggle is worth following not alone because of the
great stakes involved, but primarily because of the spiritual
forces that are now brought to
play on the most extensive scale
known in history.
Gandhi comes to London in a
loin cloth and home-spun shawl.
He may even see the King in
this attire, oblivious of the rigorous formalities of the court
of St. James. He takes passage
third class from India to England , and when in London
chooses to live in the poorer section, subsisting on a simple fare
of goat milk and dates. In Marseilles he is mobbed by admirers
but still stops at the servants'
quarters of a modest hotel.
Truly there is something in
this man of the East than can
be admired but cannot be fathomed.
'
1 | ; ||
)1
i
�•?-*—
SEPTEMBER, 1931
33
HOME AND FAMILY*
BAHIA AL-MUSHEER,
Editor
J HAD occasion recently to travel through one of the fairest sections of this fair country, following trails over mountains and
paths through forests practically primeval, skirting lakes and ponds
ol the purest azure framed in greens of every imaginable shade.
livery now and then, neglected and overgrown roads led to a
clearing in the woods, where a deserted homestead or the remains of
a homestead stood; and in every case those men who cleared the
trees plowed the ground, planted the orchard and established a home
lor their families, had an eye for beauty, for every site selected for
a homestead commanded a view of passing loveliness.
But turning the eyes from hills and valleys they would fall on
a house in ruins, or the outline of a garden once carefully tended but
now overgrown with weeds, or once-verdant fields now covered with
brush and in orchards all but swallowed up by the forest.
Indeed a sorry sight!
It is not my purpose to speculate about the causes that brought
about these conditions. They may be logical and reasonable. I want
simply to say that my respect is deep and my admiration is profound
lor the pioneer—the pioneer of every race and in every country,
who dreamed and hoped and toiled and sweated to make things possible for himself and his loved ones, and who blazed the trail for
others. Then for one to turn around and find that the house he built
is m ruins, the ground he cured produces nothing, the efforts he
made are come to naught, the hopes he cherished are shattered,
cannot but touch one's heart deeply.
Now, the reader will ask, and with reason, why did I choose
to preface my efforts in this department in this manner? Why
did I select for a frontispiece such a gloomy picture?
This is my answer. As a race, our love of home and devotion
to our families are surpassed by no other race. We or our parents
migrated to this and other parts of the world and like all pioneers
toiled and sweated to establish homes in which they intended to live
�li
34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
happily and which they hoped would prosper and flourish and multiply. This being the case, is it not our sacred duty to cherish the r
efforts of the founders, to strengthen the foundations they have laid
down for us, to improve and beautify that which they have builded,
and above everything else to guard it against neglect and ruin? And
on the other hand, is it not our sacred duty also to provide for those
who will succeed us ? In other words, how are we to use our inheritance, and what are we to leave to our heirs, and at the same time"
try to have every one contented and happy?
No, I am not an alarmist.
But if you will give ear to the deepest thinkers of our time and
the keenest observers you will find that their concern about the
present day home and family is great and you will not censure me
too strongly for my concern.
We have traditions and customs for which I have very deep respect, but not to such an extent as to hold them inviolable and ignore the demands of the times and environment! And I have a weakness for innovations and modifications, but not to an extent as to look
upon traditions and customs with contempt. I would that we should
not cast off the one unless for a good reason, and select from the
other only that which serves best our needs.
It will perhaps sound trite to point out that the home is not
merely the walls and the roof to which one repairs betimes, nor is
the happiness of the family dependent on the sumptuousness of the
dwelling and the magnificance of its appointment;—that things subjective rather than things objective should be considered essential in
the building of home and family. One can discourse on this subject
endlessly and become exceedingly didatic and consequently tiresome. But, things being equal, can one deny the fact that certain
wise modifications, improvements, changes in policies and habits and
the point of view, changes here and there will make a pleasant home
more pleasant, and a happy family more happy?
Let there be no mistake about it, the person conducting this
department is neither an arbiter nor a Solomon. Neither does she
presume to teach anyone how to live her life or run her home. She
has her home problems just like every other housewife and mother
and expects to receive more than she gives by the exchange of ideas
and experiences. As a matter of fact, this department is intended to
be a forum on which questions pertaining to the home, deemed to .
be of interest and benefit, will be discussed. She invites questions
and promises to do her utmost to be of service,
�I"
SEPTEMBER, 1931
le
35
The Mystery of Aornholt
A THRILLING STORY OF MYSTERY AND BRILLIANT
DETECTIVE WORK
By
THOMAS ASA
yHE morning dawned extremely cold. The incessant blanketing
of early snow had transformed the bare earth into strange, fantastic forms.
The snow fell all morning and afternoon, muffling the winter
solitude of Aornholt with a monotonous silence. The last of the
lingering vacationists, with the exception of Captain Geoffrey Forsyth and his invalid wife, had departed some weeks previously.
Fate, in a capricious moment, had surely imposed on Captain
Forsyth, an officer in the British army on indefinite leave. His wife
had found the therapeutic tranquility of the simple Swiss hamlet
very agreeable to her. The improvement in her condition had induced them to protract their stay, with the result that, with the sudden and unexpected recurrence of her ailment, they had been compelled to remain until her condition had sufficiently improved to
permit travelling.
The prolonged twilight, peculiar to that region, enshrouded,
the surrounding mountain peaks with a deceiving canopy that made
them seem to tower at a much greater distance. The falling snow
had partly subsided, and a sweeping wind began to make inroads
among the snow-laden branches of a small forest of deciduous trees
which grew at the southern extremity of the village.
The grizzled village doctor, Monsieur Andre Sardou, who
derived a moderate income in attending to the medical requirements
of the summer dwellers, had just left the picturesque villa which the
Forsyths had rented from an annual summer resident. Geoffrey
Forsyth was seated at his wife's bedside reading to her. His cheerful countenance and pleasantly modulated voice indicated a disposition resigned to their forced confinement.
"Geoffrey," interrupted his wife, Cynthia, "I feel much better
now, and really believe I can sleep. I am sure that you are tired of
reading, and a visit to the tavern will be more congenial to you."
"I will go if you want to sleep, dear; but I'm not certain that
you are comfortable?"
�...,-raai r
3S
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Marie
here to attend
really
*« I
really^JKVF'
think that funny^V^J
little doctor has ®given me some relief."
Is there anything that you may need at the inn?" Cantain
^dtppl^^
clear ^Zt
be
»
i-Mr-L' Cynthia
£* "f^8^ Captain Forsyth stepped into the
^^I^SS*tOWard
thC gl
?mi^ ***£ marked
tW hUnd6rd
U
the »cteSdtS^ ^^^^ °
*** P
fnl Zt T°dQStlJ fPP°inted "Monte Tavern" presented a cheer
ful sigh from the bitter cold outside. GeoffreyForsyth stamped
went bTf ^^ "^
bmShed th£ Sn W from his
the din ly° visible villaboot
whichH
IT^tnltlZTT
1°^ ^5
?
of hiJ L andT
C
Sloped him!
Pl6aSant Wa
^23
0pened the
th fr m
°
eyet
brass-bound door
Within
Mediately en-
fwr^f *?' ^ood-natured Proprietor, Maitre Pierre, as he was
f^mliarly known, greeted him effusively in painstaking EnglS
Ah, good-evening, Monsieur Capitaine, good-evening I hoofvou
enjoy the best of health;-and madame" monsieur^ £c 2K?
and ,!!IhankiT'
Pie
7e'
U
ShG IS betten
a
" Forsyth removed his hat
ie b0 0m
Sep£^±2*
T r monsieur
- " ^before the &££
Y
cigarette:
assistant" °rder W"
"* "^
SCrVed Wkh alaCrky
>" ** ordered, lighting f
^ Jea">
the
inn-keeper's
Captain Forsyth drank the stimulating liquid slowlv and
matlv iii Z£? r°°m- A "^ who 'were talking" £
mately in undertones, were seated at a table in the corner oonosite
??
him; but what they were saying, he could not understand
ine minutes passed monotonously. Geoffrey Forsvth soon
confessed the soothing languor that stole over him, his rest had been
8m
anXi£ty Ver his f
tw^ed
fr
°
* i3ff
Al
arowsed, butTwk
but awakened
almost instantly.
A*
woman's
vnire I«n
mg softly from the second floor of the tavern, hXoued^m He"
glanced inquiringly at Maitre Pierre, and that worthy crossed'over
to his table from the diminutive bar
"Travellers, Monsieur Forsyth—Monsieur and Madame
Raoul de Challons," he enlightened. "De Challons is artist he
will paint winter scene, I think you name it "
' C
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
37
hn^I\hl inn-keePer Pause4 wiped his thick lips with a lanre
handkerchief, and resumed in French, as if he found the alifn
tongue inadequate. "Madame de Challons is very beautiful and
quite young monsieur, a native of Vienna if I mistake not »
Forsyth smiled at the proprietor's enthusiasm, and then arose
from his chair and walked over to the balcony that overlooked the
immense valley below. He now understood "the causof the vU
W n ered Wkh
MallrrChajT° fbeautiful
', as "»
Madame de Challons ^
was as
Maitre"^
Pierre wttnt
had deCaptain Forsyth turned his head at the sound of some one
descending the enclosed stairway. What he saw was unexpected
The inn-keeper's praise of Madame de Challons' beauty Z^superla'
tive indeed, but the loveliness he beheld caused him L st^e in col
vert surprise. He recovered his composure, and perceived that De
Challons was of distinguished appearance
1W MStreuKen? PrfCeded his Suests t0 the table that was placed
before the huge fireplace. They were then served liqueurs by he
throve l^X^^^J^^S cct^r
C0 erSatl0n
drifted to him. Then he heard himself addressed
^
Monsieur Capitaine," said the proprietor, coming forward and
continuing, ceremoniously in French,-"Monsieur and M^d me de
Challons have instructed me to inform you they would be Teatlv
g
Y
honored to have the pleasure of your company »
Captain Forsyth felt a momentary embarrassment at this un
expected invitat.on He readily appreciated however, th w vmg
of formality intended by the courteous request. He therefore IS
nCret re gladl
bowed his assent and followed the inn-keeper
°
y
Monsieur Raoul de Challons arose from his chair
Captain Forsyth was presented. He bowed gravely to Madame
, f^ undihen b°Wed in
tUrn to Mo
« de Gallons who
extended his hand in the English form of salutation
'
You are exceedingly kind to give us your company, Captain
speaking the Gaii
astr
d
~ £%*sz
"Thank you monsieur, but surely I am equally indebted for
The proprietor now served a small flagon of chilled Cham-
�38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
pagne de Regnault, the finest of his ample reserve stock, imported
Turkish cigarettes, and delicate servings of sweet confections and
salted pistachio.
"The inn-keeper has just informed me that Madame Forsyth
is suffering from some serious indisposition, monsieur," said Madame de Challons in French.
"That is true, madame," Coptain Forsyth confirmed in the
same language. "My wife is troubled with a more or less chrome
nervous prostration, and its unfortunate reappearance at this time
is responsible for our stay here past the usual season."
"Oh, that is indeed unfortunate, Monsieur Forsyth," said madame, sympathetically; and then added: "It has undoubtedly been
very trying for her to be confined here all this time without some
feminine companionship."
"That has been her greatest discomfort, I believe, madame,"
Forsyth agreed: and then suddenly changing the conversation, he
addressed Monseiur de Challons: "Your commission is evidently
urgent to compel you to travel at this season, monsieur."
"I confess that such energy in the pursuance of art seldom
troubles me, captain. In fact, it was only at the earnest request of
a very dear friend and patron of mine that I put myself to this inconvenience." De Challons attended this brief explanation with a peculiar smile.
"It would be of great interest to me to see some of your work,
monsieur," Forsyth remarked, with polite solicitation. "Though I
know but little of art, I yet derive considerable enjoyment from it."
"Thank you, monsieur; I shall be pleased to have you examine
the canvas I have contemplated when it is in the stage of completion.
An obscure artist is always grateful when any interest is aroused in
his work."
As Monsieur de Challons finished this acknowledgment, a carelessly attired man, who was apparently of advanced age, emerged
almost noiselessly from the enclosed stairway and, after a furtive
glance about the large room, which was now vacant of native patrons,
proceeded slowly to a table in a corner of the tavern. The aged man
seated himself with the deliberate care characteristic of senility. A
heavy, grizzled beard covered his face, and the sharp nose and
piercing grey eyes beneath shaggy brows gave him an unusually
austere appearance. Despite his plain and somewhat frayed attire
and rough aspect, the stamp of rusticity did not cling to him. It
was evident that he was a stranger in the community.
"A remarkable looking person, monsieur," commented De
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
39
Challons in a low voice, addressing Captain Forsyth. "He is no
native of this village, I am certain."
"Maitre Pierre told me that the man, on his arrival several
days ago, gave his name as Gaston Benoit, and that he had come from
the district of Neuchatel to visit a married daughter, who lives in
a village called Traunfelwald, which is about thirty miles distant by
post from here, I believe the inn-keeper said. He was forced to
stop in Aornholt because of a severe attack of rheumatism."
"The man is evidently displeased with the curiosity we show
in him," Madame de Challons said, breaking the silence she had
maintained for several minutes.
"He is an unusually fine character type for the artist's palette,"
added De Challons. "Were I disposed, and had the necessary time,
I believe that I would approach him as a prospective sitter."
"Fortunately for you, my dear Raoul, you are not so disposed,"
Madame de Challons said, with a smile. "I am doubtful whether
Monsieur Benoit would favor you with a sitting. Art does not retain
its charm to an aged rheumatic, I should judge."
"His retiring disposition certainly does not encourage any
intimacy," Captain Forsyth remarked, finding but slight interest in
the old man.
During the conversation, Monsieur Benoit was served a large
pewter of Wurttemberg ale which he had ordered, and which he
now drank with avid haste. He had seemed to peer with myopic focusing of the eyes about him, and now seemed to have merged within
himself, completely oblivious of his surroundings.
The early winter evening advanced until the staccato beat of
the tavern clock indicated the hour of ten. Geoffrey Forsyth arose
from the table, excusing himself with apparent reluctancy.
Monsieur de Challons also arose. "Much as we desire, we will
not ask you to remain longer, captain," the artist said, with a friendly
smile. "You are naturally anxious about your wife, who, I hope,
will forgive us for detaining you to this hour."
Assisted in his ulster by Jean, who, prior to this attentive assistance, had been nodding sleepily behind the bar, and standing
with hat and gloves in hand, Captain Forsyth addressed his new acquaintances before departing.
"Allow me to thank you for a very pleasant evening," he said,
with a slight bow; "and may I be permitted the pleasure of returning this courtesy by inviting you to our temporary home tomorrow."
"Trusting you will excuse fne, monsieur, I shall defer the
great pleasure of meeting Madame Forsyth until later, my com-
�40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
mission allowing me so little leisure," acknowledged the artist j "but
my wife will be very much pleased to avail herself of this opportunity, I am sure."
"Indeed, Monsieur Forsyth, it will give me the greatest pleasure to make youn wife's acquaintance," Madame de Challons acquiesced, in her charming manner.
"Then kindly expect me here at ten tomorrow morning, madame."
Captain Forsyth quitted the warm atmosphere of "Monte Tavern" and walked briskly down the steps. The night was extremely
cold, and the sky exhibited a festive splendor with its starlit firmament, which was only occasionally obscured by a sudden flurry of the
wind. The snow-covered objects near the roadway were sharply
delineated against the frosty background of darkness, and the deeply
rutted tracks of a horse-drawn sled that had passed over the road
during the early part of the evening were still plainly visible.
Geoffrey Forsyth was in a very pleasant mood, and thoroughly
enjoyed the chilly stillness about him. The unexpected evening's
entertainment at the inn had dispelled the feeling of discontentment
that had filled the slowly passing days. He had never, in all the
varied phases of his army life at home and abroad, quite met the
equal of Madame de Challons in beauty and charm of personality.
The artist impressed him as a man of considerable culture and
eclectic experience, and possessing that bonhomie characteristically
French.
Occupied with these pleasant meditations, and forgetful of a
sharp turn in the roadway just ahead of him, Captain Forsyth
incautiously stepped into a snow-drift, which immediately brought
him back to active perceptions. Brushing the fine snow from his
coat, he quickened his strides, and presently entered the lighted
interior of his temporary residence.
He removed his hat and ulster, and then walked lightly up
the carpeted stairs. A warm, mellow light issued through the partly
open door of his wife's chamber. She was awake, awaiting his belated return.
"The deuce!" exclaimed Forsyth, closing the door and going
to her. "Rather bearish of me to have stayed so long, dear." He
seated himself near the bed and took her delicate hands in his and
tenderly kissed them.
"Listen, Geoffrey," interrupted his wife, with a wan smile.
"What is it, dear?"
"I feel that you are wearied of this place. You know, Geoffrey,
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
41
you can go south for a few days "
dToette todayand are *w5*£^* *
inquiSgly"
FOTSyth remainCd Silent
'
bW l0
*d * her husband
Cynth,a, but L sure £^ffiZ^K** *»"
can und'e^ £££** "^ to ^.p^K*
writelo^et"' Iff T E"F* "** f°
his
one
°m> ""-ding to
The proprietor turned and called in French to his assistant
J
d
e tHat M SiCUr F r th has
"How
I"
T
T,
r
°^
-ted" "
How long has Monsieur de Challons been out, Pierre?" nues
honed Forsyth, as he removed his felt hat and gloves
Q
and t^°mAAr eftTf^ eady' caPitaine," the inn-keeper answeredand then suddenly added: "Ah I forget, I have letters wh cTcome
by the morning post for you, monsieur."
l and then
the se^erlTlSf n ^^ ^T^T *«
>
P*-«d
«fJfcA let.ters,m an inner pocket of his coat. He advanced towards the enclosed stairway as he heard some one descending!
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
"Good morning, monsieur," said Madame de Challons as she
reached the bottom step. She extended her gloved hand and smiled '
warmly.
"Good morning, madame. I hope that I have not kept you
waiting," Captain Forsyth greeted in return, slightly preceding
her to the door.
"Indeed not, monsieur; we Viennese are not early risers, you
know."
Madame de Challons nodded pleasantly to the inn-keeper as
they passed out.
"It is unfortunate that there is no public conveyance other than
the daily mail coach which passes through, madame."
"Walking is a favorite pastime in Vienna, Captain Forsyth; and
the distance is trifling," said the youthful Madame de Challons,
taking his proffered arm.
They went along for a few moments in silence. Madame de
Challons drew closer to Captain Forsyth, for she found the roadway
slippery with the snow that had slightly melted with the rising temture of the morning.
"I pray that your dear wife is better this morning, monsieur,"
said Madame de Challons, breaking the short silence.
"She is much improved, madame; and I am quite sure that
your intended visit is wholly responsible for the improvement."
Madame de Challons smiled with pleasure, but remained silent.
"You have been in England, Madame?" Captain Forsyth
asked, observing his beautiful companion with something of the
connoisseur's critical appreciation.
"I made a brief visit there with my parents several years ago,
monsieur; though I have yet to enjoy my first London season."
"The pleasure that one can derive from the social rounds in
London is quite negligible, madame; your Vienna is superior in
many ways, and certainly in the respect of ideal living."
"You are exceedingly kind to say so, Captain Forsyth; but your
metropolis retains a certain glamour that is almost irresistible to the
continental."
This pleasant exchange of commendations was abruptly ended,
for they now approached the stone walk that led to the cloister-like
entrance of the villa.
In the low-ceilinged hall, they were met by the maid, Marie,
who, with a smiling courtesy to Madame de Challons, relieved them
of their outer garments, and then ushered them into the comfortable
drawing-room ,where, much to Captain Forsyth's surprise and joy,
.. .
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
43
he found his wife occupied with some embroidery work before the
glowing warmth of a wood fire.
"Cynthia!" he exclaimed, going to her and clasping her delicate hands; "your presence here below is the greatest happiness I've
had for days."
His wife's attention immediately centered on Madame de Challons, who was regarding them with charming diffidence.
Captain Forsyth drew back from the chair in which his wife
was sitting.
"Madame, this is my wife," he said with a bow, introducing
them; "Cynthia, this is Madame Raoul de Challons, who was kind
enough to visit us."
With the expiration of ten minutes or more, during which Mrs.
Forsyth and her visitor chatted animatedly in French, Captain Forsyth, his spirits considerably heightened by the evident pleasure
his invalid wife felt in the company of Madame de Challons, excused himself and retired to the study on the second floor to attend
to his mail.
In the study, which was partitioned off from the bed-chamber,
Forsyth seated himself at the black-walnut escritoire, and drew the
curtains of the window near him. For a few moments, he gazed
abstractedly^at the panorama of snow-clad mountains that stretched
in endless vista before him. Then, with a shrug of his broad shoulders, he withdrew the letters from his pocket and began to examine
them.
For over a half hour, he alternately read and answered the
letters, one of which was from his elder brother, Sir Richard Elwart
Forsyth, who resided at Marmount Castle, the home of the Grenville-Forsyths for twelve generations.
With a sigh of relief, as if the obligations he had just finished
had been accomplished with but little relish, he placed the letters to
be forwarded in his coat pocket. He then arose from the chair, and,
passing through his bed-chamber, descended the carpeted steps.
Entering the drawing-room, his immediate gaze was directed
at the somewhat antiquated concert grand piano at which Madame
de Challons was now seated. His unobtrusive entrance was greeted
by a smile from his wife.
"Madame de Challons has kindly consented to play for us,
Geoffrey; although I am uncertain of its condition, having no inclination to try it."
"It is a Beckstein, of celebrated make, as you know," said Madame de Challons, who was examining a considerable quantity of
�44
THE SYRIANWORLD
sheet music in the rack; and then, as if dissatisfied with what she
found, she turned to the piano, and with an almost imperceptible
motion ran her fingers over the mellowed keys in pearly arpeggios.
"Why, it is in perfect condition!" Madame de Challons exclaimed, with some surprise, for the tone had sounded clear and
brilliant.
"I thought that you would find it so, madame," said Captain
Forsyth, who had seated himself near his wife. "Monsieur Claude
Viaud, from whom we rented this villa, is a very enthusiastic amateur of music, and it was quite unlikely that he would neglect the
instrument."
"I hope that my selection will please you, for it is a great favorite of mine," Madame de Challons said, as she commenced to
play with a forte stroke of bass and treble in the lower octaves.
"Geoffrey! that is the Sonata Pathetique of Beethoven," Mrs.
Forsyth exclaimed, in a voice of commingled surprise and delight.
Captain Forsyth sat spellbound. He had expected the usual
performance of an accomplished lady of fashion, and not this artistic rendition of which he was a delighted witness.
The first movement of the sonata, with its inspiring chord passages and charming oriental color, was followed by the adagio cantabile, the second movement, and this in turn was succeeded by the
graceful rondo, the concluding part.
With the accented quarter note that ended the composition still
faintly vibrating, Madame de Challons turned about on the piano
bench to smilingly face the warm expressions of praise from her
hosts.
"My dear madame!" Cynthia Forsyth said, her pale-blue eyes
aglow with excitement; "I now recall you as the youthful prodigy
who astonished London audiences with your wonderful talent several seasons ago. You were then known as Charlotte Brunne, if I
am not mistaken."
"Indeed, madame, we had no idea that genius had condescended to share our hospitality," remarked Captain Forsyth, who
fully shared his wife's admiration for their visitor.
"My dear friends, you overwhelm me with your kindness.
This talent you praise so highly is nothing."
"Oh, you are too modest, madame," Mrs. Forsyth added;
and then, as an afterthought she continued: "Did you not give a recital at the Imperial Opera in Vienna last winter?"
"I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity," Madame de Challons confirmed, smiling with slight embarrassment at
——
mm
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
45
the friendly inquiry from her well-informed hostess.'
"And called a second Ertman by all critics for your fine playing of Beethoven's sonatas?" continued Cynthia Forsyth, answering her own question, for her memory was sharpened by personal
contact with the object of her interest.
"Critics are far too generous in their comments, Madame Forsyth."
On being urged, Madame de Challons played several classical
selections, and continued to delight her English hosts until luncheon
was announced by Marie, who, needless to say, was very much impressed with the personality of the beautiful visitor.
(To be continued next month.)
Song of Friendship
By
EDNA
K.
SALOOMEY
Be still, my heart. This song shall end
Which rings this day jubilantly.
The silv'ry chords of sound, the blend
Of colours weaving harmony;
These joys which pierce you to the depth,
Fade like days on the wings of flight.
The song ended—as bleak as death
Are the hours of a songless night.
Weep not, my heart. Be now attuned
To the dull tunes of loneliness.
Their strident echoes are a wound
For which earth has no recompense.
And, when friend from friend must depart
And vast vacuity is left,—
In all the world the saddest heart
Is that which is of love bereft.
• '•"*• -
�Infantile Paralysis
By
DR.
F. I.
SHATARA
THE recurrence of infantile paralysis this summer makes a brief
discussion of this disease both interesting and important.
Infantile paralysis, known medically as Poliomyelitis, was
introduced into this country from northern Europe in 1906. Since
that unhappy year it has never been absent, but has prevailed in
some parts of the country every summer. In 1916, it swept the
country in epidemic from. This year it again assumed epidemic,
though less extensive, proportions.
The exact cause or germ of this disease is still not definitely
known and, until that problem is conclusively solved, our knowledge
of, and means of combatting, the disease necessarily remains inade- .
quate.
It is probable that the disease is caused by a germ described
by Flexner and Noguchi in 1913 as the "globoid bodies." Certain
strains of streptococci have been claimed to be experimentally capable of producing the disease. In 1916 and 1917, the writer, in
association with Dr. Charles Norris, carried out some research work
at Bellevue Hospital to determine the cause of this disease. A streptococcus was found in the brain and spinal cord substance of patients
who died of this disease, but a similar organism was found in other
patients who died from other causes.
It seems determined that there is a very considerable natural
or acquired immunity to infantile paralysis. Thus, infants under six
months of age, and most adults have a low susceptibility to the disease. The period of greatest susceptibility is during the third and
fourth years. After the seventh year, natural immunity seems to
be rapidly acquired.
The germ lodges in the mucous membrane of the nose and
throat, and later attacks the central nervous system, particularly the
anterior horns of the spinal cord. These are the seat of muscle control and when destroyed there is loss of motor power in the muscles
.
WSHBmmtmmimmMmmm r i
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
47
controlled by that particular segment of the cord.
Dr. Amos of the Rockefeller Institute, and Dr. Taylor of the
Vermont State Board of Health, made the interesting observation
that when the germ is brought into contact with the secretions of the
nose and mouth, the secretions, in many persons, have the power of
destroying the germ.
Infantile paralysis is a communicable disease. It may be transmitted by a third person. It is, however, only slightly contagious by
direct contact. This is a great blessing, otherwise the disease would
be far more prevalent, and it explains why it is rare to have more
than one case in one family. This knowledge has rendered burdensome quarantine restrictions unnecessary.
The early symptoms of the disease are drowsiness, fever, headache, irritability, especially when moved, vomiting, and stiffness of
the neck, followed usually in a few days by inability to move some
set of muscles. These symptoms may all be present, or only a few
may be manifest, and it is better for the parents not to attempt tc
make a diagnosis, but to call the doctor immediately, put the child
to bed, and keep the other children away. If the family is unable to
pay for the services of a physician, the Health Department will
send a physician gratis.
Once the diagnosis is established, the case should remain under
medical supervision, not only until the acute symptoms subside, but
also until the resultant paralysis has been improved or cured. This
is necessarily a slow process, and usually takes months and
sometimes years. Supporting braces and various surgical procedure
are often necessary. Convalescent serum, or the serum of patients
who have had the disease, when used early, is of some value. The
Health Department has available a supply of such serum donated
by volunteers. Governor Roosevelt of New York was one of the
first who donated some blood to fight this scourge.
In conclusion, the following are quotations from a leaflet
issued by Dr. Shirley W. Wynne, Health Commissioner of New
York City.
"What should be done to avoid infantile -paralysis?
Follow the well-known and accepted rules that always
protect one during outbreaks of infectious (catching) disease.
Avoid crowds or groups, whether public or private.
Avoid all sick children as well as older persons who are ill.
�48
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Mothers should see to it that children:
Wash their hands frequently during the day and always
before eating.
Don't let your children be kissed by any one.
Are bathed daily.
What foods should be given to children?
Clean, wholesome food suitable for this time of the year.
Plenty of milk, fruit, fresh vegetables and eggs.
Keep food, especially milk, in the refrigerator.
Avoid fried foods or foods liable to upset the stomach.
Do not give money to your children to buy drink or food.
Buy them for your children.
Raw fruit and other foods eaten uncooked should be
carefully washed.
Bathing at beaches or swimming fools is safe if the water is
clean.
Sayings of Ali
pORBEARANCE is a covering shield, and mind a trenchant
sword. Cover, therefore, thy natural defects with the shield of
sword. Cover, therefore, thy natural defects with the shield of
restraint, and attack the morbidness of thy passion with the sword
of intellect.
CPEAK and thou shalt be known, for every man is hidden under
his tongue.
A VARICE is the breeder of all the vices. It is a halter by which
one may be led to all form of evil.
MEVER have I beheld a tyrant more like one who is oppressed
than he who harbors envy. He is ever the victim of a brooding
depression, a Wandering mindj and constant grief.
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
49
Political Developments in Syria
WILL FRANCE RENOUNCE
ITS SYRIAN MANDATE?
The Paris office of the Havas Agency on August 28 gave out a report
from Geneva that the French Government intended to renounce its inundate over Syria. Later this report
was declared premature and explained
by France's willingness to introduce
changes in the form of government in
Syria that she hopes will solve the
Syrian problem.
Political rumors have been thick
and varied during the past few
months because summer seems to be
the favorite season for political activities in Syria. The logical reason
is that High Commissioner Ponsot
would be in Paris and matters coming
up for consideration could be dealt
with definitely with the Ministry
of Foreign affairs.
Out of the maze of rumors afloat
one thing seems to stand out distinctly as being contemplated by the
French, and that is their conviction
that the Syrians must be given additional political rights than what
they now enjoy. But just what form
the solution of the problem will take
has not been yet determined. There
are those who insist that Syria will
be made a monarchy with former
King Ali of Arabia as King, while
others maintain that nothing short
of a regular republic will satisfy
the Nationalists who still are considered the strongest single bloc in
the country. Recently rumors would
have it that Emir Ali of Transjordania is being considered for the
proposed Syrian throne instead of his
brother Ali. King Feisal of Iraq,
another son of the late King Hussain,
''
-
-
-
-r*£x
'
is said to have taken up with the
French the question of the Syrian
throne while on his recent visit to
Paris.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
OCCUPYING THE LEBANESE
What created a sensation in political circles in Lebanon was a report in one of the Syrian papers that
Emil Eddy, former Premier and one
of those most prominently mentioned
for the Presidency in the 1932 elections, had advanced the suggestion
while in Paris that Lebanon cede the
city of Tripoli to Syria as a sea outlet and because of the fact that the
majority of the population of the
city are Moslems. The true object of
this move is ascribed to the desire
of Mr. Eddy to insure for Lebanon
an overwhelming Christian majority
and eliminate religion as a political
factor in the affairs of the country.
The rumor was dismissed as ridiculous by the Lebanese press which
insisted that not only is the religious
question definitely divorced from politics in Lebanon but that the Lebanese
will never permit the loss of any part
of their present territory.
The Lebanese Government continues
to face a grave deficit in the budget.
Michel Zakkour, a progressive journalist and a member of the Legislative Assembly, advanced the tentative proposal that members of that
body agree to a reduction in their
salaries, but, as would be expected,
his radical suggestion met with very
little favor. The idea of reducing
materially the membership of the
Legislative Assembly in the interest
of economy is consequently gaining
ground.
�-
50
UNREST IN PALESTINE
During the summer months, particularly August, there was fear of
grave disturbance in Palestine arising
from the government's decision to
permit the erection of sealed arsenals
in Jewish settlements with a view
to allowing the Jews access to them
in emergencies. This natural'y incensed the Arabs who planned to stag 3
demonstrations of protest which the
government, however, took measures
to prevent. Owing to these precau
tions the month of August, which
witnessed the bloody massacres of
1929, passed uneventfully with the
exception of a minor encounter in
Nablus.
The apparent determination of the
Arabs to protest the government's
action, however, had an unnerving effect on the Jews. A large number of
them were reported to have taken an
extended holiday in Damascus and
other parts of Syria to escape possible strife, according to Syrian press
reports.
While conditions in Palestine are
quiet on the surface, there seems to
be nothing to indicate a permanent
solution of the racial problem between
the Arabs and the Jews. Joseph Levy,
in his dispatches to the New York
Times, reports that the Arab nationalist movement in Palestine is assuming tremendous proportions to the
extent of arousing the strongest political consciousness even among the
fellaheen. This would indicate that
tflie hopes of the Zionists for the
establishment of a truly national Jewish home in the country may never
be fully realized. Even were the Jews
to become a majority in the country,
according to this correspondent, such
a majority would be as a drop in
the ocean in comparison with the
millions of surrounding Arabs. And
these Arabs are now becoming fully
politically conscious. A strong element in Palestine is now agitating
THE SYRIAN WORLD
for a pan-Arab movement as against
a pan-Islamic movement with the
object of demonstrating Arab solidarity free from religious stigma.
Among the Jews, on the other hand,
there are those who oppose a political
Jewish homeland and urge an amicable understanding with the Arabs
for the mutual advantage of both
peoples. This the Arabs would only
be too willing to consider once they
are satisiied the Jews have renounced
all political ambitions. Arab leaders
have time and again declared they
would welcome the Jews as settlers
in reasonable numbers, and sanction
their establishment of a national cultural home in Palestine, providing
their activities are confined to this
idea alone.
SULTAN PASHA ATRASH
COMING TO AMERICA?
What some Syrian papers claim as
authentic, reliable information, is that
Sultan Pasha Atrash, leader of the
Syrian revolution of 1925-6 is coming
to the United States in person in
view of the gravity of the conditions
of the Syrian war refugees now in
the Arabian desert. The plight of
these brave Druze warriors who have
preferred voluntary exile to surrender
has aroused the pity and the admiration of the world. They have undergone the severest privations and hardships and for the past several years
have been subsisting mainly on contributions sent them from sympathizers in America. Lately, however,
contributions have been slow and
meager, reducing the refugees almost
to the point of starvation. Hence the
reported decision of their leader to
come to the United States.
The New Syria Party has started
a campaign for raising sufficient funds
to care for the refugees during the
coming winter, proposing regular donations of $1.00 a month by every
Syrian family in America.
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
51
TTTF
SYRIAN WORLD
NEWS SECTION
VOL. VI. NO. 1.
SECOND MAHRAJAN
HELD IN DETROIT
Syrians and Lebanese of Michigan and
Neighboring States Flock in
Thousands to Paris Park.
The Mahrajan has definitely become
a national institution for the Syrians
and Lebanese of the United States.
The growing success attending its
celebration on the first and second
years leaves no doubt of the popularity of the idea. The celebration has
been given also the official name of
Mahrajan since it denotes the spirit
of a national festival. -And such has
been the spirit characterizing the two
celebrations so far held on two successive years.
The Detroit Mahrajan was held at
Paris Park, a thirty five-acre picnic
grounds on the outskirts of the city
fully equipped for such purposes. The
celebration lasted the two days of
Sept. 6 and 7 and was replete with
enjoyable activities during every minute of the time.
The Mahrajan idea originated with
tht Lebanon League of Progress of
New York, a national organization of
the Lebanese in the United States.
The Detroit celebration was held under the joint auspices of the national
organization and a local committee of
St. Maron Society.
Sunday afternoon the formal opening exercises were held in the vast
open air auditorium of the park and
were presided over by Mr. Antoun
i-V-Xii
SEPTEMBER 1931.
Azoury of the local committee. Madame Fedora Kurban and John Fayyad sang the Star Spangled Banner
while the brothers Paul and George
Nasr sang the Lebanese anthem.
Speeches on this occasion were restricted to Arabic inasmuch as the
English function was set for the following day. The speakers included
Elias Gastin, President of St. Maron
Society for the Detroit committee;
Salloum A. Mokarzel, editor of the
Syrian World, representing his brother
N. A. Mokarzel, editor of Al-Hoda
and President of the Lebanon League
of Progress of New York; Rev. Elias
Asmar, pastor of St. Maron church
of Detroit; Rt. Rev. Antony Bashir,
editor of the magazine Al~Khalidat;
and Abbas Aboo Shakra of Detroit,
Emir Joseph Bellamah of Montreal,
Canada, Salim George of Detroit, John
Hindy of Detroit, William Farran of
Toledo, Ohio, and Philip Abraham of
Wheeling, W. Va., each of whom recited an original poem composed for
the occasion.
The American speakers on the following day were highly eulogistic of
the civic virtues of the Syrians and
Lebanese of Detroit. They included
Judge Joseph Gillis, representing the
Governor of Michigan; Miss Emilia
Schaub, representing the Mayor of
Detroit; State Representative J. Callahan; Clem Woodbury of the American Legion and others. Salloum A.
Mokarzel who presided at this meeting, responded and urged the Syrians
and Lebanese to maintain the high
�52
reputation they have acquired as law
abiding and industrious citizens.
Other speakers at this meeting were
Mrs. K. Ghosn, President of the Syrian-Lebanese Ladies' Society of Detroit, Joseph Youakim, editor of the
local Arabic paper Al-Ittehad, and
Sassin Roukos.
A fair-complexioned girl of about
eight years was led to the platform
with the request that she be permitted
to say a few words. Her name was
Gloria Abu Slaiman and was represented as an American child adopted
by a Lebanese family. She did speak,
but in such fluent Arabic as to put
to shame many a child of native Syrian and Lebanese parents.
During the two days the four thousand persons or more who entered the
park engaged in their favorite pastimes such as is possible to them only
on very rare opportunifiies. There
were the native dances, songs, sword
play, poetical improvisation and the
like. It was a festive occasion fully
enjoyed by all and one that afforded
many friends the only opportunity
they had of meeting each other in
years. Some of those attending came
from Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Lansing,
Flint, and many places in Canada.
SYRIAN TEXAS CLUB
DOING SPLENDID WORK.
Spirit Displayed Deserves Emulation
by all Syrian Clubs Throughout
the Country.
The actions of the Young Men's
Amusement Club of Port Arthur, Tex.,
belie its name. This society of young
Syrians may be given up to amusement activities, which is perfectlynatural and receives our hearty encouragement. But judging by the souvenir program of the convention of
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Syrian societies of the Southwest held
under its auspices July 4 and 5, its
amusements run along extremely serious lines. The spirit it shows is
worthy of emulation by any body of
mature adults and deserves the highest commendation. We not only are in
hearty accord with this society, but
are frankly proud of its spirit.
This Syrian Club of Port Arthur is
working towards a splendid ideal,
that of forming a federation of Syrian societies in the Southwest which
eventually would be merged into a
national federation. This is in complete accord with the proposition of
the Syrian World, advanced some
years ago, for a federation of Syrian
societies in the country. We would be
happy to consider the proposed regional federation of the Southwest
the cornerstone of the national structure. We are indeed heartened by
this renewal of interest in this all
important project. May the spirit
prove infectious.
We also take pleasure in reproducing from the program of the Young
Men's Amusement Club of Port Arthur, Texas, an editorial appearing
under the title "Pioneers" which indicates deep feeling and true understanding of the American social structure and of the Syrians' special position as compared to earlier comers.
The editorial follows:
PIONEERS
We who live in this country are
constantly reminded of the debt we
owe our pioneer fathers. As this is
a new nation we are forever commemorating some historical incident
and the persons connected with it.
All these things are commonplace to
the citizens of a young country as
ours, but none the less, praise and
credit will never cease to be poured
into the coffers of those who blazed
the trail for our comforts, convenj-
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
ences, and all that goes with our
modern America.
When we think of pioneers, we associate them with those rugged souls
who helped build our country. But
there is another pioneer to whom
we Syrian Americans have let pass
"unhonored and unsung." His name
is not shouted from the hill tops nor
praised in books. Unconciously, we
have relegated him to oblivion. He
is not a master of our rich civilization,
nor a certain individual that contributed to the enrichment of our lives
He lives with us today in America
Our fathers! They came here unaccustomed to the tempo of the new
life; the merits or demerits of their
heritage were buried in the quicksands
of a different land. They started life
over again; they dwelt in privation of
the necessities of life. By bundled
knapsacks they started business that
we, their children, might enjoy a
right to a comfortable life. Today,
some are merchant princes or high
in their professions, and some are
not, but their successes or failures
cannot be measured by commercial
standards, for the opportunities they
made possible for us are beyond our
fondest hopes to repay.
As members of the new generation
we can perpetuate their ideas and
ideals, tempered with our American
traits. It is through young Syrian
clubs that we can acknowledge the
debt we owe our fathers. Those who
serve the Syrian-American spirit also
serve their fathers. Ours can be no
ordinary venture, for via these clubs
we may let the world know who we
are and what we propose to do, for
we are but the products of our inheritance.
We also take the liberty of reproducing their appraisal of the Syrian
World as published in their program.
While we would hold up their friendly
attitude as the proper one to be taken
53
by every Syrian-American, we wish
to extend the Young Men's Amusement Club our hearty thanks for their
expressions of good wishes.
The following is their published
appraisal of the Syrian World and
its mission:
THE SYRIAN WORLD
If you were a merchant, doctor or
housekeeper, and were engrossed in
>our work, you would doubtless be
muchly interested in reading every!
thing pertaining to your trade, profession or vocation. Through the
Printed word you would find much to
add to your knowledge and interest
oi the game.
To fill such a need for h
generation of Syrian-Americans, the
wr„T
I ', 3 m°nthly m»Wzine
written in English dealing with Syrian
affairs and Arabic literature, was
launched in 1926 by S. A. Mokarzel or
New York City, ft therefore furnishes the young man or woman with
the same line of reading matter in
English which their parents have in
Arabic.
By virtue of it being the only magazine of its kind printed
i
«J
the Synan World becomes the official
organ of young Syrians in America.
Anyone having an iota of regard for
his race would grasp the first opportunity of becoming posted on things
Synan through this magazine.
Many have become ardent readers
of the periodical merely by the interest aroused in reading their first
issue. It is our magazine and it is
therefore our responsibility to see
that it continues in its publication,
for it reflects the very things we are
nghmg for.
The Y M. A. C. is interested in the
Syrian World and hopes that it will
overcome its present difficulties which
are due to insufficient support through
subscriptions.
�54
SYRIAN-AMERICAN SOCIETY
PLANS A FEDERATION
The Syrian-American Citizens' Society of Lawrence, Mass., has started
an active campaign to form a Syrian American Federation of the Syrian
societies of New England. It has invited all societies of the section to a
convention it has called for October
22, 23 and 24 to be held at the Lawrence State Aimory. In conjunction
with the launching of this movement
it has decided to conduct an Oriental
bazaar for the primary purpose of
raising funds to defray the expense
of the visiting delegates.
The Syrian World welcomes the
cumulative signs of the racial consciousness displayed by the growing
inclination for collective action. Regional federations of Syrian soeietes
in particular sections are the logical
first steps in the direction of forming
the national federation. We sincerely
trust the undertaking of the SyrianAmerican Citizens' Society of Lawrence will be attended with complete
success.
SYRIAN GIRL ACHIEVES
SUCCESS AS TYPIST.
Hailed as the world's most versatile
stenographer, Miss Olga Elkouri has
been engaged by the Remington-Rand
Company as a demonstrator of their
typewriter under a contract running
for a number of years. She is now
touring the country displaying not
only the responsiveness of the typewriter but her own extensive versatility.
Miss Elkouri is capable of writing
135 words a minute with music, a
feat that places her in a class by
herself. During the first week of September she was featured by Paramount Sound News under the significant caption "The Keys to Success."
She also has gone on the air teaching
THE SYRIAN WORLD
VERSATILE TYPIST
Miss Olga Elkouri
the touch system in operating the
typewriter in eight simple lessons of
an exclusive method she has devised.
Her versatility is carried to the point
where she can maintain her record
of writing 135 words a minute from
a given copy while singing in any
of the three languages she knows—
English, Arabic and Spanish.
Miss Elkouri was born in Jedaidat
Marj'youn but was brought to the
United States by her parents when
still in her infancy. She was brought
up in Oklahoma but now makes her
residence in Detroit, Mich.
SYRIAN PIANIST MAKES
REGULAR BROADCASTS.
Miss Louise Yazbeck of Shreveport,
La., may be heard every Sunday over
station KWKH, 850 kilocycles, at 10:45
P. M. Central Standard Time. She
specializes in Oriental
prograi. .s
either of her own composition or se-
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
lected from the works of Oriental composers, principally those of Mr. Alexander Maloof of New York. The appreciation of her entertainment is attested by a large number of letters
received from all sections of the country.
Miss Yazbeck spent the summer
months at Washington University
completing an advanced course in
music.
55
SYRIAN FLYER
SYRIAN GIRL WINNER
IN DISTRICT AUDITION
Shreveport, La. papers announced
that Miss Olga Maroun of that city
had won the unaminous decision of
the nine judges as the winner of the
district contest held late in July for
the National Atwater Kent annual
competition to be held in November.
This is the first time, it was stated, a
contestant has been so honored.
Miss Maroun is an ideal type for
the musical profession, according to
the opinion of critics, because of her
having a beautiful, rich dramatic
voice of wide range and deep feeling,
as well as being an accomplished
linguist, singing equally as well in
French and Italian. She is 22 and
has studied under the best teachers
both in Shreveport and New York.
SYRIAN GIRL FLIER
GIVEN PILOT'S LICENSE.
Miss Alice B. Coury of Hopewell,
W. Va., was awarded a Private Pilot's
License on Aug. 12, having passed the
U. S. Government requirements pertaing to aeronautics. The Government, however, gives two other licenses, those of Limited Commercial
and Transport., and Miss Coury expects to receive these remaining two
in the course of a year, when she
hopes to have acquired sufficient ex-
Miss Alice B. Coury
perience and flying time.
Miss Coury was born in Manchester,
N. H., in 1910 and was fascinated by
flying since she was in her early teens.
She could not, however, take up the
game seriously before the age of sixteen, and this interval she used in
acquiring a liberal education. She
is now the secretary of the Retail
Merchants' Association of Hopewell,
W. Va., where she is living with her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Assaf George
Coury.
LEBANON NATIONAL BANK
UNDERGOES LIQUIDATION
The present economic depression
has weighed heavily on the Lebanon
National Bank of New York, forcing
it into liquidation. In fairness to its
management, it should be stated that
this move was consummated without
the slightest loss to depositors. The
�56
Manufacturers Trust Company of New
York took charge of the liquidation
at the request of the Board of Directors of the Lebanon National.
It is cause for genuine regret that
this once promising Syrian financial
institution should be forced to close
its doors. It was, however, in the category of the smaller banks operating
in a tremendously expanded market
and but scantily equipped for the
battle of strong competition. Nor did
the Syrian element give it the proper
support from the viewpoint of a racial institution.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
RESEARCHER
SYRIAN WORLD EDITOR
BROADCASTS ON SYRIANS
On Thursday, Sept. 10, the editor
of the Syrian World gave a radio
talk over Station WHN in New York
on the Syrians in the United States.
The broadcast was under the auspices
of the National Y. M. C. A. and the
Fellowship of Faiths. Both the present standing of the Syrians in America and their historical background
were covered with a view to giving
the general public a better understanding of our people.
SYRIAN GIRL ENGAGED
IN RESEARCH WORK
The local papers of Calumet, Mich.,
announce the appointment of Miss
Irene Nicholas, a Syrian girl of the
city, to membership in the national
committee on international affairs of
the Young Women's Christian Association. Miss Nicholas is said to be
the only Syrian co-ed in a mid-west
university and has been for a long
time connected with university and
Y. W. C. A. activities in research and
statistical work among the foreign
born. She also has given a number
of lectures on Syria and the Syrians
Miss Irene Nicholas
and other subjects with which she is
familiar, especially those pertaining to
the East.
SYRIAN M. D. ESTABLISHES
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
There was apparently great joy in
Elk City, Okla., on Aug. 14, on the
occasion of the dedication of the Community Hospital which was hailed as
one of the major civic enterprises of
the city. Local papers devoted pages
to the description of the exercises
and the history of the undertaking.
All agreed that the enterprise was
made possible through the energy
and devotion of Dr. M. Shadid, founder of the Co-operative Health Association which is running the hospital.
It is always pleasing to hear of the
realization of an ideal of whatever
nature. Dr. Shadid has an ideal of
unselfish public service and he has
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
undertaken to realize it along the line
of his profession. He maintained that
medical fees and hospital charges
were high, far too high to be within
the reach of the average family, and
to provide adequate medical care at
reasonable rates became his obsession.
With characteristic energy he set
himself to work forming a cooperative
association for the establishment of a
community hospital where the charges
would not only be extremely moderate
but the patients assured the most expert attention. And he succeeded.
Dr. Shadid is a Lebanese from Jedaidat Marj'youn and a graduate of
Washington University in St. Louis,
Mo. Having had a succesful professional career, his love for public service prompted him to enter the field
of politics, receiving the nomination
for congress on the Farmer-Labor ticket in 1928. Later he went to Syria to
study the possibility of establishing
a hospital there or reclaiming land for
large scale farming. The community
hospital of his home town in Oklahoma, however, proved to have first
claim on his attention.
ARAB NATIONAISM
DISPLAYED IN RELIGION
For over two years the Syrian Orthodox church of Antioch was without a Patriarch because of internal
differences among its bishops. One
of the principal reasons of these differences, as stated publicly in the press
was the resentment of the Arab element of interference in Syrian church
affairs by "foreign" Orthodox influence, chiefly that coming from the
Greek element whose yoke the Syrians
had thrown off nearly thirty years
ago.
A similar state of affairs has lately
developed in the Orthodox church of
Palestine upon the recent death of its
57
Greek Patriarch. The Orthodox Palestinians are now agitating for the
e'ection of an Arab Patritrch, threatening to join another Christian body
if their wishes are disregarded. The
spirit of nationalism and independence
has been carried to the point of refusing submission to foreigners even in
church matters. The movement is
said to be general among the Orthodox of Palestine and it seems most
likely that their demands will be
granted. They have served notice on
the mandatory authorities that under
no circumstances will they afcceptj
other than an Arab Patriarch, because
of rumors that the British were favoring the status quo in the Orthodox
religious succession.
SYRIANS IN UPPER
AMAZON UNDER ATTACK
A town on the upper Amazon in
Brazil which the Syrians helped build
nearly twenty years ago, and where
they still remain the only merchants,
was recently attacked by Brazilian
outlaws and the lives of the inhabitants exposed to great danger, according to a special communication to
Al-Bayan, an Arabic newspaper of
New York, published in its issue of
September 2.
In giving the history of the town,
named Brazilia, the correspondent
stated that the Syrians first settled
it and established in it extensive rubber plantations. They remain to this
day the only element engaged in commercial activities in the town, and
their employees in various business
and industrial activities are counted
by the hundreds.
On the morning of June 14, according to the correspondent, an organized
attack by outlaws was launched on
the town and the authorities ordered
all stores closed, and hurriedly armed
�58
the citizens as best they could. The
local defenders, however, were unequal to the task of repelling the outlaws who were well armed and numbered several hundred men. Not until a strong Bolivian force came to
the rescue did the besieged inhabitants feel comparative'y safe.
The correspondent seems particularly concerned about future protection for himself and his countrymen,
especially since they have considerable
investments that excite the envy and
the greed of the lawless element which
abounds in the upper reaches of the
Amazon.
He asks if France, because of its mandate ovar Syria, would
be willing to afford the necessary
protection if it is appealed to, especially since it has consistently denied
the Syrians the right of foreign diplomatic representation.
ARABS OF THE DESERT
RENEW THEIR WARFARE
The end of hostilities between the
two powerful tribes of the Syrian
desert, the Hudaidis and the Mowalis,
does not appear to be in sight. The
Syrian papers of August report that
a new conflict has broken out in which
another emir of the Mowalis was slain
by his enemies, and but for the timely
intervention of the armed forces
which the French authorities had
stationed in the desert for the express
purpose of holding the two enemy
tribes at bay, the golden desert sand
over an extensive area would have
turned crimson.
And all this came about through
the unfortunate incident wherein a
young man of one tribe kidnaped a
girl of the other tribe and fled with
her in the trackless desert. To the
present time the pair have not been
apprehended, but the trail of blood
they have left behind them seems to
?HE SYRIAN WORLD
be endless.
And the French, who coined the
famous saying "cherchez la femme,"
are again finding justification of their
adage in the farthest ends of the
Syrian desert.
GANDHI CHAMPIONS
LEBANESE PAPER
When the Lebanesa governm:nt susTended Zah'e Al Fatat (Young Zahle)
its resourceful editor, Shukri Baccash
wrote to Gand'hi, the Indian leader, for
his support. Gandhi answered him as
follows:
"It has given me great pleasure to
receive yovr letter, and despite my
numerous dutiss imposed by my forthcoming visit to London, I hasten to
write to you that it affords me deep
satisfaction to listen to a tormented
spirit whose voice reaches me from
the Near East.
"Not only do I protest in the name
of Young India against the action of
those who caused the suspension of
Young Zahle, but I wish to declare,
and do hereby authorize you to make
declaration in my name, that life can
never be guaranteed any government
or people without the freedom of the
press."
PROMINENT SURGEON IN
THE AMERICAN NAVY
Al-Hoda of New York reports that
the surgeon of the U. S. Battleship
Wyoming, Dr. Wadih S. Rizk, is a
Syrian, the son of Mr. & Mrs. Salim
Rizk of Jacksonville, Fla.
The Wyoming is the ship that came
to the rescue of the submarine Nautilus when it was in distress while on
its way from the United States to
Europe preparatory to its projected
expedition to the North Pole under
the ice.
w
�SEPTEMBER, 1931
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�THE SYRIAN WORLD
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The new and beautiful uptown Syrian restaurant owned and operated
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m
IT IS YOURS
is the only Syrian publication printed
in English, and as such is the organ of the Syrians in Ajnerica.
You can help it continue and grow by subscribing to it yourself
and inducing others to subscribe.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
PUBLISHER, THE SYRIAN WORLD:
104 Greenwich Street, New York.
You may enter my name as a subscriber to "The Syrian World" for the term of one year, for which I agree to
pay the regular rate of $5.00 upon receipt of the first issue.
Address
City & State
�,
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—
:
SEPTEMBER, 1931
61
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
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Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
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New York Public Library
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
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1926-1935
Relation
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<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
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English
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Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
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NS 0002
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This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
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TSW1931_09reducedWM
Title
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The Syrian World Volume 06, Issue 01
Date
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1931 September
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 6 Issue 01 of The Syrian World published September 1931. The issue opens with an editorial announcement of policy changes in the paper. The beginning of this issue primarily highlights upcoming changes, contributors, and plans for the future. What follows this introduction is more of Kahlil Gibran, including an account of the farewell ceremonies to his body in America by Barbara Young, and a farewell to Gibran from Salloum Mokarzel. While many of the same contributors are exhibited in this issue, such as Katibah, Salim Y. Alkzain, Thomas Asa, Dr. F. I. Shatara, and Salloum Mokarzel, there are also several new additions, including an entire section dedicated to the month's news. Some of the newer contributors featured are Bahia Al-Musheer and Edna K. Saloomey. The issue closes out the same as in the previous volumes by addressing political developments in Syria and other Syrian world news.
Subject
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Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
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English
Creator
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
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New York Public Library
Publisher
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
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Text/pdf
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Text
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Bahia Al-Musheer
Barbara Young
Edna K. Saloomey
F.I. Shatara
Habib I. Katibah
Kahlil Gibran
New York
Salim Alkazin
Thomas Asa
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/c87aa75085a72b7c3dcde9369dca3685.pdf
2ef3e807f6eb8117a0bc94ed7c14f1d9
PDF Text
Text
OCTOBER, 19y.
7ho
��THE
SYRIAN WORLD
Tublished monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New lorkj
N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. VI. NO. 2
T
OCTOBER, 1931
CONTENTS
PAGE
Two Cities, Two Worlds. _
3
Habib I. Katibah
A Precocious Arab Child
10
News and Views.
11
By A Staff Observer
Child Marriages
Starvation in the U.S.A
Urn Kalthoum in Syria
When Mayor Meets King
Poetry, Edited by Barbara Young
Waiting, by John Burroughs
.."..
The Poetry of the Days, Haryot Holt Dey
Is Poetry a Business:
Lute-Strings, by Najla Sabe
Current Poetry
11
12
14
15
16
18
20
21
22
23
�CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
True Arabian Tales
The Choice of Su'ad
Arab Wisdom
24
27
Home and Family, Edited by Bahia Al-Musheer
Taste in Furnishing a Home
Laban as Ink Remover
How to Cook Vegetables
28
29
30
The Mystery of Aornholt (A Short Story)
Thomas Asa
31
Visitant (Poem)
41
Nada Sabirah
Our Younger Generation _
Edited by A. Hakim
Introducing a New Department
42
42
Reflections on Love
44
By Kahlil Gibran
Editorial Comment
What the Syrian World Represents
A New Poetry Department
Decorations
45
46
47
Questions and Answers
Iraqis and Syrians
Prof. Philip K. Hitti
48
Political Developement in Syria
49
Syrian World News Section
51
�ynan
t/
SALLOUM A. Mi
MOKARZEL, Editor.
VOL. VI. NO. 2
OCTOBER, 1931
Two Cities, Two Worlds!
By
HABIB
I.
KATIBAH
JT IS only about ninety miles from Beirut to Damascus, going in a
slight southeast inclination across a maritime plain, two chains of
mountains and a narrow valley between. In the days of muleteers
it required over four days to cross from one city to the other, with
many stops between for the rest of riders and mounts alike. Then
the diligence coach with its two teams of four horses harnessed ar
tandem came, and the distance was shortened to a day. The diligence was so prompt with its service that Syrian peasants in villages
along the newly laid route set their watches by its stops, and horses
were changed more than once to keep up the brisk pace. Again progress clipped a new record of speed when in the early sixties the present narrow-gauge railway connected the newly-developed port of
Beirut with the Syrian metropolis in the interior. And today, keeping abreast with time, Fords, Chevrolets, Hudsons and Dodges
whizz by in both directions along a macadamized, asphalted, modern
traffic road, making it possible for a busy merchant of Beirut to keep
a business engagement in Damascus and return home for supper before the sun has' Set in the Mediterranean.
It is but a four-hour ride between Beirut and Damascus, but a
world of ideas and traditions seperates them! Sometimes one thinks
that they are in two seperate worlds. Certainly, these two cities
differ in temperament^ and traditional associations more than New
York and Los Angeles, three thousand miles across the continent of
the United States, or New York and Houston, Texas, or Jacksonville, Florida. They differ more than New York and New"Orleans
�:
D
4
THE SYRIAN WORLD
which in point of history belong to two different civilizations.
In spite of all its Arabic blood, and the infiltration of Arabic
civilization and culture, Beirut is more of a Western city, a Western
colony on the coast of the Mediterranean. And Damascus, in spite
of all modern influences and invasions, has remained Oriental to the
core, perhaps the most typically Arabian city in the world today, a
stronghold of Semitic, Moslem culture and civilization that has persistently resisted capitulation to the West.
li ou have only to consider the location of these two cities and
reflect a little on their histories to understand this great spiritual
chasm that seems to saparate them.
Beirut is a seaport on the Mediterranean sea, a direct descendant of a Phoenician city that, for a considerable period of time,
was a Greek colony. From the middle of the 3rd Century A.D. a
law school flourished in Beirut which became famous throughout
the Roman World, and from which some of the most distinguished
legal minds of the age came forth. Itself on Syrian, Semitic soil
Beirut had its face turned outward towards the azure sea, and its
associations were those of all sea-faring folks, cosmopolitan and
xenophile.
But of Damascus one thinks in different terms and its mention
gives rise to other associations and memories. It is quite significant
that while Beirut can hardly name half a dozen remainsof Arabian,
Islamic antiquity, Damascus, the city of delight, is replete with
them. It ranks perhaps first among the Islamic cities for the richness of its historic Islamic sites and monuments, perhaps only outrivalled by Baghdad, the City of Peace and ancient capital of Ha~
roun al-Raschid. To the single mosque of any prominence in Beirut,the Omari mosque, you could name a score of mosques in Damascus that are hoary with historic traditions and that enshrine the
bones of men whose names were boldly emblazoned on the pages of
Islamic history. One immediately thinks of the Umayyad mosque,
on the site of which, it is claimed, Khalid Ibn Al-Walid and Abu
IJbeida Al-Jarrah, the Moslem invaders of Damascus, met, and on
the Western Wall of which one can still read the names of AbuBakr, Omar, Uthman and Ali, the first four caliphs of Islam. It
was.in this same mosque that the famous Moslem theologian, AlGhazzali, cloistered himself to write a large part of his monumental
work, the ReyivicaticHi of the Sciences of Religion.
Not less interesting are the tombs and mausoleums of this ancient capital of the Umayyads, the only truly Arabic dynasty of Islam, even if not truly Islamic. Here we come across the tomb of
�OCTOBER, 1931
QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN THIS ARTICLE
Why is Beirut a city of the West while Damascus, less
than one hundred miles away, remains the most typically
Oriental center extant?
Do the people of Beirut adopt Western standards
through affectation?
Is the French official's observation about the inhered
difference between Beirut and Damascus true?
What has helped to make Beirut the cultural enter of
the Near East?
Abu Lbe.da h.mself, of Bilal al-Habashi, the muezzin of the Pro
phet Mohammad, of Fatima, the Prophet's own daughter, of the
great Saladdin and his brother Nur-ud-Din, to mention but a few
at random. The mausoleum under which the remains of Nur-ud
Din rest is about midway in the Bazaar of Clothes, (Suq aPKhayvatin ) a narrow canopied street joining al-Hamidiyvah with the Street
Called Straight, (Suq al-Tawil), which is said to be no less than six
hundred years old in its present condition.
It is only natural for a city which from ages immemorial has
been the metropolis of Syria to be so rich in historic associations,
lo many Westerners Damascus is the city where St. Paul was con
verted to Christianity, and to the present dav if vou go there you
may be shown the very spot of that historic conversion, the Church
of Hammyia m the Bab-Tuma quarter, built over the supposed site
oi the House of Ananias, who received St. Paul and baptized him
after his historic journey, from Jerusalem to Damascus. And long
before that, Damascus was the capital of Naaman the Syrian and
other Aramean kings mentioned in the Bible. Greeks and Romans
undoubtedly dominated this city as they did others of Syria but it
is highly doubtful that Damascus, for any appreciable'length of
time divested itself of its Semitic character or adopted the ways of
the Gentiles and Franks from across the Mediterranean.
Preeminently, perhaps, Damascus has been the oasis of the
Syrian Desert, the magnificent, luxurious haven of the weary bedouin shepherd or tradesman who crosses the arid wilderness ofSyri
"on the palm of the Compassionate" in persuit of his share of Al-
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
Jah's boon. No wonder he calls it his earthly paradise, and whoever named it the City of Delight must have been a bedouin himself
or one speaking the longing of his hungry, thirsty heart.
And today Damascus is still the bedouin's paradise and home.
You see him strutting proudly in its streets, in his outlandish garb,
or sipping his cup of coffee in one of its numerous cafes as if he
were as much at home as in his tent under the star-spangled sky of
his desert domain. Rarely do you find a bedouin in Beirut, and
whenever you spot him he looks so dejected and homesick, lost in a
foreign city with those ways and manners he is hopelessly unfamiliar.
The first time I was vividly struck with the marked contrast
between the people of Beirut and those of Damascus was on my last
visit. I was walking with a friend of mine in one of the streets of
Beirut when a typically Beirutian Moslem, with an old fashioned
shirwal and shawl girdle, approached us and asked us for the correct
time. It is so customary for the old people of Damascus and the interior of Syria to run their watches according to "Arabic time", which
is calculated on the basis of sunset, instead of the meridian. And
wishing to accomodate the gentleman, whom I assumed to be oldfashioned and "Arabic" in sentiments and traditions, 1 asked him
whether he wanted the "Arabic" or "Franji" time. To my surprise and amusement he blurted out in his Beirutian brash and frank
manner:
"Blankety, blankety blank Arabic time! Who cares for Arabic time nowadays!"
Yet this Beirutian, and many thousands like him of whom we
know, may be as ardent a nationalist as you may find in all of Damascus. And you can count many Damascene Moslems, with their
turbans and Kimbazes and all the appearances and appurtenances
of Arabic traditions, who are more lukewarm about "nationalism"
than any of the Christian inhabitants of Beirut, and some of whom
are positively Francophile. But the exception here does not prove
the rule, which, in this case, is that the great majority of the Beirutian Moslems, or at least a considerable part of them, favour a policy
of cooperation and understanding with the French. When I first
arrived at Beirut three summers ago it was election time, and Dr.
Halim QaddurahT a notable modern Moslem, had adopted a
platform urging the Moslems of his city to drop the policy of intransigence to the French and try to come to some understanding
with the mandated authorities guaranteeing the political rights of
�mm
OCTOBER, 1931
the Moslem population. Dr. Qaddurah won, and his nationalist
opponent, Anf al-Nimaam, lost.
The point which I wish to make here, however, is not whether
he inhabitants of Damascus or Beirut are more nationalists, but
that even Beirutian nationalists have more of a Western atmosphere
about them than Damascene Francophiles, and more sympathy with
W estern ways and methods. In their manners, conversations and
even mental habits you catch Beirutians adopting the Western attitude, interest and point of view. To casual Westerners, and particularly tourists, thi, is hastily noted down as "aping," and creates
a reaction oi disgust and revulsion against "imitators of the West »
I ei haps that >s what a French official of the High Commissariat at
Beirut had m mind when he replied to my question: "Which do
you like better Beirut or Damascus " Waving his hand in a characteristic brench gesture he said.
"Beirut! Bah! Beirut has no soul, but Damascus, ah' There
is a city for you!"
But what this French officer and other transient Western observers forget, or lack the sympathy and patience to observe, is that
this Westernization" of Beirutians is most often not affected by
any means and comes to them by right of historic descent as much'
as to any dweller on the banks of the Seine or Thames.
Beirut is not an Oriental city imitating the West. On the contrary, it is a Western city with Western traditions and associations
which has never completely been Orientalized. It is the outpost of
Arabian culture and civilization on the Mediterranean, one of many
such outposts, but certainly the most influential and important
Long long ago, a little less than a century before its invasion
by its Moslem conquerors, after Beirut was destroyed by a disastrous
earthquake and tidal waves, a native poet lamented it in a touching
poem of classical beauty. The poem was in Greek, the language
undoubtedly familiar to his fellow citizens. But more significant
than the language are the terms in which this disconsolate poet describes his native city in ruins, and the classical associations that were
uppermost in his mind.
"Here am I," he pictured Beirut as moaning, "the unhappy
city, lying in ruins, my citizens dead men. . . . The fire-God de
strayed me after the shock of the earth-shaker (Poseidon)
Where is Aphrodite, guardian of the city, that she may look upon
the shelterless haunt of the dead, once the abode of the graces' A
tomb of tombless men is the city, under whose ashes we lie, Beroe's
thousands,
Sailor, stay not thy vessel's course for me, nor lower
�10
"THE SYRIAN WORLD
thy sails. . . . To some other place free of sorrow shalt thou urge
with sounding car thy advancing bark!"
And now as Beirut's sad disaster which rocked the city to its
foundations and destroyed most of its inhabitants has become a
dis ant memory cf the past, and after all the vicissitudes of fire
and sword through which it passed, one wonders if Beirut has not
always risen frcm its ashes with its heart on the sea and what lies
beyond it. Like Aphrcdite herself, the ancient matron goddess of
this city, Beirut is born and reborn from the sea foam. And perhaps
it is not an accident, nor because it was the first city at which they
stopped, that missionaries of all descriptions and convictions cho:;e
Beirut for their base of operation, spreading Western culture and
civilization with ther gospel message and sectarian doctrines
throughout Syria and the Near East. That is why today Beirut is
the cultural metropolis of Syria, and the most congenial citv in the
Near East for one with a cosmopolitan mind and a international
point cf view.
Beirut may be a colorless city, lacking the Oriental glamour of
Damascus , it may be even a city without a soul, but it is a city with
a big and receptive heart!
A PRECOCIOUS ARAB CHILD
THE uncanny precocity of Ar-Rakkadh, when still four-year's old,
reached the hearing of Haroun i\.l-Raschid who commanded that
he be brought before him. As reported by contemporary Arab
chroniclers the conversation ran as follows:
Al-Raschid: "What would you have as my gift to you?"
Boy Prodigy: "Your valued counsel, as with it I would gain
the blessings of both this earth and the hereafter."
Al-Raschid: (After having ordered a pile of gold pieces and
a pile of silver pieces to be placed before the child) "Choose that
which you value most."
Boy Prodigy: "I value most the condescension of the Prince
of the Faithful, but since it is his command, I shall choose these",
and he grabbed at the gold pile.
The great caliph was extremely pleased and amused, and ordered that the boy be included in his household.
�.-<*&
OCTOBER, 1931
11
News and Views
By A STAFF OBSERVER
CHILD MARRIAGES
fcN AMERICAN woman missionary in Arabia was reported in
the daily papers of Sept. 28 as having told a congregation of the
Ketormed Church that child marriages form the chief problem with
which the Christian educator of girls in Arabia must contend "It
is not at all unusual," she was quoted as saving, "for the school
routine to be disrupted by the appearance of'an angry husband of
twenty-five m search of his 10-year old wife."
Equally interesting and significant was the statement in the
following paragraph of the report that the American missionary
lady in question "had organized one of the two girls' schools operated by the Reformed Church in Arabia and has seen it -row
from a venture begun on a capital of $35, with a student body of
nine, to a flourishing institution."
The purpose of the missionary lady is obvious and it would
appear futile to comment on it. She was drawing a picture of social conditions that would appeal to the Christian spirit of the sponsors of her project—those who hold the purse-strings. For had it
not been for such representations how could she have developed a
flourishing institution out of a venture whose initial capital was $35*
One may also venture the opinion that the Christian lady did not
tell her audience anything that would reflect the brighter side of
her missionary field. Otherwise they would cease to be interested
in contributing towards civilizing a savage people!
Oddly enough there was published, also in the metropolitan
press, and almost simultaneously, a report by Rev. Thomas A. Little
of H onkers, N.Y., wherein the assertion is made that "of 261 child
marriages in New York City forty-one -were married before they
reached the age of eleven years" The learned divine leaves no
room for ambiguity. The children were still ten years' old.
There were other important statements in the report of the
Rev. Little which indicate the urgent need for the application of
�12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
some missionary, zeal right here at home. "In some of the homes
I have visited," he asserted, "mothers of school children living in
close proximity to churches of all denominations have actually confessed their total ignorance of prayer, saying that they had never
heard of it before, and in these United States there are 28,000,000
boys and girls without any church affiliations."
This reminds the writer of having read some few years ago
of an American missionary who returned from China to preach in
New York "because the need here was much more urgent." Other
missionaries in different fields, including Syria, might do well to follow his example.
And speaking of Syria, there was perhaps no more wholesome
move than that of changing the name of the Syrian Protestant College to that of the American University of Beirut and severing the
management from missionary connections. President Bayard Dodge
proved himself a man of true wisdom and foresight by effecting
this change. Now whenever the University appeals for funds in
America it does so on the plain representation of helping the cause
cf education and none other. It has intrenched itself more strongly in the hearts of the Syrians by these methods.
The subjects of social and marital relations as they exist here
and abroad is rich field for comment, especially where the American
missionary lady refers to the twenty-five year old Arab husband
who comes to claim his ten-year old wife. She naturally wants to
infer that the disparity in age between husband and wife is such as
to be unheard of except in extremely so-called backward countries.
But she and her gullible audience fail to take into account rhe many
so-called "daddies" in America and Europe who look upon age only
as an imaginary line. Also our return to "paganism" is probably
something unheard of by the good Christian American missionary
lady. No, we here are perfect and the people of the lands where
civilization flourished when Europe was in darkness and America
had not yet been discovered are all savages! But of this more
later.
STARVATION IN THE U.S.A.
^PEAKING of misrepresentation, misinformation, misapplication
- -- and all - the other "mis-es" of similar termination that have in
them not only the elements of comedy but border on the ridiculous.
�OCTOBER, 1931
A certain correspondent in Syria wrote to ask lately whether it was
true that one thousand persons died in the United States every day
of starvation and whether the United States had gone bankrupt
because the Bank of United States was forced to dose its door's!
We who live ,n the United States make light of such rumors because we know how far they are from being true. But can we not
see how people abroad take them seriously and believe them?
I he same should hold true of exaggerated reports reaching us
from abroad. We hear of a great deal of distress and misery in
Syria; we hear that a rape or murder was committed; we hear that a
child was abducted and we conclude that the population is in danger of extermination or that it is lawless, savage and degenerate. The
trouble R that we are misinformed and the parties circulating such
reports are e,ther ignorant or deliberately malignant. We have no
more nght to accuse all the people of France of being cruel and
murderous because one Frenchman committed a ghastly murder by
cutting the body of his victim and shipping it by express in a trunk
than to form a similar opinion of the people of the United States,
or of the people of Chicago, for that matter, because one gang lined
up some members of a rival gang against a wall and riddled them
with machine guns. It is possible for such things to happen anywhere, anytime but it is a form of stupidity, indeed, to take singular instances of this nature as the standard of conduct of a whole
people.
Syrians themselves are not free from blame in spreading false
information and impressions about their country and people Therare some among them who capitalize on the ignorance of the American public to the detriment of their own kind. They go about
masquerading as actors of Biblical scenes and dress in'outlandish
styles which they represent as the accepted form of dress in their
country .Some of them go to the extent of portraying Syrian home
life as being very primitive and crude, citing the one 'illustration
that Syrians use the,,- fingers in lieu of forks and spoons in break
ing their fast, but no attempt is made to give an authentic inter
pretation of the custom. The deduction is that Syrians who still use
such crude methods of eating are benighted, to use a mild term ' '
There ,s another phase of the story,- A professor from one of
the principal. American universities who had spent considerable time
m; Syria,, together. With .a..Syrian" professor who is also cormect-d
with another of the principal universities, were guests on Vcertain
occasion at this writer's house. Be it said to the credit of the guests
that they felt completely at home and sat on the floor and partook of
�<*=*»«
14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
food with their fingers, with the ready explanation that they could
get more relaxation by stretching their limbs on rugs upon the floor,
while eating with their hands, using the native thin, pliable Syrian
bread, was more hygienic than the use of knives and forks and much
more delightful. There was no question of one being savage simply because he was natural.
There is a whole world between the two points of view.
UM KALTHOUM IN SYRIA
IJM! What a great time Um Kalthoum must have had during
the few weeks she spent in Syria this last summer. She created
a near-riot wherever she appeared in Damascus, Beirut or Aleppo.
She certainly proved herself popular and, incidentally, proved many
other things that were least suspected.
And, who is this Um Kalthoum? She is the Nightingale of
Egypt, a girl still in her early twenties who was discovered but a
few seasons ago. She is said to have been an itinerant singer who
performed anywhere, anytime, for a pittance. Now, she is the
singer par excellence of the Arabicspeaking world.
An enterprising impresario of Beirut induced her to visit Syria this summer under contract for twelve concerts. Yes, induced
is right, for he is said to have had considerable difficulty in persuading her to sign on the dotted line for twelve hundred pounds for
each concert. Lest we create a false impression, we hasten to specify that the sum is in Syrian pounds, and not Sterling. Nevertheless
the twelve hundred Syrian pounds mean the round sum of 1,000
good American dollars. Not so bad for one night, on a contract of
twelve nights.
What occured exceeded the impresario's wildest expectations.
There was a scramble for tickets in Beirut at one, two and three
pounds for the pasteboards, and there was a riot over them in Damascus. In the latter city the police were called in order to prevent
the mad admirers of the Egyptian singer from storming the theatre, and the streets leading to the theatre had to be roped off for
several blocks around. There was a faint protest from the conservative Moslem element against such "degrading influences,"
but their protest had the chance of a whisper against a gale. The
Damascenes simply went mad over Um Kalthoum, and in order to
accomodate all classes of her admirers a special concert was set a-
�OCTOBER, 1931
15
side for the Moslem ladies who are prohibited by custom from
mingling with men at any form of public entertainment.
Surely Urn Kalthoum proved her popularity. Also she proved
that the Syrians are a music-loving public. Also that they seem,
somehow, to find the money to gratify such expensive tastes
WHEN MAYOR MEETS KING
\^HEN our jovial and debonair mayor of New York, His Honor
James J. Walker, was visiting in Nice and creating fashions in
men s berets and multi-colored sweaters and trousers, another distiguished personage was to visit the famous French resort and the
two were expected to meet. The other visitor was His Majesty
King freisal of Iraq, hero of Lawrence's "Revolt in the Desert."
T ne tWain
AX7
°f distinguished personages of the East and the
J ,
West did not meet. Kipling's famous dictum had to be justified
-But this is not our point.
Press dispatches at the time reported our mayor as bewailing
that he did not know anything about Iraq. Before meeting its
king confines the report, the mayor of the Empire City of the Empire State of the United States had to beget himself to some sources
ot information so as to glean sufficient knowledge that would enable him to engage in intelligent conversation with the king.
This is not unusual, and even a mayor should not be held to
task for his apparent ignorance of geography. Does anvone recall
the incident of one of our Secretaries of State issuing an invitation to
the bwiss navy for participation in a pageant in American waters?
I he fact is "we" Americans feel too self-contained and selfsufficient, an attitude which cannot fail to reflect on the so-called
small racial groups in America who suffer from this lack of understanding, or shall we say lack of interest. Syrians in this respect do
not fare any better than others, if not worse. One can find any number of high-school and even college graduates who cannot locate
fcyna, some confusing it with Assyria and others making a wild guess
that it is somewhere in Africa.
But the fault is not all theirs. It is incumbent upon Syrians to
educate the American public 3S to their history, their rulture and
fine traditions, that they may be more respected through this diffusion qf proper and sorely needed knowledge.
�16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
BARBARA YOUXG,
Editor
Poetry is wisdom that enchants the heart;
Wisdom is poetry that sings in the mind;
- If we can enchant man's mind and at the same
time sing in his heart,
Then he will in truth live in the shadow of God."
Ka'hlil Gibran
^HEN Lord Bryce first came to these shores thirty years ago,
as ambassador from England, a gentleman,of the press asked him,
among other questions, this question: "What in your opinion, is the
outstanding need of the American people?" And without a moment's
hesitation the great man replied, "Poets."
If Lord Bryce had-been sent as ambassador to an Eastern land
he would have, perforce, made a different answer, for the East is
peopled with poets. Their poetry is expressed not only through the
medium of the pen; it permeates every sentence of their daily living.
In the West we make a gesture of assistance with the words, "Let
me help you." The Arabic world says "I would serve you with my
eyes." The grandfather, speaking of his beloved daughter's child
calls her "my heart which goes before.me." When wine is spilled
there is no exclamation of dismay, rather a smile and the words "And
for the table also a- port-ion of your generous cup."
A few weeks ago a poet of my acquaintance was dining with
one of the governors of perhaps the most powerful financial enter
pnse in America, and-the poet asked,_"What is your solution for the
dikmma which confronts-us and the world?" He replied, "I have
none. What is yours?" "You are laughing at me," she saicj. "No,"
he answered. "I am not laughing. If the poets do not come to our
aid now, then may God help us all."
�OCTOBER, 1931
17
Here is something to think upon. Is poetry made and read and
sung for beauty's sake alone? Is it solely a literary and not a living
force? If martial music carries the weary and homesick soldier-boy
into the battle with head high, may not poetry refresh and renew
the courage of the beaten and the disillusioned in the day's debacle?
The answer is, it can and it does. I have seen it work not once but
countless times.
The spiritual health of a nation is not maintained by one man
or by any group of men, but by the esprit de corps. It might be an
extremely interesting and salutary experiment to try lifting the
thought-life of the whole people into another world, the world that
the greatest of the poets have inhabited and revealed.
There is in the Arabic tongue and in the English—the two
languages in which readers of this magazine are peculiarly interested
—a wealth of poetry that should make any man lift his head and
look out upon the world with a new vision and a heightened purpose.
It is our hope that through these pages we may be able to remind
ourselves of some of the forthright poetry that we have forgotten
in the midst of the tumult and clamor.
Here is one; the word of a fine poet, a great naturalist, and a
person with whom an hour of talk and laughter and reading was
an event that does not pass from the memory.
Waiting
gERENE I fold my hands and wait,
Nor care for wind, nor tide, nor sea;
I rave no more 'gainst time nor fate,
For lo, my own shall come to me.
I stay my haste, I make delays,
For what avails this eager pace?
I stand amid the eternal ways
And what is mine shall know my face.
Asleep, awake, by night or day,
The friends I seek are seeking me.
No wind can drive my bark astray
Nor change the tide of destiny.
�pfc-J
18
THE SYRIAN WORLD
What matter if I stand alone?
I wait with joy the coming years.
My heart shall reap what it has sown,
And garner up its fruit of tears.
The waters know their own, and draw
The brook that springs from yonder heights,
So flows the good with equal law
Unto the soul of pure delights.
Yon floweret nodding in the wind
Is ready plighted to the bee.
And maiden, why that look unkind?
For lo, thy lover seeketh thee.
The stars come nightly to the sky,
The tidal wave unto the sea,
Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high
Shall keep my own away from me.
John Burroughs.
gAID a young English poet to a young American poet in my presence the other day, "True poetry is lyric. Vers libre is not true
poetry. To which the other replied, "Vers libre is probably the
only true poetry."
Perhaps the first assertion of our English friend was sufficient.
I rue poetry is lyric." For certainly the free verse form is lyricit lyric means singing—as are the waves and the wind and the rain
from which it is patterned. And though these cannot be scanned
and measured beat to balance beat, as the seasons, and day and night
and the swinging of the planets can be scanned and measured yet
their various and veritable singing is unquestionable.
Poetry has chiefly to do with beauty. If it has not then it is
not poetry. And we do not mean that it shall always be agreeable
and pleasant to the taste. It may be, and indeed it often is terrible
in its beauty, merciless and intolerable, but it may never be uglv nor
vulgar nor commonplace.
Another concern of poetry is singing. If it is not singing it is
not poetry. It may be brilliant and glittering with characterisation
and narrative; it may be delighful satire; it may tease the mind with
'T
..I.J.II HJlljllll
�OCTOBER, 1931
19
subtleties or vex the spirit with vague anachronisms or with an
amazement of technique, but these things have nothing to do with
poetry. There must be singing or it is all an outcast from the magic
circle.
Vers libre has been treated by many poets and their critics as
a stepchild, and it is not a stepchild. It is one of the two true children of the Muse. To be sure, there are miles of so-called free
verse that have no claim to the divine maternity. But no listener with
a real sense of rhythm, certainly no poet who lives and breathes
rhythm, can be deceived for a single moment. Perhaps many makers
of free verse, and surely most of the readers, do not listen at all,
they merely look. And that will not do. Poetry is not for the eyes
but for the ears.
But the fundamental reason why there is so little fine free
verse to be found in our contemporary poetry is that it is perhaps
the most subtle and exacting form to execute successfully. It must
swing, it must beat, it must make its music throughout the changefulness of its varying measure even as the tempest or the whisper
of the leaves make their music. Vers libre is the captured song of
the free elements of air and water.
What we have long been accustomed to regard as lyric is the
song with the evenly recurrent line and rhyme, and this is without
doubt the form in which, for the most part, the masters of the
golden word, in both the Arabic and the English, have spoken to us
out of the past. It is a form with infinite possibility of variations,
and will never lose its almost sensuous enchantment. It is the medium for the finer musical nuances. It penetrates and shakes the
heart with its persistent return to the same chord or half-chord and
its white economy of magic words, for it may never be prodigal as
its free verse brother may sometimes be. And in a peculiar fashion
entirely its own the rhymed lyric invests the soul with the assurance
of worlds beyond this world, formed as it is in the likeness of the
spheral music.
We have said the soul, not the mind, for pure poetry has little
to do with the intellect. A great poet said once, speaking of a little
poet—and the great poet was Gibran—"judge his work leniently,
remembering that it was all written from above his eyes." It was.
There was hardly a heart-beat in it all. Poetry is of and for the
emotion of living.
The function of the poet is not to instruct, nor to divert, nor
to persuade, though he may perhaps do all of these things frequently and incidentally. The function of the poet is to recall for-
�20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
gotten loveliness, to recapture the wonder and delight that were
from the beginning, and to restore the freshness to Beauty's garment
and the heavenliness to her voice; it is to pour the wine that shall
exalt the spirit. For this the poet sings and has always sung.
The Poetry of the Days
By
HARYOT HOLT DEY.
*
fRULY I do see poetry everywhere, everywhere where love and
joy and order and beauty exist. I see poetry in Luella Borgonia
the little growing plant brought to me by a poet one night not long
ago. I even see poetry in the color and orderliness of the teacups
and in the peaceful movement of an old lady's rocking-chair—an
old lady who feels young and pretends she thinks she is old, pretends
lest some call her names and reveal the secret first. Thus the pretending is a mere defense. I even feel poetry when the canary from
China, Mr. Caruso, sings the song of a new day at six in the morning, and joyfully defies us to sleep another wink. I see poetry in the
food Iseason with love. I feel poetry in the gift of a bag of sea-salt
—the salt of the earth—brought to me by a loving friend.
It's wondrous where poetry can be found even without looking
ior it. I see it in the faithfulness with which the people I know
meet their daily tasks. I feel poetry in all affirmative thoughts of
those who appreciate and put their thoughts on paper. I sense it in
the eyes of all my sons and daughters—my sons from the North
and my daughters from afar. Every dav I receive a love-letter
rrom somebody, sometimes in verse, usually in prose that is too
modest to line itself up with free verse.
I saw poetry yesterday when the young Italian painter who was
renovating for me, gave my Winifred a pressed flower, taking it
gravely from his wallet, telling her it is edelweiss and came from the
Alps and was difficult, to find and gather. Real poetry! Both young
contemporaries, recognizing the bond of youth, sunshine and poetry
and prophesy in both faces.
*
Haryot Holt Dey is a prominent figure in the American literary'world'
She was-for ten years president of the Women's Press Club of New York
W
Id" Ee/tm£!SSage
t0 the firSt JSSUe
°f
the P etry S6Cti0n
°
of the
Svrian
�OCTOBER, 1931
21
Real poetry—it is in all longing for the unattainable, the longing to make a poem, to paint a picture, and so, as none of these
things are mine as self-expression, I can only paint the days for
my friends So it's an old lady, a painter of days in an arm chair, a
gay old lady who is free, and grateful for the great blessing of
loving friends, especially of the poets. When a poet raps on my
door, then I know that sometime, somehow, somewhere I must have
done something right!
Is Poetry a Business?
pOR the benefit of some who seem not to have discovered the
answer to this question, even though they sit in what the smartest litterateurs call high places, let us assert crisply and without
quaincation, it is not.
Being inoculated with the insidious germ of chronic cleverness
and drowsing around in a fever of vernacularia, certain gentlemen
of the quill and shears would spread the uneasiness of their ailment
to the healthy and hearty-minded.
Mr. Mencken of the Mercury approaches poetry with a squint
and a chortle. He says the poets can no longer "make a crop" though
"time was when they did a brisk business." He asserts that the "American people are naturally poetic, as Rotary and Kiwanis so brilliantly demonstrate." He says that today nothing is offered (by the
poets) that they (the American people) can get their teeth into." He
proceeds, "one no longer hears that a certain poem is either swell
stuff or dreadful rubbish, as the case may be."
And there is more, all in the vein of in-humorous wisecrackery
that we expect, and get, from college freshmen. This method of
comment upon literary output should have long since fallen into
Mr. Cleveland's "innocuous desuetude," and has, in most mature
circles where it was found to be anything but a decoration.
It is altogether likely that Mr. Mencken cares nothing at all
for poetry, and comprehends it less; a silk purse is not woven from
hempen threads.
For the enlightenment of the Menckens then, let us repeat:
Poetry is not a business, and it is not a commodity. It is an ancient
and honorable art that antedated the first sneer and will outlive the
last scoffer. And it has not gone to pot, neither in the West where
it grows silently in the night, nor in the East where it was born;
�wmamsmmutmm
22
THE SYRIAN WORLD
C
nor will it, in spite of the truth in the statement that "most of the
sjtutt that makes the bottoms of the magazines pages is . . .baffling."
I his is the affair of the editors, not the poets.
Dignity and beauty live still in the sonnet and the lyric of
twentieth century poets even as they have lived in the poetry of all
ages, and clarity and simplicity still garment their expression. But
the names that are most shouted in the marketplace are the names
of the rhymsters and of clever artificers of words, not of the veritable poets. Sidney Lanier, a prince of song, once said, half a hundred years ago, "Art has no enemy so relentless as cleverness." And
every artist has learned this well, and has learned also to take the
dose without a grimace, even with relish, and with perhaps an occasional retort, for the fun of it. Which is what we are doing here.
Lute-Strings
Poets' dreams are crystals
That shine in the gloom, like stars.
* * *
My soul is like the sea-foam
That lives in evanescence.
"p
*T*
*f*
Yonder lofty star is my guardian angel
Who fills my path with light.
Let
Thai
The
The
Keej
Whe
For
* * *
The poet lingers near the sea
To hear the echo of his song.
* * *
Fir trees are nuns
Who live in silence.
Its t
1
And
1
Eartl
* * *
The flowers weep softly into sleep
And waken with tears still in their eyes.
Najla Sabe
j
And
May
And i
The
r
May
t:
* ".:;
�:he
-v w
OCTOBER, 1931
23
Current Poetry
A RIDE
You would have loved that wild wet Saturday
1
Lt,
.^f r°ad that ribb0ns our I"* valfey
Between stark sullen hills and bustling bay
The sun, with gray retreat and golden rally
Made war on roving cloud-banks in the sky
And wayside puddles mirrored the high battles
Scared rabbits bounded out as I sped by
Gray gulls cut vague arcs in the air and cattle
Stood numbly huddled in the chill green fields.
I drove up to the ridge above the ocean
Where fogs forever cling, and nothing shields
'
Yon ir°Vte Wi.nd'S Unending moan a»d motion.
You would have hailed the men and women bent
w^ ^ ^tlCh°keS °n
aU
h ed
0
sl
°Pes
t0
^her,
draWing boxes
BeHnd
, Jbowed
"' to the blowing weather
—t
Ben nd, th
their r
heads
As I swept past the last steep little farm
The soft mist thickened to a milky drizzle,
ine wind rose to a note of weird alarm
And mountains bared bleak beauty through the mizzle
I though you rode then, thrilling by my Le
You would have loved that day of sun Ind showers
Of tingling living, when I took the ride
From town to cover your cold grave with flowers.
Lori Petri, in The Forge.
CIOSE TO THE EARTH
Of surer songs than a bird ever
Let the brown lark fly
sings—
That has wings to fly.
Songs
slow with the pulse at the root
The ant, the beetle,
of things.
The mole and I
Margaret Emerson Bailey
Keep close to the earth
Where we like to lie.
STRONGHOLD
For close to the earth a beetle may
We are prepared, my love and I,
trundle
For Winter by the tarn;
Its treasure below in a claw-clipped
I
put
a saffron wing away,
bundle;
And
she a spider's yarn.
And close to the earth an ant may
I put away a rack of oak,
funnel
And she a cruse of oil,
Earthworks in turrets the length of
That friendliness might be obliged
its tunnel;
With credit to the soil.
And close to the earth the secret mole
We
are prepared, my love and I,
May fit to its body its cool dark holeFor Winter on a hill;
And I, who have never a wish to climb
The sky with a lilt or a whistling I stored a theme of song, and she
~ root of daffodil.
rhyme,
Edwin Quarles
May stoop and listen and mark the
in The New York Times
time
in Harper's Magazine
�24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
OmJEORIGINAL
ARABIAN
TALES
TRANSLATIONS
THE CHOICE OF SU'AD
TOE day was of scorching heat. Not a breeze ruffled the leaves
of the trees or rippled the surface of the water. The fountains
in the vast courtyard of the caliph's palace played incessantly but
brought no apparent relief. The caliph was extremely depressed.
He nnally ordered that immediate preparations be made for departure to the outskirts of the city, where the open spaces might entice a little coolness. Presently, the whole court repaired to a garden
in Al-Ghouta where the caliph seated himself in an open pavillion
commanding at once a view of the verdant gardens of the great
oasis of Damascus and of the vast arid plains marking the beginning
of the Syrian desert.
Chancing to look in the distance, Muawiya, the caliph, saw a
bedouin in rags trudging his way painfully in the dust and heat of
the open road. He turned to those about him and exclaimed- "Can
there be among Allah's creatures one more deserving of pity than
he who has to travel about in such torrid heat?"
And some of his courtiers replied: "Perhaps he is seeking
the
6
Prince of the Faithful."
"If this be the case," said the caliph, "I shall not turn him
back empty-handed if he is in need, nor shall I turn a deaf ear to
his plea if he is seeking justice." He then commanded one of his
attendants to post himself at the gate ready to admit the bedouin if
he shoulds seek entry.
The bedouin was duly admitted and the caliph asked him of
his name, his tribe and his mission, to which he replied that he was
°r L ?Zra tn^ and had come from the heart of the desert to seek
thC Faithful ustice fr
?u ?Si £n,°e
J
°m his agent in Iraq, Mirwan
lbn El Hakam.
He related his grievance as follows:
"Know O Prince of the Faithful, that I had a wife by the
name of Su'adwho. was the light of my life. I was not rich but
comfortable. My livelihood was derived from a drove of camels
:«*-
�r
OCTOBER, 1931
SO
WAS IT A DILEMMA TO SU'AD?
Forced by her merciless father to leave h er poor bedoum husband;
!l
the ^ ^
marrhge l
°
tke G0Vern r
° > *»»** *&ent of
~*. f°Ugh! « thSi P'eSeme °f the cal'^h who hi
f covetsher anaI offers her to choose between him, his agent, or
her poor bedouin husband;
Whom do you think Su(ad chose?
which I tended with much care and devoted ail my earnings to the
suppor and comfort of the woman who was to me all that/ife was
worth Lvmg for But in a severe drought I lost my cam Is and a
my possessions. I was reduced to a condition of actual want and mv
former friends shunned me. Then it was that my father££r £
claimed me and separated me from my wife. I was desperatl and
appealed to your agent Mirwan for justice. Mirwan LZ££
m- aw denied even knowing me. I asked Mirwan to havclnm pro
in-law denied even knowing me. I asked Mirwan to have him pro
duce his daughter and question her as to whether my claimTo^er
being my wife was true or false. This Mirwan did%utTmmedi
ately he set eyes on her he turned against me and ordered me to
prison He then proposed that her father give her unto hm in con
^deration of one thousand dinars and ten thousand dirhams The"
father consented and Mirwan proceeded to force me to divorce her
ntS t0 bCat me
U
a11
SelTv
, ^to"^
P°"life.
« But
2Mirwan
5
cruelty unll
until lLTr
I had to grant the divorce
save my
kept me in prison until the elapse of the stipulated time necessary
for her to remarry, and when the nuptials were concluded hTrl
leased me and banished me from the city. -Now I am appealm/to
you in the hope that you will restore her to me anS vo
Y
name as the dispenser of justice to the Faithful "
The bedouin was so overcome with emotion that he fell nros
trate on the ground and began to writhe as if in great pain Muawiva
was beside himself, with anger at the action of his agent"'and foT h
with wrote out an order to Mkwan to^the^Ss^
�26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
despatch her to Damascus with his two trusted messengers, Al-Kumeit and Nasr Ibn Zibian, who were entrusted with fhe message
At the appointed time the messengers returned with the woman and reported that Mirwan had divorced her with great reluctance and to the accompaniment of much tears. His letter to the
caliph also bore witness to his deep affliction
"Mirwan has well proven his obedience," commented Muawiya despite his professed admiration for the bedouin woman."
He then ordered Su'ad brought before him.
If
1
23 ° u, °f th°Se instances when reason is totally overcome
by an indefinable pass.on that defies every attempt to control. Muawiya could not restrain his admiration for the woman of the desert
and inwardly excused his agent for having fallen victim to her
n*lf?f ^ TK
V35/ re^ation eve» to one who had almost
nali of the then civilized world at his feet
Having recovered from the effect of his first shock, Muawiya
thought to test the woman as to her intelligence. He questined her
on many subjects and found her to be of flashing mind and captivating speech. Her conquest of his heart was then complete
Muawiya ordered that her former husband be brought before
him and thus spoke to him:
"O brother Arab! Your love for Su'ad should inspire vou
with solicitude for her comfort and happiness. You admit that you
cannot adequately support her, while if you cede her to me I will
have her surrounded with all forms of luxury. In return, I will
award you three virgin slave-girls, and with each three thousand
dinars, and shall grant you, besides, an annuity from the public
treasury sufficient to maintain you in comfort for the rest of your
But no sooner did the bedouin hear this than he fell in a swoon
from which he was revived only with much difficultv. Still the
caliph was unrelenting. He pressed the bedouin for an answer.
O powerful caliph," he finally replied. "To you I have appealed from the injustice of your agent, but to whom can I appeal
my
nam"
Tyou
^^
^^
name TAUTTU
of Allah, I beseech
to return
my wife°»—«
to me, for ^he
I will
surely d,e without her. Allah forbid that in appealing to you from
the arbitrariness of Mirwan I should be as ifescaping W Z
heat of the sun to that of the fire."
At this Muawiya became visibly disappointed, but with ap~
parent calmness said to the bedouin, "You have admitted havbg
divorced Su'ad, so has Mirwan. Now she is free and mistress of
!l'
�i
OCTOBER, 1931
27
her own destiny. She shall make her own choice »
Ihen addressing the woman: "Between the three O Su'ad
whom do you choose: the Prince of the Faithful wfth hb pomp
and glory and power and great palaces; or Mirwan, a imple £££
insecure in his power and notorious for his cruelty; or hTbedTn
who^has nothing to offer you but the prospej'of X«YZ
anSWen This bed0uin
P
of
or the"F^lf^f"the i aithful although he be in rags, is" preferable to> °
me thane
any man of wealth and power. Want with him is better Aplenty
0t he
palaceT
haveHhad
;S ??*
^him
'° «
^£3
palaces. II have
happyT
days" with
and ^
he begrudged
me
not his means in his days of affluence. I could not, inlusdfe f
sake him now in his hour of need after all the proofs of eenume
g
solicitude and devotion he has shown me »
At this answer from Su'ad, disappointment in the heart of the
caliph gave way to a feeling of unbounded admiration "Take back
your wife," he said to the bedouin, "and may you be happy with her
ZTJ te\ n°U T aSSUr6d °f «* fullest P-tectioi?aPnd no ot
Yo 1 !", t l m°leSt y°U- N°r Sha11 y°u be in want any longer
^ou shall have more than the former number of your came s fnd
^Xl^C^wil1 insure you against wJ"
Arab Wisdom
A
C
^RTAIN Arab Prince held open court one day and asked to
a!ne
fth Se
absenA^abTe
A H the
,nep
^^ pr°Ceeded t0 belit^ an
aosent notable. And
Prince° remarked:
"I judge the amount of your shortcomings by the amount of
Said Ibn Al-Ward: "We have been told that Wisdom is divided in decimal numbers; nine of which consist of silence and the
tenth in evading the company of men."
I
�28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
HOME AND FAMILY*
BAHIA AL-MUSHEER,
Editor
TASTE IN FURNISHING A HOME
O^R primary or what should be our primary object in building
V
8
furmshin
g a home is to have a haven in which we
mJ Z Tu
a
f S me f th6Se But how man
S^lulV
?
° °
y ti^ do
we fall short of our goal! I propose in what follows to discuss Sjust
one of the many causes of our failure.
On the surface of t,^ may
£ve t due IJ
;S "^ 3S Str°nf " itS W6akest link> ^ c-not but
give it due consideration as one of many ingredients that go into the
2S6£:£rLet
me then
->this
time
—tLgnta°bohu:
Directly upon entering some houses, we feel creeping over us
a sensation of spiritual, mental and physical relaxation. ^Ifee
ourselves enveloped by. an atmosphere that rests the nerves and
U
t0 hear a w
wetmrbvTl
t fr*E
^ of?the—
^d
welcome by the air° itself.
The type
furniture, the size
number, nature and mode of disposition of the different pie es in S
lation to the size and shape of the room; the colors the background
d many other things combine to reate the sensations to
which I have just alluded. The chairs or couch in4e u to the r
bef re dr Pping int
thaftU
wiTieaafford
ffd;r
°
°amount of° comfort
»* one °^hem
that they will
the greatest
and im
mediately realize that they were meant and are for use ' WheV"
words we find such a home "homey" and feel immediately at ou
ease, even without the slightest effort on the part of the host
On the other hand, m other houses we find the reverse The
furniture may be costly, the appointments rich, but we sensTa stiff!
ness^.snobbishnjss, rf you -please, in the air which no amount of.
graciousness on the part of the host can dispel. We feelThafhere
�OCTOBER, 1931
ould be ]ooked
fere t ajEM t ,
29
- -*
someone's pet corn. I amVot
7\dS aS lf he is StePPing °n
attitude of the owner £*£tt£<f1 *" ^ ^ and
mtUre Selected and
^ay ,n which it is arranged for I kn
K
th
1 kn W some
' fo be the soul of kjjSm'Id Z >T
°
People
lengths to afford their gues pletu ° P ^^ ^° WiU ^ to
Y
mf rt Whose
was defeated because they faikd o
u° ° '
P^ose
f the choi
of furniture the thought Ldtudv if"' ^f""^ °
of show and exhibit^ sweeps heir LlT^ Somet^es a Jove
'fry feet completely, or a sense of f^
J"deement off its imagtneir poor opinion of^Sn&* side-tracks them, or
.
them
I fully appreciate thrfaaTr^ ^ kads
-**
Tha k
^r that! But there shouldlbItVaS,
mon sense when one is thinkiW of ll /
not w
7'
?
ertZ
to hire an int^2c:2\oT
» ^ Lord
corn-
amount of
°ithings-
Y U do
°
have lt fitted according to periodsmL
"^ y°Ur home> "or
make if coz and
ortable and livable. Whafwonld
[^
y
comf the hous
tquip, her kitchen with cake pan^fn " ft °
-ife who
desSert f
before she ever thinks ofpo sCd'dTsheff *£?."*
°rks
>*g at: the essentials are funSame
^ * What * am driv"
comfortable a chair or a LcltlZt ^^^ knows ^w
And every one can form 17' ?"C fltS or stretches on it
article by careful examma 0T te "^ ^^ °f ^ l these
comes the shape the color 1' c ,
essentials? Then
mine but not impossible
Le7° /
Thl$
".
more difficu]
t to deter-
LABAN AS INK REMOVER
I HAD heard somehow, that Laban was veryettectne
effrrtW
ink from rugs. I was sk-ent^l k
>
m remov ng
evening when /dropped a bot Je of T ^f®6*"* ""til the othef
on one of my rugs.
' °f mk' SPllhn§ half of its contents
I confess that hid T U^A
have ran for It bi , I LV S0.m=P«ented slain remover I would
a bowl of z£& Lel-St'^r^ l"****
"3
th e tnCk b
Ispread the £ A* generomlv over r h ',
,
««ifullv.
of *e rUg and wa/ed it 3te^^*^*ȣ
m
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
morning I was unable to discover any traces of the ink
with /TSe /'u StainS that haVe drkd> cover the stain generously
with,Laban and allow to remain from four to five hour!. Should
the stam not disappear completely after first application, repeat
HOW TO COOK VEGETABLES
THE term Vitamins has become a household term relegating the
caloriesto the dark, dark background. Take vegetables for example: We are told that in order to get the full benefit of vegetables they should be eaten raw-especiallv the leafv vegetables
Heat will destroy those valuable Vitamins
vegetables.
If we are to cook vegetables, we should use no water or as
little as possible. In other words they should be steamed AL,
we should utilize the juices that escape. These and many anofh
g
r
bOUt
which W£ wil1
to
feTto
^
**"?"
^^
to re
refer
to mlb:
in subsequent
issues.
But when I think of
all this I
marvel at the wisdom-perhaps it should be called instinct or ex
pediency-of our forbears in preparing their food. To his s de
of the subject I will again have occasion to refer. At presen I
want to pass along a little something that may prove worS le
When you prepare stuffed cabbage leaves, you LLrally parb0Tl fe
eaves m order for them to become pliable and easy too
m boding the leaves, use as little water as possible and save the
wa er to use in cooking the dish. By so doing vou will not onlv
utilize the better part of the cabbage and incorporate k in he n e
oared dish, but you wi 1 find marked improvement in t flavor Yet
by all means use garlic but be judicious about it. It willTmprove
the flavor of the dish and it is decidedly beneficial AnTwhln
cooked it is not so objectionable. Now that I have mentioned et
lie, I recall with a great deal of amusement the attitudT of ae~
a P eOPh
rdS
atdtude
H
T°r
* fcWit ^
*** How Afferent ifthd
attitude to
today.
They are *using
extensively
Even some of the preserved tomato cocktail that has taken the
country by storm recently, is flavored with it
' '
"'
.
'
V
.
�OCTOBER, 1931
31
The Mystery of Aornholt
A THRILLING
««rg««nffir«D
By
BRILLIANT
THOMAS ASA
( Continued from the September issue )
A
h!Shad ^^ ^ ^^
h
a
thC SW1SS m Untain Villa
°
R of seasoge of Aorn-
tiJ t iu0°z i^: nt^r^°
of nature seemed Tmme^Tn
a
&
77 ^ '
S
-'«*£-
*£* * *
V&St
'^s
heavy peace and quiet of the village annals
^^
Ine short acquaintance of the
Forsvths
«rl
i\/r
•
3
y
Madame de Challons had «*- :"e/
.and Monsieur and
tha C0 sa
ul
understanding met dnenedr
/. " "g ^ty of feeling and
fnendsh
endure Wr
?han would
would have
U
*been exnert-prl
'P th^ TU,
was favored
to
, '&cr rnan
i i .
not passd uneventfully for them 7Z
,peCted-. The week had
his charming wife were to £ ?' I ^\ ^^^ the artist and
Friday morning dawned ominously. Maitre Pierre
artist qSSSS.
"" "**"
to Ve tUre
"
whn
I kv
°Ut *** «"«," the
with another ^^'Ih^^TSd '" "' *" ^^
AS the fat, good-natured inn-keener utte »H fk;*
u
i
Prophesy, it fenced to snow with aSdenn^thtt'd"!
�.,..
32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
cheated the impending climax of the elements of winter. A sharp,
swi/ZfT
swittly tailing
Urtkd
0Ugh the VaIIe
bd0W
^
snow in t
furious lateral flurries
' «** the "0-
tone^H8 ^ Makrf PielrreJhas said>" the artist reflected in underb£ deCP in th U ht for a few
then
he addressed
^ S£eni the
u f°inn-keeper.
,
° &
moments;
then he
aVe dCJ
r SerVCd b my r00m aS Usual Pierr
and
wSTA
?Tto
>
e;»
and with
that he ascended
the second floor
About eleven o'clock, Monsieur de Challons again went below,
this time accompanied by his wife, who, quite in contrast with the
dvTs ZTf °UT ^,WlS f Ch6erful SPiHts: As th£y seated themaWe bef
the onlv M
T thC firCPlaCe> the artist ticed ^at
r
CCU
r
the Venerable
BenoT
wh sat
,°at
rnttable
S thC
°°m WaS occupied
Monsieur
Benoit who
the
he habitually
Phall
P ty
-
"He WH
to m; .r;
^C
P
°°r
gen tkman
,
'
Raoul
>" ^marked Madame de
a 0W
J .TrCe' ^landng comPa^onately
Y StlH nabl e t0 roceed
"
,
P
at the old man.
°" his journey. It is strange
&
«t m ^WS °f hlS Pllght has been sent to his daughter."
«,
. j'^ ?'erre t0ld me that Mo eur Benoit did not wish to
cause his daughter any unnecessary distress, as he expected to resume
his journey as soon as the weather breaks," explained the artist
watching the aged traveller with covert scrutiny
'
m w tl eagr ^ entered the eyeS °f de Challo"s
he continued
M nSieUr Bendt being aware of
whIT
UAT
,°
* HJ* nght hand,
which was hidden from view, grasped a kg of the table, and under
the flSr
PrCSSUre eXGrted thC hard knUckks almost burst
'
soon -fUS impr°bable that we wil1 ** anything of Captain Forsyth
o ll
I'' r COntinues>" ^e artist said to his wife, wishing
to maintain the conversation as a means of hiding his observation of
Monsieur Beno.t, who, in the meantime, had withdrawn a soiled
paper from his pocket, and which he now read with stolid impas?
siveness with the aid of oddly fashioned glasses
, "T^ W?d S^mS.t0 have died doWn somewhat, Raoul. It b
quite likely that Monsieur Forsyth will come as he promised, for
tte was very eager to see your canvas."
The silence in the large room was unbroken, save for their
subdued conversation At this stage, Maitre Pierre emerged from
h s prevision roam, where he had been taking inventory of his supni
forward.0^1^
ieur de Challons and hi wife he
*
>
-ent ^y
"Good morning, madame," he greeted, with a solicitous smile.
�;
OCTOBER, 1931
33
WHAT WAS THE MYSTERY?
Capt. Forsyth had no inkling as to the purpose of the
French artist de Challons. __ Nor did de Challons's charming
and gifted wife.
But de Challons had a purpose. How he succeeded in
it and how near he came to losing his life at the hands of a
desperate criminal is graphically told in this chapter
"It is very rough weather we are having for early winter."
«-m. "G°°d morning> Monsieur Pierre," madame greeted in return,
lhe weather is exceedingly bad, but I believe that the storm is
gradually abating."
"Ah! it is but a lull in a worse storm that is soon coming, madame, the inn-keeper ventured with conviction, being well aware
of the vicissitudes of mountain climate.
The amiable Pierre was recalled to the provision room by the
approach of Jean, who was assisting him with the inventory. As he
passed the bar-counter, he nodded to Monsieur Benoit, who however, failed to notice him.
As the proprietor disappeared from the room, Monsieur Benoit
replaced his glasses in a worn leather case and put the soiled paper
he had been reading back in his pocket. He then arose from the
chair, apparently with some difficulty, and walked slowly towards
the enclosed stairway, which he ascended with still more deliberate
steps.
Monsieur de Challons observed the withdrawal of the old
man w;th the closest attention. His wife, looking up, saw the acute
tension of his features.
"Is there something wrong, Raoul?"~she asked, with slight
misgivings clouding her face.
"Nothing, Charlotte,—nothing," her husband replied, forcing
a smile.
With the passage of ten minutes or more, the artist threw his
half-smoked cigarette away and arose from the table.
mm
�34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
There « a-little matter I must attend to, Charlotte," he said,
assuming a nonchalant tone of voice. "I shall be back in a few minutes, he added, as he left the table and ascended the stairway} to
the second floor.
Madame de Challons sat almost motionless, gazing reflectively
at the fire. Her husband's peculiar behavior had disturbed her
equanimity, especially as she could not account for it
As she mused, somewhat desultorily, the tavern door opened,
and much to her surprise and pleasure, the snow-covered figure of
Captain Forsyth entered the room.
"Good-morning, Monsieur Forsyth," she said, smiling in her
charming manner, «I see that you did not allow the inclement
weather to break your promise to come."
"Good-morning madame," Forsyth returned in his cheerful
h,sCb7>orr«M}g mmdA*asSnd
n 1;?,
ZZ
severe ?>'
f ,
and
*
J
W Uld
°
UJSter and brushin
^
"0t
let
set
&
some snow
from
°« seeing Monsieur de Challons'
the St rm st
°
°P me> no matter how
a
Please be seated, monsieur," Madame de Challons invited;
my husband just went to his room, but will be back shortly"
Captain Forsyth sat in the chair vacated by the artist and
chatted very pleasantly with Madame de Challons, who found in
ST£2ii£
husband considerable
'
his
•*« » «? -
by a ^cZv^^l^^^^^y is-?look^htrmfacee
Chall nS
°
~ ^^l *""
her
^
a Startled
wav-^W ^°fSieUr!r-She exc^m^ Parting towards the stairway, 1 fear that something terrible has happened!"
o-Captam Forsyth quickly followed her up the carpeted steps
very much puzzled by her abrupt departure *nd nervous utterance:
Madame de Challons almost ran down the corridor on the
second floor She opened thedoor of her husband's room, wh ch
ShelC?r?
^ ^ C?amb-She -*upied, and found it'empty.
.^dtc^of ferrWmg f"r and indeOSi0n at ^ F°^h' ^
A muffled noise issued from the room at the extreme end of the
wl°'d t nghL ,MadamC de €hall°nS' Z ?mS the -Pain's arm
walked hastily in that direction. Forsyth took hold of the door-knob
of the roomand turned it forcibly. The door was locked. Again a
soaping sound issued from the inside, this.time distinct- and sharp
\
�urn
OCTOBER, 1931
I
35
"He is in that room!" Madame de Challons cried excitedly,
her eyes dominant with fear.
Captain Forsyth again tried the door-knob, but finding this
means ineffective, he drew back and threw his tall form against the
door. It did not yield. He drew back once more, and then hurled
himself against it with tremendous force. The door gave way from
its solid hinges with a splintering crash. Forsyth almost fell to the
floor inside, but managed to maintain his balance with great effort.
There before him sprawled on the floor was Gaston Benoit, who
completely covered the body of De Challons, straining with terrible
intensity to force a gleaming stiletto towards the latter's throat.
Captain Forsyth leaped forward and seized hold of the artist's
adversary and jerked him roughly away. Benoit regained his feet,
and whirling about struck at Forsyth with the stiletto. The captain
ducked the furious thrust and then struck with all his might at his
opponent's jaw. The fist landed with an awful jar, and Benoit was
knocked senseless to the floor, the knife slipping from his nerveless
hand.
De Challons had instantly arisen from the floor, and nov
leaped towards the fallen man. From his pocket, he hastily withdrew steel handcuffs and shackled the hands of Benoit, who was still
unconscious.
During this scene, which did not consume more than two minutes, Madame de Challons leaned against the shattered door, almost
faint with terror. The artist got to her in time to catch her frrom
falling to the floor.
"There is my pistol near the bed, captain," De Challons said,
indicating with his finger where the pistol had fallen in his struggle
with Benoit. "Watch this man; he is a dangerous criminal," he
cautioned, as he turned towards his room, still supporting his
wife, who was slowly regaining consciousness.
As they passed through the open door of his bed-chamber,
Maitre Pierre and his assistant, Jean, suddenly appeared, both
greatly excited.
"What has happened, monsieur! what has happened?" the
proprietor questioned in an astonished voice, being considerably
winded by his run up the stairs.
"It is over now, Pierre. I shall explain later," the artist said
briefly, closing the, door in the inn-keeper's face.
De Challons laid his wife on the bed. In a few seconds she
opened her eyes, and looked up dazedly in her husband's anxious
face:
�36
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"Gome come, Charlotte," he said, with great relief, gently
chafing her hands. "There is no cause for further worry."
As silent tears came from deep emotion, his wife flung her
arms passionately about his neck and drew him to her.
At the sight of her distress, the artist was almost unnerved,
but succeeded, after a few minutes, in calming her so that she sat
upnght on the bed, her arms still clasped tightly about him.
l
Be brave, Charlotte," he entreated tenderly, kissing her quivering l,ps repeatedly. "I must go to the assistance of Captain Forsyth ,who,s waiting for me. Remain here; I shall return soon."
De Cha Ions left the chamber, closing the door after him.
He entered the room that was occupied by Benoit, who was now a
state prisoner. He could not resist an amused smile at the bewildered
stare with which captain Forsyth greeted him. Maitre Pierre and his
assistant were kneeling on the floor beside Benoit, who had not yei
completely recovered from the paralyzing blow
i i^T a ,W°rd' De Challons took the pistol that Captain Forsyth handed to him. He replaced it in his pocket, and then clasped
l< orsyth s hand and shook it warmly-.
"I thank you for your timely service, captain. Be sure it will
not soon be forgotten."
Still bewildered and, needless to say, humiliated because of
his attack on the aged Benoit, Forsyth was more puzzled than ever
at the feeling of gratitude the artist expressed.
"I see that you do not understand, captain," De Challons said,
smiling again. "The man you have so neatly put away is known to
he police department as Gaspard Roman, and he has merely added
to his distinguished list of aliases by conveniently calling himself
Gaston Benoit. He ,s wanted for brutal assault and for the theft
or a diamond necklace, a famous and extremely valuable heirloom
owned by the Countess Saliny of Paris and Monaco. I shall now
dispel the sentiment of shame you undoubtedly feel in having
struck
&
so elderly a man."
The artist took a few steps forward and suddenly bent over the
recumbent figure of Benoit, who was now regarding his captors with
sinister hostility. He seized several locks of the prisoner's disordered
hair and gave a quick jerk. The ingenious wig, for so it proved,
came off readily, exposing a closely shaven skull
Captain Forsyth started back in great surprise at this disclosure,
while Maitre Pierre and the youthful Jean almost fell over in their
astonishment.
With a faint smile still lingering on his lips, De Challons-felt
/
�OCTOBER, 1931
37
tX^IZ'^l^rr^ Cn'minal> and Mediately withdrew a hollow leather belt, in which the stolen necklace was verv
StoTeL
C nCealed
HC
ct
cord "Lt^the
^"^
thC bdt in
V6
7/hankfuVf /0U
- sta^ &£?££%! °
- ^ P«*et, 3 the!
Wil1 b
f tHe
g me some strong
***«* -—i ^
The boy hurriedly left the room, and in a few minutes re
turned wjth enough stout line to secure'several Romans
With Captain Forsyth's assistance, De Challons tied the nris
oner beyond a 1 hope of escape, and 'afterwards, fo greater""-"
cunty he was locked in the empty room across the hall
Maitre Pierre had watched these proceedings with extreme
££?£ KTdy!?VfrC°me Wkh the £« that for two weeksTr
more he had been sheltering a notorious criminal.
*• rfttroom. "^^
arm in a
Wkh Ca t3in Fo
P
the donr^KT ^ " f°me.nt' Captain>"
llCVe madamC
us beW'
" SUfficientI^
againfhim Umed * * ** "*"* "**
hJS
^ to the
the artist
said, opening
—d to accompany
re
^
who J
—d lightly
"Charlotte thank Captain Forsyth for saving me from a most
ignommous end," De Challons said in a bantering tone but m,a
voice that was not devoid of feeling.
'
"You have put us forever in your debt, monsieur » madame
said, with emotion not altogether controlled
Approaching Forsyth, who was considerably embarrased at
this continued show of gratitude, Madame de Chains ookfhis
s ightly swollen right hand, which had so suddenly ended the
^V'u- ?reSSf1 k Wkh illde^ble gentleness. 7
peted!tePs
^
""^ * preceded them do
the carThe three seated themselves at the faKI*. ««„ » J
ago. Maitre Pierre had by this titne «£ffi h«d
SSffiSj " ^ aPPrMChed *eir *"* his S wasV£*
"You have, I believe, Monsieur Pierre, some very rate Amon-
�38
THE SYRHNWORW.
tillado, which I should greatly enjoy at this moment," said the
artist, with his searching smile.
"Amontillado, monsieur!" the inn-keeper exclaimed in surprise, a deep flush suffusing his Boniface features. "Ah! monsieur
is undoubtedly joking," he said, feigning complete incredulity.
"Surely, my good Pierre, a native of Spain does not deny his
own vintage," continued De Challons, still smiling, and mildly
enjoying the confusion of the proprietor.
Wthout another word, the proprietor turned away and disappeared in his provision room. He returned shortly, carrying a
fantastically shaped bottle, which he wiped with a clean cloth.
"You are very discerning, monsieur," Maitre Pierre admitted,
addressing the artist, as he placed the bottle and glasses on the
table. "I was born in Andalusia, and spent my early manhood there,
and never quite lost my taste for this excellent wine," he added, in
explanation.
"You are no doubt regarding me in the light of an imposter,
captain," De Challons said, smilingly, after the inn-keeper had left
them.
"No, no, monsieur!" Forsyth protested, good humoredlyj "but
I confess that I am still greatly confused in my ignorance of the circumstances leading to Benoit's capture."
"I shall explain, then, my dear friend. You will pardon me
if I seemingly diverge from the explanation by taking you back some
ten years before I had the good fortune to meet my wife." He
bowed to madame, who blushed happily. "At that time, I pursued
with considerable fervor the profession of painting. I had already
exhibited in public with some success. It was during this period that
I became acquainted with Monsieur Armand Fillon, the present
prefect of the Parisian police, and about ten years my senior.
Through his friendship, I acquired unusual enthusiasm in the study
of criminology, and, by the gradual process of theoretical assimilation and active experience, became proficient in that branch of research. Thereafter, I was more or less officially employed as Monsieur Fillon's assistant, and gained a slight reputation as criminal
investigator. Now to return to the present occasion. Two weeks
before the robbery had taken place, madame and I decided to spend
a belated holiday in Lucerne. On the twentieth day of our stay
there, I was notified from Paris headquarters of the robbery, which,
for reasons of expediency, had not been given out to the press.
Through the activity of the police, the man who was suspected of
being responsible for the felony was forced to quit the city, and, a
\
�OCTOBER,-1931 i' AiVs
39
few days later; he was reported to have fled to this district and nos
ably in disguise. I was instructed to take up the searchSflSnS nt
After travelling for almost a week though Sl^U K£
neighboring Lucerne in the person of aif artist Z*ng"SSS?
my wlfe accompanying me, and, being ignorant of my que^s Teat y
^Xldi:\Hl narldiSf "^ ! Wa§ inf—dbyqa »E
thC mail
d PaSS£nge;
Sta^e^tS^
the
stranger
in th, tu
A
, ', Tthf
Presence ofTan unknown
nh0k
the ITJnll hI?f °/PPineSS
- °n ** Seei1^ this man> dunng
t0 make y Ur
Forsvth T w
? 5
° acquaintance, Captain
*orsyth, I was greatly disappointed,-Which (you remember mv re
mark) caused me to think him a suitable subject foTa canv7 be
cause, of the trouble he had unwittingly given me I waT^teH
o prolong my stay in Aornholt in the LoS^eTf yaur^SS^
company, knowing it would do no harm, and with the not remote
gUISe f tHiS
Benoit
S
oold me
H° the
, mistake
^Tthe
tooled
me. But
But he
he made
third day °ofI^AS
our stav here -
-, ^
generally, we do not associate teeth so well n »
01 his apparent,y a<Wd
P
^txrrv
^ Thrand0SeI de-v:
ion, irrelevant as it may seem, awakened my suspicions
r n,
r ;partt0ofPthrrafthiS ^M^ ^ ^obligin8ly
^
,eft tt
his
^ff^wte^r ^
to breikinto hie -
, r,
lhlS
&ave
me an
opportun ty
draet,the^e0sndriStake °/ kaVr hiS^- K nlyT "he
transparent glass shaped ovally to conform^'thefra ^H
to further verify my SUSpicionSi , found after JgJ^ *s '<
strands of hair here and there about the room-some on the pillow
which indicated that he presumably slept with the wig on fo S
itTTT
Jehe Wa5.skePi»g. "»* a few strandsVn the w^h
stand. Th. condition, as ,s well known, is unnatural, for grav hair
does not fall out very easily. I then quitted the chamber Sd „en
immediately below where my wife was waiting for me MoJeU
,o
my return and a ha]f h ;
Ssr
"ft?
t was 'through a slight neclimwri,
»~ "
lie ascended to the second floor. It
on the part of Maitre Pierre's assistant that I was enabW f get
co„dus,ve evtdence against Gaston Benoit. Going over to the talk
�BBS-
40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
that Benoit had just left, I noticed, after a close but hurried examination, the distinct imprint of the thumb and forefinger of the
right hand. The impression was preserved in a small space of dust
near the edge of the table. The thumb mark, easily distinguished
by a rough scar on the ball, corresponded exactly with the thumb
print incautiously left at the scene of the robbery. This fortunate
discovery made further investigation unnecessary, and—well, it is
needless that I recount what little remains to be told, for you'were
very much concerned with it, captain."
Monsieur de Challons had given this detailed explanation without an interruption, and now leaned back in his chair with complete
relaxation..
Madame de Challons regarded her husband with eyes filled
with commingled pride and relief. Captain Forsyth had listened to
-De Challons' account with the closest attention.
"But, monsieur, you were certain of the man's identity! Why,
then, was he not apprehended in the customary way?" questioned
Forsyth, with a puzzled expression on his face.
T at WaS the dis ustin
TA ^" n
S
g Part of the whole matter, captain,"
De Challons answered, shrugging his shoulders. "Before I entered
his room I drew my pistol. Fortunately, the door was unlocked
Turning the knob noiselessly I threw the door open and leaped
inside. Benoit was so completely surprised by my abrupt entrance
that I had him covered with the pistol before he could turn around
I then locked the door for greater caution. Benoit realized by my
decisive manner that continued subterfuge would be futile. He
pretended to be overcome with dejection and fear. Drawing up to
him I began to search his pockets for concealed weapons. I was
deluded with this weak resistance j my attention lagged for a second
and that period, brief as it was, proved costly. In some inexplicable
way, and quite in keeping with the craft of his profession, he knocked
the pistol from my hand and threw himself violently against me
Losing my balance I fell to the floor with him on top. I was slightly
stunned by the fall, but I recovered in time to perceive that he had
drawn a stiletto. Exerting myself to the utmost, I caught his arm
as it descended with the blade pointed at my throat. I do not know
how long this position lasted, but I shall always remember the
terrible tension of the moment."
Madame de Challons visibly paled at the conclusion of the
recital.
"Why did you not shout for assistance, monsieur?" Captain
Forsyth asked.
/
�OCTOBER, 1931
41
"I had no thought of that, captain," was the somewhat laconic
answer from De Challons.
"Even at the point of death this man did not falter in the
stern regimen of the police," mused Forsyth inaudibly, his admiration for the artist-detective increasing boundlessly.
Early the following morning De Challons dispatched a messenger to the nearest large town southeast of Aornholt. Late that
afternoon the messenger returned, being accompanied by two specially commisioned gendarmes from the Canton of St. Gallen, who
immediately placed themselves under Monsieur de Challons' orders.
An hour later found the officers on their way back with the prisoner,
—Gaspard Roman, alias Monsieur Gaston Benoit.
A month later, Captain Geoffry Forsyth stood gazing reflectively through a window of his London apartment in Westminster
which overlooked Hyde Park. The sudden ringing of the bell at
the outer door recalled him from his reverie. Walking over, he
opened it, and confronted the smiling visage of a delivery boy from
the express office. He signed for the package that was handed to
him, and then closed the door. The package, which was large, but
quite light, and very carefully boxed, bore the postmark of Paris.
He loosened the top strips of wood and slowly removed the thick
paper and pasteboard covering with which it was wrapped. An extremely beautiful painting framed in handsome walnut, depicting
mountain scenery in a representation of winter solitude, lay before
him. A small white card was conspicuously wedged in a corner of
the frame, and picking it up he read, with considerable surprise and
pleasure, this legend:
To my esteemed friend,
Captain Geoffrey Forsyth
Raoul De Challons
VISITANT
By
NADA SABIRAH
The son of Beauty came
And where he walked
There is a path of light
Upon earth's floor.
There is a shining circle
Where he knocked
On earth's green door.
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
that Benoit had just left, I noticed, after a close but hurried examination the distinct imprint of the thumb and forefinger of the
right hand The impression was preserved in a small space of dust
near the edge of the table. The thumb mark, easily distinguished
by a rough scar on the ball, corresponded exactly with the thumb
print incautiously left at the scene of the robbery. This fortunate
discovery made further investigation unnecessary, and—well, it is
needless that I recount what little remains to be told, for you were
very much concerned with it, captain."
Monsieur de Challons had given this detailed explanation withreUlaxa1tionnte^rUPtl0n, ^ "°W ^^ ***
in his
°hair
with com lete
P
Madame de Challons regarded her husband with eyes filled
with commingled pride and relief. Captain Forsyth had listened to
JJe Challons' account with the closest attention.
"But, monsieur, you were certain of the man's identity! Why
then, was he not apprehended in the customary way?" questioned
forsyth, with a puzzled expression on his face.
r» r7n3t WaS the djsgusting Pa* of the whole matter, captain,"
De Challons answered, shrugging his shoulders. "Before I entered
his room I drew my pistol Fortunately, the door was unlocked,
lurnmg the knob noiselessly I threw the door open and leaped
ri! t l\ AT' ^ S(\ComPletely prised by my abrupt entrance
that I had him covered with the pistol before he could turn around.
l then locked the door for greater caution. Benoit realized bv mv
decisive manner that continued subterfuge would be futile" He
pretended to be overcome with dejection and fear. Drawing'up to
him I began to search his pockets for concealed weapons. I was
deluded with this weak resistance; my attention lagged for a second,
and that period, brief as it was, proved costly. In some inexplicable
way, and quite in keeping with the craft of his profession, he knocked
the pistol from my hand and threw himself violently against me
Losing my balance I fell to the floor with him on top. I was slightlv
stunned by the fall, but I recovered in time to perceive that he had
drawn a stiletto. Exerting myself to the utmost, I caught his arm
as it descended with the blade pointed at my throat. I do not know
how long this position lasted, but I shall always remember the
terrible tension of the moment."
Madame de Challons visibly paled at the conclusion of the
recital.
ForsyZkeA11
y U
°
"0t
Sh Ut f r aSSiSta Ce
°
°
" -
<
?" Captain
�'"
OCTOBER, 1931
41
"I had no thought of that, captain," was the somewhat laconic
answer from De Challons.
"Even at the point of death this man did not falter in the
stern regimen of the police," mused Forsyth inaudibly, his admiration for the artist-detective increasing boundlessly.
Early the following morning De Challons dispatched a messenger to the nearest large town southeast of Aornholt. Late that
afternoon the messenger returned, being accompanied by two specially commisioned gendarmes from the Canton of St. Gallen, who
immediately placed themselves under Monsieur de Challons' orders.
An hour later found the officers on their way back with the prisoner,
—Gaspard Roman, alias Monsieur Gaston Benoit.
A month later, Captain Geoffry Forsyth stood gazing reflectively through a window of his London apartment in Westminster
which overlooked Hyde Park. The sudden ringing of the bell at
the outer door recalled him from his reverie. Walking over, he
opened it, and confronted the smiling visage of a delivery boy from
the express office. He signed for the package that was handed to
him, and then closed the door. The package, which was large, but
quite light, and very carefully boxed, bore the postmark of Paris.
He loosened the top strips of wood and slowly removed the thick
paper and pasteboard covering with which it was wrapped. An extremely beautiful painting framed in handsome walnut, depicting
mountain scenery in a representation of winter solitude, lay before
him. A small white card was conspicuously wedged in a corner of
the frame, and picking it up he read, with considerable surprise and
pleasure, this legend:
To my esteemed friend,
Captain Geoffrey Forsyth
Raoul De Challons
VISITANT
By
NADA SABIRAH
The son of Beauty came
And where he walked
There is a path of light
Upon earth's floor.
There is a shining circle
Where he knocked
On earth's green door.
HH
�INTRODUCING A NEW DEPARTMENT
By A. HAKIM
'HE term "Younger Generation" is a relative one. One cannot
think of it without calling to mind the older generation of which
it is the offspring. Hence, obviously, the necessity of bearing in
mind the two when speaking of each. They are inseparable in all
treatment of social subjects and are more so here in the sense that I
believe this department of the SYRIAN WORLD is meant to cover. In other words, it is intended to treat of the Syrian home in
America insofar as it affects the relationship between parents and
children under the influence of radically different conditions which
the parents are forced to face and the children have to endure. It
is, indeed, a social problem of the first importance which exists nowhere in such virulent form as it does in the United States owing to
the flow of immigration and the necessity of moulding a homogeneous American nation out of heterogeneous elements that go into its
making. And the Syrians in America are perhaps more affected by
the operation of this amalgamation process than is any other race for
reasons that will be later explained.
For the editor of the SYRIAN WORLD to have invited me to conduct this department is both a compliment and a privilege, and both,
as I feel convinced, undeserved. The compliment is implied in the
assumption that I can properly treat this social problem with impartial analysis; the privilege, in the opportunity of addressing our
younger generation through the SYRIAN WORLD on what should be a
matter of concern to all of them. What a great privilege, indeed, to
realize that one could be instrumental in bringing a better understanding between bitterly opposed views; of restoring confidence
where there was suspicion; of mending relations that had been
mm
�OCTOBER, 1931
4S
foolishly broken through misunderstanding and ignorance; of keeping together a family union that was being threatened of falling apart; of substituting love for hate, understanding for mistrust and,
finally of bringing the two opposite camps—parents and children—
to the point of thinking out their problems in order to iron out their
differences.
The trouble with most of us is that we give little thought to
the study of the fundamental forces that go into the building of our
social structure. Perhaps it is the fault of the times. We are living
to the tempo of a world that is moving at a terrific speed. If we
stop for anything we are in fear of being left behind, and we fail to
stop even to think. It is a pitiable situation.
What I shall attempt to do in this department, if this meets
with the approval of the editor, is to survey our home life in America and analyze the forces that are agitating and affecting it, be that
constructively or otherwise. Every effort will be made to lay each
case in the most impartial spirit, in the hope of getting first to the
cause—diagnosing the symptoms—and then trying to discuss the
effect and prescribe whatever remedy would be possible. Readers
will please bear in mind that no claim of superior knowledge or infallibility is here advanced. The writer may be as wrong in his deductions as the individuals concerned in the presentation of the problem. What might be truthfully stated, however, is that this department will be conducted in a spirit of absolute fairness and with the
sole purpose of bringing better order to our fast disintegrating family life. This is an admission that the editor of this department feels
constrained to make at the outset as representing his honest and unshaken belief in the present condition of our home relations in America. Two opposing forces—two sets of diametrically different ethical conceptions and standards—are developing in our social order
which if not treated rationally and in time will threaten not only our
race entity but our individual happiness.
The subjects to be treated in this department will cover the
whole range of adult relationship, whether between the younger
generation and their parents or between the younger generation
themselves. Courtship and marriage will be given the fullest consideration.
And may it also be here stated that the editor of this department is not of the so-called younger generation. But although he
has reached certain convictions on our social problems which he will
gradually discuss, he will entertain whatever objections to his views
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
mrtmenfCn ^ ^ "^ and giVe them Publicity in this very dewlfh the 'eH-r001"^^6 Wth the tCrmS °f an understanding reache,
fo um wher?1" 0t th£ magazine- The obJect is to create an open
vaZs nrohl °Ur TTu- genfation could meet to discuss their
indeed is a Valuable
IhouMhjfl
A And tHlS
'
should be taken advantage
ofi to the fullest
extent opportunity that
Let us hope some good will develop from this effort
Reflections on Love
By
KAHLIL GIB RAN
toUchTeeL:rro7Lhra„itdy.tOUCheS
thC ha d
******
" °f
a W ma
° " **
bMh
Love is the veil between lover and lover.
******
Every man loves two women; the one is the creation of his
imagination, and the other is not yet born.
***** *
Men who do not forgive women their little faults will never
er
enjoy their great virtues.
******
in turLn7sWyd0eS " "" """ ^ *» ****** *
hMt
*"d
******
othe^0^^
CmbraCe tHat WhiGh iS betWCen them rather
than each
******
Love and doubt have never been on speaking
terms
&
******
page or%hta W°rd °f
%ht Writte
'
"
by a hand
°{ %h<> upon a
I
�OCTOBER, 1931
45
EDITORIAL COMMENT
WHAT THE SYRIAN WORLD REPRESENTS
T
A
RLD
n<>t thC Pr duCt
f an im uke
»ed toto bT°
° It is Pthe rh\]A
- «nf ^
aesignecl
be a mere" instrument °of gain
dea , a physical expression of a spiritual^ to^v nd.o pre"
ness to serve. But service most have a nkn and a m,l TU
T
here . the preservation of that priceless rad Uer tagethi* Zel
to us as the legacy of centuries of culture and advanfed 6vtZZn
^Jer27X^p:rd and carefully nurtured>
to greater glory with the opportunit.es at hand.
n
«"
This we take to he
ibU,i n t0
Aftei^allTN^i^f
° °" •***££
w lJi ' a
World was settled by immigration from the
K
:
New
flM
Old World, and regardless of the date of our coming and of our
t enb0es°tgthatXtraCt'OnS* ?*" Sh0Uld f«' *« -cessify f ^
US t0 tHe C0Untr
the way
w ofi opportunities.
>' that "i'hholds from us noimng
£
inn the
w„s if! T
th Se baS C c
u
'
a d
°nsiderations that the
SYRIAN WORLD
f
enterpri
f iit Tad
" ' the
? *test
^f^
^
****£
enterprise,
had toTo
to undergo
of time° and
the trial
of'stiwgkfor the establishment of its ideal. Its days of trial ate not yf.
, Tie
SYRIAN WORLD
is now in the early stages of its sixth vear
TJZl?:fCrm'°" °{ itSJ!fth y"r « h'ld a symposium on the
whethe? its ZTTg u' ^l" *" this should b= {° <* advisable,
e
of a str cril H^
M
^T ,d S° aS t0 lift i[ from "•« ^here
anneal TLverHPf*a°n, and t^reby inSUre for i£ m°re public
d tt f PUM C 0P m0n WaS t0
PS nlme.
' °
'
'
"»ti « i, und'er its
were I^dT the"'q8 S
"V^1 *£- eXPrcssio" of opinion
St n that the
Z «h^ f V
'°
P"blieation was not receiving
the share of public support which it deserves. Thev were hooeful
that with its continuation sufficient public sentiment migh be amused
�,
,—I—MWil
THE SYRIAN WORLD
may be taken by the readers and give them publicity in this very department, in accordance with the terms of an understanding reach*!
with the editor of the magazine. The object is to create an open
lorum where our younger generation could meet to discuss their
various problems And this, indeed, is a valuable opportunity that
should be taken advantage of to the fullest extent.
Let us hope some good will develop from this effort.
Reflections on Love
By
KAHLIL GIBRAN
,^?le,j; a ma?'s hand toU(*es the hand of a woman they both
touch the heart of eternity.
fnll
******
Love is the veil between lover and lover.
******
Every man loves two women; the one is the creation of his
imagination, and the other is not yet born.
******
t Men who do not forgive women their little faults will never
enjoy their great virtues.
******
Love that does not renew itself every day becomes a habit and
in turn a slavery.
******
Lovers embrace that which is between them rather than each
other.
******
Love and doubt have never been on speaking terms
******
page^fVHghta
W rd
°
°f
llght
'
Wntten by a hand
°f
Hght
' UP°n
a
�OCTOBER, 1931
45
EDITORIAL COMMENT
WHAT THE SYRIAN WORLD REPRESENTS
T
ifnedT KW°RLD " mSt
^
thC Pr dUCt
°
Ument of
ai
°f
an im ulse
P
' « is it
idealTnhvsi^l * S?
/
g "- * is the child of an
f a SpiritUal desire to serve
erve fc
^^T
^d role
to preserve.
The service,
on the °one hand, is to be in the dual
of
bringing to the young Americans of Syrian orig n a finer appreda
a med° um7 T* **$* *** «* Culture> ^^pSg
STfor,a deeP^ understanding by the general American pub
he of these inherent Syrian qualities; while on the other hand the
ld f0ll
aS th£ natUrd
tZV:^T7
r
°\
u
r
ness to serve. But service most have a plan and-ult
a goalof the
Theete
Lai
g
wh£h f
r
CentU ,eS
[
°f
Culture
«d-advanced civilization
CarCfUlly nU1 tUred Wil1 bl0 m
^Z^nT^
"^
"
to greater glory with the opportunities
at hand.
'
° -
This we take to be
our most distinctive racial contribution to our adopted count y
Old Wlf' 5C NCW W°rld Was settled °y imm gration from the
Old World, and regardless of the date of our coming andTour
e hnolog c extractions, we all should feel the necessity of g«
in U
Sw
V° thC C°Untry
in tne way of opportunities.
that Withh Id
° ^
was brouZZ^u" ^ j:onsiderati°ns that the
tXp
tcd
frcm
e
ns no" h n|
SYRIAN WORLD
f CV
h
Tntertisf
i 25
^ ^ the
? *test of
f time° and ^
**
enterpn e, it
had to undergo
the trial^'
of'struggle^ the establishment of its ideal. Its days of trial are noTyf t
The SYRIAN WORLD is now in the early stages of its sixth vear
Before the conclusion of its fifth year we held I symposium on the
necessity of continuing it, and in case this should be found advisable
whether its name should be changed so as to lift it from the sphere
.
lea
rLCvSSrbl,?tl0Mand thereby mSUre
P^sent name.
f
* ° ^°
Pmi n
°
for
*
re
Public
~ <° "* '* ^
its
w.reTi°Se/eSP°uding t0 °Ur appeal for an expression of opinion
were agreed on the question that the publication was not receiving
the share of public support which it deserves. They were honeful
that with its continuation sufficient public sentiment might be aroused
—;—._
�46
THE SYRIAN WORLD
to render the enterprise self-supporting, if not profitable.
To arouse this sentiment is now our immediate aim. We do
not advance any claims of popularity because that would be misleading. Nor do we care to win popularity in its accepted meaning
at the expense of deteriorating our standard. As announced in the
first issue of our sixth year we shall concede to the demand of popularity only insofar that it shall not be interpreted as a recession
from our main ideal.
To that end we have readjusted our editorial policy to what
we believe is a great step towards meeting popular demand. This
has been achieved so far by creating a number of new departments
in charge of most capable associate editors who are proving themselves unsparing in the contribution of their time and talent towards
the ideal for which the publication stands. Other improvements,
both editorially and in the typographical presentation, will be introduced gradually and progressively.
This, if at all, should be interpreted as an advance and not a
recession. It is in keeping with what we consider to be our duty in
the promotion of the ideal underlying the publication of the SYRIAN
WORLD.
/
A NEW POETRY DEPARTMENT
Edited by Barbara Young
^E ARE happy to announce the introduction with this issue of a
poetry department conducted by no less a figure in the American literary world than Barbara Young.
Not only recently, but since the first year of the publication of
the SYRIAN WORLD, Miss Young has been an occasional contributor
to our pages. To have her now as a constant contributor and an associate editor is, we feel confident, what our readers will concede to
be a distinct privilege.
Miss Young will be appreciated not only for her intrinsic poetical merit and fine literary discernment, but also for her genuine
love for Eastern culture in general, and particularly for her partiality towards all that is of Syria and Lebanon. Because of her deep
feeling of that sense of spiritual kinship that attracts and binds her
to all that is of those ancient lands, she asserts with pride and
sincerity, "My heart is Lebanese."
�r~
'-
"• "
""m
OCTOBER, 1931
ttlRZrc7:Z rePr°dUCed »*«« b»8
PhicalTtch
1
throughout the United States. Si,S SEj d^SME'
n W h °reuext»si« biographical account of hinfwhtch wi 1 be
h Ure f0rm
for
vembtt;"
3? B,s a,the
",0U
'Md
m t assuredly
vember 1 5. ShT
She most
one
person -leaselo«
best Qualifier] Nofor
such a task, and her work should prove authentic adaurtori ative
bhe now ,s the bterary executrix of Gibran and had bee, nis
1 iteirv
associate for many years before his tWh r, •
"7°
"terary
aeDr
of undying gratitude.
We heartily welcome Miss Young to our family circle 4nd
from her department as may be expected, shall "flow the wnefha
shall exalt the spirit," to make fitting use of her own word
/
DECORATIONS
and the name is that of the gifted American artist Mareerv
Haney who has implied volumes in the exquisite ske he she has
drawn for some of our titles. In this issue we introduce two of Hie
canvas replete with fine original conception and symbol smth
Jatter, a masterly visualization of Gibran's immortal mess^e to
Young Americans of Syrian origin wherein he sav^ tTs 0 ftand
before the towers of New York, Washington, Chicago and San
Francisco saying ,n your heart, <I am the d°scend .-Tf
i
that builded Damascus, and Biblus, «*$££*£ ITt
tioch and now I am here to build with you,'and with a will -
�48
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Questions and Answers
IRAQIS AND SYRIANS
A Question on the Iraqis' Origin Answered by Professor Hitti.
THE QUESTION
Submitted by David Zaily Los Angeles, Calif.
W ha
S the race
T
> (,10t nationality) of those born and reared
3 V, ,
in Iraq? Although both speaking the same Arabic tongue, it stands
to reason as is generally held, that a person born in Mosul or Bagdad who has never been in Syria, is not a Syrian.
THE ANSWER
By Professor Phils? K. Hitti, of Princeton University
1 he people of al-'Iraq are Semites. The original stock—whether Babylonian Assyrian, Chaldaean or Aramaean—was mixed with
the later Arab stock- but all these peoples were branches of one
lamily the Semitic family, which comprised, in addition to all that,
the Hebrews and the Phoenicians. The 'Iraqis are not a race, nor
are the Syrians. To speak of a Syrian race is wrong. The Syrians
are a separate nationality, and so are the 'Iraqis. The basis of
classification in nationality is political} in race it is biological. Even
when we speak of the Semitic "race" we are stretching the meaning
of the term "race" to include all those historical peoples who spoke
or still speak a Semitic tongue: Arabic, Hebrew, Phoenician, Assyro-Babylonian, Aramaean, etc} but we have no assurance that these
peoples were all descended from the same ancestors. Strictly speaking, "Semites" and "Semitic" are linguistic terms. The word "race"
therefore should be used very sparingly, and scientifically speaking
the race to which the 'Iraqis, Syrians, Arabs, etc. belong is the white
race.
Editor's Note—Scientifically speaking, Professor Hitti's restriction of the use of the term "race" is admittedly correct The
term however, has come to be used in a much broader sense especially in the United States. The American government classifies
immigration by "races" applying the term to all distinct groups of
immigrants coming from given countries. Hence "Syrian Race "
"American Race" etc; are explicitly used.
As inferred by Prof. Hitti, the Syrians and the 'Iraqis are two
distinct nationalities. Hence a person born in 'Iraq is not a Syrian
Nor are all those speaking the Arabic tongue Syrians. Almost all
. the Arabic-speaking element in the United States is of Syrian origin
but this is no indication of Arabic-speaking peoples elsewhere.
ii
�OCTOBER, 1931
49
Political Developments in Syria
SYRIAN NATIONALISTS
INSIST ON REPUBLIC
Refuse All Forms of Compromise and
Adhere to the Constitution
of 1927
The Syrian Question seems as
far as ever from a solution.
The
French are said to have laid a program which is expected to be acceptable to all the Syrian factions, but
the exact nature of the French proposals has not been learned. There
is one Syrian faction, however, that
has anticipated the new French declaration of policy by flatly rejecting
any form of government for Syria
that will not conform to its platform.
That faction is the Nationalist bloc
which 'is admittedly the strongest
party now in the political field in
Syria. From this quarter the French
High Commissioner may expect much
trouble in whatever attempt he might
make to settle the Syrian Question
upon his return from Paris.
The Syrian Nationalist Party held
a convention in Damascus in the middle of September to discuss their
stand upon the reported intentions of
the French to give Syria a monarchical form of government and establish
one of the sons of the late King Hussein of Arabia on the throne. At
the conclusion of the deliberations Hashem Bey Al-Atasi, Nationalist leader
and former President of the Constituent Assembly, gave a press interview in which he declared that the
unalterable decision of the Party representatives was to stand by the
Constitution adopted in 1927 by the
Constituent} Assembly as the only legal representative body elected by the
people.
This constitution declared
for a Republican form of government
for Syria.
Some Syrian papers, however,
stated on the authority of a prominent
Syrian Nationalist leader that the decision of the Nationalists might be
amended if a king can win for the
country more political rights than
they have been able so far to win
themselves in their bargaining with
France.
The Syrian press gives special
emphasis to the fact that the Nationalists' declaration followed immediately upon the return of King Feisal of
Iraq from Europe. This is taken to
indicate that they were in receipt of
authentic information that the new
French policy revolved upon making
a monarchy of Syria and establishing
former Kng Ali of Arabia, a brother
of King Feisal, on the throne. King
feisal, while in Europe, had numerous
conferences not only with several high
French officials but with a number of
prominent Syrian leaders Who met
him by special appointment in Vienna.
In other quarters the Nationalist
declaration is taken as an indication
not so much of the improbability of
establishing a monarchy in Syria as of
the impossiblity so far of King Feisal
and the Syrian Nationalists reaching
an understanding. The effect of
these latest developments has been
to further confuse the political situation in Syria which has resisted all
efforts at settlement for the last
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
twelve years.
As has been previously reported,
the so'ution now being considered by
France for the Syrian Question is to
give Syria a wide latitude of independence and enter into treaty relations
with it similar to those existing between Great Britain and Iraq. But
before any of the proposed conditions
are made public an undercurrent of
dissatisfaction is now evident among
the Syrian population especially as
regards the national army. According
to the special correspondent of AlAhram of Cairo in Beirut, whatever
form Syrian independence might take
conscription is inevitable, as there
would be little hope of raising an
adequate army by the volunteer recruiting system. The Syrians are
said not to have had undergone such
compulsory service for centuries and
they would naturally balk at conscription. On the other hand, France's
greatest inducement for relinquishing
her ho'd on Syria would be the assurance of having in the latter a
strong ally, possessing an army capable of national defense, as otherwise France would be at a disadvantage in maintaining a large army in
Syria for the protection of its territorial integrity against foreign enemies while enjoying no adequate political advantages in return.
There is, besides, the question of
mritary co-operation between Syria
and the Republic of Lebanon in national emergencies. This is expected to
prove another stumbling b'oc in any
effort to settle the Syrian Question.
COMING ELECTIONS IN
LEBANESE REPUBLIC
There are no less than eighteen
prospective candidates for the Presidency of Lebanon in the forthcoming
elections of 1932. It is now evident
that President Charles Dabbas will
not be a candidate for a third term,
and the scramble for the office has re-
solved itself into a free for all affair.
There seems to be an understanding,
however, that the office this time will
fall to a Maronite, inasmuch as representation in Lebanon is still based
on denominational considerations.
With High Commissioner Ponsot
still absent in Paris, the Lebanese are
now mainly occupied with internal
affairs. The only important incident
was the flurry caused by the supposed
declaration of Emile Eddy, one of the
more prominent Presidential candidates, that the logical solution of the
differences between Syria and Lebanon was for the latter to cede t'he
port of Tripoli to Syria and thereby
help create of Lebanon a preponderantly Christian country. This was
later emphatically denied, but it tended to show the undercurrent of sentiment prevalent in the country.
The little Republic is grappling
with a serious internal problem, that
of balancing its budget. Despite the
insistence of the native government
to have the French High Commissariat pay to it its proportionate share of
the customs' proceeds, the latter refuses to make any inroads on the reserve it has decided to maintain, with
the consequence that the Lebanese
government had to devise other means
of meeting the deficit. Its first step
was to decide on reducing by 10 per
cent, the salaries of small officials,
but this aroused such cries of protest
from press and public that the reduction was made to apply to all
government functionaries, from the
president down. The attack of the
press was directed principally against
the members of the Legislative Assembly who long have been accused
of exploiting the public treasury for
their own personal gain, to the extent of exempting their personal property from taxation. This victory of
the people over those whom the press
calls profiteers was received with a
good deal of elation.
P
�—"^
OCTOBER, 1931
51
TTTF
SYRIAN WORLD
NEWS SECTION
VOL. VI. NO. 2
FINDS CLUES IN SYRIA
TO CITY OF 1931 B.C.
French Archaeologist Believes Inscriptions Are Earliest Known
Literary Efforts.
TABLETS 3,300 YEARS OLD
How the history and arts of a
vanished people who flourished in
1931 B.C. is being pieced together and
corroborated through legends of forgotten wars told in unknown tongues
was related Oct. 9 before the French
Academy of Inscriptions by Professor F. A. C. Schaeffer of the University of Strasboroug, who reported on
the third season's excavations of the
royal tombs at Minet-el-Beida and
Ras-Shamra in Northern Syria, according to a special cable dispatch
to the New York Times from Paris
on Oct. 9 .
A wealth of new finds has been
made this year by a mission representing the French Academy, the National Museum and the Ministry of
Education, which a year ago attracted
the world interest of archaeologists
by the discovery of what was thought
to be the world's oldest dictionary, inscribed on stone* tablets in six languages, two of which were previously
unknown.
These tablets came from a library attached to the Ras-Shamra sanctuary, dating from the thirteenth or
OCTOBER, 1931
fourteenth century before Christ.
More of these texts, unearthed this
year, have added interest, constituting
what probably are the earliest efforts
in literature (and poetry thus far
brought to light.
"These new texts," said professor Schaeffer, "are composed of words
in two languages and divided into syllables, and they belong to a series of
epic poems written on large tablets
in several columns. They form a very
valuable addition to the episodes of
the astonishing poems read before this
academy by M. Virolleaud, their translator, who has shown their great importance as regards Semitic philology and the history of religions.
"Several of these tablets were
found incorporated in masonry of an
ancient construction, which indicated
they had already been discarded as
texts and which givesv us hope that
we shall later find texts even more
ancient than these and probably dating as far back as twenty centuries
before the Christian era." Professor
Schaeffer's expedition brought back
a large number of several thousand
art objects, utensils and images unearthed this season. Important among
these were six curious necklaces in
multi-colored glass, each bearing pendants of an unidentified nude goddess,
done in hammered gold.
"What greatly increases their interest," Professor Schaeffer said, "is
the fact that each is in a different
�52
form, showing the strange goddess,
from the simplest kind of representation down through various stages
of perfection until done w$th the
greatest faithfulness to nature.
"In one of these representations
she is shown standing on the back of
a lion on whose shoulder is placed a
rosette or solar sign. The goddess is
wearing a Hathorian headdress and
holds two bouquets in her hands, and
from her lips spring serpents in a
manner which recalls the famous goddess entwined with serpents found at
Gnossus.
"Three different techniques of
workmanship are found in these pendatives, which resemble in style relics
found in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Crete
and Anatolia. I would not hesitate to
recognize in this figure the divine
Astarte, if the epic poetry on the tablets at Ras-Shamra did not reveal the
pantheon of a goddess whose attributes were similar, and for that reason I deem it prudent to reserve identification until they are further investigated."
In the excavations at Minet-elBeida, on the site of an ancent harbor, where these necklaces were found,
no human bones have yet been discovered, but, because of the richness of the art objects, jars, vases and
utensils found, the investigators believe they surround the tomb of some
extremely
distinguished
princess
whose burial place will be found intact during the later researches.
More than four hundred objects
unearthed this season have been
brought back by the expedition, including what are believed to be vanity boxes and beauty accoutrements
of that princess. These consist, said
Professor Schaeffer, of a score of elegant little flasks and vases in alabaster of an Egytian type, together with
a number of little boxes for cosmetics,
done in ivory, whose covers all are
THE SYRIAN WORLD
carved with the head of a water fowl
finely executed.
At Ras-Shamra was found the
effigy of a princess identified by inscriptions as of the royal house of
• -&ypt. Princess Chnoumit Nofre,
whose tomb had been discovered near
the pyramid of Amenemhat II at
Dahshur. This statuette evidently had
been willfully shattered, probably by
hordes, who, coming from Asia Minor
in the eighteenth century B.C. conquered Syria and Palestine and finally
Egypt, which had dominated this region of Syria.
Further confirmation of this invasion was found in evidences of the
partial burning and destruction of the
tombs and a sanctuary at this date.
"This damage at Ras-Shamra
probably was a consequence of an invasion by the sea people of the Syrian coast in the thirteenth century B.
C. who were beaten back from the
Egyptian frontier by the armies of
Rameses III," said Professor Schaeffer. "These invaders probably used
the city as a base for operations and
only demolished Egyptian sanctuary,
as would be indicated by the discovery
we made of several rude native images
left intact. The city never recovered
its importance and probably was definitely destroyed in the course of the
thirteenth century by the Assyrians."
TURKY PLEASED WITH
PROPOSED SYRIAN SETTLEMENT
Reports from Angora indicate
that the Turks are highly elated at
the prospects of France granting Syria complete independence because that
would relieve them of the worry of
having to contend with a strong
neighbor. They claim to entertain no
further designs on Syria, but with
France out of the country they feel
that their Syrian border would require less of their attention for purposes of defense.
�OCTOBER, 1931
- 53
SYRIANS OF CAROLINAS
aim and object of this society was
GATHER AT COLUMBIA fully explained by President Mack,
A spirit of solidarity and co- who said this society, the first organoperation seems lately to have been ized in South Carolina, was the reawakened among the Syrians through- sult of several years' work.
out the United States. They are holdAn address of welcome in the
ing gatherings and festivals in wide- Syrian language was made by Miss
ly-scattered sections. But what is Olga Hykil. Interesting talks were
more significent is that they are hark- made by G. M. Hykil, vice president
ing to the appeal of patriotic organ- of Syrian-American society, and B. J
izations to form their ranks and learn Baroody of Timmonsville, who spoka
to work collectively for the better- on "Syria, Past and Present, and Its
ment of their standing.
Contribution to Civilization."
The
In the preceding issue of the founder of the Syrian-American soSyrian World we had accounts of ciety, and its past president, S. A
three extensive group meetings in Sabbagha, was then introduced, and
widely scattered sections. The Mahhe explained that his ambition of
rajans of Bridgeport, Conn, and Det- several years had become a reality in
roit, Mich, under the auspices of the organizing the society which was funcLebanon League of Progress of New tioning in an excellent manner. InYork, and the convention of Syrian teresting talks were also made by N
societies in the Southwest sponsored Arrab of Florence, and J. J. Bashere
by the Young Men's Amusement Club of Charleston.
of Port Arther, Texas, were notable
Dinner was then served after
events; while the forthcoming con- which Syrian music was rendered by
vention of Syrian, societies in the a quartet. Swimming and boat- ridEastern States to be held at Lawrence, ing was enjoyed by the younger set.
Mass., promises to be well attended. '
The officers for 1931-1932 areWe are now pleased to copy from E. S. Mack, president; G. M. Hykil'
a local paper of Columbia, S. Carolina vice president; S. Koosa, secretary
the following account of a Syrian George Wackym, treasurer, and J S
gathering which took place in that city Mack, F. A. Masad and S. N. Baron Sept. 6 last.
koot, trustees.
The Syrian-American society of
Columbia, S.C. was host on Sept. 6,
1931 to about 500 Syrians from all CHARITABLE EXPENDITURES
OF SYRIAN SOCIETY
over the State of South Carolina and
The published report of the Virof North Carolina.
This gathering, held at Duna- gin Mary Conference of St. Vincent
way's Place, near Pontiac, was for the de Paul Society, attached to the Virpurpose of fostering good-will and gin Mary Syrian Melchite Catholic
Church of Brooklyn, covering the fisfellowship among the Syrian citizens
cal year of June 1, 1930 to May 31,
of South Carolina and North Carolina.
George Wackym was master of 1931, shows receipts of $3,900 and
ceremonies for the occasion, and in- expenditures of $2,948. Receipts were
troduced the president of the Syrian- from individual contributors and the
proceeds of dances and entertainAmerican society, E. S. Mack of Lexments.
The report, published in Araington, who delivered the welcoming
bic
by
the Syrian-American Press
address on behalf of the Syrianlists
all
the individual contributions'
American society of Columbia. The
received.
�————, >
54
SYRIAN JOURNALIST
BECOMES FLORIST
Business is bad with the Syrian
papers in the United States. On previous occasions we referred to the recurrent complaints of the editors about the delinquency of subscribers in
remitting their dues. We mentioned
also that several papers had to reduce their size for reasons of economy.
Now the first casualty has occurred
by the As-Sayeh's implied admission
of defeat in the struggle against the
adversity of the times. As-Sayeh has
suspended publication for well over
half a year.
If hope springs eternal, there are
those who still entertain the notion
that As-Sayeh will some day resume
publication. The paper had an interesting and colorful career. It was
at first a weekly, then graduated to
a. semi-weekly, and for some time
joined the ranks of daily newspapers,
it was in the habit of publishing each
year a special number to which many
prominent literateurs in Syria, Egypt
and the United States contributed.
Gibran had taken As-Sayeh under his
patronage.
What portends ill for As-Sayeh,
but should augur a prosperous future
for its publisher, Mr. A. Haddad, is
the fact that the latter decided to
turn florist, catering the natural, fragrant and apparently the useful and
needed article in lieu of the poorly
appreciated intellectual product. We
are in receipt of a circular letter in
Which he makes the announcement
that he has joined the florist shop of
Santomarco at 6914 Fort Hamilton
Parkway, Brooklyn. The language he
uses is frank and flowery. After describing the artistic qualifications of his
Italian partner he turns to himself and
says: "As for myself, I have been
intrigued by the fascination of this
profession which now I am studing
seriously. It has for me the appeal
THE SYRIAN WORLD
of the fragrance and the delicate
coloring of the flowers. In the meantime, I attend to the actual management of the establishment."
There are only a few instances
when the newspaper profession among
the Syrians proved to be a paying
one, and for Mr. Haddad to have renounced it is no reflection on his
ability. He has our best wishes for
a flowery and fragrant future.
RELIEF MOVEMENTS
AMONG U. S. SYRIANS
Meraat-Ul-Gharb, a Syrian daily
of New York, is vigorously agitating
for the creation of a national Syrian
committee in the United States to
take care of relief work during the
coming winter. It emphasizes the
fact that the Syrians were never public charges during their whole record
in America, and advocates the maintenance of this record by having a
relief body composed of themselves
to take care of their own needy this
coming winter. Undoubtedly there
would be a number of Syrians Who
would feel the weight) of distress
which has fallen heavily on the country, but it is now proposed that they
should help themselves instead of depending on general relief agencies.
No tangible result has yet developed
from this press campaign.
The Syrian Ladies' Aid Society
of New York, an old organization engaged in charitable work, receives
funds which it employs judiciously in
helping needy families. Its funds
were recently augmented by a sum
of $1,291 representing half of the
proceed^ of a benefit performance
which the committee of Al-Kalemat,
an Aleppian organization, gave last
season.
The St. Nicholas Young Men's
Society of New York has announced
its willingness to devote half of the
�OCTOBER, 1931
proceeds of an entertainment which
it is giving on Oct. 17 towards public relief.
PATRIARCHATE QUESTION
REMAINS UNSETTLED
The Orthodox Church of Syria
has made little progress in its efforts
to solve the knotted problem arising
from the election of two incumbents
to the same office. Lately the French
authorities of the High Commissariat
are reported to have taken a constructive step towards a settlement
by inviting the two Patriarchs to appoint each two members of a mixed
ecclesiastical tribunal invested with
authority to settle church litigation.
Patriarch Arsanius of Latakia, refused to be a party to this arrangement on the ground that he alone is
the legally elected Patriarch and
should exercise supreme authority.
The Orthodox Arabs of Palestine
are still agitating for the election of
a native Patriarch to succeed the demised Greek Patriarch. The movement has spread to the United States
and has been given a purely racial
turn, since Christians and Moslems
of Grand Haven, Mich., united in
petitioning the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem to exert his influence in bringing about the election of a Patriarch
who would be Arab "body and soul."
LEP.ANESE IN URUGUAY
HIGHLY ESTEEMED
An exchange of courtesies has
been going apace lately between the
Western republic of Uruguay and the
Eastern republic of Lebanon. The
cause of this extreme cordiality is
the high position of esteem which the
Lebanese community in Uruguay enjoys with the people and the govern-
55
ment of the South American republic.
On Sept. 1, a new school was dedicated in Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital), which was named the
"School of the Lebanese Republic."
The President of Uruguay in person
attended the ceremony and complimented highly in his address the civic virtues of the Lebanese community. He touched on the fact that because of the high esteem in which the
Lebanese are held by the government
of Uruguay the latter decided some
time ago to name one of its principal streets after the republic of Lebanon, a compliment which the latter graciously returned by naming
one of the streets of its capital, Beirut, after the republic of Uruguay.
Now Uruguay wants to further prove
its love for Lebanon by naming one
of its new school after it.
Representing the Lebanese Republic at the ceremony was the French
Minister in Uruguay and a number of
local Lebanese notables, one of whom
made a fitting response to the address of the President.
During the exercises, according to
reports, 150 pupils of the new school
sang in chorus the Lebanese anthem
in the Arabic language, a gesture of
extreme friendliness which highly
touched the hearts of the Lebanese,
in view of the fact that the pupils
were natives.
Commenting on this latter incident, The Sphinx, a Lebanese paper
of South America, expresses surprise that the American Uuiversity
of Beirut has never shown such courtesy to Lebanon although located in
the Lebanese capital. We doubt that
the criticism is deserved, and an explanation of the attitude of the American University of Beirut by one of
its faculty or alumni will be cheerfully given space in the Syrian World.
�56
FATHER KILLS DAUGHTER
TO AVENGE HIS HONOR
Aleppo was the scene of a cruel
murder whose victim was a young
woman killed by the hand of her own
father. The details of the gruesome
tragedy can hardly be duplicated in
the wildest fiction.
As reported by the Syrian press,
Fatoum, daughter of one Mahmoud
Moakeh, went to live with a certain
Taher Hafiz as his common-law wife.
Fearing the wrath of her father, she
cautioned Hafiz against admitting him
to the house, and for further security
the two went to live in a distant
quarter.
The father soon found himself unable to stand the jeers and disdainful
locks of the neighbors and decided to
leave the city. He was all the while,
however, making secret inquiries for
the whereabouts of his daughter until he located her, his two sons in the
native police assisting in the search.
One day the father called at his
daughter's house and was admitted
by the brother of her lover who did
not suspect his motive. The daughter
remained in hiding until she felt sure
by her father's attitude that he intended no harm. When finally she appeared in the reception room the parent
returned her greeting with apparent
affability, but a few moments later he
asked for a glass of water which the
lover's brother hastened to go out to
bring. But during the brief moments
that he was absent the father savagely attacked his daughter with a dagger, inflicting mortal wounds. The
other man, upon his return, raised an
alarm and immediately two policemen
appeared at the door and seized the
murderer red-handed. They conducted
him safely through a howling mob until they reached a secluded spot in the
outskirts, and there set him at liberty.
They were his two sons who had wait-
?HE SYRIAN WORLD
ed at the door by prearrangement and
had encouraged their father to do the
deed that would blot out the family
shame with blood.
ARMENIANS IN SYRIA
A VEXING PROBLEM
Although welcomed after the war
as refugees and guests of the country,
the Armenians in Syria and Lebanon
now present a serious problem. Due
to their native industry and extreme
necessity, they have competed with
native labor in such manner as to
cause general complaint. The French
mandatory authorities and the native
governments are expected, furthermore, to contribute to the support
and maintenance of these strange
guests, and now that the economic depression is acutely felt in the country,
the Armenians are viewed in the light
of an unnecessary national burden.
When, therefore, reports were
circulated that negotiations were set
on foot to transfer the Armenians
now in Syria to Soviet Armenia, the
Syrians hailed the news with a sigh
of relief. Of the Armenians now in
Lebanon alone, it was stated, 3,000
have already signified their assent to
the transfer.
OTTOMAN PRINCESS
BURIED IN SYRIA
On Sept. 25 the body of the Turkish Princess Saniha arrived at Beirut
and was sent by train to Damascus
for burial in the cemetery of Sultan
Salim. The Princess is the daughter
of Sultan Abdul Majid, last of the
Turkish sultans who saw his dynasty
swept away by the tide of Turkish
democracy. She died in Nice, on the
French Riviera, and her grave will
adjoin that of her uncle Sultan Wahid
Ud Din.
�OCTOBER, 1931
KAHLIL GIBRAN
;
" The Man from Lebanon"
The man whose life and work form an epic of our age;
whom few knew in' his intimate life, and whom a vast host
of those who have felt his influence, desire to know.
The first authentic opportunity is now given to draw
near to a knowledge of Gibran as he lived and worked, as
he conceived and executed.
A biographical sketch by BARBARA YOUNG, American
poet,, who was closely associated with Gibran and is now
his literary executor, will be published about November 15.
>
This story of the great son of Lebanon, "The Poet of the
Cedars," will appear in the form of a brochure, and will
contain a wealth of detail concerning this rich life, illustrated
with hitherto unpublished photographs of the poet.
The first edition will be limited to 250 copies, serially
numbered, and autographed by the author.
Orders for this edition will be filled as received, and
may be sent in advance of publication either to the office of
THE SYRIAN WORLD, or to the author, at
The Gibran
Studio, 51 West 10th. Street, New York City.
The price of the brochure, First Edition, will be $2.50.
-
57
�58
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Gibran's Message
To Young Americans of SyrianOrigin
By C K. GlBRAN
Author of ''TJt* Prophet,'
M
/««j l/*e Son of Man,"
TW Srrua V«M, J«JT, |92«
I believe- in you. and I believe in your destiny.
I believe that you are contributors to this new civilization.
I believe that you have inherited from your forefathers an ancient dream, a song, a prophecy, which you can proudly lay as a gift of gratitude upon the lap of America.
I believe you can say to the founders of this great nation. "Here I am. a youth, a young
tree whose roots were plucked from the hills of Lebanon, yet I am deeply rooted here, and I would
be fruitful."
And I believe that you can say to Abraham Lincoln, the blessed. "Jesus of Nazareth
touched your lips when you spoke, and guided your hand when you wrote: and 1 shall uphold
all that you have said and all that you have written."
I believe that you can say to Emerson and Whitman and James. "In my veins tuns the
blood of the poets and wise men of old. and it is my desire to come to you and receive, but I shall
not come with empty hands."
I believe that even as your fathers came to this land to produce riches, you were born
here to produce riches by intelligence, by labor.
And 1 believe that it is in you to be good citizens.
And what is it to be a good citizen?
It is to acknowledge the other person's rights before asserting your own. but always to be
conscious of your own.
It is to be free in thought and deed, but it is also to know that your freedom is subject
to the other person's freedom.
It is to create the useful and the beautiful with yout own hands, and to admire what others
have created in love and with faith.
It is to produce wealth by labor and only by labor, and to spend less than you have produced that your children may not be dependent on the state for support when you are no more.
It is to stand before the towers of New York. Washington. Chicago and San Francisco
saying in your heart. "I am the descendant of a people that builded Damascus, and Biblus. and
Tyre and Sidon. and Antiocb. and now I am here to build with you. and with a will."
It is to be proud of being an American, but it is also to be proud that your fathers and
mothers came from a land upon which God laid His gracious hand and raised His messengers.
Young Americans of Syrian origin. I believe in you.
FREE TO SYRIAN WORLD SUBSCRIBERS. This beautiful message by
Gibran 13x17 indies, printed in large type on heavy paper with ornamental border suitable for framing. Every PAID subscriber whose term begins
with Sept. 1931 is entitled to a copy, mailed in heavy cardboard tube. Subscribers whose term begins before S2p. 1931 may secure a copy by renewal.
1
�OCTOBER, 1931
59
'BHIi!l!IIIilllll!ll!ilill!ll!ll!!lll!lll!!l!
MiiiimtiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiii
HEILBRONN'S
5TH AVENUE AT 53RD STREET
BROOKLYN. N. Y.
| A METROPOLITAN DEPARTMENT STORE!
m
s
3
=
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located in Bay Ridge, the most £
beautiful residential section of the 1
greater city.
I
| A LARGE MODERN STORE!
|
9
speedily reached by 4th Ave. Sub- §j
way (53rd St. Station) Busses and
several trolley lines.
|j
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| A FRIENDLY FAMILY STORE!
S
where every customer receives personal attention and individual service—making shopping here a
pleasurebale pastime.
j* (3i>uiJj ^r^1^ s^ a5m '-^ <y ,^* U* U»- ,j-a*^
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�THE SYRIAN WORLD
AUTHENTIC
ORIENTAL RUGS
THE A. SLEYMAN COMPANY, INC.
George Haddad
Proprietor
Phone
CHickering 4-S878
ALEXANDRIA RESTAURANT
The new and beautiful uptown Syrian restaurant owned and operated
by a master chef, who summons his long experience to the
-art of producing the most delectable Oriental dishes.
Small and large parties catered to
So Conveniently Located
21 WEST 31st STREET,
N£w Y0RR
—
IT IS YOURS
is the only Syrian publication printed
m English and as such is the organ of the Syrians in America.
lou can help it continue and grow by subscribing to it yourself
and inducing others to subscribe.
THE SYRI^ WORLD
PUBLISHER, THE SYRIAN WORLD:
104 Greenwich Street, New York.
You may enter my name as a subscriber to "The SyrJforld" for the term of one year, for which I agree to
pay the regular rate of $5.00 upon receipt of the first issue.
I
I
\
Address
City 6f State
mmjmmr
�OCTOBER, 1931
61
=n
JERE J. CRONIN
FUNERAL DIRECTOR
I
MORTUARY CHAPEL
Local or Out of Town Fimeralg Personally Attended to
LADY ATTENDANT
Expense a Matter of Your Own Desire
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BROOKLYN, N. Y.
The large amount of business we do permits us to buy caskets
in large quantity which enables us to give the best funerals rery
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little cost. No charge for use of our services or funeral parlors
Telephone—MAIN 1398-1399-8130-3655
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RESTORATIVE: Call the
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Z
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65 WASHINGTON ST.,
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»t»TT«t>MTHTVfVTTTi
�t"
THE
MACHINE
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The rapid advance of our age may be ascribed to one fundamental cause
— the application of man's mind to the scientific use of the machine.
Hence our characterization of our times as "the machine age," because
it was through the machine that increased production in all commodities
has been made possible, and the comfort and well-being of man more
fully realized.
The machine has proved to be the controlling factor in all human
activities, the typographical industry included. It was through the advent
of the type-setting machine that popular literature became available
and illiteracy gradually eliminated.
But for the type-setting machine it would never be possible to produce
the prodigiously large editions of many daily newspapers in Europe and
America, and the immense number of books that are constantly being
turned out by the presses.
Speed is the prime requisite to increased production, and speed is
made possible only through the use of the machine.
The Mergenthaler Linotype Company of New York, manufacturer of
the Arabic type-setting machine, wishes to present for the consideration
of Arabic publishers these basic truths, and to draw to their attention
specific instances where the Arabic Linotype is gradually bringing into
application in the Arabic printing industry those modern, efficient
methods which made the Western printing industry so highly advanced.
To this end, concrete statistical information will be given in a series of
advertisements in this publication which should call for serious consideration on the part of Arabic publishers everywhere.
MERGENTHALER LINOTYPE COMPANY
Brooklyn, New York, U. S. A.
Cable: LINOTYPE, NEW YORK
Representatives in the Principal Cities of the World
(LINOTYPE^
An illustrated descriptive catalog
of the Arabic Linotype sent free
upon request.
LINOTYPE METRO SERIES
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MERGENTHALER LINOTYPE COMPANY
Brooklyn, New York, U. S. A.
Cable: LINOTYPE, NEW YORK
Representatives in the Principal Cities of the World
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�THE SYRIAN WORLD
64
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��
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
Identifier
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NS 0002
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
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Identifier
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TSW1931_10reducedWM
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Volume 06, Issue 02
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1931 October
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 6 Issue 02 of The Syrian World published October 1931. The issue begins with an article titled "Two Cities, Two Worlds!" by Habib I. Katibah, which discusses the differences between Damascus and Beirut. While both of these cities are in close proximity to each other, they have distinctive cultures, which Katibah explains in-depth in his article. A new feature of this issue is the section titled "New and Views," in which a staff observer discusses various headlining articles. This month focuses around the topics of Child Marriages, Starvation in the U.S.A., Um Kalthoum in Syria, and the Mayor of New York James J. Walker's meeting with King Feisal of Iraq in Nice, France. There are then a number of poetic contributions all edited by Barbara Young, followed by "The Choice of Su'ad a True Arabian Tale." There is also a new section titled "Home and Family" which discusses various domestic duties. Another work by Kahlil Gibran is also featured towards the end of the issue after a short story by Thomas Asa titled "The Mystery of Aornholt." The issue concludes with a question and answer section directed by Philip K. Hitti, an update on political developments in Syria, and the section on Syrian world news.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
A language of the resource
English
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
Format
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Text/pdf
Type
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Text
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Barbara Young
Habib I. Katibah
Kahlil Gibran
Lebanon
New York
Philip Khuri Hitti
Syria
Thomas Asa
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/7817bf7f737e9861155846112a1ca2a4.pdf
5080f93777a7bed6f649a9f76fc4fe39
PDF Text
Text
'OL VI
NOVEMBER. 1931
NO.
��npxrp
SYRIAN WORLD
Tublished monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New lork,
N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. VI. NO. 3
NOVEMBER, 1931
=•=
CONTENTS
The Coming Generation of Syrian Leaders
SALLOUM
A.
3
MOKARZEL
Affluence, (a Poem)
9
EDNA
K.
SALOOMEY
The Deeper Pain
10
KAHLIL GIBRAN
Conditions in the Near East __
__
11
BAYARD DODGE
True Arabian Tales
The Slave Girl Whom the Grand Vizier Could
Not Buy.
14
�CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
Poetry, Edited by
BARBARA YOUNG
Soil, by JOHN STERLING HANEY
New Poetry
To Our Lyric Poets
Rubaiyat Au-Tayeb, by AMIN BEDER
Ode, by THOMAS ASA
A Moslem Saint of Damascus
H. I.
.....
j8
19
2n
........
22
23
24
26
KATIBAH
Books Received
-,,
Seek and You Shall Find (a Short Story)
32
By
CHARLES
J.
SASSEN
Our Younger Generation
30
Edited by A.
HAKIM
Conflicting Standards in the Syrian Home in
America
Youth Speaks
Beyond the Sun ,(a Poem)
38
,,
43
BARBARA YOUNG
New Egyptian Minister in A merica
44
The Traveler's Cloak, (a Poem)
47
DR. SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
Editorial Comment
AQ
Political Developments in Syria
TQ
Syrian World News Section
53
i
�SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL, Editor
VOL. VI. NO. 3
NOVEMBER, 1931
The Coming Generation of Syrian
Leaders
BREAKING THE BOUNDS OF AGE-LONG TRADITIONS
THEY SEEK TO LEAD THROUGH ENLIGHTENED
AND CONSTRUCTIVE EFFORTS.
By
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
ALTHOUGH the French might be partly responsible for the
of
pet
" ^? ^
°f °Utl°°kthat
°" Some
their
pet traditions
traditions, itr ,s, nevertheless,
incontestable
these youths
themselves have by their own process of reasoning reached the mo
mentous conclusions that are now carrying them^n the crest o,
aTX mWnal ^f0^^ ^ A of Syria and Sbano,
are becoming practical. They are seriously applying themselves to
oe Sft a"d aPP1,Cat]°" of methods that/in comparison withIheir
age-old traditions, might well be considered revolutionary^ What
» more significant ,s that this change of outlook is evident not only
among the masses but also amone
the classes Th7\ A
'
nrfinlN, kL-,'
..
r
, to
classes, the leaders are
actually blazing the way for this renaissance which augurs such a
nght future for the country. Enlightened leadership may wel
^considered an almost accomplished fact not in the very disTant
Where it had been the time-honored tradition to rely upon
anmaintain family prestige on the old accepted lines of hered tarv
leadership and authority, the scions of the nobility, so-ca led are
fitting themselves by industry in the acquisition of the technica
�4
THE SYRIAN WORLD
knowledge and training to improve their own conditions and those
of their followers. This radical transformation in viewpoint I was
able to observe in three widely separated sections, but with unmistakable signs of a singleness of purpose.
* * * *
Early in August, 1929, while visiting Latakia, capital of the
Alaouite State of Syria, I met Emir Muneer, son of Emir Jaber AlAbbas, President of the Legislative Council of the State and hereditary chieftain of the whole Alaouite nation by virtue of his being the
head of the principal clan in the country. It was through this meeting that my interest was first aroused as to the attitude and disposition of the younger generation of leaders in the country. The
aspirations and ambitions of the young man were a revelation.
Yes, he would succeed his father as the leader of his people. Such
was his hereditary privilege which he would not dream of relinquishing. But he would by all means justify his claim by enlightened leadership. The country is in a state of an ephocal transition
and transformation. Its population is almost completely homogeneous and its land is capable of great productivity. Its resources
must be exploited and husbanded and its political rights maintained.
Hence his sense of prime duty to equip himself for the task of true
leadership—leadership that would guarantee his people their rights
and privileges. And to that end he was taking up the study of international law.
It was a voluntary task he had set for himself, and he was determined to carry it through. He positively will not follow it as a
profession because he was amply independent in his own right.
But it was for the purpose of protecting his people in their rights
that he was foregoing a life of ease for one of study and research.
Already he has graduated from the law school of the Syrian University in Damascus and was now going to Paris for further study.
He was to be in Paris that very year.
Muneer Al-Abbas is in his early twenties but observes the
strict tenets of his religion, indulging neither in smoking nor in
drinking, but for all other appearances he does not differ from the
well-dressed Parisian of the boulevards.
Unlike some others, he was not reticent in giving his political
views. He believes in the necessity of the mandate and in a policy
of understanding and cooperation with the French. Independent
political actions, he also was frank to state, will not be productive
until the country achieves a decided improvement in its economic
�NOVEMBER, 1931
and social status. He entertains
no delusions as to the actual need
of the people in this respect, and
his self-imposed task is to safeguard the rights of the country
during this period of transition.
*
*
*
Another young Syrian leader
is iimir Hasan Al-Atrash, scion
of the psincipal Atrash dan in
Jebel Druze and the titular leader of the country. I met him in
Sueida, capital of the mountain
Syrian state and found him to be
equally determined as to his future ambitions. Although a faction of his people is still nominally at war wit,* the French, he believes that war is destruction if
not actually hell, and he would
apply himself to practical, constructive methods for improving
the conditions of the country.
Am- since agriculture is the principal industry in Jebel Druze,
Emir Muneer A I- Abbas
he is engaged in the conduct of
agricultural experiments on a Young Hereditary Leader of the
large scale on his vast lands near
Alaouites Who is Studying
Sueida. He has already bought
International Lazv.
several tractors and other modern
farm implements which, once he proves their value, he will recom
mend for general use in the country. The topography of TeTl
Druze and its individual agricultural problems wouJdseem to^u!
before reaching a decisi
^hXlinr/r'r
-~ &
metnoa or kind of machinery is most suitable
Lmir Hassan Al-Atrash also is in his early twenties
He
makes no secret of the fact that his literary properties are Tot
that
TFMTZE
to nis particular problems.
k6en
TJ-t
SS
m what Swith
Like his people,
he is endowed
ttlrl°f C°Ur^e Whkh b°rders °« recklessness ATL en
gaged in the war against the French in its earlier stages but came to
realize that the interest of the country would be b'e 'served by a
�6
THE SYRIAN WORLD
policy of understanding. Hence his present relations of amity and
cooperation with the French.
To one who had only book knowledge of Jebel Druze and its
people and rulers, the natural expectation was to see a prince in full
panoply and brilliant entourage moving about in state among his
subjects, especially that Druze princes in their forlorn mountain
still rule according to accepted feudal practices. Not so, however,
was the appearance of the young Atrash prince. The charger gave
way to the speedier and more reliable and comfortable automobile;
the flowing bedouin robes to European attire and the costly and
pompous entourage to a single attendant. Democracy and the spirit
of sportsmanship went further with our young Emir—he himself
was always at the wheel and his attendant did not appear in livery
or bear any outward mark of difference from his master.
The night my companions and I spent in Sueida we were, together with the Emir, guests for dinner at a Christian notable's
house. The Emir appeared not to have the least consciousness of
rank. He doffed his coat and rolled up his shirt sleeves and sat
to the board in the accepted native fashion. He is not of the 'Ukkal, and consequently had no scruples about smoking or drinking.
Nor was he unduly prudish. Everybody knows about his youthful
romance with the Jewish dancer which caused him to knock down
the French superintendent of the school he attended in Beirut and
escape over the fence, so why not tell it himself in its true details.
And he did tell it with apparently little remorse, rather with much
relish. It was but a youthful escapade and his view of it was
typically modern.
* * * *
The third promising young leader is in the Lebanon. Although still in his teens he has very decided opinions of his future
career. What if his forebears once were the absolute rulers of
the country and his branch of the family still holds an undisputed
position of leadership. He will deviate from the path of his ancestors and shape for himself a course of his own. Not for him a
life of empty dignity that spells inaction. He will rehabilitate his
fortune by industry and blaze a way of marked economic improvement in the country by the promulgation of modern producing
methods. If he himself, due to his tender age, does not express
himself altogether in such terms, his mother acts as his spokesman
with evident authority, because, in truth, she is the one primarily
responsible for his training along these lines.
�NOVEMBER, 1931
Front Viev> of 'he Palace of Sitt Nazira Janblatt in Lebanon, Which
u the Scene of Much Industrial Activity Along Modern Lines.
Kamal Bey Janblatt, son of Sitt Nazira Janblatt, who is concededly one of the outstanding feminine figures in'the Eas
s
doubly fortunate for being the scion of one of the principal Druze
families in Lebanon and for having such an able and e, lightened
mother to guide his footsteps. Ever since the child's infancy, when
a cruel fate struck down her husband in the discharge of his duties
as the governor of the southern district of Lebanon, she not only
has acted as mentor and guardian to her children but strove to maintain and bolster the position of the family. Nay, she has succeeded
n materially enhancing its prestige and improving its means. And
this despite the restrictions of her social status as a Druze woman.
So much, m fact, has been her success that she is pointed out as a
pioneer in many economic enterprises and a paragon and champion
of the Eastern woman's emancipation.
One of the enterprises of Sitt Nazira was the installation of a
hydroelectric plant utilizing the abundant water brought to her
palace at Mukhtara from a great distance and hitherto gone almost
total y to waste. With the power generated she is now able to run
a mill and a carpentry shop besides illuminating the palace and a
part of the town Her enterprise and energy deserve special treatment which will be given in an independent chapter.
�.la^B-v-f- -J^_
8
THE SYRIAN WORLD
But the mysterious generation of electricity and the wonders
of transformation it has wrought captivated the imagination of her
son who now resolved on seeking a career in electrical engineering.
The boy's mind is completely wrapped in his selected calling. His
mother often sends him in state to attend some official public functions which she, out of deference to her people's traditions, wishes
to avoid, and at which she feels her family should be represented.
But the boy's interest in these ostentatious functions is perfunctory.
His passion is electricity and its application. He even avoids play
to study on the subject.
Sitt Nazira led us from one of the elaborate reception salons
facing the spacious open court into the nursery. And there was the
boy Kamal Bey, unnaturally grave for a boy of twelve, watching
over his younger sister. He appeared to take but a mild interest in his mother's enthusiastic and admiring explanations. Rather it was the attitude of one who resented intrusion on his pet
subject and its being held up to public discussion. The look in his
eyes was more in the nature of an appeal to his mother to spare him
in his chosen profession, but his good breeding forbade any articulate objection.
* * * *
As good fortune would have it, my first visit to Damascus afforded me the opportunity to meet and study a typical young son of
the desert leaders in the person of Emir Fowaz, son of the celebrated Nouri Shalan of the tribe of Rowla. In him, too, were very
evident the signs of the great transformation, but not along the
lines manifested in the others. He was just a colt let loose and he
well acted the part. With a number of Damascene notables we
were having dinner at the roof garden of the Hotel Victoria Annex,
which in appointment and atmosphere is but another edition of a
high-class Parisian cafe. It is reached through a circular hall where
many of the principal social functions of the city are held. That
night it was the scene of a musicale and dance. Men and women
in fashionable evening dress packed the room, among them being a
large representation of foreigners. But there was a solitary figure
in glowing Arab costume who moved about with the nonchalance
of a habitue. A handsome young face protruded from under the
folds of a silken headdress with but a faint trace of a black moustache. Only his patent leather pumps and silk socks indicated a
concession to European dress. He was none other than Emir Fowaz
of the Rowla tribe, and although I did not personally interview him,
�f
WOVE MB ER, 1931
9
I learned from my Damascene companions that he had a town
house in Damascus and is frequently seen at social functions. ' He
once almost caused an unpleasant international incident when, true
to Arab temperament, he fell violently in love with an English
concert dancer and took the shortest cut to possessing her by kidnapping. He ceded her back only after several months of exciting life
of romance in the desert.
But for the present, at least, the nomad Arabs of the desert
do not seem to form an integral part of Syrian life. Nevertheless,
they are beginning to feel the inroads of modern influences, and
if one of their young leaders maintains a city home and engages in
social activities on such a large scale, a change is bound to come into their life. Already they have modernized their methods of
warfare and use automobiles in conducting their raids; other radical
changes will not be long to follow.
* * * *
A change looms on the horizon in Syria. It is bound to prove
more productive, and will surely be highly accelerated, through
the serious efforts of the young leaders who are fitting themselves
constructively for their future tasks.
Affluence
By
EDNA
K.
SALOOMEY
I shall embrace my poverty, and bless
Fate for willing me not the Midas touch.
Thus, am I spared from having to confess
Futility, a craving for death, and such
Desires as satiety brings to men.
When all need is fulfilled, what need to live?
What pleasure shall await to-morrow, then,
If today credit all life has to giver
From the vast depths of Stygian of the dawn.
Man's gratitude for the beauty of the dawn.
�f
'
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The Deeper Pain
By
KAHLIL GIBRAN
Editors Note—Through the courtesy of Barbara Young, li erary
executor of Kahlil Gibran, some of Gibran's original writings in English will be published exclusively in the Syrian Wor'.d from time to
time previous to book publication.The following is the first of the
series.
To burn but not to shine, that is indeed great pain, but to
burn not at all is the greater pain.
To have a full heart and an empty hand is pain indeed,
But to have both heart and hand full, and no one to receive
is greater pain.
To be a cripple at the foot of the mountain of your heart's
desire is a great pain,
But to reach the top of the mountain and find yourself
alone, that is the deeper pain.
To have a song in your spirit but not the voice to sing is to
know great pain,
But to have both the song and the voice, and none to listen,
is the greater pain.
Once I stood, a beggar, at the gate of the temple.
Night veiled all things, and my hand long stretched forth,
was still empty.
At that hour, my friend, I knew pain.
After seven moons I stood again in the portico of the
temple to tell of Spring in the forest,
And Spring in the heart of a maiden,
And Spring as the beginning of the race,
And behold, there was not one who listened to me.
That was the deeper pain.
-
�D
NOVEMBER, 1931
//
!
Conditions in the Near East
By BAYARD DODGE
President, American University of Beirut
(Excerpts from President Dodge's Annual Report for 1930- -31)
IKE THE rest of the world, the Near East has suffered from
the commercial depression, which has been the principal feature
of the past year. Overland trade through Syria has been cut down,
the tourist business in Egypt and Palestine has been at a low ebb,
and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf have been unable to sell
their pearls.
Persia has been making a heroic effort to introduce a gold
standard of currency, which has envolved such a large readjustment, that the trade of the country has been seriously affected.
Worst of all, there has been such an overproduction of cotton, that
Egypt, the Sudan, 'Iraq and North Syria have endured heavy
financial losses.
Ever since the University was founded, the surrounding districts have been sending thousands of emigrants to the West, and
these adventurers have sent back a constant stream of money to
their relatives in the East. The present economic crisis has stopped
these remittances, with a corresponding share of hardship for many
old parents and unfortunate children. Furthermore, emigration itself has been stopped to such an extent that the- poor can no longer
seek their fortunes in more prosperous parts of the world.
Mankind seems to be learning that war brings poverty and
peace gives prosperity.
Like America, Egypt did not feel the ill results of the war,
while the fighting was going on. The cotton crisis of the past
year has enabled the Egyptians to appreciate what serious readjustments war envolves.
In Syria, 'Iraq and Palestine the situation is very different. A
few weeks ago a friend said to me:—"We Syrians are the luckiest
people in the world; We've alreaciy struck the bottom, so that what
ever happens in other places, we can't go any lower."
The Mosul oil project, the exploitation of Dead Sea chemical
deposits, the new harbor at Haifa, plans for overland railroads to
"'
''
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^m
�12
ft
THE SYRIAN WORLD
bind together the Euphrates valley with the Mediterranean the
presence of foreign institutions, and the promotion of new industries are brining new hope for reconstruction.
A spirit of cooperation is springing up between the neighboring
states and in cooperation lies the future of the Near East. Men are
beginning to dream that some day there may be new irrigation systems and new cities, along the Orontes and the two rivers of Mesopotamia, where civilizations once bloomed and populations multiplied.
It was the wars of the Sassanides and the Tartar invasions
that wrought havoc and left behind a wreckage of broken canals
and ruined towns.
Twelve years of peace have already made it possible to develop overland motor routes and to open up new channels of trade
so that it is reasonable to believe that continued security and increased cooperation will result in reconstruction.
t
The Near East is the cradle of our monotheistic faiths. Oriental forms of religion are so old that they have become too much
matters of ceremony and sect, and too little a concern of the spirit
I he University does not wish to increase the confusion by adding
a new sect, but rather to rear up men and women, who are filled
with spiritual enthusiasm and anxious to make religion a bond of
fellowship, rather than a basis for hostility.
The states of the Near East have tried competition and war
tor over five thousand years. They have become so impoverished
that they form a great contrast to the states of the new world which
have developed prosperity as a result of team work. The 'contribution, which it is worth while for America to give to the Levant
is this idea of team work.
The city of Beirut is like the hub of a wheel, to which students
come from a great radius seeking education. Even in the third and
fourth centuries of the Christian era there was a great law school
at Beirut, which drew students from the Mediterranean provinces
and Western Asia. The Roman jurists, Ulpian and Papinian were
professors there. Nonnus, the poet; Saint Gregory of Neocesaria
the Miracle-worker; and the famous Saint Gregory of Naziansus
were students. Two of the professors, Dorotheus and Anatolius,
helped the Emperor Justinian to prepare his code of law
East and West; North and South; Anglo-Saxon and Latin:
Semite and Greek; Muhammedan, Christian and Jew; Roman
i>i
>
�\\
NOVEMBER, 1931
13
£5°liCK aud °rthodox> have
* and still meet on the bridge
g of
land, which joins together Africa, Asia and Europe
PU,t>
the
M r ~SS
chlldren re
ill
Syria haVe SCattered a11 ov
er
tQ study .n ^ ^
d and
thee wo
world
C
aSt
studv\:
Be0m;Cindepr6SSi0n
°f ,thG Pthan
W
study at Beirut
greater numbers
ever *«faS
before. have corned
The first essential for reconstruction in the Orient is to teach
the young men and women that thev cannot catch m, 7 V
of the West by political agitation 'and ^T^ V^ZfZ
working so hard, that they can measure up to theinteU^ at'
tainments of Europe and America
""eiiectual atmic
of
mur sards'
standards of
made the courses
France During
1
haS ad
T^vV
? UniVCrsity
°Pted the ^deNew York State
as minimum requirements
and
in medicine and pharmacy as long asXv are"n
the past year French and British Ictors from
of "he Schqooianof M dtine "^ aSSiStCd Wkh th£ 2-1
S-SS .
inC S
of Europt
' ° ^ f° aSSUre Standards e<iual to those
boundaries will be dead, dogmas Slt^dT^^^
The development of character and of consecration to spi-it
ual things on a campus radiant with friendship and g
good wU 1Ss"
the ideal of a modern university.
'
R ^AtuBeiJUt thTe 1S "° sectariai'1 religious society, but rather a
Brotherhood, in which men of all races and creeds havean eaual
Q
share to join in social service work and common worship
and women stand shoulder to shoulder in /h
f
^
these
"These things shall be,—a loftier race
Than e'er the world hath known will rise
With flame of freedom in their souls,
And light of knowledge in their'eyes."
V
-
"Nation with nation, land with land
_
Unarmed shall live as comrades 'free •
In every heart and brain shall throb
The pulse of one fraternity."
Tn
�14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
I
THE SLAVE GIRL WHOM THE GRAND VIZIER COUID
NOT BUY
\^HEN the caliph Haroun al-Raschid was on one of his visits to
the city of Al-Basra, his famous vizier and boon companion
Jaafar Ibn Yahya the Barmecide, was in his company. Jaafar,
however, could well afford to neglect the business of state and follow his natural bents in seeking his personal pleasure due to the extraordinary confidence he enjoyed with the caliph. So immediatey upon the arrival of the royal caravan to the city Jaafar called
to him Isaac Ibn Ibrahim, the famous singer and entertainer of the
caliph, and bade him seek information concerning a reputedly extraordinary slave girl the fame of whose charm had reached the
capital Baghdad. Isaac enlisted the services of the foremost slave
dealer in the city who readily gave his expert opinion about the unsurpassed qualifications of the girl in question, but added the further information that her master would never consent to exhibiting
her in public, and will let her be seen only in private and at his own
house.
Jaafar, undaunted, said that he would seek her wherever she
might be, be she in a palace or in a hut, in the city or the wilderness,
because his heart was set on viewing her vaunted beauty and hearing
her reputed unexcelled art in singing and playing the <oud He
therefore, immediately ordered that preparations be made for the
visit, and not long thereafter the three parties to the conversation
in disgu.se, were wending their way through the narrow, tortuous
streets of the city towards the house of the girl's master
In one of the poorer sections the slave dealer stopped at the
door of a dilapidated house and knocked. A young man, emanated
in form and with hollow eyes and pallid complexion, reluctantly
it
�NOVEMBER, 1931
that his robe was of a coarl m ,'
-f7 n°tlCed Parti larly
Finally the slave dealer eTvereT* • *"? aPPare»t]y very old
sion and ask to l^Z^ltl
" * ^^ ** miS"
exPre^7oTdgee7;uffel\n°hereP,ly-, **} *? d
h S Way to
room from which^shortly
H a*eirl
T*
'
VVIULIJ, snoruy aft-w
afterwards,
emero-eH
^ ,xrU
-d an
u^
an
*e ntost bLutifultXTwhe ttr £ EZ^faTf iT^
A2X
Ana what
SUCh l0nS
tad
£ t0appear
^ aftCr
""P^onship,in
tad fan
perpetually self-renewing
our relauonsh.p now become exposed to the dans"
of rupture through ageaanger
Never stall I forget that what now appears old was at
at
one time new;
Nor that the house which is now deserted was once
teeming and gay with life;
U? t0 mC
A/T°
,' ^ the dearest that ever trod on soil •
And I m my We, have consumed myself f„ the effort
to make myself worthy of your attention
The girl could proceed no further She t » H • •
• ,
robe, and reentered the inner room For a wh L .T'^ ? ^
-^i^n^tfr-f^SSr
companions waited a reasonable time and the, decided t"" "
robe, and while be V^Sg&SZ^g
5*
�16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
with the light of a strong determination. It was he who broke the
oppressive silence.
"You are my witnesses that I have set her free," he said,
"and that I now take her as my lawfully-wedded wife."
Jaafar was much grieved and disappointed at having lost the
opportunity to purchase this extraordinary slave-girl, but controlled
himself sufficiently to ask the young man the reason for his action.
The latter remarked that his story was a long one, but that he would
be willing to tell it if they were disposed to isten. They readily
assented.
"My father was one of the notables of the city," he began,
"and we lived in great opulence. To this the slave dealer will
testify. My mother had a large number of slave-girls, and because I had access to the hareem quarters I had occasion to mingle
with them all. The girl whom I have just freed was one of them.
She was young, intelligent and vivacious, and as we grew together
I came to love her passionately. We were tutored together
until such time that my mother decided she would give her a
musical education, but because I could not bear parting with her
we took up musical study together. Then came a time when my
mother decided to sell her because of the high price she would
bring, and no sooner I realized her intention than I begged her to
reconsider her decision as I could not bear to live without the girl
who had been my life companion and had now become the very
essence of my existence, and once my mother realized the situation
she readily granted her to me and we lived happily for a number
of years, during which time my father continually begged me to
marry whomsoever I chose of the daughters of the leading men of
the city, but I persistently refused because my heart would countenance no substitute for the slave girl, although my father interpreted my action as one of chastity. And in time my father
died and I came into such wealth that I thought would never be
exhausted, and I spent and squandered foolishly. The inexorable
sequence is the plight in which you now find me, with nothing more
than this single robe which she and I share between us."
The three men appeared transfixed with his story, and particularly did Jaafar feel pity for the gifted girl who was now reduced
to such pitiable circumstances. The young man cast searching looks
on them, as if to learn if they were interested in having him continue his narration, and when they requested him rather impatiently, to proceed, he took up the trend of his story as follows:
"I well realized that the situation could not be borne any furQ
�NOVEMBER, 1931
I
ther, and when I heard that the caliph had come to the city I
broached to her the idea of a sale, explaining that I could not further suffer subjecting her to such wretchedness. But when you
came to negotiate for her purchase and she realized that the hour
of parting was drawing near, she came to me weeping, in the manner in which you have seen her, and reproached me that if I only
reciprocated her feeling I would not be willing to part with her.
" 'But would you be willing to share my misery to such an extent
when you realize to what straits I have been reduced?' I pleaded.
'However, since this is your wish I will free you and marry you
legally,' I hastened to explain.
" 'If your love is true, this is what you should do,' she replied.
And immediately I agreed to free her and take her as my legallywedded wife, to which you are now asked to stand witness.' "
The situation was tensely dramatic, and the three disappointed
visitors made their way silently out of the house.
Said Isaac Ibn Ibrahim. "After having ridden a long way
in silence, I thus addressed Jaafar: 'You, O vizier, whose bounties
have flooded the land and saved many a destitute, will your heart
not take pity on these two lovers now that you have witnessed their
pitiable situation?'
" '1 es,' replied Jaafar, 'but my mind has been completely
distracted by the natural and acquired gifts of the girl.'
"Then turning to the slave dealer he asked; 'How much do
you carry?'
" 'Three hundred thousand dinars,' the latter replied.
" 'Return immediately and give the whole sum to the girl's
master, and bid him come to see me on the morrow,' he ordered."
In giving an account of what followed, Isaac Ibn Ibrahim
said that the young master went into transports of joy over this turn
of fortune, and when he appeared on the following day to express
his gratitude to the vizier, the latter presented him to Haroun AlRaschid, giving a complete account of what had occured, and the
magnanimous caliph was so pleased that he added the young man
to his retinue and made him gifts and grants that insured his happiness forever after.
ma&m
n
17
�smssmm^
18
THE SYRIAN WORLD
I
BARBARA YOUNG,
l°thnVv
the dictionary
a dml f j y
°
° ^
Editor
nin and W nder with a dash
°
>
of
KAHLIL GIBRAN
Poetry is for the ears and not for the eyes.
old custom of the minstrel, the bard, reading or
market-place is one of the lost delights. Today
compares of human beings who still reap a rich
aS,0n Whe
W
^ublXr
The enchanting
chantW in hf
there L small
g rnerbg f"m
" ^^ " ">^ud, if, som"
a
d
the ractice
be
extLZ^noT?
^ ^^
^ if and
Pcriticism-the
"light
be extended
not for i°°
the purposes
of discussion
time is moth-eaten with these two pastimes-but for she^r enjoyment and relaxation. There are certain poets and certain poems
reahPmrem th! S° * t*^ *"* *' ^ * sickening I'd "treshment that.a of actual economic value, notwithstanding the
somewhat general opinion to the contrary. Ahalf hour of 1 tin b*
to certain portions of Brooke or Masefield, Frost or Kipling No"!
or Gibson will add a sense of zest and vigor to the day wtichTe
ati n f the
atd
accelerate?tT
S5 MtS
*" Vibl
° ° not with
^
and accelerates
the H
blood-but
poetry
read" aloud,
the eves
a one for only
^
h „
y ^
& J
y
o± the muse communicated.
�By
JOHN STERLING HANEY
The soil is my mother
J am the child of the mountain
I am the son of the cleft in the rock
MTbr th ndIJn!.0f th£ swifdunning plain
jy sisters are the young vines of the uplands
Heavy with grape.
>/
The soil is my mother,
I shall not fear.
She speakes to me out of thec mnntu, £
^h« ,,Q
r
.
mouths or men
And the fingers of her hands
Are the longings in the heart of the crowds
Her voice is the words of men
When they are silent.
I am one with my fellowmen,
It cannot be otherwise.
All men are one with me,
The soil is our mother.
I and they shall return to her
They and I shall lie down together
When she calls.
�20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
New Poetry
"PRELUDES FOR MEMNON" by Conrad Aiken, (Scribl
ners, $2.50) is a book for a small company of the elect It is a
volume of some fifty-odd cantos which record with minute and
meticulous detail the daring intellectual adventure into a realm far
beyond the region of intellect. The poet-has not hesitated, as indeed why should he? to plunge into the labyrinths of the soul's
darkness seeking to pierce its gloom. The theme of the work seems
to be clearly stated in the following stanza:
"What did you see?
—I saw myself and God.
I saw the ruin in which godhead lives:
Shapeless and vast: the strewn wreck of the world:
Sadness unplumbed: misery without bound.
Wailing I heard, but also I heard joy.
Wreckage I saw, but also I saw flowers.
Hatred I saw, but also I saw love.
And thus, I saw myself.
—And this alone?
—And this alone awaits you, when you dare
To that sheer verge where horrors hang, and tremble
Against the falling rock; and, looking down,
Search the dark kingdom. It is to self you come,—
And that is God. It is the seed of seeds:
Seed for disastrous and immortal worlds."
Here is unequivocal and final pronouncement of the poet's
philosophy of life. It is a splendid and sweeping gesture The
great self of man is the supreme self. There is no mistaking the
clarity and the definiteness here. Unfortunately, this clarity does
not prevail throughout the length of the poem. Mr Aiken is a
master of subtleties that often rise up and defeat the communication
or his thought. There is too often a wordiness that amounts almost to incoherence, as if the poet were over-intoxicated with his
own ecstasy. The steed that he has mounted appears frequently
to run away with the rider.
There are passages in which we perceive the poet's meaning
not because of his fabulous expression but in spite of it: they seem
to struggle for breath, to wrestle for release.
%
*
�NOVEMBER, 1931
21
^^arealso
^
fpurepoetry;pureth
la„gl^ed:fhere "" ^ «- - *- which are not poetry
in my
The world centripetal—"
And these:
'What is a symbol? t* » +u~ t
pS shar
To clutch a paper tha 1 WS m the
L St°°
P
wind
It is the Wnf
i"
in the W
Light?^ corset?* , "<' ^
lf
^
'"
IS
£
&££*
t
* * ** of^thea
waning fire. There is ^aSS
,
T
h
friend befo
cerned with a Tale of ZeX^'
**,*" P°Cm is
nat morL
sons.
than our paltry three dimenConrad Aiken's is a powerful nen T^
•
the poet himself is
not
e^TlyZn^d
The ran th 0^P"d'
ck
and
"'"'"^ °tbm
* -reives
d he burdock
a
^ht
r'C
e: th
"'
P
And all that welcomes rain"" ' he Sp°tted st°
.
th
°»8h
�20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
New Poetry
"PRELUDES FOR MEMNON" by Conrad Aiken, (Scribner's, $2.50) is a book for a small company of the elect. It is a
volume of some fifty-odd cantos which record with minute and
meticulous detail the daring intellectual adventure into a realm far
beyond the region of intellect. The poet has not hesitated, as indeed why should her to plunge into the labyrinths of the soul's
darkness seeking to pierce its gloom. The theme of the work seems
to be clearly stated in the following stanza:
"What did you see?
—I saw myself and God.
I saw the ruin in which godhead lives:
Shapeless and vast: the strewn wreck of the world:
Sadness unplumbed: misery without bound.
Wailing I heard, but also I heard joy.
Wreckage I saw, but also I saw flowers.
Hatred I saw, but also I saw love.
And thus, I saw myself.
—And this alone?
—And this alone awaits you, when you dare
To that sheer verge where horrors hang, and tremble
Against the falling rock; and, looking down,
Search the dark kingdom. It is to self you come,—
And that is God. It is the seed of seeds:
Seed for disastrous and immortal worlds."
Here is unequivocal and final pronouncement of the poet's
philosophy of life. It is a splendid and sweeping gesture. The
great self of man is the supreme self. There is no mistaking the
clarity and the definiteness here. Unfortunately, this clarity does
not prevail throughout the length of the poem. Mr. Aiken is a
master of subtleties that often rise up and defeat the communication
of his thought. There is too often a wordiness that amounts almost to incoherence, as if the poet were over-intoxicated with his
own ecstasy. The steed that he has mounted appears frequently
to run away with the rider.
There are passages in which we perceive the poet's meaning
not because of his fabulous expression but in spite of it: they seem
to struggle for breath, to wrestle for release.
�KOVEMBER, 1931
21
Yet there are also passages of pure poetry,
pure thought
"Then came I to the shoreless shore of time
J* here never summer was nor any tree,
£or sound of water, nor sweet light of sun
"y-tWngand the shoreXo£b?
Above, around, below, and in my heart."
language" f
"" ""* *« *S
lhe world centripetal
And these:
Aese
** are not poetry in any
"
"What is a symbol? it is the 'man stoops sharp
To dutch a paper that blows in the wind- P
S bendi
in th wi
LhL
rOCUS
'«with
<= »<V
the
laght, S^l
that breaks
on \
the water
waves
'the
Wing, that <aeh,eve in the gust unexpected.' >
review^ V ££ bS «SS% ^ to ,he <°°ls °f *.
waning fire. There L^^^tiTeV ,! tr *""" ^ '
cerned w,th a Tale of somewhat mo^tha!
U1 ^r
our L rv SfJ? ^
sions.
paltiy three dimen- !
he dipTt^'y^ SSi?* .««• - -* in the ink
reason of overw^i ,g such w rds as "l? ""ST*"." T^ *
Ventricle ..5ometmKsHy oterltklaSn'0"
'"^
meanmg^t^on5:^ LrfiXbf d°7f *"* ** *e
"Beloved, let us once more praise the rain.
-Let us discover some new alphabet, .
The r 'S ^ °fuen, PI"aised' and be ou^lves
The ia,n, the chick-weed, and the burdock leaf
. lhe green-white privet flower < »,«
*I J '
And all that wdcoLTJ ' "* SP°"ed stone>
�22
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"Forget the proud in wisdom, those who fear
To know the things they do. We are the sons
Of that bright eight that knows no turning back;
We the prometheans who never die j
The crucified who scorn their crucifixion,
Because we know our fate was in ourselves.
We are the Jesus and the Judas, too."
To Our Lyric Poets
The world that listens to John Masefield, poet laureate of
England, embraces a vaster population than the world that listens
to plain John Masefield, poet.
It is a good and gracious event when a man who has wise and
wholesome recommendations to make to a people, finally achieves
the eminence from which he may be heard. What he says from the
heights is precisely what he had been saying in the valley of his
quieter days; but now the faces are upturned to his face, and they
wait for his lightest word, who were before, fully occupied with
their own words.
To The New York Times Herbert W. Horwill, writes from
.London :
"John Masefield suggests that there is a fine opportunity waiting for some of our enterprising young poets to-start poetry entertainments in London. According to his plan, poetrv written especially for the purpose would be read aloud in small halls
The
poets would be writing directly for their public, and this would re-suit in vigorous, vital work. They would have the advantage of
seeing its effect on an audience—an invaluable guide which is denied
entirely to the man who writes for books."
_ _ Why not this plan also for young American poets of Syrian
origin t
'
�NOVEMBER, 1931
23
Rubaiyat Au- Tayeb
Translated from the Arabic
1
By
AMIN BEDER
«-»- \f Y, %_^ ^
u Cj Vj
^ ^vi
^ ur ^, ^, ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
i-
v
u
^ ^
I neither blame the hand of fate, nor praise
The urgent guest who steals awa our days
It wants but little till we shall pass on
From earth to earth, for life is but a maze
Entongis.this life. ...the sages know
And yet the,r wisdom melts like April- snow
AnW 7 S02n/°rget 'tS witcheries arc false'
And Lo! we find them actors in the show.
\\—^Vl Uj|
tj*
C53
fjL-5"
cT
'iT uij
High aspiration is for thee a pest,
My soul, if thou be greedy in thy quest,
A A t YriY IS the one «"* suffers mostAnd 'neath the curse of sickness it must rest'.
;-ix« cT
Beauty that's false is surely in the lead,
Endeared to women like a noble steed1 o me the real appears a golden trait •
No dye nor paint will enter in my creed
>
^
�m**
24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Ode
{From BOOK ON NATURE)
By
THOMAS ASA
Thou hast reclaimed the world's lost loveliness
0 wand ring dryad from Pierian bow'rs —
Revived rich beauty with thy soft caress
Imparted sweet perfume to scentless flow'rs
And stirred the dormant zephyrs with thy laughterRestored the music of the sylvan streams —
1 hy time today, and not the morrow or thereafter
No crude awak'nings in this life of dreams.
Ah! would I soon forget the world of men,
Io follow thee where'er thou mayest lead:
And through thine eyes divine the woodland ken,
And with my lips drink deep thy sacred mead
i-ead thou my spirit to thy safe retreat,
Show me what mortal eyes have never seen:
Reveal the secret of those silent feet
That walk the carpets of the woods unseen—
And now the sun has gone its wonted way
Teft o er the hours to twilight and the night,
And soon the earth in dreamless slumber lay
lo wake again but with the morning light— '
But in that mystic region of no sleepBut in that fabled realm of life unseen,
Which from the world its hidden borders keep,
And vanishes within the forest green
Beneath the drooping lilacs lost in sleep,
1 he woodland elves a noiseless revel hold
Arch schemers they, how sharp the vigil keep!
I hat no intruders might their sight behold.
Oh how delightful was that moonlit glade
Where reigned Queen Titania with her tr'ain,
And on her vernal throne of Flora's shade
Unseen by men, and ever thus remain.
�NOVEMBER, 1931
Fresh as the dew-drop on the morning rose,
basr as bright Hesper in the evening sky,—
And would thine eyes but for a moment close,
And all the world of beauty then would die
bam would I make my presence known to thee,
O wondrous queen of this sweet land I see
Now through the woodland sounds a trumpet note
lJear to the fairy queen it seemed to be
Might I have known it issued from Love's throat,
When came King Oberon his queen to seel
Immortal ruler of a cherished race'
With thy fair queen in lasting glory spend
Unnumbered days within this favored place
Ldemc peace and gladness without end
And never may the toll of future doom
find thee, sweet Myrtle, weeping dewy tears,
As thine oblatwn to the saddened gloom
Of crumbling Eros shrines that Venus rears ' '
And there bright Phoebe through the swaying eaves
Illumes with its soft gleam, the sylvan throne:
And with the faint rustle of Autumn leaves
Gentle Zephyrus sings its soothing moan
All this have seen, but not with earthly eyes
Hut m the inmost regions of the mind'
Where dwells the impish Genie of surmise,
Which rues the thoughts and wishes of mankind
Long shall I rove the verdant fields of thought
By gliding-streams of Love and Beauty steep '
My inward soul, until old age has brought
Me to the verge of unawak'ning sleep
*>
i
25
�-.IT' . I,U,III.U
/
26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
A Moslem Saint of Damascus
. AN INTIMATE GLIMPSE INTO THE DAILY ROUTINE
OF LIFE OF THE FOREMOST MOSLEM
TRADITIONIST OF THE AGE
• By H. I.
KATIBAH
JF SOMEONE had met you on the street and told you: "Meet
brother AbeJafd, just coming out from his lectures at the Priory
of Maisoncelle", or just as casually: "Let me present you to Saint
Ansdm, celebrated schoolman and author of the Proslogion » you
would realize something of the surprise which was mine when I
was presented, two years ago last summer in Damascus, to "the
Greatest Traditionist, Our Master Badr-Ud-Din al-Hasani.
For I had always associated a traditionist in my mind with
musty tomes of yellowed leaves and with the misty past of Moslem
history when both schoolmen and traditionists ruled the dav and
were influential figures in the world in which they moved.
As I pored over some ancient Moslem hagiographv such as arf frUTu°USre,7v.yah' °r Kitab ul-Luma'> or ^rned the rich pages
of the Ihya of al-Ghazzali, the vivid descriptions of the lives the
manners and idiosyncrasies of those spiritual paragons and ponderous
pundits of Moslem learning seemed to conjure them to life in my
imagination, and their quaint figures rose to meet me through those
yellowed leaves from the glamorous past to which they had receded.
'
Vaguely I realized that there were such men still living today
Somewhere m Mecca, in Baghdad, in Samarkand, in Kerbala, in
Nishabur and in Damascus itself, solitary men in their silent meditations were still saying their wirds, (devotions) or squatting on a
worn out mat reading their Qoran with a gentle sway of their bodies
Just as I knew that here and there in the moss-covered monasteries
o± Europe there were still monks whose outward appearance and
daily habits remind us of the days of St. Francis of Assisi and of
1 homas Aquinas, but I had met in person neither the former nor
the latter and they had remained in the world of my mental visions
enveloped by their aura of mystery and antiquated charm
-1
�—
NOVEMBER, 1931
27
It was therefore with some justifiable thrill and flutter th*t
ot'of rSfiedtthr0U^
DamaSCUS after an
^senceSIte
to meet in person
one who V "a '
Z£t7£%^T ^
"-
lbMalik A?i ^Modern ?"*>" a celeb^ed successor of
Sw^oStnlfcl
,anbaJ-' Abu-Ha"ifa -d the rest of
0skm tradltl0
nnn,W 1 !l •
^
ts and theologians. He was
to the Pope m the world of Christendom. Slmnite Moslems re
cognize no ultimate source of authority, save the Goran S
S
the
a,id
^ to *?
*» °l of
^life
"^
on of Haet
and their
their application
the "*
exigencies
from generation^
generat.on lies m the hands of the .radMonun, amo./whom Bad ?
0
tHC mynad
tl world
woHd'overT'
" fsupreme
°f His fo"—«nd admire s
me
over, is most
andJ exalted.
imagine an ordinary two-story buildine- of che un^ ,
Damascus rather dilapidated and its mud pwLg^Toff A
,h OU8h a
MS S« SS3&» "
^*
To one of those cells on the upper floor we ascended the stone
sta,rs and were ushered first to "the man" of Shaykh Badi ud D n
Shaykh Yahya al-Maktabi by name. He was hTspXnt nts
agent his publiast, and occupied a position simila tTthat Gfa
secretary to a great celebrity with us. He was the buffer that stood
between the saintly master and the mundane world
My -nend, an instructor at the American University of Beirut
and myself sought to interview His Eminence, Shaykh Badr ud
Ehn al-Hasam on a burning issue that had agitated nVonly Syria
and the Near East but the whole civilized world. For it was fo
f
S mCr 1929
SfwaUW^Tc T ° r r
'
' -cl thTname
5S MostmSnty^- ** ""* - *« "
�/ iff;
2R
"THE SYRIAN WORLD
v,
We made our mission known to Shaykh Yahya al-Maktabi
an affable gentleman with a typically Semitic face and neatlv
tnmmed
characteristic
dressTf aa M«£
Moi
em el black beard Hej wore the ^
^
r
Igl0US m
d we comed ug
Damascene congeniality of spirit which made us feel that we had
W known the man and had met him on familiar term before
He excused himself and went to another cell on the same row then
mtLas"S Mbr" he„retUnied SSSUrillg
US
** *^*t
minutes uur Master" will receive us o-lirH,,
u
•
i
making Turkish coffee for us S^ ml^cdL
as he requested us to wait until "Our Master" was through wi h
his dors or lecture. He squatted on the mat-covered floor totl v
unfurnished but for a few rush stools, while we sat on a nuple
one ^^^r fete flM ff£
gleaming with reverent pride, "and the rest of his time he spends
between the House of Tradition and the Umayyad Mosque'?
«. h
Lon
^befr,the *" ^" he continued, «heri£ up to
to the Umayyad Mosque, which is only a few paces away to attend
£e dawn prayer with the congregation. AfrJ that he goes to the
House of Tradition and prepares for his lectures which star n he
morning, and at noon he goes out again for prayer at the mosque
Then again he returns to his lectures, and in the afternoon after"
the prayer, a large circle of worshipers forms around himThe ex
pounds to them some topic from the Qoran or Tradi IT Back
again to his lectures he goes, and after the sunset prayer he breaks
his daily fast and immediately afterwards pores olhis books S
long after midnight, when after a few hours of sleep L rises UP
again and so begins another round of daily studies Pand prayer?
Hardly anything else occupies his mind or diverts his atfendon »
The coffee by this time had boiled over and we sipped it be
with age with an innocent ruddy face, almoft child lle Ld a
sparce little white beard. His attire consisted of a shabbybut clean
striped cotton kimbaz, open partly near the neck and held in nlace
with a simple white woolen girdle. A towel was tuckedIk heup
M
it i
�NOVEMBER, 1931
29
name of ^„, •ffl^itS.*' f^
spun socks and native yellow shoes SftZSffi?^^ homeno attendant with him and nobody to SI fc^W W ^ ^
crossed the threshold of the door He ',
Th° had a,ready
Badr-uI-Din al Hasani hW^whS fame for l r "^ S>kh
had spread from China to the'ij, i d sSL^^TS^. ^
Si^'k *** Severs ^ tm lacTtoYah ""an aXi^e^t^X^^ Wa
to move higher to a more^spectabl ^ '*"" ^^
g S
Ws
^
^"
Sun, or ^ammadan'm:^of D^" ** 'I0 "31 ^ °f *«
the Traditions of the ftonnet who
^' *? h'gh CUStodia" °f
Sa d t0 haVe heJd the
harite ulema (dons) SDdZ H
'
Az0
Whe
he dd
a lecture within the pec"cN of ^",1" T^' "
"
'«=red
Moslem world dism s, d h° that highest seat of learning i„ ,he
Palestine in a fewZTl taLT,±
^ °f the tr°"Mes in
religious legalistic ^ MSoiS " "' "^ "
called I'kTao^fwtfto1!^' "^ 3" "eighb°ri"S «*no one has anyrigtito 1, 5
l"V ^ P"bl,C pr°l'ert>' "*kh
use save *Jt£J2^?*^%£& °*£7 f=r
he
-raw ^39^-*
m the past some pci'vi'^in » ^tl^a1*
*«
signify that these privileges sive the ij .
i
,
,» " does not
fang, not even Our M25-OmS £Z T*, ^ "J^ to * No
today, could legalize the noss ,on hv th . "^ f[°m ,lle drad
al-Masjid ul-Aqsa. A M'O te^ "" r caiiphls n'"'5 P*".0'
an opinion on a religious matter Z Z^J^^tJ° *"*
cognized as the sunna (Qoranic law). On
STX&£
�30
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ditions declares that a Waqf is inviolable, from the seventh earth to
the seventh heaven. These latter-day arrangements cannot be concurred in by Moslem jurisprudence."
There was a note of finality to the words of the venerable
shaykh as he rose, excusing himself with the remark that it was
time tor mid-afternoon prayer.
As we bade Shaykh Yahya farewell and left the House of
lradition I could not help but recall another visit which I had made
a tew weeks previously to the summer residence of another religious dignitary, the supreme head of a Christian sect in Lebanon
tor the contrast was so vivid and significant to my mind.
At that other visit we were made to wait about an hour before
His Beatitude finished his breakfast. Then we were bid to stand
in the corridor with others who were also standing and waiting for
the appearance of the supreme religious head. Suddenly a gentle
venerable white-bearded old man, bent with age and walking with
the help of a stick, appeared in the corridor, followed by a train of
dignified bishops and priests.
_
He carried his title of "Saint," one of his official ecclesiastical
titles, as gracefully as he did his scarlet sottana and pelerine, which
he wore. A simple, black, turban-shaped cap, a heavv golden cross
hanging pendant from his neck and a big ring on the'fourth finger
of his right hand completed his informal ecclesiastical vestment
Almost a year after my interview with Shaykh Badr-ud-Din I
was also passing through Damascus. There was a wave of popular
murmur and rumble of resentment against the local native government headed by Shaykh Taj-ud-Din, son of Shaykh Badr-ud-Din
himself. I was discussing the general political situation with a
young nationalist, a modern Mohammedan graduate of the American University of Beirut. Among other things I askfd him
whether the fact that the head of the Syrian government was the
son ot the "Greatest Traditionist" gave him much prestige and influence with the general Mohammedan populace. He said:
"I will answer your question with an incident which I'myself
witnessed:
"Before the war, if you had passed through the Umayyad
Mosque after mid-afternoon prayer, you could have seen no less
*'
I
v
1
h
d
rr
N
iai
Ui
Jis
"P
Pn
To
vi A hle^° S'f hundred Persons in the halaqa (circle) of Shaykh
Badr-ud-Din, listening intentively to his lectures. Recently I passed
through and found only a handful, not more than fifty in number
Inen, as I was going out through the eastern gate I found two religious shaykhs also leaving the mosque, a young man and an elder-
ext<
clue
to :
Pre:
*> >i
�NOVEMBER, 1931
31
Jy °"e- I greeted then, saying:
"The l7eIy0U "0t
in the
Shaykh's circle!"
head rf the august Shaykh, addi",'
artistes-- """ **
dra
«
Y h1s son
^ ""P***-* on the
from the
^
-5oo/'j- Received
(To be revised in
lhe December
^
Printed fiStt^SSrftS^ ^'T *""• "««*
-'ographed by the autho,W. 10th St. New York
Pn " "M"' The
If^fe
"um^ and
G,b
> Studio, Jl
pubhsltd p^ptTf teotsr rh
who was closest to him and is now hi .',
Young ,s tne foremost li^^X ' ra
hith
-° -
V ,he Amerira
"
1 5, eKcutor
"
-
P<>«
Miss
LS
—*- oor sa^rs: sirs ass ^^ASSM^JJ^ * * Oimstead.
.
A dutiful volume on the hLfv / S' 'lluStrated- * 0
an conquest. The author is Prof°J °f S"a '" tbt MacedonUntversrty of Chicago and onetf (T f
"""'^ hist^ * *e
** The present work is „! ; I'T *""*" <"^^
^^^riSSf^ £» * H^haway, New
cJudtng Coolidge and Hoover. The book' h M"" Presid *, ind P
to students of American history Facs.mi
'e inValuab]=
»— - reproduced together ^"pen SSM&S
�32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Seek and You Shall Find
A EUROPEAN RESIDENT OF BEYROUTH THOUGHT
HE COULD PROVIDE THE NATIVE POLICE WITH
A MYSTERY THEY COULD NOT SOLVE.
(A SHORT STORY)
By
CHARLES
J.
SASSEN
JT WAS a night in the Syrian Springtime, the time of night when
love longings reached their climax and revels were at their peak.
In the brilliantly lit cafes in the Street of the Cat in cosmopolitan
Beyrouth the haunting strains of the urgool tinged all love lilting
sadness. A fitting dirge for the dead—a bouquet to many a blushing bride—the haunting melody rose and fell.
Softly, sweetly pealed the bells of St. Daniel. From afar
came the voice of the Muezzin "La Ilah-a-Illa'l Lah; Wa Muhammad Rasoul Allah". In a room in a house nestling beneath
the tower of St. Daniel on the left and the minarets of the Mosque
on the right, a man lay dead. A neat little hole in the centre of his
forhead denoted the fact that his spirit had not danced out of his
body to the tune of a harp, but to the bang of a bullet.
The Chief of Police of the City of Beyrouth loved a mystery.
in fact, he would prefer being engaged to unravelling an intricate
crime far into the small hours of the coming day to lounging about
at ease in one. of the numerous Cafes on the waterfront, listening
to the throb of the tambouriyat and sipping the milky white arak.
Murders were his hobby, and a strange hobby it was. Nothing delighted him more than to ascertain how, why and when, and lastly
by whom, the foul deed had been committed.
At five o'clock in the afternoon of that day (European time)
i-he Chief of Police sat at his desk—a very puzzled man. A message
had just come over the wires to the effect that at eight o'clock he
should search the house between the church of St. Daniel and the
Mosque of Muhammad. The prolocutor gave no name and laughed
at the Chief's repeated requests for further information.
The Chief had more than half decided to regard the matter
as a joke, when he was interrupted in his reverie by one of his sub-
�»
.
NOVEMBER, 1931
^
ordinates. El Halabie was no ordinary man. Reared in the gutters
of Beyrouth, there was consequently fostered within him a queer
mi ed°P
Y
'-A
I
g
T£St
argUmeiU Was that the
P°or never com-
ed in h the
the
middle1 classes.
l'
' ^
?" I 1UXU1
'y indul^he
-d
the middle
Although
uneducated,
had Vgreat A*
wisdom
for he came of an Arab father.
r,.
Sl ch was the
; '
man who entered the office of the Chief
C iVersati
the fJ^fr °;
wisuom,
a
Tl
m
The
d
°° ^mediately decided to place
the facts of the afternoon before El Halabie with a request for his
opinion on the most advisable course to pursue
fte
t0 hin
"We^
7awhat
'7ating
Vhe meaSre facts the Chief demanded:
Well, and
do you adviser"
"Well » replied El Halabie, "as we have nothing to do this
evening why not visit the house? From what I know Joe Cordova
the wealthy tanner, occupies the place."
^-oruovan
"Good," replied the Chief, "meet me in front of the house
at about eight o'clock."
H.I-K d!Ht/d°Cku ^ SCCOnd the Chief> <^ompanied by El
Halabie, stood on the door step of the house of Joe Cordovan
Lookmg about and over the house the Chief remarked that he
could not notice anything unusual, but as they had come so far hey
nught as well enter the house under some pretext or other He
Whirtv "
H 1 thC d0°r *"«*• After an interval of
abou thnty seconds having received no reply, he knocked againthis time longer and ouder. After an elapse of another thirty
PoTared " II fh W *"* ^
t0 n
°^
T
«» ""accountable silence
Zse were om
T ""^ " ^^ "" the ^ b the
By this time the curiosity of the men had been awakened In
exasperation the Chief turned the handle of the door and to his' surprise found that the door was not locked. With El Halabie at his
thC bnlliantJy lighted
"Yahoo Y^ mt
Pass^e a»d touted
m °a stentor
ft
°
'an voice. Still no reply.
Ibis seems strange," muttered the Chief. "However let
us search the house."
' ie.
Room after room was searched, but though the lights burned
in all the rooms yet no trace of a living occupant could be found
Arnving at the last door the Chief tried the handle, fully expect ng
the door to swing back on its hinges revealing an empty interior
To his surprise the door proved to be locked* Bending^own he
placed his eye to the keyhole, but his vision was impeded by the
key ,n the lock on the inside. The Chief rapped at the door but
�34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
~d:irfeP,y- ? ^hhk^d6dded that > k=y y«
de could
prevent a determined officer of the law from manipulating it In
a farw»4 the lock of the door clicked and El Halabieftraight
reniai ed hrm With a puzzled air he turned to the Chief- "Must
be hoi ed on the mside" he remarked. The Chief merely nodded
After a few moments of indecision the Chief barked- "El Halabie
ZZ£2£££r
and
"
if
*» »» ~* » -r'vSote
fe» A a *], minutcs,E1 Hal*e returned with the disturbing news
hat the window was also locked and the blinds drawn. By thfs time
u ti?orderead
FTHI
lT*J*. ^ * ^ °f -patience
cu aopent0 trHd'abi StrUme"£ ^"T* *«
d^^Mta
forS
r
j , ,
,
open, m Malabie soon returned w rh 3
orS minU0ttr and ^ ^^ °f ^ d- " K*^*
The Chief and El Halabie burst into the room simultaneously
Th room was well furnished after the taste of a European resided
m the East. Numerous beautifully colored and hand worked
dlfaHnd S nY7Pet1 fl0°r- The intnCate workmanst;^
d van and Chesterfield was thrown into bold relief by the light cast
g
by a large electric chandelier in the centre of the room
\ neat' litHe hi
T"^ °f PU/e marWe a man ^ on h back.
foroner c^dd .'VlSl l"*" °f his f°rehead testified ** ^
natural ousel
'
" Pr°n°UnCe the Vei"dict °f death due •»
The two men stood rooted to the spot. The Chief's eaze
retired h°mfthC h°dy,t0 thC Wind°W a"d his bra- -chtifa J
registered the fact that this was locked on the inside. Slowly his
Y
gaze returned to the body, then to El Halabie.
^ Well, was his only comment.
"Murder!" was the laconic reply.
El Halabie tiptoed towards the body and fell on his knees be^
side the prostrate figure. A blotch around the wound showed that
the death weapon had been fired at close range.
"Smell anything?" questioned the Chief
"Burnt powder," answered El Halabie
"Who is he?"
"Joe Cordovan."
tried
tf!rwCaHting ai10t!ier J°0k at the bod^ E1 Halab* rose and
tried the window A close examination of the walls revealed that
the only mode of ingress and egress was through either the door
If
�A(OVEMBER, 1931
:*£?& £jaxjs
rsr
,
,
at£sR. S===. ?a.-3as
Willfully r„ fa'S " t°
°
"« - He
a d
Pped n t0 his k
from a few ,ersonn W
"f8 th/°Ugh ,he Pockets>
Now tnorl^ ]y LTd El Hi r a ¥Pf"! 'UtUre
s
b
« apart
""d-
s fo
Toe SffiteJS" riVettCd 2? °"e Sp0t-the left "-I
He picked it uPp a ,d r T rt^Tff *£" the *"* « «stfeatures as he SSZte^gSg*** "* "^ °» his
it eontamed" ^ "" ^ *"' «*
and
^ shall find," was all
"Who wrote this, I wonder?" asked the Chief
the saS'rejoint C"im"ey' "*?« ** "S
to
*** *">" was
notX ^ 'tfr^^siSI f°U,Hy "*$ "" »" ^ did
would certainly believe you "
""" " ^
in thc
«*
I
* * * *
wen fpp'oinSofficr0;;,:
Frida
rthc chief sat»«** - *
the office ples°«l rec Ld'^TH y'r"'*^!' "' the ~ a *air
Ms eyes and an ar,,,m,c Torkih
' 7'*, his hat tilted °
his lips.
' rUrklsh "Satette dangling iooxly between
c-^«fc^SJSdS* "Vm(
person or persons unknown "
afra d the demise f
;
"* °f "** °r
mUr<fe
°
**
J«/
=
pensefreSed t« Tl^
"* * *? at « "N*^ exadapt over feetg^o 'L^unTXnd" """ "* Withi"
«"•
f> «i
�BBS
1 I
36
THE SYRIAN WORLD
rwTagccounth:tTh" IE? t0Kd° S°
hOUSe
reWdffi
Z^T**?
i elapsed into an attitude
of repose -
P
e
investigation on his
^nt and
The Chief nodded as
and t Vh0Uf?t.ful m°°d E1 Hakbie we'^d his way to the house
Sen e he mfd hm "** *! ^ ^'^ * Headquarters t
silence he made his way to the death room which had not been His .
turbed since the fatal night. He realized that a sear"h woudit
«£ o^1V£d " ^^ himSdf ^" whitXi^
null ^tSTed himfeJf on the divan> lifted hi* ^et on to the table
pulled his hat over his eyes and folded his arms over hi chest An
nour two hours passed and yet no sign or movement from El Ha
t ing I„d Sf th£ r°°m darke-d - • %„ that the sun w s
S
F H,l
-u WaS, Creepin^ stealthiJy over gav Beyrouth
tH U h
f, ame
he re m Kd
anHisJSSS'.lS*
?
T
/
5
"
'
>'
«
' " everbecLT „T T. [
, '"e '^ stillness of the room.
of dlst urb
eves, became glued to the hreplace~he listened
Softlv ever
t0 hiS
thC Peali
follow el SZ
?"voice
'« mueyyin
°f the "ell
St &,e
f
followed
by the far
off
of the
«T »of D.u
rn !i
ad Raso 1
"oat^eltT„d
d
d
^\^*
tnc nrepiace and dropped
on h.s knees in front»££23
of the
h s edhisfeceroimds as
e fe
tts h,.'r d
mlf
° *°•«*"p<n c hi „:
remained m,n V CrePt 7" the grate and i,,t0 the «« He
P
hT at Sudde
,d h" "5L* Setmed Ws neck must b k with
T,t
V ^dden<y he withdrew his hand and regained his feet
tefore
Sed «1°0! O d
d' ^ "f
l^P
th OU8h
y0 **"
be dead 1 ^e grate ad mut
CatLJ' li I r"' t
"
Wy homage."
f
d
Srtnere into tL'street. "' ^ "* ^ » *'
« <^
Deliberately El Halabie seated himself in the office armchair
selected a cigarette and lay back with a sigh of conte," The Chief
being familiar w,th the idiosyncrasies of El Halabie, continued he
perusal of certain uninteresting documents on his desk
- f
A 'I TJ 'lCh'ef' did y°u realize that the room in which
W
^ *e ^ °l 3°rl Cr°rd°Van is absoiutdy -undproof""
driving S
"
""*• "«"*'** What hh -hordinate was
"Chief, listen, and you shall hear of as devilish a trick as ever
MHMaan
�H.OVEMBER, 1931
37
conceived by the mind of man. When in the room th\
realization came to me that no so,,nH f the'°°m
concluded that as the he Ik n«U
J
.u
. long nad Sly drivtole^
a out eight
inches of catapulf
mos
que.
evenm
S
the
1 thereupon
^etT f ^7-
ettSiel* ht"
ail,
S
r:dreedvoiy
ver. The magazine contained one live cartridse anrl rL 1
,."
eontamed an empty cartridge case. FrdnTtiS ifwaTbu^
f
Ut a sim ,e
matter to reconstruct the deed.
P
"Joe Cordovan sat on his heels in fmnt „f ,k
his arm up the flue and withdrawhereZl^ ^J^f
elastic as much as possible he pointed tL k
T1 LStretchmg the
forehead and fired Te fo ce ofthe bul .Tn ?$?. ^ °f his
PUShed him over
his back whilst the reWH
1
°» to
drawi1 U
by the elastic"
^ ^ ^
P the flue
There was a look of elation in the eves of Fl Hoi i :
continued: "Poor Joe Cordovan. He looked l£hS HaLll*fraa \e
thought he would even depart with a ioke He lh "T ^ ^
viding the police of Beyrouth with „ L^ble^^ °f ^
�38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
1
H
(
A.
HAKIM,
Editor
CONFLICTING STANDARDS IN THE SYRIAN HOME
IN AMERICA
REFERENCE was made in the opening remarks of this department to "Two opposing forces—two sets of diametrically different ethical conceptions and standards developing in our social
order, with a hint to the dire results which are bound to follow if
this condition is not treated rationally and in time. It is now the
purpose to amplify this statement and discuss all phases of this
social condition in an effort to devise means of alleviating its evils
and mollifying its effects. The subject, as can readily be seen, has
breadth which does not permit of full treatment in one article The
fundamentals, therefore, must be considered first, and with time
it is the hope of this writer to consider every phase of the conditions
attecting our family life in America.
The fundamentals are mainly cultural, and to a much lesser
degree economic. Old traditions are clashing with conceptions of
both parental authority and filial obligations as well as of moral
standards. The parents make demands to which the children cannot concede, and while this conflict of views brings distress to tlparents it also creates a considerable measure of unstability in the
characters of the children.
Syrian immigration into the United States is comparatively
recent and rarely does it go beyond the second generation The
first immigrants, therefore, are still the dominant factor in our home
Me. And they are imbued with certain ideals of conduct and rules
tor living which it could not be reasonably expected that they should
easily forego and relinquish. These ideals are so dominant in them
that they may be considered a part of their very being, and any dis-
y
�NOVEMBER, 193J
39
turbanee of the order which has governed their lit.
wake untold unhappiness
and* mler^
might
-ry Th?
T^
u dergo J*.
nix
-^'"
itS
{
st01cism
but for them to have complete neace JJTA 1
,
>
and standards must „ot Xl^X^ ^ "^ ^
sufficient gratification tftorfSdS^S^ * "* »', "-If
objective is to live their life aW ,h7
=**"*«. Their ultenor
condueive to happiness
These tJTfcH* COcertain
"CdVe f° be m°St
which have been imrrained i,»u
.
,
standards
ment of which thev cTnever Jl
^ a"d wkhout th<= f"lnll-
*? are .^STSSSS^ feather
imagination to reaLe the antoum ,',f f T"* "° Stretch of th<=
te forego the *£S«K£*&~2
School education seems to !
°f the school. American Public
duality of the chUdT^ ^ prepare hLT^ "*
th
f "**"
as an independent and sepfra^end y No effort' f ^ °f Kfc
and tram him as a unit in the family. Vde ath
t iTf H° 5 J
g
training the Syrian child finds himself at
.7.home
rfa
standard of
ferent influences InsteadI of k
, , J
g totally difentity he is cons dered a„ inte^ W °l ^ UP°n aS "" "'^ndem
The $
withholds notm gfromh ,s hold h^ T',.
*" **»
f the convi
he sacrifices all for h°s chi d ti '
" °
«ion that if
bis old age, the ^ZS&S^BSS •""* f"
will insure him against want. I„ olL7ZnhZY S,md?ds>
first generation count on their MJ
' y "f parents of the
part of the hm
semble throughout life a,n
I,
"*
'h enC
ngthemSelWS to admit tha
changes of cofdkL *'f wt aZt
'
V eWP ! tS shoU,d
their long prevalent standards
'° '
°"
^
lack oTf%pC.?tio8ne':fatnsVmole t" ^ '»— °f **
consider & ^MSA,*^ «££
�.
38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
A.
HAKIM,
Editor
CONFLICTING STANDARDS IN THE SYRIAN HOME
IN AMERICA
h
s
REFERENCE was made in the opening remarks of this department to "Two opposing forces—two sets of diametrically different ethical conceptions and standards developing in our social
order," with a hint to the dire results which are bound to follow if
this condition is not treated rationally and in time. It is now the
purpose to amplify this statement and discuss all phases of this
social condition in an effort to devise means of alleviating its evils
and mollifying its effects. The subject, as can readily be seen, has
breadth which does not permit of full treatment in one article. The
fundamentals, therefore, must be considered first, and with time
it is the hope of this writer to consider every phase of the conditions
affecting our family life in America.
The fundamentals are mainly cultural, and to a much lesser
degree economic. Old traditions are clashing with conceptions of
both parental authority and filial obligations as well as of moral
standards. The parents make demands to which the children cannot concede, and while this conflict of views brings distress to the
parents it also creates a considerable measure of unstability in the
characters of the children.
Syrian immigration into the United States is comparatively
recent and rarely does it go beyond the second generation. The
first immigrants, therefore, are still the dominant factor in our home
life. And they are imbued with certain ideals of conduct and rules
for living which it could not be reasonably expected that they should
easily forego and relinquish. These ideals are so dominant in them
that they may be considered a part of their very being, and any dis-
�ACOVEAfiERyl&ri
39
turbance of the order which has governed their life will bring in its
wake untold unhappiness and misery. Their economic fortunes
might undergo serious changes which they will bear with stoicism
but for them to have complete peace of mind, their ethical codes
and standards must not suffer any radical change.
It takes but little mental effort for any of us to realize what
the older generation values most in life. They have cleaved their
ties with the motherland seeking primarily economic opportunities,
but the realization of their ambitions along this line is not in itself
sufficient gratification of their subconscious motives. Their ulterior
objective is to live their life along the lines they conceive to be most
conducive to happiness. These lines follow certain standards
which have been ingrained in their nature and without the fulfillment of which they can never experience true happiness. Whether
they are totally justified in their reasoning, or rather in their natural inclinations, is beyond the point. The fact is that they were so
born and have so grown and lived, and it requires no stretch of the
imagination to realize the amount of stress this generation must endure to forego the things they consider almost inalienable to their
very nature.
Now this generation of first immigrants builds up homes and
brings forth children who grow under painfully conflicting influences. From early childhood the standards of the home would
seem to be at variance with those of the school. American Public
School education seems to concern itself simply with the individuality of the child, aiming to prepare him for the struggle of life
as an independent and separate entity. No effort is made to treat
and train him as a unit in the family. While against this standard of
training the Syrian child finds himself at home facing totally different influences. Instead of being looked upon as an independent
entity he is considered an integral family unit. The Syrian father
withholds nothing from his child, because of the conviction that if
he sacrifices all for his child and cannot in consequence provide for
his old age, the child, in conformity with Syrian family standards
will insure him against want. In other words, Syrian parents of the
first generation count on their children as part of the family ensemble throughout life, and cannot bring themselves to admit that
changes of conditions of life and economic viewpoints should alter
their lung prevalent standards.
The young generation, on the other hand, because of their
lack of appreciation of, or sympathy for, their parents' viewpoint,
consider these demands in the nature of an imposition. Why, they
"*-"** '
�40
TH'E SYZIAN WORLD
argue, should they be hampered in leading their own lives? It is
the individualistic principle as against that of family obligation and cooperation. It forms one of the most serious problems
of the Syrian-American home.
A phase of this problem is the attempt of parents to enforce
their standard of conduct on the children. Let it be conceded that
from the viewpoint of education the children have by far the greater advantage. Thanks to their parents, it must be remembered,
they were able to profit by the educational facilities generally provided in America and which in the motherland are available only
to a limited few. But be it also remembered that scholarly education is not character, nor culture, nor ethics, nor morals. - And
even when the parents are illiterate this is no justificatioa for disrespect or an attitude of overbearance or impatience. This condition in the Syrian home is a marked one at the present time, and
just where to draw the fine line of distinction in the relations of
parents and children should prove a subject for serious consideration.
But the clash is most serious in the enforcement of the moral
standard. Syrian parents view with unconcealed alarm the tendency
of their children towards so-called modernism, while the children
resent what they term undue and unwarranted interference in their
personal liberty. It is again the conflict of two codes of ethics which
subject the unity of the Syrian-American home to an immense strain.
And perhaps this particular problem is the most virulent and irksome of all.
* * * *
We do not presume to have covered here the entire range of
the problems confronting the Syrian home in America. We have
only alluded to the more pronounced complications, and that in a
general way. Amplification of the infinite details will ensue at another time. What we do hope for, however, is to arouse interest
and insure thought on the subject of our social relations to the end
that a better understanding might be promoted in the Syrian home.
Every family has problems peculiarly its own, whose solution could
come only through the serious consideration of the persons directly
concerned, actuated by a sympathetic and indulgent attitude of
each toward the other's viewpoint. After all, family ties should
be made to endure and they cannot be binding nor permanent unless
based on understanding. It is true that the period of transition
through which we are passing is a difficult one, but will not our
culture prevail in compelling us to hearken to the voice of reason?
�NOVEMBER, 1931
41
Youth Speaks
C
S
W
1
GE A BURN
T^^^ *
ING QUESTION
WITH THIS SOCIALLY-MINDED CORRESPONDENT
Editor's Note—Whatever agitates the minds of our younger generation ve invite them to write to this department about ft unreservedly. The department zvas created for their benefit and of
thts fact they may take full advantage This was the explicit understanding mth the editor in chief without reservations'as to the nature of the communications. The intention is to have the department serve as a public forum to reflect the actual thought of our
youth. 1 he following is the first received.
Dear Mr. Hakim
Q • !tw "IT1 xW'th ',ntereSt that 1 renew my subscribtion to the
Syrian World. Now that I am taking it I want to say tdat I would
not be without it for the simple reason that it is doing me a great
deal of good. I am learning much of our former civilization as
well as of current problems confronting the Syrians both here in
America and m our fatherland. I could go on to say many more
things regarding the benefits I am deriving from this magazine
arid of the great influence of our lost but not forgotten poet, Kahlil
Oibran, but to continue to do so would be to get farther away from
my particular discussion.
I write on the subject of the new department, "The Younger
Generation." My question is: "What is being done to bring The
younger generation together?» In my discussion and correspondence with the younger Syrian-Americans I find they are getting
away from each other instead of coming together. This is much
more evident in the smaller cities as far as I am informed. It seems
that fewer marriages are taking place among the Syrians and that
they are intermarrying with other elements with much more frequency than usual. To illustrate my point, I quote a few lines from
a correspondent in your own state. "Of the bovs ranging from
yr
n
girl at all.
4ge' he Says' "hardl>' ^ of them g° with a Syrian
There is just a couple of them that do. One couple
�42
THE SYRIAN WORLD
were married last week and they had a big wedding. We have a
lot of pretty Syrian girls here who don't even have a fellow. The
Syrian boys and girls don't stick together at all here. Most of the
boys I know go with American girls." These few lines are surely
self-explanatory.
As the saying goes: "There is something rotten in Denmark."
Some force is needed to bring the two groups together. What is it?
I am sure I don't have a solution but from observation I will lay
the greater extent of the blame on the parents. They prohibit their
daughters from going with boys until the latter show serious intentions of mariage. I can say that I certainly admire the girls for their
high standard of morality and ideals. There is nothing more to be
admired than a clean, decent, intelligent, and home-loving Syrian
girl. I can say wonderful things about many of the boys, too.
It is against mental and physical principles to suppress certain
natural emotions. I mean the clean, ideal emotions such as love,
joy, happiness. "The boys, having a much freer latitude than the'
girls, seek company that satisfies these emotions. This results in
the boys marrying American girls. Now what is there left for the
girls to dor They must do the same or become old-maids. If the
youth were taught more about Sex, Love, Courtship, and Marriage,
I think that this dilemma would be more readily solved. I am
now attending a series of lectures on this subject, and I find it of
much benefit. I was given a questionnaire to be used in the compilation of the ideals of the youth of today concerning these problems. Here are the questions.
I. In seeking for a wife would you prefer a home-maker or
a society woman:
II. Do you want a wife who smokes?
III. In seeking a wife would you consider sexual purity on her
part an absolute requisite?
IV. Which ar£ the most essential qualifications of a good
wife—physical beauty or genuine moral character?
V. What criticism in general would you offer of the young
women of your acquaintance?
VI. If you and your fiancee were both employed before marriage, would you want her to continue in her employment
after marriage provided your own income was sufficient to
provide for the home?
VII. If you establish a home of your own, do you want children?
I think that the conventions reported in^the Syrian World as
s-
l'
cc
so
Ii
al
F<
�NOVEMBER, 1931
43
being held in various places are doing wonders in bringing the
WnVS "' '^ th7 " StiH "^ * ** d°"e- * *> -te'som
I have trfed r * reOVerdomS
tters and developing snobbishness.
Up f b yS but have Jacked su
cooTra
• n or perhaps
"T my
* &,
° all° wet. I would like to^ent
cooperation,
plan is
have
ome comment on this problem by both yourself and the readers
If I am cockeyed with my ideas somebody please tell me so. After
all, 1 still retain many Syrian ideals at heart. So help me God!
r ,m
Thomas G. Ember.
T ,
bort Wayne, Ind.
Beyond the Sun
By
BARBARA YOUNG
Behold this vast incalculable ray,
Brighter than stars, more luminous than suns
More distant than all space beyond all space
In its beginning, if indeed there be
Birth or beginning to that principle
Man's mind hath never conjured, nay, nor will,
Perchance, with all his weighty conjuring
This side the glimmering secretive Veil.
Behold this ray, ineffable, informed
Beyond the sun, beyond these measurements
Of skies and firmaments and fashioned voids;
This uncreated, all-creating volt,
This unthought word, this might without a name
That shook Old Chaos into rhyme and rhythm
No single atom looted or laid waste
Unto this hour.
What hath God wrought indeed
Himself, and light and law and life and love.
These from the mist that moves beyond the sun.
The Times, New York.
�-
""
THE SYRIAN WORLD
New Egyptian Minister in America
"HE APPOINTMENT recently of His Excellency Sesostris Sidarouss Pasha as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Egypt to the government of the United States again
focuses public attention on the fact that Egypt is the only sovereign
Arabic-speaking state having diplomatic representation abroad. The
growing national consciousness of Egypt is making her forge ahead
rapidly as the leader among Arabic-speaking countries in the struggle
for world recognition. She also is nobly acquitting herself as the
leader among those countries of the renaissance movement in literature, the arts, and sciences.
This cultural movement the Syrians have had a strong influence in launching and promoting, as Egypt, for over fifty years,
has been the logical field for the display of their talents. The
proximity of Egypt and Syria, and their being bound by a common
language and common traditions, has given rise to the popular
reference to them as the "sister countries."
Abroad these cordial relations seem to manifest themselves as
strongly as they do in the home countries. Everywhere, especially
since the ushering of the era of Egyptian diplomatic representation
in foreign countries, the Syrians, particularly in America, look upon the Egyptian diplomatic representatives as their own in the sense
that they are representatives of a "sister country." The strong
bond of kinship and traditions between them transcends the limitations of time and space.
These bonds of cordiality and co-operation are expected to be
materially strengthened through" the influence of the new Egyptian
Minister at Washington. A man of broad vision and deep understanding, it cannot escape his observation that while Egypt enjoys the
distinction of being the only Arabic-speaking country maintaining
diplomatic representation abroad, the Syrians, at the same time,
form the only Arabic-speaking element in America. The necessity
of co-operation between the two would seem but obvious.
* * * *
> The record of Sesostries Sidarouss Pasha is one of brilliant
achievement. Born in Alexandria, he was educated at St. Andrew's
Scotch School and the Jesuits' College of St. Francis Xavier of his
-
K
<
> !TSfe=
�NOVEMBER, 1931
His Excellency
Sesostris Sidarouss Pasha
Egyptian Minister at Washington
45
�46
THE SYRIAN WORLD
native city. After having obtained his French degrees in Arts with
honors, he took up the study of law in Cairo and in Paris, and received his degree of Doctor of Laws in the latter city.
His first practice was before the Mixed Court of Appeal in
Alexandria as an assistant prosecutor in the office of the Attorney
General. Later he was appointed in the Ministry of Justice in Cairo
as private secretary to the Judical Adviser and secretary to the Committee of Judicial Surveillance.
In 1907, he was selected as Professor of Law at the Royal
Faculty in Cairo where he was given the Chair of Civil Law, in
both the English and the French sections. Later he was also entrusted with the direction of the Faculty, as Vice-Principal.
Asked to join the Diplomatic Service, he was appointed First
Secretary to the Royal Egyptian Legation in Paris in December
1923 and acted at the same time as Charge d'Affaires in Brussels
until December 1924.
In 1922 he was called to the Bench as Judge at the Mixed
Court in Cairo.
He was promoted to the post of Counsellor to the London
legation in 1925 and given charge of the Legation as Charge d'Affaires ad interim.
In September 1929 he left London to take over his post of
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Athens and
Belgrade. In May 1930 he went, in the same capacity, to Brussels
and The Hague, and from August 1930 until August 1931 he was
on a mission in London.
Sidarouss Pasha left England on August 1, 1931 to undertake
his duties in Washington and on August fourteenth he presented to
President Hoover the letters accrediting him as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Egypt to the Government
of the United States of America.
Sidarouss Pasha's services have been recognized not only by
his Government but also by several Foreign Countries. He holds,
among others, the highest Egyptian title, that of "Pasha," as well
as the Egyptian Orders of the Medjedieh and the Nile. He is
bearer of the Grand Cross of the Belgian Crown, of the Greek Order of the Phoenix and of the Yougoslav Order of St. Sava. He
is Commander and Officer of several other Orders: The Royal Victorian Order, St. Gregory the Great, the Legion d'Honneur, the
French Public Instruction, and St. Sylvester.
Sidarouss Pasha is not only a jurist and a diplomat but a writer
and a linguist as well. His Principal publications are: his famous
-
c
I
b
d
K
a
T\
Th-
Th(
�NOVEMBER, 1931
in the ottoma Em
^M^^sr'
" »- ^
"The Personal & S £ , Eg^S "7 2*?*
Legislation."
^eononne Potaque, de Statistique et de
*2aK£ *dtdSS^'wife'a daughter of *< »*
barrisS nel^ Ivatd c2t^' r^*
^
S<fa
»• «
a F^an KlfS^^^ So =£" *
7&? Travelers Cloak
By DR. SALIM Y. ALKAZIN
The traveler:
Kind tailor, through rough and hostile land
• For leagues and leagues Pve wended: '
And my cloak is torn and sorely worn
And would 'twere rightly mended.
Its fabric, you can see, is rare,
And should have met with better care.
The tailor's apprentice:
But master, why, since the gaping harm
1 ou have undone, you turn
Upon him your back? you hide the cloak
Away—why not return
The man his own? Or what I see
A secret of the craft may be!
The tailor:
Perchance of waiting he will grow
Fatigued, forget his cloak and go.
�48
THE SYRIAN WORLD
EDITORIAL COMMENT
^THOUGH we have set a definite plan for the New SYRIAN
VVORLD we do not propose that this plan should be so rigid as
W Uld be
o det^ T^T' 7H?** °
°^ *
«<*° Sri
m
Hence the
f^1?8^ *sPect °* "ew and varied material.
Hence the omission m this 1Ssue of some departments in order to
make room for the other material that does not fall under any pa -
nt e t- r nat!°n; bUt *"*> —rtheless, will be found equa Uy
P 3n
f
be S mewhat dastic
SSfve
i " of
Tant
° of life.
»"* hence indicative of
of .h?/
the freshness
new °currents
* *
READER.? will observe that the working of the arrangement
f
ThercTe
rlTtravel
Iffeatures
"* ^^
° travd
' ^^
^fiction.
1 here are two
m this issue
which
are admittedly
inent
lg Pa, ticularly Mr Katibah
tlTwni L f
r^Ti -
;
-
'* «*-£-
gll> aPPeaJ,Ug t0 b th SchoIar and
Wh e M
Y°Un
'
°
lavman.
While Miss Young is always resourceful in the choice of material
e
ngmal
is
atv
"" ^T
?" °^ ^^
^t
pauaty of
of he°r
her own poetry
m her department.
It is a sense
of *e
medesty
hat is depriving the readers of some of the loftiest poetry of all
^ • *£r JaSt Publ]shed Poem in the New York Times was f a
tured ,„ box form in the Literary Digest of November 14. We have
«IW P
I°Z ,,;dePcndent sources that the Thomas Moult
^est Poems of 1931» prints her "Requiescat" also from the Times,
in the , <;;iJy.p0enl/rom fhe American daily press to be included
*£$£2
We fear we sha11 have t0
«- °- *
bead
-
Fiction is also maintained, an original short story and an Arabian tale appeanng in each issue. But of fiction we premise even
more and we would especially invite that class of stories that shall
touch on our home life in America.
***** *
SOME
readers
med the impression from our anilouncemem
SiXth yC r hat by
-f th" WaH W ORI°Ur
! i
P°Pula
ig the material
D WC ,ntended
J I
}
'
^ lower its standard. They expressed themselves after perusing the two last issues as being pleasantly surprised that such was not the case. The fact is any question
i
�I
NOVEMBER, 1931
49
V
licy so far has been quite wh„k me
mo cumulative substantial results.
We
us
t
will L^f ft
translated
* * * *
^nubbi:;
A
f0l 0W the
,!
.
P
tice of
°« »«ive press, we would
scribers'o V Teremt" ^tT"
*° * we
^
hoWever
do n ^ * ^
Certain pract cesftfftft
'
>
<* P pose to do.
a Dec lift ft I
ft^" Prcss m,Sht be Pardonable owing to
a peculiar psychology. A Syrian subscriber, for instance is ft t„
and* « an insult, induced by lack of confide ft if Jh edtor
were to discontinue sending him the paper even though he igno e
the numerous statements sent him ana fails to make payme, f A
W Sh
tto
FftliTaft'
^aware
' ft?
°" the aSSUm
Ptio"will
thfte
refd
tnghsh and are
of American
practices
live
uo who
to them
atftftft'ftftldeci n"t0 dLntime "«P^ -Ci "ft;
k
reft4 for ftfe/ft
ft"
We wU1
«ladIy «««*"
Y
ftrft/of a^lftlftftft^ftfti-^ciaf lefts' £
of their -to^aat1'^.1:
S; r^sftvn ST^ ^ «" -»*- «^
every cty: ^Z^L^ZIt^^T "^ '"
* * * *
. Those who contend with the perennial problem of selecting
Chnstmas g,fts m.ght well consider the propriety of mnkhft ft
ubscnbfons of the Syrian World. Asidefrom being a ge tore 0f
on
ft' ftftrft/fta fift C°meS t0 *« -ipfentftroug
out the year for comparatively a nominal consideration Friends
holidays!
"
WOrU arC
^
t0
*"*
!t in rai d d
"
»
g the ftftg
�50
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Political Developments in Syria
SYRIA AND IRAQ UNDER ONE KING?
King F„isal „ R„e „ n^jprZ** M. Brother A*
fiege„t
,„
Bagdad.
The most sensational rumor to appear so far concerning a possible
solution to the Syrian problem is that
of the plan to create a dual kingdom
of Syria and Iraq with King Faisal
as ruler of both countries established
at Damascus and his brother AH acting as regent in Bagdad. Just how
much truth there is in this rumor it
is impossible at present to determine
because of the abundance of the rumor
crop on the subject of the Syrian
question with no indication of possible materialization. This latest rumor, however, seems to have enjoved
even more vogue than any other and
there are many responsible Syrian
leaders who apparently attach much
credence to it.
During the summer, King Faisal
was in Europe and spent much time
in Paris. High Commissioner Ponsot
was also in Paris, as were many prominent leaders who are not in the
habit of visiting,Europe for their
health. King Faisal had once been
king ,n Syria and owing to his popularity and influence it was commonly
accepted that he was attempting to
help the French solve their problem
m Syria by inducing them to revert
to a monarchical form of government
with his brother former King AH of
Arabia on the throne in Damascus.
The fact that King Faisal is the
better diplomat, plus the fact that
he still has a large following in Syria
where once "he was king, makes the
proposal of establishing him on the
Syrian throne instead of his brother
sound like a more logical solution
i^ngland is represented as favoring
this arrangement despite her rivalry
with France for the preponderance of
influence in the East because of the
stability it would insure for that
part of the Arabic-speaking worid
Especially that King Faisal has won
tangible results from his negotiations
for good will and amity with King
Ibn Saoud of Arabia, who had
forced the abdication of his father
King Al-Husain and later wrested the
throne of Al-Hijaz from his brother
King AH. It will also be remembere]
that King Faisal is a direct descendant of the Prophet and of the line
that had the custody of the holy
places of Islam. While his other brother Emir Abdullah is the ruler of
Trans-Jordania, making it possible,
with the proposed creation of the
dual Kingdom, to form one solid bloc
of homogeneous countries under three
brothers, extending from the Mediterranean shore to the borders of Persia, with the exclusion of the small
strip of Palestine.
All these considerations make the
proposed scheme of the dual monarchy
not only feasible but highly desirable
in the opinion of its proponents. What
would seem to lend weight to there
having been serious discussions of
<~
�NOVEMBER, 1931
\
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51
such a possibility between the French
authorities and King Faisal is the
reference the latter made to his policy
m Syria during his rule in Damascus
m an official interview he gave to
newspapermen and notables of his
kingdom after his recent return from
Europe. This interview was described
by the correspondents as being in the
nature of a speech from the throne,
ine King's remarks about the Syrian
Situation were to the effect that his
hands were forced to assume the attitude he took towards the French in
1920 and which had such disastrous
results. The Syrians were too impatient, he said, and sought to gain
by force what they could have achieved by patience and a spirit of
conciliation, and this despite the fact
that they were too little equipped for
the military undertaking on which
they embarked.
There are those among the Syrians,
on the other hand, who disapprove
unequivocally of any plan to restore
the Syrian kingdom irrespective of
personalities. A considerable number
of the Nationalist leaders maintain
that Syria has a legal constitution
which declares for a republic, and that
the provisions of this constitution
must be enforced until amended, and
this amendment cannot be under^
taken except by the convocation of
a popular assembly enjoying the same
Powers vested in the Constituent Assembly which first drafted the contitution. Particularly are the Nationalist leaders of Aleppo bitter in
their opposition to any change, because of their professed belief that a
monarchical form of government would
be construed as a step backward for
the country. They further argue that
the French would naturally favor a
king because a single responsible person would lend himself more readily
as a tool in their hand.
In the face of all these rumors no
word has been forthcoming from
French official sources. All that the
natjive press could procure was a
statement by an official of the High
Commissariat who refused to be
quoted under his own name, and who
denied there had been any conversations of a concrete nature between
the French government and King Faisal while the latter was in Paris.
Meanwhile, High
Commissioner
Ponsot, according to the latest reports
of the Syrian press, was still in Paris.
His movements and plans continue as
mysterious as he is reticent. There
had been a report at one time that he
planned to return to Beirut the latter
part of October, but later advices indicated that his return had been delayed until late in November. His
return is naturally awaited with great
interest because of the expected announcement of the solution he might
have reached on the Syrian question.
The expectation is that he will order
new elections for a popular assembly
not only to determine the form of
government to be adopted but also the
relations Syria should assume with
France. This will naturally depend
on the conditions France will lay for
Syria by way of concessions to its
demands for fuller independence.
A logical reason ascribed to the
protracted stay of the High Commissioner in France is his desire to discuss the final arrangements of the
solution of the Syrian question with
Premier Lavale upon the latter's return from Washington.
CONDITIONS IN LEBANON
Lebanon appears satisfied with its
political destiny. Apparently the republic has come to stay and there is
less disposition at present to raise
the queston of union with Syria at
least until Syria is able to determine
�52
THE SYRIAN WORLD
its own political status. What would
seem to occupy most the attention of
the Lebanese at present is their acute
economic problem, with taxes weighing heavily on the people and the
government facing a crisis in attempting to balance the budget.
Emil Eddy, one of the prominent
possible candidates for the Presidency
in the 19S2 elections, has returned
from Paris and categorically denied
the rumors that he had sought,while
in France, to create of Lebanon a
national home for the Christians in
the East by an exchange of population with Syria. It was learned, however, that the French, in whatever
solution they might arrange for the
Syrian problem, are determined to
maintain the status quo in Lebanon,
both in its political institutions and
its geographic boundaries . They are
said to be unwilling to return to Syria
any of the districts formerly attached
to it and since ceded to Lebanon, although they would have no objections
to the formation of a union between
the other Syrian states. For the purpose of accelerating the solution of
the Syrian problem, it is further asserted, they would even be willing to
cede the port of Tripoli to the Syrian
government, but this would represent
the maximum of their concessions.
BEIRUT'S FINEST STREET NAMED FOR EGYPT'S KING.
On the occasion of the anniversary of the accession of His Majesty
King Fuad I to the Egyptian throne,
which faFs on Oct. 9, the Lebanese
government, this year, gave proof of
the growing spirit of good-will between the two peoples by naming the
fnest thoroughfare in its capital for
the King of Egypt. The dedication
ceremonies were attended by the
Prime Minister and many high government officials as well as by representatives of the French Army and
Navy and Civil Administration. The
occasion was hailed by the press as
emphasizing the traditional friendship between the two "sister countries."
The Consul General of Egypt in
Beirut, Muhammad Sary Bey, represented his Majesty the King at the
exercises. He expressed in the name
of his Majesty Egypt's appreciation
of this new gesture of friendship on
the part of the Lebanese and said that
it went far to strengthen the bonds of
brotherly relations between the two
countries. The Syrians and the Lebanese are at home while in Egypt, he
asserted, because they form an in-
alienable part of Egyptian life since
they have played an important role
in accelerating the renaissance movement in the Nile Valley. Such names
as Mutran, Jemail, Zaidan, Ridha,
Rafii, Sarrouf and Barakat, will ever
be remembered as those of men who
have marched in the van of Egypt's
movement of progress. Especially in
the civil administration and in their
early monopoly of the press will the
Syrians and Lebanese be remembered
as having rendered Egypt an invaluable service.
In responding to the address of the
Egyptian spokesman, the mayor of
Beirut appropriately remarked that
the strongest bonds between nations
are those of language, culture and
tradition, and all these conditions
are common property between the peoples of the two sister countries.
Other speakers stressed the point of
Egypt's leadership in the renaissance
movement among the Arabic-speaking
peoples. All agreed that co-operation
between the two peoples was essential
for their continued progress and their
proper recognition among the family
of nations.
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�NOVEMBER, 1931
53
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
NEWS SECTION
VOL. VI. NO. 3
'PROPHET" OF GIBRAN
IN AMERICAN CHURCH
Impressive Memorial Services and
Dramatic Presentation Given in
St. Mark's in New York.
Gibran Kahlil Gibran, Syrian artist and author and "Poet of the Cedars," was hailed as a true prophet
from the pulpit of the church of St.
Mark's in the Bouwerie in New York
by Rev. William Norman Guthrie the
rector, during the memorial services
given on Sunday afternoon, October
25, as a loving tribute to the memory
of the departed poet. The Church was
packed to overflowing by Gibran's
friends and admirers who had come
from all parts of the city and many
of whom shed copious silent tears
throughout the touching ceremonies
The services consisted of two partsa devotional office composed entirely
of the earlier poetic works of Gibran
read alternately by Dr. Guthrie and
several assistants; and a dramatic presentation of the "Prophet" as devised
by Phoebe Anna Guthrie and presented by her with the assistance of a
carefully selected cast of participants
—dancers, enacters and a reader.
This is the fifth presentation of the
"Prophet" at St. Mark's, but although
not new it assumed prticular significance on this occasion owing to the
NOVEMBER, 1931
recent death of the author. The souls
of the vast audience were touched as
much by the symbolism of the work
as by the memory of the man who has
given the world this masterpiece of
power and beauty. The fact that he
was hailed as true prophet, and the
recurrent presentation of his work as
a self sufficient devotional service
gave rise to the thought that a cult
was m the process of formation around
the work of Gibran, now bound to
take additional momentum since his
demise.
Following the religious ceremony
a reception was held at the rectory
where tea was served. Later in the
evening Miss Laura Williams gave a
recital of Arab songs.
On November 8th, and at the same
church, a further service was held in
memory of Gibran, at which several
oi his unpublished poems were read
by Barbara Young, and following this
five leading American poets paid their
tributes to his spirit, in original contributions.
They were Robert Underwood Johnson, Dean of the Hall of
Fame, New York University, Anna
Hempstead Branch, Director of Cristadora House, Mary Siegrist, William
Griffith, President of the poetry Society of America, and Leonora Speyer.
It is but fitting that we reproduce
the sincere tribute of Dr. Guthrie to
our beloved countryman, as published
in a special leaflet distributed on the
occasion of the presentation of THE
PROPHET. It follows:
�54
THE SYRIAN WORLD
KAHLIL GIBRAN
By Dr. Wiltfam Norman Guthrie
Kahlil Gibran, prophet-poet and
painter from Mount Lebanon, had for
over twelve years moved among us
as one of us. To some he was friend
and comrade, as well as teacher—for
that he always was. Unpedantic and
unassuming, though never falsely modest, naively spontaneous, though
subtly constrained by beauty, in
speach and gesture, he represented to
us an almost racially distinct tradition.
For generations Christian in culture, he yet received his inspiration
and fashioned its expression instinctively in the Arab tongue, of which
the supreme music and magic are forever in the spells and oracles of Mahomet. So a strange gnomic quality,
a thrilling suggestiveness, mystifyingly concrete and logically unseizable, characterize all his utterances
in English.
,Was this the wedding gift of that
union in his soul of two tongues?
Languages of course not only express
but subconsciously impose, even as
deep as the insight and outsight of
the mystic.
He knew other European tongues,
but deliberately chose that of England
for the work of his maturity, which
aimed at a world hearing. Few have
achieved that, as he most certainly
did, while also retaining a provincial
loyalty. And how closeknit is that
earlier following of his, that great
reading public, throughout the Near
East, and even to the borders of China
as well as the heart of India, to Whom
Arabic is the holy tongue!
It was, then, in a four-fold capacity, of Syrian, of Arab singer and
seer, of English-American poet, and
always original illustrator of his
poetic work, that he made so wide
and deep an appeal.
O for a few more years! Not for
exactly the same reasons that we
would have given of our own to Keats.
How cruel, to have Kahlil Gibran arrested by the hand of death, at the
very gate of his Eden, so that he could
not take us with him, past the whirling sword of the cherubim, to the
sacred Tree of Life.
AMERICAN MISSION IN
EAST EDUCATIONAL
So Declares President Dodge of the
A. U. B. at Dinner Given in his
Honor in New York
By H. I. Katibah
Once more President Bayard Dodge
has given1 a clear and unequivocal expresson to the new spirit which
governs and guides the American University of Beirut and other institutions of learning made possible in
the Near East by the generous contributions of American philanthropists and humanitarians.
At a banquet in his honor and that
of Dr. Mary Belles Patrick, President-Emeritus and for fifty-three
years active president of Constantinople Woman's College, fittingly given
at the International House of Columbia Univelsity, New York, on Nov.
16, President Dodge declared that the
new attitude of the American colleges in the Near East has been one
,of cooperation with the peoples of
the respective countries where these
institutions of higher learning are
posted; to make the students who flock
to some of these institutions from all
quarters of the Near East realize their
vast opportunities at home and equip
them with the technical knowledge to
cope with them.
Dr. Dodge emphasized the amazing
speed with which conditions are
t
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�NOVEMBER, 1931
55
changing in the countries of the Near
nians, representing the six American
East, where formerly time had very
colleges in the Near East. About
little value. The next day the Herald
300 guests were present.
Tribune featured in bold letters an
Mr. William Fellowes Morgan preinstance which Dr. Dodge gave to
sided. Musical entertainment for the
illustrate his point, namely that Bedevening was provided by Madame Feouins of the Syrian Desert today carry
dora Corban, styled the Syrian Nighttheir raids by means of Hudsons and
ingale, who sang the Syrian national
Dodges, instead of horses and camels,
anthem in Arabic and some French
giving the chauffeur 25 per cent of
and English operatic selections, and
the booty as his share! Another sign
by the Quarles Sisters, Virginia, Marof this change cited by Dr. Dodge was
guerite and Alice who played the
that whereas formerly very few Turkpiano, the 'cello and the violin.
ish girls attended Constantinople Woman's College, today they form 80
per cent of the student-body.
As usual, Dr. Dodge's speech was SYRIAN BROADCASTING
ACTIVITIES IN AMERICA.
replete with witty and illuminating
remarks. One of these was that apThe first regular commercial Syrplications from Americans of Syrian
ian broadcasting effort which has come
origin, particularly of Brooklyn, for
to our knowledge is that of the Arabadmission to the American University
ian Eastern Broadcasting Co. operatof Beirut have been so numerous that
ing over station W. N. J. in New
the authorities of this University have
York and of which Mr. Salim Ayoub
decided to apply the brakes on them.
is the business manager. The comThe new spirit of the American inpany has engaged the services of
stitutions of learning in the Near
several well-known professional singEast is an antithesis of the spirit with
ers and musicians, whose repertory
which the crusaders, whom he called
embraces the classics as well as modthe most bigoted people that ever
ern popular songs. They can be heard
went to the East, invaded the Holy every Sunday at 9 P. M.
Land to wrest it from the hands of its
Miss Louise Yazbeck of ShreveMoslem possessors. It is also different
port. La. advises us that she believes
from that condescending spirit with
herself to be the first to have broadwhich some Western philanthropists
cast Oriental music in the United
and missionaries approached their
States. Her work was started in
work for the natives. It is, in short,
1924 when radio was still in its inthe American spirit of give and take,
fancy, and she has broadcast not only
of working together for one single
from her home city of Shreveport
aim.
Dr. Dodge would apply the
but from many other Southern and
American spirit of democracy which
Southwestern centers. She now broadallowed each nationality to develop,
casts regularly every Sunday evening
freely its innate culture, and yet
at 10.45 Central Standard time over
molds all in one loyal body when duty
station K. F. K. H. 850 kilocycles,
• calls for common action, to the whole
featuring
an Oriental program and
world.
using principally Prof. Alexander
The banquet itself was an embodiMaloof's compositions. She also makes
ment of this new spirit, for it conregular broadcasts every Thursday,
sisted of alumni of different nationover the same station, giving an Ameralities: Syrians, Greeks, Turks, Armeican program.
�56
THE SYRIAN WORLD
;
SYRIAN RADIO ARTIST
WAHHABIS OF NAJD
KILL ARABIC SCHOLAR.
Press dispatches from Jerusalem
reported on Oct. 27 that the Wahhabi
Arabs had killed the Danish Journalist and Arabic scholar Knud Holmbo
near Amman while he was on a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Although the exact reason for the
murder is not made clear by the dispatches, there would seem to be no
doubt that the fanatical Wahhabis resented the insistence of the European
scholar on making the pilgrimage to
their holy city, apparently doubting
the sincerity of his motives in becoming a Moslem.
Mjiss Louise Yazbeck
First to Broadcast an Oriental
Program
Miss Yazbeck is a recognized piano
teacher of high standing in Shreveport,
and lately has been elected
President of the Progressive Music
Club composed of the piano teachers
of the city.
INDIAN SPEAKER
"GUEST OF SYRIANS.
Miss Sumayah Attiyeh, the wellknown Syrian lecturer, invited the
Hindu speaker and companion of Mahatma Gandhi, Mr. Das Gubta, to
address a meeting held at the Wells
House in Brooklyn Thursday evening
November 19. Miss Attiyeh introduced the visiting Indian in glowing
terms and the latter gave a detailed
and comprehensive account of the private and public life of Gandhi based
on personal knowledge.
Knud Holmbo was but thirty years
fid and, had achieved considerable
distinction as an Arabic scholar. In
Scandinavia he was known as the
Danish Lawrence, and his love for
the Arabs prompted him to take many
adventurous trips in their various
countries. Two years ago 'he made
an automobile expedition to Tripoli
and was arrested by the Italians on
the suspicion of spreading Bolshevist
propaganda because of his open
championship of the Arab cause,
which in Tripoli is interpreted as sedition. He was released only after
persistent diplomatic representations
by the Danish government.
In the summer of this year he was
reported by the Syrian press as having reached Damascus on his contemplated pilgrimage to Mecca. He
openly embraced the Moslem faith and
adopted the name of Ali. Apparently
he could not proceed on his journey
any further than Amman which is the
capital of Transjordania.
The Wahhabis are the fanatical
followers of King Ibn Saoud and are
known as Al-Ikhwan, or the Brethren
•1
<
�NOVEMBER, 1931
57
A STUDY
of
KAHLIL GIBRAN
"The Man from Lebanon"
Barbara Young, the American poet who is now Kahlil Gibran's literary executor, speaks with authority in a 48 page
brochure con^ming his life and work, illustrated with
several hitherto unpublished portraits of the Poet of the
Cedars, and a reproduction of one pen and ink drawing and
one page of original manuscript.
A few copies of the limited first edition, serially numbered and autographed by the author, are still available.
The price for this edition is $2.50.
Owing to the wide interest in the brochure, a second
printing will be necessary. These will not be numbered nor
autographed, and will be procurable at $1.50 the copy.
Checks may be made payable to the Gibran Studio, 5 1
West 10th Street, New York City.
'mUHmmmmSS^mBSBSSSsBSm^SBm
�58
THE SYRIAN WORLD
S A E ENT
/ J ^
x?rF,'?HE.?WNERSHIP- MANAGEMENT. CIRCULATION
•f The Syrian World,
published monthly at New York, N. Y.f Oct. 1, 1931.
STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF NEW YORK.
Before me, a Notary Public, in and for the state and county aforesaid,
personally appeared Salloum A. Mokarzel, who, having been duly sworn
according to law, deposes and says that he is the publisher of The Syrian
World, and that the following is, to the best of his knowledge and belief,
a true statement of the ownership, management (and if a da.ly paper, the
circulation), etc.. of the aforesaid publication for the date shown in the
above caption, required by the Act of August 24, 1912, embodied in section
411, Postal Laws and Regulations, printed on the reverse of this form, to wit:
1. That the names and addresses of the publisher, editor, managing
editor, and business managers are:
Name of—
Post office address—
Publisher, Salloum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenwich Street.
Editor, Salloum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenwich Street.
Managing Editor, Salloum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenwich Street.
Business Manager, Cecil J. Badway,
104 Greenwich Street.
2. That the owner is: (If owned by a corporation, its name and address
must be stated and also immediately thereunder the names and addresses
of stockholders owning or holding one per cent, or more of total amount of
stock. If not owned by a corporation, the names and addresses of the individual owners must be given. If owned by a firm, company or other unincorporated concern, its name and address, as well as those of each individual
member, must be given.)
Salloum A. Mokarzel, 104 Greenwich Street.
3. That the known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1 per cent, or more of total amount of bonds mortgages, or other securities are: (If there are none, so state.) None.
4. That the two paragraphs next above giving the names of the owners, stockholders, security holders, if any, contain not only the list of
stockholders and security holders as they appear upon the books of the
company but also, in cases where the stockholder or security holder appears
upon the books of the company as trustee or in any other fiduciary relation,
the name of the person or corporation for whom such trustee is acting is
given; also that the said two paragraphs contain statements embracing affiant's full knowledge and belief as to the circumstances and conditions under which stockholders and security holders wKo do not appear upon the
books of the company as trustees, hold stock and securities in a capacity
other than that of a bona fide owner; and this affiant has no reason to believe that any other person, association, or corporation has any interest
direct or indirect in the said stock, bonds or other securities than as so
stated by him.
5. That the average number of copies of each issue of this publication
sold or distributed, through the mails or otherwise, to paid subscribers during the six months preceding the date shown above is.
(This information is required from daily publications only.)
S. A. MOKARZEL.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 14th day of October, 1931
[Seal.]
Edna M. Huckner.
(My commission expires March 30, 1932.)
HHNHHII
�II
1
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59
NOVEMBER, 1931
1
f
Gibran's Message
To Young Americans of SyrianOrigin
By G. K.
1
GIBRAN
Author of f'TAe "Prophet,"
"Jesus the Son of t\/a«,"
Th« Syrun
Syrii World, July. 1*26
I believe in you. and I believe in your destiny.
I believe that you are contributors to this new civilization.
I believe (hat you have inherited from your forefathers an ancient dream* a song, a prophecy, which you can proudly lay as a gift of gratitude upon the lap of America.
I believe you can say to the founders of this great nation. "Here I am, a youth, a young
tree, whose roots were plucked from the hills of Lebanon, yet I am deeply rooted here, and I would
be fruitful."
And I believe that you can say to Abraham Lincoln, the blessed. "Jesus of Nazareth
touched your lips when you spoke, and guided your hand when you wrote; and 1 shall uphold
all that you have said and all that you have written."
I believe that you can say to Emerson and Whitman and James, "In my veins runs the
blood of the poets and wise men of old, and it is my desire to come to you and receive, but I shall
not come with empty hands."
I believe that even as your fathers came to this land to produce riches, you were born
here to produce riches by intelligence, by labor.
And 1 believe that it is in you to be good citizens.
And what is it to be a good citizen?
It is to acknowledge the other person's rights before asserting your own, but always to be
conscious of your own.
It is to be free in thought and deed, but it is also to know that your freedom is subject
to the other person's freedom.
It is to create the useful and the beautiful with your own hands, and to admire what others
"have created in love and with faith.
It is to produce wealth by labor and only by labor, and to spend less than you have produced that yonr children may not be dependent on the state for support when you are no more.
It is to stand before the towers of New York, Washington, Chicago and San Francisco
saying in your heart. "I am the descendant of a people that builded Damascus, and Biblus, and
Tyre and Sidon. and Antioch, and now I am here to build with you. and with a will."
It is to be proud of being an American, but it is also to be proud that your fathers and
mothers came from a land upon which God laid His gracious band and raised His messengers.
Young Americans of Syrian origin. I believe in you.
.»A-,t A * A>;>K .*; A .*; A
Ml
FREE TO SYRIAN WORLD SUBSCRIBERS. This beautiful message by
Gibran 13x17 inches, printed in large type on heavy paper with ornamental border suitable for framing. Every PAID subscriber whose term begins
with Sept. 1931 is entitled to a copy, mailed in heavy cardboard tube. Subscribers whose term begins before Sep. 1931 may secure a copy by renewal.
.-—-. '
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�ft*
60
THE SYRIAN WORLD
AUTHENTIC
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
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You may enter my name as a subscriber to "The Syrian World" for the term of one year, for which I agree to
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Address
City & State
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�NOVEMBER, 1931
61
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Tel. LOngacre 5-2385
JERSEY CITY, N. J.
552 Johnston Avenue
Tel. Bergen 3-1085
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A well-appointed Syrian restaurant in the heart of the
Syrian Quarter, in lower Manhattan, where you and your
friends can enjoy the most
delectable
Oriental
meals
amidst the charm of an Oriental atmosphere.
Second Foor for Banquets and
Private Parties
KIRDAHY RESTAURANTS,
Inc.
65 WASHINGTON ST.,
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EgyptAlthough the introduction of the Lino-
the very fact that governmental and
type into Arabic-speaking countries
corporate agencies were the first to
is comparatively recent, it is fast gain-
decide in its favor not only proves its
ing in popularity through the gradual
necessity but presages its ultimate
conviction of publishers and printers
general use. Because such agencies
that it is the type-setting machine of
reach their decisions only after thor-
the present and the future. It is not
ough investigation and comparative
only speedy but economical and ef-
study. This can be readily deduced
ficient. As is natural, the government
from the trend of Linotype installa-
and large corporate concerns were the
tions in Egypt which in the last few
first to realize its ultimate savings re-
years have
gardless of the initial investment. And
well-known printing establishments.
included
the following
Agricultural Bank, Cairo
1 Linotype
Government Press, Cairo
2 Linotypes
Egyptian State Railway Press, Cairo ...
2 Linotypes
Imprimerie Misr, Cairo
1 Linotype
MERCENTHALER LINOTYPE COMPANY
Brooklyn, New York, U. S. A.
Cable: LINOTYPE, NEW YORK
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
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Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
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New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
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English
Contributor
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Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
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NS 0002
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This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
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Identifier
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TSW1931_11reducedWM
Title
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The Syrian World Volume 06, Issue 03
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1931 November
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 6 Issue 03 of The Syrian World published November 1931. The issue begins with an article by Salloum Mokarzel detailing the coming generation of Syrian leaders. Within his article, Mokarzel comprehensively discusses the changes arising in Syria as a result of French control and a change in thought surrounding what constitutes a leader. This is followed by a poem titled "Affluence" by Edna K. Saloomey. Kahlil Gibran has a work presented next, as will occasionally happen thanks to Barbara Young a literary executor of some of Gibran's works. The work included in this issue is titled "The Deeper Pain." Bayard Dodge is also featured for their work titled "Conditions in the Near East" in which they have taken excerpts from their own annual reports from 1930 to 1931 in order to formulate a research based presentation on the current situation in the East. Barbara Young is featured yet again for her editing work on a number of poems. After a number of literary works by writers Katibah, Charles J. Sassen, A. Hakim, Barbara Young, and Dr. Salim Y. Alkazin, the issue closes with an editorial comment, an update on political developments in Syria, and the Syrian world news section.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
A language of the resource
English
Creator
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
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New York Public Library
Publisher
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
Format
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Text/pdf
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Text
Rights
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
A. Hakim
Barbara Young
Charles J. Sassen
Edna K. Saloomey
Habib I. Katibah
Kahlil Gibran
New York
Poetry-English
Salim Alkazin
Syria
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/12bf5ebc20ef1e8cfd0151bd4c1aa5e2.pdf
ab42af53635a28315cdc107d3d3e6dec
PDF Text
Text
MAY, 1931.
*****
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
A
MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ENGLISH DEALING
WITH SYRIAN AFFAIRS AND ARABIC LITERATURE
FROM BAGDAD TO BASRAH DOWN THE TIGRIS
AMEEN RIHANI
OUR PRIDE IN OUR SYRIAN RACE
REV. W. A. MANSUR
THE CASE OF THE SYRIAN WORLD
OPINIONS OF FOUR CLASSES OF READERS
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN SYRIA
ALI ZAIBAQ (QUICKSILVER)
^
THE COPY 50c
(A SERIAL)
��fiSE
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
Tublished monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c.
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New York,
N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
MAY, 1931
VOL. V. No. 9.
CONTENTS
PAGE
From Bagdad to Basrah Down the Tigris
5
AMEEN RIHANI
Queen Ulmana's Turquoise (Poem)
DR. SALIM
Y.
17
ALKAZIN
The Spirit of Gibran (Poem)
18
AMIN BEDER
The Case of
THE SYRIAN WORLD
20
Opinion of the Press
21
Opinion of the Clergy
23
Opinion of the Professions
25
Opinion of the Young Generation
27
�-
CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
Our Pride in Our Syrian Race
REV.
W. A.
29
MANSUR
Book Reviews:—
An American Girl's Absorbing Story
36
An Englishman Pleads for Arabia
38
Honor Your Mothers
Miss
40
LAMESE HAMATI
A Mother's Love (Poem)
PHILIP
42
C. S
ABBAGHA
Ali Zaibaq
43
Political Developments in Syria
48
About Syria and Syrians
GIBRAN'S
;
ENGLISH
WORKS
Are on Sale at the Office of "The Syrian World"
50
�IN THIS ISSUE
For Those Who Would Know the High Lights of the
Material in This Number.
AMEEN Rihani enjoys the
distinction of being a gifted
writer in both English and Arabic: Arabic is his mother tongue,
but it may be safely said of him
that his literary ability displays
itself to even better advantage
in English. Perhaps to this singular circumstance of dual capacity may be ascribed the fascination and charm of his writings in both languages, he being
able to introduce in each an element of novelty drawn from
the other. He adds to his native
ability an accomplished technique and rare cultivation and
polish. Hence the demand for
his literary output by outstanding American publications. His
present article, for instance, describing his journey from Bagdad to Basrah down the Tigris,
was first published in Travel
magazine.
Mr. Rihani has given THE
SYRIAN WORLD carte blanche to
publish all his writings aside
from his special and direct contributions to the publication.
His opinion of THE SYRIAN
WORLD, his espousal of its educational mission and his firm
belief in its benefits as a potent
moral force are well known
from his published declarations
on the subject. It is but natural,
therefore, that he should help
carry on the task of education
and enlightenment. Our readers may expect many valuable
contributions from him now
that he is back in the peace and
quiet of Freike.
What we would call particular attention to in this connection is that our readers have
the benefit of Mr. Rihani's literary products which American
publications can only secure at
handsome figures. What matters to them whether we pay for
the product or not so long as
they are enjoying the best that
could be offered at a literary
feast. They should, rather, be
glad in the realization that such
able talent is enlisting in the
cause of serving them, educating them, and elevating them.
Nor are the courses offered
them monotonous. They represent a choice variety which true
literary ^connoisseurs will fully
appreciate. We offer Mr. Rihani's present article as a distinctive piece of travel literature.
�D EV. W. A. Mansur's splen- readers published in this issue.
did patriotism must have We are citing opinions from
been evident long ago to our four distinct classes, and trust
readers. He aims to inspire and that other interested readers
writes from deep conviction. will give us the benefit of their
What should lend more weight opinions that we may be more
to his pronouncements on pa- fully helped to reach the proper
triotic issues is that he is su- decision.
premely altruistic. Not only is
he contributing gratuitously but
does so with the fiery zeal and
abstract devotion of a true mis- HTHE exploits of Ali Zaibaq
are coming to an end, the
sionary. It must be remembered
that the Rev. Mansur is not last instalment being scheduled
serving a Syrian community so to appear in the coming issue.
that he may be accused of sel- But in the meantime there are
fish interest in his display of a many blood-curdling incidents
patriotic spirit. We even doubt that mark the intervening chapthe existence of a single Syrian ters. The humiliating experiin his congregation, or even in ence met by the hero at the
hands of a rival, followed by
the town where he is located.
But for distance and time, we his fall from grace with the
entertain not the least doubt King, are only oyershadowed by
that this noble preacher would his reckless bravery in the face
be the first to attend the com- of extreme danger. The Arab
ing Mahrajan. Still his spirit tale-teller tells it with all his
is wholly in the enterprise consummate art.
which he characterizes as the
noblest thought that has entered the mind of a Syrian. His
E have two contributions in
article on the subject will be
this issue from a Syrian
found most informative and girl and a Syrian boy on their
inspirational.
conception of what the chil-
W
XHOSE interested in the destinies of THE SYRIAN
WORLD will find much food for
thought in the opinions of
dren's attitude should be towards their mothers. We heartily congratulate them, and wish
their sentiments and convictions
will be shared in by every Syrian son and daughter.
�THE
SYRIAN WORLD
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL, Editor.
MAY, 1931
VOL. V. No. 9.
From Bagdad to Basrah Down
The Tigris
Ameen Rihani Describes His Eventful Voyage Down That MostAncient of Rivers on a Sidewheeler and Tells Why He Is
Not Surprised Adam and Eve Were Not Sorry to Leave
the Scene of the Garden of Eden.
'By
AMEEN RIHANI
I CAME up to Bagdad from Basrah on a railway that was constructed during the World War, and, having tasted of its comfort and speed, I decided to go back by water. There was a boat
anchored on the Tigris in the shadow of a mansion that seemed
to lisp in monosyllables of the glory of ancient Bagdad. It was
introduced to me by my poetic Arab friend as the Bride of the
Tigris, and the official of The Tigris and Euphrates Navigation
Company said that the Zenobia was the best of the line. The
Zenobia—the name alone attracted me. But I remembered that
I was once attracted—and subtracted from the list of the solvent
—by a name in the stockbroker's office in New York. Nevertheless, the Z.enobia, I said to myself, cannot be worse than a junkcarriage drawn by an antediluvian engine. Besides, there is the
Tigris for compensation.
The Zenobia was a sidewheeler of about four hundred tons,
drawing a maximum draft of three feet. But she could tow four
barges, two on each side, without a murmur from her engine or
a complaint from her crew. She. came from England on her own
flat bottom, like many other crafts, during the War, but, unlike
�i-TtMM
6
THE SYRIAN WORLD
some of the others, she escaped the submarines. It could not
have been her skipper's luck, for he had seen better days on a
palatial trans-Atlantic liner.
He was a portly Englishman of middle age with an everyday
face and a holiday smile—a brave Englishman who could smile
even in those early disastrous days of the British occupation of
Iraq. But he was modest and genial and optimistic, because, I
suppose, he had seen the worst. He himself brought the Zenobia
across the seven seas from Plymouth to Basrah. And what a
voyage it must have been, especially through the Atlantic and
the Mediterranean! Indeed, he had dared many a periscope,
watched the wake of many a torpedo, passed over lurking submarines, wooed all the dangers and perils of underhanded warfare for the sake of the Zenobia. Nevertheless, he had the sincere unaffected modesty to say that her luck was contagious. That
won me to the Zenobia and her master. Wherever the luck was
thought I, I was sure to catch it.
But no one could love the Zenobia as the man that dared with
her the penis of the seven deeps and the more than seven submarines. She was the sole object of his attention, his care, his
devotion. Her decks were as clean as a whistle, her cabins as
attractive as a patch of verdure on the barren banks of the Tigris
her two bathrooms as impeccable as a bride's veil, and—luxury
of luxuries—her fuel was Mesopotamian oil.
The bride indeed, of the Tigris! The skipper, not being a
poet, ventured a correction. "Your friend meant pride, I suppose for many English-speaking Arabs confuse their b's and p's "
I said nothing in defense of poetry. The Zenobia herself was
the moving poetry of the day, and it was a real joy to hear the
skipper comment upon her. But sometimes I wondered Is he
speaking of a well-behaved sidewheeler, or an earthquake? "You
notice how she takes a bank, just brushes against it, and a ton
ot earth falls into the water, giving the river an extra width of
a few feet. 'Not while he was speaking, but an hour later, she
did not exactly brush against the bank. She gave it a knock-out,
which shook the passengers also from their afternoon sleep The
women screamed, the sounders yelled one to another, and I
holding to the rail, watched this summary process of widening
the Tigris.
"Now and then a thing like that happens," said the skipper
apologetically. "It's not the Zenobuts faults it's those damned
khatraps [sounders]. They go asleep in their chairs and con-
.
�MAY, 1931
V /
.
«?£&
^jfr^
"Drawing Water from the Tigris
Methods of Irrigation in Iraq Are Still in the Most Primitive
Form
tinue to cry out khamsah maay [five feet of water], when there
are but two. And here we're stuck. We've got to send out the
anchor." But the khatraji—there were six on the Zenobia—will
tell you that the long bamboo in his hand, with a measure in black
and white told off on the end he dips into the water, that bamboo
may go wrong, but he—never! He can feel the depth of the
Tigris even in his sleep. And whenever an unseemly contact
takes place between the boat and the bank, he blames it upon the
pilot. The Zenobia has two.
You have to have pilots, native X-ray navigators, on the
Tigris. For what does an English skipper know, or ever hope
to know, about the whimsical and mercurial channels of the most
tortuous and the most treacherous of rivers? One's knowledge
must be intuitive, atavistic, Babylonic. Was the pilot then the
culprit? When the Zenobia "just brushed" against the bank and
got stuck in the mud, the water seemed to be overflowing on the
opposite side; and the pilot swore that the shallow side was the.
navigable one when they last went up the river. Has the water
moved or has the sand? The Tigris itself could answer the pilot
m
�8
THE SYRIAN WORLD
by passing the buck to some one up the mountains of Ararat.
But what avails the knowledge and the blame? The Zenobia
must be rescued. One of her two anchors is put into one of her
two balams (a slender canoe-like boat), which is rowed to the
other side of the river. There the anchor is planted in the sand;
and, when the sign is given, the Zenobia's little engine begins to
chortle, winding the chain around the capstan. It was a tug-ofwar, and the resistance was sometimes on our side, sometimes
on the other. In the former case, we had to send out the other
anchor, or have the first replanted in firmer soil. To heave the
boat thuswise was a work that lasted from an hour to a whole
day. It depended upon how deep the sounder or the pilot or the
Tigris or Fate itself had driven the Zenobia into the mud.
"But she comes out of it all right," said the skipper. "Sometimes we have to repair one of her wheels. In her struggle she
leaves a blade or two behind." The problem is even more complicated, when the business of heaving is prolonged. "And sometimes," the skipper resumed, "we are left high and dry between
two deserts—not a blade of grass on either side—just such walls
of dried mud—without any means of communication.... Once
we got stranded near a bedouin village. There was a war between
two tribes, and one of them was driven to the river-bank, where
we were anchored. The firing reached the Z,enobia, and we had
to take to our bunks. Some of the passengers were injured and
one of the water jugs on deck was blown to pieces. It was an
exciting day."
But more exciting to me was the incident I witnessed the
following morning. One of our two barges bumped against what
must have been a boulder in the river-bed, and suddenly the
towing rope screamed and snapped. The stern of the barge was
let loose, and, swinging clean around, it hit the Zenobia on the
nose. Full stop. The khatrajis were all silent but not surprised;
the skipper on the bridge calmly gave out his orders; the crew
leaped on to the barge with towing ropes and chains, and in about
an hour the rebellious monster, which stood breadthwise blocking
the stream, after it had dug with its buttock deep into the mudbank, was brought back and chained to its place. And no one was
excited but myself.
But the skipper, as we made our way, now gloriously, now
laboriously, down stream, became more revealing. "Sometimes
the barge breaks loose entirely, and in a jiffy we find ourselves
separated from each other, with a sand-bank in the bargain be-
t
�{MAY, 1931
tween us. Once it took a whole day to pull a barge out of the
mud and get it again in tow. But we came out of it all right."
The assurance was emphasized with a nod and a smile. The
Zenohia's luck was not only contagious; it was also continuous,
with a break, however, now and then, to lend color to her career.
"Khamsah maay!" (five feet of water) cries the sounder at
the helm. "Khamsah maay!" echoes the sounder at the stern.
And all is smoothness and serenity. But of a sudden, in a voice
sharp and shrill, "Thalathah maay!" (three of water). Too late.
We're up against another snag. The Z,enobia shakes from stem
to stern—full stop. Day and night, going up the river, all day
long, going down the river, the life of a wheeler is a series of
sprints and excavations. But the life of the passengers, notwithstanding, is given an increase of joy by the music of the khatraji*s
voice, even when he is droning, while dozing in his chair, "Khamsah maay."
This music ceases at sunset; for only in the light of day,
when going down the Tigris, is navigation safe. You have seen
how safe it is even in the light of day. But up stream, it is not
so difficult to overcome at night the exiguous currents or the
eccentricity of the channels. For eight months of the year this
temper of the Tigris remains unchanged; and it is worse in September about the end of the dry season. After the first rain,
however, it begins to improve; and when the snow on the mountains beyond Mosul begins to thaw, it rises and rises in earnest,
suddenly, violently, overwhelmingly. It is a river of fatal extremes—a voluptuary in April, May and June, an ascetic in the
nine months that follow. And in both moods there is little or
no good for Iraq. On the contrary, there is destruction. Indeed,
the Tigris in the flood season destroys by its power, and in ebbing
season, by its impotency. In other words, the seed of life is
either choked or starved to death.
The only cure for this savage humor of the river is a scientific system of irrigation, which will chain its floods and regulate
its currents. Thus the Babylonian method of irrigation and navigation will come to an end. The bamboo of the khatraji will be
replaced by the fathometer, and the donkey of the chard (waterwheel) by a Diesel engine. Other bounties will follow, the last
of which will be the end of tribal wars. For the bedouin Arabs
will not have to raid each other then, because of the need of
water and pasture.
The river boats are in one thing progressive—they burn oil
/
--—-
�*"-}
THE SYRIAN WORLD
10
instead of coal. But that is because it is cheaper to be progressive.
The coal must be imported from England, and the oil is there
in Mesopotamia under British control. The 7jenobia towed a barge
carrying two hundred tons of fuel oil to Diala, where the AngloPersian Company was setting up a refinery for the oil of Duleim
and Qasr Shirin on the Persian border. But that oil was still
eluding the prospectors, who had been at work there for two
years. Nevertheless, Diala was being prepared for its reception.
It was becoming curiously progressive and offensive. The landscape, with its minaret and few palms, a modestly picturesque
landscape, a silent and pensive landscape, was beginning to clatter
with the skeletons of wealth. Tank sand pipe-lines, engines and
derricks were crowding out the minaret and the palms.
"Aamesh maay!" (plenty of water; go ahead) cries the khatrajiy and we meander safely for a whole day to a quieter and
more pleasant center of wealth. From sunset to midnight we
load grain at Bughailah. No machinery here. Silently, steadily,
sturdily, the Arabs come and go, piling the sacks on the barge.
I must hasten to correct the statement about machinery. The
landscape of Bughailah was free of it. But an Arab farmer told
me that he used oil pumps for irrigating his land. Apparently,
many pumps were brought to Iraq during the War and were disposed of at very cheap prices by the military authorities. But
tractors the Arabs could not use, because the price of grain did
not warrant the expense. A sack of oats, two hundred pounds,
was sold at Bughailah for five rupees ($1.50) and for about $2.00
f.o.b. Barsah or Bagdad.
No horse in Iraq need eat his head off when his oats can be
gotten for a song. But one wonders why there is such a high
cost of living, when wheat and farm products are plentiful and
cheap. Frequently, in Bagdad, at least, a traveler pays London
prices. One evening I asked three friends to a dinner at a hotel,
which boasted what is still called an American bar. We had two
cocktails each and only one bottle of white wine with the dinner,
which was not an Arabian-night banquet. Nevertheless, the bill—
la douleur, indeed—was seventy rupees, or twenty-one dollars.
With twenty dollars in Bughailah, which is one hundred forty
miles from Bagdad by the boat's log, I could buy twelve bushels
of wheat, two heads of sheep, a dozen chickens, five dozen eggs,
ten quarts of milk and a basketful of vegetables and fruits. The
grocers and farmers there, the whole population came out to meet
the Zenobia when she anchored at sunset. Girls with chickens,
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boys with pomegranates, men with vegetables and eggs, women
with large bowls of laban (a kind of buttermilk) and shepherds
with sheep—they were all there to supply the needs of the thirdclass passengers. There was a hum, but not a shout, of hawkers.
Every one gesticulated, and one boy selling pomegranates made
music of the Arabic name, rumman.
But more eloquent than any gesture or word was the picturesqueness of a little girl, who stood apart from the crowd, holdingout six chickens, three white in one hand and three black in the
other. For about five minutes she stood there in that appealing
attitude, silent and sad; but her fair face and her henna-colored
hair finally triumphed. A tall Persian youth, one of a party of
pilgrims to Kerbela that were returning home by way of Bushire,
leaped from the steamer to the barge, made his way through the
crowd and across the plank to that solitary figure on the shore.
I was on the barge watching the scene. "How much," asked the
Persian, after he had relieved her of her burden. "Half a rupee
each," replied the girl, smiling winsomely. He gave her three
rupees, and then—"this is for thy smile, this is for thy beautiful
eyes, and this is for the henna of thy hair." In speechless wonder
the girl gazed at the six rupees in her hand, turned her back to
go, and then stopped. "May Allah send thee a beautiful bride,"
she said to the.generous youth, and hastened away.
About sunset the women came down to the river for water
and a little recreation, some with goatskins in their hands, some
with earthen jars on their shoulders, and others with beautiful
copper vessels on their heads. They looked like shadows from a
Jittle distance, shadows emerging from ancient Sumaria. How
much an Arab woman can carry is a story often told with what
savors of exaggeration. But what I have seen myself surpasses
anything I have ever heard. An ordinary sight is a woman carrying a child in a bundle swung across her back, another on her
arm, and one or two trays of provision on her head. In addition
to the two children, she may sometimes be carrying an invisible
third in its eighth or ninth month. Yet she is seldom bowed,
however, under her burden.
Graceful of carriage, sturdy and wiry and enduring, she walks
erect no matter how much she is carrying. But rarely does her
burden include any fat. In fact, obesity is rare throughout
Arabia. Like the Arab horse, the average Arab woman has a lean
and hungry look; by the necessity of things, perhaps, they both
share in the discipline that produces stamina and sinew. For the
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
women, however, speed is not the rule. Slowly, languidly, as if
taking the air, they come to the river for water. Beauty of face
is not common among them; but beauty of eyes, of figure, of
carriage, in a word, an enveloping charm predominates and seems
to move in harmony with the last throbbing rays of the sunset.
One of these women stepped into the water mincingly, and
after washing her hands, she lifted her skirt to the knee and
washed her feet and legs. She then rinsed her skin and filled it
with water. Leisurely and with a certain capricious satisfaction,
this was done. And why not? She is resting and refreshing herself after the day's labor. The water-skin full, she tied it at the
neck and carried it to the river-bank, where she had laid her rope
in the form of a U. The skin was set across it, and she, crouching between its two ends, took up the curved side, the lower side
of the U, and placed it, like a fillet, across her forehead. She
then took up the free ends, passed them conversely under her
arms and tied them across her breast. Thus harnessed, she rose
up with apparent ease, shook her burden to a comfortable position, and walked away.
Another uncommonly fair-faced one, who was apparently in
the latter months of her pregnancy, stood near the water, looking
listlessly this way and that, like a contented heifer at pasture;
but when she saw a man she knew among those that were squatting
hard-by, her eyes gleamed and her whole body became humanly
expressive. The man smiled and said something to which she
did not reply. But she stepped into the water and stooped to rinse
her goat-skin. She then turned half-way in the direction of the
men, and, lifting her skirt, she began to wash her feet and legs,
while casting, now and then, a furtive glance the significance of
which could be gauged in the man's responsive expression. This
flirtation continued while she remained in the water. She then
carried her water-skin, which was exceptionally large, to where
the rope lay; but after she had harnessed it to her back, she made
three attempts to rise, but could not. The philanderer, who was
still squatting in his place, watched her with silent but unconcealed amusement. He did not move or say a word. And were
it not for the help of another woman, she could not have stood
up under her burden. The fact that she carried another burden
within her should move even a savage to assistance. But that
squatting, loafing imbecile of an Arab man must have considered
it below his dignity to help the woman with whom he was flirting.
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Nor did she, I think, expect it; for she went away without cursing him and his ancestors.
The skipper, too, like myself, lost his temper that evening
with an Arab; not an Arab philanderer, but an Arab official, the
representative of the Company at Bughailah, who was overloading the barge with grain. And I heard the two exchange unprintable words, words which I thought could never cross the lips or
even enter the heart of the man I had pictured to myself as the
paragon of sea captains. On the Zenobia, at least, whose impeccableness, like her good fortune, was the subject of my admiration as well as his own, such a billingsgate, so I thought, was not
even conceivable. But there it was, and it must have shocked the
Zenobia herself.
On the following day, shortly after we had pulled out of
Bughailah, her behavior was betraying. She bungled her job and
came to the very brink of calamity. She started to do two things
at once, that is, to overhaul the river-bed and to carve a slice from
the river-bank. There is danger enough in one excavation at a
time. It was the worst moment of alarm and peril we had yet
experienced. The skipper, with a lingering temper from the previous night, cried anathema at the two pilots, the pilots shouted
Allah and the Prophet at the sounders, and the sounders' voices
rose higher and quicker and sharper—"Thalathah maay!" (three
of water)—"Ho, yazvash, ho!" (slowly, slowly)—"Thalathah
maay!"
But the Zenobia was already struggling furiously with her
two enemies, the river-bed and the river-bank. Quickly realizing the odds, however, her master called a truce and sent out an
anchor. Most chivalrously, also, he stood up as usual for his
beloved one. "It's not the fault of the Zenobia? he said; "it's
those damned barges at her sides."
The barges did take up half the river, blocking it in places,
running into the mud and the mounts and ruts of the channel,
and getting the Zenobia into trouble. I was becoming an expert
mariner myself—expert, at least, in allocating blame. Take
away those two barges and see her glide, the beautiful bride,
down the Tigris wide, mocking the low tide, and zigzagging
through four feet of water even without a sounder or a guide!
Having shared her fate for seven days and come out of it, like
herself, in fine fettle, it is no more than just to try to set her .
right before the world. For has she not passed all the sidewheelers and quarterwheelers that had started from Bagdad ahead of
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her? And has she not broken the record speed by making an
average of four miles an hour?
And what high-lackeyed craft on the high or low seas can
boast of a cook and a larder as good as those of the Zenobia?
I came on board expecting and willing to starve. I was still suffering from the culinary wonders of Bagdad, and I brought with
me, for a diet, a basket of its best pomegranates. But the first
time I entered the dining-room, I fell a prey to its seductions.
Why, even the Zenobia's plate was of silver. And her cook? His
was an eclectic art, which combined the culinary mysteries of the
East and West. He almost tempted me to throw my pomegranates overboard. But they were a fitting crown, a harmonious
epilogue to his performance.
Can we become intoxicated on fleshpots and pomegranates?
Almost. But before I had attained that happy state of "almost,"
I was thunderstruck and illuminated. Biblically, the two go together, and they mean, in the profane, a catastrophe. This is
how it happened. One day, strolling unorthodoxly through the
Zenobia, I passed by the kitchen, and lo, the cook's assistant was
applying a knife, with the utmost zest and relish, to a can of
potted meat! And misreading the expression in my face, he was
eager to add to my joy. "See," he said, as he opened the door
of the pantry, "we have a bounty of cans." Cans and bottles,
indeed—the fifty-seven varieties. But the cook's reputation did
not suffer a jot. On the contrary, the cook that can conceal the
"fifty-seven varieties" with flavors and concoctions of his own
invention, without causing among his clients instant death, is a
genius.
Nevertheless, for three days after that discovery I weaned
myself from the bounties of his art. For three days I stuck to
my pomegranates. And one evening I realized that one can get
intoxicated on pomegranates—and the stars. The Chaldean stars
that danced on Arabian waters and the thousand star-seeds packed
in the russet case of a pomegranate—no wine of Babylon was
ever more intoxicating. And I had a vision of fair women making a rosary of stars for a man in sackcloth, who was once a
hedonist, a voluptuary ; and he of the sackcloth was washing the
feet of the seven virgins, the foolish virgins, with rose water,
and drying them with his coarse woolen cloak. And I prayed
the prayer of the pantheist—O Infinite One, reveal Thyself within me and make me more conscious that Thy life is my life.
Under a sky of ineffable limpidity, at the occult hour of mid-
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night, in the most ancient of lands, which is said to be the cradle
ol the human race and all the man-made divinities of the world
Jet me tell you how I imagine the reality of the revelation Do
you remember the red and blue and yellow paper flower-one of
the toys of childhood—that spins in the breeze and as you pull
its string convolutes inside out—reveals itself centrifugally? I
am a speck, you are a speck, we are all specks on the petals of
the Flower of the Infinite, which is eternally spinning in space,
and which is eternally revealing itself centrifugally to every living thing within it. But only those who have attained a certain
state of spiritual illumination can see. And those like myself
who are but beginning to crave spiritual sight can only sense a
little of the ineffable truth of the Flower of the Infinite
Forgive this esoteric digression. Here we are confronted
again with the common realities of human history. We are now
at Kut, the little town of Kut, where the British army, under the
command of General Townshend, was besieged by the Turks
during the World War. The Turks had only 13,000 soldiers in
Iraq. But they recruited, as the story goes, every flock of sheep
7%Z iUn?T their Wa^ t0 Kut to mislead ^e British aviators.
11 he lurkish army must be about 100,000 strong, and to venture out of Kut against it is to court disaster.) When we passed
by Kut neither sheep nor soldiers did we see, only an empty
guffah t one of those round row-boats made of twigs and bark
and tarred inside and out, which swayed in the shadow of the
house on top of the mount that rises abruptly from the water
And all the way to Ali Gharbi, to Amarah, to Ezra's Tomb,
lour hundred thirty miles from Bagdad as the river winds its
way, the landscape between the towns varies not. A dreary wilderness on both sides, with a chard drawing water from the river
to irrigate a row of beans beyond the mud walls or a bedouin hut
ol reed, here and there, until we reach the palms of the tomb
ol Ezra During his journey from Susa to lerusalem, according to Judaic tradition, the Prophet Ezra fell and died somewhere in the neighborhood of the town that bears his name or
even under the very palms that enfold his domed tomb with a
shade of mercy.
From Ezra's Tomb down to Basrah, a distance of seventynve miles, the landscape assumes an aspect of reassurance Here
a grove of palms, there a few straggling willows, and not infrequently a green field, which trails its skirt along the riverside—
this is, indeed, a refreshing contrast to that long stretch of sev-
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
eral hundred miles of desolation. And the Biblical tradition follows us to Qornah, the first home of our first parents, the site,
according to the archaeologist and historian, of the Garden of
Eden. And here, at the confluence of the two ancient rivers, the
Tigris and the Euphrates, still stands the Tree of Knowledge.
In a story about Adam and Eve, by an American writer, I
read the following description of that tree. "It is a beautiful old
tree, protected by a wall of sanctity, so that no one may reach it
save with the wings of fancy." Like the "Holy Roman Empire"
of Voltaire, there are three untruths in this statement. The tree
is a doddered willow stretching a lonely limb above the river;
the wall of sanctity, if it ever existed, is today a crumbling mass
of earth and sand; and I have reached the Tree, not with the
wings of fancy, but on the sidewheeler, the Zenobia.
No spot in Mespot, as the British soldier called Mesopotamia,
is hotter and damper and deadlier. No spot is more pestilential.
As early as April the sun and the swamps join hands to make
life miserable for even the serpent. I am now concerned with
reality and not with tradition. Qornah is a town of many smells
and diseases—a malarial and noisome hole—with a human population of 5,000 and another of a variety of insects and creeping
things—mosquitoes of all kinds, fleas and flies, hornets and wasps
and bugs, scorpions and tarantulas and snakes. If ever there was
here an Edenic peace and charm, they must have vanished even
before the days of Nebuchadnezzar. And if this place, when
Adam and Eve made it their first home, was only half as bad
as it is today, they must have considered it a blessing to be expelled from it.
During my travels up and down Arabia, I found Eve buried
in Jeddah, Adam sharing a tomb with the Prophet's cousin Ali
in Najaf, and Cain tucked away in a nook high up in one of the
crater walls at Aden. We may conclude from this that Qornah
must have been, even in the primal age, a most pestilential spot,
and Adam and Eve and Cain—I did not come upon Abel's tomb
in my wanderings—were mighty glad to get away from it, to be
as far away from it as their donkeys could carry them. If the
tombs speak truth, there was, indeed, a happy dispersion of the
first family.
The devil or the snake may or may not have had a hand in
it. There seems to be some evidence, however, that the devil once
blundered into these parts, and he left, when he fled, a token of
his plight. Coming down the Tigris Narrows, between Amarah
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and Qornah, where the channel is like a corkscrew, the skipper
said, as we were negotiating a blind corner, "There is the Devil's
Elbow." Farther down we came to what he called the Hairpin
Bends, and when we reached Qornah, his only remark about the
place was, "The devil himself would not live here."
From Qornah down to Basrah, however, we forget the Devil's Elbow and the Garden of Eden. The two rivers, the Tigris
and the Euphrates, flowing together as Shutt'ul-Arab, become
open-hearted, straightforward, decent, even beautiful, especially
in the moonlight, when along the banks the shadows of the palms
in the water are delicately expressive of the pensive calm and the
limpid bliss of an "un-Edenic" atmosphere.
Queen Ulmand s Turquoise
'By
DR. SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
Like a bit of the glory of heaven,
Or a leaf of the violet's blue
When the morning has lent her bright jewels,
Of the purest crystalline dew,
Is the beautiful breastplate of turquoise
That was worn by Ulmana, the queen,
As she rode through the streets of the city
In her chariot of gold and green.
Long ago in the dust of the ages,
The queen to her fair "god" went
In a chariot of pearl and white lilies,
When the reign of her earth-life was spent.
But still, in a palace at Cairo,
Her turquoise reflects back the sky,
And with these and the marks of her scarabaeus,
Her greatness will never die!
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
The Spirit of Gibran
"By
AMIN BEDER
Where is your Soul, Gibran, where has it fled?
Why silently you rest—What pales your head?
There is no sign of fear or anguish on your brow;
What hast thou found beyond—what hast thou read?
I wonder if you trembled at the sight
Of Father Death whose hand he lays so light,
To honour thee and crown thee with his bliss;
Why fear his hand—where is our Prophet's Might?
Your pen and brush are left without a seer,
Are stilled, and who will the despondent cheer?
What brush will paint the boundless shoreless sea?
What hand so strong, the ship of life to steer?
Qibran's ^Answer
And as I pass into the darkest sea,
Beyond the gates of Night where none are free,
My eyes, though turned away, behold thee still}
My heart when cold in death will beat for thee.
�Drawn by Kahlil Gibran at the time of the reported famine in
Syria and Lebanon during the World War.
(The original drawing is in possession of
The Syrian World.)
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
The Case of The Syrian World
OPINIONS OF FOUR REPRESENTATIVE CLASSES OF
SYRIANS ON ITS MISSION
We Invite Further Discussion of Ways and Means
for its Continuity
QUR statement of the "Case of THE SYRIAN WORLD" in the
preceding issue has aroused the interest of our thinking element to the point of seriously debating the future of the publication. In New York, many of our contributors and other
civic-minded friends visited the editor for conferences as to ways
and means of maintaining the publication, while.Al-Hoda, the
leading Arabic-language paper in the country, has repeatedly
discussed the subject editorially. Those displaying most interest,
however, are representatives of the older generation. This we
now make as a mere statement of fact based upon the evidence
so far in hand, and shall withhold any analytical comment to the
coming issue. By then we hope we would have a fuller representation of opinion of all shades.
In formulating opinions we would ask our readers to keep
in view the dual role of the magazine—that of its being dedicated to the task of serving the Syrian-American generation along
the lines frequently stated, and of serving as a racial organ in
English to properly represent our Syrian heritage and culture.
This dual role was planned for THE SYRIAN WORLD since its
inception, as may be gathered from the foreword and the editorial comment appearing in the first issue. To view the magazine in any other light would be an unfair assumption, and this
fact we particularly call to the attention of those who would be
inclined to the belief that THE SYRIAN WORLD is meant only
to amuse and entertain a certain element or class.
In selecting the following opinions for publication we believe
we are making a fair representation of a variety of classes—the
press, the clergy, the professions and the younger generation.
We want to assure all commentators and correspondents of our
�21
.'MAY, 1931
full appreciation cf the interest they display, whatever the nature
of their opinion. Criticism is as welcome as approval and commendation. Our aim is to sound the true feelings of those who
evince sufficient interest in THE SYRIAN WORLD as a factor in
our national life. We would particularly invite concrete and constructive suggestions on ways and means of promoting the publication from those who believe in the necessity of its continuation.
Al-Hoda has made one such concrete suggestion and actually
carried it out. Other means might prove equally helpful.
OPINION OF THE PRESS
(From an editorial of Al-Hoda, New York, May 13, 1931.)
J
We were grieved and shocked to read in the April number
of THE SYRIAN WORLD the statement of the editor wherein he
outlines the case of the publication and puts to his readers the
following questions:
1—Is the magazine needed?
2—Should the name be retained?
3—Is the content matter suitable?
5—Should the size be changed?
The fate of THE SYRIAN WORLD is of vital interest to every
Arabic-speaking person in the United States, and we shall answer
the questions of the editor in their reverse order.
The size of the magazine is convenient and artistic.
The content matter is suitable and plentiful, and represents
a fine choice of useful material.
A change of name could only be taken to mean that Syrians are
ashamed of themselves, which cannot be the case.
The remaining point is whether the Arabic-speaking elements,
be they Syrians, Lebanese, Houranians, Iraqians or Palestinians,
are in need of the publication.
A partial answer to this question is that we know a number
of the American elite which holds THE SYRIAN WORLD in the
highest admiration. It includes judges, lawyers, legislators, physicians, journalists, historians, professors and poets who have
gained a higher opinion of our race by what they have read in
THE SYRIAN WORLD of the literary products of our best talent.
Not a gifted Syrian or Lebanese writer, whether man or
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
woman, but has contributed to THE SYRIAN WORLD, and not a
single reputable newspaper or periodical but has expressed an
opinion of approval and admiration of it. In this respect THE
SYRIAN WORLD is one of our greatest moral assets of which we
should be proud and which we are duty-bound to maintain and
support.
It is true that the present economic depression has weighed
heavily on our native press. Not even the American press has
escaped, if we consider that such important metropolitan dailies
as the Globe, the Herald and the World had to seek amalgamation as a means of safety. But then the American reading public
has thousands of newspapers and periodicals while we immigrants
have but one magazine published in English, and as such it reflects to the English-reading public our finest culture and traditions. For our people to permit THE SYRIAN WORLD to suspend
publication would be a serious reflection on our race consciousness
and patriotism.
Without THE SYRIAN WORLD who would there be to defend
our cause, to portray our culture, to serve as a medium of expression for our talent and to record our progress and our history?
How could we, without THE SYRIAN WORLD, prove to the
American nation the honesty of our intention in helping properly
to Americanize our younger generation while assisting them in
conserving the best of their heritage?
How could the coming generations of Syrians be taught the
history of their ancestors that they may claim their proper share
of respect among their associates, and not feel ashamed of their
ancestry or of speaking the language of their parents?
We can appreciate the full measure of sacrifice the editor of
THE SYRIAN WORLD is making for the cause of his people. But
we cannot imagine him faltering in the face of the heaviest sacrifice owing to his journalistic proclivities and training.
As a means of weathering his present difficulties, however,
we would advance the following suggestions: Launch a campaign
for new subscribers} insist in all cases on advance payment} appeal to the public-spirited among us to make gift subscriptions
of THE SYRIAN WORLD to prominent Americans that intelligent
American public opinion may come to know us better and appraise
us at our true value.
This method, we believe, should prove effective. We wish
to demonstrate our faith in THE SYRIAN WORLD and express our
appreciation of its meritorious service to our people by making
�23
tMAYy 1931
five gift subscriptions to the following: Count Robert de Kay,
Geneva; Senor Arturo Elias, Mexico; the French Ambassador,
Washington; Ex-Governor Alfred E. Smith and Judge William
Olcott, New York.
Al-Hoda further commented editorially on the subject in its
issue of May 19 as follows:
If we have advocated support of THE SYRIAN WORLD it is
because we believe the publication to be the logical medium for
the diffusion of our racial culture and the propagation of knowledge of our national history. It is by such means that we can
gain the respect of Americans by acquainting them properly with
ourselves.
We further believe that our commercial interests will be greatly benefited by the wider circulation of THE SYRIAN WORLD. A
Syrian merchant cannot fail to profit by presenting such a fine
publication to his American friends.
Our intelligent compatriots would be inviting greater respect
for themselves and their people, and would enhance their prestige both socially and politically, by making gift subscriptions of
THE SYRIAN WORLD to the governors of their states, to State
senators and assemblymen, and to local judges, political leaders,
priests, ministers and chiefs of police, most of whom know but
little about us and our history.
OPINION OF THE CLERGY
My dear Brother Mr. Mokarzel:
I write to express my thought of THE SYRIAN WORLD in
answer to your statement which appeared in the April issue.
First, it is my religious belief that THE SYRIAN WORLD was
born of God. It is my religious belief that Providence has raised
you up for the founding of THE SYRIAN WORLD. For this reason I have always implored my blessed Master to be with you,
bless you, and guide you. I pray God always to bless you in this
noble undertaking, sustain you amid the trials that would beset
you, and inspire you with vision for its future success. The intensity with which I believe that God's Hand is in the founding
of THE SYRIAN WORLD has led me to pray often for its success.
Second, THE SYRIAN WORLD fills a need in the life of the
Syrian Lebanese race in America and everywhere. Its high stand-
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
ard, its American loyalty, its wise leadership is already an established asset in the life of our race. Its diffusion of knowledge
of our racial heritage is becoming permanent in informed American circles. Its upholding of our racial culture makes THE SYRIAN WORLD a paramount organ of our race welfare in America
and the world. Its good name is already establishing our rightful high racial prestige among the races in America and wherever Syrians and Lebanese live throughout the world.
Third, THE SYRIAN WORLD is paramount in the building of
the future welfare, greatness, and progress of our race. It is
acquainting Syrian Lebanese youth with our racial history, racial
talent, and racial greatness. It is inspiring racial self-preservation through the scattered elements of .our race in America. It is
affording a forum for the statement, discussion, and propagation
of worthy thought for the progress of the race. It is discussing the
principles that make for solidarity, preservation, and progress of
our people. It is initiating movements which make for the improvement of our race educationally, patriotically, and socially.
THE SYRIAN WORLD is universal in its appeal, is founded on
our common aspirations, and is permeated with Americanism, optimism, leadership, and progress. THE SYRIAN WORLD is free
from sectarian bigotry, political strife, and selfish ambition. The
leadership of S. A. Mokarzel is noble in service, unselfish in
spirit, universal in sympathy, American in loyalty, far-reaching
in vision, and high standard in policy. It is my hope that the
policy of THE SYRIAN WORLD will continue in your hands for
a long time to come.
Yours very sincerely for
THE SYRIAN WORLD,
REV. W. A. MANSUR,
(Pastor Methodist Episcopal Church,
Winside, Neb.)
Dear Mr. Mokarzel:
THE SYRIAN WORLD is a unique publication, and one most
worthy of the support of our people because of the crying need
for it. Lack of adequate support does not reflect on the nobility
of the motive, but on the proper appreciation by Syrians of what
is essential, educationally, to their sons and daughters. Especially
that the cost is so slight in comparison to the immense benefits
derived.
I have always held that no matter what the fate of our Ara-
f)
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MAY, 1931
25
bic publications, THE SYRIAN WORLD was destined to endure.
It would be an indictment of our people to let such a splendid
racial organ perish. We are trusting in your courage and leadership. We ask you to persevere until such time that the blind
may see, the deaf hear and the miserly mend their ways. If,
after having exhausted all efforts, you should find suspension inevitable, then make your valedictory in the tone of sounding
the death knell of all worthy public enterprises among the immigrants, and divorce forever the ungrateful calling of the pen.
A fitting conclusion might be the following Arabic verse:
Restrain your voice if those you call are deaf.
No greater waste than call the deaf and dumb.
REV. E. M. HAMATI,
(Rector St. George Syrian Orthodox Antiochian
Church, St. Paul, Minn.)
OPINION OF THE PROFESSIONS
Dear Editor:
"THE CASE OF THE SYRIAN WORLD" in your last
issue is painfully serious; but alas! a true indictment of the Syrian patriotism and intelligence. It is both depressing and tragic.
Your interrogatories pertaining to the need of THE SYRIAN
WORLD can be summarily dismissed without comment. The need
of THE SYRIAN WORLD is completely, overwhelmingly, and uncontradictably answered in the recent editorial of Al-Hoda.
The only question presenting material for discussion is THE
SYRIAN WORLD'S financial difficulties.
Why is THE SYRIAN WORLD financially distressed?
Since the support of the WORLD must come, in the main, from
the younger Syrians, we can rightfully and logically reduce our
analysis to this question: "Why is the indifference? Why are
the young Syrians not supporting such a worthy publication?"
Having come to America in my early teens, it can be easily
and truthfully supposed that my sympathies are with the young
people j but facts, demolishing facts, truths, too apparent and
gigantic to be covered, must be recognized.
Let my answer be one sweeping statement. The nature, habits, life, ideals, and thought of the young Syrian must be
changed, or else THE SYRIAN WORLD is doomed to be crushed
�i-i r
26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
under the financial burden it cannot carry.
Our young people, (and when I say our young people I
mean the preponderant majority), have not the high ideals nor
the sublime aspirations of their uneducated (literally) parents.
In fact the sacredness of our traditions, and in particular our
home life, our modes of dealing with sexual matters, are openly
scorned, bitterly criticized, flagrantly disregarded and are made
the subject of derision and mockery.
Our religious tenacity, the bulwark and protection of our
civilization, has become, in the minds of our youths, the object
of ridicule and scorn.
They are actually bored with our rites, our ceremonials and
our ancient hospitality.
Sports, sports, sports, Mr. Editor, social affairs, dancing,
drinking bouts, necking, picknicking, parties, all sorts of parties,
constitute 98% of the life, thought and aspirations of our young
people.
If this is true, and I challenge a contradiction, can you not
see, Mr. Editor, that literature of the type found in THE SYRIAN
WORLD is not appealing to the younger element?
In order to maintain THE SYRIAN WORLD in its present glorious standard one of two things must happen, to wit: Either the
young generation be transformed, and this is a bare possibility,
or THE SYRIAN WORLD be demoted from a clean, high, educational, forceful, and morally spiritual magazine, ably representing the best in our lives and habits, to a magazine abundantly
physical, appealing to the bodies of men rather than to their
minds.
I know that this letter will bring forth a storm of denials,
denunciations, and, perchance, vilifications. In the interest of
truth we can endure pain, sorrow and even death.
It may be to the interest (material interest) of THE SYRIAN
WORLD not to publish these thoughts hurriedly but feelingly
written; but these are candid and sincere thoughts based on wide,
long and sad but beneficial experience.
My happiness would be immeasurable if I could be convinced
that I am in error and that my diagnosis is faulty and unwarranted.
I sincerely hope that some way can be found to perpetuate
the publication of THE SYRIAN WORLD in its present form. Any
other form will be a moral surrender; surrender of superiority to
inferiority. It would become less useful, less serviceable and less
h
�{MAY, 1931
27
representative of the best in our history and traditions.
DR. H. A. EI.KOURIE.
Birmingham, Ala.
OPINION OF THE YOUNG GENERATION
Editor,
THE SYRIAN WORLD:
In almost every issue during the past year there has been
made queries, requests, appeals, regarding the possible means for
insuring the continuity of THE SYRIAN WORLD. The situation is
certainly tragic.
Has this publication, now five years old, which has enlightened us all on matters Syrian, cheered us with its pithy tales of
the mystic Orient, educated us, charmed us with its magic poetry,
—are all these to be no more, to go into bleak oblivion:
What a calamity!
Is the present business depression sufficient cause to neglect
a necessity of such vital importance to all of us of Syrian origin?
The editor's repeated appeals mean in very few words that "to
maintain such an enterprise, he must have assistance"—financial
assistance. Any commercial venture to progress must have such.
And in order for the editor to obtain such he must have paid up
subscriptions, and many.
We must face the situation in its true light. Words, beautiful words, cannot remedy the situation which requires deeds; and
deeds, in this instance, mean ACTION! ACTION spells cooperation with the editor.
VICTORIA Z. SHEHAB.
New York.
-
Editor,
THE SYRIAN WORLD:
I have read a great number of the issues of THE SYRIAN
WORLD and want to compliment you on your staff and contributors. The whole magazine displays a choice of English which
belongs only to those of high education, describes scenes as only
those of vivid imagination can picture them, and brings out a
love and loyalty of the Fatherland that the reader senses throughout the magazine.
�28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
And yet, with all these qualities, there is something lacking—
something vital. The magazine is written for the Syrian public,
especially for the younger generation. But it does not express
them.
You wonder why THE SYRIAN WORLD fails to receive public
support. Have you considered that the majority of the Syrian
readers are of average education and cannot derive great pleasure
in your articles due to lack of comprehension, lack of imagination, or lack of interest in reading high-sounding phrases? Have
you considered that "Ali Zaibaq" is not the type of story that
contains the greatest human interest for this generation? Have
you considered that the younger people crave informality in the
writing of news? Do you not think that repetition of writers in
consecutive issues means no variety in articles or style of writing?
The above questions must be analyzed if you want to hold
the interest of the younger Syrians in your magazine and if you
desire to urge them to a greater zeal of accomplishing things, a
greater comprehension of the qualities of the land of their ancestors, and a greater love and loyalty of that country from which
their parents emigrated.
In your March issue, you asked for opinions and stressed the
lack of support. I sincerely hope that THE SYRIAN WORLD continues its publication because we, the American-born Syrians, have
the need of such a magazine.
May I sign myself as
A READER?
P. S.—Why not give us women writers?—of our own nationalitv?
TRUTH
It takes two of us to discover truth: one to utter it and one
to understand it.
GIBRAN.
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29
MAY, 1931
Our Pride in Our Syrian Race
2?y
REV.
W. A.
MANSUR
Editor's Note—As explained in a letter from the author, the following
article was written in the spirit of an address to be delivered at the coming Mahrajan, or national festival, to be held at Bridgeport, Conn., on
July 4 and 5 under the auspices of the Lebanon League of Progress of
New York. Rev. Mansur's policy, as evident from all his contributions on
the subject, is one of inspiring pride as an incentive to more worthy
achievement. His enthusiasm is but an indication of his faith in the latent
powers of future Syrian generations once they are brought to realize the
necessity of maintaining unbroken their racial traditions of culture and
progress. In his own words, he visioned for his audience not only the
known Syrian leaders of the first generation, but a liberal representation
of the younger Syrian-American generation whom he wished particularly
to impress with the causes of Syrian race pride and the necessity of living
up to their high racial ideals.
I BELIEVE the thought of the Mahrajan is one of the noblest
thoughts that ever entered the mind of a Syrian in America.
I am convinced that it will be creative of pride in our race, in
our heritage, and in our progress. I am persuaded that it will
promote race solidarity, race identity, and race glory. I am confident that it will prove to be a historic event, a significant landmark, and a glorious symbol of the progress of our race in
America.
It is in the spirit of the first Mahrajan of our people in
America, on the ground of the greatness of .our race, and on the
basis of well-known Syrian race legacies to mankind, that I rise
to proclaim our pride in our Syrian descent.
Surrounded by pioneers of the Syrian race in America, by
the founders of a Syrian race empire in the New World, and
by the Syrian leadership of our times, I stand to proclaim our
pride in our racial heritage, which constitutes a contribution to
civilization of which we all should be conscious.
Listened to by worthy Syrian-American youth, by trustworthy descendants of a foremost race, and by the custodians of
�_-—
30
THE SYRIAN WORLD
the honor of our famous ancestors, I speak to herald our pride
in our posterity, the future winners of an illustrious destiny
among the people of mankind.
We Syrians in America are awake to the splendid history and
significant potentialities of our race in the world.
N. A. Mokarzel, champion of our race, said, "The Lebanese
of today are the direct descendants of the Phoenicians
". (AlHoda, editorial, March 18, 1930. See SYRIAN WORLD, May,
1930.)
S. A. Mokarzel, leader of the Syrian awakening, said, "Certainly, as would seem plain from the study of our past history
and from our record in America, we have every reason to be
proud of our race and of our name." (SYRIAN WORLD, editorial,
Syrians Only, June, 1930.)
Philip K. Hitti, Professor of History, says, "With such a
glorious and unparalleled heritage behind, there is no reason
why the modern Syrian, given the proper opportunity, should
not do his share for the welfare of humanity and the service of
mankind." (SYRIAN WORLD, in Syrian Leadership in Arabic Affairs, August, 1927.)
Through the study of Syrian history we realized the greatness of our race. Through our progress we are rising to a preeminent place among the races of the earth. Through enlightenment, appreciation, and achievement arose our pride in our
Syrian race. It is for the glory of our Syrian race, the inspiration of Syrian youth, for the welfare of posterity, and the information of the American nation and the world, that I declare our
pride in our Syrian race on the occasion of this historic Mahrajan
of our people in America.
/. Our Pride in Our Syrian Race Is Grounded in Our Race
Heritage.
The paramount pride of us Syrian-Americans is our pride in
our Syrian race stock. Other races pride themselves because of
superior numbers, some pride themselves because of military
power, and others pride themselves because of material exploitation. Our Syrian race pride is based on appreciation of our preeminent race stock.
"From the oldest country in the world," said S. A. Mokarzel in a radio address on The Syrians in America, "to the land
known as the New World, they bring their priceless racial distinction as heirs to the culture of the ages. They come with the
.
;
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MAY, 1931
.
m
31
gifts of all the attributes of varied but virile blood—Phoenician,
Semitic, Roman, Grecian, and Arabian. And it is a significant
fact that the first of the Syrians to emigrate were the Lebanese
of the north who claim direct lineal descent from the Phoenicians." (SYRIAN WORLD.)
We Syrians in America are proud of our race because we are
the inheritors of the finest blood of the ages. We are the custodians of preeminent cultures of mankind. We are bequeathing
to posterity the glorious urges of humanity.
By virtue of our heritage, race talent, and race progress we
Syrian-Americans are rising to achieve a fame similar to that
which was our ancestors' — the Phoenicians.
II. Our Pride in Our Syrian Race Is Based on Our Syrian Race
Awakening.
The Syrian, the product of Syrian soil; the Syrian, the urge
of the Syrian soul; the Syrian, the glory of Syrian skies is at last
dreaming dreams, catching visions, and pursuing his destiny.
Talcott Williams says in the Introduction to Philip K. Hitti's The Syrians in America, "Syria and Syrians constitute the
first land and the first people in Southwestern Asia who have
entered into modern civilization. They stand alone in this. If
Syria were an islanded-land instead of being for four thousand
years a thoroughfare of conquering peoples, swept by many
tides, it would be, in its place, as striking an example of progress
as Japan." (See reprint in SYRIAN WORLD, June, 1930.)
Philip K. Hitti says, "Not only were the people of Syria the
first people in Western Asia to join the procession of modern
progress, but in the last century and a quarter they have achieved
more genuine progress, perhaps, than any other people in that
whole region." (SYRIAN WORLD, August, 1927.)
The Syrian race is awake and full of vigor after the long
dark night, and is on the march to a place in the sun! For ages
our race suffered under political autocracy, and now at last is
free! For generations our native land was wasted under economic
exploitation, but now, at last, is fruitful! For centuries our talents have been suppressed, but now, at last, are at liberty!
We Syrians in America are awake to our heritage, we are
beginning to appreciate our race talents. We are remembering
our history, we are beginning to uphold the legacies of our ancestors, and we are beginning to create a place for ourselves
alongside that of other peoples.
�.
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32
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
HI. Our Pride in Our Syrian Race Is Supported by Our Benevolent Race Emigration.
We Syrians are proud of our race because our race emigration is a benevolent influence upon mankind. Some emigration
has been due to military power; other emigration has been due
to increase of population; and other emigration has been due to
material exploitation. Permeating Syrian race emigration is mutual trade,, welfare, and progress.
We modern Syrians are emulating the example of our ancestors both the Phoenician and the Aramean. "The great trading
cities of the Phoenicians," says H. G. Wells in The Outline of
Htstory are the most striking of the early manifestations of
the peculiar and characteristic gift of the Semitic peoples to mankind, trade and exchange. While the Semitic Phoenician peoples
were spreading themselves upon the seas, another kindred Semitic people the Arameans, whose occupation of Damascus we
have already noted, were developing the caravan routes of the
Arabian and Persian deserts, and becoming the chief trading
people of Western Asia."
Talcott Williams says, "But the trading instinct of the Phoenician has earned the Syrian trader over both North and South
JT^QT
aS AfHca and Southern Asia
-"
:
^
(SYRIAN WORLD,
We Syrians in America are in pursuit of the highest within
our reach: mutual trade, common welfare, and human happiness.
Ihese can be ach.eved only on the ground of good-will, cooperation, and prosperity. Therefore, in the wake of Syrian emigration there is diffusion of the basic principles of civilization. Modern civilization based on community interest, trade based on
righteous dealing, and prosperity based on mutual welfare is
being enhanced by the influence of the Syrian race in every race
country, and nation under the sun. We Syrians, descendants of
both the famous Phoenicians and Arameans, on the ground of
good-will, mutual welfare, and common happiness are now diffusing the principles of civilization. We are, therefore, proving
ourselves to be a benevolent race for expansion and emigration in
modern times. We are, thereby, proving our right to claim pride
in our Syrian race.
IV. Our Pride in Our Syrian Race Is Upheld by Our Race
Progress.
Already through our Syrian race progress we are achieving
J
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MAY, 1931
23
a fame similar to that achieved by our famous ancestors—the
Phoenicians. Their alphabet, their oceanic navigation, and their
influence have been among the greatest contributions to human
progress. Although few in number the Phoenicians immortalized
themselves in the annals of mankind.
The modern Syrian is already receiving high honors because
of his progress and contributions to modern civilization.
"And on the other side of the Atlantic," says Arthur Brisbane
in writing of the Semitic Phoenicians, "crossed by Semitic ships
so long ago, Semitic trading genius rules in a new world. There
is more organized Semitic trade between Fourteenth and Fiftyninth streets in New York than there ever was in all Phoenicia
and Carthage."
We Syrians are world pioneers through peaceful emigration,
we are world merchants through mutual trade, and we are world
leaders through common prosperity. Although a small race numerically, the modern Syrians are progressive. Commercially,
we are becoming "merchant princes" in the world. Culturally,
we are among the cultured races. Politically, we are a patriotic
and loyal people. Influentially, we are disseminators of civilization in the world. The Syrian race is already becoming a world
factor in the world of commerce, culture, and influence.
V. Our Pride in Our Syrian Race Is Strengthened by Our Syrian Leadership.
I
We Syrians in America are proud of our Syrian leadership
because it exemplifies our race character, race talent, and race
progress. It is great men who make a people great, who multiply the people's welfare, and who point the way of the people's
progress.
I esteem the Syrian leaders of our times because they represent our race character, race heritage, and race progress. N. A.
Mokarzel is the foremost journalist of our times. Ameen Rihani is the famous Syrian traveller of our day. G. K. Gibran is
the renowned poet of our generation. Philip K. Hitti is the honored Syrian historian of our era. S. A. Mokarzel is the able leader of the Syrian awakening of our age. These are leaders whose
leadership is a torch of enlightenment, a symbol of greatness,
and an honor to our race. These honored leaders are founding
race immortality, and bringing the race to the forefront of the
races in America. In worthy Syrian leadership we have upholders of race heritage, defenders of the race, inspiration for Syrian
�34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
youth, symbols of race talent, and dreamers of the Syrian race.
Great Syrian leaders are the inspiration of Syrian youth, the
vanguard of progress, and the champions of our race welfare.
They are awakening the race to the splendid history of the race.
They are influencing the people to realize their inheritance. They
are moving the race to cooperation and organization. They are
moving the race to perpetuate race identity, race heritage, and
progress. Because our Syrian leadership is inspiring the awakening of Syrian youth, because it is creating race enlightenment,
and because it is spurring the race to progress, we are thereby
strengthened in our pride in our Syrian race.
VI. Our Pride in Our Syrian Race Is Enhanced by Our Spirit
of World Citizenship.
The Syrian is a true and noble example of a world citizen.
He remembers with love the native land of his race, he honors
the legacies of his ancestors, and he esteems his people in all the
earth. He, nevertheless, is a true citizen of the country of his
adoption, he desires first the welfare of his new homeland, and
he is ever ready to fight for his new country against all enemies.
The Syrian is a true cosmopolite. There is that in the Syrian that is akin to every tribe, nation, and tongue. There is that
in the Syrian that is part of every time, clime, and circumstance.
There is that in the Syrian that is the soul of a community spirit
of the world.
.
"At the very outset," says Rev. K. A. Bishara, "I feel fully
justified in claiming for the Syrian the most genuine type of
up-to-date cosmopolitanism acquired through a long process of
compulsory experimentation, he having come, in his own fatherland, in contact with practically all the world powers of history,
in consequence of which he is able to feel at home wherever he
happens to pitch his tent on the face of this earth." (SYRIAN
WORLD, January, 1927.)
..
We Syrians, therefore, pride ourselves in being world citizens, world fraternalists, and world cosmopolites. We enhance
our Syrian pride in being loyal to our new homeland, by promoting the welfare of our adopted countries, and by being
ready to defend our new nationality.
VII. Our Pride in Our Syrian Race Is Established by Our Race
Contributions to Modern Civilization.
"'What could be more of a business romance," asks S. A. Mo-
i
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�MAY, 1931
35
karzel in his article on The History of the Syrians in New York,
"than the record of a penniless, almost illiterate immigrant who,
in the course of a decade, rises from the humble rank of a
peddler to the exalted position of an international merchant
prince directing from his office in New York the humming industries he controls across the waters of both the Atlantic and the
Pacific. The Syrian can now claim representation in every country on the face of the globe, and everywhere he goes he is an
emissary for the promotion of international good-will and exchange of benefits through trade." (SYRIAN WORLD, November,
1927.)
Philip K. Hitti says in an article on Syria's Place in the History of the World, "Thus throughout all ages, and in spite of
the many handicaps and disadvantages under which they labored,
the people of Syria have always contributed their share to the
civilization of the world and have shown extraordinary vitality
and power of adaptation." (SYRIAN WORLD, July, 1926.)
Let it be known that we Syrians are contributing vast influences toward the civilization of races, nations, and continents.
Our Syrian leadership is directing the thought-life of the Arabic-speaking world. We are promoting inter-racial equality that
is based on understanding, appreciation, and brotherhood. We are
disseminating the ideals of political, religious, and intellectual
freedom. We are spreading through peaceful trade, good-will,
friendly commerce, righteous dealing, and higher civilization.
Everywhere the Syrian is loyal to his new homeland through
citizenship, civic welfare, and industrious living.
By our patriotic loyalty, material prosperity, benevolent leadership, common happiness, righteous dealing, and human brotherhood we Syrians rise to acclaim our race contributions to modern civilization.
Because of our pride in our Syrian race I raise my voice and
issue this challenge to the Syrian race which is scattered among
the races, tribes, nations, and tongues of the earth.
I challenge you, O Ye Syrians with our Syrian fair name to
Jionor our race in all the earth.
I challenge you, O Ye Syrians with our Syrian soul to dignify the legacies of our race in all mankind.
I challenge you, O Ye Syrians with our Syrian heritage to
spread the posterity of our race in all the world.
�—
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36
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Book Reviews
AN AMERICAN GIRL'S ABSORBING STORY
Strange Thoroughfare, by Sonia Ruthele Novak, New York,
TheMacmillan Company, 528 pp. $2.50.
J7STHER O'Shane is the girl who treks through Madame Novak's imagination in this replete and vibrant novel. Many people, from childhood on through life, center around Esther whose
character is, perhaps, most forcibly brought out by the phrase
"born for things to happen to." Strange Thoroughfare, though
biographical, is not stereotype and a single track endeavor. Out of
the highways and by-ways of Esther's path of life there are many
people met and many incidents confronted with. Yet all of them
and everything are directly or indirectly influenced by or influential in Esther's life.
Esther is first met as a child, with both parents dead, and her
grand-mother as the one person who intimately and understandingly touches her personality. On the father's side there is a
strain of wild blood with an inference of Indian ancestry. One
becomes familiar with her father's escapades with many women
by the grandmother's not too infrequent references thereto. Esther is constantly up to pranks and tricks with a spirit of abandon.
Some of these cleverly and subtly inform the reader of her
impending misfortunes in life.
Her childhood love affair with Bob is abruptly broken up by
an instinctive remark she makes, and which Bob misunderstands,
when they embrace for the first time as boy and girl conscious of
their sex. Her strong mental inclinations for trouble lead her
into many uncomfortable situations. This is apparent in the spirit of rebellion she flaunts at disciplinary measures at the several
boarding schools she attends. More significantly is this realized
when, due to an impulse, she returns from school with a chauffeur, for whom she felt sorry, and an automobile as a gesture of
rebellion against financial restrictions. Even though several love
affairs come into her life and of such temperament to cause
gossip, she remains loyal to the love she holds for Bob. Pride
seems to be the deterrent to a reconciliation. Perhaps more for
this same reason than for anything else, she marries the son of
\
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�MAYy 1931
;
37
a wealthy man, who is more wastrel than man, and leads a stormy,
tempestuous life with him. After this suggestive episode, Esther agrees to marry a musician, whom she meets, provided he
promises not to consummate the marriage until she wants to.
Even though she has begun a career as a composer and pianist,
there is not sufficient strength to the tie to prevent a hellish life.
This tragic second edition of marriage is ended by her third venture into a marital state with a Texan and World War veteran
recently returned. This pans out still worse and more tragedy results. The child she had borne by her first husband, she had
been compelled to relinquish. From that time Esther's child is
lost in the trend of events. It serves as an anti-climax in the closing
chapter depicting a true mother love. Stark tragedy follows her
third marriage and she decides to leave the South, where up till
now the scene has been laid, and come to New York where she
may pursue her musical and theatrical career.
Despite the fact that there are many people met with by
Esther, they remain correlated about her. Far too many incidents enter to review each separately. This line is unbroken and
unfolded more by the dialogues of the characters in these incidents rather than by an attempt at narration. All remain rapturously woven about Esther.
Though the soft southern accent is sometimes used in the
wrong places and perhaps too frequently, particularly when Esther acquires some education, Madame Novak, nevertheless,
shows her keen powers of observation and perception. A new
means of indicating time is used by the author. This is cleverly
introduced by mention of historic incidents in dialogue Perhaps
imagination more than truth is brought out in the stress laid upon
the war. This is noticeably apparent when Esther goes abroad
to meet Bob and there, quite innocently, identifies as a spy the
brother of her ex-husband, the Austrian musician. The means
employed are hardly gullible and perhaps irrelevant insofar as
the story is concerned. Though this may seem to find fault with
the novel, due regard and consideration must be tendered to the
author's clever weaving of the tale through such diversified channels of life brought to bear upon and elucidatingly about Esther
without once losing the coherency and sequence of the biography.
Strange Thoroughfare is a commanding story. The interest of
the reader is held by its realness. The mental tortures, afflictions
and sufferings of Esther cannot but startlingly bring to the
mind of the reader the tragedy of the conflict between the soul
... .
�38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
and life about which that soul is wrapped.
C. J. B.
EDITOR'S NOTE—Madame Novak will be remembered by our
readers as the contributor of the Orange Tree and the author of
Winds from the Moon. Strange Thoroughfare marks her first
venture in the realm of fiction and her first product bids fair to
become a best seller.
AN ENGLISHMAN PLEADS FOR ARABIA
Arabia, by H. St. John Philby, New York, Charles Scribner's
Sons, 387 pp. $5.00.
AS a general history of Arabia the title of Sir St. John Philby's
latest book on that country is misleading. It is not a history
of the country but one of the Wahhabi movement which lately
culminated in the dominance of King 'Abdul 'Aziz Ibn Sa'ud
over almost the whole peninsula, giving fresh zest to the hope
that at his hands will be soon realized the Arabs' dream of unity
and empire.
The author makes no effort to conceal his purpose in the
compilation of the book. The title, we may safely assume, was
chosen by the editors of the Modern World series to conform to
their general scheme affecting other publications of a similar
nature.
But as a history of the Wahhabi movement the author has
succeeded in producing a fine piece of scholarly effort. He traces
the movement to its earliest beginnings and gives a complete record of its successes and reverses. The bloody internecine wars
that resulted from the attempt of the Wahhabi fanatics to enforce their puritanical doctrine extended over almost a century
and a half, and all this period the author covers in detail. He
brings his narration up to date by including an account of the
Arabs' participation in the World War and the Allies' promises
to them of helping them achieve unity and independence. His
record of these negotiations, particularly those with Great Britain, are complete.
Mr. Philby joins the chorus of those proclaiming the present
King of Nejd "not only the greatest Arab of his day, but one
who stands out in the Arab world as no individual ruler has done
�(MAY, 1931
39
since the days of the orthodox Califs." Mr. Philby even goes
a step further by declaring that "if any Arab ruler since the Prophet ever merited the proud but simple title of Calif, 'Abdul
'Aziz is assuredly such a one." He even makes an open plea
to Britain to help Arabia achieve its unity and independence by
relinquishing its hold on the strategic points it now occupies in
the country. "A heavy responsibility," he avers, "lies on British
statesmen of today. Arabia can never be truly great while a foreign Power, materially strong beyond the possibility of serious
challenge, occupies almost every gateway leading out from its
deserts into the world and implicitly encourages centrifugal tendencies on the part of small groups whose interests, both economic and political, demand closer union with the heart of Arabia." He excludes from this categorical demand, however, the
most strategic point in Arabia under British occupation. "Aden,"
he says, "with the narrow strip of mainland necessary for its
bare existence, must, of course, remain as it is, and needs no
discussion."
i
, i
This very fact of inalienable sympathy and consideration for
Britain's safety in cardinal matters is, perhaps, what casts a shadow on Mr. Philby's full sincerity in embracing Islam and establishing his permanent residence at the port of Jeddah. It may be
that he is wronged by such an assumption, for he is an outstanding Arabist and, undeniably, a great admirer of, and believer in,
King Ibn Sa'ud. But there exists a strong doubt among a certain
group of Moslems as to his honesty of purpose not merely in
embracing Islam, but in choosing the strict, puritanical sect of the
Wahhabis. They seem to treat lightly his assertion that the Wahhabi movement will prove as beneficial to the regeneration of
Arabia as Cromwell's era was for Britain.
In this connection it may be noted that the Arabic press
quotes Mr. Philby as having stated among his reasons for turning Wahhabi that he is striving to establish enduring mutual
friendly relations between England and Arabia. Why, they ask,
if his motives are purely altruistic, could he not wish that Allah
lead his (Mr. Philby's) people to join the Wahhabi religion, as
he himself has been inspired to do, instead of forever keeping
an eye on politics and acting under reservations with apparent
ulterior motives?
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
40
Honor Your Mothers
2?y Miss
1
,
LAMESE HAMATI
IT was back in 1906 when a girl by the name of Miss Anna
Jarvis first suggested the idea of observing the second Sunday
of May as Mother's Day, to memorialize the "homegoing" of
her own mother after a long absence. The idea, however, met
with immediate popular favor and celebration of the day became
general. Dr. Geo. W. Bailey, then President of the World's
Sunday School Association, issued a call for the observance of
Mother's Day in which he set forth its purposes as follows:
"To recall the memories of the mothers who are gone, and
by loving word and loving care to cheer the mothers who remain."
Mother's Day became a National Holiday in 1914 when
Congress passed a bill authorizing the President to issue a proclamation calling upon all government officials to display the U.
S. flag on all Government buildings on the second Sunday of
May. The public was also requested to display the flag at their
homes as a public expression of our love and reverence for our
mothers. Truly, America is to be complimented for the sweet
sentiment reflected in her spirit.
Home has been defined as "The father's kingdom, the children's paradise and the Mother's world."
A mother's presence is a blessing to all little ones, her wisdom a guide to the elders of the household.
Her love for her children will keep her at her task until
she falls in her tracks. Why not do our best while she is with
us to keep her happy by a kind word, a kind deed. One will be
surprised to see how little it takes to please mother. After all,
life is short, and if we do not take advantage of the time when
she is with us to make her life as cheerful as is possible within
our power, then our grief will be endless and boundless when
we suddenly come to the realization that she is slipping away
from us, and it is too late to prove how much we really appreciated her.
Down deep in our hearts, we all love our mothers. Of this
there can be no doubt. But the trouble is we all take her too
(•
�3AAY, 1931
41
much for granted, and do not try to put ourselves out in showing
her what her life really means to us—that her presence is a
blessing. We take her love as a natural thing, and neglect to tell
her that it is our "Inspiration", that it is her love and understanding that keeps us going despite our failures. She loves us if we
are good or bad, handsome or ugly, smart or dumb. It makes
no difference what we are. In her eyes there is no one like her
little boy or girl. Can such love and loyalty be measured?
In the Scriptures, it says in Proverbs, 31:14—"She is like
the Merchant Ships." "She is like the Merchant ships."—What
do the two have in common that makes it suggestive?
Firts, they are both products of a world other than the world
in which they operate. The ship is a land product operating on
water, motherhood is a heavenly product operating on land.
Whether she be yellow, red, black or white, there is something
so sublime, so sweet, so beautiful about a mother's love that we
know it was born from above. She operates here in a monotony
as continuous as the rising and falling of the waves in the middle
of the ocean, and in storms and dangers as great, but she came
from another world. She was born in another sphere!
Merchant ships and mothers are alike also in that they are
both bearers of wealth. A country without ships may be a contented country, but it is always hampered and usually poor.
A country with ships is rich and prosperous. England is
the mightiest spot for its size on the face of the earth-—she has
ships. Merchant ships are the bank vaults of the sea, the subtreasuries of national prosperity. So is motherhood the bearer of
untold wealth.
Motherhood and merchant ships are alike also in their speed.
Mothers are not often capturing prizes in hundred yard dashes,
and would be a poor wager in any race that requires a galloping
foot, but with all their fallen arches and aching feet, made doubly
sore by the thoughtlessness of children, they are still the swiftest
things on earth. They anticipate our needs and know our desires
with an accuracy that is almost omniscient. No wonder dying
soldiers cried: Mother! Mother! in their last moments.
Motherhood is like merchant ships also in the fact that neither
have much rest. Look up the sailing dates of merchant ships and
you will find that they are nearly always moving. Battleships
loiter in tropical waters and gather barnacles, but merchant ships,
never. They only stay long enough to unload and reload. Watch
the average mother with her tables to set and babies to pet, her
r"
�42
?HE SYRIAN WORLD
rips to mend and her dishes to tend, her jackets to rub and her
faces to scrub, and you will find the busiest sailing schedule on
earth.
Motherhood and merchant ships are alike also in that they
keep nothing for themselves. Merchant ships are Neptune's delivery wagons. The one thing mothers have never learned to do
is to live for themselves.
Neglect your business and it will leave you. Neglect your
garden and it will starve you. Neglect your mother and she
will love you—love you though her heart lies bleeding in the
dust.
God gives us friends and that means much,
But far above all others
The greatest of His gifts to earth
Was when He thought of mothers.
A Mother s hove
"By PHILIP C. SABBAGHA
Oh Mother dear, my heart's for you,
My life's own blood is thine,
For by thy love my heart is true,
A precious love sublime.
Through pain and death thy love is mine,
A love of human soul,
A love that no man doth define,
A love that's still untold.
For by thy love my heart is strong,
No evil spirits dwell;
Thy love doth banish all the wrong,
And only Christ shall dwell.
Thy love doth guideth me through pain,
Through misery untold;
Through happiness and joy thy name,
Shall always mark my goal.
So, mother dear, my heart's for you,
And all that therein is,
For through thy love, the Spirit true,
Doth show what once was His.
:
�•P"
'
43
a^y, 1931
ALI ZAIBAQ
(Quicksilver)
THE UNPARALLELED ADVENTURES OF THE
CHIEF OF POLICE OF THE CALIPH HAROUN
AL-RASHID, OF THE CITY OF BAGHDAD.
Translated from the Original Arabic by
'
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
and
CHAPTER
i
THADDEUS
S.
DAYTON
IX.
THE GIANT ROBBER
came to Quicksilver one day while he was sitting in
T HERE
the meeting place of the Secret Police a messenger from the
King ordering him to repair to the palace immediately. There
he saw a party of fifteen men weeping and lamenting, who on
perceiving him cried out that their homes had been ruined and
their fortunes had been swept away by robbers. The leader of
the party related how the night before he had been awakened
from slumber and saw before him a man of giant stature who
was accompanied by fourteen others. This giant told him in a
voice of thunder that if he was given all the money and valuables that he possessed no harm would come to him or his household, and that forthwith the giant and his men stripped him of
all his wealth and departed. He described the robber, aside from
being of great stature, as having a large head and that his moustache stood out so prominently and was so thick and stiff that an
eagle might alight thereon. He added that withal the robber
appeared to be of noble descent and was of gentle bearing.
One after another, each member of the company came forward and told the same tale of robbery the night before. Quicksilver assured them that he would immediately apprehend the
malefactor and that night he girded on his sword and alone
searched throughout the city until the morning call for prayer
sounded from the mosques. But he discovered nothing, and
�44
THE SYRIAN WORLD
going to the meeting place of the Zohrs, found that none of his
men had met with any better success.
But when he went to the King's palace he was astounded
at finding there not fifteen, but thirty merchants who had come
to complain of having been robbed of their wealth the night
before. The King reproached Quicksilver for his failure to discover the malefactor, and forbade all persons other than the
police to venture on the streets during the following night under
pain of death.
The King, suspecting unjustly that Quicksilver himself was
the one who had committed these robberies, decided to follow
Quicksilver that night in person.
Night came, and Quicksilver, armed with his enchanted
sword, went about the deserted streets seeking the robber. Hiding in the darkness at the mouth of an alley, he perceived approaching a man who seemed as huge as a mountain, like one of
the ancient giant people of Aad. Quicksilver was sure that this
was the malefactor whom he was seeking. Brandishing his enchanted sword he sprang out and attacked him furiously, but the
robber evaded his blows and grappled with him. Thereupon
there ensued a combat the like of which has not been recorded
in history. Quicksilver and the giant swayed to and fro; they
fell and rose again; they separated and grappled anew, continually uttering such cries that the neighboring buildings were shaken
to their foundations.
They continued struggling until both were exhausted. Quicksilver was convinced that he had met his peer in the arts of war,
and that the only hope of capturing his adversary would be
through a stratagem. So he seized his sword and flung it in the
air, cleaving the darkness with it like the flash of a meteor. Perceiving this his enemy thought to overcome Quicksilver easily,
but Quicksilver had in his hand a stout rope which he succeeded
in throwing about his opponent whom he finally bound and cast
upon the earth.
At this juncture the King and his company of soldiers approached and found Quicksilver standing alone, while on the
ground near by lay a large sack apparently filled with booty.
"Woe to you, O Quicksilver," said the King. "Where is
your adversary?"
"Presently you shall see him at your feet," responded Quicksilver, looking toward where he had thrown the bound robber.
But there, to his amazement, he found no one. Seemingly he
�I
MAY, 1931
had vanished into the air.
"Where is he?" demanded the King in a terrible voice.
"But this very instant I had securely bound him and laid
him prostrate here," answered Quicksilver, "but by Allah I do
not know what has become of him."
The King examined the sack that lay on the ground and
found written thereon in letters of gold:
"This is the sack of Quicksilver, son of Hassan Raselghoul."
Then it was that the King believed that he had found in
Quicksilver the real robber who had been despoiling the rich
citizens of Cairo, and pointing sternly at the sack, demanded of
Quicksilver if it was not his. Thunderstruck, Quicksilver examined it and exclaimed in a pitiful voice:
"O my lord, I implore your pardon. I swear by my head
that I do not know whence came this sack. Surely this culprit
must have written my name thereon so as to make suspicion fall
upon me."
But the King commanded him to be fettered and thrown
into a dungeon, which was done straightway, the jailer receiving
strict orders to watch him closely, for he would pay with his life
the penalty of Quicksilver's escape.
Quicksilver remained in this deplorable state, not knowing
how these misfortunes had come upon him. At times he was enraged at the King's severity; again his fury would be directed
toward the man who had ensnared him with his trickery. Then
he would realize the hopelessness and despair of his position,
and would weep as does a child. To him the flight of minutes
seemed as long as days, and the hours like endless years. He
could not sleep, so oppressed was he by the weight of his misfortune.
It was while he lay thus that there came into his cell an
old man, carrying in his hand a lighted candle. Approaching
Quicksilver without a word, he broke his fetters and signed to
Quicksilver to follow him. Cautiously they made their way
through the dark, tortuous corridors of the prison until they
reached the outer gate. There Quicksilver saw the jailer lying in his own blood, his head nearly severed from his body.
In silence they made their way to the high walls of the fortress
that surrounded the prison. Quicksilver being young and powerful scaled them with ease and he was surprised at the agility and
strength of his apparently aged companion who even surpassed
9
�46
THE SYRIAN WORLD
him in vigor. At last they reached the streets outside, and then
it was that Quicksilver's unknown deliverer spoke:
"Now, Quicksilver, whither do you wish me to conduct you,"
he asked.
"To the home of the King's swordbearer, for he is my loyal
friend," answered Quicksilver.
Thereupon the stranger drew aside his disguise and Quicksilver was astounded at discovering that he was none other than the
mysterious stranger with whom he had been contending on the
night of his downfall. As Quicksilver stood thus in wonderment
the stranger disappeared.
Leaving Quicksilver securely hidden in the house, the swordbearer repaired to the court of the King the next morning. He
entered just as the guards, returning in fright, went reporting
to the King that they found the jailer murdered and Quicksilver
gone. Whereupon the King was exceedingly enraged, and,
springing to his feet, swore that if anyone knew Quicksilver's
hiding place and did not reveal it he and his family would be
burned alive.
The King's swordbearer was seized with terror at this and
threw himself at the feet of the King, saying:
"May God grant you long life, O gracious King: Last night
Quicksilver appeared at my house seeking shelter, and fearing
that he might escape to some place where he could not be discovered I hid him in the cellar."
The King praised the swordbearer for his wisdom and
straightway dispatched three hundred soldiers to bring Quicksilver into his presence.
Meanwhile, Quicksilver remained in ignorance of all that
was taking place. While he was resting in fancied security there
appeared before him a thickly-veiled woman who informed him
that the swordbearer had revealed his hiding place and that a
company of soldiers was even then on its way to apprehend
him. Quicksilver's heart was filled with despair, for he had no
weapons with which to defend himself; but the woman handed
him the dress of a female slave and bade him quickly disguise
himself therewith and follow her. Just as they reached the street
outside the swordbearer's house they met the soldiers, but passed
them unnoticed and made their way unobserved to the outskirts
of the city. Then Quicksilver addressed his companion saying:
"May Allah reward you abundantly for delivering me from
II
�MAYy 1931
kfi
47
a most ignoble death."
He would have said more, but the woman lifted her veil and
disclosed to him the countenance of his adversary, the robber.
Before Quicksilver had recovered from his astonishment the
stranger had disappeared.
Quicksilver hid himself during the day in a great garden
that surrounded a palace outside the city, and after nightfall
went forth. In the distance he perceived a dim light toward which
he turned his steps and found that it came from the cavern of
Al-Sagalil. Now this great cave had long been the stronghold
cf robbers, and was so strongly fortified that even fifty horsemen
could not force their way therein. Quicksilver approached the
entrance cautiously and finally was able to see that the interior
of the cave was furnished with silks and costly rugs and that
jewels and other precious things were scattered about in great
profusion. Still more surprised was he to perceive that, seated
in the center of the cave, was his adversary and deliverer. He
was surrounded by a company of his followers, of whom Quicksilver counted fourteen, each one of whom was of considerable
stature and had the bearing of a lion. They were feasting on
choice viands, and all about them were scattered vessels of gold
and of silver, apparently the fruits of their robberies. Quicksilver hesitated not an instant, but rose to his full height and
sprang into the cave and stood before the chief of the outlaws
whom he addressed with bitter words, saying:
"Woe to you, O vilest of the vile. Not only have you robbed
Cairo of its wealth, but you have brought me almost to my
death."
The robbers sprang to their feet and made as though to slay
Quicksilver where he stood, but their chief commanded them to
hold their hands, saying:
"It is Quicksilver, who has proven that he is the bravest of
the brave by invading my stronghold. I, Ibrahim Ibn-Al-Anassi,
declare that Quicksilver had it in his power on one occasion to
slay me, but he did not. That I am still alive is due to his clemency. I have done him ill, and if God will grant me the power
I will henceforth endeavor to make amends for the sorrow I
have caused him."
"You shall hear, if Allah preserve us until the morrow,"
said the tale-teller, "the story of the outlaw chief of the land
of Tunis of the West, and of his revenge."
�48
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Political Developments in Syria
SYRIA A MONARCHY?
France would follow England's
policy in Iraq and Transjordania.
Ponsot's approaching trip to France
means delay in elections.
Although nothing definite has been
ascertained on the subject, there are
accumulating evidences that the solution of the Syrian problem will
take the form of establishing a
monarchy in the country. The recent visits of ex-King Hussain and
his son ex-King Ali to Syria and
the cordial reception tendered them
by the French mandatory authorities may now be viewed in a more
important light in the face of recent
statements on the subject coming
from French sources which are
looked upon in some circles as being semi-official. This particularly
applies to a recent declaration in a
press interview by a former high
French official who spent three years
directing the Bureau of Information
Service in Syria to the effect that
the Syrians are royalists at heart,
and that "the logical form of government for them is a monarchy,
inasmuch as all Orientals are still
swayed by centralized authority."
The intention, furthermore, of placing on the Syrian throne a descendant of the Prophet, most probably
in the person of ex-King Ali, would
have the further effect of insuring
the Syrians' obedience from religious considerations.
This would seem to account for
the delay in calling the Syrian elec-
tions which have been so long deferred. A further significant fact is
that the Syrian press seems to be
strangely silent lately on the matter
of the elections. But perhaps this is
due to the extraordinary attention
given to the people's boycott of the
public utilities, which is now sweeping the country.
From the same French source
quoted above the additional statement is made that France, if she is
to succeed in her mandatory venture,
must follow the example set by
England in the countries bordering
on Syria, namely, Iraq and Transjordania, both ruled by sons of exKing Hussain.
Whether the Syrians will acquiesce
in such a scheme cannot be yet
ascertained, the French themselves
entertaining doubts as to the willingness of Syrians to relinquish
their rights of democratic representative government.
A prominent Syrian is reported
having lately asked King Feisal of
Iraq whether there was any truth
in the report that the French intended placing his brother ex-King
Ali on the proposed Syrian throne,
to which Feisal is reported to have
laconically replied: "This question
should best be asked of the French
themselves."
It was semi-officially announced
that High Commissioner Ponsot was
planning to leave for France on his
annual vacation sometime in June.
This may be taken to mean that
while he is away no definite developments could be expected to
arise in the Syrian political situation, and that the expected elections
would be further delayed.
�ft
MAY, 1931
BOYCOTT OF UTILITIES
CONTINUES IN LEBANON
|'j
The latest mail information to
reach the United States from Syria
states that up to the middle of May
the boycott by the inhabitants of
Beirut of the traction and electric
companies had been going on uninterruptedly for forty-five days, with
every sign of its prolongation indefinitely until the foreign interests
controlling the utilities heed the demands of the people. The boycott,
to all appearances, is gaining momentum the longer it proceeds, all
efforts of the local authorities and
even the clergy having failed to
dampen the enthusiasm of the strikers. The mandatory authorities apparently are refraining from any
direct interference.
In Beirut several papers were
again subjected to disciplinary measures and indefinitely suspended.
Ad-Dabbour, the humorous weekly
published by Joseph Mokarzel, felt
the heavy hand of the authorities
against it twice within three weeks.
Ad-Dabbour, by reason of its popularity and influence, is accused of
causing a further prolongation of
the boycott.
In Damascus a committee of vigilantes is making systematic efforts
to make abstention from the use of
electric light and power general.
According to the provisions of the
electric company's charter, several
mosques and public institutions were
to receive free current, placing them
apparently
beyond
the general
causes of complaint. But in order to
completely cripple the activities of
the power company, even these institutions receiving free service were
induced to discontinue its use, and
now the principal mosques of Damascus have reverted to the use of
candles and kerosene lamps.
What seems to have added fresh
49
impetus to the determination of the
Syrians to continue the boycott to
the bitter end is the reported remark of the director of the electric company when he was approached on the question of reducing the rates, that "I would be a
Syrian if I did." The Syrians seem
determined "to prove to these profiteering foreigners who fatten on
the resources of the country, while
indulging in hurling at them such
invectives as 'sales Syriens', that
they are done with submitting to
such stinging insults."
The women of Syria have played
a prominent part in supporting the
boycott movement, holding public
demonstrations and submitting to
arrest.
IRAQ PETROLEUM
The agreement reached by the
Lebanese government and the Iraq
Petroleum Company for making
Tripoli the terminus of the transdesert pipe line was ratified by the
Lebanese Legislative Assembly on
May 24. This has aroused hopes of
rapid improvement in the depressed
economic conditions in the country.
Some papers have already begun
agitating the question of establishing refineries in Tripoli instead of
using that city merely as a port of
transit, and judging by the present
temper of the people and their
tenacity of purpose, there is every
hope that ultimately their demands
on this new question will also be
granted.
Tripoli is proving itself a thorn
in the side of the Lebanese government owing to its constant agitation
for union with Syria. The latest
disturbances in the city, which culminated in an attack on the Italian
consulate, furnished another pretext
for the people's declaration in favor
of such a union. Sheikh Muham-
�50
THE SYRIAN WORLD
mad Al-Jisr, President of the Legislative Assembly and a representative of Tripoli, apologized in the
Assembly for the action of his constituents on the grounds that it was
unpremeditated and bearing no political significance, affirming that
they are true to their Lebanese allegiance and to the mandate. To this
the Tripolitans took vigorous exception and availed themselves of the
occasion to again declare their unshaken conviction in the principle of
unity with Syria.
About Syria and Syrians
THE ARABIC-SPEAKING
WORLD MOURNS GIBRAN
The wave of grief that has swept
the Arabic-speaking world over the
death of G. Kahlil Gibran on April
10 in New York bears testimony to
the great love and esteem in which
the Syrian-American poet was held
by his countrymen. The Arabic press
of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and
other Arabic-speaking countries eulogized him as they have no other
Syrian emigrant before, and as they
have few of the outstanding literary
personalities of the homeland in recent times. The people of North
Lebanon, and particularly of Becharri, his native town, appeared
stunned by the news of his premature death, and already they are
preparing plans for the removal of
his remains to Becharri and for the
erection of a monument to commemorate his genius at his birthplace.
In New York a memorial meeting
for the spirit of Gibran was held
by the Syrian community on May
24 at the hall of the American-Syrian Federation in Brooklyn under
the auspices of Ar-Rabitah, the literary circle which Gibran had founded and of which he had been president. The services were conducted
wholly in Arabic and the attendance
represented the finest element of
the community. It was the New
York Syrians' tribute to their departed beloved son.
Present at the memorial ceremony
was His Excellency Anis Raphael
Bey, Egyptian consul in New York,
who paid Gibran a high personal
tribute and declared that long before he came to the United States
he had known Gibran to exercise
great influence in the intellectual
and spiritual life of the people of
Egypt.
Mischa Naimy, a member of ArRabitah, presided. He read a number of letters and telegrams from
Lansing, Mich.,
Oklahoma City,
Okla., and Fall River, Mass., stating
that similar services to Gibran were
being held on that date in those
. particular cities. He read a poem
composed for the occasion by Abbas
A. Shakra of Detroit and had Nasib
Arida read a fitting tribute sent by
N. A. Mokarzel, dean of Syrian
journalists in America and editor of
Al-Hoda, who was unable to attend.
Other speakers who delivered
their eulogies either in poetry or
prose were Dr. Najib Barbour, representative in New York of the
President of Lebanon; S. Akel, for-
-—.
I
�MAY, 1931
mer president of the American-Syrian Federation; Joseph M. Khoury,
editor of Ash-Shaab of New York;
Salloum A. Mokarzel, editor of The
Syrian World; Dr. Salim Y. Alkazin
the poet; Fouzy Braidy, and the
following members of Ar-Rabitah:
Richard Ayoub, A. A. Haddad, editor of As-Sayeh, E. Atallah and
Nassib Arida of the editorial staff
of Al-Hoda.
Petro Trabulsi, a Syrian violinist, played a dirge which he had
composed especially for the occasion.
51
which copyrights I understand can
be extended upon request by my
heirs for an additional period of
twenty-eight years after my death,
are to go to my home town.
Everything found in my studio
after my death, pictures, books, objects of art, etcetera, go to Mrs.
Mary Haskell Mines, now living at
24 Gaston Street West, Savannah,
Ga. But I would like to have Mrs.
Mines send all or any part of these
things to my home town should she
see fit to do so."
GIBRAN LAST OF LINE
GIBRAN BEQUEATHS WEALTH
TO BECHARRI CHARITIES
The will of G. Kahlil Gibran was
filed for probate in the Surrogate's
Court of New York on a petition by
his sister, Mary K. Gibran, on May
21. The document was executed on
March 13, 1930, less than a year
before Gibran's death. Its full text
is as follows:
"In the event of my death I wish
that, whatever money or securities
Mr. Edgar Speyer has been gracious
enough to hold for me should go to
my sister Mary K. Gibran who now
lives at 76 Tyler St., Boston, Mass.
There are also 40 (forty) shares
of the Fifty-One West Tenth Street
Studio Association Stock lying in
my safe deposit box with the Bank
of Manhattan Trust Company, 31
Union Square, New York. These
shares are also to go to my sister.
There are in addition to the foregoing, two (2) bank books of the
West Side Savings Bank, 422 Sixth
Avenue, New York, which I have
with me in my studio. I wish that
my sister would take this money to
my home town of Becharri, Republic of Lebanon, and spend it upon
charities.
The royalties on my copyrights,
1
From the petition of Gibran's sister, in which is given the genealogy
of the family, it appears that Gibran
had but one half-brother, Peter
Rahme, a son of his mother by a
former marriage, who died in 1903
without issue, never having married.
By his mother's second marriage
he and two sisters were born, one
sister being Sultana who died in
1902 never having married, and the
other being Mary, the survivor, who
is also unmarried. Gibran, according
to the petition, died without issue,
never having married.
Gibran's mother died in 1903 and
is buried in Boston. His father died
in 1909.
GIBRAN MEMORIAL
HELD IN BOSTON
(Special Correspondence)
Under the auspices of Msgr. Stephen Al-Douaihy a public tribute
was paid the memory of Gibran, the
dead in body, and Gibran, the immortal, at the Municipal Building on
Shawmut Avenue in Boston on Sunday, May 24, 1931, at 8:00 P. M.
Over 1,000 Lebanese and Syrians
were present. The speakers were
�mmam
52
Msgr. Stephen Al-Douaihy, Michel
Maloof, Elias F. Shamon, Miss Labeebee A. J. Hanna, Mrs. Mary Kahwajy, Rasheed Abdelnoor and several others.
Gibran's sister, Miss Marianna
Gibran, was present with several
close friends.
Exerpts from some of the poet's
works were read by Msgr. Al-Douaihy.
Between speakers, music was furnished by a reed instrument, violin
and piano and voice. The songs in
Arabic were taken from Gibran's
works and were printed on the programs for the benefit of the audience.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
on the piano.
Prof. Thabit spoke on the general
benefits of education and stated that
the American University of Beirut
aimed at training leaders for the uplift of the country socially, morally
and economically.
QUESTION OF PATRIARCHATE
STILL SPLITS ORTHODOX
Political reasons are now ascribed to
difficulty of accord.
Despite all efforts to effect a conciliation and settlement, each of the
two Patriarchs of the Syrian OrthoDINNER IN HONOR
dox Church still seems to be holding
OF PROF. THABIT off against any concession. Patriarch
Alexander of Damascus, because he
The Syrian Eductaional Society of was conceded the legality of his
*ew York and the Alumni Associa- election by the three ranking Pation of the American University of
triarchs of the Orthodox Church,
Beirut gave a testimonial dinner
namely, those of Jerusalem, AlexThursday, May 28, at Joe's Restauandria and Istanbul, is proceeding in
rant in Brooklyn in honor of Prof
accordance with what he conceives
Khalid Thabit, of the American
to be his admitted right and authorUniversity of Beirut, now visiting in
ity. What seems to lend his posithe United States for the purpose
tion more weight is that most of the
of further studying advanced Amer- church property is in the hands of
ican educational methods. Prof. Thahis followers, and since control of
bit is the Principal of the Preparathis property figured largely in
tory Division of the American Unibringing about the disagreement, he
versity and the first native to have feels himself comparatively secure in
been admitted to the faculty. He has his position.
visited the principal universities of
All the Orthodox newspapers of
the United States and will return to
the United States, with but a single
Syria sometime in July.
exception, are supporting Patriarch
The dinner was restricted to mem- Alexander. The Orthodox bishop of
bers of the two societies and a few South America has also given him
select friends. Dr. Salim Y. Alkazin submission.
presided. The speakers were Habeeb
It is now claimed that one of the
I- Katibah, who recently returned
reasons the Commission of Inquiry
from a trip abroad, Nelson Peters, and Arbitration sent to Syria by the
the son of Rev. Khirbawy and Sal- three Orthodox Patriarchs gave its
loum A. Mokarzel. Miss Marguerite decision in favor of Patriarch
Hatem played several Oriental airs Alexander is that the French manda-
83=3
.
�*
MAY, 1931
:
53
1
Courtesy Majallat Al-Kalemat
His Beatitude Patriarch Alexander of the Syrian Orthodox Church
tory authorities in Syria sought to
influence it into recognizing his
opponent, Patriarch Arsanius. Resenting this interference into church
matters, the commission is said to
have left French mandated territory and issued its report from
Jerusalem.
Quite in variance with this view,
however, is the claim advanced by
adherents of Patriarch Arsanius to
the effect that the Greek Church is
.
again seeking to gain control over
the Orthodox Church of Syria. In
this connection it is recalled that up
to the close of the nineteenth century all Orthodox Patriarchs in
Syria were Greeks, who exercised
full control over the destinies of the
church to the detriment of the natives. The Syrians finally threw off
the Greek yoke and elected a Patriarch from among their own
clergy. This very fact would indi-
�54
cate that the three Patriarchs who
recognized
Patriarch
Alexander,
being all Greek, not only have no
further authority in the affairs of
the Syrian Orthodox Church, but
are deliberately seeking to again
impose their yoke upon it by inducing a split in the church, since they
have accorded their recognition to
the Patriarch elected by the insurgent minority.
From other sources it is learned
that the French authorities are refraining from all interference in the
Orthodox Church- situation, inasmuch as it is regarded as a purely
internal church matter. Nevertheless, they are accused of aggravating the situation by their very indifference.
The details of the negotiations
w'hich Patriarch Arsanius promised
to forward by mail have not as yet
reached the United States.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
as one of the strongest proponents
of a federation of Arab States under
his leadership, since King Ibn Saoud
is' admittedly the dominant persona'ity at the present time in Arabia.
SONS OF LEBANON
CELEBRATE IN QUINCY
At a banquet of the Sons of
Lebanon in the Fore River Club at
Quincy, Mass., East met West "in
one of the foremost inter-racial gatherings to assemble in this city," according to the Quincy Evening News
of Friday, May 29, 1931.
Some of the prominent guests included Rep. Leo Birmingham, representing Gov. Ely of Mass., Mayor
Thomas J. McGrath of Quincy, State
Senator John D. Mackay, Councillor
John P. Flavin, Mayor Michael C.
O'Neill of Everett, Mass., who all
spoke and highly commended the
Syrians as an industrious, home-loving and peaceful people who make
RIHANI TO VISIT
for good citizenship. Rep. BirmingKING OF ARABIA
ham "urged the Syrian people here
Ameen Rihani, the well known to take the places in the affairs of
Syrian author and traveler, is ex- the nation to which they are enpected to reach Freike, his home titled."
Prof. Emile Dumit of the Amertown in Lebanon, by the middle of
ican
University of Beirut declared
June. He sailed from New York on
April 18 for London where he re- "the noble traditions of the past are
mained for a week looking after his a challenge to Syrians of to-day,"
literary interests. Later he went to and added that "they would be
Paris for a visit to the French Co- supremely tested in maintaining
lonial Exposition, and it was the ancestral achievement."
Louis George, attorney, acted as
general understanding at the time
toastmaster.
He said that every Syrthat he would proceed directly to
ian
in
Quincy
was a member of the
Beirut.
Recent information received by Sons of Lebanon. Other speakers
The Syrian World, 'however, is that were Peter Antoon, president of the
Mr. Rihani had reached Port Said society; Michael Batal, Miss Olga
Miss Nellie Perry
and
in Egypt the latter part of May and Motto,
was on his way to Jeddah where he Richard Abdelnour.
Miss Najeebe Morad gave several
will meet His Majesty King Ibn
Saoud of Arabia by special invita- Syrian folk songs to the violin action. Mr. Rihani is known to be a companiment of her brother, Louis
personal friend of the King as well Morad.
�*¥.
{MAY, 1931
REPUBLICAN LEADER
SPEAKS TO SYRIANS
An interesting discussion of the
functions of government and the
manifold duties of the Appraisal
Division of the customs authorities
was given to members of the American-Syrian Federation and their
friends at the clubrooms of the federation on the evening of May 19 by
the Hon. F. J. H. Kracke, U. S. Appraiser of the Port of New York
and Republican leader of Kings
County. The Syrians being large
importers of goods from foreign
countries, the speaker took special
pains to impress them with the
fact that the United States government is ever willing to facilitate,
not hamper, all legitimate business
enterprises. In the course of his address he recalled many humorous incidents where art and antique collectors were the dupes of foreign
dealers who capitalized their ignorance and credulity. Only upon the
arrival of the goods in New York
is the spuriousness of the supposed
works of art and antiques sometimes detected. Mr. Kracke explained that although the Appraiser's office maintains a large staff of experts, it often calls upon independent experts for advice in an effort
to obviate all possibility of mistake.
These experts invariably are willing
to cooperate with the government
gratuitously so as to help mamtain
the high standard of American appraisals.
George C. Dagher, President of
the Federation, introduced the
speaker.
SYRIAN DANCER IS
PRAISED FOR HER ART
Miss Emiline Bashour, a professional dancer whose stage name is
El-Bashara, received high praise
55
from critics both for her modern
dancing and for her interpretation
of classical themes during a dance
recital given by Frances Hartshorne
at the Delancey Play House in Philadelphia on April 17. In appraising her artistic ability the Main
Liner of Ardmore, Pa., in its issue
of April 24, wrote the following:
"El-Bashara, who is a native
Syrian, contributed much to the
program's charm and variety. Her
Oriental flavor was unexpectedly
piquant in modern dancing, and her
interpretation of Prokofieff's difficult
composition, 'Out of Chaos,' showed high creative intelligence. She
is a gifted caricaturist, and her
'Calamity Jane' was a delicious bit
of nonsense."
NUMBER OF ARABIC
MAGAZINES GROWING
Miss Najla Bellamah has resumed
lately in Montreal, Canada, the publication of her monthly magazine,
The Dawn, which previously she
had published for five years in Beirut. Miss Bellamah has dedicated
a section of her publication to the
service of the Syrian-Canadian generation by publishing several articles in English.
The appearance of this magazine
brings the number of Arabic periodicals published in the United States
and Canada to five. The most recent
addition to those published in the
United States is Majallat Al-Kalemat which had been published for
fifteen years previously by the late
Archbishop Raphael Howaweeny,
the first bishop of the Syrian Orthodox diocese of North America,
and is now revived by the Rt. Rev.
Emmanuel Abu Hatab, Syrian Orthodox Bishop of Montreal, Canada,
and residing in New York.
�56
Another magazine published by a
Syrian Orthodox church dignitary is
Al-Khalidat (The Immortals) which
now is in its fifth year and is edited
by the Rt. Rev. Antony Bashir, a
circuit missionary. Both last named
publications are printed by the Syrian-American Press.
The two remaining publications
are Character, a distinctive literary
organ now in its twelfth year, and
As-Sameer, comparatively a newcomer, now in its second year.
And this in spite of the increasing complaints of the older publications, especially the dailies, of
their stringent conditions due to the
lack of adequate support by the
reading public.
FREE TRANSPORTATION FOR
REMAINS OF GIBRAN
THE SYRIAN WORLD
FAMOUS SYRIAN SCHOLAR
DIES IN LOS ANGELES
Dr. Louis Berry Sabonji, famous
scholar, author and poet, at one time
private tutor to the sons of Sultan
Abdul Hamid of Turkey, was found
dead in his room in the Hotel Balboa in Los Angeles on April 25 under
suspicious circumstances.
The discovery of the body was
accidental. Rev. Ananias Bory, a
Syrian priest and friend of the scholar, came to visit him at his hotel to
discuss details of a benefit dance
that was to be soon given for him,
since the old scholar's financial circumstances were sadly impaired.
Not receiving any response to his
repeated knocks, the priest called
the hotel manager who gained entry
through a pass key. Dr. Sabonji
was discovered sprawled on the floor
of the room battered and bleeding,
with his hand outstretched in the
direction of his famous masterpiece
depicting the origin of the world's
religions.
Through the representation of the
Syrian S.S. Ticket agency of A. K.
Hitti & Co. of New York, the Fabre
line, whose steamers make direct
sailings between American ports and
Beirut, has offered to transport the
The police believe that death was
body of G. Kahlil Gibran to his na- accidental, probably caused by a fall
tive land without charge. This may when the feeble old man attempted
be interpreted not alone as a mark to reach the painting. Friends of
of respect by the Steamship Com- Dr. Sabonji, however, are inclined to
pany for our departed poet, but also the belief that he was murdered in
as an indication of the esteem in an attempt to steal the masterpiece,
which the Company holds the firm for which he was said to have been
of A. K. Hitti, its Syrian agents.
offered $100,000 but which he valued
In 1925, when the famous scholar at $400,000. The painting is a huge
and statesman Suleiman Bistany canvass representing the evolution
died in New York, his remains were of religions since the beginning of
also transported to Syria without time, having been executed by a staff
charge by the Fabre Line, in defer- of European artists under the direct
ence to the wishes of A. K. Hitti supervision of Dr. Sabonji over a
& Co.
period of eight years.
Commenting editorially on this
Dr. Sabonji had reached the ripe
generous gesture, Al-Hoda remarks age of 96, and was noted for his
that the substantial saving thus ef- doctrines on physical culture, a subfected could fittingly be applied to ject on which he had published
the charities which were uppermost notable works in Arabic. He was a
in Gibran's mind in making his will. native of Beirut.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
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Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
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New York Public Library
Publisher
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
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English
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Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
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NS 0002
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This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
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Identifier
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TSW1931_05reducedWM
Title
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The Syrian World Volume 05, Issue 09
Date
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1931 May
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 5 Issue 09 of The Syrian World published May 1931. Ameen Rihani opens the issue with an article already previously published in Travel Magazine that discusses his journey from Bagdad to Basrah down the Tigris River. Following it is a poem titled "Queen Ulmana's Turquoise" by Dr. Salim Y. Alkazin, followed by yet another poem by Amin Beder, a tribute to Gibran titled "The Spirit of Gibran." Presented next is "The Case of The Syrian World," a concise presentation of different opinions surrounding the paper, before an article by a regular contributor of The Syrian World, Rev. W. A. Mansur. Mansur's article aims to inspire the Syrian community with his work discussing pride in the Syrian race. At the end of the issue before the next portion of the "Ali Zaibaq" series there are two works, each by Syrian children, on what their attitudes should be concerning their mothers. The issue closes with an update on the political developments in Syria and excerpts from the Arab press that highlight Syria and Syrians.
Subject
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Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
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English
Creator
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
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New York Public Library
Publisher
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
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Text/pdf
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Text
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Ameen Rihani
Amin Beder
Iraq
Kahlil Gibran
New York
Reverend W.A. Mansur
Rivers
Salim Alkazin
Syria
Travel
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/0e509c87f6e7c4a51799b39500b89985.pdf
277010d6c84d126e18f1dc3abadb1166
PDF Text
Text
I
VOL. V. No. 7.
MARCH, 1931.
JL X I VJ
SYRIAN WORLD
A
MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ENGLISH DEALING
WITH SYRIAN AFFAIRS AND ARABIC LITERATURE
m
1
m
THE PASSION PLAY OF THE EAST
AMEEN RIHANI
A JOURNEY THROUGH JEBEL DRUZE
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL
READERS SHOULD KNOW
111
EDITORIAL
PAN-ISLAMIC IDEA REVIVED
AZIZ RAH HAL
w
ARAB LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY
m
SCOUTING IN SOUTHERN LEBANON
MICHAEL HADDAD
ALI ZAIBAQ (QUICKSILVER)
(A SERIAL)
��THE
SYRIAN WORLD
Tublished monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
I
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New York,
N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. V.
MARCH, 1931.
No. 7.
CONTENTS
PAGE
The Passion Play of the East
5
AMEEN RIHANI
Scouting in Southern Lebanon
17
AZIZ RAHHAL
Fair Flower (Poem)
20
THOMAS ASA
Arab Literature and Philosophy
21
MICHAEL HADDAD
Lebanon (Poem)
24
LABEEBEE
A. J.
HANNA
~ "
=
�rr
CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
A Journey Through Jebel Druze
SALLOUM
25
A. MOKARZEL
A Song of the Nile (Poem)
DR. SALIM
32
Y. ALKAZIN
AliZaibaq (Serial)
33
S. A. MOKARZEL AND T. S. DAYTON
Speech and Silence
36
G. K. GlBRAN
The Holy Grail
'.. 37
Editorial Comment:—
Readers Should Know
41
Dr. Najib A. Katibah
42-
Pan-Islamism Idea Revived ...
43
Political Developments in Syria
46
About Syria and Syrians
50
AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT WILL
BE MADE IN THE COMING ISSUE ON THE
FUTURE OF THE SYRIAN WORLD
p
�IN THIS ISSUE
(~)F all the descriptions of his
different adventures in Arabia, Rihani's account of the
journey he made to the holy
places of the Shiite Moslems,
during their annual pilgrimage
to the tomb of Al-Husain, is
undoubtedly one of his best.
Perhaps the dangers and discomforts attending the trip,
plus the colorful scenes he witnessed, drew the full power of
the descriptive ability of the
author. The Passion Play of
the East, the title of Mr. Rihani's article in this issue, is
most appropriate and inclusive.
The annual pilgrimage of the
Shiites, adherents of Ali, assumes all the aspects of a realistic enactment of the gruesome tragedy which took place
over twelve centuries ago. Mr.
Rihani braved a serious danger
in undertaking his perilous
journey at the season when the
fanatic Shiites tolerate least
any intrusion upon their scenes
of grief and hate, but he returned rich in the unusual experience he had acquired. This
experience he now shares with
our readers painted in the most
vivid descriptive colors, and
those who appreciate novelty of
subject and masterfulness in
style will readily acclaim this
contribution of Mr. Rihani as
I
I.
a literary treasure beyond price.
Nevertheless, the author has
been most generous in his gratuitous contributions to THE
SYRIAN WORLD in appreciation
of the ideal for which it stands
and the mission to which it is
dedicated. It is only to be hoped that similar appreciation of
the generous impulses actuating
our foremost literary talent to
their cooperation will be evinced
by our reading public to the
end that the work to which they
manifest such devotion will
endure.
A delightful account of the inception and growth . of the
Boy Scout movement in Southern Lebanon is given in a special contribution to THE SYRIAN
WORLD by the prime mover in
this laudable enterprise. The
constructive influence the movement has already had in building up the character of Lebanon
youth is well brought out in the.
article, as well as some humorous incidents which attended the
initial stages of the work. Credit
is also due Miss Mary Tweel,
a resident of Huntington, W.
Va., now on a visit to Lebanon,
for having encouraged Aziz
Rahhal to send us this account
of his efforts and experiences.
�\
jy[ICHAEL Haddad, a Syr- is brought about through the
ian student at Columbia magic influence of a woman—a
University, displays commend- pretty princess whom he meets
able activity in bringing to under unusual circumstances
Americans a better understand- and for whose sake he braves
ing and appreciation of Arab one of the greatest dangers of
culture. Readers will find in the his career. Read and discover
excerpts from a speech he lately how.
delivered at Columbia wholeP"AN any Christian, or nonsome and profitable reading.
Christian, for that matter,
HE editor continues the de- fail to be interested in the Holy
scription of his journey Grail, or the cup which Christ
through Jebel 33ruze. In the and His disciples used at the,
present installment he takes the Last Supper? This cup, accordreader to the scene of some of ing to a number of eminent arthe finest Roman ruins to be chaeological authorities, may be
found in the mountain. He also none other than the Chalice of
describes young men with flow- Antioch now in the possession of
ing locks and stenciled brows a New York Syrian who has
and blackened eyelashes. But consented to exhibit it to the
readers should not jump to con- public for the first time since
clusions, because these very its discovery. The account is inthe
illustrations
young men are immune to fear teresting,
in war. This is but one of the unique.
strange experiences the editor
encountered on his journey, a gELDOM, in this column, do
we call attention to any edifull account of which is being
gradually developed in the torial, but we feel that the exhope that readers will find ception in this instance is justitherein both profit and enjoy- fied. We are embarking on a
radical policy concerning which
ment.
we seek the opinion of our
AND now we find our un- readers. The question is vital
daunted hero Ali Zaibaq in and we have decided to throw
a humorous mood. He wants to it open to public discussion.
play a trick on his arch-enemy, Every Syrian animated by
the one who has exposed him to loyalty to his racial interests
all the dangers attending his should give the matter consieventful career. But this turn in deration and vouchsafe an
his serious and resolute nature opinion.
T
i
>
i
�THE
SYRIAN WORLD
VOL. V.
No. 7.
MARCH, 1931.
The Passion Play of the East
Kerbela, the City of Grief—The Forbidden Pageant of Sorrow
and Hatred—Honoring the Arch-Saint of the
Shiah Mohammedans.
'By
AMEEN RIHANI
j\|EITHER my friend nor I had any reason to hope for eternal
bliss through a pilgrimage to any of the holy cities of Arabia.
For he was not an orthodox Moslem, and I was not even an
orthodox traveler. He measured his good fortune by the distance that separated him from the city of his birth, the Holy
City of Kerbela, and I measured mine at that time by the reverse
process. Nevertheless, he did not flout my point of view. He
even offered to be my companion and guide. But he pondered.
How would he and his Christian friend be received in Kerbela,
which is to the Shiah Moslems what Mecca is to the Sunnis?
He must write. He did write.
But the reply was not encouraging. It was not wise to visit
Kerbela during the commemoration of the martyrdom of Husain,
the arch-saint of the Shiahs of the world. But that commemoration was the very heart of my desire. My friend, therefore, wrote
again; and after waiting a week for a reply, which did not come,
we decided to take our own chance.
Sheik Kazem Dujaili, the noted poet and scholar of Iraq, is
unoriental, not only in his philosophy, but also in his conduct.
He is prompt in keeping his engagements, and'his thoughtfulness is rare among poets anywhere. When he came early the
This article was also published in the American magazine Travel for
December, 1930.
�TT
I > i
6
THE SYRIAN WORLD
following day to the garage, where we hired an automobile, he
brought with him a stalwart and bearded Arab who looked more
like the chief of a tribe than a servant of two pilgrims. He had
the eyes and the voice of one accustomed to command; but he
could smile like a child and he had a weakness for poets When
he was introduced as Abd'ul-Hamid, he supplemented, saying,
the servant of Sheik Kazem and his illustrious friend." But
bheik Kazem was quick to correct the courtesy. "If anyone as
much as casts upon us a glance of disrespect," he said, "there is
the wrath of Allah." In fact, Abd'ul-Hamid was our bodyguard.
I he chauffeur, a little Bagdadi in European clothes and a
±ez looked the more tawdry and insignificant as Abd'ul-Hamid
took his seat beside him. No, billah, he did not deem it seemly
to sit with the illustrious pilgrims. But he was the only one among
us that looked like a pilgrim, and his imposing form before us
was, to me, at least, a source of comfort and assurance.
The landscape, soon after we emerged from the shadow of
the palm-fringe of Bagdad, was a canvas of desolation, a masterpiece of terrestrial harmony. There was not even a thorn in it
to tickle a camel's suppressed desire, and no beaten paths to bind
a traveler or a caravan; no shadows to restrain the ardor of the
sun; not a patch of green to interrupt the flow of the desert
gold; and rarely a break, a ditch or a bridge, to mar the even
tenor of the horizon's way. Add to this an enveloping dust a
heavy curtain of dust shot with the broken rays of the sun and
you have a complete picture of a Mesopotamia landscape
An hour through this appalling vacancy and the horizon rose
in a modest swell. It was not a ridge, or what the Arabs call a
rib in the earth, but a vestige of the Yousufiyah Canal, which
dates back to the days of the Abbaside caliphs. If this were still
in use we would be passing through a bounty of verdure arabesqued with irrigating streams; the palm and the tamarisk would
spread a cooling shadow on the road; the dust would keep its
place under hoof and wheel, and there would be no reason to
curse the Ottoman Turks. The ruins of ancient canals, some of
which are said to be of Babylonian days, are strewn over this
desolate land, which was once the granary of the East. And the
valley between the two rivers was the most productive of all the
rich soil of Mesopotamia! But today, for thirty miles from Bagdad on the Tigris to Musaiyeb on the Euphrates, it presents a
lurid example of what the Turks have done during four hundred years.
�MARCH, 1931
7
Under a shed in front of the khan of Musaiyeb, we refreshed
ourselves with laban, a kind of curdled milk, for which the town
is noted. It is made in individual bowls of the milk of the buffalo, which is richer than the camel's or the cow's. And at Musaiyeb we beheld the first scene—a customary scene, I was told—
of the unique pilgrimage. Two groups, one from Bagdad, the
other from Khadimain, were resting in the khan. Resting? The
mules bearing the litters and flags and drums for the procession
were resting in the square, while they, the pilgrims, were engaged
in a heated quarrel. There is a rivalry between the two groups—
a rivalry in prowess and the art of grief, and a feud resulting
from it, which is carried over from year to year. Who cuts a
greater figure in the procession? Who makes the better litters?
Who is more pious and brave in the demonstrations of sorrow?
Who can swing the heavier chains? Who can make deeper cuts
in the head with the sword? They quarreled, they boasted, they
fought. And the fight that started at Musaiyeb was finished the
following day at Kerbela, in the very court of the grand mosque.
Sheik Kazem rose in disgust, Abd'ul-Hamid invoked the
mercy of Allah, and the chauffeur, while cranking his car, asked,
"Who can make the louder noise?—But this engine has more
sense than a pilgrim." And he gave us an example of how well
he could drive, as he threaded his way through the narrow and
crowded street with a laudable respect for human life. But he
quickened the life of everything there, from the chickens to the
camels, and he frightened every body except the children. They
could even leap on the running board and give him, as they
jumped off, the salute by applying the thumb to the nose. Abd'ulHamid admired their bravery, and returned the salute in like
manner. We all laughed, and Sheik Kazem explained the gesture by referring to Tommy Atkins who once passed through Musaiyeb. "The curse of Allah upon him, whoever he be," exclaimed Abd'ul-Hamid. "We could teach him and his children some
decency," he added as we rattled on.
Issuing from the town we came to a ramshackle pontoon
bridge, which opened before us, or rather, under us, the delightful prospect of a swim in the Euphrates. But we crossed it safely
and into the wilderness again. The sun was getting hotter, the
dust thicker, because of the pilgrims before and behind us, and
the landscape more depressing. In places the dust had its compensation: it shut from our sight the howling wilderness.
But only for a few miles, and then—a most welcome change.
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
There were dark spots ahead, and there was a shimmer of water.
No, it was not a mirage. We were heading for a real stream:
we were approaching its shaded banks. The road now wound
through the palms, the curtain of dust thinned to a tattered veil,
and the air immediately cooled. We breathed as through a wet
sponge and praised Allah.
The Husainiyah Canal, which flows from the Euphrates near
Musaiyeb for about twenty-five miles to Kerbela, is comparatively
recent. But around the Holy City it is to the Shiahs what the
Ganges is to the Hindus, and some of the pilgrims were bathing
in its turbid waters.
Kerbela (the city of grief) does not belie its name. Without its two grand mosques, two of the four most beautiful edifices in Iraq, the others being in Najaf and Khadimain, it is a
miserable clutter of flat roofs and mud walls and a hopeless labyrinthine tangle of lanes, with a population of about thirty thousand souls, winch, during the pilgrimage, rises to more than
thrice that number. A lugubrious city, indeed, most depressing
to behold, most painful to contemplate. It is the cradle, the cauldron of a religious passion, which for 1,250 years has filled the
shiah soul with bitterness and grief, has kindled its fanaticism to
flames, has aroused it to barbaric deeds of piety and sacrifice, has
crowned it with the thorns of a tragic memory. Beside that
memory, which is the head-spring of its grandiose passion, everything pales to significance > without it, in fact, nothing is worthy
of reverence, or even of decent consideration in the city of Kerbela and in the heart of its people. Like the golden domes and
minarets of its two mosques, which rise in woeful solitude above
the darkness and dim and the squalor and sloth of the city, that
passion and that memory dominate in the breast of the Shiah
Moslem every other object in life, every other human passion.
Thus, the people of Kerbela are, like their city, lugubrious
and depressing. They have a labyrinthine mentality, a perverse
humor, a dour reticence. But they are also masters of a speech
and a gesture that are all grace and charm—and obfuscation. For
centuries, because perhaps they were oppressed by the Sunni
Turks, they have cultivated a logic which has for its supreme
object the concealment of the human mind. Even in their most
cherished belief there are times when what they call taqiyah (to
conceal out of fear) is a virtue. Otherwise, they are in the shelter of their belief and in the shadow of their golden domes a
superior, a "chosen" people. And Kerbela to them is the most
I
�{MARCH, 1931
9
sacred and the most beautiful city in the world.
Nevertheless, Kerbela is miasmatic. As we wended our way
to the house of our host, a generous and enlightened Persian, our
olfactories were assailed by every odor conceivable, except that
of musk and ambergris. But odors are not always the harbingers
of disease. There may be nothing miasmatic even in an open
sewer.
But come with me into the home of a citizen of Kerbela. In
the open court of every house of the rich and the poor, is a fountain, the sanctified fountain called howdh ul-kurr, or the specified
measure of water, which is described and defined by the doctors
of the law. In other words, there must be in the basin, all the
time, so many cubic feet of water, over which the mullah prays,
repeating a few verses from the Koran, and thus renders it pure
and uncontaminable for a period of three months. This fountain supplies the household with water for washing, cooking and
drinkingj but it has to be continually replenished to contain the
specified measure, and the mullah, every three months, must
repeat his prayer and incidentally earn his fee.
If this were the whole story of howdh ul-kurr, there would
be little or no harm in it. But I observed, when I stood before
one of these fountains, that the color of water was such as to baffle
description. On the surface was an opaque mystery, and when
I stirred it with my hand, it suggested the palette of an impressionist. But that is not all. I made the mistake of stirring it to
the bottom with my stick, and, by Allah and the Prophet and
his cousin Husain, it smelled to heaven.
Every member of the family uses howdh ul-kurr for every
purpose, personal and domestic. They wash dishes and pots and
pans and clothes in the fountain; and they carry water from it,
nontheless, to the kitchen and the table. Often, too, children
play, and men perform their ablutions, in its stagnant water. Miracle of purity! For in spite of what I have mentioned—and
what I have omitted—the water of howdh ul-kurr, because of
the mullah's abracadabra, is uncontaminable. And no matter
how colorful it becomes, and how dense, and how odoriferous,
and no matter how many kinds of mosquitoes and germs it breeds
and disseminates, it can not, once sanctified, do the pious Kerbelite any harm.
I must add, however, that there is one exception to its uncontaminability. One thing can vitiate the mullah's prayer, one
thing only—the ordure of a human being. And this sometimes
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
gives rise to a nice point of law. Is the fountain really polluted?
The question can not be answered without the aid of a chemist,
and there are no chemists in the Holy City of Kerbela. But there
are mullahs who can quibble as well as pray. If the owners 6f
the fountain are in easy circumstances, they are ordered to change
the water immediately; and if they are of the poor, they are
given the benefit of the doubt—also of the divine dictum, since
to the pure, everything is pure—and are allowed to continue to
use the water for another period of three months. The poor, I
was told, can not afford frequently to change the water, which is
carried into the city, and sold, in skins; and they find a material
advantage in a religious belief. But some day Kerbela will have
a modern system of water supply, and the hydrant in the home
will need no mullah to purify its flow.
"You have honored our city," says the polite Oriental to a
visitor. But this flattery is reversed in Kerbela, despite its howdh
ul-kurr. No visitor, be he the Shah of Persia himself, can do it
any honor, can add anything to its glory. Our visit was, of course,
an honor to us, as we were told. "You have been honored by
Kerbela," came after each greeting; and Sheik Kazem taught
me what to say in reply, something about the city's sacred dust.
For is it not the seat of the mightiest and bravest, the kindest and
noblest, the gentlest and sweetest of men? The luminary of the
faith, the leader of the devoted, the prince of eloquence and the
lord of battle—is he not buried here, in a precious mausoleum,
under a dome of gold? But the Shiahs do not speak of the grand
mosque as the burial place of Husain. It is the Presence, for he
is here ever living, ever inspiring and sustaining. And in the
neighboring mosque is his loyal brother Abbas, the Presence of
Abbas.
Husain is the grandson of the Prophet. His father Ali, the
last of the four orthodox caliphs, is the cousin, as well as the
son-in-law of the Prophet. But he was defeated at the battle
of Saffeen by his powerful rival Moawia and later assassinated.
That battle marks the beginning of the great schism in Islam.
The Persians, primarily for political reasons, supported the followers of Ali, and in their opposition to Omaiyad power they
practically made him their Prophet.
The schism might have failed, however, were it not for the
succeeding event's. The enmity between Moawia, the founder of
the Omaiyad dynasty, and Ali, was transmitted to their offspring
and, through the centuries, to their followers. When Yazid sue-
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MARCH, 1931
1
11
ceeded his father to the throne in Damascus and sought to establish his authority in Kufah, where Ali died, the Persians joined
the Arabs in revolt and called upon one of Ali's sons, who were
then in Medina, to be their leader. Hasan, the eldest, refused.
But Husain accepted, and he was supported by the other brother,
Abbas.
The two, with their harems, their children, their servants and
a few hundred followers, went out of Hijaz expecting to find
in Kufah an army ready for battle. But they were betrayed. No
one even came to their succor, when, fifty miles north of Kufah,
on the field where now stands the city of Kerbela, they were intercepted by the Omaiyad army and forced to the alternative of
battle or retreat. The Omaiyad army decided to give battle.
Husain enheartened his men with the words of the Prophet
his grandfather.: "How many times a little band, by the help of
Allah, has defeated a big army." Thus, at great odds, the battle
of Kerbela was fought 1,250 years ago. For ten days it continued, and in the end Husain himself was slain and his head
was carried to the caliph in Damascus.
When Yazid saw the head, he pointed with his staff to the
parted lips and said: "He had a beautiful smile." "The Prophet
kissed him once in the mouth," remarked one of those present.
"Take it away," said Yazid, turning from it in contempt.
The head was given back to the sister of Husain and his son
Ali, who had accompanied it, and they brought it back to Kerbela, where it was buried with the body of the martyr. Another
account, which is supported by a few of the historians, is that the
head was taken to Cairo and is still enshrined there in the Husain Mosque. A third account, which also has its supporters among
those who write history, is that the head was brought back to
Kufah and ensconced there in the Mosque of Ali. But the Shiah
Moslems, insisting upon their own version, built the grand
mosque of Kerbela, and founded the city itself as a sacred shrine
to their martyr.
But the annual commemoration, the Passion Play, is in two
parts, which differ only in title and the date and place of the performance. The first is called "Ashourah, or, The Ten Days,"
in memory of the battle, and is enacted in Khadimain, another
holy city of the Shiahs, across the river from Bagdad, on the
tenth day of Muharram; the second takes place forty days after
in Kerbela and is entitled "The Return of the Head."
The spirit of this Passion Play has in it two supreme notes.
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
The first is hate, hate in all its moods—a slumbering, brooding,
hissing, growling, flaming, consuming hate—an ever-living hate
for the Sunni Moslems of the world, the descendants and successors of Moawia, the arch-enemy of Ali and Husain. The other
supreme note is grief, the grief of centuries and of all shades of
human expression—the barbaric lament, the exquisite chant, the
dramatic gesture, the resigned sigh, the poignant, philosophic
silence—the abandon, in other words, and the repression of grief.
This living, moving epic of hate and grief has been perpetuated in utter bitterness and horror for more than twelve centuries, from the battle of Kerbela to the present day, by a religious propaganda that is unique in the history of the world. But
it is more than religious. It was first conceived in Persia as a
political weapon to combat the authority of the Arabs and to
undermine jill the Sunni Arab dynasties of the past. The mullah was then, as he is still, the servant of the State, which must
achieve solidarity and supremacy, not only in Persia, but wherever there are communities of the Shiah persuasion.
"Ashourah" and "The Return of the Head" are, therefore,
celebrated annually in India and Syria, as well as in Persia and
Iraq. But the most histrionic and impressive performance, a performance of barbaric grandeur, is that of Kerbela, the Seat of
the Exalted Presence, the Holy City of Husain.
From Persia, from Central Asia, from India, as well as from
every town and desert of Iraq, the pilgrims come; and every
group has its banners and standards, its insignia and litters, its
swords-men and chain-men and breast-beaters. Outside the city
the procession forms and begins in the early morning to flow
through the narrow streets to the two grand mosques, where the
drama is closed with prayers and sermons and more lamentations.
For five hours, from the balcony of Government House, I
watched the procession with camera in hand; and for the first
time in its history Kerbela has experienced, on its day of mourning, the double indignity—a Christian and a camera! But there
we were, not only with our friend, Sheik Kazem Dujaili and our
bodyguard Abd'ul-Hamid, but also—more assuring—with the
Mutasarref, an enlightened gentleman, and his staff.
The drama begins in prose, as it were, rises to poetic beauty,
drops to barbaric chants, and ends in a flamboyance of oratory.
It is not, as a story, coherent; it is not, as a realistic representation, always consistent; it is not a masterpiece in unity and harmony: but in its singleness of purpose and its mechanism, it is a
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�MARCH, 1931
13
woeful example of how a religious idea can be made to move
millions of human beings to tears, to frenzy, to violence and
self-torture.
This idea is spread out in twelve scenes; and as noteworthy
as the most brilliant expression of it, is the order and peace that
mark the whole performance. Not an incident, not the slightest
confusion, while it moves. But the moment it ends, the spirit of
rivalry is unleashed, the quarrels of the last commemoration are
revived, new quarrels are started even within the sacred enclosures
of the mosques, and before the sun goes down the cantankerous
pilgrims will have added an epilogue, a sanguinary epilogue, to
the drama of the day.
The curtain rises with the rising sun, along the Husainiyah
Canal, and the procession is moving towards the city. Silently,
the multitudes are waiting in the streets; silently, women are
watching from the housetops; and silently, the first three scenes
exhibit the material spirit of history. The vanguards with swords
drawn are followed by the standard-bearers—a hundred flags,
from a hundred cities, undulating in the breeze. Follows the
transport corps, a caravan of pack-camels carrying the baggage
and the supplies of Husain and his companions when they left
Medina.
After this prosaic passage, there is a pause, a perspective, and
Jo,the steeds of Husain's little army! About fifty fine Arabs,
richly caparisoned, with cashmere shawls covering the saddles,
are led by grooms in black tunics and turbans. The clatter of the
silver bridles, as the steeds cavort and rear, is a charming interlude between the preceding silence and the sound of drum and
cymbal, which is heard before the band is seen. Behind the band,
another pause, another perspective. And when the last shrill
sound is lost in the winding lane, an Arab of noble mien, with a
beard as black as his robes, is seen leading a horse covered with
blood—the horse, supposedly, of Husain, when he was slain in
battle.
This dramatic note precedes a scene of picturesque beauty
and domestic loveliness. A long double row of kowdahs, magnificent litters, ornamented in silver and gold, inlaid with motherof-pearl, are glittering in the sunlight as they rock and sway over
the backs of camels. Behind those curtains of canopied devotion
and care, the imagination of the audience pictures the households
of Husain and Abbas, their wives and sisters and children and
servants, when they left the Hijaz. And in the center of the
' *V*W» {*t¥SS$SS3®fcs
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
procession, borne aloft by four men, is the gilded cradle of Husain's infant son, also killed at Kerbela.
What has already passed is the foundation, the inspiration of
what is to come. It is the fuel for the conflagration of grief.
And here again the authors of the Play exhibit their skill in
dramatic art} the effect of perspective, the suspense, the surprise
is masterly achieved. A single black flag precedes the hosts of
sorrow, who, in the first scene, are primitively, artlessly, ruthlessly barbaric. The chain-men, about two hundred of them,
naked to the waist, their bronze backs with crimson stripes, the
marks of the whip, shining in the sun, are marching five abreast
and flagellating themselves for the sake of Husain. They swing
the whip-like chains above their heads, all in a single movement,
and down, with an immutably impassive expression, upon their
backs. There are professionals among them, as well as fanatics;
and some of the former have a trick of flourishing the chain-whip
valiantly, violently, and letting it fall softly upon their skin But
the sincerity of the others is written in blood upon their backs.
More barbaric than the chain-men are those who strike their
heads with scimitars and fall bleeding at the Portal of the Presence of Husain. Some of them even achieve martyrdom in this
manner But the Government of the Young Turks, before the
World- War, suppressed this practice.
The breast-beaters, however, remain; and their performance,
although less fatal in its violence, is not less gruesome. Naked
like the chain-men to the waist, their open hands rise and fall to
the raucous rhythms of their leader, who is chanting a dirge to
Husain. Here, too, we observe a purely theatrical note. A few
of these breast-beaters, the professionals, perhaps, are performing
with one hand and holding with the other a lighted cigarette
But the combined effect is that of a weird engine of grief with a
thousand pistons at work and a single wail—the refrain of the
dirge.
The pilgrims come, Husain, to thee,
The pilgrims pray for clemency.
A world of hearts around thy shrine,
Arise and see, arise and see!
But these two scenes do not immediately pass together To
break their violence, to give it, rather, the histrionic perspective,
comes the procession of the ulema, the mullahs and the doctors
of the law. Calm and serene, these venerable old men, with
�MARCH, 1931
flowing white beards and huge white turbans, betray neither grief
nor hate. In them the drama reaches the sublime; in them is the
smouldering depth of pathos, the poignancy of silence.
But here again are the hosts of the loud lament, the chanters,
the wallers, the shedders of tears.
O thou sun of Hashem's line,
The one incomparable Husain,
Arise and see the golden day,
Arise, the victory is thine.
His sister Zainab, too, is often mentioned in the refrains.
Grief is Zainab's share;
Kerbela is her heir.
Hear ye Zainab's cry:
"Where's my brother, where?"
}
And here are the orators. Their camels are led by the halters, while they, from their high seats, are moving the multitudes
to sobs and tears In one of the processions is a conspicuous figure
—a black bundle swaying in the saddle of a big black camel
Every now and then he removes the cloak from over his head
says something to the crowd, and re-assumes the posture of a
veiled divinity. He personifies Husain's son, the youthful Ali,
who fought bravely in the battle of Kerbela and escaped its
slaughter. His words, however, are not an exception to the maudlin rhetoric of the others.
But the oration of the day is delivered by a man called Rowdhakhoun, who has a hall to himself and is one of the principal
features of the commemoration. This man is more than an orator
He opens to the faithful the garden of bliss, as his name implies,
and he is a master of the histrionic art. The dramatic, the melodramatic, the tragic, he plays upon with the will and skill of a
snake-charmer, and his stops are even more effective than his
sighs and cries. A Rowdhakhoun is a combination, in robe and
turban, of a spellbinder, a mountebank, and an evangelist.
His oration was a series of climaxes, of which I note three.
Ihe first was when he told of the tragic event of the past, and,
rising to the height of the melodramatic, he paused The audience realized that in reverence for Husain he did not pronounce his name, and they burst out in sobs and lamentations.
Ihe second climax was when he told of the traveler who brought
a present to his friend from the land of his travel. "What did
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16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Ali (son of Husain) bring to his people?" The orator was seated
when he spoke ; but suddenly he rose and repeated the question,
making it more obvious. "What did Ali bring from Damascus
to his people r" It needed no further allusion. Ali brought back
the head of his father. The audience shook with sobbing, a tangle
of a thousand hands beating upon heads and breasts, and many
among the old were drying their tears with their sleeves. This
tumultuous and lachrimose demonstration lasted a few minutes,
and the orator, with hands folded across his breast, was a picture
of gratification. He then chanted a dirge and, sitting down again,
told the story of the ring. On the table before him was a ring,
which he exhibited to the audience. One of the signs of a believer is the ring he wears, as did Husain, on the index finger
of their right hand. "Whose is the ring:" he cried out as he
rose to his feet, and the building echoed with the sob-swelling
voices of thousands crying, "Husain, O Husain, O my Husain!
Woa Husainaaa/z!"
It is night. But the City of Grief is still awake, the pilgrims
are still praying in the mosques, shadows flit through the labyrinthine streets still sighing, "Husain, O Husain," and the heat
of a summer day, likewise, does not abate. W7e move our beds
to the roof, but there, too, we do not sleep. The heat brings us
a unique compensation. Were it not for it, I would have missed
the most beautiful feature, the last act, of the Passion Play. It
has in it a touch of grief, but no hate, no fanaticism, not the
slightest bitterness. It is an exquisite piece of art, a thing of sheer
beauty.
The Arabic of the Koran is musical even when it is read; but
when it is chanted by a professional reader, whose voice is not
the least of his art, it has an ineffable fascination. And there,
high in the golden minarets of the two grand mosques, above the
maudlin grief of Kerbela, under a limpid sky, seemingly close to
the warmth and brilliance of its stars, are the professional readers chanting in winged mellifluence verses from the Koran—
words of piety and devotion, of love and peace, of good will to
men, and of resignation to the will of the Most High.
There are several chanters in each minaret, who, in turn, continue the chanting till the break of dawn. On that roof, a pilgrim in spite of myself, I sat awake till the last hour of the night.
And when my eyes closed, I was walking in a world that knew
nothing of Kerbela but its golden domes and remembered nothing but the music of its minarets.
>
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MARCH, 1931
17
Scouting in Southern Lebanon
2?y Aziz
RAHHAL
Y^/HEN there is hope, difficulties become obviously easy to conquer j and when there is perseverance, the once terrifying
impossibilities tend to fade away and change into possible operations that are a blessing to society. There is no work in the form
of an organization, which tends to revolutionize the attitude of
man towards life, that comes about without obstacles intentionally put to hinder its growth or even put it out of existence.
Nevertheless, sacrifice, good-will, hard work, and sincerity come
out victorious at last. All this is true of the Scout movement in
Southern Lebanon.
The first troop was organized in 1920 at the American school
in Sidon. I had the privilege of being a member of that troop.
The aims and ends of scouting are fascinating. They made us
adore it. This love for the movement was encouraged by the
several trips which we made. Anyone who has not had the privilege of becoming a scout does not and can not realize the thrill
boys feel on their hikes. We used to feel like heroes of tales
while sleeping in camps in the open country after crossing the
mountains of the Western Lebanon Range.
We carried the idea with us to our homes. We were anxious
to share with our friends in the villages the pleasure and the
real good points we had obtained from scouting.
The spark was ignited in Sidon at the school. In the summer of the year 1922, I called a few of my friends to discuss
the possibility of organizing a Boy Scout troop in my home town.
They grasped the idea eagerly. We labored vigorously all that
summer; and at the end of September, before my return to
school, we held a reception to which we invited our parents that
we might show them something of what scouting taught us. I
still think of that meeting as one of the best I have ever attended.
That small troop spread the idea to the schools in our home
town. We have in Jedeidat two high schools, one French and
the other American. In both schools a troop was formed, but in
the summer the scouts from each of the schools assembled to
work together. This is a new miracle scouting caused: the union
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
of students from two different schools, each with its own programs and spirits and in keen friendly competition with one
another!
Until the year 1927 our work had been confined within our
home-town limits. I was dreaming at that time of making a trip
with the Scouts to Lebanon, and, in spite of all difficulties, that
dream was finally realized.
Funds are necessary for every enterprise of this sort. Where
no^w-ll
/aS thu P^f?1" The ParentS of the scout* were
not willing to pay their children a piaster; and the boys did not
have more than a few piasters each in their pockets. Anyone I
consulted called me a "fool". "It must be done," I said One
afternoon, as I was sitting alone, thinking of a solution, a friend
came to me and suggested that we scouts present a play. Indeed
it was a bnght idea! In spite of the fact that the boys were
young and inexperienced, they sprang up with joy and memorized
heir parts in a few days. The play was acted, money was raisedhe scouts made ready; and we set off early in August. We were
twenty-one in number and the trip lasted twenty-one days!
That trip proved to the people whom we visited how much
coming could do to the boys of Syria. Every mother in the
Let have r
th Boy Sc
:
rs and
feit sorr
^ "hat h-«Ss
As ZlIt °fPP0rtfUmty [° become a s<^- There was a chance!
As a result of our trip, three troops were formed: one in Sidon
proper, and the other two in villages above Sidon.
\
The effect of the trip on our boys was most obvious when
they returned to their homes. "My son has certainly changed "
one mother sa,d to me, "he gets up early in the mormngSs
S
^\
»d?£ kfu '
eXerQS eS
ateve
He buiTt t I "I8
, - *
haVe n6Ver Seen him
- obedien"
i
>> *5
the food you give him he willi
>
^y
u \
her
he made° coffee forP visito heer soZ
2wL> t& '
Very m ther fdt
roud of h
^ —
The blessing spread to all the villages we visited. A cry came
thT^ T° ^i1/ZC ^ f°r them- What is -ore affecrmg
than this! In a village above Sidon, a group of ten men abovf
twenty years of age, some" of them married and paTenTs sent me
word saying they wanted to form a scout troop! Twent tthem
thinking tint they wanted to have a troop organized n £
village and were anxious to help me. But to my surprise I c£
covered that they themselves wanted to form the troop> i could
f
II
�•tmmm'^-j*^
3
A Troop of Typical Lebanese Boy Scouts
VO
�20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
not convince them that it was for boys and not for men. They
said they would act as boys! I said, "Since you are anxious to
have scouting in your village, get the children of your relatives
and friends to become scouts." All was in vain, and the troop
was organized! Fortunately or unfortunately, that troop did not
Ine long, for its members had to look for food fo their children!
Every summer a play is presented by the scouts, from which
we gain a certain sum of money which serves as a fund for necessary expenses of the troops. Midsummer we go for trips to
some new places in order to become acquainted with the different
sections of the country.
Now, the once young scouts, who began scouting in the year
1922, have become old and experienced enough to manage troops
themselves. Four of them are actually responsible for two troops
in the two schools in Jedeidat. They are doing good work and
their scouts are full of zeal and impatiently waiting for summer
to come that they might share in the proposed two-weeks' camping.
*
We now have seven troops in all Southern Lebanon, but we
hope that in a few years we shall be able to boast of more. Our
main obstacle, which we hope to overcome in the coming few
years, is the lack of scoutmasters. Anyway, the future looks
bright to us.
\
Fair Flower
'By
THOMAS ASA
Fair flower that doth so proudly rear its head,
Thy face uplifted to the sun and sky,
Who knows but the morrow shall find thee dead,
And who but knows soon we too must die!
Ne'er an earthly flow'r but some pleasure fills,
The meanest member of thy kingdom grows
To soothe some jaded breast of worldly ills;
What matter if it be no queenly rose!
�MARCH, 1931
21
Arab Literature and Philosophy
2y
MICHAEL HADDAD
Editor's Note — The writer of this article is a native of Transjordania,
and at present a student at Columbia University preparing himself for a
career of usefulness in his native land. He finds time, nevertheless, to bring
about a better understanding of Arabic culture by his lectures in churches
and societies and occasionally over the radio. The following are extracts of
a speech he delivered to members of the faculty and students of Columbia
University.
\
yHAT outside the Koran and the Arabian Nights there exists
an Arabic literature at all, is comparatively little known
Arabic literature is the enduring monument of a civilization, not
of a people. The birthplace of Arabic literature was a sandy
plain, particularly desert. The inhabitants were nomadic and
their physical environment moulded their habits. Due partly to
their severe struggle for existence and their monotonous life,
their philosophy was summed up in a number of pithy sayings
and proverbs. Like most of the world's greatest literature/Arabic literature springs into existence in an outburst of poetryPoems were handed down through successive generations of reciters called 'rawis', many of whom had prodigious memories.
The heroic age was from 500-622 A.D. It gave forth collections of odes and an anthology of Arabic poetry. It is often remarked that old Arabic poetry can never be satisfactorily translated into any otner language, because the things said vary so
little and the whole art lies in the untranslatable manner of saying it. However, a passage quoted from the Mu'allaqa of imru ul-Qays will serve to give one a feeling of this kind of poetry
A poet is supposed to be travelling on a camel, with one or two
companions The road leads him to the site of a former encampment. He beseeches his companions to halt for a moment and
he sorrowfully recalls how, many years ago, he spent here the
happiest days of his life with his beloved. Now life with its
constant wanderings, has long since separated them and over the
deserted scene roams the wild antelope.... Says he:
"Stay! let us weep, while memory tries to trace
The long-lost fair one's sand-girt dwelling place,
�i. I
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Tho the rude winds have swept the sandy plain,
St.U some fa,nt traces of that spot remain.
My comrades reined their coursers by my side,
And yield not, yieJd not to despair,' thev cried
I ears were my sole reply; yet what avail
lears shed on sand, or sighs upon the gale?"
1=3. r
V
the lib - 'tBerli
ences are at Oxford.
?C,
translated
A f
Aristotle's Metaphysics fto
S °" ?C
Which were f
"^ °f h'S b°°ks
A second philosopher to mention is Al-h'inhi
on
° d«
"atural •*
H„ ,
j
;\rauttr°offWOrkS °° ,L°giC "* ^^i^FSK
on physics and meteorology. His book on « WH
^
felligible" which was circffat^Tatert ^mSev^fS^ ^
lation, continued to be reprinted until the 1 £h l 7
^ ^U*_
meta
physics he wrote on "SuEcT^Time" ^T^r^
"
and "Vacuum".
'
' SPace and Measure"
.
�D
{MARCH, 1931
23
Calcutta in a series of 51 volumes and edited by Professor Dietena. A great part of their work dealt with logic, natural sciences, metaphysics, psychology and theology. A resume of their
theological thought ,s as follows: God is above knowledge, and
above all categories of human thought; from God proceeds the
intelligence, and from intelligence proceeds the human soul, and
3,that/°"l.comes Primal matter. When this matter becomes
W thl r7rmg dimenSlons/ beco s secondary matter, and
ri om that the Universe proceeds.
Ibn?" STT 5r°dUCt °f the ferment of thought ^PPears in
Ibn Sina who lived m 1027 A. D., commonly knotn and Latinized as Avicenna. He wrote several books on Logic which differ from the Greek by being expressed universally by the negave, for example. All A isnot B-while in Arabic nothing ofA
is B. Also he differentiated between the abstract and the objective. In describing the soul he describes it as a collection of faculties or forces acting on the body. The faculties present in the
soul may be divided into two classes: faculties of perception and
fled and° aCtl0U- ,Df ^ hlS tlme Bagdad Was bunufi and he
ned, and it was only through his works that the culture of his
period was later re-instituted.
id!/
-
>-.
briefllhilef°n the ^f1 ofT Phil0S°Ph^ if is
et to mention
briefly a few points about Ibn Rushd, known to the West as
ticMvZ V\ W'S thC gTeatef °f ArabiG Phil-oPhers and pracically the last. He composed two theological treatises-one on
he agreement of religion with philosophy, the other on
the demonstration of religious dogma. There are three different classes of man he says, the highest being those whose
i eligious belief is based on demonstration, the result of reasoning
The lowest stratum is of those whose faith is based upon the
authority of a teacher or on presumption which cannot be argued
not'ntlteT,tate bet7ee" *«* two strata are those who have
not obtained the use of pure reason but are capable of argument
and controversy by means of which their faith can be defended
and proved. Popular beliefs he does not accept, but he regards
them as wisely designed to teach morality and" t'o develop p^
amongst the people at large. A true philosopher, he says^albws
no word to be uttered against established religion because of its
being a necessity for the welfare of the people. iC of hi
works became well known to subsequent generations particu arly
to the Jews, and through them later to Latin scholastics
�24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Lebanon
TSy
LABEEBEE
A. J.
HANNA
They talk of California's sun,
Of Italy's blue sky,
But the mountains of the cedar tree
Is where I long—to die.
There I often climbed the fig tree,
Took grapes from wealthy vine.
There I loved the thyme and habak.
The sky and earth were mine!
Ah, Sheehah, whom I loved so well,
Although you did not know,
If you but knew my aching heart
To you would long to go!
Before I die, I'd see the sky
O'er snow-capped Sannin Mountain
I'd clasp your hand, perhaps, once more
Beside the public fountain.
And I'd drink the wine of yesterday
To your dear Syrian eyes,
And I'd sing a song of love once more—
To love that never dies!
Then when my song is ended,
And I'd drunk my fill of wine,
I'd die content in Lebanon—
And know that you were mine!
/
�?LD
MARCH, 1931
A Journey Through Jebel Druze
'By
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
III
PLACES, PRINCES, AND PEASANTS
\
/
^LTHOUGH but seven kilometers from Sueida (about four
miles), it took us almost an hour to reach Qanawat by automobile over the apology of a motor road connecting the two
places. We could have done better had we decided to walk, but
because we had in our company city-bred guests it would have
been an insult not to invite them to ride, when there was a car
and a road, while the sun was so fierce as to discourage the most
hardy and adventurous. And who, anyway, is the seer that can
foretell the hardships of such a short ride to what may be termed
a suburb of the capital!
Yet Qanawat, according to the ambitious plans laid down by
the French authorities in Jebel Druze, is to be made one of the
main resorts of the country within a few years, and one that will
prove a source of substantial revenue to the state by its attraction
to tourists.
But the long ride to Qanawat proved profitable in affording
us a fuller opportunity to study the topography of the country
and ponder its glorious past and future possibilities. The road
over which we traveled was partly Roman and partly—well, its
description had better be passed because its condition was almost
indescribable. Our Damascene chauffeur, the very one who had
had two years' experience at his trade in primitive Persia, said
he had never encountered such hardships in driving. His profanity under the circumstances was excusable, because he so very
often had to halt in order to remove boulders from the way, or
attempt to fill in holes where travel was too risky. The only
pleasant word he had to say was about the sturdiness of his American car.
We finally entered the town through a narrow alley flanked
by high walls of rough stone ranging in height from ten to fifteen feet and emerged into the spacious public square. Here the
atmosphere immediately changed, and instead of the desolate
�26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
and forbidding landscape of the outskirts we came into a scene
of Me and activity that was stranger and more inviting than
anything we had seen so far in this forsaken land. And we had
the opportunity of witnessing fur the first time the typical
Uruze in his unspoiled form, still adhering to those traditions
which characterized his seclusiveness and detachment from modern influences.
I noticed a group of people who at first glance puzzled me
by their appearance. They were attired in the long flowing robes
wh.ch may be appropriately worn by either men or women
Ineir heads were covered with the conventional kufias and ighals
from under which flowed long locks of jet black hair which fell
in waves over broad shoulders or protruding chests. The eyebrows were penciled to perfection and the lashes and lids were
heavy with kohl. The picture presented all the characteristics
ot coquettish femininity, but the conception was rudely shattered
with the detection of the heavy mustaches and sometimes bushy
beards, forcing the conclusion that these were the men of the
tribe, inasmuch as the women were strictly forbidden to uncover
their faces in public.
I hesitated to ask of any of the young men an explanation
of the origin of this strange custom for fear of wounding their
feelings. The conviction was slowly formulating in mv mind
that these particular youths must be so many Beau Brummels
who assumed this role out of sheer vanity, and could not be considered truly representative of the people at large. But I soon
perceived an elderly man similarly dolled up and who seemed
to look upon me with the same critical manner that I entertained
ior him. At his sight my curiosity got the best of my reluctance,
and strange to say, he seemed not to be the least offended by mv
inquisitiveness Rather, he appeared anxious to explain to me
that such was the accepted custom among the men of the country,
and that their only cause for surprise is that strangers should see
in it anything strange.
Yet these apparently effeminate men are the very same Druzes
whose hearts of steel have carried their fame throughout the
world as being capable of the most prodigious feats of valor
in war.
At one end of the public square we saw some wonderfully
preserved lead pipes running in a bedding of concrete recently
uncovered by French excavators. They proved to be a part of
�MARCH, 1931
27
Ruins of the Roman temple at Qana-vcat zvhich the natives have
converted into living quarters for themselves and pens for their
cattle.
the old distributing system which the Roman builders had installed to supply water from a central subterranean reservoir to
the various sections of the town. The reservoir itself was located
and cleared, and after almost seventeen centuries found to be in
the finest state of preservation, its vaulted roof as well as its concrete bed with hardly a trace of a flaw.
The most imposing ruins in Qanawat are those of the temple,
although they in no way approach the grandeur of Baalbek and
other places of antiquity in Syria. One of the portals still stands
almost intact, and the enclosing walls are partly standing, but
once within the court enclosure one comes upon a scene of'utter
confusion, with building blocks strewn in all directions. And
amidst these ruins of a once advanced ancient civilization, one
comes across signs of the most primitive forms of contemporary
life, where natives have converted the most suitable parts of the
ruins into living quarters, stables, pens or chicken coops.
Passing by what had been the outer fortifications, one reaches
an eminence commanding a view of the narrow valley deploying
itself into a broad sweep until it merges with the plains and'low
hills in the distance. This valley was the only verdant spot we
had seen in our extensive travels in this country. A good sized
stream must have flown through it in times past, along which the
\ K
�. ._ .
THE SYRIAN WORLD
«* of wLr S3 y&'A'SyiStftS
merfyofTrZk0^^
of the Druzes inH'J
?
eXCUrSi0
"
*
mS Phiii
P
aS the
the
Cat
Place
"% for-
of
l»t refuge
1
Sraptrd rccetibiC $ £d2 £ d " ^leav
"P
Sueida the next day and reached ShnhK
^"^ '"
"«
Ut noon after a mo
tonous drive of almoi ,wrT
TU
°
"°Tht SU
day was the nerceTw, TA
" °" that "id-August
great ^ofS A»f
>"* ^T""^' a»d it was with a
some Ser
"* ^^ 'hat at last we «*U find
mre^Lrdn^r arcyhtdFt Ster"/ate
' £ ^"S
*~
ardl
Were sti11 in a
good state of prese vation n
!
?
broad and smootf" with wtSe "l
i?"""1 ^
"d
S abs as the Roma
builders had laid hem ,!m„If
uf'
" '
» >
t
a
W
ceeded to *^^t°£ftr »**' ^
=P "
two principal streets which eWTdSLte thetownat
t£ t^TT*"*'
°f ,he
cr
A number of women waitinn to fill 7k
°ss angles,
3
he foUntain
hastened to cover their facefnto
"" T * *
man, noticing £^J^^Z**^* ^JT'
a camera ardfixi„gd;7iaToriWhen * P** "" 0m^«
estahlL^X Sn.'^fJS get £&* ^ ^ S^
from them before presentmg Xn,^^
HHBBBm^HHni
�MARCH, 1931
The obliging Druze horseman who himself posed for a picture
and forced the reluctant women at the fountain to do likewise.
in this case we made no exception although we were assured by
the higher authorities at Sueida that telephonic instructions would
precede us to the local authorities at our proposed stopping places
to have them facilitate our mission of recreation and study Accordingly we continued our exploration of the town until we
came upon a gang of workmen setting up some modern building
along the western section cf the principal street. Here the native
superintendent, m trim military jacket and baggy native trousers,
advanced to greet us with the characteristic profuse expression
ot hospitality, and upon learning our identity, especially that our
companion was the popular Nationalist leader Baroody he became even more solicitous and obliging. He would take us he
said, to where we could feast our eyes on a work of art just discovered and jealously guarded—the elaborate house of the governor of the town at the time of its greatest splendor.
We retraced our course with our volunteer guide until we
reached a house on the main street near the square, and passingthrough the gate into the patio we suddenly found ourselves in
the spacious court of what must have been a sumptuous palace,
such as the best we had seen in Pompeii. But the surprise he had
in store for us was in the room which must have served a< the
dining hall. Here, lying for many centuries under several feet
of dirt and now altogether cleared but for a single corner was
�ML
30
"THE SYRIAN WORLD
a work of art done in exquisite mosaic depicting a festive scene
as a central motif, while in an outer circle were drawn, also in
delicate muiti-colored mosaic, the principal birds, animals, and
fruits requisite to the feast such as pheasants, chicken, rabbits,
deer, sheep, grapes, etc. Native women were immediately set to
work by the superintendent fetching water to clean the beautiful
panel, and when water was poured over the even floor the designs
appeared almost living objects in the vividity of their colors
The depth of the dirt still visible in one corner of the
artTemV Sfea T f° determine why ^h a treasure of
art remained hidden for centuries. But the delicate question
vas_ How could the authorities dispossess the squatters who had
ived in these ruins generation after generation and called them
rtht, T eSP,£Ciall-y SinCC the DrUZCS are SO seilsitjve to their
rights and might misconstrue every action on the part of the
French authorities as rank tyranny and oppression. Especially"
COUntlT WaS jUSt
from
»
^^ thC
* blood^
war, Z*
and T'
the most
innocent move of the ""W
French might be
misinterpreted out of all logical intentions. What could these s3e
natives, for instance, understand of archteologie treasures and
objects of art when their whole concern did not transcend the
elemental of the simplest existence?
Here is where the diplomacy and tact of French officials in
Jebel Druze have proved capable of winning not only the sub
mission but even the love of the Druzes who had be'en at war
em
y
CW
arS SJnCe This l have lea
he\
,
.°K
i
f
tnel«iench bin from the native, themselves. And
ed
\i
«* from
the case now
under consideration serves as a fitting illustration
; Realizing the right of the Druze settlers to claim these
rums as their home, the French governor of the district, ntead
of evicung them by force, had a small modern house bui ton a
the d p alac md offered k to the
SI
foT°S
, V rums. Naturally they
exchange for their ddilapidated
-
thought
they had the better of the bargain and readily accepted, and fhe
deal proved satisfactory all around.
'
the
We decided
the
"^ "***
°J we
^ to
he French
French DiT-^r
District Governor,
and
turned
the south *>of**
the
8
t0 w here our courteous uide di
d
SvitTJl
^*
,
,
g
-t
1 akhry Bey Baroody, as usual, refused to keep us company on
official visits, and I and my cousin Joseph went alone. A?d a
befitting a formerly great city whose importance had so far gone
It
I
i
�MARCH, 1931
7*^' "* -fe> «? *««*•* *V JO»e native children
\l
^PSStbyewfcfKhe 80Ver
"T - *» P^y « ruin.
ourselves fal/,,'^" * gnmd °Pen stairase >«d found
our nirs o^and^ ad IHet uS°raThWh° P°'ite,y "^ ^
ushered overlooked the whi ~ ZZ'T "^
"""
been at one <ime the ^^rft^T^
m d
5£-T£?S se ltirh ,r ]"? ^
private office
Entering "*fptl0n
de Service de Refinement »
haJ1 and the
,H ii|E^me
governor's
R y
° '
officier
Shahba," received MT^ f^eTf," "ad oT
ing ,,d wo be
;learning
;r ,1
r
^ «" W*-s
P 1 He
we ha^alr ad^heZ?^ T^*
PP ""=d «P°»
disa
"R,ft ,
y
P
ourselvt:s
t° what could be seen.
he
the «a rden
?*
e, ofT r
h0 "^
;lnd
C0 tai S* '"
Indi c ai o^r;f a?.
mU8 Un
oi
insi
*d "» * in
" " * «« ""-ion of statuls
The unaffected courtesy of Lt. Eugene Roy, combined with
�32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
his genuine scholarly interest in the country under his jurisdiction, impressed me even more than did the imposing ruins of
Shahba. I was deeply aifected by his display of enthusiasm in
speaking cf his plans for restoring Shahba, erecting a suitable
hotel in it not Jater than the Spring of 1930 and making of it a
principal place of attraction for tourists. The visit I made later
to his "little museum" only confirmed me in my conviction of
Hs genuine solicitude and scholarly proclivities. The modest
stone house in which he lived alone had no bright spot about it
except the rtstuettes, the fragments of columns and the odds
and ends of antiquities which he seemingly had collected and
; rranrreel with infinite care and loving appreciation. The sight
cf this outdoor museum was sufficient compensation for the long
trek to the Lieutenatn's house and back over a rough s^one path
in the scorching midday sun of an August day in Jebel Druze.
A Song of the Nile
'By
DR. SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
My waters have buried within your sands, O fair Egypt,
secrets which you have been slow at discovering. Had it been
given me to flow like ink on paper, I would disclose them to you
one after the other.
I am Egypt! I reflect its riches, its age, its mystery, its doctrine and the beauty of its maidens, and the might and wisdom
of its men. I am great Osiris. I am fair Isis.
Yes! and many an Isis (given as an offering for a heavy
flood) did my arms fold to my breast of whom you were more
worthy.
If the daily reappearance of the great Ra is not a satisfactory
proof of the immortality of the soul and the revivication of the
body, then my annual visit must be an undoubted proof.
>-;.
. --
m
-.
�MARCH, 1931
33
ALI ZAIBAQ
•
•
(Quicksilver)
THE UNPARALLELED ADVENTURES OF THE
CHIEF OF POLICE OF THE CALIPH HAROUN
AL-RASHID, OF THE CITY OF BAGHDAD.
Translated from the Original Arabic by
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
and
CHAPTER
THADDEUS
S.
DAYTON
VII.
THE BATHS OF TOULON
SAYS the compiler of this biography: The Baths of Toulon
were one of the wonders of that age, having been built by the
King Toulon, father of Al-Aziz, who expended on their construction vast sums of money, so that people repaired from all
parts of the kingdom to see its wonders. They flourished for
many years until they became a place of habitation of the djinns
and affreets who were accustomed to strangle everyone who entered there. For that reason people held the place in great fear,
and it became the custom of the King, whenever he wished any
one executed, to cause him to be confined in these baths where
within the scope of a single night he would be strangled by the
genii and his body would be found next morning lifeless at the
door.
Quicksilver awaited the arrival of the evening when he bade
farewell to his mother and girded on his enchanted sword and
went to meet Salah-Eddin. Together thev proceeded to the
Baths of Toulon which Quicksilver entered, Salah-Eddin locking the door behind him and taking away the key. Salah-Eddin
thereupon returned directly to the meeting place of the Zohrs
and said to his men:
"Whichever of you brings me first the news of Quicksilver's
death I will share with him my position."
Quicksilver remained reclining on a couch but not asleep, until
�34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
some portion of the night had passed. Then he said to himself:
,,. ,\WllJ e*Plo,re th3S P^ce and find its hidden dangers" At
u^l h"C ^ff hKed his e»ch-ted sword and walked by ts" light
which
to
of^e
^ T"^decorated
*"* °f *«
^
^ foid
to be
be of
gieat, magnificence,
most
richly. After
stop
ping here for a while he began to explore the different cham
bers, looking m all directions until he arrived at a con picuol^
!hegoethenrs.beaUtlfUl ^ ^ * ^^ ^nger Zn T^
While he was so engaged the place was suddenly illuminated
r e a
ZZllng
he
a
rtd
p e deTof
^
^
««K
rid Ys
a species
of ddjmn, one
who^
is supposed
to have
been enslaved
S?S m °ne ha"d a hrmP of mysterious radiance while he bore
with the other a beautiful damsel. The Marid placed the lamn
P
on a shelf and then addressed his fair companion thus:
U Wade'ah you have asked me to conduct you to a bath
and th,j]S one of the finest in the whole world. Wait here but'
com?
the
"
diSHPpeared aS
^kklV ^ mysteriously as he had
-i
j
> he beared that they had perceived him and
that they were devising means to slay him, and he said tcZ
th^
t0 Quicks lvei
"I will now go forth and kill this damsel and when her com
pamon returns I will slay him also."
the WvTrJf
Fear still b
IZ:
weeS""
S
iSS ed f
K
Z
Pred
hlS hiding
Place
and
approached
* SaW t0 be WeePinS a»d lamenting.
minaat
°
» Ws heart, he asked in a hail
may y U l
°
:°m
"' °
damsd
'
and Whcref
-e d° I see you
To which she replied, casting upon him a mournful glance&now O young man, that I am of the daughters of the
Kings of Djmn. My father is called King Al-Forastak This
Mand whom you saw bring me here became enamo ed of me
and asked me m marriage of my father. Upon being^ fused!
devised a stratagem by which he inveigled me forth fromm
father's palace and seized me. When I found myself powers
m his hands, I requested him to conduct me to the lath whet
upon he brought me to this place. Now I am in gr^'f^
.i
!
zammmm
�MARCH, 1931
I
L
35
your safety, as you are alone and this tyrannical genii will surely
slay you. Better, therefore, that you return from whence you
came before he sees you."
Upon hearing her words, Quicksilver's heart was moved with
compassion toward the maiden.
"Rejoice for your safety, O Princess, for surely I will put
your captor to death," he replied.
"And by what device do you intend killing this terrible
giant?" she asked.
"By this," he replied, unsheathing his enchanted sword which
gave forth sparks of fire.
"If you succeed in delivering me from the demon," she answered, "I will be your slave for the remainder of my life."
The damsel had hardly finished speaking when torrents of
water gushed from the dry fountains of the bath and the maiden
trembled with fear, fearing that the Marid would soon reappear. She urged Quicksilver to conceal himself.
The genii returned and ordered the damsel to prepare for
the bath, but being encouraged by the presence of Quicksilver
she refused, whereupon the genii struck her a crushing blow,
moved thereto by the excess of his anger, at which she cried out
with all her voice:
"O mortal, protect me from this monster!"
Quicksilver sprang into the chamber with a single great bound
and confronted the genii, who no sooner perceived him than he
leaped fiercely toward him. Quicksilver struck one blow with his
enchanted sword which cleft his breast, the glittering blade protruding from his back. Instantly the Marid fell lifeless to the
ground and the maiden, perceiving this, threw herself before
Quicksilver, exclaiming:
"Ask for whatever you desire and it shall be yours immediately. Even if you aspire to be the King of this land it is in
my power to make you so, for you have done me the greatest
service possible by delivering me from this demon."
"O maiden," answered Quicksilver, my only request is that
you play a trick upon my enemy, Salah-Eddin, the Chief of the
Sultan's Secret Police," and he proceeded to relate to her his
whole story from the beginning to the end.
"This," replied the maiden, "will be an agreeable task and
you will be much diverted in seeing how I shall humble your
enemy."
.
�36
THE SYRIAN WORLD
After having exchanged mutual vows the damsel took Quicksilver upon her shoulders and flew with him until she deposited
him safely within his mother's house.
"What befell Quicksilver's enemy," said the tale teller, "is
one of the most diverting of incidents, and, if it is the will of
Allah, you shall learn of it tomorrow after the day's journey
is ended."
Speech and Silence
"By G. K.
GIBRAN
My loneliness was born when men praised my talkative faults
and blamed my silent virtues.
When life does not find a singer to sing her heart she produces a philosopher to speak her mind.
A truth is to be known always, to be uttered sometimes.
The real in us is silent; the acquired is talkative.
The voice of life in mecannot reach the ear of life in you;
but let us talk that we maye not feel lonely.
When two women talk they say nothing; when one woman
speaks she reveals all of life.
Frogs may bellow louder than bulls, but they cannot drag the
plough in the field nor turn the wheel of the winepress, and of
their skins you cannot make shoes.
Only the dumb envy the talkative.
'
-;'.
..,:.-
-.
.
�'MARCH, 1931
37
The Holy Grail
Syrian Owner of the Famous Chalice of Antioch to Exhibit it
Publicly for the First Time.
!
\!
fHE decision of Fahim Kouchakji, proud owner of the famous
Chalice of Antioch recognized by many internationally known
authorities as the original Holy Grail, which Christ and His disciples used at the Last Supper, has consented to exhibit the priceless treasure publicly for the first time since its discovery in Syria
in 1910. He expects to sail from New York with the chalice 'and
other precious objects of early Christian art in his possession on
April 15, taking them to Paris for display at the exhibition of
Christian art which will open at the Louvre late in May. The
authorities of the Louvre, according to published reports, have
informed Mr. Kouchakji that they will arrange with the customs
authorities so that the treasure will not be unpacked until it is
safe in their hands.
The controversy waged over the authenticity of this cup,
which had abated during the past few years, has again been revived since the announcement of the owner's decision to permit
its public exhibition. Already the metropolitan press and archaeological publications are seeking the opinions of authorities on
the matter, and while some hold that the cup cannot date back
later than the third century, there are many others of equal repute who maintain that the quality of its workmanship and the
design of its ornamentations unquestionably mark it as the work
of the first century, while its associations and the circumstances
of its discovery bear convincing proof that it was the very chalice
used by Christ at the Last Supper.
These circumstances would seem to be in keeping with the
many appearances and disappearances of the Holy Grail through
the centuries. In the legends of King Arthur, the cup voyaged
miraculously to Glastonbury until the pure Knight Sir Galahad
took it to the mysterious city of Sarras in the East, where it vanished from sight. In the present case, the cup disappeared still
another time immediately upon its accidental discovery and only
after much search was it recovered.
�38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
In 1910 excavations were being made in the
ruins of a great
church built at
Antioch in Syria
by the Emperor
Constantine i n
the fourth century and destroyed by an
earthquake i n
526 A. D. The
precious cup,
which later became known as
"the great Chalice of Antioch,"
together with
several other
silver .objects ofi
religious significance /including
a goblet which
since became
known as "the
(International Copyright by Kouchakji Freres.)
minor Chalice of
Antioch," a ce- Original -photograph of the famous Chalice
remonial cross
of Antioch about one-third its natural size.
and three
book covers, were discovered, and the whole collection became
known as "the Antioch treasure." Soon after the discovery, however, all the objects were stolen by Arabs and recovered only
with much difficulty.
They came into the possession of
Kouchakji Freres, prominent dealers in Oriental antiques in Paris
and New York, who took them to their Paris office and had the
great Chalice expertly cleaned of the coating of silver oxide which
had formed around it. In 1914 it was shipped with the other
articles to New York uninsured, over a sea swarming with German commerce raiders, where it was placed in a Bank vault and
there remained ever since. It later became the personal property
�D
MARCH, 1931
39
of one of the members of
the firm, Fahim.
The significance of the
cup, it is stated, was first
analyzed by Dr. Gustavus
A. Eisen, an archseologist
familiar with the forms and
ornamentations of art objects in the Near East. The
chalice, as described by Dr.
Eisen, stands about eight
inches high and consists of
an inner cup of silver,
crudely made and without a
base, around which has been
placed an elaborately sculptured sheathing of silver
and gold leaf. The rough
lip of the inner cup extends
above the ornamentation,
(International copyright by
and it is the theory of Dr.
Kouehakji Freres.)
Eisen that the outer en- A detail of the ornamentation of
velope was made to guard the Chalice showing the figure of
and glorify the i n n e r
St. Jude.
cup. The sculpturing on the outer cup centers about twelve
figures which Dr. Eisen has identified as Jesus-one figure as a
boy and the other as an adult-and ten of His apostle! These
trST °fAUS' Dn EiS£n bdieVeS' are His only'authentic po !
traits, made by an artist who either had seen Him or who had
obtained a description of Him from men who had known Him
C UP bCCaUSe f
tion
tTtVTTt
if'ofTT
, ' century. °
tion, to
the last half
the first
itS form and
execu-
Dr Eisen made an exhaustive study of the cup and published
his findings in 1924 in a beautifully designed Ld iLstrated
book. His conclusions aroused world-wide interest and discussion
among archaeologists some disputing his belief that the cup was
first century while others supporting him in his contention
1 he antiquity of the cup was never disclaimed by the dissentth' A,?"? contentioi\beJng t^t it was of a make not earlier
than the third century, and as such was too far removed from the
time of Christ to be the bowl used at the Last Supper
�ea
'
40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Authorities supporting
the views of Dr.
Eisen on the authenticity of the
cup, however, in
include such
men as Josef
Strzygowski, Professor of
Archaeology at
the University
of Vienna and
Professor
Art h u r Bernard
Cook of Queen's
College, Cambridge. Professor Cook published his opinion in an article
in the Cambridge Review
and gave it as
his final conviction that no vessel of exactly the
(International Copyright by Kouchakji Freres.)
same shape and
proportions a s Another detail of the ornamentation of the
the Chalice of
Chalice showing the figure of St. Peter.
A n t i o c h is
known of a date later than the first century.
of r^? the fal1 ?£ Jerusalem> Antioch became the main centre
of Christianity m the East," wrote Professor Cook. "And if so
her'Tmm T
, ^ ^ WaS' ** '^obably, brought thivessel T/emS ml WhCre !t may Wel1 have been the very
"I? m aP°St?llCu times ^ the infa«t Church. Indeed, a
Last ZT ^Tr^u^r'
Jt
7aS n°ne °ther
ast stXun^e""31106 °f ****
k
than the CU
P oi the
<«** ^> ^
HNnnnDI
\\
1!
I
�MARCH, 1931
'< •
41
EDITORIAL COMMENT
READERS SHOULD KNOW
J^ FEW months hence THE SYRIAN WORLD will have finished
five years of continuous publication. I am not in a position
at the present time to say how long it will continue—that question will have to be determined by the public. What I can say is
that public support in sufficient volume to make the publication
self-supporting financially has been lacking. Whatever active cooperation has been received was in the literary field—from a number of our talented writers, some of whom enjoy national and
even international reputations. They, in their appreciation of the
value of the magazine, have been most generous in their contributions to it practically without compensation. Nor should it be
forgotten that many of these contributors are professional writers who, were their contributions to THE SYRIAN WORLD to receive proper, remuneration commensurate with their ability and
fame, would be our creditors in terms of thousands of dollars. But they chose to assist gratuitously in furtherance of a
cause which they considered vital. If thanks are due, our literary
collaborators unquestionably have first claim on our gratitude and
we here and now wish to express it to them most heartily.
A loyal group of supporters have also staunchly stood by the
magazine continually since the beginning. But, we must regretfully admit, their number has not been sufficiently large to insure
profitable, or even paying, operation.
And now we come to a point where the existing economic
crisis furnishes a ready excuse for the withdrawal of some of our
old support and the withholding of whatever was expected of
new. This naturally brings about an inevitable crisis in the publication's existence. It had been operated at a loss in the first
place, and with the additional strain brought about by present
unexpected developments, it can be readily surmised that the
publication's position could not be any too comfortable.
I would not have readers draw unwarranted conclusions from
this statement. If the publication of the magazine has been conducted at a loss for all these years, without undermining my optimism in ultimate success, readers may safely accept my present
\i
i
�b
42
THE SYRIAN WORLD
declaration of purpose not to discontinue it before sufficient advance notice in case such a stef beccmes inevitable.
Rather, it is with a view to discover ways and means of evading such a possibility that 1 have decided to make a clean breast
of the situation to readers. I am seeking not their financial assistance as much as their moral support and candid advice. I shall
ask them to discuss and decide several questions relating to the
content matter, the format, the policy and the name of the magazine. I would have them express themselves frankly on the
need of such a publication and the requisites for its continuation.
To this end I am calling attention to an important statement
on the aforementioned points which will appear in the comingissue. The symposium will be maintained for three months, or
until the end of our current year, so that in case of any change
it will be adopted then.
In the meantime, we shall continue along our former course
with the same determination and devotion that have marked our
efforts during the past five years.
Editor
DR. NAJIB A. KATIBAH
'Y'HE unexpected death of Dr. Najib A. Katibah came as a great
shock to his host of friends and admirers of his versatile talent
and high literary ability. Readers of THE SYRIAN WORLD will
remember him by the many excellent original poems and short
stories as well as his masterly translation of some of the finest
Arabic classics. But his human qualities transcended by far his
literary genius, for he was a loyal husband, a loving father and
a faithful friend. He passed away peacefully during his sleep
on the morning of March 18, and his loss created a distinct vacancy in the Syrian community. He will be always remembered
as one of the Syrians' literary pioneers in the English language
in America.
i
,
�3AARCH, 1931
43
Pan-Islamism Idea Revived
Editor's Note — Moulana Showkat Ali, the Indian Moslam leader, was
in Syria and other countries of Jae Near East durin:; March to attend the
burial ceremony of his brother, the late Muhammad Ali, at th3 Al-Aqsa
Mosque in Jerusalem. Both brothers were delegates at the round table conference on India in London where Muhammad died from overstrain. He
was immediate.y proclaimed a martyr not only to the cause of India but
also to that of Islam, hence the suggestion to lay him at rest not in his
native land but in the mosque in Jerusalem which the Mos'em world holds
in higher reverence than any ether of their holy plases with the exception
of Mecca and Medina. The suggestion was advanced by the Moslem Supreme
Council in Palestine and already the effect has been to revive active prosecution of the Pan-Islamic movement in the manner outlined by the brother
of the dead leader in the following speech which he delivered at Beirut to
a representative Moslem group as reported by the native Arabic press.
>
h
i
t
\ i- f '
F AM exceedingly pleased at this meeting because of the opportunity it affords me to discuss the necessity of unifying Moslem
public opinion throughout the world for the protection of their
interests.
You certainly must have heard a great deal about my late
brother Muhammad Ali. I want to further inform you that he
was more like a son to me than a brother. Our father died when
my brother was but eighteen months old, while I was not mor.
than three and a half years. As we grew, I came to realize that the
responsibility of my brother's future rested upon me, and I spared
no pains in insuring him an education. At one stage I had to dis pose of all our possessions to send him through Oxford. He be •
came an accomplished scholar and poet, and was as well versed
in English literature as the best among the English. But all this
is as nothing compared to his outstanding characteristic of religious loyalty. Very often, after his return from Oxford, he used
to express himself in unequivocal terms about the superior merits
of the Koran, stating that of all he had read of poetry and prose
in foreign languages there was nothing to come up to the value
of a single letter of the Koran.
Such was the unshaken conviction of my brother in the superiority of the Koran that he was able to convince the Moslems
of India to forego the allurements of European manners and
practices and conform rigidly to the tenets of our Holy Book.
�44
THE SYRIAN WORLD
I, too, believe that all that humanity needs in wisdom and knowledge may be found in ample sufficiency in the Koran. But whether
my brother's belief was one of rationality or of rashness, I pray
that every Moslem will adhere to it for the immense benefits it
will bring to the cause of Islam's unity.
The reason for my relating to you these things is to have you
realize the urgency and importance of consummating our fond
dream of Pan-Islamism. You, in this audience, are the Prophet's
own people. You speak the language of the Holv Koran and you
.nve at but a hundred miles from the sa:red tomb of the Prophet
I his is why we expect of you great deeds and what gives us the
moral right to ask you: Have you done your duty in complying
with the injunctions of the Koran? Have you been negligent in
the defense of your sacred places?
It would seem presumptuous on my part, a Hindu who is
indebted to you fcr the great boon of the true religion, to point
out to you the way of duty. But we, in gratitude for the spiritual
Gifts with which you have endowed us, feel it our duty to exert
every possible effort to promote the cause of Islam It is for
that reason that my brother is now buried in Jerusalem, an honor
and a distinction denied princes and sultans. We wish to prove
to you that our hearts and sympathies are with you, and that if
we entertain any fear for your future it is that you will be contaminated with the corruption of Western influences and socalled civilization.
When I was in London I met many Moslems of various
countries and discussed with them the urgency of promoting Panislamism. They were agreed that no matter what our political
affiliations and national divisions, we should hold paramount in
our consciousness our community of religion and rally around the
common slogan, "There is no God but God, and Muhammad is
the Prophet of God."
I am now touring the Moslem countries of the Near East in
the interest of promoting this great ideal. I have visited Egypt
and have had an audience with His Majesty the King, as well
as with Nahas Pasha, the nationalist leader, and other prominent
personages I have also visited Palestine and Transjordania and
tTZ Awfr* T? H/ MajeSty KmS Hussein and his
son Emir Abdullah, and found them all sympathetic to the movement. I am happy to state that all true Moslems cannot fail to
perceive the gravity of the impending danger of Western in*i i
V
�MARCH, 1931
45
filtration into our lands which disguises itself under the cloak of
bringing us liberty and independence.
exswf-H°T WTuC°me '? thC CrUCkl P°int °f how to achieve this
exalted ideal. There is but one way and that is the way of faith
and sacrifice I am now resolved to tour the Moslem countries in
>
men X
Uu
? ^ ^^ SUpP°rt °f their Potentates and
men of wealth, and a few months hence I shall return to you,
and hope by then you would have resolved to sell the silk shirts
on your bodies and the rich rugs that adorn your homes and devote the proceeds to this great cause. In the meantime, I shall
visit Iraq at the invitation of His Majesty King Feisal and later
proceed to Persia where I expect unlimited assistance from the
Shah because of my knowledge of the great interest he takes in
such a worthy cause. I have been told that in spite of his immense
resources, the Shah spends on his own personal needs but three
or four pounds a month, and when asked the reason for this
seemingly undue economy he replied that he was saving his revenue in order to devote it later to the promotion of the cause of
Islam.
The immediate duty of the Palestinian Arabs, however is
to ward off the danger of Zionism by investing all funds at their
disposal in the purchase of land instead of depositing them in
banks. 1 am in a position to assert that the Zionists' ambition does
not stop at controlling the Holy Land and establishing therein a
national home. Their aim is to gain possession of all Arab countries including Syria and Iraq. Dr. Chaim Weizmann, the Zionist leader, himself stated to me that the Zionists plan is to acquire
possession of all Arab countries, excepting Al-Hijaz, with the
consent of the inhabitants. I could not help but smile at these
false hopes and I replied to him: "If you can seize all Arabia and
establish your headquarters at Mecca, don't hesitate."
But I am in a position to assure you further that Great Britam does not at heart favor the ambitions of the Zionists despite
its apparent adherence to the Balfour Declaration, and if the
Arabs wjll only show firmness of purpose they will ultimately
attain all their political rights. Both England and France fear
Russia and the possible effects of the spread of communist teachings in the Last, and for that reason they would rather woo Arab
friendship than risk the loss of their prestige. The Arabs are certain to emerge from the struggle triumphant if they will but
persevere.
�WiBiifcii
46
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Political Developments in Syria
SYRIAN ELECTIONS
AGAIN DEFERRED
What political manoeuvres are
going on behind the scenes in Syria
may never be known, but the effects have been the continual postponement of the promised popular
elections. It was at one time announced that the elections had been
definitely set for March, but now
comes the report that again they
had been deferred for an undetermined period, tentatively set by some
as two and possibly three months.
The rumor crop, however, is still
plentiful, but out of all the maze of
published reports only very little so
far has proven accurate.
What seems to be authentic is that
the leaders of the Nationalist Party,
fretting at the frequent postponements of the elections, have finally
decided to call a national convention to be held in Beirut sometime
in March. Their choice of Beirut is
obviously to prove to the French
authorities their steadfast resolve to
adhere by their original demands
and to reiterate their declaration of
policy even under the nose of the
High Commissioner. Some observers ascribe other motives to this bold
move of the Nationalists, principally that of discrediting the recurrent reports that dissension has
crept into their ranks. By meeting as
a solid, cohesive body under the very
shadow of the High Commissariat
building, they hope to prove that
not alone the Nationalists of Damascus are united, but also the representatives of the Party throughout
the country, who would attend the
convention and establish the Na-
tionalists' unity by their actual
presence. It is yet to be seen whether
these plans of the Nationalists will
materialize, as there are some who
express the fear that hindrances
might be placed in the way of holding the convention.
Other rumors, and many there
are, insist that the Nationalists have
agreed to participate in the elections
providing they were guaranteed noninterference by the government.
Previously it was asserted that they
made their participation conditional
upon the deposition of the Tajeddin
government because of their lack of
faith in its fairness.
The visit of several members of
the royal Hashemite house to Syria
within the last few months has given
impetus to the movement to recreate
a royalist party whose candidate for
the throne would be one of the sons
of ex-King Hussein. The party has
been duly organized and is said to
include many of the leading citizens
and notables of Damascus. The announcement of its organization, published February 10, states that its
progam follows closely upon that of
the Nationalists. The Royalists demand a united, sovereign state, with
the privilege of independent foreign
representation. The government is to
be a constitutional monarchy with
Islam as the state religion and
Arabic the official language; a national army will be created that
would be an independent and distinct
unit; a general amnesty will be
sought for all political exiles and
prisoners; a basis of understanding
with France will be established with
the view of safeguarding Syria's interests and facilitating its entry in-
;
"
�ft
-
MARCH, 1931
to the League of Nations; public
education will be made compulsory
under a state program, and the Hijaz Railway will be restored as the
property of all Moslems with a view
of facilitating pilgrimage.
47
lords at the end of the rental year
at the beginning of June.
The Arabs decided on this firm
policy in order to refute the allegations that they were ready to enter into negotiations with the Jews
for a modus vivendi in Palestine in
conjunction with the visit of Dr.
Weizmann, although a strong eleARABS DECLARE BOYCOTT.
SHUN JEWISH PARLEY ment of orthodox Jews headed by
Rabbi Chaim Sonnenfeld is sincereThe visit of the Jewish Zionist ly desirous for such an understandleader, Dr. Chaim Weizmann, to Je- ing because of their fierce opposirusalem in March was the signal tion to political Zionism.
for the Arabs' declaration of a new
The Arabs have undoubtedly been
and more extensive boycott against heartened in their stand by the visit
the Jews and the reiteration of thei- of Moulana Showkat AH, the Indian
oft announced intention never to Moslem leader, who had been a deleconsider a policy of reconciliation gate to the round table conference
with the Jews so long as the Balfour on India in London. His assertion
Declaration was operative in Pales- that Indian Moslems would spare no
tine and upheld by the British gov- effort in upholding their Palestinian
ernment. This new development gave brothers in the pursuit of their narise to fear of disturbances on the tional rights confirmed the latter
occasion of the Easter season which in their conviction that they had the
coincided with the Jewish Passover support of not only the Arabs but
, and the Moslem festival of Nebi of the whole Moslem world. MouMoussa. The authorities are conse- lana Muhammad AH, brother of
quently taking no chances and have
Showkat, who also was a delegate
held large forces of military and to the London conference and died
police in readiness for any emer- as a result of strain, was buried in
gency.
Jerusalem instead of in his native
The declaration of the Arab boy- India. This was a further indication
cott of the Jews preceded the ar- that among Moslems religious corival of Dr. Weizmann. Their slogan hesiveness and loyalty were paris reported to be: "Sell Jews every- amount in their consideration.
thing except land and buy nothing
The Archbishop of Canterbury,
from them." The appeal to the boyhead of the Anglican Church, will
cott is issued by the Arab Executive
arrive in Palestine shortly after
and is addressed particularly to
Easter, according to press reports.
women. The object of the boycott, acThe Vatican is said to have indicording to announcement, is to show
cated its disapproval of his visit as
the world that the Arabs are scruputending to create further complicalously guarding their interests and
tions among Christian claims in the
are united in their desire to protect
Holy Land. The Greek Orthodox
their national rights.
Archbishop of Bethlehem, however,
The Jews, on the other hand, are
declared publicly that he could see
said to be preparing to retaliate by
refusing to sign new leases for no justification of such an assumpshops and houses with Arab land- tion. The Anglican Archbishop's
visit does not bear any official cha-
�man
48
racter, as 'he is going to the Holy
Land only as a pilgrim of exalted
rank. He is the guest of J. P. Morgan, the American financier.
MOSUL OIL DISPUTE
DEFINITELY SETTLED
Port of Tripoli to Get First Benefit
of Pipe Line from Iraq Petroleum
Fields to Mediterranean.
The long and heated controversy
between France and Britain over the
route of the pipe line through which
the Mosul oil will pass to Mediterranean outlets has finally been settled in a manner apparently satisfactory to all parties concerned, according to special dispatch to the
New York Times dated March 28.
American oil interests, it will be recalled, have a 23% per cent interest
in the total output of the Mosul
area and will share proportionately
in the costs of the pipe line, although
it is not yet known whether the
American companies will use the
French terminus or that of the
British.
A number of important details
concerning the construction and the
length of time to elapse before the
oil begins to flow are now being discussed, but the main problem has
been solved by the decision to build
a single pipe line from the Mosul
fields to a point near French-mandated Syria. From there the French
branch will continue through Syria
to Tripoli and a second branch will
be pushed through British-controlled
Palestine to the port of Haifa.
While this solution will involve the
expenditure of considerably more
money, it nevertheless surmounts a
delicate political issue which on several occasions caused a strain in the
THE SYRIAN WORLD
economic relations of France and
Britain. The whole question had
been the subject for the exchanges
of dozens of notes, and as recently as
two months ago the issue appeared
to be as far from settlement as it
possibly could be.
Because of the shorter route
planned for the French branch, it is
likely that all the participants in the
Mosul agreement, including the British, will use the French outlet until
the longer British line is finished.
From this it may presumed that
the French won a further point in
that they seem to have overcome the
British and American opposition to
the immediate construction of the
line.
The present world overproduction
of oil and the serious depression it
has brought about caused the British oil interests to oppose strenuously the exploitation of the Mosul
fields until world consumption increases. Inasmuch as the French
line will not be ready for two or
three years, it is hoped that world
oil conditions will be greatly improved when the first Mosul wells.
begin to function and the pipe line
opens.
In anticipation of the operation of
the Mosul fields, the French Chamber of Deputies on March 27 adopted
two oil conventions, the first giving
a legal status to the French Petroleum Company—a private concern to
which France has ceded her 23% per
cent in the Mosul fields—and the second setting up a national refining industry to handle the French portion
of the Mosul oil. The State will participate in the company to the extent
of 35 per cent, and of the 900,000,000
francs to be raised for the initial
work on the pipe line the government will put up 245,000,000 francs.
Under the provisions of the two
conventions, American and other
I
\
'
�MARCH, 1931
foreign oil companies in France will
continue to exercise their present
privileges. Clauses in the original
conventions having the effect of seriously compromising the future activities of American and British oil
interests were removed, and American refining plants, which cost many
millions of dollars and which were
jeopardized in the terms of the
original projects, are now assured of
a fair opportunity to carry on.
The settlement of the pipe line controversy was coincident with the
signing of a contract between the
government of Iraq, in Which the
Mosul fields are located, and the
Iraq Petroleum Company—a holding
corporation representing the participants in the Mosul fields. In this
company France and the United
States have equal shares. The AngloPersian Oil Company, through the
D'Arcy Exploration Company, Ltd.,
and the Royal Dutch Shell group,
through the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum
Company, each has a 23% per cent
interest.
Thus the British oil interests have
nearly 50 per cent, giving them virtual control of the fields. The remaining 5 per cent has been held by C. S.
Gulbenkian, an Armenian operator,
but recently it was reported he had
sold his interest to the Anglo-Persian company, although this has not
been confirmed.
Drilling operations are under way
at five places in the Mosul fields.
Oil was struck for the first time in
October, 1927, at Kirkuk. The well
was capped pending the building of
a pipe line. It 'has been estimated
that the international oil interests
included in the Iraq Petroleum Company up to August, 1930, had spent
nearly $18,000,000 in developing
Iraq's oil resources.
The estimated cost of the remaining work, including the pipe line, has
49
been never definitely fixed, but it is
believed that when oil is flowing
through the two outlets and the
necessary facilities are created considerably more than $500,000,000 will
have been expended.
In its agreement with the Iraq
Government the Iraq Petroleum Company is understood to have agreed
to pay Iraq 4 shillings a ton for the
unrefined oil produced, plus an annuity of $1,000,000. In addition to
this a loan of $1,000,000 without interest will be advanced to Iraq. This
will be reimbursed if Iraq's benefits
exceed $2,000,000 a year.
The international concession consists of twenty-four plots of eight
square miles each in Northern Iraq
along the Tigris. It runs for seventy-five years, beginning with
March, 1925. Other potential sources
remain at the disposal of Iraq, and
at least one other international
group with half a dozen national interests involved is seeking the right
to work the remaining areas.
REPUBLICAN PARTY
FORMED IN LEBANON
In Lebanon there is a plethora of
parties and a lack of parties at the
one and the same time. The explanation of the paradox is that, over
there, they are so individualistic
that everyone constitutes a party by
himself. Late papers arriving from
Lebanon, 'however, announce the formation of a regularly constituted
Republican Party for the purpose
of "acquiring for the country the
full benefits of a republican regime" in which the people would
have the controlling voice in the
conduct of government, the plain
statement seems to be sufficiently explicit of the form of government
now prevailing.
�50
THE SYRIAN WORLD
About Syria and Syrians
RIHANI SAILING
BACK TO SYRIA
Syrians of United States to Present
Him with a Loving Cup on the
Occasion of His Return.
After two years of bri'liant work
in the United States, the well-known
Syrian author and traveler, Ameen
Rihani, will return to his native
land for a well deserved rest.
Mr. Rihani's presence in the United States was at a time when he
was able to render marked services
to the Pan-Arab cause which he has
long championed and to the Palestinian Arabs' side of the controversy which developed its greatest
intensity during the past two years.
His defense of the Arab stand was
conducted vigorous^ in the public
press and on the lecture platform.
His lecture engagements, besides,
took him to all parts of the country,
and everywhere he helped raise
Syrian prestige by his versatile
ability and broad accomplishments.
Out of a feeling of pride in his
achievements, and as a token of appreciation and gratitude for his signal services, a committee was formed in New York to present him with
a loving cup on the occasion of his
departure. Over seventy representative Syrians formed the committee
of which Dr. F. I. Shatara was elected president, A. K. Hitti treasurer
and S. A. Mokarzel secretary. The
cup is to be bought from the proceeds of popular subscriptions in order to afford, in the words of the
committee, "all our countrymen the
opportunity of sharing in this
expression of love and appreciation
for Mr. Rihani on the occasion of
his departure."
The presentation of the cup will be
made at a dinner which the committee is planning to hold sometime before the date set for Mr. Rihani's
sailing, which is still undetermined.
SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
STILL IN TURMOIL
All efforts at effecting a reconciliation between the different factions of the
Syrian Orthodox
Church on the question of the Patriarchal elections have so far failed, according to the latest reports
of the Syrian press. The supporters
of both Patriarchs Haddad and Tahhan are adamant in their contentions that their actions are legal,
with the result that the rift in the
church is becoming wider with the
growth of passion and factionalism.
The laymen's committee formed in
Beirut to bring about an understanding has so far failed in its
efforts.
)
The latest move in the cause of
peace was the appointment by the
three ranking Orthodox Patriarchs,
those of Constantinople, Alexandria
and Jerusalem, of a special representative to study the question of
the Syrian Patriarchate and make
the necessary recommendations for
its solution. This representative has
now arrived in Syria and is bending every effort to save the unity
of the Orthodox Church.
A possible move, guardedly hinted
at by one of the factions, is that in
case of failure to win full recogni-
n>
WHHHH9MHHH
...
�MARCH, 1931
tion of their claims they will make
an open bid to join the Anglican
Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury, now visiting Jerusalem, is expected to accelerate the consummation of such a step once it is finally
decided upon by the faction having
it under consideration.
SYRIANS OF CLEVELAND
GIVE SUCCESSFUL PLAY
V
(
\
X •
The Syrians of Cleveland, Ohio,
are acquitting themselves creditably in their representation of the
cultural attainments of their race.
Last year they were the first among
the foreign groups of the city to
present a native play at the Theatre of Nations sponsored by the
Cleveland Plain Dealer, but this
year their presentation was even
more appropriate to the occasion in
that they chose a play whosa theme
and scene were native Arabian. The
account of the play given by a special writer of the Plain Dealer on
March 2 credited the actors with
much ability and gave unqualified
praise for the success of the presentation.
This year's Syrian presentation
was Antar Ben Shaddad by Shukri
Ganem which was first written in
French and played at the Odeon
Theatre in Paris in 1910 where it
had a run of several months and
was most favorably received by European critics. The Cleveland play
was the Arabic version of the
French original.
The entire proceeds of the play,
according to a statement by the
Plain Dealer, were devoted to Syrian charities as explained between
acts by Dr. H. B. Khuri (in Arabic)
and Jess. N. Saba (in English).
The cast of characters was as follows:
51
Joseph Shiekh, as Antar; John
Sadick, as Shiboob, his 'half-brother;
Sam Kassouf, as Malik, prince of
the Beni-Abs; Sophie Jeha, as Princess Abla, his daughter; Mrs. Dorothy Joseph, as Selma, her waiting
maid; Karim Khury, as Prince Amarat, Antar's rival for Abla's hand;
George Ziady, as Zobeir, captive
chief of an enemy tribe; Elias Kaforey, as a prince; Fred Shaheen,
Assad Abraham, and Elias M. Ellis, as shepherds.
DR. HITTI TO SPEAK
AT BROOKLYN MEETING
The International Institute of the
Y. W. C. A. of Brooklyn plans a
series of month'y Sunday afternoon
meetings to which it will invite
prominent representatives of different nationalities as speakers.
For its coming meeting of Sunday, April 26, it has invited Dr.
Fhilip K. Hitti, of Princeton University, to deliver the principal address at St. Ann's Chapel, Clinton
and Livingston Sts., Brooklyn, at 3
P. M. A choir will sing Syrian national songs under the direction of
Prof. Alexander Maloof. Following
the meeting a reception will be given in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Hitti
at the home of the Institute, 94
Joralemon St.
WORLD'S OLDEST RESORT
FOUNDED BY PHOENICIANS
A special cable dispatch to the
United Press from Nice, in Southern France, stated that that city
was proud in the distinction of being the oldest seaside resort in the
world, having been founded by the
Phoenicians in 350 B. C. Its climate,
the dispatch states, has attracted in
�_..".
52
THE SYRIAN WORLD
turn Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans,
and the nations of medieval and
modern Europe. It may not be as
old as the port of Marseilles, also
founded by the Phoenicians as a
trading post, but its distinction lies
in the fact that as a popular seaside resort its has had an uninterrupted creer of twenty-five centuries.
KURDISTAN PRINCESS
DANCES IN NEW YORK
A young Oriental princess of magnetic personal charm arrived in New
York late in February to exhibit
her talents in interpretive Oriental
dancing. She came highly recommended not only by her Eastern
friends in France and the continent
but by a number of the best known
European critics. The Syrians of the
city, however, reserved judgment on
her art until after she had given an
exhibition, but once they saw her
grace and reserve, her modest demeanor and her exceptionally artistic interpretations, they felt proud
of the visiting princess and hailed
her as one of the more worthy exponents of the fine arts of the East,
one who helps dispel the popular conception that all Oriental dancing is
of the vulgar, suggestive type.
Princess Leila Bederkhan is this
visiting princess, and she had 'her
American debut at a concert she
gave at Town Hall in New York on
the evening of March 3 under the
direction of Mr. Richard Copley. The
musical score was by various Syrian
composers, principally Mr. Alexander Maloof of New York, who conducted the orchestra and played several solo piano selections of his own
composition Which were wejl cpm-
Princess Leila Bederkhan
Artistic Oriental Dancer
mented upon by American critics.
Princess Bederkhan later responded to public appreciation of her art
by giving a second concert at the
Booth Theatre on March 18. She
will give a third concert at the
Brooklyn Academy of Music on April
4 prior to filling several engagements in Chicago, Detroit and other
principal American cities before returning to Europe.
Princess Bederkhan is of Kurdish
descent but spent most of her youth
in Egypt and later finished her education in Switzerland and other
European countries. She is a fluent
linguist and has a good command
of Arabic,
�MARCH, 1931
SYRIAN FEDERATION
HOLDS ELECTIONS
•
The American-Syrian Federation
of New York held its annual elections on the evening of March 12
at its clubhouse, 123 Schermerhorn
St., Brooklyn. George C. Dagher, the
popular leader of the First Assembly Republican District, was elected
President. Mr. Dagher, despite his
many political and business activities, still finds time to engage in
all constructive Syrian public affairs
and invites rather than evades association with his own people. It is
hoped that he will bring his talent
for organization and his capacity
for energetic work to bear in formulating a wide program of new
activities for the Federation.
Other officers elected were: A. H.
Macksoud, First Vice President;
Wadih Gorra, second Vice President;
Alier Couri, Treasurer; Thomas
Amoury, Secretary. The four new
members elected to the Board of
Directors were: Said Akel, retiring
President, John Kerge, 0. A. Herro
and Salim Totah.
SYRIAN JUNIOR LEAGUE
HOLDS ELECTIONS
it
The Syrian Junior League of New
York held its elections early this
year, on Tuesday, March 31, due to
the approaching trip to Europe of
its president, Miss Adele Macsoud.
The officers elected were: Miss Selma Milkie, president; Miss Louise
Dibs, Vice President; Miss Maud
Abouarab, 2nd Vice President; Miss
Violet Zrike, Corresponding Secretary; Miss Mary Mokarzel, Recording Secretary; Miss Leyla Mabarak,
Treasurer, and Miss Selma Diab,
Assistant Treasurer.
The annual spring dance of the
club is being held on April 11 in
53
the Italian Village of the Hotel St.
George. Arrangements have been
made to insure its success and to
more than fulfill the expectations
of those who attended the league's
past affairs. Miss Helen Jacobs is
chairman of the committee in charge
of the dance.
SYRIAN GIRL EXHIBITS AT
NEW YORK ART SHOW
The Fifteenth Annual Exhibition
of Independent Artists was opened
at the Grand Central Palace in New
York on March 6 and was the most
successful from the viewpoint of attendance than any of the former exhibitions. A Syria:i girl, Miss Margaret Bishara, although still a student, had two paintings of an Oriental theme on display. Her work
shows much latent possibilities. A
large portrait of her in a setting of
Lebanese scenery was also on display by the American artist L. Vasser Elam. Miss Bishara was born
in Brummana and is of a distinctly
Oriental type. Her native town,
crowning a ridge of the Lebanon
range overlooking Beirut and fringed with stately pines, introduced a
pleasing color scheme in the canvas.
W. J. Z. RADIO MUSIC
CLAIMED FOR SYRIAN
Editor, The Syrian World:
Every Sunday, for the past few
months, we have been hearing
Oriental music of exceptional quality over Station W. J. Z. The strains
that come over the air are very familiar to all of us, as most of them
are the original work of our wellknown composer Alexander Maloof
of New York and of Mr. Wadih Sa-
�.-."
54
bra of Beirut.
My purpose in writing this letter
to you is to voice my protest at
the unfairness, on the part of the
Director of this broadcasting-, in not
even mentioning the name of the
composer of these Oriental melodies.
He even goes so far as to convey
the impression, to his radio audience,
that he is the originator of these
compositions.
I have a:so noticed that in programming the name of the composer of these pieces is not mentioned. I know of no other radio
programmes where this evasive
method is used. If ha is the arranger
let him state the name of the composer. Surely these melodies must
have been composed by someone!
My friends and I have many times
heard this same Director use a few
bars of a well-known Syrian or
Persian air and a few bars of another, etc., in order to make a complete composition, and the announcer
merely says: "and now we hear the
camels coming through the desert,"
or something to that effect; but
where does the poor composer come
in?
Of course if tSus is done with the
composer's permission then it would
be perfectly proper. But I wonder if
these pirates of the air are just
reaping a harvest on the fruits of
Mr. Maloof's labors and others.
James Arnore.
Brooklyn, N. Y.
EGYPT YIELDS TRACES
OF PREHISTORIC PEOPLE
A prehistoric civilization, hitherto
unknown, has been revealed as a result of this season's excavations just
completed at El Medai, a suburb of
Cairo, on the eastern bank of the
Nile, according to a special dispatch
THE SYRIAN WORLD
to the New York Times from Cairo
dated February 9. Professor Mustapha Emer of the Egyptian University, who carried out the excavations, says the discoveries provided
knowledge of a civilization in the
Neolithic period, preceding the most
ancient Egyptian dynasty.
The layers of debris in the earth
yielded evidences of dwellings, such
as storerooms, and there were large
jugs probably used for storing provisions. That some of the dwellings
were oval-shaped could be determined by wooden posts still in place,
about half a yard in height. Only
one example of a square dwelling
place was found.
An exceptionally large collection
of small objects was discovered. Indeed, no other site in the valley of
the Nile has given up in one season
such a large quantity of pottery so
well preserved. There were more
than a hundred jugs in different
shapes and ranging in height from
several inches to a yard. Some of
the jugs had lids. The painted pottery bears a slight resemblance to
the well-known pottery of Upper
Egypt.
Among implements found some
were of basalt, oddly shaped, and
others were of limestone, flint and
stone. More than 1,000 pieces of
flint as well as 1,000 fragments, including pieces of daggers, hammers
and mallets, were located. There
were also pallets of very hard limestone.
The prehistoric dwellers in El
Media were rich in copper, judging
from the traces of this metal found
there. A few beads of alabaster,
plaster and bone also were discovered.
The finds indicate spinning was
known to these inhabitants and that
they led an agricultural and pastoral existence.
-
�MARCH, 1931
COLLEGE STUDENTS
RIOT IN BEIRUT
Some of the Beirut papers hailed
the disturbances caused by college
students in Beirut early in March
as a sign of lifo in the nation, and
significantly commented that college
students everywhere were ever the
torch bearers of progress and all
reform move-menu.
The riots, as it appears, were
caused by the refusal of some
amusement houses to allow the students the regular discounts in the
price of admission formerly prevailing. This action was caused by
the increase in taxation which the
government placed on all amusements. The students indulged in
wild public demonstrations and carried their grievances to the president of the republic.
Bravo, college students. Let us
share the faith some of your admirers place in you as the instruments
of the nation's salvation. But could
you have found no better cause for
riotous demonstration than the puerile reason of not receiving sufficient
discount on the price of movie
tickets!
POPULATION OF SYRIA
LESS THAN 3 MILLIONS
According to figures published by
the Bureau of Statistics of the
French High Commissariat, the total population of all Syrian territory under French mandate is 2,763,000, distributed as follows:
Syria proper 1,620,000; Republic
of Lebanon 800,000; Alaouite State
283,000; Jebel Druze 60,000. The
rural population is 1,720,000 or 62
per cent., while the urban population is 360,000 or 13 per cent. The
inference is that the remaining 25
55
per cent, is composed of unsettled
Arabs.
The total area of the French mandated territory is 150,000 square
kilometers of which 127,000 are in
the State of Syria, 10,503 in the
Republic of Lebanon, 6,500 in the
Alaouite State and 6,000 in Jebyl
Druze.
SYRIANS AMONG VICTIMS
OF SEA TRAGEDY
The collision between the British
aircralt carrier Glorious and the
French liner Florida in the fog near
Gibraltar April 1 caused a known
loss of life of thirty-two persons
killed and eight missing. The Florida was returning from Buenos
Aires and carried a large number
of returning Italian and Syrian
emigrants, who were the principal
sufferers of the sea tragedy.
SYRIANS OF BRAZIL
BUILD SPORTS CLUB
Through the generous gifts of
some wealthy merchants of the
community, the Syrians of Sao
Paolo, Brazil, were able to fulfill
their leng cherished desire of establishing a sports club of their own.
This project, according to a report
of the Syrian newspaper Al-Afkar,
was undertaken because of the discrimination against Syrians in other
clubs they had been forced to attend. The two athletic societies for
Syrian young men and young women
have cooperated to bring about this
welcome result.
�S6
THE SYRIAN WORLD
MALOOF GUARDS "SESAME"
TO CITY'S ORIENTAL MUSIC
BORN AMONG LEBANON'S CEDARS
TRANSCRIBE mn
cv»
IAN MELODIES ON PIANO IN d^SS^SS STUDIO^"
(Reprinted from the New York Evening Post, March 23, 1931.)
By RUTH SEINPEL
In Carnegie Hall there is a studio
had known and loved at home. Mr
door which bears the name "AlexMaloof heard the call and went to
ander Maloof," and at certain times work.
during the day the corridor is
Syrian music had never been writfilled with the sweet wail of Orientten down. It was played and sung
al melodies played feelingly on the
from memory, and each performer
piano. They are played by the finhad his own version. SD Mr. Maloof
gers of Mr. Maloof himself, a stocky
wrote down all the songs and tunes
man with the look of a maestro.
he knew, and for those of his counHis countrymen think a lot of Mr.
trymen who had phonographs inMaloof. For he is the guardian and
stead of pianos—a rapidly growing
protector of Oriental music in
number—he had phonograph recAmerica. Without him the younger ords made.
generation might never have heard
He wrote many compositions of
the plaintive tunes their shepherd
his
own, too, based on Oriental
ancestors used to pipe, dreaming of
themes.
All together he published
dancing girls in the bazaar, while
five
plump
volumes of music and
watching over the flock on the
hundreds of records, and not only
plains of Syria.
Syrians in America, but Syrians at
home on Mediterranean shores gobBrought Out Syrian Culture
bled them up. The Near East is
strewn
with Mr. Maloof's books and
Mr. Maloof is a musician and a
records.
composer of music. He was born in
While he was working, Mr. Mathe Biblical mountains of Lebanon,
and came with his family to this loof took into account the tastes of
country at the age of seven. While the younger generation. They like
still very young he began to study their Oriental music, he says, but
with Joseph Henius, then head of they like it modernized. The true
the Institute of Musical Art, and Syrian song is sung in unison, withpresently he became Mr. Henius's out harmonies. Mr. Maloof harmonassistant.
ized the melodies, because harmony
Meanwhile, the Syrians who had pleases the Americanized ears of
^grated to this Western world were the young Syrians. The words, too,
suffering from a thirst for their own have been written into Roman type
music. Western music was all right for the youngsters who aren't so
m its way, they felt, but it was quick at reading their native script,
very different from the music they and for their parents the script is
printed below.
\ ':
�{MARCH, 1931
57
Syrian Women Do Serenading
Mr. Maloof opened one of the
books of songs at random and wa
asked to translate the title. The
song, it anpeareJ, was addressed to
one Barhoom and told in some detail of the beauty and charm of that
gent'eman's person.
'That's in interesting point for
you," Mr. Maloof said. "In America
your love songs are all sung by
men in praise of women. In Sy.Ia it
is just the other way; it is the wo
man who sings of the beauty of her
lover's eyes."
But there are the torch songs, the
reporter suggested.
"Oh, those caveman songs, you
mean. No, the Syrian songs are
nothing like that. The Symn songs
are about men who are kind and
tender."
Another book contained songs Mr.
Maloof himself had written. The
first was entitled "Lindy," and it
told about how Lindbergh flew to
Paris, and all that, the composer
said. The second song was "Uncle
Sammy."
, "You see, we try to Americanize
the Syrians," Mr. Maloof explained.
There are 200,000 of his countrymen in the United States, and they
are very well behaved. You never
'hear of a Syrian going to jail—or
at least Mr. Maloof never had. Mr.
Maloof himself is a thoroughly patriotic American, for back in 1912
the New York Board of Education
held a competition for a patriotic
anthem that would be within the
range of the ordinary voice, and Mr.
Maloof won it with his "For Thee
America." Dr. Walter Damrosch
sent him a letter praising the song.
Opera Among His Activities
Mr. Maloof is very busy, these
days, with teaching music and playing and conducting orchestras on the
radio. He is also writing an opera,
half Oriental and half Occidental,
I
ALEXANDER MALOOF
for which he hopes Ameen Rihani,
an outstanding Syrian literary man
in this country, will do the libretto.
Many dancers dance to Mr. Maloof's music, and the radio broadcasting musicians are also very fond
of it, apparently, for he is constantly hearing bars of his compositions
played irt those musical interludes
that are supposed to provide atmosphere. They never play enough
of one composition, 'however, to
have to pay for the use of it, and
it is a kind of plagiarism for which
the composer has no redress, Mr.
Maloof complained gently.
He plays frequently himself, both
Oriental and Occidental music. Recently he played for Rabindranath
Tagore at a reception, and presented
to the Hindu poet the manuscript
of a song composed in his honor.
Tagore was deeply touched. Mr. Maloof played for Professor Albert
Einstein, too, at his reception.
�58
THE SYRIAN WORLD
SYRIA. LEBANON. PALESTINE, EGYPT
OR ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE
NEAR EAST
Can Best Be Known by
VISITING — SEEING
Our native staff is in a position to give you first-hand
information on any of these countries, as well as expert
advice on planning itineraries that will afford the maximum of benefit for the minimum of expense.
A. K. HITTI & COMPANY
83 WASHINGTON STREET
NEW YORK CITY
Phone Bowling Green 2765
"""''
_
MMM
\
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�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
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TSW1931_03reducedWM
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The Syrian World Volume 05, Issue 07
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1931 March
Description
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Volume 5 Issue 07 of The Syrian World published March 1931. The issue opens with Ameen Rihani's article titled "The Passion Play of the East," in which he describes his journey to the tomb of Al-Husain during the time of annual pilgrimage. The article that appears next informs the reader of the inception and growth of the Boy Scout movement in Southern Lebanon, as well as the influence the movement had in the lives of Lebanese youth. Michael Haddad is featured after a poem by Thomas Asa, where he discusses Arab literature and philosophy in a speech he delivered to his own college, Columbia University. Salloum Mokarzel also continues his description of his journey through Jebel-Druze, where he takes the reader to Roman ruins and describes locals of the area. "Ali Zaibaq" is continued in this issue, before an article discussing the possible discovery and exhibition of what is believed to be The Holy Grail. The issue ends with an article discussing the revival of Pan-Islamism, political developments in Syria, and excerpts from the Arab press surrounding Syria and Syrians.
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Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
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English
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
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New York Public Library
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
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Text/pdf
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Text
Rights
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Ameen Rihani
Archaeology
Druze
Michael Haddad
New York
Poetry-English
Thomas Asa
Travel
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/4e7cf8959b978be1ca3c574d3352ed00.pdf
2705acc1fa058c5f6c0476f5dfc463a8
PDF Text
Text
JUNE. 1931
VOL. V. No. 10.
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ENGLISH DEALING
WITH SYRIAN AFFAIRS AND ARABIC LITERATURE
CHRISTIAN-MOSLEM UNDERSTANDING
REV. W. A. MANSUR
A GREAT ARAB FIGURE PASSES
PALMYRA A GLORIOUS LANDMARK
WADAD J. KH. MQKDIEY
REVELATION
BY G. K. GIBRAN
PARADOX (A SHORT STORY)
BY EDNA K. SALOQMEY
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN SYRIA
ALI ZAIBAQ (QUICKSILVER)
THE COPY 50c
(A SERIAL)
��SYRIAN WORLD
Published monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
jBy subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c.
entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New York
N Y
- -> under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. V. No. 10.
JUNE, 1931
CONTENTS
PAGE
Christian-Moslem Understanding
Rev. W. A. Mansur
A Quatrain of A l-Mutattabbi
Dr. Salim Y. Alkazin
13
The Syrian World to Continue
An Editorial Announcement
14
A Great A rab Figure Passes
16
Palmyra a Glorious Landmark
Wadad J. Kh. Mackdicy
19
Lines to a Lover
23
J. D. Carlvle
.
..
.
...
.
�"' "":
'."I.IWW
CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
Revelation
By KahJil Gibran — Translated by Andrew Ghareeb
Backgammon
J. A. Barraket
/ Was Heart-Fret
Thomas Asa
Paradox
(A Short Story)
Edna K. Saloomey
Eternity and Love
Dagny Edwards
ili-Zaibaq
(A Serial)
R eaders' Forum
Political Developments in Syri
na
I bout Syria and Syrians
25
26
28
29
34
i
35
42
44
47
�IN THIS ISSUE
For Those Who Would Know the High Lights of the
Material in This Number.
READERS of The Syrian
World will be especially
interested in the announcement
appearing in this issue on the
future of the magazine. It embobies the result of the symposium held on the subject
among our readers. The result
was reached only after full consideration of the prospects based on the moral support pledged by a number of our loyal
friends who viewed the discontinuation of the publication as a
distinct educational loss to our
young generation and a blow to
our racial prestige. We have
implicit faith in their loyalty.
* # * #
RELIGIOUS dissension has
from time immemorial
been the great bane of the East.
What has prevailed in the past,
however, need not continue in
the future. In the light of
modern conditions a change in
the old order would seem
necessary for the elimination of
those very factors which have
so far retarded the East in the
march of progress. Patriots
have long analyzed this as the
East's worst ill and prescribed
religious tolerance. In several
instances during the two last
decades Christian and Moslem
religious leaders made public
demonstrations of discarding
old prejudices. They embraced and made public avowal of
unending brotherhood.
But
the effects of ages cannot be
eradicated in a day. It is therefore necessary to continue the
effort relentlessly. And now
we have the case of a Christian
minister offering his hand in a
spirit of brotherhood to fellow
Syrian Moslems. Of his sincerity there cannot be the least
doubt, because this is a pronounced characteristic of the
Rev. W. A. Mansur, who is
well known to our readers. He
eloquently explains his motives
in the article appearing in thus
issue on the subject.
* * * *
Gibran wrote his
K AHLIL
first works exclusively in
Arabic, and many of his early
writings were never before
translated. Andrew Ghareeb,
who, with the written permission of Gibran, translated not a
few
of the latter's Arabic
�poems into English during the
poet's lifetime, now offers Syrian World readers an exquisite
piece which he had submitted
to Gibran shortly before his
death and received his sanction
for its publication. Mr. Ghareeb has promised further similar contributions in the future.
* * * *
BACKGAMMON, once a favorite pastime in America,
has recently staged a sensational
comeback. Like many other
games, its origin is rooted in the
ancient East where it continues
to be played extensively. Few
are the Syrian homes in America where the board and other
apurtenances of the game may
not be found, and the young
generation will find in the article of Mr. J. A. Barrakett a
valuable aid to its proper understanding.
[^ONG and strenuous have
been the trials of Ali Zaibaq
who sought only the honor of
becoming the chief of the secret police of Al-Aziz. Once
he falls in disgrace but soon
(emerges out of his difficulties
with flying colors. The adventure of the cave of Barnish
will be the last the Arab raconteur will tell us for this series,
as it was not intended to have
brave Ali continue with us for
more than a year. For the adventurous-minded, however, a
synopsis is published of what
follows in Ali's strange career.
He is commanded to present
himself before Caliph Haroun
Al-Rashid and there falls in
love with the daughter of Dalila, his bitter and relentless
enemy. The denouement of
the story is given for the benefit of the readers.
* * * *
AMERICANS find the 'SyrjYJISS Wadad Mackdicy made
ian World a credit to our
the trans-desert trip to Bag- race. Miss Laura Williams,
dad in the Fall of last year to who frankly admits not having
take up her duties as teacher in known the Syrians sufficiently
one of the government schools. well heretofore, voices the opiAlthough a native of Syria she nion of herself and "her class
had never before braved a de- of Americans.3"
sert journey and seen the ma* * *
jestic ruins of Palmyra. Her
first experience she describes in yHe news department in this
an article which she contributes
issue is exceptionally interto the Syrian World.
esting
and will be found to sat* * * #
isfy the most exacting.
�TFFP
SYRIAN WORLD
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL, Editor.
VOL. V. No. 10.
JUNE, 1931
Christian-Moslem Understanding
(A Syrian Christian's Challenge to Moslems of Modern rimes)
'By
REV.
W. A.
MANSUR
"WHOEVER, therefore, is striving to bring about a better
understanding between.the adherents of these two world
religions (Christianity and Islam) is certainly helping to solve
a most knotty problem on the solution of which much of the
tuture happiness and peace of the world will depend." (Dr Philip K. riitti, THE SYRIAN WORLD, April 1929 )
ter JfrX^ *F f°r ^T Christkn pr°Phets 'to Promote a better understanding, it is the season for Syrian Christian heralds
to pubhsh a fraternal fellowship, and it is the age for Syrian
Christen leadersh.p to proclaim a higher cooperation between
Christians and Moslems.
Too long have we considered our differences, our superiorities, our animosities; it is time we reflect upon our religious agreements our social aspirations, our human considerations. Let us
take the better way toward a better understanding: religion not
theology, tolerance not bigotry, appreciation not defamation cooperation not arrogance.
'
For ages human hearts have longed for the day of better unetWee
adh£ rentS f
and Isl
The
, is here
° <*****
-ihe dat
day wili
will soon V^
be here, (it
in many hearts) when
Christians and Moslems will live together in enlightenment
tolerance, cooperation, and brotherhood.
gnrenment,
One of the earliest recollections of my life is mv love for
the Moslem people. One of the vivid impressionLTmvIch o
days is my desire to come to better understanding with Moslem
�I
6
THE SYRIAN WORLD
believers. One of the hopes of my life is to see the aggressive
promotion of better understanding between Christians and Moslems I hereby proclaim to Christian and Moslem alike that I
was born a Christian, that I choose to be a Christian, that I want
to die a Christian; and, furthermore, I want my Moslem brother
to do likewise toward his Islamic faith should he choose to do so
it is on the basis of humanity, brotherhood, and cooperation that
I ask you to reflect upon the following considerations toward a
better understanding between Christians and Moslems.
/. A Better Understanding Through App-ecmtion.
A better understanding between Christians and Moslems will
come through appreciation founded on understanding, sympathy
and fellowship. Too long has ignorance ruled our thinking too
long have prejudices swayed our passions, too long have ancient
grudges held us captives. It is time we speak the language of
common human needs, common human limitations, ancfcommon
human failures. The day of appreciation based on courtesy, consideration and respect is here to usher an era of sympathetic
r
understanding.
"Now that the silence of the centuries has been broken," says
Ernest R. Trattner, "the Jew to-day can actually talk and write
about Jesus in a free and unrestrained manner. He is no longer
afraid of being persecuted by Christians for theological error nor
is he m dread of being checked by the suspicions of his own
people, suspicions that have fostered the notion that he who
shows the slightest admiration for Jesus is a disloyal son of Israel.
I his is evidenced of late by two noteworthy books which have
put in their appearance: Joseph Klausner's scholarly and critical
study entitled "Jesus of Nazareth" (originally in Hebrew): and
^mii Ludwig s poetic and imaginative work called "Son of Man"
(originally written in German). Both volumes are of unusual
merit and augur well for the future since they indicate the growing capacity of the Jew to reinterpret the past with fairness and
insight."
Let us make a new appraisal on the ground of fairness, insight, and sympathetic appreciation. Let disinterested search after
truth bind our hearts and minds in a common fellowship. Let
good-will be the motive to guide our search after truth. Let mutual courtesy guard us against jealousy, hatred, prejudice, and
blindness. Let our common humanity, common weaknesses, and
�JUNE, 1931
7,
common aspirations lift us to the realms of human brotherhood,
human sympathy, and human generosity. Let tolerance inspire
m us freedom of thought and worship, forgiveness of intolerance
and lJl-wilI, and appreciation of truth and honesty.
//. A Better Understanding Through Cooperation.
Active intelligent, and progressive cooperation will help bring
better understanding between Christians and Moslems. Hitherto
it has been an individual matter, henceforth it shall be a social
matter. H,therto it has been in secret, henceforth it shall be in
the open. Hitherto it has been in fear, henceforth it shall be in
faith We are at the beginning of an era of progressive understanding between Christians and Moslems which is conceived in
appreciation, empowered by cooperation, and motivated bv welfare.
*
T. H. Huxley said, "The practice of that which is ethically
best—what we call goodness or virtue—involves a course of conduct which, m all respects, is opposed to that which leads to success in the cosmic struggle for existence. In place of ruthless
self-assertion it demands self-restraint; in place of thrusting
aside, or treading down, all competitors, it requires that the individual shall not merely respect, but shall help his fellows: its
influence is directed, not so much to the survival of the fittest
as to the fitting of as many as possible to survive. It repudiates
the gladiatorial theory of existence. If demands that each man
who enters into the enjoyment of the advantages of a polity shall
be mindful of his debt to those who have laboriously constructed
it; and shall take heed that no act of his weakens the fabric in
which he has been permitted to live. Laws and moral precepts
are directed to the end of curbing the cosmic process and reminding the individual of his duty to the community, to the protection and influence of which he owes, if not existence itself, at
least the life of something better than a brutal savage." (Quoted
by Sir Richard Gregory in Discovery: The Sprit and Service ofJ
Science.)
Cooperation is the law that rules in earth and tree, in sky and
star, in animal and man. It is not struggle for existence but
struggle for assistance; not self-interest but self-sacrifice; not
live and let live, but live and help live that should rule in the
attairs of men and nations. Let us do away with our arrogances
our supremacies, our animosities. Let us minimize our differ-
�I
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ences, and enlarge upon our agreements. Let us work toe-ether
for our greater happiness. Let us organize toward greter good
g£ progress and prospenty, and thereby Jive, let live, and Mp
///. A Better Understanding Through Democracy.
for utttoHare,f0Theedd0m "t ^ *" **» °f
hU
" h«*
dom -religious political, mental, and otherwise, and it reaches
them,» says ArdaserTorC N Wad a ZnTtE^fST
hammed. "And as the nreferts „ \l
, Mwf»*« °/ *?<>t he r SCTeral
followed the
L
Provinces strictly
mr f !J
J '
that while in Europe and the r^t- „f A : *u s er^ statement
no recognized civil rl^
f
, SU the peoPle Possessed
joyed, though in a rudimentary fo
leges of a real democracy "
ti basic riX
*? *
'
"ghts and P -
J H Uham m c/
*«^*t/iSr^3
- '?
foundation for belief in h'e'vaC of^f^ ".""""ilaUe
-hem.; ft invites us to co-operate with W "aTj^S
ation^of Th?bumarfi^uair ^S^ ^ T*
�JUNE, 1931
g
meat that shall transcend race, color, creed and circumstance
through the common brotherhood.
IV: A Better Understanding Through Welfare.
^ ^uma!iuwelfare is the paramount issue for Christian and
Moslem. I he issue is not whether a certain political theory shall
survive; it is not whether a particular religious philosophy shall
conquer; it is not whether a favoured race shall dominate The
paramount issue for Christian and Moslem is whether human
welfare shall be supreme; whether human values shall be firstwhether human kindness shall be dominant.
"The common task of the world over today," says Bishop
John Francis McConnell in Human Needs and World Christiantty, is increasingly to exalt the human values. It does not detract from the distinctiveness of Christianity to admit that many
non-Christian communities are striving at this same task * * *
The only deadly heresy, in the opinion of Jesus, was to'get a
wrong view of men. For theological mistakes Jesus had amazing
chanty. A man might make mistakes about God, and the mistakes could be overlooked until they could be corrected, but mistakes about men were much more deadly."
Here we set forth a touchstone for our better understanding
between Christians and Moslems: Let our attitudes, relations,
and actions be motivated by the highest standard of human values
Ihe home demands our highest ideals, the school calls for the
best standards, the community solicits our best endeavors business invites our finest principles, the nation needs our sincerest
cooperation. Let that religion be highly esteemed that contributes
to the enhancement of human welfare, let that people be richly
honored that adds to the enrichment of society, let that leadership
be praised that leads in vision, achievement, and progress
Let Christians and Moslems join to answer the challenge of
the hour: to rid humanity of poverty; to abolish prejudice ignorance, and hate; to smite the god of war, the pestilence of
ill-will, and the plague of selfishness. Come, my brothers Moslem and Christian,, let us join hands to bring friendship, love
and truth in the service of the welfare of mankind.
V. A Better Understanding Through Education.
A better understanding between xMoslems and Christians will
come through universal education, diffusion of knowledge, and
�10
. THE SYRIAN WORLD
-tad of enlightenment, byVejufe .stefd £sympathy' 7*
M
*
f'
a,,d Uve d
t
'" f
the rarth
of the gods of earth, sea and sky
SasSJ£nt£*«
> -^
evolution, the .control of nature by man and the v.W
f T
A better understanding between Moslems and Christians can
be predicated on common, universal and compulsoVfedu ation
True education enables us to appreciate the gifts'o other peopk"
helps us recognize common human limitations; and enlightens^
to evaluate the honesty of other points of view. Pop^ XT
the assimilatii f
able the recogmt.on of what is fine amon| Mher races nations"
% seszLZs
° ^S
mmds and hearts of the rising gelS J^ ^'gf educatio f
ans
or "their
, T^f?'**
betWee
" •* *«£ and cS
57. /! S«t« Understanding Through Tolerance.
The practice of tolerance will usher in the day of better un
Freedom of worship, liberty of conscience
freedom of
�JUNE, 1931
11
thought, and liberty of expression are pillars without which humanity cannot be free, mankind cannot progress, and people
cannot live together in peace, prosperity, happiness, and liberty.
Civilization, progress, and liberty can be predicated only on the
practice of tolerance: religious, intellectual, political, racial, and
social.
The first amendment to the Constitution of the United States
says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the
freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for redress
of grievances."
Tolerance between Christians and Moslems will grow because
of an enlarged world view, because of contact with other world
religions, because of the diffusion of enlightenment among the
masses of earth. Let it be remembered that tolerance is founded
on personal choice, social relations, and human happiness, and
not on accidents of birth, birth place, or environment. Tolerance
will come through appreciation of other world cultures. Religious
brotherhood is coming through a common faith in the unity of
God, the progress of the reign of righteousness, and the increase
of human welfare everywhere. Since mankind is coming to believe in God who is the Architect, Ruler, and Governor of the
Universe; that God is all-wise, powerful, and present; that Truth
is eternal, is winning, and will prevail, tolerance is bound to win
its wav into the affairs of mankind.
I 77. A Better Understanding Through Interdependence.
Interdependence is bringing better understanding between the
adherents of Islam and Christianity. The aspiration for world
peace, abolishing of war, control of nature, uplift of men, women,
and children are making the world a unity, a community, a brotherhood. Common human needs, physical, mental, social, and religious, are destroying barriers, demolishing historic animosities, and abolishing racial, religious and social prejudices and misunderstandings. In a world made complex by democracy, commerce, emigration, internationalism, invention, discovery, and
education, the world of races, nations, and religions is finding itself bound together by ties of interdependence.
"The essential idea of the nineteenth-century nationalism,"
says H. G. Wells in The Outline of History, "was the 'legitimate
�12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
claim' of every nation
to complete sovereignty,
claim of eve
nation
£ Y, the
£ctam
t0
a], ifs afeirs
f
nd LZ:toilT°n- 7^ faW °f this idM is ^ *^Sto
part of the earth T?" COmmunity e«<=»d to the uttermost
parts or the earth. The assassination of Sarajevo in 1914. f .
example, which caused the great war, produced the utmost'dt
tress among the Inchan tribes of Labrador because the Printer
rupted the marketing of the furs upon which the rebel forsuch
necessities as ammunition, without which they could not get suf
stamtp^aZg'lforSr^5' * "Wld °f — .
A better understanding is rising between Moslems and Christ
ans due to mutual interdependence and indebted s We are
understanding better the history of religion. We are reaW
W«^aConlT^
SSSf
w e are trading on the basis of?*"*
common^^
moral principles
We sre
living on the ground of interdependence of J££?m« rlZ
ions, commerce, science, education, and world unTty' Th s' Ltef
dependence between Christens and Moslems is now creating'
ter understanding between them for their commo7welfare^ro
gress, and future peace, prosperity, and happiness.
'?
VIII. A Better Understanding Through Spiritual Brotherhood.
There are ties that make us brothers: common human needs
common human weaknesses, common human aspirations and com
mo„ human sympathies • There are conditionsPthat make for hu~
n P eJ UdlCe
M
d
ne ties
th
?£
SrSat°
ma ke ffor brotherhood
H TTJ are
*> than
S&W
f make
more
I-WP fW
separate, and among the greatest is the regard for he Rreat and
good of all ages, races nations, religions, cultures, and Suntries
There is a spiritual brotherhood whose membership
f°
membersni
limitations of race, color creed hh-fZl
P kn°ws no
who seek truth, who^oteThei^rh-0. T^^T'
AU
property of mankind. Socrates and Plato, Aris odeand ThZ
Archemides and Demosthenes, St. Chrysostom and i A
'
toe, Angelo, Rembrandt, and Bach Mendelsohn H/^
Haydn, Newton, Bacon, and Darwin ShakesnS K 7^ ' ^
Hegel and a host of other great and £5ffi££ ctS
�JUNE, 1931
IS
property of all races, creeds, and colors of mankind.
Moses and Jesus, Mohammed and Conficius, Buddha and
Zoroaster, all belong to mankind. They, and others, transcend the
limits of tribe, race, or nation; language, dialect, or sign: time,
place, or circumstance, they all belong to humanity.
Jesus and Mohammed do not belong to Arabia and Judea
alone they belong to mankind; they do not belong to Christians
and Moslems alone, they belong to humanity; they do not belong to any time, place, or theology, they belong to all the world,
all time, and all religion.
A better understanding is rising between Christians and Moslems through the spiritual brotherhood of those whose sincere
search after truth, diffusion of enlightenment, promotion of welfare, establishing of justice, and regarding of the great and good
wherever found are now increasing sincere understanding, sympathetic appreciation, and the brotherhood of mankind.
O Ye Christian and Moslem brothers, come join me in the
better understanding between Christians and Moslems in all the
earth.
Let us abolish outgrown opinions that still rule our minds.
Let us destroy unworthy sentiments that still enter our hearts.
Let us demolish ancient grudges that still command our wills
Come, my brothers, here's my hand in token of friendship,
love, and truth toward a better understanding between Christians and Moslems throughout mankind.
Will you take my hand?
A Quatrain of Al-Mutanabbi
By Dr. Salim Y. Alka-zin
Give me a pinch of Love, a single mite,
Of sane, wise love, by Reason born and bred,
And not a World of love by Folly led,
And Ignorance, deprived of eyes and sight.
�to
[
14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The Syrian World to Continue
AN EDITORIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
pRIENDS of THE SYRIAN WORLD will no doubt be glad to
learn of the decision to continue its publication. This decision
they were the ones to have primarily influenced by their promise
of continued and inceased support, and there can be nothing that
gives the publisher more pleasure than to be now able to make
this announcement definite.
The symposium held on the fate of THE SYRIAN WORLD has
been fully vindicated. All the replies received to our questionnaire were in the nature of those already published—stressing the
mdispensabibty of the magazine and promising it more support
to the end of its becoming self-supporting. Many constructive
suggestions were also advanced which we wish to thankfully
acknowledge and promise to carry out to the fullest extent posr
sible.
In inviting the symposium we wanted to take the public into
our complete confidence, and this proved an opportunity to us
to fully realize that there is a racially-conscious element among
us that has the vision of the truly public-spirited. This element
may be comparatively small in numbers, but its influence is bound
to act as a leaven in the otherwise indifferent or materialisticallyengrossed or short-sighted mass. The history of all reform and
constructive movements has ever been thus. A few take the initiative and by the very intensity of their conviction influence the
others in an ever-widening circle. It is in this light that we view
the supporters of the cause for which THE SYRIAN WORLD stands
—missionaries of a worthy endeavor who act on the conviction
of being pioneers and volunteers in a needed cultural movement
that is bound to gain momentum with time and react proportionately to the credit of themselves and their race.
It is because of our faith in the moral support of these loyal
inends that we feel comparative security for the future of THE
SYRIAN WORLD, and trust that in time this feeling of security
will be made absolute.
�"ft
i
JUNE, 1931
15
But we shall not be content with the simple determination to
carry on. Many improvements are contemplated, especially in
the editorial policy, which we plan to introduce with the coming
issue. Several new departments will be created under the editorship of able specialists affording a greatly enlarged scope of interest. The object will be to cater more to the popular appeal
without undue sacrifice of the cultural standard heretofore maintained.
The physical appearance of the magazine will be retained,
inasmuch as the size seems to be overwhelmingly favored. There
will be a substantial increase, however, in the volume of the reading matter by lengthening and widening the page. This increase
should be equivalent to several pages of the present size.
The price of subscription will not be advanced. We would
have liked to announce a reduction had not the revenue been
inadequate to meet the cost of publication even at the prevailing
rate. A reduction, however, will be one of our first considerations immediately the volume of circulation permits.
Just when such a possibility will occur it is hard to predict.
Our immediate problem is to render the magazine self-supporting under prevailing conditions. In this we are depending
on the co-operation of those friends who encouraged us
to continue and promised us the full measure of support. What
we expect of them is to act on the most practical suggestion advanced in the symposium, to the effect that each actual subscriber,
each believer in the value of The Syrian World, be instrumental
in securing at least one additional subscription, or making a gift
subscription to a friend. If but fifty per cent, of our present subscribers respond to this suggestion much of our present difficulties
would be overcome.
With this we rest the case of THE SYRIAN WORLD. Henceforth we shall strive to devote our best efforts towards improving
the magazine and rendering it the organ of service which it is
intended to be. Those who subscribe to our ideal will, we trust,
lend us their best efforts towards making the existence of the publication co-operative instead of being dependent on individual
effort. We have faith in them to carry out their share, and we
trust they will repose their faith in us to carry out ours.
�— —»—»
16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
A Great Arab Figure Passes
Former King Hussein of Al-Hijaz, Head of the
Sheriffian Family, Dies in Exile.
fORMER King Hussein Ibn All, "the great Arab liberator,"
is dead! The news caused consternation throughout the Arabicspeaking world, and the many virtues of the dead monarch and
his ambitious scheme for the creation of a Pan-Arab empire were
lauded as never before. His death marks the passing of the most
romantic, yet least fortunate, figure in modern Arab political history. Had it not been for the crushing blow dealt him by his
arch-enemy King Ibn Saoud, Hussein would have had an excellent chance of being universally acclaimed as the legitimate caliph
by the whole Islamic world.
Death came to the Arab King on the morning of June 4 at
the palace of his son Abdullah, ruler of Transjordania, at Amman the capital. He was in his seventy-sixth year, but had been
in declining health ever since his political reverses deprived him
of his throne and forced him into exile in Cyprus. It was only
following insistent requests by his two sons, King Feisal of Iraq
and Emir Abdullah of Transjordania, both of whom owe their
thrones to British diplomacy, that Britain finally'consented to
permit the aged King to spend his last days with his family.
At his deathbed were his four sens, AH, Feisal, Abdullah and
Zeid, and thirteen grandchildren. Interment was at the Mosque
of Omar in Jerusalem. Moslems, Christians and Jews joined in
rendering him the last honors. All the foreign consulates in the
city put their flags at half mast.
Former King Hussein was a direct descendant of the Prophet
and the head of the Sheriffian family of Qoraish, the chiefs of
the holy city of Mecca from time immemorial. In his youth he
spent many years in Istanbul as a protege of the Turks, then rulers of Arabia, and was later appointed by them governor of the
wilayat of Al-Hijaz. In 1916, however, he revolted against the
Turks and proclaimed the independence of Arabia with Mecca as
capital and himself as king, supposedly with the encouragement
and the promise of support of Great Britain. His three sons,
Feisal, Abdullah and Ali, took the field on the side of the Allies
�T
'i
17
JUNE, 1931
The late King Hussein Ibn Alt
of Arabia
�18
THE SYRIAN WORLD
and acquitted themselves creditably with the help of Colonel
Lawrence of Arabia. King Hussein was acting on the conviction
that England would support him in his effort to create a united
Arabia with Syria included, and later, following his deposition,
published the text of the treaty with England entered into in
October, 1915, and bearing out his claim. In this he was upheld
by Col. Lawrence who played a leading part in negotiating the
treaty. England never published the text of this treaty nor officially repudiated its authenticity. This, by the way, is the reason
for Col. Lawrence's dramatic rejection of the honors and decorations bestowed upon him by the British King.
But the nemesis of King Hussein was not England as much
as his hereditary enemy Ibn Saoud, leader of the puritan Wahhabis. Taking advantage of the strained relations between the
British Government and King Hussein, presumably resulting
from the assumption by the latter of the title of caliph following the Turks' repudiation of the caliphate, Ibn Saoud incited his
followers to war and met from the outset of his campaign with
phenomenal success. Great Britain made a vain attempt to arS?e^e differences of the two Arab rulers, and on October 3,
1924, King Hussein was forced to abdicate. He was succeeded
by his son King Ah who entrenched himself in the port of Tedciah and strove desperately to ward off the fate that befell his
father, but the city of Medina having fallen, and Ibn Saoud having entered Mecca, AJi also was forced to abdicate on January 8,
M
orI ia^°UiWR\?C°SIlized ^ a treaty signed at Jeddah
May U, IJZ7. King All is now being prominently mentioned as
a candidate for the proposed Syrian throne.
But despite these reverses and heavy misfortunes Hussein remains in the eyes of the Arabs the liberator and emancipator who
succeeded in shaking off the yoke of the Turks and dreamed of
creating an Arab empire, striving to effect that unity among Arab
countries which is the dream of those who would restore to the
Arabs their former glory. Both as a descendant of the Prophet
which fart carries with it great prestige in the Moslem world,
and as a wise and benevolent ruler, King Hussein was eminently^
fatted for the role he set out for himself. But his great failing
was that he had for enemy a genius at military organization in
theperson of Ibn Saoud who has since entrenched himself in the
position of undisputed leadership of all Arabia.
-*
�JUNE, 1931
19
Palmyra a Glorious Landmark
"By
WADAD
J.
KH. MACKDICY
^LTHOUGH it is now but a mass of ruins with_ a row of
columns marking the once Grand Avenue and some piles of
masonry proclaiming its once stately palaces and temples, Palmyra remains one of the most fascinating shrines of the grandeur
that was Syria and one holding for the traveler the most charm
and romance. Its memory is inalienably associated with the name
of Zenobia, the beautiful and valiant Syrian Queen who proved
herself a match in wits and strategy to the rulers over the destiny of the great Roman Empire. She dared wage war against
the Caesars and victory crowned her arms for a consideable time.
When-she was finally ovecome by overwhelming force and taken
captive to Rome in golden chains, she went on a "hunger strike",
preferring death to being a party to the Roman scheme of making a show of her defeat' to emphasize a victory. She is unquestionably one of the greatest heroines of antiquity and of all times.
This picture of Zenobia and her famous city is ever present
in the mind of the traveler when crossing the inhospitable Syrian
Desert on the way to Palmyra. There is something in the expectation that seems to alleviate the scorching heat and the monotonous scenery. The result almost invariably justifies the expectation.
It was on a cool morning in September that we greeted the
last sunrise from behind the mountains of Lebanon and started
on the road leading to the Syrian Desert. The scenery all along
the road from Beirut to Damascus was uniformly delightful, and
although every moment carried us farther from the cherished
scenes of our childhood we were overwhelmed with the desire
to go out into the spacious world where life is to start for us
anew midst strange settings and unknown actors.
In Damascus we did not linger long because the call of the
unexplored desert was for us too strong. We soon left the fascinating kaleidoscopic scenes of this ancient city and drove north by
east for many miles in the trackless desert that afforded little to
break the monotony of its great waste expanse. It was only about
noon that we began to encounter evidences of animal and bird
�20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
A scene in Palmyra — A trans-desert bus on the way to Iraq
stopping in front of the palace of Queen Zenobia
life. What appeared to us at first as a diminutive black cloud
proved a large flock of birds moving steadily in splendid military
formation. They were cranes seeking their winter quarters in
southern climates. In a measure they were wiser and happier than
us who were traveling in an opposite direction driven by the force
of necessity.
Further on we came across a horde of beautiful gazelles.
For elegance of movement, symmetry of form and almost human
sensitiveness the gazelle can hardly be surpassed in the animal
kingdom. At our approach the horde began to scatter and flee,
but we noticed that some tarried behind the others and shot apprehensive looks in our direction. I asked our captain for an explanation of these movements and here is his significant explanation:
"The gazelle is not only the most beautiful of animals but
also the most chivalrous. In their code of ethics it is not 'sauve
qui peut' but 'ladies and children first'. The male always tarries
behind in times of danger to protect his charges, and will seek
safety only when he feels sure that all others are safe."
At one time we came across an Arab encampment. It is sur-
:
�—
JUNE, 1931
21
prising how these sons of the desert feel content with their meager fare and their supply of brackish water. To look at fchem one
would think they are as hard and inhospitable as their surroundings. But not so in fact. There is a kindliness in their hearts that
is born of their love of liberty in spite of their privations. We
had gone astray and an Arab volunteered to accompany us for a
considerable distance to put us on the right road. That he did
with utmost grace and willingness.
But despite this assistance we could not reach Palmyra by
daylight. The sun set and darkness began to add to the sense of
forlorn desert desolation. The stars now began to show their
bright faces and the moon appeared to spread a thin mantle of
its silvery light, but the beauty of the vision did not tend to lessen our sense of apprehension and fear of being overtaken by
night in the desolate wilderness. Night in such strange surroundings does not bring wise counsel.
We must have wandered for hours until one of our company
discerned a distant light, and we all shouted of sheer joy. At
last we were nearing our destination and a haven of safety.
We entered Palmyra by way of the royal graveyard. The
tombs here are all in the form of pyramids of various heights.
This is explained by the fact that the different Palmyrian dynasties buried their dead one above the other, adding to the height
of the tomb with every succeeding generation. Most of the tombs
are oven one hundred feet in height, resting on vaulted foundat'ionsy while in some there are as many as five hundred bodies.
To us it was significant that we entered the dead city by way of
the resting place of those who built it. Mighty is memory!
Through it man finds himself in constant touch with the
miracles of the past. And Palmyra's record as queen of the desert was surely a miracle. We slept that night amidst visions of
resplendent ancient glory.
The salient points in the history of Palmyra are well known.
The city had grown exceedingly prosperous as an emporium of
trade controlling the caravan routes between East and West.
Queen Zenobia was ambitious and sought to extend the boundaries of her domains, and the Romans were jealous of their power
as masters of the world. A war ensued which the Syrian Queen
waged for a number of years with much success, but in 272 A. D.
was overcome and taken captive in golden chains to imperial
Rome.
�Jji
Co
to
S
What remains of the Grand Avenue in Palmyra that was once the great emforium of trade
between East and West.
•r-
o
to
�D
JUNE, 1931
23
But the natives of Palmyra are fond of recounting legends
that are not to be found in any written history. We sat for some
time listening to them give seemingly inexhaustible accounts of
the wondrous feats of the Queen and her once magnificent city.
At one time the Arabs had encroached upon the ruins and
built themselves houses within the enclosure. Since the war, however, the Syrian government has compelled the evacuation of the
ruins and built the natives modern houses at a distance of about
a mile. The ruins of Palmyra were not before taken seriously
and were left in a deplorable condition of neglect, but an earnest
effort is now being displayed in preserving them as a national
shrine and an attraction to tourists.
The Grand Avenue is about the most imposing row of columns to be found anywhere. It runs a length of 1270 yards lined
by 750 marble pillars rising to a height of 55 feet. At one end it
is marked by a triumphal arch which is still in a good condition
of preservaton.
Lines To A Lover
Translated from the Arabic by /. D. Carlyle.
When you told us our glances soft, timid and mild,
could occasion such wounds in the heart.
Can ye wonder that yours, so ungovern'd and wild,
some wounds to our cheeks should impart?
The wounds on our cheeks are but transient, I own,
With a blush they appear and decay;
But those on the heart, fickle youth, ye have shown,
To be even more transient than thev.
ti«,.if,, i.-..,.-.. .^,.,,,,.
Tiro-l;.nr..Wj,l/;t,CT^wt.»^~»l-
�•
24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Revelation
From the Arabic of
Translated by
KAHLIL GIBRAN
ANDREW GHAREEB
\^HEN the night waxed deep and slumber cast its cloak upon
the face of the earth, I left my bed and sought the sea saving
to myself:
"The sea never sleeps. And the wakefulness of the sea brings
comfort to a sleepless soul."
I reached the shore when the mist had already descended from
the mountain tops and covered the world as the veil adorns
the face of a beautiful maiden.
There I stood gazing at the waves, listening to their singing, and
thinking of the power that lies behind them—the power that
runs with storms, erupts with volcanoes, smiles with flowers
and sings with brooks.
After awhile I turned around and lo, three figures were sitting
on a nearby rock, where the mist veils them, yet veils them
not.
I walked towards them slowly, as if in their being something
magnetic were attracting me against my will.
When I came within a few paces, I stood gazing at them as if
there were magic in the place that crystallized my purpose,
and roused my imagination.
At that moment one of the three figures arose. And with a voice
which I thought came from the depths of the sea, said:
"Life without Liberty is like a body without a spirit. And Liberty
Love without Beauty is like flowers without fragrance. And
fruit without seeds
Life, Love and Beauty—are three
entities in one independent and free self, which accept neither
change nor separation."
This he said and sat down in his place.
�JUNE, 1931
25
Then the second figure arose. And with a voice like the roar of
rushing waters, said:
"Life without Rebellion is like the seasons without a spring. And
Rebellion without Right—is like a spring in an arid and barren desert
Life, Rebellion and Right—are three entities
in one self which accept neither change nor separation."
This he said and sat down in his place.
Then the third figure arose. And with a voice like the peal of
thunder he said:
"Life without Liberty is like a body without a spirit. And Liberty
without Thought is like a confused spirit
Life, Liberty
and Thought—are three entities in one and eternal self, which
neither banish, nor fade away."
Then the three figures arose. And with awful voices, said:
"Love and what it begets, Rebellion and what it creates, and
Liberty and what it generates—are three aspects of God.
And God is the mind of the intelligent world."
Then a silence followed, filled with rustle of the invisible wings
and the tremor of the ethereal bodies.
Then I closed my eyes, listening to the echo of the sayings which
I heard.
»•
i
When again I opened my eyes I beheld naught but the sea hidden
beneath a blanket of mist; then I moved closer towards the
rock where the three figures were sitting, and there saw naught
but a pillar of incense rising unto the sky.
�26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Backgammon
"By J. A.
BARRAKET
Editor's Note. - The writer of this article is a recognized backgammon
expert who has broadcast a series of talks on the game over the network;
of the National Broadcasting Company and acts as instructor to several
backgammon clubs in New York. A Lebanese by birth, he spent his early
youth in Australia and during the World War acted as purchasing agent
for the Anzacs in Egypt.
gACKGAMMON is the present-day vogue in games. Its growing popularity is sweeping the country.
Backgammon is a very old game, dating back to thousands of
years. Its originator is unknown, but most likely it was first devised by the Persians from whom it was later taken and improved
by the Romans. This new-old game in its remarkable comeback
shows every indication of taking its place alongside of bridge.
Any observer will have noticed that within the last few months
the windows of the sporting goods shops and department stores
have been displaying in increasing quantities the attractive boards
used in this fascinating game.
One of its attractions is that no two games are ever the same.
It resembles bridge in this respect, for all who play bridge know
that no two hands are ever the same. This fact alone should be
somewhat convincing to those who until now have hung back
from learning the game, just because they imagined it too simple.
It is true that the rules of the game are simple, that it requires
no brain exertion compared to chess, and, like all games in which
a pair of dice plays such an important part, a certain element of
luck enters into it. But this is only true to a given point, for of
two players evenly matched as to skill, the one whom the dice
favors will be the winner. However, one poor move by one of
the players in an unguarded moment is enough to spell disaster,
and with the modern method of doubling, can very easily be
expensive. The game is one of strategy, but one in which sometimes it is worthwhile taking a chance, and it is only after playing for some time that one becomes thoroughly Au-Fait, or as
we might say in America, O. K., with all the points of the game.
The backgammon board consists of 24 points, divided into
4 sections of six points each. Each player has 15 men which are
�ft
JUNE, 1931
27
placed on certain points at the beginning of the game, and are
moved around the board, the moves being determined by the
throw of the dice.
The men or pieces traverse the board in opposite directions,
the object being to manoeuvre the men around into that part of
the board called the inner board or inner home, and then bear
them off the board, a procedure governed by the luck of the dice,
combined with the skill of the player. The one who succeeds in
bearing his men off the board, first, is the winner of the game.
Backgammon, while new to many and remembered by some
in America as played by their grandparents, has been played continually for centuries by the habitues of the cafes of Cairo,
Alexandria, Constantinople, Teheran, Beyrouth, and other cities
of the East.
The cafes in these cities are always crowded with players
seated at little marble-topped tables, the inevitable demi-tasse
at their elbows, and the narghile, or hubble-bubble pipe, with
its long pliable stem, at their feet. The clatter of the dice, the
exultant slap of the piece on the board when an enemy has been
removed or a position taken or strengthened, and the excited
comments of the kibitzers,—for there are backgammon kibitzers
as well as in bridge,—is a striking and picturesque contrast to
the silent game of the American players. It does seem paradoxical, that while we can tolerate the roar of a subway train,
the screech of elevated railways, the unnecessary honking of
motor-horns, riveters of buildings, etc., we must have our backgammon boards cork-lined. It seems to me that a good deal is
taken away from the game by this innovation, also by the fact
that a good many of the boards are flat, not folding, and have
the edge of the playing area slightly lowered, which means that
the dice must be rolled carefully or they will fall off the board.
Old hands at backgammon prefer those boards which fold up
and which, when opened for play, provide an enclosure by reason
of the high sides and against which you may give the dice a
good bang, "just for luck." This clicking sound, the slamming
down of a piece in a strategic position, is characteristic of the
backgammon of the Eastern World.
Another point of interest is that in Egypt the dice are much
smaller than those used here and are rolled from the hand. In
the modern game now being played here, the dice are thrown
from a dice box. Perhaps that is a good rule, as this game, like
�28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
bridge and poker, is, of course, more interesting when played
for stakes and no doubt, numbers among its converts many past
masters of the national pastime of come 'seven' come 'eleven >
By being more interesting when played for stakes I mean
that where there is no financial loss involved, a player will make
moves which he would not make if the result of the game meant
dollars and cents especially in present times when dollars and
cents are rather elusive. Anyone who has ever tried playing poker
for fun, or bridge for no stakes, will readily understand what
I mean.
Backgammon is a game in which players may relax or engage
m conversation while playing. One of its added advantages is
that it requires only two players. There will soon be midget
sets, (if not already in use) for use on long train journeys, or
even for commuters, so fast is its popularity growing.
It is quite a pleasure to sit and watch a couple of good backgammon players. They move their men about so quickly you
would think that they were making any haphazard move that presented itself to them, which could be bettered if they took their
time and studied the situation. But that is not the case: these
S
ZTMaT hre "rrme
fed it
&
so ade t at the
P
& ** one
"*" * ""^ ^ *
and
I Was Heart-Free
By Thomas Asa
I was heart-free until you came within my sight;
I was alone and knew no other thought.
I was in dark until you flamed the light
Of love, and with its sacred magic wrought
A blooming garden of perennial gladness,
Transformed the gloom into the sweetest madness,
And with Life's chastened touch of sadness,
Filled me
stilled me with the happiness'I sought.
^U
�—'—
JUNE, 1931
29
Paradox
A SHORT STORY
By Edna K. Saloomy
7:
y^DELE was one of those lovely young women, whose charm
and beauty are the pride of their husbands, and the envy even
of kindest women friends. She was as much loved as she was
admired, and strange as it may seem, she was as disinterested in
her beauty as people were quick to admire it.
David, her husband, whose success as a stock broker had been,
one might say, inevitable, due partly to his own ability, and
mainly to favorable economic conditions, lavished on Adele all
the luxuries that his money could buy. He wished nothing more
of life than that his wife might have beautiful clothes, and that
their home might be an exquisite background for her beauty.
He found his pleasure in granting her wishes.
A gown, when worn by Adele, looked like the dream of some
genius among coutouriers, come true. Color and texture took on
life from her beauty. David would say, "Dearest, you are more
beautiful than beautiful." And she would not think of the gown,
but of the pleasure which it gave her adoring and adorable young
husband to see her clothed in it.
Mornings to her meant thinking of household cares, which
were, in truth, no cares at all, and were as unvaried from day
to day as only freedom from money cares could make them.
The apartment was managed perfectly by the cook and maid,
who would have left, had the management not been entrusted
entirely to them. Afternoons were given to those interests which
women have to cultivate for lack of more pressing demands:
luncheons, bridge, backgammon, teas, and, now and then, a lecture. The afternoon hours were a kind of commencement of
the evening. Traveling to Europe, to the shore, to the mountainsall seemed a prescribed thing in their circle, and David's
and Adele's popularity with their friends demanded their doing
the prescribed thing.
Adele found life unbearably irksome at times, but a sense of
loyalty to her husband, whose desire to make her happy had
created, in a large measure, her surroundings, led her to be
resigned to her life. It seemed to her that only selfishness could
�.
30
THE SYRIAN WORLD
be a reason for her unrest, and she was at a loss to comprehend
her dissatisfaction when she had all that wealth made possible.
But, she felt the lack of an absorbing interest, and wished that
there might have been something to wish for, rather than having everything.
Her only source of real pleasure was her work as a member
of a welfare group of women who gave of their money to finance
a medical center for needy families. Adele gave of her monev
and of her services. She helped weigh the babies, and was as
anxious to know the loss or gain in their weight, as were their
mothers. She was keenly interested to hear a mother tell how
she had cared for a child who had had measles. To Adele a
slight case of measles seemed as a crisis in a child's life, and she
gloried m the accomplishment of the child's mother. Her heart
seemed to expand immeasurably within her when she listened to
another mother tell how she had managed to raise a brood of
eleven, and how the oldest helped the next younger, and so on
down the line, and how the ten older ones insisted on caring for
the baby of the group. Her very anxiety for the babies' health
invited the confidences of their proud mothers, and confidentially, as people do when there are sympathetic listeners, they
told her about their husbands, about the good and bad qualities
which they had; they talked of children's achievements, school
reports; bargain sales, church matters; everything which seemed
to be important at the time, or which had been important during the past. Little did Adele realize that she was the favorite
subject of neighborhood chats, when doorsteps became, of an
evening, the council hall of the lowly. Little did she know how
much she meant to the poor mothers, whose lives took on richer
colors after they had enumerated to her their experiences But
long after her visits to the welfare center, she would remember
the affairs of this family and that. Her remembrance had to be
a thing apart from her own life. To have discussed the families
with David was out of the question. She had tried a few times
to tell him about them, but he was very quick to assure her that
these people were being protected by private and public organizations and to urge her to spare herself from any worry about
them And to talk about these matters with her friends, if only
to relate the funny things the children did, was even more impossible. They served at the center the required number of
hours during the season, and felt that their duty had been fulfilled in terms of dollars and hours. They were too interested
�JUNE, 1931
31
in their bridge score golf, scandals, or a good stock market tip.
All these—clothes, divorces, remarriages, sailings, huge fortunes
being made overnight, were more vital to them. Their momentary sympathy for a particularly needy family she might arouse,
biu never their interest. They gave their money generously and
quickly, but their quickness in giving seemed like a sign of'their
wish to forget as quickly as they gave.
_
Life went on, its course unchanging for Adele until a gyrating stock market reversed its upward course and aimed downward with the same velocity as it had formerly gone upward. Its
changed course necessitated the cancellation of a European tour
which David and Adele had planned for the summer. Not only
did it change their plan, but business exacted so many hours of
both uay and night, that David wished only to rest during weekends. Adele had become fatigued by social activities without end,
so they decided the best thing was to open up their modest, but
attractive cottage, in Berkley, a small, quiet country town on
the Hudson.
The cottage, which was as unpretentious as their apartment
had been luxurious, was a welcome change to them. It had been
bequeathed to David by his father, and often he had regarded
it as a pleasant but inconsequential possession. The cottage with
the few acres surrounding it was all the property which David
had ever owned. Often he had wished that he might have had
his inheritance in the form of stock securities instead
When David arrived to spend a week-end, the quietness of
the country and the peace of his home would seem almost like
a silent, paternal benediction. He would come feeling the weariness which seemed to press down on him after days of turmoil
on the exchange, days which ended at early dawn and started a
few hours later. But his strength and cheerfulness would be restored at the sight of Adele's joy for his arrival.
\\ Hiking into the fields, warm with sunshine and redolent
with summer s fragrance, they would feel more together than
they had ever felt before.
Adele felt happier than she had been in the apartment. She
had brought with her a Mrs. Riley, one of the mothers whom
she had met at the center, and her two children. Mrs. Riley
knew intuitively that it was for the children's sake, rather than
for anything which she could do for Adele, that they had been
asked to come.
�32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Adele's thoughts and attentions were devoted entirely to
-Uavid during his week-end visits. The worried expression of
his race became more perceptible, as weeks went on without any
improvements m stock-market conditions. To save him the fatigue or traveling and in order that she might be with him, she decidea to return to the city in October. The weather was growing colder, and David was finding it impossible to stay until
Monday morning. He was always anxious to be at his office verv
early Monday. Then again, there were many preparations to be
maae tor the winter. Invitations to social affairs were already
beginning to pile up, and there was the matter of selecting
new
to
clothes.
A few days after Adele's decision had been made to return
to their town apartment, the 'phone rang. David's voice was on
the wire asking her to meet him at the depot. She was greatly
surprised at his having come to Berkley a day earlier than usual.
However, when she met him she did not press him for the reason of his coming After dinner, as they sat before the fireplace,
she told him of her decision to return with him to their apartment, and what a happy time she had had in the country, away
irom everyone and everything.
'
. He looked at her quite suddenly, almost as though he had
just seen her sitting there by him. "Do you really like this place?
Don't you miss homer"
•
«w C?jrSC n0t" IVe learned to ]°ve this place."
Wouldn't you object to staying here throughout winter?"
Winter? How can I say. I don't know, because we have
never done that before. Why do you ask, David?"
I must tell you, dear. I have tried mv best... we all did
But like most everyone else, I waited too long and this market
slide came so unexpectedly, I was caught sleeping. What securities 1 still own are worth only a fraction of what I paid for them
In time, perhaps a month or two, there must be a recovery I'm
sure there must be. But, now with our money tied up like that...
I wish 1 didn't need to discuss these things with you."
th J!2T 1 ^'i 5°! u° te,U me every^ing. Don't look as
though the moon had fallen from the sky. What must we do?"
I m terribly sorry I think we shall be unable to keep the
apartment. There would be little of my salary left, after we
pay the rent and the servants. One maid, perhaps, we can keep.
It is our good fortune that the lease expires next week. If you
really hke this place, we could be quite comfortable here and'
�<
JUNE) 1931
33
not need to think about the rent. We will have to pack things
m a hurry. I hate this, dear; I never dreamed of finding myself
in a jam like this. I always believed I could give you everything... and heaven knows you deserve only the best. Perhaps
we should find a smaller apartment in the city."
"David, tell me this. If we stayed here, you would commute
with the neighbors, like Mr. Dorland and Leslie, wouldn't you?"
_ "Exactly. We would be going back and forth on the same
train."
"Well, David, they have commuted ever since their families
moved here two years ago, and they seem to enjoy the country
during winter very much."
"But you might be lonesome. Let's look for a smaller apartment in town."
"David, my darling, meet your chauffeur. I'll be meeting
you every night at the depot, sir. Take another apartment, and
leave this house? Be lonesome? Never! We'll turn the car in,
and get a two-passenger car, one with a rumble seat for guests'
and groceries."
"Guests and groceries? I hope the former will enjoy sitting
with the latter. You mean, Adele, that you are glad to stay
here?"
'
"Glad? I was never more glad. I'll love living here I've
never
wanted- anything more in my life than to bake and sew
m
and cook and put up jars of preserves; you know the kind with
the labels, saying: quince jelly, peach jelly, pears and cherries.
1 m going to learn how to do every single thing with my own
hands."
"Adele, dear, I don't want you doing so much, you will become ill."
"HI? I've been dying from lack of something to do I'll
tell you a secret. I've always wanted to eat supper with you in
the kitchen just once. I'll paint that kitchen table of mine the
color I want, and I'll have two yellow candles for light I've
dreamed that a hundred times, but you know how provincial the
servants would have thought us, if I had dared suggest it It
would have shocked their sense of what is correct for people of
quality. They would have left the minute that they thought
I was capable of being so plebeian, my dear. And now, no cook,
no maid. Just David and Adele."
"But, darling, you will tire yourself."
"Don't you worry. Housewives have serious clean-up sea-
MN
�1
I
34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
sons Would you mind if I asked Mrs. Riley to come once in
a while to help me? It would do her baby good to be in the
country. He hasn't been quite well since he had scarlet fever."
VA r?f .C°UrSe' Tk «M Y°U're the manger of this organization.2
Id like to see that Riley baby. Peter, did you say his name is
Did I ever tell you about the Fourth of July when I was convalescing after having a scarlet fever
and how the boys threw
a package of firecrackers into my room, while the nurse was setting my lunch. I decided to scare her, so I set one off as she
came back into my room, and it made her jump so, she nearly
dropped the tray, and I nearly burned myself and the bedclothes:
"Oh David you were mischievous. You deserved to be
punished properly Had I been your nurse, you would have felt
much chastened. Here I am, loving you because you were so
mischievous."
"Dearest, and how much do you think I love you? If we
reminisce, we'll forget the business of packing furniture. How
about going to town tomorrow? After all, we will probably not
need to stay more than a winter here, and we can always find
another apartment just as nice..."
She interrupted him. "Please, David, even if your stocks
triple in value next week, don't let's ever go away from here.
Ihis is home."
Eternity and Love
By Dagny Edwards
Ten thousand years rolled by
Till first we met,
Yet, I can't forget
That aeons hence
Our love will be a vacum space,
Existentless, as in the years
Before we met.
�JUNE, 1931
35
ALI ZAIBAQ
(Quicksilver)
THE UNPARALLELED ADVENTURES OF THE
CHIEF OF POLICE OF THE CALIPH HAROUN
AL-RASHID, OF THE CITY OF BAGHDAD.
Translated from the Original Arabic by
A. MOKARZEL and THADDEUS S. DAYTON
SALLOUM
so
CHAPTER
X.
THE OUTLAW STORY AND THE
CAVE OF BARNISH
\^HILE Quicksilver was satisfying his hunger Ibrahim IbnAl-Anassi proceeded to relate his story.
"THERE was in the country of Tunis of the West," he said,
"a man called Al-Anassi, who had a son named Ibrahim, who
became a great warrior. The Governor of that countrv gave him
command over all his soldiers and entrusted to him the defence
of the land. Everyone so feared and respected him that a defenseless woman could carry gold in her open hands through the
wilderness without harm or danger.
"One day this Ibrahim was called upon to capture a band
of outlaws from another country who had crossed the frontier
at a place distant three months' journey from the capital. Taking two hundred picked men he set forth.
"Now it so happened that the Governor of this land, who
was a good man and much loved by his people, fell ill and died
and in his place there came another as governor. Upon his ascension to power he commanded his Wazirs to seek out and
bring to him to be his wife the most beautiful woman in all the
land, saying that if one more lovely should be discovered subsequently he would instantly put his wazirs to death. They all
agreed with one accord that there was none more beautiful in all
the land of Tunis of the West than the niece of Al-Anassi, whose
father had died long before. When the governor's wazirs came
�36
THE SYRIAN WORLD
to Al-Anassi, my father, and demanded that he surrender his
niece in marriage to the Governor, my father refused, saying
that she had already become formally betrothed to his son, myself, and that when I returned and discovered what had occurred it would certainly cause great trouble in the land. But the
Governor was obdurate and persisted in his demands. Friends
of my father came to him and counselled him to escape with his
niece and seek safety in some other country. Therefore, my
uncle and niece fled under cover of darkness from the city of
his birth and sought protection in Egypt, in the land of Al-Aziz.
"When the Governor discovered their flight he was so enraged that he ordered my father's palace razed to the ground
and not only his property, but all of mine as well, confiscated.
I learned of what had taken place while I was making my return
journey to the capital, and, secretly selecting fourteen of my
bravest companions, I vowed to take the most complete vengeance
upon the Governor who had brought upon my father's house
such overwhelming misfortune. When I entered the city I proceeded directly to the palace of the Governor whom I beheaded
with one blow of my sword and was about to put all his advisers
to death, but* they importuned me to spare their lives, saying
that they had acted against their wills and in fear of being beheaded if they did not obey. I installed a new Governor whom
I ordered to restore my father's palace to its former state.
"Then with my fourteen companions I travelled diligently
until I reached this city of Cairo. I sought my father and my
betrothed and I learned that when my father had arrived in
Cairo he sought Al-Aziz, the King, and asked protection from
him, telling him all the details as to the cause of his flight from
his own country. The King expressed a desire to see the woman
whose great beauty had caused all this to befall. No sooner had
his eyes rested on her than he requested my father to give her
to him in marriage. At this my father exclaimed:
" 'O mighty Lord, I fled from my own country to escape
persecution. Have I fallen into the hands of another tyrant?'
"At this the King was exceedingly enraged and ordered my
father put to death, which was done straightway, and my betrothed was taken to wife by Al-Aziz.
"When I learned," continued Ibrahim, "I vowed that I would
kill Al-Aziz in the midst of his court, as I had the Governor of
Tunis, and thus avenge my father's death. But my father's friends
begged me to desist from such a hazardous undertaking as there
;?
�JUNE, 1931
37
was in the service of the King a great warrior named Quicksilver
at whose hands I might fare ill. After considering the matter
I decided first to kill you, O Quicksilver, and then the King.
Therefore, I began pillaging the houses of the rich in Cairo so
that I might find a means of bringing about your death. Placing
your name on the sack which the King found on the ground
beside you after our encounter was one of my stratagems to this
end. Recognizing your bravery and generosity and feeling that
Al-Aziz was dealing unjustly with you, all my rage again centered itself on him, and for that reason I compassed your deliverance from his hands."
When Al-Anassi had finished his narrative Quicksilver was
terribly enraged and exclaimed:
"Woe to Al-Aziz, the tyrant and persecutor of the poor and
helpless!"
The next morning, Quicksilver having fully armed himself,
proceeded with Ibrahim and his men to the city and there made
their way to the meeting place of the Zohrs who had been dispersed by order of the King after Quicksilver's arrest. Quicksilver summoned fifty of them to his side and with them sought
the King in his palace.
News of his coming had already reached the ears of the
King, and when Quicksilver and his company entered his presence he said smilingly:
"O Quicksilver, have you succeeded in capturing your adversaryr
"Woe to you," replied Quicksilver. "You have unjustly put
Al-Anassi to death and unjustly sought the betrothed of his son
Ibrahim and placed her in your harem. Were it not that the
people might say I had rebelled against my master and had
dealt with him unrighteously, I would strike off your head this
instant."
Then Ibrahim Al-Anassi strode threateningly up the very
steps of the throne and cried in fury to the King:
"O vile creature, do you not realize that the damsel that you
took by treachery was betrothed to me, Ibrahim Ibn Al-Anassi,
the fame of whose warlike deeds resounds through all quarters
of the world? Were it not for the respect and affection in which
I hold this great warrior Quicksilver, I would forthwith destroy
you."
The King trembled in terror and supplicated Quicksilver and
Ibrahim to restrain their fury.
�wmmmmmmmm
38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"O Quicksilver," he cried, "cover me with the mantle of your
protection and listen to my words. The death of Ibrahim's father was the will of Allah and I have preserved Ibrahim's betrothed in my palace surrounded with all honor. Willingly I
will return her to him and will bestow upon him a great palace,
fully furnished. Furthermore, I will give him one hundred
thousand pieces of silver. As to you, O great hero, I crave pardon for my unjust suspicions and the persecution that they caused
me to visit upon you. Hereafter your place as head of the Secret Police will be assured and you will always be the first man
in my kingdom."
On hearing this Quicksilver and Ibrahim were seized with
compassion for the King. Ibrahim's betrothed was summoned,
and her reunion with her lover brought tears to the eyes of all
beholders. Then Ibrahim asked the King to have Quicksilver
take him as one of his companions in the Secret Police. Quicksilver was much pleased at his desire and addressing the Zohrs
who were with him inquired of them what task they wished
Ibrahim to perform for them to prove his qualifications for the
exalted position which he sought. They replied with one accord
that he should go that night and bring them a sheep from the
cave of Barnish.
Upon hearing the request Quicksilver showed indignation and
addressed them saying:
"It is a most perilous task that you have assigned to this young
man and I wonder that you do not fear the vengeance of Allah
for so wantonly causing this brave warrior to be cast in the very
talons of death."
Realizing, however, that Ibrahim would resent the reflection
on his courage by any attempt to dissuade him from performing
the task, Quicksilver before giving his sanction thus addressed
Ibrahim :
"Know, O Ibrahim, that the cave of Barnish is as dark as
the abode of the demons, so black is it within that if ten men
with fiercely burning torches should enter at the midday hour
darkness would smother the light so that they could not see
their way. It has been the custom of brave men, heretofore, as
the result of some foolish wager to enter this cave to seek Barnish and demand of him a sheep. But all those who have thus
dared face certain death have afterwards been found lifeless at
the entrance of the cave. Therefore, it has been impossible for
anyone to ascertain what lies within. Nevertheless, I can instruct
•-
�JUNE, 1931
39
you somewhat as to what you may expect to encounter, for I
have obtained certain secret knowledge thereof from an ancient
book written by a sorcerer in ages past.
"The cavern, as I have said, is dark from its very entrance
with an obscurity which is almost impalpable. How great its
extent may be no one knows, not even the sorcerer who wrote of
it in the long past age. But there lives in this cave a huge Mared
called Barnish. His aspect is so fearful that none may look on
him and live. He possesses seven heads, each having a countenance that surpasses the other in horror. Seven tongues greater
than those of the camel protrude from seven awful mouths
edged with teeth like those of a ravening lion. His fourteen eyes
dart forth fire that is filled with sparks like those of the flashing
of a thousand words. No sooner does any human being confront
him than he is struck with abject terror at his appearance and
falls unconscious to the ground, whereupon the monster strangles
him and hurls his lifeless body without the entrance of the cave.
So far no one has been able to withstand this fearful sight. Again
I entreat you to forsake your resolution to enter upon this
hazardous adventure."
"If there were a thousand Barmshes instead of one, 1 would
not fear them, for I should conquer with the help of Allah,"
responded Ibrahim.
Ibrahim waited until the advent of night, and then having
armed himself with the enchanted sword which Quicksilver had
lent him he proceeded towards the mountain of Jinshi. He traversed great wildernesses, climbed mountains and passed through
valleys until he arrived at the entrance of the cave. This appeared to him even more fearful than Quicksilver had depicted.
He faltered but an instant and then entered, groping his way in
the awful darkness. Thus he proceeded some distance, when, as
nothing had occurred, he suddenly stooped to the ground and
picked up a huge stone which he hurled from him with all his
might. It struck the wall of the cave with terrific force and as
the noise reverberated throughout the cavern, Ibrahim cried in
a voice of thunder:
"Barnish! Barnish! reveal yourself to me so that I may make
a request of you."
No sooner had he uttered these words than the wall ot the
cave was rent asunder, as though torn by the shock of an earthquake, and the whole place was illuminated with a light fiercer
than that of the sun when it shines in the midday hour. And
�40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
there appeared to the awe-stricken Ibrahim a great Marid of
huge bulk and stature with seven heads and altogether exactly
as he had been described to him by Ali.
"What is your desire, O mortal?" asked this monster in a
voice which caused the mountain itself to tremble.
Unlike all others who had faced this terror, Ibrahim stood
his ground and replied in a firm voice:
"I wish to take a sheep from this cavern and present it to
the Zohrs as proof of my bravery and of my eligibility to the
exalted position of one of their Chiefs."
Instantly the Marid disappeared from view, but the cave still
remained luminous and presently Ibrahim perceived a sheep
moving slowly towards him. This he seized and began to drag
it towards the mouth of the cave with the intention of escaping
with it. But in an instant the sheep was transformed into a mule
which sprang away from him. Thereupon, Ibrahim ran after it,
and, seizing it by the neck, endeavored to force it to accompany
him. Suddenly it was transformed into yet another shape, that
of a camel, at which sight Ibrahim became greatly enraged and
put forth all his strength, succeeding in shoving the beast some
distance towards the entrance. But in the winking of an eye the
camel's bellowings ceased and instantly Ibrahim saw before him,
standing on its tail, a serpent more huge than mortal eyes had
ever beheld. This serpent attacked Ibrahim savagely and endeavored to sink its great fangs into his face. But Ibrahim,
quicker than lightning, drew his sword and struck one terrific
blow which cut the body of the serpent in twain. Simultaneously
the cave was plunged again in thick darkness and a great voice
resounded saying:
"Woe is me, for the power of man has destroyed me."
Ibrahim, not fully aware of his great achievement, still
thought that Barnish was alive- and called upon him to answer
again. But the voice which answered was that of Quicksilver
calling from the mouth of the cave. Ibrahim hurried forth and
there found Quicksilver together with fifty of the Zohrs. Upon
seeing them Ibrahim was surprised and exclaimed to Quicksilver:
"O Chief, why have you followed me to this fearful place?"
"We have come," replied Quicksilver, "to_be witnesses of
your great bravery and your unparalleled achievement. Know
that when Barnish appeared to you and you demanded the sheep
of him he transformed himself into that animal and thus returned to you. Then he successively changed himself into the
�41
JUNE, 1931
mule and the camel with which you struggled and lastly into
the terrible serpent which you slew, thus killing Barnish himself."
Quicksilver and his companions were overcome with joy and
they forthwith returned to Cairo where next day Quicksilver
accompanied Ibrahim to the court of Al-Aziz who congratulated
him upon his success and invested him with a robe of honor indicative of his position as one of the officers of the Zohrs. The
King also ordered the commencement of the celebration of the
nuptials uniting Ibrahim with his betrothed' and the festivities
continued for forty days and were even greater than those which
had taken place at the marriage before.
"But although peace and tranquillity reigned for a time,"
said the story teller, "it was only a calm before the storm. Dalila the Serpent, the head of the Secret Police of Bagdad, appears secretly in Cairo to discredit Quicksilver. There the great
battle between these two begins, and the most stupendous adventures befall Quicksilver. But the relation of these must wait
upon the will of Allah and the fortunate ending of our journeyings."
SYNOPSIS OF WHAT FOLLOWS
Quicksilver finally triumphs. He gathers about him in the secret police
the bravest men in the Islamic Empire. Each has to prove his prowess by
performing some incredible task. In the end, partly by the aid of this invincible handful of extraordinary men, Quicksilver succeeds in conquering
Dalila. The most amazing of the adventures fall, of course, on Quicksilver.
One of these is the story of the daughter of the King of the Mountains
of Kaf who was carried off by the King of the Djinn. after rescuing her,
Quicksilver enters Damascus and narrowly escapes death through the trickery of his opponent, Dalila. When the Caliph Haroun Al-Rashid leafns of
this he commands them both to appear in Bagdad and continue their struggle for mastry under his eyes, partly for his own diversion and partly so
that he can see that each has fair play. Then follows the story of Quicksilver's finding the crown of Kisra, the fabled ancient King of the Persians.
In her struggle against him Dalila employs her own daughter. Unaware of her identity Quicksilver falls in love with her. Dalila consents to
the marriage but insists that her daughter's dowry shall be the Robe of
Azro the Jew. Now Azro was one of the greatest sorcerers of his age and
the magic robe was the supreme product of his enchantment. It was an
effectual cloak against all bodily harm and made its wearer immune from
every disease.
Dalila's enmity for Quicksilver does not end even wnen he marries her
daughter, and she continues to use all her wiles and trickery to overthrow
him, but he triumphs in the end and lives with his bride in peace and happiness forever after.
�"THE SYRIAN WORLD
Readers' Forum
AMERICAN READER'S OPINION
OF THE SYRIAN WORLD
It is the means of acquainting
Americans with the, fine qualities,
and culture of the Syrians. .
Editor, The Syrian World,
In the last issue of the Syrian
World you ask for opinions from
your readers and suggest that unless further support is given, the
magazine may have to be discontinued. Because it seems to me that
such an eventuality would be most
unfortunate, I venture to write you,
in the hope that the opinion of one
of your American readers might be
of some value and interest to your
Syrian-American readers.
In thus making a distinction
between myself and Americans of
Syrian descent, I ask permission to
explain that I am descended from
those English-speaking people who
settled this country, fought for its
freedom and established the democracy which has opened its doors to
the freedom-seeking pioneers of all
lands. Until recently, I, like so
many of my own kind of American,
have been comfortably established in
the certainty that I belonged to whatever aristocracy this country boasted, and in an ignorance of the foreign groups which were coming to
carry on what my forefathers started. Generally speaking, the contacts with those of foreign descent
which we of that established American tradition have had, hare been
with a few Europeans of the better
class and with the great number of
those whom we met either in a domestic capacity or in business, usually of European peasant classes. Our
attitude toward the Orientals who
have come has been one of ignorance
and, I fear, often of patronage
It was my good fortune, however
to become acquainted a few years
ago with some of the Syrians .
Through them I became interested
in Arabic culture, an interest which
led
to a study
of
certain
phases
of that culture.
In
that study I have had the tremendous priviledge of getting to
know numbers of your people and
of coming to the opinion that we
have no finer new Americans in
this country. .My respect and admiration for the traditions, background and character of Syrians is
great and I have devoted my time
and energy to an effort to make
known to my kind of Americans,
that phase of the Arabic culture
about which I have some knowledge .
Your magazine has been of inestimable value to me personally, in
keeping fresh my interest, in giving
me increased understanding of the
people who gave me so generously
of their help and counsel. The
Syrian World should have a wider
public among Americans of my
class. It would lead to better understanding.
As for its value to young English-speaking Syrian-Americans, it
seems to me that it can not be overestimated.
To help them understand and respect their own heritage and have pride in their traditions cannot but help them to be
better Americans. Surely the best
V
�43
JUNE, 1931
thing any human being can do is to
be completely himself and true to
the best that is in him. Do your
young Syrians realize, I wonder,that
their ancestors were in an advanced
stage of civilization and culture
when mine were living in caves and,
so rumor has it, were painting
themselves blue all over?
But what need I add, when your
great Syrian, who was also, we are
proud to say, one of our greatest
Americans, has said it so completely
in his Message "To Young Americans of Syrian Origin'*?
With all hope for the continuance
of the Syrian World, I am,
Yours sincerely,
Laura Williams
New York City
THE SYRIAN WORLD
DISPELS AN ILLUSION
at our present command, is the
Syrian World magazine. If the solution of the difficulty into which this
publication has unfortunately gravitated were an unsurmountable obstacle., an Eleusinian enigma to be
unraveled only by the Sibylline oracle,or an arcanum caelestia-as- Elia
would have said — then the gracious
public might rest' in their placid
satisfaction that Fate is not to be
disputed. But this, happily, is not
the case. The solution is evident —
unobscured even to the child-mind.
Subscriptions are only needed, and
the method advanced by the Al-Hoda
is excellent. The Syrian World
assures and disseminates for us
those most precious attributes of our
racial heritage.
Thomas Asa
West Brownsville, Pa.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
A Poet Advances a Practical
Suggestion
Editor, The Syrian World,
Without in the least wishing to
dampen your enthusiasm and beTo the Syrian W'orld :
little your efforts, I cannot help but
It is indeed a regrettable sit- feel that your method of procedure
uation that now confronts the read- is wrong. The Syrian World is a
ers of the Syrian World. One can needed organ. This fact cannot be
easily apprehend from the Editor's gainsaid. But in creating the orprevious announcements that this gan and not providing for its constep has given him even more pro- tinuance you assume a public resfound regret, for it has ever been ponsibility whose failure is bound to
the solace, and sometimes thank- react on the whole race. The proless reward of the pioneer in any en- per thing to have done, under the
terprise to endeavor to reach his circumstances, was to have had the
destination without the indulgent public underwrite the undertaking
encumbrance of a semi-somnolent in such manner as to insure its stapublic.
bility. If a corporotion is not feaA considerable number of Syrians sible, then a number of wealthy and
in the Old World regard their com- public-spirited individuals should
patriots in the Americas as an ele- take upon themselves the task. Surement more or less uninterested in ly there must be amongst us a suftheir struggles and strivings in the ficient number of rich men with eHomeland. But, as Syrian-Ameri- nough race pride to make the necescans well know, this is a misconcep- sary investment.
tion, and the only available practicA READER
able medium to dispel this illusion,
New York.
�«HH-—BS
44
HI
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Political Developments in Syria
PONSOT LEAVES FOR FRANCE
SYRIANS OPPOSE MONARCHY
Political Situation Becoming More
Complicated Owing to Continuation
of Policy of Indecision and
Procrastination.
High Commissioner Ponsot of Syria sailed for France on his annual
vacation June 4.
Before leaving
Beirut he maintained his usual policy
of reticence and, in spite of the fact
that the country is seething with unrest, would give out no public statement of his intentions or plans. He
did, however, upon arriving at Alexandria, give an interview to the
correspondent of Al-Ahram of Cairo
in which he discussed freely his plans
for the economic recovery of Syria.
He would not touch on the political
situation, but when asked about the
possibility of establishing a monarchy in Syria and placing former
King Ali of Arabia on the throne h»
made the equivocal reply that "every
thing is possible".
The most significant feature of
the departure of M. Ponsot is that
among his fellow passengers are
Nouri Pasha Said, Prime Minister of
the Iraquian cabinet, and Mr Young,
the representative of the BritishHigh
Commissioner of Iraq. Nouri Pasha
Said had spent several days in Damascms and Beirut as the guest of
French officials, and his departure
with the High Commissioner lent
considerable weight to the rumors
that some sort of an arrangement is
being sought to establish King Ali on
the proposed Syrian throne. The
additional fact that King Feisal of
Iraq, brother of King Ali, will join
his Prime Minister in Paris shortly
gave rise to what seems a conviction
that France now favors a monarchical form of government for Syria.
The inference is that the terms of
the new arrangement will be discussed at a round table conference to be
held in Paris.
What some political observers deduce from the presence of a British
official with the party is that Great
Britain and France have reached an
accord on a common policy in the
mandated territories. This accord,
they point out, ws evident from the
many instances of cooperation between the two powers, particularly
when Britain closed the Palestinian border to the Syrian rebels during the Druze revolution. Neither
Power, in the opinion of these observers, can afford to let the East
develop the strength that would
constitute a menace to her position.
By mutual assistance they can successfully deal with isolated instances, but to permit the spirit of nationalism among the natives to crystallize into collective action would
spell disaster.
Whatever the plans of the French
mandatory authorities in Syria, however, in respect to the form of
government for the country, the Syrian nationalists seem firm in tfaeir
conviction that their own will should
prevail. On the eve of M. Ponsot's
departure they held a general meeting in Damascus and a resolution
was reached that "under no circumstances will the people of Syria accept a form of government established without their sanction. Their
will has been expressed in the Na-
�JUNE, 1931
tional Constitution approved by the
legally elected Constituent Assembly. The Syrian nation has the right
to control its own destiny and will
not be influenced by a crown adorning the head of an individual Who
would lend himself as a tool in the
hands of the colonizers."
Not satisfied with the mere statement of their position, the Nationalists sent cable protests to the
French Foreign Office and to the
League of Nations.
POSSIBLE CHANGE IN
LEBANON GOVERNMENT
Repblic Might be Dissolved with
the Expiration of Term of
First President.
If what is claimed to be authentic informotion reaching a leading
Lebanese paper through its Paris
correspondent be true, the Lebanese
Republic is doomed to extinction
with the expiration of the term of
President Charles Dabbas, which
falls early next year. Mr. Dabbas is
the first President of the Lebanese
republic, which in turn is the first
republic in the Arabic-speaking
countries, proclaimed :'n 1923 and
hailod as a great step forward in
the efforts of thft peoples of the East
to launch on the sea of democracy.
It ras had so far i tempestuous
career with rising and falling cabinets and frequent changes of policy
while the cry has ever been growing that the representatives of the
people are but the puppets of the
mandatory power. The record of
achievement of the Representative
Assembly is, to be sure, nothing to
indicate much initiative or, if any,
45
any degree of consciousness of
power.
The alternative, as set forth in
the dispatch, is to install a French
governor in Lebanon obviously for
the purpose of eliminating the
wranglings and jealousies of the native leaders. Some degree of recognition will be given the Lebanese in
that the mandatory power will submit the names of three candidates
from among whom the Representative Assembly will elect one for
governor. The Assembly, it is further asserted, will be induced to
sanction the amendment to the Constitution necessary for the inauguration of the change. Nor will this
change appear as coming from the
French or dictated by them. Rather, it will be made the expression
of a popular demand. Already plans
have been laid, it is asserted, for the
circulation of petitions to that effect
to be signed by the people.
The Lebanese government, to be
sure, does not now enjoy much confidence either of the people or of
the mandatory authorities. A significant incident relative to the boycott of the traction interests serves
as an illustration. The French authorities had professed keeping a
hands-off policy in the progress of
the boycott, conceding to the Lebanese government full authority to
deal with the situation. Yet when the
Lebanese government refused to
deal with the boycott committee, that
same committee was given a hearing by the French authorities over
the head of the Lebanese government, causing the latter to lodge
an official protest against this unethical procedure.
Ths Lebanese government, on the
other hand, is accused of using dictatorial powers in handling the boycott situation and favoring the foreign interests as against the welfare
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
46
of the people. It has so far suspended peremptorily six of the leading papers and materially curtailed
the right of public speech and assembly. This is interpreted by the
populace as nothing else but a servih role which the government is
playing in carrying out the secret
dictates of the French.
The boycott has been brought to
an end after a duration of almost
two months. The people may be
said to have been victorious insofar as they have compelled the traction and electric utilities campanies
to grant a substantial reduction in
their rates. During the progress of
the strike three separate popular
committees were formed to direct it,
each succeeding the other when the
government arrested its members
usder statutary charges and conned them to jail. Such sustained determination was never before evident in any popular manifestation
of the people of the Near East, and
is taken by observers as an indication of a new spirit of popular cooperation.
According to press dispatches, the
report finds the Moslems have sole
ownership of, and the sole property
right to, the Wailing Wall and the
adjoining pavement.Although granting the Jews free access to the Wall
for purposes of devotion, it limits
their right to carry the ark containing the scrolls of the law near to
the wall on certain special occasions.
It also confirms the rules enacted by
the mandatory administration against the bringing of screens.benches and other appurtenances of worship to the Wall and forbids the
blowing of the shofar, or ram's horn
near tne wall so as not to disturb
the Moslems in their worship. A
ban is also placed on the Jews' making any political speeches at the
wall.
The only check on Moslem religious ceremonials is the prohibition of
zikr, a ritiualistic dance, during the
hours when the Jews lament and
pray before the wall.
Press dispatches from Jerusalem report the Grand Mufti as saying that "the privileges granted to
the Jews cannot be tolerated and the
Moslems cannot be expected to foreARABS REJECT FINDINGS
go their legal possessive rights in
ON WAILING WALL
this manner. They never agreed to
The special commission appoint- the appointment of the Wailing Wall
ed by the MacDonald Government Commission, so they cannot underto investigate the claims of Moslems take to submit to its decisions."
The June 20 issue of the English
and Jews arising from the Wailing
Wall situation gave out its long-a- edition of Falastin contains a sumwaited report on June 8. Appar- mary of a memorandum prepared by
ently the Moslems are favored by the Arab Liberal Party in criticism
the decision in that the commission of the commission's report. It cites
finds that the Wall is Moslem pro- the specific articles of the Mandate
perty, but certain privileges are wherein the Moslems are vested
permitted the Jews which the Mos- with the sole right of ownership of
lems resent. To all practical pur- the "Haram area, the wall of the
posees, the situation is nowhere Buraq and the courtyard connected
nearer a solution than when the therewith." Also that "nothing in
commissiibn started its investiga- the Mandate shall be construed as
tion,
v...
conferring upon the Mandatory au-
m -
�If.
47
JUNE, 1931
thority the right to interfere with
the fabric or management of purely Moslem sacred shrines, the immunities of which are guaranteed."
Falasiin, in commenting on the
IV'oslcms' former tolerance of Jewish worship at the Wailing Wall and
its interpretation by the Commission as a "right", fears that the immediate effect of such misconstruc-
tion would be to "prohibit tourists
from going to Al-Aqsa and into the
mosque in Hebron."
The paper
"strongly advises the Supreme Moslem Council to issue an order prohibiting such visits immediately unless the League of Nations guarantees that no permission of visit to
Moslem holy places shall constitute in future a right of visit."
About Syria and Syrians
SECOND LEBANESE FESTIVAL
ATTRACTS LARGE THRONG.
Bridgeport Becomes Mecca for
Thousands of Syrians and
Lebanese for the TwoDav Celebration.
(Note - - Because this issue of
the Syrian World goes to press the
second week in July, it is possible
to include the followisg account of
the Second Lebanese Festival which
took place on July 4 and 5)
The second Lebanese FestivalOuting held at Bridgeport, Conn.,
July 4 and 5, met with even greater
success than had the first. The estimated attendance was over three
thousand and the fame of the first
Festival held last year, having covered the country, this year's event
attracted a considerable number of
people from as far South as Virginia and Tennesse and as far North
as Michigan and Wisconsin. To see
the license plates of the hundreds of
automobiles entering the grounds
was to read a roster of almost all the
States of the Union with the exception of those of the far West.
As early as 6 o'clock in the morning of the fourth streams of automobiles began to file by the gate.
Many had reached Bridgeport the
night before in order to be on hand
for the enjoyment of every moment
of the two days, while many others
from nearby New England towns
had apparently made a very early
start. All were in the most buoyant
holiday spirit and the ideal weather
that prevailed helped increase the
feeling of cheer.
Without waiting for the formal
opening parties began to form and
stage their own games and fstivities.
The spacious grounds of
Champ's Farm, with its many open
spaces and wooded knolls, provided ideal locations for any number of
groups. One group formed at the
farthest extremity of the grounds
evidently with the purpose of indulging in their favorite pastimes and
native songs without fear of disturbance. But only too soon did this
small knot of revelers find itself the
center of attraction of several hund-
�1
48
red watchers who pressed around
them eager to hear every word uttered by the principal performers.
For was this not the circle Which
held the two most renowned qawwals
in the States, who could go for hours
alternating at the improvisation of
poetry in the vernacular, with the
facility of recitation from memory
or reading from an open book?
The center of attraction of another
large circle was a groun of lithe
dancers who performed either singly, to the tune of the oud and flute
and the rhythmic handclapping of
the audience, or in groups, holding
hands and circling and swaying in
the graceful motions of the dabke.
At times sword players with heroic motions and light step would supply a diversion.
Early in the afternoon of Saturday the festival was formally opened
by Mr. N. A. Mokarzel, editor of
Al-Hoda and founder of the Lebanon
League of Progress to which goes
the credit for the inauguration of
this patriotic movement. He spoke
in Arabic thanking the throngs for
their response to the League's appeal and extending them its best
wishes for an enjoyable time. His
speech, as well as those of the other
speakers who followed, were recorded in sound moving pictures. He
announced that henceforth the festival will be officially known as the
Lebanese Mahrajan and will be held
each year, inasmuch as popular approval has already confirmed it as
a national institution.
Other speakers at this function
were the Rev. Mansour Stephen; Dr.
B... T. Deen, Nasib Arida, Salim
Thomey and Assad Rustum, each of
whom recited an original poem composed for the occasion.
The official exercises, conducted
in English, were deferred until the
afternoon of the second day when
^^
THE SYRIAN WORLD
His Honor Edward T. Buckingham,
mayor of Bridgeport, attended in
his official capacity and delivered
an address of welcome. He was introduced by Mr. N. A. Mokarzel in
his capacity of founder of the Lebanon League of Progress and officially welcomed by Mr. N. Hatem,
acting president of the organization. The response to the mayor's address was delegated to Mr. Salloum
A. Mokarzel, editor of the Syrian
World. Miss. Edna K. Salomey, a
resident of Bridgeport, also delivered a most appropriate address. Dr.
F. I. Shatara of Brooklyn and Mr.
Hotchkins, former mayor of Waterbury, Conn, delivered short addresses.
The second Mahrajan, in the opinion of all present, was a tremendous
success. Much credit must be given
the arrangements committee for
having foreseen all possible needs
and fully provided for them. Mr. A.
K. Hitti, its chairman, was indefatiguable in his efforts and was ably
assisted by Mr. Jacob G. Raphael
editor of the Arabic magazine
"Character". The reception committee circulated among the throngs
and provided the maxium of attention.
For a fuller comprehension of the
objects of the Mahrajan we reproduce herewith the Greeting appearing
in the program.
The Lebanon League of Progress
of New York extends to all those
present at this Mahrajan a hearty
welcome and sincere good wishes for
an enjoyable time.
The first Mahrajan, or national
festival, held here at Bridgeport last
year, was in the nature of an experiment. The success attending it
left no doubt that it was the expression of a strong popular sentiment.
Hence the emphatic approval of the
idea as expressed this year by the
1
9
�JUNE, 1931
increased attendance. It is cause for
extreme gratification to the sponsors of this movement that it has so
readily taken hold of the imagination of our people.
Without claiming credit for any
effort on our part, we wish to make
the unqualified statement that the
latent patriotism of the Lebanese
and Syrians in America only required the initiative to coordinate it
and arouse it into action. We are
happy to have supplied the means
for this splendid patriotic expression.
As announced in the program of
our first Mahrajan, the object of
these patriotic gatherings is both to
keep alive our finer racial traditions
and to foster more pronounced loyalty to our adopted country. The
American nation has become the
greatest nation in the world owing
principally to the fact that it was
drawn from the most virile blood
of all nations — those hardy pioneers who had the courage to act on
their convictions and face life with
unflinching determination.
These
finer qualities which form the foundation of the American character
must be preserved in order to give
the nation that continued impetus
to strive for greater achievement.
They are best preserved by keeping
alive the spirit of the pioneers, the
builders, the men and women who
were fired by an ideal and sought
free expression of it in a new homeland. Keeping alive such memories
will only strengthen the hardy and
enterprising spirit of the American
pioneers of whatever nationality.
The social benefits of such gatherings also cannot be too strongly
stressed. For the first time in the
history of our immigration several
thousands of our compatriots were
brought together in a festive spirit
in the first Mahrajan. Old friend-
49
ships were renewed and new ones
formed. The young generation was
brought to realize in the most realistic manner the charm of some of
our old customs and traditions. A
new link of racial relationship was
forged that is bound to bring about
the most wholesome results. Americans taking part in our national
holiday came to appreciate as they
never did before the value of our
spiritual contributions to our adopted land. All this is now being
reenacted in a manifold degree.
The Lebanon League of Progress
fec^s indeed privileged in having
been the instrument for the materialization of such an idea and wishes
to pledge itself to its continuous
and more active promotion that the
benefit accruing therefrom might be
far-reaching and permament. It is
but another indication of the substantiality of our American patriotism that this second Mahrajan is
held on the anniversary of the American declaration of independence.
SYRIAN JUNIOR LEAGUE
HOLDS IMPORTANT DEBATE
Discuss the Advisability of Completely Merging into American Life
The Syrian Junior League is
assuming its rightful role of leadership in the social and cultural
affairs of the Syrian community of
New York . Although but a fewyears old, it has already given many
dinners, dances, plays and socials.
Its latest venture was a debate on
the resolution "that the SyrianAmerican Generation, should completely merge itself into American
life." A debate of this nature was
something altogether novel in Syrian feminine activities, and although
�50
no public invitations were issued the
attendance was beyond all expectations. All were so well pleased that
they encouraged the League to further promote such educational programs.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
accustomed to public appearances,
should have shown the courage and
ability that usually come with long
practice.
Fol'owing are excerpts from the
speeches of each of the debaters.
The debate was held June 9 at the
In opening the debate Miss Zal
clubrocms of the American-Syrian oom sketched the history of the
Federation in Brooklyn. Both deUnited States from the discovery of
bating teams were drawn exclusiveAmerica to the declaration of Inly from the membership of the Jundependence and showed that the
ior League. Those taking the afAmerican nation was drawn from all
firmative were Miss Madeline Zalthe peoples of the earth, and that
oom and Miss Nedda Uniss, while
the best interests of America lay in
the negative team was composed of
the complete amalgamation of the
Miss Madeline Maloof and Miss
diffirent groups. "America does not
Louise Dibbs. The judges were Mr.
want citizens who do not assimilate.
George A. Ferris, Dr. Salim Y. AlShe considers them a menace to her
kazin and Dr. Fouad Shatara.
progress, just as a parasite is a deMiss Selma Milkie, President of triment to a tree.
This country
the League, presided. At the con- of ours is young, and its people are
clusion of the debate Salloum A. the peoples of the earth, I will admit,
Mokarzel, editor of the Syrian Word but by unity of purpose and singleand Cecil J. Badway, business man- ness of action this country, in time,
ager of the publication, were called will no longer be a country of the
upon for a few remarks. Inasmuch peoples of the earth but a country
as the debate was sponsored jointly of Americans in the United States
by the Syrian Junior League and of America
Today, how sigthe Syrian World, Mr. Mokarzel nificant the world over are the
gave full credit for; the Syrian words "I am a citizen of America,"
World's assistance in the debate to and what joy and pride we should
Mr. Badway who gave generously anticipate in feeling that we are a
of his time and ability in assisting part of this perfectly organized
the debating teams.
nation. But more than the words
In rendering the unanimous deci- "I am a citizen of America" should
sion of the judges Mr. Ferris took be our actions which will by thempains to explain that the decision selves proclaim us Americans in
was reached not on their personal America. "
convictions on the subjects but on
In taking up the argument for the
the merit of the actual debate. The affirmative where her teammate had
decision was in favor of the affirm- left off, Miss Uniss discussed the
ative side.
social advantages of assimilation
It was evident from the debate as distinct from the historical and
that both teams had spent consider- economic. "The term 'assimilation',
able effort in preparing their mater- she said, "is borrowed from the field
ial. Their arguments were well rea- of biology and points out a process
soned and there was no lack of by which life seeks to keep its
citation of authorities. The most continuity and progress through abpleasant feature, however, is that sorbing those elements which are of
these Syrian girls, apparently un- vital necessity for its nurture and
�JUNE, 1931
well-being.
Without assimilation
there can be no vitality, no variation
no progress. The opposite of assimilation is stagnation, it is death."
Thence she proceeded to prove that
there was no other alternative open
to the Syrian-American but to merge
with the life of the American people
The whole record of human progress
may be traced to this one factor.
Even "the ancient Phoenicians from
whom we wou'd like to claim descent were themselves a composite
race". Only the most backward
people are of unadulterated and pure
stock. "The United States is a mixture of many races and cultures.
In fairness to ourselves and to the
country that sustains us and has become our homeland why should we
keep ourselves from participation in
this great process
After all
there are two sides to this word
which is the giving as well as the
taking. It is for us to bring our
contributions to our new country as
Americans to America. Let them be
spontaneous contributions that come
from our hearts rather than conscious contributions. Is it necessary
for us to come and say, "here we
are Syrians, descendants of the ancient Phoenicians, we are offering
you our goods; note whence they
came. "
In opening her argument for the
negative Miss Madeline Maloof
sought to show that the American
people are cosmopolitan in their nature and that it is impossible to escape identifying yourself with your
national extraction. She further
proceeded to show that racial pride
is "a very noteworthy trait" and
that individual prestige is enhanced
by identification witih one's racial extraction. It is therefore incumbent
upon the Syrians to preserve those
fine traditions inherited from their
ancestors who have contributed so
51
much to the progress of civilization.
"Do any of us in later years want to
hear our children asked "what is a
Syrian" and know that they cannot
explain and be proud of the explanation ? This will surely happen
if we do not take it upon ourselves
to preserve our identity. As we can
not lose our racial mark the question of your heritage is bound to crop
up at some time." Miss Maloof cited the example of Gibran as one
who has consistently maintained his
racial identity, bringing thereby
honor to his race, and closed with a
quotation from his message to the
young Americans of Syrian descent:
"I am the descendant of the people
that have builded Damascus, Biblus
and Tyre, and Sidon, and Antioch
and now I am here to build with you
and with a will. "
Further elaborating on the argument, Miss Louise Dibbs asserted
that it was impossible for one to so
completely merge with another race
as to entirely forget old traditions
and customs and obliterate one's ancestry. "We have adopted ourselves
to America. We Syrian-Americans
stand for America first. We declare our loyalty to America. But
America does not ask of us to completely wipe off our past and forget
our race identity and traditions."
She proceeded to show that the spirit
of devotion characteristic of Syrian
parents was one of the finer racial
qualities which should be appreciated by America, inasmuch as it helped bring up useful and law-abiding
citizens. This fine quality is reflected in the Syrians' clean record,
and for us to give it up simply to
break away from old traditions would
constitute a distinct loss not alone
to ourselves but also to America.
"We are better Americans by preserving these qualities and contributing them to America than by
�wme—ssst-
52
mimicking- what is supposed to be
American inasmuch as America is a
cosmopolitan mixture of all peoples
and unlike any distinct nationality."
ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE
REMAINS DEADLOCKED
The question of the Orthodox Patriarchate in Syria does not seem to
be nearing a solution, according to
the latest press reports reaching
the United States. What is feared
is that each faction is becoming more
obdurate in its tenacity to its version of the legality of the election
The. various lay committees formed
to effect a reconciliation have all
failed in their efforts.
So determined is the faction of
Patriarch Alexandros of Damascus
to have the -'.Mandatory Authorities recognize him as the legally elected head of the Syrian Orthodox
church of Antioch that it has decided to send a delegation to Paris,
headed by Bishop Theodosius Bourjaily, to lay the case before the
French government. Bishop Bourjaily, as the head of the delegation
was, however, refused a passport and
this confirmed all the more the Alexandros faction in their conviction
that the French are meddling in a
purely ecclesiastical matter and employing underhanded tactics to force
the recognition of Patriarch Arsanius of Latakia, who is said to be
pro-French in his sympathies. This
move forced the Alexandros faction
to appeal to the Patriarch of Istanbul, who in turn sent a special representative to Paris to deal with the
situation. .
What is published by some Syrian
papers as authentic information is
that the Alexandros faction has petitioned the head of the Anglican
. . THE SYRIAN WORLD
Church, the Archbishop? of Canterbury who lately visited Syria and
Palestine, to use his good offices
with the British government to force
the French in Syria to take necessary action in the Orthodox Patriarchate tangle. Although no direct
accusation is lodged against the
French that they are openly siding
with Patriarch Arsanius, their persistent refusal to declare their stand
in the situation is claimed to be the
cause for the continued deadlock.
Hence the decision of the Alexandros
faction to appeal to foreign agencies over their heads, and since permission was refused Bishop Bourjaily to sail for Paris the appeal
was made to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
From the same source it is learned that the Archbishop of Canterbury has placed the matter before
the British government, but since the
latter cannot find justification for
interfering in the internal affairs of
the French mandated territory, it
has instructed its delegates at Geneva to bring the matter before the
League of Nations.
The troubles of the mother church
have had a repercussion in the United States. As previously stated
in these columns, all the Orthodox
papers of the country, with the exception of An-Nasr, are for Patriarch Alexandros, while the Rt. Rev.
Abou Assaly has avowed his allegiance to Patriarch Arsanius. Archbishop Germanos Shahadi, in a published statement embodying his declaration of policy delivered from the
pulpit, advances the proposition that
all dignitaries of the Syrian Orthodox Church now in the United States
be recalled to Syria, following similar action taken by the Greek
Church as a result of the Russian
debacle, and a new bishop appointed
by the mother church to govern the
»
•
�JUNE, 1931
53
American diocese as the only feasible method of insuring unity.
A special Arabic hymn composed
by N. J. Shadid was sung to the
piano accompaniment of Miss Najla Barkett.
The committee on Arrangements
was composed of John Melad, N. J.
Shadid and F. H. Barkett.
REMAINS OF GIBRAN
GOING TO LEBANON
The body of Gibran Kahlil Gibran,
famous Lebanese artist and poet who
died in New York April 10, will be
transported to his native land on
one of the steamers of the Fabre
Line sailing from Providence July
24, according to reliable information reaching the Syrian World.
Gibran's sister. Marianna. and
other devoted friends will sail on the
same steamer.
The papers of Beirut report that a
citizen's committee of Becharri has
been formed with the object of raising funds to erect a statue to Gibran in his native town.
OKLA. CITY SYRIANS
HOLD GIBRAN SERVICE.
SYRIAN CHURCH OUTING
ATTENDED BY 650
The first annual outing of the
Young People's Fellowship of St.
Mary's Eastern Orthodox Church of
Brooklyn, under the Most Rev. Germanos Shahadi, was voted a complete success by the 650 members
and their friends who took part in it.
The committee in charge, comprising Kenneth Ziady, Philip Hanna and
Angelyn Sleyman, chartered the
steamer Warwick for the full day of
Sunday, June 28, which took the
picnickers to Hook Mountain on the
Hudson, where many hours were
spent in ideal weather conditions
and a perfect spirit of good fellowship. An orchestra furnished lively music both on board and on land.
The efforts of William Kaleel,
President, and Miss Eugenie Kalaf,
secretary of the organization, helped materially towards the success of
the outing.
A fitting memorial service to Gibran Kahlil Gibran was held in Oklahoma City, Okla., May 24, under the
auspices of the progressive SyrianAmerican Club. Other societies participating were the Syrian-American Ladies Society and the SyrianAmerican Modern Society.
The meeting was held at Claussen Hall and was opened by S. F.
Farha, the club's presidfent, who
TWO SYRIAN GIRLS
after requesting the Rev. ShokralGRADUATE WITH HONORS.
lah Shadid to give the invocation
Resented as the meeting's chairMiss Mabel Saloomey, daughter
man the namesake of the celebrated of Mr. and Mrs. K. Saloomey, of
poet, Gibran Khalil Gibran Shadid.
Bridgeport, Conn., graduated with
Each of the speakers presented a honors from the School of Arts of
different view of Gibran's work and Yale University on June 17. Miss
personality. They included/ F. H. Saloomey specializes in murals and
Barkett, Mrs. Saleema Adwon. B. portraits and her work has received
D. Eddie, N. J. Shadid, Mrs. Esber high praise from critics.
In her
Abdo, Miss Eva Kouri, and A. S. school career she had at one time
Kouri.
w on first prize for
excellence in
""'
"
:
".;..;
.".
.
�54
English and completed the regular
four-year high school course in three
years.
Miss Evelyn Tannous, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Tannous of
Far Rockaway, N. Y., was the
youngest law graduate of St. John's
College this year, being only twenty
and having completed the five-year
course in three years. Shei was assistant editor of the college journal
and a leader in many other school
activities.
FIRST SYRIAN WOMAN
M. D. IN AMERICA.
Defying the traditions of her people, Miss Saniyah Haboob, a Moslem young woman of Beirut, came
to America to study medicine with
the object of practicing the profession among the Moslem women of
Syria who still refuse medical treatment from male physicians in many
situations. Miss Haboob studied at
the Women's Medical College in
Philadelphia and was granted her
degree on June 10. Shortly afterwards she sailed for her native land
in company with Dr.Elizabeth Vaugh
who is expected to1 be her guest for
several months.
ARCHAEOLOGIC TREASURES
DISCOVERED IN LEBANON
The National Museum at Beirut
is being constantly enriched by the
frequent discovery of relics of which
the country seems to have an inexhaustible supply. The latest report
of such discoveries is that while
workmen were engaged at excavating for a foundation of a house in
Sidon they unearthed a beautiful
sarcophagus similar in every respect
to that of Alexander the Great. The
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Department of Antiquities was immediately notified and the curator
came to supervise the opening in
person. Unfortunately, the sarcophagus was found to contain only pebbles, indicating that vandals had
ransacked the tomb at some time
during the ages.
Simultaneous with this discovery
was when workmen in Jubail, the
cite of ancient Byblos, came upon
two earthen jars still containing a
rich collection* of coins, some bearing the name of a Phoenician King
of whom little had been heard before, while the others were of Macedonian origin dated 322 B.C. and
bearing the name of Alexander.
A. U. B. INSTRUCTOR
VICTIM OF ACCIDENT.
Six members of the faculty of
the American University of Beirut
organized a party to climb Mt. Sannin during the Eastern vacation.
They reached the nearest town, Baskinta, on April 2, and attempted to
make the dangerous ascent during
the night so as tot reach the summit
in time to view the sunrise. Three
of the party were unequal to the
task and returned to Beirut while
Charles Houghton, Iliya Hammam
and a Mr. Tatley decided to continue.
Before reaching the peak, however,
two lost their footing and fell, Mr.
1f
i?hton a distance of 2000 f '
and Mr. Hammam 1500 feet. Mr.
Tatley returned to Baskinta to summon aid and the two injured men
were removed to the American Hospital where Mr. Houghton's injuries
were discovered to be of a minor
nature while those of Mr. Hammam
proved fatal.
Iliya Hammam was a native of
Shweir, and burial took place in the
family plot in the cemetry of the
�JUNE,, 1931
town. He was 23 years old and was
an Instructor of Botany at the University.
FORMER WORLD CHAMPION
VISITOR IN BEIRUT.
Al-Kul'.iyah, organ of the American University of Beirut, reports
the first visit of Major Joseph(Gene)
Tunney, former heavyweight champion of the world, to that institution the iatter part of March. He
was traveling as a member of the
Haardt Trans-Asiatic expedition and
visited with it many parts of the
Near East.
While at the University Major
Tunney delivered several lectures
on clean manhood and sportsmanship
and the large audience "admired immensely his simplicity and natural
manners as a speaker. The enthusiastic cheers they gave him showed
the degree of appreciation they had
of his delightful speech."
Major Tunney i$ reported as
"having paid a tribute of gratitude
to the Near East for the precious
gifts it has rendered to the world
in the fields of culture, science, philosophy and religion, and to have
stated that sportsmanship started in
these regions and from here it was
introduced into Greece and then into
Rome and afterwards into modern
Western countries."
ATHLETIC INSTRUCTION
FOR A. U. B. CO-EDS.
The very fact that women of the
Near East are claiming equal rights
to academic education with the men
seems to make them conscious of
their prerogatives in all other lines
of endeavor, athletics included. Certainly, they would not pay their good
[BBIBHMHHHBIHHIHIHH
55
money for any privilege without receiving full value in return, but in
insisting on their rights they help
introduce in the East many a valuable innovation.
This, much is deduced from a report reaching us from Miss Berneice
Griswold of New York, publicity
agent of the American Near East
Colleges. Her account of how the
"co-eds" at the American University of Beirut demanded, and received,
their money's worth from the University throws a ray of enlightenment on the evolution of the feminine psychology in Syria. But despite
her brave effort at complete emancipation from the traditions of the
past the Syrian girl still balks at
some Western practices, such as having male swimming instructors, for
instance.
Miss Griswold's account
follows in full:
Atheletics are now included in the
curriculum for the twenty "co-eds"
at the American University of Beirut, Syria.
The women students paid an athletic fee, although they received no
instruction in sports. Recently, the
twenty "co-eds" demanded either an
instructor or a remission of the fee.
The University authorities, delighted with their interest-in athletics,
promptly secured the services of an
excellent instructor for a period of
six weeks as an experiment. All
the women students donned "gym"
clothes and attended class regularly twice each week. At the end of
six weeks, athletic instruction for
women students was an established
thing.
The course now includes health
exercises, rhythmic dancing, volley
ball, basket-ball and other games.
Bi-weekly swimming' classes have
been organized and are most popular.
The interest of the University stu-
•!
�56
dents is typical of a suddenly awakened interest in athletics among
women in Syria. Business girls in
Beirut are now taking advantage of
the gymnastic facilities of the Y.
W. C. A. A group of twelve girls
go to the Y. W. C. A. at 7 two mornings each week for an hour of exercise before going to work. Another
group of twenty girls who are not
employed attend class regularly at
11.
Basket-ball is very popular, tennis
has some adherents and volley ball is
also popular. The majority of the
girls are anxious to learn to swim
but as there are no women with life
saving training and many girls still
object to a male instructor no swimming courses are offered through
the Y.W.C.A.
. :; |j
MODERN DIVORCE METHODS
SHOCK BEIRUT REPORTER
A veteran reporter of Lisan UlHal, (Beirut) who thought himself
shock proof against all forms of
sensational occurences,
admitted
that he was shocked beyond expectation when he attended a session of
the newly organized domestic relations court in the city. In his own
words , a man and his wife petitioned the court for their freedom and
duly deposed and said that they had
agreed on the step in a spirit of full
mutual understanding.
While awaiting the decision of the court
they chatted and smiled and appeared to be supremely happy. In response to a question by the court the
husband explained that his wife had
ceased to love him and had, fo» over
a year and a half, been living with
another man. The wife admitted the
facts in toto, smiling benignly. The
judge had no recourse but to grant
their repuest.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
But the couple, explains the reporter, are not natives. They came
to Syria as members af a Swiss
financial commission and in their
impatience could not wait to return
to their own country and seek freedom through their native courts.
They have, however, succeeded in
establishing a precedent for divorce
procedure in Syria.
DRUZE REFUGEES ISSUE
NEW PATHETIC APPEAL.
In an appeal to the Arabs of America published in Al-Bayan, an Arabic
Daily of New York, the remnant of
the Druze warriors who have taken
refuge in Wadi Sirhan, on the borders of Arabia, describe their condition as most desperate. They state
that they are actually starving and
if the Arab emigrants do not
hasten to their aid they face the danger of extinction.
The Druze refugees in Wadi Sirhan number about three thousand
and comprise that band of Jebel
Druze insurgents who would not surrender to the French and are still
holding out for the original conditions for which the Syrian revolution was declared.
A LEBANESE COLOMBIAN
MINISTER IN BELGIUM.
The Syrian press in South America is in receipt of information that
Dr. Gabriel Taraby, former First
Secretary of the Colombian House
of Representatives, was appointed
minister of Colombia in Belgium and
sailed on March 13 for Brussels. Dr.
Taraby is the son of a Lebanese immigrant from Baskinta and has had
a brilliant political career culminating in his becoming the leader of
the Progressive Party of the coun-
�57
JUNE, 1931
try . He is considered one of the wearing silks, because my fatiher
most eloquent orators of Colombia, left me upon his death a sum of
is but in his late twenties, and his $ 7,500,000. But I have decided to
name connected by dame gossip with" definitely and completely renounce
that of the daughter of the Presi- civilization and its attendant excitedent who is now a student in Bel- ment and noise and lead the life of
the desert away from New York's
gium.
skyscrapers. Will you, Sir, accept
me for wife and become the sole
SYRIANS OF NEW YORK
master of my body and my wealth,
PROTEST PAPER'S SUSPENSION and I promise to lead with you the
The Lebanese Government having conventional life of your own peosuspended for an indefinite period ple? I am prompted to make this
the newspaper Zahle Fatat, publish- suggestion by what I have read about
ed in Zahle and edited by Shukri your illustrious father and his tribe
Baccash, who at one time was a resi- in the book of Col. Lawrence, and
dent of New York, the Zahle com- his description of your life 'has
munity of New York held a mass fascinated and enthralled me."
The Arab Sheikh is reported not
meeting of protest and passed a
to
have as yet answered the enstrong resolution condemning the
amoured
lady.
high-handed methods of the government. A cable expressing the indignation of the Zahle immigrants in
MOTOR VEHICLES IN SYRIA
America was sent to the Lebanese
According to statistics compiled
government and signed by fourteen
by
the U. S. Department of Comranking merchants of New York inmerce
total registration of autocluding Bardwill Bros., Gorra Bros.,
mobiles
in Syria as of January 1,
G. Mobarak 'and Bros., Butrus Bros.,
1931,
was
10,246 of which 6,380 were
Elias Abu Arab and Bros., W. Kharautomobiles
for hire, 1,200 privatesa and G. Macksoud and Bros.
ly owned, and 500 government owned. Trucks and buses number 2,166.
FAMOUS ARAB SHEIKH
The figures do not distinguish beWOOED BY AMERICAN. tween the State of Syria and the
The following is a translation of a Republic of Lebanon, but from preletter claimed to have been receiv- vious statistics it may be stated that
ed by the bedouin chieftain Moham- the proportion of automobiles in
Lebanon is double that of Syria desmad Abu Taih, whose father was
pite
the former's smaller size.
made famous by the account of Col.
Lawrence of Arabia, from an American lady who apparently does not
mince words in making known her
intentions. The letter was first published in Aleph-Ba of Damascus and
reproduced in the May 29 issue of
Meraat-UL-Gharb of New York. It
is here given at its face value. Said
the Lady:
"I have, Sir, spent my life rolling
in luxury, occupying palaces and
LOCUSTS IN SYRIA
Early this spring locusts made
their appearance on the borders of
Syria coming from the direction of
the Arabian desert and Palestine.
Although the locusts in some instances have reached the borders of
Lebanon the damage to crops is not
as serious as in former years.
�58
THE SYRIAN WORLD
SYRIA. LEBANON. PALESTINE. EGYPT
CR ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE
NEAR EAST
Can Best Be Known by
VISITING— SEEING
Our native staff is in a position to give you first-hand
information on any of these countries, as well as expert
advice on planning itineraries that will afford the max
lmum of benefit for the minimum of expense.
A. K. HITTI & COMPANY
83 WASHINGTON STREET
NEW YORK CITY
Phone Bowling Green 2765
TOg^sf"3
�BJBW
JUNE, 1931
59
**<<< <•<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< <<<<<<<«<<
THE LEBANON NATIONAL BANK
319 FIFTH AVENUE, COR. 32NDSTREET
Legal Depository of
The United States — New York State — New York City
Member of
The Federal Reserve Bank — New York State Bankers
Association — American Bankers Association
4y2% INTEREST
We are pleased to announce that our Board of Directors has decided to raise the rate of interest on savings
accounts from 4% to 4-l/2%, computed every three
months, which raises the rate considerably above A-l/2%
per annum.
On check accounts, interest will be paid at the rate of
2% for daily balances below $5,000, and 3% for daily
balances of $5,000 and over.
:
The Lebanon National Bank inaugurates the return
of control to its original founders by this liberal policy
of sharing profits with its depositors. Out-of-Town accounts are solicited on the same basis. We shall be glad
to correspond with anyone, anywhere, interested in availing himself of our facilities and liberal terms.
- Ii
a
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BANKING BY MAIL is a conception of good business.
You can begin at once to enjoy the facilities of
our "Banking by Mail" department.
J k
>^
>k
i<i
.<
THE LEBANON NATIONAL BANK
"THE BANK OP FRIENDLY CO-OPERATION"
319
Corner
New York City
FIFTH AVE.,
32ND ST.,
>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
,*
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>>>>>>>>>>>>
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
AUTHENTIC
ORIENTAL RUGS
KJ
THE A. SLEYMAN COMPANY, INC.
276 5th AVENUE
NEW YOFK CITY
Phone BOgardus 4-4345
George Haddad
Proprietor
&
|
j^j
Phone
CHickering 4-8878
ALEXANDRIA RESTAURANT
The new and beautiful uptown Syrian restaurant owned and operated
by a master chef, who summons his long experience to the
art of producing the most delectable Oriental dishes.
Small and large parties catered to
So Conveniently Located
21 WEST 31st STREET,
NEW YQRK
mwrnrnmB^mmmm
IT IS YOURS
is the only Syrian publication printed
in English, and as such is the organ of the Syrians in America
You can help it continue and grow by subscribing to it yourself
and inducing others to subscribe.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
PUBLISHER, THE SYRIAN WORLD:
104 Greenwich Street, New York.
_
You may enter my name as a subscriber to "The Syrian World- for the term of one year, for which I agree to
fay the regular rate of $5.00 upon receipt of the first issue.
Address
City &? State
^^^^^^^^^MMmmmmmmm^mmMm
' I
�SB
JERE J. CRONIN
FUNERAL DIRECTOR
MORTUARY CHAPEL
Local or Out of Town Funerals Personally Attended to
LADY ATTENDANT
Expense a Matter of Your Own Desire
115 ATLANTIC AVENUE
BROOKLYN, N. Y.
The large amount of business we do permits us to buy caskets
in large quantity which enables us to give the best funerals very
reasonable. We carry a complete line of the very best manufactured
caskets at $45.00 up. We pay no agents to secure funerals for us but
only give the family who has sorrow the very best of service, reverenca
and economy. Our aim is to help those who are in trouble at a very
little cost. No charge for use of our services or funeral parlors.
Telephone—MAIN 1398-1399-8130-3655
*
HOW TO BREED MOTHS
Leave your rugs on the floor
with all the dirt and germs
they have collected during the
winter and which home methods cannot remove. Nature
will do the rest.
a.
If
i
RESTORATIVE: Call the
THE KOURI CARPET
CLEANING CORPORATION
RUG WASHERS
1
i
NEW YORK, N. Y.
10 West 33rd Street
Tel. LOngacre 5-2385
JERSEY CITY, N. J.
552 Johnston Avenue
Tel. BErgen 3-1085
t»T*TTT>T?*T?Vy>>T>T
SHEIK
RESTAURANT
A well-appointed Syrian restaurant in the heart of the
Syrian Quarter, in lower Manhattan, where you and your
friends can enjoy the most
delectable
Oriental
meals
amidst the charm of an Oriental atmosphere.
Second Foor for Banquets and
Private Parties
KIRDAHY RESTAURANTS,
Inc.
65 WASHINGTON ST.,
New York
'/TTTTTT^yTTTffint; >f»»tT»
�I ime
Tested
n
10 better illustration could be
given of the value of the Linotype machine than the
use it is being put to by publishers of Arabic in
America. To them the Linotype has become an absolute necessity and they depend on it entirely to the
exclusion of all hand composition. And inasmuch as
these publishers are men of long experience and students of methods of economy there can be no more
eloquent testimony to the value of the Linotype than
their adoption of it and dependence on it. And they
have been using it for over fourteen years and as they
go on more and more in its use they get more and
more to appreciate it, proof of which is the fact that
some publishers have bought at first one, then two
and three, up to five Linotypes.
MERCENTHALER LINOTYPE COMPANY
Brooklyn, New York, U. S. A.
Cable: LINOTYPE, NEW YORK
An illustrated descriptive catalog
of the Arabic Linotype sent free
upon request.
•74.JI.«-X
LINOTYPE METRO FAMILY
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�THE SYRIAN WORLD
64
*> «»
ATTENTION!
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MARCH ON TO PROGRESS!
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IMMEDIATELY
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�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
Identifier
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NS 0002
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
TSW1931_06reducedWM
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Volume 05, Issue 10
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1931 June
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 5 Issue 10 of The Syrian World published June 1931. The final issue of the fifth volume opens with an article by none other than Rev. W. A. Mansur. He begins the issue by talking about the tensions between Christians and Moslems. He specifically references the fact that a number of religious figures in both communities have attempted to make amends by disregarding old prejudices and inviting tolerance. After a quatrain by Dr. Salim Y. Alkazin, The Syrian World makes the editorial announcement to continue its publication. Following the discussion of Palmyra by Wadad J. Kh. Mackdicy and a piece by J.D. Carlyle, a work of the late Kahlil Gibran is featured as translated by Andrew Ghareeb, who received permission to translate from Gibran before his passing. Before a continuation of "Ali Zaibaq" there is an article by J.A. Barrakett discussing the American pastime of Backgammon, a game that originated in the ancient East, still a popular feature in Syrian-American homes. The issue concludes with the Reader's Forum, an update on political developments in Syria, and excerpts from the Arab press related to Syrians and Syria.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
A language of the resource
English
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
Format
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Text/pdf
Type
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Text
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
J.D. Carlyle
Kahlil Gibran
New York
Poetry-English
Recreation
Reverend W.A. Mansur
Salim Alkazin
Syria
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/2173c0be7dcdb54cf465d85739e3ce70.pdf
473c9b20160f289712e31f7d93099f69
PDF Text
Text
!
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VOL. V. No. V.
IP
JANUARY, 1931.
THE
tip
mm
11IP1PP
SYRIAN WORLD
A
MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ENGLISH DEALING
WITH SYRIAN AFFAIRS AND ARABIC LITERATURE
I
A JOURNEY THROUGH JEBEL DRUZE
m
SAI.LOUM A. MOKARZEL
ANCIENT NATIONS OF THE NEAR EAST
THOMAS ASA
CHRISTMAS IN OTHER LANDS
A. F. ZAINEY
1
m
THIS YOUNG GENERATION!
AN EDITORIAL OF AL-HODA
ALI ZAIBAQ (QUICKSILVER)
(A SERIAL)
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN SYRIA
THE COPY 50c
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SYRIAN WORLD
Tublished monthly except July and A ugust
. by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at t'he post office at New York,
N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. V.
No. V.
JANUARY, 1931
CONTENTS
PAGE
A Journey Through Jebel-Druze—I
SALI.OUM
A.
5
MOKARZEL
The Rote (Poem)
14
THOMAS ASA
Ancient Nations of the Near East
15
THOMAS ASA
. 1 Marvel and a Riddle
G. K.
GIBRAN
Christmas in Other Lands
A. F.
18
ZAINEV
19
�as
CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
On a Miser (Poem)
22
J. D.
CARLYLE
Rubaiyat Abu-Tayeb (Poems)
23
AMIN BEDER
French Author Gives Views on Syria
24
MLLE. ALICE POULLEAU
E
KTpt
28
TOUFIK MOUFARRIGE
Alt 7,aibaq (Serial)
S. A.
3Q
MOKARZEL
and T. S.
DAYTON
Two Arabic Gems (Poem)
DR. SALIM
33
Y.
ALKAZIN
This Young Generation!
34
AN EDITORIAL OF AL-HODA
From the Arabic
^6
Grave Situation in Palestine
37
Editorial Comment:—Binding Traditions
41
Readers' Forum
4-7
Political Developnents in Syria
45
About Syria and Syrians
40
�MS
IN THIS ISSUE
yHERE is an element of mys- erary discovery representing
tery in Jebel Druze. The Voltaire's appraisal of the culcountry, like its inhabitants, tural wealth of the modern
compels continued interest de- Syrians' ancestors. To bring to
spite all that has been written light all the fine inspirational
about it. Every traveler sees it material which should bolster
in a different light and gains our race pride is a distinct confrom it a different impression.
tribution which our scholarly
The editor in this issue be- collaborators are making to the
gins a series of articles in de- national cause, and which THE
scription of his recent travels to SYRIAN WORLD is happy in bethis mysterious country. He ing the medium for its dissemitakes the reader from Damas- nation. But for the research
cus and its verdant oasis to the and genuine interest of our colbleak and desolate land over ' laborators many of the fine
which Mt. Hermon stands sen- material being presented would
tinel on the West and which remain hidden to all but a few,
still abounds in relics of Roman and once they are being made
occupation. In the present in- available'our readers cannot but
stallment the reader reaches the share with us the feeling of apcapital Soueida, in the very preciation of the efforts of the
heart of the country, going fine body of learned and patriothrough the section which was tic volunteers who are so splenthe scene of the desperate fight- didly serving our racial cause.
ing between the Druzes and We only fear that Mr. Asa will
the French only a few years have to pay the price of his
ago. The account does not lack growing popularity with our
of a touch of humor, because readers by sustained contribuone of the editor's companions ticns, which so far he has given
was the leader of Syrian Na- generously.
tionalist youth, the fascist of
the country,and happily he was jy[ANY are the
Syrians
in a buoyant mood.
throughout the land who
are helping spread correct
ALTHOUGH liberal in his knowledge about our racial hispoetical contributions, Tho- tory and traditions in their lomas Asa treats our readers in calities. We are glad to refer
this issue to a truly valuable lit- to Mr. A. F. Zainey as one of
mBMOTH
——
�this army of able volunteers.
The speech he delivered on
Ch ristmas observances in various lands, published in this issue, served him as an occasion
to fittingly describe the fine
Syrian customs observed at the
Yultide season and paint a vivid
picture of the beautiful family
spirit that prevails in the Syrian home. Mr. Zainey's address
furnishes profitable reading at
any season.
^BU'L TAYEB Al-Mutanabbi is at last finding able
admirers to give translations of
his beautiful Arabic poetry. In
this issue two of our poets,
Amin Beder and Dr. Salim Y.
Alkazin, by a strange coincidence, have drunk at the same
spring, and the reader is bound
to appreciate their respective
selections. We have more of
Dr. Alkazin's translations, and
trust to receive more of Mr.
Beder's.
WHAT does the veteran editor of Al-Hoda, the famous ^\ND again our undaunted
Arabic paper of New York,
hero, Ali Zaibaq, performs
think of our young generation? some impossible feats which
R.ead the translation of his edi- only lead him on to further latorial on the subject and you bors and trials. One would
will know. And what is more, think that after his possession of
don't hesitate to write us your the Magic Box of the All-Seeopinion on this subject whatever ing Eye he should deserve a
it may be, because we believe little rest, but such was not his
the discussion of such an im- destiny. The reader will be
portant matter as present rela- thrilled with the present chaptions between parents and chil- ter as he never was before.
dren cannot fail of producing
beneficial results. The young
pHOSE who are politicallygeneration should have a meminded will find in the exdium of expression and we haustive accounts of the polihereby provide it. Parents are tical developments in Palestine,
also invited to give their point Syria and Lebanon that which
of view, and if they cannot will satisfy their most sanguine
write in English they may do interest. Especially are condiso in their mother tongue and tions grave in Palestine, and the
we will undertake the transla- account given in this issue covtion.
ers reports of press dispatches
We are inviting a symposium as well as original material from
in the hope of providing native sources. Syria is expectgrounds for better understand- ing important developments
ing through a frank and open since the return of the High
exchange of views.
Commissioner,
A
�TTTP
SYRIAN WORLD
VOL. V.
No. V.
JANUARY, 1931.
A Journey Through Jebel Druze
By
A\
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
JN the. minds of the people of Syria, the name Jebel Druze is
associated with a sense of dark mystery. The country must
have taken on the character of the people who have lent it their
name, because the Druzes, who inhabit the mountainous region,
are noted for the mysteriousness of their religious creed. They
are, in this respect, not unlike our better known secret societies
in that they maintain an attitude of unrelenting denial of the
authenticity of all disclosures bearing on their secret tenets or
rituals. But wherein the Druzes differ is that membership in
their society compasses a whole people. They are initiated when
born although later they are admitted to the several degrees of
the order upon proper qualification passed upon by a legally constituted hierarchy. Hence, also, membership is not open to outsiders. Nor, for that matter, does their number, according to
commonly accepted belief, decrease or increase, because of their
belief in metempsychosis and its consequent restriction.
Such being the character of the people, the country has gained
a reputation in keeping with this intriguing element of mystery.
The military exploits of the Druzes, whether in the remote or
immediate past, and their fierce zeal in the defense of their country against foreign aggression, lend added weight to the conception of exclusiveness. They were known to have successfully
withstood the organized attacks of both Turks and Egyptians in
the nineteenth century, and their revolt against the French in
recent times is a record of unparalleled feats of desperate bravery.
Their unbending determination is best illustrated by the fact that
n—mwjijgm .ill.
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
S55-"S; WE? £ th1 &£S~ £
This illustrates J S3?d^S^STS?"' ""fen" "UTO,dergedness which legend ta ^^^"SSJ'V^ "^
to Jebel Druze, therefore, cannot fail of taking 1 ( '"""f7
hazardous adventure to thl. * .
taking the form of a
er CqUamted with the histOT
of this mysterious par of lvrl /
y
SP rit that W
viewed our contemplated trip o ft NotT ?"** '
*
least fear for our convenient or ,af«v fo Wf enterta">«* *e
seem, nowhere in all my travel in Win '
^ "V' "*
eoast and hinterland, JongcHyZ^'ZTT'1 a',d ?lai">
with any situation bordpri,,„
.1 j
and bedou, had I met
expectatfon ol
^* atla"b% t^"^ *ut * — *e
of novel situations and condhon he' ^S of TTf0"
PC
of going through a country and amonVTn^nl
".
g
P e assoclat
popular conception with the 2?H?
5
ed m the
md m st
our trip to the Draze Mm.„,, 1 u
y "> , that lent
haraCter0f adTC tUre A d
in thisle were nof: fclTa t:ed
"
- "
*
*
C
^Z^^itZ^%t °TT>-
beside
y
y an Nati0
alist leader, Fakhry Bey Baroodv T„ '"T
"
"h WeVer that I
not surprised when the ktterronf, V^' °
'
in his life had he v shedthe n
»/° me that never bef°re
travention of truth Forh re if
**?""» WOuld be a «*
sufficient leisure to grat fy a LlTTf
?* *"* P°Mm and
the conditions of a count wf
i
' f°r traVel to stud>(
shape. That he Ld Z "enttddur'ml"
°
g hS "/
fort"^
odd
take the half-day iourncv ,„
ul
"'
>'
years to
nevertheless, „&* ,** 8 country, considered,
fence. To me th sfrved as , / SX"\fmM be without signibelief that JXDETt* W^P^fe^ ^ P°H«
f rb dd,ng a d m
terious in its almost complete iSioT
° '
"
^
FortnetriSt^
�JANUARY, 1931
7
mos bottle in Beirut, and had ample occasion on this trip to lament my oversight and negligence.
The flood of golden sunshine was just breaking over the old
city of Damascus, hurdling towering minarets and massive
mosques and palaces and finding its way into the narrow and irregular streets, when we wound our way past Al-Marje, the
Umayyad mosque and into the quarter of Al-Midan. It was
Sunday (August 11) but the city had risen early and was already
for some time in the swing of its activities. Sunday in Damascus
is an ordinary workday, because the Moslem day of rest and
prayer is Friday, and owing to this fact we soon discovered that
we could make but little progress on our way out of the city.
We were in the company of a popular leader, at a time in the
seething conditions of the city when the people needed a leader
and sought him for advice on a thousand and one matters We
were stopped ever so frequently by grain and feed merchants,
flour and produce merchants, and all the other categories of merchants whose shops lined the street from the center of the city
to its very .limits. The merchants wanted advice and assistance
in their many grievances. They were subjected to unfair competition on the part of foreign interests; they were willing to
agree to any proposition advanced by the leaders to improve their
intolerable situation. To all of which Fakhry Bey would deliver
a lecture on the imperative necessity of cooperation. I later learned from him that he had been successful in organizing the native
millers into a form of a cooperative and protective association, a
trust, if you please, to pit their combined efforts against the foreign depredatory interests. But in this instance the "interests"
were not the French, nor were the motives involved of a political
nature. It was the case of some enterprising Jews installing modern flour-milling machinery, and investing in the business such
large capital as to effect substantial savings in the purchase of
supplies, enabling them in turn to undersell the native millers
who still adhered to all methods. To meet the menace the natives
had to have recourse to the modern methods of their competitors.
They installed modern machinery to effect economy in production and organized to effect economy in purchase. They engaged
their opponents for a time in cut-throat competition and soon
regained the grounds they had lost. They now readily admit
that the "interests" were their benefactors in having taught them
a valuable economic lesson.
�8
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Once outside the city limits the landscape presented a desolate
appearance. The waters of Barada do not flow in this direction,
with the result that the land presents an aspect of desert aridity.
But compensation was to be had in a different form. Standing bare
in the wilderness was a great white dome, which our companion
explained was a memorial erected on the very spot where stood
the Prophet Mohammad when he refused to proceed any farther
for fear of jeopardizing his entry into the celestial Al-Jannat if
he were to enter the city of Damascus which in its ravishing beauty
appeared to him as a terrestial paradise. As we proceeded further we came to a town whose white buildings, huddling solidly
together, and its many slender minarets rising sharply from a
solid mass of masonry, stood in bold relief against the drab landscape and a Lmpid blue sky. This, as we learned, was Al-Kaswa,
the historic town which marked the starting point of the annual
pilgrimage to Mecca, at the time when Damascus was the great
rallying center of all pilgrimages. Al-Kaswa, literally translated,
is the covering of Al-Kaaba. Out of reverence the Moslems of
the world fashioned every year, on the occasion of the pilgrimage, a magnificent piece of cloth embroidered with gold and brocaded with intricate designs drawn from precepts of the Koran
to coyer the black stone at the holy city. This covering was carried in great pomp and ceremony at the head of the pilgrimage
procession. The caravan started across the desert from this town
near Damascus. The ceremony of loading the rich covering of
the Kaaba, Al-Kaswa, took place in it, hence its name.
The town of Al-Kaswa is preeminently the starting point
into the desert and all those regions of the unknown which lie
east and south of Damascus. No sooner we emerged from the
shade of its walls than we began to experience that peculiar sensation which comes to him who is embarking on a desert adventure. We were now entering Hawran, the Aurentes of the Romans, where great cities and formidable fortresses once formed
the outposts of the Roman Empire, but which now has been reduced to an and land suitable only for dry wheat cultivation.
One could sense in the very air a compound of mystery, the very
feeling which knowledge of the lore of the Druze country gave
the traveler a sense of the dramatic and mysterious. The feeling
deepened as our car sped further into the countrv. Not alone
in its present aspect, but against the background of'its hoary history, the land we were now crossing in the most modern of con-
�i (unn^r", ay T TSS'S
^^
pl
*J3U<* ?P ? f ^SCLS ^^Ss^ £.§ %<?? §
b
�10
THE SYRIAN WORLD
veyances impressed itself on our imagination. Everything upon
which our eyes rested seemed to be reminiscent of the ages of
long ago. Across the horizon, silhouetted boldly against the clear
blue sky, stood historic Mt. Hermon with the refreshing sight of
its perpetual snow amidst the scorching desert heat. Between the
road and the mountain range were to be seen some Arab camps,
whose droves of camels meandered leisurely in the vast wilderness feasting on its most abundant luxury, thistles. Here and
there the newly opened dirt road crossed, or ran parallel to, some
wonderfully preserved Roman road which was at once a reminder
of past glory and a challenge to future effort and achievement.
But aside from its dreariness there was nothing formidable about
the country, nothing to substantiate the fear and awe associated
with every mention of Hawran and Jebel Druze. It was somewhat disappointing. So far nothing of what we had seen was
formidable, although now we were in the heart of the country.
What then could have gained for this part of Syria its sinister
and redoutable reputation? Surely it cannot be the nature of the
country' as much as the character of the people.
About 10 A. M. we had reached Azra', a military post situated
midway between Damascus, capital of Syria, and Sueida, capital
of Jebel Druze. The town is not of prepossessing appearance—
a few incongruous stores ranged along the crooked road with
but a few habitations built of sombre basalt stone and merging
perfectly with the drab landscape. At a point near the military
headquarters we were brought to a halt by a rope stretched across
the road. A dapper little officer advanced to examine our credentials. His manner and speech were of the proverbial French
politeness. He not only let us pass but even volunteered advice
as to where we could find lodgings in Sueida, directing us to the
house of Geaffar Pasha Atrash. No concern was shown over the
fact that one of my traveling companions was a Nationalist leader
and the the other a journalist who at times indulged in considerable vituperation against the mandate. Although the country was
still under military rule as a result of the last insurrection, freedom of travel was apparently permitted to all classes. The apprehension of Fakhry Bey Baroody that he might be held in suspicion owing to his known revolutionary affiliations was seemingly
unfounded. This open-minded policy on the part of the French
authorities of Jebel Druze was later illustrated more forcibly in
the capital. One could but infer that the French now feel their
�MM
JANUARY, 1931
/;
grip on the situation adequately secure, and that if they fear no
further outbreaks it is because they have placated the people by
proving to them their genuine solicitude for the peace and progress of the country. What I saw in Jebel Druze only confirmed
the belief that the French were best loved (relatively) where
they were in direct control. They are in such control in the
Alaouite State and m Jebel Druze, and of all the administrative
divisions of Syria, these two show comparatively the most progress. Pehaps the hands of the French authorities are not here
tied down by considerations of local politics, and they are thus
prompted to a feeling of direct responsibility in the discharge
of their duty. This would be the sounder explanation than the
one accusing the French of displaying more efficiency and conscientiousness where they are in direct control simply to expose
the disadvantage of relegating the administrative power to the
natives.
We still had a good two-hour drive to Sueida, and while not
watching the monotonous landscape we listened to the Bev's outlining of his ambitious reform program. From politics he covered the whole field of reforms that usually engage the mind of
a young and enthusiastic national leader. Oh' What he would
not do to improve education, agriculture, industry and raise the
cultural standard, and effect the economic prosperity, and enhance
the national prestige of the Syrian nation, if only the country
were rid of French domination. And as behooves a man of his
enthusiasm, there was no doubt in his mind as to the ability of
the Syrians to look after themselves and shape their own destiny.
• |Th?i5khry Bey W°uld revert to one of his frequent whimsical and light moods, displaying a surprising versatility and scope
ot interest. His conversation with the chauffeur was typical This
chauffeur was a native Damascene and had had an unusual career
of which the Bey knew every detail. All the youth of Damascus
are the proteges of the Bey inasmuch as they all acknowledge
him their leader. The chauffeur was asked how he enjoved his
stay m leheran, and he at once became voluble. "All the chauffeurs of Persia are Syrians," he began, "but in spite of their exceptional opportunities for gain they pine for the life of Damascus. I could not stand my self-imposed exile for more than
a year, and here I am poorer but happier."
"Missed your sweethearts, perhaps?" suggested the Bey by3
way of furnishing a lead.
�12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"La, wallah!" came the quick and frank reply. "I had six
wives during the year I spent in Persia."
"Quite a harem "
"La, wallah! not all at once. A new one regularly every two
months."
"Rather reckless in divorce!"
"La, wallah! rather by advance mutual agreement."
"But you are a Sunnite," came the surprised question of the
v
c
F
c
Bey.
]
c
(
"But I was in the country of the Shiites and took advantage
of their regular institutions," was the plain rejoinder.
This matter-of-fact colloquy illustrates a social-religious institution practised in some parts of the East which is given little
consideration by the outside world. The Moslems, it should be
pointed out, are divided into two main sects, the Sunnites, who
are considered the orthodox among Moslems, and the Shiites who
are the adherents of Ali. Some of the latter sect may be found
in Syria and Lebanon, but their principal stronghold is in Mesopotamia and Persia. One of their religious tenets is contract marriage—an agreement between the contracting parties to live together in a conjugal state for a stipulated length of time, at the
expiration of which their union is automatically annulled. The
time may be a day or a year. Some instances are known where a
union is entered into for but a few hours. But in the meantime
the marriage is considered absolutely legal. No witnesses are required.
This form of contract marriage has been in effect in that part
of the East for something like fourteen hundred years. So-called
moderns in the West who preach trial and companionate marriages and the like will have to cast about further afield for
originality.
The country we were now traversing presented a striking resemblance to tKe desert on which it bordered. True, its topography is mountainous, but the rolling hills gave one the impression of sand dunes rather than cultivated land. The whole land
is planted to wheat, and the harvest had just been gathered, leaving the yellow stalks cut with a hand scythe about a foot from
the ground shimmering under the bright flood of golden sunshine. Not a tree or a green shrub was to be seen in the whole
vast horizon, and the only touch of color that broke the monotony
of the landscape was the huge piles of black basalt stones that
mmm.
nmm
-
s
J
s
i
�——
JANUARY, 1931
13
were so plentiful as to be awesome. Even the patience and industry of such a resigned people as the Druze peasants must have
proved inadequate to clear the land of this stone pest. Or was it
only indifference that gave way to expediency? We noticed fields
so encumbered with stones that they could never be tolerated in
Europe or America. Yet we actually came across innumerable instances where a few straggling stalks protruded boldly from crags
in the rock or from amidst a handful of earth between some stones.
But even these few were not overlooked by the scrupulously efficient mower. Perhaps, even, they were originally planted by
design.
Not even the few villages we passed offered a break in the
monotony. They were all of the same basalt stone that denoted
the volcanic origin of the country. The houses are built low,
close together and have flat roofs that seem to present an unbroken surface viewed from a distance. One had to look intently
to discern a village from its sombre surroundings. Hardly a tree
was to be seen even in the villages. And that despite the fierce
sun that beats mercilessly in these regions. An unprotected traveler would fare ill in these vast stretches of desolation which provide neither water nor shade. We met a lone woman traveler
painfully winding her way along the dusty road. She was heavily
dressed and her head covered with the conventional ighal. Being
a native she must have considered herself immune to the midday
heat, yet we noticed blood dripping from her nose.
We were now approaching Sueida with an anticipation of
relief from the trying journey. A bare hill loomed ahead which
was designated as the spot where the ill-fated expedition of Gen.
Michaud, the first punitive column to be despatched against the
Druzes in 1925, met its crushing defeat at the hands of Sultan
Pasha Atrash and his men. This signal victory of the Druzes
emboldened them to assume the offensive and carry the war out
of their territory into the very heart of Syria and Lebanon. The
French military command at that time had acted in haste and
miscalculated the strength of the enemy, causing a prolongation
of the conflict with all its attending suffering.
Historically the country is extremely interesting, but why
should it be so bare and forbidding? The new roads being built
are unquestionably good. They may be planned with military
considerations in mind, but they serve commercial purposes nevertheless. Yet this is not all what the country needs. Are the
�fcfi£
THE SYRIAN WORLD
14
French doing anything in the way of general rehabilitation and
improvement?
We noticed along the flank of the mountain overlooking Sueida a patch darker than the common aspect of the landscape. Being all strangers to the country we fell to conjecturing as to its
nature. Two of us maintained that the patch was nothing but
basalt rock of a darker hue than the rest. Judging by what we
had seen of the country in nearly four hours of fast travel no
other conclusion seemed admissible. Trees seemed a rarity unthought of in these surroundings. Still one of us maintained the
dark-blue patch was vegetation, a growth of shrubs. There was
life in it, a subdued dark green color without the dull reflection
of the shiny black stones. This view proved correct as we drew
closer. The dark patch was actually a growth of shrubbery representing the first attempt of the French at reforestation. The
sight was most welcome and refreshing, accentuating our feeling
of relief and delight at having at last reached the gates of Sueida.
The Rose
By
THOMAS ASA
In thoughtless mood I plucked a rose one day,
And, breathing of its essence, heard it say:
"Thou soulless man! to break me from my stem,
When ah too soon I'll finish my short stay."
And leaning closer I heard it further speak—
"Thy worldly praises thrill my blushing cheek,
As Queen of Flora's kingdom I am named,—
But soon thereat you leave me deathly weak.
"The queen of thine own country you adore,
In your submission you her temper bore;
And when in regal anger gives command
To you, bend humbly to the polished floor.
"But, me, you found beautiful, mild and free,
The wold my home, my palace floor this lea;
Forthwith you plucked me to adorn your queen,—
The rustic queen outshines man's majesty!"
warn
wmmm
�JANUARY, 1931
15
Ancient Nations of the Near East
Voltaire Offers to Modern Syrians High Proof of the Cultural
Greatness of Their Ancestry.
By
THOMAS ASA
ETROM his chapters on Syria, Phoenicia, and Arabia, which are
embodied in his admirable Philosophy of History, Voltaire,
the most universal personality in the annals of French literature,
presents to the modern Syrian innumerable vestiges of the antiquity and cultural greatness of his ancestry. Commenting on the
topography of ancient Syria, Voltaire writes, "By all the monuments which remain for our inspection, I find that the country
which extends from Alexandretta to Scanderoon, nearly to Bagdat, was always called Syriaj the alphabet used by this people
was always Syriac; that the ancient cities of Zobah, Balbec, and
Damascus, were here situated, and afterwards those of Antioch,
Seleucia, and Palmyra. Balk was so ancient that the Persians
pretend that their Bram or Abraham came from Balk amongst
them. Where then could that ancient empire of Assyria, of which
so much has been said, be situated if it were not in the land of
fables?" He continues in his chapter on Syria, "I do not, in other
respects, hesitate believing that the Syrians were much more ancient than the Egyptians, for this evident reason, that the lands
which are most easily cultivated, are necessarily the first peopled,
and are the earliest in a flourishing state."
Concerning the Phoenicians, those bold and enterprising entrepreneurs of transmarine navigation, the French philosopher becomes more specific and increasingly eulogistic in his enthusiasm,
"The Phoenicians were probably united as a body of people as
early as the other inhabitants of Syria. They may not be as ancient
as the Chaldeans, because their country is not so fertile: Sidon,
Tyre, Joppa, Berith, and Ascalon, are barren lands. Maritime
trade has constantly been the last resource of every people. They
began by cultivating their land before they built ships to go in
search of other countries beyond the sea. There is no mention
made by any maritime expeditions, either among the Chaldeans
or the Indians. Even the Egyptians looked with horror upon the
�16
.
"THE SYRIAN WORLD
sea; the sea was their Typhon, an evil disposed being; and this
makes the four hundred ships that were fitted by Sesostris for
the conquest of India very questionable; but the enterprises of
he Phoenicians are real. Carthage and Cadiz were founded by
them, the discovery of England, their trade to India conducted
by Ezion-gaber their manufactures of valuable stuffs, their art
of dyeing purple, testify their abilities, and those abilities caused
their grandeur.
"Commerce necessarily required registers, which supplied the
place of our ancient books, with easy and lasting signs to fix those
registers. The opinion which supposes that the Phoenicians were
the authors of the written alphabet is therefore very probable I
shall not aver that they invented such characters before the Chaldeans; but their alphabet was certainly the most complete and
useful, as they expressed the vowels, which the Chaldeans did
not. The word Alphabet itself, composed of their two first characters, is an evidence in the favor of the Phoenicians.
1 J'1 dr u0t fi,nd that the Egyptians ever communicated their
eir kn Ua e to an 0
ItTS,
g S J
y ^er people: on the other hand,
CEIUaai S
1
1
th V ]angUa e t0 the
who »ft
S T ^ "'?- t
^
Carthagenians
7holiTrTrr r8Cdu *' TJhelr ktterS Were transformed into
X of £ §£&*? a d-ded ^f * *«* of the antiVoltaire now centers his attention on a figure that looms preeminent among the historical and philosophical writers of the
pre-Christian era. Sanchoniathon, whose personal history is unfortunately obscure, writes authoritatively on the origin and cusiTwrV gir aUd S6CUcr' °f hk lineal ancestor*> the Phoenicians,
in writing his account, Sanchoniathon was animated by the same
lofty-spirit and ambition that dominated the authors of the Zend
and Vedam, the same influence that resulted in the work of Manethon in Egypt and Hesiod in Greece. The great prestige of
oroveea:1 h*Tan Wnter " att£Sted' aS ^tairegresumes ^Wha
tZThe firH gI°U/-antiqUlty °f thC b°0k °f Sanchoniathon is,
teries of I,
Tr °f * T" ^ * the cele^ation of the mys
h mage Which the E
tIans
would
2 have
h
T'
,°
«* Greeks
would not
paid
to 'a foreign
author, had^P
he not been
one of
che first sources of human knowledge."
CeedS t0 3
sourI?oTtrdT°
sources of the different terms
ktit ,de
f uaiw
; ° in designating
*» i'^'-^t,
the
employed
the Su
preme Being, "The word El, signifying God Loi^tl" fi'st
�93MB
JANUARY, 1931
17
Phoenicians, has some analogy to the Alia of the Arabians; and
it is probable that the Greeks composed their Elios from this
monosyllable El. But what is most observable is, that we find
the ancient Phoenicians had the word Eloa, Eloim, which the Hebrews for a very long time afterwards retained, when they settled
in Canaan.
"The Jews derived all the names they gave to God, Eloa,
Iaho, Adonai, from Phoenicia; this cannot be otherwise, as the
Jews in Canaan did not for a great while speak anything but the
Phoenician tongue.
"What deserves particular observation, is that Sanchoniathon,
in relating the ancient cosmology of his country, speaks at first
of the chaos enveloped in dark air, Chaut-Ereb. Erebus, Hesiod's
night, is derived from the Phoenician word, which the Greeks
preserved. From chaos came Muth or Moth, which signified
matter. Now who controlled this matter? It was Colpi Iaho, the
spirit of God, by which animals and men were created.
"We may easily be convinced that this cosmogony is the origin
of almost all the others. The more ancient people are always
imitated by those who succeed them. I am sensible how obscure
are all the origins of the Chaldeans, the Syrians, the Phoenicians,
the Egyptians, and the Greeks. What origin is not so? We know
that Babylon existed before Rome; that the cities of Syria were
powerful before Jerusalem was known; that there were kings
of Egypt before Jacob and Abraham; but to know with precision
which was the first people, a revelation is necessary."
Turning to Arabia, we find that Voltaire has caught the fiery
spirit of independence that has ever characterized the ancient
people of this mysterious country. Traversing with impartial
judgment the existing milestones of the authentic history
of this nation, the French philosopher has found them to be one
of the great peoples of antiquity. "The Arabians, whose defense
are their deserts and their courage, have never submitted to a
foreign yoke. Trajan conquered only a small part of Arabia
Patrasa: they to this time brave the power of the Turk! This
great people have always been as free as Scythians, and more
civilized.
"Those may be properly called the people of Arabia who
were the real aborigines, that is to say, who from time immemorial inhabited this fine country, without intermixing with any
other nation, without having been conquered or conquerors. Their-
--.-.:
f: : ...,.,
;;:,,...
..
..
�^saaass
IS
THE SYRIAN WORLD
SSSPS ?G~T
and s pk f
[
T ° -** <*^ »
&r so foe Ld dear 1 TTf ^ ^ Which Seemed> «*
-ore magnihce ex han n otl
^ ^V ** of God with
part f atUre
emj the planets s mediatr
?"
"
- TheX considr°
Wed thi relSon t thefc£ f M^ G°d ** ^ ^ fol~
addicted to man^sup ^tit" s° s^h0met- * bdieVe thc>'
*
from the rest of the world l'
J T^ ""^ but detached
of a delicious ^X*^ SfJSr^ P"
essartJy have been Jess nrnn* *
• i j
' the^ must necP
rious as other nations
° ***«**«> «* not so supersti-
x
r
h n
- ^^; ^^zt^ ^^\ r ^ *****
connection with that littlilS^Ja
\^? th^ had no
the ob
ject and foum&tion of o^^^-^ I8.1**0
a certain kind of authors"opvoef
T^ h,St0rieS> wherei»
forget three-fourths of the "earth "
" ° ***' ^ ^ a11
hi
- Wife a^^^:?x T' v*
are many, as they are men- hut
magnificent leadership
th
mg
"
of
fhe
m
°dern Syrians
nm^ rf^1—^
^
C,v,hza
alone, undivided and unequalled
their
*on are theirs
A Marvel and a Riddle
By G. K. GI BRAN
the %Zt '
1,C
'"
hu^of" £&&.*"
tht dUSt
mC
"**
-
°f ^ *«"='« and unaware of
a d
" '
-;„d talked upon
fh=
Sn*ing with the days and dreammg withthe night, I >
But behold a marvel and a riddle'
The very sun that gathered me cannot scatter me
t?*?^^^
of foot do T walk upon the banks
i
�I)
JANUARY, 1931
19
n
l-
h
Christmas in Other Lands
By A. F.
ZAINEV
Editor's Note — Although the Christmas season has passed, the following study of the customs and practices of various peoples in celebrating Christmas is of permanent value in that it collects a wide variety of general information on the subject. The author is a member
of the legal profession and is keen on the subject of bringing about a
better understanding of the Syrians by the general American public.
What follows is the text of a speech he delivered at the Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis, Indiana.
^MERICAN children and many grown ups, too, are apt to
think that Christmas is celebrated in the same way all over the
earth. They picture children everywhere hanging up their stockings on Christmas Eve, and dancing in glee on Christmas morning
before trees gay with lights, ornaments and gifts.
It is not surprising that we should have this idea when last
year five million Christmas trees were cut from Canadian farms,
and that together with six million trees from the northern states
of our country were then on the way to American firesides.
With the Christmas tree in the American home and before
the fireside, it is pleasant to know that people in other parts of
the world have charming Christmas customs, too.
Take the Yule Log! The first mention of the Yule Log
turns one's thoughts to old England. But before England adopted the idea, bringing home the log amid merry cheer was part
of the nature worship of the early Germans. In America, the
nearest thing we have to the Yule Log ceremonies is the chopping
down of a tree, then burning as large a log as our firesides will
hold, or buying a log at some store and lugging it home with
fun and frolic. Doing this takes us into another country than
England. We have touched Norway by this custom, for there,
during the Christmas festivities,, father and children go to the
woods, select and chop down a tree, and bring it home together.
Once upon a time Christmas was observed boisterously and
the Lord of Misrule ran riot, but nowadays Christmas is a day,
or season, of family reunions and of domestic happiness. The
Christmas we know is a home day, and it grows so, more and
more, all over the world. Every one tries to get home on Christ-
'^BMMHHMBHHHIHBi HMMHSB
�20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
mas. Schools close. Colleges give vacations and people try to
spend the day, and longer if possible, at home. Christmas has
become a children's day and we are all children together when
this festival comes around once again.
We know how Christmas is celebrated here in America, because we are a part of the celebration, and while each family has
its own special customs and traditions, everything revolves about
the Christmas stocking, Christmas tree and candlelight. But
other countries have other ways of marking the day.
Finland, for example, has not Christmas trees, but Father
Christmas, dressed as a Yule Goat, goes from house to house with
gifts to which verses are attached. He reads each verse aloud
before presenting a gift. Some are funny, others have beauty of
thought. No one is left out, servants as well as relatives are remembered and the animals are especially well fed. In fact some
countries give special care and attention to animals on Christmas
Eve, in commemoration of the belief that animals can speak for
a short period on this night. Children of Finland sleep on a little
straw on Christmas Eve, because the Christ child was laid in the
hay in a manger.
In Roumania on December 24th, the last day of Advent,
Turte is eaten in almost every home. This is a special "kind of
cake", made of layers of thin dough, with melted sugar or honey
and powdered walnut. The dough is supposed to represent the
swaddling clothes of the Christ child. The boys sing from house
to house on Christmas Eve.* Each one carries a six-cornered star
made of wood fastened to a pole. A small burning candle in the
middle of the star shows through the colored paper and makes
a merry jungle as the boys walk. The "Stars" are carried about
in this manner until the end of the month and gifts are exchanged
on New Year's Day, instead of Christmas Day.
Ukraine, the country north of the Black Sea, used to be called
Little Russia. There Christmas lasts three days. There is no
Christmas tree, but gifts are exchanged. In the homes a jolly
family dinner is served on Christmas Day and one custom which
occurs during the meal is worth mentioning. For so many years,
no one knows when it began, it has been the custom to present
a gift to the one on the table who sneezed first. It has to be a
real sneeze, not make believe, nor one occasioned by aid of the
pepper shaker. Why anyone should sneeze at a Christmas table
is not told. But a gift of a lamb, a pig, or a calf was the reward
-_ ______
II
�JANUARY, 1931
2/
of a sneezer at Christmas time in this country, that is if it was the
very first sneeze at the feast.
The special dish in this country is "Kontia", a raisin cake that,
according to all accounts, is delicious, and about which a tender
ceremony clusters. One of the children is chosen each year to
carry the Kontia to table on Christmas Eve. He crosses himself
three times and bows before the ikons or pictures of the saints
which are lighted by candles. Then he goes outside the door and
brings in some hay. Upon the hay he puts the Kontia or raisin
cake, and on top of this is placed a loaf of bread. He crosses himself again three times and bows. Then all the family bow, after
which each one sits down at the table and the cake is set before
tnem.
In Italy there is no Christmas tree, instead they have a Christmas Urn, into which the gifts are placed by "Banfanta", who
takes the place of Santa Clans. For several weeks before Christmas the children learn poems and songs, and on Christmas Eve,
the family gathers and listens to them. Later thev sit before the
hearth which ,s filled with blazing logs or with a big Yule Log
Gifts are not given out until the twelfth night in remembrance
of the arrival of the Wise Men in Bethlehem.
The Italian home has a "Presepo" as the principal feature
oi Christmas. This is a miniature manger scene. The evening
before Chnstmas the Yule Log is lighted, and at dusk the "PreTnTJrlu W/lh1Ca"dles- * sunset cannons boom forth, announctag that the Holy Season has begun.
Throughout Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Russia, Czechoslovakia, and in some other countries the
Christmas tree is the symbol of the season. All Christian nations
celebrate, but not m the same way. Some countries observe Christmas as a religious day, others make it wholly gay. And each country mentioned has some special Christmas viands that help to
make the season different. In America we have turkey and mince
pie spiced with various sorts of spices and other Oriental ingred!
lents in commemoration of the offerings made bv the Wise Men
01 trie rLast.
th, *W E,a?mrCTtneS' Armenia> Via, and Greece, lamb is
the chief article of diet at Christmas. Old England gave the
boar's head the place of honor at the Christmas dinner and the
second place of honor in those great festivals of the Middle aees
was given to the peacock, whose head was placed at one end of
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
W^ifS
kS
of the ;itt"
-hdy
StUffed With S ices in the cen
P
SP, eading
"
f
° ^
COl red tail
°
^r of the platter
*
the othe
" -d
Throughout Germany, Jittlc frosted spice cakes shaped like
stars and animals belong to the Christmas Eve. The children save
he,r pennies to buy then, In France, bakeries turn out cakes In
Syr" °0f TtVf Pe°Pk and are *"
F to cus^ rT
.Syria, of which Palestme ,s a provincial State, is the birthplace
ittl£ t0WU f
^les
ST,5" th^
° ^thlehem
about
S
miles ZT'ofsouth of Jerusalem,
Christ was born.
Syria is my
native
is openedI in the Holy Land. We do not have trees or Yule
Logs, nor do we exchange gifts. We do, however, extend to our
feJlowmen the season's greetings. At midnight of he 24th Mas
sung i„ the neighborhood churches lasting till two o'dock
in the morning, at the end of whirh tk„
.
until the priesf'gives L^^stlet^ ""W" ~
A family reunion takes place on Christmas morning and a
council is held to determine ways and means of celebrafing the
N
Year S EV£ The
bet
Tvisit
' neighbors
"2meoers oTthtft^w'rS
or the family
forth and
the
and
friends
go
while the female members remain at home tfrece ve
endS iS
On each
t0 the
Surn^rh'^f
r of/rare******
ta^SdkSTk
return the hospitality
wines and sweetmeats
and Turkish
coffee. The greetings are expressed with hopes that the recdviS
family may live for a good many years to come to eniov thf
tHat dl th£
^Ztfor^^/r^
^veanJc°eLnd
trespasses be forgotten and forgiven and other expressions
relat
-g to the words of Christ-'Teace on earth and g'ood wiTl tfall
On a Miser
Translated from the Arabic by J. D.
CARLYI.E
"Hang her, a thoughtless, wasteful fool
She scatters corn wher'er she goes »—
Quoth Hassan, angry at his mule,
That dropt a dinner to the crows.
^
MMBMMNMll
�JANUARY, 1931
Rubaiyat Abu-Taveb
Translated frotn the Arabnc
by A\iIN,
BEDER
Not all thy hopes, O Man, canst thou attain ,„;.-.Some few are quickly won—the rest are vain,
For favoring winds the venturing sailors pray;
Yet what they meet is calm or hurricane.
.jS>. j,\ j,
0j
But if indeed thy soul aspires to rise,
Aim for the highest—aim beyond the skies;
The pang of death is anyhow the same—
For all the way, or half the wav likewise.
J.>=J \ ^ 1^ j^sJ \ j .j
"A.
*yli
If fame thou seekest, wed thyself to toil,
Divorce thy consciousness from earth's turmoil;
To rob a honeycomb is hard indeed;
A sting thou mayest expect before the spoil.
/
The best of men are targets of their time—
And O, the fatal shots they meet before the climb;
Worry forsakes the ones with little sense;
They live to eat, their pleasure is sublime.
�\\
24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
French Author Gives Views on
Syria
Editor,
THE SYRIAN WORLD
cus Under Bombardment »
8
"
my kst work
"!" Damas-
** with such fS^^1fe-*f- -PecSlly if it
Synan
But, on the other hand everv „1
i
,
Question.
Jcate his viewpoint and S2i%t£
* ^i** t0 *"
him. This, unfortunately Urn nTh5 T ?" d'Sagree with
possibility of my gettin/a heTri "
c d° beCaUSe of the **Jike my book, are^ U?X a b "f Si ^M" Y answers,
P-ent me from %£g m^ of which is calculated 5
America, the land of liberty vou win K
j d° h°pe that in
g d Cn Ugh to ub]ish
this reply which I feel I 2st makT
°°
°
P
y
,CW f
You are right in your aoDr^ f° T T
° ^ bookment on the reVolution^erio?" iT b°°k aS a human d^uof a "delicate faaiKSS? j?^ Seen in ** light
In part, it is neither a histo ica comn I 7 "^ meant oth
e.
Foreign Office, but ratherS3^°"' n°r a rePort of the
a brief expose of the S^inTwT ~^^° Which Was add*d
the subject the averse FrTch^T u ^T f°
enlighten
°»
Perhaps I -Klt^^
publishing this personal diary had I nnTl
^ °f
§
amazed at the
number of books on the aS
n
" L?
by people who were £^S^ETH ^t^ " FranCC
S,nan revolution ^^ ^^^ ^^
�JANUARY, 1931
I
2$
thor who, JZ. JTfhou Id L'UeSt",n,the testim°"y "f » authose other auZAwh'n ,l
?. ? '^ pn°nt>' of bdirf °v«"
»he incidel took^llce
" ****** ""* ** W W after
will^UardsThetriantf^ 1 ' f°U"d °+ »«« ««l »»sibility forThe war i, X<:edT th '5 " T 1 that the resP°'th Syrian pe0 ,e
as a mean, rf^SJfc rnandT
r
P ^
mistaken belief ffj£&£ W Tn? '^ "V^ the
der ,Lthe
d,scussi0
"
of
Politi« the victims were forgotten
U„
t.me a stranger to political manoeuvres^ demon«ra e ,JT
H
£ rtLTrSM otfh r' ^^s^rst
being fried on it"
"ho is
e frymg pan
but he
it, it is perhaps'necess^toLpl „' hf tolTon': m"^"'
2
my ldeas and
opinions during mv stav in sJ^ T u J
7
.he
object
of
X^".SMtSdS&r
^e
feminine standard of intellect Fnr fnT
dCSlg ned to raise th
T
nd
to the march of politics* It^ensh^lT.
.' *
t
ideas on the question of the manda
1
Piling French
But then a dou
tion took place in me Mv^TJ?
We evoluu
Damascus con^^^Ztt^^tToI^T "
m bein
from our best classes h«*v» ; k .
, •
S drawn
formed their opimo"' **£££ on 25 ** ^ **"
those Frenchmen who were 1 thZ
5,he,rueXpenence with
found in that circle of S> ns ^"h wh ch I « ^ ^ ^ *
marks of education andUL o wl ch r Su
^^ th0Se
d been accu
while in France The result-«,!
u ?
,
stomed
myself drawn^erTth ^£g±%** ' ^
This, also, was the cause of the revision of my ideas on the
�26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
mandate. Astonished at the mediocrity of the Frenchmen I encountered, I applied myself to a study of the politics of the mandatory administration and I discovered that it was far from conforming to the principle of liberty as we understand it in France.
1 could hardly believe that France could oppose the aspiration of
another people to that independence which it has so persistently
advocated and defended at home, while the French are eminently
known for their logic. In the meantime the war broke out in
Syria.
Now, whatever was the provocation, this war in my judgment
was inexcusable because it could have been averted by the Mandatory Power. It was not, like our war of 1914, inevitable I
would not be French were I to accept without question the killing
of our solders unless under extreme necessity. I have many
proofs that from the outset this necessity did not exist.
All these considerations made me look upon the Syrian insurgents as true patriots fighting for their liberty not against France
but against the mandate, (to which a group of Frenchmen is still
opposed.) I could not, therefore, side with the Frenchmen of
Syria against the Syrians. The duty of being true to one's conscience takes precedence over that of patriotism (especially if patriotism is understood in terms of hiding the shortcomings of
one's countrymen.)
This is what converted me into a champion of Syria not
against France, but against the mandate at least in the manner
I saw it then applied. Every reader of my book should keep this
in mind that no wrong conclusions may be drawn. Unfortunately
the book appeared too late. Like Diogenes, I sought for four
years a publisher who would be a man, without finding one But
courage is not always a masculine virtue. I finally had the book
printed at my own expense.
Because of its tardy appearance, it is only with difficulty that
it is expected to counteract that "historical truth" which I referred to previously and which was officially broadcast by any number of books and newspapers under subsidy. Amidst this promandatory chorus, the contradictory yet isolated voice of mV book
can hardly be heard.
Perhaps, too, it has
only been published at
would have rallied all
was during that period
come a little late for the Syrians Had it
the time of the upheaval in Damascus it
their man-power. As it happened, there
an admirable unanimity of national sen-
/
�JANUARY, 1931
27
timent reinforced by the common sharing of suffering
b our years passed
Syria was torn into small factions which fought against each
red,Z,ng f atthUS k Was
mak
w"
mTch
r
r
^
^ little f w
*as much France, realizing the necessity of pursuing such
policy as that suggested by my book, reformed fts V a&n po icv
and began to grant m degrees those liberties for which TheSr
«« fought in 1925. As a result, many were thev amonethem
who, having quickly forgotten they had been "iLurTenfs " do
not like my book to remind them of the fact. PersoStterest
.^usually one of the most potent factors for the changing 5SS
S } l haV£ reC£ived b
P? h6 S oft Chat
TT
,X ^ r at
llC' Papei Which meek] *
re «5
ST^to
f/t
>o°
'^
S
n°
"
y
tne slanders of L Orient of Beirut which, by the way P^ed
I have
since forced to retract. On the other hand, there wereW „um
ber of distinguished personages from among the pelp e the preTs"
Wy circles, from Parliament and even from Xrdln coTm
tries who congratulated me for having dared to champion the
cause of France against these Frenchmen of the ma'Xe who
would in .me have compromised its rime-honored"^
Thanking you in advance for the courtesy of publisht emv
eply for the information of the readers of THE SSS^&ET
tion
A
t0 aCCCPt S,r
'
'
th£ aSSUrance of
highest consider?
tion and sincere appreciation of your work which so spk didlv
serves the cause of a country dear to me
splendidly
ALICE POULLEAU
Member, Literary Society of
the French Provinces.
Nolay, France, Dec. 9, 1930.
�28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Egypt
Editor's Note — This prose poem originally written in Arabic, was
published by the London Graphic in its issue of November 22. The author though a resident of Egypt, is of Lebanese descent. The poem was
composed at the suggestion of the Graphic's editor for their special
Egypt number.
By TOUFIK MOUFARRIGE
£GYPT, gift of the Nile, the crossroad of nations, the bride
of the desert, the cradle of wisdom, mother of civilization yesterday and its prey today.
The caravan of days and generations has passed her by, from
the Hyksos to the Pharaohs, from Greek to Roman, Arab, Turk.
Egypt has ever moulded the conqueror to her pattern. She changed nations, played with them, but herself kept changeless.
\f
_ Famine, scarcity, stagnation sweep across her, then blessings
rain down. In either state she stays smiling, untroubled by impoverishment, unscathed by glitter.
Her grandeur is like the waters of her Nile river—it falls
and rises. Her history is a reservoir of greatness and story, brimming with glamour; her history from yesterday feeds today's
J
glory.
The Nile hangs upon her neck and pours at her feet dominion
and ever-old memories.
Not water but pure gold flows along the Nile stream. But
for it, Egypt would be a desert that scorches like Sinai or the
Empty Quarter.
In Egypt, none gainsay the truth "and we have created of
water everything alive."
The Sphinx records how that Egypt brought forth young,
and through three score centuries nourished them at a breast
holding a secret which is not revealed—a secret that is the riddle
of generations and ages.
The Sphinx tells nothing and does not talk; yet it speaks and
is never silent.
r-l!!:_Jr —
�JANUARY, 1931
29
\m>
The Sphinx and Pyramids
Imperturbable guardians of the ancient glory of Egypt
cJ^ th7t Ef^Pt'S P>Tamid> temPk of her immortality, sarcophagus of her kings and priests and sages —
A king desired thee, and thou wast fetched forth, a mountain
of stone in lovely design, that lifts the heart with awe.
These are not stones in the Pyramid, they are tears petrified
from the eyes of a poor people, to stake a tyrant's desire.
Omar beheaded thee, and thou livest a headless body. And
those forty centuries resting in thy shadow, at what do they look?
32dK^**her youth'her evei-beat^ he-' ^
toW.vfr'
lherAo{c 1'^
yesterday and its daughter
today! Forty hundred years watch from behind the Pyramids.
workP,nH I 7
? r,esPlendcrnt' the P^sent is hers, holding
woi k and breeding toil; but the future
is God's
'- '
......i!..]..-..!.,.....)„J.J.,uium
�30
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ALI ZAIBAQ
I
(Quicksilver)
THE UNPARALLELED ADVENTURES OF THE
CHIEF OF POLICE OF THE CALIPH HAROUN
.
AL-RASFIID, OF THE CITY OF BAGDAD.
Translated from- the original Arabic by
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEI.
and
CHAPTER
THADDEUS
S.
DAYTON
V.
WHAT BEFELL QUICKSILVER IN THE
ENCHANTED CITY
QUICKSILVER forthwith proceeded to the palace of the King
* and at his request was given a body of two thousand horsemen with which to make an immediate attack on the army of the
Blacks. They sallied forth with Quicksilver at their head and
assailed the camp of the Blacks under cover of darkness.
Then ensued a conflict such as can hardly be depicted, for
brave met brave and the hoofs of war steeds trampled on the
breasts of the fallen, and cries like thunder reached the ears of
heaven.
The plain was covered with a surging, fighting multitude,
weapons flittered in the darkness like flashes of lightning as swords
and spears and shields clashed together. It was not long before
the ground was drenched with the blood of the wounded and the
dying. The brave held their ground fearless of death while the
craven fled seeking safety but finding none in that terrible scene
of carnage where the Judge of Death sat on his blood-stained
throne mercilessly dealing out his sentences. The night was a
night of woe and sorrow to the Blacks because of the heroic
Quicksiher who waded through seas of blood attacking the thousands of the enemy and dealing destruction with his deadly sword.
By the time that morning dawned the battle was ended and
the army of the Whites, after gathering together the vast treas-
�I
JANUARY, Ifftr
I
31
"oTheirdcitriChCTh°/ ^ "T^
Bkcks
>
rctu
d
triumphantly
dom of the \\-hues, whereupon he was unbound, and toge hi
The inhabitants of the Fnrhnnt^ r:*,,
i
• , .
h
peaceful slumber. The next mo
I
L
P
*<*'*
'
*'
?&.
*
silver m,rl ,h„ I ,.
i j mor""ig the King summoned Quick^d a^tnt M d If,'0 him CVery detaiI uf *»*< had ocn , f ' , ibJ'md of Enchantment. The King was ama/ed ,,
JSS ~""
in ,ri 8i
i " "«
back
** «- the mage box o
d th th b which he
d
e
:"fx
^,
d
^
»^
la"
m
luir
,ie
w
h K
s court Ali of them marve,cd
:nd tL K^t.d
—*K
wh; n:tt?n?„r;afL7rdorbe^sTh:ded mrmp?hing
wonderful treasure was i£^J££*£^£
LCSI
cnt magic of this wonderful creation."
The next morning the King, his wazir, Quicksilver Hassan
of the k gdom proceeded to
££££$??£
T the magic box ofSthe2S
or the mountain taking with, them
AH
woHf ^ "d th£re' ln SUCC£Ssi0"' -ch viewed the whole
world with its treasures and riches, its rivers and seas and dtie"
all spread out before them whichever way they turned
'
.Such was the King's amazement over this marvelous thine
nea hC; SSl « ^ ^^ f° the C^ a"d - ^ cS
near he called to him his Grand Wazir and said to him^ecretly
f,r nff TA Xt iha' th{\ESVP^n comes to my country from a
far-off land and takes this wonderful box of which there s no
counterpart ,n all the earth when in reality it is my propertv nee
* belonged to my father and my-grandfather before L'iZ
�32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
found in my country and surely I should be entitled to its posses%£•
rT- J •? my c?mmand that you devise some means of
putting Quicksilver and his companion to death so that this heritage irom the great sorcerer shall be mine."
"This man Quicksilver has done to us nothing but good," anHe ddiV
d y Ur d
St
WheBI
IaZ11and
Y,
Tyour
° kingdom
*>
*i
from the Blacks,
then rescued
from^
these*same
people. Therefore it would seem to me most ungrateful to recompense him in such a way."
"If you do not obey my commands," the King replied "I will
straightway sever your head from your shoulders "
"O mighty King," responded the Wazir in terror, "it is not
within our power to overcome this man by force, for swords have
no effect upon him and spears are all too short to reach him In
the morning, therefore, do you say to him: 'Arise and come with
me that I may show you the wonders of this great city,' and upon
his so doing take him to the enchanted fortress. Once he is within, make some excuse to retire, closing the door behind you. Then
Quicksilver and his companion, finding no way of escape, will
surely die of thirst and hunger."
This counsel pleased the King exceedingly.
Now there was in that city a famous stronghold, known as
the enchanted fortress, which had been built in immemorial ages
y en trUnCe WaS by 0ne great door of massiv
Kfc
e iron to
which £
there was .but a single key.
Such was the place in which the King and his Wazir intended to confine Quicksilver and his companion, for there seemed
no means of their escaping therefrom.
When morning came Quicksilver and Hassan repaired to the
WVI*3 7 t0 bld ^ farewd1' but the KinS '»*** that before their departure they should view the wonders of his city as
their own King would no doubt inquire of them respecting it
ion fin
£? fd HiS ^Zir' Quicks^er and his companion, hnally reached the great fortress, the King saidW
«
' ° T fnenJd' that this strongh°W was created by the
same sorcerer who made the magic box of the All-Seeing Eve
which M now ,n your possession, and he embellished its interior1
m a manner that would bewilder the mind. If you are inclmed
to enter and view ,ts marvels, I shall be glad to open its gate
:'
Quicksilver replied in the affirmative, and the King- unlocked
m
m
�JANUARY, 1931
33
thC
A fueatJ°0r Which disclosed a dark passage which the Kins
and the Wazjr hesitated to enter, expressingtheir fear QS
si ver laughed and responded that he had ijfear. Saymg which"
he passed over the threshold followed by Ibn El-Husry Once
1
thC
mad a Slgn Which
o beXed" ^:
^
**
t
«— ^ dSS
answe^t^ ^ KT C°mPanion here" There is no escape,"
answered the King as he turned the key and made his way back
Y
to his palace, overjoyed at the success of his plan.
the
m
WaS thC Ki g S treachet
XTZ7oll7 ^
u '
T>" ^id
bCneath thC etenial
the tale teller. "On
*«* l Wil1 ^ *» of
Two Arabic Gems
By
DR. SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
TRUE DEATH
J$j>A\ j^ j\ jSL3
&
J^..
Call him not dead who 'neath earth's friendly crust
Hath found a rest, but him whose Fires are cold,
Whose heart hath no more wonders to unfold
And on the Way e'en stirreth not the Dust.
•
WEAN IT WHILE TENDER
What of the soul? >Tis like a nursling childWean it while tender, and it will forego
Its mother's breast; neglected, it will grow '
And for the nursing have a passion wild.
m.-/7hiS ^ \translatioJ1 of a couplet from the "Burda" the
most famous ode ,n the Arabic language in praise of Moham-
-
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
This Young Generation!
In Editorial of Ai.-H OOA
\J/HAi may be termed the extreme of ignorance is that the
young generation, he they young men or young women,
snouM presume that they are more intelligent than their parents
more learned than their parents... wiser than their parents and'
in general that they are modern while their parents are lagging
helplessly behind on the road of progress. Under the en cum
stances it would seem that the great crime of the parents is that
they tolled and suffered and underwent untold privations to
support and ecicate and keep in good circumstances the child who
thus shows them his gratitude.
Oh! how ugly are these presumptions!
Who of the young generation who can lay a just claim to
bang m elhgent and educated can at the same time deny that
he is what his parents are, that he is a "part" of them, and that
»* their material is mferior so also is his. There may be some
tools who c'aim that narcissus sprouts from a lowly tube, that
diamonds originate from coal. But how can we deny the logic
i* the situation that but for the tube and the coal there Would be
no fragrant flower or diamond, We max even go farther and
-•v that but tor the fer ilixer the earth would not give its beau
firul crops.
And what is this modernism oi which the ignorant rather
than the wise youth boasts:
Tt is in spending thi night in d-mcin;: and drinking and riotous
licentiousness.
It is in pretending wealth, power and influence through sheer
and unpardonable vanity.
It is in being prodigal with the hard-earned savings of those
'olu- fashioned" parents.
It hhi borrowing frem this, that and the other for no tcgiti
mate and honorable purpose, but simply to indulge in reckless
adventures.
Fealty to one's parents is a duty and not a favor.
-
:.
.
t
�IWBBHMHBWBP'i Via.
JANUARY, 1931
35
The mother merges her own life into that of her child. Every
mother is an example of inselfish sacrifice.
The father toils and s peats to provide both sustenance and
protection for the family. And how often do parents give of
their own luxuries and eve3 of their necessities for the sake of
then- children. How often do the parents go almost naked to
cloth their children, go hungry to feed them, go thirsty to satiate
them, and sacrifice of their comfort and well-being and very often
mortgage whatever property they possess to educate'them. If
utter all this the chidren prove ingrates where then is our boast
or human virtues!
It is the duty of the parents to provide a good education for
their children until such time that the latter are fit to take up
the struggle of life. Children wh continue to depend on their
parents after they become of working age are parasites.
Children should also realize that their parents can in no way
be obligated to them. Rather, children should understand that
it is their paramount duty to care for their parents even if the
latter are possessed of independent means.
Parents -at times act on the mistaken notion that thev would
only be showing their children marks of natural affection when
they let them have their way. They must realize that this policy
might prove not only ruinous but perhaps tragic in that it might
lead the children to laziness, continued dependence and perhaps
a criminal career.
Do we not hear the remarks of spendthrift boys and flapper
girls that the fault lies with their parents in that, by neglecting
to train them properly, they caused them to drift into the habit
of spending without earning? This, it must be admitted, may be
partly true, but the spoiled child should not find therein an
everlasting excuse for nursing a grudge against his parents and
refusing to work.
Yes, young men. Your father may not be dressed according
to the most approved fashion, but remember that he is the one
who, depriving himself, made it possible for you to appear in
your fashionable attire.
Ye
i
L \y°Ung kdy- Y°Ur mothcr m;lv not be able to dance,
but she has more genuine culture than vou can ever claim. She
cooks, sews, mends and perhaps fasts for your sake, while vou in
your conceit feel ashamed of her. The truth of the matter is
�f*
36
THE SYRIAN WORLD
1
From the Arabic
DESERVING OF PARADISE
f maS uliM
khrit
hadlak
trlriHttuT^
°
«^
-IUI vvue a woman or extreme
no-f n^co P"
TUabout as a result of tu» „
,
ugliness. Ihis came
face 0? ^'tatt^^^***^
The
hlto the
Al-Jan„at (ft^Kt^ttaA?'"* " *»" <*
the SjffcSSS" y°U t0 SUCH a **"»«'" *—«
ADVICE ON MATRIMONY
'ld0m 1° thlh°
Advise nae „„
Wh
giVC
manage " AlHta?e L d rGi^to 7/aUghter in
for if he should come to {"e hJllm^t"^ "'
round her with comforts and if h' 1 M
°r her and surhe will at least be Z^J^t^T * ^ ^
K Lt
C
of
ttS «':,e'I
W
r
�JANUARY, 1931
37
Grave Situation in Palestine
Jewish Elections Show No Disposition to Compromise, While
Arabs Reply to the British White Paper Reaffirms
Former Stand.
RECENT events in Palestine point to the continuance of the
Hnlv 7 Vf k belWeen Arabs and JeWS over mastery of the
Holy Land. Iff anything, the British White Paper and the disappointment it has created among the two factions only tended
h^fFr^ thT6 S1TT aSfhow» ^ the popular elections lately
held for he Jewish-elected Assembly. The results permit of
iS that b th the ews a d he
arelo're
deeTretat10^' than
f1Chever
" ^
are more determined
on °pursuingJ their» prescribed
courses without the least hint of a compromise
Prescnbed
Upon the issuance of the British White Paper the world
witnessed manifestations of the great indignation of Jewrv over
what they termed their betrayal by the British government" And
it the Arabs were pleased, it was because of the comparative admission by the government of their inalienable and prior rights
But how far the British government was ready to act on its p^
fessed convictions still had to be seen. Only a short time after
LtfoTS^ WJit€ ¥Tl «? B-^governmen "lowed
signs of faltering in face of the formidable Jewish opposition
and made some recession from the stand it had taken S
6
5 Wkh StH1 m re distrust of the
estv'of
°
esty of tT??the British in t'r
dealing with the Palestine
situation hon1 he Arab stand is clearly re-stated and elucidated in their latest
<
1Cement
n f he P litical situatio
,?nThe
f °'T
, °reply
, to °the British White
» asPaper
embodied
in
the Arab
Executive's
This
reply according to the English Edition of the Arab newspaper
Falastine, published in Jaffa, had no necessity to be dekyed
owing to the uncertainty of the precise meaning of the White
Paper. Not that the average reader could not understand it but^
the propaganda of the Jewry obliged the British Cabinet to Vive
new meaning to that paper. Even to this hour the Arabs are not
certain whether the execution of the White Paper would not give
it a new form if not new meanings. The reply of the Arab Executive, however, takes its stand upon unalterable principles and
�2C
THE SYRIAN WORLD
indisputable facts, and, what is more admirable, rests independent of political interpretations and opportunist explanation? »
of theN^lork T° neS
^n *#'
** *<"**" —po'n'dent
LlX \ ,
' a dlSPatch ***** f*»»ry 11, states
lu u unb KXmit!VC ateOT"P«raed the reply with'a letter to
the Hlgh Commissioner in which it asks him to transm t opies
of the statement to the British Colonial Office and to^he Per
manent Mandates Commission of the League of Nations and
manzes the demands w
Sr0;r
A
^ ^ «~£
1. Abolition of the Balfour Declaration and mandate as con '
tradictory to the promise given by the British Government to the
Arabs dunng the World War and as contrary to Article XXII
of the covenant of the League of Nations
'
a government responsible to a elected
-^SSStaf
Arai Ss"
thC
"* ^^
hMfa
-
°f ^ —d by
4. Cessation of Jewish immigration into Palestine
The letter says the Arabs enjoyed national, regional and mu
nicipal self-government under the Turkish regime and v^ere"
and urged that measures be taken to ameliorate the distress of
iSorthern Palestine, which are now farmed on an extensive scabunder concess,ons held by wealthy Syrian and Arab groups
If statements by the press may be taken as an indication of
popular sentiment then the temper of Palestine Arabs goes beyond the sedate phraseology of the Arab Executive's repfy Fal
tt ffi" fVT 0f,December 27> Portly before the issuance of
he official Arab reply to the British White Paper, thus portrav
he Palestine Arabs' feelings: «***The Arab repVshaUbeET
lated into English so that the British nation, wL^epuation
was responsible for the Arabs' faith in the Macmohan prorn^
may know that the Arab allies have been wronged ma kitted
and^misrepreseiited. After all, the replies and coSSr repS
nothing but polemics, Nations who intend to "be independem
W to be self-dependent. The Arab can not plead exLpttn
If he wants his rights he has to sacrifice for them, andff he2
bm sacrifice no one can rob him of the heritag which i ^
4f)
f
�JANUARY, 1931
<Q
The Jews on the other hand, show equal determination to
make England live up to the spirit and letter of the Balfour
Declaration as a binding obligation. Aside from the commotion
nnsed by Jewry all over the world to bring pressure to bear upon
England the Jews of Palestine have shown by their recent elec
t.on to then- special Assembly that they are as militant and un
compromising as ever. The several Jewish parties seem to differ
not so much on prmciples as on methods; they are all agreed on
aggressive Zionism and determined to carry it out. Among the
Jews of Palestine there seems to be no such party as moderates
The elections for the Jewish-elected Assembly were held
throughout Palestine January 5 and indicated a victory for the
i-abontes who oppose the employment of Arab workers in 'Jewish agricultural enterprises. The Revisionists, who constitute the
opposition, would even take more radical colonization measures
Before the elections, the national president of the Palestine /ion'
ist Revolutionist party made the following statement:
hv rS^Tf ie7ry-IUnderSta1nds * last that small colonization
bj a handful of families yearly and immigration of a few thousand families each year is devoid of any political or even economic
importance. Until now the Jewish masses believed Jewish sacrifice of money and human efforts would induce Britain to enlarge
the possibilities of Jewish immigration.
"The people therefore did not believe in the Revolutionist
warning that small colonization could only endanger Jewish
national rights tor mass colonization and mas; immigration ' Thev
now recognize that they have lost all.
"Revisionists and Spanish Jews as a future majority on the
Jewish National Council have decided therefore to take direct
action at Geneva and Washington and in Paris and other European capitals m order to mobilize Gentile public opinion through
out the world against England's breach of its solemn obligations
We do not recognize any negotiations by Dr. Chaim Weizmann
1 nd n Wh m n l0n r
-ictin
r^
f
*
'
H
;° °
°
° & ^thorized to
act in the name of world Jewry or the Jews of Palestine. As long a<
he White Paper remains we shall have nothing to do with the
J.onclon Uovernment which endorsed it."
What the various Jewish political factions in Palestine stand
for, as well as the reaction of the Arabs to the result of the elec10ns, were discussed by Fakhry Bey Nashashibi, prominent Mo,lem and notable leader of the Arab moderate partv, according
�40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
to the Jerusalem correspondent of the New York Times
Fakhri Bey also said thl c;ecnonf> fld the Arab leader,
of view the reLt o ' t e cttTshouM?' "t^* ^
they proved, first, the ^S^tS *«"*
sigent elements always eained m. ,
.
, e Jewish intranand prevented any^aUe ^Dn ' ^ ^d 0n imp°rtant issues
the Arabs and theVewsfandS^T* ^"f effeCted ***"««
selves were divided I 'witlsTed K^t ^l^ JeWS am^ them"
Palestine Jewish Labor mr v and tl P —"ng betWeen the
Joting. Undoubtedly, he'astted ^J^
** during the balto the Jewish Assembly Xre the I ^T Z^ be Carried
>sts would be at loggerheads and t
u "** a"d the Revisi ish Government, tfe world a "1 I
^ ^ f° sh°W the ^~
ment itself that the aSS were in di
T" *C Zl°nist movd
stituting a Jewish national hoTe
^ mCth°ds of co<-
dh& rS £:S *J Arabs should regard the
I
The moderate Arabs whoTthe f ?*^ t0 the Arab <*"*
a faint possibility of ZmeVortZ
^^ haVe observed
militant element amongTe
lew fWSUTan
«ement with the nong
JeWS
Cannot
vivendi, he said.
> "°
^visage any modus
while the Revisionists are 1° f *• ** WeU f in other colo'"4
majority i„ Palesti,
n^&&-£**** * *-«
\':
gained n^tn^ooo'
S°" T
Sh W the Lab
°
- P*«y
lots entitling it **£?*$£,%£* °* *• ^We the Re
with almost 10,000 votes will h„u f '
sionists,
SeatS thou h
position probably willbTZ Lh°" j "T",
'
8 theitwith fifteen seat^, joln'S^^^^ Jews,
8
f(
*
�JANUARY, 1931
41
EDITORIAL COMMENT
BINDING .TRADITIONS
''
V-:
mit of further acceleration now
jgEING comparatively new- that in addition to the influence
comers to America, the Syr- of the public school, has come
ians now are going through that the restriction of immigration
stage of transition which many and the fusing faculty of easier
earlier immigrant groups have contact through rapid transporpassed. And for the Syrians the tation.
transition process may be harder
because of their special handi- ; But there is bound to remain
w every race certain native
caps It must be realized that
they did not come in large num- characteristics which will adbers and settle in rural districts here as tenaciously as some
and thus through their relative high y revered and cherished
family traditions. The des
seclusion succeed in retaining
those characteristics peculiar to cendants of certain racial stocks,
giving in time more care to the
the motherland. Thus to this
study
of their racial backday, and despite the passing of
many generations, we have dis- ground will come to appreciate
tinctive types in the Pennsyl- that which is best in their heritvania Dutch, the Louisiana age and cultivate rather than
stifle it. Now that we are a
French, the Wisconsin German
young nation still struggling
and the Minnesota Scandinaagainst
divergent forces, there
vian. Even in large cities where
may
be
some overzeal in concommunities of large proportions admit of a condition of demning all that which is "forseJf-efficiency, we find old tra- eign". But once our homoditions clinging desperately and geneity is assured in the sense of
giving way only slowly. The banishing from our minds all
doubt and distrust of our varinstinct of self-preservation
ious
elements, we will cease to
would seem to apply to racial
traditions and native character- look upon everything imported
istics as much as to more fun- as being "foreign" and calculated to introduce an incongrudamental conditions of life.
In time, to be sure, Amer- ous element. As we grow we
ica is bound to be fused into will look upon things in their
one homogenous nation as re- true meaning and significance
gards language and social and welcome that which will
forms. This process may per- add to our store of culture.
* lewmg the situation in this
�42
light, we must admit that the
sooner we perceive the value of
that which is distinctively good
it; our racial heritage and act
to preserve and strengthen it
the richer we will ultimately become. What we need, under the
circumstances, is to search outsoul for the exploration of its
hidden treasures and try to
shape our destinies along definite, systematic lines.
The Syrians arc endowed
with many distinctive traits
worthy of preservation, not the
least among which being what
may be described in general
terms as family cohesion and
devotion. The Syrian, whether
he originate from the upper
reaches of Lebanon or from the
plains of Syria and Palestine,
is governed by the same strong
traditions respecting family relations. The love of the parents for their children knows no
end to sacrifice, while filial devotion may be said to be carried close to the point of ancestral .worship. It is a beautiful
manifestation of one of the
loftiest and most constructive
human virtues.
We are squarely placing the
matter at the door of the younger generation because they are
our logical constituents. It is
to them that we wish to bring
a proper appreciation of their
racial heritage, and no higher or
more valuable trait could be
THE SYRIA*; WORLD
found than our characteristic
family devotion. We believe it
devolves upon the children to
sympathetically study those
sturdy characteristics in which
their parents were brought up
even as on their mothers' milk,
and to adopt all that they can
possibly assimilate. Prompted
by their steadfast love, the parents may in all reason be expected to give proper regard to
those influences of modern conditions which of necessity render some of their practices impracticable and obsolete.
There are virtues, that are
fundamental mid everlasting,
more refined perhaps among
some peoples than among others owing to longer adherence
in practice, and these are what
could and should be preserved.
The editorial of Al-Hoda,
published elsewhere in this issue, might have been prompted
by some flagrant breach of filial
respect. Its scathing denunciation, however, should only
prove the high indignation that
such action arouses among Syrians. Although aimed at Migrate children, it carries a timely admonition to those who may
be wavering in their filial obligations. Home ties are strong
and sacred among Syrians, and
our young generation is bound
to gain ultimately by adhering
to this tradition viewed and
valued as one of our finest.
$
i I
I
�JANUARY, 1931
43
II
Read ers
AGAIN THE FEDERATION
Editor, The Syrian World.
I
p
I
You will surely be pleased to
learn that the Syrian youth of Witchita, Kansas, have decided to organize a club for the promotion of
their racial interests. We are acting
on the conviction that the Syrians
have decided to make America their
permanent home, are thinking with
an American point of view, and are
gradually coming to a solidarity of
race consciousness. Under the circumstances we realize all the more
the necessity of the Federation of
Syrian Societies in the United States
which you advocate and would like
to receive information tending to
enlighten Syrian-American youth on.
methods of organization so as to
more effectively work together for
the welfare of the rising generation.
William F. Farha.
Witchita Kansas.
ENDORSING A SUGGESTION
Editor, The Syrian World. ,
'M
I have followed your recent travels abroad in Syria with the greatest
p'easure and interest, especially as
I had the opportunity of traveling
practically the same itinerary two
years after the late war. It has also
been especially fortunate for me in
the position of inactive participant
in your travels to compare the conditions prevailing in Syria today and
the conditions of a few years ago.
In closing my appreciation for
your splendid endeavors, I wish to
rorum
say that 1 heartily endorse the suggestion of Rev. W. A. Mansur to
make your travel articles available
in book form.
Thomas Asa.
West Brownsville, Pa.
THE SYRIAN WORLD ANT)
THE UQUOR BUSINESS
Writing encouragingly and enthusiastically, Dr. 0. Assid Corban
of Kihikihi, New Zealand, makes
the following remarks a propos of
the Syrian World Corporation:
I see you have launched out into
a potential corporation—a wise policy. Reminds me of the policy of
the "Liquor Trade" a few years* ago
in N. Z. It issued shares to the public promising 10 per cent dividends
It worked very well, and at a time
when the trade may have been in
danger of extinction, quite a number
of new enthusiasts considered its
interests a little more because they
were financially concerned. I have
heard it said that in a certain Southern city half of the parsons took
shares, which of course, is a gross
exaggeration, but usefully illustrates the point. I doubt now if they
will ever get prohibition in N. Z.—
at least in the near future. The tide
has turned the other way. All of
which doesn't mean to suggest, ot
course, that the Syrian World is in
danger of annihilation when one
views this latest manoeuvre. But
there's nothing like increasing the
number of your propagandists. If
one man like yourself has been able
to do so much creditably, the magazine by all rules of the game should
�44
THE SYRIAN WORLD
survive, but it also shows how much
more might be done if you get oth- highly educational and entertaining
ers feeling they have a finger in the value of the publication. There can
pie. I rather expected when the next be no disagreement on the fact that '
issue was due to find the amount the Syrian World is an important
factor in bringing about a closer
oversubscribed, yet such is the naunity
of the Syrian race throughout
ture of our folk that they often can't the world.
see a good thing when it's offered to
Especially do I wish to record my
them, or are so "cussed" and conappreciation
of the rendition into
trary that they exhibit apathy in no
English
of
the
fine selections of
small degree. So I hardly expect you
Arabic
poetry,
which,
upon analysis,
to go very far at the moment in
prove
on
a
par
with,
if
not superior
raising $25,000 if only you measure
to, that of any other language.
it in terms of my present subscripFollowing up the splendid work
tion. Rather reminds me of the story
you
have started to bring about uniIn one of your former issues when a
fication
and cooperation between the
certain prince who made a present
scattered
Syrian communities in
of a black slave to some higher digEnghsh-speaking
countries, may we
nitary. There was in the refusal of
hope for a visit from you or any
the gift a reference to the fact that
there was no color worse than black, other racial representative to our
and no number smaller than one. shores? We would be particularly
Yet the intention may have been anxious to show Syrian-Americans
the fine country which their brothers
good.
of New Zealand have adopted.
(Editor — There can be no ques•
Simon Keruse.
T ,
tion as to the esteemed doctor's inNelson N. Z.
tention. He has shown it by an actual
subscription, and ever since the appearance of the magazine has been
AN INSPIRATION
quite active in interesting his friends
m it and making numerous gifts. Editor, The Syrian World:
He may rest assured that his subWhat an inspiration to read such
scription, although limited to one
unit, does not fall in the category lofty sentiments as expressed in the
of black slaves but rather of that sayings of G. K. Gibran and Dr. Saof the beautiful white slave-girls
Hm Y. Alkazin! In fact the high
noted for their accomplishments and
so highly-prized by the Arabs. Nor standard maintained by The Syrian
is his gift in danger of being re- World is a credit to our people and
fused.)
speaks plainer than words can express of the ability of your contributors. It makes me feel proud of
AN INVITATION
being a Syrian. Would that your
Open to anyone who can afford the
message could be carried into every
cost!
Syrian home in America that our
Editor, The Syrian World:
young generation may appreciate the
As a subscriber to your valued worth of their racial extraction.
magazine in a distant land, permit
Joseph S. Joseph.
me to express my admiration for the Cleveland, Ohio.
t
i
•i
*
�JANUARY, 1931
45
Political Developments in Sy na
SYRIA
The present political situation in
Syria permits of two interpretations:
either the problem is so hard of solution that those at the helm of affairs cannot see the light out of
their difficulties; or that they are
confident of their hold on the situation and are deliberately procrastinating for reasons of their own. The
Plain truth is that matters have
dragged so long through the apparently dilatory tactics of M. Ponsot
that many observers are admittedly
at sea as what to make of his motives.
But one of the most outspoken
statements coming from a responsible source is the assertion of the
Syrian correspondent of Al-Mokattam of Egypt that far from being
at a loss for a solution of the Syrian problem, the French are deliberately introducing elements of delay to wear out the patience of the
Syrians. What lends more weight to
the statement is that the paper publishing it is manifestly of Nationalist sympathies, advocating complete
independence for Syria on the assumption that the Syrians can and
should rule themselves.
That it
should give expression to such a
feeling as that contained in the letter of its Beirut correspondent would
indicate the existence of a grave
turn of affairs admitting complete
mastery by the French over the
situation.
Analyzing the evolution of the
political problem in Syria, the correspondent makes the bold assertion
that the French now are deliberately
putting off the elections or the taking of any definite steps towards a
final solution because of their conviction that this is the most effective
remedy for tempering the radicalism of the Syrians.
"The French High Commissariat,"
according to the correspondent "intends to continue the policy of procrastination which it has so far
pursued in dealing with the Syrian
problem and withhold from setting a
definite date for the elections. By
this policy it expects to temper the
excesses which the various Nationalist blocs in Damascus indulged in
in framing their demands. It holds
the belief that the more it temporizes the more the Syrians will become weary of politics and give up
the struggle. As a matter of fact it
cannot be denied that this policy
has brought about the desired result
in that the extreme Nationalists
have somewhat moderated, and the
French, scenting their advantage, are
inclined to pursue it to the fullest
limits."
What, in the correspondent's opinion., is uppermost in the mind of the
High Commissioner is the reorganization of the political bureaus of
the various Syrian States and accelerating the economic rehabilitation
of the country. The first task will
fully take a month, according to the
correspondent, and the High Commissioner has been busily engaged
at it ever since his return from
France. The economic program, on
the other hand, waits upon the arrival of a commission of experts
which is scheduled to arrive from
France sometime in February or
March. Upon the findings of this economic commission will depend the
inauguration of the enterprises ex-
.,.:.:. .
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
pected to bring wealth and prosperity to the mandated territory.
give the country some form of assurance as to what it may expect.
From other sources it is learned
Reports from Damascus indicate
that preparations for the coming
that
government orders bearing on
elections are going apace in Damasthe
coming
elections required the
cus. Some reports would set the date
supervisors
of election districts to
of the e'ections as early in March,
submit
their
lists of qualified electand that instructions already have'
ors before January 10.
been issued by the High Commissariat to prepare lists of qualified
So far M. Ponsot has refrained
voters. In this connection it is said from making any official statement
that th? government of Sheikh Taj- as to his future policy, but unusual
eddin is active in lining up its forces activity has been observed at headfor the coming political struggle and quarters since the High Commissionthat all indications are in its favor. er s return from France. All his poliSeme minor parties, it is asserted
tical representatives in the various
have promised the government sup- Syrian States were summoned to a
port, while the Nationalists are said secret conference, and upon their reto have been isolated and have oth- turn to their respective posts they
erwise lost hope of success due to began to call the leading tribal and
defections in their ranks. The delay local chiefs for apparently imporattending the definition of the new tant and confidential communicaadministrative policy has had the tions. Generally speaking, the Syreffect of disorganizing the Nation- ian press now reflects a spirit of exalists, it is claimed, and many of pectancy not devoid of confidential
their leaders have given up the hopes for a decisive and fair solustruggle in despair and decided to tion.
devote their attention to their own
LEBANON
private affairs, long neglected. Rumor even persists that some of the
The Lebanese government is now
Nationalist leaders have entered into occupied with pure'y administrative
negotiations with Sheikh Tajeddin, matters, and such as are not of a
having become convinced of the fu- very important nature. Aside from
ti'ity of active resistance.
tne flurry of excitement which attended
the reception of Marshal
The Beirut correspondent of Ali'Vanchet
dEspesey, who came on a
Bassir another Egyptian newspaper
tour
of
inspection
of the mandated
discussing the evolution of the politerritory,
and
the
unveiling
of a
tical situation in Syria, makes the
monument
in
Beirut
to
the
Syrian
unqualified assertion that the French
martyrs who were executed durinnow have reached a point in their
the
war by Jama! Pasha for their
study of the Syrians that thev know
po
itical
activities for independence
the Syrians better than the latter
the
capital
went about its routine of
know themselves, and calls on the
squabbles
among
the deputies. SomePwwh I., depart from the policy of
what
of
a
sensation,
however, was
experimentation and proceed to concreated
by
a
certain
Moslem
deputv
crete action. Procrastination, he asserts, has been carried beyond rea- who in all earnestness introduced a
sonable limits, and it is now expect- bill demanding direct French administration in Lebanon and the cured of the mandatory authorities to
tai'ment
of the native ministers'
sett e on a stable policy which would
powers. This move was so radical
j
i\-
�JANUARY 1931
47
that it bordered on the ridiculous
and it was so treated by the Kepre- Pott Tort interests m Beirut are
ssmative Assembly. It transpired controlled by French capital.
Chat the deputy in question, who happens to be a large landowner, had
-at> between France and Lebanon,
taken exception to some policies of which is supposed to be the forethe Minister of the Interior affecting runner of a similar treaty to be later
taxation. The upshoot was that he entered into between France and
showed hi, btk uf faith in al, na
'Vna emphasize the arrangements
fve officials and invited complete for Lebanon's political representacontrol by the French. What lent
tion abroad, by which Lebanon is to
"'ore significance to his action was "jcy the right of maintaining politoat ha is normally of the party on\:il] '^P^sentatives not alone in
1 using the mandate.
"is, but wherever there are large
Of tha other important happen- I ebanese colonies, especially 7n
ings late y reported from Lebanon
Wh and South America. During
Js the rising up in arms of the mem'he earlier stages the Lebanese rep-.•ntatives will serve as attaches
"' - of the Representative Assembly agsinst what they termed disuh trench consulates or legations,
r gard rf their dignity and standing
out then- status is to undergo a gradin matters of procedure in official
ual modification so that in time they
functions. On two specific occasions
«" become priviVged to act inde"hen the deputies were invited they
-'lentiy. No time limit is set for
"US change.
were assigned places beneath numerous subordinates of the High
The treaty further stipulates that
Commissariat. And on the two occa^-"^ «'ill use all possible influence
sions mentioned the deputies refused
at first to attend and swallowed
to facilitate Lebanon's entry in*o
their pride only after earnest repremembership of the League of Nasentations by high government oftions at the earliest possible opporficials that their action might be
tunitv.
misconstrued as an insult to the
i rench authorities.
In diseasing the proposed treaty
the
press draws particular attention
A proposition was advanced to
to
thoss
clauses affecting French
build a railroad connecting Lebanon
control of the finances of the countrv
Jrth Palestine, but when the mandatory authorities were approached and warns native authorities against
for a verification of such a project rmdue concessions. The inference is
t-'v decared they could never that France seeks to so control fiscal
^nagement, customs regulations
sanction it for the obvious reason ;!,
"l development of economic enterthat ,t would spef the ruin of the
prises
as to paralyze native initiative
port of Beirut by diverting trade to
As regards military affairs, Prance
the port of Haifa. Even under pres"nderta&es to furnish advisers to
<nl conditions, if was explained Bei
.? <','<';i1'' ;,n ""dependent native
rut importers are storing goods in
military
force, to be used exclusively
Alexandria for transshipment as
for
nome
defense, while in case of
reeded, bv.t if storage facilities were
war
the
Lebanese
government agrees
to become available nearer home the
to.place
all
its
port
and transportaPractice is liable to become general
and cause severe losses to the home tion facilities at the disposal of the
!• rench government.
�48
THE SYRIAN WORLD
m
About Syria and Syrians
NEW YORK SYRIANS
HELP ALLEVIATE DISTRESS
given to the Ladies' Aid Society for
local charity, while the other half
Three days of every week a long will be devoted to the home for the
line of men may be seen forming aged which the Al-Kalimat Society
in Washington street and extending maintains in Aleppo. The commendat times deep into Rector street. The able custom of devoting the price
line would move slowly to St. of wreaths in funerals for some
George's Melchite church at 103 charity or public institution is growWashington street whence the men ing more general among New York
Syrians. While all Syrian papers are
would emerge with a neatly wrapped
package and a contented smile. In- devoting liberal space to appeals for
quiry reveals the fact that Mgr. donations to charity.
Considering the situation by and
Bernardos Ghosn, rector of the
church, distributes on each of these large the Syrians of the United
three days almost four hundred States are suffering less than the
double sandwiches to the unem- average, owing to their industry.
Only the papers are raising a pitiployed. It is his contribution to public charity in the present economic able wail from lack of sufficient remittances.
crisis.
Many other charitable agencies
among the Syrians of New York are
contributing their share to alleviate
the distress. The Syrian Ladies' Aid
Society this year has met the demands upon its resources splendidly,
helping scores of deserving families in a sustained and silent manner.
The Syrian Junior League gave
a Christmas party at the club-rooms
of the American-Syrian Federation
to about a hundred children and added to the cheer of entertainment
substantial gifts of food and clothing.
The Syrian Chapter of St. Vincent de Paul Society attached to the
Virgin Mary's Melchite church of
Brooklyn gave an entertainment
and dance for raising funds to help
the poor under direction of the pastor, Mgr. Paul Sanky.
The Al-Kalimat Society of New
York is giving a play on January
31 half of whose proceeds wil} be
PAPERS ON DISINFECTION
BY SYRIAN SCIENTIST
Five separate papers, representing as many stages in the science of
disinfection three of which are the
separate work of Dr. George Knaysi
and the other two prepared in collaboration with Dr. Morris Gordon
of Ithaca, N. Y., were published in
the October, 1930 issue of Infectious
Diseases and later reprinted in
pamphlet form. The papers cover
the whole range of disinfection in the
most exhaustic scholarly treatment.
Suffice it to give the titles as an indication of the wider range: 1 The
development of knowledge of disinfection. 2—The manner of death of
certain bacteria and yeasts when
subjected to mild chemical and physical agents, 3—The taking up of
iodine by yeast cells. 4—Do bacteria
die logarithmically? 5—Some properties-of frequency curves and their
use in studies of disinfection.
I
*,
�JANUARY, 1931
49
SYRIAN GOLF CLUB
HOLDS FIRST DINNER
n
a patient auditor and witness. Miss
Emilia Hall niece of George A.
Ferris, dean of Syrian lawyers in
New York, gave several well appreciated piano selections, as did her
teacher and uncle the well-known
composer Alexander Maloof. Gene
Trabulsi led a men's quartet in a
number of breezy songs.
A glance at the program is sufficient testimony to the spirit of the
club and an indication of its efficient
management. It tells in picture and
legend the story of the evolution of
golf from Adam (of blessed memory) up to our contemporary age.
Judging by the chronological portrayal, it would appear that clubs
and balls were wielded throughout
all ages and to very good purpose.
it was not before known that the
club's president was a poet, but he
must have been exceptionally inspired since he took up the game, as
shown by the three well directed
Strokes, (here meaning stanzas)
which may be interpreted not only
as a golfer's excuse for his desertion of home but a bid to join Syramar. They are copied from the
program.
YOU DON'T PLAY GOLF
Brother, I tell you when your health
is low,
When your lively pace has become
too slow,
When lines of worry have started
to grow,
There is one thing wrong that I
want you to know. . .
You don't play golf.
It was a gay affair that the Syramar Golf Club of New York held
at the Delia Robia Room of the Vanderbilt Hotel on the evening of Saturday, January 24th. This occasion,
however, was not one of wielding
niblicks and driving to holes. It was
a purely social endeavor calculated
to promote a spirit of good fellowship, cultivate a proper appreciation for the clean, healthy game of
golf and help drive away the gloom
and depression that seem to have
taken possession of men's souls.
Golfers, as a class, are incorrigible
optimists, and what was seen of
their buoyant spirits on this occasion proved them to be confirmed enthusiasts of the good things of life.
The dinner and the music were
excellent, and the 250 attendance
went at the dancing and merrymaking, figuratively speaking, in
their shirt sleeves. The figure applies to men, because ladies were
conventionally unsleeved, and they
represented a fine collection of figures. The dancing lasted until the
wee hours of the morning.
The courses of entertainment were
as varied and wholesome as the
courses of the dinner. There were
speeches and singing and music.
Richard Macksoud, chairman of the
entertainment committee, acted as
master of ceremonies. He proved
both masterly and unceremonious.
Miss Elvira Halal, who was said to
be headed in a bee line for the Metropolitan Opera, gave a fine exhibiWhen you reach your home on
tion of her talents. Henry Hadad,
dragging feet,
President of Syramar, made a pubYour wife, tho smiling, you fail to
lic profession of faith in the omnigreet;
potence of the golf mania, the fact
You sit at the table but cannot eat,
that it desolates so many homes and
The thing that's wrong—I want
creates so many so-called golf wito repeat
dows notwithstanding. His wife was
You don't play golf.
§
�50
THE SYRIAN WORLD
f
Miss Elvira Halal, gifted
If at length you take to the green
and sky
And count your strokes, where'er
you lie
And watch them mounting hundreds
high;
You try to improve, but the more
you try
The more you dub, the more you
sigh...
Don't swear my friend — don't
wonder why
You don't play golf.
—Henry Hadad
LOS ANGELES SOCIETY
GIVES BENEFIT DANCE
The Syrian Young Men's Society
of i,os Angeles California, held a
Renefit Charity Dance on December
19 the proceeds of which were de-
joung Syrian singer
voted to help Syrian families in
need in and around Los Angeles
during the Christmas season. Although the admission was set at 50c
voluntary donations of money, clothing and food were expected to swell
the total of the charity fund and
otherwise provide comfort and cheer
to the needy.
FORMER U. S. CONSUL
IN SYRIA DIES
William Stanley Hollis, former
American consul in Syria during the
World War, died at his home in
Chevy Chase, Md., at the age of 66,
following a stroke.
Through the courage and resourcefulness of Mr. Hollis thousands of
refugees who were fleeing the Turks
were aided in their escape from the
\ i
�JANUARY, 1931
51
country. He was also charged at
that time with the protection of allied subjects and interests.
At the end of the war he was detailed to duty in London, and was
later transferred to Lisbon where he
served for seven years.
I I
MALOOF PLAYS FOR
EINSTEIN AND TAGORE
(From the Musical Courrier, New
York, January 3, 1931.)
Alexander Maloof, one of New
York's well known musicians, was
soloist at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on
December 7 for the New History
Society at a special reception given
in honor of Sir Rabindranath Tagore,
the poet and philosopher. The affair
was sponsored by Louis Stuyvesant
Chanler, former Lieutenant Governor
of New York State, and Mrs. Chanler.
Mr. Maloof's piano playing won
instant recognition especially when
he played his own Rhapsody Orientale. This number is an original composition and he performed it in a
manner which convinced his audience immediately of his qualifications as pianist and composer. After
Tagore's entrance, Mme. Fedora
Kurban, a soprano, sang a song composed by Mr. Maloof for the occasion. The music was set to a poem
by Tagore, and after Mme. Kurban's
rendition the original manuscript
was presented to Tagore by the
composer. The famous poet was
deeply touched.
Mr. Maloof's playing at Tagore's
reception was so enthusiastically received by the large audience that
the New History Society re-engaged
him to play at the reception given
in honor of Prof. Albert Einstein,
December 14, in the grand ballroom
of the Ritz Carlton Hotel. His play-
Prof. Alexander Maloof
ing again was well received. It was
on this occasion that Einstein delivered his first speech in America, the
subject of which was world peace.
Mr. Maloof has done considerable
concert work of late, and at one of
his concerts given for the N. Y.
Tribune Fresh Air Fund at the
Marks Memorial Auditorium, he
played before a large Dutchess
County audience the Twelfth Hungarian Rhapsody by Liszt, also the
second and the Rondo Capriccio
(Mendelssohn) and several Chopin
numbers, all of which were well received and warmly praised by the
press.
Mr. Maloof is also widely known
as a conductor, having done considerable radio work for the National
Broadcasting Co. and the Bamberger
Symphony Orchestra over WOR with
success. He has also made records
for the Victor Company and some
piano recordings for the Duo-Art.
This talented musician needs no
�JHRhl '-:..
52
introduction to the musical world
whenever Oriental music is mentioned, as he is recognized as one
of its foremost exponents in America, having written several volumes
of this kind of music and having
perfected this type to the extent
that it is sought after by large symphony orchestras and well-known
conductors. He wrote the music to
the Oriental Ballet performed by
Adolf Bohm and the music for the
late Rochanaias Oriental dances.
These numbers were played at Carnegie Hall by the New York Symphony Orchestra under the direction
of Walter Damrosch. However, Mr.
Maloof does not confine his composition to Oriental music only, as he
has to his credit many Occidental
compositions, one especially well
known entitled, For Thee America,
a national anthem endorsed by Mr.
Damrosch and other well-known
celebrities. This anthem was officially
adopted by the New York Board of
Education and also in other cities in
America and is sung daily at many
<»f the public schools throughout the
United States.
CRANE SAILS TO VISIT
KING IBN SAOUD
Charles R. Crane and his movements will ever be a subject of interest to Syrians because of his own
great interest in them and in Arabic-speaking countries and Eastern
peoples in general. It will be recalled
that this wealthy and philanthropic
American had a memorable experience with the French authorities in
Syria in 1923 when he was accused
of having indirectly incited the Syrians to revolution. It was erroneously
reported at the time that he had been
court-martialed and sentenced to
twenty years' imprisonment if he
^Hw^^nwuwvuwigiHMaHffiQRpgMningHBnH
THE SYRIAN WORLD
were apprehended in Syrian territory.
Now Mr. Crane has sailed from
New York on January 23 to visit
King Ibn Saoud of AI-Hijaz whom
he characterizes as the "most important man in the Arab world since
the time of Mohammed."
Mr. Crane is also the friend of
Imam Yahya of Al-Yaman to whom
he has made lately a gift of a modern bridge to be erected in a pass
on the road leading to the capital
San'a.
From Arabia Mr. Crane will proceed to China where press dispatches
report that he has been appointed
honorary political adviser to the
Nanking government. His first connection with Far Eastern affairs was
in f908 when he was named by President Taft Minister to China. At a
stop-off in Chicago en route to China
a speech he made angered Japan,
and he was recalled before sailing.
Later he joined the Democratic party
and was named Minister to Peking
by President Wilson.
For many years Mr. Crane has
contributed generously to various
philanthropies in China.
AL-YAMAN SHOWN
IN MOTION PICTURE
Al-Yaman, an independent country
along the southwestern coast of the
Arabian Peninsula now ruled by AlImam Yahya, has for the first time
on record been shown in motion pictures. This has been made possible
through the enterprise of a SovietGerman Commission which obtained
a special permit from Al-Imam for
the purpose.
As a film of exploration and travel, Al-Yaman should hold forth
special interest particularly to those
interested in Arabia. It is being
»
*
�JANUARY, 1931
53
shown by the R. K. O. Corporation
at the Cameo Theatre. New York.
Reading Rihani's
latest book
"Arabian Peak and Desert," dealing
particularly with Al-Yaman, one gets
a vivid impression of this little frequented part of Arabia. But the impression is naturally greatly enhanced by the motion picture scenes.
The architectural beauty of the
dwellings of Sana, the capital, is
fully demonstrated.
Only in the sense that music is
given with the pictorial presentation may Al-Yaman be called a
talking picture. An attempt was
made to introduce Oriental tunes as
accompaniment, but the effort falls
short of expectation. The value of
the film rests solely on its pictorial
merits, which are considerable.
INSTALLING WIRELESS
IN ARABIAN DESERT
Press dispatches from London on
January 6 stated that a contract had
just been signed between King Ibn
Saoud and the Marconi company for
fifteen wireless stations, which will
link every important centre in the
joint kingdom of Hedjaz and Nejd.
Within eighteen months it will be
possible to flash instantaneous messages from the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf across the desert which
Colonel T. E. Lawrence took weeks
to cross during the World War.
Even the holy city of Mecca will
have its wireless telephone and telegraph. Within the sacred precincts,
where none but believers may enter,'
a Mohammedan engineer will be'
placed in charge of installing the
powerful receiving and transmitting
apparatus.
The dispatch further stated that
the King has also ordered four
portable sets, fixed on motor trucks,
so he can keep in constant touch
with his capitals, Mecca and Riyadh,
during the journeys into the desert.'
Commenting editorially on this
development, the New York Times,
after referring to the hardships undergone by Doughty and Lawrence
in their wanderings in the desert,
gives expression to the following
friendly sentiment:
"And now what was the solitude
is to become audible and is also to
speak in its own language to the
rest of the world. Even the sacred
city, which only believers are permitted to enter, may hear giaour
voices. Across the stretches of desert music will sing to villages and
walled towns that have sat solitary
and voiceless by the water of oases
in the midst of a land of 'rocky
'lava drifts girt in by savage crater
'peaks.' May their own voices be
strong enough to reach our shores
and let us share with them the
charms of the vast desert. If another wish were to be added, it
would be that we might hear voices
that have spoken there in the ages
past, evoked from its long silent
ether."
IRAQ ENTERING INTO
FAMILY OF NATIONS
A wireless dispatch to the New
York Times from Baghdad on Jan.
23 announced that the Iraqian government had just adopted a resolution authorizing King Feisal to sign
the Iraqian-Anglo-American treaty
and protocol which were concluded
January 9.
The treaty embodies an acknowledgment by the United States of
special relations between Great Britain and Iraq. Under the treaty
American citizens are to enjoy all
rights given to citizens of members
�54
of the League of Nations, while the
United States also agrees to suspend capitulatory rights which are
not granted now to any League
member.
Article III authorizes
Americans to hold property in Iraq
in accordance with international
law, without any preference or concession over other powers.
The protocol acknowledges that
Iraq has the right of eminent domain. Eeligious liberty is guaranteed
to Americans as well as all other
foreigners, while Iraq maintains the
right to apply laws for the maintenance of public order, security and
the like to all American institutions
in the country.
One of the most important articles of the treaty stipulates that,
although the relations established
between the United States and Iraq
under this treaty are based on the
special relations between Iraq and
Britain, any modification introduced
into the latter's relations will not
affect America's rights unless acknowledged and approved by her.
The treaty is to terminate when
the special relations between Iraq
and Britain end which will come
about when Iraq joins the League of
Nations next year, thus abrogating
the triple treaty and requiring negotiations between the United States
and Iraq for a new agreement.
RICH DISCOVERY OF
GREEK ART IN SYRIA
What is considered the most important archaeological discovery in
Syria
of
Greek
colonial
architecture has just been made at
Alexandretta, which used to be the
main port of Syria in the time of
Alexander the Great, according to a
wireless dispatch from Beirut to the
New York Times dated Jan. 24.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Pere Boulos Shammas Kaldans, a
native Syrian priest, working independently, uncovered a magnificent
Greek palace in excellent condition,
dating back to the fifth century B.
C. Several compartments and corridors shed new light on the life,
customs and culture of ancient Greek
aristocrats.
The first room, which was named
after Hercules, contains a statue of
this Greek god handing a wand to
Mercury, who is standing near by.
The same chamber contains a large
porcelain bath with water pipes
leading to it. In the middle of this
bath is a tall fountain encircled by
pillars which have been dislodged
from their original position, probably
owing to an earthquake. Apparently
this "Hercules room" was a luxurious bathroom for a noble Greek
family living in ancient Syria.
In the southern part of the room
was found a mosaic portico of a
beautiful design, while near by was
a shattered statue of a man and
woman.
Two other rooms lead off this
chamber one containing a statue
of a goddess, bearing a legible inscription in ancient Greek, "Aritotha the First." Facing the statue is
a fountain constructed in mosaic.
The second room contains a bust of
Archelaus, hero of the Greek wars,
bearing an inscription in this name.
Another room has a statue of
Cupid with his two wings intact,
bearing bow and arrows. This room
was named after the bird of paradise which with a pomegranate tree,
form a statuary group in the middle of the room. The same chamber
also contains a statue of an ancient
plower, as well as a statue of Nineveh, builder of the old Syrian city
of the same name.
Another room contains a splendid
statue of the sea god Poseidon, car-
i
•!
�JANUARY, 1931
f
<i
rying a serpent and trident, while
to the left Cupid rides a dolphin,
at t'he same time extracting a red
fish from the ocean.
Among other discoveries were a
considerable number of coins, chandeliers, porcelain jars and earthenware sti 1 bearing the trade-mark of
the manufacturers, while bronze
candlesticks cast in one piece were
also found.
Probably the most outstanding
find of this marvelous collection is
a representation of a terrestrial
globe spinning on its axis, with both
north and south poles clearly shown.
The French authorities have placed
the excavations under a very strict
guard.
SYRIANS OF BOSTON
JOIN IMMIGRATION PROTEST
The proposal to halt immigration
into the United States entirely for
periods of from two to five years
prompted leaders of various racial
groups in Boston to hold a meeting
of protest and communicate their
disapproval to Congress.
Greeks, Italians, Jews and Syrians
were represented at the meeting
which was held on December 13 and
reported by the Boston Herald of
that date. The spokesman for the
Syrians was Elias F. Shamon, an
attorney and president of the Massachusetts Syrian Association of
American Citizens. The Boston paper reported him as having summed
up the objections to the proposed
complete ban on immigration as
follows:
Only 123 Syrians are permitted
to enter the United States yearly,
and to pass the proposed measure
would do a great injustice to a land
which has been sorely neglected by
the so-called ethnologists set up by
55
Congress to determine the nationality of people in this country under
the national origin act.
The present protective law is sufficient, and to pass an act of complete annihilation of immigration
will be interpreted by the world not
as a protective measure, not as an
aid in the interests of ameliorating
economic conditions, but rather will
be viewed, and rightly so, in the
light of the vindictive and acrimonious proponent of the national
origin act, as more fuel added to
the fire which preceded the welding
of that act.
SYRIAN-AMERICAN BANK
PROJECT MEETS SNAG
The Beirut papers of December
report that the project of the Syrian-American Bank which had started with great promise has been
temporarily discontinued owing to
differences among the organizers.
The principal mover in this enterprise had been Mr. Paul Knabenshue, now American consul at
Jerusalem and for many years previously stationed at Beirut. He was
in America last year in the interest
of enlisting the support of American financiers for the proposed institution. It was reported at the
time that he had succeeded in raising in New York a large proportion
of the necessary one-millon capital.
The principal cause of disagreement, according to reports, is that
Mr. Knabenshue insisted upon receiving 5 per cent, of the capital investment as his commission for organizing the bank, to which the Syrian stockholders objected, and upon
finally breaking with Mr. Knabenshue they entered into direct communication with American capitalists for a new basis of understanding.
�H
II
THE SYRIAN WORLD
56
The annual ball has always drawn
many prominent persons from
Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens.
FAR ROCKAWAY MERCHANTS
HONOR SYRIAN MEMBER
George C. Dagher
Popular Political Leader
The civic zeal of A. J. Tannous,
prominent Syrian merchant of Far
Rockaway, N. Y.. has so impressed
members of the local Chamber of
Commerce that they gave a banquet
in his honor which was held at the
principal local hotel the latter part
of November and was attended by
ever a hundred representative business men.
Mr. Tannous was chairman of the
Dollar Day Committee whose activities under his leadership were
attended with exceptional success.
He was presented with a silver cigarette case as a token of the business
men's appreciation.
REPUBLICAN CLUB
TO HONOR DAGHER
It is a pleasure to note the continuous rise of our countryman
George C. Dagher in esteem and
popularity.
The Brooklyn Times reports that
members of the 1st A. D. Republican
Organization, of which George C.
Dagher is leader and executive member, are making plans for their 21st
annual ball to be given at the Elks*
Club on Boerum PI., Tuesday night,
Feb. 10.
It will mark the first ball under
the leadership of Dagher. continues
the paper, and because of his successful bringing together of the
various factions which existed prior
to his assuming the leadership role,
his friends have designated the event
as "Dagher Night" in honor of the
leader.
IHHHMi
SYRIAN BOY'S BRAVERY
HAS TRAGIC RESULT
On the afternoon of December 8 a
hold-up man entered the grocery
store of a Syrian, Thomas Rizk in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in the guise of
a customer and When the proprietor
was off his guard whipped a gun and
ordered him to hold up his hands.
Rizk complied and the robber was
about to rifle the cash register when
Rizk's son, a lad of nine, entered the
store and quickly realizing the situation picked up a butcher's knife to
attack the robber in defense of his
father. The robber thwarted in his
designs, fired a shot at the father
and fled the store. The shot proved
fatal and the little hero was overcome with grief.
--
a*
�
Dublin Core
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Title
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The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
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Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
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New York Public Library
Publisher
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
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English
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Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
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NS 0002
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This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
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TSW1931_01reducedWM
Title
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The Syrian World Volume 05, Issue 05
Date
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1931 January
Description
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Volume 5 Issue 05 of The Syrian World published January 1931. The issue opens with Salloum Mokarzel's telling of his trip through Jebel-Druze and its capital of Soueida, which lies in the very heart of the country, the scene of the Great Druze Revolt (1925-1927) only a few years prior. Next are two works by Thomas Asa, one a poem titled "The Rose," and the second an article titled "Ancient Nations in the Near East," in which he speaks on Voltaire's discussion of the cultural greatness of Syrian ancestry. Asa's presentation of this information is an important contribution to the Syrian World and in the lives of researchers and readers. It is important because of the fact that it showcases the infamous philosopher’s praise of the cultural wealth and significance of Syria and its people. Following a work by Gibran, A.F. Zainey brings about the discussion of Christmas in other lands, which is an informative account of the customs observed during the Yuletide celebrations in Syria. Following a poem by J.D. Carlyle there are a number of translated poems by Abu-Tayeb presented in The Syrian World (trans. by Amin Beder). French author Alice Poulleau then gives her account of Syria, before Toufik Moufarrige describes Egypt. After another installment of "Ali Zaibaq," The editor Salloum Mokarzel discusses the young generation. His primary focus is the concept that they seem to think themselves more intelligent than their predecessors and parents. Finally the issue closes with a discussion on the situation in Palestine, the Reader's Forum, political developments in Syria, and excerpts from the Arab press about Syria and Syrians.
Subject
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Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
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English
Creator
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
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New York Public Library
Publisher
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
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Text/pdf
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Text
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Alice Poulleau
Christmas
Druze
Egypt
English
Kahlil Gibran
New York
Poetry
Thomas Asa
Toufik Moufarrige
Travel
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/ed4d782ddccf726baa8ac0ac13661c8f.pdf
5a1035cf10770da5aa90c03c02ed63de
PDF Text
Text
VOL. V. No. 6.
i A
FEBRUARY, 1931.
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
A
MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ENGLISH DEALING
WITH SYRIAN AFFAIRS AND ARABIC LITERATURE
m
SO
ARE THE LEBANESE ARABS?
PHILIP K. HITTI, PH. D.
OUR COMMISSION TO POSTERITY
REV W. A. MANSUR
A JOURNEY THROUGH JEBEL DRUZE
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL
THE TRAVELS OF AN ARABIC WORD:
AL-JUBBAH
JOSEPH J. RAYMOND
mm
111
m
WILL SYRIA HAVE ANOTHER KING?
ALI ZAIBAQ (QUICKSILVER)
THE COPY 50c
m
m m&
(A SERIAL)
��THE
SYRIAN WORLD
"Published monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New York,
N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. V.
FEBRUARY, 1931
No. 6.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Are the Lebanese Arabs?
PHILIP
5
K.
HITTI, PH.
D.
The Secret Pll Cherish (Poem)
DR.
N. A.
KATIBAH
A Journey Through Jebel Druze — 77
SALLOUM
I
16
A.
17
MOKARZEL
The Blind Astronomer (Poem)
26
THOMAS ASA
Our Commission to Posterity
u
REV.
W. A.
27
MANSUR
�t
CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
To Youth (Poem)
J. D.
34
CARLYLE.-
The Arabian Nights (Poem)
DON
C.
35
SEITZ
Ali Zaibaq (Quicksilver)—(Serial)
S. A. MOKARZEL AND T. S.
Past and Future
26
DAYTON
40
G. K. GlBRAN
Advice to a Girl (Poem)
41
LABEEBEE
A. J.
HANNA
The Travels of an Arabic Word: Al-Jubbah
JOSEPH
J.
42
RAYMOND
From the Arabic
44.
Will Syria Have Another King?
45
Political Developments in Syria
49
About Syria and Syrians
52
�I
IN THIS ISSUE
W^HAT we believe to be one
of the finest efforts of Dr.
Hitti is his condensation of the
whole history of Lebanon
from the dawn of time within
the limits of a few pages. The
question "Are the Lebanese
Arabs?" was put to him by the
editor of Al-Hoda, and in his
comprehensive answer he epitomizes the whole history of
the country, tracing the effects
on it of the various conquering
races from the Assyrians and
Egyptians to the Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Turks, and
drawing conclusions which cannot fail of interesting every
student of history.
Dr. Hitti gives his opinion
with due appreciation of his
standing as a scholar. It is evident that he strives to establish
facts without regard to personal
feelings or political considerations. This article of his, although originally written for a
daily newspaper, is worthy of
an encyclopaedia. It is so crammed with facts, so logical in the
sequence of its argument, that
we deemed it a special privilege
to translate it into English for
the enlightenment of our young
generation in America and
those of the American public
who are interested in learning
about our ancestry but cannot
find the ready sources. Now
the facts are here presented in
the most concise form, in the
plain, untechnical language that
everyone can understand. Our
readers, we feel sure, will not
only enjoy reading it once, but
decide that it is worthy of keeping for future study and as a
source of reference.
Tr) many of our readers, Don
C. Seitz will need no introduction. He is a nationally
known American author and
journalist who, even after his
retirement from active journalism, still wields great influence in American newspaper
circles in New York. Mr. Seitz
was for almost a quarter of a
century the managing editor of
the New York World, at the
time when that paper was making newspaper history. He is
an admirer of Eastern literature
and his poem on the Arabian
Nights, contributed to THE
SYRIAN WORLD, will surely inspire a more generous appreciation and admiration by our
young generation of the literary treasures of their mother
tongue.
�pEV. W. A. Mansur's present
contribution is on the commission of the Syrian pioneers
in America to their posterity.
The fine qualities of the Syrian
race which the writer points out
should command especial consideration. It is evident that the
learned and patriotic divine
wishes to address himself to our
young generation in a spirit of
exhortation to emulate their ancestors and strive to perpetuate
their finer racial attributes and
characteristics. Rev. Mansur's
articles are always inspirational,
and should recommend themselves not only for their educational value but for their
deep sincerity as well.
*THE editor's travel article in
this issue deals with his observations and experiences in
Sueida, capital ,of Jebel Druze.
He faithfully describes the
town from all angles, and tells
of an interesting visit to the
State Orphanage for Druze
children. His estimate of the
French officials should be
especially interesting, inasmuch
as they now seem to be respected and even loved by the very
people who a few years since
rose in rebellion against them.
The coming article will describe the editor's visit to Qanawat and Shahba, two of the
most interesting historical places
in the Druze Mountain.
"THE tasks of our hero Ali
Zaibaq are becoming increasingly difficult. Has he succeeded in effecting his escape
from the Enchanted Fortress?
And if so, what was his fate?
Let the famous Arab tale-tellers of old give you an account
of Quicksilver's exploits in their
own inimitable way.
T*HIS issue is especially rich
in contributions of poetry.
Gibran's prose poems always
contain a high spiritual message.
Dr. N. A. Katibah, whose attention had been monopolized
lately by an important new
work, still finds time to make
an
occasional
contribution.
Thomas Asa is as staunch and
constant a friend as he is an able
writer. Miss Labeebee A. J.
Hanna returns to delight her
many admirers.
IT took an American student of
Princeton to follow a word
almost through a dozen languages and in as many countries
and finally trace it back to its
Arabic origin. Joseph Raymond's scholarly efforts in identifying the Arabic word AlJubbah in many languages are
certain to meet with the high
appreciation and commendation
of our readers.
, c-
�THE
SYRIAN WORLD
VOL. V.
FEBRUARY, 1931.
No. 6.
Are the Lebanese Arabs?
By
PHILIP
K.
HITTI, PH.
D.
of Princeton University
Editor's Note:—The conflicting claims respecting the ancestry of the
modern Lebanese caused the editor of Al-Hoda to call on Dr. Hitti for an
authoritative opinion on the subject. Hence the following article which first
appeared in Al-Hoda in the Arabic original on January 3. The English
translation, although undertaken by the Syrian World staff, was submitted
to the author for revision and approval before publication.
. i •
A RE the Lebanese Arabs?
This question, put to me by Mr. N. A. Mokarzel, editor of
Al-Hoda, touches an important historical subject. In answering
it I shall confine myself to the purely scholarly aspect, despite
the complicated political questions that beset the theme. In a
study of such character we must be guided only by the desire to
ascertain facts, holding ourselves aloof from partisan considerations.
Let us begin by defining our terms.
Who are the "Lebanese" intended by the question?
The term Lebanese here applies to the inhabitants of the Lebanon Mountain considered in its geographical delimitation and
not in its administrative form. Especially dqes the term here apply to the Western Lebanon range extending from the Nahr ElKabir (the Eleutheros of the ancients) in the north to the bend
of the Litani River, known in modern usage as Nahr El-Qasimiyeh, in the south. The inhabitants of both coastal and interior
cities now annexed to Lebanon, such as Beirut and Baalbek, are
excluded from the general term. Emphasis cannot be too strongly
laid on the additional fact that by the term Lebanese is here
meant the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of Lebanon,
not each and every individual without exception.
�r
6
THE SYRIAN WORLD
And whom do we mean by the term "Arabs"?
If by Arabs we understand those who have adopted the
Arabic language and culture, then the question becomes superfluous j because in that case the answer is obvious. The Lebanese,
from this point of view, are "Arabs" or Arabicized, from the
standpoint of language, culture and general psychology. Some of
them are even so from the standpoint of religion. But if we
mean by the term "Arab" the ethnological lineage, blood relationship and racial descent, then the question is open to discussion.
>;
It is plain that the Arabs meant in the question are those natives of the Arabian peninsula who entered Syria at the time of
the Islamic invasion about the middle of the seventh century A.
D. or those who came into the country as a result of that invasion, or, in a more general sense, those of the peninsular Arabians
who migrated during historic periods and settled in Lebanon.
This constitutes an important point which it is quite important
for us to determine, owing to the fact that certain scholars are
of the opinion that what we call today the Arabian peninsula was
in all probability in pre-historic days the cradle of the whole
Semitic race comprising those later termed Babylonians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Phoenicians, Arameans and Hebrews. In fact
this broad claim would take in all peoples speaking a Semitic
tongue. Those who have read my two little Arabic books entitled
Suriyat w-al-Suriyun min Nafidhat al-Tarikh and Al-Lughat alSatmyah al-Mahkiyah ft Suriyah wa-Lubnan will recall that I
share the afore-mentioned historical theory. But granting that
all this is true it does not form a part of our present discussion;
because, firstly, it is only a theory and whatever connection it has
with the subject is pre-historic. Secondly, because the Semitic
peoples who migrated from the peninsula, granting that the
theory is tenable, were not, strictly speaking, Arabians. A similar case may be found in the ethnology of the French and English
peoples whose ancestry may be traced back to barbarian tribes who
once inhabited Germany 3 yet the French and English cannot be
properly called German. All European peoples, besides, are supposed to have come from Asia; but it does not follow that they,
for that reason, should be styled Asiatics. Thirdly, because the
same theory is based on the assumption that these Semitic peoples, before they settled in the Arabian peninsula, were one and
the same race with the Hamites inhabiting Northern Africa.
Reduced to its fundamentals our question then becomes: Are
HHHnHnHHHHHHBHHHHHM
*
i
i
�FEBRUARY, 1931
most of the inhabitants of Lebanon today descendants of those
Arabians who migrated to Syria as a result of the Islamic invasion or who filtered in before the invasion during historical periods?
If it should be necessary to give an unequivocal answer in a
single word, that word would be "no."
A short introduction and a detailed explanation follow.
WHO WERE THE FIRST LEBANESE?
The late Alfred Day, professor of zoology and geology at
the American University of Beirut, discovered in the cave of
Antilyas a few years ago ancient human remains together with
those of deer, gazelles, and wild ass and other species of wild
animals now extinct. This proves that pre-historic man lived in
those sections and dwelt in caves, subsisting on the meat of wild
animals which 4ie slew with stones, using the skins for clothing.
The discoveries of Pere Zemmoven, S. J., along the coast of Kisrawan corroborate the same theory. In all, archaeologists have
found no less than a dozen depots in Lebanon for the manufacture of stone implements before man came to the discovery of
metals and learned their use. The southernmost of these depots
is at 'Adlun, situated between Tyre and Sidon, and the northernmost is one for the manufacture of flint on the banks of the River
Abu 'Ali (Qadisha) above Tripoli. But the principal ones are
those of the Nahr El-Kalb (Lycos River), Nahr Ibrahim (Adonis) and the Antilyas River. Whoever visited the museum of
the American University of Beirut must remember the large
showcases filled with the flint implements which the first Lebanese used in the stone age as knives and weapons.
The prevailing opinion among contemporary scholars is that
Egypt and Babylon were the first historic seats of civilization,
but the man of that period living on the banks of the Nile or on
the banks of the Euphrates represented a high type of civilization because he had already attained an agricultural stage of development. It should be taken for granted that thousands of
years must have elapsed before he learned how to cultivate the
soil and domesticate animals. Previous to that stage, however,
man was a hunter subsisting on the flesh of wild animals and wild
vegetation. From that state he emerged into a pastoral one and
began to subsist on the produce of animals which he had learned
— —
MBBOTBHW1^^"
�8
THE SYRIAN WORLD
to domesticate. In our present day the nomad bedouins represent that stage. It was only after the elapse of centuries that man
entered into the agricultural stage symbolized by the Babylonian
and Egyptian civilizations.
The natural deduction is that Lebanon was partly, not totally,
inhabited thousands of years before the historic era or the advent
of the Babylonian and Egyptian civilizations. This represents
the first point in our thesis which we wish to establish.
Let us now pass on to the subsequent and better known historic ages.
The first historical reference to Lebanon occurs about 2800
B. C. when Sargon, the Babylonian, invaded it. Others from
among the Sumerian and Babylonian kings visited it either for
the hunt for procuring its timber for building their temples and
palaces in a country singularly lacking in forests and building
stone. The reader may be surprised to learn that Tiglatt-Pileser,
the Assyrian, as early as 1100 B. C. mentions in one of his records that he had hunted the elephant in Lebanon. Even to our
present day the cuneiform inscriptions of the Babylonians and
Assyrians appear on the living rock at the mouth of Nahr ElKalb (Dog River), the most important of which being that of
the Chaldean conqueror, Nebuchadnezzar.
The first reference made in the hieroglyphic Egyptian characters to Lebanon and to the Alaouite district, which is geologically complementary to the Lebanon range, occurs in a letter
of Thutmose who overcame the kingdom of Arwad about the
year 1500 B. C. and waxed eloquent in the description of the
fertility of the country. He referred to the bounty of the land,
the beauty of the orchards and the abundance of the wines. (They
had no prohibition in those days!). To quote literally some of
his remarks: "Their gardens were filled with their fruit, their
wines were found remaining in their presses as water flows, their
grain on the terraces upon [the mountain side]." Here is the
first reference in history to the characteristic mountain terraces
(jail,) indicating that the Lebanese mountaineers even in the
middle of the second millenium before Christ, terraced their
land in the manner still obtaining to this day. Ramses came in
the wake of Thutmose and perpetuated the record of his invasion of Lebanon by the imperishable inscription he had carved
on the rock at the mouth of the Dog River where the Lebanese
took their strategic stand in defense of their country.
r
�FEBRUARY, 1931
WHO WERE THE PHOENICIANS?
Now to what race belonged these first Lebanese at the dawn
of recorded history?
Undoubtedly they belonged to the Semitic race. Some, unquestionably, were Canaanites who were akin to the Arameans,—
both being of the same Semitic stock. As regards the Phoenicians, they are none other than the Canaanites who lived on the
sea coast and who were called Phoenician (blood red) by the
Greeks who knew the Phoenicians as traders in purple. The history of the Phoenicians began in Lebanon about 2000 B. C. Traces
of Phoenician temples, tombs and forts are still in evidence not
only in Tyre, Sidon, Byblos, 'Amrit and the rest of the coast
cities, but also in Afqa, Samar Jubail, Bait Miri, Hermon and
other localities situated far in the interior of the country. The
recently established Lebanese National Museum in Beirut contains the finest collection of Phoenician antiquities in the world,
comprising sarcophagi, inscriptions and relics the like of which
are not to be found even in the Louvre or the British Museum.
While the foothills of Lebanon flourished with the Phoenicians about the middle of the second millenium B. C, the country
was invaded by the Hittites who were of northern and therefore
non-Semitic origin. The Hittites hailed from Anatolia and first
settled on the banks of the Euphrates where they established
their capital Carchemish (modern Jarablus). They later invaded
the valley of the Orontes and set up their southern capital at
Qadish, in the neighborhood of Hims (Emesa). Sweeping later
from the Biqa' plain they took possession of the higher reaches
of Northern Lebanon and contended with Thutmose, Ramses
and other Egyptian Pharaohs for the possession of Lebanon and
Syria. Incontestable proof of the Hittites' hold on Lebanon may
be found in the celebrated Tell el-Amarna records. There is at
least one biblical reference (Judges 3:3) to the Hittites and other
nations "that dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon unto the entrance of Hamath." The modern Arabic vernacular of Lebanon bears traces of the early Hittite occupation
of the land in certain common words of Hittite origin, such as
shaghur for waterfalls.
Lebanon was mentioned not less than sixty times in the Old
Testament, the references occurring principally in description of
its majesty, its beauty and its waters and cedars. But in Ps. 72:16
�r
10
THE SYRIAN WORLD
there is a reference to its fruit, and in Hos. 14:7 occurs a mention of its wine, indicating that the Hebrews knew Lebanon, at
least in certain of its sections, populated.
It should not be understood that we mean that Lebanon at
that early stage of history was densely populated. Such could
hardly be expected of an inaccessible, cold mountain abounding
in forests and ferocious beasts. What we mean to convey is that
some sections of the mountain, especially the northern portion,
were a habitat of man from the earliest known history, just as
other portions were inhabited even in pre-historic periods. This
forms the second point which we wish to establish.
In the years 64 B. C. Pompey, the Roman general, came to
Lebanon as an invader. Geographers of that period mention in
this connection three Lebanese fortified strongholds. With the
Roman occupation the Lebanese entered upon a golden era of
prosperity and progress because of the well-known Roman policy
of colonization involving the opening of highways, building of
bridges, erecting of aqueducts and crowning many hills with magnificent temples, besides establishing summer resorts which afforded the colonists relief from the heat of the seacoast. Even
to this day we find clear traces of these public improvements initiated by the Romans, such as the aqueduct (qanatir) of Sitt Zubaida in the outskirts of Beirut, the water canal of the cAr'ar
spring, the temple of Dair El-Qal'a, and the temple of Faqra
above Mazra'at Kfardibyan at the foot of Mt. Sannin—not to
mention innumerable Roman inscriptions and sarcophagi to be
found all over the mountain. It is indeed surprising that traces
of a Roman road formerly connecting Byblos and Baalbek and
passing over the higher reaches of Lebanon in the direction of
'Aqura are discernible to this very day.
In the Byzantine period, which followed as a complement to
the Roman period, the Lebanese gradually embraced the then
new Christian religion. Lebanon attracted particularly the hermits and ascetics inclined to a life of monastic seclusion, and became a haven for the persecuted among the inhabitants of the
coastal and interior plains. This gave impetus to the rise in its
population. Ernest Renan in his Mission de Phenicie, describes
several Lebanese Christian churches which date back to the Byzantine period, principally the churches of Mashnaqa and Hadthun and the temple of Kfar Shlaiman.
The net findings are that during the Roman and Byzantine
»
I
�;**
r
FEBRUARY, 1931
11
periods Lebanon enjoyed an era of great prosperity and progress
and experienced a large increase in its population. This constitutes the third important point in our theme.
And now we face the crucial problem in the whole discussion.
RELATION OF LEBANESE TO ARABS
Between the years 633 and 640 A. D. the Moslem Arabs invaded Syria and settled in the country. Their Umayyad caliphs
even made Damascus their capital, and so it remained until the
fall of the Umayyad dynasty about the middle of the eighth
century and the consequent rise of the 'Abbasid dynasty in Baghdad. What then became of the original inhabitants of the country?
Before the Arab conquest they numbered about five million
souls, according to the lowest estimates.
They were Christians speaking the Syrian Aramaic.
They enjoyed a flourishing civilization.
They had magnificent cathedrals such as the basilica of St.
John in Damascus which later became the famous Umayyad
mosque.
What became of all these people? Did they evaporate and
simply vanish?
But our discussion is now confined to Lebanon, and we would
ask: What became of its population after the Arab occupation?
It is incontestable that the mountain, especially in its populous
northern section, maintained even after the Arab invasion much
of its autonomy and even succeeded for many centuries thereafter
in retaining its native Syriac language. Its Christian religion was
never forsaken and has been preserved to this day. The invading
Arabs were unable to gain a foothold in it because of its inaccessibility, the severity of its climate and the preoccupation of the
first caliphs in waging war against the Byzantines on the one
hand, and on the other in suppressing the Shiites and other insurgents within their own boundaries.
Such being the Arabs' predicament, the Byzantine emperors
took advantage of it to reinforce the mountaineers and increase
their power of resistance. To that end they dispatched to Lebanon certain contingents whom al-Baladhuri calls Jarajimah, and
who, in the opinion of Pere Lammens, are none other than the
Maradah. This new warlike people not only settled in the moun-
�12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
tain but began to make incursions against coastal and interior
cities and proved themselves a thorn in the sides of the Arab
caliphs of Damascus to the extent that the caliph 'Abd-al-Malik
ibn-Marwan concluded a truce with the Byzantine monarch and
agreed to pay him an annual tribute for the sole purpose of
putting an end to the harassing attacks of the Maradah. In this,
according to al-Baladhuri, 'Abd-al-Malik was only continuing the
policy of his great predecessor Mu'awiyah, the founder of the
Umayyad dynasty. And let it also be remembered that the reign
of the Umayyads was at its zenith under 'Abd-al-Malik and his
son al-Walid. In later periods, however, some of these Maradah tribes returned to their homeland in Cilcia, while the remainder settled permanently in Lebanon and were amalgamated
with the original inhabitants, thereby forming what became
known as the Maronite nation which in the last analysis springs
from an Aramean origin.
Al-Baladhuri and al-Ya'qubi are authority for the statement
that when the caliph Mu'awiyah decided on repopulating the localities which the Romans had evacuated in the districts of Beirut, Jubail, Tripoli, 'Arqa and Baalbek, he imported contingents
from Persia for the purpose. It naturally follows that the Persians formed a component part of the modern Lebanese nation,
but not of the Christian element in it. Other elements may be
noted in passing: The Janbalat and Tmad clans are of Kurdish
stock, while the Talhuqs and 'Abdal Samads are Maghribis.
In this connection it becomes necessary to call attention to
some pertinent considerations respecting the Arabs who came to
Syria as a result of the conquest. The point becomes more important in view of the uncertainty and ambiguity surrounding it
in the popular mind.
First:—Historians of the period of invasion place the number of the Arab army at twenty-eight thousand. Let us increase
the estimate by another twenty-two thousands, who followed subsequent to the conquest, and we will have a round total of fifty
thousands representing the purely Arab element among the then
existing Syrian and Lebanese population of between five and six
millions.
Second:—As is natural, most of the newcomers were men
representing the fighting units of the army. The women among
them were few. Once settled, they intermarried with native women, and as a result, the second generation was only half Ara-
-
�i
t
FEBRUARY, 1931
nil
13
bian. The third and fourth generations became less Arabian, and
so the fifth. The same process of reasoning applies as well to
the Arabs of Spain. Arab blood in the veins of 'Abd-al-Rahman
III, the founder of the Spanish caliphate, was infinitesimal, according to scientific computation. Another case in point is that
of the Ottoman Turks who gradually lost all traces of their racial
identity, so that, computing the amount of Mongolian blood in
the veins of Sultan <Abd-al-Hamid, a certain scholar found it not
to exceed one per cent.
Third:—The Arab occupation of the country was in the nature of the case restricted to the cities and coasts: Damascus, Hims,
Hama, Beirut. The invaders had no interest in the mountainous
section which offered no inducement to them considering its cold
climate, meagerness of natural resources, lack of communication
and its total dependence on agricultural products.
Let us, besides, not overlook the important fact that the
policy of Umar ibn-al-Khattab was to prevent free intercourse
between the Arab army and the natives causing his men to be
secluded in restricted camps such as al-Jabiya and 'Amwas.
Who of us can imagine a bedouin family migrating and taking up its abode in Lebanon?
Has any one heard that within the last five hundred years
any Arab tribe settled in Lebanon for permanent occupancy?
The Turks occupied the country four whole centuries, but
how many Turkish families became domiciled in Lebanon?
In every land in the world it is the population of the country
places, the mountains and the hinterland, that represent the original native stock, the urban population being in every case a mixture with a large proportion of late comers and foreigners. A
study of the statistics of the city of New York will reveal that
only one out of five of its inhabitants is a native city-born.
Fourth:—The cities are more open to the spread of epidemics and diseases, and city dwellers fall prey to a life of ease,
luxury and excesses which sap their vitality. Modern statistics
place the average life of the urban family at not more than three
generations, or ninety years. If this is the case in our modern
cities teeming with public health precautions and hygienic measures and scientific ways of living what could have been the case
in medieval times when ignorance was rampant, medical science
primeval and general means of prolonging life non-existant.
In those days cholera, plague, smallpox, diphtheria and var-
�-jmmm
14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ious forms of fevers and other epidemics swept the cities with
appalling results. Infantile mortality was undoubtedly at the rate
of 75% or more in those days and under those conditions. But
mountain inhabitants everywhere and at all times are comparatively immune against epidemics because of the blessings of fresh
air and sunshine, of a green vegetable diet, open-air life, field
work, early sleep and safety from contact with sources of disease
and pollution.
The general rule the world over is that cities rejuvenate
their depleted vitality by the absorption of pure and virile mountain blood, through the accretion of those mountaineer youth of
both sexes who are attracted by city life and join the caravan
which is headed for inevitable extinction.
Another important point, not in agreement with popular conception, must also be clarified: The Moslem Arabs, whether in
Syria or other conquered countries, were little concerned with
forcing the natives into changing their original religious beliefs.
This is due to the fact that profession of Islam constituted in
itself an automatic exemption from the payment of tribute. Economic considerations, therefore, prompted the Arabs to grant
conquered peoples freedom to practice their prevailing institutions, whether religious, civil or social.
From the foregoing it must be deduced that Syria in its entirety remained Syriac in its language, Christian in its religion
and Aramean in its traditions throughout the period of the orthodox caliphs and in that of the early Umayyads. Its Arabicization and Islamization were gradual and slow processes which began towards the end of the Umayyad period and assumed greater
proportions during the 'Abbasid rule. Let it be noted, however,
that the 'Abbasids, like their predecessors the Umayyads, took
little notice of the mountain and confined their interest only to
the occupation of its southern sections, apparently failing to properly recognize its strategic importance. It was not till the
advent of the Crusades that the mountain strongholds were rebuilt and fortified, principally Hims al-Akrad, Marqab and alShaqif.
Consequent upon the Arab invasion of the Syrian coast and
hinterland Arabic began to be spoken in various parts of the
country, including Lebanon. But men are ever inclined to change
their political allegiance more readily than their linguistic heritage, with the result that the native Syriac language held valiantly
�FEBRUARY, 1931
the^rabic11 f°r *
/5
Pr traCted time tefore ifc
gave
°
wa
X
in
favor of
The Arab historian Ibn-al-'Ibri (1226-86) informs us that
the Syriac language was still spoken in Lebanon in his times.
a
w^H
T/^SSem.anl) b his bi°graPhy of Nuh Bqifawi who
TJT XT I451 m Bqlfa' (betWeen Ehden and Bisharri) reports that Nuh composed poetry in Syriac
Bishop Jubra'il Lihfidi, better known as ibn-al-Qila'i, who
died in 1516, left us certain works in Arabic which bear unmistakable traces of Syriac linguistic influence.
In the year 1611 George Karmsaddini compiled a Syriac-Arabic dictionary, for which he collected material, according to his
own statement in the preface, from the inhabitants of the neighborhood, especially Hasrun.
In the year 1632 Chausteuil paid a visit to Lebanon and discovered that the inhabitants of Hasrun still spoke Syriac All
this goes to prove that the process of Arabicization was an extremely slow one, making it possible for some north Lebanon
towns to maintain their original Syriac language up to the middle
of the seventeenth century. It is a well-known fact that even to
this day there are three towns in Anti-Lebanon which have reJub'eadinnaC ^
a SP ken kngUage
°
>
namelv
' Ma'lula, Bakha and
Syriac has left noticeable traces in the Arabic colloquial of
Lebanon, affecting its grammar, syntax and accent. Towns and
localities bearing names of unmistakable Syriac origin and derivation outnumber by far those bearing purely Arabic names.
It should not be deduced from the foregoing that all the Lebanese are of Aramaic origin. Southern Lebanon, for instance,
was occupied by Arab tribes both following the Islamic invasion
and during the Crusades, their principal representatives being
Ma<n, Tanukh and Shihab. Undoubtedly, also, some of the
southern Christians are of Ghassanid Arab origin, although most
of the southern Christians filtered originally from the Maronites
of the north. Other Christians, as should be further noted, may
be traced back to crusaders' origin. We are of the opinion, on
the whole, that Greek and Roman blood is just as negligible
among the inhabitants of the mountain as Arab blood is, and for
substantially the same reasons. The Greeks and Romans, during
their periods of occupation, confined themselves to the cities and
coasts and found no potent attraction to draw them to the moun-
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
16
tain. But whatever the case may have been, the elapse of centuries has caused such a complete fusion of Ghassanid and Crusaders' blood with that of the natives that scarcely a trace of the
imported stock now remains.
Nor should one be led to infer from the above discussion
that the cultural and linguistic heritage of a people is negligible
in the face of their biological or ethnological relationship. Most
of the Lebanese are biologically, racially, of native Syrian stock,
but their Arabic language and culture are vital bonds that unite
them with the other nations of the Arabic-speaking world. The
significance and the importance of this linguistic and cultural
heritage of the Lebanese should never be underestimated.
Thy Secret Fll Cherish
(From the Syrian Folk Song Abu Zolof)
"By
DR.
N. A.
KATIBAH
At the shrine my heart's darling secret's intrusted;
To the hermit my love I confessed;
There, alone, for an hour, on my knees I rested,
To be shriven and pardoned and blessed.
And the call has no mouth of my love to tatter,
And the monk,—Oh, I know him so well!
He has ears, he has lips, but no matter—
Of my heart's darling fears will not tell.
But the thought for a moment will out like an arrow,
And the hold of my bosom defies;
Then, I write of my love on the wing of a sparrow,
As for ink—the red tears of my eyes.
But oh no—no, no, darling! Thy secret I'll cherish
In my heart though my tears be shed red;
Nor fear not that I speak, though I perish
And arise when the graves yield their dead.
MMn
'?
�?
FEBRUARY, 1931
17
A Journey Through Jebel Druze
By
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
II.
A DAY IN THE CAPITAL
^N almost infallible rule is that a country may be judged by
its capital. The very word implies a meaning of superiority
*nd general representation. It is the head, the seat of administrative power and the focal point of the dominating intellects in
the land. The best and strongest in a nation finally work their
way to a position of authority and naturally converge on the
capital. Being the head, the capital becomes the logical center of
both the intellectual faculties and the physical senses of the nation. It is as much the country's guiding mind as it is its watchful
eye and the center of the sense of touch that is ever feeling the
nation's pulse.
Nor is the capital less important in its representation of the
country from its physical aspect. The general view of the capital,
its dimensions, its activities, its public buildings and institutions,
its squares and thoroughfares, tell more eloquently than the
written word of the true condition of a nation, its power and progress and aesthetic qualities. Hence we consider Paris and London
and Rome and Washington the whole of the countries of which
they are the respective capitals in miniature. Constantinople was
a true symbol of old Turkey, but new Turkey expresses its spirit
of aggressive progress and tendency to self-assertion in Angora.
It broke away from old traditions and. set out to express its creed
of rejuvenation and independence in new surroundings and along
different, unconventional lines. Applying the simile nearer home,
we find Beirut, Damascus and Latakia engaged in ambitious projects of civic improvement. They are following the natural course
of making the capital expressive of the spirit of the nation. There
are in each ineffaceable traces of an old civilization and culture,
but a veneer of modernism is being added to give the faded past
a lustrous polish. And such is the tendency of the people. Hence
the anomaly of entering Damascus, for instance, along a broad
.;'"i;i§?E"
�18
THE SYRIAN WORLD
boulevard lined with electrically lighted cafes only to be led to
the time-honored covered bazaars characteristic of the old Eastern metropolis.
Sueida, capital of Jebel Druze, proved no exception to the
general rule governing capital cities.
From a distance the town presents the appearance of a shapeless pile of black stone of restricted dimensions. Drawing nearer
a few buildings of modern construction and pretentious size and
appearance begin to take shape, while higher up the mountain
Hank looms the grim square form of the citadel which dominates
the city. The fort lacks the imposing appearance of either old
castles or new fortifications, but the element of reckless bravery
which characterized both the attack and the defense in the Druze
revolt of 1925 marks the place as one of prime interest in Sueida.
Uuring those trying times the Druzes besieged the French garrison and hurled themselves desperately against the ramparts of
the tort m an attempt to capture it by sheer human force, inasmuch as they lacked either siege artillery or field guns. While
the besieged French held out through grim determination despite
hunger thirst, and lack of ammunition. For weeks the defenders
subsisted only on the meager supplies dropped occasionally by
airplanes in a desperate effort to revictual the depleted commissariat of the fort.
I
\
i
At the very entrance to the town one comes upon the civic
centre representing a small park around which are clustered the
administrative buildings. The sight of the trim structures and the
pleasing color of flowers and shrubs is most welcome after the
long travel m the dreary waste of the fields. But the pleasant
touch of vegetation seems to be confined to this one spot all else
reverting to the sombre appearance of black basalt stone. Nature
seems to have withheld from this country the softening influence
of green, and the character of the people seems to have grown
along the lines dictated by nature-grim, determined and fatalistically resigned in the struggle for existence. The lean, sinewy
hgures of the people proclaim the life of arduous toil to which
they are destined, while their serious countenances reflect the
mental attitude with which they view life. It requires little power
of analysis and deduction to arrive at the conclusion that these
hardy and resigned people have little time or means to indulge
in the finer amenities of life.
We disregarded the advice of the obliging French officer of
\
�?
FEBRUARY, 1931
The civic center of Sueida, capital of Jebel Druze, showing the
government bmldtngs grouped around the only public park.
W to seek the madhaf or guest house of Atrash Pasha alUrSe haS CVer beCn the aCCe ted traditi
flTnff
r^
V,°
P
in this
tar-ott land The custom springs from the fact that tourist travel, or travel of any kind, for that matter, was little known in
former times and the establishment of hosieries consequently
unnecessary. The people's hospitality, on the other hand' made
up for the seeming deficiency, and the homes of the richest and
mo distinguished citizens took on the semi-public character of
hostleries We were relieved of the necessity of taking advantage
of th1S traditional custom because of the existence of a commercial
note m Sueida established since the suppression of the Druze
revolt by an enterprising Lebanese. We were fortunate in finding two of the hotel's four rooms available, this being
the dull
6
season.
.15
\
The Royal Hotel is one of the few red-tiled roof buildings
of the capital and faces the public square. The street level is
devoted to stores, while the single upper story comprises the
hotel proper. It is reached by a stone staircase leading directly
from the street to an open-air veranda which serves as cafe The
interior is divided by an «L" shaped corridor, the lower arm of
which serves asdining room. The bedrooms, although few, are
spacious. All beds are covered with mosquito nettings, It it
would seem, as much for protection against the mosquitos'a
BBKBHag*8»5®*®^^^Sn*s^^^
_
�20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
against the swarms of flies that infest the place like a veritable
pest. Still that was the only hotel and one of the most up-to-date
judged by the standards of the country.
Although we had every reason to believe that the authorities
were forewarned of our visit we were singularly free from any
form of interference notwithstanding the fact that the country
was under direct military administration and that we had in our
company one of the principal Nationalist leaders instigating the
last revolution. But we could not translate our sense of liberty
into any form of profitable use because of the limited sphere of
activity in this strange capital. It was a town of only seven thousand population whose dwellings we could almost count from the
balcony of our hotel. Its principal business street extended less
than the distance of an ordinary city block and was devoted mainly
to grain and feed stores, and except for the little cafe attached to
the hotel there is in the town no place of amusement of any nature. We were advised that whenever motion pictures are shown
they would be specially imported for the entertainment of the
French officers and their families and the soldiers of the garrison.
Nevertheless Sueida is the capital of a full-fledged sovereign
independent State under the French mandate in Syria, having
a Representative Council (whose twenty-four members receive
each the munificent sum of $20.00 per month), a State militia
and all the other trappings that form the cherished prerogatives
of an independent government. The economic importance of the
country is in keeping with its area of less than 10,000 square miles
and its population of 50,000. Its export of wheat, representing
the surplus over the population's needs, is to the value of about
$125,000 while exports of wool and sheep butter represent an
additional sum of about $150,000. The government revenue
averages 300,000 Syrian pounds, the equivalent of $240,000 a
year.
The fortuitous meeting with an old friend from New York
in the person of Philip Catzeflis, for several years secretary to
the Governor General of Jebel Druze, saved the day for us. He
not only brought us a touch of "home," but supplied us with
much valuable information and proved helpful in many other
ways. On his advice we devoted the greater part of the afternoon
to a visit to Qanawat, an important historical town at a distance
of less than five miles from Sueida, a description of whose ruins
I
�•m
*
Many buildings laid to ruin during the revolution have not yet
undergone repairs. A view of Sueida from the only hotel.
I*
The abundance of black basalt stone in Jebel Druze may be imagined by the great piles which seem to rise everywhere in Sueida.
»! ! I.IM!"—"
" -
' -*1
�22
"THE SYRIAN WORLD
will be given later. Another but equally interesting visit was the
one made to the State orphanage established by the French for
the care of war orphans. Although this visit was in the nature of
a surprise to the two nurses in charge nothing was discovered that
would occasion criticism. The dormitories, the halls, the kitchen
and the dining room were most orderly and clean. So were the
boys in their quaint native uniforms. They were made to give us
an exhibition of the dabke dance, and to one who had seen the
dance performed by practiced adults it was surprising to see how
well the youngsters succeeded. They moved in unison with uncanny precision and seemed all to be born with a response to the
rhythm The leader, a boy of hardly over eight years, was even
masterful He not only displayed surprising physical agility
but showed such emotional reaction on his serious face as to make
his feelings contagious. The orphanage, by its modern, sanitary
building, and ,ts well-kept flower beds and cheerful surroundings, is one of the few places that leave a pleasant impression of
a visit to Sueida.
*
Returning to our hotel we met another individual who reminded us of America, this time in the person of the landlord who
seemed to have come on a visit of inspection. He had made a
comfortable fortune abroad and returned to invest it home and
spend the remainder of his days in peace and contentment. We
could have never guessed his identity or the circumstances of his
hit but for the anxious manner he evinced in questioning the
Lebanese lessee of the hotel, which prompted us in turn to make
inquiries about him. To meet him in the street one would take
him for an ordinary native who had never crossed the limits of
his town because of his having reverted to complete native garb
Irom kuffia and ighal to slippers and even to the habit of partly
covering the face. He represented the old line natives who could
never be content with any form of innovation.
But almost at the same time we were introduced to a dapper
young man in his early twenties faultlessly attired in European
dress with the exception of the native tarboush. We were not
a little surprised to learn that he was Emir Hassan El-Atrash the
ranking prince and titular leader of the whole country, which'still
adheres to hereditary leadership. He is setting the pace in modernism for the younger Druze generation. Emir Hassan is now
reconciled to French occupation and even lends it his fullest cooperation. He has forsaken the career of general for that of a
�FEBRUARY, 1931
> • I
lit
1
23
gentleman farmer, his
foremost interest being
that of improving agricultural methods on his
vast estates where he is
conducting extensive experiments with modern
farm machinery.
The Emir was insistent
in his invitation to us to
be his guests for the night
at his palace at Qaria, a
few miles from Sueida,
but we had, already planned to leave next morning, and to once accept a
Druze ^prince's hospitality and refuse to stay
long enough for him to
display his generosity
would be, to say the least,
uncourteous. Besides,
there was not the prospect
of riding in a cavalcade
Col. Clement Grandcoun
in the company of a feuFrench
Military Governor of
dal prince. He offered
Jebel Druze.
to take us in his car
which he himself drives accompanied but by a single attendant.
The following morning was devoted to official calls. Mr.
Catzeflis presented us to Col. Clement Grandcourt at the official
residence and we were again assured the freedom to travel
through the country. Meeting this upright French soldier of unassuming manner and evident sincerity and kindness of character,
one is not surprised at hearing that when he offered to resign the
Druzes themselves petitioned to have him remain. Almost all
other French officials we met in Jebel Druze seemed to be ingratiating themselves with the people and winning their affection
by their tact, kindliness and devotion. This is all the more surprising since the revolt of the Druzes was ascribed to the arrogant and intolerant overbearance of their first governor, Capt.
Carbillet.
-'-;—. ;
-.-
.---
�24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
I
'A
\
Inmates of the State Orphanage for Druze children in Sueida.
Note the trim native uniform.
In telling Col. Grandcourt of the purpose of our visit we did
not fail to mention that our companion, Fakhry Bey Baroody,
refrained from joining us on this personal visit to him because of
his political affiliations. At which the governor seemed surprised
and replied: "He would have been equally welcome. Neither
he nor any other has anything to fear from us."
This attitude of friendliness seemed to be the general policy
on the part of French officials in Jebel Druze. It was further
demonstrated a few minutes later when we visited the Intelligence Bureau, this time Fakhry Bey Baroody joining willingly.
Rather, he was the principal in this visit and we the guests, because he and the head of the department were on the friendliest
terms. And the reason for the friendship is most significant. It
would seem to be the key to the solution of all France's difficulties in Syria. Fakhry Bey Baroody, staunch Nationalist as he is,
frankly admitted that if all the French were of the character
of his friend there would remain no cause for misunderstanding.
And the character of his friend was that of simple human honesty and uprightness. It was put to a test when, during the revolution, Fakhry Bey was being tried for his life on a charge of
complicity in plotting the death of a French officer, but this other
French officer, the one in whose office we now were, testified to
)
�•:.
FEBRUARY, 1931
«
w
French-commanded Druze, volunteers who now maintain order
in the formerly turbulent Jebel Druze.
I
1
the innocence of the accused and brought about his acquittal
"2 ou have saved my life," frankly admitted the Syrian leader addressing the French officer in our presence.
"You are not in the least under obligation to me," replied the
other. "I was only interested in upholding the cause of justice."
Going through the Saraya, or government building, visiting
the various administrative bureaus, one is impressed with the efficiency of the officials, whether native or French, and the evident
alacrity with which they go about their tasks. In the courtyard
we encountered a group of natives on various missions, and all
were being treated with manifest courtesy. Such a scene could
not have been staged as it was evident that it formed a part of
the regular routine. In the face of such evidence one cannot escape
the conclusion that wherever the quality of French officials in
Syria is of the proper character satisfaction of the natives inevitably follows.
My friend Catzeflis escorted us to the outskirts of Sueida.
Y es, he was contented, which I interpreted to mean that he was
resigned. But, oh! how he wished he were with me on the way
back to America!
�mum
26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
I
The Blind Astronomer
INVOCA TION
W
Inscribed to Galileo
'By
THOMAS ASA
The starry train wend on, their sight unseen
By mortal eyes once nightly turned to them—
Oh days of utter darkness without hope! —
Not of the blackness of the shadowed skies,—
Not of the cavern depths of underworlds,
Not fathomless deeps of somber waters,—
But this: the darkness of these stricken eyes
That rove in futile, maddening despair,
By ruthless veils of mortal finitude
Shut off from the visible world of Men!
O Pow'r Divine, just is Thy Sacrament!
Nature outraged has sealed for evermore
The sacred Light of Heaven from these eyes,
That nightly upraised in mute communion
With Thy great works,—Thy glory infinite!
f
O Moon! thou full-orbed splendor of the sky!
Where art thou in thy pristine loveliness?
Hesperus, thou steadfast, shining lamp of night!
Whose beauty has enthralled earth, sky, and sea.
The fair Pleiades, the joyous Seven;—
Venus, Neptune, and God-like Jupiter!
And all the mighty kindred of the spheres!
These have I left behind, in blindness sealed.
Their ceaseless Light, on earth forever loved,
Shall mark my way to God's Eternity!
&«J
'
�FEBRUARY, 1931
27
Our Commission to Posterity
t\
<
»
By
REV.
W. A.
MANSUR
\£/E: pioneers of the Syrian race in America forevision the rise
of our race to greatness,'prosperity, and powerj we foretell
the awakening of our race to leadership, commerce, and empire:
and we foreshadow the progress of our race in civilization superiority, and happiness.
We Syrian-American pioneers have found the way to the rising sun, we have caught the vision for our race survival, and we
have heard the call of our destiny that will make us, our posterity, and our achievements great, glorious, and honored among
the races in America.
In the pioneer period of the Syrian race in America we laid
the foundation for the future survival, progress, and glory of
our posterity. In a progressive spirit, in law-abiding families, in
industrious living we built for the future prosperity of our descendants. In our self-awakening to our racial heritage, in our
aspirations for our progress, and in the defense of our race we
thought ot the future of our Syrian posterity.
It is because we pioneers of the Syrian race in America believe in the renaissance of our race to a preeminent place in the
world; accept the challenge of destiny to civilization, progress
and achievement} and respond to the urge of race survival?ra2
enlightenment, and race happiness that we hereby bequeath our
commission to our posterity. The writer is hereby giving expression to the prevailing sentiments of our times, setting forth the
hopes of our enlightened leadership, and stating the racial aspirations of our race in this sevenfold commission to our Syrian
posterity in America.
/. Preserve Our Syrian Race Identity in America.
I
Our paramount commission to our Syrian posterity in Amerm
ica is to preserve our Syrian race identity among the races in
America. We of the pioneer period realized the fact of the superior numbers of other races in America. We sensed the danger
to our Syrian race by its being absorbed by other races. We felt
the necessity for race defense against race prejudice, discrimina-
�28
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
don, and defamation. We awoke to the splendor of our Syrian
race history, talent, and achievement. Thus arose the paramount
preservation of our
Amerk
ce as a Syrian race identity in
We urge race organization for the preservation of our Syrian
race in America. Bishop J. H. Oldham quotes Arthur Keith's
Nationality and Race in his Christianity and the Race Problem
Kace instinct comes into play only when men, women, and children or the same stock are organized into communities. Until
such a community is organized, race instinct conquers or restrains
hybridization » Bishop Oldham says, "The repugnance to intermarriage is thus rather a social bar promoted by a desire to maintain the purity and integrity of the community than a natural
repulsion on the part of individuals."
\
For the preservation of Syrian race identity cultivate the Syrian religious philosophy of life. Organize Syrian societies for culture, fellowship, and inspiration. Foster Syrian churches with
trained leadership and adequate endowments. Educate the rising generation in the history, talent, and achievement of our race
While other races seek fame, place and power through military
conquest, material exploitation, and race aggression, let our Syrian posterity seek racial splendor, glorious power, and undying
fame through the preservation of our race identity, race progress!
and race contribution to human welfare.
//. Uphold True Loyalty to Our American Homeland.
We challenge our Syrian race in America to uphold true loyalty to our American homeland. We have enjoyed the benefits of
America s citizenship, institutions and prosperity. We pledeed
our allegiance to the Constitution of the United States, obedience
to the nation's laws, and readiness for the nation's defense It is
imperative that we and our posterity ever maintain true fidelity
to our American homeland. We give it you strict in charge that
you always stand for America first and nothing else
S. A Mokarzel leader of the Syrian Awakening, said in a
radio address on The Syrians in America, "During all the time
fcey have been in America, the Syrians have proven themselves
most law-abiding and loyal to the institutions of the country It
is the opinion not alone of casual observers, but of official authorities that the Syrians in America are one of the most constructive
and industrious elements among the heterogenous stocks of the
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American nation." (Syrian World, May, 1930.)
It is our desire that our descendants shall ever uphold the
Syrian-American tradition of true loyalty to America as laid down
by the Syrian pioneer fathers and mothers in America. It is our
wish that our posterity be known as standing always for America
first and nothing else. It is our commission that our future generations shall exemplify law-abiding, liberty-loving, industriousliving, and single-allegiance citizenship. Let Syrian-Americans
resist the nullifier of the Constitution of the United States, frown
upon the law-breaker, and fight for the nation's defense against
all enemies.
Therefore, let the Syrian name in America be synonymous
with pure Americanism, fidelity to the nation's Constitution, laws,
and institutions j and a readiness for the nation's defense.
III. Perpetuate the Glorious Heritage of Our Syrian Race.
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It is our commission that our Syrian posterity will forever
perpetuate the glorious heritage of our race. Let Syrian-Americans enlighten themselves regarding their race history, race talent, and race contributions to mankind. Let them understand the
nature of Syrian home life, the virtues of their race character,
the loyalties of their Syrian-American patriotism. Let them realize the meaning of their race emigration to America, the Syrian
race awakening, and the Syrian race aspiration to achievement
power, and glory.
L. Darwin says in Eugenic Reform, "Mechanical contrivances
have also greatly facilitated the transfer of knowledge or the
flow of tradition from age to age; 'tradition' here being held to
include all that mental stimulus and all the information which
human beings receive from their predecessors by word of mouth,
by books, or through the changes previously made in their surroundings, changes which often in effect embody thought."
Let Syrian youth be ennobled by the illustrious traditions of
our race heritage. Let Syrian leadership be inspired by the great
achievements our race has made for the progress of mankind. Let
Syrian worthies be aroused by the splendor of our Syrian name
Let Syrian hearts respond to the divine calling of our race to
the urge of the talents of our kind, and to the preservation of
our glorious legacies throughout future generations of SyrianAmericans.
Let the self-appreciation of their race by Syrian-Americans
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
increase their race awakening, race pride, race solidarity, and race
progress. W e, therefore, implore our posterity to ever defend our
race against those who would slander and libel our Syrian race.
Lhe pen is mightier than the sword," is an axiom of truth and
power. Let us and our posterity storm, smite, and smash the
slanderers and libellers of the Syrian race with truth, argument,
and achievement. In intelligent union there is superior strength,
therefore, organize for the creation of superior race power Let
us and our descendants educate, propagate, and federate for the
perpetuation of our splendid heritage, for the defense of our
honorable name, and for the steady progress of our race.
We Syrian-American pioneers are dreaming of the glory that
shall be realized by our posterity. Therefore, Syrian youth, intelligently understand the meaning of the glorious heritage of
our Syrian race; hold fast to the honorable name of the fathersand move forward to achieve the high calling to which thou art
destined.
\
IV. Honor the Memory of the Syrian Pioneer Fathers and
Mothers.
By the tears of our loved ones in our motherland, by the
breasts of the mothers who gave you birth in our adopted country, and by the heart throbs of the fathers in our American
homeland we commission our posterity to honor in loving memory
the Syrian pioneer fathers and mothers in America
"Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be
long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee," says
the commandment of Holy Writ. This commission inspired the
rising generations to perpetuate the high traditions of the Hebrew race awakened in youth the noble aspiration to emulate
their forefathers, and created race solidarity for race defense,
race enlightenment, and race progress. Hebrew youth honorably
remembered their fathers and mothers by extolling their noble
characters, by recalling their heroic deeds, and by reverencing
6
their lofty aspirations.
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The ancient Romans placed statues and busts of their distinguished ancestors in the vestibules of their houses that they and
their children might be reminded of and led to imitate their
noble deeds.
.
It is the purpose of the pioneers of the Syrian race in America to lay a foundation of race vitality, vision, and achievement
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FEBRUARY, 1931
that will promote the future greatness of their posterity In the
pioneer period Syrian-Americans have striven by awakening as
piratoon, education, and achievement to make way for the rise of
their Syrian posterity to name and fame, to place and power
Amer and the world
ie
p
3
n
rbu
M
r
^
z
eveVfml e , n
^ -° * ^ "^ ^
Heaven
f
the God of
ever smile upon our Syrian race in a worthy posterity
mothers, to extoll the name of the great and worthy in all aees
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shioTfT 51St0^Aand.t0 P-- the noble and heroic lead! -
ship of the Synan-Amencan race will perpetuate from eeneS
turn to generation the glorious history, L'nobleSTS
splendid progress the superior talents,'and the beneWentlga
cies of a foremost race among the races in America.
V. Train the Syrian Child for the Constant Progress of Our Race.
Teachef'" ^/^vf^ '° T* U"t0 me>" Said the D
f r f SUch is the kJ
d
heaven
He£ is 1
^to"?
° °progress, here is'^
of
heaven. " Here
the key
human
the° seed
for human happiness, here is the door to human betterment Let
our Syrian posterity remember the divine calling to educate
train and bequeath to the rising generation the best phys S'
mental, soaal and spiritual inheritance for the progress o'f the
n
srK
ssz
Sf ^it^^r&it
the
m
ttsr^ — - -^s:
Let it be remembered that the child is the seed that makes
he race of tomorrows that the youth perpetuates the heritage of
the race, and that the man reaps the glory of the harvest. Therefore plant m the body, mind, and soul of the Syrian child of
today what you desire in the man and woman of tomorrow
1 write deliberately: fundamental to the preservation progress happiness and glory of the Syrian race in America is the
heritage of worthy children. Without trustworthy childre our
Syrian race w,l fall into decay. Without trained childre ou
Synan hopes will fade into nothingness. Without virtuous ch3dren our Syrian heritage will shrivel in dishonor. It is through
ter pTom^' T^' "* ^^ children that We g-e character, promote achievement, perpetuate legacies, and harvest glory
�32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
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throughout future Syrian generations in America.
The sum of the whole matter is this: that our history, our
heritage, our achievement, and our hopes must have worthy children to carry on the preservation, progress, and hopes of the
Syrian race. Therefore, let Syrian mothers magnify the splendor
of the Syrian soul into the hearing of her child, let Syrian fathers praise the ability of the Syrian people, and let Syrian leadership inspire the rising generation by arousing ambition, vision,
and achievement for the constant progress of the race.
VI. Maintain the Integrity of the Syrian Home in America.
We commission our posterity to maintain the integrity of the
Syrian home in America for the preservation of our race identity,
the progress of our descendants, and the happiness of future generations of our race. The welfare of the home means the welfare of our race. The high character of the home means the
high character of civilization. The training of the rising generation of Syrian-Americans in social obligations, high virtues and
happy homes means the education of the leadership, the citizenship, and the home lovers of the race of tomorrow.
Thomas Jesse Jones says in Essentials of Civilization, "The
third essential of civilization is the effective transfer of the social
heritage from one generation to another. As the home and the
household have the primary and main responsibility for the transfer, the third essential is largely concerned with the conservation
and strengthening of the home with the rights and responsibilities of womanhood, and with the care and sound development of
infancy, childhood, and youth."
The changes in the social order due to the development of
the political, mechanical, and industrial revolutions, have brought
many inroads upon the home: parent, child, and society. SyrianAmericans must assert the sacredness of the marriage relationship Syrian-American parents must affirm the place of discipline
in the life of the child. Let adjustments be made in keeping
with the progress of humanity, but ever maintain the integrity,
the rights and obligations of the home in society.
Let Syrian motherhood be held in highest honor, for motherhood is the queen calling of Syrian womanhood. Let Syrian
fatherhood find highest achievement in worthy sons and daughters. Let Syrian youth be ambitious to achieve a worthy name
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FEBRUARY, 1931
33
glorious success, and high honor for the glory of their homes and
families in America.
VII. Educate the Syrian Race in the Principles of Religion and
Morals Which Are Common to Mankind.
"Righteousness exalteth a nation," said the Hebrew writer,
"but sin is a reproach to any people." Micah the Hebrew Prophet
said, "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth
the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and
to walk humbly with thy God." (Micah, 6:8.)
We commission our Syrian posterity to remember the true
and living God, to practice righteousness, and to uphold the higher moral values of life. Remember God, it is the verdict of history that no people can long survive that has forgotten God.
Remember righteousness, it is the judgment of experience that
no nation can endure that has neglected righteousness. Remember spirituality, it is the teaching of wisdom that no civilization
can abide in which the youth are not educated in the spiritual
and moral evaluation of things. Therefore let our Syrian posterity remember that "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom," that "righteousness exalteth a nation," and that the training of the young in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord"
are essential to the life, liberty, law, and happiness of nations,
races, and civilizations.
ft
Ever promote the Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of
Man, and the universal kingdom of God on earth. Uphold the
right of human freedom, freedom of religious worship, and
liberty of conscience, and thwarting of freedom of thought.
Maintain under all conditions the separation of the church and
the state. Let there be intelligent education of the young in the
high principles of religion and morals; preserve the natural
rights of freedom of religion, mind, and conscience; and practice righteousness in all the affairs of life.
Woodrow Wilson, the great war time president, said, "The
sum of the whole matter is this: that our civilization cannot survive materially unless it be redeemed spiritually. It can be saved
only by becoming permeated with the spirit of Christ and being
made free and happy by the practices which spring out of that
spirit."
O Ye Sons and Daughters of Syria's fair land where'er ye
be on the land, in the air or on the sea; in what time or climej
�34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
in whatever language or tonguej and among whatever race or
nation, I challenge you to join me in the noblest of crusades for
the glorifying of the Syrian name. The blood of our ancestors
calls to us from the ground to maintain the splendor of their
fame The voices of our children cry out to us from innocent
hearts to claim for them equal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The vision for our posterity impells us to
uphold equal respect and opportunity for our race among the
races in America and mankind.
Let my challenge descend from Heaven and enroll you for
the glorious service of our Syrian race, and the progress of man-
I
K.II1CI.
Let my crusade call from the earth and commission you to
jus.ity Syrias glorious race among the races of the earth
Let my voice leap from the sky and charge you to vindicate
oyna s fair name among all people.
Let my message rise from the sea and send you to uphold the
integrity of the Syrian home in America and everywhere
Let my blessing descend from the Lord to ordain you, inspire
you, and empower you in this your benevolent service for the
glorifying of the Syrian race in America and the world
To Touth
Translated from the Arabic by J. D.
CARLYLE
Yes, Youth, thou'rt fled, and I am left,
Like yonder desolated bower,
By winter's ruthless hand bereft
Of every leaf and every flower.
With heaving heart and streaming eyes
I woo'd thee to prolong thy stay,
But vain were all my tears and sighs,
Thou only fled'st more fast away.
Yet tho' thou fled'st away so fast,
I can recall thee if I will;
For I can talk of what is past,
And while I talk, enjoy thee still.
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FEBRUARY, 1931
35
T/fe Arabian Nights
By
f
DON
C.
SEITZ
Dreams of the desert and the narrow streets
Of ancient Cairo where the wide world meets
In strange confusion 'mid the city's mart.
There called together by the teller's art:
To hear with eager longing and surprise
The Thousand Tales of wonder and emprise:
Tall travellers from the Mountains of the Moon
Swart Syrian sheiks from distant Scanderoon;
Dark Abyssinians, and the lords
Who rule in terror over Sinai's hordes}
Pale Persians from Ispahan;
Wild servants of some Tartar Khan;
Red rovers from Aden's shore
And Hindoo hinds from Midnapore;
Pilgrims and priests from Cashmere's'lovely vales
Or born from Ceylon's Isle by fav'ring galesOut of the East where poor mankind was born
To greet the Prophets in the early momListening with widening eyes and open ears
To changeless romance from departed years.
Here rise Aladdin's castles on the sands
While jewels shower from the Afrit's hands;
And Sinbad's voyages over surging seas
Through great adventures to luxurious ease:
The Geneii loosened from his copper flask
Expands his form and now essays his taskShah Zemen greets his Princess from her 'cave
Deep in the coral, underneath the wave,
Arid 'round the Bagdad streets at midnight hour
Wanders the Caliph and the wise MesrouH
O glorious tales! To make a gray world bright
And leaven dullness with their fancy's flight;
Ye come from Nothing and go back again
Into the spaces of the Asian plain!
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
ALI ZAIBAQ
(Quicksilver)
C^Tr^rJliLr^LED ADVENTURES OF THE
CHIEF OF POLICE OF THE CALIPH HAROUN
AL-RASHID, OF THE CITY OF BAGHDAD
Translated from the Original Arabic by
SALLOUM
A. MOKARZEL and THADDEUS S. DAYTON
CHAPTER
VI.
LIVLNG DEATH
J-JARDLY had the door closed upon them when Hassan began
kment
but ollT
T°n the fate Which had befa"en them,
but Quicksilver encouraged him to rouse himself and to aid him
in exploring the fortress in order to find some means of escape
Walking side by side, they continued for a great distance untd Qu,cks,lyer chanced to lift his eyes and perceived through the
darkness a bright ray of light at the height above him of two
6
e y alled his
rkand^d"
T^f
!/
—P-i-'s attend"
to it and standing on his shoulders, was able to discover that the
Lght a
from a door of polished brass from which hung a r ng
of the same metal. This Quicksilver grasped and wa« able to
open the door which disclosed a small but very beautif"l chamber
into which he climbed. There he found suspended from the
te'rsTf goTd°SC magmhcent SWord> on which "as inscribed in let-
this^^U ° TT' ?* pIaCC' th°U art most fortu»ate i°
UP n thCe f r
is the e cha
word Lt by
K a^ sage of
7dages
°past. Take
' ° it'*and
»*d
sword
smite» with
it
made
whatsoever thou wiliest whether it be rebellious human creator those of the tribes of the genii and their death will folQuicksilver's heart was filled with joy over this wonderful
sword which he bore with him when he descended to the place
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3?
where Hassan was waiting. Together they forgot for a time their
ctesperate plight in admiring the workmanship of the enchanted
weapon which Quicksilver finally took into his own hands, giving
to his companion to carry the sword he formerly had borne
-through the darkness, with much difficulty, they retraced
their steps to the great door by which they had entered.
About the mid hour of the night they were aroused by hearing a key turning in the lock. Their first thought was that the
King had dispatched some of his men to slay them, and the two
captives immediately drew their swords. The door opened and
with a bound Quicksilver and Hassan sprang forth. But to their
amazement they saw only a single muffled figure there who cried
out:
"O Quicksilver, I am the daughter of the King, she whom
you delivered from death at the hands of the Blacks. When I
learned of what my father had so treacherously done to you it
grieved me sorely and I waited until my father slept and then
stole the key of this fortress from his girdle and came to deliver
you."
Thereupon she conducted them to her palace where she set
before them a royal repast. It was dawn when they arose and
girded on their swords, making their way straight to the palace
of the King. Entering there Quicksilver uttered a crv that struck
terror to the heart of the monarch and said to him:'
"So that was our recompense, O treacherous King, for all
the good that we did. Know that now the hour of your death
is at hand."
The King called for his guards to seize Quicksilver, but as
they advanced, falteringly, Quicksilver with a single bound
reached the King's throne, and with one blow of his enchanted
sword severed the King's head from his shoulders and sent it
rolling on the ground.
The courtiers seeing what had befallen their monarch, begged
Quicksilver to spare their lives, crying out that they had long
hated their king because of his cruelty and treachery.
"No harm shall come to you," responded Quicksilver. "Take
up the body of this vile creature and bury it. Then seat upon his
throne the Princess, his daughter. Such are my commands."
Thereupon the princess was brought, and Quicksilver received
her at the palace gate, saying:
"Your father was a treacherous man, and I have slain him
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
because of his perfidy. Now you shall be queen of this city and
ot this land, and deal justice to all your subjects. If you have fear
of any person, do but tell me and I will make him drink straightway of the cup of death."
To this the Princess replied: "I know of no one among the
subjects of my father who is my enemy," whereupon the courtiers acclaimed her and expressed their great joy at having her for
their Queen, and criers were sent out throughout the city to
spread the tidings among the inhabitants.
Quicksilver remained in the city for three days, participating
in the festivities, and on the fourth, when he decided to depart,
the Queen said to him:
"O my Lord, I cannot repay you for all the good deeds that
you have done for me. First you rescued me from the captivity
or the Blacks, and then you saved our country. All belongs to
you—myself, my subjects and my kingdom—and you are under
no obligation whatsoever to us. I humbly offer myself to you in
marriage ,f such is your wish, and you will be absolute king of
all this land."
°
"It is impossible for me to estrange myself from my mother
and from my country," replied Quicksilver. "It would give me
great joy to remain here, but my duty calls me home. I must go "
•
u S^? '?S excGedinSh grieved at the prospect of parting with Quicksilver, but seeing that he could not be swerved
from his purpose she brought to him the magic box of the AllSeeing Eye, and ordered the preparation of all that was necessary for his journey.
1
In the morning Quicksilver set forth, accompanied by Ibn
^USI"yJ 7 theur°ad t0 Egypt Th&y Journeyed for many
nights and days through great deserts until there remained be- '
tween them and the city of Cairo but three days' travel. Then
Quicksilver said to Ibn El-Husry:
"I charge you to precede me into the city and to inform the
King of my approach. Request him to command the Chiefs of
6 t0 C
e and meet me as l have
m that
iT\
b ght with
me
whichu IT wentT
forth to seek." >
The King was exceedingly pleased with this news and showS hTL7- 7°rS Up(frIbn E1"Husry- Then he commanded
Salah-Eddin to come before him, and after informing him of
the success of Quicksilver, ordered Salah-Eddin to go forth to
meet him bearing the banner of the secret police
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Upon hearing this the gall of Salah-Eddin nearly burst with
anger and envy, being sure that his position was about to be
wrested from him; nevertheless he assumed an appearance of
joy and satisfaction and immediately went forth to meet Quicksilver whom he greeted with congratulations on his safe return,
notwithstanding that he was still secretly planning to destroy
him.
As they entered the city they were met by great throngs who
had already heard of Quicksilver's wonder achievements and came
out to greet him with banners and songs of praise and welcome.
That day was one of the greatest that the city of Cairo ever
witnessed.
Quicksilver proceeded through the multitudes until he reached the court of Al-Aziz where he was warmly welcomed by the
King and his court. The hero presented the King with the priceless trophy, which caused him unbounded surprise and joy and
amazed all those present, for it was a wonder to all beholders.
The King caused Quicksilver to be seated by his side and asked
him to recount all the details of his journey, which he did without any omissions or additions.
Now the King, after congratulating Quicksilver upon his safe
return, addressed Salah-Eddin saying:
"Now that Quicksilver has accomplished the task that you
set for him it is time that you should cede to him your position."
But Salah-Eddin, with his usual perfidy, turned to Quicksilver saying:
"I am but a servant of our lord and master the King who
has ordered me to relinquish my position to you, which I am
ready to do. But before so doing I beg of you to undertake still
another task."
"Ask of me what you will," replied Quicksilver, "and it
shall be granted."
"My request is that you tarry for a single night in the Baths
of Toulon."
"I accept your challenge and by dusk of this evening I will
set forth."
Saying this Quicksilver took leave of the King and sought
his own home where his mother was anxiously awaiting him,
having heard of his arrival in the city. Upon seeing him she gave
thanks to Allah for the safety of her son, and then she fell upon
his neck, covering him with kisses. Quicksilver then proceeded to
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
i
acquaint her with all that had befallen him, including the task
that Salah-Eddin had set for him that same day. Notwithstanding her great joy over again seeing her son, Fatimah was plunged
in grief at his having accepted so readily this new challenge, and
she said to him:
"O my son, his only purpose is to throw you into the sea of
danger, for he is intent on accomplishing your destruction."
"I have promised, O my mother," replied Quicksilver, "and
I will not retreat, no matter if I were to drink the cup of death."
"What befell Quicksilver in the Baths of Toulon is one of
the most marvelous episodes in the life of this hero of ages past "
said the tale teller. "This I shall set forth tomorrow when the
aldebaran rises in the eastern sky to march across the skvr of
night."
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Past and Future
'By G. K.
GIBRAN
My house says to me, "Do not leave me, for here dwells
your past."
And the road says to me, "Come and follow me, for I am
your future."
'
And I says to both my house and the road, "I have no past,
Z
mgj
{Utm
If 1 Stay here there is a
H
l\
u
>
g°-g » W stay and if I go there is a staying in my going. Only love and
death change all things."
*
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*
How can I lose faith in the justice of life, when the dreams
Hre,m fS. sleep"V01} feathers are not more beautiful than the
dreams of those who sleep upon the earth?
Strange, the desire for certain pleasures is a part of my pain.
I
�FEBRUARY, 1931
41
Advice to a Girl
"By
LABEEBEE
A. J.
HANNA
If I could plant your garden
And fill it full of joy
If I could paint the world for you
And offer it a toy.
I'd like to play your music, too—
To soothe you and to please.
I'd like to take your medicine
And never have to tease.
I'd like to stop the wilder winds
When they start to blow.
I'd like to keep the sunshine
So strong you'll surely grow.
i
Alas, the garden and the wind
And medicine and pain
Must all alike be shared by you
I'd only help in vain.
And when you are a woman grown
And just as old as I
You, too, will know the pain I feel
When old friends pass you by.
Alas, dear girl, here is a spade
And here are seedlings, too.
I'll guide you, dear, but the garden
Will be planted by you.
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
i'l
The Travels of an Arabic Word:
Al-Jubbah (*JJ)
'By
JOSEPH
J.
RAYMOND
Graduate Student in the Department of Oriental Languages and
Literatures, Princeton University.
\
\^ORDS, like people, can travel. The same word, unlike a person, can find itself in a dozen countries overnight, there to
Jive for centuries and centuries, changing in due course so that
it resembles words of that country, or else it dies a quick death
because it is such a total stranger. No tombstone marks its demise, to show future generations that such a word existed in that
country. Why one word receives a welcome in one country and
not in another is still greatly a matter of conjecture and has no
import on the task before me—to tell you of the wanderings of
Arabic al-Jubbah.
I had known since boyhood that there were many Arabic
words in English and other European languages. Algebra, alcohol, alkali, Gibraltar had all been borrowed from the Arabic and
had spread into the languages of Europe. But when I started
to trace where al-jubbah had gone to and still existed I travelled
all over Europe on one side and had journeyed to Persia and the
Hindustan on the other side of Arabia when I decided I had
travelled far enough. I still might be going—and some day I
might go up China-way to see if al-jubbah ever got up there—
if I hadn't stopped when I did.
Al-jubbah means a long cotton or woolen robe, so the name
right from the start, had prolific possibilities. It could go anywhere where men who wore clothes went.
We find the earliest borrowed form, al-jubbah, a Spanish
word then, in a dictionary that goes back to the end of the tenth
century. It probably came in with the Moors when they conquered Spain. The word has its original meaning. From Spain
the garment and word went to the other Romance countries We
find Old French Juppe, jubbe, gippe, French jupe, Italian giuppa, giubba; we also find the same word, but with a suffix attached,
!
i
i
�**
FEBRUARY, 1931
I
43
showing that the word had made itself to home: It. giubbone Sp
jubon, Fr. jupon, Portuguese jubao, gibao.
Italian added a diminutive ending to the root and formed
gmbbetto, giubetta. It came to mean not only "little coat" but
also "the gallows," as the halter was jokingly considered "a little
coat. Similarly the Spaniard calls a flogging "jubon"—a coatseeing it is put on the shoulders. From the Italian diminutive
form, through the French, the word gibbet meaning "gallows"
has come into English. However, the English word might come
from Old French gibet, meaning the staff that extends out from
the gallows-post. This is not so likely as the first theory.
Al-jubbah, through the Romance languages, was taken over
by English in multifarious forms, chief of which are jupe, jupon
and gipon. Until the last century the words were in common use!
but now they are used only in Scottish dialects or as direct imitations of the French. The earliest use of jupe occurs about 1290
when it meant a loose jacket or tunic. Then it came to mean a
woman s jacket, kirtle, or bodice and still later, as in French a
skirt.
'
. Gipon was first recorded by Chaucer in the Prologue of his
Canterbury Tales:
"Of ffustian he wered a gypon."
Chaucer, in the Kmghfs Tale, says: "in a lyzt iopoun." Here
we find a third form, jupon, which was a close-fitting tunic or
doublet worn under the hauberk. Later it became sleeveless was
made of rich material, emblazoned, and worn on the outside
With the passing of chivalry and a change in dress the word came
to mean a short kirtle of a woman, later, in imitation of the
.French, a woman's skirt.
Along in the fifteenth century al-jubbah came into Germany
from the Latin countries in the meaning of "a jacket, a long and
wide upper-garment." We find the forms jope, schope, and
schube which have given in modern German Juppe and schaube,
both of different meanings, the first "a coat," the second "a long
outer-garment." The word travelled to other Germanic coun
tries, for in Dutch we have jupon—a skirt, and the archaic Norwegian form—skubskind—a leather or fur coat, related to German schube above.
But in Slavonic countries al-jubbah got the warmest reception and made itself right at home, so much so that we have
seven distinct forms. The meaning varies from a coat, fur-coat
�44
THE SYRIAN WORLD
a corset; Polish zupa, an under-garment; Lithuanian zipouas a
g
7
B
of
cangOM'
J^Tt
« h > ^ura^a Srt
of cap
Old Czech,
cuba, a'?*'
fur-coat^
} Old Polish zoppa, a sort of
wZut sf rmentlSerb°-Cr0atian dzUbe' a lon« Wer4armen
ZUny a a dreSS COat n
a
work
cL Russ.
R ' Dialect
nUS,Smn cananu,
? a sort of" under-wear.
'
S-"**
work-coat;
All these forms have a varied history. Some came into Slavic through Persian and Turkish, some through Ita "an and
G rman S me are lder th
th
YetTll
hirfh
K meaning—some
- °
° form °the-though
-efore
let all have
the basic
of dress,
the
dress may vary immensely from the original
it HI ApLlthUamanu We ,have a curio^ muddle. Lithuanian, though
it is the most archaic language spoken in Europe, has been influenced greatly by German and Slavonic, betweenwhich two groups
it is spoken. We have subas, suba, meaning a fur-coat. The 3
has been borrowed from the German. From the Slavonic^
ing
trill'Ter' rZTl m
T
/^
V^-Sown,
and no"
SC 10n
word
n
for lord 2 TI I
?
^
~P° ^ is their word
tor lord si. They kept the words ziuponas and ponas separate
but on their analogy they formed the feminine ziupone-a ladv
tTese wo hi?" ****»-<* a J-fc lady-like" Neither "f
these two have any connection with clothing, except that perhaps
5J&SSL
W
mU
Ve al
aziup5nas and therefore
"
de
bbah
if h ?
n !?
>
here in eastern Europe. As I said
e Wa d
hWt^hefa iV
; " ^ " lndla-and P***PS further
tlCS t0 aSCCrtain that But t0 tr
Lti
A
I
avel from Arabia
to the edge of one continent and close to the edge of anotte is
quite a distance to travel-and to be still alive 2Efl£ri*£ tZ
centimes after starting on the journey! That's wonderful isn'tTt
s*J\
J^J&
FROM THE ARABIC
^^\ u ^5 U
%*Li Sy.
er^ \
4»U-1
"Hard is the fate of him who's blind,"
Moaned a blind man in despair
"Indeed it's so," joined a one-eyed man,
"For of that I'm half aware."
A
�FEBRUARY, 1931
45
Will Syria Have Another King?
Recent Happenings That Portend Important Changes in the
Relations of the French and the Royal Hashemite Family.
\
A
A
gYRIA has not been able as yet to extricate itself from the grip
of political confusion. M. Ponsot regularly ferries between
Syria and France and is represented on every trip as having negotiated the final solution, although he himself is careful not to
let anything escape from his closely sealed lips. But in the final
checking up nothing is found to have been accomplished. The
Syrian situation still is where it was two years ago upon the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly; the Tajeddin government
is still in power despite all the hue and cry raised against it; the
Nationalist Party is still undecided whether or not it will participate in the coming elections; the "coming" elections, in fact,
have been long coming yet never arrived, and the High Commissioner will not say when they will be held. And even at this late
hour there seems to exist grave doubt as to the form of government that will be given Syria, whether it will be republican or
monarchical, the decision of the Constituent Assembly to make
Syria a republic notwithstanding.
During the months of January and February M. Ponsot
made several trips to Damascus and held many conferences. So
did Sheikh Tajeddin make several trips to Beirut, but although
the movements of the heads of States could not be concealed the
objects were effectively shrouded in mystery. The only positive
fact is that nothing tangible has yet transpired of all the elaborate
preparations going on so far.
One thing, however, has transpired which portends a possible serious change in the Syrian situation. It is the apparent
swerving of sentiment in favor of establishing a monarchy in the
country and the possible placing of one of the sons of ex-King
Hussein of Arabia on the throne. The Syrian press discusses
frankly such a possibility and gives indications of growing sentiment in favor of a monarchy.
What would lend credence to rumors to this effect is the extraordinary enthusiasm displayed by the populace in the reception of ex-King Hussein and his sons on their recent visit to Syria
and the solicitude of the French authorities in surrounding them
�46
THE SYRIAN WORLD
with all forms of attention and honors. Nor was this display the
product of chance and confined to a single instance, because it
was repeated on three different occasions with growing manifestation of enthusiasm. The first occasion was the visit of ex-King
Hussein himself to Beirut on his way from his exile at Cyprus
to Transjordania where he still remains with his son Abdullah.
The second was the visit of ex-King Ali, eldest son of Hussein,
which followed quickly upon that of his father. And the last
that of Emir Zeid, youngest of Hussein's sons, which took place
in February.
The greatest manifestations, however, were those which attended the visit of ex-King Ali who had succeeded his father on
the throne of Arabia in a vain effort to save the throne from the
powerful enemy of the Hashemite family, King Ibn Saoud. King
All is now a resident of Baghdad, where he frequently acts as
regent in the absence of his brother, King Feisal. He had journeyed to Amman, capital of Transjordania, where his other
brother Emir Abdullah rules, ostensibly to visit his father exKing Hussein. But upon his return he came to Daraa, which is
within the territory of the French mandate, to make connections
for the trans-desert journey back to Baghdad. This apparently
gave the French mandatory authorities in Syria an opportunity
to extend the ex-King a fitting welcome, and the High Commissioner sent a special representative to invite him to Beirut, which
is far out of his way, as the guest of the French authorities. In
Beirut Ali was received with a great display of official hospitality
and was in conference for several hours with the High Commissioner.
Later, in Damascus, the Arabian ex-King was received with
much acclaim by the populace but he consistently refused to discuss politics. His younger brother Emir Zaid, also traveling to
Baghdad with his two sisters, was at Beirut the guest of the High
Commissariat which also put at his disposal a private car to convey him to Damascus. He was accompanied on this trip by Fakhry Bey Baroody, the Nationalist leader, at whose house he stopped to receive the dignitaries of the city.
The exceptional display of hospitality by the French to the
visiting members of the royal Hashemite family is interpreted
by many as indicative of a new political move in Syria which
might hasten the solution of the country's knotty problem. The
solution, it is claimed, might be the reversal of the policy that
gave rise to the problem itself. The first serious difficulties in
k
fe
i
X
zl
�FEBRUARY, 1931
47
His Majesty Ex-King Hussein of Arabia
Who has been permitted by the English to leave his exile in
Cyprus and visit his son Emir Abdullah of Transjordania hi<
visit giving rise to new rumors on the possibility of placing his
son Ali on the Syrian throne.
�48
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Syria, it is pointed out, sprang from the ambition of the Hashemites to create an Arab union at the head of which would be King
Hussein, the father, reigning in Arabia with his several other
sons ruling in the surrounding Arab States. The first step towards
the fulfillment of this broad scheme was the proclamation of
Emir Feisal King in Syria soon after the end of the World War
and the withdrawal of the Allied troops under Gen. Allenby
from Damascus. But the events of 1920 which led to the French
occupation of the interior of Syria and the abdication of King Feisal, to be followed later by the victory of King Ibn Saoud of
Arabia over King Hussein and his son King Ali, brought the ambitions of the Hashemite family to an abrupt end. Now the only
redeeming feature of the scheme is that Feisal is king in Iraq
while his brother Abdullah is Emir of Transjordania.
If, however, Syria is again made a monarchy and one of the
sons of King Hussein placed on its throne three brothers would
be kings of Arabian States and France will have won over the
Hashemites and at the same time solved the Syrian problem by
putting an end to the prevailing uncertainty as to the form of
government as well as to the unending plotting of political leaders for power.
Aside from the immediate change involved in the Syrian
situation proper, such a move might have an important bearing
on the Arabic world in general, especially in what affects the relations of the countries controlled by the Hashemites with the
kingdom of Al-Hejaz and its powerful ruler Ibn Saoud, who
was the cause of the downfall of the Hashemite dynasty. It is
pointed out, on the other hand, that a treaty of amity and peace
was concluded between King Ibn Saoud of Al-Hijaz and King
Feisal of Iraq through the good offices of Britain not long since,
but whether these bonds will stand the strain of the threatening
danger implied by the formation of a strong coalition of Hashemite kingdoms around Ibn Saoud's country remains to be seen. It
is obvious that the situation is fraught with serious possibilities,
and that Syria has assumed a.place of prime importance in shaping the political future of the Arabic-speaking world.
I
�FEBRUARY, 1931
49
Political Developments in Syria
ENGLAND REVERSES ITSELF
IN PALESTINE POLICY
A wave of jubilation swept over
Jewish circles throughout the world
When word was flashed that the
British government had materially
modified its stand on the question
of its Palestine mandate as expressed in the official White Paper
of Lord Passfield, Colonial Secretary, issued last October. By reverse
order, this new move created consternation in Arab camps and
brought forth vigorous protests.
Powerful pressure undoubtedly had
been brought to bear on the Labor
government to cause it to so quickly
and completely turn about face and
incur the anger of the whole Moslem world. After a lapse of almost
a month, however, the government
has been able to keep matters well
in hand.
The new British po'icy was enunciated in a letter of Prime Minister
MacDonald to Dr. Ohaim Weizmann,
former President of the World Zionist Organization, and placed before
the House of Commons February 13.
The letter, although nominally "explaining
certain
misconceptions
which have arisen in connection with
the government's position on Palestine," in reality makes some very
definite and generous concessions to
Zionists on important points of the
White Paper to an extent as to reverse the meaning of the original
document.
The government's most important
concession is doubtless on the point
of Jewish immigration, which is restored to the old principle of "immigration according to the absorptive capacity of the country" instead
of the principle of "estimating Jewish immigration with regard to
Arab and Jewish unemployment,"
wh'.ch the Passfield White Paper introduced.
Another
important
concession
which altered the conditions existing prior to the issuance of the
White Paper is the establishment of
the "right of the Jews to a share of
employment on public and municipal
work commensurate to the Jewish
contribution to public revenues."
This takes the place of the previous
method of establishing the Jewish
s'hare in this work on the basis of
their share in the population of the
country. Restrictions on land purchase by Jews is virtually removed,
and many other concessions are
made with the intention of proving
the British government's sympathy
with the Jewish cause.
Naturally, the Jews were elated
over this signal success, but the
Arabs, in the words of the formal
protest sent by the Arab Executive
to the High Commissioner for transmission to London
regard MacDonald's policy as a retreat and
show a clear disposition to fight the
issue through. The Arab newspaper
Al-Hayat, organ of the Moslem Supreme Council, asserts that MacDonald's letter had at one stroke destroyed the Arabs' confidence in the
mandatory power's good faith, while
the English Edition of the Arab
newspaper Falastine, in voicing its
surprise and indignation at the MacDonald letter treats with the broader
principle of Eastern and Western
civilization declaring that "the issue becomes clearer daily that Zionism means to the Arabs and other
�50
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Moslems the spear point of imperialism and foreign culture, but the
East refuses to be Europeanized under the false plea of civilization and
intends to shape its own destiny."
JEWS FEAR OUTBREAK
A report by the Arabic paper
Falastine of Jaffa that a Jew had
been caught in the act of kidnapping
two Moslem children, and hinting
that the purpose might be "ritualistic murder," gave rise to fear
among the Jews that the Moslems
were planning another anti-Semitic
outbreak such as took place in the
summer of 1929. Another Arab paper later explained the origin of the
report as the attempt of a halfwitted Jew to play with some children in the Arab quarter. Falastine
was indefinitely suspended by order
of the High Commissioner.
SITUATION IN SYRIA
Ever since the return of M. Ponsot from France, ostensibly carrying in his portfolio a plan for a
definite solution of the Syrian political problem, nothing has transpired as to his intentions. The Syrian press gives expression only to
hopes and promises and seems occupied with discussing the attitude
of the various leaders towards the
coming elections. What has been
lately rumored but vigorously denied, is that dissension has crept
into the ranks of the Nationalists,
some being reported as favoring
participation in the elections while
others are holding out for the original provisions of the Constitution
as drafted by the Constituent Assembly. Other rumors would 'have
some prominent Nationalist leaders
favoring a monarchy and joining a
federation of Arab States.
The Nationalists continue to com-
plain of the unlawful tactics which
they accuse the Tajeddin government of employing to prevent them
from holding meetings. Such occurrences have taken place not only in
Damascus but in Aleppo as well.
Formal complaints 'have been lodged
with the High Commissioner but the
press continues to report repetitions
of the same harassing tactics.
An important development is the
apparent success which the royalist
party is reported making in impressing public opinion with the advantages of establishing a monarchy in
Syria and placing a son of ex-King
Hussein of Arabia on the throne.
This phase of the Syrian political
situation is treated separately elsewhere in this issue.
BRUTAL ATTACK ON
LEBANESE EDITOR
The daily Arabic paper Al-Hoda
of New York received a special
cable dispatch from the secretary of
the Press Club in Beirut on January
23 stating that Joseph Mokarzel
editor of Ad-Dabbour, the most
widely circulated paper of Syria,
had been brutally attacked by two
masked men while on his way to
his home late in the evening of the
22nd. The cable asked for moral
assistance and stated that public opinion was highly incensed over
the attack on the popular editor.
The Lebanese papers reaching
New York late in February gave
the following details of the attack
and the causes leading to it:
Joseph Mokarzel had waged a
strong campaign against certain
clergymen of his own faith, (Maronites), who had been known to
sympathize with the Papal Nuncio
in Syria in his supposed efforts to
create sentiment in favor of an
�FEBRUARY, 1931
m. -*JL
k jMf * 1
^!
51
*-'
?
jt^fe* 4^£ jfc «. ^^^HMT
9f
'"
i
w -
f
Joseph Mokarzel
Italian mandate over the country.
The situation was aggravated by
the fact that ten thousand Maronites had a dispute with their bishop
and announced their intention of
turning Latins, otherwise coming
under the direct jurisdiction of the
Nuncio. Certain relatives of one of
the clergymen under attack resented the imputations of the paper
and waylaid the editor while about
to enter his house, beating him with
sticks and striking him with brass
knuckles until he was left for dead.
Nothing daunted, the plucky editor filled the following issue of his
weekly with even more bitter attacks on the political activities and
motives of the
Nuncio, which
brought forth official protests from
the latter to the High Commissioner
who ordered Ad-Dabbour suspended
for one month on the ground of
having offended the representative
of a friendly power.
The Press Club of Beirut sent a
special delegation to wait upon the
Secretary of the Interior protesting such attacks on men of the
journalistic profession. What they
demanded, and in this they have the
support of all the papers both in
Arabic-speaking countries and in
America commenting on the incident, is that suspension of papers
should not continue to be on summary action of the administration,
but that wherever there is cause for
complaint papers should be subject
only to judicial discipline.
The Beirut police later apprehended the perpetrators of the attack, but the editor refused to press
a charge against them preferring to
fight his battle along his own lines
with 'his trenchant pen.
SULTAN PASHA ATRASH
PLANS NEW CAMPAIGN
A news dispatch to the New York
Evening Post from Paris dated February 26 reports that Sultan Pasha
Atras'h, leader of the Druze revolt
of 1925-26, and now in voluntary
exile in the Syrian desert outside of
the zone of the French mandate is
planning another campaign against
the French to be launched the latter
part of May. The report first came
from Egyptian sources, but the general tendency is to discredit it owing
to the known limited resources of
Atras'h Pasha in men and materials,
not to take into consideration the
fact that in planning a campaign no
general will notify the enemy in
advance.
�52
THE SYRIAN WORLD
About Syria and Syrians
SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
ELECTS TWO PATRIARCHS
Ever since the demise of His
Beatitude Gregory IV, Patriarch of
the Greek Orthodox Church of Syria
and bearing the title of Patriarch of
Antioch and the East, the Syrian
Orthodox Church has been meeting
with difficulties in electing his successor in view of the dissension
which has beset the church following the Russian debacle. Russia, having been the largest Orthodox nation,, exercised influence over the
affairs of the church throughout the
world, but with the advent of the
Bolshevists and their avowed antirehgious policy, the different Orthodox churches began to act independently, causing considerable confusion. Syria was not to escape the
effects of this chaotic condition.
On February 10, however, two
Syrian papers of New York received cables bearing the glad news
that the long-drawn confl;ct between
the factions of the Syrian Orthodox
church had been composed resulting
m the election of the Rt. Rev. Arsanius Haddad bishop of Latakia,
to the Patriarchate. But following
quickly on the receipt of the first
dispatch came another cable emphatically denying the legality of the
first election and promising further
details. These came through the
mail which reached America the latter part of February and announcing that although the Rt. Rev. Haddad was elected by a majority of
the conclave of bishops meeting in
the monastery of Homaira, he was
not the people's choice, since the
laymen in the Orthodox Church have
defined rights in proposing candi-
dates for the high office.
As a result of these differences
four of the eleven bishops of the
church repaired to Damascus where
they held another conclave and
elected the Rt. Rev. Alexandres Tahhan, bishop of Tripoli, to the vacant
office. The latter election is in accordance with the wishes of the Orthodox laity of Damascus which is
said to control the majority of the
popular vote.
The situation was officially brought
to the attention of the civil authorities by both factions seeking recognition and support, but neither the
native nor the mandatory authorities were reported to have taken any
official action in the matter. Appeals
have also been sent to the various
Orthodox Patriarcchs throughout
the world.
ARABIA YIELDS SECRET
TO ENGLISH EXPLORER
Bertram Thomas Succeeds in Crossing the Great Desert of
Rab'ul-Khali.
In a copyrighted despatch from
Be'hrein, on the Persian Gulf, received February 23, the New York
Times announced that the English
Orientalist and explorer Bertram
Thomas, had successfully crossed
the great desert of southeastern
Arabia known as Rab'ul-Khali, having left Dhofar, in Southern Arabia,
in December and reached Dohah, on
the Persian Gulf, fifty-eight days
later.
This first news was supplemented
�FEBRUARY, 1931
a few days later by a succinct personal account of Mr. Thomas himself describing his experiences. His
most important discovery, it would
seem, was a salt water lake seven
miles long, together with traces of
an old caravan route which traders
in ages past must have used in crossing Arabia. The possibility of there
being an old people living in isolation from the rest of the world and
constituting a remnant of the once
flourishing Arabian civilization was
exploded.
This great section of the Arabian
peninsula which had defied all efforts at exploration comprises a territory of about 500,000 square miles,
extending 650 miles from north to
south and 850 miles from east to
west.
Mr. Thomas' feat was acclaimed
by scientists as ranking foremost
among the world's great discoveries
comparable to the explorations of
Livingstone,
Peary,
Shackleton,
Scott and Amundsen.
In their report of this important
news, we noticed that the Times and
other papers gave the name of the
great hitherto unknown Arabian
desert as Ruba-el-Khali. In the interest of correct transliteration we
would respectfully submit that the
name should be written Rab'-ulKhali, and more correctly with the
addition of the definitive article
here pronounced "Ar" instead of
"Al" for euphony. In the first form,
"Ruba", the word would mean quarter, in the sense of one-fourth, while
in the second form "Rab' ", it would
imply a meaning of space, which the
Arabic word clearly indicates. The
original meaning of the word
"Rab*" in Arabic is a camping
ground, so applied because of its
relation to spring and to grass,
which the nomad Arabs sought
most in selecting their camping
53
grounds. The term was later applied
to any section of land without dist'nction.
Exception should also be taken to
the use of the term "white man" in
describing the exploit of Mr. Thomas. Both in their bold headlines and
in the text of their despatches the
Times and other papers frequently
refer to Mr. Thomas' journey as
being the first to be successfully accomplished by a "white man." If by
the use of the term is meant Europeans it should so be stated to escape
the objectionable reflection that the
Arab natives of the country are not
"white."
DAGHER NIGHT
A GREAT SUCCESS
Many celebrities as well as State,
Federal and City government officials were present on Dagher Night,
the 31st annual ball in honor also
of George C. Dagher. executive
member and leader of the 1st Assembly District Republicans which
was held at the Elks Club in Brooklyn Tuesday, February 10th.
Mr. Dagher is the only American
of Syrian extraction to be a leader
and executive of a political organization in the State of New York
if not in the United States. His interest in politics, good government
and civics very early in life has
brought him into contact with many
prominent officials in the community. His ability has been shown early
and he was quick to rise. It is the
first affair of the club itself of which
he is now the head. Last year when
he won this promotion his friends,
both Syrian and Americans, gave
him a testimonial dinner under the
auspices of the American-Syrian
Federation.
�54
SYRIAN PHYSICIAN CHAMPIONS
PALESTINE ARAB CAUSE
Although hardly organized, while
their Jewish opponents are highly
organized, the champions of the
Arab Palestinian cause in America
are meeting with telling success in
their efforts to bring to the attention of the American public a better
understanding of the basic differences underlying the bitter struggle
between Arab and Jew in Palestine.
Ameen Rihani, celebrated Syrian
author and lecturer, has unquestionably made the largest single contribution along this line, traveling
throughout the country engaging in
debates, delivering lectures and
writing for newspapers and magazines. His countrymen entertain for
him the warmest appreciation for
these effective voluntary services.
Others contributing in a limited
way are the students from Arabicspeaking countries at Columbia and
other American universities. But
perhaps foremost among the laymen
volunteers is Dr. Fuad I. Shatara of
Brooklyn whose qualifications as a
logical speaker are enhanced by his
willing response to what he terms
the call of duty in defense of the
Arab cause. Dr. Shatara is Palestinian by birth and a close student
of the politics of his native land,
as shown by his many articles published over the course of years in
the Syrian World.
Dr. Shatara was a guest speaker
at a dinner given by the Economic
Club of Portland, Me., on February
14 to discuss the Palestinian question. Other speakers were Elihu D.
Stone, U. S. district attorney of
Boston and president of the New
England Zionists for seven terms,
who defended the Zionist viewpoint;
and Capt. Lothian Small, assistant
secretary general of the Interna-
.
..:
:.
'
THE SYRIAN WORLD
tional Federations of the League of
Nations Societies, who spoke from
the British angle.
Reporting on Dr. Shatara's address, the Portland Sunday Telegram of February 15 states that
the speaker "declared the opposition of the Arabs in Palestine is
to the setting up of a Jewish political State through the creation of
a majority of Jews over the wishes
of the majority of the present occupants ...
He denied that the
Arabs would object to equal rights
for the Jews in Palestine, but that
they refuse to admit that the Jews
have any more of a right to establish a nation in Palestine than the
Arabs would in Spain which they
once colonized. The occupancy of
Palestine by the Jews was but a
matter of 400 years while the Arabs
have lived there over 1300 years."
While in New England, Dr. Shatara engaged in another debate at
the Dorchester Forum with Rabbi
Abrams of Boston, on Sunday, February 15 and where his argument
was equally well received.
SYRIAN AVIATRIX PLANS
TRANS-ATLANTIC HOP
Miss Alice Khoury, a Syrian girl
of Hopewell, Va. and still in her
teens, has qualified as an expert
flier and already plans a solo transAtlantic flight, according to reports in the New York Syrian papers. The only reason for her not
being a licensed pilot, continues the
report, is that she has not reached
the legal age of twenty-one.
Miss Khoury is the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Assaf George Khoury
of Niha in the Shouf district of
Lebanon. Her parents moved to
Hopewell during the war boom attendant upon the manufacture of
�FEBRUARY, 1931
ammunition at the Du Pont factories there. She, however, was educated for a stenographer, but living
in the proximity of an aviation field
inspired her with the desire for flying. She has already made several
solo flights and it is said that the
cit'zens of Hopewell are planning
to make her a gift of a plane to
be bought by popular subscription.
This is the second instance brought
to public attention of a Syrian girl
in America having taken up aviation. Of young men there are a
much larger number, men'ion of
whom has previously been made in
the Syrian World.
P.ROOKLYN PASTOR HONORED
ON 25TH ANNIVERSARY
The Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Paul
Sanky, pastor of Virgin Mary's Melchite Syrian Catholic church in
Brooklyn celebrated the twentyfifth anniversary of his ordination
to the priesthood on February 5, on
which occasion a singing high mass
was held at the Syrian church by
the Rt. Rev. Bishop Molloy of
Brooklyn assisted by a number of
visiting Syrian Catholic clergymen.
Following the religious ceremony
a banquet was held at St. George
Hotel which was attended by over
four hundred guests. Mr. Edward
Leon, who presided, presented the
Rev. Sanky with a purse of $500.00
raised by popular subscription from
the congregation in token of their
love and appreciation for their
pastor.
IN DEMAND
Lissan Ul-Hal of Beirut reports
that for six vacancies on the Police
force there were 750 applicants,
some of whom being college graduates. An advertisement for a night
watchman brought 1000 applicants,
55
notwithstanding that the monthly
pay is eleven Syrian pounds, amounting to less than $8.00.
SYRIAN FEDERATION
HOLDS RECEPTION
The American-Syrian Federation
held its annual reception at its
clubrooms in Brooklyn on February
21 and provided a wealth of enjoyment to the several hundred
guests who fi led the two main
floors of the building. An American
orchestra provided dance music for
the younger generation, while lovers of native music were entertained
on another floor by excellent singers
and oud players.
The occasion was the seventh
birthday of the Federation. In his
printed word of greeting, the President assures the community of
"our willingness and readiness at all
times to place the facilities of the
Federation at their disposal, to make
its home the center of all educational, civic and social activities."
ARABIC PLAY GIVEN
FOR CHARITY SUCCESSFUL
The Ruler by the Will of God, an
eccentric caliph of the Fatimide
dynasty who claimed divinity and
terrorized Egypt in the 13th century, was again brought to life in
the play of his name given at the
Brooklyn Academy of Muse on
January 13 by the Al-Kalimat Committee. The proceeds of the performance were devoted to charity
and the play was well patronized.
The Ladies' Aid Society of New
York was the recipient of half of
the proceeds for distribution among
the Syrian needy of America while
the Al-Kalimat Committee, the
original sponsor of the play, devoted its share to the building of a
home for the aged in the city of
Aleppo.
�56
THE SYRIAN WORLD
SULTAN'S KIN CLAIM
PROPERTY IN SYRIA
EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
IN VENEZUELA REPORTED
Cable dispatches from Beirut
late in January stated that all the
Princes and Princesses of the former
Ottoman ruling family met in that
city to discuss continuing their legal battle for the possession of the
vast properties left by the Sultan
Abdul Hamid in Syria and Lebanon,
despite their recent defeat' in the
Turkish courts of Istanboul to obtain control of the properties which
were taken by the victorious powers after the World War. A deputation of the Princes waited upon
the French High Commissioner to
lay the claim before him. The Ottoman Princes under the Treaty of
Lausanne, are allowed to apply to
the native Syrian courts. Their
counsel are now drawing up a list
of the late Sultan's possessions in
Syria and Lebanon before filing a
plea for restitution.
The Syrian press publishes pathetic accounts of the conditions to
which some of the Princes have
been reduced. Not a few of them
have been forced to become taxi
drivers, and the humiliation they
feel when encountering a fare of
their acquaintances is pitiful.
The disclosure of secrets of the
earliest civil'zation in South America is promised soon when Dr. Rafael Requena, president of the State
of Aragua in Venezuela, publishes
the results of a life study on his
part declared to present conclusive
evidence of the existence of an ancient Egyptian civilization in Venezuela, according to a correspondent of the N. Y. Times cabling from
Port of Spain Trinidad, on Feb. 18.
JAMES J. TUNNEY
ON SYRIAN TOUR
Late in January Major James J.
Tunney, popularly known as Gene
Tunney, former heavyweight champion of the world, sailed with his
wife to Syria to join an archaeological expedition. He will spend a few
weeks in Egypt before proceeding
to Beirut, Damascus and Baghdad.
It is not yet known whether he
will remain with the Haardt-TransAsiatic expedition in its proposed
travels through central Asia.
The correspondent declares that
Dr. Requena gave him an interview
at his headquarters at Maracay, the
capital of Araqua, where the military headquarters of General Gomez,
former President and now dictator
and commander-in-chief of the army,
is located.
A remarkable private museum attached to the house contains excavated idols of primitive man, bones
of prehistoric monsters and flint
hammers.
"I firmly believe in the ancient
existence of Atlantis," Dr. Requena
said. "When Atlantis was submerged
the survivors, originally Egyptians,
found their way here. I have indubitable proof which will startle the
scientific world. I intend to write a
Spanish treatise and translate it into
French and hope to publish it this
year. Years after the Egyptians
came there was an invasion of Chinese colonists from across the Pacific."
The fact, that the Egyptians were
never a sea-faring people, but employed the Phoenicians for the conduct of their trans-maritime trade,
may in the end prove the latter to
be the real founders of the ancient
American civilization.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
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Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
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New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
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English
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Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
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NS 0002
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This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
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Identifier
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TSW1931_02reducedWM
Title
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The Syrian World Volume 05, Issue 06
Date
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1931 February
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 5 Issue 06 of The Syrian World published February 1931. In Dr. Philip K. Hitti's article titled "Are the Lebanese Arabs?" he discusses this question that was posed to him by Salloum Mokarzel. In his reply he traces the history of Lebanon in order to discover the answer, looking back at the various ethnic groups that were at one time settled in Lebanon. In Salloum Mokarzel's second article covering his travels through Jebel-Druze he highlights his experiences in Soueida, the capital city. More specifically, he talks about his visit to the State Orphanage for Druze children in which he describes his most interesting observations of the French officials stationed there. Rev. W. A. Mansur is also featured for his contribution concerning the Commission of Syrian "pioneers" to their Posterity in America. While there are numerous poetic contributions in this issue of known poets like Gibran, J.D. Carlyle, and Asa, Don C. Seitz is also featured for his poem concerning The Arabian Nights. Seitz as a nationally well-known American author presents the very reasons the young generation should praise the classic literature of their mother-tongue. Another part of the "Ali Zaibaq" series is again featured in this issue, before Labeebee A. J. Hanna's poetic "Advice to a Girl." The last article featured is by Joseph J. Raymond, on the word Al-Jubbah, and the significance of its travel throughout the world. The issue closes with a discussion of Syria's potential to have a future king, political developments of Syria, and excerpts from the Arab press that represented Syria and Syrians.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
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English
Creator
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
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New York Public Library
Publisher
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
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Text/pdf
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Text
Rights
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Al-Jubbah
Druze
J.D. Carlyle
Joseph J. Raymond
Kahlil Gibran
Labeebee A.J. Hanna
New York
Philip Khuri Hitti
Poetry-English
Reverend W.A. Mansur
Thomas Asa
Travel
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/8770c3f6b9f149e74c0f97238ae4460d.pdf
aa670fa21f053c597c000f445a063ff0
PDF Text
Text
VOL. Mk m
m
DECEMBER 1931
NO. 4
��THE
SYRIAN WORLD
"Published monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New "iork,
N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. VI NO. 4
DECEMBER, 1931
t
CONTENTS
Palestine of Religious Romance and Historic Realism
By H. I.
Christmas Altar (a Poem)
By ALICE
KATIBAH
11
MOKARZEL
The Great Recurrence
By
Poetry, Edited by
3
12
KAHLIL GIBRAN
15
BARBARA YOUNG
Blithesome Boy, by
BARBARA YOUNG
Christmas Poetry
Still There is Bethlehem, by
17
18
NANCY BYRD
TURNER
Carol, by GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON
Second Coming, by ERNEST HARTSOCK.
18
18
18
�CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
News and Views
.. 19
By A
STAFF OBSERVER
Are These Great Men Really Syrians?
19
Origin of Chivalry
22
East and West
"... 23
Omar Khayyam—His Grave and Shiraz Wine
24
Promoting Religious Understanding
26
Home and Family ....'
Edited by
27
BAHIA AL-MUSHEER
The Dietetic Value of Syrian Food
A Menu For American Guests
Proper Roasting
How Ladies Could Use Idle Hours
A Party for Aneesa, (A Short Story)
By
EDNA
K.
27
28
29
29
30
SALOOMEY
Book Reviews
39
A Book of Sentiment and Fact on a Great
Syrian Poet
39
Resurrecting the Glory of Syria
41
Spanning the Nation's History
43
Peace and Good Will, Plus Faith
By
44
THE EDITOR
Political Developments in Syria
Syrian World News Section
.45
51
I
�,
—
\
Syrian
^^^^ f/
MOKARZEL, Editor
SALLOUM A. M<
DECEMBER, 1931
VOL. VI NO. 4
Palestine of Religious Romance
and Historic Realism
THE SUCCESSION OF EVENTS WHICH MADE A HOLY
LAND OF THE SMALL SYRIAN PROVINCE
LYING AT THE INTERSECTION OF
THREE CONTINENTS
By H. I.
KATIBAH
PALESTINE, to millions of our matter-of-fact, practical, realistic generation, is not a geographic term so much as a state of
mind and imagination. It suggests not so much plains, hills, valleys, rivers and stretches of gray, rocky, barren land as it does an
idyllic state of serenity, happiness, joy and eternal peace.
It is not surprising that such were the connotations and associations invoked by the word "Palestine" to the generations of
our grandfathers and great grandfathers in countries far removed
from that little country squeezed in the southern portion of a little
corridor between three continents—Asia, Europe and Africa. For
Palestine, to them, was something they learned about in the Bible
and from queer, multicolored maps of the Sunday schools. It was
studied always in connection with an ancient history that was always surrounded with a halo of sanctity and mystery, and often a
sense of taboo besides. Rarely was it ever, studied with any effort
at historic and geographic perspective. Great and mighty nations
as the Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians and Greeks, were'
just outlandish, distant names that gain significance only in that
�4
THE SYRIAN WORLD
they are brought in association with the name of the Hebrews the
chosen people of God.
There was such a thing as "sacred history" and "profane history," and our ancestors sincerely believed that the former could
be studied separately, encompassed as it was between the two morocco covers of a collection of books—the Bible. In the minds of
those pious forefathers of ours even profane history became "bibliocentnc," and the achievements and civilizations of great neighboring
countries was dwarfed and dwindled in contrast with the earnest,
religious message of the Hebrew prophets and psalmists. Socrates'
Plato and Aristotle, who came in the twilight of Hebrew history,
were perhaps unknown to most of the Hebrew learned men and
priests of their days, and Greek civilization, which at one time
threatened to swallow the Hebrew and other civilizations of the
East, was condemned as an unclean, heathen innovation. And to
most of those who read the Bible a hundred or fifty years ago, even
to many who read it today, this great ancient civilization meant
just as little. It mattered little that Greek philosophy stole through
the backdoor of Christian theology and square-footedly occupied
a secure place in the Bible, or that it was two great Jews, Philo and
St. Paul, who introduced this same Greek philosophy to the Semitic
practical religion of the Jews.
It is no wonder, we say, that our ancestors took such an exclusive view of Palestine and its history, and that to them Palestine
was an idealized term of religious sentiment and distant history.
In those days there were no cables to link far-flung countries of the
world together and make them seem like a little country town
where all the gossip of the day could be exchanged around the stove
of the country general store; there were no fast trains that devoured
space, no airplanes that annihilated time, and shrunk this globe of
ours to one tenth of its original size. For, after all, time and distance are relative terms, and only have sense in relation to our
capacity for turning them into subjective human experience.
But the wonder is that to a great number of people among us,
in this age of the cable, the fast trains, trans-Atlantic steamers,zeppelins and airplanes, Palestine still is-a term of religious romance
that has little historic realism and practically no geographic perspective to them.
I was strongly reminded of this in a little anecdote that a
friend of mine, a former research worker in the Foreign Policy
Association, once related to me. She told me that she was once
dictating a letter to a Jewish stenographer in the office, and when
�—
"DECEMBER, 1931
fntTrmrrrTmmmm' ,
5
the letter was finished she directed that it be addressed to a certain
gentleman in Jerusalem, Palestine.
The Jewish girl opened her eyes wide with sudden surprise.
"Jerusalem? /" she asked, her eyes shining with a mysterious,
distant gleam, as if the word suggested to her some golden dream
of romance and bliss.
"Yes, Jerusalem! " replied the research worker, smiling.
"Palestine? " again asked the surprised stenographer.
"Yes, Palestine " added the research worker.
"And will it reach there? " still persisted the puzzled questioner.
"Certainly it will! " assured the young lady whose job it was
to keep a great section of American public opinion fully informed
on the latest developments in Palestine, Syria, Egypt and the rest
of the Arabic-speaking world.
Not only to Christians, but to Jews and Moslems also, the
earthly Palestine, and particularly Jerusalem, is inseparably linked
with the heavenly one.
The Jews, among the followers of the three great monotheistic religions, were the ones to whom the earthly Palestine, the
earthly Jerusalem, was not only real, but the very centre of their
reality, and without which their hopes, aspirations, their history and
religion, were without significance or substantiality. At least that
could be safely said of the orthodox Jews. They had a feverish,
fanatic, almost fetichistic attachment to the actual soil, the actual
stones, the hills, valleys, trees, the very air that circulated in the
clear, translucent sky of that little bit of a Holy Land. This was
especially true after the second destruction of Jerusalem under
Hadrian who ordered the city rebuilt as Aelia Capitolina and prevented the Jews from even entering it again on the pains of death.
Jerusalem became then to the Jews the land of their lost dream,
their ultimate hope and salvation, when Jehovah would gather them
from their diaspora in every corner of the world and bring them
back in rejoicing and triumph to Zion.
Once the land came into the possession of a friendly Semitic
people, the Arabs, it was this same passionate longing for Palestine,
for Zion, that burned in the hearts of pious Jewish pilgrims and
made them leave sometimes comfortable homes in lands where they
had flourished and prospered, facing innumerable dangers "of seas
and lands, to arrive to the land of their happy dreams, even if it
were only to lay their hands on its sod and die. It was this inexplicable attachment for a land from which they were separated by
�WHtHHtmmmmm
immmmmm
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o
The Holy City of Jerusalem, as it appears from the Mount of Olives.
�DECEMBER, 1931
7
thousands of miles and almost as many years, that gave rise to
numerous legends and ceremonies which added more halo and romance to a country, otherwise less fortunate than many others in the
same neighborhood, and less favoured by Providence and nature.
Jerusalem became the city "in the middle of the world," and the
city to which all the dead will be gathered in the day of resurrection. Those who could not go to Palestine and die there, have to
walk in dark, subterranean passages when the archangel Gabriel
blows his horn, and every soul answers the roll call to appear before the Great Judge. In their superstitious yearning for "Eretz
Yizroel," it was considered a soothing compensation for Jews who
die outside Palestine to sprinkle a little of its sacred soil between
the legs of the dead—the seat of, life.
Perhaps no Jew gave a more intense, sublime expression to this
yearning than Jehuda Halevi who lived in the 12th century in Spain,
in the heyday of Arab supremacy. He himself wrote in Arabic as
well as in Hebrew, and was well off in the country of his sojourn.
But there was a mysterious unrestfulness about him which seemed
to egg him on and prod him to visit Palestine. Life to him was
worthless unless that object was fulfilled, and he sang in longing
and anguish of that land of his forefathers that sometimes rose to
the heights of the Hebrew psalms, and were shot through with
references to biblical passages and incidents. Legend has it that
as he was within sight of his cherished dream he was shot by an
Arab soldier with an arrow, and so the Jewish poet died within a
stone's throw, so to speak, of the Temple, of which he had sung
so majestically and pathetically. Here is a typical song, perhaps
one of his best, of Jehuda Halevi, from the English translation of
Nina Salaman:
"Beautiful of elevation! Joy of the world!
City of the Great King!
For thee my soul is longing from limits of the west.
The tumult of my tenderness is stirred when I remember
Thy glory of old that is departed—thine habitation which
is desolate.
0 that I might fly on eagles' wings,
That I might water thy dust with my tears until they
mingle together.
1 have sought thee even though thy King is not in thee
and though, in place
�IT
!
8
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Of thy Gilead's balm, are now the fiery serpent and
scorpion.
Shall I not be tender to thy stones and kiss them,
And the taste of thy soil be sweeter than honey unto mer"
But neither in Jehuda Halevi nor any of his compatriots who
wasted themselves for Palestine do we hear a celestial note. For
while it is true that Aelia supplanted the time-honored name (Jerusalem), as Margolioth remarks, and the latter name began to be
used exclusively for "the heavenly city of devotional fancy
painted in more gorgeous colours than before," the Jews still clung
to the earthly Jerusalem, while Christians, whose Messiah had already come and was with the Father in heaven, lost all interest in
the earthly Jerusalem and concentrated it on the heavenly Jerusalem, and often was the former transfigured beyond all recognition of its geographic and historic identity.
Thus when a Bernard de Morlaix, who was contemporary to
Jehuda Halevi, sang of:
"Jerusalem the golden,
With milk and honey blest,
Beneath thy contemplation
Sink heart and voice opprest"
we are, sometimes, not quite sure whether the hymnodist had in
mind the heavenly or the earthly Jerusalem, or perhaps both in some
mystic union of devotional fancy and fervour.
Perhaps the ones who held the most realistic view of Palestine
were the Moslem Arabs who occupied the country in the seventh
century, the first to fall under their control in their swift and brilliant series of conquest after they sallied forth from their Arabian
homeland.
Yet, even the Arabs themselves did not want to be outdone
by the Jews and Christians in their devotion to Palestine, "the resting-place of the prophets, the descent place of the angels and of
inspiration." It was this desire to rival its sister Semitic, monotheistic religious in pouring its tribute to the "Sacred House," that
was back of that most audacious "revelation" of the "Isra," or
"nocturnal journey," from the Holy Temple in Mecca to "the
Furthermost Temple" in Jerusalem. At the same time of that
revelation, one year before the hegira, many of the believers themselves cast serious doubts on the Prophet's claim that that distance,
which took a whole month to cover by swiftly driven camels one
�DECEMBER, 1931
9
way and another month back, was actually traversed by him in one
night. There were no airplanes in those days, of course, nor did
the Prophet say that he rode on a magical carpet of wind. On the
contrary, Mohammed asserted that Gabriel supplied him with a
green mount, a cross-breed between a donkey and a mule, called
al-Buraq. Once in Jerusalem, Mohammed tied his miraculous
mount to a window outside the Temple wall, and to the present day
the Mughrabite custodians of the Buraq quarter point to you that
very window without any qualms of doubt or trepidation. Then
he entered the Temple, and behold Gabriel had gathered for him
all the prophets from their graves, and he led them in a short prayer of "two kneelings!"
In this way the transfiguration of Palestine became complete,
and the real, earthly Palestine put on a sheen of myth and sanctity
more mythical and more sanctified than realistic history could possibly justify.
It took a long and arduous campaign of historic and critical
scholarship to restore Palestine to its realistic proportions. Whole
books and monographs have been written and are still being written
to remove an endless number of illusions about the Holy Land, illusions that have no origin in fact, but were generously supplied by
the pious imaginations of devotees to a country so intimately and
inseparably linked with the cradle of their religions.
Mark Twain poked satiric fun at those religio-romantic tourists
who travelled up and down the Holy Land gushing forth exaggerated and unbridled sentiment about its unmatched beauty and
'undying glory. He was, on the contrary, impressed especially by
its ardity, the sordidness of its environment and lack of scenic
beauty.
To bring the realization of its proper dimensions
nearer to his r.rtaers in America he declares that "the State
of Missouri could be split into three Palestines, and there would
then be enough material left for part of another—possibly a whole
one." That this reminder of Mark Twain was not unjustified or
uncalled for may be appreciated from an incident which I beg to cite
from my own experience. Travelling one day in Ohio, some fifteen
years ago, I was engaged in conversation with a pious old lady who
was trying to win me to her peculiar form of religious vagaries and
convince me that the second coming of Christ was very near, within a few years at most. She gave me some literature to read in
which the descent of the Heavenly Jerusalem over the earthly one
was vividly described. The heavenly city was to be three hundred
miles in length and three hundred miles in width.
-
�10
rHE SYRIAN WORLD
"Do you realize, my dear lady," I commented as I read that
description, "that the heavenly Jerusalem you speak of would cover
twice the size of Palestine, and a large part of it would lie in the
Mediterranean Sea!"
Singling out a particularly sentimental tourist who had written
more fancy than fact about Palestine, Mark Twain describes him
as one who "went through this peaceful land with one hand forever
on his revolver and the other on his pocket handkerchief. Always,
when he was not on the point of crying over a holy place, he was
on the point of killing an Arab." Then he adds with a touch of
indignant irony: "More surprising things happened to him than
to any traveller here or elsewhere since Munchausen died!"
Mark Twain did a great service to the people of his generation,
and his "Innocents Abroad" is a classic of debunking which every
tourist, particularly to the Holy Land, should read.
Nevertheless the stream of sentimental literature about Palestine still goes on. But the banner of fervid eulogizing and romancing vagary today is not carried by Christian monks and tourists,
but by so-called "practical Zionists," who refuse to believe that
Palestine is too small, too barren and utterly unfit for ethnic, industrial and military considerations, to be the seat of a revived
Jewish state. Nor would they even read their own history with
eyes undimmed by the wish-fulhllments of their harried, persecuted
career in Palestine itself and ever since they were driven out from
it.
To Zionists in particular, and to all others who cannot or
refuse to separate in their minds between Palestine of fancy and
Palestine of fact, Palestine of religious romance and Palestine of
historic realism, I sincerely commend a recent book written by a
Jewish rabbi, a scholar and gifted writer, who took upon himself
the task of redrawing the whole history of the Jews in deft and
broad strokes that restore its true picture to us and place it in a true
perspective of history and balanced reason. This book, "Srranger
than Fiction," by Lewis Browne, is a great work of popularization
which brings within our reach the painstaking labours of hundreds
of scholars and historians—that disquieting tribe of indefatiguable
workers who ever insist on bringing us back to our senses and destroy our cherished illusions ithat have no roots in fact, and often
not even in fancy.
One paragraph from this book, describing Jerusalem in the
days of David, is sufficient to illustrate the spirit and aim of the
author:
�11 !PS"
DECEMBER, 1931
i
11
"When David took hold of Jerusalem," writes Mr. Browne,
"it must have been much like any other Canaanite town. From end
to end its length was probably that of ten of our city blocks, and
surrounding it was a tremendously high wall of stone.
The
houses were flat-roofed, one story huts of stone plastered with
mud} and there was no furniture inside them. The people ate and
slept on the ground, and the animals ate and slept with them. Horrid smells filled every corner of the town, for of course there were
no sewers and no street-cleaning department. Nasty insects buzzed
around everywhere, for refuse rotted in front of every house.
Savage, half-starved dogs prowled about, and here and there dirty
little children, naked save for the good-luck charms hung around
their necks, with bellies swollen from drinking foul water, and
faces covered with sores and scars, played amid the filth or ran
errands.
"Such was Jerusalem that became the capital of David's empire. There he established his harem of twenty or thirty wives—
and right proud he must have been of it, for in those days the might
of a monarch was largely judged by the size of his harem—and
there he served as high priest and chief justice and king."
Christmas Altar
By
ALICE MOKARZEL
There is a holy quiet here—
A sacred stillness that breathes a calm
Unto the troubled heart} a balmy incense
That seeks the weary soul and bids it rise
And behold the comfort of a thousand years
Revealed above the glamour of this shrine.
There are the gifts of Magi here—
In leaves that twine the golden cross,
And candles, soothing the beloved dark
Like pallid, love-lit soldiers, guarding
This world-heart of the hearts of men.
There is an unsung carol here
That fills the breast of king and shepherd,
And quells the tired and aching heart
That finds its solace near His bed.
3L««^..-<-
.-*,» -
-.
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
12
The Great Recurrence
By
KAHLIL GIBRAN
Author of "Jesus, the Son of Man/' "The Prophet," etc.
MANY centuries ago they said that the humble shepherds
of Judea and the wise Kings of Persia came to a manger
to worship the infant Jesus. They also said that the shepherds sang of peace and good will, and of love that binds
man to man; and that the wise Kings laid gold and frankincense at the feet of the Blessed Babe.
Today we children of the vast yesterday come to a
manger, which is in truth our solitude; each one of us a
shepherd who would have peace in the pasture of his
thoughts, and the good will of all the other shepherds—and
each one of us a King of his own destiny, who would lay
gold and frankincense at the feet of his greater self: gold
for assurance and frankincense for dreams.
You and I and all our neighbors would kneel before
the anointed genius of mankind, which is in us all.
And they say that Jesus was born in a cave even like his
forerunners, Orpheus and Methra and Zoroaster. They
said this for they knew that only the secret depths can give
birth to great heights.
�!
I
//
DECEMBER, 1931
13
II
I' I
And today, we, too, believe that vast souls, even as vast
worlds, move from darkness to light, and from oblivion to
recognition, from hidden roots to blooms that laugh in the
sun and dance in the wind.
But they said that the King of Judea decreed, in his
fear, the slaughter of all the newborn in the land, for he
was told even by the Persian seers that the infant Jesus
should overrule him and deprive him of scepter and diadem.
Today we in our fear of the unknown tomorrow would
slay the innocence in us that it may not be a stumbling block
in the path of our governing intelligence.
But, thanks be to the heavens above, there is for some
of us an Egypt for an escape and golden sands and palm
trees for safety.
If
We go there in faith, knowing that that which we
would save in us is the truth and the beauty which the angel
of our white nights so graciously taught us to love and protect.
Yea, it was in that distant yesterday when the genius
of our heart's desire was born, and the secret in our depth
was revealed to us, and the innocence in us sought escape
from the designing which is in us also.
And all this shall come to pass many times before we
reach our homecoming. It is the mystic recurrence of the
divine mystery before the face of the Son.
(Reprinted from the Herald Tribune, Dec. 23, 1928)
^SSSmSmmBBmn^mSm,-
�Co
*3
Symbolic of The Great Recurrrence.
o
to
�•DECEMBER, 1931
BARBARA YOUNG,
Editor
"The child is but a day old, yet we have seen the light of our God in
His eyes and the smile of cur God upon His mouth.
"We bid you protect Him that He may protect you all."
Kahlil Gibran
QOLD AND frankincense and myrrh
Never the celebration
of the Christmas holiday that these words do not ring in our
hearts like temple bells.
The poetry of the Yuletide is like the
poetry of no other time in all the twelvemonth of the year, even
as the poet whose birth we now remember, surpasses all other poets
who have lived and died upon this, planet; the Poet who lived his
poems and who left not so much as one written word on any parchment.
In that little bridge-country which has been an embattled field
since time began, in the midst of civil turbulence and inter-racial
violence, this Poet? and this Prince of Peace was born.
In the East, in the Arabic speaking countries, all princes have
been poets There were long ages when such a being as a king who
was not also a poet was unthinkable.
But the Poet of Nazareth, born, the churchlv reord reads "in
Bethlehem of Judea," has bequeathed to mankind a heritage of
poetry such as none other of any land, of any time, has left.
What he may actually have said reallv matters little after all
The divine beauty and power that invested his human person, the
mighty emanation from his ageless spirit lives and shall live a
persistent song in the deep heart of the race, and a golden word
upon its tongue.
�I I
16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
More poetry has been written in his name than in the name of
any other ten of earth's high spirits. And there is that in every remembrance of this Man which imparts a rhythm and a melody
even to the prose that takes his doings for its theme. The magic
of his being bestows a quality of music upon our common words
and every poet who puts quill to paper delights to ponder his ways
and nis comeliness.
"Then suddenly, one night,
I had a vision—we will call it so.
I saw a Young Man working with his tools,
Hammer and' plane and saw, beside a bench.
It was a room like this. Often he stopped
And looked away out through the open door
To the low hills. I heard him speaking, too
He was a comely fellow, very young,
Twenty perhaps, with eyes like mountain pools,
The kind you'd know would gather stars at night
In their dark depths. His hands upon the wood
And on the plane were like two conscious things
That breathed and thought and lived a separate life.
I've never seen two other hands like those,
Nor such a frame, compact like a young tree
And his face, Michael, it was like a god,
And like a child, and like a woman, too;'
But most of all it was a poet's face,—
A poet who could be a warrior
If need be, or a shepherd, or a king,
Or just a man, a village carpenter."
"T
*fc
^
sfc
Today there is a great stirring in the world above this world.
This Christmas Eve when the choirs from our great city churches
gather around the living tree that comes to visit Times Square, and
when the people of Becharre, far away in the Lebanon hills, go
through the snowy night, singing and carrying their lanterns to the
village sanctuary there will be also a mighty convocation in the
ether of those freed spirits who have achieved the heights since
last the Christmas carols escended from the hearts of earth to the
great Heart of Heaven. And if we shall listen in the innermost
of our being, who knows that we too may not hear the echo of a
heavenly host chanting the poetry of that world beyond this world?
I
�DECEMBER, 1931
17
Blithesome Boy
I think he was a blithesome Boy.
I think his words were clear and free;
I think he was as straight and brown
As some young tree.
I think his laugh rang down the wind.
I think he tossed his tumbled hair
And flung a snatch of simple song
Upon the air.
I think he lingered on the hills,
And learned the magic of the grass;
And knew the heart of every tree
That saw him pass.
And heard upon the mountain-top
The distant singing in the sun
From cedar branches blowing green
On Lebanon.
I
I think he came to Mary's door
With eager homeward-running feet,
And to his hungry human mouth
Her bread was sweet.
Yet he himself was bread, and wine,
And olive-branch and cedar tree,
And grass, and star, and shining depth
Of Galilee.
Oh, he was laughter and delight,
And he was pain, and tears, and death,
And every suffering, and joy
Of Nazareth.
He was all silence, and all song;
He was a cross, a diadem;
The Man of Sorrows, and the Babe
Of Bethlehem.
BARBARA YOUNG
from The Keys of Heaven
�IS
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Christmas Poetry
STILL THERE IS BETHLEHEM
All love and mystery in one little face.
All light and beauty in a single
star
That rose among the shadows, pure
and far,
Above an humble place.
All heaven in song upon a lonely hill,
Earth listening, fain and still.
The long years go; the old stars rise
and set,
Dreams perish, and we falter in
the night.
Still there is Bethlehem; could heart
forget
That loveliness, that light?
Shadows there are, but who shall
fail for them?
Still there is Bethlehem.
Nancy Byrd Turner
in Good Housekeeping.
CAROL
The Christ Child lay on Mary's lap,
His hair was like a light.
(Oh, weary, weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)
The Christ ChUd lay on Mary's breast,
His hair was like a star.
(Oh, stern and cunning are the kings,
But here the true hearts are.)
The Christ Child stood on Mary's knee,
His hair was like a crown.
And all the flowers looked up at
Him
And all the stars looked down.
Gilbert Keith Chesterton.
SECOND COMING
He found us like the deathly thief
In all our night of unbelief;
A new star, like the Magi's gem
Above a blind new Bethlehem.
He lighted up the little way
Of men lost fearfully in clay.
Firefly or foxfire he was not,
But some eternal burning spot.
Some fagot that the gods forgot,
Some alien torch that dropped in place
From bonfires on the fields of space;
With beauty almost blasphemous
He aureoled and haloed us.
And we who had not known before
The white of daisies by a door,
The white of cloud and sycamore,
Knew suddenly the feathered frond
Of angel's wings—and worlds beyond.
Though some men craven with their
fear
Shaded their eyes when he grew near,
Some men who did not dread the
glow,
Went close and were translucent so,
With souls like hexagons of snow.
For we who once were darkened glass
Through which men's gazes could not
pass.
Each opened and a rainbow was!
Ernest Hartsock
in The Best Poems of 1931
Thomas Moult.
/
�"DECEMBER, 1931
19
News and Views
By A
STAFF OBSERVER
ARE THESE GREAT MEN REALLY SYRIANS?
/
pAR BE it from us to advance any preposterous claim calculated
to nourish an unseemly racial vanity. But we cannot very well
omit, for the purpose of historical record, reference to some facts
which every now and then creep into public print and have a direct
bearing on Syrian ethnology. Our excuse is that since others discuss such matters openly we are entitled to the same privilege." In
saying this we do not mean to be apologetic; simply modest!
Upon the visit of Premier Laval of France to the United
States reference often was made in the American press to the fact
that he was of Arab blood. A writer in the New York Sun was so
positive of this fact that he attributed to it not only the French
Premier's "extreme swarthiness of complexion but also the impregnable placidity he exhibited in trying circumstances." A Syrian
lady who attended the dinner given in the Premier's honor in New
York called the office of the Syrian World the following day to
break the glad news that M. Laval was not only Arab but Syrian.
The secret had been revealed to her, she said, by someone who was in
a position to know, and we knowing the lady to be of judicious discernment were strongly inclined to credit her report, but for fuller
confirmation sought information of one of our French friends in
New York, M. H. Jules-Bois, a scholar and author of standing who
had lectured at the French Institute on the career of M. Laval under the official auspices of the French consul. M. Jules-Bois neither
affirmed nor denied, simply confining himself to the statement
that he did not know sufficiently about M. Laval's ancestry to render
eoKtscientious judgment. He was positive, however, that the distinct in France in, which M., Laval was.born is known to have been
settled by Moors centuries back, and the report that he had Arab
blood in his veins might not be devoid of truth.
•
So much for the' Premier of France. The other great man of
�20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
our time who is persistently referred to as a Syrian, and sometimes is
attacked for being one, is Arturo Calles, the strong man of Mexico.
Reference was often made in the pages of the Syrian World to the
«?i -?at ^fiieS WaS frecluently called by his political opponents
111-lurco The Turk. Some Catholic papers in the United States
who resented Calles' attitude toward the church traced his genealogy and asserted that his father was a Syrian immigrant who had
started as a peddler and later settled in the interior of Mexico as a
farmer and trader. It must be borne in mind that all Syrians
whether in the United States or in Mexico, were formerly classed
as lurks in the immigration records. In declaring their country of
origin they were entered as Turks because they were under Turkish
rule. Hence the contention of a Federal Judge in one of the Circuit Courts of the South that the Syrians were not eligible to American citizenship because they were of Mongol blood, the Turks being
originally of Mongol stock, and the Syrians, because they were under Turkish rule, were consequently Mongols. This view would
appear preposterous on the face of it, but the Syrians, nevertheless,
had to carry the case to the United States Supreme Court to prove
their descent from the white race.
This is by way of demonstrating how public conceptions are
at times deceiving, and why Calles should be called a Turk although
a Syrian. Calles himself is not known to have ever denied it In
the face of all attacks levelled upon -him in the heat of political
campaigns, he is not known to have uttered a word of explanation
as to his racial origin. He took the attitude that if his opponents
chose to call him a Syrian or a Turk, let them howl to their heart'content. He is what he is, a true Mexican determined to bring order out of chaos in that troubled country. This he seems to have
succeeded in doing with a display of energy, generalship and statesmanship that have won him great admiration. Perhaps in later
years, when his biography as the political saviour of Mexico is
written, his descent will be traced back to its true origin For the
present let us be content to advance the claim as it stands While
not positively claiming Calles as a Syrian, we cannot help recording
the fact that he is "accused" of being one.
Altogether out of this class, but equally famous in his own line,
is another celebrity whom some claim to be a Syrian. We refer
to that undefeated champion in the pugilistic ring Mr Gene
Tunney, the battling marine of pronounced literary proclivities.
Ihe Arabic press of New York on several occasions made capital of
the rumor that Mr. Tunney is none other than the son of Peter
/
I
�'DECEMBER, 1931
/ i
nI
if
I)
21
Touma, one of the famous companions of the Lebanese hero Joseph
Bey Karam who fought the Turks to preserve the independence of
Mt. Lebanon. Touma is credited with having attacked a Turkish
mountain battery single-handed, and after putting to rout the gunners shouldering the cannon and carrying it triumphantly to his own
camp. There does not seem to be as much substantiation for Tunney's claim, however, as for the others.
Of more intimate relation to the subject under discussion is
the revelation of the extent of Arab influence in the Argentine
Republic which came about as a result of the last revolution in
that country and caused the downfall of President Irigoyen in the
fall of 1930. The President was represented as the last of the caudillos, the fierce Arab horsemen credited with having brought about the
Republic's existence. An account of their romantic activities was
published in the October, 1930 issue of the Syrian World, from
which we reprint the following extract as reported by a staff correspondent of the New York Times writing from Buenos Aires:
"*** The downfall of Dr. Irigoyen definitely marks a new
era in Argentine history m an even more romantic sense, for it means
the passing from history of the old caudillos (pettv chieftains),
who were a product of gaucho civilization on the Pampas. Argentine owes its very existence to these gauchos who were wild nomad
horsemen, whose fathers handed down to them the Moorish blood
they brought from Spain in the days of the conquest and whose
mothers were South American Indians.
"The gauchos retained many characteristics of their Arabian
ancestors who had overrun Spain, and they formed a barrier between
the tiny outposts of civilization and the wild Indians of Pampas
who until the late '80s resisted Argentina's efforts to establish herself as a nation. ****The caudillos led the numerous civil wars
which for so many years retarded Argentine progress until another
gauch caud]llo, Juan Manuel de Rosas, set himself up as dictator
and ruthlessly wiped out all other caudillos who opposed him, thus
paving the way for organized government in Argentine ' Dr
Irigoyen is the last of the caudillos."
Commenting on this news at the time of its publication over a
year ago, the Syrian World made the following observations: "Had
a Syrian or Arab writer laid claim at any time to the Arab's exercising such a great influence in the social and political order of a
new and progressive country in the New World such as the Argentine Republic, his claim would have been branded as preposterous
Immediately the accusation would be made that we would want
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
to claim everything for the Arabs, the Phoenicians and other Eastern
peoples ***In the present case the Arabs are not advancing any
claim of influence. They are accused of having it
****That
this influence did not prevail until the end is not the question as
much as its having existed and lasted for so long a time in the history of Argentine, and having been so strong as to be the cause for
the safety of the country while it lasted."
ORIGIN OF CHIVALRY
|N A SERIES of articles by Karl K. Kitchen on present conditions
in Soviet Russia now appearing in the New York Sun, this American writer offers what may seem a novel explanation of the Russians apparent lack of chivalry towards women as compared with
other European races. Here are his exact words:
"It might not be amiss to explain one reason for the equality
of the sexes in the Soviet Union. The bulk of the races that inhabited this part of Europe did not take part in the great crusades
durmg the Middle Ages. The idea of chivalry never came into
their lives. Consequently women were never placed on a pedestal '
as they were in many other parts of Europe. And that is why today
women are treated exactly the same as men, in every phase of life
as well as before the law.
"This also explains the bad manners, or at least the lack of
consideration, which the vast majority of Russians have for women
And, on the other hand, it accounts for the sturdy type of selfsupporting, self-reliant woman that is encountered on every side "
The plain deduction is that chivalry, as it is known in Europe,
originated in the East as a result of the crusades. And it naturally
follows that it originated in Syria since Syria was the theatre of
war m those days and the main object of the crusades was to free
the Holy Land from the domination of the Moslems, and the Holv
Land is a part of Syria. The crusaders learned the rudiments of
chivalry from their opponents and brought it back to their homeands where it bloomed into its present form. Russia apparently
lacks chivalry because it did not contribute its quota to the host of
the crusaders.
There is no dearth of English literature on this subject Onlv
recently our Syrian scholar, Prof. Philip K. Hitti of Princeton
wrote a treatise on this subject which appeared in the April 1931
!
mi
ll
�H
1
DECEMBER, 1931
23
issue of the Syrian World. Those of our readers who desire further
enlightenment on this interesting topic may profitably refer to that
article, or better still, they may refer to his lengthy work on the
subject entitled'the Memoirs of Usamah, an Arab Syrian Gentleman
and Warrior in the Times of the Crusaders, published by the Columbia University Press.
EAST AND WEST
The following is an editorial of the New York Times of
December 7.
£)EDICATION of a building at the University of Chicago devoted to the investigation of early man—a building which
"finds no parallel in any other University, either in America or
abroad"—draws the Near East still nearer to the West. It is
in the East that the origins of the civilization we have inherited
are for the most part hidden; and the Oriental Institute under
Western skies seeks now to help man in a literal sense to "orient"
himself—to get his bearings and see in true perspective the history
of the human race. Especially is it to help bridge the gap between
the savage of the paleontologist and the historian's story of the
people who emerge in Europe as "civilized" beings.
Dr. James H. Breasted, with his general headquarters in this
building, has an army of diggers not alone with spades but also
with modern excavating enginery, directed by an archaeological staff,
on a 3,000-mile front, stretching frpm Luxor in Egypt northward
past Sinai, through Palestine and Syria to the uplands of Anatolia,
eastward and southward across Mesopotamia to Persepolis in Persia.
Many other groups are making independent research, but for the
first time a single organization is able to "control and correlate" research and excavation throughout the leading early civilization in a
"single composite construction" of the pre-European course of human life, when for thousands of years man was advancing along a
front as wide as the United States.
Of special significance is the evidence that in this period man
in Egypt began "to hear remote voices that proclaimed the utter
futility of material conquest." It was then that "conscience and
character broke upon the world." The coffin lids of Egyptians five
hundred years after the Pyramid age and millennials B. C. revealed
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
Ldshelfen" "^
bey nd
°
** ***"*** of food and drink
In the spacious walls of the Oriental Institute the East walks
again „ its beauty and majesty, but with sobering if hot fHghtontS
rssa past srv*? r ?
every bject
° ~ssni
were mmona
Y!
^ °J *?&**** that dreamed they
I^llM" , k
• ^/^ earthen fact is touched by the spirit of
n deaf T * ^ * ^ °n aS a ^mbo1 of druggie towa^
an ideal. The great winged bull that looks with steady eazeTto
mlTLWOdd "^ ^ bUt aU ear1^ d
oi human ni|ht-th
aPPeanng ab Ve the WmgS the stre
Sstin/th
, u°
'
"gth ^ the bull sug
Strden. ^ °f ^ ""** ** ^ *** «« P^ of beasl
it k iVCn-if thCSe rdiCS °f ' dead past cause disquiet in these days
~TrZ t ^Th^"'- Wkh Mn Fosdi^ peaking m th£
5S SaHf hi» the.a»?n«uW Peril that develops the human
spirit that ,t has, been ,n times of instability and not in hours nf
£llife'o? m^ grT,teSt C°ntributi0- "-been made to the cul
presLSav nhT' k ' *? ^ tdls US' b the words of a great
OMAR KHAYYAM-HIS GRAVE AND SHIRAZ WINE.
A RECENT press dispatch from Teheran announces that the
Persian government had decided to raise a tomb over the grave
of her great national poet Omar Khayyam, of Rubaiyat fame
whose remains reposed for nearly eight centuries at aXtance of
about four miles from Nishapur, where he was born almost un
marked and ,n a deplorable state of neglect. This tore7of the"
Persians in their famous poet is comparatively ^^SSd^fe
through the greater interest displayed in him by hi Western ad
SatilofTr0
aPP
rr -hiS P^^-P^y through the master^
Z I
L Fitzgerald. It ,s a well known fact that the Tentmaker, although famous as a mathematician and astronomer did
not enjoy among his countrymen the reputation of Hafiz aTd Sa'di
as a poet. Actually it was Fitzgerald who established Omar'
ThlS ]S
the
SetSnltor^r^ °onnethe
°f original,
""*practicallv
-^ants create,
wTi
the translator, by his improvement
a luminous and glamorous spirit out of wta^JS£~£3T
This does not preclude the other fact that in most caL the transla-
�'DECEMBER, 1931
/
25
tion never comes up to the standard of the original.
In commenting on the proposed action of the Persian government, the New York Sun quotes Professor A. V. Williams Jackson
of the department of Indo-Iranian languages of Columbia University, as describing Omar's tomb as "a simple case of bricks and
cement. Vandal scribblers, found in Persia as in every other land,
have desecrated it by scratching their names and making random
scrawls. A stick of wood, a stone and some fragments of shards
profaned the top of the sarcophagus at the time we saw it. There
was nothing else**** There were no evidences of the roses which
Omar had wished might mark his burial place, neither was there
fulfillment of his prediction that roses would fall in showers upon
his grave**** We wished for a taste from that jug of wine made
famous by Omar's line. Our messenger returned after a search
round the town, only to bring a vile specimen of Russian vodka."
This condition finds its counterpart in the grave of the other
Eastern poet Abul'Ula whose English translator is our own Syrian
poet Ameen Rihani. The philosophy of the Syrian poet transcends
that of the Persian. He is styled by some of his admirers as the
Oriental Dante. He antedates both Dante and Omar, and even has
a work on an imaginary visit to the nether regions, Risalat al Ghufran, much similar to Dante's Inferno. He also gave expression
to much of Omar's later philosophical tenets, but he did not sing of
wine and women and roses in such manner as to appeal to the popular fancy.
Why these and other Oriental poets are more honored abroad
than at home provokes thought. They live and die in want, although their songs are on the lips of city dwellers and desert
travelers. They give out of the overflowing of their hearts and
do not invoke copyright laws. Just how much Western poets are
subject to the same lot would bear discussion. But we do not wish
to trespass on the Poetry Department.
The remark of Professor Jackson on Persian wine is equally
interesting. For vile vodka to supplant the fine Persian wine is
tragic. Especially that one of the finest brands of European wine
owes its fame and popularity to Persian origin. This is on the
authority of the late Khalil Bey Aswad, a Syrian scholar who died
a few years ago in New York and had resided for a considerable
time in Persia. Cherry wine, he explained, is not a concoction of the
cherry fruit, but was so named after a certain method of brewing.
Originally it was known as "cherries wine," which is a corruption of
the original name of Shiraz wine, the similarity of sound being ob-
>
�26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
wi
t°nL ShJnZ 7*- in °ther WOrds "Persi
"e," was famous
m olden times for its superior quality, and when h* Portw^
first began to trade with Persia they discovered these virtuf of
Sh.raz wine, "which flows in the veins like liquid fire" TheV im
underwent ttie
tet^ZT
^^ * *
unuerwent
process of corruption.
^^
namc which
^*
PROMOTING RELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDS
JHlF AMERICAN HEBREW, Jewish national ^ , is
per
'
I
between
3
'JT^
^ fo8terin
* better
ng
between Ch'ri
Christian
and
Jew in America
and has
given "nde^id
a gold medaf
to be awarded each year to the "outstanding cSributoTto TntrT
religious comity and understanding." The movement w!
The very tact that such a movement has been «fJ,^
J
meeting with the approval of leading m n m„ ,g cLr fanTand
Jews indicates the existence of an amount of ill-wifl and mfsundTr
^andmg that is bound to be harmful if allowed to go u"he ked"
check k{s
.he eEf/tT:::? ?
0
ry
* ****** ^ =5
m t,ga,e
Lan Hebrew sS :S"o°do '° '
"' ThiS " Wh« tfe A «
The gratifying feature of the movement is that \t « k :
done with a method. People of the West work along^e piLs and
their efforts are consequently rewarded with success W "f the
East conceive of brilliant ideas and act on them Siv i response
to sudden impulses, and fail to achieve lasting result's The ex
ample of the West should carry a lesson.
" "*"
the n.T thC pr°mulgation of the Ottoman Constitution in iyU
1908
the people went into transports of iov and Ch ,'
° .
°
Moslem Sheikhs were known to hav^em^c5ouS]f^ "
structure ot the btate. Representation n Lebanon also is deter
ter
mmed along religious lines.
"
.
ft
�DECEMBER, 1931
BAHIA AL-MUSHEER,
27
Editor
THE DIETETIC VALUE OF SYRIAN FOOD
Y^ERY often we hear Syrian parents remark (and some complain)
that their children have lost their taste for Syrian dishes and
speculate about the cause, advancing theories for it, sometimes
rational and sometimes otherwise. That a large percentage of our
children partake of Syrian dishes under protest is, I regret to say, a
fact. It makes it hard for the old folks because they enjoy the
dishes on which they were brought up, and they consider it an unnecessary sacrifice on their part to submit to the whims of their offsprings. To him who appreciates the value of diet, this attitude of
our young generation should be a cause of great concern. I say this
because of my conviction, which is based on study, that our dishes in
their dietary values and in their flavor, are second to none. Here
I want to take exception to the statement often voiced by some to
the effect that Syrian dishes are, as they put it, "heavy", meaning of
course that one's stomach feels overloaded after finishing with a
meal. As a matter of fact, it is not that the dish in itself is "heavy"
but that the portion of it with which they load their stomachs is excessive. I will admit one point, however, and that is this: By faulty
preparation, one will make any dish "heavy" and indigestible. For
instance, what can be worse than "Dawood Basha" served with a
half inch of fat floating on the surface of its gravy, and the rice
swimming in butter? So when I say faulty preparation I mean the
Jack of judgment in the balancing of the ingredients, and the
failure in cooking or rather curing of them. Then there is the
question of the combination of dishes. In this we often make
grave mistakes, especially when we have guests and are afraid lest
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
m olden times for its superior quality, and when the Portuguese
first began to trade with Persia the/ discovered these vTrufTTi
Shiraz wine, "which flows in the veins like liquid hre.» The im
gm
undent
T'corruption.
^ " itS °ngmal
underwent thet
the process of
1
name which
» *«
PROMOTING RELIGIOUS UNDERSTAND!MrMERIC AN HEBREW
TTe fn
f
' ^^o^^,
is
f r foSt
b
bet^L^SS^
^rr^l
°
.
-^
^ter underLnding
oetween Lhristian and Jew ,n America and has given a eold medal
to be awarded each year to the "outstanding contnbutor to mtra
religious comity and understanding."
The movement w,
fc
PiiritYv} iV. loin
J r
i
iuu\ement was inau-
Ihe very fact that such a movement has been «t*r^
J
izi
I eeffoi ^h';:;^ ?checkm * isgateby rec°»"
"g £££*£
TWS is Wh
the Am
ica!, Hebrew S«°OU "OT' " '"
"
"
"
The gratifying feature of the movement is rhit ;. ;. u„done w,th a method. People of the West wlT
f
their efforts are conseque^tlyfetrf d Uh sutsf "^rfthe
East co„ce,ve of brilliant ,deaS and act on them h dy in respo.se
Moslem Sheikhs were bi, to tl^S^SS^t^
n the course of popular demonstrations. This seems to have h" n
but a momentary flare which soon died out. wS, the firs,exdte
structure oi the bta^e. Representation n Lebanon also lb
is defer
deter
mined along religious lines.
"
�DECEMBER, 1931
BAHIA AL-MUSHEER,
27
Editor
THE DIETETIC VALUE OF SYRIAN FOOD
y/ERY often we hear Syrian parents remark (and some complain)
that their children have lost their taste for Syrian dishes and
speculate about the cause, advancing theories for it, sometimes
rational and sometimes otherwise. That a large percentage of our
children partake of Syrian dishes under protest is, I regret to say, a
fact. It makes it hard for the old folks because they enjoy the
dishes on which they were brought up, and they consider it an unnecessary sacrifice on their part to submit to the whims of their offsprings. To him who appreciates the value of diet, this attitude of
our young generation should be a cause of great concern. I say this
because of my conviction, which is based on study, that our dishes in
their dietary values and in their flavor, are second to none. Here
I want to take exception to the statement often voiced by some to
the effect that Syrian dishes are, as they put it, "heavy", meaning of
course that one's stomach feels overloaded after finishing with a
meal. As a matter of fact, it is not that the dish in itself is "heavy"
but that the portion of it with which they load their stomachs is excessive. I will admit one point, however, and that is this: By faulty
preparation, one will make any dish "heavy" and indigestible. For
instance, what can be worse than "Dawood Basha" served with a
half inch of fat floating on the surface of its gravy, and the rice
swimming in butter? So when I say faulty preparation I mean the
lack of judgment in the balancing of the ingredients, and the
failure in cooking or rather curing of them. Then there is the
question of the combination of dishes. In this we often make
grave mistakes, especially when we have guests and are afraid lest
�28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
1 Let
Set !" Ir^tfrf :;
h
r **« - * ^
of New England bXTdiJ.
«""H <=Tf at to a meal composed
and pie; We a e servil A
' JT hAed beans> roast beef
manner'they are ser-edf,, A"1"' " ^ * °Ur ,abJe in "><= -e
our guests and "ur ^ "^K? °T' * ,he °*»—« of
ment when we serve our native" dthes"°
* "' "* ""* J"^
I
dishes ^f nltrVVtU" and"" "'" ? ^ aS in fla
«
our forbears, by ns<meteSertce „ "^S" 'SS"e' ' hi"ted that
made us heirs to ,^3
exped,e„ency,or all of these,
feeding. TS statemet may stank Sot am0ng
°f '^
^ "» °*
us who are
ogetic about their race n nd „!
.
*Poling good coming ~ tf ^S^ETS^ £» &
starting po,„t and our younger eenerari
j u
°k to the
wards our native food I seeln rh, 7 i •"" the'r att,tudes t0"
a
down upon what is our own r
A
'°" °" ,he mV w J°ok
telligenf reflectionas!£
H * % ^^ a Study « *say that one shou d be bli, dlv J , "0t mea".f°r one mome'« *>
and his own ways and ta^hlv"' **?"* °^ °f himsdf
s
somewhat like this- "Fat what J
* ^T6 '" Arabic that
others." I should'modi^th fer^'v '
2* pk^
a
* simple as possible^ ft££5 SSfe* »
A MENU FOR AMERICAN GUESTS
I
they have m^J^iS^^T °^
°f °U![ kdish-> -d
01
were good for them I Xit IhTi
' J" ^^
w they
f the
al
a great deal of thought n ordt J makV > SImple
$"?**alatable
°
healthful. Perusal of the mCnU
mlnn ddleS not lve
' P
and
it is a fact.
°
S
^at impression, but
Supposing I should give a sample:—
I
�DECEMBER, 1931
29
Lamb broth with small meat balls, garnished with minced
parsley, and lemon juice.
Mushroom, or Okra, or String Bean Stew with side of rice
Broiled Kibbi
Vegetable salad, lemon juice and oil dressing.
Fruits in season.
15
PROPER ROASTING
JN ROASTING chicken or turkey, let me suggest placing the bird
in the roasting-pan first on one side, then on the other. When
two-thirds done, lay at breast up. This will brown it evenly and
prevent the breast meat and drumsticks from over-cooking and becoming too dry.
HOW LADIES COULD USE IDLE HOURS
i
I
\^/HAT are our young ladies and matrons who have time to spare
doing with it? Time was when they used to pride themselves
on the articles they used to make for their own personal use or for
their future or present homes. I realize that knitting, tatting and
embroidering are passe, still there is something not only beautiful
and useful when it is done, but is fascinating in the making, and
like a fine oriental rug, increases in value as the days go by Moreover it is very fashionable. I refer to needle point Patterns could
be bought with the required yarn for them. I recommend the renaissance design. Some of them have petit-point centers already
worked out and the finished pieces for a chair or cushion have nothing to be desired insofar as artistic effect and richness and durability are concerned. By the way, I read somewhere that there are
2,850 stitches to the square inch in the petit-point work.
But don't be frightened, this comes already worked out in the
pattern and all you have to do is to fill out the needle point part
of it.
*
The best part of it is that you can work on it while listening
to the radio.
°
�r
THE SYRIAN WORLD
30
A Party for Aneesa
A SHORT STORY
By
EDNA
K.
SALOOMEY
"THE SUN snuggled a bit in the misty horizon and then, as though
resigned to December bleakness, it flung its rays through the
morning haze, directly into the windows of the Faris kitchen.
Mariam, wife of Khalil Antoun Faris, was unaware of the
wonderful panorma without, so busy was she preparing Khalil's
breakfast. She hustled from the pantry to the stove, from the
stove to the table.
For twenty years she had been rising early for this daily task.
She would no more have dreamed of remaining asleep and letting
Khalil get his breakfast as best he could, than she would have
thought of being separated from him except by death. This task
was done not from a sense of duty; it was to her a ritual.
In her pink, cotton dress, with her curly black hair, which was
streaked with gray, and her rosy, fair complexion, she was indeed
a delectable housewife. Her black fringed, dark brown eyes had
a very naive, kindly expression which belied all her efforts to appear
as the ultra-modern wife of Khalil Antoun Faris, the successful
merchant. The only streak of vanity she had, was her pride in
having acquired enough knowledge of English to read newspapers.
Her reading was confined mostly to the social page.
Mariam was setting the table for two. Aneesa, a girl of
eighteen and the only child, never arose in time to breakfast with
her parents. By virtue of having completed her high school course
shortly before, which was a rare achievement in the eyes of her
parents, Aneesa was privileged to sleep late.
The glowing coals in the grate made the kitchen pleasantly
warm. On top of the stove, the coffee bubbled tempestuously in
the percolator. To one side was a frying-pan in which eggs were
sizzling in elive oil. On the table was a dish of fat, juicy olives
which had ripened in some Syrian grove; a dish of laban, and one
of dates stewed in sugar. There were small, flat disks of Syrian
bread, baked especially for Khalil. Mariam did not like to see him
"»
i\
�"DECEMBER, 1931
'.
I
I
31
making cartwheel of slices of American bread, which he did by removing the inner part and eating the crust.
When Khalil entered the kitchen, he found his wife placing
the frying-pan of eggs on a hot-pad in the middle of the table. He
greeted her perfunctorily and she answered him in the same vein.
Their love needed no verbal reiterations or effusive greetings.
"How do you feel this morning? Is your cold better?" she
asked solicitously.
"I'm much better. I didn't cough very much during the
night. This looks like a cold day. I expect we'll sell some blankets and oil stoves today. Are you coming down to the store?"
Khalil had a department store and always thought of the
weather in terms of his business.
"Yes. Aneesa needs a new hat, and she and I are going down
town together. I think I'll select a party dress for her at the same
time."
"Party dress? What, does she need another one already?"
Manam did not answer his question. Quite frequently since
he married her, she had surprised him with some new idea; and
this time, she took a round about way to do it.
"I was reading last night about the big partv the Morgans
gave for their daughter, and I think we ought to give a party for
Aneesa," she said.
"What, are you comparing us with J. P. Morgan?"
"No, no. Habeebi, do you think I've lost my mind? I mean
the Morgan family that owns the big laundrv in town. You've '
seen their ads, haven't you?"
_ "Certainly, I have; but I don't know all about their family
affairs."
"Well," she said eagerly trying to arouse his interest, "they
have a daughter the same age as Aneesa, and they had a wonderful dance for her last night at the hotel."
"If they sneeze, do we have to sneeze too?" He was not impressed by the information, nor convinced of the necessity of having a party for Aneesa.
"Every night I read in the papers about this family and that
having parties for their daughters. Why, do you suppose, they
have these affair*? Well, just ^o that their daughters ran meet the
nice kind of people. How do you expect Aneesa to meet anybody,
if she doesn't have a chance?"
"If that's the case," he answered, "what more do we want?
DonV. we have a lot of company? Weren't the Doumits here last
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
night, and wasn't the family nf R„u
and weren't Father Daher and ,1 ^J- i Tbn« us on Tuesday,
people come to cur house ''
^ ^ h$t Week! M V
II
frie„dsD° T
vZk^T !° ""* ''< ^ m«ts «* Y
d Mr Ab
bond's broeherh „ i; fotnseveenmeTre *??"
"
"
her t0 meet more
young people, and you know fh" /
JT
house, she can't become ,
!» We don < lnvite them to the
instan'ce, Peter Mansour" '"^ W'th them d*«*^- For
ft
TO
to
to vigour ^me^l'Stw » IT '"
^ "'duce him
enough for him wltolTvin7a X-^ °» ^ —
(
Wm
too obvi uTwav' "ifwe^ave """ 7' hI "S,
° "'"* w
» - «*
W,il see h
how pretty Aneesa is I,
I ^7' f
e live, and
Pretend„. we're
ha", J*
/ Vu^
"' *rfolks
^" dress' We'll
,
.f; aa trtv
Party lor
the young
I1
R
wished «o8have her'wifn us'a h7 1 " »' * f *»
when we have to do the courting »
" tlmesth«e are,
Ws
and
tor
needed!
^t^
^
^
«-«*
was necessary XllS' to obtan, his approval, which
asked for his approval if e
fnakm
fu-'"8 °' m°ney' She always
"We would,V I, T
""
S y expensive plan
the C
in
Sht
Si
"We h v;I « 2 ±S?! , T f'"
' "" P- ^"tly.
Why shou,d
different fron other people J^ ^^
We could have sucn ffc^S^ ** **
3 P raSan eVMin
25?FS
tdT I '
;
^ >*
Child
?
«" -W-W to him.
termed, he w'Lsplbl 0
^ he nThl'""' *
.T* * mi?ht b=
a d he
hospitalitywathtvpicalSvrh ! t T
^ "
dispensed his
a
S
He
than hava'ng a h, useful 0wl f'r - u fJ^ nothing more
perfect evening for na SSu off 'fF
'? "T ^^ A
feW fr,ends
dred or pinochle.
"
Paying two hum
So, as he arose from thp tiU]„ „„A
We
eoat, he said hurriedly "IV 1 '
'" t0 PUt on his hat and
P r per
Mariam, we're not worry ill
?'"'" f , ° - B"t, remember,
and all Peter Mansour's Ze
" ""t^ f°r 0Ur *««**
his family in ^Z^Zy
,"0'^ to ""• Wh« ~
to- "7Z^^m7£l^^^"^
'
>
wiJJ become worse."
ULir colcl
^^^^^^
-
-
'
•
i n
�DECEMBER, 1931
n
Mariam had obtained official approval of her plan. She bemmenT i^Y engrOSS'd 'm ^ranging the party as any socially proWJth the aid
mar
e for
^T*A
"^ ^
**""*»*
retaries
her daughter's
debut **'
at the
Waldorf-Astoria °* secAnd, after giving his approval, Mr. Paris completely forgot
X*e e,nt'rI matt5r' u»tiJ °
^ning, three weeks later, his
Hire reminded him of it.
^ordered a turkey for tomorrow night," she informed him.
J,, Cyr , loU r^°,ng to give us turkey for Christmas dinnpi,
nei * It s six days to Christmas."
"No, no. I ordered it for the party."
"Party? What party?"
''What? Have you fogotten that we're having a partyy tomorrow night for Aneesa?"
'-Would you believe it, I forgot all about it? Who and who
is coming: '
rfrf, ' oathec Pah"r' ?T/
Ph in
ATK
1 M
^ ' iT-
Mansour
> *** Khouri, the Milhim
Cr Sim0U and Nazira D Umit
r '
°
> and
Ihilip Abboud and his wife Helany. I asked Simon and Philip
especially for your sake so that you would have company when the
yoi-ng people dance. Father Uaher will have to leave early because he promised to see some people to-morrow evening " ' '
Are you prepared for such a large group? Shall I order
anything today:"
"Nothing is needed," his wife assured him. "Shall we hive
arak or imbeed?"
"Have both, and I've got something that Simon likes. What
are you going to have for the supper, turkey?"
His wife put his fears to rest regarding the pkntifulness of
food .he named six dishes, any one of which would have sufficed
tor the mam course.
He was satisfied with everything, until she said, "Khali!
take yorr tuxedo to the tailor today for a pressing "
^Tuxedo? What for? I'm not going to a banquet."
1 his is a formal party, and you should wear your tuxedo "
Suppose Simon and Philip come and- find me wearing a
tuxedo, when they surely won't wear one."
"Is this their party? You're the owner of this house, and
you re the one to wear a tuxedo tomorrow night. Peter Mansour
will wear one, I'm sure."
"Well," he drawled, "from now till tomorrow night
I'll
6
think about it."
'
�*"***•
34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Mariam Fans had won her point again
UherVrU anticiPa,ted the Party wit" more pleasure than Aneesa.
It her mother was planning it especially that Peter Mansour might
open his eyes to Aneesa's charms, she was as ignorant of that plan
as nt was. Her joy was inspired by the anticipation of seeing Paul
Mumer whom she liked better than any boy she had evef met
She really loved him, which fact she would not have discussed eTe
ment wT° " 2? ^ ^ *"** j" loVe ^ one's engage
Z Ihter "n!10UnCfd- A"d Aneesa, being the typical, obedient
yP , C nSer VatlVe Parents l0Ved Paul from
Shes,whim
•
r K °on the
"far.
L street when ' passing with her mother
SAe saw h.m ,n church,
ind aiin '
T um at ChUrch S0daIs' hdd °»ce « winter
S Cials Paul alwaVS asked A
d cat h HSPnnWh,C
^- u^ th£Se
°
'
'^sa to
for n *rih
'
V?lS Possible as the dance was being held
to, a worthy cause, and he never danced with any one else
as sh< w-TT " C? u1 ab<i)Ut concealil^ hi* own affections for her
as she was her's for him because he wished to be certain that the
tUal
rC makmg PUWk th£ faCt he J
AsTLTn r
"d ° n
t,ng an inkli
from her
ca
of letting
11
T^
' ' take
*? its own course.
'^
caste of
the matter
oved her!
& was
Paul > was
wisea
n that rs F s was not
de
u"g7t:i
r
^
^
^^
of for a
salary
nhim fo, a son-in-law. HeHwas
wasearning
em edgoodly
at --
:; nd° rr^r- /
a
^ » £2^
too Seated on the outskirts of the town, and his only claim to
Wledge
P,a 1CS Which he had
"
H°
^/^a
of
l „I was
'" entrusted
; WaS rto81^
01 airplanes
him.
Bete/fenSS WaV10t intCrefed in
home Seated
TTf ^^
he JuS"" rt
' '
'~ £
>kiIlt>d aviator and the testing
PauJ
'* Prowess as she was in
°
P-ssive
h ldingS and his im
nCarJy thirt
>'^evc'b which to Aneesa implied that
His^ financial rise had made him a bit conceited and perhaps justifiably so, as he had earned his success by the dint of his own hrewd
ness and tireless efforts. He was much sought after by d signmg
and thc
the Catered
"a ^ et
r't^r
IT*
"^
««
"
°
d 1 I
l
f"^ He respected the Farises
Sh,e
from
a great deal, knowing that to Khalil Faris character and breeding
SUSpectin f r
e
M"
Tl?
« ° °»the
~S32
M.s. FarTwh
Fans, who "
was"""^
so Proud,
had even entertained
thought of
^B*"**mBJBBnHHHBHisF
�DECEMBER, 1931
35
his marrying Aneesa; so discreet had she been in her planning.
The night of nights arrived. Mariam Fans was too excited at
the prospect of having so many guests and by her efforts to carry
our her plans to perfection. She worked unceasingly from dawn
sweeping and dusting, washing the best china dinner set, laving out
her best linen cloth and napkins. She had cooked the entire meal
herself. Aneesa had shopped for fruits and had arranged the
flowers in the living room and dining room.
When Khalil returned from his store that night, he found
Mariam wearing a black velvet dress; her hair lovelier than ever;
her face rosy with excitement, and her eyes sparkling with the
thought of gaining many social laurels for the evening.
She scarcely said hello to him, she, was so anxious to have him
dress quickly.
"Yallah," she urged him, "everything is ready for vou
I
.pressed your tuxedo myself yesterday, and you'll find it on the bed
I our socks and tie are on the dresser. I purposely dressed early so
that we wouldn't get in each other's way."
"All right," was all he said. He knew that the occasion demanded acquiesence because Mariam was too intently thinking about
other things to listen to anything he might say. He didn't like to
rush, he preferred to contemplate everything slowly and to talk
matters over with her. But as they had no way of knowing how
soon the guests would arrive, it was necessary to be ready in time
to greet the first arrival.
By seven-thirty, every one would have come, except, perhaps,
the Doumits. Mrs. Doumit was a bit like Mariam in her desire to do
everything according to etiquette. She always insisted on her husband's delaying their arrival at any affair, because she was certain
that an early arrival was an indication of lack jf etiquette. The
more attention she gave to etiquette, the less she knew about it.
This evening Mariam was hoping and praving that the Doumits
would not be too long arriving, lest the food spoil from overcooking.
Scarcely had Khalil finished adjusting his tie, when the door
bell rang. Aneesa paused to greet her father, and was going down
to open the door when Mariam stopped her.
"Aneesa, you don't need to open the door. Let Flora open if
that's what I hired her for."
This was the first time that Khalil knew that his wife had
hired a maid for the evening. The thought of Mariam's piling
up so many expenses, all for a party, depressed him a little. His
�mm
36
?
THE SYRIAN WORLD
regrets were compensated, however, by the sight of Mariam looking so charming in her black velvet dress with its dainty lace yoke
andi sleeves; and his heart filled with pride because Aneesa was so
lovely m her white tulle dress with its rose sash.
lhe bell rang again.. Mariam was provoked. «I knew that
VC bC a hdp She thinks Pm
wwash
T dishes
dT r
I ^ P^g her J«st to
tonight. Aneesa, open the door, while I speak to
The guests were certainly convinced of Mariam's culinary
skill that evening. The dinner was excellent; it was a meal for
the imbeed
(wine
and the
lu^Zl- uil r?^ ^
^
"something
else which khalil brought out inspired much speech making. Father Daher spoke eloquently of the host. Mr. Doumit attempted
a lengthy toast in his best classical Arabic, and Philip Abboud was
content to say a brief wish for the health and happiness of all.
Manam was highly elated. The party was proving a huge
success. She was wondering just how to arrange for the rest of
the evening, after everyone had finished eating. Of course, Aneesa
must play a few piano selections.
The guests gathered in the living room. The men sat in a
group near Father Daher, and were soon engrossed in a political
discussion. The young people commenced to feel restless. The girls
talked together and the young men listened dutifully to Father
aher. U hen father Daher arose to leave, every one arose to bid
him good-night.
evn, fWhik unm 7S listening to Father Daher's appreciative
expressions, Khali] took matters into his. own hands.
tUrnmg to
1
ui'" hWill
x^SMdyou
play
pinochle.
playf"
to pkC>e>rtainJy'" ^^
b th
°
Phili
agreed
'
P
and Simon
"We
Want a fourth
"Do you know how to play pinochle, Paul?"
he arranged the bridge table.
2juh * d'd- ^Ut' 1
y U WOn,t be
Peter?"
°
donh kn0w the ki
a hel
P
then
-
Doumit, "Let's
Person
Khalil asked, as
"g from the jack."
about you, Mister
How
wurtalniy'-Mn Faris" VU be glad to Play with you."
\\ hen Manam re-entered the room, after seeing Father Daher
off, she found her husband and his three friends seated around
the table, intent on bidding. She was angry at Khalil for having
suggested the card game,.which she was certain from past experience
he had done. This was. not her idea. If. Peter Mansour spent the
j)
�'DECEMBER, 1931
57
evening playing pinochle what was the good of having this party?
She spoke to Mrs. Doumit and to Mrs. Abboud. The vbung
SoLT ****** kughing,. seated in a circle neaV thf
VKtrola Aneesa was sitting next to Paul, which didn't relieve her
mother's consternation.
Mariam thought of calling Khalil out on a pretext. She went
into the kitchen, and called to Aneesa, asking her to te 1 Kha
that he was wanted. -Aneesa went to her father
"Papa mother wishes to see you for a minute."
But Khalil had an excellent hand and he wanted to score as
^ri^er
erj Philip Abboud
>
TO
i
^ ^* i-s?5
"See what your mother wants, Aneesa. Tell her I'll be
through in a few minutes. Let's see what we can do, partner." He
became oblivious of everything but his game.
Aneesa told her mother that Khalil would come in later
Kh,l^ai]r WaS PrOV(*ecL What was the use of trying to call
Khalil s attention to anything, now that he had started. ' She Jjoined
her friends, Nazira and Helany.
The guests had divided into three groups: the ladies were
grouped by themselves, Khalil and the older men, including Pe
Mansour, were busily playing pinochle, and the younger people
were dancing. Paul Munier was having the best time of a^ he
was dancing to his heart's content with Aneesa
'
ty
Sa
1
one assured
Paris that
tlatesuch
,renjoyable
Ti^
^^
Mariam
*ans
such an
time ^
was had
only rarely. Khalil
felt
grateful inwardly; it had been so pleasant to have had a house fu 1
tS and
feClmg
piilinehhad
H won ^
-Philip
the^
game.
eSpedalJ
^
Cheerful be
--e"e fa,d
her se^tTm^rlf ^^
\^
•* W°uld be P6^ to mention
SC
hlS haVmg draWn Peter
a Ld T
' T r Jf
Mansour into
a card game; and she did not wish Aneesa to know that she had
deliberately planned the evening in order to have Pete- become
better acquainted with them.
income
%
Aneefa^hed Tan^ R^S ^"t "f
5'
"Yes" and W was about ^t^^^^
conversation, which lasted only three minutes or so
"Who was that?" her mother asked, curious to know who
could be calling them after midnight.
"Paul Munier. He called up to say goodnight."
�18
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"What's that?" her father questioned. "He was just here
saying goodnight.
"Well," she answered evasively, "he wanted to call me up to
say it again."
"He certainly must have rushed home," Mariam said.
"He wants to come over tomorrow night," Aneesa announced
shyly. "He wants to speak to you, papa, and to mama. He asked
me if I would like to have him speak to you, and I didn't say no;
I didn't say anything."
"What's this? What's this?" Khalil asked.
"Why, he wants to marry Aneesa and he will come over to get
our approval," Mariam replied, impatiently and resentfully. She
was blaming this turn of affairs on Khalil's card party, which had
thrown Paul and Aneesa together and deprived Peter Mansour of
an opportunity to observe Aneesa's charm. She was tired by the
thought of having done so much in vain.
"We'll discuss the matter tomorrow," she told Aneesa. "It's
very late, we should go to bed. I have to be up early to get your
father's breakfast."
"I'll get up early tomorrow, mama. You stay in bed," Aneesa
urged her. She felt that she would want to be up early, there was
so much to look forward to; and she knew how tired her mother
must be. .
"Don't you believe it," her mother answered firmly. "When
I have a fever of 102, I'll stay in bed. You go up to bed now, else
you will be too tired tomorrow to help me with the work that
needs to be done."
"Good night, papa. • Good night, mama," Aneesa said, kissing
them.
"Good night Aneesa. By the way, what time is Paul coming
over tomorrow night?"
"He didn't say, papa. But he told me to tell you that he will
learn to play pinochle and that at present all he knows is a queen
when he sees one. He means me, papa."
�39
.BER, 1931
VECF
100K REVIEWS
JANei
A BOOK OF SENTIMENT AND FACT ON A GREAT
SYRIAN POET
A Study of Kahlil Gibran, by Barbara Young. Privately
printed First Edition limited to 250 copies numbered and autographed by the author. The Gibran Studio, 5 1 West 10th Street,
New York. $2.50.
In this handsomely printed brochure on her friend Kahlil
Gibran, Barbara Young writes not as a dry biographer citing facts
in chronological order, but as a poet who records her impressions of
the great epic poem that was Gibran's life. Dexterously she outlines his racial background, giving a glimpse of the rustic surroundings, almost feudal conditions in which he was born and reared,
but does so subtly, almost unconsciously alluding to the facts only
as details in the broad scheme depicting the many-sided genius of
Gibran. And of the intimate details of his earlier and later life she
has copious knowledge, gained through her long friendship and literary association with this gifted son of Lebanon who has won by his
innate goodness of character and consummate perfection of his art,
both of pen and brush, the love and admiration of so many kindred
spirits among the children of the West. Even to us, his own countrymen, some of the details weaved into the mosaic of the account
came as a revelation of the author's vast store of accurate and intimate knowledge. It is apparent that only Gibran himself could
have supplied the information, in reminiscent moments when the
two friends discussed their earlier lives and later aspirations. And
this Miss Young now uses so well in producing this "Study of
Kahlil Gibran," which is as much a fitting tribute to his greatness
as a monument to her own great devotion.
1
PHHHBnHHnnRMHpnn
�40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
KAHLIL OIBRAN
Photographed in his studio by Mrs. Pliny Fisk a few
weeks before his death. From "A Study of Kahlil Gibran."
�DECEMBER, 1931
41
The, illustrations in the booklet, some consisting of hitherto
unpublished photographs of Gibran, and to which only Miss Young
seems to have access, span the whole life of the poet-artist from
his early youth to his closing days. A facsimile of an original manuscript and a pen-and-ink sketch by Gibran done in his student days
in Paris add considerably to the value of the work.
It is evident that Miss Young does not intend her present
work to be a complete biography. It is an appreciative study, but
nevertheless factual and illuminating. It is most welcome as an
authentic, and so far the only literary treatise extant, on Gibran's
life. For this Miss Young can lay just claim to the gratitude of
Gibran's countrymen, who surely wish to assure her of it unstintingly. In years to come, it is their hope that she will accomplish
her announced task of making a fuller study of Gibran with a viewto a more complete biography.
RESURRECTING THE GLORY OF SYRIA
History of Palestine and Syria, by Prof. A. T. Olmstead, New
York, Charles Scribner's Sons. 644 pp. Illustrated. $7.50.
pHERE IS a group of men in the West whose devotion to the
cause of scientific research, backed by the wealth of organizations
and individuals who appreciate the importance of retrieving the
hitherto lost record of human progress, is bringing untold blessings
to human enlightenment. These men are practically recreating
history. They have resurrected the East and restored to it its
prestige as the cradle of the race and the birthplace of civilization.
In the words of Prof. James H. Breasted at the dedication of the
Oriental Institute, "It was in the Near Orient that man began to
hear remote voices that proclaimed the utter futility of material
conquest, and conscience and character broke upon the world."
Professor Olmstead is a co-worker with Professor Breasted
at the Oriental Institute. His latest book on the history of Palestine and Syria is a companion volume to his earlier History of Assyria and represents the summary of all historical records, whether
long known or of recent discovery, in Syria and the Near East from
the beginning of time to the Macedonian conquest. The work bespeaks the most exhaustive thoroughness and scholarly research.
As a book of reference it is invaluable, but it can also be highly
�42
THE SYRIAN WORLD
recommended as a readable book on general historical information.
The author has the happy faculty of creating "atmosphere", of
treating what would be generally considered dry, technical material in a manner readily understood and relished by the layman, although never swerving from his objective and incorporating in his
account all the scholarly information he means to convey. As
such it proves useful not only to the scholar but to the general
reading public. Those whose racial origin is rooted in Near Eastern
countries should be particularly interested in this work.
Porfessor OJmstead covers t\e whole range of the history of
the land and its people from all angles. He treats the physical,
political, social, ethnological and religious evolution in its various
stages. His account of the origin of Eastern mythology, the relation between the Syrian and Egyptian conception of a deity, and
how several forms of Eastern worship were borrowed from the
East by Western Europe will prove particularly illuminating. He
displays a keen sense of appreciation of some concepts in Syrian mythology whose poetical value modern rationalists spoil by matterof-fact interpretation.
The chapter on "Ships of Gebal", which is exceptionally interesting, is partly based on the author's personal survey of the
Syrian coast which once was the scene of the flourishing civilization
of which he writes. Of exceptional interest also is the fact he establishes that monotheism was known to Syrians and Egyptians
Jong before it was adopted by the Hebrews. So were "the races
which were to enter into the composition of the Hebrew people
established in Syria a millenium or more before the conquest of
the Promised Land. The very language in which our Old Testament is written was spoken by Canaanites and Phoenicians from
these same early days. Already Syria possessed a high culture,
mixed to be sure with foreign elements, but made its own; before
the Hebrew conquest, its civilization might be compared without
disparagement to that of the great empires."
The dedication is made to Professor James Henry Breasted,
Director of the Oriental Institute in the University of Chicago, and
the author's predecessor in the chair of Oriental History in the
University.
The book is profusely illustrated and has been given the utmost of typographical care by the publishers.
�'DECEMBER, 1931
43
SPANNING THE NATION'S HISTORY
The Book of American Presidents, by Esse V. Hathaway, New
York, Whittlesey House. Illustrated. 367 pp. $2.50.
JN THIS book of close to four-hundred pages, Miss Hathaway
not only gives a biography of the Presidents but records the history of the nation. She starts from the assumption that the Declaration of Independence required of the President only to do his
best to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United
Spates, and emphasizes the fact that in the choice of president there
was no question of family, fortune, education or past experience.
This she deduces to be proof positive of the unswerving faith of the
founders of the nation in American manhood.
It is along this line that the author reconstructs the lives and
achievements of American Presidents. She brings out in each the
quality for which he was most noted and gives to the chapter on
each president a title indicative of that quality. Thus Washington
is "Starting Right"; Thomas Jefferson is "Extending Boundaries"}
James Monroe is "On Guard"} Abraham Lincoln is "Welding"}
until the end of the list is reached with Harding, Coolidge and
Hoover "At the World's Cross-Roads".
Nothing but the author's deep-rooted love for her country and
her pride in the achievements of her nation and its heads could have
induced such painstaking research and study. And she has certainly
accomplished her task well. We wish to applaud the success of her
efforts especially because her Americanism is not of the narrow provincial sort. She has been a reader of THE SYRIAN WORLD and
often has expressed her approval of our method of approach to enlightened Americanism. We therefore feel confident that our
readers of young Syrian-Americans will derive great profit and
pleasure from her book.
The pen-and-ink illustrations of all the Presidents appearing
in the book are by Samuel Bernard Schaeffer. There are also facsimile reproductions cf all the Presidents' signatures.
i
mwaw
�" **,; Iin; y ' •"
'44
--
:
-
•
..
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Peace and Good Will, Plus Faith
By
THE EDITOR
^HE ECHO of the angels' glad tidings of peace and good-will
still reverberates among the hills of Judea and is heard
round the world: That distant voice of centuries continues to increase in volume and velocity as the message of Christianity is
carried to an increasing number of men with the passage of each
year. That message brings comfort because it reminds man of
his divine origin, his hope of redemption and his ultimate perfection.
No single event in human history bears as much significance as
the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, because no other single event has
wrought so much change in man's conception of his destiny.
The small land of Palestine, a geographical part of greater
Syria, owes its importance chiefly to the birth of a child in a manger
on a cold night in the little town of Bethlehem.
Three Magi kings were guided to that humble spot on the
night of the great event by a star; now the thoughts of hundreds
of millions of believers in the teaching of that child of Nazareth
and .Bethlehem are turned with love and devotion to the land of
the child's birth on his anniversary, their hearts throbbing with
ineffable joy and the echo of the message of the angels filling
their ears.
The commemoration of the great event has ever been a source
of joy and hope and spiritual solace. In the present crisis through
which the world is passing it should prove of greater significance
and effect. Men now need hope and courage as they never did before, and the spiritual fortitude which the Christmas season brings
forth should impart steadiness to wavering souls. The present
economic crisis is an aftermath of the World War's cataclysm, and
if the world was '? to emerge safely from the war crisis, so' will
it find the courage to weather the resulting economic crisis. Peace
and good-will and hope and courage are now sorely needed, and
the commemoration of the one who preached this doctrine should
inspire the believers in him to practice his teachings. Now of all
time, is the need to practically apply the Christian spirit to the needs
of civilization so that the work which had its birth in the little town
of a Syrian province nearly two thousand years ago, and which
Christendom the world over commemorates each year might be
carried on.
—_
r
�DECEMBER, 1931
45
NEW ELECTIONS ORDERED IN SYRIA FOLLOWING RETURN OF
HIGH COMMISSIONER—PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT DEPOSED
The Syrian problem at last appears to have entered the final stage
for a definite solution. With the return of High Commissioner Ponsot
to Beirut on November 15 and h"s
swift action in ordering new elec
tions in Syria, together with the apparent cordiality which character'zel
his conversations with the leaders o2
the Nationalist party who were in
frequent conferences with him, it b2comes ev'dert that some common
understanding has been reached fDr
composing the 7ong drawn out differences between the Syrians and France
on the poltical future of Syria. Ad
cLtional pre of of the High Commis
sicner's determinat'on to speedily end
the present uncertainty in the political situation may be deduced from
his having lost no time in depos'ng
the pre visional government of Sheikh
Tajeddin Al Hasani preparatory t:>
holding the new elections and assum
ing in person the conduct of government ad inter'm and supervision of
the elections.
M. Ponsot's arrival in Beirut was
attended by much ceremony despite
his having banned any form of os
tentatious disp'ay. Official delegations from a'l parts of Syr'a flocked
to Beirut to take part in the recaption, presumably at the bidding of
Sheikh Tajeddin, according to press
reports. There was a representative
delegation also of the Nat:onalist
party headed by its veteran leader
Hashim Bey Al-Atasi. The delegations were received by the High Commissioner at his private rrs'dence and
there was evident cordiality marking
his conversations with the Nat'onalists.
Only two days later the High
Commissioner proceeded to Damascus
and immediate"}' went into r Lngthy
conference with the head of the prov'sional government. Later the two
went together to the S iraya where
the High Commissioner announced to
the officials of the Syrian government his dec'sio: s on his future policy.
Following these moves three offi
cial communiques wjie itoiied ty the
High Commi3sion?r set.ing forth his
decis'ons as fellows:
Assumption by ;he High Commissioner of direct government in
Syria pending the daemons for the
Constituent Assembly wh\h ware set
for the middle of December. An executive secretary will r .> >r s ni the
High Commissitner in the conduct of
[roverrment. Most of the members of
the provisional cabinet were reta'ned
Appointment by the High Commissioner of an Advisory Counci1 to
supervise the elections with a % iew
to insuring their fairness and impartiality. All former heads of the
Syrian government since the beginning of the mandate are appo:nted to
membership in the council, including
Sheikh Tajeddin. The High Commis-
HIIHMPf
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
46
Chambers of Commerce or" Damasens
and Aleppo end several others.
The third communique deals with
ths coming clectic;:s and S3ts for.h the
ccrdhions under which ths primary
r,nd final elections are to bo hod in
the different districts an.l among the
various clisscs of the population.
This appears necessary in view cf tin
spes'al conditions of the population,
seme being nomad:; or semi nomads.
Ths HigAi Commissioner assumes the
right of exercising direct supervision
cf the elections in his ca;?aei y of
head of the government.
Although the Nationalists appear
to be on the friendliest terms with
the French authorities, no official declaration of their stand has yet boon
g-'ven. Cut immediately following the
announcement of the action taken by
the High Commissioner the leader of
•the Nationalists, Hashim Bey Al Atasi, issued a call to all d'strict leaders and former members of ths Ccnstituent Assembly to convene for a
party conference at Dsmascus to discuss their future policy. It is hinted
in Nat:onalist newspapers, hc-wever,
that tie Party will rssume an attitude of co-operatic n w'th the mandatory authorities and participate 5n tha
coming e^ctions since they have been
convinced that the High Commissioner has earnestly secured the maximum
terms for the Syrians, and that there
SHEIKH TAJEDDIN AL-HASANI
are some rights wh.'ch France in hsr
For three years Provisional Presi- role oi mandatory cannot relinquish.
dent of the State of Syria, who was
These new developments would
deposed by High Commisslonere Pon- seem to mark the beginnng of the
sot in November.
end of the Syrian prbolem. At least
;
sicner reserves the r ght to appoint they appear to pave the way for a
to membership all outstanding per- new approach to an understanding if
sonalities whose presence induces con- rot a permanent solution. If present
fidence. He has consequently ap- plans are carried out acccrding to
pointed several leaders of the Na- schedule, the new Constituent Astionalist party, '"neluding Al-Atasi, the s:mb"y should convene in the midJ'e
judge cf the Supreme Court of Da- of February to del'berate on ths new
mascus, the President of the National form of government to be adopted for
Syria.
University, the Presidents of the
»
�DECEMBER, 1931
With these developments agitation for a monarchy in Syr'a, or even
the creation of a dual monarchy to be
•composed of Syha and Iraq with
King Faisal on the throne, S3ems to
have subsided. The wish of the Syrian people was expressed in the first
Assembly which formulated a constitution and declared for a republic.
Now with the Nationalists maintaining their former strength which insures their control of the coming Assemby, their often expressed adherence to their republican principles
is expectd to be mainta:ned.
LEBANON OCCUPIED WITH
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
N. A. Mokarzel, New York Editor,
Proposed by Influential Group as
Logical Candidate.
The paramount occupation of the
Lebanese at present seems to center
on the ccming Presidents elections.
In this connection some unexpected
developments have taken place which
in some respects indicate the desperate stage of discontent among the
Lebanese w'th present methods of
adminstration
One (f the curiosities of the Lebanese Republic is that representation
in the Legislative Assembly is still
maintained by re'igious denonvnations
along the lines obtaining :n the form
er regime. And this despite the fact
that the structure of the government
is supposed to be republican. The
first President, however, was chceen
from among the minorities, presumably owing tc< the impossib:lity of agree
ment on a candidate of the majority.
President Dabbas has now had two
terms, and while Hwre are rumors of
the possib*'lity of his election for a
mam
47
third term, such a possibility seems
to be remote.
The Maronites, who cempose the
largest single group in the country,
pre now clliming the Presidency as
their right in accordance with the law
of majority representation, but as on
previous occasions, they are not agreed on a candidate, the two most
prominenty mentioned at present being Emil Eddy and Bishara Khoury,
bo.'h former Premiers. As an alternate propositii 7i the suggestion has
been advance:! that the Presidency be
w'thheld from all the larger groups
and given to one from among the
minorities.
In this connection the
or.e mrst prominently mentioned is
Dr. Ayoub Thabet, former Minister of
the Interior who is credited with hav
ing inaugurated many reforms. Dr.
Thabet is a Protestant.
But what appears t(- be the most
starting suggestion is that coming
from an influential group in Lebanon
who advocate the e'ection of N. A.
Mokarzel, the veteran Lebanese editor
cf Al Hoda, to the Presidential office.
The suggestion was first advanced by
the Lebanese notable Sheikh Edmond
Belaibil, :n an open letter which h^
sent to Lebanese papers and was received by a considerable number of
editors with much favorable comment,
eliciting from sc me even enthusiasm.
The grounds on which the suggestion
is based is that Mr. Mokarzel, being
above local po itics and having had
a lorg record of distinguished service
to his mother country, together with
his tireless energy and adminstrative
ability, would be the Moses who wou'd
save Lebanon from the wilderness of
its present chaotic condition.
Commenting rn this proposal, the
editor explains in detail in the issue
of Al-Hoda of Dec. 12 the reasons for
his refusal to entertain the suggestion.
Whi'e expressing appreciation fcr the
generous gesture and the proffered
�-^
46"
— .„...:.,.:...,„.,;,..,
_ ..,.,
„--,„.^ —_
-
'
-
7HE SYRIAN WORLD
PROPOSED FOR PRESIDENT OF LEBANON
N. A. MOKARZEL
Veteran Lebanese editor of AI-Hoda, oldest Arabic-language newspaper in the United States, who is offered the Presidency of the Lebanese Republic
�DECEMBER, 1931
honor, 'he reiterates hfs oft expressed
decision not to accept office in any
form. He takes the occasion to criticize the present form of government
in Lebanon and calls attention to Irs
advocacy since 1911 of the appoints
ment cf a governor in Lebanon for
life, preferably a Frenchman without the right of hereditary succession.
France, of course, is to retain the
mandate over the country, but to enjoy less than the right she now exercises in its administrative affairs.
These principles constitute the demands of the Lebanon League of Progress, a political organization in America, which the editor of Al-Hcda
founded twenty years ago and of
Which he still is president.
PAN-ISLAMIC CONGRESS
HELD IN PALESTINE.
dealt chiefly with the activities of
the Moslem Congress which convened
in Jerusalem the middle of December. It was attended by delegates
from all the Moslem countries, including Egypt and India. The question of the caliphate was not given
much consideration and the deliberations seem to 'have entered on Zionists' aims in Palestine, despite the
assurance of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem given to the British authorities that politics would net be discussed at the sessions of the congress.
Joseph M. Levy, special correspondent of the New York Times in
Jerusalem, reports that a 'heated controversy took place between the Indian delegate on the one hand, and
the delegates of Syria and Iraq on
the other, over the question whether
^Moslem opposition should be confined
to the Jews or made to include the
mandatory power in Palestine. The
Indian protested against the congress
going on record as opposing England,
but his opponents won.
49
Delegates also bitterly criticized
the aclr'on of Italy in condemning to
be hanged Omar Mukhtar, the Senussi rebel chieftain in Tripoli.
Considerable opposition developed under the leadership of Ragheb
Bey Nashash'bi, Mayor of Jerusalem,
to the Grand Mufti's ambitions to
Moslem leadership. A meeting of
protest was held at the Mayor's call
which is said to have been attended
by 1000 representatives from all Palestine.
Resolutions finally adopted by the
congress, according to The Times' dispatches, include, first, a protest to the
League against the establishment of a
Jewish national home in Palestine and
the ousting of Arabs; second, a boycott by Moslems throughout the world
of all Jewish goods manufactured in
Palestine; third, to broadcast to the
Moslem world that Zion;sm is a catastrophe for Palestine; fourth, to reject the Wailing Wall Commission's
decisions, and, fifth, to prop&gate
throughout the world the Palestine
Moslems' claims to independence. It
was unanimously resolved to< form a
$5,000,000 corporation with shares to
be subscribed by Moslems throughout
the world for constructive purposes in
Palestine to counteract the Jewish nationalist activities.
Aecord;ng to press dispatches,
the session of Dec. 12 was characterized by violent attacks on the British
mandatory policy, delegate after delegate rising to deliver a fiery speech
on the subject. Mohammad AH Pasha
of Egypt discussed at length Zionist
aims in Palestine as well as economic
depression among Moslem peasants,
alleging that Jewish leaders h?d made
statements that it is the Jewish plan
to colonize Palestine wth Jews, ousting the Arabs and restoring the ancient Jewish temple on the site of
the Mosque of Omar.
�50
His Excellency Sesostris Sidarouss
ing greeted by Salloum A. Mokarzel
dinner given in the minister's honor
America.. Nasib Kalaf, a member of
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Pasha, Minister of Egypt (left) beeditor of the Syrian World at the
by the Syrian Friends of Egypt in
the committee, is shown in center.
�»i.
51
DECEMBER, 1931
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
NEWS SECTION
VOL. VI NO. 4
NEW YORK SYRIANS
HONOR SIDAROUSS PASHA.
New Egyptian Minister in Washington Reviews 71st Regiment.
i
His excellency Sesostr;s Sidarouss
Pasha, the new Egyptian Minister to
the United States, was received with
much acclaim by official and social
circles upon his first visit to New York
since his appointment as Minister
Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary of His Majesty the King of
Egypt at Washington in August. He
arrived in the city November 29 to
review the 71st. Regiment of the New
York National Guard at its armory
on Park Ave. The nvlitary review
was fo'lowed by a reception at the
private quarters of the commanding
officer in honor of the minister.
His Excellency was the guest of
honor on the following day at a dinner
given in his honor by Mrs. George
Washington Kavanaugh. He was also
officially received by Acting Mayor
McGee at the City Hall and entertained at an official luncheon which
was attended by many prominent c:ty
officials.
Profiting of the presence of His
Excellency in the city, the newlyformed committee of the Syrian
Friends of Egypt in America invited
him to a dinner which was held at
the St. George Hotel in Brooklyn Dec.
DECEMBER, 1931
1. Despite the limited time, approximately one hundred guests were present. The response was a spontaneous expression of the genuine
friendship which the Syrians of America entertain for the Egyptian nation
and ^ts diplomatic representative.
Salloum A. Mokarzel, editor of
the Syrian World and Chairman of the
committee, opened the speaking program with a few words of welcome in
the name of his colleague on the committee and inv'ted Mr. N. A. Mokarzel, editor of Al-Hoda and dean of
the Arabic press in America, to preside as toastmaster. The speakers
were selected to represent the various
professions and classes of the community, and included George A Ferris,
dean of the Syrian legal fraternity,
and Dr. F. I. Shatara both of whom
spoke in English, and Rev. Mansur
Stephen who spoke in Arabic. The
Minister responded in both languages
expressing h;s deep appreciation of
the friendly sentiments displayed towards his government and himself.
The toastmaster introduced between speeches Madame Fedora Kurban who sang operatic selections in
both Arabic and English, and Professor Alexander Maloof who played
several solo piano selections.
The committf^ sponsoring the
dinner was compose^ of Dr. Salim Y.
Alkazin, Dr. F. I. Shatara, Nasib Trabuls;, Nasib Kalaf and S. A. Mokarzel.
Those in the Minister's party were
�52
Major and Mrs. Thomas MacDonald,
Wajih Rustum Bey Secretary to the
Legation, Mr. H. K'hatib, acting Egyptian consul in New York, Abdul
Latif Hannawy and Mr. Osman ffilmy
of the Egyptian consulate.
The guests included.
Mr. & Mrs. J. M. Abbott; William Abouchar; Dr. & Mrs. S. Y.
Alkazin; Mrs. C. Arb; E. J. Audi;
Mr. & Mrs. Selim Ayoub; Mme Fedora Kurban; Mr. & Mrs. George C.
Dagher; Dr. Najib Barbour; Miss
Daw; M4ss DeMoor; Saleem Hatem
representing Al-Bayan; Mme. Marie
El-Khoury; Mr. & Mrs. D. J. Faour;
Peter S. George; C. H. Griffith; Miss
Daisy Hamad; S. J. Hermas; Dr. A.
Himad*; Jamile B. Holway; Major &
Mrs. Howard Hutter; Mr. & Mrs. B.
M. Jabara; Mr. & Mrs. F. M. Jabara;
Bfiss Gl&dys Jabara; Mr. & Mrs.
George Jebaily; Miss Laurice Jebaily;
Mr. & Mrs. N. Kalaf; A. G. Khouri;
Mr. & Mrs. P. Kohlhaas; Edward
Leon.
Also', N. Makanna; Fred Malhame; Elias Mallouk; Prof. Alex. Maloof; Assad Milkie; Mike Mobarak;
N. A. Mokarzel Editor of Al-Hoda;
Mr. & Mrs. S. A. Mokarzel; Miss Mary
Mokarzel; Miss R< se Mokarzel; Miss
Alice Mokarzel; Dr. & Mrs. H. Rasi;
Najeeb Sah'adi; Selim Sahadi; Mr. &
Mrs. Michael Saydah; Dr. & Mrs.
F. I Shatara; Mr. & Mrs. Robert
Shephard; Mr. & Mrs. Abdullah Sleyman; Albert Staub; Rev. Mansour
Stephen; Mr. & Mrs. John Stephen;
Mr. & Mrs. Selim Totah; Mr. & Mrs.
Nes;b Trabulsi; Miss Barbara Young;
Fuad Zrike representing Meraat UlGharb; Mr. & Mrs. P. Zrike.
EGYPTIAN MINISTER VISITS
ARABIC LINOTYPE FACTORY.
.While in New York His Excellency Sesostris Sidarouss Pasha, Egyptian Minister to the United States, was
THE SYRIAN WORLD
invited to inspect the Mergenthaler
Linotype factory in Brooklyn which
manufactures the Arabic Linotype.
He was accompanied by Major Thomas MacDonald, Wajih Rustum Bey
of the Legation staff, Mr. H. Khatib
acting Egyptian consul in New York,
Mr. Abdul Latif Hanawy and Mr. Salloum A. Mokarzel editor of the Syrian
World who acted for the Mergenthaler Company in extending the invitation.
The party was entertained at luncheon in the Company's dining room
by the President Mr. Norman Dodge,
Mr. Joseph T. Maekey, the Treasurer
and Mr. C. H. Griffith, Assistant to
the President. Later the minister and
his
companions
were
conducted
through the vast factory and the
various processes of production and
inspection demonstrated to them. It
was explained to the Minister that the
Mergenthaler Company manufactures
composing machines for nearly fifty
languages and that it has given special care to the manufacture of the
Arabic. Linotype whch now has been
in use in America for almost twenty
years as the only method of Arabic
composition, and is being gradually
introduced into all Arabic-speaking
countries, including Egypt.
Earlier in the day the Minister
visited the Empire State Building as
guest of former Governor Alfred E.
Smith.
CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
AMONG N. Y. SYRIANS.
The needy among the Syrians of
New York will not want of Christmas
cheer this year despite the prevalent
depression. Churches, organizations
and the press are working along one
form of rel;ef or another, the response
being gratifyng.
Leading the movement among the
press are the two important dailies.
?•
�DECEMBER, 1931
",
Al-Hoda and Meraat Ul-Gharb. The
Syrian Ladies' A'd Society has sent
an appeal by mail to a select list of
over one thousand individuals. St.
Nicholas' Club is planning a Christmas
party for the needy Syrian children
of Brooklyn.
The American Syrian Federation
held a cabaret and dance at its clubrooms on Dec. 15 the proceeds of
which are to be devoted to Christmas
baskets.
Featuring the entertainment was Ted Black and his orchestra
who are in demand by the principal
hotels and restaurants of New York.
Ted Black is a Syrian whose original
name is Aboussleman. He donated
his services.
A musicale and entertainment was
given at the Wells House in Brooklyn
on Dec. 17 by the Syrian Chrstmas
Fund Committee to raise funds for
providing Christmas baskets.
The
principal sponsors were Mrs. Victoria
Z. Shehab and Miss Sumayah Attiyeh.
GIBRAN'S WORKS DRAMATIZED
AT AMERICAN CHURCH
Scenes from "Jesus" ably presented
at St. Mark's
By Alice Mokarzel
St. Mark's on the Bouwerie was
the scene on Sunday, December 13,
of a vivid and living interpretation of
excerpts from Kahlil Gibran's Jesus,
the Son of Man, under the capt'on
"Liturgical Mystery of Jesus the Prophet." This performance marked the
second of Gibran programs presented
by St. Mark's Church since the recent death of the Syrian poet-prophet.
The host of faithful and loving
friends of Gibran who filled the church
to capacity, wept silently during the
scenes that were enacted with consummate beauty and feeling.
ji-i
51
Fitting music for the occasion
was composed by William Arthur
Goldsworthy, who also conducted the
choir assisting the performers and
cantors. Dr. William Norman Guthrie, rector of St. Mark's Church, and
Lester Leake Riley alternated in reading portions from Jesus, the Son of
Man. They were assisted in this by
Bryce Fogle, who interpreted in singing some of the parts. Fedora Kurban, the Syrian singer of merit, opened the musical program with an appropriate Arabic song.
Mary Magdelene, revealed in the
first scene by Phoebe Anna Guthrie,
is filled with the vision of Jesus whom
she beholds for the first time, and
'obsessed by an alternate hate and remorse when Jesus fails to recognize
her. When again she sees him "sitting under the cypress tree" across
her garden, she goes to Him and
pleads with Him to come into her
house. But Jesus grants not her request. "And when He had walked
away," Mary Magdelene, remembering the "sunset of His eyes," feels
no hate but only the lofty spirit of
the woman born anew in her being.
In the second scene, Judas (Gordon Place) reveals to a friend his
betrayal of Jesus, and finds no comfort for his anguish even in the confession of h;s treachery. After ceaseless torment of spirit, Judas realizes
an end to his suffering in self-destruction and goes forth thus determined.
Ann Elizabeth Stroud portrayed
with sincere and fervent feeling the
character of the Woman of Byblos
who is burdened with sorrow and
anguish and "unable to see beyond
grief" in the realization of her "personal loss" in the fate of Jesus.
Bertha Kunz Baker, whose art
has already exceeded itself, cannot
be praised sufficiently. She gave the
character of Mary, Mother of Jesus,
a living imprint upon the hearts of
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
54
the audience. The depth of the feeling she wrought, although created by
her voice and expression, was more
so in the silent yet speaking movements she made as Mary, the Mother
who sees with "spiritual understanding Jesus' death" and "through sorrow and vision, the calm acceptance
of God's way." This was a living
and sufferng Mary, who hears in
silent angu;sh the crash that marks
her Son's death and who "at dawn
is still standing among us like a lone
banner in the wilderness wherein
there are no hosts."
In the concluding scene, Phoebe
Anna Guthrie, assisted by St. Mark's
Choreographic Group, characterized
the High Priestess who sees in His
death only "exaltation and glory."
Many interpretations of Gibran's
works have been given in St. Mark's
Church, but never, more than on this
occasion, has Gibran seemed so living
and beautiful and so appealing and
touching to the human heart.
GIBRAN TO REPOSE
IN LEBANESE MONASTERY.
Gibran's life-long wish is to be
partly gratified. He had often confided to his friends that it was his
supreme ambit1 on sometime to retire
into the seclusion of Mt. Lebanon,
there to spend the remainder of his
days in the shadows of the Cedars,
amidst the surroundings of his youth
Which influenced his life work and
for which he felt an ever growing
longing. The Cedars, the Sacred Valley, and Becharre his home town, all
in close proximity, held associations
extremely dear to Irs heart.
The Lebanese press now reports
that Gibran's wish in this respect is
to be respected. Having learned from
his sister who accompanied his remains to his native land that he had
—
wished to acquire for his retreat in
his old age the Monastery of Mar (St.)
Sarqis, Gibran's countrymen opened
negotiations with the owners of th;s
monastery to purchase it and convert
it into a museum for Gibran's works
and a resting place for his remains.
The monastery ;s ideally sfituated
above Becharre and below the Cedars,
perching on a ledge in the mountain
overlooking the Sacked Valley.
The Syrian World is in receipt of
information that M:ss Mariana, Gibran's sister, intends to purchase privately the monastery that is to be dedicated to ier brother.
GIBRAN'S MESSAGE
READ TO D. A. R.
Mr. Roderick Donley, a neighbor
of the Syrian World, whose wife is
an active worker in the Daughters of
the American Revolution, admired the
spirit of Gibran's Message to Young
Americans of Syrian Origin which we
had specially printed for framing as
a gift to our subscribers. We gladly
gave him a copy to take home. His
wife alsc« admired the sp;rit and made
excellent use of her admiration. During the State Convention of the D. A.
R. lately held in Paterson, Congressman Hamilton Fish of New York deVvered an address on the pernicious
activities of foreign communists in
America. Mrs. Donley, in making her
report as committee chairman, took
the occasion to declare that not all
foreigners should be classed in the
same category. The Syrians, she said'
were law-abiding and useful citizens.
As proof she read to the convention
Gibran's Message.
DR. SHATARA LECTURES
ON ARAB CIVILIZATION.
Dr. Fuad I. Shatara of Brooklyn
was the principlal speaker at the
y.
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"DECEMBER, 1931
H
55
LEBANESE AVIATOR PROMOTED.
Baltimore Open Forum before an audience of 700 at the Baltimore Auditorium on Sunday, Dec. 13. His
subject was the Arabs' contribution
to civilization, and he defended Islam
aga;nst the charge of having been
spread by the sword, as reported in
the Baltimore Sun of Dec. 14.
Dr. Shatara encompassed the
whole history of the Arabs and enurnei-ated their various c( ntributions to
science and education. We are fortunate ?n having secured the copy of
Dr. Shatara's lecture and shall publish
illuminating excerpts from it in a
ccming issue of the Syrian World.
YOUNG PEOPLE'S CLUB
GIVES ENTERTAINMENT.
The Young People's Club of the
Syr'-an Prc.testant Church of Brooklyn gave an entertainment at its clubrooms connected with the church on
the last Sunday of November. President Shibly Kassis asked Philip Kahwajie, chairman of the entertainment
committee, to direct the meeting. A
varied program of song, music and
games was prcv;ded.
The educational feature of the
evening was an address by the editor
of the Syrian World who spoke on
the special role of the Syr'an-American
generation and related some experiences of his recent trip abroad. Dr.
K. A. Bishara, pastor of the Syrian
Protestant congregation, also spoke in
corroboration cf the editor's remarks.
THOMAS MOAWOOD MOKARZEL.
Appointed Deputy Sheriff in charge
of aviation in Dutchess County, N. Y.
sheriff in charge of aviation in Dutchess County. The appointment was
made on the recommendation of Senator J. Griswold Webb, chairman of
the New York State legislative committee on aviation, and County
LEBANESE FLYER MADE
Judge Flannery:
FIRST AIR DEPUTY.
Mr. Moawood is regarded as the
The Eagle-News of Poughkeepsie, leading pilot in the Hudson Valley,
New York, in its issue of October 10, according to the News-Eagle. Alcarried on its first page an account though he has been a licensed pilot
of the appointment of Thomas Mo- for over six years, he has never had
awood Mokarzel, the first licensed pi- a serious mishap. On the two oclot in the Hudson Valley, as deputy casions when he had minor accidents
�,
36
he has shown admirable presence of
mind. So far he is credited officially
with 21,000 flying hours. Last year
he won a race held at the Poughkeepsie Airport in which sixteen pilots
took part, some of whom enjoy
a national reputation. The cup he
was awarded on this occasion appears
in the accompanying picture.
Mr. Moawood is also known as the
"Lebanon Eagle". He is proud of
his Lebanese descent and one of his
greatest ambitions is to make a nonstop flight to Mt. Lebanon once he can
secure sufficient backing.
DISTURBANCES MARK
SYRIAN ELECTIONS.
A special cable dispatch to the
New York Times from Damascus dated Dec. 20 read in part as follows:
The situation here in connection
with the elections today became so
serious and demonstrations of opposing factions so turbulent that at 2
P. M. the Government decided to halt
the elections to avert bloodshed.
Although in some quarters everything passed quietly,;t was regarded
as expedient to postpone further polling in Damascus and Hama until some
indefinite date, but in Aleppo and
Homs as well as adjoining locations
they were allowed to continue until
completed.
After the voting places were closed
Damascus was comparatively peaceful and the demonstrations ended,
but until 2 o'clock this afternoon the
city was actually in a state of rot,
all parties fighting one another.
While the polling proceeded at the
Town Hall stones were hurled at its
windows, doors were smashed and
trolley cars also were stoned. Pclice
and troops, with the aid of the fire
brigade, tried to repulse the mobs.
ii«i*r-^
?HE SYRIAN WORLD
The police were obliged to open fire
to frighten the rioters and the fire
brigade dispersed them by turning
their hoses on them.
Women and students joined in the
uproar and general excitement by
issuing manifestos, driving automobiles to all quarters of the city and
urging the people to vote for Nationalists. Many students were arrested for throwing stones.
The Nationalists here and in Aleppo continue to send one protest after
another to High Commissioner Henri
Ponsot. The latest one is aga-nst
the officials in charge of the polling
boxes. One was sent yesterday asserting that the Syrians,
having
placed confidence in the High Commiss'oner's earlier declarations, 'had
decided to participate in the elections
in expectation that the elections would
be fair and free. The telegram protests that "measures were taken by
government authorities to instigate
Government officials to transgress
personal liberty and arouse trouble in
the country by opening fire on the
public." The telegram further requests M. Ponsot to submit the complaint to the League of Nations and
the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Communication with Damascus
today was practically cut off, as no
one was allowed to enter or leave
town and private long distance telephone calls were not permitted, the
telephones being reserved for the Government.
Disturbances occured yesterday
in the Kurdish quarter here, when at
a meeting, a Nationalist speaker was
attacked, beaten and ejected. There
was a clash also at El Kuneitra, between Royalists and Nationalists resulting in several persons being
wounded.
» ft
�DECEMBER, 1931
SIXTEEN ARAB STUDENTS
IN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY.
A correspondent of Meraat UlGharb reports that in the University
cf Michigan in Ann Arbor, there are
sixteen Arab students this year, drawn
from Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and
Iraq, the newest comer being Miss
Wadad K. Mackdici, who is specializing in sociology.
Miss Mackdici is the daughter of
Prof. Jurius Kho/iri of the American
University of Beirut and had graduated with honors from the latter institution. She spent a year teaching
in Baghdad and is now completing
her advanced studies on a scholarship.
CO-OPERATIVE HOSPITAL
OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES.
The co-operative hospital of Elk
City, Okla., opened in the fall of this
year, and marking the success of
several years of strenuous efforts on
the part of the Syrian physician Dr.
M. Shadid, was described by a feature
article appearing on the frcnt page of
' the Daily Oklahoman of Oklahoma
City as the only institution of its
character in the United States.
The writer lauds the courageous
enterprise and tireless energy of the
founder and declares . that he is on
the way of overcoming the financial
difficulties resulting from the failure
of some subscribers to complete payment for their stock. The writer also
hints that through professional jealpusy some private practicians had
lodged charges against the co-operative hospital w-'th the State authorities. The principal cause of complaint is that the hospital is dispensing medical services much below the
customary fees, and providing medicines at one-third less than the prevailing prices.
This is branded as
socialistic, but is exactly what the
57
founder of the hospital intended when
he launched 'his enterprise. He is
defending his practices with unwavering courage.
DICTIONARY CORNERSTONE
OF MOSLEM RENAISSANCE.
In a debate on Moslem culture
in one of the sessions of the Moslem
Congress in Jerusalem, Mohammad Ali
Pasha cf Egypt declared that the Arabic dictionary, when compiled, will be
the cornerstone of Moslem revival. He
emphasized that although the Arabic
language was replete with classical
terms it did not embrace modern
scientific words, which now are borrowed from English and French. A
dictionary, he said, is vitally essential
to bring about the Moslem renaissance. He suggested that Egypt's
geographical position be utilized to
concentrate on the preparatory work
of this dictionary particularly in view
of the fact that the Egyptian government had started organizing a special
academy for the same purpose.
FORMER EGYPTIAN KHEDIVE
FOR SYRIAN KING.
Contrary to previous advices, it
now seems evident that the royalist
agitation in Syria has not died out.
The elections now taking place disclosed the existence of a strong element favoring a monarchy.
The latest personage mentioned
as a propable candidate for the throne
is Abbas Hilmy, former Khedive of
Egypt, who will arrive in Jerusalem
on Dec. 23 enrcute to Syria, where
he will be received by the French High
Commissioner. A dispatch from Jerusalem says that rumors are persistent thafthe ex-Khedive is coming
to Syr'a on the explicit understanding of being placed on the throne.
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
W$®&®MB&MF^
Gibran's Message
To Young Americans of Syrian Origin
ft
I believe in you. and I believe in your destiny.
I believe that you are contributors to this new civilization.
I believe that you have inherited from your forefathers an ancient dream.a song, a prophecy, which you can proudly lay as a gift of gratitude upon the lap of America.
I believe you can say to the founders of this great nation. Here I am. a youth, a young
tree, whose roots were plucked from the hills of Lebanon, yet I am deeply rooted here, and I would
be fruitful."
And I believe that you can say to Abraham Lincoln, the blessed. "Jesus of Nazareth
touched your lips when you spoke, and guided your hand when you wrote: and I shall uphold
all that you have said and all that you have written."
II
I believe that you can say to Emerson and Whitman and James. "In my veins runs the
blood of the poets and wise men of old. and it is my desire to come to you and receive, but I shall
not come with empty hands."
I believe that even as your fathers came to this land to produce riches, you were born
here to produce riches by intelligence, by labor.
And I believe that it is in you to be good citizens.
And what is it to be a good citizen?
It is to acknowledge the other person's rights before asserting your own. but always to be
conscious of your own.
It is to be free in thought and deed, but it is also to know that your freedom is subject
to the other person's freedom.
It is to create the useful and the beautiful with your own hands, and to admire what others
have created in love and with faith.
I
It is to produce wealth by labor and only by labor, and to spend less than you have produced that your children may not be dependent on the state for support when you are no more.
It is to stand before the towers of New York, Washington. Chicago and San Francisco
saying in your heart. "I am rhe descendant of a people that builded Damascus, and Biblus, and
Tyre and Sidon. and Antioch, and now I am here to build with you. and with a will."
It is to be proud of being an American, but it is also to be proud that your fathers and
mothers came from a land upon which God laid His gracious hand and raised His messengers.
Young Americans of Syrian origin. I believe in you.
nmmnmmmemn
FREE TO SYRIAN WORLD SUBSCRIBERS. This beautiful message by
Gibran 13x17 inches, printed in large type on heavy paper with ornamental border suitable for framing. Every PAID subscriber whose term begins
with Sept. 1931 is entitled to a copy, mailed in heavy cardboard tube. Subscribers whose term beg-'ns before Sept. 1931 may secure a copy by renewal.
\ '
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59
DECEMBER, 1931
A STUDY
of
KAHLIL GIBRAN
THIS MAN FROM LEBANON
T
>
Barbara Young, the American poet who is now Kahlil Gibran's literary executor, speaks with authority in a 48 page
brochure concerning his life and work, illustrated with
several hitherto unpublished protraits of the Poet of the
Cedars, and a reproduction of one pen and ink drawing and
one page of original manuscript.
A few copies of the limited first edition, serially numbered and autographed by the author, are still available.
The price for this edition is $2.50.
Owing to the wide interest in the brochure, a second
printing will be necessary. These will not be numbered nor
autographed, and will be procurable at $1.50 the copy.
Checks may be made payable to the Gibran Studio, 51
West 10th Street, New York City.
HMHW^'
�60
THE SYRIAN WORLD
AUTHENTIC
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THE A. SLEYMAN COMPANY. INC.
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Phone BOgardus 4-4345
George Haddad
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The new and beautiful uptown Syrian restaurant owned and operated
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'Y'I^SWSV'/WN/SV
IT IS YOURS
is the only Syrian publication printed
in English, and as such is the organ of the Syrians in America.
You can help it continue and grow by subscribing to it yourself
and inducing others to subscribe.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
PUBLISHER, THE SYRIAN WORLD:
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You may enter my name as a subscriber to "The Syrian World" for the term of one yeary for which I agree to
fay the regular rate of $5.00 ufon receipt of the first issue.
Address
City & State
mimmmmAiMiM^vMJMniM
�ECEMBER, 1931
61
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The ARABIC
LINOTYPE
in MOROCCO
Although the adaptation of the Linotype
to Arabic composition is comparatively
recent, the Arabic Linotype has already
been introduced into all Arabic speaking countries, whether in the Near or
Far East. And wherever it is used, it is
found to be a revelation in its efficiency
and economy of operation. This is but
natural since in all Western languages
the Linotype is now the standard method
of type composition, and hand composition has been almost entirely discarded
in the book, periodical and commercial
printing field for quantity production.
Impr:merie Officielle, Rabat
G. Pfister, Algiers . .
"La Renaissance", Tunis .
"Le Petit Matin", Tunis .
* TRADE
In our kst advertisement in this publication we gave a list of Arabic Linotype
users in Egypt. This month we list the
Linotypes now in operation in Morocco.
It will be seen that not only is it used
in the Government Press but in many
commercial printing establishments.
This testifies not only to the superior
merits of the Arabic Linotype but also
to the spirit of progress in the country.
The printing industry is one of the fundamentals of progress, and the Linotype is the machine which accelerates
the progress movement.
•
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OTYPE "%
MERGENTHALER LINOTYPE COMPANY
Brooklyn, New York, U. S. A. Cable—Linotype, New York
J^Si\ jJUl j.u ^^ ^j cVlfj liJ
Representatives in the Principal Cities of
^
An illustrated descriptive catalogue of the
Arabic Linotype sent free upon request
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Dublin Core
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Title
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The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
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Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
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New York Public Library
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
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1926-1935
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<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
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English
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Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
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NS 0002
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TSW1931_12reducedWM
Title
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The Syrian World Volume 06, Issue 04
Date
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1931 December
Description
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Volume 6 Issue 04 of The Syrian World published December 1931. This issue begins with an article by Hatib I. Katibah discussing Palestine and how it became the small Syrian province lying at the intersection of three continents. Katibah breaks down exactly how this was possible through a succession of historic events. Following it is a poem by Alice Mokarzel titled "The Christmas Altar." There is also another Gibran work titled "The Great Occurrence," which speaks about the miraculous nature of Jesus Christ. The rest of the poetry in this issue, edited by Barbara Young, is also entirely Christmas related. After a discussion of current news, Edna K. Saloomey's short story titled "Party for Aneesa" is featured, followed by book reviews. The editor closes out the issue with a piece titled "Peace and Good Will, Plus Faith." The issue concludes with excerpts from the Syrian Press and an update on political developments in Syria.
Subject
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Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
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English
Creator
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
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New York Public Library
Publisher
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
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Text/pdf
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Text
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Alice Mokarzel
Barbara Young
Christmas
Edna K. Saloomey
Habib I. Katibah
Kahlil Gibran
New York
Palestine
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/268884f8e2483685f490e52716a327c6.pdf
aae17d0a92b2a3465358e87c25fd7081
PDF Text
Text
M&
VOL. IV. No. 8.
APRIL, 1931.
XTTF
w,
SYRIAN WORLD
A
MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ENGLISH DEALING
WITH SYRIAN AFFAIRS AND ARABIC LITERATURE
m
m
GIBRAN MEMORIAL SECTION
m
THIRTY-TWO PAGES OF EULOGIES IN POETRY AND PROSE BY
AMERICAN AND SYRIAN ADMIRERS
CHIVALRY IN ARABIA AND ISLAM
DR. PHILIP K. HITTI
1
H
THE CASE OF THE SYRIAN WORLD
sssr
A FRANK DISCUSSION
in
A JOURNEY THROUGH JEBEL DRUZE
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL
ALI ZAIBAQ (QUICKSILVER)
THE COPY 50c
(A SERIAL)
1
��THE
SYRIAN WORLD
Tublished monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c.
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New York,
N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL.
V.
No. 8.
APRIL, 1931
CONTENTS
PAGE
Chivalry in Arabia and Islam
DR. PHILIP
5
K.
HITTI
To Each His Profession
10
The Case of
11
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Reflections on Co-operation
Sayings of Alt
16
A Journey Through Jebel Druze
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL
49
The Night and I (Poem)
59
DR. SALIM
..-
Y.
ALKAZIN
Alt Zaibaq (Serial)
60
Political Developments in Syria
64
About Syria and Syrians
66
-'
�QIBRAN MEMORIAL SECTION
PAGE
The Last Days of Gibran
Gibran's Funeral in Boston
,
-
BARBARA-YOUNG
>19
23
-
Americans Pay Tribute to Spirit of Gibran
A Reclamation
:
27
28
DR. CHARLES FLEISCHER
Gibran Lives
29
CLAUDE BRAGDON
He Brought Beauty and Truth
31
SYUD HOSSAIN
He Traveled with the Sun
33
A. MOKARZEL
The Voice of the Heights of Lebanon ....
SALLOUM
•• 35
REV. ROBERT NORWOOD
The Prophet Never Dies
••
M. RIHBANY
A Great Syrian of the Ages ....: :
REV. W. A. MANSUR
A Seer Departed
••
Valedictory
•••••••• "36"
REV. ABRAHAM
36
37
38
BARBARA YOUNG
Conqueror of the Sting
39
LEONORA SPEYER
Starry Son of Lebanon
40
EsTELLE DUCLO
The Mystic Pact
41
MISCHA NAIMY
To One Who Has Passed
42
MARY MOORE
Gibran*s Message to Young Americans of Syrian Origin 44
A Pledge
45
CECIL J. BADWAY
To One of Blessed Memory
46
THOMAS ASA
Truth Seeker
47
EDNA
K.
SALOOMEY
Poet of Our Land
PHILIP
47
C.
SABBAGHA
He Touched the Stars
LABEEBEE
48
A. J.
HANNA
f
�!
IN THIS ISSUE
For Those Who Would Know the High Lights of the
Material in This Number.
JHE death of Kahlil Gibran
is an epochal event in the
history of the Syrians in America. We mourn him in the proportion that we felt proud in his
achievements. The name of
Gibran will ever be one of our
racial assets, and where we
would possibly fail in fittingly
eulogizing his memory, his host
of American admirers will willingly take up the grateful task
of proclaiming his greatness.
THE SYRIAN WORLD feels itself especially privileged to be
able to devote the greater part
of this issue as a memorial to
Gibran. We are particularly
grateful to the many American
friends and admirers of our departed son who have cooperated
with us in making possible the
presentation of the imposing
array of eulogies and tributes
to his memory. Our sense of
spiritual kinship and closeness
is much keener now that they
and we are more strongly fused
by the spirit of Gibran.
£)R. Philip K. Hitti contributes to this issue the result
of some of the typical research
.
work for which he is noted.
There is always weight to Dr.
Hitti's logic and the ease with
which he arrays his facts denotes the breadth and depth of
his knowledge. His present article deals with the origin of
chivalry, and he easily traces it
to the plains of Syria when Crusader and Moslem met sometimes in combat and at other
times in peace. To those who
would gain valuable historical
knowledge written in an easy
and entertaining form Dr. Hitti's article should prove of
especial appeal.
Y^E would have much preferred to omit the presentation of the case of THE SYRIAN
WORLD from this issue.
But
since we committed ourselves by
a signed statement in the preceding issue to lay before the
public the facts in our present
situation, and because only two
issues remain for bringing to a
close our fifth year, we felt
constrained to live up to our
promise so as to insure reasonable time for our readers to
ponder the facts and express a
.
�mature opinion. We would request earnest and careful consideration of the facts on the
part of everyone of our readers as well as of those interested in the stabilization and
progress of the publication.
THE editor's present travel
article concludes the account
of his journey through Jebel
Druze. It may be judged long,
but we hope it will prove entertaining reading. An account is
given of a visit to the native
governor, a Pasha in his own
right, but one who has had conferred upon him the added title
of emir (prince) by none other
than the republican government
of France. Then if you would
know what occasioned the greatest surprise to an old native out
of all the wonders of America
you will be grievously disappointed that it is far by miles
from what you would imagine.
Our usually critical assistants
told us frankly that the present
article is the most entertaining
of the series. We trust the readers will also find it so.
READERS will observe that
although 32 pages, or half
the normal number of pages
in each issue, are dedicated to
the memory of Gibran, this
issue does not lack of other material. This is due to the fact
that we have added an extra
section to this issue, bringing
the total to eighty pages, and
making possible the maintenance of the regular departments
while providing space for other
material of a general nature.
Thus a complete instalment
of our serial Ali Zaibaq appears
as usual. And those who have "THOSE interested in the
been following the doings of
evaluation of the political
this inc. [ arable product of the situation in Syria will find a
Oriental imagination will find comprehensive survey of the
satisfaction in realizing that at latest developments.
What
last he has subdued his arch- might prove the beginning of
enemy and gained his revenge. a national policy of passive reThe circumstances of this epi- sistence similar to Gandhi's
sode are phenomenal, a beauti- movement in India has develful princess of the tribe of the oped in Beirut and quickly
jinn playing in it a leading spread to other sections of
part. But can we expect the tri- Syria. * * * The news departals of the hero to have come to ment in this issue contains much
an end? This is a question that information on happenings
will find a surprising answer in among Syrians in America and
the succeeding chapters.
abroad.
�I
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
VOL. V.
APRIL, 1931.
No. 8.
Chivalry in Arabia and Islam
"By
PROFESSOR PHILIP
K.
HITTI
of Princeton University
THHE flower of chivalry, which, nurtured by Islam, reached its
fullest bloom in Saladin and his contemporary Usamah, had
its roots in ancient heathen Arabia. Particularly among the Eedouins of north Arabia do we notice those prime elements which
enter into the composition of a chivalric knighthood. To the denizens of the desert fighting was a chronic mental mood, ghazu
(razzia) a national sport, camel raiding the only manly occupation and blood-feud the most important institutions. One Christian tribe, banu-'Udhrah, was proverbial for their respect for
womanhood and platonic love.
With the advent of the horse, in the first centuries of our era,
from Western Asia where it was introduced earlier by fU" Hittites, chivalry in its primitive form, as a body of horsemen equipped for battle, was developed. The horse soon became a war animal. It prolonged the legs of the warrior and afforded him more
mobility than the camel did. A whole literature in Arabic was
inspired by the horse.
Gradually the farts (horse rider) appropriated other functions to himself. In desertland where forage was scarce and the
horse an animal of luxury, the fans became the equivalent of
sayyid (chief). With the necessary traits of leadership he usually
combined a gift for poetry. In his poetical capacity he aroused
the martial enthusiasm of his tribesmen, extolled their virtues,
recited their ancestors' achievements, emphasized the weaknesses
of the enemy, and in general acted as the "press agent" for his
party. Thus the Bedouins came to consider the most enviable
�6
THE SYRIAN WORLD
title shd'ir faris (a poet-knight), and to regard the three factors
constituting the superiority of a tribe horsemanship (representing
military strength), poetry (an index of intelligence), and generosity (a sign of wealth).
The ay yam al-Arab, those combats which the tribes fought
amongst themselves in the pre-Muhammad era, afford us an insight into the spirit which animated those early warriors of the
peninsula. We see them here and there riding forth in quest of
adventure, rushing to the rescue of captive maidens, offering succor to the helpless and typifying those qualities most highly
prized by Arabians. Those virtues, summed up in the word muru'ah (manliness), included courage as measured by the number
of adversaries killed, loyalty as evidenced by devotion to the interests of the tribe, and generosity as manifested by the readiness
to slay camels for the guests.
The pages of al-AgMni, al-lqd al-Farid, and the numerous
diwdns are replete with cases illustrating the virtues of chivalry:
bravery in battle, fortitude in misfortune, defiance of the strong
and defence of the weak, as well as its vices: persistence in revenge, intolerance of others, and illicit sex relations. Al-Shanfara, Zayd al-Khayl (Zayd of the Horses), <Adi ibn-Hatim,
'Amr ibn-Ma'dikarib the champion of Yaman, Muhalhil ibn-Rabi'ah and 'Antarah ibn-Shaddad may be cited as types of preIslamic heroes. Al-Shanfara was taken captive while young, and
on his release took an oath to kill a hundred from among his captors. After making his ninety-ninth killing—so the story goes—
he was himself overpowered and slain. A member of the enemy
tribe, however, happened to stumble one day on al-Shanfara's
skull, as it lay bleaching on the ground, and received a wound
in his foot which resulted in his death—thus completing the required number.
But the name of 'Antarah has lived in Arabic literature as
the paragon of chivalric conduct. This Bedouin Achilles, who
flourished in the last decade of the sixth century, was the son of
a black slave woman and could not therefore be regarded as a
legitimate member of the family unless so acknowledged by his
father. On one occasion, while his father's tribe was hotly engaged in battle, the lad refused to take part saying, "A slave
knows not how to fight, milking camels is his job." Thereupon
the father shouted, "Charge! thou art free." 'Antarah's romance
(sirah), which took its present form during the Crusades, is still
�zAPRIL, 1931
1.
relished by large audiences in the cafes of Cairo, Beirut and
Baghdad.
Islam fell heir to these pagan Arabian rudiments of chivalry
and added its own contribution. In Islam the consecration of war
to the service of religion—two seemingly incongruous ideas—
and their fusion into a homogeneous whole were carried to a
more successful extent than in any other major religion. Of all
systems of belief, Muhammadanism is the only one which holds
"holy war" (jihad) among its cardinal tenets and promises him
who dies on its battlefield a passport to heaven.
Himself an orphan who had felt the pinch of poverty, Muhammad in his social legislation favored the fatherless and motherless, the poor, the slaves, the wayfarers, and this constitutes
the most humane part of his code (Koran 4:2, 3, 40; 16:73; 24:
33, etc.). To the two fundamental principles of chivalry—war
and religion—the third, gallantry, was now added. Nevertheless,
Arab chivalry even in its Islamic development remained a spirit,
a way of life, and never became, as in the Occident, an organized
institution. In the Moslem army of conquest the distinctive qualities of the chivalric knights, which at their best were valor,
honor, piety, and love, and at their worst ferocity, perfidy, fanaticism and lust, were all represented.
The early Moslems, following the heathen Arabians, considered him who could compose in prose and verse, ride, swim and
shoot arrows an educated cultured man. Such a person was called
kamil (the perfect one).
In Arabic literature the first poets to specialize in love and
in singing the praises of the fair sex were all post-Islamic. Such
was 'Umr ibn-abi-Rab!'ah (d. ca. 720) the Ovid of Mecca. An
Unmayyad poet sang:
"Our (i. e., man's) lot is to kill or be killed, or be taken captive.
Woman's part is gracefully to manage her train."
Those first Crusaders who came into the Holy Land cherishing a vague idea that the Saracens were idolaters who worshiped a certain "Baphomet" whose wicked body neither heaven
nor earth would accept and therefore lay suspended between the
two, were soon disillusioned. The early contacts showed the
mailed gentlemen of Europe that he had met his match in Asia,
and that neither in magnanimity nor in military prowess was a
Cceur de Lion superior to a Saladin.
Usamah (1095-1188) has inadvertently left us in his me-
�8
"THE SYRIAN WORLD
moirs the clearest picture of an Islamic knight—the knight being
the author himself. In all his dealings with friend and foe this
.Syrian gentleman astounds us with his highly developed sense of
chivalry and fairness. As he sights at a distance eight Frankish
knights and his comrade suggests resort to a ruse, Usamah insists
on meeting the enemy face to face. An aged slave who had
brought him up as a child, he addresses as "mother" and devotes
an apartment in his home to her exclusive use. The European
and Armenian hostages released from his castle, Shayzar, and
waylaid by Moslems, he is willing to rescue at all cost, whereas
Baldwin authorizes an attack at Acre (<Akka) on the ship bringing Usamah's family from Egypt, notwithstanding the safeconduct which the king himself had issued.
But Saladin (Salah-al-Din) was the real paragon of Islamic
knighthood who exemplified all the virtues and graces of Arab
chivalry. When the crusading army entered Jerusalem (1099)
it inaugurated the "kingdom of God" by slaughtering some two
°^duCnnstK"» and Jews. When Saladin retook the city
UI87), he accepted ransom for men, women and children and
released several thousands of them who could not pay. Those
same women and children refugees found the gates of Tyre
closed by Conrad in their face and the Italian sailors in Alexandria unwilling to take them on board without due payment.
Reginald of Chatillon, who in violation of treaty terms had attacked a caravan near his stronghold Crac (Karak), fell after the
battle of Hattin (1187) into the hands of Saladin. The latter
had sworn to take with his own hand the life of the truce-breaker.
1 he prisoner was offered a cup of refreshments; but Saladin was
quick to explain that since it was not ordered by him, the drink
did not constitute an amnesty, the Arab custom being that of considering any one safe after partaking of the hospitality of another.
Saladin's nephew, al-Malik al-Kamil, was knighted with full
ceremony on Palm Sunday (May 29), 1192, in Acre by Richard,
who was friendly with the youth's father.
European chivalry never denied that it developed out of an
early mass of usages, mainly Gallic, into an organic shape on the
plains of Syria. There in the first part of the twelfth century,
the earliest formal orders of knighthood—the Hospitalers and
the Templars—were established. As early as the eighth century
the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid (705-15) had houses built for
the lepers and the insane. The Order of St. Lazarus which was
�m -
zAPRIL, 1931
9
founded for assisting the lepers, and many Lazar houses which
grew later in the West, followed the Eastern precedent.
In Spain, Cordova with its frequent jousts and tournaments
was the hearth of Arab chivalry. To the Moslem courts of alNasir (912-61) and his son al-Hakam (961-76), where the punctilious code of honor and the knightly polish were assiduously
cultivated, flocked Christian knights under guaranty of safe-conduct to break lance with the Moorish cavaliers. In Granada, ibnHudhayl wrote (1400) The Ornament of Chevaliers and Banner
of Gallants. When the queen of Alfonso VII was besieged
(1139) in Azeca and reproached the Moslem horsemen for attacking a castle defended by a female, the only condition laid,
according to the story, was to have the lady show herself from
the window, upon which the siege was immediately raised. The
Cid (short for sayyid), the national hero of Spain whose name
Spanish ballads have surrounded with a saintly aureole, fought
first with and later against the Moors. The orders of monastic
knights organized in the twelfth century in Spain and Portugal
had for object the recovering of the peninsula from the Crescent
for the Cross.
In French the first full portrait of a knight is depicted by the
oldest French epic, the Chanson de Roland. Roland was a commander in Charlemagne's expedition against the Moslems in
Spain. In Germany the golden age of chivalry was attained under
Frederick Barbarossa who perished in the waters of a Cilician
river before reaching Palestine, only to become the legendary
ideal of Teutonic knighthood. The conventions and poetical technique of the German minnesingers bear the stamp of the French
troubadours, who in turn show the influence of the Oriental bards.
The Mameluke dynasty of Egypt (1250-1517) which dealt
the final blow to the Crusaders, was represented in the field of
chivalry by Baybars (1260-77) whose daring exploits and acts
of generosity, like those of 'Antarah, are still recited throughout
the Arabic-speaking world. The fdris, who figures in The Arabian
Nights, embodies the Mameluke ideals of a hero rather than the
'Abbasids', as ordinarily supposed.
The beginnings of European heraldry, a direct product and
characteristic token of chivalry, may be traced also to the Arab
world. The Crusaders brought back with them in the twelfth
century the germs of heraldic bearings. Saladin probably had the
eagle for crest, ibn-Tulun (868-77) the lion, and Bar-
�I
10
THE SYRIAN WORLD
quq (1382-98) the falcon. Baybars's lion can still be seen carved
on the bridge he built across the Jordan. Most of the Mamelukes
bore names of animals, the corresponding images of which they
blazoned on their shields. On a Zangid coin struck in Sinjar
(1190) we see the double-headed eagle, a bird of Sumerian origin
and later adopted in Europe and the U. S. A. The Eastern
origin of heraldic terms may be illustrated by such words as
"azure" (Arabic), "gules" (probably Persian). Among presentday Moslems the crescent and star, the lion and the sun represent the sole remnant of heraldry.
A number of the new orders of ornamental chivalry, Masonic
lodges, and shrines in Europe and America bear in their ritual
and technical vocabulary clear Islamic and Arabic influence.
To Each His Profession
Arab chroniclers relate that Al-Walid, the Umayyad Caliph,
was possessed with such phenomenal physical strength that he
used to have his feet shackled with an iron chain, and while thus
handicapped, spring with one bound on the back of a horse, without recourse to the use of his hands, and break the chain.
One day he boasted of his strength and asked his viziers if
they knew of anyone who could best him in wrestling. "Yes,"
they replied, "a certain modest professional wrestler of Khorassan."
The Caliph ordered the wrestler brought to Damascus. He
warned him against showing any courtesy or favor under pain
of death, while he spared no effort in an attempt to conquer his
rival.
The professional wrestler soon had the Caliph at his mercy,
and lifting him at arm's length in the air, carried him to his
throne and thus addressed him:
"Here, sire, you are in your place. In wrestling you are out
of your class. And please never meddle in anything that you
can avoid."
�J
zJPRIL, 1931
11
The Case of The Syrian World
Should the Magazine be Continued? If So, How?
yHE SYRIAN WORLD is now at the cross-roads of its existence. Its fate is in the hands of the public. We are laying
our case before our readers frankly and without reservation and
shall await their verdict.
As explained in our statement in the preceding issue, we have
not lost hope or confidence, and it is not our intention to discontinue the publication if such a step can possibly be avoided. We
have, on the contrary, decided to invite this symposium in the
hope of having the public hold council with us on ways and means
of continuing and perpetuating the enterprise. The questions we
promised in the last issue to lay before our readers are now submitted for their consideration.
HOW THE MAGAZINE BEGAN
Five years ago THE SYRIAN WORLD was launched as a medium of service to the Syrian-American generation in the hope
of bringing to them, in the only language they can understand,
an appreciation of their racial heritage that they may strive to
keep alive the best of their native traditions and culture. It was
a pioneering experiment, and we depended for its success on public support. It was, furthermore, and continues to this day, a personal enterprise for which no subsidy or support was forthcoming
from any source, whether public or private. We built our hope
of making it self-supporting on our racial consciousness. But the
enterprise never proved self-supporting. The accumulating deficit was met each year from other private sources of the publisher,
until the publication now finds itself facing the crisis of its existence unless some means is devised for its continuation. The
publisher has reached the limit of his resources.
Through its whole career the publication was carried on as a
�ll
12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
labor of love, not alone on the part of the publisher and editor,
but also on the part of the many contributors and collaborators
who have unstintingly given of their time and ability practically
without remuneration. Our contributors, as the files of THE
SYRIAN WORLD will indicate, comprise practically our best talent,
some of whom are internationally known authors whose works
command high prices, but who were willing to be associated with
the magazine, and contribute to it gratuitously, in order to promote its educational mission, and rear of it a literary monument
to our kind in America. No words of ours could adequately convey our thanks and gratitude to this fine body of men and women
patriots, but if ever an appraisal of disinterested public service
for the Syrian cause is to be made in the future, the pages of
THE SYRIAN WORLD will provide a roster of their names.
But in spite of the imposing list of our contributors, the circulation of the magazine never reached the proportion where it
could cover its mere physical production. And not only is this
our situation at present, but it is rather aggravated by existing
economic conditions. Hence the painful necessity of taking council with the public. The publication will have to be discontinued
unless sufficient public interest is aroused to stimulate wider interest. The metropolitan field is adequately covered. We can
safely state that in New York and vicinity the magazine is farreaching in its influence. But our aim is to make it a national organ—a mouthpiece of our people throughout America and the
English-speaking countries, that its message might be general instead of local. The burden must fall on the whole community
instead of on a small portion of it. This would bring it to the
point where it would be truly representative and effective.
In view of this situation, we ask our readers and the general
public to give consideration to the following questions and proposals which we are submitting for their frankest discussion. Two
issues of the magazine are yet to appear before the close of its
fifth year, and we would appreciate early replies, so that if any
important decision is reached it will be carried out with the beginning of next volume.
1 — IS THE MAGAZINE NEEDED
The fundamental question under the circumstances is whether
the magazine is considered needed sufficiently to be continued.
When first launched it was in the nature of an experiment. No
J
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'tAPRILy 1931
13
one is responsible for that first move except the publisher and
those whom he consulted and gave their approval and encouragement. Now that five years have been spent in giving the experiment a trial the public should be in a position to decide whether
the experiment has justified itself morally and should be continued and supported financially. The needed support can come
only through an increase in national circulation and in this every
individual can become a partner in the enterprise and help spread
the publication to the end that it will become self-supporting. Our
readers will recall that we have made an attempt to incorporate
the magazine in order to raise sufficient working capital. This,
in the last analysis, would place the burden or responsibility on
the shoulders of a few with no guarantee of safety and success
if public support is not forthcoming. Now what is the public prepared to do in the matter? If the answer to this question be that
the magazine is needed and should be continued, to what extent
is the public willing to help?
2 — SHOULD THE NAME BE RETAINED?
The name "THE SYRIAN WORLD" was adopted because
of its inclusiveness and decided advantage as a racial asset. A
publication directly identified with us lends prestige to us as a
group in America, and as such it will of necessity remain a group
organ devoid of the potentiality of general appeal. Now we face
the question: Is the name of sufficient value to us as a means of
distinct identification, or should it be discarded for a non-committal name which would hold broader possibilities of general appeal?
Those favoring a change of name may submit substitutes.
3 — IS THE CONTENT MATTER SUITABLE?
Considering the purpose of the magazine, it has been the uniform policy of the editor to keep its content matter within the
range prescribed by its original purpose, namely, to provide the
Syrian-American generation and those interested in Syrian affairs with that material that is unavailable in other English mediums. It was never designed to invade the field of the daily
newspaper or the general American periodical with which it manifestly cannot begin to compete. But in those very things in which,
from our own special point of view, other publications were lacking, THE SYRIAN WORLD attempted to supply the deficiency. In
�14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
the special field of Syrian interest, the magazine was made to
cover the widest range, from history, literature, and Arab lore,
to general news about Syrian activities in Syria and throughout
the world. It was also generous in fiction of a nature compatible
with its purpose. It gave a comprehensive monthly resume of
political developments in Syria without prejudice or bias.
Since THE SYRIAN WORLD has been consistent in maintaining
this policy during the five years of its publication, what, in the
opinion of our readers, can be its shortcomings whether in commission or omission?
4 —SHOULD THE SIZE BE CHANGED?
There was no particular reason for adopting the present size
of the magazine except its convenience for immediate handling
and its adaptability to binding for future reference. The magazine was not intended as of passing interest and for temporary
amusement; it was meant to be a medium of permanent value,
encyclopaedic in its information, and fit for preservation in every
Syrian home as a source of useful information for future generations. We have the alternative of doubling the size of the page,
which would permit of more display, but necessitating a reduction in the number of pages from sixty-four to thirty-two. In
the latter case it would be the size of the Literary Digest. Which
would readers prefer?
*
*
*
*
Once these questions are answered, we could have a true
indication of the readers' preferences. The most important question is whether or not the magazine is considered needed as a
racial organ in America. Those answering in the affirmative
might be in a position to offer helpful suggestions as to the means
of continuing and promoting it. If THE SYRIAN WORLD, or whatever other name is decided for it, is viewed as an influence in
our life, an asset to our racial prestige, an organ of our culture,
then the responsibility of preserving and promoting it should be
a matter of public concern. We are assuming that there are sufficient public-spirited Syrians in America who will give the matter
•serious consideration and share with the publisher the responsibility which so far he has been carrying alone. And now that we
have laid the case of THE SYRIAN WORLD before the public, we
shall await the verdict before the end of our fifth year, which
falls with the June issue.
if
�IAPRIL,
1931
15
Reflections on Co-operation
2fy A
READER
QO-OPERATION is a word that people are prone to use too
freely. No matter what the objective may be, at some time
or other, the advocate of that objective will call upon his listeners or readers to "co-operate". In the case of listeners, the audience usually claps enthusiastically. And thereby "co-operates".
In the case of readers, from several of them there is the usual
expression of sympathy and approval. And thereby they "cooperate".
Co-operation, I believe, means more than that. Webster has
this to say: "To act or operate jointly with another or others;
concurrent effort or labor." It seems to me that Webster did not
intend to include hand-clappers and letter-writers, unless you reduce the definition to a literal absurdity. There wouldn't seem to
be much "effort" or "labor" or "action" to hand-clapping and
letter-writing.
I believe in calling a spade a spade. A King, Queen, Jack,
Ten and Nine of a suit couldn't be called a Royal Flush even
though it is close. I know from bitter experience that the Ace
is a necessary card.
Hand-clapping, of course, is good moral support. No one, I
think, would deny that. It serves to instill a confidence. It encourages the convictions of whatever beliefs promulgators of an
objective may have. But I don't believe that all the moral-support in the world could really be called co-operation.
It seems to me we ought to stop fooling ourselves. We ought
either to really co-operate or be willing to admit that we have
only been hand-clapping all the time.
i
Which all reminds me. I read the editor's statement in the
March issue to the effect that the publication is in financial
straits. He explained that unless positive support were forthcoming there would be little likelihood of its continued existence.
To me, this seems a shame. That THE SYRIAN WORLD, which is
the only medium in English serving to elevate the Syrian race
�--
16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
in the United States, should cease to be published, because of the
failure of Syrians to support it, would indelibly stain our fair
name.
It seems to me that I would do my level best to keep alive
anyone or anything that told the world how good I was. Very
few people in this old world of ours are constructively critical.
I suppose most of us have become so accustomed to hearing destructive criticisms that when a real constructive leader happens
in our midst, we don't know what to do.
I'll tell you what I think we ought to do. We ought to subscribe to the publication. We ought to induce those among us
who are not subscribers to subscribe. We ought to preach the
cause of THE SYRIAN WORLD at any opportunity.
I think we ought to remember that this publication does not
really belong to the Editor or to the Publisher. It belongs to us.
It belongs to all the Syrians. It belongs to all the Syrian-Americans. It belongs to all those of Syrian extraction who speak English. It seems to me that we owe our support to anything that
belongs to us.
Let us have more action and less hand-clapping.
Sayings of Ali
Your best friends are those who direct you to the path of
goodness.
*
*
*
A light heart is better than a light purse.
*
*
*
A man's character is judged by his actions j his knowledge
by his speech.
*
*
*
Persistence in the suppression of anger is an infallible guarantee of peace of mind.
*
*
*
Conceit is a stigma on knowledge.
*
*
*
The miserly rich is poorer than the generous poor.
*
*
*
A slap by the beloved carries a double sting.
1
i
�JLPRIL, 1931
17
Jto 4ffl?mnrtam
GIBRAN KAHLIL GIBRAN
Becharri, Mt. Lebanon, 1883—New York, 1931
i
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
Gibran Kahlil Gibran
Gibran Kahlil Gibran was known to the literary world, except
in his mother Arabic language, simply as Kahlil Gibran. In giving him his first name, a common Syrian practice was followed
designed to perpetuate the name of the founder of the family.
The Gibran family is well-known in Becharri, Gibran's birthplace. He was connected on his mother's side with the equally
well-known local family of Rahme.
The etymology of the two family names assumes especial significance viewed in conjunction with the character of Gibran. Gibran is from the Arabic verb Gabar, meaning to mend. It is applied figuratively to those who bring relief in distress. Rahme
is charity. The combination appears singularly prophetic.
Gibran was born in Becharri, Mt. Lebanon, in 1883. At the
age of twelve he came to the United States, but after two years
returned to Syria for his education, attending the Al-Hikmat College at Beirut, where he took up Arabic and French.
In 1903 he returned to America. After five years, most of
which he spent in Boston, he went abroad to study painting in
Paris. In 1912 he moved to New York and made his permanent
home there.
The English works of Gibran are "The Madman," published
in 1918, "The Forerunner," in 1920, "The Prophet," in 1923,
"Jesus the Son of Man," in 1928, and "The Earth Gods," in
1931. He had under preparation another work which was to appear under the title "The Garden of the Prophet." The Prophet
was his most successful work, of which his publishers state more
than seventy thousand copies were sold. It was translated into
more than twenty languages.
Almost all of Gibran's published works in Arabic antedate
his English works. In Arabic Gibran was the creator of a style
of writing that was altogether his own and came to be exclusively
identified with him. His influence spread through all the Arabicspeaking world.
Gibran was one prophet who was honored during his lifetime
by his own countrymen. In January, 1929, the Syrian community
of New York held a banquet at one of the leading hotels to celebrate the twenty-fifth literary anniversary of Gibran, commemorating the publication of his first Arabic book.
�Ti i
<APRIL, 1931
19
The Last Days of Gibran
SUDDEN and tragic was the end of our beloved poet, Gibran
Kahlil Gibran. Death came to him at ten minutes before eleven
o clock on the night of Friday, April 10, 1931, at St. Vincent's
Hospital in New York, where he had been removed from his
studio on the morning of the same day. At about two in the afternoon he lapsed into a state of coma from which he never emerged
His sister Mariana, who had come from Boston, and a few intimate friends, were at his bedside. Practically until the very last
day before his removal to the hospital Gibran had shown the indomitable will which characterized his mastery of the spirit over
the flesh throughout life. Even until Thursday he was working
on some unfinished manuscripts and drawings. His studio on
VVest lenth Street showed, if anything, even increased signs of
that orderly activity which marked his work.
, i?n Jhursday morning Mrs, Anna Johansen, the caretaker
at. Lhe Studio Building, carried Gibran his simple breakfast as
was her custom, and his weakness gave her a sense of alarm She
called on the phone to Mrs. Leonobel Jacobs, a friend of many
years, and a one time resident of the same building. Mrs. Jacobs
responded at once and brought with her a physician of note a
specialist, and he ordered the removal of the patient to the hospital. It was, however, considered that Gibran's own request to
wait until Friday morning might safely be regarded. In the early
afternoon of Thursday, Barbara Young, his close friend and conhdante m his English work, came to the Studio and was at once
deeply anxious about his condition. She remained with him and
he talked of his current work, the high interest in still unfinished
drawings, and future books. About eight-thirty Mrs. Jacobs returned with the physician, and again the assurance was given that
he could safely wait until morning before going to St. Vincent's
Hospital. His wish to do so being so very positive.
During Thursday evening, until after midnight', when he fell
into an uneasy sleep, he talked with Miss Young of his beloved
country of his mother, and of his sister Mariana. Still the unfinished drawings were foremost in his mind, and he said "These
hands must still do some work upon them, before thev can go
�20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Just before the removal to the hospital, Gibran was very conscious of the anxiety in Miss Young's face, and he said, almost at
the moment the doctors entered the room, "Don't be troubled.
All is well."
He was carried into St. Vincent's at ten-thirty in the forenoon,
and a consultation was immediately called. Mariana was summoned and she hastened by the first train from Boston, accompanied by Gibran's cousins, Mrs. Rose Diab and Assaf George, arriving only after her brother had become unable to recognize her.
In mid-afternoon a second consultation was hurriedly called,
and at dusk still another eminent physician was brought to the
bedside. But to no avail. His long struggle had consumed his
last ounce of strength which suddenly broke down beyond hope
of mending by any human assistance.
At 5 o'clock Miss Young telephoned to the office of THE
SYRIAN WORLD to advise the editor of Gibran's condition. She
felt it her duty, she said, considering the gravity of the situation,
to make the fact known to Gibran's people.
The news came as a terrible shock. Only a few days before
the editor had been speaking to the famous poet and the latter's
voice seemed to be charged with a distinct tone of cheerfulness
and hope. His "The Earth Gods" had just appeared and he was
working on still another book scheduled to appear in the fall, he
announced.
Such feelings of grave apprehension and anxiety as came to
the editor at that moment are experienced only when a man of
public responsibility faces the danger of a national calamity, and
as such to him would be viewed the loss of Gibran. Hastily communicating the news to Mischa Naimy, the editor sped to the
hospital, only to find Gibran already in a comatose state. By his
side were Barbara Young, Mrs. William Brown Maloney, Miss
Adele Watson and Mrs. Leonobel Jacobs, all known American
writers and artists, whose apprehension and grief showed plainly
on their faces, seemingly unable to admit the possibility of Gibran coming to such an untimely death. Gibran is to them what he
is to every Lebanese and Syrian, a brother whose passing meant
a deep personal loss. They were all with him to the end.
Chor-Bishop Francis Wakim, pastor of St. Joseph's Maronite
church in New York, had been summoned by the hospital management but found the patient already unconscious.
The tense anxiety of the four American ladies was fast grow-
1
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< APRIL, 1931
21
trig. Could it be possible that, the light will never again shine in
Gibran's eyes, his voice never again speak to those who held him
so dearly? We spoke to him in his own language, hoping he
might react to memories of his youth, but it was apparent that
the only language Gibran could now understand was that of the
calling angels.
The moment of the great passing was quiet and without pain
or struggle. At his bedside were Barbara Young and Mischa
Naimy, and in an adjoining room, Mrs. Jacobs and Mrs. Melonev
and Miss Watson waited with Mariana and the two cousins, hoping until the final breath was drawn for some miracle which
would restore the vigor and power of this friend and brother.
The metropolitan press the following day published long accounts of Gibran's life, and the news of his death was carried by
Associated Press dispatches to the world.
The scene at Gibran's studio on the following day was heartrending. The pitiful lamentations of Mariana aroused memories
which continually brought tears to the eyes of the many sympathizers who grouped about her. And there were Gibran's books
and drawings, and wood-carvings, and the many altars he had set
about the room, and the tapestries of religious designs he had
hung along the walls, all reminiscent of his work of hand and
pen and brush, and symbolic of the depth of his spiritual feelings and convictions. Papers were piled high on his desk, and
scattered over the tables. Some one picked up the cover of a
cigarette box, and Gibran had written on it in Arabic one of his
typical epigrams: "Weariness might well be the height of ambition
"My brother always enjoined me from throwing away empty
cigarette boxes or paper slips. He used to write on anything that
was handy," explained Mariana between sobs.
Saturday and Sunday the body, banked with wreaths of orchids and lilies, lay at the Universal Funeral Parlors in Lexington Avenue, where hundreds filed by in reverence and grief in a
continual stream. Many of the mourners were personal friends,
but many others were admirers who had never met in person this
gifted son of the East, but came to love and revere him by his
works. They were from all nationalities, because Gibran's fame
was not confined to the people of one language or race. Some of
his books had been translated into as many as twenty languages.
MMtiNlMN
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•—-.
?HE SYRIAN WORLD
But all who came represented the finest artistic and literary element in American life.
The names of many of these who came to render their silent
tribute are known both here and abroad. Among these were Mrs.
Corinne Roosevelt Robinson who rose from her own sick bed to
stand beside the bier of this inestimable friend; Leonora Speyer,
Rose O'Neill, Margaret Sanger, Alice Raphael, Natalie Sedgwick
Colby; and through Rose O'Neill came messages of devotion and
sorrow from Witter Bynner, Daniel Long, and Orrick Johns,
fellow poets and friends of long and happy years.
The body was taken to Boston for interment in the family
plot where Gibran's mother rests. Accompanying the bereaved
sister were a number of devoted American friends and members
of Ar-Rabitah, the Arabic literary circle which Gibran had founded and of which he had been president.
During the past winter Gibran had taken a keen pleasure in
translating several of the simple beautiful poems from his Arabic
into English. The last poem, which he dictated to Barbara
Young but a very short time, a fortnight perhaps, before his passing, is this:
Whence, Bride of my dreams?
Go hence slowly, Bride of my deeper Dream;
For I am now weary afoot,
And I cannot follow.
Nay, go fast, faster,
Bride of my dreams,
For the valleys and the higher hills
That I feared but yesterday,
Now I would cross and climb.
Go fast, faster. I follow.
The spirit is ready and I would now run.
Fly, Bride of my dreams,
For there are wings springing upon my shoulders.
The flame that I feared of burning
Now I would embrace;
And now I would bathe only at the high tide of
the sea.
�\APR1L, 1931
23
It was at the autumn of my years
That I beheld you in the mist,
Bride of my dreams.
Now it is spring.
Run fast. Fly high.
I follow.
We shall pass into the twilight,
Perchance to wake to the dawn of another world.
But love shall stay,
And his finger-marks shall not be erased.
The blessed forge burns,
The sparks rise, and each spark is a sun.
Better it is for us and wiser
To seek a shadowed nook and sleep in our earth
divinity,
And let love, human and frail, command the
coming day.
These words close the last published book of Gibran Kahlil
Gibran.
Gibran s Funeral in Boston
'By BARBARA YOUNG
was love, human and frail, love stricken with a grief entirely
ITbeyond
expression, that met the body of Gibran as it was taken
from the train at South Station at five in the afternoon of Monday, April 13. The platforms and waiting-rooms were overflowing with hundreds of weeping people who had come to receive
this body of the Syrian poet who was their beloved, "habibi."
This was the word on every tongue. Gibran's close personal
friend and the priest of the Church of Our Lady of the Cedars,
Chor-Bishop Stephen El-Douaihy, in his robes, met Mariana
Gibran and her cousins, and the American and Syrian friends who
had accompanied them from New York. A group of notable
Boston men led by Elias F. Shamon, Gibran's friend and legal
counsellor, placed upon the casket the beautiful Lebanese flag,
and it was borne to the home of the Syrian Ladies' Aid Society
�„1: '"r
"
24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
on West Newton street, where, lying in silent state, Gibran received the hundreds of sorrowing hearts that came to look upon
his quiet face, and express with rivers of tears, and with the tenderest and most blessed words, their overwhelming grief.
The writer was moved, beyond any words to tell, by the interminable lines of weeping beings from every walk in life that
passed through the long room, softly lighted, banked with the
loveliest of flowers, tapers burning at the head and foot of the
simple casket, and a guard of honor, young men from the Becharre Society, standing always, day and night, beside their sleeping countryman.
On Tuesday, when the long procession wound through the
city streets, making its way to the Church of Our Lady of the Cedars on Tyler Street, it was accompanied by hundreds of loving
people. And as the cortege passed by many dropped upon their
knees upon the curb to pray; and the scores of traffic officers of
Boston stood at salute as the flag-draped casket went by.
It was impossible for the many hundreds of friends to find
places inside the little church, and they waited in silence on the
sidewalk during the service conducted by the Rt. Reverend Stephen El-Douaihy, with moving and impressive chant and recitative which is a part of the Maronite funeral service. In the
little organ loft a beautiful single voice was suddenly lifted in
a pean of sad beauty. It was the voice of a young Syrian girl,
Nagiebie Mourad, whose singing had enchanted Gibran many
times, and in whose gift he had a faith and confidence.
Beside the candles stood a young altar-boy who had been a
protege of Gibran, and whose dark eyes ran over with tears which
he tried in vain to control.
•
The organizations represented at the services included the
Syrian Ladies' Aid Society, Syrian Educational Society, St. George
Society of Antioch, Damascus Church Society, Massachusetts Syrian Association of American Citizens, Mount Lebanon Club of
Boston and Lebanon League of Progress of New York.
At the tomb wherein the mortal garment had been laid,
awaiting a possible removal to the country of the cedars, the
throngs of now utterly silent friends listened to the words of
love and sorrow and farewell voiced by the Monsignor and by
the countrymen of Gibran who had come from New York to pay
the last possible tribute to his visible presence.
Never have I beheld expressions of greater tenderness nor
�25
?APRlLy1931
of deeper grief. "Much have I loved the world, and the world
has loved me," Gibran has written in his unfinished "Garden of
the Prophet." He knew in his great heart that this was indeed so.
And this profound and deathless love through which he gave
himself in ceaseless measure to the world shall be ever his honor
and his reward.
These words, again from his "Earth Gods," might well be
his epitaph:
"My god-heart within my human ribs
Shouts to my god-heart in mid-air.
The human pit that wearied me calls to divinity.
The beauty that we have sought from the beginning
Calls unto divinity.
I heed and I have measured the call,
And now I yield.
Beauty is a path that leads to self self-slain.
Beat your strings.
I will to walk the path.
It stretches ever to another dawn."
The Creative Hand, by Gibran
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
.2
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03
£
o
c
3
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�tAPRIL, 1931
27
Americans Pay Tribute to Spirit
of Gibran
Impressive Services Held at the Roerich Museum by
Representative American Intellectuals.
"THOUGH Gibran be dead, his memory will ever live; his influence on the spiritual life of America will gain momentum
with the passing of years; his creations of pen and brush will constitute one of the finest contributions of his race to the youngAmerican nation. Such was the general theme of the many eulogies, in poetry and prose, contributed to the memorial services to
the "Spirit of Gibran," held in the East Hall of the Roerich
Museum, 103rd Street and Riverside Drive in New York on the
afternoon of Wednesday, April 29.
The occasion was marked by the simplicity, dignity, and uplifting influence characteristic of the Spirit of Gibran, which it
was meant to symbolize. The thought of rendering this public
tribute to our departed poet was in the minds of all his many
friends and admirers since he died, but was first given expression
by Dr. Charles Fleischer, well-known author and lecturer, who
was most generous in time and energy in organizing the meeting.
The two-hundred or more in attendance were representative
of the city's best intellectual element. There were authors and
lecturers, artists, educators and men and women of various professions. A number of Syrians were also present, but not in the
proportion to properly indicate Gibran's place in the esteem of
his own people, since it had been announced in the Syrian press
that a special memorial meeting, to be conducted in Arabic, was
to be held in Brooklyn, Sunday evening, May 24.
Throughout the meeting, the chairman, Dr. Fleischer, punctuated the eulogies with the reading of selected passages from
Gibran's works. He opened with the fitting quotation, "Mayhap
a funeral among men is a wedding-feast among the angels."
Prince Hohiudin, scion of the Arab Hashemite family of the
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
Prophet, played "Du bist die Ruh" on the 'cello to the piano ac
compamment of Mr. Reitner. The opening remarks of the hair
zttune to the spirituaJ nature f the
ssjr?
i together with other poems
° and°«'
on! ?i;
Fletcher's remarks,
eulogies
de
Wed on this occasion, are published elsewhere in this ifsu )
that Mrs Cirman 2* mafyTJtCiegramS °f re^ret and announced
that Mrs. Connne Roosevelt Robinson, sister of the late president
Roosevelt and a devoted friend and admirer of cSTadat
SSS iirpZr' ^ * ^ ** ^ ** ^ «
Miss Estelle Duclo and Mr. Mischa Naimy delivered their
poems, while the chairman read the poem
of Miss Barbara Youn^
composed especialiy for the occasionP ^ y^^^^SS
eihan Synan com
to musi'c «\rf? 1
'
P°s^-P-"-t, had put
C Linscott to Fnl?h >P°emS' Wh,ch was
S W Mr. Hubert
e. Linscott to Fuleihan's piano accompaniment. Mr Claude
oralnsn' "
"^ "* ^ ^
A
'
Moka
^ *&«a
The ceremonies were closed with Prince Mohiudin nkvine
P
some touching Oriental music on the oud
' 8
« Thl manaSers.ofrthe Roerich Museum expressed their deen
P
sympathy and spmt of cooperation by donating the hall
A RECLAMATION
Opening Remarks of the Chairman,
DR. FLEISCHER
"The Cosmos sends a creative challenge to her Earth Chil
dren: to escape oblivion-as best we can. Each accordmg to h s
power-in his brief allowance of earthly life-achieves escape
Zgttrf t°b/r°n (WmS
a
%0 - ^ adds hiS
through work, to the mounting worth of the world.
For, "what is excellent—is permanent "
One so harmoniously attuned to the music of the spheres-
pe^^rh^uT^I brUShJ
Wkh th md d
/
° ^ °f U"
speech with truth, beauty, wisdom, understanding: like our
friend Kahlil Gibran-uttered himself, as poet, arfist prophet
in spntual terms,-well, his passing from our ^igh and ken s
really only a reclamation by the Eternal Spirit of the Cosmos
_
�vfPRIL, 1931
29
Therefore, we mourn not; because we can easily take, as the
keynote for our "Tribute to the Spirit of Kaklil Gibran" his
own words from "Sand and Foam":
"Mayhap a funeral among men is a wedding-feast among
the angles."
GIBRAN LIVES
'By
CLAUDE BRAGDON
The elegiac note is not the proper one for this occasion, as
Doctor Fleischer has well said. When a prophet dies—and no
one is more deserving than Gibran of that title—it is a surcease
from labor and a release from "the narrow prison of the breast."
It was a release also in this case from physical suffering so protracted and intense that no matter how keen our personal loss
we should rejoice today that this Bird of God is free at last.
As prophet, poet, painter, seer, Gibran is well known to you
all; therefore upon these aspects, in the short time at my disposal, I shall not dwell, but attempt rather to tell you something
about him as a man and as a friend. For he was my friend from
far back—I even think in other lives. Our first coming together
was "like kinsmen met a-night," and those thereafter, however
infrequent, were as though we had just parted and would never
part again.
I can testify to the truth of what his fellow-countryman has
just told you: that though dwelling far from home and writing
in an alien language his great love for his birthplace and his
birthright remained unimpaired. Lebanon was to him a sacred
land, a nursery of saints and prophets; and he always insisted
that it was their light which he sent forth rather than anything personal to himself. In this he was doubtless right: his
power came from some great reservoir of spiritual life else it
could not have been so universal and so potent, but the majesty
and beauty of the language with which he clothed it were all
his own.
Robert Edmund Jones once said to me, "Claude, we do not
use the word 'noble' often enough." This is true, but indeed why
should we? —there are so few things and people now-a-days to
which the adjective can be applied. But Gibran was one of these
�_
30
mmmm
THE SYRIAN WORLD
people—a noble man, of noble birth, noble rearing, noble presence, character and endowment. If this seems to bear with it any
implication of the aloof and forbidding I hasten to correct the
impression by adding that he was also a man of great charm—
what the Irish would call a "darlin' " man, in the sense of being
very human and lovable. For he loved the world and he loved
people; he was a devoted friend, and was as a father to many
orphans: his benefactions alone would make an amazing story,
but he took pains to see that this story should not be known. To
sum up, Gibran was like that other Great One, Zarathustra, who,
asked if by carrying his fire to the valleys he did not fear the
incendiary's doom, made this answer' "I love men!"
In any company of his intimates he was the center of a
charmed attention—not because he wanted to be, but others, with
the chance of listening to him, did not care to talk. On these occasions he was fond of telling pointed and amusing stories drawn
from the Persian poets and the folk-lore of his people, and he
did this with an impromptu art commensurate with, but different
from, his deeply considered and highly polished written verse.
The last time but one on which I saw him, he told me that
he was working on a trilogy of which "The Prophet" was to constitute only the first part, "The Garden of the Prophet" and
"The Death of the Prophet" being the second and third. The
theme of the first (as we know) is the relation of man to his fellow-men, the theme of the second was to be man's relation to Nature, and of the third, his relation to God. How much of this he
had finished at the time of his death I have no idea, but there are
fragments which in due time will be added to that heritage already
bequeathed and scattered with so loving and so liberal a hand. I
shall not add the conventional tag, "now stilled in death" because
it would express only a falsehood: history proves that great prophets and great poets are never so alive in the consciousness of
men as after they have put off the body. Gibran lives, increasingly and eternally.
�tAPRIL, 1931
31
HE BROUGHT BEAUTY AND TRUTH
2?y
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i
-,;
SYUD HOSSAIN
THE passing of Kahlil Gibran removes a significant and vital
personality from the international scene. It was a many-sided
personality, touched with genius and characterized by rare charm
and distinction. He was at once a poet, a painter, a thinker, and
a scholar. His achievements in each one of these aspects represented an authentic individuality and a serene and high purpose.
Originality, idealism, and a fastidious craftsmanship characterized his work as poet and painter. As a thinker he had begun
with the precious natural endowment of a mind of great range
and depth, which came to be informed and equipped with the
fruits of a varied culture and a profound scholarship.
It is not my purpose on this occasion to essay an exhaustive
appraisal of the life and achievements of Kahlil Gibran, but
rather to offer a homage of affection to the memory of a friend
and of admiration to a creative artist, prematurely torn from us,
but whose influence and inspiration will continue to be operative
on the minds and hearts of innumerable men and women for a
long time to come.
It was my privilege to have known Gibran at fairly close
range, both as a friend and as an artist. As one recalls his vivid
and vital personality, the unforgettable memory is one of its
compelling charm. He bore his great learning lightly, and almost to the last his jo'te de vivre and a keen sense of humor were
a dominant part of his personality. Even the great physical pain,
which he so stoically endured during the closing years of his
life, was not able to daunt his god-given capacity for laughter
and his genius for companionship.
According to a classical observation, the difference between
ordinary mortals and an authentic poet is that while we all have
our moods and moments of ecstasy, the poet alone can hold his
ecstasy long enough to make it immortal. Gibran lived in perpetual ecstasy, which in this context connotes an intense sensitiveness both to the laughter and the tears of things. He, truly, and
in authentic poetic tradition, learnt in suffering much that he
taught in song.
MBNHHNNNN
�32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
In the poet's soul, indeed, ecstasy and agony must co-exist,
and it is the poet's alchemy that extracts from their inter-mingling the substance of enduring Beauty.
While everyone knows of the distinguished achievements of
Kahlil Gibran as a poet and a painter, perhaps the quality of his
mature and mellow scholarship is not so well or widely known.
This scholarship was a basic element of his rich and cosmopolitan
culture. While he derived from one of the most ancient and authentic of the founts of Christian tradition, he also shared with
the world of Islam the heritage of the classic Arabic language
and literature.
This community of inheritance had enabled him to acquire a
\ ast knowledge of, and deep insight into, the history and psychology of the Islamic peoples. He had an intimate and extensive
knowledge of their philosophy and their poetry. He said to me
more than once that he ranked the Caliph Ali as among the very
greatest figures of history—greater, in his opinion, even than
Mohammed—and that he hoped one day to put together a collec;ion of the Sayings of Ali, which he thought were among the
profoundest and wisest of human utterances.
He knew many of the Sayings of Ali by heart and, as a
master of Arabic himself, could no doubt appreciate them in the
fullness of their classic force and beauty. I know enough about
Ali—the beau ideal of Islamic chivalry—to share Gibran's enthusiasm and admiration for that incomparable Caliph. Had
Gibran lived to bring out his projected compilation, I do not
doubt but that it would have taken its place as a memorable contribution to the lilerature, not alone of the Arabic-speaking peop'es but of the world. A selection of the Sayings of Ali by Kahlil Gibran would have had a savor and a unity all its own!
Gibran thus united in himself two of the historic traditions
of the East—his racial roots were in the sacred soil of Lebanon
and his cultural roots in the language and lore of the larger
entity of all "Jazirat-ul-Arab".
To a cultural personality already so deeply rooted and so
richly blended, he super-added the acquisitions of a modern
Western training. He not only perfected his artistic technique
under the liberating and inspiring influence of la belle France, but
with characteristic intellectual zest he utilized those precious
early years in Paris to contact with the ideals and achievements
of the European tradition in Art. He knew most of the treasures
I
�— '«
' ''
—
—
^"
—
33
zJPRIL, 1931
of the Louvre in his own field, for instance, with a thoroughness
and intimacy that could have been equaled by only a few others
among his contemporaries.
Gibran thus presented a most rare combination of qualities
and assets, which made him an outstanding and irreplaceable personality. Not the least of his characteristics was that reverent
pride in his art which permitted of no compromise where standards were concerned, and which made him sustain his own role
as an artist with invulnerable dignity. In the midst of rampant
vulgarity and a raucous commercialism he unflinchingly eschewed
alike the tricks and the trophies of the market place.
No one who knew Gibran but will miss him keenly, and even
poignantly. One can only balance the sense of personal loss by
the reflection that if he has passed on in the prime of life it has
also been in the fullness of manifold achievement. And, above
all, perhaps the supreme consolation for his friends will be in
the realization that he was instrumental in bringing, by his life
and his works, a great deal of Beauty and a great deal of Truth
into thousands of other lives. No artist could have done more or
could have wished for more. "May his soul rest in peace!"
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{
HE TRAVELED WITH THE SUN
"By
I
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
(")NE cannot fail but be moved by the touching tributes now
given in memory of our beloved poet Gibran. Seeing that this
assembly is composed mostly of Americans, men and women admirers of the work of pen and brush of one of our kinsmen, and
that the call to it had first been sounded by non-Syrians, one
readily concedes that Gibran belongs to the larger humanity, that his spirit is universal and transcends racial
and national demarcations. In that he is yours as well as
ours. But being originally of us, he is our messenger to you, the
man who embodies and typifies the richness of that spiritual
heritage which is of the East.
If we may be permitted the pardonable pride of claiming Gibran, it is but to reassert a truth with which he had been continually
identified and which he never made an attempt to conceal. He,
�Tftkl
34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
rather, felt proud in proclaiming it, to the extent that he became
known as the Poet of the Cedars, and that in his literary masterpiece "Jesus the Son of Man" he paid his tribute to the character
of Jesus under the significant title: "A Man from Lebanon Nineteen Centuries Afterwards." Gibran's name was inalienably associated with that of his national extraction, and his life and work
and even his tragic death were as if cast by fate with the source
of his early inspiration. He was born under the shadow of the
Cedars of Lebanon, at Becherri, the highest point of habitation
in the upper reaches of the mountain close to the grove which has
defied the centuries, and still stands as a living relic of a glorious
civilization. Gibran dreamed of going to live some day in the
scenes of his early childhood and youth. News of his intention
had reached his countrymen, and when I was with them only a
short time since, they were most solicitous for his return. They
idolized him; they were proud of his genius; but in order to
insure his well-being and guarantee that solitude which he so
much sought, they had arranged to install him in the very monastery whose location he admired even in his tender age. It was
an old landmark, situated on a ledge of the mountain almost
half-way between his native town and the Cedars. The location
is ideal for Gibran's purpose. From it he could at once command
a view of the lofty cedars to soar to the heights of inspiration,
and of the majestic Wadi Qadisha, or sacred valley, which symbolized the depth of his reasoning and understanding.
But fate has willed otherwise. Born in the East^ he followed
the sun in its prescribed course and set in the West. To the
West he owed much of his technical knowledge and skill which
he aptly used to express his native ability. His medium of expression in his more mature years was principally the English language.
Fate also so willed that even to the end he should be associated with the memory of his beloved homeland. The last rites
over his mortal remains were held in the church of Our Lady of
the Cedars in Boston, chanted in the Syriac language which he
learned as a youth and retained as a man, and by a priest of his
own section of the mother country.
It is in the spirit of his origin and associations that we claim
him. To us he symbolizes a spiritual heritage which, in his own
words, "we can proudly lay as a gift of gratitude upon the lap
of America." His message to the Syrian-American generation
�*APRIL, 1931
35
which he was moved, rather inspired, to write in promotion of
an ideal, breaths the spirit of law-obedience, productive and constructive toil, and the necessity of giving as well as of taking.
His own exalted example was that of giving out of the fullness
of his heart. I shall, with your indulgence, read you his short,
yet prophetic message, which he wrote especially for THE SYRIAN WORLD. (Gibran's message appears elsewhere in this issue.)
True to the spirit of Gibran, we shall give as we take. We
shall contribute to our fullest ability. And now, speaking as a
Syrian from Lebanon, the country of Gibran's birth, and voicing
the sentiment of my people, I may say, "People of America, we
have contributed to you—Gibran."
THE VOICE OF THE HEIGHTS OF LEBANON
"By
REV. ROBERT NORWOOD
We lament and mourn the going of Kahlil Gibran. In an
age of clack and clatter, of noisy superficialness and arrogant imposters, we need prophets and poets like the one who was a little
while in our midst and who has gone forward into the nearer
intimacy of life with God. I doubt if any preacher of this age,
however popular in his vogue, knew God and Christ with the
intimacy and the understanding of Kahlil Gibran. His voice was
the voice of the heights of Lebanon, and his spirit had something
of that grace and winsomeness revealed in One whom Paul described as grace — "The grace of the Lord Jesus."
It is a question, when a great man or a great woman passes,
what a nation accepts as its standard of greatness. Still we estimate the warrior, or the man who is able to control the destinies
of the world because of his skill in bargaining. But surely, as
time goes on, humanity stands with bowed head before the
prophet. America, you are bereft today of one of your greatest
souls, and the universe has been made more beautiful by a memory — the memory of Kahlil Gibran,
�I
-
36
THE SYRIAN WORLD
THE PROPHET NEVER DIES
By REV. ABRAHAM M. RIHBANY
Mr. Gibran's death has left vacant an honored place in the
circle of true seekers and exponents of truth, goodness and beauty.
His soul was attuned to the higher and finer harmonies. He
served his generation, in a feverishly restless age, as a steadying
spiritual force. Sweetness and light, power and beauty, flowed
from his brush and pen. The great host of his spiritual beneficiaries will rise with your assembly and call his memory Blessed.
To us Syrians his achievements will ever remain a source of
inspiration and encouragement to seek the heights his brilliant
mind touched. He still lives and will continue to live with us
in his precious works. "The prophet never dies."
A GREAT SYRIAN OF THE AGES
By
REV.
W. A.
MANSUR
The death of the great G. K. Gibran brought great sorrow
to my heart, and tears to my eyes, and the realization of a great
loss. I wrote of Gibran as one of the great Syrian-Americans of
our times. I now write of him as one of the great Syrians of the
Ages. Gibran is forever the glorious heritage of our Lebanese
race, and Syrians of Greater Syria.
It is great men who make a people great, who enrich the
people's heritage, who lead in the vanguard of the race's progress. Gibran enriched our race by his high character, by his noble
achievements, and by his benevolent aspirations. We are a greater
people, we are a richer race, we are a better generation because
Gibran lived, wrought, and achieved.
Gibran lives, although he died, lives in the ennobling inspirations he left us, in the lofty song he bequeathed to us, in the
heavenly truths he gave to us. Gibran ever remains the poet
of our hearts, the singer of our soul, and the inspirer of our
song. He ever lives in our hearts, in our minds, and in our
dreams. Gibran, one of the fairest flowers of Lebanese soil, Gibran one of the illustrious sons of Lebanese heritage, Gibran one
of the greatest of the Lebanese race, will be enshrined forever in
the heart of the Lebanese and Syrian race. Let us catch the inspiration that we may dedicate ourselves to high character, noble
achievement^ unselfish service, and human welfare,
L
�—
IfPRIL, 1931
37
A SEER DEPARTED
An Editorial of
THE SUN,
Nezo York, April 15, 1931
The death of Kahlil Gibran is a great loss to the Syrians of
New York, numerous enough to form a distinct colony. He is
mourned, moreover, by the Arabic-speaking peoples of the world,
who had pride in him as their chief poet and artist, and by many
Occidental admirers who were familiar with such of his books
in English as "The Madman," "The Forerunner," "The Prophet," "Sand and Foam," "Jesus the Son of Man" and "The
Earth Gods."
In Greenwich Village Gibran's studio was a favorite meetingplace for artists j he will be missed not only as an artist-poet but
as a personality. When at work he wore the robes of his native
land, but when he went on the street he dressed in the clothing
to which New York is accustomed. A keen eye, noting the exquisitely sensitive hands, would have known them as those of
an artist.
Because of his position as the representative poet of a race,
Kahlil Gibran's fame was much wider than many of his American acquaintances imagined. He was a mystic, regarding the exterior world of tables and chairs as a mere veil or appearance.
It was natural that he should have written "The Prophet," for
he was born in Lebanon, known as the birthplace of prophets.
He wrote always as one inspired. "I did not write 'The Prophet'j
'The Prophet' wrote me," he said once to an admirer. He struck
out parables and aphorisms which had appeal for all men irrespective of race; his works have been translated into twelve languages. His early writings in Arabic were the first to depart
from traditional forms and to introduce verse and free prose.
Seldom have twin talents been so evenly united in an individual.
Fortunately before Kahlil Gibran died his pen and pencil had
largely "gleaned his teeming brain."
�28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
VALEDICTORY
'By
BARBARA YOUNG
We say, "The poet sleeps. Let mighty cedars
Guard now the place, and fortify this hill
Against the passing of his lofty name."
We say, "Let roots enfold his gracious dust—
He who has known their darkness and their pain,
And all the secret anguish of the soil,
And the green ways of myrtle and of grass;
He who has heard the pulse of God and man
Beat in the beating rain and falling snow."
We say, "The poet sleeps." He does not sleep.
He is gone out to walk upon the sky,
To run upon the wind. His stringless lyre
Is tuned to spaceless song, his brush of light
Finds now the colors of that other prism
Whereunto all his radiant being yearned.
Call it not dying to espouse the mist.
Call it not death to pass into the sun.
Nay, even now his unencumbered wing
Encounters Beauty in her dwelling-place.
For he has uttered an immortal word
Of life and Love and Death, and flung their face
In clear resplendant majesty and glory
Upon the ivory page. Now he goes forth
To speak in measures with the morning star,
To paint the ether with the suns and moons,
And ride the tempest where he finds his home.
�"
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K
tAPRlL, 1931
39
CONQUEROR OF THE STING
By
LEONORA SPEYER
Does the hill lie down at last:
And the sea sleep on its shore?
You, so generous of words—
Generous no more! —
Is the storm stilled on a leaf,
And the wind bound in a sheaf?
Be still and know that I am God.
(Psalms)
Only the dead are still enough. . .
And you, whom pain loved so,
You, lying there, know well,
Kahlil. . .
Pale poet's mouth
Sealed with the immaculate Hush,
Hand that has dropped the brush,
You of the eagle's wing. . .
Listening, you know,
Triumphant over Victory,
And conqueror of the Sting!
L
�40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
STARRY SON OF LEBANON
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Can it be that he has gone,
Starry son of Lebanon?
Pen and Brush,—wings for his will,
Yet were warm when he grew still.
To the end, he gave and gave,—
Soul compassionate and brave!
"To the end,"—what have I said?—
Grieving hearts, be comforted,
He but halted on the way
To his spirit's freer day;—
Poet-prophet, pausing here,
As he moved from sphere to sphere.
Song and Silence knew his name,
Both for him were living flame,
Quickening all mystic power,
Bringing Beauty to full flower.
Love and Wisdom, Grief and Joy,
Gold of Life, and Life's Alloy,
Gave their meaning to his care,
To illumine and to share.
From his hands and from his lips,
Came a new apocalypse.
Strange! I seem to see him—now,
Eyes a-light, light on his browHear the voice, our hearts has stirred,
Chanting almost, word on word:
/ am here, beyond all death,
One with God's immortal breath,
One with Love's infinity,—
/ in you, and you in me.
Hail to you, Kahlil Gibran,
Starry son of Lebanon!
J
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J>
*APRIL, 1931
41
THE MYSTIC PACT
(TO GIBRAN)
"By
MISCHA NAIMY
I chanced upon my Brother's tryst with Death.
Fast were they locked in each other's embrace,
My Brother saying, "Mother of my breath,
Bid it be still, bid it dissolve in space.
It chokes my nostrils with the heavy smells
Of still-born hopes and putrid days and nights,
And breathless would I dwell upon the heights
And in the depths where breathless Beauty dwells.
"Reach deep, sweet Lover, deep into my breast;
Perchance you'll find a fragment of a heart.
'Tis all I have to offer you; the rest
Is mine no longer: Here and there a part
I laid on canvas, melted into song,
Planted in fields unwedded to the plow,
Forged into tongues for all the mute who long
With tongues their silent longings to endow.
"Now cleanse me, Lover, of the salt and froth
Of earth to sail with you the shoreless sea."
And Death responded to my Brother's plea,
And with the kiss of silence sealed the troth.
As I, a witness to the mystic rites,
Stood dazed, enveloped in a thousand nights,
There spoke a voice exceeding soft and kind:
"What is ahead is already behind."
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�42
THE SYRIAN WORLD
TO ONE WHO HAS PASSED
'By
MARY MOORE
FIRST THOUGHT
I saw Death stretch forth his hand
And take my well-beloved
Beyond my reach:
And leave to earth but a garment.
SECOND THOUGHT
Yet, I can hear the silent lips
Telling a deeper longing;
And I can see the eyes of love
Demanding their answer.
THIRD THOUGHT
You have not perished.
For if you were as sod,
I could not call to
Unanswerable clay,
As I call to you now.
u
FOURTH THOUGHT
And I know that before
I, too, shall cross Life's bridge,
I shall feel your heart enfold me,
Even as your arms enfolded me
Yesterdav.
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Famous Grove of the Cedars of Lebanon, in Whose Shadow Gibran Wras Reared
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44
THE SYRIAN WORLD
GIBRAN'S MESSAGE
TO YOUNG AMERICANS OF SYRIAN ORIGIN
2?y G. K. GIBRAN
Reprinted from the First Issue of The Syrian World, July, 1926
(Written Especially for The Syrian World)
j
I believe in you, and I believe in your destiny.
I believe that you are contributors to this new civilization.
I believe that you have inherited from your forefathers an
ancient dream, a song, a prophecy, which you can proudly lay
as a gift of gratitude upon the lap of America.
I believe you can say to the founders of this-great nation,
"Here I am, a youth, a young tree whose roots were plucked
from the hills of Lebanon, yet I am deeply rooted here, and I
would be fruitful."
And I believe that you can say to Abraham Lincoln, the
blessed, "Jesus of Nazareth touched your lips when you spoke,
and guided your hand when you wrote j and I shall uphold a!ll
that you have said and all that you have written."
I believe that you can say to Emerson and Whitman arid.
James, "In my veins runs the blood of the poets and wise men
of old, and it is my desire to come to you and receive, but I shall
not come with empty hands."
I believe that even as your fathers came to this land to produce riches, you were born here to produce riches by intelligence,
by labor.
And I believe that it is in you to be good citizens.
And what is it to be a good citizen?
It is to acknowledge the other person's rights before asserting your own, but always to be conscious of your own:
It is to be free in thought and deed, but it is also to know
that your freedom is subject to the other person's freedom. .
It is to create the useful and the beautiful with your own
hands, and to admire what others have created in love and with
faith.
It is to produce wealth by labor and only by labor, and to
spend less than you have produced that your children Ttiay not
'r-
�I
ZfPRIL, 1931
45
be dependent on the state for support when you are no more.
It is to stand before the towers of New York, Washington,
Chicago and San Francisco saying in your heart, "I am the descendant of a people that builded Damascus, and Biblus, and Tyre
and Sidon, and Antioch, and now I am here to build with you,
and with a will."
It is to be proud of being an American, but it is also to be
proud that your fathers and mothers came from a land upon
which God laid His gracious hand and raised His messengers.
Young Americans of Syrian origin, I believe in you.
A PLEDGE
'By CECIL J. BADWAY
A Young Am-erican of Syrian Origin
I
In your going, Gibran Kahlil Gibran, you have come.
You have come as the guiding spirit in the fulfillment of our
dreams.
You have come to stay as the beacon of inspiration within
the deepest recesses of our hearts.
You have come to lead us to our destiny in which you believed.
We would be fruitful as young Americans of Syrian origin.
We would be productive by the honest sweat of our brows.
We would be defenders of our rights but remembering the
rights of others in our defence.
We would be courageous and fearless in our righteousness
yet tolerant and merciful to the weak.
You shall go before us, Gibran Kahlil Gibran, as the standard bearer of the Syrian-American awakening.
You shall lead us and generations to come.
We and the mighty and thunderous army of those who come
after shall follow your spirit along the corridors of time. Forward and onward, down through the ages until there shall have
been written the apocalypse of young Americans of Syrian origin.
In your going and in your coming, Gibran Kahlil Gibran,
you will not have gone or come in vain. We are ready.
�46
"THE SYRIAN WORLD
TO ONE OF BLESSED MEMORY
"By
THOMAS ASA
Dare we in this Hour lift our saddened voice!
Awake the Heavens from their ceaseless way,
Bemoan that Fate so soon had cast astray
That glorious Name, in whom we all rejoice!
Thou Eastern Star! dim thou thy holy light
True son of thine on earth no longer known ;
Thy once familiar beam no more shall sight,'
Where o'er Lebanon's lovely vales hath shown.
Though Death hath claimed him to its solemn state,
And, earth-bound, we bend our heads in sorrow,
No pow'r divine shall at the heavenly Gate
Grant him what, on earth, he could not borrow.
The splendors of his mind bequeathed to Man,
But where the friendly smile, the knowing heart?
The saintly presence more than perfect art
Hath shown him foremost of that God-like clan.
Ye unseen pow'rs that shape Man's destiny,
Why pluck the precious bud that soon shall bloom?
With lightning's thrust ye fell the stately tree,
And leave what better thou hast claim to doom.
Naught can return to Life the Dead we love,
Nor bring back to mind our lost desires;
We but add substance to Life's ebbing fires,
And striving without Hope to reach' above.
Sound thy last requiem, O tragic Earth!
For One, but now departed, shall ascend
To thy exalted heights of mortal worth,
Triumph and defeat,—life and death attend!
Now must we leave the mortal form to rest,
Within Earth's age-worn folds his final sleep
Though dead, the thought and deed of him shall keep
Before us the consecrated mem'ry blest.
W. Brownsville, Pa,
II
�D
tAPRIL, 1931
47
TRUTH SEEKER
By
EDNA
K.
SALOOMEY
Truth-seeker, who spoke from your heart to our's;
Whose very desires mirrored all mankind's}
Death has claimed for her pleasure your powers,
And greedily banished hope from our minds.
Your voice, that breathed life into words, is still.
Your heart, which bitter loneliness did grieve,
.No longer vibrates to friendship's touch. The will
To know, to live, to love, to weep; to weave
All earth's joys and sorrows into one brief life,
Has been dissipated by death. Hear now!
Our voices rise above the din of strife
To proclaim your wisdom. Peace is your's. Though
Your body mated with death, your soul's abode
Is with truth, and truth is the realm of God.
Bridgeport, Conn.
POET OF OUR LAND
By
PHILIP
C.
SABBAGHA
Sleep sweetly in your earthly grave,
Sleep poet of our noble land;
Through wind and tempest, banners brave,
Shall wave before our band.
In wreaths of laurel 'pon thy tomb,
The vict'ry of our cause is shown;
And someday, shining like the moon,
The cause in ev'ry home.
My tribute to my countryman,
A leader passed to his beyond;
In peace and to his countryman,
Of whom he was so fond.
Farewell! your brothers dry their tears
^ And sing their praise my fellow man
Thy name in hearts outlives the years,
Farewell my countryman,
Columbia, S. C.
�48
THE SYRIAN WORLD
HE TOUCHED THE STARS
"By
LABEEBEE
A. J.
HANNA
He dwelt in the garden of ethereal dreams
With the sea of Fate close at hand,
And he touched the stars with his pen of gold
To plant them on a desolate land.
And the stars into beautiful flowers grew,
That the souls of the hungry inspired,
Of celestial perfume and rarest hue—
From the heart of the dreamer transpired.
And he took his brush of silver and gold
And reached up to an azure sky
For paints that will be new when old,
For naught else would satisfy.
He dwelt in the garden of ethereal dreams,
Which the hand of the Giver gave,
And he touched the stars with his pen of gold,
And now lies resting in his grave.
And so from the garden of ethereal dreams
The Giver called him home again
The dreamer who dreamed, and in dreaming planned
His dreams to fact, and his life to gain.
Boston, Mass.
Facsimile of Gibran's Arabic Signature
AH drawings and decorations appearing in this section are of
the work of Gibran,
j
�.n-r.-^-v-rS)?- .
^PRIL, 1931
LD
49
A Journey Through Jebel Druze
2?y
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
IV
«
pAKHRY Bey Baroody had a surprise in store for us. He had
used his time in preparing a meal which was the best money
could buy in town. Not that all the people in town subsist on
such fare, for had we chosen to accept the hospitality of the emir
we would have partaken of a meal in the best Arab tradition. But
the meal now provided was the finest an epicure such as Baroody
Bey could choose from available material, and on such short
notice, served in a setting much in keeping with the nature of
the repast itself. We enjoyed the experience while it lasted, but
the after-effect proved not of very pleasant memory.
We met
Baroody Bey in the general store located on the
main street between the public square and the governor's residence. He apologetically explained that this was the only place
he could find where he could order a meal and pay for it. The
store was unique in every particular. The uneven mud floor indicated that no attempt had ever been made to level it since the
walls were raised. In one corner was a pile of grain with only a
wall of sacks to prevent it from spilling all over the floor; while
in the other corner, and in a similar manner, was a pile of fodder.
Along the rear ran a counter behind which rose a row of almost
empty shelves. At one end of the counter was suspended what
was left of a carcass covered with cheese-cloth, and all but inviting as an ingredient in the feast. A table and a few rush-bottom
chairs formed the furnishings of the restaurant.
Like good sports, we sat awaiting the result of the epicurian
ingenuity of our fastidious host whose palace in Damascus is
not infrequently the scene of some of the finest feasts staged in
that city of fabulous Oriental sumptuousness and splendor. He
inquired if the storekeeper had canned goods. Yes, he had sardines and tuna fish. Did he also have wine? Surely, because he
was a Christian and among his customers were men of the French
garrison. "Wine is the best germicide," ironically remarked our
host, and the corks began to pop. I would not object to the reader's inference that we drank more than we ate.
�50
THE SYRIAN WORLD
While still at our meal the official interpreter of the governor
a clean-cut young man in his early twenties, entered and greeted
us with the customary Druze affability. He politely but firmly
refused our insistent invitation to join us. He had already had
his meal he explained with a gesture of finality, and we could
but take him at his word.
Shortly after, the gang foreman, who had remained with us
throughout, discovered that he had important business elsewhere
* earing that we may not meet him again, and appreciating the
oTS he, ^ IT US ^^ US about> l Sok himlide
ostensibly to thank him, and made an effort to slip him a few
TeLf^
ferpreter had >» watching ^ more closely than
I expected, and no sooner did he perceive the gesture than he
thrust the foreman away from me. There was no mistaking the
P
hi tone when he attera ted to
S
n0n M will
n not accept reward for
P our -Plain
his S
action. SSf
We Druzes
favors
Flease don t wound us in our sense of hospitality. We still adhere
to the tradition that our guests are our hosts and as such theyy can
be under no obligation to us."
The foreman would not remain to await the result of the
argument which, I w 11 admit, I did not carry far in my realiza!
tion of the susceptibilities of the Druzes in this respect. But I
was tremendously impressed with the attitude of the interpreter
who apparently was not ignorant of modern customs yet clung
he Si °d th:^"1'10118 °fr,hiS ^j^ ,T° ^ -era/inquirie!
Mizvad Fl H V ^A I ?rUZeJ°f Salkhad' hIs name being
Frafch andfTv'
" ^ *? advanCed eduCation in Arabic *»d
^" had been Irving for some time as official interpreter
to the District Governor. He is of the school of thought that
advocates for his people the benefits of modern education*but no
at the expense of their native traditions and virtues.
We yet had to visit the emir of Shahba whom the French Dist0 See
l asked the
tZvrZTSVe
i?*
"^ t0 fail us
<*al
interpreter if he cared
to accompany
on 'this visit and the
excuse he advanced was a revelation. He said he still had to s
go
home for his lunch!
Nor did Baroody care to meet the local emir. His standing
excuse was that he should evade all situations possible ofZ
political interpretation inasmuch as his affiliation with the Syrian
Nationalist Party laid him open to suspicion by the French Be"
I
*
J- '
�1
^PRIL, 1931
51
sides, he had a most important business to attend to, that of taking his daily siesta.
This last remark, uttered in the most matter-of-fact manner
aroused my sense of humor despite the depressing effect of the
torrid heat and other contributing circumstances. I felt the need
of a little diversion, and started an argument. "You are shattering a beautiful vision I had formed of you," I remarked to
Baroody Bey. "Suppose you found the vagaries of politics carrying you of a day to an office of responsibility in the Syrian
State, would you then insist on your siesta with the duties of
government weighing heavily upon you?"
But my Nationalist friend felt in no mood to entertain such
pleasantry "In my present frame of mind," he said, "I would
be inclined to let the business of government wait. Allah would
not overtax his servants, nor should the State."
With that, he peremptorily dismissed the subject and departed with the storekeeper who was only too glad to provide
sleeping accommodations to such an exalted personage.
I
The tortuous road to the house of the emir took us past a
sunken Roman amphitheatre recently cleared by excavators revealing the tiers of stone benches and the numerous subterranean
passages in a fine state of preservation. The arena was not exceptionally large, a necessity dictated, perhaps, by the limited
space in a fortress city. But in spite of its limited size, it was
in no other respects lacking in evidences of Roman thoroughness
and decorative lavishness.
We continued along a winding passage between walls of
rough-hewn black basalt stone until we reached the outer gate
of the emir's residence. We entered a vast courtyard where some
horses and mules were tethered. Mounting a few steps built of
nnely cut stone, taken apparently from some ruins, we came to
an arcade of beautiful granite columns which offered a sharp
contrast to the rough-and-ready native building rising in the
rear. A native at the door took our message to the emir who
came out in person to greet us. To our surprise, he proved to
uau i',!ean figUre' dreSSed in a simPle robe of white linen,
which, falling to the ground, accentuated his height He ap
peared to be in his early thirties and had all the unaffected charm
of an unspoiled country child. His hair was so sparse as to give
him the appearance of being clean shaven. What is more he
�52
THE SYRIAN WORLD
was of a pronounced blond type, his ruddy complexion standing
out in sharp contrast to the dark-skinned, bushy-haired men who
clustered about him.
Emir Tallal Pasha El 'Amer would receive me in his official
reception hall, which was of recent construction and stood independent of the main building, but I expressed a preferenee for
the old quarters, and affecting the flowery manner of speech of
his people, profusely begged him to first finish the business at
which he had been engaged. It was with some reluctance that he
agreed, and I was made to precede him into the large, dark,
square room which formed the combination court room and plebeian reception quarters. A narrow mastaba ran the whole length
of the four walls, on which squatted or reclined a dozen or so
natives. To the rear was a small iron-grated window which alone
admitted light and air. Thither the emir conducted me and sought
to make me comfortable by spreading a mat for me on the otherwise bare mud and stone mastaba. I did not smoke because no
one else did, but there was ample means of entertainment otherwise in listening to the continuation of a trial wnich my arrival
had apparently interrupted.
Two peasants, it appeared, had come to the emir to settle a
dispute over a donkey. The purchaser had agreed to a price for
the animal which later he refused to pay in full. It was evident
that the emir was reluctant to use his judicial authority and more
anxious to effect an amicable settlement. It was also evident that
the obduracy of the litigants was caused more by the vital amount
involved than by personal ill-feeling. Taking all these matters
into consideration, the emir finally decreed a compromise sum of
eight Syrian pounds, or the equivalent of $6.50.
Having finished with his judicial business, the emir now refused to listen to my entreaties to hold an interview in the old
native reception room whose fascination began to enthrall me
the more I stared into its bareness and pondered the strange circumstances which made of it the throne room of a prince whose
mere word would rally an army and shape the destiny of a whole
people. What a reminiscence of the feudal age from which this
docile yet fierce people have not as yet emerged! And to think
that only a portion of this people, through sheer will and desperation, could wage war against a first-class military power for
two years and gain the upper hand in many an encounter!
But now that local affairs of state had come to an end, I
�—
"APRIL, 1931
53
could not hold out against the persistence of the emir to receive
me in the manner he thought more compatible with my dignity—
and his. Consequently the modern and more formal reception
room was opened, and only dignitaries and men of rank, so to
speak, followed. Once within, their natural reserve seemed to
become accentuated by the solemnity of the place and the occasion. It was the emir and I who monopolized the conversation.
Since the reception room plays such a part in the visit, I feel
constrained to devote some space to its description. Unlike the
old room, this one had the luxury of windows. Chairs of every
description, from the modest bamboo cane to the velvet upholstered settees in a variety of design and color, lined the walls
in perfect orderliness. In the front center stood an oblong plain
table, spread with an oil-cloth cover whose bold designs and bright
vari-hued colors were strongly reminiscent of the primitive home
furnishings of the rural districts of America. On the table were
a glass pitcher and a dozen or more glasses of different sizes,
colors and shapes. The condition of some of the furnishings
plainly indicated advanced age and liberal use.
The conversation with the emir developed many interesting
points. He is, for instance, an officer of the French Legion of
Honor, and while a Pasha in his own right, had the additional
title of Prince conferred upon him by the French in 1929. It
was an unusual procedure, I thought, for a republican government to be dispensing with princely titles and creating social
ranksj but then the French were dealing with a special situation
in a country where title and rank still counted for more than an
empty honor. And was not Tallal Pasha the chief of a clan which
for many generations has contended with the powerful Atrash
family for the ascendancy of prestige in Jebel Druze? And had
he not, furthermore, remained loyal to the French in the last
revolution of 1925-26? He himself not only admitted the fact
but even seemed proud of it, continually referring to the revolution during the whole course of the conversation as "that deplorable mistake," and coupling every mention of the French
authorities with glowing adjectives of praise. Nor could one
mistake his attitude for one of diplomatic flattery, for there was
evident a ring of sincerity in his speech when over and over
again he spoke of the French as "the benefactors of the country,
whose 'white deeds' are bound to become more fully appreciated
as they come to be more properly understood."
�54
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The Prince seemed especially proud of the role he played
during the revolution as champion and protector of the Christians. "They are our brothers," he declared, "and we owe them
protection as a duty. Not a Christian within my jurisdiction will
I allow to be molested or harmed."
The Prince found a ready and enthusiastic corroborator in
the person of Khalil Bey Haddad, declared to be the leader of
the Christian element in the district of Shahba, who, like the
rest of the company, had maintained respectful silence up to this
point, but now added the weight of his testimony to the statement of the emir. "Allah be my witness," he volunteered. "The
emir was most solicitous of our safety and welfare during those
times of strife, and it is to his protection that we and our families owe our lives."
Before taking leave of the emir I asked him if he would
consent to pose for a photograph. Certainly he would. And
would I want him to appear in formal dress? "Boy, bring my
jacket," he commanded, and an attendant hastened to bring from
the closet a frock coat on which sparkled the decoration of the
French Legion d'honneur, and which the emir slipped over his
native robe and was ready for the camera.
Naturally, the insistent invitation to remain for a few days,
or even for the evening, had to be declined with full appreciation of the courtesy and hospitality of the emir. I had to join
my companions for an early start to insure our arrival in Damascus before dusk, and I made my way back in haste to the combination general store and restaurant. To my surprise, I found
that the climate of Shahba had lulled my companion into a longer
siesta than usual.
Alone and forsaken, and feeling that the torrid heat of a
Jebel Druze sun and the insidious heat of the imported French
wine had formed a powerful coalition to make things utterly
disagreeable for me, I sought what I thought would be the hospitable coolness of our car, parked in the shade of a corner building. But it took me only an instant to discover that if I would
not smother, I should search for relief elsewhere. We had found
the automobile comparatively cool on other occasions, but it could
not be expected to be so accommodating while not moving. I sat
on the running-board. I took off my coat, then my collar, and
was sorely tempted to follow with the shirt, had not a sense of
shame seized me when I perceived the natives apparently cool
�ItPRIL, 1931
55
and contented with all their encumbrances of clothes and heavy
headdress.
But where to fly from the stifling heat? Something had to
be done lest the nausea, which I felt creeping on me, overpower
me. In desperation, I rose and walked to a store of inviting appearance across the square where I observed several men seated
in apparent ease. I would talk with them and divert my mind.
As usual, the proverbial Druze hospitality was evident here
as elsewhere. The storekeeper ordered the floor sprinkled afresh
and offered me a comfortable chair. He and his friends were
evidently surprised to discover that I spoke their language, and
further still, that I came from America. The storekeeper immediately placed me under cross-examination as to economic conditions and possibility of admission. Business in this land is stagnant, he explained, and only in America is there a chance for
making a fortune.
Immediately America was mentioned, an old man of about
seventy, squatting cross-legged atop the counter, began to display
marked interest and soon joined in the conversation with gusto.
But he was not interested in prospects of trade as much as in the
physical wonders of the country. What is America like? What
are its reputed wonders? What is there exceptional and distinctive about New York? Etc.
I tried to paint a word picture of New York and started with
what I thought would prove more impressive. We had buildings
more than eighty stories high, through which run elevators that
travel faster than the fleetest horse. We had bridges whose single
span was more than a mile long. We had railroads under ground,
on the ground, above ground, and even running in tunnels under
water. We had instances where six tracks ran one above the other.
We had single buildings containing more people than half the
population of all Jebel Druze!
But to my utter stupefaction, the old gentleman showed not
the least sign of surprise. He only betrayed a faint smile and
remarked indifferently that he had heard about all that before.
I was already dripping with perspiration owing both to the
oppressive heat and to my spirited oratorical effort, and my feeling at the attitude of the old man was bordering on exasperation.
I realized that I had utterly failed in arousing his interest and
was dejected under the sting of defeat. Almost panting, and
with a final desperate effort, I attempted to deflect the course of
�56
THE SYRIAN WORLD
the conversion to a more immediate topic. Glancing at the
cool and collected men about me, I had recourse to the great
American expedient in such desperate straits, and dropped
a reFF
mark about the weather.
fk» lh&A ^ manu n°W evi"Ced a little interest and asked about
the kind of weather we had in America-whether or not we had
such intense heat as now caused me to complain.
W e had, I replied, but only in short spells and never for a
protracted period.
"
The old man seemed mystified. What could cause a break in
he summer's heat, he thought, and after a little hesitation, asked
tne question.
'
"Rain," I replied.
I had inadvertently, it seems, exploded a bomb. The man
now appeared utterly dumbfounded. He remained for a time
oTcreT !> ^ JTi' ^ ^ ^^ in am^ment, his sense
of credulity shocked beyond the power of speech. But when he
finally recovered, it was with what appeared to be a mixture of
mcredulity and accusation. "Rain in summer! La Wallah! ImAllah be praised! I had at last succeeded in conquering the
old man's passiveness. The wonder in America that I had invoked so long in vain proved to be so simple. And what was it?
m
h,v I J
tZ men?°f °f k' and PerhaPs the satisfaction of
having triumphed, cooled me. It dawned on me only later that
for a man who had Jived almost four-score years in a country
where the seasons are sharply defined, where it never rains a
drop in summer, because summer here is synonymous with the
dry season such a startling revelation as the possibility of summer rain should be expected to cause a shocking surprise. But
the fact remained that I felt supremely contented.
I left to rejoin my companions, and found them already
waiting and anxious to leave. But what could mean the presence
of a stranger in the front seat by the driver? Were we in need
°lll T ' T TWaS * °nX a Precaution^y measure against possible danger? I inquired by glance but not by articulate words,
and my cousin hastened to explain. The extra fare was a native
of a neighboring town lying about ten kilometers on our way to
Damascus. He had offered to sell my cousin live partridges for
he price of ten Syrian piasters apiece (less than 8 cents) and the
temptation was irresistible. To consummate the deal, the native
�,
vfPRIL, 1931
—-
57
had offered to borrow a horse, precede us to his home town and
have our order, whatever it amounted to, two dozen or even one,
ready for delivery to us whenever we pass. The deal seemed
exceptionally worthwhile to him judging by his anxiety, and so
it seemed also to my cousin who invited him to accompany us
to make sure of his earnestness. He proved true to his word
and produced the goods.
Leaving Shahba around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, we took
the north-easterly road to Damascus in the hope of making better
time. We drove for one hour, two hours, past mountain and
plain, amidst a monotonously bare landscape, with not a sign of
a habitation. We had dropped the partridge dealer at his own
village and were now depending on our own reckoning. Then
came a time when we had to make a momentous decision. The
road forked into two branches with no signs to indicate the respective destinations. Naturally all three passengers were strangers to the country and the chauffeur proved equally ignorant.
It was finally decided to take the easterly rode.
The hours that followed proved the most anxious and hazardous of our journey. We soon found ourselves in an open
stretch of the desert, with no mark to guide us except our faith
in Allah's compassion and our vague sense of direction. But the
desert was not of soft sand. It was of the hard clay surface characteristic of the Syrian plain. A few skeletons of camels and other
animals encountered on the way bore an ominous portent. And
what aggravated our plight was the lack of water. We had not
anticipated so long a journey and failed to make provisions. Our
throats were parched and the shimmering reflections of the desert sun made us see fantastic visions.
A low hill finally loomed in the distance. The mere fact
that it was a hill and broke the monotonous evenness of the
landscape gave us a sense of relief and courage, and for no apparent reason we headed towards it. In our anxiety and fear,
the distance appeared to be exceptionally long, and although we
had not the slightest reason to believe that it could mean anything, we made it an object whose attainment became of paramount importance in our confused reasoning. We finally reached
it and our hearts filled with thanks to Allah, to whom all praise
is due.
But after having reached the hill, what! It was bare and
bleak and proved to be nothing better than the desert plain we
�58
THE SYRIAN WORLD
were so anxious to flee. Its smooth, barren slopes gave no indication of ever having been touched by the hand of man.
But now that we had reached it we must pass it. Our first
success goaded us on to seek more, and we began to turn the
northern flank, when fo and behold! the conical white dwellings
E S
^a" jg1
settlement greeted our astonished eyes. It
was with difficulty that we suppressed a cheer, but the happy
looks we exchanged told volumes.
As we drew nearer, the Bey rose in his seat and uttered an
exclamation of unrestrained joy. "By Allah and the Prophet
his village is the property of one of my friends. I recall now
that I visited with him here some time ago," he fairly shouted
And so it proved to be, for when we had stopped before the
owner s house and the servants came out to greet us, Fakhry Bev
recognized many among them and could recall their names
Without ceremony, he ordered water in all haste.
A big earthen bowl was filled from a basin and offered to us
fakhry Bey would not think of drinking first, and I, in order
not to let ceremony prolong the common agony, accepted the
tempting cup. I no sooner raised it to my lips than decided I was
not so thirsty—there was too much animation in the water. And
when Fakhry Bey took the cup and looked into it quizzically, he
spilled the precious contents on the ground and mercilessly berated the servants for their disrespect in offering us polluted water
^ut this is our common drinking water," meekly protested
F
one of the servants.
"Never mind the excuses," thundered the irate Bey. "Bring
us of the special water of your master, and tell him upon his
return that I so ordered."
Then it was that we drank of the pure water of Barada, carried especially from Damascus for the use of the master
K>wf lOUlud T aff,°rd 1° tarry lonS- The sun w*s ^st setting
behind the high peaks of Anti-Lebanon silhouetted against the
limpid sky behind the ghouta of Damascus stretching at their
feet. And although the road was rough and the landscape uninviting we were buoyed by the hope of soon reaching the terP adlSC
T
f
Thich S° aPPealed to the imagination of the Prophet Muhammad And when finally we entered the enchanted
domains of the ghouta, and sped smoothly along its level roads,
lined with stately poplars and disclosing a delightful vista of
heavily-laden orchards and verdant fields, intersected at short
d
a
n
tl
.1
e
f,
cl
o
�"1
*4PRIL, 1931
59
distances with murmuring brooks, we fast forgot the weariness
and anxiety of our desert journey and surrendered to the enchantment of this revelation of a terrestrial paradise. Nor could the
thick dust of the road we encountered on some stretches of the
.Damascus suburbs prove sufficient to dampen the ardor of our
elation and enthusiasm. We were safe. We were cool, and we
felt the assurance of being back in civilization. The beauty and
charm of Damascus linger more vividly in the memory by virtue
of the sharp contrast.
THE NIGHT AND I
"By
DR. SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
We know a certain happy tongue,
The night and I,
For when we fly the listless throng,
And each the other tells his tale,
And each the other sings his song,
Like comrades true, we never fail
Where it belongs the motive place,—
And so we live our lotted space,
The night and I.
We understand each other well,
The night and I!
Nor need we masquerade, nor tell
Our moods, nor shrink to speak our fear,
Nor fence discretely when we spell
The praise of things we hold most dear;
For 'tis our naked hearts that beat,
Whenever face to face we meet,
The night and I.
We list to catch the whispered sighs,
The night and I,
Of space, and in the placid skies,
Pursue the sparkling signs or halt
Enraptured by the mighty cries
And flashing signals in the volt
Of rage. And so, in sympathy,
We live, and feel in harmony
The night and I.
;
�60
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ALI ZAIBAQ
(Quicksilver)
"THE UNPARALLELED ADVENTURES OF THE
CHIEF OF POLICE OF THE CALIPH HAROUN
AL-RASHID, OF THE CITY OF BAGHDAD.
Translated from the Original Arabic by
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
and
CHAPTER
THADDEUS
S.
DAYTON
VIII.
REVENGE.
HTHE damsel, when morning came, assumed the dress and appearance of Quicksilver and lay at the entrance of the baths
as though strangled, so that whoever passed and saw her could
not doubt for an instant that she was Quicksilver.
Now some of the passersby who perceived this body lying
there were of the sympathizers of Quicksilver. These grieved
for him exceedingly. But there were others who were inclined
to favor Salah-Eddin, the Chief of the Secret Police, and these
hastened to inform him of the fate of Quicksilver. Salah-Eddin's
joy was unbounded and he ran with all speed to the baths where
lay the body of Quicksilver. So great was his hatred that he
began kicking the senseless corpse of his enemy, and addressing
it with insults:
"May God not have mercy on you, O you of evil birth!"
shrieked Salah-Eddin. "For in your lifetime you occasioned me
the utmost torment and suffering. Now it is my turn to have
revenge upon you and to quench my heart's hatred with your
mother's tears."
He flung the body on his shoulders and carried it thus to the
door of his own house where he attempted to throw it on the
ground. But to his great amazement and fright he could not rid
himself of his burden, for the body resisted his every effort and
presently its legs extended themselves until they stretched out
and became forty cubits long.
�I
\APRIL, 1931
61
By this time every muscle in Salah-Eddin's body was quivering with fear. At last, by summoning all his strength for a
superhuman effort, he managed to shake off his terrible load and
began running about and crying as though demented. His wife
appeared and viewed his plight, and let him into the house.
Presently he went forth again to look upon the body of Quicksilver, which, strangely enough, he found to be in its former
normal shape. Again he approached it and made an attempt to
carry it into his house, but no sooner did he lay hands upon it
than the mouth of the body stretched open to such a gigantic size
that it resembled the entrance to some vast and fearful cavern,
while the eyes grew larger and larger and increasingly terrible
until they became like those of a huge and hideous ghoul. And
it said:
"O you vilest and most wicked of men, it is my intention immediately to devour you."
So thoroughly frightened was Salah-Eddin that he begged
for mercy, but the genie's only answer was to seize him suddenly,
tie his body in a knot and fly off with him to the palace of the
King. In the palace gateway there was a great arch, and at its
highest point a ring of iron was fixed. To this the maiden tied
Salah-Eddin, leaving him there in that miserable plight. Thereupon she returned to Quicksilver, to whom she related all that
she had done.
"No doubt the King will perceive Salah-Eddin in this condition and the latter will tell him that it was I who put him there.
Now if the King summons me shall I ask for a ladder by which
to climb and take down Salah-Eddin?"
"No," answered the damsel, "I will accompany you unseen
and when you desire to release Salah-Eddin lift your hands and
I will raise you to the height unperceived by anyone so that you
may readily accomplish your task."
When morning came the King and his lords passed through
the great archway and Salah-Eddin, seeing them, cried out in a
pitiful voice: "() King, have mercy upon me and cover me with
the mantle of your protection."
Upon hearing this the King and his companions were exceedingly amazed and began gazing about to try to discover
whence came the voice; but they saw no one, when Salah-Eddin
cried out again:
"I am suspended here in this high place where I have suf-
�T
62
THE SYRIAN WORLD
fered tortures such as no one ever experienced before "
Hearing these words, they all looked upward and saw the
torm of a man hanging to the iron ring above the great arch The
King exclaimed and asked who it was, and Salah-Eddin cried
out once more in a voice of agony:
"O my master, it is your servant the Chief of the Secret
Police."
"And who was it that put you where you are?" asked the King
None other than Quicksilver," answered Salah-Eddin in
great pain.
Seeing it was useless to attempt his rescue, the King ordered
that Quicksilver be summoned immediately, and when he came
the King asked:
"Do you know where Salah-Eddin is?"
"Yes," answered Quicksilver, "it is he who is suspended above
the great archway."
"And where did you spend last night " asked the King
In the enchanted baths of Toulon," answered Quicksilver.
And I have punished Salah-Eddin thus because of his great
wickedness. It is also a visitation upon him of the wrath of God
lor his many misdeeds."
"For my sake," said the King, "release him from his plight "
Thereupon Quicksilver lifted his hands toward the sky and
the damsel, unperceived by anyone, bore him upward to the top
01 the arch, where he immediately disengaged Salah-Eddin and
carried him gently to the ground. Everyone who witnessed this
feat marvelled exceedingly at his super-human power, as no one
had deemed it possible to extricate Salah-Eddin from the great
&
height where he hung.
When Salah-Eddin once more stood upon the ground, he
threw himself at the feet of the King and appealed frantically
for protection against the superhuman power of Quicksilver.
Whereupon Quicksilver inquired of him if there were any other
tasks that he wished him to perform so that no doubt would remain as to his fitness to become the chief of the Zohrs
"For the sake of Allah," replied Salah-Eddin in a terrified
voice, there is nothing more that I wish except to be spared further persecution from you."
Thereupon all proceeded to the royal palace where theKing
formally invested Quicksilver with his robe of office as the ruler
of the Zohrs, and the criers were ordered to go about the streets
�—
11,1
I
1.1,
.
.
.Ill
zAPRIL, 1931
63
of the city announcing his succession to the exalted position. The
inhabitants of the city received the news with much applause and
the officers of the Zohrs gave submission joyfully to Quicksilver.
Thereafter the city of Cairo remained in perfect order and tranquillity for the space of a year.
"But Quicksilver's troubles are not over," said the tale teller.
"They have only just begun. What has already happened is as
nothing—as snow upon the desert sand—to the dangers he must
encounter. Tomorrow you shall hear of the new seas of danger
into which he plunged."
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE
DR. PHILIP K. HITTI—Syrian educator, and Orientalist, Professor
at Princeton University.
BARBARA YOUNG,
LEONORA SPEYER,
ESTELLE DUCLO,
MARY MOORE—American poetesses and authors.
CLAUDE BRAGDON—American author and publicist.
SYUD HOSSAIN—Moslem Indian lecturer, editor The New Orient.
DR. CHARLES FLEISCHER—American author and lecturer, former
editor The New York American.
REV. ROBERT NORWOOD—American minister of St. Bartholomew's Church, New York.
REV. ABRAHAM M. RIHBANI—Syrian minister of the Church of the
Disciples in Boston. Author "The Syrian Christ," etc.
REV. W. A. MANSUR—Syrian minister of First Methodist Episcopal church, Winside, Neb.
MISCHA NAIMY—Syrian poet and critic.
CECIL J. BADWAY—American of Syrian descent.
vard Law School.
Graduate Har-
THOMAS ASA, EDNA K. SALOOMEY, PHILIP C. SABBAGHA,
LABEEBEE A. J. HANNA—Americans of Syrian descent.
DR. SALIM Y. ALKAZIN—Syrian dentist of Brooklyn.
Harvard.
Graduate of
�64
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Political Developments in Syria
SYRIAN ELECTIONS
AGAIN DEFERRED
The political problem in Syria
seems to be making little progress
towards a solution. So often has it
been surmised that the popular elections would take place at a certain
date that any further promise along
that line is now apt to be considered
like the cry of "the wolf" in the
fable. By all reasonable expectations, based on earlier predictions,
the elections should have been held
long ago, but they now seem to be
as distant as ever. The Syrian press;
has fallen into the mood of discussing them only in the most casual
manner. There is, on the other hand,
a shifting of interest towards an altogether different development—that
of scrapping the draft constitution
laid down by the Constituent Assembly and establishing in Syria a monarchical instead of a republican
form of government. An international
element has also entered into the
situation which serves to further
complicate matters.
While lacking official confirmation,
the rumor persists that France has
entered into an agreement with former King Ali of Arabia, son of former King Hussein and brother of
King Feisal of Iraq, to establish him
on the Syrian throne which it is
claimed the French have planned to
create in Syria so as to frustrate
the designs of the Nationalists. What
would seem to lend weight to this
supposition is the recent visit of the
British High Commissioner in Iraq
to Damascus and his lengthy consultation with the French High Commissioner in Syria. Of course, there
are those who contend that France
would never commit herself to the
policy of having to consult with
England on a question of internal
administration of her mandated territory—that the purpose behind the
conference was in relation to the
Mosul petroleum question, or some
other question of common interest
between the two powers. Nevertheless, there are those who maintain
that Ali is the brother of Feisal, and
that the two powers have to contend
with an Eastern question much
larger than one confined to any one
country, and that it is to their mutual interest to agree on a policy
that will render the position of
both more secure in the East.
A significant development is that
High Commissioner Ponsot, in opening his new official residence in Damascus, held a formal reception to
which he invited, among other prominent Syrian leaders, many outstanding Nationalist personalities. Ponsot, as usual, would not touch on
the subject of politics, but it was
remarked that he had brilliantly
succeeded in promoting a spirit of
amity and understanding.
On the whole, the Syrian situation
may be said to have made no tangible
progress during the last month.
Some are inclined to believe that
the new French policy is to wear
down the patience of the Syrians into
a condition of submission.
LEBANON IN TURMOIL,
PEOPLE BOYCOTT UTILITIES
The apparently insipient uprising
of the students of Beirut against insufficient reductions in the price of
admission to places of amusement
has given rise to a movement of a
�JtPRIL, 1931
much more serious nature which has
involved the whole population of the
city. The immediate result was that
the people awakened to the effectiveness of the boycott and applied the
weapon with telling effect on foreigncontrolled public utilities.
Due to the persistent refusal of
the water and electric company to
reduce its high rates in the face of
a proposal of much lower averages
which a native company offered to
give for the same services, the people
of Beirut, driven to desperation by
what they termed the profiteering
practices of foreigners, rose en
masse to protest and demand redress. They declared a boycott
against the traction company, and
for days the street cars sped along
their tracks with only armed guards:
as passengers. The native taxicab
drivers did a thriving business, reducing their rates to even lower than
those charged by the company for
equal distances. And when the government attempted to restrict the
operations of the taxicabs the people
were further enraged and indulged in
public demonstrations against which
police were helpless. Many casualties
occurred in the clashes. Three newspapers publishing what the government termed seditious and inflammatory utterances were suppressed.
The determination of the people manifested itself so strongly that almost every home in the city was
in comparative darkness, only candles and gasoline lamps being used
for lighting purposes.
The contagion spread to Damascus
where also a prominent local naDer
was suppressed for similar reasons
as those of the Beirut journals.
In Tripoli, a demonstration was
staged to protest the maltreatment
by the Italians of the Moslem natives of Tripolitania in Northern
Africa. Several casualties resulted
65
when the police attempted to prevent the demonstrators from marching on the Italian consulate.
Already a good deal of campaigning is being done for the coming
Presidential elections which fall in
Lebanon in 1932. The regular Presidential term is three years, and so
far President Charles Dabbas has
been elected for two successive
terms. Little credence is being
placed in the possibility of his reelection for a third term, and the
two most prominent candidates mentioned are Emil Eddy and Bishara
Khouri, both former Premiers.
ARABS OF PALESTINE
TURN DOWN PARLEY
The suggestion of the British High
Commissioner in Palestine that the
Arabs send a delegation to London
to enter into negotiations with the
Colonial Office on the Palestine development scheme, involving a $12,500,000 loan, was reported by press
dispatches from Jerusalem on April
14 to have been turned down by the
Arab Executive. The fear was entertained, according to a statement by
an Arab leader, that the Arabs
might be drawn into a round table
conference with the Jews, a possibility which they would avoid.
Their stand remains one of consistent non-recognition of the Balfour
Declaration, and they would refuse
to be inveigled into a situation which
might be interpreted as an implied
acceptance of that policy. In this instance, they maintain that if the
questions to be discussed relate to
economic and agricultural development, then the logical place for
holding the conference would be
Jerusalem and not London, since the
British conferees would have the
benefit of local experts' advice.
Jerusalem, according to press dis-
�66
THE SYRIAN WORLD
patches, was also the scene of popular demonstrations on April 23
against the reported atrocities of
the Italian authorities of Cyrenaica
in suppressing Moslem demonstrations. A call was issued by the
Grand Mufti to attend special services in the Mosque of Omar for
the victims, and the office of the
Arab Executive presented to all
foreign consulates, including the
Italian, copies of strongly condemnatory resolutions. The conviction
prevails in some quarters that the
Arabs are pursuing the wrong tactics in thus openly attacking Italy
because they will lose a large amount
of sympathy for their nationalistic
cause which undoubtedly they enjoy
among many elements in Italy.
About Syria and Syrians
FURTHER COMPLICATIONS
IN ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE
On the first of May the bishops of
the Syrian Orthodox Church in
America and several newspapers received cable information from Damascus that the three ranking Patriarchs of the Orthodox Church had
finally given recognition to Patriarch Alexander of Damascus, conceding the legality of his election
to the vacant seat of the Patriarchate of Antioch and the whole
East. Closely following this announcement, however, came another
cable dispatch from Patriarch Arsanius, the other church dignitary
elected to the same office, stating
that the situation had not changed
and promising details by mail. In
view of these developments, the
situation, instead of being clarified,
seems to have been further complicated.
The difficulties in the question of
the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate
arose upon the death of the late Patriarch Gregory IV in 1929. For two
years the two principal factions in
the church seemed deadlocked over
the election of a successor, until early
this year a conclave convened in an
attempt to put an end to the indecision. This, unfortunately, proved to
add further to the complications in
that the dissenting faction proceeded
with its own election, giving rise to
the anomalous situation of having
two heads to the one body.
ANGLICAN PRIMATE
VISITS JERUSALEM
Union of Anglican Protestant
Church and Greek Orthodox
Church Openly Discussed.
For the first time in history, a
Primate of England visited Jerusalem while in office. This fact was
stressed by the authorities of the
Greek Orthodox Church in welcoming the Archbishop of Canterbury
upon his visit to the city on April
16. He was welcomed with equal
expressions of high regard by the
authorities of the Armenian Church.
One of the first acts of the Primate was to visit the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre, where he was re-
�'
\APRILy 1931
ceived at the entrance by the acting
Greek Patriarch, flanked by twelve
archimandrites and twelve bishops
and also the Armenian clergy. In
the Katholicon, which is the Greek
Orthodox section of the church, a
service was held during which the
acting Patriarch prayed for the King
and Queen of the royal family of
England as well as for the army and
navy, after which the choir sang.
During the reception held later at
the Patriarchate, the visiting Primate referred to the possibility of
a union of the Anglican and the
Eastern churches and dwelt on a
statement made by the Ecumenical
Patriarch at Istanbul, (supreme
head of the Greek Orthodox faith),
that brotherly relations existed between the Orthodox and the English
Protestant Churches. An eventual
union would not bring the Churches
under one command but each would
remain independent while maintaining the closest co-operation, he said.
"While in the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre, I prayed to God Almighty
to help us in the work undertaken
in order to accomplish a union and
that the committee which was appointed by the Orthodox Patriarchates of Istanbul, Alexandria and
Jerusalem would be successful in its
efforts to unite Anglican Protestantism and the
Greek
Orthodox
Church," he said.
The Archbishop inspected Greek
and Syriac manuscripts in the
library.
Archimandrite Narcissus, a member of the Greek Holy Synod, said
in an interview that the visit of the
Archbishop afforded the Patriarchate the greatest pleasure. He said
the Greek Orthodox Church deeply
appreciated the Archbishop's work
in behalf of a union of their
Churches and all were hoping that '
it would be accomplished.
67
RIHANI SAILS. PRESENTED
WITH LOVING CUP
Ameen Rihani, well known Syrian
traveler, lecturer and author, sailed
for England April 18 on his way to
his native land. He plans to make a
short stop in Paris to visit the
French Colonial Exposition.
On April 16 the ceremony of presenting Mr. Rihani with the loving
cup bought by popular subscription
was held in the auditorium of the
American Syrian Federation building
in Brooklyn. Although invitations
had been issued only to contributors
with the privilege of bringing members of their families and friends,
the hall was filled to overflowing.
Dr. F. I. Shatara, chairman of the
committee, presided. In his introductory remarks he dwelt on the public
services of Mr. Rihani during his
two years' visit in America and expressed particularly the gratitude of
his Palestinian countrymen to Mr.
Rihani for his defense of the Arab
cause.
Dr. Salim Y. Alkazin paid a
touching personal tribute, and Dr.
R. T. Deen, speaking in Arabic, referred to the erudition of Mr. Rihani and his fearlessness in giving
expression to his political convictions.
The presentation of the cup was
assigned to Mr. Salloum A. Mokarzel in 'his capacity of secretary of
the committee. In explaining the motive behind the action, Mr. Mokarzel
said that in offering the stock of
Mr. Rihani's popularity on the market, it had been oversubscribed,
leaving a surplus over the price of
the cup whidh provided a moderate
purse. In responding, Mr. Rihani expressed his thanks and refused the
purse unless it was applied to the
purchase of some of his Arabic
books.
�68
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Mr. Rihani spoke in both Arabic the author of an epic poem in
and English. He expressed deep ap- French for which he has received
preciation of the feelings of his the blessing of His Holiness the
countrymen in America, declaring Pope.
that he would retain the cup as one
Such zeal as Rev. Eid has disof his most valued possessions as
played
is reminiscent of the efforts
long as he lived, and that upon his
of
the
early
Christian missionaries.
death he would bequeath it to the
He is completely Wedded to his work
National Museum in Beirut for perand is consumed by the desire to
manent preservation. His Arabic
keep alive in this new land the finer
address dealt with his conception of
the broader relations that should traditions which have been our racial
exist among Arabic-speaking peo- heritage for long centuries. The success attending his activities has been
ples.
so marked that it is a pleasure to
Miss Fedora Korban, the gifted
point him out as an example of modSyrian singer, gave several Arabic
ern missionary zeal.
and English selections.
SYRIANS OF FALL RIVER
HAVE FINE NEW CHURCH
PREPARATIONS FOR SECOND
CARNIVAL UNDER WAY
The Syrian Catholics of Fall River,
Mass., can now boast one of the
finest churches of its size in America, erected in record time and after
a long period of dissension, through
the untiring efforts of their new
pastor, Rev. Joseph Eid.
A beautiful little book in Arabic
and English, just published by the
Syrian-American Press of New York,
gives the history of the church and
the multiple trials attending its erection. The account, however, fails to
give full credit to the energy, zeal
and tact of the modest pastor
through whose efforts the work was
made possible.
In less than a year Rev. Eid not
only brought accord and harmony
where dissension had reigned for
over twenty years, but aroused sufficient enthusiasm among the community in the face of the economic
depression to prosecute the work and
bring it to a successful culmination.
Rev. Eid is a graduate of the
Maronite College in Rome and besides being a D. D. and a Ph. D.,
is a master of six languages. He is
The Lebanon League of Progress
of New York has announced that its
second annual festival-outing will
take place this year at Bridgeport,
Conn., the scene of the first and most
successful carnival, but the date will
be July 4 and 5 instead of labor Day.
This latter date has been reserved
for holding a similar carnival in
the vicinity of Detroit, Mich., so as
to afford the populous Syrian centers of the North the opportunity of
sharing in the carnival and patriotic
spirit.
It is hoped that the coming event
will prove even more successful
than the preceding one. Time for
preparation is more ample and almost three thousand participants in
the last carnival are sure to come
and bring many friends, such was the
enthusiasm and satisfaction over the
first affair. It is expected, furthermore, that the young Syrian-American generation will be more liberally represented not only because of
the varied entertainment provided as
much as for the opportunity of living for a day in the charming spirit
u
�s
New Syrian Catholic Church of St. Anthony of the Desert in Fall River, Mass.
�70
THE SYRIAN WORLD
of the tradition of the old country.
Folk dances, sword play, singing and
all the appurtenances of a festival occasion will be in evidence. This annual event promises to become a
fixed racial institution among the
Syrians and Lebanese of the United
States, and what must be generally
admitted is that it affords an exceptional opportunity for the promotion of a spirit of good-fellowship
and general good time.
The admission is $1.00 per person for the two days. Refreshments
and restaurant service will be
available.
SYRAMAR GOLF CLUB
TO HOLD TOURNAMENT
The fourth annual Spring Tournament of the Syramar Golf Club will
be held Saturday and Sunday, May
23 and 24, at the Wolf Hollow
Country Club, Delaware Water Gap,
Pa. Numerous prizes have been assigned to winners of the different
flights, from veterans to beginners.
The word Syramar stands for
Syrian American, and the club has
been in existence for over four
years, meeting with steadily increasing success.
The annual election of officers was
held the latter part of March, those
chosen being George Tadross, President; David Malhami, Vice-President; Joseph Ghassoun, Secretary
and Faris Saydah, Treasurer.
MOSQUE IN BROOKLYN
The Moslems of New York have
formed a society which acquired the
property at 108 Powers St., Brooklyn, and converted it into a mosque.
It is the first regular Moslem place
of worship in the city and was dedicated on April 28.
DR. HITTI SPEAKS
AT BROOKLYN MEETING
Dr. Philip K. Hitti of Princeton
was a guest on April 26 at the International Institute of the Y. W.
C A. of Brooklyn where he delivered an address on the Arabs' contribution to civilization. Dr. Hitti
speaks out of a vast store of knowledge when dealing with historical
topics, and in this instance he was
particularly informative. A large
American audience attended the
lecture.
The meeting was held at St. Ann's
Chapel, Clinton and Livingston Sts.,
Brooklyn, and was in charge of Miss
Bahiya Hajjar, the Syrian associate
of the Institute. The exercises also
comprised Syrian national songs under the direction of Prof. Alexander
Maloof.
Following the meeting, a reception was given in honor of Dr. and
Mrs. Hitti at the home of the Institute, 94 Joralemon St.
ST. NICHOLAS CLUB
HOLDS SPRING DANCE
The St. Nicholas Young Men's
Club of New York held its annual
Spring dance in the grand ballroom
of the Hotel Bossert in Brooklyn on
the evening of April 18. There were
about four hundred in attendance and
they thoroughly enjoyed the speeches
and entertainment. The music was
provided by the Mediterranean Radio
Broadcasters.
Mr. N. S. Sydnawey, the president, While welcoming the guests,
took occasion to point out that the
name of the club was adopted out
of recognition of the charitable
spirit of "Santa Claus," and that
it did not imply any religious, much
less political, affiliation.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
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English
Contributor
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Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
Identifier
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NS 0002
Access Rights
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This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
TSW1931_04reducedWM
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Volume 05, Issue 08
Date
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1931 April
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Volume 5 Issue 08 of The Syrian World published April 1931. The issue is especially long as it was published the same month famed poet and frequent contributor to the Syrian World, Kahlil Gibran, passed away. There are only just a few inclusions in the article that are not related to Gibran's passing. The first is an article discussing the concept of chivalry in Arabia and Islam. This article primarily deals with the origin of chivalry, which seems to point to the crusades, in which Moslem and Christian knights met in combat. Salloum Mokarzel, in addition to his tribute work to Gibran, is featured for the continuation of his travels through Jebel-Druze. There is then the usual installment of "Ali Zaibaq," now a regular series of The Syrian World. The issue closes with political developments in Syria and excerpts from the Arab press. Intermingled with the issue's regular stories are works dedicated to Gibran. There is a discussion of his last days followed by a description of his Boston funeral. The remainder of the pieces are works by other authors normally featured in the Syrian World
the rest pay tribute to one of the most important Lebanese literary figures of all time.
Subject
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Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
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English
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
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New York Public Library
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
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Text/pdf
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Text
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Funerals
Kahlil Gibran
Labeebee A.J. Hanna
New York
Obituaries
Poetry-English
Religion
Reverend W.A. Mansur
Thomas Asa
-
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PDF Text
Text
THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
569876A
TILOZM FOUNDATIONS
R
1931
L
1
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
"Published monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New York,
N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. V. No. 1,
SEPTEMBER, 1930
CONTENTS
PAGE
Woman in the Near Hast
5
AMEEN RIHAM
American Near Eastern Colleges
14
PROF. CHARLES
D.
MATTHEWS
The Tragic Love of a Caliph ,.-.
19
(Short Story, adapted from the Arabic)
The Twin Cities of the Orontes
SALLOUM
A.
25
MOKARZEL
�CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
The Battle (Poem)
35
Y.
DR. SAI.IM
l>
ALKAZIN
Alt Zaibaq (Quicksilver) (Serial)
SALLOUM
A.
THADDEUS
MOKARZEL
S.
Greatness
35
and
DAYTON
41
G. K. Gi BRAN
The Tale of a Rose (Poem)
42
THOMAS A&A
Editorial Comment:
L
Our Fifth Year
44
What's in a Name?
45
Racial Representation
47
Political Developments in Syria
4^
About Syria and Syrians
53
�IN THIS ISSUE
TO determine the degree of
a people's progress, one
must look to the home. The
mother is the one to rear a
| nation. In the East, woman
had been held down to straight
jacket traditions forcing her to
the strictest seclusion. She could
not broaden and develop sufficiently to accelerate the march
of progress. The East was
man's realm exclusively.
Not so are conditions at present. Woman is emerging from
. her confinement and asserting
I herself in almost a radical manner. She is seeking education
and already discussing political
franchise. It's a sign of awakening that cannot fail of carrying a weighty portent.
The woman's movement in
the East is a subject of fundamental importance. The whole
question of national progress
hinges on it. And Ameen Rihani discusses it in a most enlightening manner. In his present
article he gives the whole history of the movement and cites
many instances of its progressive and effective manifestation. Mr. Rihani's standing as
an expert in Near Eastern
matters is well-known.
PROF. Charles D. Matthews
of Birmingham Southern
:—
-
-
College is an Arabic scholar of
recognized ability. He visited
Syria and the Near East last
year and made a study of its
social, political, educational and
economic trends. His present
contribution to THE SYRIAN
WORLD on American educational institutions in the Near
East is both informative and
entertaining. We are happy to
welcome him to our circle of
contributors, and feel sure that
our readers will immensely enjoy his writings, both in poetry
and prose, inspired by the beauty of some wondrous scenes he
beheld in our motherland.
VWE begin in this issue a serial
of the nature of the famous
Arabian Nights, and done in
the same order. Ali Zaibaq, or
Quicksilver, is one of those
superhuman) heroes created by
the fertile Oriental imagination and around whose person
are woven tales of the most
wonderful exploits. The translation of Quicksilver was undertaken many years ago by the
editor in collaboration with his
friend Mr. Thaddeus S. Dayton. There was no thought at
the time of publishing THE
SYRIAN WORLD, and the manuscripts were forgotten. Lately,
however, our loyal friend and
�•
collaborator discovered us and
learned of our work and generously turned over the longfmried literary treasure to us.
We are now happy to pass it
along to our readers. They will
surely find it to be a real discovery.
love. How he lived and loved
and died is graphically told in
an exclusive translation from
the Arabic original.
yHE Political Department in
this issue is teeming with interest. Political developments
in Syria are being watched by
Europeans and Americans as
never before because of the
mandatory experiment. Surely
these developments should
hold more interest for Syrians
and those of Syrian descent.
They are treated in a concise
and comprehensive manner in
CONTINUING the description of his trip through
Syria, the editor takes the reader in his present installment to
the interior of the counery, first
on a pilgrimage to the tomb
of Abu'l-'Ala, and then to a
visit to Horns and Hama, the
twin cities of the Orontes.
Readers who have followed THE SYRIAN WORLD.
the editor's travel articles will
In this issue the supposed
find the current installment plottings of Italy to gain the
most interesting.
mandate over Syria through
the Papal Nuncio and the MaJTiE Umayyad dynasty at ronite clergy are disclosed in all
Damascus saw the heyday their details.
of the power and glory of Islam. Yazid, a son of Mu'awi- THIS issue marking the entry
yah, succeeded to the throne of
of THE SYRIAN WORLD in
his father when most of the its fifth year, an editorial on
civilized world was paying trib- the subject surveys the past and
ute to the Prince of the Faith- promises a most important anful in the capital of Syria. But nouncement to be published in
the heart of Yazid did not the coming issue. Also discusscrave pomp and power—he ed editorially is the advisabilwanted love, and in the pursuit ity of a change of name for the
of his worldly pleasures he con- Syrians in America. This subtemptuously neglected the af- ject should be of general infairs of state. Of such strength terest and expressions of opinwas his love that it killed him ion on it would be welcomed if
and gave him the distinction of treated logically and dispasbeing the only caliph to die of sionately.
�TTTP
SYRIAN WORLD
VOL. V. No. 1.
SEPTEMBER, 1930
Woman in the Near East
By
AMEEN RIHANI
pROM the seclusion of the harim the women of the Near East
are going out to the public school, to the open forum, to the
dance-hall, even to the business world. The change, social and
intellectual, is evident everywhere, from Turkey to Arabia and
from Egypt to Afghanistan. There is also a European, a Western direction of significance. Eastern women attend women congresses in Europe, Western women travel in the East with a message and an appeal; and in both places they meet on common
ground and exchange views and confidences. The status of woman, fashioned and upheld by man for centuries, must change.
But how fast is it changing in the Near East? There is Occidental speed in Turkey; there is a steady advance in Egypt; there
is determination flavored with controversy in Syriaj and there is
in Arabia, Persia and Afghanistan a traditional caution highly
spiced with the modern ambition. Everywhere there is a common urge, however, and an uncommon tendency to get together.
At the Woman Congress held in Damascus last June, were
delegates from all the countries I have mentioned. And the
speeches were made in languages that were not all Asiatic. The
representative of an international organization for women in Europe spoke in French; the delegate from Persia delivered an
address in English, and the head of the Turkish delegation made
a gracious concession to Damascus in fluent Arabic. We may infer
from this that the sources of inspiration are as vital as the points
of convergence. Arabic, of course, was the common medium;
and through Arabic, with English and French as the auxiliaries
of its modern culture, the cardinal objectives of the woman move-
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
ment will eventually be achieved everywhere in the Near East
of
gress
TeTr'
i" "*"**
**right
*****
^choose
ingress, ar'th
are three,
namely,
monogamy,^the
of a girl to
her own husband and the abolition'of seclusion. Which mea"
that polygamy and the veil and the harim are passing way
They have already passed away in Turkey. The woman move
ment ,„ the most successful of Oriental repubfehasTte
Sulfan AbTl R ^ ^ eJlf—hisement. It"began where
that li f^amid Cnde,d and Progressed slowly to the poiM
hat marks the beginning of Mustapha Kemal. Since then Has
soTalge°x;iitSntsy Th^f
** Tf
*»*" °f economic" a'nd
C tCmp
and not the
TnlQi9 TT ?
°'
spirit, has changed
" ,|J tant' noP] e: rShe was the first woman to unveil in public
and after she had finished her speech, she waved her vefl\ a
mX f/reedom- ^any women after that followedh r x
ample, and soon the eloquent,gesture became superfluous
author of 2 T H!' ^^ ** ^ustapha^ema is the
author of the Turkish woman's freedom. He is its official nm
tagon.st and its guide. But what share and what trouble he mav
be haying ,„ gu,ding it, may be only inferred. The Amerkan
Pin°cl W ?rlS in CTtantin°Ple--w Istanboul-is SlT h
principal factor in modern education; and from Pierre T nt?
„
sna
aes or a European experiment.
argiJhdies of^he^ "CVer ^^ ^ ***** of the lethmUSt
g f SCh o1 but th
must
sf work
work Thev
mT even
2* the
^mistresses,
° °
° more
'
aiso
l hey must
be
or ^
Jess of
their own destiny. Earn your living, find your own husband
solve your own domestic problems Freedom'.
husband,
are seldom free from frcel^T^hTs
compensations
How much the modern Turkish girl is beginning to feel
ment bne is still n the glow of dawn; and encouraged bv the
Dictator, stimulated by his edicts, she is bravely going ahead The
publicists of the Republic are her prophets. The dogrn^ of the
mu lah has been replaced by the dogmaof the propagf'dist Bu
there are, for her diversion, playgrounds on the wayg And there
are dance-halls and beauty contests to keep up her spirit There
are also cafes where she may tarry to surve'y L 3L world
Sip§ her ddnk and
curette
* who
t^
cigarette. XI
Barbers, *?
too,
but yesterday were poeticamokeTEer
about the
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
7
unseen beauty of the hair they now consign to the litter basket.
Alas for romance.
But the girl who read Pierre Loti in the secrecy of the harim
now reads Bernard Shaw and Bertrand Russell on a park bench
in Taksim. What is the poison and what is the antidote? No one,
I dare say, can be judicious and precise, at the present time, in
answering the question. Our modern prophets may be responsible
for a revival of interest ultimately in the romantic era—may even
drive us back to its scented shades.
Meanwhile, the Turkish woman, who has unveiled her face
and her mind, is willing to stand European fashion before the
judges of a beauty contest. And the editor of the Turkish review
receives and publishes her photograph with the nonchalance of a
theatrical manager. His readers, too, may judge—and choose.
From the slave-market to the beauty review, is not, after all, an
innovation. It is a development in, at least, the masculine mentality. For while in the past a Turk inspected a slave as he would
a brood mare, he has to stand today at a virtuous distance, trusting his eye and mind, or even be content with a vision, on paper
or on the screen, of semi-nudity. But other contests of a more
serious nature are taking place today in Turkey; and the Turkish
girl, even as a typist, is catching up with her American sisters.
On the other hand, her Muslem sisters in other parts of the
Near East do not altogether approve of her speed. She is too
fast for them, even as Mustapha Kemal is too fast for the mullahs of Afghanistan. The fact is that the woman movement in
Turkey, because of its ultra-revolutionary spirit, is exerting little
or no influence beyond the Turkish frontiers. This revolutionary
spirit may be compatible with the Turk in whom the Islamic religion is not, after all, deeply rooted; but it can not find free access
into such strongholds of Islam as Persia and Arabia or be received
enthusiastically in such centres of Islamic learning as Cairo and
Damascus.
Thus, by its own force and scope, the movement is isolated.
But there are before it the possibilities of either increasing in
power and overcoming the barriers of tradition in other Eastern
countries about the time the woman movement there had become
somewhat radical, or of experiencing a reaction which will force
the Turkish woman to take a few steps backward to meet her
slowly advancing Eastern sisters. The latter, in my opinion, is
more probable. To leap is as bad as to creep. But from the kitchen
to the platform direct is not so dangerous a leap as from the harim
�'
mmmm
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Moslem women venturing in public had to be heavily veiled
according to time-honored traditions.
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
I
Manifestation of the emancipation movement in the Ens!. Deleapes to the Women's Congress held hi Damascus }>/ June of
this year.
to the dance-halls, for instance, or to the business world. A woman publicist may also be a good dancer and a good wife; but
she can not be of much help to the thousands of her sisters who,
through the same new economy of life, go astray. Even a publicist in the whirl and upheaval, may become a publican. And a
Jupanar, which very seldom existed in Islamic countries, is not an
improvement upon the harim. Slippery, indeed, is the dancing
floor of the Republic.
In Egypt the way to the dance-hall has not yet been open to
the Muslim girl, and may not be for a time to come. Instead of
a slippery floor, however, she has a thorny path. And the thorns
are not from Europe. The Azhar University of Cairo is a hothouse of a variety of spinous plants, and it furnishes the nation
with hedges of every kind.
The Azhar dons, who are more intransigeant and straitlaced
than any of their colleagues elsewhere, oppose with the Koran
every innovation imported from Europe. Not long ago there was
�' —
10
THE SYRIAN WORLD
a flaming controversy between them and the young reformers
about the hat; and one of the dons wrote a book to prove that
the hat is not the proper thing for an Orthodox Muslem—it is
not sanctioned by the Koran. Incidentally, I might say that in a
part of southern Arabia the sun, and not the Koran, is the recognized authority. The Arabs there, men and women, who are not
less religious than the learned shaikhs of Al-Azhar, find it necessary, when they are working in the fields, to wear hats—large
straw hats of their own making.
^ When it comes to argument it does not require much effort to
drive the heavy-turbaned Muslem dons to the wall. QasimAmin,
one of the greatest of modern Egyptians, drove them all to the
wall, but apparently, as it was then observed, to no purpose.
More than a dozen books were written against his one book The
Emancipation of Woman. And on both sides the Koran was in-i
voked. "Woman's place," said the dons, "is where the Prophet
placed her." "The Prophet," said Qasim Amin, "found woman
in bonds, a miserable chattel, and after lifting her to a position
that was compatible with the spirit of the times, he opened to
her, through the very Koran, the way of gradual development
and freedom. We are continuing the work of the Prophet." And
the reformer, who was an eminent jurist, could not be accused of
misunderstanding or misinterpreting the Koran.
This was forty years ago, when in Turkey rarely a voice was
heard for the emancipation of woman. Qasim Amin was then
alone, not only in Egypt, but in the whole Islamic world, and
now, fifteen years after his death, he is the guiding light of a
nation-wide movement and he has many disciples even among
the students of the Azhar University.
But the foremost exponent of his principles today is a woman
of rank and power, the widow of the nationalist leader the late
Sa'd Zaghloul. When her husband was exiled by the British Governmenet in 1922, she was asked if she would like to accompany
him. "No," she replied, "I will remain here to continue his
work." Another influential disciple of Qasim Amin, who like the
widow of Zaghloul has discarded the veil, and who takes an active
interest also in politics, is Huda Shi'rawi, a society leader and organizer of exceptional ability. Lady Huda is also one of the best
known Oriental women in Europe, where she frequently sojourns,
moving from one woman congress to another in the interest of
her country and her sex.
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
Qasim Amin has also received, directly and indirectly, official
recognition. At the Egyptian University, not Jong ago, tribute
was paid to a young authoress whose work was inspired by the
reformer; and when the Egyptian sculptor Mukhtar was commissioned by the Government to make a monument to Egypt, he
conceived it in the terms of the woman movement. His work is
in reality a tribute to Qasim Amin; for the Mother of the Nation
in marble stands erect and unveiled.
But the veil in itself is no more a vital issue. The change
from a heavy material to a light chiffon, white or black, is a significant comment upon its evolution. From an esthetic point of,
view, however, there is a hope, even among the moderns, that it
does not thin down to nothing. The Egyptian flapper in high
heels, a short skirt and a filmy veil, is a picturesque contribution
to that kaleidoscope of color and fashion the Musky. She exemplifies the potency, even the gaiety of silken defiance. And as a
recruit, she is also often seen among the more conventional of
her sex in the political demonstrations of the day. Thus, through
the various channels of politics and education, of culture and
fashion, the mission of Qasim Amin is being accomplished.
It also radiates its influences to other Arabic-speaking countries through the written word. There are today several magazines in Cairo devoted to the movement and edited by Christian
and Muslem women. But the most distinguished among the
writers is Mary Ziadi, a Christian from Mt. Lebanon, whose
home in Cairo is the magnet of the intellectuals of both sexes
and of all religions. It is the only salon that I know of in the
Near East. Miss Ziadi writes under the pen name of Maiy, and
she is fast becoming a power in the woman movement, not only
in Egypt, but wherever Arabic is read.
In Syria many other forces and influences are at work. But
the Muslem woman there, although opposed to the old traditions, is not ready, it seems, for any radical action. She has not
the heroic quality of the Turkish woman, who tore her veil and
waved it as a banner of freedom; nor is she favored with the
economic conditions that enabled many families in Egypt during
the past forty years to employ foreign governesses and teachers
for the education of their girls at home.
Moreover, the spread of French fashions in Syria, the fashions, rather, of the Paris Boulevard, with a powder puff and a
lip stick to complete the public defiance, aroused even the Muslem youth to indignation and rage. There were their sisters and
�12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
sure' bu0tUchdWiVeS
'^
*' "5
°V ^ to shoP>
m
agen
f French fabrics
a full li
Jr
]T °
iled to be
> which exhibited
fc WaS 0Utra
0US
was
insuffeSb
But the
trf^
**? T
' *even
insurteraole. But
indignation
of men expressed^itself
more outrageously, criminally. Musiem women, dresed in^
att cked
the streets with
£s£ir&s "n,t ^r"^
fn ^e face T 3
L„S
5'
u
S me
ffl whs
°
°f them were burned
m Damascus
>
which
is
more
conservative than
r
in style, walked through the bazaar unveiled and was slapped in
he face by a fanatical shaikh. These two instances of the asserdele'd
?&*">
^ °ninthe
^^
aesired effeTTh^t
ettect They checked
the extravagance
style
But be
yond the surface deep in the soul of woman, theyawakened a
were capable of more resistance than they had shown Instead
of publicly protesting, however, they are organizing And as a
reply, perhaps, to the fanatical shaikhs of Damascuf' .Woman
^ hdd * ^ — -ient of cities SS^
An essential feature of the movement in Syria and Palestine
and Iraq, is that women of all creeds, Muslems Christians ,nd
Druses, are working together, and they are all^reedCiS
bo. » not the wisest policy and that organization^ not tS"
I hey are all agreed that education is even more popular thnn the
Pans fashions Twenty years ago there were not mo", than thirty
Ol forty Musiem prls ,n the various schools of these four cit e
today mBeirut alone, I was told by the Minister of Kcmca on'
the attendance ,s more than one thousand.
nation,
Beirut, the leading centre of education in the Near Fast his
more schools and colleges, native and foreign, than any ciVo
its size m the world But its girl schools, before the W rid \V
were all fore,gn and more or less of a missionary charac er Tki
is why Musiem parents refused to send their daughters to thern!
But during the war, when all the foreign schools were closed
a Syrian woman Marie Kassab, opened a native schooTwhere she
herself was taught, in the building of the English Mission The
success of the school was such that the attendance in a few years
rose from twenty to three hundred, and an enthusiasm for educa
ion was kindled in all the neighboring countries. From Iraq
from Palestine, from all parts of the Arabic-speaking world'
gxk of all creeds, Muslems and Christians and Drufes, come
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
13
Modern training for Syrian g-lrls. — Physical culture exercises
at the Ahliyah School for Girls in Beirut.
today to the Ahliyah School of Marie Kassab. The secret of its
popularity lies principally in the fact that, besides being native,
it is non-sectarian. Technically and executively also it enjoys an
uncommon reputation.
The emancipation of woman in Turkey has been achieved, as
we have seen, principally through legislation3 but in Egypt and
Syria, in all the Arabic-speaking countries, as well as in Persia,
it is being achieved through education. While emphasizing the
power of the school, however, the leaders of the movement do
not deny the power of the Government. The two together are
certainly more effective and more permanent in their good than
the edicts of a dictator even if they include the adoption of a
European code of civil law. The Damascus Congress, aside from
the cardinal objectives referred to at the beginning of this article,
has adopted, as part of its programme, resolutions to secure ( 1)
compulsory education for boys and girls, (2) legislation to prohibit the employment of children under the age of fourteen, and
(3) the establishment by the Government of technical schools
for both sexes.
�14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
American Near Eastern Colleges
By
PROF. CHARLES
1).
MATTHEWS
of Birminghm-Southern College.
Editors Note — Prof. Matthews pivcs in the following article a comprehensive, yet concise, account of American educational activities in the
s
«/p • f'
~?cia! emPhAasi,s on tha work of the American University
of Beirut The writer is an Arabic scholar and in his travels in Near Eastern countries, which he undertook last y2ar had the advantage of studying
first-hand the effectsi of the solendid educational endeavors of America in
those lands. Prof. Matthews has pledged to The Syrian World his steady
co-operation and our readers may expect many valuable contributions from
his pen in both poetry and pross.
^0 Americans who visit the important Mediterranean city of
Beirut one of the most interesting sights is the American University. The institution, with its more than fifty buildings, its
large faculty, and its more than 2,500 alumni who are filling
places of responsibility in the life of many Near Eastern countries, is the outstanding member of a group of such schools.
"Broadcasting international good will," as their slogan reads,
there are six American institutions in the Near East College Association located as follows: Robert College and The Women's
College, in Constantinople; International College, Smyrna; Sofia
American Schools, Bulgaria; and Athens College, Greece, and
the university here in Syria. In addition, there is a recently
founded American University in Cairo, not connected with the
group.
Although some of these institutions have not reached full collegiate standing, they all are having an important part in adapting these lands of ancient civilization to modern life. Through
them America as a product of Western civilization is partly repaying the debt which the West owes to the East. Robert'College is said to be one of the most potent social forces in this part
of the world. The Women's College of Constantinople, as the
only institution for higher learning in Turkey, has a unique position of influence. International College in Smvrna lays emphasis
on commercial training, and especially on agricultural because of
the richness in natural resources of the district in which it is
located. The American Schools in Bulgaria have increased opportunities for service and leadership since liberation in the country
"
�.
SEPTEMBER, 1930
15
—which came about indeed, it is said, by inspiration of the ideals
promulgated by Robert College.
Respect in which the American institutions are held in the
Near East is well shown by the foundation of the American University in Athens, in 1925, undertaken by request of the people
of Greece, is given a campus by a wealthy citizen, and awarded
unusual privileges by the governmental decree. Other countries,
like Iraq or Mesopotamia, have asked for similar institutions, and
many lands of the Orient are asking for graduates for various
types of work.
The American University of Beirut was opened in 1366, and
has exerted a continually growing influence in the Near East. One
of its outstanding schools is that of medicine, which now has more
than 800 graduates throughout the Near East, a territory where
modern medical science was sorely needed. Other departments,
in addition to the regular college of arts and sciences, are those
of commerce, pharmacy, dentistry, and nursing. Along with the
medical school there is a well equipped hospital where thousands
of cases are listed yearly. A preparatory division trains young
students for their college work. Everywhere one goes in this
section of the world, he finds doctors, dentists, editors, and government officials who are educated at the American University
of Beirut. It is the "educational capital" of the Near East, students coming here from other institutions to complete their training. The Near East is making unmistakable progress. In the annual report of the Near East College Association for 1928-29, a
document which portrays a romance of practical missionary endeavor, President Bayard Dodge, of Beirut, points to the "dramatic" leadership of four great personalities. They are: Ras
Tafari of Abyssinia or Ethiopia (an ancient Christian country);
Mustapha Kamal Pasha of Turkey; Shah Riza Khan of Persia,
and Ibn Saoud, who is called "the Maker of Modern Arabia."
Beirut itself is a considerable city, having near 250,000 inhabitants, a fine harbor with about 3,000 ships annually, and a unique
location at the foot of the Lebanon Mountains. If the business
man or ordinary citizen feels uncomfortable in the summer
warmth of the city, by a trip of an hour by auto he can ascend
to one of the innumerable, picturesque villages scattered over the
mountains and there enjoy a climate as of spring! The city is
very old, its history reaching back to the maritime state of the
Phoenicians, as interesting objects in the university and municipal
museums attest. Phoenicians, Egyptians, Assyrians, Romans,
�s=asHss
16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
�17
Arabs, Crusaders, Druzes, Turks, and now the French, have been
its masters throughout history. The memorials of past rulers are
impressively sculptured on the rock cliffs of the Dog River,
Nahr el-Kalb," a few miles to the north of the city, where
eleven tablets of inscriptions tell of campaigns from those of
ancient Egyptians and Assyrians to that of Napoleon when he
was seeking to emulate Alexander in this part of the world. Evidence of French control at present is seen everywhere—in the
colorful observance of Bastile Day, July 14; in the ubiquity of
the French language; in the war memorial to French soldiers and
sailors on the waterfront; in the large number of soldiers still
stationed here (many of them black Colonials), and in the ex tensive program of enlargement of the city by which, old narrow
lanes of native buildings are being replaced by modern structures.
^ We have been living more than a week in the village of
"Souk el-Gharb," where there is a summer school for boys as a
division of the university, and also a summer school for religious
workers of the American Mission in Beirut. As luck would have
it, we happened upon a hotel owned by a voung Syrian-American
who was born in North Carolina "and wants to get back there as
soon as possible!"
It is impossible to give more than a hint of the pleasant situation here. From the hotel open-air dining room we can look
down on the entire city and environs of Beirut, fully 10 miles
away (though appearing to be within a few minutes walk,) and
20 miles by the winding automobile roads or the equallv windimnMlway. We have a wonderful view of the sea, from far north
of the city and harbor, to several miles south, past the radio tower
over which w- recently sent a message and received an answer
m a very comforting fashion to people far from home. We watch
the sunset here every afternoon,—or climb to the top of the
mountain a few minutes away, to obtain a grander view and to
watch the lingering reflection on the higher mountains to the
west. And then we return as the delicious!v cool breezes begin
&
to be a little chill.
The chief business of the people here, in addition to raising
fruits, praoes. vegetables, and cocoons for the silk trade of France',
and driving American-made automobiles for hire, seems to be
running hotels for the summer visitors. Hotels and pensions and
cafes are sprinkled all over the mountains. Our hotel is a middle
class one, with a friendly, social spirit and very tasty Syrian food.
Last night we walked further up the mountain'to a de luxe
�(T~
1 o
THE SYRIAN WORLD
establishment, and there saw, as one of the chief sights, vacationnLZT" ^ntlJmCn and voluPtuou* Egyptian ladies winder's
TJu? "salary!
^ rmentS at the table more than a allege
teachers monthly
°
In a measure fulfilling their war-time promises to the Arabs
the BmHh created in Syria after their success against th Turks
of M
°A ?"* W,th Feisd' the so» of f<
r King Hussein
of Mecca and the native spirit of the revolt, as the monarch. But
he French were determined to have Syria according to their prearranged plans, and the kingdom was short-lived; Feisal was
forced to abdicate, fleeing to Mesopotamia or Iraq where he wa
given a "consolation throne" in that ancient country of the Assyrians and Babylonians watered by the great Tigris and Eu60611
kd hy the
HauS > 1925 thP°rrfUChI Ih3Ve
""
^Uzes
reor anized
four ZZ s' I," ?T
g
of
^
the territory into
"TeUl
.n yna"
uebfr' thG Akouites 0n the n«rth), and
Jebel ed-Druse," south of Damascus in the Hauran. The greatest measure of freedom has been given to the people of the Lebanons, the state of which Beirut is an integral part. They have a
NeTtcoL'Z
° rfT^ and/ h°USe °f -P-e"tadveesa
JNext come the people of the state of "Syria," which includes the
great port,on of the territory, including the region between AW
po and the Euphrates and running south past Damascus The
"Syrians," as the inhabitants of this artificially hewn-out state are
called, have a president but no representative assembly. French
ESSES" °Ver th£ ^^ and the brave ^WaUy
Svrif?^ D°Se thUS defnbeS the new State University of
Syria, located in Damascus, dean of cities: "Perhaps there is no
other university in the world with such a picturesque sett ng The
Muslim School of Theology is in the 16th cenLy mosque of
miroTthe cf
orm
side ofacourt withthe
;°r
,
'
owSldhanty de a
des A K
^ 5°? "'I r
P rtment on the other three
sides. A beautiful tank of water is in the centre. The department
8 ,n
lted
Ht by domes iike
batV
T T fr^
£^
waters of n "
^ ^^
old park, with
is an
the
the wateis of Damascus pouring down from Lebanon through
lovely groves of poplars and fruit trees. Most of the instruct
is given in Arabic, and one of the aims of the institution i to
Je^mg of the West:'""1
bCing
^ "* T
thR
^ "-*»
�19
The Tragic Love of a Caliph
A SHORT STORY
Adapted from the Arabic
gAADA, the ranking legal wife of the caliph Yazid, successor of
the Prophet, Prince of the Faithful, retired to the most secret
recesses of her quarters in the spacious palace of the harem in
Damascus and gave orders to her maids and eunuchs that under
no conditions should she be disturbed. It was a strange and inexplicable action on the part of the queen when the capital was given
up to great reioicing over the accession of the new caliph. Shouts
of Allahu Akbar rising from thousands of throats floated to the
palace from the crowded streets, while in the palace itself the generals of the great Arab army, the princes of the empire and the
notables of the capital, were gathered to render homage to the
new sovereign. Even the harem quarters, whose strict seclusion
is proverbial, especially those of the caliph's palace, could not
escape the contagion of popular joy. The women inmates staged
their celebration in their own way: musicians playing gleeful
times on their ouds, singers making the palace resound with
songs of the happiest moods, and dancing girls performing with
the extreme of unguarded abandon, as would spring from the
most sincere and spontaneous feeling. But the motives behind
the queen's seclusion no one dared question. Nor did anyone
seem to care amidst the hilarity of national festivities.
Presently, coming stealthily from a secret passage, a man was
seen to enter the queen'3 private apartment, with whom she appeared to be on terms of greatest familiarity. For a time she was
engaged with him in earnest conversation, after which she opened
a secret chest from which she brought forth several bags of gold
and an immense quantity of precious stones and jewelry which
she handed him. The man soon thereafter disappeared through
the same secret passage whence he had come.
*
*
*
Three months later the great city of Damascus, then the capital of an empire which had grown within less than a century to
greater proportions than the Roman Empire ever reached at the
�€
20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
zenith of its power, was the scene of a demonstration such as
it had never witnessed in all its long history, notwithstanding the
tact that it is reputed to be the oldest city in the world. Great
caravans were converging on it from all parts of the vast-flung
empire. Arabia, Egypt, Marrakesh and Spain contributed their
contingents. The hosts of Mohammad had conquered almost
half of the world, and the responsible caids of this all-sweeping
religious-military movement who had been apprised by special
courners of the accession of the new caliph were proceeding to
Damascus to render him homage and pledge loyalty. They were
bringing the choicest and most precious gifts of their respective
lands to the successor of the Prophet. The splendor of their
equipage was dazzling in its gorgeous display. Emirs in flowing
silk robes, bedecked with fine jewelry, and their chargers caparisoned in silver and gold, rode in retinues scarcely less gorgeous
Behind them trailed long caravans of camels bearing rich stuffs,
and spices, and precious metals and stones intended for gifts to
the new caliph. The population of the city, almost to a man,
was foregathered at the city gates or in the public squares. The
muezzins, from atop hundreds of minarets, sent forth from silvery
throats joyous shouts of Allahu Akbar that rolled over the city
like distant echoes of a celestial choir. All activity in the city had
ceased, except that which had direct bearing on proclaiming the
ascendency and power of Islam.
Entering the city by the southern gate, the African contingent,
coming from Al-Maghreb, was by far the most imposing both by
extent of numbers and display of wealth. It was composed not
only of Moroccans and Tunisians but of representatives of all
the Barbary States of North Africa as well as of. those of Egypt.
Somewhere in Morocco a man and a maid had joined this
caravan and during the whole march maintained themselves in
strict seclusion. The man was apparently the master or custodian
oi the girl, because he was extremely jealous of her and solicitous for her welfare and safety. He had sought the caid of
the caravan at the outset of the journey and confided to him
something of apparently great moment, because the caid assigned
to him and his charge a place in the line immediately following
his own bodyguard, and none was suffered to interfere with them
or molest them. With the single exception of the caravan leader
none knew who the pair were, nor whence they had come or whither they were going.
Once inside Damascus the man and the maid fell out of line
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
d Stant
absence we,« practically unnoticed
'
^ thdr
The man apparently knew his way about the citv well He
^SSSX-^s stow? -•
queeTt^hicrLdicaSd'JLt'the6 ********
«*-^ of the
1 Up n which she had se
the man Masrour w,,
k
"'I""
°
a second ^Z^/ZZ^^TL!^^ **
embraced him affectionately. The auTen's
conrtn't
,
, d
q
ed only bv the f>rt n,„. vi
f conduct can be explainMaSTOUr Was her truste
adviser
d servant and
hardty att'ed! "* """" ^ "*ed
the
""«"' »» excitement
nlVHIMlJy
her
'» vour presence » re
aWalt y UC
c°
°rderS
t0 brin
g
£-ES2£° ~« °* ** "^ - ^ the"
ftitt»Si2rs.the ^TeS^
whe thou
kMwest m
ss&s** -
&*%£z?z
Masrour was not long in returning with Hubaba H, k-i
left her only ,„ one of the ante-chambers there to await Ws en 1
The girl was of surpassing beauty. Contemporary Arab chronic
lers describe her as the most beautiful as we is rL \
plished woman of her times. She %"dSri^SJSrf
the most emment masters of the age and was versed in nottrv
in Arab lore, and in vocal and instrumental music TL?^'
none other that surpassed her in all the art S&
profuse in her show of loving soiicit^But stwtld not^
*—"
�22
THE SYRIAN WORLD
her long m this condition after her long and trying journey. She
clapped for her maids and had them take Hubaba to the bath,
and, Jater, clothed her in her choicest queenly robes and bestowed
upon her the costliest jewels. Truly, after her refreshing bath
and her appearance in the gorgeous regal robes, Hubaba stood
out like a hounat from Al-Janna, a temptation and a subject of
admiration to all mortals.
So far Hubaba had said nothing beyond a few words of appreciation and thanks, so overwhelmed was she by the profusion
of the queen's hospitality and kindness. Now that she had been
through her bath, and was sharing with the queen the bountiful
repast that a long train of eunuchs and slave-girls were serving
them in an endless variety of tempting courses, Hubaba made
bold to ask of the queen the reason for such action. The queen
was frank and explicit.
"You realize, my dear, the love of Yazid for you," she said.
*.ver since his brother Omar, when caliph, forced him to part
with you he was disconsolate. Now that he has come to the caliphate it occurred to me that I would be doing an act which would
secure for me the joys of Paradise if I brought you two lovers
together. Our Prophet Mohammad, (prayers and salutations of
Allah be upon him,) has so promised whomsoever did such an
act of kindness and charity. As Yazid's wife I love him, but he
in turn loves you, and because of my love.for him I resolved to
contribute to the fullness of his happiness by giving you to him
I herefore have I sent my trusted servant to seek you and purchase you from your new master whatever the price. Now my
happiness is complete that I found you."
Hubaba could well realize the reason behind the queen's apparently strange action. She, Hubaba, was not a freewoman and
could never aspire to the rank of Saada. And the caliph must
have his diversions and pleasures, especially if he be of the character and temperament of Yazid. Of slave-girls he had aplenty,
and the addition of just one could not materially affect the situation.
Still there was cause for some vague, undefined doubt in
Hubaba s mind. Her feminine intuition told her that behind
this profusion of kindness and generosity there must be a definite
and thus far hidden, reason. But she who was so diplomatic and
tactful could not openly question the motives of the queen For
a moment she remained silent, deliberating on the manner to un-
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
23
cover the queen's designs without causing offense. Then she
spoke:
j qy g
"Beloved mistress and queen," she ventured, "words fail to
appropriately express my deep feelings of thanks and gratitude
to you. I am your servant and slave, and thus shall I remain to
the end of my days. My only regret is that, owing to my humble
station, I can only show my gratitude to you in words. Oh, that
I could be of some service to you in any other capacity. My life
would be the least I could offer in payment for your great kindness."
At these words the queen was exceedingly pleased, and she
again drew Hubaba closer to her and encircled her with her
arms.
"Sweet Hubaba," she said, "it is true that I am the ranking
wife of Yazid, but you should realize it is equally true that you
are the ranking woman in his affections. Ever since Omar forced
him to sell you there was a void in his heart that none other than
you could fill. But upon his accession to the throne 1 determined
to bring you back to him whatever the cost."
Saada had said something of this nature before and she felt
that the repetition did not fully satisfy the curiosity of Hubaba.
None but a woman can sense the secret of another woman's heart,
and Saada felt that in the heart of Hubaba lurked some deep and
subtle suspicion. She decided to tell all.
"Beloved Hubaba," she continued. "While I am solicitous
for the happiness of Yazid, 1 am also extremely conscious of the
future welfare and safety of the state. You, more than any other,
know Yazid's temperamental nature. In a fit of irresponsibility
he is liable to say or do anything. Now that you know this, and
realize that I am the first legally wedded wife of Yazid, and the
ranking queen of his harem, and since you display such gratitude
for the small favors I have done for you, you would amply repay
me by an act that will bring you no harm and result in lasting benefit to the state and the line of Yazid. Use your influence with
Yazid to have him proclaim his son by me his legal heir. That
is my only request of you."
Hubaba gave her consent readily. She was aware of the rivalry between Saada, Yazid's first wife, and Zongia, his second,
and could not help but give the former her wholehearted sympathy. Especially since Zongia was known to be negotiating for
the purchase of Selma, another famous singing girl, to make a
gift of her to Yazid. Hubaba could not help but feel slighted in
�M.
24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
preeminent standing, and naturally sided with her own mis-
dal wood/ltts?dav
w
„ ,',nCe"Se
Md
,rbergeris a"d -»-
W
h
introduced* , U^^SfJ
H
\father Muawi>^ tad
?
his element Hi T
tradition. But Yazid was out of
a.Kft"gnHe ,tem,':;:dtnpoass,on r the..he,oveKo°fwon*-*«
to the Flithfd"t ,h, ° T' * °V
'S injunction
W e : A d hC W U,d h
te
tered his thro"e StSS at '" f
",
e °
'of his harem with hi,fcS& a , "ers aTd " ^ ""? ^"^
panions.
lancers and singers and cup com-
^^^"Sff ^
the h
b
ught him
since to Yazid personal ZTtt
* m°St Urgent matter- And
considerations of tate he f"S7£r^ TI m°re imPortailt *»
and proceeded ?0 S&SSSjfS *" ^-^
ing himself on a divan to rll.v /
l {
,qUeen'there throw0
nof even inc^rmgXu th "atrTof th^b"
" °f 2? ** a"d
he buSmess which cau
Saada to send after him Y, "T
sed
loyalty fitter TS£ ^ COOJnoBdf«* only of Saada's
n
tion her
-otivL.
p
4^
&fe
i£Ls%
s
r
e
to drag him away from the boredom of nffl, f ?
°
mCanS S
was content to let her have her ^ with h*Ul1 ^^
s*^^,^^
r
to her not unlike ^LZZdA u
aS
He
like an op
eVCIy m Ve
-^
° - He was
spoiled so long as he"SntwIuS^Tto^ *°r ? he *"
through him she could comeTo herealfzaton
U *****
^
tions.
realization J
of her
own ambi(To be continued)
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
25
The Twin Cities of the Oron tes
A CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD OE THE EDITOR'S
TRIP ABROAD
X
By
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
1
journey from Aleppo took the nature of a real adventure
O)UR
i he vast expanse of uninhabited country we had to traverse,
m h only a few reckless automobiles making desperate efforts to
pass us on the way, or a solitary horseman fullv armed, stopping
to watch until we passed, and giving us the while some moment"
of mtense anxiety, gave us the feeling of one crossing a real desn!"l f
T
countryside was totally bare of vegetation. Not
onJy rorests were conspicuous by their absence, but even single
rees or bushes. The only point of difference between Xs vas
bare plains and the desert was in the visible traces of earlier cul7' } enWe,"e n°W hl mid-A"g^t d the grain had been
a
C lori
cane was
w,anfh
^ §f
^theThe
°'^
° soil
<S to the landscape
that imparted
from
nature
of the
A striking peculiarity of the Syrian plains in this section is
their division into longitudinal narrow strips of almost perfect
uniformity. Starting from the road in either direction, these^rS
ran for what appeared to be a mile or more long. Their boundary hnes were plainly traced both by the different in the maim r
of cultivation or the various hues of the earth and the withering
P
S
Patches
lanted t0
i^tWH
f • of
? sombre
°T CaSCS
retained a color
green, which Pwas most watermelons
welcome in
breaking the oppressive monotony of the landscape.
This odd manner of laying out the farm lands was explained
by the fact that all land in the interior of Syria, even up to represent day, is communal property. The community holds the title
to the land which is divided into proportionate shares. Every -hie
or four years the land is reapportioned among the shareholders
and each is allotted property in the amount of area to which his
shares entitle him. But it is the invariable custom that the same
and is not given to the same person for two or more successive
terms. This would have the obvious benefit of not permitting a
�XT'
26
'THE SYRIAN WORLD
few to hold a monopoly on the choice parcels, whether by location
or fertility. Hence, also, the explanation of the strange fact that
no forests or fruit groves or any sort of permanent planting is
to be found in that part of Syria. No one would go to the trouble
or expense of planting for another to reap the benefit, since the
lease on the land is of such a short duration.
About thirty miles south of Aleppo we came to a town which
apparently was favored with an abundant water supply, since there
were evidences of extensive truck gardening by irrigation,while the
surrounding country for miles around was thick with green groves
It proved to be Ma'arrat-ul-Naman, the birthplace of the famous
Syrian poet and philosopher Abu'l <Ala, and as such had an especial attraction for us. It was yet early in the afternoon and we decided to make a pilgrimage to the tomb of the famous bard.
Close by the main road stood two huge buildings occupied by
a mixed l<rench and Syrian garrison. Between them the road Jed
to the town proper lying a short distance behind. The immediate
neighborhood of the barracks presented a pleasing sight with its
small but well-kept gardens. But the appearance of the town
proper was uninviting, except, perhaps, for its clinging touches
of primitive Onental atmosphere. The houses were huddled together in han-hazard fashion, while the main street, or bazaar
consisted of two rows of small booths where the merchants squatting cross-legged in the center, could reach every article of merchandise around. Vegetables seemed to be plentiful and cheap
and the storekeepers apparently undisposed to take advantage of
tourists. If they did we were not conscious of the fact. We bought
several luscious watermelons for the equivalent of a few cents
each.
I made inquiries for the tomb of Abu'l-'Ala, and immediately
a bright Jad of about seventeen volunteered to conduct me to it.
He seemed to be the only one among the group to whom I addressed the question who knew anything about Abu'l-'Ala or entertained any reverence or appreciation for him. The blank look
in the eyes of the others seemed to imply the question, "Who
can be this celebrity among us who arouses the curiosity of strangers that they would rather visit his tomb than tarry at our bazaars?"
The youth led me through several narrow streets, past a huge
stone arch, and into a narrow alley along the sides of which rose
high garden walls. He stopped at a dilapidated wooden gate rrom
which we entered a court about forty feet square. A chorus of
�'
SEPTEMBER, 1930
27
A scene of the vast flams In the interior of Syria in the harvest
season. Primitive methods are still used in threshing grain.
juvenile voices rose from a room to the right, through whose open
door we could see a turbaned school master squatting on the mud
floor and surrounded by a group of children seated in like position. Our guide went directly to him and apprised him of our
mission, and he immediately called for his slippers, which one of
the pupils placed before him. He then rose and felt his way along
the wall until he reached a door which he unlocked with a key
which he carried constantly about his waist, and in the center of
a small, dingy chamber, into which light entered only through
the door, we saw the slab marking the tomb of the famous Arab
poet. For the few moments I stood in reverential awe at this
shrine, I could not help but make a damaging comparison. Only
a month before, on my way to Syria, I had visited Lisbon, capital of Portugal, and marveled at the magnificent marble tombs
which the Portuguese wrought for some of their national historians and poets, going to the extent of raising them to the exalted station of saints by devoting to them the most elaborate chapels of the magnificent convent of Jeronymosj while the tomb of
Abu'l-'Ala whose intellectual influence has been growing steadily
for the last thousand years, is permitted to remain in the
most abject condition of neglect. Something must be radically
wrong with the East, at least to our modern conception
Abu'l-'Ala is not unknown to Occidental scholars. It may
�28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
P er Abu i Ma, photographed from the center of
the public square.
ow'l^^ef ^ torT 'I*?*** **» '"an by his
iaeed by a number ofZl I Wei?.d's s^ 3nd P""y '"ans-
a ProWs D s
MargoLurs
CMir
S
-„ and poet, Ameen Rif^m L.T
°f - lo our own author
IN1
on
verse which wleTubli^d nfST^ITS §*"*
Un
der the t.tJe of "The Luzumiat of AbuVAla "
"
and Wdent,ean„Cdl1ism ";Ak " *"•
bo
°f *d
*d *ought
was able to master the arts a„M c :
• ,
' How ne
he achieved is th m rve o S,01« Sfe d£ ^ th°roUghneSS
of the eleventh century, before^"te*
was born, and the similarity of thought „£;5?
. f Kha>Tam
two leads Mr. Rihani to conclude that «0
?f betWeen the
reason to believe, was an iJ^£S2&£SSftL &*"
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
29
^r^ °I thf ^f °f AMJAla in the courtyard of the elementary school conducted by a blind teacher, the second fZnthe
left.
tPfSi0to kl^lT °f ^UJPAla' gaV£ US license <° mention
chair of he
/tT"1 tHat the P,"esent incumbent of the
chan of the great Arab poet was aJso stricken w^ blindness in
SdL? "ame " Sh£ikh ISmail S1—•
Wh
- -rlng:
sented"^^ ^° ^"^ the toP°^aPhy <* the country presented the same desolate aspect as that previously encountered
and not a trace of formation could be seen until we Secthe
banks of the Orontes. But in Hama we discovered that Irigat on
was done by pnrmtive and laborious means. Thctj^Tr
th s city Js d raise the
S term intI h ^ r* 'PP y^zvz
Zeakn^nfTh
stone arches. The
hSS.
g
W
SU
ds ,S contmuou
orted b
* and atrocious, but to f he in
.ong and that for the obvious reason that water to the Arab renP
resents the most precious gift of life
"
We were told that the principal sight of Hama was the nub
T"? *7 ,thC bndge- We saw the'^ nothing but caf6s W"
mg the high banks of the river. Sheikhs in tuHnns fnrffl •
robes, aiid Effendis in European garb and £toE,tL*322
lechmng on low cushions, or seated around the tabled on low
�rV
30
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Abu'l-'Ala, the Voltaire of the East.
(A conception by G. K. Gibran.)
>:r >.-;-v^v-sf;---:':.. -•' •.--: ':
�'
SEPTEMBER, 1930
rush-bottom stools, some smoking their arghiles and others nlav
mg games or drinking black coffee and refreshments W^ enter-"
rg
m St
rd r d ssome
o me lie
""^ t0 ?
*< loath
° to
^^
ordered
beer,^
my companion
being
nartake^^
of the
refreshments concocted of unfiWd wfter. But here no intoxi
cant beverages were to be had. The town was under strct Mo "
hammedan influence which prohibits all forms of liquor-in b
5
another
°fder\d a ">«**** we did not drink, a'nd crossed to"
another cafe where we also ordered some beer
11
He ha
to
^ '^who
TaIter
,m°re that
°bli^"
to c^ultThet
consult the manager
explained
he could "send^ned
out"
kC liqU r n he
tXt^bln
"^
? ° u° / P^^ w£ld£t
tT await Z 2
^T °f ^ Tf-buildi»^ out of public view,
to await the messenger's return? We readily consented Our
groats were parched but my companion was' adamanfagabst
In the meantime we ordered some watermelon which the
waiter said could be served forthwith. We waited fifteen Smites
and my companion's patience became exhausted. K?
the square to have the melon prepared in decent style Now it
t0
th Se CCuli
shoTwtrtSjVT.
E °orf raw,
° hot
P and-cold
Oriental
fid
shops
where all the food, cooked
is exnosed
o nubhc view but not in .lass cases. The restaurat^r won^X
artyouyour choice of meat and broil it on iron spits while you
wait. When we reached the shop he was handling our melo
which h T\haUdS, "^ amm^ the sIic- in the mTntr
tr*WTKl m
W1" V° bC SCrVed t0 wrists from
aSS thanks" 1Cft ^ h'm Unt°UChed With ~ >«*«
ed
Pkce in the Caf6 to aw
the
^T
Tihalf
S**
ait
the bleVfnd
beer, and at
the endA of
an hour decided that our first
sneakeasy experience in Syria was a failure. We paid and left
But before we reached our car the waiter came ruling from a
tlnAA TT W:th somethin* wrapped in his apfon He
nroduced a bottle with a German label that felt as if it had just
P
f
5
6 The Wa5ter
ha
d°tol
r
'el
"r
"?
'T!
that'
he had to go to a Christian hotel ,n - town for the«P«3
beer as none
can behad anvwhere else. We carried our thirst to Horns the
tTtrit°h.Hama on thc nVer °rontes'and about «*S^£
Our arrival in Horns, sometime after sundown, furnished us
��SEPTEMBER, 1930
33
one of the most trying experiences of our journey through Northern Syria. Our driver had haggled with a storekeeper in Hama
over the price of a can of gasoline and drove off without taking
a provisional supply, assuring us that he had more than sufficient
to reach Horns. But crossing the gently rolling hills between the
two cities we noticed that the driver shut off the ignition and
simply coasted down the inclines. It was evident that he was
economizing on gas. What we had to tell him need not be repeated here, but before climbing each hill he assured us that the
city lay immediately behind. We crossed more than a dozen hills
and were met at each turn with the same desolate horizon. There
was not a single habitation or a living soul on the way, and our
fears rose as our gasoline supply became lower. The sense of
solitude in the wilderness, unarmed and in a strange country without provisions, was not comforting. The sun disappeared behind
a hill and we began to expect the worst, when in the fast gathering dusk, the tall minarets of the mosque of Khalid Ibn Al-Walid
loomed from behind the last hill and we were in view of the
city. Praise be to Allah! We were safe at last!
Once in the city we soon forgot the trials and tribulations of
the day. By the fountain of the new municipal gardens, caressed
by a cool breeze blowing from the west, we came across friends
known to us either in person or by reputation. The Homsians
are by no means scarce in the Syrian community of New York
and some of them were then in the home town on a visit. Meeting them brought pleasant memories of our new home country.
That night a feature program was to be given at the municipal
theatre. We had not been inside a movie house in Syria so far and
decided to take advantage of the opportunity now offered. Our
hosts took a loge in the balcony, affording a splendid view of the
floor below. I advisedly refrain from calling it the orchestra or
pit because that would be a misnomer. The floor is level and has
no permanent seats. It is no more nor less than a regular cafe.
Tables are set all about where large or small parties form to enjoy their wonted manner of amusement with the cinema as an
adjunct or an added feature. Arghiles are served as well as coffee
and refreshments, and between the acts, or the reels, the waiters
circulate to give service and the audience indulges in conversation. The scene was typical of a phase of city life in Syria.
The cosmopolitan nature of the audience gave rise to some
amusing incidents. It was composed of French officers and their
wives, sheikhs from the desert, transient tourists and townsfolk.
-aur -
^,,.,,--..,
�—
-T—
'€
34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The original titles of the picture, in French, were thrown on
the screen only for a few seconds. The Arabic translation, written
in a crude hand, was at times misleading. This caused vociferous
com^'aint from both French and natives.
The forenoon of the following day we were taken in charge
by Mr. RafFoul Nasser, founder of the National College of
Horns, for a tour of the city. A straight, broad boulevard is being
opened in the center of the town leading to the railway station,
now in the outskirts. It stands in sharp contrast to the old souks
which still retain all the marks of their Oriental primitiveness.
We visited the silk bazaar and it proved to be an immense quadrangular building, with a spacious interior open court, where trading caravans display their wares and put up while in the city,
in the immemorial Eastern fashion. The permanent shops are
located in an upper tier running around the whole building. Horns
is noted for its silk fabrics.
The mosque we had first seen nroved to be one of the outstanding places of interest in the city, whose history dates back
to the early Moslem conquest. It was rebuilt some twenty-five
years ago along the plan of St. Sophia in Constantinople, Sultan
Abdul Hamid donating all the rugs for its furnishing. The tomb
of Khalid Ibn Ul-Walid, the Arab general who conquered Horns,
occupies a prominent place in the edifice.
There are also some Christian shrines of interest in the city.
Our learned volunteer guide conducted us to the Greek Orthodox
church of St. Lian whose miraculous specialty is mental and nervous diseases. We were shown a narrow, stuffy compartment behind the main altar where patients are confined for a night,
emerging either cured or non-violent.
Horns may also claim the title of the windy city. At night a
western wind usually blows that attains at times a velocity of
sixty miles an hour. The Homsians claim this as one of the
distinctive advantages of their city, because it cools the nights
as in no other place in the hinterland of Syria.
And in Horns also we had occasion to witness the efforts of
the prohibition policv in Syria. We were driven to the once
famous gardens of Al-Meemas, where the waters of the Orontes
have wrought a fairyland of cool atmosphere and beautiful vegetation. Alas! the walks and the shrubbery and the ponds were
in the worst state of neglect imaginable, because the concessionnaire of the only cafe was forced to close for having been caught
twice selling arac.
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
35
The southbound train leaves Horns at 1 P. M. every day.
We arranged to take it to Baalbek rather than risk another long
journey across the Syrian wilderness with our half-breed chauffeur.
The Battle
By
DR. SAI.IM
Y.
ALKAZIN
gKNDING low its lofty crest
To elemental rage,
That in their maddened hurry,
And unabated fury
A battle royal wage,
Smiting at its sides and breast,
Pitilessly. Moaning, still
Its crown with steel-like spring,
Persistently regains
Its former poise, its pains
Forgotten, like a sting
Causing ne'er a mortal chill.
Mid the fray some limb was torn,
Some leaf was torn away?
Is not the heart still sound,
And in the friendly ground
The roots embrace the clay,
Drawing life for life unborn?
Watch it greet the youthful spring
As bride her mate, draped o'er
With gauzy finery,
And magic broidery
The while the bridal score,
Silver throated warblers sing.
�=—
36
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ALI ZAIBAQ
(Quicksilver)
THE UNPARALLELED ADVENTURES OF THE
CHIEF OF POLICE OF THE CALIPH HAROUN
AL-RASHID, OF THE CITY OF BAGDAD.
Translated from the original Arabic by
A. MOKARZEL and THADDEUS S. DAYTON
SALLOUM
FOREWORD
This story of Quicksilver, the Chief of the Secret Police of
the Caliph Haroun Al-Rashid, has been more popular than the
Thousand and One Nights in all Mohammedan countries from
time immemorial.
The name of the author of this remarkable work and the date
of its origin are alike unknown. It existed for many centuries in
the memories of professional tale-tellers wandering with caravans across the deserts of Arabia. Only within the last two hundred years has it been put into manuscript form in Arabic. Doubtless, like the Thousand and One Nights, it is the product of many
romancers, each of whom has added something to the original
story.
I N the Name of Allah, the
Compassionate, the Merciful!
This is the story of whom there is no peer, the star whose
lustre surpasses that of all other stars, the Lion of the Forest and
the Conqueror of All Enemies: Quicksilver, Chief of the Secret
Police of the Sultan Haroun Al-Rashid, of Baghdad, who triumphed over the wicked Dalila and out-witted all the other contestants for his coveted post, thereby causing his fame to be
borne by caravans throughout the length and breadth of the
whole World.
CHAPTER T.
DALILA THE SERPENT
"JTIERE was, in the time of Haroun Al-Rashid, a man called
Ahmad El-Danaf who had attained great fame for his intel-
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
27
Jigence bravery and wonderful feats of valor. For that reason
the Caliph recognized his proven fitness for the service and invested him with the position of Chief of the Secret Police, in and
around the great city of Baghdad. At the time there were only
tour bodies of secret police in the whole Islamic Empire, namely,
at Baghdad, Aleppo, Damascus and Cairo. The last three were
subordinate to Baghdad.
At this time there was in the city of Ispahan, the capital of
I ersia, a woman called Dalila, who had attained great favor in
the eyes of the Shah of Persia and Khorassan, because of her
mastery of all the arts of trickery and wickedness. The Shah
trusted m her implicitly, and when he heard of the surpassing
beauty of the daughter-of the Moslem Caliph, Haroua Al-Rashid, he longed to possess that princess.
Forthwith he summoned Dalila. She straightway appeared
before him and after kissing the ground three times at his feet
she asked for his commands. The Shah told her of his desire to
have brought to him the peerless daughter of the Prince of the
i'aithrul, and Dalila assured her sovereign of the comparative
ease with which she could execute his wish and forthwith put on
the dress of travel and was soon on her way to Baghdad.
Dalila, the Serpent, who was secretly faithful to nothing but
her own caprice, no sooner had beheld the beauty of the city of
Baghdad than she decided to throw the mission of her master
to the winds and to make her permanent home in the Abode of
1 eace as the Moslems call their capital. Instead of endeavoring,
therefore, to gain possession of the daughter of the Caliph she
set to work conspiring against Ahmad El-Danaf in order to supplant him as the head of the Secret Police. She committed or
caused to be committed many atrocities, assassinations, robberies
and other crimes which threw the city into an uproar and caused
the populace to cry out against Ahmad El-Danaf who was seemingly powerless either to prevent or to detect the causes of these
disorders. Thereupon the Caliph caused a crier to go about the
streets of the city proclaiming immunity and pardon to the perpetrator of these crimes if he were willing to disclose himself.
Now this is what Dalila desired and she forthwith repaired
to the court of the Caliph and made herself known to him ' Haroun Al-Rashid was greatly surprised that a woman was able to
out-wit all the forces of his secret police and he invested her with
a robe of honor and proposed to install her as the Chief if
Ahmad El-Danaf proved to be unequal in the future to the task.
�-L.
38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Ahmad El-Danaf, whose hair had been turned prematurely
gray by the trickery and subtlety of Dalila, readily assented.
That was a great day of rejoicing for Dalila the Serpent, but
Ahmad El-Danaf, in jnortal fear of this new enemy, forthwith
called unto him some of his faithful and trusted aides and friends
among the Secret Police and fled with them to Alexandria, in
the Province of Egypt, the city of his birth.
There was, among the friends of the deposed chief, an Egyptian called Hassan Raselghoul, who had the renown of being the
most courageous of all the secret police in the empire. He stood
loyal to Ahmad El-Danaf and returned with him to Egypt where
he subsequently married Fatimah, daughter of the Sheik Noureddin, the Magistrate of the City of Fayoum.
When Hassan Raselghoul reached Egypt he had to disguise
himself for fear of Salah-Eddin who was the head of the Secret
Police of the Sultan in Cairo. This Salah-Eddin had previously
supplanted Hassan Raselghoul in this post and had caused him
to flee to Baghdad. After many encounters in Alexandria with
the spies and emissaries of Salah-Eddin, of whom he killed in
all about five hundred, Hassan Raselghoul repaired to Cairo in
order to take reprisal on his enemy in person. But there some of
Hassan's influential friends interceded for him with the King,
who granted him pardon. After having brought about a reconciliation between him and his mortal enemy, the King made Hassan Raselghoul a Chief of the Secret Police, conferring upon him
powers equal to those enjoyed by Salah-Eddin, who continued in
his place as before.
But Salah-Eddin did not forget his former enmity. He caused
to be sold unto Hassan Raselghoul a beautiful slave-girl whom
he instructed to administer poison to Hassan with his food at the
first opportunity, promising her that if she were successful he
would make her his wife and give her precedence over all the
other women in his harem.
Hassan Raselghoul fell an easy prey to the wiles of this beautiful woman.
The slave-girl had been only three days in the household
when Hassan Raselghoul was found lifeless. The cause of his
death was not apparent. Fatima, his Wife, while weeping over
his corpse, in the madness of her anguish grasped the hair of her
husband's head and was amazed to see it fall, like withered leaves,
to the ground. Then she knew that his death was brought about
by poison.
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
in
39
She interrogated the slave-girl and by means of threats and
tortures wrung from her a full confession of the conspiracy
against her husband on the part of his ancient enemy, SalahKddin.
The slave-girl was put to death and her body thrown to the
dogs outside the city walls. The corpse of Hassan Raselghoul
was buried with all due honor in a secluded spot in the gardens
of his home.
Fatima was overwhelmed with grief, but nevertheless concealed the fact of her husband's death and announced that he had
departed on a long journey.
Not many days thereafter she gave birth to a son whose countenance shone like the full moon and who showed every indication of being of masterly intelligence. The sages said of him
that undoubtedly he was predestined to attain great fame and
many honors; that he would be the cup-companion of Kings. He
was named Ali, but became known to all the world as Quicksilver.
Such was the origin of the Shining Star, the Lion of the Forest, the Bravest of the Brave, by whom the most wonderful
achievements of his age were predestined to be executed.
By the time Quicksilver had attained the age of twelve he
had mastered all knowledge of horsemanship and sword play
and was notably dexterous in the arts of war. His fame spread
throughout the city until it reached the ears of Salah-Eddin, who
had compassed the death of his father, and who had learned of
Quicksilver's identity. He instructed his men to seize the boy
at the first favorable opportunity so that he might make him
drink the cup of death.
Quicksilver's mother, however, thwarted this plot by sending
her son to his father's former chief. 'On arriving at the house of
Ahmad El-Danaf and disclosing his identity Ahmad El-Danaf
exclaimed:
"O Quicksilver, your father was the bravest man who ever
drank of the waters of the Tigris and the Nile. He was my brother-in-arms, and Salah-Eddin poisoned him."
Upon hearing this Quicksilver cried out in a voice like thunder:
"I will show you what I will do to this dog Salah-Eddin.
I will avenge- the blood of my father."
And he demanded that Ahmad El-Danaf invest him with a
title of chief of the secret police of Cairo in place of Salah-Eddin.
This being done, and Quicksilver being given the insignia of
�40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
the office, he returned to Cairo.
Fatimah, who had carefully preserved her husband's weapons,
brought them from the places where they had lain hidden and
gave them to her son. There were the famous scimitar, the mace,
the rope ladder with hooks used in climbing roofs, his father's
trusty bow and sheaf of arrows, and all other paraphernalia such
as robes of apparel suitable for disguise j benj, which renders the
conscious unconscious, likewise its antidote which restores to their
normal state those who have been drugged; also phosphoric sticks
which blaze at the least touch of heat and illuminate all that is
around. She also instructed him in the use of these various
things and invoked the aid of Allah for his success.
Thereupon Quicksilver was spurred to fury and performed
many deeds which struck terror in the heart of Salah-Eddin and
his men and threw the people of Cairo into such tumult that the
city seethed like a boiling pot. Finally Salah-Eddin, while invoking the wrath of Allah upon this new pretender to his pos^
made up his mind that it would be useless to continue his resistance to him and consequently repaired to the court of the King.
The King asked if he had succeeded in capturing this enemy
O my lord," answered Salah-Eddin, "Allah grant that'I
may be a ransom for you, and may your name be everlasting I
have exhausted all means at my command to capture this superhuman enemy and bring him in bonds to your presence. But so
far he has proved beyond all my efforts and skill. He is not -i
man. He is rather a genie. Therefore I deliver myself to you
to suffer my prescribed fate and cede my position to him. Your
servant, O my lord, believes that it is better to live in obscurity
than to court death in splendor. You are the master of my head "
Salah-Eddin, having relinquished his post, a crier went about
the streets of the city proclaiming the King's immunity and parr
don for Quicksilver.
When these tidings reached the ears of Quicksilver he
straightway put on his best apparel and repaired to the palace
of the King. There he bowed to the ground before his sovereign
and addressed h.m most eloquently. The King was amazed at
Quicksilver's youth and received him with all honors. Addressing Salah-Eddin, the King said:
"Here is your rival. Do you cede your position to him now?"
Q my lord," answered Salah-Eddin, "may your reign be
ever characterized by justice and impartiality. Suffer me to
bring to your attention that it has always been the custom of your
mmnm
c, „
^,
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
4J
^Xo^^r"l ^task -* -
« p-
doP^S^ ^"* ** *» ~" ««* Quicksilver
"HuTti? gTant l°ug JifC t0 y°Ur m*i«*y»B rePlied Salah-Eddin,
6
1 makC f him is that he
J
!
, V^
° Box, the All-Seeing
should Eye
bring"
us from
from thT
the Enchanted
City the Magic
S U ht th
alive Th^tL0
; & . 5 Endiaated City had returned
alive. I h,s task seemed certain death to Quicksilver, yet he was
undaunted, and hastened to set forth
Quicksilver went to inform his mother of the task which
he must undergo to become chief of the secret police of Cairo
His mother begged him to desist from this undertaking Bui
finding that he was obdurate she told him what she had fe'arncc
of the Enchanted City and the perils that he would encounter
But now, my comrades," said the tale-teller to his comrades
of he caravan, "Arcturus is high in the heavens, and we must
go to rest Tomorrow mght, if Allah wills, I shall tell you of the
amazmg thuigs that befell Quicksilver in his quest of ,
A
Seeing Eye.
( To be continued)
Greatness
By G. K.
GIBRAN
Every great man I have known had something small in his
11
which
^Tm^irsSr —
woul^&eS"ehe
Wh
°
!
»^
W Uld maSt6r n
°
° "* -d *»
I would not believe that man is a mediocre simply because
he kills the criminals and the prophets.
>*.cause
I am the flame and I am the dry brush, and one part
of me
P
consumes the other part.
�^<ss^K«!miistvM^m
.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
42
The Tale of a Rose
By
THOMAS ASA
W/ITHIN the shadow of a noble wood,
Where through summer days I lonely stood,
And flung my fragrant breath upon the air.
Yet solitude had claimed the ceaseless time,—
A visitor from some exotic clime,
For none more beautiful than I was there.
Though the witching magic of the day
Could aught but make one wish to play.
And laugh and dance with the whisp'ring breeze,
Yet I bemoaned the will of my stem,
That caused me to be but one of them,—
Silent and dumb to my restless pleas.
When, as if in answer to my prayer,
One day a lovely maid came to my lair,
Her eyes the color of a changing sea.
And from that moment she my fancy held,
While in her face youth's rapture welled,
Then to my bush she came and gazed at mt\
Lovely, and yet more lovely, she became,
As she in voiceless wonder called my name,
And leaning nearer kissed me with her breath;
Which, far more sweet and pure than mine,
Made me swoon as if some heady wine
Had taken me within its joyous death.
The virgin lips expressed her childish praise,
Which to my ears surpassed the poet's lays,—
And placed her tender hand upon my stem;
But drew it back without the treasured sight,
For as bidden by some inner might,
To leave me there alone to rest with them.
I
But I bowed my blushing head to her,
And opened wide my stores of richest myrrh,
And bade her take me to adorn her breast.
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
While she, succombing to the potent lure,
To own temptation as the only cure,
Broke the stem and freed me "from the rest.
To her chamber went the lovely maid,
Where within a crystal vase she laid
And cooled my fevered pulse with scented rain;
Then* placed me on the mantle near her bed,
Where I could see at night her drowsy head,'
And ever o'er her never love shall wane.
Each passing day she tendered me her care,
Belike my silken petals bloomed more fair,—
And trembled with delight at her caress.
But one day came when I negelected lay,
And like a prisoner passed an endless day,
That nothing could allay or fears suppress.
A week of days had drifted to the past,
And left me withered in my morbid fa'st,
Without the pride of loveliness I knew;
But never could I hear her coming feet,
As she had daily to me come to meet
That under her fond gaze I fresher grew.
Soon I lost hope of seeing her once more,
When who but she, one morn, came thru the door,Back from a distant visit she had come.
Up to the faded Rose she softly came,
Sorrowful of my state she called my name,
In great surprise at what I had become.
And from her eyes the pearly tears I felt,"
In her chaste sorrow my dead heart would melt
To bring back the smiles to her sweet face.
In her soft hands she pressed my withered folds,
And against her heart this Rose she holds,
The harvest of the days she would efface.'
In memory of the beauty I had known,—
As for her cruel neglect she would atone,
She placed my shrunken frame within a book;
And sealed my sight forever from the day,
Which I had thought too cheap and cast away,
All for a moment's pleasure of a look.
43
�H
THE SYRIAN WORLD
EDITORIAL COMMENT
OUR FIFTH YEAR
attempted or deemed feasible,
JTVER since its appearance, only demonstrates the value of
the value of THE SYRIAN - the service the publication represents and the growing appreWORLD has never been quesciation
of its timeliness.
tioned, whether as a needed
It
is
then with natural elaorgan for the Syrians in America in the language of the land, tion and pardonable pride that
or as a medium for disseminat- we hail the advent of each new
ing and perpetuating that which year as proof of stability and
is best in Syrian culture by growth. Our path/ so far, has
acquainting the Syrian-Amer- not been strewn with roses it
ican generation with their is true, but hardships are to be
expected in all pioneering
ancestral heritage.
work. What matters is the as
But there was doubt as to
surance of achievement. New
the ability of the publication to courage is always born from the
continue along the high standconsciousness of work successard it has set for itself and
fully accomplished, and the
enlist sufficient popular sup- passing of each year in the life
port to insure stability. In
or a publication is but another
this connection, it must be
stimulus of this consciousness
borne in mind that the circumand an incentive to further
stances of THE SYRIAN WORLD effort.
differ from those of most other
We are not satisfied with
publications of its character. merely holding our ground.
It was launched on personal
We want to accelerate our
initiative and conducted under progress so as to render the useprivate management without fulness of THE SYRIAN WORLD
subsidy or organized support.
more effective and far-reachIn this respect, it was a purely
ing. This necessitates organizaprivate undertaking although tion and planning that would
devoted to the service of a pubbreak the restricted bounds
lic cause. That THE SYRIAN
within which the publication
WORLD, under these conditions,
has been moving up to the
has been able to negotiate safely
present. The expansion is bound
what is considered the crucial
stage in the career of a new to be fruitful of the most beneficial results in that the sphere
publication, especially one repof influence of the periodical
resenting a pioneering enterwill be greatly enlarged and
prise that had never before been
its message carried to greater
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
45
limits than those it has been
reaching hitherto. Of these
preparations and plans we hope
to be able to make an important announcement in the coming issue. And we feel confident that our loyal friends will
immediately realize that the
contemplated step will mark a
new era of progress in the
career of the publication, fitting
it the more to portray their
culture and finer racial qualities.
These remarks could not be
conscientiously brought to a
close without an expression of
deep appreciation of the efforts
of that band of volunteer collaborators who represent our
finest talent in America. They
have been steadfast in their
loyalty to THE SYRIAN WORLD
and generous in their contributions towards the success of its
educational
mission.
Their
names are familiar to our readers.
Nor could we omit mention
of those hundreds of loyal subscribers who have not wavered
in their constant support. Many
among them have even constituted themselves volunteer
agents and helped introduce
the magazine to many a new
subscriber. They were actuated
by their enthusiasm for the
cause which they felt was their
own. Such loyalty cannot fail
of inspiring confidence and
trust in the future.
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
y\
VIOLENT controversy
seems to have developed as
a result of the adoption of a
dual name for the Syrian pageant held in Boston. We are
informed by the Boston correspondent of a New York Syrian newspaper that the difference is being aired in the columns of the American press of
Boston. This, indeed, is regrettable, and it was for fear of
just such a result that we took
our former stand in the matter. We held that inasmuch as
we had been all along known in
this country as Syrians, by such
a name only we should remain
to be known whatever the internal administrative divisions in
the mother land. Syrians, Lebanese and Palestinians could be
included in this classification
because their respective countries are within the natural
geographical boundaries of
Syria.
Besides, all Arabicspeaking elements in the
United States come from Syria,
and to merge them in the allmclusive term "Arabs" would
destroy our work of half a century in America and necessitate
our starting the work of education as to our ethnological
descent all over again.
It behooves us to bear in
mind the all important fact
(hat we in America are Americans first and preeminently,
�46
and that to our posterity in
America we owe our prime
duty. This duty is partly to
identify ourselves by our country of origin. This country,
happily, happens to enjoy an
independent historical record
as well as a distinct geographical entity. Furthermore, the
statistical records of the United
States do not classify us by our
spoken tongue but by our country of origin. It will therefore
be immediately seen that we
stand to lose more than we
could ever hope to gain by a
change of name. At best this
would only introduce in our
status an element of confusion.
We would like to make our
stand clear on the matter. We
do not approve either of the
broad or of the restricted term.
Fxcept among ourselves, and
in cases requiring clarification,
we would not approve of the
term Lebanese or Palestinian
Syrians, nor of the term SyrianArabs. Syria, we hold, is an independent geographical entit>
which we are bound to recognize. From there we come and
by its name we should be
known. We have been known
in America by this name for
for over half a century and it
would be a* decided loss for us
to undo the work it has taken
us so long to build and begin
anew the work of education
with all its resultant confusion
and possible misinterpretation.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
It is through no prejudice or
inimical feeling that we are
prompted to take this stand.
It is rather in fulfillment of a
duty to our race in America as
we conscientiously feel it. We
fail to see any benefit in the
change of name or the adoption of a dual name. Rather,
we believe that such a course
would result in injury to our
standing in America, injury in
the sense that we would lose
-our former identity of long
standing and be confronted
with the necessity of establishing ourselves anew. And we
cannot too strongly emphasize
the fact that we stand pledged
to uphold our national name
and defend our racial interest
as an ethnic group in America
before and above any other
consideration of old-country
politics. THE SYRIAN WORLD
is for the service and defense
of the Syrians in America first
and it is owing to these considerations that it is forced to take
this stand.
We exceedingly regret that
*uch a situation has developed.
"Regardless of our affiliations
or sympathies with old-country politics, we should never
have lost sight of the fact that
our duty towards ourselves as
a racial group in America is
paramount and preeminent.
The conditions we have chosen
to leave cannot claim our interest in the same degree as
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
those we have chosen to live
in. We must be fair to ourselves and give first consideration to our standing in our
country of adoption. We must
be fair to our children and considerate of their immediate interest by clarifying their stand
instead of complicating it. We
maintain that the term "Syrians" is the only logical name
by which they should be known.
RACIAL
REPRESENTATION
47
Syrians of Cleveland were the
first group to give a play in
their mother tongue under the
new scheme. But neither the
Interpreter nor any other paper commentig on the movement made any reference to
the Syrians. And for this we
cannot hold them to blame.
The point of interest in the
movement being the encouragement of native art, the "expectation was that each group would
produce that which is native
and intrinsic. This the Syrians
failed to do. They produced
not an original play but one
translated from a European
language. Naturally the motivating interest was lost.
Another recent case where
the Syrians made commendable
efforts at enthusiastic participation in patriotic and civic
movements but failed to choose
the proper method of representation was the Worcester
Syrians' contribution of a float
to the historical pageant on the
occasion of the tercentenary of
the city's foundation. Their
portrayal was of a purely American episode, whereas the expectation was for something
characteristic of their own race.
The Greeks made the proper
choice and won first prize.
F'HE Interpreter, organ of
the Foreign Language Information Bureau of New
York, published recently an article on the Theatre of Nations
sponsored by the Plain Dealer
at Cleveland. The Interpreter
is read by the editors of all the
influential papers in the country, and its information usually
elicits much favorable comment. Its object is to interpret
the finer qualities of our racial
groups, to the end that the
American public will better
rnderstand
and
appreciate
them. Obviously, itr service is
most commendable.
The object of the Theatre
of Nations is to sponsor and encourage the cultural contributions of the various ethnic
groups to America. The InterIn the future we should hope
preter's article was commented to avail ourselves of such sin
I'pon favorably by the leading gular opportunities to better
New York papers.
advantage.
We wish to recall that the
�48
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Political Developments in Syria
POLITICAL SITUATION
IN SYRIA UNSETTLED
No major political developments
have taken place in Syria since High
Commissioner Ponsot sailed for
Fi-ance after making public the draft
constitutions of the several Syrian
States, and none are expected before
his return which may be delayed
until the end of October, according
to late reports. This delay is said
to be due to the fact that France
has not yet decided on a definite
policy for Syria in spite of assertions to the contrary. The French
Foreign Office is said to have been
impressed with the strong protests
lodged with it and with the League
of Nations against the announced
policy of the High Commissioner in
perpetuating the political division
of the country in the manner proposed in his latest proclamation.
What may be considered a most
significant manifestation of the new
national spirit in Syria is the sinking by the political leaders of their
party differences to refute a statement made to the Mandates Commission in the French report on the'
alignment of the Syrian political
parties. The statement was to the
effect that a strong Syrian party approved of t'he French mandate and
of the new administrative arrangement which constitutes of Syria
several independent States. Upon
news of the purport of the French
report reaching Syria a telegraphic
protest was dispatched to the League
of Nations and to the French Foreign Office signed by the responsible
leaders of all political parties denying the truth of the statement. This
was considered a most wholesome
manifestation of a new spirit of
unity hitherto lacking in Syrian
politics. Especially that the leader
of the Royalist Party willingly joined in signing the petition of protest
with the explanation that the Syrians may be divided as to the most
suitable form of administration for
the country, "but t'hat they were of
one mind in matters of basic principles. The Royalist Party, it may
be explained, is the most powerful
political unit after the Nationalist
bloc.
It had been previously taken for
granted that upon his return from
France High Commissioner Ponsot
would order the holding of elections
according to the provisions of the
new constitutions, or if deferred at
all the elections would be held not
later than the coming spring. Seemingly confidential reports reaching
Syria from Paris represent the
French government as being undecided as to the course of its future
policy in Syria. The French Foreign
Office, according to these reports,
had been satisfied that the Syrians
were well pleased with the new administrative program laid down by
the High Commissioner, and even
interpreted the popular strike in
Damascus not as of any political
bearing but rather as of an economic
nature. But owing to frequent and
collective protests from the various
Syrian political parties the French
Government is represented as having experienced a change of mind,
to the extent of seriously considering the appointment of an impartial
commission to conduct a thorough
investigation of the Syrian situation. If such a step should finally
be decided upon, the delay attending
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
the solution of the Syrian problem
might carry it well into the indefinite future.
The tenth anniversary of the battle of Maisaloon in which the small
volunteer Syrian army was defeated
by the French invading army under
command of General Gouraud, was
celebrated with extraordinary display of patriotic fervor this year.
Delegations of the principal cities
gathered at the tomb of Joseph
Azme, the Syrian Minister of War
who lost his life during that battle,
and held patriotic exercises. But the
mass meeting in Damascus which
followed was such as to overshadow
any previous demonstration of similar nature. Some of the poems composed for the occasion aroused great
popular feeling and the Syrians
there gathered pledged themselves
anew to the unrelenting prosecution
of their national demands.
The Tajeddin government remains
the butt of bitter and constant criticism. The latest action to arouse
the anger of Its opponents was its
peremptory prevention of a meeting of the Royalist Party for which
a regular permit had been issued by
the local authorities of Hama. It is
feared that the government is preparing to control the coming elections by the use of intimidating
methods.
The office of the High Commissioner announced on July 14 the issuance by the President of France
of full pardon for fifty-nine Syrian
political prisoners and exiles sentenced for their part in the last revolution. The military leader of the
revolution, Sultan Pasha Atrash, and
Dr. Abdul Rahman Shahbandar
were not included.
Sultan Pasha Atrash issued from
his desert exile a call to the Syrian
nation to adhere to their original
demands for the political unity of
49
the country, and branded the new
administrative divisions proposed by
the French as an effort to forever
keep the country divided. He also
sent a protest to the League of
Nations on the new French administrative program declaring his resolve to continue the struggle until
the Syrian national demands are
granted.
ITALY SEEKING
SYRIAN MANDATE?
That Italy is conspiring to secure
the mandate over Syria, using for
the purpose the influence of the
Papal Nuncio in Lebanon and the
prestige of the Maronite Patriarchate, is the bold assertion of some
Syrian papers who claim to have
come into secret information bearing on the subject. The inception of
the conspiracy is placed as far back
as 1922, when three bishops are said
to have induced the aged Patriarch
to sign a petition to the Pope asking
to be relieved of active duty and to
have a vicar appointed to take
charge of the affairs of the Patriarchate. The Pope is said to have
doubted the authenticity of the petition because the Patriarch had visited Rome only a year before and
was apparently in the best of health
and spirits. Consequently His Holiness sent the petition back to the
Patriarch for verification and by
this action the plot of the conspirators was frustrated.
This would have been only of
local religious interest had not political motives been ascribed to the
plotters. The Papal Nuncio was
mentioned as being the real instigator of the conspiracy to remove
the Patriarch because of the latter's
steadfast loyalty to the cause of
France in Lebanon and Syria. The
S^Q-^^^'iAtalian, would nat-
�H1
50
ura'ly want to see his own country
the mandatory in Syria and since
the Patriarch was the stumbling
block in the success of the plan, he
soug'ht to have him removed that
he may recommend a bishop to succeed him who would favor an Italian
mandate.
The rumor having been first given
publicity by Moslem papers, almost
all the Christian papers of Beirut
denounced it as being utterly without foundation and concocted in the
brain of an office-seeker who unsuccessfully sought to enlist Ihe support of some bishops and resorted
to this means as a measure of revenge. Finally Al-Bashir, a Catholic
pa^er pub'ished by the Jesuits in
Beirut, officially denied, on the
authority of the Maronite Patriarchate, that there was any foundation to tha rumor.
The Lebanese government was
o only accused of wholesale corrupt'on by a member of the Legislative
Assembly in a press interview. His
v barges, although
not
specific,
aroused the government to action
and a special meeting of the cabinet
was ca'le 1 to consider the matter.
Jt was at first decided to instruct
the public prosecutor to bring court
action against the offending legislator, but upon further consideration this decision was rescinded.
Regulation of the tobacco industry is giving the governments of all
the Syrian States no little cause for
concern. Ever since the abolition of
the Regie, or the monopoly held by
the French by a franchise from the
late Turkish government there has
been a scramble for manufacturing
and sales privileges. Foreign companies were at first admitted to do
business under the same conditions
as native concerns, but an amendment is said to hive been Introduced later giving foreign interests
THE SYRIAN WORLD
special privileges which would place
the natives at a decided disadvantage. These privileges include the
right of foreigners to trial by their
respective consuls and their placing
wholly outside the jurisdiction of
native courts. Consequently the cry
has been raised that Whatever the
name, it is simply one Regie replacing another.
BRITAIN BLAMED FOR
PALESTINE DISORDERS
The League of Nations officially
pub ished on August 25 its mandate
commission re.ort on an examination of the Palestine riots of 192J,
together with the British Government's comments on the report. The
papers disclose a sharp clash of
opinion on the responsibility for the
bloody" disorders, according to an
A. P. dispatch from Geneva. The
whoe matter will he laid for discussion before the League council
when it convenes on September 5.
The mandates commission, composed of the strongest Power;; of
the League, accused the British
Government of having failed in its
e.rlministration of the Palestine mandate, specifically in failing Lo sati fy the political aspirations of the
Arabs, in failing to procure security
for persons and rroperty for establishment of the Jewish home, and for
being taken by surprise by the outbieik of last August.
Kr. Henderson pointed out the
difficulty of satisfying the political
ambitions of the Arabs and at t'.ie
s:me time advancing the cause of
a Jewish national home, while carrying out orders of the League of
Nations to maintain the rights of
a'l inhabitants of Palestine regardless of race and religion.
White the controversy over Palestine is waxing hot in Europe the
I
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
situation in Palestine itself is no
less turbulent.
Dispatches from
Jerusalem under date of August 22
brought the information that the
Arab Executive had issued proclamations calling for a general strike
on the anniversary of the outbreak
of last year's rioting. The strike was
to be a protest against commutation
of the death sentence of the Jew
Orphali in connection with the riots,
while the Arabs tried and sentenced
for the same offense were executed.
The authorities confiscated the proclamation and suspended an Arab
paper for publishing it. It was feared that its widespread distribution
would lead to the renewal of the
disorders, because it characterized
the 120 Arabs killed during the riots
of last August as "martyrs" and
accused the government of doubleedged justice. Zionism was called a
branch of British policy.
"You are not under a mandate,
but clearly under British rule," the
proclamation also declared.
51
sets forth certain conditions preliminary to their discussion: It holds
that the Jews should agree not to
evict a single fellah, not to compete
with Arab officials or workers, to
employ at least 80 per cent. Arabs
in their undertakings, not to claim
government aid for their industries,
not to compete with Arab merchants,
to accept Arabic as the only official
language in Palestine, to abandon
"the dreams" of a Jewish national
home in Palestine and not to oppose
Palestine's joining an Arab federation.
This, of course, is the individual
opinion of an Arab paper and it may
not represent the minimum conditions upon which the Arabs may be
willing to reach a compromise with
the Jews. The official, and what are
supposed to be the irreducible demands of the Arabs, are those submitted by the Arab delegation to
the MacDonald Government in London last June and published recently
in the English Edition of the newspaper Falastin. They are:
Harry Snell, Labor member of the
1—Legislation to prohibit sale of
Palestine Inquiry Commission, made
forty-two proposals for Arab and land by an Arab to a non-Arab.
Jewish co-operation which were pub2 —Immediate stoppage of Jewish
lished the last week of August by immigration.
the Brith Shalom Society headed by
3—Return of those lands which the
Dr. Judah L. Magnes, chancellor of Government took away from the
the Hebrew University and endorsed people on the ground that those in
by it. They included the establish- possession did not own the lands acment of Arab-Jewish chambers of cording to the Tabu entry.
commerce, the extension of credit
4—Return of the land from which
by Jewish organizations to the
Arab
peasants have been expelled
Arabs, the admission of Arabs to
by
the
Jews on the excuse that these
Jewish schools, the extension of
lands
were
bought from the Jews
Jewish research to Arab districts,
by their owners.
the extension of Jewish medical and
social service to the Arabs and the
5—Re-institution of an Agriculallocation of a special member of tural Bank and the protection of the
the Jewish Agency Executive to de- country's produce.
vote his time to Arab-Jewish relafi—Institution of a national reptions.
resentative government according to
The Arab Palestine paper El Car- clause 22 of the Covenant of the
mel, commenting on the proposals, League of Nations.
�52
THE SYRIAN WORLD
About Syria and Syrians
an open-air meeting of communists
who were attacking the institutions
of the United States. The orderly
Sunday, Aug. 31st and Monday, manner of the Lebanese celebration
Sept. 1st were gala days for the and their expressions of loyalty to
Lebanese and Syrians of the East- American institutions stood out in
ern States on the occasion of their sharp contrast to the other disturbFestival-Outing held at Champ's ing element. His honor remained to
Farm, Bridgeport, Conn. Over two witness folk songs and dances and
thousand attended the celebration other forms of entertainment which
and took part in the different forms pleased him immensely.
of entertainment provided by the
Mr. N. A. Mbkarzel. editor of
committee in charge or supplied by Al-Hoda and founder of the Lebvolunteers. A holiday spirit per- anon League of Progress, presided
vaded the gathering which was rem- at the official function and welcomed
iniscent in most particulars to sim- the mayor. Mr. Salloum A. Mokarilar festive occasions in the mother- zel, editor of The Syrian World, reland.
sponded officially to the mayor's adThe idea of the festival was con- dress. Rev. K. A. Bishara of Brookceived and sponsored by the Leba- lyn spoke also in English on Syria's
non League of Progress of New and Lebanon's place in history.
York. The committee on arrangeOn other occasions there were
ments, headed by Mr. A. K. Hitti, speeches in Arabic as well as reliwas indefatiguable in its efforts to gious exercises. The celebration was
provide means of entertainment and of such a nature as to delight both
comfort for the guests. This being the first generation immigrants who
the first celebration of its nature to had an opportunity to live over again
be held in America, there was no their earlier days in the motherland,
possibility of judging the volume of and the second generation who were
attendance, and when about five hun- given an actual exhibition of some
dred automobiles began streaming phases of social life of the country
to Bridgeport bearing visitors from of origin of their parents. The conthe New England States, as well as census of opinion was that such
from upper New York State, Penn- gatherings were immensely profitsylvania, New Jersey and even more able and enjoyable, and it would
southerly States, it was evident that seem beyond doubt that they will
the proposition met with hearty and be enthusiastically patronized in
unanimous approval. It is now plan- the future.
ned to hold the celebration annually
The arrangements committee, in
and perhaps extend it to other sec- explaining the object of these festions of the country.
tivals, gives the following reasons
Mayor Buckingham of Bridgeport indicative of its motives and policy:
welcomed the Lebanese to the city
"The prime motive of the Festival
in the highest words of praise. He is to bring the Lebanese and Syrians
remarked that while coming to at- of Vhe Eastern States together in a
tend the Lebanese festival he passed spirit of racial brotherhood and
LEBANESE FESTIVAL
IN BRIDGEPORT
mSBmsBKaBSmBmKBKi
I
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
53
good-fellowship. It is to be hoped value of their racial contribution to
that the movement will spread to our comparatively young American
other sections of the country for the nation."
oovious benefits that are bound to
accrue from it.
"While we come together as a SYRIAN PAGEANT IN
BOSTON SUCCESSFUL
racial group bound by ties of kinship and common ancestry, we are,
From both special correspondence
nevertheless, only too mindful of and fragmentary accounts of the
the fact that we owe our undivided American press in Boston received,
allegiance and unwavering loyalty
we gather that the Syrians of Bosto our beloved adopted country and ton took a leading part in the celeto all that for which the flag of the
bration of the city's Tercentenary
Stars and Stripes stands in ideals held in the middle of July and won
and principles. Our past record of the praise of both officials and publoyalty as American citizens pre- lic.
cludes the necessity of our reassertThe pageant, held on July 15 at
ing our stand on this question.
Symphony Hall, was arranged and
"Our coming together on such a managed by a general committee
gathering is because we are influ- composed of Faris S. Malouf chairenced by the same traditions gov- man, Miss Labeebee A. J. Hanna,
erning our former social conditions. Miss Theodora Scoff, Rev. Shibley D.
We are in the United States a dis- Malouf, Rasheed Abdelnour and
tinct group who owe their adopted George J. Khouri. Mr. Ameen Rihacountry the contribution of the best ni, Prof. Ph. K. Hitti of Princeton
that is in them towards its culture and Prof. James R. Jewett of Harand future progress. And we are vard acted in an advisory capacity.
proud to claim one of the most
Symphony Hall was packed to
precious heritages that have fallen
overflowing
during the Syrian pato the lot of any small nation in hisgeant,
among
the attendance being
tory. By coming together as an etha
large
representation
of Boston's
nological unit we propose to keep
highest
literary
and
intellectual
alive those distinctive features of
elements. Mr. Rihani, who was
our racial heritage for permanent
contribution to our land of adoption. specially invited by the committee
to take part in the celebration, ex'We believe that such gatherings plained the various historical epiwill enhance civic interest and pride, sodes represented in a manner to
and promote a spirit of co-operation cause surprise and admiration.
in all constructive endeavor.
The committee published a pam"The folk songs, dances and other phlet on the Syrian and Arab conforms of entertainment that will now tributions to civilization for free
be given are the relics of an old and distribution on the occasion.
progressive civilization, going back
Miss Labeebee A. J. Hanna, a
to our ancestors, the Phoenicians,
Boston
high school teacher, contrilong before our Christian era.
buted materially to the success of
"That the Lebanese have been the pageant by her enthusiastic and
able to maintain these traditions in tireless efforts in coaching the acunbroken continuity for such a long tors, selecting the costumes and
succession of centuries proves the composing the special music.
inherent virility of the race and the
The special pamphlet issued by
�BBSS
54
the Syrian committee for the occasion was fittingly closed by the following pledge:
"Mindful of the contributions our
ancestors made to humanity and
feeling the urge to intellectual cultural and humanitarian achievements, we, in commemoration of the
founding of the Massachusetts Bay
Colony and as a token of appreciation for and loyalty to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, pledge our
religious, moral and racial inheritance to the service of our new homeland, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Republic of the
United States.
"We conclude with the words of
our former President, Calvin Coolidge, 'All peoples have points of excellence and are justly entitled to
the honorable considerations of all
nations.' "
THE SYRIAN WORLD
A SECOND PAGEANT BY
SYRIANS OF BOSTON
Aside from their participation in
the general tercentenary celebration, the Syrians of Boston took a
leading part in other exercises held
under the auspices of the Catholic
Charitable Bureau on the Common.
The Boston Globe, in reporting this
second
event,
concedes
"that
uie most elaborate feature was presented by the Syrian group," although Italians, Poles and other
nationalities were represented.
Following is the full account of
the Boston Globe:
"Two men, dressed in Oriental
robes, and playing clarinets, headed
the procession in which was a truck
decorated with the flags of America,
Syria and Lebanon. Around the sides'
of the truck were Oriental rugs and
cedars. In the center of the group
The following paragraph is given was an Orientally decorated camel
in the pamphlet as an indication of ridden by a Syrian boy dressed as
the Syrians' place in, and contribu- a chief.
tions to, America.
The "Pageant of Syria and Leb"In writing about the Syrians in anon" was a graphic representation
America, Salloum A. Mokarzel, edi- by men, women and children of those
tor of The Syrian World said, 'They countries, of eight memorable epihave helped plant the love of Amer- sodes in Bible history, beginning
ica in the hearts of millions of peo- with Adam and Eve and ending with
ple speaking the common Arabic the sending out by the Savior of
language, and they have proven Matthews, Mark Luke and John to
their gratitude and loyalty to their spread His Gospel throughout the
adopted country by responding in world.
vastly more than their proportionate
The various scenes and tableaux,
quota to the appeal of the govern- the greater portion of the represenment, both for financial aid and for tation being in pantomime, were reman power in times of-national call.' garded by the hundreds of specta(Syrian World, November, 1927.) tors with reverence, and yet with
Rev. W. A. Mansur, in writing about an enthusiastic interest that several
the Syrian-Americans in the Syrian times found expression in hearty
World, said, 'They exemplify in their applause.
lives industrious living, patriotic
There were a number of Syrian
loyalty, law-obedience and love of
and Lebanese dances by children or
liberty.' Talcott Williams said of
young women, several choruses by
the Syrians in America, 'No more
young people of both sexes in cosintellectual immigration has come to
tumes of Oriental character, and the
us in the past forty years.'"
music was quaint, simple and in
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
keeping with the time and the counhy represented.
There was. a tableau of Mary with
the Holy Infant in her lap and Joseph by her side, with the coming of
winged angels and richly garbed
wise men of the East bringing gifts,
followed by the allegory of the
spreading of Christianity.
The final feature was a spirited
Oriental sword and shield combat,
reminiscent of the days of the Crusades and more dramatic than most
combats in tragedies as presented in
the theatre.
The solo dancers, each of whom
deserved high praise were Celia
Saliba, O'ga Scoff, Mrs. Amelia Corey, Rosanne Letourney, Annie Hanaty and Alice Thomas. A dance for
two was executed by Pauline Hanaty
and Josephine Moussally.
Some of the chief roles in the
pageant, with their impersonators
were: Adam, Frederick Assad; Eve.
Olga Scoff; Abel, S. H. Attaya; Cain,
Samuel Haddad; Noah, Solomon
Moses; Moses, Antonio Corey; The
Savior Ceorge Kirk; Joseph, Elias
Hajjar; Mary, Agnes Shadrawy;
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, respectively, John Lufty, Charles Assad, Nadra Escaf and Joseph Hajjar.
The sword combatants were Nicholas Najjar and Habib Wayshek.
Rev. Archimandrite Peter Abouzeid, B. S., of the local Syrian Catholic Church was on the stage most
of the time, directing proceedings
and making necessary interpretive
announcements to the audience.
The executive committee, which
saw that there was no hitch or inappropriate incident in the progress of
the enterprise, consisted of two Harvard men, Elias F. Shamon and John
H. Shadrawy. The pageant was
planned by the local Syrian-Lebanese
committee, cooperating with the
Catholic Charitable Bureau.
55
RIHANI DELIVERS
SERIES OF LECTURES
For the whole week beginning
July 21, our well-known author and
traveler, Ameen Rihani was engaged at giving a series of lectures at
Chautauqua to a select audience
orawn from all parts of the United
States. The Chautauqua Daily, in
each of its issues for that week,
featured accounts of Mr. Rihani's
addresses and stressed his e oquenee
and forcefulness of argument The
paper was expressing the public
sentiment of the ever-growing audience which flocked to hf-ar the
visiting speaker.
Mr. Rihani spoke on the political,
social and cultural conditions of the
various Arabic-speaking countries
of the Near East. Tracing Arabian
history from 800 B. C. and outlining the Arabs' contributions to arts,
sciences and culture, the speaker
covered the whole span of centuries
through succeeding periods until our
present time. He dealt separately
with the Arab countries under mandate and expressed the opinion that
no pacification is possible without,
unity.
In one of his lectures, Mr. Rihani
treated the subject of Arabic poetry
giving translations of his own and of
other Arabic scholars.
While in Chautauqua, Mr. Rihani
was a guest of his friend and admirer, Mr. M. Rashid, at a luncheon attended by a large number of prominent residents and visitors.
LOS ANGELES SYRIANS
TO PRODUCE PICTURES
In an Arabic circular letter sent
to the Syrian press of the United
States and to The Syrian World, Dr.
Alexander Mulki of Los Angeles announces the formation of a Syrian
stock company for the production of
�56
moving pictures known as the PanArabian Picture Corporation, Ltd.
The organizers are five leading Syrians of Los Angeles and Hollywood,
Charles Andrews, Dr. Alexander
Mulki, J. Haik, Tom Davis and Edward Gillett. They announce their
object as being, first, the production
of talking films in Arabic, English
and Spanish, and perhaps in other
languages later, featuring the historical background of the Syrians;
and, second, to create by this means
a medium for better understanding
and co-operation among the various
Syrian communities in all parts of
the world and throughout the Arabic-speaking peoples in their homelands.
The organizers stress the advantage of their location in Hollywood,
the greatest picture production and
artistic center in the world, and express the utmost confidence in the
ultimate success of the undertaking.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"These excavations give the world
in a remarkable way a 'history of
The culture in Palestine that it is
possible to read alongside biblical
history as the supreme test of its
trustworthiness," said Dr. Kyle.
"Only real events leave anything
which can be dug out of the ground.
"The fortress at Tell Beit Mirsim,
thirteen miles directly southwest
of Hebron, which is the ancient
Kirjath Sepher, proved to be a
moond of ten cities each separated
by burned levels. These ten cities
represented only five civilizations."
"The first city dates from 2000 B.
C, perhaps earlier, which is Abraham's time in the Scriptures," he
continued. "The same social and
political conditions of the story of
Lot and the angels are reflected in
the ruins of this first city which approximates the civilization of that
Hme and not the time of the Kings
of Judah in the eighth and seventh
centuries B. C.
"There was only one city in the
early bronze age, about 1900 to 1600
B. C, there were six different cities,
Discoveries by the joint American one above the other, the first two
expedition at Kirjath Sepher in Pal- representing the transition from
estine conclusively prove biblical the early to the middle bronze age,
stories and fix the date of Abra- the next four being typically middle
ham's time according to a cable bronze. These were definitely disdispatch to the New York Times tinguished by their pottery.
from Jerusalem dated Aug. 19. Dr.
"The last city on the mound was
Melvin Grove Kyle, director of the
the city of the Kings of Judah, dejoint expedition of the Xenia Theostroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, as is
logical Seminary and the American
conclusively testified to by the disSchool of Oriental Research of Jerucovery of stamped jar handles which'
salem, is reported to have so asserved as tax receipts from King
serted in a public statement. AssistJehoiakim, who reigned a few years
ed by a staff of ten archaeologists,
oefore Nebuchadnezzar's destrucincluding many Americans and 110 tion.
native workmen, the expedition un"In modern tines Nebuchadnezcovered a mound containing ten diszar stands as the symbol of military
tinct cities one above the other, linkruthlessness although in fact his
ing Abraham's arrival in Canaan
destruction was less terrible than
from Chaldea of the period of Nebuany of the others of these ten burnchadnezzar, who raided Canaan.
ings. The Israelites, for example,
IMPORTANT ARCHAEOLOGICAL
DISCOVERIES IN PALESTINE
�SEPTEMBER, 1930
destroyed the city at the time of
the conquest of Canaan so thoroughly that they destroyed all traces of
it, but Nebuchadnezzar left walls
four or five feet high."
Dr. Kyle said it was possible to
confirm that the Abraham and Lot
story was true, because he found a
house such as that described in the
scriptural narrative of Lot and the
angels, with a strong door capable
of resisting onslaughts of a mob.
"This disproves the contentions
that the story of Lot and the angels
was written in King Hezekiah's period in the city of the Kings of Judah about 700 to 600 B. C. because
the sociological and political conditions differ," he asserted.
"In the last city on the mound
there is evidence of adequate police
arrangement in the fact that no
doors were found, merely arches
with curtains or light coverings,
whereas in Lot's time many heavy
doors were uncovered, proving the
people took their own defense precautions. It is unlikely that a historian of the time of Hezekiah would
appreciate such a subtle distinction
in sociological conditions proving
the biblical narration that Lot actually harbored celestial visitors
from the fury of an attacking Sodom mob."
Dr. Kyle sad he hoped to resume
excavations in 1932 to elicit further
conclusive biblical proofs.
SYRIAN INVENTS
SUCCESSFUL HELIOCOPTER
Nassif Shibley, a Syrian of Wheeling, W. Va., is said to have invented a successful stabilizing device for
airplanes for which patents have
Been issued to him recently. The
device also permits of the taking
off and landing of the machine perpendicularly in perfect safety, thus
eliminating the necessity of spacious
flying fields.
Shibley is said to have many other
useful inventions to his credit. He
is a mechanic by trade and has been
applying his talents to his latest
invention for several years.
TRAINED NURSING IN EAST
BEGAN AT THE A. U.B.
Nursing in the Near East has
progressed in six steps from the
first when the grandmother of the
family nursed the ailing members to
the modern trained nurse, according
to Mrs. George Shahla of Beirut,
Syria, an alumna of the American
University of Beirut School of
Nursing.
This School has just celebrated its
twenty-fifth anniversary. In discussing the accomplishment of the
school, Mrs. Shahla summarized the
six steps in the evolution of nursing
as 1—the grandmother of the family, 2—the midwife, 3—the maiden
aunt, 4—the Nun with very little
special training, 5—the Deaconess
with more practical training, 0—the
modern trained nurse.
The modern trained nurse in Syria
has been the outcome of the School
for nursing established in 1905. Byfore that a few isolated nurses were
found but they were either foreigners or Syrians who had been trained
abroad. The School began with five
girls and the first graduating class
of 1908 had three members. Until
the close of the world war the school
numbered about twenty trainees.
Since then the number has risen to
fifty-seven including three Persian
girls the first to study nursing, and
two girls from the Sudan, also the
first Sudanese to study nursing.
Miss Jane E. Van Zandt, superintendent of the School for Nursing,
�S8
says that one hundred and fifty
nurses have been graduated in the
twenty-five years and are scattered
throughout the Near East though the
majority are in Syria, Palestine and
Egypt. Many of the gir's marry and
take an active part in teaching other
women in the community how to
care for their babies and their
homes. A number are doing infant
welfare work in Palestine, one in
Tel Aviv, one in Bethlehem and several in Jerusalem. One is a school
nurse in Ramallah with health
classes for children.
One graduate went to a mission
hospital in Addis Ababa, Abyssinia,
last year and is doing excellent
work. Two of the nurses went to a
mission hospital in Bahrein, an island in the Persian Gulf, four years
ago and did excellent educational
work on the island where primitive
living conditions were responsible
for much preventable illness.
Some of the graduates do private
nursing but the majority are interested in institutional and publichealth nursing. A certain number
remain at the University hospital,
others enter work in Tuberculosis
Sanitoria.
Miss Mary Beard of the Rockefeller Foundation who was a guest
at the twenty-fifth anniversary of
the School of Nursing commented
the work of Miss Van Zandt and
said that "the science of preventive
medicine and
its
promulgation
among the masses is the greatest
contribution of this age to the
health and happiness of mankind."
AL-HODA MOVES TO BROOKLYN
The Syrians of the United States
missed their leading daily paper, AlHoda, for a week when it moved its
publication plant from 55 Washington St., New York, to 169 Court St.,
Brooklyn, early in August. That Al-
THE SYRIAN WORLD
IFoda did not suspend for a longer
period is due to the untiring energy
of its management Which made possible the moving of the heavy
presses and the many Linotypes,
together with tons upon tons of
paper and books, in what is considered record time for an Arabic publication.
We wish to congratulate Al Hoda
upon its reappearance from its new
offices and regret that it has given
up its old quarters in the heart of
the Syrian colony in New York
where it made history.
ARAB ARGUMENT ON
THE WAILING WALL
During the taking of testimony by
the Wailing Wall Commission of the
League of Nations in Jerusalem last
July, Ahmed Zaki Pasha, noted
Moslem scholar, presented the Arab
case. He read a declaration submitted by the Arab delegation in which
it was said that Palestine was not
recognized as a "Jewish National
Home."
Zaki Pasha then went into Palestinian history, according to the
Bible, from the time of Abraham
to show that neither Jews nor Arabs
were original owners of the country,
but the Canaanites.
He submitted documents which he
said were from Christian travelers,
declaring the Jewish practice was to
mourn and not to pray at the Wailing Wall, and he said that statements of other Christian writers
that the Jews prayed at the wall
may have been made because travelers mistook mourning for praying.
Jews he declared, were turning
persecutors of the only people who
had never persecuted them. The
Arabs, although conquered by the
Crusaders, were never expelled
from the country, while the Jews,
he asserted, were definitely expelled
2,000 years ago.
�58
says that one hundred and fifty
nurses have been graduated in the
twenty-five years and are scattered
throughout the Near East though the
majority are in Syria, Palestine and
Egypt. Many of the gir's marry and
take an active part in teaching other
women in the community how to
care for their babies and their
homes. A number are doing infant
welfare work in Palestine, one in
Tel Aviv, one in Bethlehem and several in Jerusalem. One is a school
nurse in Ramallah with health
classes for children.
One graduate went to a mission
hospital in Addis Ababa, Abyssinia,
last year and is doing excellent
work. Two of | the nurses went to a
mission hospital in Bahrein, an island in the Persian Gulf, four years
ago and did excellent educational
work on the island where primitive
living conditions were responsible
for much preventable illness.
Some of the graduates do private
nursing but the majority are interested in institutional and publichealth nursing. A certain number
remain at the University hospital,
others enter work in Tuberculosis
Sanitoria.
Miss Mary Beard of the Rockefeller Foundation who was a guest
at the twenty-fifth anniversary of
the School of Nursing commented
the work of Miss Van Zandt and
said that "the science of preventive
medicine and
its
promulgation
among the masses is the greatest
contribution of this age to the
health and happiness of mankind."
AL-HODA MOVES TO BROOKLYN
The Syrians of the United States
missed their leading daily paper, AlHoda, for a week when it moved its
publication plant from 55 Washington St., New York, to 169 Court St.,
Brooklyn, early in August. That Al-
U, -.-„>,- *
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Ifoda did not suspend for a longer
period is due to the untiring energy
of its management which made possible the moving of the heavy
presses and the many Linotypes,
together with tons upon tons of
paper and books, in what is considered record time for an Arabic publication.
We wish to congratulate Al Hoda
upon its reappearance from its new
offices and regret that it has given
up its old quarters in the heart of
the Syrian colony in New York
where it made history.
ARAB ARGUMENT ON
THE WAILING WALL
During the taking of testimony by
the Wailing Wall Commission of the
League of Nations in Jerusalem last
July, Ahmed Zaki Pasha, noted
Moslem scholar, presented the Arab
case. He read a declaration submitted by the Arab delegation in which
it was said that Palestine was not
recognized as a "Jewish National
Home."
Zaki Pasha then went into Palestinian history, according to the
Bible, from the time of Abraham
to show that neither Jews nor Arabs
were original owners of the counti'y,
but the Canaanites.
He submitted documents which he
said were from Christian travelers,
declaring the Jewish practice was to
mourn and not to pray at the Wailing Wall, and he said that statements of other Christian writers
that the Jews prayed at the wall
may have been made because- travelers mistook mourning for praying.
Jews he declared, were turning
persecutors of the only people who
had never persecuted them. The
Arabs, although conquered by the
Crusaders, were never expelled
from the country, while the Jews,
he asserted, were definitely expelled
2,000 years ago.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
Identifier
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NS 0002
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
TSW1930_09reducedWM
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Volume 05, Issue 01
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930 September
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 5 Issue 01 of The Syrian World published September 1930. The issue opens with Ameen Rihani's discussion of Women in the Middle East, specifically that up to this point in history women were forced into submission and seclusion in a male dominated world. Rihani discusses how women are now claiming their independence and for the first time gaining an education and discussing politics. Rihani discusses the fundamental importance of the women’s movement in the East. Next Prof. Charles D. Matthews discusses American educational institutions in the Near East as a part of a study he conducted while visiting Syria and studying its the social, political, economic, and educational trends. There is also a short story adapted from Arabic titled "The Tragic Love of a Caliph," which details Yazid, ruler of the Umayyad dynasty, and his quest for love which ultimately kills him. Salloum Mokarzel then continues to describe his travels, first on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Abu'l-'Ala, and then to the twin cities of the Orontes. Featured in this issue is also a serial titled "Ali Zaibaq" or "Quicksilver," translated by Salloum Mokarzel in collaboration with Mr. Thaddeus S. Dayton. The last two works in the issue are poems, one by G. K. Gibran titled "Greatness" and the other titled "The Tale of the Rose" by Thomas Asa. The issue concludes with a discussion of The Syrian World’s fifth anniversary, excerpts from the Arab press, and more on political developments in Syria.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
A language of the resource
English
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
Format
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Text/pdf
Type
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Text
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Ameen Rihani
Education
Kahlil Gibran
New York
Poetry-English
Rivers
Thomas Asa
Travel
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/748f86b70e5de481a32b47ab11cdc1d0.pdf
f0fbb0ecce766a656cb5310c6344f482
PDF Text
Text
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OCTOBER, 1930
VOL. V. No. 2.
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THE
SYRIAN WORLD
A
MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ENGLISH DEALING
WITH SYRIAN AFFAIRS AND ARABIC LITERATURE
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GREAT SYRIAN-AMERICANS OF OUR TIMES
REV. W. A. MANSUR
ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS
S. A. MOKARZEL
I
THE TRAGIC LOVE OF A CALIPH
(SHORT STORY)
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THE SYRIAN WORLD A CORPORATION
ALI ZAIBAQ (QUICKSILVER)
(A SERIAL)
S. A. MOKARZEL and T. S. DAYTON
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN SYRIA
THE COPY 50c
«M
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�SYRIAN WORLD
Published monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c,
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New York
N Y
- -. under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. V. No. 2.
OCTOBER, 1930
CONTENTS
PAGE
Great Syrian-Americans of our Times
W. A.
REV.
5
MANSUR
On the Road to Damascus
S A.
16
MOKARZEL
Damascus (Poem)
23
THOMAS ASA
The Syrian World a Corporation
94
Alt Zaibaq — Chapter II.
?7
Hunger (Poem)
31
MISCHA NAIMY
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I
III
CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
The Tragic Love of a Caliph (Short Story)
32
On Giving and Taking
G. K. GlBRAN
Ed-itorial Comment:—
The Syrian World, Inc.
39
Relative Obligations
40
The Mission of
THE SYRIAN WORLD
41
AMEEN RIHANI
Political Developments in Syria
49
Situation in Damascus Remains Unchanged
42
France, Italy and the Syrian Mandate
43
Moslems and Christians Quarrel in Palestine
44
About Syria and Syrians
47
�IN THIS ISSUE
fsJO judicial appraisal of pubciate his efforts in analyzing the
I
lie-spirited men among the distinctive characters of the
Syrians could fail to place the chosen men. It is evident that
Rev. W. A. Mansur among the he aims to inspire race pride and
foremost rank. The unstinted exhort to emulation. We are
patriotism, the tireless energy, glad to give publicity to his
the lofty ideals and unselfish findings both as recognition to
motives of this Syrian clergy- the men selected and as a tribman should endear him to all ute to the idealism of the writwho value noble public service. er, although the editor would
Although a pastor of an Amerhave much preferred not to be
ican congregation in Nebraska, included in the list, it being his
his heart is with his own people conviction that what he has done
and he strives to keep in con- is but little of what he would
stant touch with their various like to do, conditions favoring.
activities. His scholarly procThis article of the Rev. Manlivities and passion for research sur will be found most interprompt him not only to record, esting reading. It should not
but to weigh and properly eval- tail of achieving its purpose of
uate the spiritual qualities and arousing a fuller and keener
the moral and material accom- appreciation of our talents and
plishments of his countrymen. accomplishments.
Truly the Rev. Mansur has
been a discovery for the Syrians. Having been isolated ^HERE are any number of
from his people by reason of
legends and Syrian folk tales
his occupation and environment,
associated with Wadi'1-Karn.
we now see him a powerful
This mysterious valley was exmoral force that must eventuplored and described by the
ally be reckoned within the editor during his last trip
shaping of the Syrian destiny
through Syria. In this issue he
in America.
gives a description of its topoIn his article published in this graphy and records the reacissue, the Rev. Mansur gives an
tions of a traveler's passage
appraisal of six Syrian-Amer- through it. The present installcan leaders in different fields of
ment of the editor's travel arendeavor. Readers will appre- ticles also describes the ap-
�""i
ii in
H
proach to the famous city of
Damascus in preparation for a
full and interesting account of
his visit which will appear in
a coming issue.
corded are not simply a concoction of the Oriental imagination.
RECENT political developments in Syria and Lebanon
JSJ^l Zaibaq, the superhuman are of unusual importance, and,
hero whose exploits rival in as usual, they are treated withrichness of mystery any record- out bias or prejudice. Especialed in the Arabian Nights, is ly is the situation in Palestine
dared to get the Magic Box aggravated by certain serious
from the Enchanted City. He differences that have risen beencounters traps and is con- tween the Moslem and Christfronted by an army. One of his ian Arabs. The cause of the
extremely perilous situations is nft and the resulting murders
when he discovers that a com- and disturbances are reported
pany of blacks had kidnapped in detail.
the king's daughter to whom
there was no equal in charm and ^E believe most of our readbeauty. How does he act under
ers will be interested in the
the circumstances? The reader announcement that THE SYRwould be well recompensed by IAN WORLD has been made a
perusing the present install- corporation. This statement is
ment of Quicksilver and shar- made on the strength of the fact
ing in its thrills.
that most of our readers have
been steady subscribers from
the inception of the publicaJN the September issue we pub- tion. As such they are in a posilished the first part of a short tion to realize and appreciate
story dealing with the love of our consistent efforts at mainthe caliph Yazid. The second taining it at the highest standpart is published in the present ard indicative of our culture and
issue and should prove most finest traditions. And because
enjoyable reading. We may of this appreciation on their
well repeat that the story is part we would invite them to
based on historical facts, and become active partners. The
the reader would do well to very attractive conditions of
keep in mind that the extraor- subscription to stock are given
dinary happenings therein re- in the announcement.
�.
TTTP
SYRIAN WORLD
VOL. V. No. 2.
OCTOBER, 1930
Great Syrian-Americans of our
Times
By
REV.
W. A.
MANSUR
JHE Jives of great Syrian-Americans of our times are now
_ exemplifying Syrian-American awakening, foreshadowing Syrian raceprogress, and founding Syrian race immortality. A great
people is but the lengthened shadow of the character, achievement, and influence of its great men. It is great men who make
a people great, who make visible their race character, and who
constitute the vanguard of the people's progress
Greatness consists in heroic devotion to a life that sacrifices,
a work that endures, and a purpose that ennobles. Great men
make ideals visible, concrete life, stimulate achievement, radiate
vision, and ennoble living. Great men scorn superficial fame,
disdain selfish ambition, and despise sordid gain. Despite human
frailties there is in great men that which is permanent, overriding
changes of time, overcoming carping criticism, and ever renewtself through enthusiasm aroused in others.
In great Syrian-American souls lie the Syrian race's enlightenment, leadership, and progress. Already the people feel the urge
or their power, recognize resemblances in them to their strivings
and approve within their souls their race leadership. Great Syrian-Americans, because of nobility of character, sincerity of heart
and purity of motive through heroic devotion to some high purpose, are now enriching the Syrian race, glorifying its achievements, and enshrining its name in splendid immortality
"The search after the great," said Emerson, "is the dream of
youth, and most serious occupation of manhood." The writer is
':--'----:---- -
,
5-"v--vti £-*-*„-;:.
�6
THE SYRIAN WORLD
hereby calling attention to some great Syrian-Americans of our
times who are bringing the Syrian race to the forefront among
the races in America, who are enshrining the Syrian race in honor
through splendid achievement, and who are leading the Syrian
race in enlightenment, progress, and glory. For the love of our
glorious race, praise of our famous heritage, honor of our splendid
leadership, and vision of our springing yuth, I pay loving tribute
to the following great Syrian-Americans of our times.
/. The Defender of the Syrian-American Race: N. A. Mokarzel.
Emerson said, "Every true man is a- cause, a country, and an
. age; requires infinite spaces and numbers and time fully to accomplish his thought;—and posterity seem to follow his steps as a
procession." Such a true man. is N. A. Mokarzel, for he is a cause,
a country, and an age in himself. His vision enlarges our vision,
his character supports our heritage, his leadership inspires leadership, and his achievements enrich our race.
N. A. Mokarzel's name is known wherever Syrians dwell as
a defender of the Syrian race, upholder of Syrian welfare, and
enhghtener of the Syrian people. Sentinel-like he stands on the
watch for the defense of our race. Hercules-like he stands prepared to uphold the rights of our kind. Beacon-like he stands
ready to enlighten our people.
All creeds, all sections, all parties have found in him a staunch
defender, preserver, and upholder of their rights, liberties, and
happiness. During the period of race immigration he gave the
vision to guide his people. During the era of race struggle he
defended our race against race prejudice, race defamation, and
race disparagement. During the rise of Syrian nationalism he
led with wisdom, sympathy, and courage the thought life of Syrian-Americans.
In America, shepherd-like, he has been leading his people in
culture, philanthropy, and progress. In Syria, statesman-like, he
has been standing for the rights and liberties of his native land.
In mankind, humanitarian-like, he has sought the welfare of the
Syrian race.
He has been educator of Syrian-Americans, promoter of philanthropies, exposer of hypocrisies, and builder of Syrian character, leadership, and welfare. He has smitten sinister forces, unmasked sham leadership, and uncovered selfish movements. He
has been the friend alike of the poor and the rich, the weak, the
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�OCTOBER, 1930
N. A. Mokarzel
strong, the ignorant and the wise, and always for truth iustice
liberty and welfare of Syrian-Americans
' J
'
acclaim'N AJMgtCnt P? ^^ exPerience> and posterity will
acclaim N. A. Mokarzel the Grand Old Man of the Syrian-Amer
y
mer
ican pioneer generation.
~
2
' ^any^0^ °f ** ^"'^"can W- Antonius Bishal"All the past we leave behind,
We debouch upon a newer mightier world, varied world,
�s
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Antonius Bishallany
Fresh and strong the world we seize, world of labor and the
march,
Pioneers! O Pioneers!"
—Walt Whitman.
In Antonius Bishallany we have a first-fruit of the Syrian
renaissance, a first-token of Syrian progress, and a first-wave of
Syrian-American immigration. The age-long barriers to Syrian
progress began to crumble j autocratic domination, religious oppression, and economic exploitation. Yet within Syrian hearts were
aspirations for religious freedom, political liberty, and economic
prosperity. The first Syrian immigrant to America is a symbol
of the aggressive freedom, race vitality, and aspiration toward
progress of the Syrian race.
In this Syrian-American pioneer we have illustrated the primacy of the spiritual over the material interpretation of life. He
exemplified the basic philosophy of Syrian thought: the religious
character of life. Whether political, economic, moral, social, or
otherwise, to the Syrian mind, the spiritual interpretation of life
is fundamental to human welfare.
�OCTOBER, 1930
9
In this Syrian-American pioneer we have the symbol of the
most benevolent race expansion in history. Through other race
immigrations there may be military power, colonial expansion,
material exploitation, or the spread of some particular religion,
culture or civilization; in Syrian immigration we have the spread
of mutual welfare, race good-will, law-abiding citizenship, and
friendly commerce toward mutual material welfare, happiness,
and progress.
While Greece gave her culture, Rome her law, Syria is eternally giving the world the Syrian Gospel of the Fatherhood of
God, the brotherhood of man, and the kingdom of universal
peace. In the Syrian pioneer among the races, nations, and
tongues of earth Providence is founding a Syrian World Empire
based on the primacy of the spiritual life, the ethical evaluation
of man, and the universal diffusion of human welfare.
3. The Adventurer of the Syrian-American Spirit: Ameen Rihani.
George Adam Smith says in Syria and the Holy Land, "Hebrew and Greek writers acclaim the wealth of Phoenician industries and the size and the range of Phoenician ships. Long before
the Christian era these galleys had passed the Straits of Gibraltar
as far at least as the Canaries and Sicilies 5 and had sailed down
the Red Sea and along the east coast of Africa."
In Ameen Rihani the Phoenician adventuring spirit returns
to life, carrying civilizing influences to countries, nations, and
races of earth, and acting as sympathetic interpreter of various
cultures, peoples, and civilizations of mankind.
In him we have illustrated a trinity of Syrian traits: sympathetic understanding, mutual welfare, and cultural preservation.
His travels were for the benefit of civilization. He sought to
interpret sympathetically a people's history, talents, and culture.
He sought to preserve the treasures of a people's culture for the
enrichment of mankind. The benevolent purpose of his travels
will immortalize him in the histories of Arabia, Syria, and Syrian-Americans.
The Syrian-American race, through Ameen Rihani, contributes its share toward the civilization of mankind. His travels
into Arabia are among the most significant of the century. For
Arabia is the cradle of the Semitic race, and the birthplace of its
far-reaching influences on human progress. Thus the sympathetic understanding of its people, the just appreciation of its achieve-
�10
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Ameen Rihani
ments, and the friendly assistance of its people in their present
need, will mean much toward the future peace,
prospTritv and
F
happiness of mankind.
' Prospenty, and
In this Syrian-American's understanding, appreciation and
promotion of Arabia's welfare is a symbol of heTrv ce the Syr
The earth! "^
HW''"
»* "* ^
>
* «S
iwii in: IIIJUWM
�I-
J
OCTOBER, 1930
11
G. K. Gibran
i. The Singer of the Syrian-American Soul: G. K. Gibran.
T. B. Macaulay says in his "Essay on Milton", "He who, in
an enlightened and literary society, aspires to be a great poet
must first become a little child." G. K. Gibran has the heart of
the child of the kingdom of God, full of faith in God, abounding in love for mankind, and rejoicing in song over goodness
beauty and truth.
In Gibran there is a radiancy of the Syrian soul, there is an
�I
12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
effulgence of the human spirit, there is an uplifting power of
enlightenment. He is a seer of the unseen, a herald of the truth,
and an interpreter of the vision.
G. K. Gibran is the singer of the Syrian-American soul
in the true poet there is the delicately tuned ear to hear the
primal song Deity has placed in the earth. There is the finely
tuned mind to catch the whisperings of the Creator in all creation I here is the harmoniously tuned eye to behold the beauty
the Great Artist has spread on the canvass of nature. There is
the virtuous y tuned heart to feel the profoundest emotions of
the human heart. For it takes divinity to understand divinity
true nature to appreciate nature, and harmony to catch the harmonious cadences of earth, sky, and sea.
_
Gibran is great because he is supremely human, vibrant with
imagination, and clear in seeing and singing of the invisible.
.What the eye is to the body, the window to the house, imagination is to the soul: it is the eye of the soul. In the true poet we
have ecstasy of feeling, superior range of imagery, and divine
gift of expression. The true poet, mystic-like, pierces the unseen
with dynamic spiritual insight; musician-like, catches the harmonious cadences of reality; and psalmist-like, breaks forth in songs
or praise, gladness, and worship.
In Gibran the Syrian-American soul rises to sing of the Great
Singer, the Great Poet, and the Great Artist. The Syrian soul
rises to exalt human feelings, human seeing, and human appreciation to the glory of the Creator and Father of mankind. Such a
singer must lie close to the heart of nature, have insight into
reality, have commerce with the unseen, and have confidence in
the victory of goodness, beauty, and truth.
5. 77;,? Scholar of the Syrian-American Mind: Philip K. Hitti.
In Philip K. Hitti is the rise of the Syrian mind toward the
highest pinnacle of world scholarship. In our new homeland he
represents the Syrian intellect's power to climb to the heights
By his achievement the way is pointed out to the younger generation to achieve the highest within their heritage. He personifies
to the world the potentialities of the Syrian mind, its intelligence
its character, and its reach.
'
H. G. Wells says in The Outline of History, "At Cordoba in
particular there were great numbers of Christian students, and
the influence of Arab philosophy coming by way of Spain upon
�OCTOBER, 1930
13
PMip K. Hitti
the universities of Paris, Oxford, and North Italy and upon Western European thought generally, was very considerable indeed."
J^nilip K. Hitti is already shedding light in the New World upon
the treasures of the East. He is arousing respect for the Syrian
race, its history, and its native Jand. He is interpreting the history place, and contributions of the Near East to the modern
world. In him is the founding of Syrian intellectual, cultural,
and civilizing influences in the university centers of the world
In this worthy scholar of the Syrian-American race we have
�14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
inspiration for ambitious Syrian-American youth. His writings
are now turning the tide toward appreciation of our race His
personality is winning a way for a larger place for our race among
the races in America.
In the persons of some characters we see a nation turn the
corner to better times, and of such persons is Philip K Hitti His
success marks a landmark of the Syrian mind, shows the trend
ot Syrian mentality, and points the way to greater Syrian achievement.
Some men's influences color the history of all succeeding ages
In the rise of this scholar of the Syrian-American mind we have
set in motion influences which forever color the history of the
Syrian-American race, the American nation, and the modern
world.
6. The Leader of-the Syrian-American Awakening: S. A. Mokarzel.
Rupert Brooke, the soldier-poet, said. "Now, thanks unto
God who hath matched us with this hour."
S. A. Mokarzel is a leader whom the Lord has matched with
this hour of our Syrian-American race awakening, with this era
of Syrian-American race Americanism, and this period of our
Syrian-American race solidarity for enlightenment, achievement,
and glory. Prophet-like, he discerned the awakening of the Syrian-American race to their race history, race talents, race legacies,
and race-glory. Seer-like, he saw the need of the Syrian-American
generation for race enlightenment, race solidarity, and race
Americanism. Genius-like, he has endeavored to enlighten the
Syrian-American mind, promote race solidarity, and spur the
Americanism of the Syrian-Americans.
In this great soul are envisioned the aspirations of our generation. In his noble efforts are foreshadowed the attempts of
our race. In his hopes are symbolized the ideals of our people
Some men are interpreters of their race to the races of mankind. They act as mediators between the races of earth. They
lift their race to fame, power, and prestige among the races of
humanity. In S. A. Mokarzel we have a leader whose sterling
leadership is given to arouse the American nation to the appreciation of the Syrian race and its contributions to human progress.
S. A. Mokarzel is a leader whom Providence has raised for
our times. He possesses the true qualities of leadership for the
Syrian-American race awakening: character, ability, vision, spirit-
=-
s
�OCTOBER, 1930
15
uality, personality, Americanism and will H. • K
J
•
1S broad
the legacies of the Syrian race to th? A
•
.
^stmg
Syrian American va7thZ I I
j Amencan nation, spurring
America,, ra^enf^
and race pride Alreadv^ ' T Amencanism> race solidarity,
dom of his undertaking
*
AI
motives, and the wis-
J
*
*
*
makeZ'w +£F£*? T ***** <*> - must
believe in grit ^Cal^^;* * ^l*
tory, only biography."
'
' There 1S no real his~
It is natural, right, and timely that we Svrhn
A,
honor the great men, leaders cfta,actcr
characters f tt ^nan-AAmericans
race. Other races nnL tfT
> of the Syrian-American
great men other
great le,H '
5 I
'
"ations extoll their
them we honor ourselves
menet
"*"
S
>—A
P
'
m honorin
g
rican youth to splendid achieve-
Thc knowledge that in the city is a man who invented the
i uili oad, raises the credit of all the citizens.
—Emerson.
^=__;
"
�16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
On the Road to Damascus
A CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD OF THE EDITOR'S
TRIP ABROAD
By
A.
SALLOUM
MOKARZEL
XI
QF all the cities of the East, Damascus remains by far the most
tyically Eastern. The veil of romance which guards its charms
rnd mysteries has defied the efforts of time to remove. Its ancient
landmarks, its tortuous, narrow streets and covered bazaars, its
singular distinction of being the outpost of settled civilization,
the border line between the desert and the sown, all remain as
evident today as at any time during the hoary history of the city,
reputed to be the oldest in the world. It is a strange feeling one
experiences when approaching this most famous of Syrian cities.
The reverence and awe inspired by its religious and political associations strangely mingle with the buoyant feeling of delight
aroused by its rich heritage of legend and fable. And the actuality does not fall for short of the expectation. Whichever way
you turn, your enraptured eyes rest upon a scene as beautiful as
it is strange. Perhaps nowhere else in the world are such extreme
contrasts to be found in such close proximity. A camel strides
leisurely in the crowded street jingling his bells heedless of the
tooting of automobile horns. A shepherd drives his flock of goats
and fat-tailed sheep in congested streets and over trolley tracks
as if his was the right of way. Veiled women flit about like phantoms while others parade nonchalantly in ultra-European styles.
And at the same time and in the same air of incongruity you
will see men of the desert with their heavy ighals and long flowing robes, brushing elbows with others in cut-away coats and spats,
while soldiers in trim uniforms and shining muskets offer a
strange contrast to the desert horsemen in the immemorable accoutrement of their tribes with but the addition of a long-barreled rifle.
*
*
*
*
I shall not here dwell on the history of Damascus and its
kaleidoscopic career throughout the ages. I shall, rather, confine
I
�1—mi.i
OCTOBER, 1930
}?
myself to recording my personal impressions and experiences on
my mt to the great city which I had read so much about but
had never seen. As mentioned in a previous installment, conditions prevailing in the country up to the close of the 19th century, when I migrated to America, did not induce much traveling,
bad roads and brigandage being potent deterrents, as well as a
particular pass ,n the Anti-Lebanon reputed to be extremely dangerous, its very name striking terror in the hearts of travelers
lhis pass had always been known to be infested with brigands
and almost invariably desperadoes and outlaws sought the Safety
of its crags and winding passes when fleeing pursuers. Wadi'lKarn, or Valley of the Horn, was a name associated with the
most sinister traditions.
H°'A
£ Washed wish of visiting this pass was to be
gratified. We were ,n times of peace and security and all we
could draw upon for thrills of danger was our imagination. It was
my farm purpose to see the country entire, and where I entertained any preference was for those hitherto little frequented or
inaccessible spots over which legend had thrown a shroud of mys-
We crossed the Plain of Al-Beka< over a fine asphalt road
which continued for some considerable distance over the gently
r-jsing foothills of the Anti-Lebanon range. The scenery aW
he valley was more pleasing than we had anticipated, judging
by the barren view of the mountain as a whole, because of the
care given to forestation.
Crossing a hill about midway in the mountain we came upon
a narrow gorge marking the beginning of Wadi'1-Karn To all
appearances there was nothing formidable or awesome about the
place; no precipitous or high towering cliffs that could not be
scaled, no extraordinary rock formations or caverns suitable for
hiding or holding siege On the contrary, the wadi looked tame
with its low flanking hills of almost even height. The early mental picture I had formed of it was rudely shattered
But we had not progressed far before I began to reform my
first opinion as I gradually discovered why the wadi cast such a
sinister spell over travelers, especially those acquainted with its
pas history. The farther.we went the stronger, the ominous
feeling grew, so that it was with a welcome sense of relief that
one emerged into the relatively hospitable valley of Maissaloon.
What gives to Wadi'1-Karn its sinister spell, ks forebodings
of lurking danger, is not its impressiveness as a valley as much
�—I
18
THE SYRIAN WORLD
T
thebaTl °L i°TtB71 %T m tke Valley °f Mtssdoon, where
the battle that deaded the, fate of Syria was fought between the
byrtans and the French in 1920
as its peculiar topographical formation. It is a sort of canvon
running through hills of uniform height and forming ,arZ
and restricted honzon. It is desolate and bleak and, what is more
its ^Jigging course never permits of a perspective of more than
re
d to e
LotTer
T°"^
*"**
» be"angles,
"°
another aatt St
extremely
short t^
distances
and sharp
and for
many m,leS
V
f the
uns would
would wear
,
V. ThC
«i-~
turns
down
the
nerves^>""*"*
of the bravest,° especially
when
under old conditions, caravans of camels or pack mules took many
r t0 neg0ti
PaSS
thaTZ
T K
f 5 thC
that the nlH
old Lebanese
folk
song so-
Littk SUr rise theref
P 'the woman
^>
highly praised
wW husband proved so brave as to "journey to Damascus
Debouching from Wadi'1-Karn at Maissaloon one comes in
touch with the first signs of civilization. An old inn by the side
or a rill has been turned into a gasolene station. Here also the
eye is regaled by the sight of vegetation, and flocks of goats doing
to it their proverbial damage, leaving only the old and lofty} trees
uninjured.
To the east of this spot rises a hill which commands the little
valley and on which could still be discerned traces of the fortifications which the Syrian army, composed mostly of raw recruits,
hastily threw up in its valiant but vain effort to check the advance
ot the French army under general Gouraud in 1920. That battle
�D
OCTOBER, 1930
19
The cemetery of the French soldiers who fell in the battle of
Maissaloon, at but a short distance from the tomb of the Syrian
Minister of War.
decided the fate of Syria and paved the way for the French occupation of the interior. Its anniversary, falling on July 24, is commemorated with elaborate ceremonies every year, delegations
coming from all sections of the country to take part. On the day
of our visit, August 10, some of the wreaths placed on the tomb
of Joseph Bey Azme, the Syrian War Minister who preferred
death to retreat, were still in evidence. The tomb was wrought
in white marble but stood in an open field, in sharp contrast to
the finely kept and walled-in cemetery of the French dead.
We gained the summit of the hill over a sharp-winding road
which gave access to a vast deploying plateau as level as it was
bare. The straight road reaching the farther hills to the east
stretched like a narrow ribbon. To the south rose towering Mt.
Hermon whose sombre grey monotony was relieved only in spots
by lingering snow patches. What wonders of transformation
could be wrought in this beautifully located spot among the mountains by the magic touch of water! But nature seems to have
reserved its bounties for a spot further east, and a little lower
in elevation.
We had to make a few detours in crossing the plain where repairs were being made to the road. But the hard and even surface of the ground made travel possible in any direction without
�':#.*
PANORAMIC VIEW OF DAMASCUS
3
Co
3
The famous capital of Syria with its flat-roofed houses and towering minarets,"appearing
like a sparklmg gem of multicolored hues set in a vast emerald field." '
ft 5 ||
P
3
fir Gf cr
o a
O
ST ET
a,
P
P
c«
OfQ
C O 3 K* El
3 3 fD ^ 3"
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22
O
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�MM
OCTOBER, 1930
21
much discomfort, The opposite hills were reached in less than
half an hour.
The most widely quoted reference to the beauty of Damascus and its famous Ghouta is the story related of the Prophet
Mohammad that when, during one of his commercial journeys, he
emerged from the sandy wastes of the desert and beheld the
dazzling green of the Damascus orchards, he exclaimed, "This
is a terrestial paradise. I will not enter it for fear of jeopardizing
my chances of entry into the Paradise of the hereafter." The
Prophet's exclamation of surprise and admiration may well be,
in modified form, that of all travelers approaching Damascus, whether from the east or the west. Except that from
the west the first effect of exotic delight at the music of murmuring streams and the beauty of rich verdure and the welcome coolness of the embalmed air is intensified by progressive stages a«
one descends the gentle slopes to gain the plain. Here the more
one advances the wider the fields of green expand in testimony
to the magic effect of the branching waters. One no longer remembers the scorching heat of the desert sun, nor the desolate
expanse of sandy wastes. The eye that hungered for a touch of
green is here treated to it in unexpected measure, and the feeling
of ecstasy becomes supreme. The sharp contrast attending the
sudden transition from one extreme to the other is, perhaps, what
accentuates this feeling of relief. The effect is such as to create
a most happy predisposition to enjoy the many other beauties of
the city and its setting.
The road runs along the banks of River Barada amidst enchanting scenery. The gently sloping terrain offers an ever
changing vista of charm and beauty. Alternating cascades and
pools afford endless temptations for the pleasure-loving Damascenes. The single railroad track on the opposite bank is cause for
but little disturbance in the quiet of the pleasant surroundings,
trains being run hardly more than twice a day. This neighborhood of the head-waters of Barada, bearing such musical names
as Dummar and Hamat, has long been the inspiration of poets
and the theme for many a popular song.
Emerging from these sylvan retreats and scenes of delightful rusticity, the traveler comes to a point affording a dazzling
panoramic view of the city spreading in the plain. It appears not
unlike a sparkling gem of multicolored hues set in a vast emerald
field. The domes and minarets of its many mosques, the huge
�f0t
!
22
THE SYRIAN WORLD
A typical scene in one of the old quarters of Damascus, where a
shepherd claims the right of way for his flock over trolley tracks.
glass-covered roofs of its bazaars looming like great hangars,
the drab of its closely huddled buildings frequently relieved by
rich touches of green in streets or courtyards, all combine to lend
it an aspect of a dream city, especially to one just emerging from
the waste and desolation of the desert.
Now the city is not entered through a gate as of old. The
approach is over a broad boulevard that still bears the marks of
an early stage of development, having progressed only to the
point of being lined with ultra-modern looking cafes all along
the water course. The only imposing building before entering
the confines of the city proper is the old Turkish barracks now
transformed into a university.
Soon after we were at the entrance of the principal hotel and
being received by a porter in native dress, not altogether sightly,
and in bare feet and slippers. This was not calculated to impart
a favorable first impression, but the place proved to be good in
all other respects. After lunch and a short rest we started on
what proved to be some of the most interesting experiences of
our travels through Syria.
.,...
.,-.- ..
awwMMfe*ri.^
�OCTOBER, 1930
Damascus
(The Pearl of the East)
By
THOMAS ASA
The Prophet's earthly paradise thou art,
Eternal mound in countless ages lain;
And though another has usurped thy part,
Ten thousand years shall over thee in vain.
And in the midday sun thy minarets,
Resplendent with their alabaster gleam,
Tow'ring rise, which no mortal eye forgets,
The earthly vision of some poet's dream.
And to the Desert sight thy sheltered bow'rs
Give strength to wearied limbs of pilgrimage;
Thou should'st have been the mart of sacred pow'rs,
O'er which three shrines in futile efforts wage.
And with the advent of the evening hour,
As fades the purpling sun into the West,
The faithful Muezzin cries from his tow'r,
And calls to pray'r who seek the Prophet's rest.
And when the welcome canopy of Night
Embraces thee within its dark'ning shades,
The moon and stars, with their celestial light,
Illume with Love thy gardens, streams, and glades.
'Tis then I think what once wise Omar thought:
Drink deep of wisdom, beauty, happiness;
Conform thy Life to what the Earth has wrought,
Ere Death shall close thee to the Sun's caress.
mmnmHHmSmi-.
�24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The Syrian World a Corporation
An Investment Productive of Moral Benefit and
financial profit.
JN all the history of Syrian immigration to the United States no
pubhc project has yet been undertaken that combines the two
TuzZf "w ] ^^i and finandal Profit as the PublicationTf
L
SUCh THE SYRIAN W RLD is
SiL thfH
°- u*
°
« ^der-
V S thC Sen US consi
nir^H Q
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deration of every publicspirited Syrian, Lebanese, or any of the other immigrant ele-
thC
ArabiC tOI
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"ns
de^ ^
^^
^now
- The
-eh
consideration
are many
and varied, and
that~£
the publication
h" tZZToT"
"^ ^^ fr°m
COm m n ownershi
AmeriT^ f 1
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P
th£
of
^vidualSUf
the Syrian people in
^ASSS* " ^ SUbmltted " Pr°SpeCtiVe LeS"
HISTORY OF THE PUBLICATION
is the realization of an ideal. It was
conceived in the spirit of service to the Syrian American geneTa
tion who had no ready means of satisfying their naturafdes re
to be mformed on the ancestral background of their parents as
THE SYRIAN WORLD
CW
PP mSS am n th£
del
in
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different'commu'nt
ties, in America and abroad, with whom they had natural bonds
of racial interests. Another and equally important obje is "or
the Syrians m America to provide a medium for the proper interpreta ion of Synan culture and the representation of the Syrians
in heir true standing as a component element in the American
nation. These two objects THE SYRIAN WORLD has consistently
striven to attain throughout its career. Its efforts have been such
as to evoke the commendation of Syrians and Americans alike.
I he Syrians have found in the publication a dignified organ fittingly representing them in their finest cultural traditions, and the
Americans have welcomed it as a source of information urgently
needed on Syria and the Syrians. The four years of THE SYRIAN
W0RLD'S publlc tl
h
d to estaW4 .t ^ JVRIAN
I
n the esteem of the thinking element in our community. The
test or its usefulness and necessity is in the answer to the ques-
�OCTOBER, 1930
25
toon: Has THE SYRIAN WORLD been of benefit to the Syrians,
and can we afford to dispense with it?" A thinking Syrian, man
or woman has yet to be found who would not consider the suspension of THE SYRIAN WORLD, or a publication of its character,
an irreparable national loss. As a racial element in America we
are in need of an organ. THE SYRIAN WORLD has supplied this
need and vindicated its existence as a necessary national institution.
HOW TO PROMOTE AND PERPETUATE THE
GOOD WORK
Its necessity established, the next consideration to arise is to
give THE SYRIAN WORLD, first, a guarantee of permanency and,
second, an opportunity to expand so as to more efficiently and
thoroughly carry out the mission set for it. To secure this end,
the best means was to turn the publication over to public ownership by organizing a corporation in which all would have the opportunity to share. This at once provides the necessary financing
tor putting into effect the plans for expansion, and lends to it
the prestige of public support, which comes from the public's
participation in ownership.
CORPORATE ORGANIZATION AND METHODS OF
SUBSCRIPTION TO STOCK
THE SYRIAN WORLD has been incorporated under the laws of
the State of New York with a capitalization of 1,000 shares of
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all of the assets of the corporation and is to receive interest at
the rate of 7% per annum before any dividends can be paid on
the common stock. The voting power is vested in the common
stock and in a Board of Directors composed of men of integrity
and business ability who will control the policies and management
of the corporation.
That the stock may be distributed as broadly as possible the
corporation has decided to offer four shares of preferred stock
with a bonus of one share of common for the price of $100 for
the unit. Should any subscriber desire a lesser quantity than a
single unit, subscription may be made for one-half or one-quarter
of each unit.
For illustration: If a subscriber should purchase eight shares
[of preferred stock he will receive two shares of common stock;
�26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
or, if he subscribes for three shares of preferred stock he will
receive three-quarters of a share of common stock
All net earnings of the corporation over and above the diviSt Ck arC
able
t
tnTrT
7ofSffif*
° holders
^of
cretion
of the Board
Directors to the
the«^excommon
St ck wil1 be held
untif
^V^
"* °fthe
° successful operation
* < of*
until aa^ven'sum^
given sum is received
insuring
the plans for expansion and improvement.
PROSPECTS HOLD GREAT PROMISE
m Jh7dditi°nai CaPltal ra'Sed ^ the sa]e of st°ck will be used
to introduce into THE SYRIAN WORLD those improvements whch
will not only enhance its standing as a national organ 17the
Syrians in America, but also increase its popular appeal and sub
stantially enlarge its circulation with a consequent increase in
revenue. This in turn would further add to the effectiveness of
its service in carrying out its educational mission.
The immediate field for the increase of circulation is extensive. Being the only organ for the Syrians published in English
every English-reading Syrian in America or abroad is a potential
subscriber. The Syrians in the United States are conservatively
estimated at 250,000 of whom at least 100,000 are American
born. Conceding that only 10% of this number can be ultimately
induced to subscribe, the publication would not only be carrying
out its educational mission effectively, but would also prove a
financial success.
*"
The capital sought by the sale of stock is to form the necessary
organization that would seek the means of reaching the vast number of prospective subscribers among the Syrian communities scattered throughout the United States.
Besides, the circulation of THE SYRIAN WORLD need not be
restricted to Syrians. Every Syrian proud of his name would be
.nterested ,n having his American friends read his national pubcircuTation
immediately open an unlimited field for
In view of the above stated facts, investment in
THE SYRIAN
2riSJ e0rp0ratl°!: Su°Ulrd haVC the Str°nSest aPPeal *> publicspirited Syrians, whether from consideration of profitable investment or the promotion of a work that exerts the strongest influence on our standing in America as a race
^
m
�OCTOBER, 1930
27
ALI ZAIBAQ
(Quicksilver)
THE UNPARALLELED ADVENTURES OF THE
CHIEF OF POLICE OF THE CALIPH HAROUN
AL-RASHID, OF THE CITY OF BAGDAD.
Translated from the original Arabic by
A. MOKARZEL and THADDEUS S. DAYTON
SALLOUM
CHAPTER
II.
THE ENCHANTED CITY
"Q my son," said Quicksilver's mother, "the Enchanted City is
at a distance of forty days' journey from Cairo. No mortal
man has yet visited it and returned alive. Know also that the
Magic Box of the All-Seeing Eye, is constructed of precious
stones: emerald, diamond, ruby, and turquoise. It was fashioned
by a certain Greek Sorcerer who was accustomed, by sitting within
it, to view therefrom all parts of the world and all their treasures,
simply by turning about.
"After finishing this work he performed an act of geomancy,
and it was disclosed to him that after his death this box would fall
into the hands of a certain stranger from Egypt. Therefore, he
selected an island far from the Enchanted City, and there he
built a great dome beneath which he deposited this enchanted
box which was the fruit of his life's toil. Then, as a further precaution, he enchanted the island and caused two opposing scimitars to play up and down forever before the entrance so that no
one might pass. Also he built a great statue of brass which he
placed at the entrance of the Enchanted City as a guardian against
anyone who might come with designs against this product of his
witchery. Now the function of this statue of brass is to utter a
thunderous cry whenever a stranger from Egypt approaches the
gates of the city, thereby informing the inhabitants of his presence. Thereupon they will rush forth to slay him."
"^?^Tr.i-<
�po
THE SYRIAN WORLD
lifeT0W^mZJ°n,"l.-0,IltinUed Fatimah> "y°u are risking your
Me ,n undertakingthis
hazardous task, but if you persist in it I
e y U
rCP
Zt nCe t0 tHe Shrine f
and
r
°
° ^Pt's Patron saint,
asl f° 1°
and ask for his intercession with God so that he will help you to
P Y
execute successfully this undertaking."
Accordingly Quicksilver went that night and lay down in the
shnne and whi e he was in peaceful slumber therecame to hfm
uTAnd a heavenly voice called to him and said-
two ruhi?,UlCkl
.1 5ef°re Ly°U depart CUt out a branch about
that
temn e nVnarry ^
K y U^n Mm
^0WS before this
]t Wlth
y Ur ***
Urne
You
13 K
/
° °
°
J°
y-
U find that
it w 11 be of great service to you in executing your mission »
Upon arising next morning Quicksilver cut off a branch of
he palm tree as he had been directed, and went forth as if
transported on the wings of a great hope
e
Ud
7 f r S£Veral dayS thr0U h a vast de
His^
nnr
f
^
T
° exhausted and he gwas on the point
^t.
u
His supply of water became
of perishing from thirst. While he was meditating upon* ni
3 f^T? the distance a palm tree toward which he
directed his steps. Beneath it he found a well of pure and delicious water, but to his great surprise could discover no bucket
or rope by which it could be reached. Therefore he unwound hi
urban and took his belt from his waist and tying both together
iuench HftTirs^ "* ** T " *" "" "** «* ft ~*
While he was so engaged he saw reflected in the water at the
bottom of the well the faces of two men secreted amid the
branches of the palm tree that overshadowed it. He instantly suspected that these men were lying in wait for him
After satisfying his thirst he took from his bag some antidote for benj which he secretly placed in his nostrils. Then he
lighted a phosphoric stick and by that means burned a quantity of
that powerful drug benj, so that the smoke rose in a dense cloud
CS
hidden
°f
th£
^
WhCre the tWO men were
After waiting until the benj should take effect, Quicksilver
nsThn 1 /^e a « f°Und tHf tW° men ly'mZ amon& the inches
as though dead He pitilessly cast them to the earth and then
descended, and bound them hand and foot. This done, he administered the antidote for the drug whereupon they sneezed and
recovered their senses. Finding themselves helpless, they beg&
ged for mercy and said:
*
^.-,;W««*
�OCTOBER, 1930
2p
"Quicksilver, hasten not to visit punishment upon us, for we
are only emissaries of Salah-Eddin who has sent us to intercept
Y
Tw t*TY and preVent yoUr return to Cair°; bu< the mantle
or Allah s .Protection seems to cover you."
Thereupon Quicksilver tightened their bonds and left them
alone and helpless by the well in the desert while he proceeded
on his way He continued his journey until he approached the
Enchanted City. It was then in the dusk of the evening, and
considering that this was not an opportune moment to enter the
city he sat down, saying to himself:
"I will repair to the mountains nearby and remain there until
morning; then I will go into the city, for it is now dark and undoubtedly danger lurks in the way."
At that moment Quicksilver heard a great tumult and cries
rising in the distance in the direction of the city; so he left the
path and made for a cave that was not far distant. There he remained until night had fallen and everything was dark Then
his restless spirit urged him forth towards the Enchanted City
but on his way he perceived a light burning dimly in a cave near
the road and he turned aside to discover the reason for a light in
that desert place. As he drew near and reached the mouth of the
cavern he saw a company of blacks surrounding a beautiful damsel of fair complexion, whose face resembled the moon at its full
She was lamenting, beating her breast and shedding tears like
pearls and when Quicksilver perceived her he was greatly
amazed, and said to himself:
"No doubt this beautiful maiden is of noble birth and has
been kidnaped from the house of her father and brought to this
secluded place by these black slaves who undoubtedly intend evil
against her. I must save her' from their hands and return her
safely to her home."
Thereupon he took from his traveling bag a phosphoric stick
which he covered with benj and when it was aflame threw it into
the cave.
After waiting a little while, he entered and found all the
blacks lying on the ground as though dead. He proceeded directly
to where,the maiden was-and administered to her an antidote
which revived her-and she opened her eyes in wonderment saying"Where am I ?. . For the sake of Allah!"
To which Quicksilver responded:' "6 beautiful damsel, I
pray you tell me how you came to be in the hands of these
blacks."
�30
THE SYRIAN WORLD
On hearing these words the white maiden answered:
"Know, O young man, that I am the daughter of the King
of the Enchanted City, who is the ruler of all this land.
"Now there was in our city a most precious treasure—the
work of a great sorcerer. This magician discovered that this
treasure would one day be taken by force by some stranger from
the land of Egypt. Therefore he hid it away on an island distant from our city, and he cast a spell of magic over that island
also. Then he caused to be made a great statue of brass which he
placed at the entrance of the Enchanted City so that if a stranger
from Egypt should approach it would raise a great outcry at
which the people would rush forth to defend themselves against
the invader.
"It was not until this very day that this statue, which had
been silent for ages, raised its voice, and thereupon the inhabitants of the Enchanted City, remembering the ancient tradition,
rushed forth, led by my father the King, and all the occupants
of the palace.
"There was no one left in the palace but myself. While I
was thus alone these blacks made their appearance. They bound
me and carried me to this isolated spot, saying to me:
" 'We have waited long for this favorable occasion. You, and
you alone are what we are seeking.' "
"No sooner had I heard these words," continued the Princess,
"than I despaired of my fate. There seemed no hope of deliverance from the hands of these savages. O bravest of the brave,
accept my sincere, undying gratitude, for rescuing me. When
my father learns of this he will enrich you with money and
jewels and high honors in recompense for your noble act."
But instead of accepting these golden prospects Quicksilver's thoughts centered themselves on the strange coincidence
which had brought about his encounter with the daughter of the
very king whose country he was seeking to enter.
Straightway Quicksilver and the Princess turned their steps
in the direction of the Enchanted City.
Now it happened that this Princess was the most beautiful
woman of the age. The fame of her loveliness, wisdom and accomplishments had traveled far and wide and was the subject of
conversation in the courts of kings. She was sought in marriage
by the greatest men of the time, but her father loved her so much
that he would never consent to be separated from her.
�OCTOBER, 1930
J;
Now it also happened that the news of her great and surpassng beauty had reached the ears of the King of the Blacfaand
the Soudanese the ruler of a great empire, and his heart and
mind were filled with the thoughts of the loveliness of the Princess of the Enchanted City. So he sent an embassy to ask the
Princess s hand in marriage, but the King, her father, refused.
This enraged the King of the Blacks, and he called for the
most noted of his champions and the most cunning of his spies
and related to them everything from beginning to end. He commanded them to disguise themselves and to go to the Enchanted
Uty and there to contrive some stratagem for obtaining possession of the daughter of the White King and bringing her to him.
It they were successful he promised them whatsoever they might
It was not long thereafter before this company of spies and
warriors set out on their journey, in the guise of merchants. They
reached the Enchanted City and entered it, finding lodgment in
some of the khans and awaiting an opportune moment for the
accomplishment of their master's desires.
"This unexpectedly came about in the manner which I shall
relate to you," said the tale-teller, "at the end of our next day's
march, should Allah vouchsafe us his protection from the genii
that are abroad by day and night upon this great desert."
(To be continued)
Hunger
By
MISCHA NAIMY
Into my heart a seed was cast
And it took root and sprouted fast.
It spread so far and reached so high,
Until it filled the earth and sky.
And now its boughs are weighted low
With fairer fruit than angels know;
Yet I whose heart sap feeds the root,
Though famished, dare not taste the fruit.
�i !
32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The Tragic Love of a Caliph
A SHORT STORY
Adapted from the Arabic
(Continued from the September issue)
For a time Saada permitted Yazid to relax while surrounding
him with the most ingenious display of the tenderest solicitude.
She was preparing him for the climax which she had most cunningly planned. At times she would appear in the role of critic
and admonisher and at others she would assume the role of loving comforter. Under her subtle influence it was not long before
\ azid lost what little he had of will power and became a ready
tool in her hand.
Having worked Yazid to such a submissive and receptive
mood, Saada was now ready to spring on him her great surprise.
She had laid her plans most skillfully and was now about to proceed with their execution.
"What can now trouble the mind of my lord and master?"
she began by way of preparation. "Has my beloved Yazid not
accomplished his most sanguine ambition? Is he not now the
successor of the Prophet and the Prince of All the Faithful?
What more exalted situation can a mortal desire? Oh! that it
were in my power to read my master's thoughts that I might devote every moment of my life towards their fulfillment!"
"Beloved Saada," wearily replied Yazid, "I have truly come
to the fulfillment of my ambitions, but the caliphate to me is
worth but little in comparison to your sweet company."
Yazid was making an attempt to be chivalrous. He' loved
Saada of a sort, and this she realized only full well. She filled
a place in his official life, but not the place that the genuine love
of a woman fills in a man's heart.
"But why the apparent despondency of my beloved lord and
master," Saada continued. "Here you have attended today the
official function at which the homage of the world is laid at your
feet. And if this were not to gratify your desires, behold me
now at your side ready and willing to lay down my very life for
the consummation of your utmost personal happiness. But will
not my master confide implicitly in me? What desire is there
mmnnHmMmni
I,
�OCTOBER, 1930
<
33
weighing on his heart that I could relieve? My lord thirsts for
a drink, does he not?" and before he could answer she clapped
for her slaves, who came in bringing wine, and fruit, and all
manner of the most delectable relishes. Yazid drank and ate, but
all the wine that Saada forced on him could not shake him out
of his melancholy mood. Saada, however, was not alarmed, not
even depressed. Rather, she was wont to smile in satisfaction
at the auspicious working of her plans.
Now Saada was ready to shoot the last arrow out of her
• quiver of artifices. She drew near to Yazid and caressed him
softly.
"I^know that my lord is concealing something from his loyal
slave," she said, "something that even the most coveted power
in Islam could not make him forget. There surely is some personal concern weighing over your heart. You must tell me, Yazid, for Allah is all compassionate and merciful, and his ways
of rewarding his faithful servants are mysterious and strange,
and perhaps he has chosen me as the vehicle for rewarding you
and bringing joy to your heart. Now you must admit, Yazid,
that your happiness is not complete. All the pomp of the caliphate
was insufficient to fill the void that you feel in your bosom. Tell
me, Yazid, do you not still lack something?"
She looked into his eyes as if to read the innermost reactions
of his soul, but he still clung to his secret, simply replying- "No
sweet Saada, I lack nothing."
"Yes you do,'" she insisted in an assertive tone, "and while
I might have detected the truth, I wanted vou to voluntarily impart it to me. You still feel the lack of something, or someone,
a beloved person, a comforter. Do you not, of a truth?"
Now that Saada had progressed in the disclosure of her
knowledge of his mind from the "something" to the "someone,"
Yazid realized that she knew more than she had already divulged. For was it not the absence of this "someone" that made him
lose all the joy and satisfaction of succeeding to the caliphate?
Was it not originally his ambition to seek the caliphate with all
the power attending upon it, only to be in a position to regain
possession of the greater prize which he had lost when he was
forced to sell the incomparable slave-girl Hubaba? Now he had
gained the lesser prize but was still lacking the greater and more
precious one. The memory of Hubaba was forever the spectre
that stalked his path and haunted his every move, and now that
Saada had so subtly hinted at his continued loss, his grief and
�34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
anguish were mercilessly crushing him. Nor did he entertain the
hope of ever finding her. He had already made secret inquiries
and was told that she was sold first to a master in Iraq, and then
to another in far-off Marrakesh; whence she seemed to have completely vanished and all traces of her lost. Oh! that he could
confide his woe to a sympathetic soul that the burden of his misery might partly be lightened by being borne with another! Why
should Saada now open his wounds and remind him of the emptiness of wordly pomp and power when the man in him nursed a
dead heart consumed to ashes by a desperate and departed loveI azid was so enfolded in his despondent thoughts that he became
oblivious of the presence of Saada. The only world to him was
the enchanted world which Hubaba alone could create by her
presence. He could not help but heave a sigh. Oh, that she were
only there to complete his happiness!
At the thought of Hubaba a faint smile played over Yazid's
countenance and Saada was not slow to understand. She had been
actually thinking with him and divining his every notion. She
followed the success which she had already gained.
"My master has not yet answered my question," she breathed
softly to interrupt his reverie. "My master would do well to
open his soul to me."
"Saada," almost cried Yazid in an attitude of surrender "I
do lack something, and that very badly. Lack it to the point of
placing not the least value upon my whole realm in comparison
to it And that something is not a thing, it is a person. Forgive
me for baring my heart to you, but my heart is at the breaking
po:nt from anguish. If the truth will not hurt you, I will tell "
But Saada showed by her every action that she was fully sympathetic and understanding. She was the one urging him to con"My lord should realize my sincere solicitude for his happiness. Nothing that will effect his pleasure can hurt me" she
sweetly whispered.
'
"Then I shall tell you," said Yazid. "I shall not be fully
happy until I recover possession of Hubaba."
At this Yazid almost broke down, but the all-thoughtful and
comforting Saada was quick to the rescue. He startled when she
asked him.
'|And would you recognize her if you were to sec her now?"
"Is she here?" adced Yazid, in a tone of both supplication
and surprise. "I beg of thee, Saada, beloved, hold me not in
�OCTOBER, 1930
35
cruel suspense any longer."
For answer Saada made a hurried exit from the chamber and
returned leading Hubaba by the hand. The slave-girl, fresh
from the bath and resplendent in costly dress and sparkling
jewels, was more beautiful than ever. Yazid, in the exuberance
of his joy, cast aside all reserve in his welcome of her. For once
he felt his pleasure complete and forthwith proceeded to add to
it some more for good measure. The whole royal household
were summoned to the grand hall of festivities to celebrate the
return of Hubaba. And the caliph's hilarity could not fail of being contagious. Singers, musicians, jesters and dancers gave of
their best, and there was no restriction on the consumption of
wine.
Fate was kind to Yazid for some time. For over two months
his only concern was to indulge in the orgies of pleasure which
the return of Hubaba inspired. By her song Hubaba could make
him weep with contrition, or dance of sheer delight. He was
wont at times to fill a special basin in one of the inner courts with
wine and plunge into it fully dressed. On other occasions he
would carry a cushion on his head and parade about the room,
crying, "Fish! fresh fish! Who will buy fish of the fisherman!"
in imitation of the hawkers of the street. The playful spirit of
Yazid could not be suppressed.
Now the people of Damascus began to grumble at the caliph's
continued neglect of the affairs of state and some of his advisers
made bold to bring the matter to his attention.
"Your predecessor, Omar, was a man of noted piety and
justice," they pleaded, "and your continued inattention to the
affairs of state is bound to cause discontent, which might lead to
more serious consequences. Appear then to the people this coming Friday and lead them in prayer, as behooves the successor of
the Prophet and the Prince of the Faithful."
Yazid was impressed with the cogency of the argument and
promised to repent. For two days thereafter he sat in judgment
and devoted his entire time and attention to public matters, not
even once visiting the harem quarters. Hubaba became alarmed.
Friday marked the third day of Yazid's repentence, and, true
to his word, he was proceeding to the great mosque to lead the
faithful in prayers. But Hubaba had planned otherwise, and her
influence on Yazid was never known to fail. She bribed one of
his personal attendants to hide her in a convenient place along the
corridor where Yazid was to pass on his way to the mosque, and
�36
THE SYRIAN WORLD
when he drew near she pleaded with him to resume his former
attentions to her. And Yazid could not resist. He forthwith ordered his chief of guards to lead in prayer in his stead while he
straightway followed Hubaba into their regular haunts of pleasure.
The relapse of Yazid into his former irresponsible state was
cause for great concern "to his advisers, and the very vizier who
had caused the temporary repentence again came to press the argument. Yazid proved attentive but not amenable. He would
give his consent only conditionally and proposed a bargain.
"Under pretense of being blind," he suggested, "you will
accompany me into the harem to listen to Hubaba's singing and
attend other forms of entertainment. If, after personal observation, you insist on my giving up my pleasures I shall repent irrevocably."
Saying which, Yazid led the vizier by the hand into the precincts of the harem. Immediately the slave-girls gathered about
the stranger and threatened to beat him, some even throwing
their slippers at him. They were appeased only by the intercession of Yazid and hisassurance that the man was blind. For otherwise no stranger could lay eyes on the harem of the caliph and
be suffered to live. Yazid then commanded Hubaba to sing and
the other slave-girls and entertainers to indulge freely.
"What is your verdict now?" whispered the caliph into the
ear of the vizier.
. "Truly this is not of the earth," stammered the transported
vizier. "This is of the ecstasy of Al-Jannat. By Allah, keep it up.
H ou are absolved of any blame."
And^ Yazid did keep it up, pursuing his pleasures with a vengeance, if such were possible. The affairs of state were carried
on by the very strong impetus which characterized the early rise
of Islam. Debauchery was in the palace but not in the victorious
armies fighting under the banners of the Arabian Prophet.
One day Yazid was so transported with joy that he said to
Hubaba:
"Beloved, I will fly without wings if you so command me."
But his beloved was considerate. She could not permit his embarking on such a hazardous feat!
"I know that your joy is of such buoyancy that you can fly
without wings," she remonstrated. "But who is there to guide
the destinies of the empire after you? There is but one Yazid."
"I will proclaim you my successor and appoint Abdullah
�OCTOBER, 1930
climax "
hC COntiniled hy W
37
^
()f aln
T'»g the pleasantry to a
"I dismiss the regent," she hastened to say in a show of authonty.
/P^u Y°u dismif the man J aPPoillt-?" he retorted in anger,
and forthwith retired to his own apartment
Yazid, however, could not bear Hubaba's absence for more
than a day, although he could not with dignity take the initiative
towards a reconciliation. He called to him Hubaba's favorite
<3hat may y0Ur mistress be doing now?" he inquired
She is occupied in play, O Prince of the Faithful," the servant replied.
"Go and engage her in a game of chess," commanded the
caliph, and at a given time pick up the pawns and run hither in
my direction."
The servant did as ordered, and when Hubaba was chasing
the offending servant she ran into Yazid's arms!
Yasid resolved there should be no further scenes to mar the
even flow of his happiness. He would plan his days in a manner
that each would surpass the other in the perfect consummation of
pJeasure. He would disprove the common contention that happiness could never be complete to any man for a full daV He
would have of that not only one day but many days. Accordingly
} azid proceeded to carry out his plans. He ordered barred all
intruders whatever the nature of their business and retired with
Hubaba to a rose bower in a secluded corner of the royal gardens
Slaves came in long trains carrying wine and fruits and viands and
all other forms of appetizing delicacies. Hubaba sang and plaved
and sported with the caliph in her happiest mood of buoyant
hilarity And 1 azid went into ecstasies of delight. So far his
com lete
false!
P
- The common adage was branded as
Yazid's high spirits made him extremely playful Not a
device of merriment could he think of than should be tried Hubaba s resourcefulness was responsible for many ingenious games.
While in this mood Yazid began pelting Hubaba with luscious
pomegranate seeds which she roguishly caught in her mouth The
play proceeded merrily until a seed became wedged in Hubaba's
throat. She coughed and writhed in a desperate effort to dislodge
*" j £ ,TS fra,ntlC and called for assistance like one become
mad. Hubaba could not be saved and she soon ceased her strug-
�38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
gle and dropped her head like a withered rose. Fate was mightier than the caliph! She was also cruel in her revenge!
For days Yazid would not permit the burial of Hubaba's body.
He could not bring himself to realize that she was dead. He
abstained from all food and drink until he became a mere shadow.
His great grief was pitiful to behold and whatever he had left
of strength cracked under its weight. It was suspected that he
was intent upon hastening his end so as the sooner to join his beloved in Al-Jannat. He followed her into the beyond forty days
after her tragic end.
Yazid was the only caliph of Islam known to have died a
martyr to love.
On his death bed he was heard to whisper: "Fool is he who
would stay the hand of Fate. Complete happiness can never be
the lot of mortal for a whole day, not even for a part thereof.
The hand of Allah is above all others!"
Saada's grief over the death of Yazid was sincere, but between her tears a faint smile would play over her countenance
when she thought of her nursling son and the future of Islam.
On Giving and Taking
By G. K. GlBRAN
You owe more than gold to him who serves you. Give him
of your heart or serve him.
I would walk with all those who walk. I would not stand
still and watch the procession passing by.
How mean am I when life gives me gold and I give you
silver, and yet I deem myself generous.
How heedless you are when you would have me fly with
your wings and you cannot even give me a feather.
They spread before us their richest of gold and silver, of
ivory and ebony, and we spread before them our hearts and our
spirits:
And yet they deem themselves the hosts and us the guests.
�OCTOBER, 1930
39
EDITORIAL COMMENT
THE SYRIAN WORLD, Inc.
yHE announcement of the
incorporation of THE SYRIAN
WORLD, published elsewhere in
this issue, is self-explanatory.
The purpose, aside from raising
funds for improvement and expansion, is to pass the publication into actual public ownership in substantiation of the
claim that it is a public Syrian
institution. The result will be
a gradual building up of an
organization that will be trained
to carry on the work and make
it an enduring monument to the
Syrians of America.
In furtherance of this plan,
the incorporators have decided
to issue the preferred stock at
a moderate par value so as to
insure for it the widest possible
distribution. It is felt that there
should be stockholders in THE
SYRIAN
WORLD
corporation
wherever there are Syrians, because, aside from its investment
value, ownership of stock is
proof positive of racial pride
and civic interest.
Purchase of stock in THE
SYRIAN
WORLD
corporation
should also prove of strong appeal to patriotic societies whose
avowed purpose is the promotion of Syrian public welfare.
It can readily be realized that
while their sphere of activities
might of necessity be restricted
to their local communities, they
can through their sponsoring
of THE SYRIAN WORLD, extend
their interest to the national
held and thereby render a
double service.
THE SYRIAN WORLD has been
carried on for over four years
as an individual enterprise,
and although its resources have
been limited, it has succeeded
in proving that its scope of public service is beyond limit. It
has furthermore established itself as an indispensable institution which we should be impelled by a consciousness of
racial pride not only to support
and continue but also to increase its facilities as an instrument of public service to our
Syrian-American generation as
well as an indispensable national organ and a disseminator of
our culture and a champion of
our racial interests in the language of the land.
We earnestly ask organizations and individuals to give
serious thought to the proposition of investing in THE SYRIAN
WORLD corporation on the consideration that it is an investment in the most vital public
enterprise
yet
undertaken
among the Syrians in America.
�MM
'
(!
40
It is high time we develop a
sense of cooperation and a proper appreciation of the benefits
of collective action in matters
of public interest.
RELATIVE OBLIGATIONS
J"HE two leading Syrian papers of "America, Al-Hoda
and Meraat-Ul-Gharb, have
taken up seriously of late the
discussion of the relations of
the Syrians in America to their
motherland. Both seem to be of
accord that the duty of the Syrians in America is towards their
own immediate interests first.
Such a statement, on the face
of it, would appear superfluous
*n view of the self-evident
truth that no other course
would be logical. But the fact
remains that there is abundant
reason for thinking otherwise,
giving rise to the timely complaint of the two papers.
The Syrians of America,
judging by the comment of the
Syrian-American publications,
are being unduly exploited for
all manner of schemes and
propositions and enterprises in
the mother country that have no
direct bearing on their immediate interest or welfare. This
evil, according to the argument
advanced, could be mittgated if
the Syrians of America would
show as much interest in vital
public matters that immediately
concern them as they do in remote and somewhat irrelevant
THE SYRIAN WORLD
schemes foisted on them from
abroad. But the fact of the situation is they do not, hence the
aggravation.
Although no specific instances
are cited, which fact may be attributed to a magnanimous impulse, enough is said in general
terms to give a clear idea of the
object in view. The prevailing
note is an expression of indignation and surprise that foreign
enterprises attract much more
support than do those of home.
A newspaper publisher of no
standing comes to America and
collects in subscriptions in the
course of a few months more
than a publisher of a home
newspaper could hope to accumulate in years, if he is at all
successful in reaching the figures of the foreigner. This circumstance seems to be particularly aggravating to our SyrianAmerican publishers because of
their feeling that America is
their own particular field, and
whatever income is to be derived from it should go by right
to them. For, they argue, are
they not fighting the battles of
the Syrians in America and catering to their immediate
needs? Why then should someone from abroad compete with
them in their own field and
carry away what should be law*
fully theirs?
Furthermore,
Arabic-Language newspapers in general
are complaining of decreased
�OCTOBER, 1930
41
demands from ab ad, I^d
^—- P^^ing in the
tion. Schools, hospital, dvk
improvements church L~!_
repairs
and various public and private
chanties have taken a toll of
the Syrian-Americans' funds
seemingly at the expense of
their own public enterprises,
and aJJ for no reason other than
the Syrians' tharitable disposifirm
in/) sentimental
„
a.!
.1 w^T
.*
tion and
^ £TS
°f the *«bic
d
• «
»tmct commun ty
,„ Amenca our paramount interest should be in our own
vital public matters. We owe it
to ourselves and to posterity to
develop a civic spirit alive to
our public requirements. From
purely humanitarian and sential considerations we may
mental
considerations we may
is
^tsna&sr to sr^V «*
for thingsTK^kS688 rftam
T int£reSt in the affair"
Ur h metown or
It may be recalled tti th i
K ° 1 °
homeland,
S
n
C ndition that
subject w^onL treated in THI
V^ ° ^ °
SYRIAN WORLD by A Halim
T "*"?* d°CS n0t adversely
writing under the ruti^The f
°\
^ public welSage of Washington Strelt'' QZ ? ^"S" °U1" dUty t0
firSt In
Such a discussion wa bound io th
I ^f
find ourselve
find its way finallvTnto n„Kl
'
s in hearty
agreement with
print in the A abic Dress I
the stand taken
i 7fe Mission^fThFs^i^W^
5
rpuu
.
y AMEEN RIHANI
c
THE new Syrian generation can not read Arabic, and its
moth" Tnded^1°»1-lud- little or nothing about th
motner land. Here then ,s the mission of THE SYRIAN
WORLD. Its editor was the first to realize the necessity of
ana understand, the knowledge that is lacking in their edu
that 8 es hm more
-E££ZlSr
l makes them
tit-co,^
k , / that
ana sell respect, the knowledge
better citi e"
zens productive and creative in every walk of fife£
knowledge,, in a word, that will save them as Syrians' and
ennoble them the more as Americans. THE SVRLTK WOR D
IS indispensable to the new Syrian generation
D
�42
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Political Developments in Syria
SITUATION IN DAMASCUS
REMAINS UNCHANGED
These must be exceedingly trying
times for the Syrian Nationalists
who are eager to find a solution of
their present political difficulties and
find
their way
blocked
by
the vacillating policy of the French
High Commissioner and the equally
changing attitude of the French Foreign Office. The latest solution proposed by M. Ponsot proved utterly
unacceptable, and although the
League of Nations upheld the French
in their execution of the mandate,
High Commissioner Ponsot is said
to be tarrying in Paris for the purpose of devising another scheme designed to placate the Nationalists by
providing an acceptable settlement
of the country's difficulties. As usual,
however, the nature of this new solution remains a sealed secret and
only when the taciturn Ponsot
choses his time and place to divulge
it will it become known.
The latest reports from Beirut
would set the date of M. Ponsot's
return to Syria about October first.
He is said to have attended the
meeting of the Mandates Commission of the League of Nations at
Geneva where he defended his policy
in dividing the country into several
administrative units and then returned to Paris to take up with the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs the
question of devising a new plan for
the mandated territory. Some Syrian
papers guardedly publish the rumor
that such an arrangement has been
reached and that already orders have
been issued to officials in Syria to
prepare the necessary machinery for
putting the new plan in operation.
The rumor went so far as to infer
that immediately upon the return of
the High Commissioner popular
elections will be held on an acceptable basis yet to be defined.
What would seem to bear out this
contention is that President Tajeddin
of Syria undertook a tour of the
principal populous centers of the
country proceeding as far north as
Aleppo. The Nationalists attempted
to place every impediment in his way
and it is claimed that the apathy
with which he was met was counteracted only by the appearance of paid
demonstrators. Some opposition papers even made so bold as to accuse
Tajeddin and his administration of
using treasury funds for hiring the
men who staged the pseudo public .
demonstration.
Further accusations represent the
Tajeddin government as resorting to
unfair and unconstitutional means to
suppress the lawful activities of his
opponents. Al-Ahrar, a liberal paper
of Beirut whose editor is Minister
of Public Instruction in the Lebanese
government, was proscribed from
entry to Damascus by President
Tajeddin, and when the French authorities set aside this decree Sheikh
Tajeddin confiscated issues of the
paper offered for sale.
The Nationalists, on the other
hand, seem to be still marking time.
Their principal grievance would seem
to be directed against the continuation in power of the government of
Sheikh Tajeddin, which fact, they
claim, bars all possibility of understanding with the French. The Nationalists are also said to be planning a general convention to define
�OCTOBER, 1930
their stand and prepare for whatever action might be necessitated
upon the return of the High Commissioner.
FRANCE, ITALY AND
THE SYRIAN MANDATE
43
England which has had its hands
full in carrying out its own mandates
and seeks to divert public attention
at home from its own failure by
creating complications for others.
Otherwise^ argues the French paper,
how are we to account for the publication of the latest rumors concerning France's intention to relinquish its Syrian mandate simultaneously in London and in Beirut? Besides the publisher of Al-Nada, the
Syrian paper which first gave publicity to the rumors, is a Druze, a
people whom the English have befriended and protected to counterbalance the influence of the French
with the Maronites. But, concludes
the French paper, this latest manoeuvre has failed to bring to England
the relief it expected in easing its
own critical position in its mandated
territories.
Although repeated denials have
been issued by all parties concerned,
the rumors bearing on Italy's intrigues to secure the mandate over
Syria and Lebanon through the support of the Maronites still persist.
The indirect denial by the Maronite
Patriarch issued through the Catholic paper Al-Bachir was followed by
a signed statement of the Patriarch
categorically branding all rumors of
political designs of some European
powers through him or any of his
bishops as false. As a further gestEconomic conditions in Lebanon
ure of amity and understanding between the Patriarch and the Papal remain acute. The shortage of crops
Nuncio in Lebanon, the latter made resulting from the locust invasion
an extended visit to North Lebanon and the general depression in the
and spent several days as a guest of prices of all native products, printhe Patriarch. Some papers would cipally silk, together with the deattribute the origin of these rumors pendence of the country on importato the reckless enterprise of a new- tions^ have all combined to aggracomer in the newspaper field who vate the situation. Added to this is
sought this sensational means of the poorness of the summer season
launching on his career as a means which this year attracted only about
six thousand to the country. It is the
of attracting attention.
In spite of these denials, the in- opinion of many observers, openly
cident seems to have been taken expressed, that had it not been for
seriously by a number of French pa- emigrant remittances Lebanon would
pers who would accuse Mussolini of be reduced to a condition bordering
sustained political ambitions
in
on famine.
Syria. Nor do they absolve England
of blame in secretly fomenting
An extra session of the Repretrouble in the country to harass the sentative Assembly has been called
French. Le Journal of Paris, comfor September 15, and already it is
menting on the situation, asserts
that France is determined not to rumored preparations are under way
relinquish its Syrian mandate, and to bring about the downfall of the
that the recurring rumors to the cabinet. How else could politicians
contrary are chiefly the work of give vent to their pent-up energies?
�44
MOSLEMS AND CHRISTIANS
QUARREL IN PALESTINE
Press dispatches from Palestine
have stressed lately certain differences arising between Christians and
Moslems which led to murders and
reprisals. While these incidents
tending to disrupt the unity of the
Palestine Arabs may be considered
important as news material, there
are graver happenings now taking
place in the country on which dispatches maintain a mysterious silence. Some reporters or news agencies must have a nose for news only
in certain directions.
What may be rightly termed the
most important recent development
in Palestine is the effort of the British police to evict the Arab tenants
of Wadi El Hawareth from their
homes and lands. The case of these
lands has been hanging for several
years but has now come to a head
through the determination of the
government to use forcible methods
of eviction. Early in September an
armed force sent to this valley had
an encounter with the settlers and
is said to have used force without
sufficient provocation. The principal
cause of complaint is that the British police wounded several Arab
women so severely as to necessitate
hospital treatment, and in arresting
them manhandled and manacled them.
The Arab press was indignant at
what it termed undue cruelty on the
part of the police in their treatment of the Arab women defending
their hearths and an Arab paper
was suppressed for its criticism. This
case 'has in it all the tragic elements
of the land problem in Palestine,
where the tenant farmers find themselves subject to eviction through the
purchase by Jewish interests of their
land from absentee landlords, while
they, the tenants, apparently have
THE SYRIAN WORLD
no recourse to redress. The Shaw
Commisson of Inquiry realized the
importance of the Wadi El Hawareth situation and reviewed it fully
in its report. We copy from the
English edition of Falastin (Jaffa)
the text of the Commission's report
on this case in view of its intrinsic
importance and its possible bearing
on future events. It follows:
"The second case to which we will
refer is the recent purchase of the
land known as Wadi el-Hawareth.
We do so because the sale of this
land was made the subject of many
protests addressed to us during our
stay in Palestine and because this
transaction serves to illustrate the
extremely difficult position in which
the Government of Palestine are
liable to be placed. The lands in question which belonged to Arabs were
mortgaged in 1882 to a French subject. Between 1882 and 1923 there
were two transfers of the mortgage
without the consent of the mortgager. After legislation in the course of
which the validity of the mortgage
was disputed judgment was given in
favor of the heirs of the mortgager
and an order for sale was duly made.
"The area offered for sale was
30,826 dunoms and the Jewish National Fund purchased the property
for £41,000. The land was registered
in its name on the 27th of May,
1929. The persons occupying the
lands which have been sold number
about 1,200 and own between two
and three thousand head of stock,
about a third of the land is used for
grazing purposes; among the crops
grown on the remaining areas are
melons and the tithes paid in the
"Among the persons now occupying the land are actual cultivators
who received in August, 1928, notice
to quit expiring on the last October,
year 1928 indicate that the crop was
worth at least £7,000.
�OCTOBER, 1930
1929. On the 30th of November, 1929,
an order of eviction was made
against a large proportion of the occupiers. At the time when we left
Palestine, we understood that the
police had not executed the order of
eviction and that the reason for
their failure to do so was that they
did not know of any locality to
which they could move the present
occupants and their flocks. We were
informed that this action on the
part of the police might at any time
result in proceedings for contempt
at the instance of the purchasers
who are not disposed to abandon any
of the right which they possessed
under the orders of the Courts or to
postpone the enforcement of those
rights. The purchasers have, however, offered to put approximately
5,000 dunoms of land in the Beisan
area at the condition that they are
paid one fifth of the produce of that
land. We were informed that this
land is irrigable but the present occupants of the Wadi Hawareth land
know nothing of irrigation and that
furthermore the Beisan lands contain
no grazing area. When we left Palestine no State or other land had
been discovered to which the persons
to be evicted could be transferred.
^ "It is noteworthy that both the
Sursock land and the Wadi-elHawareth lands were the property
of absentee landlords and in their
absence were being cultivated by
persons who paid as rent a percentage of the produce yielded by their
holdings. The sale of lands over the
heads of occupant tenants and the
consequent dispossession of those
tenants with or without compensation is not peculiar to Palestine but
the position there is complicated by
two factors which can seldom obtain
elsewhere. In the first place the dispossessed tenant in Palestine is unlikely to be able to find alternative
land to Which he can remove. Secondly, in some cases, the cultivators
who were or may be dispossessed
have a strong moral claim to be allowed to continue in occupation of
their present holding. Under the
Turkish regime, especially in the
latter half of the eighteenth century,
persons of the peasant classes in
some parts of the Ottoman Empire,
including the territory now known
as Palestine found that by admitting
the over-lordship of the Sultan or of
some member of the Turkish aristocracy, they could obtain protection
against extortion and other material
benefits which counter-balanced the
tribute demanded by their over-lord
as a return for his protection. Accordingly many peasant cultivators
at that time either willingly entered
into an arrangement of this character or finding that it was imposed
upon them, submitted to it. By these
means persons of importance and
position in the Ottoman Empire acquired the legal title to large tracts
of land which for generations and in
some cases for centuries had been in
the undisturbed and undisputed occupation of peasants who, though by
the new arrangement they surrendered their prescriptive rights over
the land which they had cultivated
had undoubtedly a strong moral
claim to be allowed to continue in
occupation of those lands."
In commenting on this report, Falastin lays stress on the findings of
the Commission that the occupant
tenants have a strong moral claim in
view of the peculiar conditions obtaining in Palestine which can be
found nowhere else and therefore
constitute a unique problem. It justifies the resistance of the Arabs on
these grounds. The paper further
sees in the incident a cause for increased estrangement between Arabs
and Jews. The action of the police it
�46
THE SYRIAN WORLD
brands as "very untactful and most ORIGIN OF RELIGIOUS
STRIFE IN PALESTINE
brutal... The feelings of the Arab
world (in the matter) are best left
The incident leading to the presunwritten. The incident will not ent condition of religious strife bemake them any kinder to the Jews tween Christians and Moslems in
Palestine had its origin in a controor grateful to the British."
Another cause of apprehension in versy over the ownership of a cemethe Palestine situation is the tension tery in Haifa.
Al-Bachir, the Jesuit organ of
created between Christians and Moslems as a result of the murder of a Beirut, reports that during the war
Christian editor in Haifa over the a cemetery belonging to the Greek
ownership of a cemetery. A Moslem Catholics was used by the Moslems
in Jaffa is said to have been mur- as a burial ground. Because of this
dered in reprisal, giving rise to fear fact the custodian of the Moslem
that the movement will spread to religious foundations sought to apother sections of the country. Joseph propriate the cemetery and exclude
M. Ley special correspondent of the Christians from any right to it.
the New York Times in Jerusalem, The difference was finally settled by
reports that the Grand Mufti, relig- the agreement of both factions to
ious head of the Moslems, has de- use it jointly.
Within the cemetery enclosure
cided to go in person to Haifa "to
meet some Christian religious digni- there had been at one time a group
taries with the purpose of attempt- of huts in which lived some Christing to find a way of opposing Mgr. ians of the poorer class. These huts
Hajjar, Catholic Bishop of Haifa, were burned not long ago by willful
who insists on going on with the persons whose identity remained untrial against Rashid Haj Ibrahim, known. The Greek Catholic bishop,
the Grand Mufti's representative in Mgr. Gregory Hajjar*, having decided
Haifa, who is sti'l incarcerated in to rebuild the huts sent a gang of
the Acre Fortress prison on a charge workmen to undertake the work and
of murdering the Christian Arab placed in charge one of his trustees,
newspaper editor" who is of Mgr. Jamil Bahry, editor of the Arabic
publication Az-Zuhoor. No sooner
Hajjar's denomination.
The Times' correspondent further the workmen started work than they
reports that the Christian Arab pa- were set upon by a group of Moslems
per Falastin charges the Zionists of who attacked with knives, sticks
"paying large sums of money to and stones. In the fighting three
both Christians and Moslems for the Christians were wounded, including
express purpose of bringing about the editor whose wounds proved
enmity and quarrels between them." fatal.
The incident being the outcome of
The same correspondent also rereligious
differences, the feeling of
ports that a large number of Chvistthe
Christians
became extremely
ian Arabs, who since the British occupation of Palestine have taken to tense and the murdered editor was
wearing hats, are now again donning given a public funeral in which all
the fez for self-protection and in or- traditions among the Christians
der to escape the notice of Moslem were broken, being attended not only
fanatics. Many Christians in Jaffa by the representatives of the Cathohave also applied to the government lic churches but also by those of the
Orthodox and the Protestants.
for permits to carry firearms.
�OCTOBER, 1930 .
47
About Syria and Syrian:
SYRAMAR GOLF CLUB
HOLDS TOURNAMENT
other golf veteran and close friend of
the champion. Mr. Ferris has to win
the championship laurels still anothThe Syramar Golf Club of New er time to gain permanent possesYork held its fourth annual tourna- sion of the coveted. Syramar trophy
ment at the Wolf Ho'low Golf course
consisting of a solid silver platter.
at Delaware Water Gap on Saturday . The CIub> however,
was not sparand Sunday, September 6 and 7
ing m its distribution of prizes. Both
Members and their friends turned
the champion and the runner-up reout in large numbers, and the en- ceived valuable mementoes, as well
thusiasm for the game was as pro- as the winners of the qualifying
nounced as the delight of the large
matches. The Club's policy is to fos
gathering over the opportunitv ter love of this healthy and digniwhich brought so many friends to- hed game among the Syrians and
gether under ideal conditions. From
its efforts are meeting with gratifyevery point of view the tournament
ing results. Already the sport is findproved a complete success.
ing increasing favor among our
Saturday and Sunday morning people as proven by the steadily
were devoted to qualifying matches growmg membership of the club.
and the championship contest was
As an integral part of the tournaPlayed between George A. Ferris and ment a brilliant social function was
George Aboarab. It was a hard- held at the club following the Sunfought game which was decided only day game. President Henry Haddad
at the 20th hole. After having taken proved himself a resourceful and enthe lead early in the game Mr Fer- tertaining chairman. Mr. George A
ns found himse'f in the uncomfort- Ferris dean of Syrian lawyers in
able station of two down and two New York and one of the founders
to go on the 17th tee. But his cham- of the organization, was assigned
pionship mettle began to te'l and by the duty of distributing the prizes
winning the two remaining holes he following the unbroken tradition
succeeded in squaring the match. ot the club ever since its foundation.
The 19th was halved with fives and Salloum A. Mokarzel, editor of the
only on the 20th was the issue deSyrian World and the only honorary
cided when Mr. Ferris emerged vic- member of Syramar, was also a
tor by 4 to 5.
speaker.
'The Syramar Golf Club is one of
One of the surprising features of
the contest was the form disriaypd the few Syrian organizations in
by Mr. Aboarab, a youth who has which the growth of enthusiasm
taken up golf only within the last seems to keep pace with the advance
two years, but has devoted much in years. Its membership is increasing steadily and every year witnesses
time to practice.
improvement in its tournaments and
Mr. FernVs victory marks his
attending
functions.
The name
third of the Syramar annual chamstands
for
Syrian-American
and thpionship contests, the fourth having
fallen to the lot of Mr. Mallouf, an- abbreviation and contraption are
designed for euphony.
�SYRAMAR GOLF CLUB OF NEW YORK
Co
R
o
p
_
,—..
�OCTOBER, 1930
49
Henry Haddad (left) presenting Syramar championship trophy to Geo
A. Ferris (center). George Aboara b, the runner-up (right) looks on
cheerfully.
ARAB INFLUENCE IN
ARGENTINE POLITICS
Aside from the general interest
they should have in the Argentine
revolt as a major world event, the
Syrians should have an especial interest in the historical background
of Argentine politics culminating in
the late developments because of
their immediate associations with
Arab influence. The revelations of
the true causes leading to the deposition of President Irigoyen are
of a startling nature, especially
when viewed in the light of the long
struggle going on for decades among
the different classes of the population. The causes for this long-drawn
struggle are laid at the door of certain inherited traits and customs of
one section of the population which
was invaluable at one time for the
protection of the country but has
now apparently outlived its usefulness.
Had a Syrian or Arab writer laid
claim at any time to the Arabs
exercising such great influence in the
political and social order of a new
and progressive country in the New
World such as the Argentine Republic, his claim would have been branded as preposterous. Immediately the
accusation would be made that we
would want to claim everything for
the Arabs, the Phoenicians, and other
Eastern peoples. Present tendencies
are to break away as much as possible from old influences and above
all, to claim all credit of human
progress for the so-called Nordic influence instead of the Eastern.
Especially is this true in the case of
America where the cosmopolitan nature of the population brings the
controversy over the relative racial
virtues to an acute point.
�mm
50
In the present case the Arabs are
net advancing any claim for influence. They are accused of having it.
Press dispatches from the capital of
Argentina early last month gave
lengthy descriptions of conditions
leading to the revolt, ascribed to
Arab influence. That this influence
did not prevail till the end is not
the question as much as its having
existed and lasted for so long a time
i:i the history of Argentina, and havi: g been so strong as to be the cause
for the safety of the country while
it lasted.
A staff correspondent of the New
lork Times writing from Buenos
Aires under date of September 7
fives the following account of the
causes leading to the downfall of
1 resident Irigoyen:
'The downfall of Dr. Irigoyen
d-finitely marks a new era in Argentine his.ory in an even more romantic sense, for it means the passirg frcm history of the o d caudil os
(petty chieftains), who were a prodvet of gaucho civilization o.i the
pEmpas. Argentina owes its very existence to these gauchos who were
v .1 j nomad horsemen, whose fathers
Landed down to them the Moorish
blcod they brought from Spain in the
d:ys of the conquest and whose
mo hers were South American Indians.
"The gauchos retained many characteristics of their Arabian ancestors who had overrun Spain and lh:y
formed a barrier between the tiny
outposts of civilization and the wild
Indians of Pampas, who until the
late 80s resisted Argentina's efforts
to establish herself as a nation. The
gauchos were arrogant individualists, receiving and asking no 'help
from the town authorities.
"The gaucho who was the best
horseman, the quickest with his knife
and the most arrogant in his dea!-
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ings with his fellow-men became recognized as a caudillo (petty chieftain), under whose leadership the
gauchos formed when danger threatened them. These caudillos led the
numerous civil wars which for so
many years retarded Argentine
rrogress until another gaucho caudil o, Juan Manuel de Rosas set
himse f up as dictator and ruthlessly
wiped out all other caudillos who opposed him, thus paving the way for
organized government in Argentina.
"Dr. Irigoyen is the last of the
caudillos. Although he is a town
man rather than a gaucho, he is one
of the most characteristic caudillos
in Argentina's history. His leadership has always been arrogant and
personal. The Radical party has never had a platform. It was organized
around Dr. Irigoyen as its personal
leader and his word was the party's
law."
SYRIAN HISTORIAN
OF SOUTHERN LEADERS
A young Syrian who is attracting
much attention in the South as a historian and scholar is Mr. John E.
Hobeika of Dillon S. C. His efforts
are appreciated not alone because he
was born a foreigner, but because
they show genuine merits which
have elicited the highest praise from
noted Southern scholars. "His tribute to the Confederate Soldier," according to an editorial in the Charlotte Observer, "was regarded as
worthy of being printed in pamph'et form and is given introduction
by Dr. Oliver Orr who feels that
God has called forth this student,
writer, historian and Christian gentleman." The paper itself adds its
tribute by terming the work of Mr.
Hobeika 'one of the finest pieces of
literature ever contributed to the
�OCTOBER, 1930
.
51
history of the South."
ed with the Egyptian National AnWe gather from the wealth of them, followed by selections from
material about this young Syrian Puccini given by Miss Margaret
historian published in many South- Romaine of the Metropolitan Opera
ern papers that he has had a re- Company. Prince Muhiuddin played
markable scholastic career. Having the 'cello, and Miss Ruth St. Denis
come to the United States with his gave an exhibition of the Directoire
parents at the age of 10 in 1912 and Waltz assisted by Mr. Ted Shawn.
settled in Dillon, S. C. he entered the Mr. Rafa"elo Diaz, also of the Metropublic schools and joined the class of politan Company, gave several
Miss Laura Heath whose love of the selections. The reception was brought
days and the "gentlemen of the old to a close with the playing of the
school" was contagious to young American and Egyptian National
Hobeika and prompted him to spec- Anthems.
ialize in the study of Southern hisThe exceptional quality of the protory. He developed a great admira- gramme as well as the distinguished
tion for General Lee and has visited attendance, over two hundred guests
every place in the country connected drawn from the exclusive circles of
with the Confederate commander. the city, lent the occasion an air of
He has collected a library of Gen. dignity and refinement.
Lee which is said to be unequalled
in America, and he has drawn on
this wealth of material, some of
which has hitherto been little known, MOSLEMS IN AMERICA
to write a biography of the General
ISSUE A PUBLICATION
Which will be published by a New
York firm this fall. He also has under preparation biographies of many Also Establish a Mosque and a Misother Southern leaders.
sionary Center in Chicago.
RECEPTION IN HONOR
OF KING OF EGYPT
His Excellency Anis A. Raphael,
Royal consul of Egypt in New York,
gave a reception at the Hotel Ambassador on October 9th in honor of
the anniversary of the accession of
His Majesty King Fuad I of Egypt.
The reception hall was elaborately
decorated for the occasion, and a
portrait of the King surmounted by
a multicolored electric crown was
displayed between the American and
Egyptian flags. The staff of the
Egyptian Consulate all donning the
tarboush, assisted at receiving the
guests.
The musical programme was open-
....
- ...
The disciples of Islam are aggressively conducting missionary efforts
in America, but with what success
it is not yet possible to tell. The
Moslem Sunrise, a 24-page quarterly
in English published in Chicago and
edited by Sufi M. R. Bengalee gives
an account of the various missionary
activities conducted by the Moslems
in the city and vicinity. The missionaries belong to the Ahmadiyya
sect founded by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of India who died in
1908. He is styled by his disciples
the "Promised Messiah and Mahdi
and the expected Messenger of all
nations."
These Moslem missionary activities are commented upon by many
Chicago newspapers, the Daily News
�—fc
52
publishing the following interesting
account:
"The first mosque devoted to the
religion of Islam opened its services
in the Auditorium Building on Wabash Avenue. * * * Dr. Bengalee is
the Chicago missionary preacher of
what is declared to be a new form
of the Islamic faith, which goes
back to the original form of the
religion as preached by the Prophet
Muhammad. Among the interesting
theories set up by Dr. Bengalee is
that Christ did not die on the cross,
but lived to a venerable age in northern India and the Ahmadiyya movement, as its missionary terms it,
holds that Christ is another of the
great prophets, but not divine."
Another Chicago paper quotes the
leader of this new Moslem movement
as "stressing particularly the nonviolent feature of the Islamic faith,
contrasting it with our Western
Christianity which, though essentially non-violent employs force in
its nationalism."
The Moslem Sunrise is sold for
25c a copy, but the publisher makes
an ardent appeal for "generous contributions.... that the light and
lustre of Islam may be shed through
this magazine throughout the length
and breadth of this country particularly and all over the world."
SYRIAN AVIATRIX MAY
VISIT NEW YORK
Al-Hoda of New York, reports on
the authority of Mr. Ed. Jallad,
President of the newly formed PanArabian Pictures, Ltd., now visiting
in the city that Mrs. Afifa Maloof of
Zahle, a resident of Rodondo, Cali
fornia, has won her pilot's licens;
and may soon attempt a non-sto{
transcontinental flight to New York
She has ordered a new plane for the
purpose.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
MODERN AGRICULTURE
INVADES NEAR EAST
Sons of Wealthy Landowners Learn
to Operate Farm Machinery.
Efficiency and culture are coming
to count for more than birth among
the wealthy noble families of the interior of Western Asia where feudalism has existed for many centuries,
according to President Bayard Dodge
of the American University of Beirut.
In the sixty-fourth annual report
for this American University in
Syria, President Dodge states that
"heretofore the sons of great landlords have inherited power and, regardless of education, they have exploited their peasants by forceful
measures.
"Today the new governments are
taxing landed proprietors so heavily,
that they cannot maintain their positions, unless they have had the advantages of modern education. Efficiency and culture are coming to
count for more than birth.
"Accordingly, many noble families are sending their sons to the
University and there is a rare opportunity to train the young aristocrats to appreciate democratic adjustments.
"Instead of idling away his time
and exploiting his many villages one
graduate is studying agriculture and
striving to improve the conditions of
his peasantry. Another spent a whole
summer in overalls learning to manage farm machinery so as to be able
to build up his family estates.
"University men who honor work
and feel a responsibility for their
tenants, form a great contrast to the
untrained sons of a decadent aristocracy who are losing ground before the advance of a, new order of
things.
�OCTOBER, 1930
oun
53
n who iack mod
idZ
tr
*
ideas seek low paid positions in government offices and business houses
and lack initiative to make any conland
t0 thC deVel
°Pment of their
"Many graduates of the American
University are building Up depart
sirs se]iT A «~-
. ooiies and Popularizing wMt(lm
novations. Several have fould for
eisn markets so as to reviwaffa
"The University is endeavoring to
teach men how to undertake new en- ulnf e/roTing-Last *«" two g a
rad
ter-prises and to apply scientific
n
t0
ev°era i former
/o 2" students
^startpH
^
processes to industrial work. One an u several
graduate has mastered the fruit pre- selhng automobile insurance int^
One alumnus has developed a flour
serving business in Dublin and is
ȣ* m4ustry tor the sale and eXstarting a new industry 0f his own.
Several young men have been
specializing in chemistry so as to be
--er resort oAheLal^:
able to aid their fathers with soap
manufacture and leather tanning
Students are choosing maior
Numerous graduates have studied courses which will fit them for partT
engineering and are successful in
construction work.
tion of their communities. Among
"Before the Armistice business
the junior and senior classes leTave
decided to major in biology and aZ
a ried
a Very
way
T he merchant
°l " used to *«
way. The
sit in»1
a
culture, 12 in chemistryfe in econo
shop which was small because he "»cs 44 are taking advanced work
kept most of his goods in a nearby m Commerce and 24 mechanics and
and
engineering."
warehouse. He bargained over prices
S rt
f
Way
se
d
off*tT
^ ° ° customers,
' kept
coffee
to prominent
the simplest sort of books and male
no effort to advertise. Corporals
were unknown and successful partnerships comparatively rare. Technical experts usually came from
FREE ENGLISH CLASSES
AT BROOKLYN Y. W. C. A.
abroad and progressive methods o"
commerce and industry were seldom
street, offers an opportunity to girls
and
Wom
f gyrian ^l ^ &*
The International Institute of the
entage to learn English, to meet
"Today a change is taking place
others of their own nationality and
Shops are becoming modernized
with show windows and well arrangubs
^ " SOdal Hfe' -eluding
dubs
parties
and other recreation
ed counters. Advertising is popular
The English classes will meet
and good book-keepers are in de"
every Tuesday and Thursday at 9:30
mand. Local capital is being invested
P. M. There will a]So be Wednesday
to form new banks, cloth mills cement factories, mechanical flour comern00;>,ClaSS f°r th°Se Wh0 c«
come m the evening. It will meet at
mills, soap works, potteries tourist two o'clock.
companies and agencies of other
The homelike rooms of the Instisorts. There is a definite attempt to tute
are aiwavs avai,able for go
pool native resources so as to compete with Western industry along gatherings of every sort. Call Miss
Bah,a Hajjar, Main 4163, for further
modern lines.
information.
�BRM
54
LEBANESE DECORATIONS
CONFERRED ON EMIGRANTS
Controversy Over Award Arises
Before Official Notification.
Lebanese papers of Beirut made an
advance announcement of the intention of the Lebanese government to
confer decorations of merit on prominent Lebanese emigrants abroad on
the occasion of Lebanon's Independence Day which falls on Saptember
1. President Charles Dabbas is said
to have offered the suggestion and
instructed the Premier to prepare a
list of prominent Lebanese abroad
who deserve to be so honored. Press
reports indicate that the list will be
very broad, comprising scores of
Lebanese all over the world in all
walks of life.
The tentative list, according to the
Beirut papers, includes Mr. N. A.
Mokarzel, editor of Al-Hoda, and
Elia D. Mady editor of As-Sameer,
both of New York. The award to Mr.
Mady, however, was made on the
ground that he was the editor-inchief of Meraat-Ul-Gharb of New
York and son-in-law of its publisher,
Mr. N. M. Diab.
In its characteristically fearless
manner, Al-Hoda was the first to
take up the discussion of the propriety of the awards. Mr. Mokarzel
reminded the Syrian-American public of his consistent policy of refusing all decorations and other honors
from foreign governments, a policy
he announced when he refused the
decoration of the French Legion
d'honneur several years ago. His
criticism of the Lebanese government, therefore, should not be misconstrued as prompted by any personal motives because of his disap-
THE SYRIAN WORLD
proval of conferring the honor on
other individuals.
Taking up the choice of Mr. Mady,
the editor of Al-Hoda points out
that he (Mady) was never loyal to
the cause of Lebanon, but rather
gave aid and comfort to its enemies
and sided with them in all political
controversies arising on Lebanese
questions. Under the circumstances
Al Hoda questioned the wisdom and
tact of the Lebanese government in
making promiscuous awards of its
decorations, granting that early reports on the subject were true.
Meraat-Ul-Gharb was not slow in
engaging in the controversy in defense of its own prestige, Mr. Diab
the editor, declaring that never in
the history of his pub'.ication had
anyone but he been its editor-inchief. He was not seeking the decoration for himself, he asserted, but
no other should be the recipient of
it under false pretense.
This drew the fire of Mr. Mady
who, in a long article published
simultaneously in several papers,
centered his attack on Meraat-UlGharb, the publication of his fatherin-law, and reminded the public of the
fact that he had won his literary
laurels before he joined the staff of
any paper. That he should be given
credit for the excellence of his
work, although published anonymously, is through no fault of his own,
he declared. He would not commit
himself as to whether or not he
would accept the decoration.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese government still seems to be having the list
of those whom it wants to honor
under advisement, no official announcement having yet been made on
the subject. It would seem from present indications that its promiscuous
distribution of decorations seemingly
without regard to signal services is
defeating its purpose.
�-
OCTOBER, 1930
MOSUL OIL AFFECTS
FUTURE OF SYRIA
Controversy Between France and
England Over Terminus of Pipe
Line Said to Have Been Settled.
The long-drawn controversy between France and England over the
Ua: sportation of Mosul oil has been
tentatively settled, according to information which Al-Ahrar, of Beirut, claims to be authentic.
The stumbling block in the way
of a settlement had been the insi3trnee of England on making Haifa,
the newly developed port of Palestine which is under British mandate,
the terminus of the Mosul Oil pipe
line, while France maintained that
the natural terminus would be the
port of Tripoli, in the territory
within its own mandate. The British
plan is said not only to extend the
line for hundreds of miles, involving
enormous extra expenses, but to
rlace it in territory continually exposed to attacks by bedouins. These
two features are eliminated if the
French plan were carried out.
England having consistently been
unwilling to swerve from its stand,
the new arrangement said to have
been arrived at is to create a central distributing station at Abu Kama! situated about midway between
L osul and the coast outside the boundaries of the mandated territories.
1 rom this point on, two separate
pipe lines would be constructed, one
carrying the French portion of the
oil and terminating at Tripoli and
the other ending at Haifa. *
Another element entering into the
Mosul oil situation is reported by a
special cable dispatch to the New
York Times from Paris under date
of Sept. 29 to have developed recently The dispatch is illuminating and
55
deals with this new aspect of the
controversy in detail. It follows:
The approaching weeks are expected to witness a denouement in
one of the most important international oil controversies which has dsve'oped since the close of the WorlJ
War. The stakes are tfea rich and as
yet unexploited oil fields of Iraq,
and the contestants are the present
ho'ders of an exclusive concession—
the principal oil groups of Great
Britain, the United States anJ Fra.ice, the Royal Butch of Holland a.id
the Gulbenkian Armenian group- and an entirely new international
oil group in which the guiding genius is understood to be Benko Mussolini.
The issue involves the question of
whether the present concessionaires,
by their undertaking with King Feisal of Iraq did not agree to a somewhat stringent time clause committing them to proceed with the exploitation of their fields before November 1, 1930 under penalty of
losing their concessions to new and
more active groups.
The so-called allied concession
holders maintain that no such limitation was placed upon their contracts
and that the present world oil crisis,
due to overproduction, is ample reason for proceeding slowly with a
program of development of the
fields, the chief item of which is the
construction of a pipe line from Iraq
to a Mediterranean port at a cost
estimated at $800 000,000.
King Feisal, who is eager to obtain the largely increased State revenues which active exploitation of the
fields wTould insure, recently visited
European capitals with a view to
bringing the issue to a conclusive
stage.
From the Italians, it is believed,
he received promises of financial as
well as political support for his new
�_J
56
State, provided he agreed to turn
the Iraqui concession over to the
new group known as the British
Oil Development Company, but in
which Italian capital and influence
are said to be dominant.
SYRIAN VICTIMS OF
DOMINICAN DISASTER
The hurricane which struck the
city of Santo Domingo September 3
took a toll of four Syrian lives and
caused serious injuries to about
thirty others, according to a special
communication to Al-Hoda from the
stricken city.
The victims are: Thomassa, wife
of Khalil Saadie of Ehden and her
twenty-five-year old son;
Maria
Zaiter, 45, of Ghazir; Carmehista
Dibs 13, of Ghazir.
The more seriously injured are
George Dibs, Emilia Zaiter and Enhel Zaiter.
The Syrians' loss in property and
merchandise was heavy, and their
lot was no better than the thousands
of others who were left destitute by
the terrible disaster.
Al-Hoda opened a subscription for
the relief of Santo Dominican sufferers and has so far raised considerable funds which it has turned over
to the Dominican Consulate in New
York which acknowledged their receipt with profuse thanks for this
display of generosity on the part of
the Syrians.
SYRIAN GIRL WINS FIRST
PLACE IN AUDITION
(Special correspondence)
Shreveport, La., Sept. 27.—Miss
Olga Maroun of this city, a Syrian
girl who is studying voice for an
opera career, won first place in the
?HE SYRIAN WORLD
girls' class in the District of Louisiana Atwater Kent Radio Audition
held Sept. 19 and 20 in Shreveport
and broadcast over Station KTBS.
She will represent the fourth district of Louisiana at New Orleans
where she will compete for State
honors. She competed against girls
from six parishes, and received high
praise from the local papers.
The parents of Miss Maroun are
Mr. and Mrs. Najeeb Joseph Maroun
of Amcheet, Mt. Lebanon, Syria.
PUBLIC MORALS IN
NORTHERN LEBANON
When two couples living together
without the benefit of clergy in Ehden, Northern Lebanon, refused to
mend their ways or leave the town,
a visiting bishop publicly denounced
them from the pulpit during the
Sunday services and served on them
final notice to leave.
This did not take place in the Middle Ages, but during.the latter part
of August of the year of our Lord
Nineteen-Thirty. And an enterprising reporter of a Lebanese paper did
not hesitate to give it full publicity.
It was explained that the two
couples involved were not natives of
the town, but came to it as summer
residents. Nevertheless, the high
sense of morality of the North Lebanese would not tolerate any such
conduct, and the public warning of
the bishop met with general and
whole-hearted approval.
Nor did the explanation of the two
couples satisfy or appease the natives. The offenders attempted to
prove that the wives of the men
and the husbands of the women had
migrated to America and (had not
been heard from over a long period.
It was natural for them, therefore,
to enter into this union for mutual
I!
�OCTOBER, 1930
comfort and support. But instead of
living: together as common-law husbands and wives they were married
by a clergyman whose church placed
no bans on such unions.
This is held out as proof positive
that the evils of moral laxity characteristic of the times has not yet infiltrated into the sequestered parts
of North Lebanon.
57
tial contributor to the educational
development of all the surrounding
country. Her progress has been the
result of admirable policies followed
in its direction and she has merited
the large patronage she receives today and the prominent position held
in the cultural work of- this part of
the country. Each day has seen her
service become of more essential
value and today she is indispensable
to the community."
SYRIAN MUSIC TEACHER
PRAISED FOR ABILITY
Miss Louise Yazbeck, whose distinctive musical attainments were
recognized by the city of Shreveport,
La. when the authorities appointed
her director of Musical Week in the
city, as previously announced in The
Syrian World, has been making rapid
progress in her musical career. She
has lately opened a new studio in
the fashionable suburb of Broadmoore, while retaining her original
studio in the heart of the city.
A musical critic, giving an appraisal of Miss Yazbeck's musical
ability, wrote the following glowing
account in one of the local papers:
"As the purpose of this review is
to give the outside world an adequate
idea of our social, industrial, artistic
and educational progress we deem it
quite appropriate to call the attention of the public to the efficiency
and great work that is being carried
on by Miss Louise Yazbeck.
"Miss Yazbeck understands both
the art of music as well as the art
of teaching. She puts all her energy
and soul into the music and is able
to impart to her pupils both the technique and the spirit of each selection.
She takes an interest in each pupil
and gives them individual attention
and has them specialize in music
that is adapted for their talents.
"Miss Louise Yazbeck is an essen-
LEBANON UNSURPASSED
FOR NATURAL BEAUTY
Writing in the Princeton Herald
the Reverend Sylvester Woodbridge
Beach, D. D., describes the wondrous
scenery of Lebanon as follows:
"I am not exaggerating my own impressions when I say that, so far as
my travels have afforded opportunity
to enjoy the scenery in Switzerland,
the Italian Alps, Sicily's Taormina
and the Amalfi of Capri and Sorrento, Spain and the familiar bits of
scenic grandeur in Western and Central Europe, the Carpathians and
Balkans of the east and south-east;
and the majestic mountains and unparalleled geologic wonders of America—I have never found any spot on
earth where the scenery is more won derful and enchantingly picturesque
than in the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon regions of Syria. Their beauty
and glory are indescribable. My
friends on the rear cushions (of the
automobile) kept up an interminable
line of talk, interlarding it with
frequent ejaculations and exclamations as "Oh, my! Isn't that great?
It takes tne cake!" But I sat speechless, drinking in the soul and beauty
of what thereafter would be a part
of my life an element and influenca
that could never lose its magic charm
and power, wherever I might be."
�mm
MM
BOOKS BY SYRIAN AUTHORS
To recommend to Syrians the acquisition of books
in English by Syrian authors would seem superfluous,
especially when the books are such as to cause every
Syrian to feel proud of the fact that their authors are of
his countrymen. All the books listed below have been
exceptionally well received by American critics, some of
them gaining national and even international distinction.
Not alone as a matter of racial pride, but also as a valuable addition to every modern library and as an indispensable medium of wider culture all Syrian homes should
have all or most of these books.
All prices quoted include postage. •
Books by Ameen Riliani
Maker of Modern Arabia
The Path of Vision
A Chant of Mystics and Other Poems
$6.00
1.25
1.25
Books by Kahlil Gibran
Sand and Foam
Prophet—Reg
The Madman
The Forerunner
Jesus, The Son of Man
2.25
2.75
2.00
2.75
3.75
Books by Dr P. K. Hitti
As-Suyuti's Who's Who in the 15th Century (Arabic)
Pap^r Cover
Usamah, an Arab-Syrian Gentleman and
Warrior of the Crusades
Syrians in America
Syria and the Syrians (Arabic)
History of Syrian Commerce in the United
States (Arabic; Illustrated)
By S. A. MOKARZEL.
Immortality (By DR. I. G. KHEIRALLA)
m
i.
i'.
.
i
i
illi-1...
i
,t»
3.50
3.00
4.75
1.25
1.1U
3.25
1.25
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
Identifier
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NS 0002
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
TSW1930_10reducedWM
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Volume 05, Issue 02
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930 October
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 5 Issue 02 of The Syrian World published October 1930. The issue begins with another piece by Rev. W. A. Mansur in which he discusses the important material and moral accomplishments of his ethnic peers in order to showcase their overall greatness. He gives an appraisal of six Syrian-American leaders in different fields in order to showcase their important achievements and imbue other Syrian-Americans with pride. Next, the editor continues to discuss traveling through the mysterious valley of Wadi'l-Karn, and briefly discussing his time in preparation to Damascus. Also about Damascus is a poem by Thomas Asa. "Ali Zaibaq" returns in this issue and the "Tragic Love of a Caliph" is also continued, before a poem by G.K. Gibran titled "On Giving and Taking." The issue concludes with a discussion led by Ameen Rihani on the mission of The Syrian World before the usual installation of the political developments in Syria this month, specifically dealing with the situation in Damascus, The Syrian Mandate, and Moslem and Christian tensions in Palestine.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
A language of the resource
English
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
Format
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Text/pdf
Type
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Text
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Ameen Rihani
Immigration
Kahlil Gibran
New York
Palestine
Poetry-English
Religion
Reverend W.A. Mansur
Syria
Thomas Asa
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/2d47223c3b99851a35024a0e168671a4.pdf
cbab0e17e260dd7015cf3567654d221c
PDF Text
Text
NOVEMBER, 1930.
k^
SYRIAN WORLD
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ENGLISH DEALING
WITH SYRIAN AFFAIRS AND ARABIC LITERATURE
or
'•...'IN.
^^55 B^r
DEFINING NEW BRITISH POLICY IN PALESTINE
DR. F. I. SHATARA
THE SYRIAN IN AMERICAN ART
If
AMEEN RIHANI
THE CAPITAL OF THE UMAYYADS
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL
ALI ZAIBAQ (QUICKSILVER) (A SERIAL)
S. A. MOKARZEL and T. S. DAYTON
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN SYRIA
THE COPY 50c
m
��"~1
THE!
SYRIAN WORLD
'Published monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single Copies 50c
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New York,
N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. V. No. 3.
NOVEMBER, 1930.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Defining New British Policy in Palestine
DR.
F. I.
5
SHATARA
The Syrian in American Art
10
AMEEN RIHANI
The Capital of the Umayyads
SALLOUM
17
A.
MOKARZEL
V
Ships Sail Out (Poem)
30
ALICE MCGEORGE
Alt Zaibaq (Serial)
31
�• "1 T
CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
The Rubaiyat (Poem)
34
THOMAS ASA
Book Reviews:—
Another Rihani Book on Arabia
35
Usamah in Arabic
36
A Frenchwoman's Defense of the Syrian Revolution 38
The Garment Fair (Poem)
DR. SALIM
40
Y.
ALKAZIN
Editorial Comment:-—
The Lessons of the Past
41
The Corporation
42
Know Yourself
43
The Palestine Issue
44
New British Policy in Palestine
45
Political Developments in Syria
.-. 49
About Syria and Syrians
51
�J
IN THIS ISSUE
E attention of the whole found most interesting and inworld is now focused on Pal- formative.
estine. The momentous struggle
taking place in that small coun- yHE eminent standing of
try which has given the world
Ameen Rihani in the world
two of the principal mono- of letters would render supertheistic creeds is fraught with fluous any attempt at introducthe gravest dangers. The Jews tion. His shining gifts and verclaim it for the reestablishment satile talents mark him out as
of a national homeland, while one of our inestimable national
the Arabs, Moslems and Christ- assets.
ians, stand in solid opposition to
We are now pleased to anthe claim. England, as the man- nounce a special article by Mr.
datory power, is charged with Rihani on the subject of The
the difficult task of reconciling Syrian in American Art. We
between Jewish claims and Arab believe the tribute is as much
rights. How is the situation de- to his race-pride as it is to the
veloping and what will be the ability and the talent of the inoutcome?
dividuals he has chosen for
A clear expose of the present mention. His concluding rePalestine situation is given in an marks on the mission and the
article by Dr. F. I. Shatara. value of THE SYRIAN WORLD
The author, himself a Pales- should be well pondered by
tinian Arab and a physician of every Syrian who would feel
Brooklyn, has followed closely proud in his origin and want to
political developments in his claim his rightful place among
mother country. His interest in the races of the world.
politics and his fearless espousal
of the Arab cause brought him Y^OULD you have an intimate
the offer at one time from exview of Damascus, that city
King Hussein of Arabia to be of proverbial picturesqueness
his diplomatic representative in and enchantment? You are here
Washington. Now he is fre- treated to one in the present inquently called upon for lectures stallment of the editor's account,
and debates on the Palestine of his Syrian travels. The opquestion. Being an authority on portunity is afforded to meet
the subject his article will be the President of the Syrian gov-
�"——
ernment, the Minister of Education and many leaders in the
political life of the city and the
nation. You are, besides, taken
on a tour through the principal
quarters and to the places of
foremost historical interest. In
this account, brief as it is, you
are afforded a glimpse into the
various interesting phases of the
city's life. The editor would
also like to get from readers
their reaction to the series which
; are meant for their enlightenment as to actual conditions in
the country of their ancestors.
those attributed to Ali Zaibaq.
Our hero, in this installment,
is engaged in one of his greatest exploits—war and love and
chivalry and revenge in the
most grandiose manner. We
need not urge readers to follow
up this interesting serial which
in many ways rivals the famous
Arabian Nights.
QTHER departments in this
issue are unusually interesting. The poetry is thrilling, the
editorial comment most timely
and the news section replete
JsJONE but an Oriental imag- with important happenings.
ination could weave such
Read the whole issue because
prodigiously fanciful tales as everything in it is of interest.
A LITERARY EVENT
The most delightfully entertaining book of Ameen
Rihani's series on Arabia has just been published in
America.
The new book, "Arabian Peak and Desert,"
deals with the richest and most inaccessible district of
Arabia, Al-Yaman. The possession of a copy of this
book should be the proud distinction of every cultured
Syrian home in America.
�- •' 'liiiiirr
^v,**^.^
TTTF
SYRIAN WORLD
VOL. V. No. 3.
NOVEMBER, 1930.
Defining New British Policy in
Palestine
By
DR.
F. I.
SHATARA
PALESTINE is again on the front page, and the subject of
editorial columns. In the summer of 1929, world attention
was focused on that little strip of land known as the Holy Land.
The country was in the throes of serious disturbances leading to
bloodshed. Zionist leaders and propagandists denounced these
disturbances as the product of religious fanaticism, fanned into
flame by a few mischievous and selfish offenders and agitators.
Arab leaders, through the meagre channels of publicity at
their command, informed the world that the disturbances of 1929,
like the two previous ones, were the result of political Zionism,
which attempted to create in Palestine an imperium in imperio;
that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians were opposed to
Zionism and would fight it to the last; that the Arabs of Palestine
value their liberty and independence far more than any material
benefits which Zionism may bring to the country, and that the
Balfour Promise, the cornerstone of Zionism, was sandwiched
between two promises to the Arabs which are absolutely incompatible with that promise.
The British Government, in an earnest desire to get at the
facts through a neutral and reliable source, despatched the Shaw
Commission, which after an exhaustive study, and hearing evidence presented by able counsel, submitted its report. Space does
not permit more than a brief reference to that report, but the
outstanding feature was its refutation of most of the claims made
by the vociferious Zionist propagandists. Thus the report asserts
that the Arab attacks were not premeditated, and absolves the
�6
"THE SYRIAN WORLD
Arab Executive and the Grand Mufti of planning or inciting
actual disturbances.
One significant statement was:—"That the incident among
them which in our view contributed most to the outbreak was
the Jewish demonstration of the Wailing Wall on August 15."
The Shaw Commission made several important recommendations, chief among which were:—"That his Majesty's Government should consider the advisability of issuing a clear statement
of policy. * * * Our recommendations regarding immigration and
land questions are largely based on the assumption that in their
definition of a policy the government will clearly state that the
rights and position of non-Jewish communities in Palestine are
to be fully safeguarded."
Discussing the land problem the report recommends that—
a scientific inquiry should be undertaken by experts into the
prospects of introducing improved methods into Palestine * * *
It is of vital importance that in any scheme of land development,
adopted as a result of the expert inquiry, regard should be had
to the certain and natural increase in the present rural population. It is of vital importance that, pending the results of this
survey, the present tendency toward the eviction of peasant cultivators from the land should be checked."
The British Government, acting on these suggestions, commissioned Sir John Hope Simpson, an expert on Indian affairs,
to study the situation in Palestine and report on three important
questions, namely:—land settlement, immigration, and developy
ment.
His report on these three questions, according to cabled dispatches, is that the Arab land already available was limited in
extent, that the Arabs were not receiving sufficient consideration
in its allocation, and that Jewish immigration should be better
regulated and in certain categories checked altogether until more
lands are developed for settlement and until better provision is
made tor the landless Arabs.
r ,AC-T^nying thf rep°rt of Sir J°hn HoI* Simpson the
Colonial Office issued a White Paper setting forth the British
Government's future policy in the administration of its mandate
over Palestine.
In the White Paper Lord Passfield reminds the Zionists that
in their zeal for the 160 000 Jewish inhabitants of Palestine, they
have lost sight of the fact that Britain has a responsibility of
�-Tmlii.liii..iii.i.ii „.,.„.,
J{pVEMBER, 1930
7
safeguarding the rights of the 700,000 Arabs. While praising
the work of the World Zionist organization, that organization is
emphatically reminded that it is not the government, and that
Great Britain's responsibility for Palestine as the mandatory
power cannot be delegated to it.
The following extracts from Lord Passfield's statement will
give the reader an idea of its general tenor:—"The condition of
the Arab peasant leaves much to be desired
Some of the attempts which have been made to prove that Zionist colonization
had not had the effect of causing previous Arab tenants to join
the landless class have on examination proved to be unconvincing
if not fallacious
It can now be definitely stated that at the
present time and with the present methods of Arab cultivation
there remains no margin of land available for new immigrants
with the exception of such undeveloped land as the various Jewish organizations hold in reserve
Under the present circumstances his Majesty's Government considers their suspension of
immigration under the labor schedule last May fully justified."
The statement calls attention to and criticizes the rule of the
General Federation of Jewish Labor that Jewish settlers in Palestine must never employ Arab labor.
Lord Passfield then offers to set up .a Legislative Council
comprising the High Commissioner and twenty-two members,
of whom ten will be official and appointed by the High Commissioner, and twelve unofficial and elected by primary and secondary
elections.
The High Commissioner has the power to appoint enough
members to bring the number to twelve, if, through failure of a
section of the population to participate in elections, an insufficient
number is elected. He also sees to it that the mandatory power
will carry out its obligations to the League of Nations, and is
invested with power to enact urgent legislative acts, and to maintain order.
Immediately after the publication of the Simpson report and
the government statement, Dr. Chaim Weizmann handed in his
resignation as president of the World Zionist Organization and
the Jewish Agency. His example was shortly followed by Lord
Melchett, leader of the British Jewry, and Felix Warburg, president of the American Jewish Agency.
Vigorous protests, threats, and denunciations of Great Britain
from Zionists all over the world are coming thick and fast. It is
�8
THE SYRIAN WORLD
even hoped that the announcement will lead to the fall of the
MacDonald Government.
Baldwin, Lloyd George, Amery, and Smuts have expressed
their disapproval of the new policy, but whether they are sincere
in their protests or are simply playing politics is a question.
The Arabs so far have maintained silence. It is understood
that Hajj Amin El-Husseini, the Grand Mufti, will probably
reject the new offer. On the other hand, in a published interview, Ragheb El-Nashasheeby, Mayor of Jerusalem and leader
of the Moderates, accepts the offer as a working basis and expresses the opinion that a majority of the Palestine Arabs will
accept it.
In a cautious statement given out by Mr. Peter S. George
on behalf of the Arabs in New York, it is indicated that although
Britain's offer does not fulfill all the Arab aspirations, it will be
accepted as a starting point towards a fuller measure of selfgovernment and ultimate independence. The statement adds:
" * * * Both the Shaw and Simpson reports have vindicated
the demands repeatedly made by Arabs at home and abroad concerning the fundamental rights of the overwhelming majority
of the inhabitants of the land. We hope that these rights will be
completely achieved and that in the future independent and fully
representative government, Arab and Palestinian Jew will enjoy
equal rights."
The Editorial Comment in the Metropolitan daily press is
exemplified by the following extracts:
Thus, the New York Times on October 22, states:— "Great
Britain's new policy in Palestine is a blow at Zionist aspirations
only in the sense that it registers a verdict already pronounced
by the facts. The claims of political Zionism were always inadmissible. Neither justice nor the forces of nationalism let loose
by the war, nor Great Britain's pledges to the Arab people would
tolerate the imposition of Jewish ascendancy by high pressure
methods upon a native population four-fifths' hostile."
The Herald Tribune warns against the transfer of Zionist
headquarters to the United States thus: "But the suggestion made
by Dr. Weizmann, that Zionist headquarters might be transferred from London to the United States, must have been a very
hasty impulse. ***Britain is and will continue to be the mandatory
for Palestine, and the Zionists will have to cooperate with Britain
in any possible policy concerning the national home in Palestine.
To transfer headquarters to this country, which, to be sure, sup-
�NOVEMBER, 1930
9
plies most of the Zionist capital, would seem like an effort to
involve the United States in the argument. It is not a suggestion
which would be welcomed by either the British or the American
governments. It would hardly promote that international good
will upon which the future bi-cultural Palestine so largely depends; it might even increase the anti-Semitic currents in the
world which thoughtful Jews and Gentiles so heartily deplore."
The New York Evening Post states: "But it is time that
American and English Jewry recognized the realities of the
Palestine situation and appreciated the difficulties of the position
in which England finds herself."
The British Daily Mail of October 24 says: "The Balfour
Declaration was only one of many contradictory promises given
by the Allies in the war. * * * We have tried to force on the
people of Palestine the Zionist predominence which they detest
and to which they will only submit so long as they are held down
by British bayonets. That foolish experiment has got to stop,
and it has got to stop now."
In conclusion, the writer cannot refrain from expressing
amazement at the short-sightedness and numerous serious blunders committed by Zionist leaders. As one studies the events of
the last twelve years he is led to the inevitable conclusion that
Zionist leaders have failed to understand the psychology of the
Palestine Arab, or to comprehend the difficulties of the situation. Instead of trying to understand and cooperate with the
Arabs they put their trust in high pressures, and often false propaganda. They apparently went to Palestine in the belief that
money can accomplish everything. To be sure, large sums of
money have been expended to bolster up a movement which
Henry Morgenthau long ago characterized as "economically unsound, wrong in principle, and impossible of execution." But
high pressure methods often act as a boomerang and the pendulum now is swinging in the opposite direction and one is reminded of Lincoln's statement: "You cannot fool all the people
all the time."
It is earnestly hoped that after this clamour dies down,
sober reflection will convince Jewish leaders, who do not earn
their livelihood from the Zionist Movement, that the only hope
for the future lies in the abandonment of political Zionism, the
full recognition of Arab rights, and the pursuit of a policy in
which Arab and Palestinian Jew can live and work together in
harmony as they did before the ill-advised Balfour Promise.
�10
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The Syrian in American Art
By
AMEEN RIHANI
NATIONAL art, no matter how distinct in vigor and manA^ ner,
is seldom free from foreign influences; and when these
develop in harmony with the native elements, it begins to have
a universal appeal. The national spirit, in other words, gives
art a voice, the universal spirit gives it wings. But it does not
lose its identity when it achieves the universal. On the contrary,
its native character, like the foundation in a design, the undertone
in a rhapsody, the color scheme in a canvas, becomes in the contrast more distinct and often more impressive. In the process of
development, however, it must necessarily undergo certain
changes in form and technique, even in spirit. The foreign elements do not readily fit, do not easily fuse. They may be either
too crude or too refined, too racial or too exotic to harmonize.
The change must, therefore, be in the native expression, as well
as in the material for assimilation. It must be from within and
without.
This is, on the whole, the present state of American art; and
not the least among the contributors to its development, are those
whose Americanism is not the most valuable portion of their
heritage. The foreign groups, in other words, are becoming more
assertive, more emphatic in artistic expression; and the Syrians,
who are the youngest of the foreign groups but one of the oldest
in a cultural sense, are beginning to bid for the honor of participation. With an Oriental heritage of no mean significance—a
heritage that is neither too racial nor too exotic—they are destined
to a place of eminence in the American art of the future.
Already there are several artists in this country, singers, musicians and painters, who deserve to be better known and appreciated, at least, by the Syrians themselves. In the canvases and
miniatures of Nicholas Macsoud, the compositions of Alexander
Malouf, the voice of Madhat Sarbaji, are evidences of the Syrian's power of assimilative and creative expression. Western forms
are made to yield to the Orientalism of his spirit. The quaint
and the picturesque in the sensuous and the spiritual alike, are
vividly reflected through the medium of his adoption. The wr-istful appeal, the distilled, as it were, exoticism, the gesture that has
�NOVEMBER,
1930
11
in it the grace and languor of an ancient tradition, these are noteworthy features of the compositions of Malouf, the paintings of
Macsoud, the singing of Sarbaji. These three Syrians have already
received a certain recognition. Malouf's songs are sung in Syrian
and American homes j Macsoud's miniatures are especially prized
by the connoisseur, and Sarbaji's voice has been coupled by an
authority with Caruso's.
Personally, I do not feel a great joy in melody, native or
exotic, and I do not overvalue the purely picturesque. There is
in the two a fatal facility and a surface glamor; there is in the
two a common rhythm which readily drops to the common-place.
The Oriental heritage is, indeed, of deeper significance. Its spirituality is not less real than its sensuousness. It is always dual
in its emphasis. When I first heard in Beirut Madhat Sarbaji
mould the music of Arabic poetry into the classic forms of the
West,—when I first heard him sing Arabic in an opera technique,
—I realized the possibilities of a supreme harmony in the art of
two worlds. Here was for me the fascination of a double magic.
But the rarest joy I have yet experienced was when Fadwa
Kurban first visited Freike and there, from the balcony of my
home, strew over the wadi below the golden beauty of her voice.
It was one of those memorable moments that seldom recur in
life. The singing of Miss Kurban first evoked a memory of the
Metropolitan Opera in New York, when one afternoon I attended
a recital by Galli-Curci. But there, amidst the ruggedness of the
ancient Lebanon, over its scented vales and pine-clad heights,
was a presence that was neither Italian nor Syrian—a presence
divine. At that moment I felt that I was receiving a message,
through Fadwa Kurban, from the gods. After the Barcarole
she sang Izkorini in Arabic, and the village women coming up
from the spring below laid down their jars and the ploughmen
stood transfixed at their ploughs in a transport of joy. Even the
birds in the olive groves must have wondered at the voice of this
Syrian nightingale.
From Freike to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York
is a far cry. But if the presiding deities of a great musical centre
are always en rapport, as it were, with the Divine Giver, Fadwa
Kurban will yet attain the mundane heights of recognition and
fame. Some of the musical critics have already nodded, and a
few (^ the managers have paused while surveying the firmament.
Here is a voice that has the rarest qualities of what is called a
!
"
-
"• <
"
——
�The Hol
_
y Sepulchre, by Nicholas Macsoud
inis painting by the Syrian artist was once used by the Literary Digest as a cover d.
'{ffla^*^a^«^assi^MHfe**
. . ,v
�NOVEMBER, 1930
13
Fadwa (Fedora) Kurban
soprano colorature. To me it seems orchestral. In timbre and
range, in volume and texture and versatility, it combines the lyric
with the dramatic. It rises to the peaks of power and 'descends
to the murmuring depths of poesy with the same facility and
fascination. Fadwa Kurban, if the world of music is not out of
joint, will yet 'arrive'.
Another gifted Syrian is Anis Fuleihan who twelve years ago
made his first appearance in New York. And what he unfolded
of his knowledge of the masters in that recital at Town Hall,
was not the least of his talent. His creative as well as his interpretive power charmed his audience and made me wonder. Here
is a Syrian with the consciousness of the West and the intuitiveness of the East. Here is a student of the technique that is fundamentally intellectual and the emotion that is essentially esthetic.
The one is embodied in a science with instrumentalities of the
string and wood and brass, the other is reflected in a heritage
�14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
.which for centuries has been nourished with the poetry of religion, as well as the blood and tears of passion and romance. An
Occidental concept, an Oriental dream, an American background
—what possibilities for a musical art that may be more universal
in its appeal than anything that has hitherto come out of the
East or the West.
_ It may be presumptuous on my part to express a technical
opinion. But Anis Fuleihan seems to me to be more at home in
his Oriental compositions than either Debussy or Tchaikowsky.
He is even more real and more profound. He does not attempt
to dramatize his choice. He does not take, as a foreign composer
naturally would, the first conspicuous thing that appeals to him,
which is often a surface rune or a banal tintinnabulation, and impart to it, through the medium of string and brass—particularly
the latter—an artificial intensity. As a native he can go deeper
and without an effort. And he can evince from the head-springs
of secular and religious passions and the superimposed mosaic of
human desires, a rhythmic beauty of great scope;—a rhythmic
beauty which combines, for instance, the pious madness of the
dervish with the suggestive mellowness of the mystic}—a rythmic
beauty that emphasizes the gesture of the soul, as well as that
of the body. Anis Fuleihan at the piano, even in his rendition of
Bach or Liszt, has the subtlety and fervor of an Oriental esthete,
as well as the skill and power of an Occidental technician; and
as a composer, he is a born Oriental with two big black eyes in
his head and another eye, which can also hear, as the Sufi poet
would say, in his heart.
About the time Anis Fuleihan made his first appearance in
^ew York, another talented Syrian was struggling with his racial
heritage, through the medium of paint, in the woods of Pennsylvania. It was through Bach that I made the discovery. For when
I went to Bethlehem to attend the Bach Festival, which is one
ot the most notable musical events in this country, I was asked
to see an exhibition of paintings which strongly reflected, I was
told, the poetry and spirituality of the East. The name of the
artist, L. J. Halow, because of the slight corruption, was at first
misleading. But there was Esau or Isa, a fellow Syrian, who is
a descendant of the well known family of Hilu of the town that
bears its name in the neighborhood of Tripoli. And he spoke
Arabic with the accent of a beduin Arab! I was as much pleased
with the discovery as I was with the landscapes that were on
exhibition. For although he was still experimenting with color
�n»
NOVEMBER, 1930
15
and technique, his brush was unmistakably the obedient instrument of that ancient Syrian art that was cradled in Tyre and
crowned in Damascus. Here was a descendant of the Phoenicians
who invented dyes of beauty, notably the Tyrean purple, and
whose esthetic sense even in those days was highly developed.
This heritage of color and estheticism was the dominating note
in those early canvases of Halow; and through the process of
expression there was, to be sure, in form and perspective, a poetry
of suggestive charm and a spirituality of deep significance. The
artist in forest and meadow was indeed a descendant of the artists of the ancient temple. But the sacred passion was not without an artistic restraint. Here was a Syrian-American artist of
great promise^ I thought, and I was right glad to have been the
first to say so in print.
Since then Halow has been fulfilling his destiny and confirming my prediction. Although he came to this country in his teens,
his work js a florescence of a very ancient beauty, an Orientalism
of unfading fascination. In his early landscapes there is an adumbration of what has been developed in his recent canvases. The
artistic restraint in the former was but a promontory, as it were,
from which he was to soar on the wings of the imagination. But
his past, his country's past, is not far from him—it is in his soul.
With an Oriental fancy unrestrained and a Phoenician feeling for
color and texture undimmed by distance or time, hz unfolds a
symbolism of loveliness, he clothes with glorious purple an ancient
theme, he endows with permanence a mysticism of beauty. An
American critic would say of the purples of Halow that they
recall El-Greco. But why El-Greco? Why not Halow's very
ancestors, who discovered the Murex that yielded the purple
dye?^ Here again the Syrian's inspiration is from within, and not,
as with an Occidental in the Orient, from without. It is a thing
of the soul, and not of the intellect. In his mysticism and symbolism, as well as in the depth and texture of his colors, Halow
is making a distinct contribution to American art (1).
In the work of these Syrian artists, who should be a source
of pride especially to the Syrians of this country, is a strong evidence of what I have said on various occasions about the native
heritage of our people. It is a rich heritage, as rich as any other,
European or Asiatic; and when it finds exponents of genius, it
<
(1) I have not mentioned Khalil Gibran in this article, because his
work, in pen and brush, deserves a separate study. — A. R.
�16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
becomes invaluable as an element of permanence and beauty in
American art. If the Syrian-Americans were more conscious of
this, they would be less prone, in the process of Americanization,
to discard the entire dowry of their heritage and their past. They
can, indeed, be better Americans, and more worthy of respect,
by adhering, in principle and practice, to what is of abiding worth
in that heritage and thus encourage the talented among them to
contribute to the art and culture of the country of their adoption—to help in the creation of an American art that shall be
more universal in its appeal than anything hitherto known in the
world.
In these paragraphs, therefore, is more than a tribute to a
few gifted Syrians. In them is also a conviction and an appeal.
The conviction is that only through the exchange of art and culture and the consequent creation of an international supermedium
of expression and appreciation can there be better understanding and a better guaranty of peace and good will among the
nations of the world. As for the tribute and the appeal, they are
actuated by a sentiment that is racial in origin and inter-racial
in scope. The artists I have mentioned are the pioneers of the
Syrian artists of the future; and that the future will be more
artistically and culturally expressive, more creative, than the
present, depends upon the Syrian-Americans themselves. If they
remember and continue to cherish the best there is in their heritage and encourage those who are exceptionally conscious and expressive of it, there is hope. If they do not, they will be lost in
the great melting pot, and the loss will entail something of real
value to the country of-their adoption.
In this connection, and with the permission of the Editor of
this Magazine, I wish to add another word. The new Syrian
generation can not- read Arabic, and its American education includes little or nothing about the mother land. Here then is the
mission of THE SYRIAN WORLD. Its Editor was the first to realize
the necessity of bringing to the young Syrians, in the language
they can read and understand, the knowledge that is lacking in
their education, the knowledge that gives them more self-confidence and self-respect, the knowledge that makes them better citizens, productive and creative in every walk of life, the knowledge,
in a word, that will save them as Syrians and ennoble them the
more as Americans. THE SYRIAN WORLD is indispensable to the
new Syrian generation.
�NOVEMBER, 1930
17
The Capital of the Umayyad
A CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD OF THE EDITOR'S
TRIP ABROAD
By
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
XII.
T
Sv ^lted dme I C°Uld Spend m Damascus was
ant to be
devoted to serious business, but one cannot help making observations of diverse character in this city of hoary age and Checkered
historical record. It was rather pleasantly diverting to a new
comer to see the old and the new in close proximity aUisdZ'eVieW thC
P litiCal U
in
"f of
Sh D
^T
°
?"
*' country,
ot which
Damascus was
the storm
petrel,
against the
back
ground of count ess centuries, and above all,'to"be witness to\
palpable and rapidly growing revival of a national consciousness
manifesting itself in all forms of activity. That my ? me was so
metu^to'Z'f
"t8 li?itati
°n t0 a ^
» dfor
- ^"^
measure to the fortunate
circumstance
of **»
having
companions
my cousin Joseph Mokarzel, editor of the popufar BeiruTweZ
tndot oUfr'thae
^^^ BrAB
Pr min
t kaderS
jy>
f
the
native of Damascus
S
Partv F^khrv 1 °
T
°
^ian Nationalist
larty Kikhry Bey ,s -the scion ofr one of Damascus' old and
wealthy families who, due to his social position and m^mene land
holdings, cannot he p but be interested in politics. BuTkit be
said in justice to him that his interest is not perfunctory jfi
patriotic motives transcend by far any personal advantage that he
may have, and he has given proof of his sincerity of convk ion
by the heavy sacrifices he has undergone. His interest beside
h
ma^ofthe
S ^^ PConstituent
rlkiCaI PhaSAssembly
/ Akh°^and
^
-St
retariesof the Syrian
the author
of
the Syrian National Anthem, he is an active patron of the art
and a leading organizer and promoter of native industries Everv
where when together I had ample occasion to obse ve both Ws
Only on one occasion was I deserted by both of my compan-
�18
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ions. It was when I declared my intention of
visiting the President and
other government officials. Naturally, Fakhry
Bey could not accompany
me by reason of his affiliation with the opposition party. But the editor too thought it inappropriate for him to
make the visit when
every issue of his paper
teemed with bitter criticism and uncomplimentary
cartoons of the President.
But by virtue of the fact
that I was neutral in my
politics, any idea of my
forgoing the visit was out
of the question.
President Tajeddin
waived formalities in according me an immediate
interview without previous appointment. He is
comparatively a young
man teeming with activity. He speaks rapidly
Sheikh Tajeddin El-Hasani
and with unmistaken poPresident of Syria
sitiveness. He could not
....
,
be drawn into discussing
politics but was voluble on other topics. The economic rehabilitation of the country seemed to be uppermost in his mind.
Roads were being built and irrigation projects undertaken which
held great promise. The district of Deir Ezoor offered immense
possibilities of development. Its soil is as rich as that of Egypt
and its water supply as plentiful. The Euphrates runs for a
distance of almost three hundred miles in Syria but is not yet
utilized in the least. The government is vigorously pushing the
training of technicians to carry on the work of reclamation and
�NOVEMBER, 1930
>
development. A score or
more are now being educated
in France at government
expenses.
The President, however,
appeared to be particularly
fond of the project of converting Bloudan into a firstclass summer resort. A large
modern hotel was being
erected in the town which
would not only attract Damascenes but visitors from
Palestine, Iraq and Egypt.
Bloudan being within the
Syrian state, the summer resort facilities it could then
provide would divert the
stream of tourists that now
flows into Lebanon, and consequently the stream of
gold.
19
Muhammad Kurd Alt
Syrian Minister of Education
This policy of husbanding the resources of the state seems
to be not simply the pet conviction of the executive but one that
is consistently followed by other departments. I had occasion to
have it demonstrated to me in a different form when I visited
Mohammad Kurd Ali, Minister of Education, upon leaving the
President's office. The Minister is as genial as he is learned.
rie is ranked among the foremost scholars of the East and has
recently published several authoritative works on the history of
Damascus. He received me with the informality and openheartedness evidently characteristic of the journalistic fraternity
everywhere, for the minister was formerly an editor. Naturally
the conversation revolved on education. To my inquiry as to the
progress being made in this direction, the minister evinced pride
in citing figures of new schools opened and the increasing attendance. Damascus, he said, now boasts a University of the first
rank, where all teaching is being conducted in Arabic, and which
is attracting students from Lebanon, Iraq and Transjordania.
Altogether there are now some 350 schools of all grades in the
country, including a teachers' training school. The radical policy
has been adopted by the government of sending a Moslem girl
��NOVEMBER, 1930
27
to France this year to specialize in the study of education. Altogether the government school attendance is about 30,000, which
figure is conaderably swelled by the large attendance in private
nnn
u PP7^nntioUS ,f°r public "**"«*">* in Syria were £216,000 gold in 1929, while similar appropriations in Iraq, whose
P?2lnT £um°re tha^ three and a haJf milliojls> did "« exceed
±200,000. This proved the great interest of Syria in public
edur
cation.
.
I
"But," remarked the minister dolefully, "we could achieve
much more had we competent teachers. We have the funds and
we appreciate the crying need for the spread of' elementary education, still we find ourselves compelled to proceed'Howiy until
such time that teachers can be trained to fill the ri%^
It was heartening to hear the minister outline his wide^educational program, but I failed to see the reason for delay when I
had just learned from no less a person than-the fV^ent of
Lebanon that the problem of the Lebanese was exactly *he opposite: I hey had an excess of the learned gentry in Lebanon so that
industry and agriculture suffered, and in order to maintain a
safe balance, they were planning to place restrictions on education Could not Syria draw on Lebanon for what the former
needed and the latter had, and thereby accelerate the educational
progress of the country?
The minister gave the following sad explanation: The Syrian
government had decreed a ban on the employment of Lebanese
in any of its departments in retaliation for a similar policy previously adopted by the Lebanese government. It was a pitiful
situation, but one that could not be helped. Not even the excuse
that Lebanon could not accommodate its own large army of office
seekers would be entertained.
If discussion of politics was anathema with the men in power
it was the order of the day with the Nationalists. One could not
help but feel himself in the maelstrom of politics when in the
company of such a man as Fakhry Bey Baroody. I expressed a
wish to meet Hashem Bey El-Atassi, leader of the Nationalist
Farty and President of the Constituent Assembly. The latter
was not averse to giving me a lengthy account of the recent political history of Syria and explaining the Nationalists' grievances.
The interview was treated separately and has already been published in THE SYRIAN WORLD.
Every hour that passed proved that seeing Damascus with
�The tomh of St. Jahn Chrysostom still preserved as a revered shrine in the great mosque"of
the Umayyads in Damascus
^^^^^MWWWBI"
SSSHBMHHHHHBHHHBBHfcL.
3
O
�—
.D
NOVEMBER, 1930
25
such a distinguished guide as Baroody was a potent advantage.
Of course the foremost place of interest in the city was the great
Umayyad Mosque. Our route to it was through Souk El-Tawile
known to the world as the street called Straight. It has been
repaired since the famous bombardment of 1925, but its original
aspect has been retained, roof and all. It seethes with activity
and the,shops present all the display that is wont to be expected
in this most famous of Oriental bazaars. It leads directly to the
great mosque, where one is treated, even oefore entering to a
view of its magnificence. What must have been the peristyle of
the edifice when it still was a Christian basilica remains evident
in the huge granite columns in front of the main entrance The
space between them has now been utilized for book and curio
shops. Building encroachment has been carried to the very walls
or the mosque.
Overshoes were offered us before entering the sacred precincts
but seeing that our companion had shed his shoes we did likewise!
1 he magnificence of the great inner court was only exceeded by
,at °* the mosque proper whose main entrance is from the court
Ihe mihrab and tribune are masterpieces of Oriental art The
tomb of St. John Chrysostom, still standing in the center of the
mosque is not only maintained in good repair but highly revered
by the Moslems. A number of worshippers were devoutly engaged at their prayers, but presently an imam came to our host
with a tale of woe: "A rug has been stolen from the mosque
yesterday, he exclaimed, wringing his hands. He seemed disconsolate.
"But how could the thief have escaped with it?" asked our
guide in surprise.
"It is one of the small prayer rugs," came the reply "The
thief must have tucked it under his jubbah."
To see the countless rugs and carpets covering the immense
floor space of the mosque, one wonders how a small rug could
be so soon missed.
In the fountain of the court were more faithful performing
their ablutions. They were so intent on their task that they did
not as much as give a glance to the sight-seers. Our guide would
show us a sight that few so far had seen. He conducted us back
to a corridor near the main entrance and pointed to a place on the
wall where the plaster had recently fallen as a result of a shock
of unknown cause. It revealed a beautiful landscape design done
*—
" —
�wmmmmmmmmmmmmmmimmmm
24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Interior view of the great Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, showing the tribune and the tomb of St. John
in exquisite mosaic. It is a known fact that the whole great edifice, both from within and without, was at one time covered with
similar work.
It was with regret that we left this great building considered
not only the most magnificent in Syria but among the finest in
the East. What great processions and ceremonies it must have
witnessed in the brilliant history of the city since the advent of
Islam. The tall minarets rising on the four sides still issue the
call to prayer as when the city was the capital of the Umayyads
and later of Saladin. From the great court one can see only the
canopy of the sky, but then the spacious dimensions of the mosque
from a sufficiently vast horizon, whether to the eye or to the
memory. It bears witness in every column and wall and pavement stone to the procession of great historical events of which
it saw the enactment through the succession of centuries.
It was but fitting that from this mosque of great historical
associations we visit an equally memorable shrine just without
the walls on a side alley. It is the tomb of the famous Sultan
Salah Ed-Deen, known to the West as Saladin, and his vizier
'Imad Ud-Deen. The remains of the great Moslem ruler and
general who crushed the power of the crusaders in Syria lie in a
modest resting place devoid of anything equalling the splendor
of similar or lesser historical personages of Europe and America.
——
.-
�NOVEMBER, 1930
25
Perhaps his injunction is
still observed when, at the
approach of death, he
caused a crier to go about
the streets of Damascus
carrying a shroud and
admonishing the pious
Moslems that the few
yards of cloth were all that
the great sultan would
take with him to the grave.
A short walk hence
brought us to the Adeliah
School buildings, erected
bytheAl-Adel (the Just),
and reminiscent of an era
in the history of Damascus
when it was the capital of
learning in the East and
perhaps the world. It was
the period when the city
boasted of three hundred
and sixty schools of various grades, some twenty
Fakhry Bey Baroody
of which formed what f
would compare to our pub- le °* lhe most P°PuJ^ leaders of
the S rian
lie school system in that
y
Nationalist Party
they supported their pupils
from the income of special trusts and foundations. It now houses
the national museum of art and serves as a home for the Arab Academy of Science. The Academy comprises in its membership not
alone the foremost Arabic scholars of the East but the outstanding Arabist of the West. This institution forms the nucleus of
the renaissance of Arab learning in Syria.
Again emerging to the narrow streets of Damascus, one is
led, through open alley and covered bazaar, to what is truly
termed the Arabian Nights' Palace. The approach may be disappointing and is certainly deceiving. The great arched doorway
opening on the street is like many other entrances to sumptuous
Damascene palaces, a drab and dreary aperture in a high wall that
well conceals the beauty and splendor within. But once past
the door one is literally dazzled by the spectacle of beauty and
�r
rm—rp^
26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Section of the inner court of the great palace of Al-Azm in
Damascus
spaciousness that is unfolded to the eye. It was the famous palace
of the family of Al-Azm we were visiting which was now turned
mto a museum of Oriental art
pooh ZtntTh111 SUperflu°US f° refer to ^ « Y fountains and
the mode h the,Spaa°7 mner court when in Damascus even
the modest home has its fountain, and when in more pretentious
residences spouts are found in the main reception half and even
triv'ance fr°TS- ft ** *? **
> k n<* «* ordinary con
tnvaice of sink and faucet-it is the continuous running stream
sort or another of artistic et
SiTLT
> > » «"•» Joy is never
i - compietf
RS
wkhou^t
DamaSCeneS music
a d
The Al-Azm Palace was the residence of the Emir El-Hai
or commander of the pilgrimage, a position of great Tesdge and
fabulous income when Damascus was the starting pSff the
th£ M slems fro
Erf
% MT
°
- great
all"he
coun!
tries of SfTT
the East gathered
,n ^
it for the march
in one
caravan
across the Arabian desert. This event was attended bfgrlt'omp
and ceremony, and the commander of the pilgrimage wielded
over all those ,n the caravan the authority of the ship's c^ak
because he assumed even greater responsibilities. Surdythe'dan
gers attending the long march across the burning desert sani
�NOVEMBER,
1930
27
was attended by the same dangers as those besetting an ocean
voyage in past times. Now conditions have changed in both cases
The greater part of the pilgrimage route as far as Medina is
now covered by rail over a line built in the reign of the Sultan
Abdul Hamid with Moslem contributions. Besides, the automobile has robbed the pilgrimage of all its former frills and thrills
and danger and ceremony.
Imagine, then, the income from the pilgrimage tax, and the
value and volume of gifts from wealthy pilgrims, that came to
the commander of the pilgrimage caravan. Imagine, also, that
a large proportion of this great income was lavished on the creation and decoration of a palace in the traditional manner of Oriental conception, and you have Al-Azm Palace in Damascus.
The reception halls of the palace are completely covered with
mosaic expressive of the most delicate Oriental art. They also
are invariably constructed with a raised dais, covering almost
three-quarters of the floor space of the room, a relic of the times
in the East when hosts and guests shed their slippers by the door
before treading on the thick-napped carpets, or sitting crosslegged on the silk cushions and divans. Very little of the movable
furniture in the palace remains, however, except it be in the
harem quarters which visitors are not permitted to see, because
they are occupied by the families of the French officers in charge.
What would have been a magnificent modern palace, is the
unfinished building of marble and white stone which rises'on the
right side of the great court. It stands out in -vivid architectural
contrast to the older and distinctly Oriental buildings grouped
around the court. Perhaps it is best that it should thus remain
a subject of study of the old and the new in close proximity
In a large room by the main entrance was a motly assortment
of Oriental ware on display. I inquired if they represented any
special art collection, and was rewarded for my interest by the
shocking explanation that they were private merchandise on consignment for sale. What a prostitution!
Under the expert guidance of Fakhry Bey we were able to
cover considerable ground in a comparatively short time, and
benefit by the best expert advice obtainable. Only in one instance
did Fakhry Bey's store of knowledge fail, and that was on the
occasion of our visit to Bab Sharki, or the Eastern Gate, immortalized by the escape of St. Paul from Damascus. Our host-guide
was not acquainted with the details of this historic incident, nor
�28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
A salon in a sumptuous Damascene home giving an idea of
Oriental conception of luxury
are many Christians who should be, for that matter
But the
S
8
Wd
thC Wind W fr m Which
us
uTw"
!^down
° basket, mute
SdW«
us St
St IPaul
was',"
lowered
in a °wicker
andtell
ao-
y
ntro er ible witnesses to
rr I ^r r i
^ **&^ of z
legend We reached the historic spot by a long winding route
that took us alternate y through Baghdad Street to Bab Touma
otherwase known as the Christian quarter, thence to Bab SWki
�NOVEMBER, 1930
29
without the old city walls. Travel could not be fast owing to
the congestion in the narrow winding streets, and it was well
that it were so, for one then had a fuller opportunity to drink in
the intoxicating allurement and fascination of a truly Oriental
atmosphere apparently preserved stationary and unchanging from
the most ancient time. It was the East in its original colors and
heterogenous and crowded activities, going about its daily routine of life unconsciously as in the remotest ages of antiquity.
A more beautiful animated picture of one's dreams and fancies
of the days of the Arabian Nights could hardly be conceived. It
was the reality substantiating the dream in all its color and
glamor.
We profited of our presence in the Bab Touma quarter to
visit the Na'san factories of Damascene handicraft. Here we
saw the skilled workmen at their tasks of carving and inlaying
wood with mother-of-pearl, of hammering brass or inlaying it
with silver and gold, and of weaving rugs or fine cloth. No child
labor laws are in effect in Damascus, and children in their early
teens may be seen bending all their energy on the execution of
their allotted tasks. But the pity felt for them is mixed with unbounded admiration for their deftness and precision. It would
seem an advantage that they grow with their art—for art indeed
are their wonderful products, that could be had at such reasonable prices! They still grow and live under conditions reminiscent
of the ancient guilds. What is surprising, and would appear peculiarly Eastern, is that trades and handicrafts are not only confined to families but to religious classes. Hence we were given,
all innocently and in a matter-of-fact way, the curious information that brass work is the exclusive field of the Moslems, the
woodwork of the Christians and the tapestry and rug weaving
of the Armenians. To further illustrate religious lines of demarkation, Damascus, as well as most other cities of Syria, has its
separate quarters for Moslems, Christians and Jews. Christians
have subdivisions according to their different sects. While now
has come the added complication of creating Armenian quarters.
But in the old city of Damascus there are signs of a healthy
industrial rejuvenation not alone in the line of old crafts but in
most modern fields of endeavor. In all staple necessities the city
can be self-supporting. Fakhry Bey illustrated present conditions to me by proudly pointing out that every article he wore
from head to foot was the product of home industry, excepting
msamSmmmm
,-,,-.
�'.„:;., , Mil* HH-^
30
'THE SYRIAN WORLD
the tarboush and the pass-time beads. His sense of humor made
him fully appreciate the purport of my remark that the two
things he excepted were the on~s most distinctively Oriental
Damascus is a city of a past and a present, and by all reasonable indications, it also is a city of a great future, and as such
it would be presumptuous on the part of anyone to attempt to
condense a description of all things of interest in it and about it
within the limits of a single article. A volume could be written
not only about the city itself but about any number of interesting single places in it. Both the reader and I, therefore, have to
be content with the foregoing passing remarks. What may be
truly said, however, is that the real beauty, the prepossessing
romantic appeal, the distinctive picturesqueness of the city, can"
never be fully appreciated unless seen.
The city left on me a very deep impression, as did the many
ot its citizens whom it was my good fortune to meet. To Fakhry
Bey Baroody, who was so generous in his hospitality and solicitous
in his attention, I owe the fullest measure of thanks. After what
1 had seen of him I am not surprised at the degree of popularity
he enjoys. I vividly remember one of his shining characteristics
—his liberality with kisses. Everyone we met—and many they
were-he greeted with a fond kiss. Naturally we encountered
only the male folks, and to them I strictly confine my observations It is not surprising, therefore, that he should be so idolized by the youth of Damascus who do his bidding whatever the
sacnnce And since kisses are his specialty, it would perhaps
please him to learn that some are now being sent him from across
the seas.
Ships Sail Out
By
ALICE MCGEORGE
The ships sail out on a glassy sea,
Farther and farther away they go;
Will ever my ship come back to me?
The ships sail out on a glassy sea;
A sailor's life is full and free;
To the sailor's wife the sea 's a foe.
The ships sail out on a glassy sea,
Farther and farther away they go.
�NOVEMBER, 1930
31
ALI ZAIBAQ
(QuicksiherJ
THE UNPARALLELED ADVENTURES OF THE
CHIEF OF POLICE OF THE CALIPH HAROUN
AL-RASHID, OF THE CITY OF BAGDAD.
Translated from the original Arabic by
SALLOUM A. MOKAUZEL and THADDEUS S. DAYTON
CHAPTER
III.
QUICKSILVER'S STRATAGEM
OUICKSILVER, after having left the two men who had been
sent out to waylay him, whom he encountered at the well in
the desert, proceeded on his way without thinking further of the
incident. He had left them bound and gagged, but the next day
a caravan chanced to nass that way and set them free. One of these
spies returned to Cairo, but the other, Hassan Ibn El-Husry,
pursued Quicksilver to the Enchanted City in order to contrive
his destruction. But in the course of the whole journey he found
no trace of him, Quicksilver having pursued a different course.
Thus it happened by the will of God that Hassan Ibn ElHusry made his appearance at the gate of the Enchanted City
about two hours before Quicksilver's arrival, thinking that the
latter had already reached there.
No sooner did Hassan, however, draw near to the statue of
brass than it shouted its long-awaited cry which was re-echoed
by the inhabitants of the city who flocked forth from the gates
brandishing their weapons, bent on defending themselves against
the invader. Upon seeing this, Hassan drew his sword and attacked the oncoming multitude, engaging them in a fierce combat.
It was an hour of such desperate struggle that it would cause
the hair of the newborn to turn to gray.
All having hurried forth from the palace on hearing the
shout of the statue of brass the Princess was left alone." The
blacks quickly seized the occasion to enter the city and the royal
1
�32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
palace. They found the beautiful daughter of the King whom
they bound and put in a sack and bore out of the city by another
route which they traversed until they reached a secluded cave in
the mountains where they unbound her. It was there that she
was discovered by Quicksilver who effected her deliverance as
we have already related.
Quicksilver and the Princess made their way toward the
Enchanted City until they were near the great gate where the
battle was being waged. Quicksilver begged his companion to
tarry until he could ascertain the cause of the tumult. Therefore
she remained hidden in a walled garden while Quicksilver ran
swiftly until he came upon the scene of the conflict and beheld
Hassan fighting valiantly against great odds, close to death, being sorely pressed by his opponents.
Quicksilver recognized him instantly, and divined that he
had followed him solely for the purpose of contriving his death.
He stood for a moment waiting to see the outcome of the fray.
Presently the people of the city succeeded in overcoming Hassan.
They bound him and were taking him in captivity back toward
the city. Thereupon Quicksilver cried out to the guards who
were about one hundred in number:
"Woe to you! Release this man, or I shall put you to a most
ignoble death which shall be a lesson to all who will not be admonished."
Saying which he attacked them with surprising valor, striking
with his formidable sword, until they dispersed in flight. Then
he approached Hassan and cut his bonds, and lifted him from the
ground. Hassan, whose heart had now changed and who was
drawn through gratitude to loyalty to Quicksilver, thereupon
addressed him saying:
"Know, O my lord, that the sole reason which prompted me
to undertake this journey was to bring about your death; but had
it not been for you I would now be surely among those who
breathe no longer."
Then Hassan begged Quicksilver's forgiveness, promising
him his devotion forever afterward.
Meanwhile the people of the city had congregated about them
so that the plain outside the walls became filled with horsemen
and footmen. Quicksilver seeing that he would be powerless if
he were forced to contend Jong against this army, made haste
to inform them what had befallen the Princess, and how he alone
�NOVEMBER, 1930
33
had been able to effect her deliverance from the Blacks. Having
thus dissipated the wrath of the people, he returned to the place
where he had left the Princess and brought her into the presence
of her father the King, who rejoiced exceedingly and thanked
Quicksilver profusely. After this the King and his guards proceeded to the cave where the Blacks lay under the influence of
Benj. They were restored to consciousness, tightly bound, and
placed in a dungeon.
When the King had returned to his palace, accompanied by
Quicksilver and Hassan, he could not control his joy over the
deliverance of his daughter and begged Quicksilver to name any
reward that he might desire. He gave him at once a magnificent
palace and ordered for him and his companion provisions of food
and drink of which they partook to their satisfaction and then
retired for rest and sleep for they were exceedingly weary from
the long journey and the day's ordeal of combat.
The next morning they appeared before the King who received them most graciously and reiterated to Quicksilver his
gratitude, his praise for his chivalry and his promises of great
reward.
He asked him what disposition should be made of the Black
captives, whereupon Quicksilver demanded that they be brought
before him. No sooner had they been conducted into his presence
than Quicksilver, overcome by thought of the baseness of the
act they had attempted, drew his sword, sprang upon them and
caused their severed heads to roll in the dust. He left one alive,
however,—their leader, whose nose and ears he cut off.
"Now go to your master," shouted Quicksilver, "tell him
what has befallen your companions, and show him the degradation that has been visited upon yourself."
The leader of the Blacks fled from the Enchanted City with
all speed, and did not delay until he had returned to the City of
the Blacks from whence he came and had fullv informed his
King of all that had occurred.
Quicksilver acquainted the King of the Enchanted City
with his whole story from the beginning to the end: how he
had left his country to gain possession of the magic box of the
All Seeing Eye in compliance with the task that had been imposed
upon him by the Chief of the Sultan's secret police. He asked the
King's help in the accomplishment of his purpose, and the King
replied:
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
34
"Know, O Quicksilver, that you have bound me to you with
gratitude for the great favors you have done me, which I shall
never forget, and even if you should demand of me even my
whole kingdom I would readily grant it. But, O Quicksilver,
know you further, that the magic box of the All-Seeing Eye that
you have set forth to obtain is beyond the reach of all possibility.
Many a man has sought it before you, but in vain. I can give
you no aid in this matter. You alone must seek it in the Island of
Enchantment."
"Now this caused great events to be brought about, a recital
of which will be given hereafter," said the tale teller, "Allah
guard us until the morrow, and you shall learn what befell Quicksilver in the Island of Enchantment."
The Rubaiyat
By
THOMAS ASA
THOU canst in this late hour bring with thee
Visions of Orient lands that Omar knew;
The calm and past'ral breath of Arcady,
The storied past of Times, then old, now new.
Wise Omar mused within thy fragrant scope,
Mused with FitzGerald in another clime;
And left the world the vision of no hope
In other lands than ours, all else to Time.
What realms of truth and beauty has he left
In thy still form, gift of another shore;
The dreams of Youth and Love have since bereft
All thought and hope of what might be before.
Beneath a sky-enraptured cypress tree
He moulded into perfect thought thy shape;
Left to the listening Spheres what well might be
The beginning and end of Life—the Grape.
——
�NOVEMBER, 1930
35
Book Reviews
ANOTHER RIHANI BOOK ON ARABIA
Arabian Peak and Desert, by Ameen Rihani. 280 pp. Houghton
Mifflin Company, Boston, $5.00.
flIHANFs material on Arabia seems to be inexhaustible. During each of the last three years he has been giving out a large
volume dealing with a different section or a different phase of
that country of mystery and charm. And, to be sure, his study
is as thorough as is his description colorful and entertaining. One
need not fear a dull moment when traveling with Rihani through
any part of Arabia, coast or hinterland, desert or settlement, on
mule or on camel, and in the company of kings and potentates or
that of plain townsfolk or soldiers in rags. Travel with Rihani
m Arabia is a thorough education on that country hitherto called
mysterious because of the dearth of authentic information about
it. Now, however, not only do we have the information but we
are treated to it in the most palatable form, coming from the
pen of a master artist.
Rihani's latest work, Arabian Peak and Desert, forms the
third of a series dealing with the author's experiences and observations in Arabia in 1923-24. The former volumes dealt, the first
with Al-Hijaz and King Ibn Saoud, published under the title of
Maker of Modern Arabia, and the second with other Arab potentates and their dominions and was entitled Around the Coasts of
Arabia. Such was the demand for these authoritative works on
a country which is fast claiming the attention of the world that
the first editions were soon exhausted.
Rihani's latest book covers the one important section of Arabia
with which he failed to deal extensively in his former volumes.
MA aman, a country ruled by an autocrat and still adhering to
the practise of Islam in its pristine purity, may be termed the
most inaccessible part of Arabia. And this not because of its geological nature as much as for the fierce suspicion its people entertain for foreigners. And if the foreigners seeking entry be Christians their chances of success are reduced almost to the vanishing
6
point,
•
�36
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Yet Ameen Rihani, thanks to his mission of working for
Arab unity and to a letter of introduction from King Hussein
which he carried to the Image of Perfection Imam Yahya, was
able to reach San'a, the capital of Al-Yaman, perched in the mountains at an altitude of over 8000 feet. But that very potent
medium proved the cause of a very unhappy experience, since it
led to the incarceration of the author under the strictest surveillance over an extended period of time. This may be attributed
to the efficiency of King Hussein's secretary who, in drafting the
letter, failed to mention the name of the man it meant to introduce. Hence the added suspicion of the too cautious Imam.
But the reader need not fear any dullness in the description
of those days of anxiety and growing aggravation of the author.
Of a truth, the chapters dealing with his captivity are the most
interesting. The subtlety of Arab diplomacy is nowhere better
illustrated and the author here surpasses himself in vividity of
description and wealth of anecdote and power of analysis.
Aside from its intrinsic interest and value, this, as well as
all other books by Rihani, should be held in special consideration
by the author's countrymen to whom he brings honor and prestige
by his valuable contributions to knowledge and literature. It
should hurt us in our national pride to find such a gifted one
among us more honored and appreciated by others. And our
appreciation of him should not be confined to mere verbal expressions, but rather should be expressed in the acquisition of his
works so as to better profit by his knowledge. It is not too much
to hope that a collection of Rihani's works should form a prominent part of every cultured Syrian's library.
USAMAH IN ARABIC
Usamah's Memoirs (Arabic), edited by Dr. Philip K. Hitti, 294
pp. Princeton University Press.
THE appearance of this work ushers a new era in the publication of Arabic books in America, inasmuch as it presages the
creation of a publishing center in America that may be hoped to
rival, if not excel, similar establishments in Europe, where the
researches of Oriental scholars might find ready and adequate
expression.
—
I
�NOVEMBER, 1930
37
Usamah's Memoirs is the Arabic original of the work which
appeared in English under the title of "An Arab-Syrian Gentleman of the Crusades", (Columbia University Press, 1929). Dr.
Hitti is responsible for its publication in both languages, he being
the translator of the one and the editor of the other. The book
is a valuable literary discovery. A review of the English edition, previously published in THE SYRIAN WORLD, gave an outline of the contents.
What lends the later Arabic edition its particular importance
is the fact that it is now made available for the first time in the
original. This was brought about by the happy combination of two
elements—the tireless scholarly efforts of Dr. Hitti, and the moral and material cooperation of those to whom the editor gives
acknowledgement in his introductory note, namely, "Professor
Harold H. Bender, chairman of the Department of Oriental
Languages and Literatures, Mr. James T. Gerould, librarian of
Princeton University, and the Mergenthaler Linotype Company."
The dedication is made to Mr. Joseph T. Mackey of the Mergenthaler Linotype Company.
The mention of the Mergenthaler Linotype Co. in this connection reveals another splendid contribution of this American
concern in the promotion of Arabic typography. Having adapted
its composing machine to Arabic some twenty years ago, it has
been assiduously striving at improvement ever since, so that the
Linotype is now equipped to produce Arabic composition of the
most exacting nature and meeting all scholarly requirements.
The first scholarly work composed on the Arabic Linotype was
"As-Suyuti's Who's Who in the Fifteenth Century," (The Syrian-American Press, New York, 1927). The Princeton University Press has since been equipped with Arabic Linotypes of which
"Usamah's Memoirs" are the first product. This is indeed a
great step forward in Arabic publishing in America, and considering the resources of Princeton University and the wealth of
its Arabic manuscripts that await the editor and the printer, nothing now seems to impede the Princeton University Press from
flourishing into a great Arabic publishing center. Surely this
would stand as a monument to American scholarship and its love
for the propagation of knowledge. "Usamah's Memoirs" are set
down as Volume I in Princeton's Oriental Texts, and it is to be
hoped that other volumes will be forthcoming fast and frequently.
�38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The type assortment used in producing the book proves the
vast range of which the Linotype is capable in Arabic composition.
It is cause for regret, however, that the composition falls short
of coming up to the highest standard of the machine. The average reader may not be as conscious of these defects as the typographical expert, but the eye accustomed to certain forms in the
complicated Arabic composition would resent the commission of
digressions not integral to the machine, and surely not coming
within the scope of its mechanical limitations. It is to be hoped
that cause for such criticism as we feel being compelled now to
make, will be obviated in the future.
A FRENCHWOMAN'S DEFENSE OF THE SYRIAN
REVOLUTION
A Damas Sous les Bombes—(French)—by Alice Poulleau. 15 Fr
Bretteville Freres, Rue de la Republique, Yvetot (S-I)n
France.
THE popular French adage "Plus royaliste que le roi" may
well apply to Mile. Alice Poulleau in that she seems to be
more Syrian than the Syrians. For irrevocable proof, one onlv
need refer to her latest book and peruse but a few pages at ran?!??;,At.times .sh,e expresses her sympathies in such strong terms
that the imparfcal reader's faith in her impartiality is put to the
severest test. She mercilessly lashes her own countrymen on
every occasion and discovers attenuating circumstances for every
motive or act of the Syrians. It surely is a great test of moral
courage to publish such a work, and the fact that the French ladV
bearded the task proclaims all the more her great sympathy for
the Syrians and her championship of their cause
"In Damascus under Bombardment" represents the diary of
the author as originally written under the impressions of the
moment. Mile. Poulleau had lived in Syria and Egypt fo^
spirit. That she found herself in Damascus during the tragic
days of the Syrian revo ution of 1925 must have sefmed to her
S!T m:sf°Te'? ** She lived throu&h ^e danger and
was able to witness first-hand the desperate struggle of her brother Syrians for liberty. And as behooves an enfghtened teacher
�NOVEMBER, 1930
39
and a woman of most delicate sensibility, the human appeal in the
situation proved the strongest to her.
She records the sufferings of the
women and children and the heavy
sacrifices of the men with the minimum regard for war exigencies. The
photographic illustrations in the
book, some of which were taken by
the author herself, bear out her text
admirably. One sees only scenes of
ruin and desolation and executions.
As a human document this book
may be considered a valuable contribution to literature on the Syrian
revolution. It is doubtful, however,
that it could have much value as a
work of reference from the political
point of view. Although there is an
apparent attempt to give the causes
and results of the revolution, they
are unmistakably biased and highly
colored. Plainly an effort is made to
put the onus on the French, an effort
which testifies to the author's love
for the Syrians and her championship
of their cause. To cite a single illustration one may refer to her account
of the partial destruction of the AlAzm Palace. While she deplores the
Alice Poulleau
irreparable loss of some invaluable
in the house dress of a
objects of art, caused admittedly by
Damascene lady
the attack of the rebels on the palace
in an effort to take General Sarrail prisoner, she condones the
acts of the Syrian revolutionists and blames the French High
Commissioner for having caused the destruction by his presence.
The same spirit of untempered criticism of the French permeates
the whole book, even to the point where she expresses an unmitigated feeling of shame for some of the acts of her own countrymen.
�40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Because she is French and offers herself as a voluntary witness, Mile. Poulleau's testimony cannot fail of being of great
weight in support of the Syrian Nationalist cause. As a war
document, however, her book could be reckoned most in its sentimental value—the description of the human side of the reign of
terror in Damascus during the revolution, but owing to its obvious
partiality it fails of being impressive as a legal document. It
surely should prove valuable ammunition in the hands of the
Nationalists who may be expected to avail themselves fully of
the opportunity.
Of one thing there can be no question, and that is Mile.
Poulleau's genuine sincerity in her love for Syria and the Syrians. Although she has returned to live in her native country,
she finds her greatest joy in making her surroundings reminiscent
of the years she spent in Syria. There is a room in her house for
Syrian art, as well as a room for Syria in her heart. She is always
singing the praise of Syria and defending it with vehemence and
ability on every occasion. The writer can testify to this fact from
personal knowledge.
S. A. M.
The Garment Fair
By
DR. SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
QAN it, thy cherished, treasured name,
Unflinching face the eye of light?
Has it escaped the touch of shame—
Unsoiled, still comely to the sight?
Has it, thy petted, fondled heart,
Escaped the hard'ning hand of timeDoes it with all the grieving smart,
Or blithely with the joyous, chime?
Then, 'should thy cloak of purple rare,
Or sacking coarse, if such it be,
Seem wondrous bright and passing fair
To them who have the light to see.
�DipVEMBERy 1930
41
EDITORIAL COMMENT
THE LESSONS OF THE
PAST
T'HERE would seem to be as
much fascination in exploring records of the past as in
speculating about the possibilities of the future. Both hold
that element of mystery which
has ever challenged human
love of discovery. And in this
urge for exploration and research may be found the key
to h uman progress. It would be
a drab and monotonous world
indeed that would not be kept
on moving by the potent forces
of science, motivated by the human craving to explore the unknown.
Especially now, when he has
reached a comparatively high
stage of development, is man
anxious to wrest from the bosom of the past the secret of his
gradual progress. Lands known
for their old civilizations are
being overrun by archaeological
expeditions in the hope of discovering traces that might tend
to shed further light on the secrets of the past. With every
new discovery of an important
Jink in the chain of human evolution in the past comes a thrill
that rocks the world even more
than does a new invention. Human thoroughness would not be
satisfied until the whole mystery of the origin and evolution
of the race is cleared.
Hence our elation and surprise at every important find of
old human records of civilization in Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia and other lands of antiquity in the Near East, as well
as in Asia, Europe and America.
The Incas archaeological discoveries in Yucatan may be cited as
a recent instance.
What is of especial importance to us Syrians is the growing evidence of the widespread
influence of our forebears,
Phoenicians or Arabs, in the
spread of civilization. True,
some records of their achievements have been preserved and
are appropriately evaluated.
But much more might be hidden
that will add lustre to their
name once their spirit of enterprise becomes more fully known
and appreciated. And what is of
especial significance is that most
of the important recent discoveries seem to bear some relation
to our ancestors.
The recent discovery of a
Mexican tribe speaking pure
Arabic reported by the Associated Press adds another link
to the chain of circumstantial
evidence that the Phoenicians,
�42
or other Near Eastern people,
were the first to discover America. It is to be hoped that the
scientific expedition reported to
have been equipped by the
Mexican authorities will succeed
in clearing this new and strange
mystery. It would be indeed a
strange turn of fortune if the
iirst reports were authenticated
and the happy result brought
rbout by an itinerant Syrian
peddler.
We may remind our readers
in this connection of another
similar discovery in the Amazon
Valley also reported by the Associated Press. Mention may
also be made to the contention
of some scholars that the Aztec
civilization of Mexico had its
inception in Egyptian origin.
Witness the pyramids and architectural principles common in
both countries. The Egyptians
were not a seafaring people
but cooperated in the conduct
of trade with the Phoenicians,
?nd the latter, being familiar
with Egyptian customs and
usages, may be reasonably said
to have been carriers of the
Old World civilization to the
New World, which they adopted when hardships of sea travel
in the days of old forced them
to settlejiermanently in the new
land they had discovered.
Truly there is incentive and
hope in looking to the future,
but let us not forget the thrill
of romance, the benefit of
THE SYRIAN WORLD
knowledge and the valuable
lessons of experience that dwell
in the past.
THE CORPORATION
|N the matter of the corporation we have chosen to make
haste slowly. The able business
men who compose the board of
directors are giving to THE
SYRIAN WORLD corporation the
same devoted attention they apply to the management of their
own affairs. Their wise counsel,
based on ripe and experienced
reasoning, may be depended
upon to guide the steps of the
young collective Syrian publishing enterprise along the
path that will lead to unfailing
success, inshallah!
But this wise and measured
course should not be misunderstood as being the result of inertia or indifference. The decision of the Board is to the effect
that the corporation will not assume active control and management of the publication until
a definite sum is raised from the
sale of stock. The object is to
insure the smooth and uninterrupted working of the corporate
machinery once it is set in motion.
Our friends who on different
occasions have expressed their
faith in THE SYRIAN WORLD
and their readiness to substantiate that faith by subscription
�.'KOV EMBER, 1930
to stock once the publication is
incorporated, could materially
hasten the execution of the wide
program laid down for it by
their immediate subscriptions.
"We would urge them to send in
their subscriptions regardless of
the amount, not only as proof
of their faith but to insure the
widest possible distribution of
stock. We need not repeat that
holding stock in THE SYRIAN
WORLD corporation implies not
only a sense of patriotism but
is also a mark of good business
judgment which visions the
possibilities of exploiting in full
a virgin field replete with possibilities.
We trust that the response
will prove both immediate and
substantial, that THE SYRIAN
WORLD might inaugurate with
the new year the wide and comprehensive program that will
insure its greater circulation, its
stronger appeal and benefit as
an advertising medium, and its
more appropriate ^representation of higher and finer Syrian
culture.
KNOW YOURSELF
gUCH a glowing description
of the beauty of Lebanon's
scenery as has come from the
pen of Dr. Sylvester Beach,
had it been the contribution of
a Lebanese or Syrian, would
have been attributed to undue
-_
43
enthusiasm and not at all warranted by fact. But the testimony of Dr. Beach is incontrovertible. He is a world traveler who can well cite instances
for comparison. He mentions
the outstanding beauty spots of
Europe, Asia and America and
unhesitatingly states his conviction that Lebanon affords the
most beautiful beauty spot on
Earth. We have no reason to
take issue with him.
That passage of Dr. Beach's
article copied in the October issue of THE SYRIAN WORLD
should prove of manifold interest to Syrians in America. It
should prove an incentive to
them to make an occasional trip
to their motherland to acquaint
themselves with its unequalled
resources of natural beauty to
which their eyes are being opened by foreign travelers. Particularly should this appeal to
Americans of Syrian descent
who are prone to belittle the
country of origin of their parents simply because they know
little or nothing about it. To
see it, therefore, as foreigners
see it, with an eye to its singular natural beauty, as well as
its unparalleled historical associations, cannot fail of being a
potent educational factor and an
incentive to a much needed
sense of racial pride.
It is an established fact that
a large number of the SyrianAmerican generation suffer a
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
sort of complex that is causing first reports on the reaction to
them to drift away from any the newly enunciated British
association of origin. Many policy, neither the Jews nor the
have been known to deny their Arabs are satisfied. From a
descent because of lack of judicial viewpoint this might be
knowledge of anything about considered a sign of fairness and
it. They had no ready sources justice to both parties concernto get any information and this ed. But judging by the temper
bred in them apathy and mis- of the Zionists, it Would be diftrust. Illustrations of this con- ficult to foresee an end to the
dition were cited on several oc- dilemma. They are mobilizing
casions in the Arabic press in all their forces to influence
America and admitted by the world opinion, while the Arabs,
persons involved themselves.
aroused to a greater sense of
This condition need not con- national consciousness and relytinue. Information of the sort ing on the sympathy and supneeded to inspire not only re- port of the whole Moslem
spect, but pride and admira- world, seem immovable in their
tion, is now fully available. It demand for complete recogniis coming not deliberately from tion of their sovereign rights.
native sources but also gratui- This clash of interests will give
tiously from-American sources, England an excuse for perand of the highest type. At manent occupation of the counleast such testimony as that giv- try.
en by Dr. Beach, if it does not
Unquestionably the Palestine
arouse an interest in travel,
problem
is fraught with elemshould at least spur SyrianAmericans to greater interest ents of great danger. And bein enlightening themselves on cause it is essentially a Syrian
facts bearing on their country problem we are resolved to deal
of origin—historical, cultural, with it in the fullest possible
educational, political, social and manner, adhering, at the same
otherwise. The more they know time, to our policy of strict
the prouder they will feel. It fairness and impartiality. Our
rests with them to cultivate the readers will bear in mind that
will to learn.
Palestine is geographically an
integral part of Syria, and as
such its destinies should hold
THE PALESTINE ISSUE for us a paramount interest.
RECENT events affecting the
When our own problem bePalestine | situation
hold comes a world issue we cannot
great portents. As evident from afford to ignore or dismiss it.
i
�NOVEMBER, 1930
45
New British Policy in Palestine
RESTRICTIONS PLACED ON JEW ISH IMMIGRATION — PROMISE
OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVE RNMENT MADE — JEWS INDIGNANT AND AR ABS DISSATISFIED
The long awaited report of Sir
John Hope Simpson on Palestine was
issued by the Colonial Office of the
British Government on October 20
together with a White Paper setting
forth the government's future policy
in the administration of its mandate
of that country. The immediate effect was to cause consternation
among the ranks of the Zionists and
jubilation among the Arabs, because
the Jews saw in it a repudiation of
the Balfour Declaration while the
Arabs read in it a plain admission
by the British of their prior right
to their own homeland. At the time
this is written, twenty days after
the issuance of the Colonial Office's
statement, Jewry all over the world
is reported up in arms against the
British and directing against it all
manner of accusations and threats,
while the Arabs, flushed by their
initial victories, are reported not
altogether satisfied with the British
admissions and concessions and insisting on the full recognition of
their sovereign rights.
Immediately upon the publication
of the British statement Dr. Chaim
Weizmann, president of the Jewish
Agency for Palestine and of the
World Zionist Organization, sent a
strongly worded letter to Lord Passfield, Secretary for the Colonies, denouncing the British policy as unfair
to the Jews of the world to whom
Great Britain gave to understand
that it would faithfully aid them in
reestablishing a national homeland
in Palestine. Later he issued a pub-
lic statement giving the reasons for
his action in detail and asserting
that on several instances in the past
Great Britain acknowledged the right
of the Jews to reconstruct a national
home in Palestine and pledged its
aid to them in the furtherance of
their program. The White Paper of
1922 was cited as having made such
an explicit pledge to the whole Jewish people who were to take their
place in Palestine "by right and not
by sufferance." He takes issue with
the government statement on the
question of unemployment in Palestine and denies that it is caused
by Jewish immigration. Jewish immigration was to be restricted, he
pointed out, not because it would
cause unemployment but because
unemployment
already
existed
among the Arabs. "This distinction
is of great importance because the
possibility of giving Jewish immigrants employment depends in large
measure upon the import of capital
into Palestine from the Jewries of
the world," he declared. "The capital
is sent to Palestine to promote the
growth of the Jewish national home
—it is sent to create employment for
Jewish immigrants. If it cannot
serve that purpose, Jewish capital
will not go to Palestine."
Following the action of Dr. Weizmann, Lord Malchett, chairman of
the council and political committee
of the Jewish Agency for Palestine,
also resigned both chairmanships as
a protest against the new Palestine
policy of the British Government.
�46
In his letter of resignation he showed plainly the temper of the Jews
over tfca government's action, characterizing it as "an act of almost
unparal eled ingratitude and treachery committed by a government
toward a credulous and harassed
peoph who believed they had found
a haven under the broad aegis of
the British flag and the guaranteed
word of British statesmen."
The effect of the British statement on American Jewry was even
more pronounced. They held mass
meetings of protest and proposed to
appeal to the American Government
and to Congress for action against
Britain on the grounds that the
United States was definitely committed to favor the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Felix M.
Warburg announced on October 31
his resignation as chairman of the
administrative committee of the
Jewish Agency for Palestine charging that Lord Passfield had misled
him and that the statement of Britain's policy was "a cruel betrayal
of trusteeship" in Palestine. Leading
Jews of America, including chief
Justice Brandeis, also registered
strong protests.
CAUSE OF JEWISH COMPLAINTS
The principal cause of Jewish
grievance against the newly enunciated British policy in Palestine is
the imputation of the White Paper
that the Jews have taken too much
for granted and acted on the assumption that they were the government and not the British mandatory
authority. England, therefore, proceeds to formulate a policy that in
its opinion will represent its obligations impartially towards both the
Jews and the Arabs. Accordingly it
lays down two fundamental principles for its future government of
the country, the first being the re-
THE SYRIAN WORLD
striction of Jewish immigration and
the second the establishment of a
tirm of representative government
that in its opinion will be expressive
of the will of the people and suitable
to present conditions of the country. The government has not gone
far enough to satisfy Arab demands
m full, but it has certainly conceded
to the Arabs sufficient privileges to
render the Jews fearful of the collapse of their dream of establishing
a homeland in the country of their
ancestors.
The decision of the goverment to
restrict Jewish immigration is based
on its study of land available for
settlement. On this point the statement discusses the relative positions
of the Jews and Arabs as follows:
"The condition of the Arab peasant leaves much to be desired and
a policy of land development is needed if the improvement of his condition of life is to be effected. The
sole agencies which have pursued
a consistent policy have been the
Jewish colonization societies, private and public. The Jewish settlers
have had every advantage that capital, science and organization could
give them. To these and the remarkable energy of the settlers themselves their remarkable progress is
due. On the other hand, the Arab
population, while lacking the advantages enjoyed by the Jewish settlers,
has by an excess of births over
deaths increased rapidly, while the
land available for its sustenance has
decreased by about 250,000 acres.
This area has passed into Jewish
hands."
Concerning the present and future
distribution of land the government
says:
"It can now be definitely stated
that at the present time and with
the present methods of Arab cultivation there remains no margin of
�NOVEMBER, 1930
land available for agricultural settlement by new immigrants with the
exception of such undeveloped land
r.s the various Jewish organizations
hold in reserve. The provision of a
margin availabh for further settlement depends upon the progress
made in increasing the productivity
of the land already occupied."
With reference to further Jewish
immigration, which is inseparable
from the land question, the British
government again cites its Palestine
mandate, which "directs that the
lights and position of other sections
of the population shall not be prejudiced by Jewish immigration."
"Clearly, if the immigration of
Jews results in the prevention of
Arabs obtaining work necessary for
their maintenance, or if Jewish unemployment
unfavorably
affects
the general labor position it is the
duty of the mandatory power to
reduce or if necessary to suspend
such immigration until the unemployed portion obtains work," continues Lord Passfield. "Under the
present circumstances his Majesty's
Government considers their suspension of immigration under the labor
schedule of last May fully justified."
NEW FORM OF GOVERNMENT
On the subject of the second important point, that of constitutional
development, the British government reviews the* efforts made in the
past to give the inhabitants of Palestine some measure of self-government and criticises the Arabs for
failure to cooperate in these schemes
and for demanding a form of constitution incompatible with Britain's
mandatory obligations. Despite such
opposition and past failures, the
British government declares itself of
the opinion that the time has come
to set ua a new form of Palestine
government and has determined to
47
do so. Moreover, it gives warning
that "all possible steps will be taken
to circumvent any attempt Which
may be made to prevent the establishment and operation of such a
government." The new government
machinery, as described by Lord
Passfield will consist of a Legislative Council comprising the High
Commissioner and twenty-two members, of whom ten will be official and
twelve unofficial. The unofficial members are to be chosen by primary
and secondary elections. If through
the failure of any part of the community to participata in the elections not enough unofficial members
are chosen by ballot, they will be
ajjpointed by the High Commissioner.
Furthermore, the commissioner will
retain the power to insure that the
mandatory power will carry out its
obligations to the League of Nations
including urgent legislative acts,
and also the power to maintain order. The legislative council will, of
course, include both Jews and Moslems. For the purpose of maintaining order and preventing in the future such disturbances as happened,
last year Britain will maintain in
Palestine and Transjordania two
batallions of infantry, two squadrons
of aircraft and four sections of armored cars. Measures will also be
taken to strengthen the police force.
The British Government concludes
the statement of its future policy
in Palestine with an appeal to both
Jews and Arabs to cooperate with
each other and Britain. "It is only
the closest cooperation between the
government and the leaders of the
Arab and Jewish communities that
can prevent Palestine from drifting
into a situation that would imperil
on the one hand the devoted work
of those who have sought to build
up a Jewish national home, and on
the other the interests of a majori-
�48
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ty of the population who at present
possess few resources of their own
with which to sustain the struggle
for existence.
"To the Arabs, his Majesty's Government would appeal for recognition of the facts of the situation and
for sustained effort for cooperation
m obtaining that prosperity for the
country as a whole by which all will
benefit.
"From the Jewish leaders his
Majesty's Government ask recognition of the necessity of making some
concessions on their side in regard
to the independent and separative
ideals which have been developed in
some quarters in connection with the
Jewish national home, and for accepting as an active factor in their
policy that the development of the
country shall be carried out in such
a way that both Arabs and Jews receive adequate consideration."
ARAB REACTION
Although the effect of the publication of the British White Paper
was one of consternation and dismay 'among the Jews of Palestine,
it did not cause much jubilation
among the Arabs. The latter,, it is
true, felt some elation at the limitation set on Zionist dreams of expansion, but the concessions made by
Britain were not sufficient to meet
all their national demands. In proof
of their partial gratification, however, they have decided not to hold
this year their regular strike of protest on the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration.
The Arab viewpoint was made
clear in a statement given out by
the Arab Executive and contained in
a special dispatch to the New York
Times. It reads as follows:
"Despite publication of the White
f'aper recognizing the rights of the
Arab people in Palestine, the Arab
Executive must continue to protest
with all its force against the Balfour Declaratic. , which is still part
of the program un which the London
Government bases its policy in Palestine and which is a stumblingblock on the road of Arab national
aspirations.
"The Arab Executive asks the
government to do away with this
policy and also demands definite abolition of the Balfour Declaration because only with that abolition will
the Holy Land have real peace."
It is learned from the same source
that the Arabs are divided into two
camps, the extreme nationalists who
would be satisfied only with the
complete abolition of the British
mandate and the moderates who appear anxious to have the mandate
continued. The latter party comprises
many Moslems as well as all the
Christians who believe British evacuation under present conditions
holds an element of great danger.
IMMIGRATION PERMITS
A few days after the issuance of
the White Paper, the British authorities approved permits for 1,500
new Jewish immigrants to Palestine.
This neither satisfied the Jews nor
alarmed the Arabs, inasmuch as the
newcomers would not affect the Arab
labor market but would be engaged
in existing Jewish enterprises. The
Arabs' sense of caution, however,
prompted their Executive to draft
a strong statement which the High
Commissioner cabled to the Colonial
Office in London. The government is
urged to prevent dangerous unrest
among the Arabs by publishing a
statement allaying their anxiety and
silencing Jewish protests.
'
�NOVEMBER, 1930
49
Political Developments in Syria
FRANCE TO ENTER INTO TREATY RELATIONS WITH LEBANON
— SYRIANS AWAIT RETURN OF HIGH COMMISSIONER
m
During the long absence of High than the English in the terms the
Commissioner Ponsot in France the latter granted to Iraq.
The fact that King Faisal had
Syrians had to adhere perforce to
spent
considerable time in Paris and
a policy of watchful waiting. Under
was in frequent conference with the
the circumstances, nothing could be
highest French authorities lends
done until the High Commissioner
weight to the belief that he was
issued a new declaration of policy
let into the secret of the new French
embodying the results of his conpropositions for Syria.
ferences in Paris. And M. Ponsot is
What may be a hint as to the
known to be deliberate to the extent
of aggravation in the opinion of some probable solution of the Syrian probSyrians. Still it is generally agreed lem is the reported new plan that
that to wait a reasonable time and France is said to 'have prepared to
reach satisfactory results is pre- apply to Lebanon. The papers of
ferrable to hasty action that will lead Beirut have referred lately to unto further complications. The Syr- usual activity in official circles and
ians at present seem to be hopeful reported an exchange of secret visits between the President of the Reof satisfactory results.
public and the Acting High CommisWhat is considered a major de- sioner. The cause of this unprecedvelopment in the Syrian political ented activity was explained by Lisituation is the statement given out san Ul-Hal as presaging radical
by King Faisal of Iraq while en changes in the relations of France
route to Baghdad from Europe and Lebanon. The paper claims to
through Transjordania. The state- have received authentic information
ment is considered all the more im- from its Paris carrespondent on the
portant in view of his Majesty's in- nature of the new changes involved,
terest in Syrian affairs and the fact which, summarized, are as follows:
that he was at one time king of
Substitution of the mandate by a
Syria and dethroned by the French.
treaty agreement between the two
The purport of his statement is
republics, subject to ratification Tt>y
unqualified advice to the Syrians to
the respective legislative bodies of
refrain from passive resistence to the two countries.
the French and to cooperate with
France will agree to protect Lebthem wholeheartedly in carrying out
anon against military aggression
the proposed program which High
and demands in return that Lebanon
Commissioner Ponsot will outline to
place at its disposal in case of need
them upon his return, The French,
alT its transportation and port facilihe is reported to have said, propose
ties. France also agrees to the creato be most liberal in their future
tion of a Lebanese national army,
policy in dealing with the Syrians,
under command of French officers,
and shall not be found less generous
but subject to service only within
�50
Lebanese borders and for purposes
of national defense.
Lebanon will enjoy the widest possible form of self-government, employing only French technical advisers where natives are not available.
French advisers will act only in an
advisory capacity and will be paid
by the Lebanese government.
France also undertakes to facilitate the entry of Lebanon jn the
League of Nations at the earliest
[ossible opportunity, and to accelerate the economic rehabilitation of
the country by the employment of
French capital.
The Lebanese paper, however, is
silent on the conditions governing
the employment of French capital
and guardedly hints that this might
rrove the stumbling block in the successful conduct of the negotiations.
The return of M. Ponsot was expected early in November. Information reaching the Syrian press from
Paris was to the effect that he would
soend a few days in Egypt to confer
with Syrian leaders in that country
on his proposed plan for the solution
of the Syrian problem. Then with all
the preliminaries arranged he would
order general elections for the Representative Assembly which in turn
would elsct a president or chose a
king or decide on any other form of
government without restriction.
There were rumors at one time
that the mandatory power had agreed
to permit the unity of the States of
Syria, the Alaouites and Jebel Druze,
but later it transpired that the negotiations then on foot were for a
closer economic cooperation between
these states under a supreme economic council.. Otherwise, it is argued, a separate constitution for
each would not have been promulgated.
Reports from Damascus announce
active preparations by the authori-
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ties for the coming elections, but so
far the attitude of the Nationalists
remains vague, no definite policy
having yet been reached by them on
the subject of the elections.
LEBANESE DECORATIONS
WIDELY PROTESTED
Ever since the announcement of
the Lebanese government's decision
to award decorations of merit to a
number of Lebanese and some
French consular officials abroad, a
storm of indignation has been raised
by the press of both the United
States and the home country. The
principal objection seems to be not
as
much
against
the award
as against the indiscriminate manner in which the decorations have
been conferred. Moreover, the liberality of the government in the matter was cause for bitter criticism
and ridicule. To issue decorations to
a list of over five hundred and fifty,
with promise of increase, was unprecedented. The government is accused of having shown extreme bad
taste in including in the list persons -of little consequence and who
c'aim no outstanding service in the
cause of their country, but to whom
the award was made simply as a
favor to some of their influential
relatives. This at once destroyed
whatever value may have attached
to the decoration and prompted many
recipients to reject it as a gesture
of protest.
Widespread criticism is said to
have moved the government to a reccrs:deration of its action with the
possibility of rescinding the decorations altogether.
'
'
�NOVEMBER, 1930
51
About Syria and Syrians
MEXICAN TRIBE
SPEAKS ARABIC
Lived in Inaccessible Part of Mexico
for Over Four Centuries.
The Associated Press made public
on October 20 the following dispatch
irom its correspondent at Tuxtla
Gutierrez, Chalpas, Mexico:
"Wandering Turkish merchants
returning here from the Simojovel
district, 'have reported discovery of
a strange tribe speaking a language
similar to Arabic which inhabits an
almost inaccessible mountain retreat
there. The tribe which calls itself
Absolutan", preserves Oriental customs, does not speak Spanish or any
Indian dialect and shows no trace of
the Malayan civilization which is so
common in other parts of Chiapas.
"The merchants said members of
the tribe claimed to have inhabited
the region for almost four centuries, remaining entirely apart from
the outside world."
Mexican Paper's Report.
A Syrian paper of Mexico reports
the same discovery on the authority
of the Excelsior, the principal paper
of Mexico City, and gives the latter's version of the important event
as follows:
"While a Syrian peddler was traveling in little frequented places in
the districts of Chiapas and Tapasla,
his steps were fortunately guided to
a mountain ridge supposedly uninhabited and of extremely rugged formation. Penetrating the virgin forests, the peddler-came across a tribe
of natives whose hospitality he
sought for the night. He addressed
them in Spanish, with which he is
well conversant,, but they answered
in Arabic to the effect that they could
not understand his language. Naturally the Syrian peddler was struck
with surprise at the unexpected development as it was beyond his wildest fancy that he should address
members of a Mexican tribe in the
native language of the country and
they should profess ignorance of it
and answer him instead in the language of his own ancestors.
"The peddler asked them why they
had chosen to live in such an isolated
section away from civilization, and
they answered him in intelligible
Arabic that they had been living
there in self-sufficiency for hundreds
of years and that the only language
they know is the Arabic.
"When the exploring peddler returned to the city and reported his
discovery to the authorities they immediately took great interest in the
matter and prepared to equip a scientific expedition to visit the home
of this lost tribe and ascertain its
origin and ancestry. Also a special
investigator was sent by Excelsior to
accompany the expedition and report on its findings.
"In speaking of the tribe the Syrian peddler said that its language
was pure Arabic of the Egyptian
dialect, and that its customs and
dress were in strict conformity with
Arab standards."
[Editor's Note—The reference by
the A. P. dispatch to the "wandering merchants" being Turks is erroneous. Aside from there being no
Turks in Mexico the Turkg do not
speak Arabic. The reference may
�52
THE SYRIAN WORLD
have been prompted by the fact that
in certain sections of Mexico Syrians
and Lebanese are commonly known
as Turcos.]
Aztec Related to Chinese and
Egyptian.
Coincident with this report comes
the announcement by G. Ryden, archaeologist, of Los Angeles, Calif.,
that he is forced to deduce the existence of a connection between the
Aztec civilization of Mexico and that
of the Chinese and Egyptian as a
result of the finding of ancient funeral urns in a buried city in the
State of Jalisco, Mexico.
This news was also given publicity by the Associated Press in a
dispatch from Los Angeles on October 2.
The urns discovered are believed
by Mr. Ryden to date back to at
least 2 500 B. C, according to the
report. The twenty-six that are in
the possession of the archaeologist
stand from two to four feet in height
and were taken from excavations
made in tombs beneath an old city
at the Hacadera Los Copales.
"Without question," Ryden said,
"there was a connection between the
Chinese and Aztec civilizations and
possibly with the Egyptian. Many of
the faces on the urns are pure
Chinese in character and others
strongly resemble ancient Egyptian
sculpture and pottery. The tombs
were so old that an ancient and
ruined city had been built above
them."
Phoenician Traces in South America.
Less than a year ago, in December,
1929, an Associated Press dispatch
from Brazil had reported the discovery of important Phoenician inscriptions in the Amazon Valley
which would justify the opinion that
the Phoenicians were the first to
have discovered America. This important news was reported in The
'Syrian World at the time, but in
view of the more recent discoveries
referred to above, and in the interest of presenting a complete record,
the earlier dispatch on the Brazilian
finds would bear republication. It
follows:
"Discovery of inscriptions carved
on Amazon Valley rocks has revived
a belief that 4,000 years or more ago
Phoenicians discovered America, navigated the Amazon and built a city
there.
"The finds were made by Dr. Barbosa while on a trip a few months
ago with General Rondon, Brazil's
most famous explorer. The carvings
were in hieroglyphs.
"Information about them is withheld while decoding goes on, a job
expected to take about a year. They
were found in rock formations along
the Cumina River in the State of
Para and on bits of pottery.
"If the decoding comes up to the
expectations of archaeologists, it is
said excavations will be attempted
on the shores of the Cumina in
search for the buried site of a city.
"The name of this city, according
to tradition, was Atlantida. Curiously, this is the same as the name of
the continent that some geological
and archaeological writers say once
existed in the Atlantic Ocean and
that may have formed either a land
bridge or link for communication between the old and the new hemispheres.
"Other localities in the vast Amazon basin have furnished Phoenician
traces. At the confluence of the Solimao and Negro rivers, on a small
is'and called Pedro, what appears to
be a Phoenician ship-is carved on a
large rock."
�NOVEMBER, 1930
RIHANI TO SPEAK
AT TOWN HALL
With the opening of the Fall lecture season our celebrated author
and lecturer, Ameen Rihani, finds
himself called upon to fill a heavy
speaking program. On November 22
he is scheduled to speak at Town
Hall under the auspices of the
League for Political Education. This
organization is known to sponsor
lectures and discussions by outstanding visitors to America.
Mr. Rihani will deliver two additional addresses during November,
one at the National Arts Club on
the twelfth and the other at the
Poetry Society on the 20th.
LADIES' AID SOCIETY
GIVES DINNER-DANCE
The Ladies' Aid Society of New
York opened the social season by a
dinner-dance given in the grand
ball-room of the Elks Club in Brooklyn. Mrs. Dominick J. Faour, the
president, in her brief address of
welcome, announced that the society
had collected and distributed since
its organization a sum of $75,000.
Mr. S. Dowaliby acted as master of
ceremonies.
LEBANESE GOVERNMENT
TO ASSIST SUFFERERS
When news reached Lebanon of
the Santo Domingo disaster, in
which several Lebanese lost their
lives and others suffered almost a
total loss of their belongings, the
President of the republic called a
special meeting of the cabinet to
discuss ways and means of extending aid to the sufferers. An appropriation of 50,000f was made for
immediate relief and for repatriat-
53
ing those who elect to return to the
homeland. The mandatory authorities will be consulted as to the best
method for dispatching and distributing the relief appropriations.
SYRIAN COMPOSER
ARRIVES IN NEW YORK
Metri El-Murr, a well-known Syrian composer, arrived in New York
for a limited visit. For the last
thirty-five years Mr. El-Murr has
been in the lead in the movement
for modernizing Arab music. He is
particularly noted for his knowledge
of the Byzantine technique.
RADIO TALK ON
EDUCATION IN SYRIA
Mr. Ibrahim Dada, a Columbia
student hailing from Damascus and
specializing in education, was given
the opportunity by the Y. M. C. A.
of making a radio talk on the subject of education in Syria. Undoubtedly actuated by the best intentions, his talk was a very effective expose of the "abject ignorance" of 80 per cent, of the population of Syria. The talk might
have been intended as an appeal, but
it was certainly cast in the wrong
phraseology. Such discussions might
prove of value at the proper place
and time, as when addressing an
audience interested in the study of
education. But to go on the air with
a gruesome description of black
ignorance among one's own people is
far from being desirable. It would
be better we wash our dirty linen
in private, and not expose ourselves
to further misunderstanding by
stressing or magnifying an unfortunate condition.
�———
54
THE SYRIAN WORLD
HITTI TO PUBLISH
IMPORTANT BOOKS
WARM PRAISE OF
SYRIAN SINGER
Upon publication of the Arabic
edition of Usamah's Memoirs, reviewed elsewhere in this issue of
The Syrian World, the American
press of New York hailed the occasion as marking a new era in American
publishing
enterprise
in
that the book represented the first
work in Arabic published by an
American University press.
In an interview with the correspondent of the New York Sun, Dr.
Hitti is reported to have outlined
his plans for the publication of the
second volume in the series of
Princeton Oriental texts, entitled
Baha-Al Din's "Al-Juz' Awwal" the
sacred book of the Druzes of Syria.
It will be recalled that two years
ago Columbia University Press published a book on this subject by Dr.
Hitti, in which he made use of the
manuscript which will form the basis
of the new volume. This manuscript,
with several others dealing with the
religion of this Mohammedan sect,
is in the Garret collection on deposit in the Princeton University
Library. The account of the interview further states "that the publication of this manuscript will
bring to light for the first time the
secret scriptures of an interesting
Islamic sect which has been greatly
influenced by both Judaism and
Christianity."
Fedora Corban, styled the Syrian
nightingale, had a successful Western tour last summer and received
praise from music critics that would
bear out Mr. Rihani's appraisal of
her gifts as expressed in his article
published in this issue of The Syrian World.
We copy the following from the
Kansas City Times of July 3.
"Radio listeners had the unusual
experience yesterday afternoon of
hearing a fine coloratura soprano,
great in volume and with dramatic
timbre, broadcast over WDAF. Fedora Kurban was the singer and in
her voice was the dreamy and sensuous charm of the Orient from
which she came.
"With a voice that encompasses
three octaves, is warm and fluent
throughout its range, she sang the
"Bell-Song" from "Lakme" and followed it with the brilliant aria that
forms the climax to Bellini's opera,
"La Sonnambula," in which the
sleep-walker awakens to love and
happiness.
"In her singing of Delibe's music,
the singer disclosed rare good taste
and a skill that is likely to be the
despair of most Occidental singers.
The wealth of vocal ornamentation
in the "Bell-Song" was delivered
with effortless ease. Trills, staccato
passages, sustained high Ds, Es, and
finally a triumphant F floated out to
a multitude of listeners. In Bellini's
music she disclosed a lovely pianissimo, swelling to a full ringing tone.
"She sang in English a song of
the desert, "Allah, Hear Me Calling" by Maloof, in which the tropical
warmth of her voice carried with it
genuine emotion. "The Garden of
My Heart" was another example of
temperament and fervor."
—M. K. P.
ALICE POULLEAU'S BOOK
BANNED FROM SYRIA
Publication of Mile. Alice Poulleau's new book "In Damascus Under Bombardment", caused the
French authorities in Syria to take
drastic action against it. An official
decree by the High Commissioner
bans entry of the book into Syria
and forbids all translation or publication of its contents.
BBHWBH
�NOVEMBER, 1930
SYRIA REFUGEES'
DUMPING GROUND
The press of Syria reports a
strange migration movement to that
country which has been going on
steadily for several months in a
manner calculated to attract as little
public attention as possible. The
movement finally assumed such proportions as to arouse public suspicion, and resulting inquiries revealed that the new immigrants
were neither Armenians nor Greeks,
although most of them had embarked at Greek ports. They finally proved to be Chaldeans who before the
war inhabited Kurdestan but have
since scattered throughout Caucasia
and Russia while some found their
way to Persia and Greece.
The present immigration movement into Syria is said by the Syrian
press to be the result or an agreement between the mandatory authorities and the representative of the
Chaldean Patriarch in Beirut. The
authorities
promised
homestead
sites for these refugees on condition they would settle and engage in
agricultural occupations, otherwise
all assistance would be withheld
from them. Already over a thousand
families have settled in the district
of Deir Ezzour under the terms of
the agreement. Homes as well as
many other facilities have been provided for them.
Coincident with these revelations
comes the report that three Armenian representatives arrived in
Beirut the latter part of October to
make arrangements for settling in
Syria and Lebanon fifteen thousand
additional Armenian refugees now in
Greece.
With economic conditions in the
country at their Ipwest ebb, the
press is by no means complimentary
of the action of the mandatory power in facilitating the influx of all
55
these aliens. A leading paper of Beirut publishes the account of this
new migration movement under the
caption: "Syria 'has now become the
home of the homeless."
SYRIAN-AMERICAN CLUB
HOLDS ANNUAL CELEBRATION
The Syrian-American Club of Danbury, Conn., held its annual celebration in its clubrooms Sunday afternoon and evening, October 5. The
attendance was well over five hundred drawn from many parts of the
New England States and from New
York City. There was music and
dancing as well as speechmaking.
Mr. Michael Trabulsi presided.
The Syrian-American societies of
New England, particularly of Connecticut, have for many years been
holding these annual celebrations
which take at times the form of national gatherings, attended by deputations from a score, or more societies, who come with gifts and expressions of good will. The effect has
been a strengthening of racial ties
along with a keener appreciation of
citizenship obligations.
SPANIARDS SHOW TOLERANCE
TO MOSLEM STUDENTS
Spain is well on the way of losing
its stigma of having been the land of
the Inquisition. Not only are the
Spaniards showing tolerance towards Christians of other denominations, but they are even displaying
unusual courtesy towards
nonOhristians. The following Associated
Press dispatch from Cordova, Spain,
dated November 7 plainly interprets
the signs of the times. It reads:
"The high chant of a Moslem
religious service rose in the ancient
Cathedral of Cordova today for the
�56
THE SYRIAN WORLD
first time in 500 years, interrupting
But the young sheikh could not
for a moment a Catholic mass being as easily dismiss from his heart the
celebrated by the local clergy.
love of the beautiful urban maiden.
"A group of Moorish students, So, carried on the wings of desire,
touring the old province of Andalu- he chose two companions of proven
sia, which was wrested from their valor and set out in the direction
forebears five centuries ago, halted of the village to carry out a bold
in a corridor of the cathedral where plan. They forced the house of tJhe
verses of the Koran still decorate girl in the most approved romantic
the walls.
style and proceeded to carry her
"Oblivious of their whereabouts, away from her bed. Awakened by the
they burst into the chant as the commotion, her father raised the
Catholic service was in progress in alarm among the inhabitants who
another part of the church. The hastily armed themselves and sallied
Catholic clergy, realizing that the forth in pursuit of the kidnappers.
students were touring under gov- They overtook them on the outernment auspices, suspended their skirts of the village and engaged
service until the chant ended."
them .in..battle. The sheikh-lover
placed the girl in charge of one of
his companions and with the other
held the pursuers in check. The vilARAB SHEIKH ENACTS
lagers, owing to their superior numREAL LOVE DRAMA bers, were gradually closing in upon
the Arabs. It was now a hundred,
What a pity that the camera man then fifty, then twenty-five yards.
was absent!
The situation was becoming desperFor there was enacted in northern
ate
and the Arab appointed to guard
Syria the latter part of October a
real love tragedy of which the hero the girl left her to come to the aid
was a genuine Arab sheikh and the of his companions. She, profiting of
villain the father of his beautiful the opportunity, broke away to join
beloved!
her father, but fell exhausted in noThe story as reported by the Syr- man's land. A villager made a desian press mentions the names of the
perate dash to rescue her but was
persons and places involved in the
felled
by a well-aimed bullet. Andrama and leaves no room for doubt
as to its authenticity.
other member of the posse made a
Briefly, it relates that Emir No- similar attempt and met the same
waq El-Ahmad, a ranking sheikh of fate. Then the father made a last
the Mawali tribe, young and hand- desperate effort to reach her and the
some and romantic, became enamorembattled Romeo plunged a dagger
ed of Sabha, a bewitchingly beautiful maid of the village of Nahtara, in his side. Then lifting his prize in
district of Edlib, in northern Syria. his powerful arms, he swung her beHe sought her hand in the conven- hind him on his fleet Arabian horse
tional manner but was dismissed by and rode away with her under the
her father with the remark that he
mantle of the night.
would never consider giving his
daughter in marriage to a wanderWhat romancer could invent a
ing bedouin.
more daring and blood curdling plot!
�——-
NOVEMBER, 1930
57
PAN-ARABIAN PICTURE
CORPORATION, LTD.
Authorized Capital Stock
40,000 SHARES COMMON
$5 PAR VALUE
Main Office:
512 Union Bank Building
Los Angeles, California.
This is a purely Arabian organization, the first and only corporation of its kind in the world dealing in the moving and talking picture
industry in Arabic. It comprises the three elements necessarily associated with the film industry namely, production, distribution and
exhibition.
This is the age of amusement and our people, whose enterprises
and adventures are proverbial, must have their due share in this
flourishing industry. It is the intention of this company not only to
furnish the entertainment but to insure also for our people the organizing credit and profit.
We will make talking pictures of an Oriental character which will
acquaint our people in the American continent and in the East with
our historical deeds and cultural attainments. This we will perform
directly and through various theatrical groups.
We will also produce pictures of various phases of Syrian life in
the different cities and countries and present them to our countrymen
in other parts of the world and at home together with pictures of
famous men and great events in both the East and foreign lands and
wherever Arabic-speaking peoples may be, so that they may be informed of each other's leaders and affairs.
We intend to train the talented ones of our race in music, singing,
acting, etc., in order to have our own professionals and thus provide
them with employment.
Will you help us to attain that goal? Be a stockholder and gain
the privilege and credit in making this corporation a success.
You will not be risking anything. Your money is amply protected
by the laws of the state of California which guarantee you that only
10 per cent, of what you pay for the stock will go toward the preliminary expenditure if the company does not raise the necessary capital for the work. Otherwise your investment will be very profitable.
The general sales agent, Edward Gillett, will travel throughout
the United States in the interest of the corporation. Application for
subscription to stock may also be made to the corporation's headquarters in Los Angeles or to any of the Syrian papers, or to the corporation's representative in New York State, Mr. A. G. Milkie 160
Greenwich St.,, New York City.
�58
THE SYRIAN WORLD
STATEMENT OP THE OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT. CIRCULATION
of The Syrian World, published monthly at New York, N. Y., Oct. 1, 1930.
STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF NEW YORK.
Before me, a Notary Public, in and for the state and county aforesaid,
personally appeared Salloum A. Mokarzel, :who, having been duly sworn
according to law, deposes and says that he s the pub isher of The Syrian
World, and that the fo lowing is, to the best of his knowledge and belief,
a true statement of the ownership, management (and if a da ly paper, the
circulation), etc. of the aforesaid publication for the date shown in he
above caption, required by the Act of August 24, 1912, embodied in section
411, Posial Laws and Regulations, printed on the reverse of th's form, to wit:
1. That the names and addresses of the publisher, editor, manag'.ng
editor, and business managers are:
Name of—
Post office address—
Publisher, Salloum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenwich Street.
EJitor, Sal oum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenwich Street.
Managing Ed'tor, Salloum A. Mokarzel
104 Greenwich Street.
Business Managers, Salloum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenw ch Street.
2. That the owner is: (If owned by a corporation, its name and address
must be stated and also immediately thereunder the names and addresses
of stockho ders owning or holding one per cent, or more of total amount of
stock. If not owned by a corporation, the names and addresses of the individual owners must be given. If owned by a firm, company or other unincorporated concern, its name and address, as well as those of each individual
member, must be given.)
Salloum A. Mokarzel, 104 Greenwich Street.
3. That the known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or hoiding 1 per cent, or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other secur ties are: (If there are none, so state.) None.
4. That the two paragraphs next above giving the names of the owners, stockholders, security holders, if any, contain not only the list of
stockholders and security holders as they appear upon the books of the
company but also, in cases where the stockholder or security holder appears
upon the books of the company as trustee or in any other fiduciary relation,
the name of the person or corporation for whom such trustee is acting is
g-ven; also that the said two paragraphs contain statements embracing affiant's full knowiedge and belief as to the circumstances and conditions under which stockholders and security holders who do not appear upon the
books of the company as trustees, hold stock and securities in a capacity
other than that of a bona fide owner; and th's affiant has no reason to believe that any other person, association, or corporation has any interest
direct or indirect in the said stock, bonds or other securities than as so
stated by him.
5. That the average number of copies of each issue of this publication
sold or d'stributed, through the mails or otherwise, to paid subscribers during the six months preceding the date shown above is.
(This information is required from daily publications only.)
S. A. MOKARZEL.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 6th day of October, 1930.
[Seal.]
Edna M. Huckner.
(My commission expires March 30, 1932.)
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
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1926-1935
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<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
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TSW1930_11reducedWM
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The Syrian World Volume 05, Issue 03
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1930 November
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Volume 5 Issue 03 of The Syrian World published November 1930. The issue starts off with an article by Dr. F. I. Shatara discussing the New British Policy in Palestine. Shatara, a Palestinian Arab, followed the events closely and wrote an article describing the situation. It primarily focused around the religious wars of the area, and England's place in reconciling the situation as the colonial power in charge. Featured next is a special article from Ameen Rihani discussing the subject of the Syrian in American art. Following that is Salloum Mokarzel's account of Damascus from his travels, in which he takes the readers through the principal quarters and places of historic importance. Following a poem titled "Ships Sail Out" by Alice George there is a continuation of the "Ali Zaibaq" serial from the previous two issues. In addition to the usual book reviews of the last few issues there are two poems, one by Thomas Asa and the other by Dr. Salim Y. Alkazin. The issue concludes with a further editorial discussion on the New British Policy in Palestine, more on the political developments in Syria, and lastly articles from the Arab press that specifically relate to Syria and Syrians.
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Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
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English
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
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New York Public Library
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
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Text/pdf
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Text
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Alice George
Ameen Rihani
F.I. Shatara
Law
New York
Palestine
Poetry-English
Salim Alkazin
Syria
Thomas Asa
Travel
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/63102579a5a5ae3b6c65bb9009f3e920.pdf
d3c11cfeea51f6a95214ac5878f5a353
PDF Text
Text
MAY, 1930.
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
A
MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ENGLISH DEALING
WITH SYRIAN AFFAIRS AND ARABIC LITERATURE
m
i
ORIGINALITY IN REFORM
AMEEN RIHANI
FROM TRIPOLI TO LATAKIA
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL
ESSAY ON LIFE (POEM)
THOMAS ASA
THE SYRIANS IN AMERICA
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL
ARE THE SYRIANS ARABS?
(AN EDITORIAL)
SYRIA PROCLAIMED A REPUBLIC
THE COPY 50c
!
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THE
SYRIAN WORLD
Tublished monthly by
SALLOUM
A.
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
MOKARZEL,
Editor.
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single copies 60c
I•
Entered as second-class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New
York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
MAY, 1930
VOL. IV. No. 9.
CONTENTS
Originality in Reform
5
AMEEN RIHANI
From Tripoli to Latakia
SALLOUM
15
A.
MOKARZEL
On the Art of Writing
26
KAHLIL GIBRAN
Essay On Life (Poem)
27
THOMAS ASA
The Minor Key (Short Story)
LABEEBEE
31
A. J.
HANNA
The Syrians in America
37
SALLOUM
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CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
Editorial Comment.—
A
Are the Syrians Arabs?
41
Express Yourself!
43
l Spirit of the Syrian Press
44
Political Developments in Syria
Syria Proclaimed a Republic
49
About Syria and Syrians
52
ANNOUNCEMENT
OF THE CLOSING OF THE CONTEST
FOR
THE SYRIAN WORLD'S FREE TRIP TO SYRIA
APPEARS ON PAGE 4
-•
�IN THIS ISSUE
AGE
1
3
4
9
P,
AMEEN RIHANI seems public in Syria should be conto have an inexhaustible store sidered a historical event of
of rich Arabian experience. His paramount interest. The manlatest book "Around the Coasts ner in which this came to hapof Arabia" bears testimony to pen together with pertinent
the truth of this assertion. And comment on the attitude of the
he tells about them in such an Syrian Nationalists, will be
inimitably fascinating way. The found most timely. * * * The
account of his experiences with principal poetical contribution
men and things in Jeddah, and in this issue is an able essay by
his near-haj to Mecca, as told THOMAS ASA, whom our
in his article appearing in this readers came to know and apissue of THE SYRIAN WORLD, preciate by his many former
should prove a feast of delect- contributions. DR. S. Y. ALable reading to the discerning. KAZIN also contributes one of
* * * Continuing the account of his delightful lyric composihis travels in Syria, the editor tions. * * * A short story by
takes his readers in the present LABEEBEE A. J. HANNA
instalment beyond the borders gives an intimate and graphic
of Lebanon and into the Ala- description of a phase of Syrouites—to Tripoli and beyond, ian-American home life. * * *
into a land rich both in Phoe- We wish to call particular atnician relics and magic-like tention to the editorial in this
Crusader's castles. Readers will issue dealing with the imporalso undoubtedly enjoy the des- tant question of whether the
cription of the Pond of the Syrians in America should
Sacred Fish, which, by the way, choose to be called Syrians or
is no "fish story." They will Arabs. A symposium is encouralso appreciate the uncomfort- aged in an effort to ascertain the
able feeling of the editor and drift of sentiment on this subhis companion with a chauffeur ject. * * * The department of
of an oddly mixed breed who the Spirit of the Syrian^ Press
insisted on being familiar and will be found teeming with inhad the habit of relinquishing terest and giving reactions to
his hold on the steering wheel public questions in the fairest
while the car was tearing up spirit of impartiality. * * * The
the road at 110 kilometers an news section is exceptionally
hour. * * * Declaration of a re- broad and inclusive in this issue.
__
1
-
�CONTEST CLOSED
A NEW OFFER MAY BE CONSIDERED
Owing to the delay in the publication date, we are
able to announce the closing of THE SYRIAN WORLD Contest for a free trip to Syria, set for June 10, in this issue.
We regret to state, however, that none of the contestants has attained the mark necessary to win the
Grand Prize. Their awards for subscriptions secured will
be forwarded them in the course of this month.
Hard times and the shortness of the contest period
have been partly blamed by some entrants for their failure. If some of the present entrants wish to make another attempt, with a whole year in which to work for the
prize, we might consider a further extension on the same
conditions.
New entrants wishing to register for the contest are
also invited to communicate with us as a second offer of
the prize will not be confined to old entrants. Rather,
a substantial addition of new entrants will favorably influence us to consider another offer.
New participants wishing to know the conditions of
the contest will be supplied with literature upon request.
We would ask them to write to us early.
The prize would be, as in the former offer, a free
trip to Syria and return with liberal cash allowance to
cover expenses of all shore excursions on the way over.
Address all communications to Contest Editor,
104 Greenwich St., New York.
SYRIAN WORLD,
THE
�y-nffiitw
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
MAY, 1930.
VOL. IV. No. 9.
Originality In Reform
An account of some of Mr. Rihani's strange experiences and
observations in Arabia.
By
AMEEN RIHANI
* A UN UR-RAFIQ, uncle of King Husein and former Sherif
of Mecca, was a man of wit and violence;—a philosopher
with a smile and an axe;—a sarcastic, caustic, iconoclastic Arab.
He refused to acknowledge, for instance, that pilgrims are people.
Pilgrims are—pilgrims. But what matters if the Grand Sherif
gives them the cold shoulder? Allah and the Prophet will give
them, of a certainty, a warm welcome in Al-Hijaz. The sun of
Al-Hijaz! thinkest thou that those who come to scald their
sconces in it are people? Thinkest thou, O most pious one, that
those who come from the end of the earth to drink the salt water
of Zamzam, and smell the stenches of sacrifice at Mina, and burn
in the Juhannam of 'Arafat, and starve in the streets of Mecca,
and if they survive, go back with the germ of pestilence in their
blood—thinkest thou that they are people? They are pilgrims,
O most pious one, and they deserve what they get.
And 'Aun ur-Rafiq was descendant of the Prophet with Wahhaby tendencies. He could see no use in tombs of waits (saints)
especially, to which the widow and the barren wife and the halfnaked, half-witted Bedu repaired for divine assistance. The tomb
of a wali is called a maqam, a shrine with a dome, of which there
is a multitude in Al-Hijaz, and on which the facetious 'Aun pronounced judgment. Let the widow and the barren wife go to the
right man, said he, and let the half-witted Bedu go to the Kaaba.
Invoke Allah alone: the waits are dead and cannot help. Every
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
domed shrine was therefore doomed; and many of them were
destroyed. The people groaned and moaned and appealed in
vain. The Sherif 'Aim the maqamoclast would not hear^ would
not care. But when the agents of destruction, the hosts of a Unitarian faith, arrived at Jeddah and stood with their spades before
the greatest maqam in Al-Hijaz, in Arabia,—in the whole world,
—which is the three-domed tomb of "our mother Eve," (1) the
citizens of Jeddah, knowing that the Sherif would not hear their
protests, appealed to the European Consuls. But what had the
Consuls to do with a religious reform in Arabia? They asked
themselves this question; and one of them, a man of genius,
answered. We have much to do with it. Eve is neither a saint
nor a Moslem woman: Eve is our mother as well as the Muslerns'. The Consuls, therefore, took action, and the Sherif was
amused. "But think you," he asked, "that 'our mother' was so
tall? If the stupidity is international, let the tomb stand."
But King Husein had a gentler wit and a milder method of
reform. He was subtle and original. Without touching a tradition he modified, and often nullified, its evil. One of the marvelous features of the Hajj, for instance, was that some of the
pilgrims, in an ecstasy of devotion, would throw themselves in
the well of Zamzam, believing it to be the quickest and safest
way to eternal bliss—a short-cut to Paradise. Now, King Husein
did not say to them that this was a form of insanity, nor did he
prevent them from indulging in it; but he had the well covered
with a wire net.
That epidemics accompanied the hajj in the past, even nested
in the Holy Places, is a matter of common knowledge; and there
was more than one or two or three reasons for it. King Husein
saw one reason immediately before him. The water ducts in Mina
were open, and the pilgrims, who go there to stone the devil,
do not give a thought to the microbe. They trample upon it, and
throw it in the stream, and then by drinking the water, put an
end to it! To the pure all things are pure. Which His Majesty
also repeated, and believed. But to cover the ducts is not irreligious, and a hydrant can work no evil. With a hydrant and iron
pipes, therefore, did he combat the microbe in Mina.
Indeed, he has even gone so far as to establish hospitals and
(1) It is sixty-five feet long with three domes and in an enclosure outside
the city wall containing other tombs. The women of Jeddah visit it
every Thursday.
.
�MAY, 1930
'
combat disease in a scientific manner. Of the two hospitals in the
City of Mecca one is exclusively for the poor; but both have
examination and operation rooms completely equipped, competent doctors and nurses, a drug department, and special wards
for women and children as well as for the pilgrims. Thus the
test of faith—the hardships and the sufferings and the disease
which the pilgrims welcome and endure—is fast disappearing.
In a middle degree, however, it may still be found at Kamaran (1) and.at the Island of Abu Sa'ad(2). Nevertheless, King
Husein thought that his Quarantine is the best in the world.
Moreover, the English at Kamaran were usurping, not only his
rights, but also his own Arab islands,—"Let them come and see
how well we can disinfect and how well we can care for the health
of the pilgrims. They cannot be more solicitous about them, O
dear one, than we are
Our Quarantine is incomparable. Come
and see with your own eyes."
His Majesty clapped for the servant and ordered the launch.
He was ever thus, with rarely a program for the day, but always
sudden and surprising. An excellent method to keep the servants
alert and the soldiers on guard; but it does not always succeed
in Arabia. The launch! And in a few minutes, while every one
in the Palace was in a flurry of preparation, a soldier came in to
say that the launch was ready. Nothing else was. His Majesty
put his galoches on with his own hand and walked out without
his black sleeves, without his Secretary, and without uttering a
word of dissatisfaction.
We were accompanied by the Ameer Zeid and the Minister
of the Navy. In a few places, as we steamed out of the landing,
the launch touched bottom and the sailors had to get out and
punt Whether in a motor car or a motor boat in the Hijaz we
were sure to get stuck in the sand. Once we were in the open,
however, the engine hummed, and in an hour we were at the
Island of Abu Sa'ad. The pilgrims, seeing the royal launch,
crowded around the landing. The Turks in baggy trousers—souvenirs of the old regime—shouted at them and tried to drive
them back. King Husein motioned, Nay, with his head and hand;
and as soon as he landed he was besieged by them.
They came rushing from every direction to kiss the royal
(1) The Red Sea Quarantine for those who come from the East.
(2) The Quarantine of Jeddah.
�8
THE SYRIAN WORLD
hand. Not a word was spoken, not a voice was heard. Of all the
pilgrims, the Javanese are the most welcome at Jeddah and the
most liked; for they are rich with piety and devotion, as well as
in the things of the world. Moreover, they are the first to arrive
and the last to depart. To them the pilgrim season is seldom
short of six months;—six months in the vicinity of Allah and
the Prophet!—and they shed tears of sorrow when they leave.
They shed tears of joy too when they saw the Descendant
of the Prophet. I have never seen such expression of reverence,
of devotion, of ecstatic servility; and as they crowded around
this man, grovelling, bending, whining words of worship, they
seemed at a loss how to bow or kneel. Those that fell on both
knees kissed the hem of his robe. Others rubbed their face against
his shoes, others against his breast; and having done, they withdrew, but not their gaze, and stood at a little distance with outstretched hands. More than King was he to them, and more than
Sherif: they stood before a revelation, as it were, a substantiation.
The Prophet himself seemed to be patting their cheeks, their
backs, their hands. I could see that the King was moved, and his
words were few. He made no effort to free himself, but stood
there the centre of the most .extraordinary demonstration, the
rarest human devotion;—a victim of his own faith and the faith
of his fathers, which, transplanted in the tropics, in equatorial
regions, sapped every vestige of other faiths and developed to
the proportions that border on the ugly and grotesque.
For half an hour we were lost in that half-naked yellow mass
of human devotion. Nor could we proceed. We were squeezed
out of one group into the press of another, for there were in the
Island that day about two thousand Javanese. Out of one of the
houses the women came and stood near the door hesitating, some
of them looking beseechingly with outstretched hands. The King
turned in their direction and in a moment he was swallowed up.
Now and then his white turban would become visible, as they
surged and resurged around it and carried it eventually into the
house. We stood watching and waiting. The King was again
visible. He stood at the door and clapped for one of the servants,
who came cringing and trembling; and, with tilted head and
folded arms, he received a good rating in Turkish. One of the
women had complained of the lack of water.
The Quarantine consists of about ten buildings, mostly one
story, each with two doors in the centre facing each other. You
�MAY, 1930
\
His Hashemite Majesty ex-King Husein
(From the only photograph known to be in existence)
enter into a vestibule on either side of which is a concrete floor
about a foot high. There the pilgrims, after they had passed
through the fumigation room, spread their mats and rugs and
bedding, and pile their luggage as a partition between each other.
In a sense, the place reminded me of our Ellis Island. But here
�. —1.— -^....
10
..
THE SYRIAN WORLD
are no iron bars, no dark rooms, no stuffy sleeping quarters, no
smelling berths, no heart-eating suspense, and no danger of
deportation.
The utter lack of furniture made these buildings look so
clean, so airy, so hygienic. The only complaint seemed to be
about water. Had they had any previous knowledge of Jeddah,
however, their present thirst would be more supportable. They
would accept it, one said, as a test of faith;—the only one remaining, and lasting only three days. Those who have contagious diseases are removed from the steamer direct to another island not
far from Abu Sa'd, with a hospital in it, and beds in the hospital,
and doctors and nurses in charge;—and they have a little to do
in the pilgrim season, in spite of Kamaran at one end of the Red
Sea and Tor at the other.
Only a few, however, escape with their contagion to Jeddah;
but most of them carry among their baggage a pack of precious
merchandise. Oriental treasures,—pearls and jades and precious
stones, and silks and cashmeres and rugs,—the rarest sometimes
and the oldest, are brought to the Hijaz by the pilgrims. They
pawn them or sell them when their money gives out. Or they
carry them as presents to the Grand Sherif or to the Kaaba. But
eventually they find their way to the merchants of Jeddah, who
are careful not to expose or advertise their treasures. Not for
them the tawdriness of the bazaar; but in their homes they transact business, and only through the courtesy of a native can the
stranger find them. It is the East, indeed, reticent and retiring,
—ever content with what the day will bring.
Even the motawwifin (guides) are acquiring again this native
quality, thanks to the legislations of the Hijaz Government. For
as soon as the pilgrim lands in Jeddah, he receives a circular
printed in his own language in which his attention is called to
the fixed tariff. Everything, from the sanbook in the harbor to
the last ceremony of the Hajj in Mecca,—board and lodging in
the two cities, the trip to Mt. 'Arafat, the Zamzam drink, the
guide's fee, even the bakshish is listed. This much and no more
must you pay, O most worthy hajj; and please report to the
authorities any violation of the Tariff.
The only item he has to bargain for is the transportation to
Mecca, because, the circular says, the fee depends upon the availability of camels. But I do not think the circular is exact; for I
suspect that the camel market cannot be controlled, and the cameleer remains a mercenary and an unrepentant one.
|
�MAY, 1930
IT
To the motawwifin also, in spite of the Tariff, all pilgrims
are not the same. There is, to be sure, a scale of desirability and
favor, at the top of which stands the Javanese and at the bottom
the blacks of Takrour. The reason is obvious. The motawwif
or his agent has a tourist rather than a pilgrim in a Muslem of
Javaj but in a Takrouri black there is nothing to attract a servant
of the Kaaba. He is as hard as a stone;—a hard working man,
rather, who works his way across, coming from Port Sudan
empty-handed, carrying and fetching in Jeddah, and after a few
months, with his well-earned piasters in his bosom-pocket, he
walks to the Holy City, where he loafs and invites his soul.
Between the two extremes there are different shades of liberality,
of sanity, and of sordidness. The Indian pilgrim reads well the
Tariff and keeps it in his pocket} the Egyptian reads it once and
forgets it} the Syrian glances over it and tears it up. He knows
better. He is, of all pilgrims, the most impervious to bunco. He
is the "wise" one. The Egyptian is perhaps as wise} but he is
not so close-fisted as the hajj from Syria.
To the Sherif 'Aun, however, they were all pilgrims; and to
his nephew King Husein "they are all our children, O dear one,
and they all deserve our care and attention
The Quarantine
is good, is it not so? And can we not fumigate as good as the
English? And can we not mitigate, by the grace of Allah, the
evil effects of this new creature they call the microbe?"
We were in the launch on our way back to the City, and
His Majesty was in a talking mood.—"When I was in Stamboul,
O dear one, I was asked by the Padishah and his Grand Vezier
if it were not possible, in order to combat the cholera, to build
for the pilgrims houses outside of Mecca. What do they know
about the pilgrims, they who live thousands of miles away from
the Holy Places? And what do they know about the cholera
and its cause? Ibn'ul-Athir in his History says that from Iraq
alone in the pilgrim-season came eighty thousand camels—I say,
eighty thousand camels} and often two and sometimes three pilgrims ride in a litter. But Ibn'ul-Athir mentions not the cholera.
Not one case among a hundred thousand pilgrims that came
across the desert. It is not so with those who come by sea. For
among two or three thousand who make a sea voyage of twenty
or thirty days, disease is certain to break out, either in the boat,
or in Jeddah, or in Mecca itself. This, O my dear, is one of
the facts.
"And there, are others which our friends in Stamboul and
�dL
12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
even in Europe do not know. When the cholera breaks out in
Mecca it confines itself to the pilgrims. The natives do not
catch the disease. They are fortified—I say, fortified. Allah, in
his wisdom, through the climate of Al-Hijaz, prepares them for
a state of resistance and maintains them in it. Otherwise, who
would serve the pilgrims? Even in At-Taief the microbe of the
cholera does not prosper outside of its own environment. Six
thousand cholera-infected pilgrims were once sent to At-Taief,
and not a single case among the inhabitants—I say, not a single
case. What is the conclusion, O dear one? The microbe is brought
from the East, across the ocean, into our land, and does not take
to our people. Allah, praised be he, is all-knowing. And thinkest thou that houses outside the City will keep away the microbe?
There is another vital point, O perfect one. The pilgrims come
from afar to pass the pilgrimage days in the Great Mosque and
in Holy Places,—inside of Mecca—I say, inside of Mecca, and
not outside. What do they know of the pilgrims, they who live
thousands of miles away from the Holy Places?"
His Majesty smiled and held up his two hands, the palms
toward his breast, in a gesture of finality. After which, reverting
to the Quarantine, he asked me again if I did not think it was
a perfect institution. The International Medical Commission,
which was inspecting quarantines that year, had arrived in Egypt,
and I suggested to His Majesty that they be invited to see Abu
Sa'd, thinking that he might be thus made to realize a few of its
deficiencies. But he took my suggestion at its face value, and
ordered his Foreign Secretary to cable to the Hashemite Agent
in Cairo about the matter.—"Let the esteemed Commission come
and inspect our Quarantine and the means of purification and
health at Abu Sa'd."
Of all such means, I think King Husein only believed in the
sun and the air;—"Consider, O thou brilliant one, the cupidity
of people. They charge the pilgrim for fumigation at Tor, and
they charge him for fumigation at Kamaranj and they want furthermore to have a hand in Abu Sa'd and thus exercise full
authority over the pilgrims, our children and our brothers. But
this shall never be, it is impossible—I say, impossible."
One of the clauses of the Angler-Arab Treaty, which King
Husein refused to sign in the winter of 1921, was that Great
Britain shall have the right to appoint English doctors for the
Quarantine of Abu Sa'd. Not the trifle of an income for a few
of their doctors was the clause meant to insure, it was suspected,
�13
MAY, 1930
but the establishment rather of British authority over the Hajj.
The suspicion may not be justified. But it should be noted that
the modern British method of interfering in the affairs of Arabia
and establishing or maintaining an influence in the country, includes an interest shown in public health and is sometimes confined to it.
It should also be stated that the Quarantine at Abu Sa d is
a superfluity, considering the one at Tor in the north-end, and
the other at Kamaran in the south-end, of the Red Sea. Had
King Husein ordered it closed, therefore, he would have closed
with it that imaginary door to health through which Great Britain is supposed to be seeking to establish her influence in the
Hijaz. He might have even reformed Abu Sa'd or abolished it
by applying to it his famous method, which I have mentioned,
and of which I give another example.
There was in Mecca an ancient royal band with a cobweb or
traditions upon it. Which band played before the royal Palace
three times a day, and three times a day drove His Majesty to
infidelity. But traditions have to be respected, nevertheless, and
doctored in a gentle manner. Now, one of the traditions concerning this band was that its members shall serve for life; and
when one of them died, the King appointed another to take his
place But King Husein, the wise and patient reformer, seldom
failed in his method of shuffling off a mortal coil. Five years
ago a drummer died, and there was no appointment. A year later
one of the buglers gave up the ghost, and His Majesty said:
"What harm if it be a bugle less?" Soon after the tambourine
was orphaned, and the royal pleasure was great. Thuswise by
the help of Allah and 'Izrail, the Angel of Death, he hoped to
get rid of the whole band.
Let the reformers come to Mecca and learn. Bttt they may
not like myself, get any farther than Hadda in their schooling;
and I doubt if they will get a better reward for their pain His
Maiesty, after staying two weeks in Jeddah for the sake of the
perfect guest", went back to Mecca on important business, leaving me with the Poet-Minister and the Poet-Soldier (I discovered one night that my fellow countryman and friend Captain
Yanni has also a liaison with the Muse). Nevertheless, I was in
the suds Even the chanting of Sheikh Fouad had lost its magic.
"Perish our vain desires! the tempest dark
Heeds not the wishes of the driven bark."
�14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Indeed, O my Sheikh, indeed. I could have welcomed the
Mecca band in those dreary days. My thoughts even dwelled
upon the drearier tradition which kept me out of the Holy City;
and I sat down, yielding to the mood, and wrote to my royal
friend the following lines:
My Lord King Husein, Allah uphold him:
There is a heart in my heart, and thou art today its Kaaba;
and there is an eye in my soul, and thou art today its only horizon.
If a religious tradition prevents me from following thee to the
Holy City, it cannot prevent my heart and my soul. But I am
human, O thou of Majesty; and the body would feign follow
the heart
Canst thou not make it possible? Wouldst thou
thus abandon a loving guest, who feels, in thine absence, like a
weaned infant in a desert of separation? Shall not the desert
blossom and the silvery waters therein stream again by single
word—the word, Come—which My Lord canst utter? It is the.
fond hope, the dream, which is still cherished by
Your Majesty's Devoted and Grateful Friend.
Two days after, I received a reply signed by His Majesty at
the top, and couched in a phraseology which is even more savory
than my own. Here in proof is the translation:
My dear esteemed one:
Salaam and profound respect. Thy note was received with
the fingers of love and longing; and great as my joy was in
perusing its precious words, even greater was my shame in having left thee in leddah. The sincere one, thine ever, hath done
himself the wrong of depriving himself of the pleasure and the
benefit of the virtues of thy liberal mind. And howsoever important the necessity of this deprivation be deemed, it is, alas,
but an argument against me. Albeit, there be in thine excellences
and the discernment thereof what renders all explanation superfluous. Nothing in sooth will lighten the affliction which I
impose upon myself so much as my belief that the causes and
reasons (for such action) are among the things which thy virtues
deem worthy of consideration. Allah protect thee, O dear one,
and favor me with the opportunity to compensate for what hath
passed.
Neither in Arabia's golden meadows of prose, nor in her
hanging gardens of poesy find I words more mellow and flattering. His Majesty returned to Jeddah a week later, and in his
majlisy of a certainty, were compensation enow.
a
�15
MAY, 1930
From Tripoli to Latakia
A CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD OF THE
EDITOR'S TRIP ABROAD
VIII
By
r
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
A LL my travels so far had been through a relatively familiar
country. I had not ventured beyond the borders of my native
Lebanon, and although I now visited many a place I had not
seen before my migration some thirty years ago, I felt I had of
it some intimate knowledge which dulled the edge of novelty.
Not so, however, with the interior and outlying sections of
Syria. They had seemed as strange and distant as any part of
Europe or America. Under the old order, Antioch, Damascus
or Aleppo, were as difficult for a Lebanese to reach as Egypt
or Europe. This was due to both political and physical reasons.
Lebanon enjoyed an administrative autonomy which raised
between it and its neighbor states all the barriers known to international conventions. Nor were the physical means of access
conducive to more intimate relationship. Where roads existed
they were bad or dangerous, and it was a feat of valor, immortalized in popular song, for one to travel to Damascus alone. Aleppo
and Antioch were at a much greater distance, and only the desperate attempted to reach either city on business, much less undertake a pleasure journey.
For one whose early recollections of the country were of
such nature, a journey to the interior and border sections of Syria
was in the nature of real adventure. It was in this spirit that I
ventured on it, and the many novel surprises and thrills with
which I was met were ample compensation.
We descended the slopes of Lebanon from Ehden early on
Monday, August 5. One of my companions was familiar with
the country and its lore and made many an interesting observation. Passing through a small town he told us that it was Sebel,
famous for its wine of which the poet sang:
�16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"All wine may under prohibition fall
Except the goodly, sparkling wine of Sebel."
And this from a native priest. Further on we passed a fort-like
monastery crowning a strategic hill. Said our companion: "This
is where the Lebanese hero, Joseph Bey Karam, defied an army
single-handed when he was in open revolt against the dowlah
(state). Daoud Pasha, first governor of autonomous Lebanon,
at the head of a Turkish regiment, intrenched himself in this
monastery. He knew that he could not overcome our hero by
force and resorted to a stratagem. Declaring a truce, he invited
Joseph Bey to a conference, and our hero would not show fear.
He entered the building alone and left his men on guard without. But when the Pasha ordered him arrested as a rebel, he
drew his trusted sword and cleaved his way through the ranks
of Turkish soldiers to freedom. The battle that ensued between
the men of the Bey and the soldiers of the Pasha is recorded
in Lebanon's history in letters of gold. Its tale of horror will
cause the hair of infants to turn grey."
Shortly after we reached the town of Zgarta in the coastal
plain of Tripoli and not far from the latter city. The tale my
companion told of this town is curious but nevertheless authentic.
Zgarta in the plain is the winter abode of the inhabitants of
Ehden, which lies in the upper reaches of the mountain. Every
year there is a general migration from one town to the other
at a fixed date. During summer Ehden is a beehive of activity,
with its milling throngs of natives and visitors, while Zgarta is
a dead city with only a few watchmen to guard the deserted
houses. The order is completely reversed in winter when the
population moves to Zgarta and Ehden is totally evacuated. It
would be interesting to learn if a similar case exists anywhere else
in the world, where each family has two fully equipped homes,
and a general exodus of the population takes place every year
with the inexorable regularity of Lebanon's seasons.
We reached the city of Tripoli in time to keep our luncheon
engagement with Kabalan Effendi Ontra, Vice-President of the
Town Council, who had arranged to have us meet at this function many city notables and government officials including the
governor, Khaled Bey, the President of the City Council, Hashem Effendi Zouk, and Nejib Bey Maloof, Military Commander of the Northern District of Lebanon. Jamil, the son
of Kabalan Ontra, then took us in charge for a tour of the city.
�The great citadel of Tripoli, occupied successively by Crusaders, Arabs and Turks, the parapets of which saw the enactment of the stra nge love tragedy recounted to the editor
�18
'THE SYRIAN WORLD
The governor of Tripoli and other guests at the luncheon given
the editor by Kabalan Ontra, Vice-President of the City Council
who is second from left, the governor fourth.
We sped along a beautiful highway among Tripoli's famous
citrus groves to the Port, a few miles distant. The latter place
bears all the ear-marks of a hoary antiquity. We had to pass
through an arched street to reach the quay, stepping at times over
the bodies of the porters sleeping peacefully in the cool shade
on the pavement. Only row boats and a few sailing vessels were
in the harbor.
But Jamil had reserved for us a better treat. Upon our return
to the city he conducted us through steep and winding, narrow
streets to the great citadel which crowns the highest hill of the city
and awes and dominates it. Many were the times the place had
changed hands from Crusader to Arab, and the masonry bears
marks of the different periods of occupation by each. During
the reign of the Turks it was used as a penal prison; now
it is completely deserted and shrubs and trees have grown in the
moat. The fortress is immense and ominous, but a beautiful
panorama'-ef^the city is had from its parapets. My companion,
John Trabulsi, would fain welcome me to the ancestral seat of
his family. The Trabulsis, he explained, were the descendants
of Godfrey de Bouillon who ruled in the castle of Trabulus
(Tripoli), and John's visit to the family castle inspired marked
*
�(MAY, 1930
19
ancestral reverence and
pride. I had not known
before that I was traveling in the company of
nobility!
At a point overlooking the city in the direction of the sea, Jamil
stopped. He had a story
to tell and we had to
listen. He had intimate
knowledge- of the history
of the place because of
his having served as an
officer during the early
French occupation and
was therefore entitled to
a hearing. His story was
of the nature of a barracks scandal.
"On this spot," he
began, "was enacted not
long ago a strange tragedy. A comely guard
spied a beautiful woman
promenading on yonder
roof. The flirtation soon
bloomed into infatuation Clock Tower in the principal square of
Tripoli.
and the guard proposed
elopement. The woman
would not agree at once and the guard threatened to kill himself.
At this the woman thought she would tease him and pointed to her
foot, meaning that she cared for him as much as she did for
her slipper "Mithl Ijri". At which the guard was so incensed,
and his masculine pride was so deeply wounded, that instead of
taking his own life, he leveled his gun at the woman and shot
her through the heart."
,
Jamil led us to the "blood-dungeon" where the guard murderer-lover was confined. The interest the place held for us was
in the gruesome relics of cruelty of the middle ages.
The day had dragged and we were anxious to resume our
journey north. Obliging Ontra Eifendi, being agent for an
American automobile concern, had pledged himself to secure for
�20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
us both a good car and an honest driver. "Not all drivers are
dependable. You must have one who knows the country well,"
he insisted. The driver he secured proved to be a dependable
entertainer, but not much more. What strange experiences we
had with him during the week he was in our hire!
We left Tripoli at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Had we made
an earlier start we could have reached Latakia in daylight, all
halts on the way notwithstanding. But we reckoned ill with our
chauffeur. We did not know until too late of his strange temperament begotten of an oddly mixed breed.
By too late I mean only about half an hour, once we had
crossed the city line of Tripoli. The chauffeur wanted to break
down at as an early stage as possible in the journey the barriers
of formality. He knew that we were from America and insisted
on proving to us that between him and us there was a bond of
kinship, a valid excuse for intimacy. He would take us in charge
and plan our itinerary and act as our exchequer even to the point
of dispensing the backshish himself. The account of his life interested and amused us. up to the point when, in the heat of his
narrative, he could not control his native temperament and resorted to the uncomfortable method of gesticulating with his
two hands, forgetting the wheel altogether, while driving at
almost one hundred kilometers an hour! And the villain would
not heed our remonstrances. Lawlessness was in his blood!
Here is his story and, inferentially, the explanation of his
strange actions.
His father was a Lebanese who migrated to Mexico where
he married a native Indian woman. Just before the war the father
brought his wife and three children to Lebanon on a visit and
was prevented from returning owing to the outbreak of hostilities. Then followed the famine which claimed the lives of almost
a hundred and fifty thousand Lebanese. "It was then a desperate case of everyone shifting for himself 'sauve qui peut', and
we, the children, begged or stole and managed to keep alive. But
our parents were too proud to beg and too honest to steal, and
they perished."
So it was the hot Mexican-Indian blood in the veins of the
chauffeur that made him usurp the gesticulative prerogatives of
the Italians to the point of letting go completely of the wheel
while driving at break-neck speed! But now a change was out
of the question.
Our first halt beyond Tripoli was at the Baddawi Mosque
t
�MAY, 1930
21
and its famous pond of sacred fish. I had seen and heard of
many fish before, but had never been privileged to see any
sacred species. Consequently, no matter what the hour, I must
see these fish and learn wherefor they became sacred.
The mosque is about three hundred feet from the main roadand the pond directly in front of it. We were given rush-buttom
stools and brought iced refreshments. There were about a score
men at the broad edge of the pond watching the antics of the
fish. And the fish were very obliging and accommodating in
their entertainment. A few crumbs thrown in the water by some
watchers would cause such a stampede among them that the
whole pond would convulse violently. They were of a drab
color and rounded form, and the largest about a foot long. The
water was literally black with them.
I made bold to inquire of a turbaned sheikh, in the dress and
the reserved deportment of an alim, an explanation of the legend
of the sacred fish. He smiled in the complaisant manner of one
who would say "a fish story!" And his verbal explanation bore
out the correctness of the inference.
"The fish are sacred because they are inedible. I have been
attached to this mosque for a long time, and against the weight
of tradition, I caught about a dozen fish on a certain occasion to
prepare them for a private banquet to some distinguished friends.
They were a rarity inasmuch as no one had had them before, or
confessed to having had. I ordered my chef to serve them
cooked and fried and bathed with appetizing sauces in the most
elaborate manner known to the culinary art. But all our efforts,
and in consequence our expectations, were in vain. The fish were
putrid and could not be touched in whatever form. Those originating the legend on the sacredness of the fish surely did so not
from any pious motive."
Scholars tell us, however, that religious reverence for fish
was common in the days of pagan Syria. Fish ponds were a complementary accessory to most temples in that section of the country, and it was customary for the worshipers to feed the fish as
part of their devotional exercises. The manner in which the
sacred fish of the Baddawi Mosque are treated would indicate
that the custom has its roots in pagan times.
We resumed our journey north over a fine road traversing
the fertile fields for which the district of Akkar is famous. Nahr
El-Kabir, midway between Tripoli and Tartus, is spanned by a
fine new two-arched bridge of heavy masonry. This marks the
�22
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The great fortress of Al-Markab which looms gigantic to the
traveler in the vicinity of Banias. It is one of greatest Crusaders1
strongholds in Syria.
extreme northern boundary of Lebanon and the southern point
of entry to the Alaouite State. No passport visa or any other
formaiity is required for travel between Lebanon and the Alaouite or any other State of Syria.
About half an hour later we came to the site of the old
Phoenician city of Amrit, famous in old history for its orgies of
the opulent and pleasure-loving Phoenician. The most distinctive
relics marking the site, and at but a few hundred feet from the
main road, are the two imposing monoliths known as Maghazeel,
or spindles, so-called perhaps for their tapering shape. They
were Phoenician mortuary monuments dating back to the fifth
century B. C, and rise to a height of about fifty feet.
In less than ten minutes we had reached Tartous, the birthplace of St. Paul and a stronghold that played a leading part in
the wars between the Moslems and Crusaders. Its great Basilica
is an imposing relic of Christian occupation. The huge fort by
the sea still stands to bear testimony of its one-time strategic
importance, while directly across, at a distance of not over twomiles, is the historic small island of Rouad, or Arvad, where the
Knights Templars made their last stand in Syria. Its elongated
form gives it the appearance of an anchored battleship standing
guard over the city.
SK*^S.:
�MAY, 1930
23
The fortress of Al-Husn, another wonderful Crusaders' stronghold in Syria, also located in the Alaouite State in the neighborhood of Horns. It was built by the Knights Hospitalers.
The next place of importance on the way to Latakia was Banias, situated at about 25 miles north of Tartous. We pushed
towards the place in the closing hours of the afternoon, and had
the satisfaction of viewing in daylight the imposing fortress of
Al-Markab. This great stronghold was the key to the conquest
of northern Syria, and passed alternately from the hands of the
Prince of Antioch to those of the Count of Tripoli. It resisted
even the great Saladin in his wars with the Franks and was taken
by Sultan Qalaoun only after a long siege in the latter part of
the 13th century with the help of Egyptian sappers. Its great size
and strategic location bespeak its old importance. The fortress
proper crowns a steep hill about 1,200 feet above sea-level, while
almost directly above the road by the shore is a huge round tower
which served as an advance post in the defenses. Al-Markab saw
the heyday of its glory during its occupation by the Hospitalers
who rebuilt it after the earthquake of 1170 and planned it in
such large proportions that it could accommodate 2,000 families
and a garrison of 1,000 men and 1,000 horses with sufficient provisions to withstand a siege of five years. We could not visit
Al-Markab that afternoon because part of the way to it has to
be covered on horse-back, but even from a distance, the sight of
this great relic of the Crusades held sufficient compensation.
�1 - ::
KHRVM
THE SYRIAN WORLD
24
Our stop at Banias was of the shortest. We would have spent
the night in the town had we found suitable accommodations.
The only hotel, if such it could be called, is in the nature of a
khan. The innkeeper received us in his night-gown and showed
us the available rooms. When we asked for something better he
offered to rigg us beds in the reception room. But to the fastidious taste of my traveling companion this was unthinkable.
We decided to continue to Latakia, only 35 miles away, which
our hot-blooded chauffeur, in his trusty American car, promised
to cover in much less than an hour.
All the roads of the Alaouite State are comparatively of new
construction and in excellent condition. They run through an
enchanted country of field and forest. Especially pleasing was
the sight of the vast fields planted to cotton and maize and typifying the rich potential agricultural resources of the country.
While non-existent five years ago, the cotton planting area has
grown to a thousand hectars in this district.
Latakia, a city of about 25,000 population, seventy-five per
cent of whom are sumnite Moslems, is the capital of the Alaouite
State of Syria. It was a Phoenician city of great opulence as far
back as 1500 B. C. During the occupation of the Crusaders it
was comprised in the Principality of Antioch. The many imposing relics of Greek, Roman, Frank and Arab origin bespeak its
importance during these various stages. Broad avenues are now
being cut through it and modernization processes are being applied in every manner. Since the suppression of a native revolt
in 1921 the country was placed under direct French administration, and the French can here claim to have done an excellent
piece of work. Up to six years ago there had been no motor
road reaching Latakia, now a net-work of the finest roads connects the capital with all parts of the state.
We passed by a huge modern building of Moorish architecture facing a spacious square. I thought it was the Saraya, or
government building. But no. It was a public school built by
the French. Public instruction has been pushed tremendously
in the decade of French occupation and administration. From
only thirty schools in the whole State under the Turkish regime
the number has now increased to one hundred and thirty. All
other administrative departments show the same marked degree
of progress. The governor, M. Schoefler, is acclaimed as a genius
of organization, and his work is highly praised and appreciated
by the contented natives, I did not meet him during my short
mm
�MAY, 1930
25
The modern Tourists* Hotel built by the French in Latakia, facing the beautiful fublic gat-dens of the, city always maintained in
the finest condition of cleanliness and care.
stay at Latakia because he had been critically ill for three weeks,
but I met the young Emir Munir El-Abbas, son of Emir Jaber
El-Abbas, President of the Representative Assembly and the
ranking chief of the Alaouites, and what I learned from him was
testimony in a more direct form of contentment and satisfaction
with the French administration in the country. Of my conversation with the young Emir I shall have more to say later.
We spent the night at the modern Tourists' Hotel built by
the French directly on the beach. Here you can enjoy the luxury
of a bath and running water. The view from the balconies is
enchanting, especially of the fine municipal gardens facing the
hotel. A Moslem shrine topped by a white dome built on a rock
projecting into the sea lends colorful charm to the panorama.
On the following day I visited the Saraya and fancied myself
in a museum. The strappling Moroccan guard at the office of
the Chief of the Information Bureau, in his colorful native attire,
acted as guide in showing me the antiquities, chiefly statues and
columns of the Phoenician and Roman periods, which were liberally scattered around the corridors for lack of a museum.
I wanted to meet the editor of the local paper but he was in
Beirut. The publication establishment was a converted shop about
fifteen feet square, the whole front being open in the manner
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
26
of shops in Oriental bazaars. The sole compositor offered to
bring refreshments—coffee—cigarettes, but we thankfully declined. We explained that we were in haste and had to visit the
new cotton spinning mill established through the enterprise of a
Latakia citizen since native cotton began to be grown. We wanted
directions to get to the mill—a verbal explanation only. But the
bright young printers' devil who had been watching me and my
companion with unconcealed wonder and admiration would have
none of that. "I want to have the honor of escorting the inventor
of the Arabic Linotype," and his eyes sparkled with pride at
having met someone who had achieved something in his craft.
The boy so typified the willingness and alertness of the devils
of his class I had known in America, that I could not resist the
pleasure of his preferred service and for a few minutes indulge
in talking to him shop.
On the Art of Writing
By
KAHLIL GIBRAN
Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky. We fell
them down and turn them into paper that we may record our
emptiness.
*
*
*
Should you care to write (and only the saints know why you
should) you must needs have knowledge of the music of words,
the art of being artless, and the magic of loving your readers.
*
*
*
They dip their pens in our hearts and think they are inspired.
*
*
*
Should a tree write its autobiography it would not be unlike
the history of a race.
sassssa
�ttamKM
MAY, 1930
27
Essay On Life
By
THOMAS ASA
A MID the somber presence of the grave
And unknown meaning of the after-years,
No worldly magic of the mind can save
It from the weight of preternatural fears.
When subtle nature in its various forms,
Can rear its human bondage as it wills,
And, in the madness of its pow'r, transforms
Them into casts of monumental ills.
And yet the searching wisdom of the past
Has left no potent mark upon the time
Allotted to the living forms,—but last
Upon the ruling graces of the clime.
And with the boasted bounty of the Mind—
The weaver of exalted structures, seen
Only in ephemeral dreams of humankind,—
Ashes of design against the future screen.
And while the Nations with unceasing might
Wrest the treasures of the earth to build their sway,
Watchful Nature will, on some unguarded night,
Take its stolen riches and hide the hoard away.
While thoughts so widely differ within kindred breasts,
And no thinking mortal has the same desires,
Yet one and all would know where Future rests,—
Upon the tide of ages or in sinking mires?
Though Man has never found the guarded way,
That compasses the realm of the unknown,
He has stored his vault against the coming day,
That signals his departure from this earthly zone.
Some are burdened with time-tempered creeds,
That compel the knowing silence for relief}
Mysteries and cants refresh their growing needs,
And support the wav'ring flame of their belief}—
<
«*.
�28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Without the fadeless pulse of Nature's bloom
To check the fruitless Teachings of the Soul;—
That shrouds the trend of Life in chambered gloom,
And finds the end no nearer to the goal.
..__,
While the lowly savage in his native haunts,
Impells the sacred likeness of his God
Into a crudely chiseled image, which he flaunts
Before him, where the evil spirits trod.
And with the unchecked passion of a childish mind,
He conforms his living as his idols will,—
That a lifeless bit of clay or stone should bind
Even this untutored savage in its mill—
Where the humble peasant seeks his daily bread,
And when a day of labor closes with the night,
He droops his aging frame and bows his weary head,
The brilliant stars of Heaven as his only light.
Thankful for the simple gifts that come his way,
Divining in his joyless state he has been blessed;
For each virgin morn has left no empty day,
And each day will find him nearer to his rest.
How unlike the doubting pedant of the strife,
Who follows in the wake, and whose raucous cries
Are base reflections of his own bewildered life,
His harmless echoes swallowed in the hollow skies.
And the student who but learns from Nature's page,
And who well knows the meanness of his powers;
But who yet dares to probe the buried age
Of all Life, and its celestial bowers.
But, in the strength of his conceiving brain,
Varied secrets of the earth are yielded him;
Where some were lost he found them once again,
Nature's arcana made clear that once were dim.
And in the eager spirit of his own desires,
God's domain has lost its fearful face;
Which the terror of the vast unknown inspires,
And made the countenance of Life a peaceful grace.
af
�MAY, 1930
29
And some, are there, who know no staying hand.
But ride upon the crest of proud display;
And set the pow'r of fortune as their one command,
Without divine compassion to dispose their way.
Oblivious of the state of those below
And far outside the casemate of their social caste;
A grim reminder of our worldly woe,
A gnawing menace to the honor of our past.
And those compelled to traffic in the flesh,
And offer to the bestial lust of soulless man;—
Caught and held forever in the choking mesh,
That bleeds all semblance of the Godly plan.
No kindly glance or helping hand is sent their way,
But each seeking mortal sets them further on
The endless journey, with the Devil's pay,—
Chains them to their bondage till all life is gone.
And there are serpents in the human mould,
Who hide behind the mask of honest deeds,
And prey like vultures on the helpless fold—
Spoil the fruits of labor and sow the wasted seeds.
Where utter greed of gain has left amiss
The cleansing flame of that sublime despair;
That calms the savage heart and fords the dark abyss,
And leaves the mind where only good will bare.
Oft seen is the pious pilgrim on a summer day,
Walking the dusty roads that stretch beyond
And o'er the distant hills and vales, where lay
The hallowed haven of the Priestly bond;
Where he stilled the restless yearning of his soul,
And took away with him a bit of ancient sod;
And what had been in parts was now made whole,
With peaceful resignation to his God.
Now within the compassed vision of the mind,
Behold the figure of a man, whose four-score years
, »'.
Have lightly graced his frame, and left behind
All trace of th' embittered burdens of past fears.
, [], J
af
�30
'
'THE SYRIAN WORLD
Upon his brow where wrote the stress of time,—
Made known the joys and ills that Life may send;
The fleeting days have changed his manhood's prime
Into a cast that calmly views the end.
The beauty of the world his heart has known,—
The promise of the morn and then the night;
Never for a moment through the day alone,
And with every passing hour some new delight.
The humblest forms that God thru Nature made,
Assume exquisite imagery to his mind;
All breathing Life approach him unafraid,
For he is but the shepherd of their kind.
No unhallowed temple built by mortal hands
Enchains him to its dark, unseeing sphere;
No humble gesture at its stern commands—
Inspires him with no touch of earthly fear.
God in his wide domains can only claim
Sweet adoration from his inmost heart;
And bring to chastened lips the sacred name
That is to him more than his life apart.
,
,
The calm majesty of distant mountain peaks,
The splendor of one boundless reach of sky;
Where pulsing Nature in its silence speaks
An inner wisdom from the Throne on High.
No fulfillment of desires and worldly dreams
Mar the sweetness of his solitary way;
Amid the troubled wastes his heart redeems
The vain inanities of mortal clay.
The world he knows so well, and soon to leave
For realms uncharted within human skill;
The shadow of Life's end will never grieve
To meet his debt to Universal Will.
The revealments of the years have left no doubt,
That God shall weave the finished threads unseen;
Though Life to him has never been without
The guiding Hand that maketh all serene.
«
�—^_
31
MAY, 1930
The Minor Key
A SHORT STORY
By
LABEEBEE
A. J.
HANNA
17 VA sat down at the piano and allowed her fingers to run over
the keys lightly. Then she shook her head and her beautiful
chestnut curls caressed her face. She looked down at the keys
and struck a minor chord, and holding these notes—clutching
fast, she threw her head back and closed her lovely eyes.
The tones gradually died away. She repeated the minor
chord in a related key. Then another and another. In a frenzy
she played all the tonic chords of all the minor keys—and arose
rapidly from the piano. She closed the lid gently.
Eva loved her piano. It was the most prized of all her possessions. It did not so much matter to her that G minor was the
relative of B major. It did matter very much that music was
uplifting, soothing, exciting, sympathetic in turn. It did not so
much matter to her that she had not the technique of the most
practiced. It did matter very much that her music lived, and had
expression. After all, anyone can drum a piano with some practice, but not everyone could give it feeling, make it throb with
life.
These chords she had played gave her pleasure—she couldn't
tell why. Perhaps the minor chords suggested sadness to her,
and so far her life had been rather full and happy. We all have
a sad and a happy part of us. Probably this is the way she satisfied her sad part.
She would have liked to go on playing more, but even the
chords were music, and then, if she dressed quickly enough, she
could return to her piano before leaving for the night.
At sixteen, life is enchanting! To Eva in particular. This
night a musical comedy with some friends, and a cabaret, her
first, later!
She quickly went to her room, encountering a saucy brother
on her way.
"What's the rush, big sis?"
"I wish God had given me a sister instead!" she retorted.
Her mother was busy with the dinner. Her father was out—
�32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
probably making a sale of some real estate. Her elder-brother
had gone goodness knows where with a young uncle. She could
dress in peace—no outside interruption.
She wore a long, form-fitting black dress—sleeveless—whose
only touch of color was a bunch of grapes at the left waist. She
put another bunch of grapes in her hair. Quite demure, really,
but sophisticated, she thought.
On her way back to the piano she again encountered her
young brother.
"Pipe the long black dress! On your way to an old lady's
funeral!" he cried.
"Mind your own business!" she retorted—and hurried in.
At the piano again, she struck a major chord all the way up
the piano, then down. Suddenly, in another key, she played,
"Waylee Min El-Gharamy" so that a listener might think she
poured her whole sad heart in music.
Though she did not know it, she had an audience outside—
of two young men and a girl.
A full minute after she finished playing, the door bell of
her apartment rang. She wondered vaguely why it hadn't rung
while she played. She soon knew when, as three young people
trodded in, one young man exclaimed, "Syrian music, eh, Eva?"
"Syrian, right!" answered the other boy for her. "Play it
again, Eva!"
"Yes, do!" chirped the other young lady. "Fred has the
right idea."
"Fred will sing it, too. Eh, Fred?" said the first boy. "He's
a great singer! Try it once and you'll always buy, doncha know!
Come on, Fred, sing!"
"Oh, cut it out, Sour! You're the singer here!" said Fred.
"We'll all sing!" said Eva. "Come, Marge, show the boys
what you can do!"
"I'll sing if they all do," chirped Marge.
"They all do. Eh, Fred?" said Sam.
And they all did, with gusto. Syrian music—Syrian words,
making allowances here and there for mispronunciations and
words forgotten.
Sad? These young people seemed all to be nursing a broken
heart!
Beautiful? Yes. It might have been music in the Lebanon.
Charming Lebanon, With lute, and peasant costumes, and the
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3d AY, 1930
great outdoors. Voices, perhaps more mature, but certainly no
more appealing.
That night, musical comedy. Then cabaret—jazz, dancing,
cigarettes
and rotten food. But—fun!
II
One day Eva's father died. She had known it was coming,
but she had not expected it would be so soon, nor had she realized the seriousness of his condition. He had helped some customer repair a door, and a rusty nail had poisoned his system.
It was the inevitable, and it effected her terribly. Her grief was
so great that it blotted out all else for the time being—and for
a long time after.
While the body lay in state in the parlor with all mirrors
and pictures covered—and even a spread over the piano, Eva
had the greatest desire to tear the covering off the piano and
play_play anything for the last time, for him whom she had
loved more than anyone else. She was in great grief. She wished
sincerely that all these kind people would leave her alone with
the body that she might do as she wished. It would be a Syrian
song—a simple folk song of the Lebanon, a song her dad had
taught her when she first studied the piano. "Na'af laal Baab
Fatahtilloo." He had played it on his clarinet—often—to her
piano accompaniment. And then, too, she had enjoyed sitting
back on a divan listening to the bell-like notes of the clarinet
as he played alone—though the high notes often missed—
scraped, but then, the instrument was noted for this deficiency
in its makeup. She remembered, too, his wonderfully rich voice
which had a rare appeal—a genuine appeal—somehow, she knew
he dreamed of Lebanon. She felt he would have liked this
burial in the mountains of his birth. Perhaps, some day—she
hoped some day to do this. Meanwhile, the song—she sang it
with her mind's voice. A little, tender folk song.
"Na'af laal baab
Fatahtilloo:
Ahla wa sahla
111 til loo.
Tafad dal estreeh,
Ya oomree,
Wa srajil bal—
JCan yasree,"
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
34
III
For a long time after the funeral, Eva was forced to keep
away from her beloved musical instrument for the sake of relatives and family. People were constantly coming to offer sympathy, so that she felt like one whose hands were tied.
One day no one was about, and Eva, no longer able to contain herself, stole down to the piano—and making sure that all
doors and windows were locked—sat down to play. Without
conscious thought, she played softly "Na'af laal Baab Fatahtilloo." Once. Twice. Higher notes, bass notes. She found herself beginning to sing. She felt the presence of her beloved father close beside her—and nearly choked. She sang with tears
in her eyes—and a quiver, a catch in her throat. A few words.
She stopped short and burst into tears all by herself in the immense parlor as she sat bent over at the piano.
For several months she rarely played. Singing was out of
the question.
One day, Fred, Marge and Sam came to see her. They were
determined that she would go with them—anywhere, to forget.
"No, no. Please. I'd rather stay home. I'm always so tired!"
pleaded Eva.
"Oh, no, dear! You shan't stay home. And such glorious
weather out!" chirped Marge.
"It's not glorious to me."
"Yes," said Sam, "Fred will take us for a ride."
"Tell you what!" said Fred. "Let's go for a nice, long ride
in the country. We'll get some air. Beautiful scenery, dontcha
know. We'll all sing. Then we'll go somewhere, and hear some
soft music. How's that?"
It was finally decided that they were to go for a ride—and
land where they would.
The ride proved glorious. The wind caressed the faces and
wafted odors of lilac and wistaria toward their nostrils as they
sped the south shore road.
Hardly realizing what they did, they stopped and encamped
at Green Harbor. The beach was lovely, the salt air bracing.
To Eva the beach meant melody. The wind sang, the waves
swished and sang in monotone. Even the tiny dunes seemed to
be waves of music. And the song they sang was a sad, sad song.
Eva had been here the last time with her father. His song—
their song—was in the swishing waves. It was in a minor key.
K/
�MAY,
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35
Sitting on the long beach they all four looked straight before
them. Eva had her own thoughts. The others had sympathy.
Eva leaned back against Sam's shoulder and allowed the salt
wind to do what it would with her hair and face.
They spoke of trivial things—or of nothing, three of them.
Occasionally Eva nodded "her head or acquiesced to something
they had said, not realizing what.
Eva was walking up the long beach with her father. Lva
was teasing her dad about not going into the water. Eva was
sitting before her father—talking with him for mutual benefit.
Eva was leaning against her father—
Suddenly the girl jumped up.
"Oh'" she said. "Let's go somewhere! Anywhere! Quick!
«Oh' Don't you like it here?" Marge felt disappointed
"Where would you like to go?" Sam rose and rested his
large, dark eyes on Eva. He touched a little curl.
"Anywhere! Away from here! I can't stand it here another
t
minute!"
Another long ride. It finished at Marshfield. Here they
bowled. Even bowling couldn't distract Eva.
Fred remembered Warwick Inn but didn't know if he dared
mention such a thing at such a time. Perhaps if they suddenly
found themselves there they would go in without much ado.
"Let's ride'" he suggested. "Try the Nautashet road. Its
been widened. Six car widths on the road. We'll open her up!"
"Oh!" said Marge. "That's great!"
Away they went, to the throaty singing of Marge. Even
Sam joined in. There were American songs—and old Syrian
folk songs, and new songs. Sam loved the Syrian songs and sang
with feeling. When he sang "Ah-h Ya loun II Soud Hayati
Iounon Soud" all three looked at his beautiful bright dark eyes
—and joined in the chorus.
"That's great! Eh?" he finished.
All agreed, looking at his fascinating eyes.
"Look what's here!" suddenly exclaimed Fred.
"Warwick Inn!" Marge clapped her hands.
"In we go!" said Fred.
"Why not? You'd like it, eh, Eva?" said Sam.
"We'll try it. Anything to take away my tired feelings.
At Warwick Inn they ate, and smoked, and listened to the
music Finally they danced. What Eva had expected would be
�. - . .
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
36
a nerve-racking ordeal became a nerve-soothing affair. The
happy side of her was struck. We all have a happy and a sad
side, and she had been developing her sad side and neglecting
the happy for a long, long time.
That night—before going to bed, Eva played the piano.
Sam had kissed her good-night. The first time.
She sat at her piano, and played some happy chords. Then
she threw her head back, chestnut curls and all—and played
with gusto—jazz.
The Tainted Draught
By
SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
VWHY taint the beauty of to-day
With suspicions of the morrow?
Why dim the glow of pleasure's ray
With confounding thoughts of sorrow?
Or does the thought of sure decay
Add whiteness to the snow-drop's snow,
The lurking perils of the way
Enhance the pleasure as we go?
Or is your own the gambler's joy—
Between what may or may not be,
In Chance's hand his heart a toy,
Or child upon her rocking knee!
Ah Doubt and Hope! man's friend and foe,
Or foe and friend,—who knows their worth,
Or which the queenly rose does grow,
Or which the thorn, upon man's earth?
�<&MY, 7950
57.
The Syrians in America
The Editor's radio talk over Station WPCH given under the
auspices of the Young Men's Christian Association and
Reconciliation Trips on Sunday, June 8.
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IT has been said of the Syrians that they are the most misunderstood people in America. This is regrettable, because Syria and
the history of its people should be familiar to every American.
And this not alone for reasons of general knowledge about a
certain racial group in America but also for the many intimate
associations that Syria has had with the march of human progress
and the history of civilization. I shall attempt to give a brief
outline of Syrian history in order that the Syrians here in America may be better understood and more fully appreciated.
Syria, according to the most competent historical authorities,
has had more influence on human progress, spiritually and materially, than any other country of equal size. This is^<hiefly due
to the fact that Syria contains within its natural geographical
boundaries Palestine, which we know as the Holy Land, and
Phoenicia, the home of the great navigators of old and the land
whose people have given us that great instrument of knowledge
and progress, namely the alphabet. To every student of the
Bible the name Palestine is familiar, but it is necessary for us
to understand also that all other parts of present-day Syria are
biblical lands. Old Phoenicia is none other than the Lebanese
Republic of today, and Lebanon and its beauties and the majesty
of its Cedars were glorified in immortal song by the poets of
the Bible.
Due to its geographical location, situated as it is at the junction of three continents, Asia, Africa and Europe, Syria, in olden
times, was the hub of the known civilized world. It is inalienably
associated with all the great world movements of the past. Traces
of its historical importance are in plentiful evidence even to this
day. While on a visit to that country during the past summer, I
visited many shrines which conjured memories of an immortal
past. By the mouth of the Dog River, a few miles north of the
city of Beirut, there is engraved in the living rock inscriptions
dating from as far back as three thousand years before Christ.
Conquerors of old seemed to vie with each other in recording
�JUIiB'LI'l'
38
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
their feats on the imperishable rock which is now one of the greatest shrines of antiquity in the world. Close by one another we
find these inscriptions dating from the time of the Egyptians and
Assyrians down to the times of the Greeks, the Romans, the
Arabs, and the Allies. A little further to the north along the
coast we come across the site of the old city of Byblos which in
Greek mythology was the scene of the love episode of Venus and
Adonis. The river that still waters the plain of Byblos and is
now called River Ibrahim, is the very river known to the Greeks
as the River Adonis, so named after the God of Love and Beauty.
That river still runs red today in the spring flood, a phenomenon
naturally explained by the red earth formation through which run
tributary streams, but a phenomenon, nevertheless, to which the
ancients gave a different interpretation. They believed that the
waters of the river turn red each year in commemoration of the
slaying of the God, Adonis, by the wild boar on the banks of
that stream.
A short distance to the south are located the great Phoenician
cities of Tyre and Sidon which to the present day bear unmistakable signs of their great antiquity.
In the plain of Beka, dividing Lebanon from Anti-Lebanon,
the great city of Baalbek, known to the ancients as Heliopolis,
still jealously guards the mystery which has defied the efforts
of scholars and scientists during all time to unravel. The great
ruins of Baalbek are classed by competent authorities as being
superior in majesty and grandeur to the ruins of the Acropolis
at Athens. How was this great city built? What ingenuity or
power was used to raise the great stones to position—stones some
of which are of almost unbelievable dimensions, being 63 feet in
length, 13 feet in height, and over 10 feet in thickness. They
were moved a distance of miles from the quarry and raised to
position high above the ground, but with what instruments no
one has ever been able to tell.
But this is not all the glory that was Syria. The Cedars of
Lebanon are still young in spite of their age of four or five thousand years. The city of Damascus shows every sign of youth and
virility in spite of the fact that it is the oldest city of the world.
Crusaders' castles still crown the strategic points of Syria bearing
mute testimony to the desperate struggles which that country has
seen during its various stages.
In northern Syria we also have the city of Antioch which was
once the rival of Rome in the glorious role it played as the metro-
�r&fAY, 1930
! If
IN
3
?
polis of the East, and the city where the followers of Jesus of
Nazareth were first called by the name Christians. While in
Southern Syria, in the section known as the Druze Mountain and
bordering the great desert, invaluable finds of Roman relics are
being unearthed in the ruins that dot the whole country. For
miles and miles in this section, while on my visit last summer, I
observed Roman military roads still in the finest state of preservation after the lapse of twenty centuries. This section of Syria
is perhaps the most romantic because it is still the most primitive.
People there still lead the simple pastoral life of Biblical times.
In a certain town which I visited to see its Roman ruins I observed
the men, young as well as old, wearing their hair in long locks
and their eyelids blackened with Kohl like women. But these
men are brave to the point of recklessness in war. Almost a handful of them defied all the military resources of France for almost
two years only a short time ago. The Druze element, however,
is but about 2>4 per cent, of the total population of Syria. There
is also in Syria an Arab nomadic element whose habitat is confined to the desert border. But ninety per cent, of the population
of Syria is of the settled element, descendants of the race which
has been in occupation of the country for thousands of years,
and whose old cities bear testimony to their high degree of civilization and culture.
t
The foregoing is a brief outline of what Syria was in history.
It is from that country that the Syrians now in America have
come. From the oldest country in the world to the land known
as the New World, they bring their priceless racial distinction as
heirs to the culture of ages. They come with the gifts of all thie
attributes of varied but virile blood—Phoenician, Semitic, Roman,
Grecian, and Arabian. And it is a significant fact that the first
of the Syrians to emigrate were the Lebanese of the north who
claim direct lineal descent from the Phoenicians. It would seem
that the law of atavism seeks to assert itself and here finds complete vindication. The great sea-wanderers of old have bequeathed their wanderlust to their long line of descendants.
Syrian immigration to the United States began about fifty
years ago. Now there are about 250 thousand Syrians in the country of whom about 25 thousand are in New York City alone. But
nowhere in the United States do we not find Syrians. This great
dispersal is accounted, for by the nature of their early
occupations. Having landed in the country with no -capital,
no knowledge of the language, and no business experience, they
�40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
took to peddling. And their first wares were typical. They began
by selling religious articles imported from the Holy Land, the
country with which they were first identified. But in their roamings and wanderings their customers began to ask for a variety
of articles which they made efforts to supply. In this manner
their business began to expand and from these very modest
beginnings were built up the great commercial enterprises
throughout America that are now associated with Syrian names.
There would seem to be an element of real romance in this
evolution of Syrian commercial enterprise. The descendants of
the Phoenicians would vindicate the fame and duplicate the
achievements of their ancestors. How otherwise can we explain
the fact that from such modest beginnings and in comparatively
such a short time, the Syrians in America have come to play their
role of merchant princes with central offices on Fifth Ave. in New
York and ramifications reaching to all parts of the world?
But not alone to commercial enterprise has Syrian initiative
been confined. Their influence is becoming more and more evident
in the arts and the professions, in industry and in finance. There
are now two progressive banking institutions in New York City
controlled by Syrians, one of which is a National Bank.
During all the time they have been in America, the Syrians
have proven themselves most law-abiding and loyal to the institutions of the country. It is the opinion, not alone of casual observers, but of official authorities that the Syrians in America are
one of the most constructive and industrious elements among the
heterogenous stocks of the American nation.
For a people whose history runs back thousands of years and
whose representatives in America are found practically in every
city and town in the country, only the high spots of their history
and activities could be touched upon within the limited time now
available. But it is my sincere hope that the ladies and gentlemen
of the radio audience would have learned enough about the Syrians, both their past and present, from what has been now said,
to understand them in their true light and appreciate their genuine cultural, industrial and commercial contributions to America.
They came first in quest of opportunity, it is true, but have now
become integral to the American nation. They wish to be known
as Americans first, but not to lose sight of their ancestral background with all its spiritual and cultural advantages which should
prove a distinct contribution to their beloved adopted country.
.
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(MAY, 1930
EDITORIAL COMMENT
ARE
THE SYRIANS
ARABS?
pROM three distinct and
widely-separated places in
the United States comes to us
in the course of one month, the
significant question, "Are the
Syrians Arabs r" Upon receipt
of the first inquiry from an intelligent reader in Washington
we answered privately, assuming that the request for information was prompted by personal curiosity or the settlement of a local controversy. But
when the same inquiry was
addressed to us from different
parts of the country, and news
reached us that our countrymen
of Boston were to take part in
the city's tercentenary not in
the form of a purely Syrian
pageant, but in one to which
they have chosen to give the
name
''Syrian- Arabic,"
we
deemed it our duty to call attention to our special status not
only! as a distinct element ethnologically, but also as a social
group forming a distinct entity
and occupying a clearly-defined
position in the American commonwealth.
That the Syrians are not
wholly of Arab stock is a historical fact which should be
beyond argument. They speak
the Arabic language but they
themselves are not Arabs. The
Arabic language was imposed
on them in the manner that the
tongues of conquerors were
forced on other subjugated
races. The Egyptians, the Algerians, the Tunisians, and the
Moors are not Arab albeit they
also speak the Arabic language.
The Americans are not English
because of their use of the
English tongue. In the same
manner that the Americans are
a highly mixed nation because
they are drawn from many racial strains, so are the Syrians.
Drawing an analogy, we may
safely state that the Syrians,
ethnologically, are the Americans of the old world. English
culture and influence transcended in America in the exact manner that Arabic power established itself in Syria.
Dr. Philip K. Hitti, the wellknown historian, at the very
beginning of his authoritative
work, "The Syrians in America," denies categorically that
the Syrians are either Turks,
Arabs or Assyrians. Under the
definitive caption "The Syrians
not Arabs" he specifically states
that "the appellation awlad
PArab of which they (The Syrians) are particularly fond is
�42
THE SYRIAN WORLD
t
a misnomer. It has linguistic
But even were we to conrather than ethnic connotation. cede, against the weight of all
The Syrians spoke Aramaic historical authority, that the
throughout the greater part of Syrians were Arabs, what justheir history, and their adop- tification could there be for detion of the Arabic tongue is a priving a nation of its rightful
comparatively recent event, be- identity, or of making of it a
ing subsequent to the rise of Is- tail-end subsidiary of another?
lam and the Arab invasion. Why should not Syria enjoy
Some Syrians are undoubtedly the right of a distinct identity
of Arab stock, but, after all, cul- since it has had its separate and
ture, and not a strain of blood distinct place geographically,
is the determining factor in the historically and culturally over
a period of time for antedating
identification of a race."
Continuing his argument, that of any other nation
this same authority asks, "Who in recorded history?
are the Syrians then?" and
For another and equally
gives the following definite valid and weighty reason the
answer:
Syrians in America should not
"The modern Syrians are countenance a change in name.
the remnant of the ancient They should not destroy by a
Phoenician - Canaanite
tribes stroke of the pen what it has
who entered Syria about 2500 taken them more than a half
B. C, the Aramean-Israelite a century in America to build
hordes who arrived about 1500 in reputation and prestige. If
B. C, and the Arabs who drift- at all a change has been brought
ed, and still drift in, from the about by the World War in
desert and gradually pass from the political status of their
a nomadic to an agricultural mother country, that change is
state.
admittedly for the better and
"With this Semitic stock as should be capitalized to their
a substratum the Syrians are a further advantage. By this is
highly mixed race of whom meant that if before the war
some rightly trace their origin the Syrians were a subject race
back to the Greek settlers and they now enjoy an infinitely
colonists of the Seleucidae pe- more advantageous political
riod, others to the Frankish status in being internationally
and other European Crusaders, recognized as a national entity
and still others to Kurdish and and assigned by the League of
Persian invaders and immi- Nations to Class A mandate.
grants."
They have fought and are still
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' MAY, 1930
fighting for complete recognition as a sovereign nation. Under the circumstances, what
valid reasons could be advanced
for submerging their identity
into that of another nation?
The Syrians in America are
about equally divided between
Syrians and Lebanese. The
Lebanese were the first comers
and remained for a time an
overwhelming majority. If a
dual name were to be used at
all that name should be rightly
Syrian-Lebanese and not ArabSyrian. Of real Arabs,—Arabs
from Arabia proper,—there is
not a single one in America with
the exception of some transient
Adenite sailors manning English tramp steamers. Would the
existence of these be sufficient
reason to influence us into a
change of name with all the
consequences such a step entails? Let us act cautiously in
such a momentous matter, taking in consideration the fact
that no matter from whatever
point it may be considered, the
change from Syrian to Arab,
or to Arab-Syrian, could not
redound to our credit or advantage. Syria has its place in
both ancient and contemporary
histories. It has its own background of advanced civilization
and culture. Hence the reason
for not losing its distinct and
n? separate identity. The Syrians
n?
would only be inviting injury
** to themselves by tolerating a
43
change of name. We may be
closely associated with the
Arabs, but we are not Arabs.
We admit that the Arabs have
had a glorious past, but their
present is not such as would
make us anxious to associate
our name and destiny with
theirs. Especially should we
Syrians in America be jealous
to retain the name under which
we have been known for half
a century. We cannot afford to
destroy the work of all these
years and begin to build anew
on a doubtful foundation.
We have built our reputation as Syrians and as such we
should continue to be known,
for our greater advantage.
EXPRESS YOURSELF!
READERS of THE SYRIAN
WORLD should not hesitate
to communicate to the editor
their opinions on current topics,
or, for that matter, on any other
subject of public interest. The
same policy of fair and impartial treatment pursued in the
publication of excerpts from the
Syrian press will be maintained
in publishing communications
in the Readers' Forum. Whatever the opinion, pro or con, it
is eligible for publication. At
present we would particularly
invite comment on the subject
of the preceding editorial, as we
are in need of defining our status in face of threatening chaos.
�44
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Spirit of the Syrian Press
Under this caption we hope to present from time to time a microcosmic
picture of the Arabic press, not only in this country, but wherever Arabic
dailies and magazines reflect the opinions of responsible, thinking writers
who are treating the different problems that confront the Arabic-speaking
world from all conceivable angles. Needless to say, we will take no part in
the discussions reproduced, nor assume any responsibility. Our task will
simply consist in selecting, to the best of our knowledge and with utmost
sincerity, what we think is representative of the public opinion as expressed
in these editorials.
Editor.
THE SPIRIT OF THE IRISH
Following their annual custom,
the Irish ip New York paraded on
March 17 over twenty thousand
strong after having attended services in the churches and given
proof of their religious tenacity and
racial solidarity. The green shamrock which they all wore was but
a sign of youth and a pledge to
continued growth.
Fourteen centuries ago St. Patrick came to Ireland and won its
people over to Christianity. The
Irish have been ever since one of
the truest peoples to the faith and
the most zealous in its defense.
The Irish have in them a good
deal of Phoenician blood. By the law
of atavism, they naturally rebel
against oppression and ignorance.
They have their heroes and men of
achievement in the arts of war and
peace, just as the Phoenicians have
their Hannibals and other great
leaders.
The Lebanese of today are the
direct descendants of the Phoenicians, and between them and the
Irish there are many points of similarity. But the Lebanese seem to
lack one essential quality of col-
...
lective action and national solidarity. The Lebanese are, rather, more
individualistic, otherwise the difference is slight between the sons
of St. Patrick and those of St.
Maron.
Al-Hoda, N. Y., March 18, 1930.
WESTERN TACTICS AMONG
EASTERN PEOPLES
Students of political movements
in the East, and of the policies of
colonial powers, will not fail to
discern the subtle designs behind
the tactics of Western governments
in their attempt to strengthen their
hold on their Eastern possessions.
Their favorite policy is to sow the
seeds of dissension between the governed people and to incite one faction against another by dealing out
lavish promises that are never destined to be fulfilled. In this manner they provide an outlet for the
surplus energy of the oppressed
people but in a direction that will
work to its detriment. In the meantime they would be watching the
enactment of the drama from behind the scenes, and when the play
comes to an end they emerge as
�45
(MAY, 1930
victors without showing in the least
that they had a hand in the staging
of the tragedy.
In this manner the West has been
able to oppress and govern the
East, and such will ever be its tactics until the East reaches the age
of reason and realizes that colonial
powers entertain no kindly motives
towards them. Rather, they are exploiting them as backward nations
and treating them like helpless
minors.
Meraat-Ul-Gharb, N. Y.
April 23, 1930.
DESTRUCTIVE POLITICS
No sooner was the Eddy cabinet
in Lebanon defeated and the Adeeb
cabinet appointed to succeed it, than
rumors appeared that the latter will
soon meet the fate of the former
and will be as short-lived. If this be
true the political situation in Lebanon must be extremely deplorable.
It is bound to result in new elections which will cost the Lebanese
dearly in time and money, and who
knows that the result of the new
election will be different than the
one we now have.
Such lack of cooperation among
the elected representatives of the
people might be frought with the
most serious consequences. For it
must be remembered that the ultimate hopes of the Lebanese are to
achieve complete independence upon
the conclusion of the term of the
mandate. How can such a result
be expected when no concrete progress is noticeable in our exercise of
representative government?
During the twelve years of the
nandate no progress OL whatever
nature has been accomplished in
Lebonon other than in the economic
I
field, and this result may be attributed directly to French administration. In the realms of politics and
administration we have remained at
a standstill, and this must be interpreted as actual retrogression.
The political situation in Lebanon
is deplorable and should not be suffered to continue much longer. It is
no wonder that the Lebanese now
wish they remained within their
former boundaries when they had
adjusted themselves to a certain
fixed condition with which they were
seemingly content.
In view of these conditions, the
Lebanese emigrants would reiterate
their willingness and readiness to
aid the motherland in times of
stress and trial as they have done
in the past, but they expect to see
a certain degree of honesty and true
patriotism among the political leaders of the country, where a true
spirit of sacrifice would prevail and
the common weal placed above personal interest.
Ash-Shaab, N. Y., April 23, 1930.
THE EDDY CABINET
The fall of the Eddy cabinet in
Lebanon is not in itself a matter
of surprise, for cabinets are liable
to rise and to fall overnight in republican governments. But the surprise is in the reasons which led to
the fall of this reform cabinet. They
prove conclusively that the country
is not yet ripe for any large degree
of progressive reforms.
We can only analyze the reasons
for this political disaster in that
Premier Eddy attempted to carry
out his reform program too hastily.
There can be no question as to the
honesty of his intentions, but he
committed the mistake of biting
�—
46
more than he could swallow. In his
attempts to affect economy he discharged an army of bureaucratic
sinecures who raised a storm of
protest against him. Then in his efforts at educational reform he
aroused the suspicions of the Moslems by the closing of some of their
elementary schools. At best, these
schools were but stupid apologies
for educational institutions which
the Premier meant to replace by effective instruments of learning, and
it is a pity that he was not given
the chance to carry out his plans.
Had Premier Eddy been satisfied
with a gradual application of his
reforms as to give the people an
opportunity to absorb them he
would have succeeded in maintaining his hold on the government and
rendered the country the greater
service of introducing real and effective reforms. As it is, he was too
hasty in the application of his honest designs in a country still subject to antiquated party and religious allegiances.
As-Sayeh, N. Y., April 24, 1930.
FRANCE ENCOURAGES
ARMENIAN IMMIGRATION
While the Syrians flee their
homeland to escape economic depression and French oppression, the
Armenians are being steadily imported into the country to replace
them. Syria has now become another
America to the Armenians, thanks
to the benevolent attitude of the
mandatory power. This prompts us
to ask: Is it the intention of France
to create an Armenian Question in
Syria just as her partner in deceit
and perfidy has created a Jewish
Question in Palestine ? But what will
stop her? Is it her conscience? She
and England are vying with each
- . I
nili .11 .11111 >
THE SYRIAN WORLD
.1
other in bringing ruin to a weak
country by populating it with outcasts and vagabonds.
Recent reports from Constantinople indicate that thousands of
Armenians are migrating to Syria
presumably to escape the hard times
prevailing in Anatolia. But are conditions in Syria any better that
France should import into it such
new and incongruous material without restriction?
The answer is plain. France not
only welcomes this new element but
actually seeks it in order to maintain a balance against the native
Arab population.
Al-Bayan, N. Y., April 21, 1930.
A SUBSERVIENT GOVERNMENT
The French High Commissariat
in Syria ordered the Lebanese government to suspend a native paper
because of the latter's publication
of derogatory statements about
Queen Mary of Roumania and her
daughter while in the country as
guests of the mandatory authorities. This would simply mean that
the French resorted to high-handed
action over the head of the Lebanese
government which had no other
course but to comply.
Surely the French would not take
such action against Le Temps, or
Le Matin, or Le Petit Parisien. Why
then not apply fairness to dealings
with the Lebanese press? When the
Queen and her daughter were in
America many notorious accounts
were published about them, but no
action was taken. We would want
the French to act in Lebanon as
they would in Paris without consideration for Balkan interests. And
what is more, we would want the
Lebanese government to refuse to
submit to ignominy and contempt.
Al-Hoda, N. Y., May 19, 1930.
s'
P
r
I
�MAY, 1930
47
Text of the Syrian Constitution
AS ORIGINALLY DRAFTED BY THE SYRIAN CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY IN 1928 AND NOW PROMULGATED BY THE FRENCH
IN SYRIA IN A SLIGHTLY MODIFIED FORM.
Chapter I deals with the political
status of the country and contains
four main articles as follows:
«
Personal liberty is the inalienable
right of every citizen. All those
who, under the law, are deprived of
their personal liberty by the regularly constituted authorities must be
notified of said action not later than
the second day of the issuance of the
decree and be allowed immediate recourse to legal methods of selfdefense.
Article I declares Syria an independent sovereign state whose territory is held indivisible.
Article II defines the State of
Syria as all lands within the natural borders of Syria seceded from
the Ottoman Empire. The State as
Torture is declared illegal, as also
such is declared an indivisible polideportation and exile or the refusal
tical unit regardless of whatever of any Syrian's right to residence
administrative changes may have
in any particular place, or his combeen introduced into it following the
pulsion to reside in any special
World War.
place, or his compulsion to tdoo det
Article III declares the Syrian place, except under the circumState a representative republic "the stances and conditions defined by
religion of whose president shall be law.
Islam" and whose capital shall be
Homes are declared inviolable.
Damascus.
Personal property cannot be seized
Article IV describes the official flag
except for public interests and subto be adopted by the Syrian State
ject to a fair compensation.
and defines it as follows: "It must
Freedom of worship is guaranteed
be twice as long as it is wide and
be divided into three equal hori- individuals, the State undertaking to
zontal colors, the top being green, protect all religious bodies in the
the center white and the bottom exercise of their religious rites unblack. The center stripe must bear less found to conflict with law and
on an even line three red, five-point- order and undermine public morals.
Freedom of thought and speech
ed stars.
are guaranteed citizens of the State.
Chapter II deals with the status The press is relieved of all form of
of the individual onder the law and censorship.
contains twenty-four articles which
Elementary education is compulmay be summarized as follows:
sory for both sexes and the State
All Syrians are equal before the guarantees to provide free educalaw. No distinction is drawn between
tion to all.
one citizen and another because of
Religious minorities are protected
his racial origin, his language, his
in
their legal rights and are allowed
religion or his denomination.
�^
48
THE SYRIAN WORLD
to establish private schools to educate their children in their own
languages on condition of complying with state regulations.
Arabic is the official language of
all departments of the State.
Chapter III deals with legislative
and executive powers and with other
conditions governing elections and
representation and complete the one
hundred and fifteen articles of the
Constitution. The principal articles
in this section may be summarized
as follows:
All authority is declared to emanate from the nation.
Only one representative body is
constituted and is called the Representative Assembly in which is
reposed the power of legislation.
The executive power is reposed in
the President who has the right to
appoint a Ministry subject to the
approval of the Assembly.
Twenty is declared the legal voting age. Balloting is made secret
and every candidate for election to
the Representative Assembly must
be thirty years of age or over, the
term of office being four years.
Religious minorities are allowed
special rights of representation.
Maintenance of order within the
Assembly is the sole right of the
representative body, and no armed
force may enter the premises or be
stationed near its doors except by
request of the President.
The President is elected by a
majority vote of the Assembly for
a term of three years. He may be
elected for a second consecutive
term but not for a third except
after the lapse of three years since
his last term.
The oath of office for
ident ig as follows;
~~
the
Pres-
"I swear by the Almighty God
that I shall respect the Constitution
of the country and its laws and
guard its independence and the
security of its territories."
The President selects the Prime
Minister and appoints the ministers subject to the latter's recommendation. He also appoints diplomatic representatives to foreign
powers and receives foreign diplomatic representatives accredited to
the Syrian Republic and presides at
official functions.
The Council of Ministers is restricted to seven, all of whom shall
be responsible collectively to the
Representative Assembly for the
general policy of the government,
and each of whom shall be responsible individually for the conduct
of his own ministry.
Amendments to the Constitution
are permissible by a two-thirds
majority of the Assembly at any regular session. No amendment could be
made to the present form of the
Constitution, however, before the
lapse of three years.
A national army is to be formed
under a special law.
A special administrative bureau
is to be created for the nomad
tribes which shall be guided in its
policy by the special conditions and
requirements of each tribe.
Public religious foundations should
be considered purely denominational
institutions and shall be governed by
special boards elected by the Muslims.
The final, and what is termed as a
temporary article of the Constitution, vests in the Constituent Assembly the right to elect the first President of the Syrian Republic for a
term of office not to exceed two
years.
.
mmm - :
�(MAY, 1930
49
Political Developments in Syria
FRENCH PROCLAIM
SYRIA A REPUBLIC
Nationalists apparently withhold
approval—New elections to be
held in the fall.
i
I
JL'
Press dispatches from Paris carried the glad announcement that the
Syrian problem had been settled at
last by the action of the French
High Commissioner in proclaiming
Syria a republic on May 22. Comments of the French press on this
development gave the impression
that the final solution was bound to
please and reconcile the Syrians,
inasmuch as France had proven herself extremely liberal, going as far
as her special position as mandatory
permitted, and "even exceeding this
limit," in the opinion of some commentators.
Cable dispatches, however, failed
to give details of the new solution
beyond stating that the original
draft of the constitution as laid
down by the Constituent Assembly
was accepted by the French in its
entirety with the simple reservation
that the originally objectionable
articles would not go into force
until after the election of a de jure
government which would enter into
negotiations with the mandatory
power for defining the status of the
relations between the two governments.
But first accounts of the Syrian
press would indicate that this supposedly final solution is far from
being satisfactory to the Nationaliists.
The Constituent Assembly,
which they insist is the legally
elected representative body of the
people, and the one in which is
vested the power to draft the constitution and elect the president, is
not recognized in its vested rights
by the High Commissioner. Rather,
it is ignored altogether and the provisional government to which the
Nationalists offered strenuous objection is continued in power and
authorized to supervise the new
elections for the Representative
Assembly as defined by the constitution.
Furthermore, the basic article of
the constitution has been so altered
as to throw the whole document out
of balance. This is article II which
defines Syria as "all lands seceded
from the Ottoman Empire" and declares the State as such an indivisible political unit regardless of
whatever administrative
changes
may have been introduced into it
following the World War. This original definition, on the face of it,
would bring within the natural
boundaries of Syria Lebanon and
the other independent States of
Jebel Druze, the Alaouites and Alexandretta. But even with the elimination of Lebanon, to which the Syrian
Nationalists concede a special position, not even the other States understood to be an integral part of Syria
are comprised in the new republic.
Special constitutions have been
drafted for each of them separately
and individually, which would reduce
Syria proper to its present limited
confines.
M. Hoppenot, Chief of the Political Bureau of the French High
�50
Commissariat, in making public in
Beirut on May 22 the text of the
new Syrian Constitution, declared
to representatives of the press that
the Nationalists had not been consulted in reaching the decision on
this new move. M. Ponsot, on the
other hand, in the published text of
his letter to the French Minister of
Foreign Affairs dealing with the
matter, declares that negotiations
had been carried on with the Administrative Bureau of the Constituent
Assembly and that "it was expected that the Bureau would accept
this final solution."
No date has yet been set for 'holding new elections which probably
will take place in the fall. A Federal Council of a'l the Syrian States
is created by the terms of the new
declaration, whose principal functions will be to adjust economic relations between the different States.
The High Cbmmissioner is expected to leave for Paris before the
end of June so as to be near to give
the French government the benefit
of his advice when it submits the
constitution drafts of the several
Syrian States to the League of Nations for approval.
It would seem that this supposedly final solution was reached long
before its publication in Beirut, because printed copies of the Syrian
Constitution were furnished the
European press simultaneously with
the official declaration of the French
High Commissioner for Syria,—another cause for Syrian grievance,
according to first reports.
To one knowing the temperament
of the Syrian Nationalists, it would
seem that the Syrian problem, so
far as they are concerned, is far
from settled. They might take part
in the proposed elections and win
control of the Representative As-
THE SYRIAN WORLD
sembly as they did in the case of
the Constituent Assembly, but their
logical stand, judging by the consistency of their former demands,
is to insist on the rights of the
existing body, in which case they
may be expected to boycott the new
elections. A new armed revolution
would seem now to be out of the
question.
LEBANON
In submitting the drafts of the
new constitutions of the different
Syrian States to the Minister of
Foreign Affairs at Paris, M. Ponsot, the French High Commissioner
in Syria, pointed to the Lebanese
Constitution, which has been in
force for the past four years, as a
model of the new drafts, holding
that it proves the success of democratic, representative government in
Syria.
Now in Lebanon political affairs
seem to be in a sort of a chaotic
condition. The downfall of the Eddy
Cabinet, which was brought about
by Moslem discontent with the
educational program, did not put an
end to the perennial differences,
plotting and counter-plotting. August Pasha Adib's Cabinet does not
seem to be making much progress,
and there are strong rumors that its
downfall is in sight, perhaps to
give way to another Eddy Cabinet,
Eddy being admittedly the strong
man of the hour in the little republic.
The Regie, or tobacco monopoly,
has at last been decreed out of existence in Syria and Lebanon, and
full rights of free planting and
trade in tobacco products are restored to the population. This has
done little, however, to improve the
stringent economic conditions in the
country.
I f
�.T»^«l>," -
MAY, 1930
In an official interview, M. Charles
Dabbas, President
of
Lebanon,
declared that it has been definitely
agreed to make the Mediterranean
outlet of the Mosul oil at Tripoli.
The announcement was hailed with
great joy by the Lebanese, especially the Tripolitanians, and rents
in the city took a sudden boom. But
the Iraqians and Palestinians immediately raised a storm of protest
and appealed to England to insist
on making the port of Haifa, in
Palestine, the Mediterranean outlet
for the Mosul pipe lines. To this the
Lebanese make the counter demand
that France break her agreement
with England and the United State?,
if necessary, so as to insure bringing her share of Mosul petroleum
to Tripoli.
A storm was raised over a circular letter sent by M. Alphonse
Ayyub, economic agent for the Lebanese government in Paris, to the
Lebanese press in America, proffering his services to Lebanese nationals. The French consul at Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, published an open
letter in the Lebanese papers of
that city denying M. Ayyub the
right to make such proposals, claiming that all representation of Lebanese abroad is the exclusive privilege of France. The comment of
the Lebanese press on this subject
is strong and bitter, all agreeing
that France is proving by such actions a systematic attempt to hold
down Lebanon from making any
independent progress.
The Representative Assembly of
Lebanon has approved of the bill
appropriating a round sum of
$750,000 for establishing a flying
field near Tripoli. This action was
taken in spite of the great popular
objection raised because of its supposed misapplication of the economy
51
program. Some liberal papers, however, boldly take the stand that the
hand of the Lebanese government
was forced owing to pressure from
the High Commissariat, but the
Lebanese are at a loss to understand
why they should bear all the cost of
establishing the landing field for the
benefit of a French aeronautical
concern. What is cause of greater
surprise is that the Lebanese government should approve of the
project almost without deliberation
and in face of a large deficit threatening the treasury.
PALESTINE
The Arabs of Palestine seem determined to adhere to their original
demands for representative government in the country in which representation would be in proportion
to the different elements of the
population.
Their delegation to
London, which returned empty-handed, was, nevertheless, received with
great popular demonstration upon
its arrival home. Judging by reports
of the native press, no weakness
can be observed in the Arabs' demands for restriction on Jewish
immigration.
The Arabs of Palestine are being
strengthened in their stand by the
whole-hearted sympathy of their
brotJher Moslems throughout the
world, especially those of India.
This factor might prove of potent
influence in the study of the Palestine situation by the League of
Nations which now has the matter
under consideration.
Dr. Drummond Shields, the British Under-Secretary of State for
the Colonies, told the Mandates
Commission of the League of Nations that Britain would be guided
in her future policy in Palestine by
the findings of Sir John Simpson who
is now conducting an investigation.
-
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
52
About Syria and Syrians
AMERICA'S MISSION
IN THE NEAR EAST
Young America receives rich reward
from Eastern nations in exchange
for her educational contributions.
Albert W. Staub, Campaign Director of the six American Colleges
in the Near East, returned from a
visit to Syria the early part of
April. "This is the first time that I
have had the opportunity of being
in Syria during the spring season.
It is a veritable fairy land," he enthusiastically declares at the opening of his report. He then proceeds
to describe the wonderful constructive work in the way of helpful and
practical education that is being
carried on by the American University of Beirut, and asserts that
"the University has made a profound impression on the peoples of
the Near East which is apparent
not only in Beirut but throughout
Syria and adjacent countries." The
University's influence is evident in
many native schools, principally
Miss Kassab's School for Girls,
which he describes as "one of the
best organized institutions I have
seen in Syria," being considered "a
grand-daughter of the University."
A vivid account is furnished by
Mr. Staub of one of his experiences
while in Beirut on the occasion of
a banquet given by the alumni of
the University.
One of the Syrian speakers, he
recalls, made a statement that stirred the American soul: "When a
strong nation endeavors to help a
backward race one of two things
is inevitable," he quoted the Syrian
speaker as saying. "Either the backward race develops an inferiority
complex or else it becomes parasitical. You do not make us feel inferior because of the spirit in which
you have come. You have come not
as a conquering nation, but with
such sympathy and understanding
that you have captured our admiration and our love. Instead of making
us parasitical, you have inspired in
us self-respect."
This called forth the following
response on the part of Mr. Staub
who was endeavoring to outline the
purposes of the six American Colleges in the Near East:
Mr. Staub's Remarks
This movement in America may be
looked upon as a modern crusade—
not militant but in the interest of
peace, not arguing the theories of
religion but emphasizing the experience we have in common as
human beings based upon spiritual
facts.
It might be considered an educational mandate in the Near East—
not political, but inspired by a desire to share that which we have
found to be helpful to us culturally,
not imperialistic but as a gesture of
friendship.
The Colleges have been referred
to as broadcasting stations of international good will, recognizing the
essential values of nationalism, but
stimulating a world patriotism.
These institutions serve as the
medium of two important currents
of thought. As Americans we share
�.
MAY, 1930
the fruits of our idealism and culture with others. As representatives
of other nations you share with us
the product of your mature culture
obtained through centuries of experience.
Our life is highly commercialized
—we need the mysticism of the
East. Our manners are crude compared with the refined hospitality of
the Orient. Our religion is practical, but lacks the richness acquired
through thoughtful meditation and
contemplation. We are too responsive to every new idea. We need
poise — the product of age-long
traditions. We need an outlet for
the pent-up energies of a successful
people lest we become self-centered
and overbearing.
We do not claim to have a formula of our own which we wish to
impose on others. We are seeking
with the help of others the conditions which will result in the economic freedom of all peoples; the
permanent spiritual values of life
for all peoples; the mutual respect
for all peoples, one for another; and
the cooperation of all peoples for
the common good.
What we are striving for is not
a substitution of the characteristics
of one type of civilization for another—not the destruction of human
values wheresoever found, but the
blending of the cultures of many
peoples so as to build up a human
brotherhood—a fraternity of kindred
spirits for the benefit of all mankind.
SYRIAN POLITICAL LEADER
HONORED BY FRIENDS
The Syrian community's elation
over the election of George C. Dagger to the Republican leadership
of the First Assembly District of
53
Honorable George C. Dagher
Brooklyn was demonstrated by the
large attendance at the dinner
tendered him at the Elks Club on
June 5. The festive gathering was
the largest in the history of the
Syrian community, the attendance
being over 700, drawn mainly from
the select professional and business
elements.
The banquet was under
the
auspices of the American Syrian
Federation, and that it proved such
a success in spite of the short notice given is eloquent testimony of
the popularity of the Syrian political leader.
Albert Macsoud, chairman of the
Committee on Arrangements, opened the speaking session and turned
the chair over to S. J. Akel, President of the Federation. Joseph
Ferris made the presentation of a
gold watch to the guest of honor in
the name of the Federation.
�1
,
54
Mme. Fedora Korban, styled the
Syrian nightingale, gave several
operatic selections and was applauded heartily.
The American speakers were
Philip Elting, collector of customs at
the port of New York, United States
Attorney Ameli, Postmaster Firmin,
Justices Dodd and Martin of the
Supreme Court, Port Appraiser
Kracke, Collector of Internal Revenue Corwin, Transit Commissioner
Lockwood and Amy Wren, co-leader
of the First Assembly Republican
District.
Many of the government officials
present were Democrats who wished
to assist in honoring the young
Syrian Republican leader for his
sterling personal qualities regardless of party affiliations.
Collector Elting delivered a long
address in which he emphasized the
principle that loyalty to American
institutions is the prime consideration in determining the meaning of
the term American. "We are all of
foreign stock," de declared, "and
only the Indian aborigines are fullblooded Americans."
VISITING SYRIAN EDUCATORS
HONORED BY COMMUNITY
The Syrian Educational Society
of New York held a banquet on May
3 at Joe's Restaurant in Brooklyn
in honor of two prominent Syrian
educators now visiting in the United
States, Miss Marie Kassab of the
Ahliya'h School for Girls in Beirut,
and Prof. S. Saad of the National
School in Damascus.
A. K. Hitti, President of the Syrian Educational Society, presided as
toastmaster. The principal speakers
were Dr. Ph. K. Hitti of Princeton
and Dr. Albert W. Staub, Director
THE SYRIAN WORLD
of the American Near East Colleges.
Miss Kassab and Prof. Saad also
spoke in explanation of their missions.
Mme. Fedora Korban and Midhat
Sirbagi, noted Syrian operatic singers, received loud applause.
In giving his appraisal of the
native institutions which the visiting educators
represented,
Mr.
Staub, in speaking of American
leadership in the East, said that
"one wonders at times when Americans will become less dominant."
He particularly praised the organization and the advance methods of
teaching which he observed at Miss
Kassab's school, declaring "that he
was more impressed with it than
any other educational institution he
saw in the Near East."
BANQUET IN HONOR
OF WILLIAM CATZEFLIS
William Catzeflis, a member of
the literary fraternity Ar-Rabitah,
and a leading literary and social
figure in the New York Syrian community, recently elected to the vicepresidency of the Lebanon National
Bank, was given a testimonial dinner by his friends and admirers at
the Hotel Pennsylvania May 24.
Fouzi Breidy acted as toastmaster
and the speakers included G. K.
Gibran, George Ferris, Dr. N. Barbour, Dr. S. Y. Alkazin, J. Mandour, President of the Lebanon National Bank, N. Diab, editor of Meraat-Ul-Gharb, S. A. Mokarzel, N.
Arida, R. Saliba, T. Fakhr, M. Naimy, M. Saidy, A. A. Haddad and
Salim Mallouk.
Mr. Catzeflis responded in English
and in Arabic in appropriate expressions of thanks and pledged himself to further efforts in the service
of the community.
�. ' '
MAY, 1930
55
Telegrams and letters of congratulations were received from many
parts of the United States.
SYRIAN SINGER PROMISED
METROPOLITAN AUDITION
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, in its
issue of June 3, carried on its first
page a feature story by Isabelle
Keating giving an account of the
persistent struggle of Mme. Fedora
Kurban for recognition as a singer,
which efforts were finally rewarded
by a promise from Gatti-Cassazza
to give her an audition next October.
"An audition at the Metropolitan
Opera House of New York," says the
writer, "is a notable event for any
singer; but for Fedora Kurban it is
a miracle, considering the family
prejudices and objections she had to
overcome in pursuing her career."
Mme. Kurban is rapidly establishing a name for herself as a gifted
singer, and has come to be known as
the Syrian nightingale. The quality
of her voice is described by critics
as being exceptional, and for her
complete operatic success she may
be sure of the heartiest best wishes
of all her compatriots who wish to
see the Syrian name shine in added
splendor.
SYRIAN-ARABIC PAGEANT
TO BE HELD IN BOSTON
(From a Correspondent)
Boston—In connection with the
Tercentenary celebration in Boston,
Mrs. William L. Putnam, wealthy
and influential leader, was appointed
by State authorities as Chairman
for the Racial Group Committee.
Mrs. Putnam requested Faris S. Malouf, lawyer, to accept the Chairman-
-GO&
Mme. Fedora Kurban
ship for the Syrian group. Working
in conjunction with Mr. Malouf are
Rasheed Abdelnoor and Labeebee A.
J. Hanna.
In preparing a general outline of
a pageant to depict the history of
Syria and Arabia and their contributions to civilization, the committee is indebted to the following for
valuable information: Ameen Rihani, lecturer and author; Dr. Ph. K.
Hitti, of Princeton; Miss Theodora
Scoff, and Professor Jewett of Harvard.
Miss Labeebee A. J. Hanna was
elected to organize and compose the
pageant, which consists of eight
episodes, covering the following
years: .500 B. C.-1930 A. D. She is
also preparing a very interesting
music and dance program with the
help of Mr. George Leesha.
�56
The Syrians of Boston look forward to seeing friends from all
over the country on July 15, the
day of the pageant—as it promises
to be quite extraordinary and instructive, and at the same time entertaining.
Ameen Rihani, who has prepared
a pamphlet on the history of Syria
and Arabia for the occasion, will take
the character of History; and Labeebee A. J. Hanna will take the character of the princess at the caliph's
court in the Golden Age episode.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ther hieroglyphics nor Assyrian cuneiform characters, but evidently
parts of the first alphabet made of
26 and 27 signs, were found by a
young Alsation archaeologist on the
Syrian coast of the Mediterranean,
at a place called Ras-Shamra, near
Latakia. The expedition had discovered there a necropolis, the 4,000year-old ruins of a Phoenician palace and town, and numerous ancient
vases, jars and statues of great archaeological and historical value.
The opinion was put forward by the
Academie that these ruins represented traces of an Aegian colony that
existed on the Phoenician coast 2,000
WASHINGTON CLUB
years before the present era, and
HOLDS ELECTIONS
whose civilization was of the MyThe Young Men's Syrian Club of cenian period. Salomon Reinach, the
Washington, D. C, held its annual famous French historian, who was
elections at a recent meeting which present when the report was preresulted as follows: Jack Haje, pres- sented, declared that the discovery
ident; Louis Teehan, vice-president; was a most extraordinary one, and
Nelson Haje, secretary; John Kiat- that it would be of the greatest imta, treasurer, and George Atohi, portance for the study of ancient
sergeant at arms. The entire enroll- history.
ment was present at the meeting.
Following their election the officers were tendered a testimonial
ROYALTY IN SYRIA
dinner by the club followed by an
able dramatic presentation by Tony
After visiting Egypt in March,
Furrah and George Atohi. The ban- Queen Marie of Roumania and her
quet was attended by the outstand- daughter Princess Iliana crossed
ing element of the Syrian community Palestine to Syria where they were
the guests of the French High Comof Washington.
,
missioner and visited the principal
places of interest in the country,
particularly
Beirut, Damascus, BaalWORLD'S OLDEST LIBRARY
bek
and
Palmyra.
FOUND IN SYRIA
The Syrian press lived up to the
What is supposed to be the most highest tradition of journalistic enancient library in the world, consist- terprise and thoroughness in reing of documents written in the first porting the movements of the two
alphabetic signs known to savants, royal ladies, even to the extent of
was discovered in Syria by a French observing a hole in the Princess's
archaeological expedition, according stockings, and remarking that she
to reports in the American press. was seen on one occasion to be
Eighteen large and small tablets darning her own stockings. When
engraved with letters that are nei- she attended Mass at the Orthodox
�MAY, 1930
Cathedral the belles of the city
dressed in their best and came out
in force to meet royalty, but the
Princess appeared in the simplest
attire to the utter confusion and
discomfiture of the native women.
While in Damascus, the Queen was
accosted by a reporter of a local
paper with a petition pleading for
her intercession with the mandatory
authorities for ousting the government of Sheikh Tajeddin which was
bringing economic ruin to the
country.
Al-Ahrar, the principal paper of
Beirut, was suspended for three
months for publishing uncomplimentary remarks about the Queen,
thereby "offending a guest of the
mandatory power," according to the
wording of the official statement.
And this is in spite of the fact that
the publisher of the offending paper
is a member of the Lebanese cabinet.
ARMENIANS IN SYRIA
The claim of Syrian papers that
France is encouraging Armenian immigration to Syria with the purpose
of establishing in Northern Syria a
national home for the Armenians
which will serve as a sort of buffer
state between Syria and Turkey, was
denied emphatically by the Armenian paper Aztak published in Beirut.
The Armenian organ advances the
argument that the total number of
Armenian refugees now in all parts
of Syria and Lebanon does not exceed 100,000, which is but a small
proportion of the race. Their total
number in their own homeland, Armenistan, is one million, and these
do not plan to migrate. In Russia
and Caucasia there are half a million who are not permitted to leave,
and scattered throughout the world
are another half a million who could
57
not be induced to return. This plainly shows, according to the Armenian
paper, that the danger of an Armenian influx into Syria is more
fancied than real.
DAMASCENE CROWD
APPLAUDS A MURDER
Because Oriental Code of Morals
Approves Action in Avenging
Family Honor.
Husni Ibn Bayezide, a nineteenyear-old boy of Damascus, could not
withstand the shame his older sister
east on the family name and resolved to avenge his honor with blood.
He armed himself with a razor and
sought his sister in the prostitutes'
quarter. He met her offering a rose
to a stranger and attacked her with
the ferocity of a madman. A crowd
collected but he warned them against
interfering. He stood over the prostrate body of the young woman
until she breathed her last.
The police had by then reached
the scene and rushed upon the murderer with drawn revolvers, but he
shouted to them that he would surrender without resistance. He appeared relieved at having accomplished the deed—he had washed his
honor with blood. And the crowd
cheered him loudly all the way to
prison...
LOCUSTS RAVAGING SYRIA
Reports continue to be received
from all parts of Syria telling of the
continuous spread of the locust
plague and the excessive damage
being done to plantations. The pests
have covered almost all of Lebanon
and spread throughout Syria as far
north as Latakia and Aleppo.
�BOOKS BY SYRIAN AUTHORS
To recommend to Syrians the acquisition of books
in English by Syrian authors would seem superfluous,
especially when the books are such as to cause every
Syrian to feel proud of the fact that their authors are of
his countrymen. All the books listed below have been
exceptionally well received by American critics, some of
them gaining national and even international distinction.
Not alone as a matter of racial pride, but also as a valuable addition to every modern library and as an indispensable medium of wider culture all Syrian homes should
have all or most of these books.
All prices quoted include postage.
Books by Ameen Rihani
Maker of Modern Arabia
$6.00
The Path of Vision
1.25
A Chant of Mystics and Other Poems
1.25
Books by Kahlil Gibran
Sand and Foam
2.25
Prophet—Reg
2.75
The Madman
2.00
The Forerunner
2.75
Jesus, The Son of Man
3.75
Books by Dr P. K. Hitti
As-Suyuti's Who's Who in the 15th Century (Arabic)
3.50
Pap«;r Cover
3.00
Usamah, an Arab-Syrian Gentleman and
Warrior of the Crusades
4.75
Syrians in America
1-25
Syria and the Syrians (Arabic)
1.10
History of Syrian Commerce in the United
States (Arabic; Illustrated)
3.25
By S. A. MOKARZEL.
Immortality (By DR. I. G. KHEIRALLA)
1.25
The Nationalist Crusade in Syria; A Comprehensive and Authoritative Discussion of the
Syrian Question
2.75
By ELIZABETH P. MACCULLTJM.
— -„-ra4*
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
Identifier
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NS 0002
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
TSW1930_05reducedWM
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Volume 04, Issue 09
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930 May
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 4 Issue 09 of The Syrian World published May 1930. The issue opens with more of Ameen Rihani's experiences in Jeddah and his near-haj to Mecca. Salloum Mokarzel then recounts more of his travels, specifically to Tripoli and Latakia. Mokarzel describes the lands around him in detail. Gibran is yet again featured with a piece titled "On the Art of Writing." The principle poetic contribution in this issue is Thomas Asa's "Essay on Life." Follows is a short story by Labeebee A. J. Hanna that details an intimate and graphic aspect of Syrian-American home life. Salloum Mokarzel's editorial is the last work in the issue, and it deals with the important question of whether the Syrians in America should choose to be called Syrians or Arabs. The issue closes with excerpts from the Arab press and more on political developments in Syria, specifically the formation of the Syrian Republic (1930-1958).
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
A language of the resource
English
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
Format
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Text/pdf
Type
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Text
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Ameen Rihani
Immigration
Kahlil Gibran
Labeebee A.J. Hanna
New York
Thomas Asa
Travel
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/0256c2568d3a7038ea1a276717c3084f.pdf
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PDF Text
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VOL. IV. No. 7
MARCH, 1930.
PR
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
A
MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ENGLISH DEALING
WITH SYRIAN AFFAIRS AND ARABIC LITERATURE
m
m
MEETING THE MARONITE PATRIARCH
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL
ij
THE OLD AND THE NEW IN ARABIA
AMEEN RIHANI
HAROUN AL-RASHID AND THE TWO LOVERS
(AN ARABIAN NIGHTS* STORY)
THROUGH SOUTHERN LEBANON
m
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL
I
8
CAUSES OF PALESTINE RIOTS
1
THE COPY 50c
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THE
SYRIAN WORLD
Tublished monthly by
SALLOUM
A.
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
MOKARZEL,
Editor.
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single copies 50c
Entered as second-class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New
York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
MARCH, 1930,
VOL. IV. No. 7.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Meeting the Maronile Patriarch
SALLOUM
A.
7
MOKARZEL
The Old and the New in Arabia
19
AMEEN RIHANI
On Life (Poem)
27
J. D.
CARLYLE
Haroun Al-Rashid and the Two Lovers
28
(An Arabian Nights' Story)
On Giving and Taking
KAHLIL
32
GIBRAN
�CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
The Tzvo Answers (Poem)
DR. SALIM
33
Y. ALKAZIN
The Traveler (Poem)
3+
ALICE MCGEORGE
Through Southern Lebanon
35
SALLOUM A. MoiCARZEL
Advice to a Rash Youth (Poem)
LABEEBEE
43
A. J. HANNA
Editorial Comment
44
Causes of Palestine Riots
46
Political Developments in Syria
S3
About Syria and Syrians
56
GREAT SYRIAN WORLD
CONTEST
FOR
A FREE TRIP TO SYRIA AND RETURN
IS ANNOUNCED
ON PAGES 4, 5 AND 6 OF
THIS ISSUE
spec
Ma
�IN THIS ISSUE
E
•
«
L
ROVERS of travel will find
in this issue much material
to their liking. Mysterious
Arabia and romantic 'Lebanon
are here described in some of
their most interesting phases.
AMEEN RIHANI gives us a
further account of his experiences in Jeddah — how King
Hussein made his subjects live
up to the Koranic law and how
they proceeded to break it once
he turned his back. He also tells
how banking operations are conducted in the public square, the
President and Cashier leaving
their money unguarded, simply
covering it with a straw mat, to
attend to their noon prayers at
the mosque. The whole narrative abounds in the most interesting information. * * *
THE EDITOR describes in a
special article his visit to the
Maronite Patriarch at his summer residence. Some of the
truly wonderful natural scenes
in Northern Lebanon are worth
knowing about, and they are
fully described and illustrated.
The Patriarch's opinions on
home politics and on the religious future of his spiritual children in America are faithfully
recorded. * * * In another article describing his journey
through Southern Lebanon, the
editor recalls some amusing experiences and gives an account
of his observations in Mashgara, Jezzine, Kfarhouna, AlMukhtara, Beit Eddeen and
Deir El-Kamar. * * * KAHLIL GIBRAN is preeminent
in his originality of thought.
He is here quoted on the nature
and meaning of giving and taking. The beautiful decoration
appearing with his quotations is
of his own design. * * * DR.
SALIM Y. ALKAZIN, as
usual, contributes some of his
highly valued poetical compositions, as do Labeebee A. J.
Hanna and Alice McGeorge.
* * * A SHORT STORY, in
the nature of those of the Arabian Nights, is an original translation from the Arabic. Many
are the tales of love and tragedy that have not yet found
their way into English and
which THE SYRIAN WORLD
gives for the first time to its
readers. * * * A SUMMARY
of the official report of the
Shaw Commission of inquiry
into the causes of the bloody
riots of last August in Palestine is published in this issue,
as well as a full account of the
political developments of the
month in Palestine, Syria and
Lebanon.
JOIN
THE GREAT
SYRIAN WORLD
CONTEST
�Great Syrian
For a FREE TRIP to
The editor of THE SYRIAN WORLD having made a trip to Syria in
the summer of 1929, which he is now describing in a series of articles in
the magazine, came to realize not only the great educational and cultural
advantages of such a trip, but its unrivalled possibilities for pleasure and
recreation. In our enthusiasm for the benefits of such tours, we decided to
offer one as a prize to our readers. This is on a par with the most liberal
offers made by the biggest American publications, whose readers are hundreds of thousands and even millions. Needless to say that this is unprecedented in the history of Arabic journalism, whether in America or abroad.
THE SYRIAN WORLD, in making the great prize offer in spite of
the heavy sacrifice involved, considers that in so doing it is promoting the
cause of sympathetic understanding of the motherland. This is in keeping
with the main object behind the publication of the magazine. Whether the
winner be a boy or girl, American or Syrian, the purpose would have been
served by the actual contacts established with the great scenic beauties
and places of immense historical intei'est in our country of origin.
The proposition is unprecedented, the advantages great, the conditions most liberal. It is surely the opportunity of a lifetime for the ambitious.
ITINERARY OF TRIP
The free trip offered by THE SYRIAN WORLD takes the same route
followed by the editor in his recent trip to Syria. Passage will be Cabin
class on the luxurious steamer Providence, of the Fabre Line, sailing from
New York July 2nd. Stops on route and shore excursions will be made at
Ponta Delgada, Azores Islands; Lisbon, Portugal; Naples, Italy; Palermo,
Sicily, and Piraeus and Athens, Greece.
In Syria and Lebanon the winner may remain as long as he desires
and return on any of the Fabre Line steamers to New York, also Cabin
Class.
Sailing from New York will be under the direction and full assistance
of the firm of A. K. Hitti & Co., the well-known steamship ticket agents.
The Beirut Branch of the same firm will render the winner all necessary service and advice free. The editor, thanks to the contacts contracted
on his last trip, will also give the winner letters of introduction and recommendation to many influential friends who would render all necessary
courtesies. The winner, representing THE SYRIAN WORLD whose services
are fully recognized in the motherland, will be assured of the most friendly
reception by the authorities and the public.
a>*^xa*i~.-i*i"±a.
i
�World Contest
SYRIA and RETURN
SYRIAN WORLD OFFER
The prize offered by THE SYRIAN WORLD to the winner in the contest is free passage, Cabin Class, both ways from New York to Beirut and
return, together with a liberal cash allowance for the shore excursions
above mentioned on the outward passage. Is this not a worthy prize to
try to win?
CONDITIONS OF CONTEST
v
1. THE SYRIAN WORLD prize of a Free Trip to Syria and return will be
awarded the individual securing the largest number of New subscribers to the magazine at the regular price of subscription.
2. Considering the great value of the prize offered, the minimum number
required to win the award must be not less than one hundred.
3. Every contestant, other than the winner, securing more than one hundred new subscriptions, will be awarded a special cash premium of
$1.50 for every subscription. Those securing less than one hundred will
be given $.100 for every subscription. In the event of two or more contestants tying for the Grand Prize, all will receive identical prizes.
4. The contest closes June 10, 1930. Letters post-marked later than this
date will not be counted. Announcement of the awards will be made
June 15.
5. Every subscription must be a new subscription, and must be accompanied by a remittance of the full price of $5.00.
6. Gift subscriptions will be counted as direct subscriptions. For instance,
if a contestant succeeds in inducing a friend to make gifts of a year's
subscription to each of five individuals, he will be given credit for
five individual subscriptions. Multiple subscriptions to the same person
will not be counted by the number of years; as, for instance, a single
individual subscribing for two years will not be given credit for two
subscriptions.
7. Those wishing to enter the contest must write to register, in which case
they will be furnished with special blanks and helpful literature.
8. The contest is open to all friends of THE SYRIAN WORLD anywhere
in the United States and Canada.
�IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
ON THE SUBJECT OF THE
SYRIAN WORLD CONTEST
QWING to the appreciation by the public of our liberal offer
of a free trip to Syria as a first prize in the current Syrian
World Contest, and in compliance with numerous requests to
this effect, we have decided to extend our offer as follows:
1—While the minimum number of subscriptions required to win
the Free Trip remains at one hundred, any contestant, besides the winner, procuring one hundred subscriptions has
the option of receiving either the cash prize or a one-way
free trip to Syria.
2—If a contestant should procure two hundred, he receives a
free round trip.
3—For all subscriptions above two hundred the winner, as well
as any other contestant, receives a cash premium of one
dollar for each subscription in excess of two hundred.
4—Organizations are permitted to enter the contest and award
the prize to any individual member.
5—Contestants working for the limited prizes of either a oneway trip or a round trip may withdraw once their goal is
reached and sail on any Fabre Line steamer, cabin class,
before the date set for the close of the Contest.
Registered contestants to date are the following:
H. J. Hashem, Poughkeepsie,
N. Y.
H. Abood, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Mrs. R. Hamrah, Naugatuck,
Conn.
N. Sayed, Georgetown, S. C.
E. George, E. Liverpool, Ohio
TWO
IN
Mrs. J. Rafful, Toledo, Ohio
Ed. Hershewe, Fort Dodge,
Iowa.
S. Kallil, Detroit, Mich.
F. A. Coriaty, Manchester,
N. H.
MORE MONTHS
WHICH
TO
WIN.
�THE
SYRIAN WORLD
MARCH, 1930.
VOL. IV. No. 7.
Meeting the Maronite Patriarch
NJ
By
SAI.I.OUM
A.
MOKARZEL
"THE MARONITES are the largest single group in the population of Lebanon. They take their name from that of St.
Maron who lived in the fifth century and whose disciples sought
refuge in the fastness of Mt. Lebanon fleeing their flourishing
monasteries on the banks of the Orontes to escape religious persecution. For almost fifteen centuries they maintained themselves in Lebanon against great odds in defense of their rights
to independence and freedom of worship.
The Maronite clergy has always played a leading role in the
shaping of the destinies of this valiant people. From time immemorial the clergy were looked upon as not only the guardians of
the faith but as defenders of the political liberties of the nation
as well.
These traditions have obtained, in an unbroken succession,
ever since the Maronites became a homogenous entity. During the
almost continuous internecine feuds and wars with native and foreign enemies, and during the trying times following the crusades,
the Patriarch, as the ranking prelate in the Maronite hierarchy,
was the accredited representative of his nation in both political
and religious matters. Even the chaotic conditions resulting from
the World War could not shake these deeply entrenched traditions. Rather, the momentum which they had gathered during
fifteen hundred years seems to have carried them beyond their
natural bounds, so that the Maronite Patriarch was conceded
the highly complimentary distinction of representing all the
religious groups of Lebanon, Christians and non-Christians—Orthodox, Melchites, Druzes and Moslems alike—at the Versailles
�I
8
I
THE SYRIAN WORLD
peace conference. On that occasion he was given by common
agreement of all elements, who for once forgot their party differences for the sake of the common weal, the significant and
all-inclusive title of the "Lebanese Patriarch," instead of his restricted title of the "Maronite Patriarch."
Nor have the frequent readjustments in the political alignments and administrative changes in Lebanon during the postwar period apparently affected the prestige of the Maronite
Patriarch. Bekerkey is still a name to conjure with in matters
affecting the political destinies of the country. We read that the
President of the Republic, on the occasion of his reelection, inaugurated his new term of office by paying a visit of courtesy to
the seat of Maronite ecclesiastical authority. The French High
Commissioner must be persona grata with Bekerkey, and is bound
by tradition to call on the Patriarch to exchange expressions of
good-will between France and the Maronites. Admirals of
French fleets visiting Syrian waters are lacking of tact if they do
not pay the customary visit to Bekerkey, and when the Patriarch
elects to return the call he is given a salute of twenty-one guns,
like heads of states.
Bekerkey is the official seat of the Maronite Patriarch. It is
situated directly above the seaport of Jounieh at a short distance
north of Beirut, and in the heart of the almost exclusively Maronite district of Kesrawan. It serves as the residence of the
Patriarch during nine months of the year.
In this respect, Bekerkey has the logical and weightier claim
to be symbolic of Maronite ecclesiastical authority. It is so considered in the public mind.
But during the three months of summer the Patriarch takes
up his residence at Ad-Deeman, situated in North Lebanon at a
short distance from the famous Cedars and in the Heart of a
densely populated district that is exclusively Maronite. From
the viewpoint of tradition and historical associations, as well as
of geographical location, the summer seat should be more representative of Maronite prestige and ruggedness of character.
The buildings may be comparatively recent, having been undertaken by the present Patriarch some thirty years ago, but the
location itself is associated with the history of the Maronites
from their earliest settlement of the country. Forming a sort
of semi-circle around Ad-Deeman are the important towns of
Hadath, Hasroun, Becherri, and Ehden, which figure prominently in native lore, while in the other direction there is afforded
I
�*. ,
I
MARCH, 1930
Rising on the very brink of the precipice is the town of Hadsheet,
the windows and balconies of its houses overlooking Wadi Kadisha in a sheer drop of 2500 feet.
the most imposing view of Wadi Kadisha, so called because of
its many monasteries and hermitages where the disciples of St.
Maron first took up their abode. No more appropriate location
could be chosen for the seat of the Maronite authority and the
perpetuation of their traditions. I was fortunate in having had
the opportunity to interview the Maronite Patriarch in these
imposing surroundings, so rich in historical and romantic associations.
*
*
*
The morning of August 3 we left Al-Hadath in the direction
of Ad-Deeman. The summit of Al-Mizab, the highest peak in
Lebanon, rising to a height of 10333 feet, loomed surprisingly
near, while the winding valley of Kadisha offered an ever-changing panorama of wondrous scenery. Along the way we came
across a view that was not only arresting, but awe-inspiring to
the utmost degree. We stopped in our tracks for a considerable
time to marvel at the extraordinary setting.
Rising from the depths of the valley, which seemed fathomless from our high position, was a perpendicular cliff, crescentshaped and projecting into the yawning gorge. The cliff was of
solid rock with hardly a trace of vegetation along the sides, but
s^
=»
�10
THE SYRIAN WORLD
crowned by a plateau which abounded in mulberry groves, interspersed here and there with tall and stately poplars, indicating
the existence of abundant water.
But this was not the cause of our surprise. We could well
imagine that the vulcanic convulsions responsible for these earth
formations could cast them into any fantastic shape. Rather it
was what seemed to us either the desperation or the foolhardiness of man which gave the place its awe-inspiring aspect. For
rising directly from the edge of the precipice, in fact, an unbroken
coninuation of its steep sides, were a cluster of dwellings bordering the fringe like a crown, or like some battlements surmounting the walls of a huge natural fortress. One could see any number of windows opening directly on the valley, while in some
cases there were overhanging balconies balancing precariously over
the abyss. I was told that the sheer drop to the bottom of the
valley was somewhere around eight hundred meters, or more
than 2500 feet. I could also distinguish a church built in like
manner on the very edge of the gaping gorge. The founders of
the town must have had a special reason for adopting such a
building policy, and all succeeding generations lived up to blind
tradition ever since. I further learned from trustworthy sources
that an average of three or four fatal falls, mostly among children or workmen, take place every year. I could not be informed whether the town has a special graveyard at the bottom of the
valley for the unfortunate victims. The name of the place is
Hadsheet.
We arrived at Ad-Deeman at about ten A. M. and were met
in the outer court by the personal attendant of the Patriarch who
informed us that his Beatitude was then at his prayers, it being
his life-long custom to fast on Saturdays and consecrate the day
to devotion to the Virgin Mary. The attendant, Mansur Harb,
proved in many respects a good entertainer and well-informed
guide. He conducted us to an overhanging rock commanding a
superb view of the Sacred Valley, pointing out to us the monastery of Kanoubeen, in the lower reaches of the valley, and appearing like a white speck amidst the dark green of the forests and
mulberry groves and vineyards. This was the former seat of the
Maronite Patriarchs, who chose the location for its inaccessibility
and security. The monks, by the patient labor of centuries, succeeded in terracing the steep sides of the valley to save the soil
from being washed away by the floods, and were thus enabled
. ..,
:
-
..
;
-.;
-
�11
MARCH, 193D
The Sacred Valley in Northern Lebanon as viewed from the
heights of Ad-Deeman. The white spots on the terraced sides
to the right are the old monasteries.
m
to make the soil yield to them the bare necessities of a frugal
existence.
Wadi Kadisha is unquestionably the most majestic and imposing view of Lebanon. Setting aside its historical associations,
its proximity to the Cedars and the many thriving towns it supports on its massive shoulders, the natural view itself gives rise
to the greatest admiration and wonder. The earth formations at
some places are both majestic and phantastic. The opposite side
as you look from Ad-Deeman, for instance, gives the impression
that a great temple, with massive columns and arcades as if designed by a master architect, is wrought in the solid rocky ribs of
the mountain. The recesses distinguished by the deepening shadows indicate the existence of numerous caverns. Huge slabs of
rock protruding over the precipice give the impression of overhanging balconies.
The Valley is uniformly deep, but takes a winding course
which makes possible varying effects of light and shadow at all
hours of the day. One could spend hours and days admiring the
kaleidoscopic colors of its fascinating beauty, but the attendant
had many other places of immediate interest to point out, start-
',.'.
;
. ~:~~
�JL
12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ing with the
solitary tree on
the projecting
rock immediate1y
below
where
we
stood, and under which
Archbishop Joseph Dibs, the
famous Oriental scholar,
spent many a
month working
on his "History
of Syria." He
was about to
relate more
about places
and things in
this little spot
s o abounding
in interesting
associat ions,
when
Bishop
Paul Akel, secretary to the
Patriarch arHis Beatitude Elias Petrus Howayeck,
rived to greet
us. He conducted us by the main entrance and through a
labyrinth of vaulted corridors to a large reception hall whose
windows on the one side opened in the direction of the Cedars,
and on the other on Wadi Kadisha. The furnishings were of the
simplest—windows with wooden shutters but no curtains; an
unpretentious divan with stationary masnads, or back rests, running along the four walls, and a solitary table in the center on
which were a few books. The walls were also bare except for a
few sacred pictures. The whole atmosphere of the place was thi
of such simplicity as to be severe in its quiet dignity. It was ii
strict keeping with the traditions of extreme austerity characteristic of the Maronite clergy from time immemorial. There is,
however, another reception hall on the upper floor of Ad-Dee-
^
w1*"**"
I
I Thi
�MARCH, 1930
13
I
The lowly, yet exalted throne of the Patriarch who in spite of
his eighty-six years insists on rising unaided.
man, furnished in a style befitting the dignity and prestige of
the nation which the Patriarch represents. This is used only on
the most formal occasions.
Soon the room began to fill with clergymen and laymen, residents and visitors. Archbishops Abdallah Khoury and Elias
Reesha soon entered, followed by many priests and seminars
and visiting priors of near and distant monasteries, while a group
of young people accompanied by a village priest paced nervously
one of the corridors. They had come from the farthest end of
Lebanon for a special dispensation to consummate a marriage
without the publication of banns. The priest came with them to
intercede and to plead. Youth was impatient!
It was now almost eleven and the Patriarch was still at his
devotions, but having been informed of our arrival he graciously
consented to grant us an interview before noon. Soon the measured fall of a cane on the stone-paved corridor was faintly heard
in the distance. As the sound drew nearer a hush fell on the
assembly in the room. The Patriarch was coming!
He presently entered. To one knowing his age he appeared
to be bearing well under the weight of his eighty-six years. The
large bright eyes gleaming from beneath the bushy eye-brows
showed vigor of spirit that defied the physical weight of age
�14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
indicated by the stooping shoulders. The Patriarch walked majestically, slowly. He proceeded to the corner of the room where
a large cushion was spread on the floor and squatted on it, Oriental
fashion, the rising sides of the high divan serving as his back
rest. The lowly cushion was the Maronite Patriarch's exalted
throne! I was told that he receives princes in this informal fashion.
He chooses to assume this position both for reasons of comfort
and of humility.
I had seen his Beatitude Elias Howyeck once before some
thirty years ago when he was elevated to the Patriarchate, but I
was in no position then to fully appraise either the man or the
dignity of his office. On the present occasion, however, three1
decadds of ^experience had their effect in bringing to me a fuller
appreciation of both the office and its incumbent.
The Patriarch was most solicitous for the well-being of the
Maronites of America. "Is it not strange," he remarked, "that
fully fifty per cent, of our people have now migrated to lands
across the seas! We ask the Almighty to grant them the grace
of persevering in the faith of their forefathers. It would be a
most grievous calamity if the precious legacy which has come
down to us through fifteen centuries should be lost in a generation."
A candid discussion of the spiritual conditions of the Maronites in America followed, the Patriarch displaying the keenest
interest in the subject. He readily agreed that the crying need
was for missionary priests capable of understanding the spirit of
the times and appreciating the evolutionary processes of the
changing conditions. Only those priests who have a thoroughly
modern education and are capable of true missionary zeal and
sacrifice should be permitted to come to America, and not those
who are still primitive or provincial or mercenary or exploitative.
Perhaps, it was suggested, a Maronite bishop in America might
succeed in coordinating and controlling the now loosely held
strands of authority. Would not Rome consider the special privileges and traditions of the Maronites and grant a request to
that effect? It was agreed that the plan was beset with many
obstacles, but that an effort was, nevertheless, worth attempting.
Then someone injected the question of politics, and it proved
like the proverbial snow-ball that gathered momentum the more
it rolled. From that moment on nothing else was discussed.
Owing to the great prestige of the Maronite Patriarch, his
opinion on matters political is anxiously sought and appropriately
i
!
�15
MARCH, 1930
The four Maronite prelates, keepers of the old Maronite faith
and traditions, are from left to right: Bishops Elias Reesha and
Abdullah Khouri, the Patriarch and Bishop Boulos Akel.
i
evaluated. Nor was his Beatitude averse to discussing the political and economic situation of the country. The temporal welfare of his people was of paramount concern to him after their
spiritual well-being. It affected him deeply, he said, to see the
people of Lebanon being driven to economic ruin through the
muddling tactics of politics. He who in spite of his advanced
age undertook the trip to Paris to safeguard the interests of his
people, can he suffer seeing them being systematically deprived
of the little they possess of economic resources through the greed
of some unscrupulous foreign interests? Would that he could
again undertake the journey to Paris to fight for the rights of his
beloved people! If this proves impossible there remains the
alternative of sending a delegation of dignitaries direct to Paris,
and over the heads of officials in Syria, to plead the cause of
saving the country from impending ruin.
Then the Patriarch quoted his favorite Latin motto to the
effect that right will assert itself and prevail in the end, no
matter how hard the trials.
It was now noon and the Patriarch made an effort to rise.
He supported himself with both hands on the edge of the divan
and was able to rise only in slow stages and with visibly painful
effort. I was surprised that those nearer him made no effort to
—^-——
�*
16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Main entrance to Ad-Deeman, summer seat of the Maronite
Patriarch, overlooking Wadi Kadisha, or the Valley of the Saints.
assist him. They stood in their places motionless, speechless. The
situation was getting beyond my power of endurance. Could it
be that the code of manners here was so diametrically opposite
to that obtaining in civilized countries where the weak and the
aged are concerned? I took a step forward in the direction of the
old prelate intending to profer assistance, but a bishop intercepted, and in a quiet tone laden with despair confided to me:
"His Beatitude never countenances assistance from anyone and
insists on rising unaided."
Then it was that the situation became clear to me, and for
the few moments that I watched the laborious efforts of the aged
Patriarch struggling under the weight of his years, summoning
the strength of the spirit to overcome the weakness of the body,
the whole history of the valiant Maronite people, struggling for
centuries against the heaviest handicaps, flashed rapidly through
my mind. How symbolic was the incident! Here was the head
of a nation who may be deemed old judging by standards of age
among individuals, and here was his nation that may be deemed
equally old judging by standards of life among nations. The
chief, through sheer will power and strength of character, refuses
to admit weakness and insists on rising alone. Will his nation
act likewise? Can the action of the aged Patriarch be interpreted
as a good augury? Through fifteen centuries this nation has
i
�mmm^
MARCH, 1930
17
Rear view of Ad-Deeman, showing the new magnificent chafel
under construction.
fought enemies both of elements and of men. It has wrought
the miracle of transforming a barren mountain into a smiling
garden. Will it succeed in maintaining its traditions under
changing circumstances which call for the same fundamental
strength of character but only by resort to different tactics?
We stood for the Patriarch to pass. His gait was slow and
measured and the company that followed seemed a part of a
ceremonious religious procession. At a certain point at the intersection of the corridors the Patriarch halted. To us who were
strangers to the routine of this religious establishment every
movement, as well as every stop, seemed to be charged with an
element of mystery. Bishop Akel, who walked by my side, seemed to read my thoughts but apparently delighted in my mystification.
At a certain marble block in the pavement the Patriarch
raised his cane and tapped once, twice, three times. He repeated
the operation again and again and before the echoes of his tapping had stopped reverberating, through^ the.-vaulted corridors
he proceeded in the^directiohof-the^tfKhg^rrxtfri.'./ ,
Then the mystery was cleared.- The tappings were the equivalent of the dinner bell, and at their sound doors began to fly
open from all directions in the various corridors and a stream of
bishops, priests, and secretaries came flocking to swell the ranks
�18
THE SYRIAN WORLD
of the marchers. These and the scores of visitors falling in step
formed an imposing procession.
To call the great hall in which meals are served a dining
room would be a misnomer. It is rather a mess hall—a huge
vaulted room about a hundred feet or more in length having a
single center table reaching from one end to the other. The
Patriarch sits at the head of the table by the entrance, the bishops
taking their positions at the right and at the left, followed by
whomsoever guests are to be honored, after whom sit the priests
and the general visitors. At times there are two or even more
sittings.
After lunch the Patriarch and the bishops graciously consented^ to pose for a photograph. And when I asked for an autographed photograph of his Beatitude he conducted me to his
private1 room which caused me no end of surprise at its austere
simplicity. All the personal luxury that the powerful Patriarch
of the Maronites enjoys is a plain iron bed, two chairs and an
apology of a wardrobe. Perhaps the nearest thing to luxury in the
furnishing of his room was a prie-dieu.
Twice while I was in the Patriarch's room official papers were
brought to him to sign, and on both occasions I was able to observe
the same surprising charasteristic. No matter how long the document, he never affixed his signature to it until he had read it
through.
Then bishop Akel took us for a tour of inspection through
the building. Up the grand staircase we went to the main reception hall which was not yet completed but even then gave indications of great sumptuousness. A corridor led to the roof of an
extension building from which we could admire the new elaborate
chapel under construction. But from this vantage point a view
could be had of something greater than man could ever build
of the Sacred Valley, with its many natural temples, winding its
way in a majestic sweep to the very hill on which nestles the
famous grove of the Cedars of Lebanon, reverentially called the
Cedars of the Lord, toward which we set our course that same
afternoon.
�19
MARCH, 1930
The Old and the New in Arabia
By
AMEEN RIHANI
INCONSISTENCIES may meet in every man; and for every
Arab of note today there are two Kaabas, the Kaaba of religion
and the Kaaba of the world. He may turn his face towards the
East once or five times, between sunrise and sunset; but for the
rest of the day he turns towards the West, towards Europe. O
thou my Kaaba when I dress, and when I eat, and when I ride
in the automobile. But the new Kaaba is hedged about with
complications and expenditures, which cannot be conquered
without the help of either international treaties and financial
loans, or scientific expeditions and economic concessions. King
Husein tried both, and was still wavering when I saw him between
a foreign treaty and a national concession.
He sent to Syria for specialists, mining and agricultural, chemical and medical,—the alchemists of modern science,—who would
discover and dig up for him the wealth of Al-Hijaz; and they
were all Arab Moslems who could go anywhere, in the sacred
precincts and beyond, without let or hindrance. For a whole year
they roamed and nosed about; smelling oil here; seeing gold
there; giving to certain hills and spots such names as copper,
mica, iron; and asserting that there is even a diamond mine in the
vicinity of Mecca. But there was not in all Arabia a national syndicate to exploit this hidden wealth and save His Majesty from
the fangs of foreign corporations.
Soon, however, a syndicate, headed by a Syrian Muslem, was
formed for the special benefit of King Husein and Al-Hijaz.
Its resources, financial and technical, were adequate; its conditions for exploitation were incredibly liberal; and its Muslem
sentiment, which washed its motives of every tinge of selfishness, was unquestioned. It would give the Government of AlHijaz 40% of its net profits and an option of purchasing 25%
of the shares of the Companies formed. It also offered to build
for the Government two railroad lines, one from Jeddah to
Mecca, another from Yambo* to Al-'Ala, free of charge, as the
pious friends of the Syndicate put it. What the Syndicate proposed was to build the lines, turn them over with all their equip-
�20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ments to the Hijaz Government, for its exclusive use, and collect the bill afterwards by instalments paid out of the 40% profit.
If there were no profits, more would be the gain to the Hijaz
Government who would have gotten two railroads free of charge.
But King Husein was still dreaming his pan-Arab dream,
which necessitated a treaty with Great Britain, whose conditions,
to be favorable to His Majesty, depended upon his granting the
concession to an English company closely connected, it was said,
with the Colonial Office. So, the offer of the pious Muslem Syndicate was rejected, and the Anglo-Arab treaty in the end met
with a like fate. What was left to the Hijaz, therefore, of the
fruits of the Scientific Expedition were the Military College and
the Agricultural School of Mecca. The two do not hang together
in a modern scheme of progress j but the Agricultural School is
of no use in a country that has no agriculture.
As for the Military College its success depended upon the
Bedu, who are the born enemies of order and discipline. They
know how to carry a rifle, putting it always to its right use, and
that is sufficient. If you would teach them anything else and
subject them to a rule, you have to pay them, instead of charging
a fee. King Husein paid something at the start; for he would
replace, at any cost, the regular army of Al-Hijaz which was
wiped out in the winter of 1919 by the Ikhwan, the Wahhabys
of Najd, in the battle of Tarabah.
In order to maintain the Military College, therefore, and
reestablish a regular Army, which was to redeem the pride and
glory of Al-Hijaz, King Husein came down with a heavy hand
upon the merchants of his Kingdom. How else could he arm
the Bedu and teach them to step in line? The merchants paid
and groaned at first in the bazaar; but His Majesty would make
them pay double for groaning. Willy nilly, they paid and did
their groaning afterwards at home. Some of them, however, who
had no homes, were offered the hospitality of the jail. Or they
were asked to Mecca, which is much worse. For there, King
Husein had a dungeon, many feet underground, which 'was as
prominent in the history of Al-Hijaz under his reign as was the
Bosphorus in the days of Abd'ul-Hamid. He was terrible in his
anger; and when any one by royal order was sent to Mecca,
there was nothing left for him but the dungeon and the mercy
of Allah. Guilty or innocent, they wrote their wills before leaving their homes, they who were ordered to Mecca.
A British squadron anchored one day in the waters of Jed-
�MARCH, 1930
21
dah and was the topic of conversation. "But the Hashemite squadron," said one of the citizens, who was deemed a wit by some,
a fool by others, "the Hashemite Squadron is greater. Otherwise, the battleships of the English would not have come to
make salaam." A few days later he was ordered to Mecca; and
when he arrived at the Holy City, he was taken directly to the
dungeon where he remained four months without a hearing and
without knowing what was his offence. He was then brought before His Majesty the Great Emancipator, who pinched his ear
and gave him a lecture to help him in the future to better speech
when the Hashemite Government and its Navy are mentioned.
I spoke with one of the distinguished citizens of Jeddah
about a bright boy he had, and asked him to send him, not to
Europe, but to Egypt or to Syria for an education. Reply: That
is my wish, but Saiyedna will not permit. There are others too in
Jeddah who would educate their children outside of the Hijaz,
in Syria or in Egypt—but Saiyedna (our Lord) will not permit.
I have already dwelled upon King Husein's profound respect
for tradition. Even more profound is his respect for the Koranic
law. Everything that is contrary to it in word and deed, in the
life of a Muslem; and everything that has aught in it with a
tendency to give the Muslem a freedom, which might take him
out of the law and the tradition; yea, everything with a germ of
knowledge in it, which might develop, even after two or three
generations, into a grub of infidelity, these are evils which the
wise legislator and the just ruler, if they be far-sighted, will
alwavs combat even before they come to light.
Above all things King Husein desired eternal happiness for
the Muslem people;—the happiness which Allah describes and
to which the Prophet points in the Holy Book;—the happiness
that does not depend upon music or dancing or wine or riches,
nor upon education in foreign schools. If, however, he tolerated
certain things, which do this "eternal happiness" no ill, as aeroplanes and armored cars, to use against the Ikhwan, or a condenser to use against the malaria of Al-Hijaz, he could not tolerate at all such things of knowledge as would confuse the mind
and corrupt the heart. He could not tolerate anything that has
the tendency of drawing the Arabs, even though a span, from
the straight path of their religion, which is their most precious
treasure in this world and the next.
His Majesty often said to me that the only education the
Arabs need is that which suits their life and the nature of their
�22
THE SYRIAN WORLD
land, "and enables them, within the bounds of religion—I say,
within the bounds of religion—to enjoy its perfections." There
are two public schools in Jeddah, where about two hundred boys
find these "perfections" in the three Rs, a little geography and
history, and a profusion of the Koran. At both of these schools,
which I visited, speeches were made by the "stars" of the class
welcoming the guest, their "brother Arab" who has come from
atar to help "our rising Mother" to achieve the perfections (the
King's phraseology was the style in those days); and one of the
boys, a hery little spirit, after the usual praise overture, impressed
upon me, m eloquent words and gestures, the need of my doing
so 'without fear or compromise". But there was an undue
amount of the alcohol of politics, for a boy of his age, in the
sherbet of his praise. He informed me that the Hijaz is indebted
to His Hashemite Majesty the Great Emancipator and to his
valiant sons for the freedom and independence it has regained
hut we want to see this freedom and this independence spread
all over the Arab Peninsula." And then, in the bold and fearless manner of his race, after asking me pointblank if I did not
think so, he proceeded to answer his own question. "You would
not have come from far-away America, the mother of freedom,
to Al-Hijaz, the first-born of Arab-freedom, if you did not
think so."
From the school we went to a more modern and more specialized public institution, the T. and T. (Telegraph and Telephone) Office, which is one of the modern Departments of the
Hijaz Government. It is called the Department of Communication, and the Chief has time to receive visitors and do the customary honors. Coffee and tea and soda water were served in
succession, other guests coming in at that particular moment to
share in the bounty of the Government, while the Chief was
dilating on the easy tenor of his Department's way. The operators are all Arabs, who use the Arab system j and their business
is simple, for they send every message by cable across to Port
Sudan—the only cable connecting the Peninsula on the West side
with the outside world.
Next to the Chief's private office is the Markaz, or Central,
the only place of its kind in the world, I think, which is not hallowed by the presence of the hallo-girl, nor her "allo" sister.
The operators are gentlemen in long skirts, who hide the receiver
under silk sumadahs crowned with silk ighals, and add a line to
their fine figures with a red or a green sash wound jauntily
�MARCH, 1930
23
around the waist.
Markaz! Central! and the affable young gentleman is ever
ready with marhaba (welcome). The perpetual smile is there
too—in his voice. 1 said, "ever ready" in haste; for he is at
times, especially in the afternoon, caught napping. His switch
board has twenty-five wires distributed to the Government Departments and the long-distance to Mecca and At-Taief, Markaz'—Mecca—His Majesty. And you hang up the receiver. In
half a minute, a minute at the most, your telephone rings and
Markaz calls you respectfully by your name. How did he knowI
He knows the voice of every one of his customers. Marhaba, riis
) Majesty will speak with you.—Or his Eminence the Supreme
jucw _or anyone you desire in the Government outside the
Kaaba! There, the telephone wires, unlike the wires of the electric, are not permitted.
On our way back from the T. and T. Office, as we were walking up the main street, I was attracted to a little square balustered
platform, jutting between the baker's shop and the grocers, on
which sat or rather knelt two men opposite each other. One of
them had a roll of bills in his hand; and before him on the
carpet were little stacks of silver of small denomination, while
in a movable case with shelves and pigeon-holes were stacks of
dollars of various kinds—Egyptian, Turkish, American, etc. One
of the men was counting his bills, the other was counting his
1
i
It was about noon when we passed, and 1 witnessed what was
more extraordinary than the open-air bank or the kneeling bankers The Mosque was across the way, and the muazzen was in
the minaret calling the Faithful to the noon devotion. So, when
the man finished counting his bills, he and his partner got up,
stepped down from the platform, covered it with a straw mat,
ind leaving their bank thus behind them, went to say noon-day
ra'r __0 Memory, be not unkind. Efface the vision of the
city bandits of the West who walk into a bank at high noon, and,
under the muzzle of a gun, make away with what they find
before them. Or shall I ever forget the straw mat guarding the
bank of Jeddah while its President and its Cashier were making their genuflections in the Mosque to Allah and the Prophet?
But the Justice of the Peace, whom 1 met the following day
at a dinner, was not surprised at all when I was relating enthusiastically about the matter. "There are no robberies in the City,
he said "Because we apply the shot* (The Koranic Law); and
�***
24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
there are but few people in the jail. The political offenders are
sent to Mecca; the robber, after his hand is cut off, is set free to
be an example and a warning; and only those who are guilty of
petty offenses do we imprison. The Arabs quarrel very much,
with reason or without reason,—they fight for nothing,—a word
said in anger, even a word which one fails to say sometimes,
causes a fight. In sooth, such a case once came before me. A
beduin quarreled with another and struck him because he did not
reply to his greeting. But the poor fellow, who failed to salaam,
was deaf. The Arab is often foolish in his pride, and his temper
is like fire."
His Honor, a burly but unconcentrated figure of a gentleman in stockingless feet and a heavy turban, was neither an Arab
nor a Sudanese, but a third or fourth generation one would say,
of both. For he was of a color hard to define:—burned ivory
under a wash coating comes nearest to it. Nevertheless, he had
the manners of a sherif brought up in Stamboul. I asked my
host afterwards if His Honor was a good judge. "He fills the
diwan" was the reply. He sprawled, to be sure, upon the diwan,
but he had the politeness to conceal his feet. Nor would he have
spoken of the law and the jail, had I not opened the subject. It
is one of the fine traits of the Arabs that they do not talk shop.
But Captain Yanni,whose official title is assistant Director of
the Aviation Department, is neither Arab nor Muslem, and is
therefore forgiven for airing his views ever and always on the
Air Force of King Husein. He had, moreover, a shop of ideas
which he would never close for the sake of Arabia. Captain Yanni
would have been a centre of trouble, of change, of activity, of
infidelity, of progress in Hijaz the Holy, if Hijaz the Holy was
not a wilderness. He was the one man in Jeddah who did not
hold down in the presence of the King. And he drank, and he
smoked, and he once had a Muhammedan mistress. Captain
Yanni is a bandit of the spirit: he has in him the blood of his
own bandit-ancestors, the modern Greeks, as well as that of a
saintly Syrian family. His maternal uncle was a bishop; his father
was a publisher, and he was in Hijaz the necessary evil of King
Husein.
The necessary good, if the Old Man knew well his business.
Yanni would supply the Hijaz Government with all the instruments of modern warfare,—the surplus or the second-hand stock
of one of the Allied Powers,—in perfect condition, at one-tenth
of the cost price!—Tanks at a -$1,000 each to mow down the
�Wahhabys; aeroplanes at $500 apiece to scatter the Idrisi forces
to the wind and banish the Idrisi House clean out of Arabia;
auto-busses at the price of a second-hand Ford for the comfort
and delectation of the pilgrims; and, ye Gods of the Acropolis!
this infernal Roumi, this Greco-Syrian revolutionary, would open
a cafe and a cinema in the very heart of Jeddah. A performer
of miracles, if the Old Man would only nod.
What he did once, for my benefit, was equal to a miracle.
The Condenser was out of order for a few days, and there was
no water in Jeddah but that of the wells, which was brackish and
lukewarm and scarce and dirty. Even the water that oozed out
of the earthen jar and gathered in the bowl that held it was of
the color of whey. I took it with lemon juice, in addition to the
quinine, to ward off the malaria. The Condenser water was clean
but not always perfectly desalted. Besides, it was always as lukewarm as the water from the wells. This was the calamity that
lasted twenty days. Never in my life did I have a greater desire,
a more oppressing desire, for a glass of ice water.
One day I heard a noise in the kitchen that resembled the
tinkle of ice in a pitcher of water in the hand of a negro boy at
the door! and I was transported to New York, elated for a trice,
and tormented for a long time after with the disillusion. I poetized before my friend about ice water, even about spring water,
even about the water of Ashokan in distant Manhattan. And
what happened: The following day at luncheon a glass of ice
water was placed before me. I could not believe my eyes. I could
not believe my hand. But the glass was ice cold and the vapor
was on my ringers. Praised be the Most High! No glass I have
ever raised to my lips gave me a more intoxicating delight.
Now, where in Jeddah did the ice water come fromr Yanni
is not a magician—I say—in the manner of His Majesty—he is
not a magician. But I will discover to you the trick and leave
you to judge of his ingenious and enterprising mind. A steamer
had anchored in the harbor, and Yanni had seen the two thermos
bottles I had in my bag. A moment later one of his Takrourmyrmidons, with a note and the said two bottles in his hand, was
seen hiring a sanbook at the port.
The King was still in Mecca that day. So in the evening,
our friends who came to dinner took their Scotch with water
instead of soda—ice water, thanks to Yanni—and took it in the
drawing room! But when His Majesty was in Jeddah, we had
to go into a closet and in the light of a candle do the bloody deed.
-
-
'
'
'
�i
THE SYRIAN WORLD
MA
He had us all cowed, the Old Hashemite. For in his days Jeddah was supposed to be dry, and the smuggling of liquor was
inevitable. Much of it was even smuggled into Mecca. One of
the King's Secretaries once lost his job, because, while packing
to return to the Holy City, a bottle dropped out of the bag in
the presence of the King. But as soon as His Majesty was out
of the city gate, Jeddah began its celebrations. The bottles came
out of the chests, the lute and the tambourine were uncovered,
and he who had a voice gave it the freedom of the night. The
King is gone to Mecca, Allah be praised!
But when he came back to town, the Jeddites put on sackcloth and ashes, and their city became a sanctuary submerged in
tea and soda-water and milk. The drinking in the closets by the
light of the candle, nevertheless, continued, and Pericles of the
cork helmet and the latest brand from Athens or London, came
withal to the King's majlis, and kowtowed and fawned and kissed
Majesty's hand. The bootlegging Greek! if the son of the
Prophet but knew.—In Jeddah once I met an accursed Roumi
who was what the Americans call a bootlegger, and I took him
by the throat and smote him thus.
Old Pericles, feeling a distant kinship to Yanni, often came
in the evening bringing a bottle with him; otherwise, the Army
officers would not Jet him join in a game of poker. A few came
to the Guest House for fellowship—and a drink—only; and one
of these had a few ideas as wild as Yanni's. He was the most
liberal turban in Jeddah, and he would always drink till his
liberalism began to reel. Sheikh Qasem, who speaks English,
Turkish and Arabic, was sent to Constantinople in the days of
the Young Turks to represent the Hijaz in Parliament. There
he met and befriended the translator of Homer into Arabic, the
Christian philosopher and poet Sulaiman Bustany; and every time
they had a discussion, Qasem would say to Sulaiman: "The only
way to reform the world is to make you Sheikh 'ul-Islam and be
myself the Pope of Rome." He would then quote, being an
orthodox boozer, from the English translation of Omar Khayyam:
noth
26
"Would we not shatter it to bits and then
Remould it nearer to the heart's desire?"
When Sheikh Qasem first told us the story, one of the Army
officers exclaimed: "Nothing can reform it but the sword."
The poet demurred: "You had the sword and you reformed
are i
ing
over
t
Mil
X
Shei
tinu
the
or r
till
—A
(l)
(2)
(3)
�mm—mm
"—
""'
27
MARCH, 1930
nothing."
The merchant interposed: "Our curse is the Bedu—the Bedu
are a problem which only Allah can solve."
Whereupon Captain Yanni, leaving the poker table and coming to the centre of the room: "Armed ignorance can only be
overcome by armed education."
"Excellent!" exclaimed the Army Officer. "The Hashemite
Military College was established for that purpose."
"Hashemism can reform nothing." The voice was that of
Sheikh Qasem, who calmly laid down his glass and calmly continued, "Zu Hasan (1) will remain robbers and cut throats till
the end of time;° the Bedu of Ruwais (2) can never be educated
or reformedj and the Buqoum (3) will lie and cheat and betray
till Allah wipe out the last of their seed. Pray upon the Prophet!
—And thou O Roumi, fill the glass."
(1) Zu Hasan are sherifs who live between Lith and Jeddah along the
coast and are pirates and highway robbers.
(2) The Bedu of Ruwais who are like Zu Hasan beyond Government control, operate in the north between Jeddah and Yambo'.
(3) The Buqoum is a tribe that lives in Tarabah and Khurmah on the border
line between Najd and the Hijaz; and among them are Sherifs who
have become Wahhabys. The King claimed them because they are of
Benu Luaiy, the sherifs of the Hijaz, and the Sultan of Najd claimed
them because they had become Wahhabys. But the question was settled at the battle of Tarabah (1919), in which the Army of the Hijaz,
12,000 led by the Ameer Abdalla'h, was wiped out completely by 6,000
of the forces of Ibn Sa'oud.
On Life
Translated from the Arabic by J. D.
CARLYLE
Like sheep, we're doom'd to travel o'er
The fated track to all assign'd,
These follow those that went before,
And leave the world to those behind.
As the flock seeks the pasturing shade,
Man presses to the future day,
While death, amidst the tufted glade,
Like the dun robber, waits his prey.
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
Haroun Al-Rashid and the Two
Lovers
AN ARABIAN NIGHTS' STORY
(Translated from the Arabic original)
[N the days of the illustrious Haroun Al-Rashid, there lived
in the city of Baghdad a great musician and singer by the name
of Mouabbad whose fame had spread throughout the land and
who sang not only in the court of Jaafar but in the court of the
caliph himself. Through the excellence of his art he had amassed
great wealth, so that in his affluence he consented to sing only for
the highest circles and for exceedingly large fees. Those of moderate or limited means could never aspire to the distinction of
having him sing for them.
As related by an Arab chronicler on the authority of Mouabbad, the latter found himself one day face to face with a strange
situation which demanded quick decision, inasmuch as it affected
his personal prestige on the one hand and the loss of a large
sum of money on the other. He was not slow in coming to the
decision, but his surprise was not in the personal benefit involved
as much as in the happy ending which his action brought about in
one of the strangest love incidents ever to happen in the city of
Baghdad, even at the pinnacle of its romantic career during the
merry and glorious reign of the caliph Haroun Al-Rashid.
Mouabbad relates his strange experience as follows:
"On the afternoon of a certain day, when I had chosen to
seclude myself in the privacy of my house, denying myself
to all callers, my servant came to report that an insistent young
man was at the gate seeking a private audience with me. The servant had strict orders not to admit anyone, and it seemed to me
strange in the extreme that in the face of my explicit orders he
should disturb me with such a request. But his excuse was that
the determination and insistence of this particular caller were
such that he could not deny him at least the transmission of a
message. And I could trust the intelligence of my servant to feel
confident that he must have exhausted all possible means before
he chose to bring the request to me.
�MARCH, 1930
29
"Realizing the situation, my curiosity was aroused and I had
the caller admitted. He proved to be a youth of handsome features and stately bearing, but who seemed to suppress under a
serene countenance emotioas of the deepest pain. He greeted me
politely, and almost without any preliminaries laid before me a
bag of three hundred gold pieces, saying:
" 'In consideration of this sum please sing for me the following couplets:
" 'My eye has brought deep torture to my heart,
But it shall pay in floods of bitter tears.
No! Never with my secret will I part,
Until I die, or she to me appears.' "
Said Mouabbad:
"I sensed in the poetical selection that some love tragedy
had befallen the youth, but rather than disappoint him by
refusing to sing them, I thought that by complying with his
request I might soften his sorrow and I forthwith tuned my oud
and sang the verses in a soft and plaintive tone which 1 improvised to fit the meaning of the verses. Imagine then my surprise
when the youth fell unconscious, so that it was with great effort
that my servant and I could revive him by'sprinkling his face
with rose water and rubbing his hands.
"The youth showed his extreme gratefulness by bending over
my hands and feet and covering them with kisses, but so great
was his longing that he implored me with copious tears to repeat
the song just once more. This I refused to cio, telling him bluntly
that I feared for his life if I were to again tap the source of his
pent-up emotions by a repetition of the song which had so affected
him. But again he was insistent and exclaimed, 'Oh! of what
value is my life any more! Would that I could only meet my
death amidst such sweet melodies!'
"Yielding to his solicitations, I again sang the verses even in
a more touching manner, and as on the previous occasion, he
again swooned and fell unconscious, and it was with much more
effort that my servant and I could revive him this second time.
But once he came to, I laid the bag of gold in his lap saying:
T have had sufficient trials for the day. Please take back your
gold, may Allah have pity on you, and depart in peace.'
"The youth, however, would not listen to my counsels and
importunities. Rather, in his desperation, he countered by saying: 'Master, not only this sum, but another of equal amount
�30
THE SYRIAN WORLD
will I give you if you but sing me the verses just another turn.'
And again he fell at my feet weeping as if he had lost all control of his will.
"I will admit that the double sum which the youth offered me
tempted my weakness, and I consented to his request only on
condition that he accept my hospitality and partake of some food
that he might be able to withstand the coming ordeal. To this he
proved agreeable and in this manner I was able to extract from
him an account of the experience which brought on him his present state of misery.
" 'About a year ago,' he began, 'I sought the banks of a brook
in a picnicking party with some members of my tribe. There we
encountered a company of young women, apparently of a strange
tribe, disporting themselves in the water, and among them was
a maiden the like of whom I had never beheld, and never expect
to behold. She had the beauty of the rising sun, except that I
would compare the sun to her, she being the more beautiful in
my eyes. Her eyes were overpowering magnates, irresistible in
their attraction. One felt in her presence that life was of no
value to be laid at her feet. I became her helpless slave the
moment I first laid my eyes on her.
'That night I returned to the encampment in a state of bewilderment. I was ill with an illness which the doctors of the
tribe could not diagnose, but an illness, nevertheless, that was
: devastating my frame and reducing me gradually to a mere skeleton of skin and bones. The women of the tribe alternated in
keeping vigil over me as I was expected to pass away any moment.
'One of my cousins, suspecting the cause of my illness, implored me one day to confide in her my secret. By that time I
had grown so weak and despondent that I thought I had better
die with the secret of my heart on my lips, and with burning
words I told my cousin the story of my love.
'Now this cousin smiled at me sympathetically and said: 'Why
grieve you thus when you know not whether your love is unrequited or not? Perhaps the damsel entertains for you the same
love that you bear for her. Take courage, then, and let me assist
you in discovering a means of communicating with your beloved.'
'Saying which she explained to me that the tribe of this
damsel was in the habit of passing by our district twice every
year, in the spring and in the fall, and since they had now gone
south they were due on their return journey within a few short
months. She also promised to keep watch for the return of the
A*
�"
mm
">
MARCH, 1930
31
tribe and to do all possible to put me in communication with the
captivator of my heart.
'Under the gentle ministrations of this sympathetic and understanding cousin I began to take courage and become stronger,
and in due course of time the tribe returned, and my cousin and
I sought the banks of the same stream, and to my great delight
saw there my own beloved damsel.
'I felt as if I could fly to be by her side, but modesty restrained me, and I had my cousin recite to her the following
verse:
'She shot a dart that found the heart and left
Without attempting once to heal the wound.'
'Upon hearing which the damsel replied by the following
quotation:
'Our case is even worse than you suspect,
Abide your time, for succor may be near.'
,
Continued the youth: 'Hearing this, I refrained from any
further exchange of quotations and waited until the damsel and
her company departed, I following them until I discovered her
tent. After which we used to meet under the mantle of night
and exchange the sweetest conversation. But this bliss was of
short duration, because her folks soon became aware of our trysts
and caused her to be kept under the strictest surveillance and
seclusion, even refusing to consider my offer of marriage for the
well-known reason among the Arabs of preventing any marriage
between persons whose love relations become publicly known.
And here I am a helpless prey to my love, while I know that the
love is returned and only the moral code of the Arabs prevents
the consummation of our happiness.'
Said Mouabbad: "Having heard the story of the youth, I
felt no further reluctance in singing him the verses and he departed apparently relieved. But it was now my turn to be troubled,
and I forthwith sought the court of Grand Vizier Jaafar and
asked permission to sing him the very verses which the youth had
suggested in the same tune I had composed for them. And Jaafar was exceedingly pleased, and asked me how 1 had come by
this beautiful selection. This was the very occasion I was seeking
and I recounted to him the whole story of the youth and his
predicament. Whereupon Jaafar commanded me to fetch him,
and I did, and he had us all accompany him to the presence of
MM
�M
THE SYRIAN WORLD
32
the great caliph Haroun Al-Rashid who, upon hearing the song
and the story of the youth wrote to his agent in Al-Hijaz, where
the tribe of the damsel was then encamped, ordering them to
his presence. And at his command the two lovers were united in
marriage regardless of all considerations of moral codes or traditions, he even supplying the bride with the necessary dowry and
bestowing upon the couple many valuable gifts."
On Giving and Taking
By
KAHLIL GIBRAN
k,
We are all beggars at the gate of the temple, and each one
of us receives his share of the bounty of the King when he enters
the temple, and when he goes out.
But we are all jealous of one another, which is another way
of belittling the King.
You cannot consume beyond your appetite. The other half
of the loaf belongs to the other person, and there should remain
a little bread for the chance guest.
I stopped my guest on the threshold and said, "Nay, wipe
not your feet as you enter, but as you go out."
Generosity is not in giving me that which I need more than
you do, but it is in giving me that which you need more than I do.
You are indeed charitable when you give, and while giving,
turn your face away so that you may not see the shyness of the
receiver.
The difference between the richest man and the poorest is
but a day of hunger and an hour of thirst.
v
�>
1
33
MARCH, 1930
The Two Answers
By
alf
DR. SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
A MIDST a loving few the Prophet sat,
Inhaling deep the balmy breath of night,
Musing, pondering long; his eyes tracing
Upon the domed page of heaven the signs—
The mystic signs of fate—the awful lines
Of light and flame—and what between the lines
He read, I cannot tell.
He listened long,
He gazed and gazed. Perchance Gabriel's face
He saw among the stars and heard his voice.
Or more, perchance the airy legions he
Perceived with faces turned towards the Throne
And heard their song.
A sigh the silence broke—
How deep the sigh! How awful was the spell
It broke! Then one by one upon the ears—
The anxious ears, and longing, thirsting hearts—
Like drops of dew upon the parched land
His words now fell:
"All, all that dwell in heaven
Above, and all that crowd this earth below
And all that fill the space between extol
And praise Allah! At night the gates of heaven
Are open wide—extol and praise Allah!"
The name of God the spell of silence broke.
Then one, a stranger lately come, a new
Convert unto the faith, advanced and said:
"O Prophet of Allah, my heart has gone
To thee. I love thee well—dost thou in turn love me?"
"Thy heart will tell thee, friend. It knows, for hearts
Are witnesses." The Prophet spake and turned
His back upon him and he vanished in
The night.
"What made him go?" the whisper ran,
�34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"The question put: the answer given: and what
Is there:.... Yet hold, how strange that answer was!"
Then one, "I love thee, too; my heart has gone
To thee, O Prophet of Allah. Hast thou
A place, though small, within thy heart for me?"
"My friend, there is a silent, secret road—
A bridge from heart to heart. I've answered thee."
The Traveler
By
ALICE MCGEORGE
I saw a pleasant winding roadway,
Trees lapping overhead,
'Twas splotched with sunshine, knit with shadow
I wondered where it led.
It slyly whispered, "Follow, follow,"
There's romance just ahead;
Adventure lurks, and pleasures beckon.
"I come," I softlv said.
A river winding down the valley,
Trees arching overhead,
The eddying current dimpled brightly,
I wondered where it led.
It boldly shouted, "Follow, follow,"
Then breathless on it sped,
No time to loiter, or to reckon,
"The rapids," I cried in dread.
�MARCH, 1930
!
35
Through Southern Lebanon
A CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD OF THE
EDITOR'S TRIP ABROAD
VI
By
'
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
f"YWING to its central location, Zahle was my starting point for
many flying excursions in all directions of Syria and Lebanon.
It is situated mid-way between Beirut and Damascus, while tht
famous city of Baalbek, in the northern end of the Beka' plain,
is at less than an hour's drive. The southern end of the plain is
equally as convenient to reach from Zahle. So taking advantage
of the ready convenience, we bid farewell early one morning to
the host of friends along the Bardouni and sped along an even
road in the direction of Mt. Hermon.
My destination for that day was Mashgara, the native town
of my better half, whose folks I had heard so much about but
never met. For over twenty years I was having it dinned in my
ears that Mashgara was the most beautiful town in the world—
a terrestial paradise, and attributed the statement to the natural
pride of every native in his own home town. And if that native
happens to be of the fair sex, and above that your wife, there
remains no ground for fair objection, and submission or acquiescence becomes inevitable.
Now, however, I was afforded the opportunity of visiting
the town for the first time in my life, without the benefit of wife.
I could judge it by its appearance, free from any interference,
and whatever merits there be to the case I could take at their
face.
At a point near Kabb Elias we left the level road and began
a gentle ascent up the mountain which permitted of a wider
perspective of the enchanting beauty of Al-Beka' plain the
higher we rose. This section of Lebanon is but sparsely settled,
and one could admire on one side the rugged, natural beauty of
the mountain, and on the other the symmetrical and designed
beauty of the plain. The scene continues thus until one comes
�36
THE SYRIAN WORLD
abreast of Mt. Hermon, when the western Lebanon range is
broken in the higher reaches and permits of a sharp turn from
south to west through a narrow pass. It is then that one comes
into the thickly populated section of Al-Beka', passing in rapid
succession through such important towns as Saghbin and Aitaneet,
until one reaches the metropolis of the district, Mashgara. The
reason for this condition is that water abounds on the western
slopes and is scarce elsewhere. Mashgara, owing to its abundant
water supply permitting of the development of a tanning industry, fared better than any other town in Lebanon during the
.war, because of the need of the Turkish army for leather.
We passed a point midway between Aitaneet and Mashgara
which I cannot pass here without comment. Rising on a prominent hill was a beautiful mausoleum of Carrara marble, which I
was told was especially imported from Italy. A wide path was
cut from the main highway to the mausoleum enclosure, and
such pains were taken to beautify the place that shade trees were
planted on both sides of the path, giving it the appearance of a
miniature Taj Mahal!
The legend of this beautiful sanctuary of the dead in its
manifestly odd surroundings is that a certain citizen of Aitaneet
migrated to America and prospered. He returned and impoverished himself by heavy investment in property. Again he returned to America and accumulated a second fortune, but this
time he acquired for himself a rich wife and conceived the idea
of the mausoleum to perpetuate his memory. Such carefully laid
plans did he have, and such pains did he take in the execution
of every detail, that he even planted vines and a variety of fruit
trees for the accommodation of the visiting pilgrims to his grave.
He wished them to eat and drink and be merry and ask mercy
for his soul! The surprising development is that even before
his demise he saw both the trees he planted and the plans he laid
come to fruition. One of his entesprising young townsmen, aided
by his pretty and coquettish wife, opened a cafe alongside the
mausoleum which became immediately popular with the lovers
of Kaif!
The automobile road to Mashgara was in the early stages
of construction at the time of our visit in year of Our Lord 1929.
This would sound strange for a progressive district metropolis,
but in justice to the otherwise laudable enterprise of the Mashgaranians it must be recalled that Mashgara before the war was under direct Turkish rule as a part of Syria, and not annexed to auto-
�MARCH, 1930
37
Mashgara, whose lower quarter stretches into the valley of the
river Litani in a beautiful setting.
nomous Lebanon as it is now. And a royal road to Mashgara
in its rugged mountainous setting takes time to build.
At the town boundary we came to a bifurcation in the road
which exemplifies the enterprising spirit of the people of Mashgara. One branch led to the heart of the town and that was the
public highway, while another branch led to the upper quarter
which is populated predominantly by the Trabulsi family. The
Trabulsis built this private road out of their own funds. The
town owes them also many other public improvements, principal
among which is the contemplated project for generating hydroelectric power in the falls of the Litani intended to provide the
town with electricity.
At the end of the private road, which, by the way, is of considerable length, we came to the house of Suleiman Trabulsi,
leading citizen of Mashgara and for several decades its sheikh
or magistrate. His benign face and outstretched arms bespoke
his open hospitality. And that not because I was his brother-inlaw, as he was known for this generous quality throughout the
length and breadth of the land.
Then came Sophia, sister of Helena my wife, blessed be
the souls of both! She made me feel the first touch of feminine
�38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
lips since I left home. And she was so motherly prodigal in the
display of her affection! She kissed me first for, her sister, then
for each of her children and grandchildren in America. \o\v of
her children alone in America there are seven, and of grandchild
dren an equal number. Under her volley of kisses I felt that
she must have taken account also of her children at home of
whom there are no less than four, and added a liberal quantity
for good measure. I promised to distribute some to her loved
ones upon my return. What sterling qualities this grand old
woman of Mashgara has! Her voice rang with such sincerity
when she told me that she considered me like Nesib, her oldest
son, who, by the way, is about my own age.
The Trabulsi house hugs tightly the side of a steep mountain which rises abruptly to the rear. From the heavy stone railing of the flat roof a magnificent view is had of the opposite
mountain and of the rolling hills marking the opening of the
valley. The town below seems piled one house above the other
in serrated formation. The incline is so steep that no lower story
of any house seems to need but three walls, the fourth being
the solid side of the mountain.
But amidst this profusion of rustic scenery there was brought
a touch of ultra modernity that was all but amazing. Wonderful
America, how far thy influence has traveled!
Within the enclosure of the Trabulsi property, made by
planing several terraces, was a tennis court! A modern apartment was built on a corner of the immense flat roof of the house
that is all but a New York penthouse! The furniture is in period
style and the windows have wire screens! A bath room is available with running hot and cold water! And to further carry out
the effect, you have the luxury of a day bed! Yes, you are cramped for space in Lebanon!
Elias, a son of Suleiman, is a dealer in antiques in New
York. He paid a visit to the parental home a few years ago, and
this modern creation in an antique setting was the result.
That night almost half of Mashgara gathered at the Trabulsis to congratulate them on meeting with their brother-in-law.
We chose to hold the reception on the roof bathed by the silvery
rays of the moon and in close,proximity to the twinkling stars.
John Trabulsi was also there. He too is of New York where
he has an exclusive Fifth Avenue apartment and loves the comfort of American city life. He had been to Paris but left it with
�MARCH, 1930
39
the impression that it was still very much wanting in comparison
to American cities. To Mashgara, his beloved hometown, he
wanted to bring all the possible modern conveniences and amenities that would make it worth living in.
John would have the streets, if such there are, swepUgnd
sprinkled in summer as a sanitary measure. If the public revenue
of the town is only eight hundred liras it should be increased
by further taxation. The roads should be kept in good repair
and cheap electricity provided. Joseph Mokarzel, the progressive publisher of Ad-Dabbour, approved of John's suggestions
in toto. But the rest of the people were groaning under their
taxes as they are, and felt that if a few rich citizens of the town
in America could stand an increase in taxation, they could not.
John finally had to satisfy his civic zeal by liberally sponsoring
the hydroelectric project.
The following day we decided to visit Jazzine and continue
on our trip through Southern Lebanon. A military road had been
opened the year previous between Mashgara and Jazzine over
the twin mountains called At-Towmat, which it was proposed
we should take. The fact that the road was very steep most
of the way, and had been badly washed out in places by the
heavy rainfall of the previous winter, gave us ground for many
exciting experiences. We were.in two automobiles and, contrary
to most similar accounts we read, it was our car and not the other,
fellow's which went awry. At every climb it would simply
refuse to move, and we would have to scramble out and take
the shorUcut and meet it at the next turn. Even when we had
reached the summit and began the descent, we rode only in short
hauls, preferring to walk than to trust our lives to a balky car
and a cranky driver.
We had climbed in and climbed out so often that I became
careless of my movements. And therein was the cause of another
calamity. It so happened that while leaving the car at one time
in disgust, I was caught on the seat of my trousers by the sharp
point of the door, and the rip that resulted was in proportion
to my disgust. What added to my discomfiture was the ringing
laughs of the ladies riding in the other car,—Trabulsis all, by
the way,—Rasheedi of New York, Olga of Zahle and Angele
of Mashgara.—And I could not possibly retort. I only appealed
to their sense of decency to turn their faces the other way, slipping meanwhile behind a boulder for a few minutes. What a
relief to have an extra pair of trousers! Let the comedians poke
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
40
m -. •
-«*U •;
I . !
/:
View of Jazzine from the north, showing the high 'perpendicular
cliff and the numerous large, modern hotels.
all the fun they want at those buying two-pants suits and burning a hole in the coat."The hole there is better than elsewhere!
The engagement of that car was the poorest bargain John
ever made. He was carried so far by his desire to patronize
a townsman that he had dismissed for his sake a chauffeur
of a neighboring town who had served him long and well on
many other journeys.
At Jazzine we were the guests of Dr. and Mrs. Habib Nassif who lived up to the highest traditions of Lebanese hospitality.
I had heard much of the beauty of Jazzine from its many sons
in America, and on this visit I discovered that they were not
exaggerating. Especially is the view of its famous cliff and falls
imposing. The sheer drop is even higher than that of Niagara,
but the volume of water, especially in summer, is unconsequential.
We took refreshments on the balcony of a hotel built by Mgr.
Paul Rizk directly at the edge of the precipice. Jazzine has
become within the past few years one of Lebanon's most popular
summer resorts, and its many hotels are among the largest and
the best appointed in the country.
A suggestion was made that we go to Kfarhouna, a town near
Jazzine, to witness the celebration of the feast day of the local
patron saint. The reason advanced was that this fete attracted
annually enormous crowds from all the countryside. Obviously,
the proposition was an attractive one, because it afforded us a
w
�MARCH, 1930
i
/
i
!
41
unique opportunity to see a typical native celebration of these
feast days on an elaborate scale.
Kfarhouna lies in a depression amidst several low hills. We
reached it at dusk when the festivities were at their height. In
the principal square were several thousand people of all ages
bent on merry-making. Here was a group drinking and listening
to an oud player; there was another drinking and listening to
a quawwal or singer ; still another group was drinking between
their dabke dances, and finally any number of groups just sitting
and drinking. I observed several parties who had brought phonographs in the conviction that the instrument would obey them
in giving their choice selections more than the temperamental
human artist. But nowhere was there any rowdyism or objectionable drunkenness. The only surprising feature was that the
church was deserted!
I tried to extract from an old resident of the town an account
of how the feast originated and he obligingly informed me that
Our Lady of Kfarhouna had miraculous qualities. He could not
recall just what miracles were wrought through her intercession,
but the first intimation of her powers was when she revealed herself in an apparition to a notable of the town .and directed him
to dig for water at a certain spot and there would gush forth a
spring which would bring great blessing to the town. When the
notable doubted, she appeared to him again, and this time he did
dig at the spot indicated and struck water. The water effected
many cures and believers began to flock to the town in increasing
numbers as the years went by. And this in spite of the fact that
the spring dried up shortly after its appearance.
Incidentally, I learned that the said notable was a large
property owner. All honor to him, for his dream has actually
come true, and his having obeyed the command to dig has brought
a never-drying stream of prosperity to his town.
From Jazzine and Kfarhouna we proceeded to visit other
interesting places in Southern Lebanon. Passing through an intensively cultivated country we reached the town of Al-Mukhtara, seat of the powerful Druze family of Janblatt. There Sitt
Nazira rules in her beautiful ancestral palace, but not in the
manner of the feudal system of yore. She is not only one of the
most enlightened, but one of the most progressive women of
the country. Her initiative in inaugurating industrial progress
is truly admirable. She generates electricity from the abundant
water supply of the palace which once went to waste and uses the
... ... .......
�-
42
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The approach of Belt Eddeen from the south is over a road that
skirts a steep precipice appearing in the right foreground
The palace is in the center background
power to operate a flour mill, an olive press and a carpentry shop,
besides lighting the palace and part of the town. I had an interview with her which lasted almost two hours, in which she discussed unreservedly the widest range of subjects, from the economic rehabilitation of the country to the status of the Druze
women both at home and abroad. A fuller account of this interview will be given separately.
At a short distance to the north we came to Beit Eddeen, the
one-time capital of Lebanon during the long and glorious reign
of Emir Bashir Shehab. Unquestionably the Emir's palace is
the finest example of Eastern architectural and decorative art
in Lebanon. It can be truly called a palace both in its proportions and in its fine design and arrangements. It is still in the
finest state of preservation.
Then the road led on a straight line north to historic Dair ElKamar which also claims the distinction of having once been the
capital of Lebanon. Through the massive door of the old Saraya one reaches the inner court where in the war of 1860 a
thousand Christians were trapped by the treachery of the Turks
and slaughtered in cold blood. You are shown the balcony from
which the bodies of the victims were thrown to an outer yard
which still serves as their resting place and is called the martyrs'
graveyard.
�MARCH,
1930
43
But for the good road.s in this district we could not have
visited so many interesting places in less than a day. As it was,
we had ample time to visit the famous springs of Al-Barouk and
Ain Zhalta and reach the heights of Dhour Kl-Baidar, on the
Beirut-Damascus road, before the sun had stolen from Sannin
its golden crown and hid behind the placid waters of the Mediterranean.
Advice to a Rash Youth
By
I
LAIJEEBEE
A. J.
HANNA
I would not sail on what I knew—
Straight to the open sea:
I'd try to learn a little more
To go on some mad spree!
1
A little knowledge does not give
A license — or a wing!
I'd want to know the notes and rhythm
Before I tried to sing!
I would not travel with a young fool
To show that I could lead3
I'd rather follow an able guide—
No others do I need.
I would not shout to the heavens
When a stormy wind blows by;
I'd rather sing on a summer's day
My voice would reach the sky!
:
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
44
EDITORIAL COMMENT
^E TRUST that the change
in format, introduced with
this issue of THE SYRIAN
WORLD, will please our readers.
Hitherto the quality of paper
used was bulky but light,
whereas the present paper is
smooth and heavy. This permits of printing the illustrations
in conjunction with the text, insuring their appearance nearer
the points intended to illustrate.
Obviously this was impracticable with the former arrangement when the illustrations
were printed separately and inserted where convenient.
While this change will affect the apparent thickness of
the magazine, it will not actually cause any reduction in
the amount of Reading matter.
The number of pages remains
the same, and whenever the
necessity arises additions could
always be made.
*
*
Vj7E would be anxious to bring
THE SYRIAN WORLD up to
the highest standard obtaining
among American periodicals.
Nothing would please us more
than to be able to double and
triple its size, to print it in colors, to have the material especially illustrated, and otherwise
introduce such typographical
improvements that would materially enhance- its attractiveness. We know that some of
our critics take pleasure in
pointing out our shortcomings
particularly along that line.
They see the appeal in the
great American magazines and
establish the comparison without consideration of capital invested, staff engaged and revenue from advertisements and
from a circulation running into
the millions. While we who
cannot use even the plural for
thousand in counting our subscribers, who do violence to the
editorial "we" in reference to
staff and who even have to contend with the still prevalent
Syrian notion that a subscription is synonymous with a gift,
we are expected to attain the
high standards of American
publications on such meager resources! Our critics do not even
stop to consider that if we were
to pay for contributions there
would not be left the shade of
a possibility of publishing a
single issue.
We have exhausted all
available methods for increasing circulation, our last and
most ambitious effort being the
prize offer of a free round trip
to Syria. We would be loath
�-
45
MARCH, 1930
to admit that the Syrian business instinct asserts itself even
in matters cultural to the extent of buying quantity instead
of quality—of wanting size and
appearance in a publication regardless of the cause it is meant
to serve. But the contrary remains to be proven.
for the kind of service we have
pledged ourselves to promote.
*P
*l*
*P
ALTHOUGH six installments of the account of the
editor's trip abroad have so far
been published, the subjects
have been confined almost exclusively to Lebanon. With the
coming installment, however,
A GAIN we would emphasize we hope to bring the account of
that THE SYRIAN WORLD is our travels in Lebanon to an
under no subsidy and that it end and proceed to other parts
receives no financial assistance of Syria, following our itinerof whatever nature or from ary in chronological sequence,
whatever source. It was under- traveling from Tripoli through
taken for the service of an ideal the Alouite State to Aleppo,
and the only obligation it feels Hama, Horns and Damascus.
is to that company of voluntary Jebel Druze will follow with a
contributors who have given of full account of the many intertheir best towards the promo- esting experiences met with in
tion of this service. They are that section of Syria lying on
the thinking element who feel the fringe of the desert and
the value of the principles still abounding with the elewhich THE SYRIAN WORLD ad- ments of romance and mystery.
In order, however, to further
vocates and have generously
rallied to its support. If their expedite the account, interviews
efforts and ours meet with such with religious and political
little response, then something leaders will be dealt with sepamust be radically wrong either rately, following the manner
with us or with the Syrian pub- of describing the meeting with
lic for which the publication is the Maronite Patriarch appearintended. We would like to ing in this issue. This would
learn where the fault really lies mean the publication of two
and what could be done to- articles dealing in some form
wards its correction. We pledge or other with the editor's exourselves to give full publicity periences in Syria in each of
to all opinions of whatever the coming numbers. The apshade or tenure. Let us see if preciation of these descriptive
we can get together on some and highly informative acconstructive effort and ascer- counts shown by our readers
tain if there is really any need justifies the action taken.
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
Causes of Palestine Riots
SUMMARY OF THE REPORT OF THE SHAW COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON THE RESULT OF ITS INVESTIGATION INTO THE
CAUSES OF THE PALESTINE DISTURBANCES OF AUG.,
1929.
_ Editor's Note:—The long-expected report of the Shaw commission of inquiry was made public in London on March 31.
Forecasts of the findings of the Commission cabled earlier in the
month represented the report as favoring the Arabs. It does favor
them to the extent of absolving them from the charge of premeditation in the August riots, as well as of any hostile design
against the British mandate. The Grand Mufti, however, is subject to mild censure for having failed to exercise the prestige of
his office to ward off the danger. At the same time, the Jewish
Palestine Executive is given to understand plainly that it is not
entitled to share in the function of government, while the several
constructive recommendations of the commission would clarify
the political situation in Palestine, regulate immigration, curb
the press and maintain a strong military garrison capable of coping with further outbreaks. The dissenting member of the commission, Harry Snell, a Laborite, lays a greater share of blame
for the riot at the door of the Grand Mufti and is otherwise
more partial to the Jewish cause. The following summary of
this historical document was cabled from London on the day of
publication by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and published in
the New York Times of April 1.
Summarizing its findings as to the cause of last August's outbreak,
the Shaw Commission declares that the fundamental cause "without which!
in out opinion, the disturbances would either not have occurred or would
have been little more than a local riot, is the Arab feeling of animosity
and hostility toward the Jews, consequent upon the disappointment of their
political and national aspirations and fear for their economic future.
"The feeling as it exists today is based on the two-fold fear of the
Ar^bs that by Jewish immigration and land purchases they may be deprived of their livelihood and in time pass under the political domination
of the Jews. In our opinion the immediate causes of the outbreak were, first
a long series of incidents connected with the Wailing Wall which began
on the Day of Atonement in September, 1928, and ended with the Moslem
�MARCH, 1930
I
47
demonstration of August 16, 1929.
"These must be regarded as a who'e, but the incident among them
which in our view contributed most to the outbreak was the Jewish demons
stration at the Wailing Wall on August 15.
"Next in importance we put the activities of the Society for the Protection of the Moslem Holy Places and in a lesser degree of tha Pro-Wailing
Wall Committee; secondly, the exciting and intemperate articles which
appeared in some Arabic papers, in one Hebrew daily paper and in the
Jewish weekly published in English; thirdly, the propaganda among the
less educated Arab people, of a character calculated to incite them; fourthly,
the enlargement of the Jewish agency; fifthly, on the inadequacy of the
military forces and reliable police available; sixthly, the belief due largely
to a feeling of uncertainty as to the policy that the decisions of the Palestine Government could be influenced by political considerations."
The commission's report, devotes considerable space to recommendations for the future. In this regard it says, "We attach the highest importance to our recommendation that his Majesty's Government should
consider the advisabiHty of issuing a clear statement of policy, the value
of which would be greatly enhanced if it dealt with the points which we
set out in the second stipulation of the following clause:
"Our recommendations regarding immigration and land questions are
largely based on the assumption that in their definition of a policy the
government will clearly state that the rights and position of non-Jewish
communities in Palestine are to be fully^safeguarded."
In defining this policy the report says, "It is our view that the issuance
of a clear statement of the policy which the government intends to pursue
in Palestine is essential to good government. We therefore recommend that
the government consider the advisability of issuing such a statement with
the least possible delay.
"It is important that the government make clear that they intend
to give full effect to that policy with all the resources at their command.
Whatever form the statement of policy may take, its value would be
greatly enhanced if it contained a definition in clear and positive terms of
the meaning which the government attaches to passages in the mandate
providing for the safeguarding of the rights of non-Jewish communities in
the country and if it laid down for the guidance of the Palestine Government directions more explicit than any yet given as to the conduct of
the policy of such vital issues of land and immigration."
The commission's recommendation on immigration declares that "any
uncertainty as to the line of policy to be pursued in the vital matter of immigration is bound to be reflected in the conduct of the Palestine Government
in the attitude and temper of the Arab people and those representing Jewish interests. We recommend, therefore, that the government issue at an
early date a clear and definite declaration of the policy which they intend
to be pursued regarding the regulation and control of future Jewish immigration to Palestine, and in framing that declaration they should have
regard to our conclusions on the subject of immigration.
"The administrative machinery for the regulation of immigration
should be reviewed with the object of preventing a repetition of the excessive immigration of 192.3-26. Consideration should be given to the pos-
�48
THE SYRIAN WORLD
sibility of devising some more suitable method of regulating the disposal
of immigration certificates under the labor schedule. Until such time as
some form of representative government is established in Palestine, machinery should be, if possible, devised whereby non-Jewish interests in
Palestine could be consulted upon matters which, had there been a legislative council, would have been referred to a special immigration committee, of which mention is made in a statement of policy contained in the
White Paper of 1922."
Discussing the land problem the report recommends that "a scientific
inquiry should be taken by experts into the prospects of introducing improved methods of cultivation in Palestine. The land policy could then be
regulated in the light of the facts ascertained by these scientific investigations. It is of vital importance that in any scheme of land development,
adopted as a result of the expert inquiry regard should be had to the certain and natural increase in the present rural population,
mentioned elsewhere. The Palestine Government should consider the posthe present tendency toward the eviction of peasant cultivators from the
land should be checked by the adoption of one of the alternative methods
mentioned elsewhere. The Palestine Government should consider the popssibility of reviving the agricultural bank or providing by other means for
the needs of the poorer cultivators who require credit facilities to enable
them to improve their present methods of farming."
On constitutional developments the commission declared: "We do not
wish to make any formal recommendation on this question. We would,
however, urge that when the question of the constitutional development
of Palestine again comes under review regard be had to our conclusion in
another chapter of this report that the absence of any measure of selfgovernment is greatly aggravating the difficulties of local administration."
Discussing the Wailing Wall, the commission declared: "In December last,
while we were still in Palestine, we communicated to you a recommendation that the government take steps to secure the early appointment under
Article XIV of the mandate of an ad hoc commission to determine rights
and claims in connection with the Wailing Wall. The early determination
of the rights and claims connected with the Wailing Wall is a measure
essential to the peace and good government of Palestine. We consider,
therefore, that the constitution of a commission and its departure for that
country should be expedited by every possible means."
Referring to fhe activities of religious societies, the report says: "Since
the disturbances in Palestine legislation dealing with offenses against the
State, including sedition, has been repealed and replaced by an ordinance
based on English criminal law. In the circumstances we feel that it is
unnecessary for us to make any recommendation under this head."
On the matter of the incitement of the press, the report recommends
that "steps should be taken to insure that the attention of the senior officers
of the Palestine Government in the future be called to any article appearing in the Palestine press which is of an inflammatory character and likely
to excite the feelings of the people. The Palestine Government should
examine the press law now in force with a view to making provision, if
such provision does not exist now, which would enable them to obtain convictions from the courts in any case in which it is proved that articles
�MARCH y 1930
49
tending to a breach of the peace hod been published in a newspaper in
palps tin6.,J
Regarding incitement, the report urges that steps be at one etaken
to remedy admitted defects in the intelligence service of Palestine. An
adequate and efficient intelligence service is essential to enable the government to check the activities of persons who endeavor to stir up racial feelings."
.
On the functions of the Zionist Organization and the Palestine Zionist
Executive the report recommends that "the government should reaffirm the
statement made in 1922 that the special position assigned to the Zionist
Organization by the mandate does not entitle it to share in any degree
in the government of Palestine. We recommend for the consideration of
the government that they should examine the possibility of laying down
some precise definition of the meaning of Article IV of the Palestine mandate."
,
. .,
Recommendations for defense and security are that "the question of the
most suitable form of garrison for Palestine should be referred to the
appropriate advisers of the government. Until that question has been
decided and thereafter until racial feeling has shown some marked improvement, no reduction should be made in the present garrison of two
battalions of infantry. An independent inquiry should be made by an experienced police officer from some other dependency into the organization
of the Palestine Police Department. You have already accepted and acted
on this recommendation. The Palestine Government should be instructed
to inquire into and report upon the possibility of forming a reserve of
special constables."
While praising the conduct of the British Police in Palestine during
the period of the disturbances, the report admits in discussing defense and
security that the policy of reducing the garrison in Palestine and Transjordania was carried too far.
"The Palestine Police, regarded collectively, were not to be relied upon
after fire had been opened or for purposes of fighting at close quarters,"
it says." "The Transjordanian frontier force behaved with exemplary
loyalty, but the intelligence service in Palestine proved inadequate."
The outbreak was not, nor was it intended to be, declares the report,
a revolt against British authority. Referring to the Zionist complaints
against the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, the report declares that the motive
of his alleged desire to make secure his own position as president of the
Supreme Moslem Council, which formed part of the case put forward
against the Mufti, had not been established.
"The Mufti, so far as we can see, had no reason to suppose that his
tenure of office was in any danger," says the report, "and in playing the
part that he took in the formation of societies for the defense of Moslem
holy places and in fostering the activities of such societies the Mufti was
influenced by the two-fold desire to annoy the Jews and to mobilize Moslem opinion on the issue of the Wailing Wall.
"He had not intended utilizing this political campaign as a means of
inciting to disorders. Inasmuch as the movement which he partly created
became through the force of circumstances, a not unimportant factor in
the events which led to the outbreak, the Mufti, like many others who
�-———————______—
50
THE SYRIAN WORLD
directly or indirectly played upon public feelings in Palestine, must accept
a share in the responsibility for the disturbances."
The report says that there is no evidence that the Mufti issued any
requests to the Moslems of Palestine to come to Jerusalem on August 23
and that no connection has been established between the Mufti and the
work of those who were either known or thought to have been engaged in
agitation and incitement. After the disturbances had broken out, the report
points out, the Mufti cooperated with the government in its effort both to
restore peace and to prevent an extension of the disorders.
Referring to the Zionist complaints against the Palestine Arab executive, the report concludes that the charges of premeditation and organization of the disturbances are not proved against the Palestine Arab executive, and "if made in relation to the actual events of August 23 and the
following days are negatived by the known facts. The charge of deliberate
incitement to disorder has not been substantiated against the Palestine
Arab executive as a body, but we have little doubt that some of the constituents who have been elected to the executive carried out among the
more ignorant Arab people a campaign of propaganda calculated to incite
them. It is probable, though except in one case there is no proof, that individual members of the Arab executive further exacerbated racial feeling
after the disturbances had begun. For their failure to make an attempt
during the week preceding the disturbances to control their followers, to
declare publicly and emphatically that they were on the side of law and
order, neither the Mufti nor the Palestine Arab executive can be acquitted
of blame."
No blame can be properly attached to H. C. Luke, Acting High Commissioner of Palestine during the riots says the report referring to the
Zionist complaints against the government on the ground that he did not
obtain reinforcements from neighboring countries before August 23.
"Looking back on the question in the full light of our present knowledge, it is our view that it would have been a reasonable precaution if Mr.
Luke had mobilized the troops within his jurisdiction at some convenient
place in Palestine some time during the days which immediately preceded
the disturbances, but for reasons which we have explained elsewhere we
do not think that any serious criticism can be properly levied against Mr.
Luke for his failure to adopt this course.
"We endorse Mr. Luke's action in declining to arm a considerable number of Jewish people, whose services were offered on the 17t)h. We are satisfied that in taking his decision that forty-one Jewish constables should
be disarmed, Mr. Luke was following the highest military advice available
to him and using his own unbiased judgment as to the line of action which
was best calculated to serve the interests of the people with whose wellbeing he was charged.
Many exciting and intemperate articles were published in the Palestine
press between October, 1928, and August, 1920. We consider that the
power of the Palestine Government to suspend the press should have been
invoked against the papers which published some of these articles.
"We cannot attach any blame to any police officer for the failure to
prevent the Jewish demonstration at the Wailing Wall on August 15.- It is
our view that those who were present during the discussions with the
�MARCH, 1930
51
leaders of the Jewish youth failed to make clear to Major Saunders that
the Jewish leaders declined to accept one of the conditions which Mr. Luke
attached to his decision that the procession should be allowed to go to
the Wailing Wall on the 22nd.- Any attempt to have prevented by force
the Moslem demonstration on August 16 would have been dangerous and
ill-advised.
"Rumors current in Palestine immediately before were the natural consequence of the two demonstrations of the 15th and 16th."
Turning to the complaint that the Palestine Government had consistently shown a lack of sympathy toward the Jewish National Home and
that its policy had been one of weakness the report says that this ' is in
large measure due to the difficulties inherent in the mandate and the failure
to appreciate the dual nature of the policy which the government has to
administer. It is our view that the government did discharge to the best
of its ability the difficult task of maintaining a neutral and impartial attitude between two peoples whose leaders had shown little capacity for
compromise."
.
On the subject of immigration the report admits that Jewish enterprise and Jewish immigration were not in excess of the absorbtive capacity
of the country and "have conferred material benefits upon Palestine, in
which the Arab people share. We consider, however, that the claims and
demands, which from the Zionist side had been advanced, regarding the
future of Jewish immigration into Palestine, had been such as to arouse
among the Arabs apprehension that they will in time be deprived of their
livelihood and pass under the political domination of the Jews.
"We further consider that Sir John Campbell was right When he
reported that the crises of 1927-28 were due 'to the fact that immigrants
came into Palestine in excess of the economic absorbing power of the country' There is incontestable evidence that in the matter of immigration
there has been a serious departure by the Jewish authorities from the
doctrine accepted by the Zionist Organization in 11)22 that immigration
should be regulated by the economic capacity of Palestine to absorb new
arrivals.
-„ . ,
In conjunction with other and more immediate causes for the disturbances, the feeling of Arab apprehension caused by Jewish immigration
was a factor which contributed to the outbreak.
The land problem comes in for considerable attention. On this matter
the report savs: "Soon after the institution of civil government in Palestine,
the administration became anxious lest the interest of the tenants and cultivators be prejudiced by the sale of large estates. The land transfer ordinances of 1920 and 1921 were passed with the object of protecting the
interest of cultivators and preventing their expropriation from the soil.
These ordinances failed to achieve their objects and were replaced by the
cultivators' protective ordinance of 1929.
"Between 1921 and 1929 there were large sales of land, in consequence
of which numbers of Arabs were evicted without provision of other land
for their occupation. In some cases, the Arabs who were dispossessed received cash compensation, and no criticism can be levied against the Jewish land companies in respect to these transactions. Those companies were
acting with the government's knowledge
�52
THE SYRIAN WORLD i
"The cultivator's protective ordinance of 1929, while giving compensa- I
tion for the disturbance, does nothing to check the tendency toward dispossession of the cultivators from their holdings. The mere provision of compensation in money may even encourage that tendency. The position is now
acute. There is no alternative land to which the evicted persons can be
removed. In consequence a landless and discontented class is being created.
Such a class is a potential danger to the country.
Source of Discontent Seen.
"Unless some solution can be found to deal with this situation the
question will remain a constant source of present discontent and a potential cause of future disturbance. Palestine cannot support a larger agricultural population than it at present carries unless the methods of farming
undergo radical changes. With more intensive cultivation, should this prove
to be possible, room might be found for a number of newcomers in certain
districts."
The constitutional grievances of the Arabs also come in for some attention in the report, Which says on this subject: "It is a matter of regret
that the Arab leaders did not accept the offer of a legislative council that
was made to them in 1922. Today the Arab people of- Palestine are united
in a demand for a measure of self-government. This unity of purpose may
weaken, but it is liable to be revised in full force by any large issue which
involves racial interests. It is our belief that the feeling of resentment
among the Palestine Arabs consequent upon their disappointment at their
continued failure to obtain any measure of self-government is greatly aggravating the difficulties of local administration."
The difficulties inherent in the Palestine mandate in the Balfour Declaration, the report declares, are factors of supreme importance in a consideration of the Palestine problem. "The issue of a clear definition of
policy backed by a statement that it is the firm intention of the government to supplement that policy to the full would be of the greatest assistance in securing good government of the country."
Labor Member's Reservations.
Harry Snell the Laborite member, differs from the other members in
attributing to the Grand Mufti a greater share in the responsibility for
the disturbances than is attributed to him in the report. He is of the opinion
that the Mufti "must bear the blame for his failure to make any effort to
control the character of the agitation conducted in the name of the religion
of which, in Palestine, he is the head."
Although he agrees that the Arab Executive was not of necessity
responsible as a body for the words or acts of its individuals or followers,
Mr. Snell finds it difficult to believe "that the actions of the individual
members of the Executive were unknown to that body, or indeed that these
individuals were acting in a purely personal capacity."
In regard to the campaign of incitement Mr. Snell is unable to agree
with the conclusions in the report acquitting the Moslem religious authorities of all but the slightest blame for the innovations introduced in the
neighborhood of the Wailing Wall. It is his opinion that the innovations
"were dictated less by the needs of the Moslem religion and the rights of
property than by a studied desire to provoke and wound the religious susceptibilities of the Jewish people."
«
The
�MARCH, 1930
53
Political Developments in Syria
four declaration. Judging by the
tenor of the commission's findings,
The Shaw Commission's report on
this interpretation could not be oththe causes of the Palestine disturb- erwise than a disavowal by Britain
ances of last August was published of any intention to help the Jews
in London on March 31, and if it establish a national home in Palescaused a certain degree of elation tine against the interest of the
among the Arabs, it aroused pro- Arabs. In fact, considerable sentiportionately twice as much bitter- ment seems to be developing lately
ness among the Jews. A summary
in favor of establishing cantons in
of the report is published elsewhere
Palestine similar to the Swiss sysin this issue of The Syrian World. tem of government. This would perAs a result of the commission's mit of local or district governments
findings, Premier MacDonald made bound together only by national
a statement in the House of Com- obligations. Where the Jews premons on April 3 reaffirming Great dominate, such as in the district of
Britain's resolve to continue to ad- Jaffa, they would be given the right
minister Palestine under the terms of autonomous government, in which
of the League of Nations' mandate.
case they would assert themselves
In this declaration of policy the Pre- within limited bounds. This would
mier received the hearty support of tend to relieve the tension created
both former Premier Baldwin for the by the desire of the Jews to lay
Conservatives and David Lloyd- claim to the government of the
George for the Liberals. This is whole country when their total numtaken to prove conclusively that ber does not exceed 150,000 as comGreat Britain's colonial policy can- pared to an Arab population of
not undergo any material change
something like 750,000.
under no matter what form of govThe native press of Palestine and
ernment. Those under British rule,
Syria
continues to publish frequent
in fact under the domination of any
reports
of attempts by the Jews to
European power, should by now
smuggle arms and ammunition into
realize the fact.
Press dispatches from Palestine Palestine. The Arab boycott of the
state that publication of the Shaw Jews is reported to be still in full
Commission's report in Jerusalem force, and although no fresh outbreaks have been reported, thanks
was received with a large amount
to the vigilance of the authorities,
of placidity, because both Arabs and
Jews had taken the forecasts se- passions seem to be restrained with
riously so that the publication of difficulty.
A Palestine Commission, headed
the official text caused little surby
the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem,
prise. The Jews, however, were the
the
one who is censured by the Shaw
ones to feel the disappointment more
commission
for having neglected to
keenly because of the commission's
recommendation of a more lucid in- use the prestige of his office to preterpretation by Britain of the Bal- vent the bloody riots of last August,
PALESTINE
�i MARt
THE SYRIAN WORLD
54
is now in London in the interest of
furthering the claims of Palestinian
Arabs. Upon the publication of the
commission's report, members of
the Palestinian delegation were reported to have expressed satisfaction with its findings and recommendations.
Lord Balfour, author of the famous Balfour Declaration pledging
England to help the Jews in the
establishment of a national home in
Palestine, died in London on March
18.
SYRIA
An important development in the
Syrian political situation was the
meeting in the week of March 16,
of the Constituent Assembly at
Damascus for the purpose of discussing the deplorable condition to
which the affairs of the country
have been reduced as a result of
the continued policy of procrastination by the French High Commissioner. What lends the meeting more
significance is the fact that the Assembly was dissolved by the High
Commissioner on the promise to
study its demands and find a mutually satisfactory solution. To have
convened without the approval of
the High Commissioner indicates
the degree of desperation to which
the members of the Assembly have
been driven. Their action constitutes
an open defiance of the authority
of the mandatory power.
The meeting was said to have been
attended not only by the legally
elected members but by many delegates of the Syrian Nationalist
Party from all parts of the country.
The deliberations continued for several days, resulting in the preparation of a memorandum to be presented to the High Commissioner as
embodying the final and concrete de-
:: :-
:
mands of the Syrian nation. The
signers are said to have emphasized
at the outset that the Constituent
Assembly remains the only legal
body empowered to represent the
people, inasmuch as it derives its
powers from the people themselves
through popular election. Furthermore, the Assembly consented to
the act of suspension only on the
understanding that by so doing it
would give the mandatory authorities time to consider the national
demands and promote the policy of
understanding. Now that over a year
has elapsed since the cessation of
its functions, during which time no
progress seems to have been made
toward effecting a satisfaetoi-y solution, the Assembly feels it is obliged
to resume its duties to save the
country from threatened economic
ruin.
The Syrian Nationalists further
insist that a copy of their tentative
draft of a constitution be submitted
to the League of Nations for consideration. By this they hope to forcibly call attention of the Powers to
the justice of their demands.
One of the main grievances of the
Nationalists, as set forth in the
petition, is the continuation in power of the Tajeddeen government.
They contend that this provisional
government was only set up to supervise the elections to the Constituent Assembly. It has continued
in power ever since and has grossly
abused its privileges by granting
national concessions to foreign interests. In this the Nationalists
claim the government is acting illegally because it cannot claim a
de jure status and they demand the
revocation of all grants and concessions so undertaken.
A Nationalist editor has been
sentenced to a year in prison for
having accused a minister of the
I
�MARCH, 1930
ever, was an argument which developed between him and the President of the Assembly, a Moslem,
over a point of parliamentary procedure. The next day a resolution
concurred in by 27 members was introduced demanding a vote of confidence in the Cabinet without debate. The signers of the petition,
sympathizers of the President of
the Assembly, being overwhelmingly
in the majority, carried the day with
steam-roller tactics. Premier Eddy
immediately handed in his resignation.
Reports state that consequent
upon these developments, the President of the Republic visited the
French High Commissioner to confer with him on the situation. The
Premiership was said to have been
refused by both the defeated Premier Eddy and former Premier
Bishara Khoury, as well as by many
others who would not expose themselves to the intrigues of a politiLEBANON
cal machine. Finally August Adeeb
The Eddy cabinet met the fate undertook to form a cabinet and
of its predecessors and was defeated succeeded in winning a vote of conm a stormy session of the Repre- fidence. His choice for Minister of
sentative Assembly on March 20 by Education was Gibran Twainy, who
an adverse vote of 27, the twelve is expected to placate the Moslem
other members present having re- element in the matter of the application of educational reforms. The
frained from voting.
This is all the more regrettable Eddy reform and economy program,
because of the high hopes placed on on which so much hope had been
the application of the ambitious re- placed, seems to have been thrown
form program of the Premier who into the discard.
The new Premier is a man of
seemed to be making considerable
progress in effecting needed econo- wide administrative experience. A
mies. He met his nemesis,, as it Lebanese by birth, he entered the
would appear, in the attempt to do employ of the Egyptian governaway with sinecures and abolish ment and rose to the highest post to
inefficient schools. The unfortunate which a foreigner is eligible in the
part is that most of these schools Ministry of Finance. Through purely
were for the Moslems who interpret- patriotic motives, he returned to his
ed the Premier's action as prompted native land at the conclusion of the
World War and was appointed delby religious bias.
The immediate cause of the crisis egate to the conference on the adwhich terminated in his defeat, how- justment of the Ottoman debts.
Tajeddeen government of profiteering by the granting of concessions.
A movement that threatens to assume serious proportions is the demand of the Aleppians for secession
from the central government of
Damascus. Six copies of a petition
whose authors claim the backing of
the overwhelming majority of the
Aleppians were being circulated
for signatures prior to presentation
to the High Commissioner when
the authorities took peremptory action to stop the movement as being
of a seditious nature. The grievances
of the Aleppians are that they are
not properly represented in the government, that they pay three-quarters of Syria's taxes and receive no
benefit in return, and that all poblic
improvements are being confined to
Damascus. The petitioners demand
separation from the State of Syria
as a measure of safeguarding their
interests.
i
55
�'
56
'
THE SYRIAN WORLD
About Syria and Syrians
RIHANI ON A LECTURE
TOUR OF THE COUNTRY
INCREASING APPROPRIATIONS
FOR BYBLOS EXCAVATIONS
Our noted traveler and author,
Ameen Rihani, is at present on the
Pacific coast fulfilling lecture engagements with universities, clubs
and societies. In the week of March
10 he gave a series of three lectures
at the University of Illinois on various political and historical topics.
The week following he lectured in
Kansas City and crossed west to
Portland, Oregon, thence proceeding to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Newspaper clippings reaching us from these various sections
through the courtesy of our readers
concur in describing the high degree
of enthusiasm with which Mr. Rihani's addresses are met at every
stage of his journey.
A bill asking for an appropriation
of £S35,000 for excavation work at
Jubail, ancient Byblos, for 1930 was
reported to the Lebanese Representative Assembly and is expected to
be favorably acted upon.
The author of the bill proposes
that about 75 per cent, of the appropriation go to the purchase of
land known to have been the site
of ancient cemeteries, the balance
being devoted to actual excavation
work. This section of Mt. Lebanon
is admittedly very rich in ancient
relics, as Byblos was once a
flourishing kingdom and the seat
of the Phoenicians' most advanced
civilization. In the excavation work
of 1929, relics of immense historical value were recovered and placed
on exhibition at the National Museum of Beirut, which is now one
of the principal places in the itinerary of tourists visiting the country.
The many specimens of exquisite
workmanship in jewelry and pottery executed by the early Phoenicians nearly four thousand years
ago are cause for the greatest
admiration.
SILVER JUBILEE FOR
A MARONITE PRIEST
The congregation of Our Lady of
the Cedars Maronite church in Boston will give a banquet on April
27 in celebration of the twentyfifth anniversary of the ordination
of their pastor, Rev. Stephen Douaihy, to the priesthood.
Father Douaihy has had a most
interesting career. Educated at the
Maronite College in Rome, he became private secretary to the Patriarch upon his return to Lebanon,
and accompanied the prelate to Paris
at the conclusion of the World War
on his political mission.
Father Douaihy came to the
United States in 1920 and was pastor of the Maronite congregation of
Scranton, Pa„ until 1929, when he
was transferred to Boston.
SYRIAN AND LEBANESE
STUDENTS IN FRANCE
An official of the French Ministry
of Education is quoted by a Syrian
paper as saying that the total number of registered Syrian and Lebanese students now in French schools
and universities is 208, of whom 156
are in the city of Paris.
An analysis of the courses of
study taken up by these students
t
MAR
�MARCH, 1930
shows a marked trend towards practical sciences, indicating an awakening to the pressing needs of the
country. While at one time the
studies were almost wholly literary
or artistic, there are now 57 students taking up courses in commerce and industry and 16 studyin%
scientific agriculture. Of medical
and pharmaceutical students there
are 39.
SYRIAN BOY WINS
HIGH SCHOLASTIC RECORD
A reader of The Syrian World
sends us a clipping of a New Bern,
N. C. paper which we are glad to
copy while extending the boy the
heartiest congratulations. Said the
American paper:
"Probably one of the best records,
in the history of American schools,
has been made by Joseph Salem, of
New Bern, North Carolina.
"Joe was born in Mt. Lebanon,
Syria, and came to America with
his parents, when he was nine years
old. At that time 'he could not
speak one word of the English
language, not even "Good morning."
Yet he completed eleven years of
school work in eight years and five
months; always stood at the head
of his class, and not once did he
have to take an examination, being
always exempted because of his
high daily average. For this unusual
record and high standing, a scholarship from the University of North
Carolina was granted him last June.
"Besides being a good student, he
is a gifted linguist, speaking three
languages fluently: English, French
and Syrian.
"Among the offices held by him
during his high-school days were
the following, Member of the National Honor Society; secretary of
the Hi-Y Club; secretary and treas-
57
urer of his freshman class; vice
president of his sophomore class;
treasurer of his junior class; assistant manager and assistant editor
of the Bruin school paper all four
years, and besides being interested
in these activities he worked continuously to help pay for his education."
EXILED DRUZE REBELS
IN DIRE STRAITS
Reient reports from Palestine
state that a son of Sultan Pasha Atrash, leader of the Druze revolt
against the French in Syria during
1925-27, arrived in Haifa and declared in an interview that the condition of the rebels under his father had become well nigh unbearable. Their number is now reduced
to eight hundred souls, counting
men, women and children. They occupy a section of Wadi Sirhan within the boundaries of Nejd, under the
protection of King Ibn Saoud. But
they have run out of provisions and
are reduced to eating the green
leaves of trees. They are in great
need of medical supplies owing to
the prevalence of disease.
HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT
ON THE ORONTES
A concession for the generation
of electricity from the waters of the
river Orontes (Al-Asi) has been
granted to a French company which
immediately started operations and
has now completed the digging of
the canal to a point midway between Horns and Hama, where it
intends to erect its plant. The canal
is six kilometers long, four meters
wide and two meters deep. The waterfall will be from a height of fifty
meters, and it is calculated that
four thousand h. p. could be gener-
�56
THE SYRIAN WORLD
About Syria and Syrians
RIHANI ON A LECTURE
TOUR OF THE COUNTRY
INCREASING APPROPRIATIONS
FOR BYBLOS EXCAVATIONS
Our noted traveler and author,
Ameen Rihani, is at present on the
Pacific coast fulfilling lecture engagements with universities, clubs
and societies. In the week of March
10 he gave a series of three lectures
at the University of Illinois on various political and historical topics.
The week following he lectured in
Kansas City and crossed west to
Portland, Oregon, thence proceeding to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Newspaper clippings reaching us from these various sections
through the courtesy of our readers
concur in describing the high degree
of enthusiasm with which Mr. Rihani's addresses are met at every
stage of his journey.
A bill asking for an appropriation
of £S35,000 for excavation work at
Jubail, ancient Byblos, for 1930 was
reported to the Lebanese Representative Assembly and is expected to
be favorably acted upon.
The author of the bill proposes
that about 75 per cent, of the appropriation go to the purchase of
land known to have been the site
of ancient cemeteries, the balance
being devoted to actual excavation
work. This section of Mt. Lebanon
is admittedly very rich in ancient
relics, as Byblos was once a
flourishing kingdom and the seat
of the Phoenicians' most advanced
civilization. In the excavation work
of 1929, relics of immense historical value were recovered and placed
on exhibition at the National Museum of Beirut, which is now one
of the principal places in the itinerary of tourists visiting the country.
The many specimens of exquisite
workmanship in jewelry and pottery executed by the early Phoenicians nearly four thousand years
ago are cause for the greatest
admiration.
SILVER JUBILEE FOR
A MARONITE PRIEST
The congregation of Our Lady of
the Cedars Maronite church in Boston will give a banquet on April
27 in celebration of the twentyfifth anniversary of the ordination
of their pastor, Rev. Stephen Douaihy, to the priesthood.
Father Douaihy has had a most
interesting career. Educated at the
Maronite College in Rome, he became private secretary to the Patriarch upon his return to Lebanon,
and accompanied the prelate to Paris
at the conclusion of the World War
on his political mission.
Father Douaihy came to the
United States in 1920 and was pastor of the Maronite congregation of
Scranton, Pa., until 1929, when he
was transferred to Boston.
SYRIAN AND LEBANESE
STUDENTS IN FRANCE
An official of the French Ministry
of Education is quoted by a Syrian
paper as saying that the total number of registered Syrian and Lebanese students now in French schools
and universities is 208, of whom 156
are in the city of Paris.
An analysis of the courses of
study taken up by these students
�MARCH, 1930
shows a marked trend towards practical sciences, indicating an awakening to the pressing needs of the
country. While at one time the
studies were almo.st wholly literary
or artistic, there are now 57 students taking up courses in commerce and industry and 16 studyin%
scientific agriculture. Of medical
and pharmaceutical students there
are 39.
SYRIAN BOY WINS
HIGH SCHOLASTIC RECORD
57
uier of his freshman class; vice
president of his sophomore class;
treasurer of his junior class; assistant manager and assistant editor
of the Bruin school paper all four
years, and besides being interested
in these activities he worked continuously to help pay for his education."
EXILED DRUZE REBELS
IN DIRE STRAITS
Reient reports from Palestine
state that a son of Sultan Pasha AtA reader of The Syrian World rash, leader of the Druze revolt
sends us a clipping of a New Bern, against the French in Syria during
N. C. paper which we are glad to 1925-27, arrived in Haifa and decopy while extending the boy the clared in an interview that the conheartiest congratulations. Said the dition of the rebels under his father had become well nigh unbearAmerican paper:
"Probably one of the best records, able. Their number is now reduced
in the history of American schools, to eight hundred souls, counting
has been made by Joseph Salem, of men, women and children. They occupy a section of Wadi Sirhan withNew Bern, North Carolina.
"Joe was born in Mt. Lebanon, in the boundaries of Nejd, under the
Syria, and came to America with protection of King Ibn Saoud. But
his parents, when he was nine years they have run out of provisions and
old. At that time he could not are reduced to eating the green
speak one word of the English leaves of trees. They are in great
language, not even "Good morning." need of medical supplies owing to
Yet he completed eleven years of the prevalence of disease.
school work in eight years and five
months; always stood at the head HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT
of his class, and not once did he
ON THE ORONTES
have to take an examination, being
A concession for the generation
always exempted because of his
of
electricity from the waters of the
high daily average. For this unusual
river
Orontes (Al-Asi) has been
record and high standing, a scholargranted
to a French company which
ship from the University of North
Carolina was granted him last June. immediately started operations and
"Besides being a good student, he has now completed the digging of
is a gifted linguist, speaking three the canal to a point midway belanguages fluently: English, French tween Horns and Hama, where it
intends to erect its plant. The canal
and Syrian.
"Among the offices held by him is six kilometers long, four meters
during his high-school days were wide and two meters deep. The wathe following, Member of the Na- terfall will be from a height of fifty
tional Honor Society; secretary of meters, and it is calculated that
the Hi-Y Club; secretary and treas- four thousand h. p. could be gener-
�58
ated with present facilities. Horns
and Hama are promised electric service by July, 1931, under the terms
of the franchise, but may get it in
the current year if the work is
maintained at its present rate of
progress.
LOSS OF TREASURE
DRIVES SYRIAN MAD
Losing money on stock speculation is not the only reason for insanity or suicide. Here is a novel
reason for driving a Syrian laborer
out of his mind.
While engaged in removing red
dirth in the vicinity of Aleppo, a
laborer noticed a black box which
he thought contained ammunition
left by the Germans and Turks in
their hasty flight from Syria. He
called the gendarmes who, upon
opening the box, found it to contain
forty thousand pounds in gold. The
laborer fainted at the sight of the
glistening yellow metal, and later
lost his reason completely.
SYRIAN PAPER HELPS
FRENCH FLOOD SUFFERERS
Al-Hoda, the Syrian daily of New
York, invited contributions for the
sufferers of the disastrous floods of
Southern France, opening the subscription list itself with a substantial sum. The lists published by AlHoda show that the response to its
appeals from its Syrian and Lebanese readers is both generous and
country-wide. The funds collected
were turned over to the French consul General in New York.
LOCUSTS IN SYRIA
The authorities in Palestine are
making considerable progress in
checking the locust invasion, but
the country is not yet free from
danger.
In Syria the locusts have invaded
THE SYRIAN WORLD
certain districts of Houran and
reached some outlying sections of
the Damascus territory, but have
not reached the G'houta proper.
Aleppo has so far escaped the danger, but the vanguaru of the locust
hordes have made their appearance
at a point sixty miles to the east
of Homs.
OTTOMAN PRINCE
A TAXI DRIVER
A reporter of a Damascus newspaper in Beirut hailed a taxi and
thought that he had seen the driver
sometime, somewhere. When the
driver's Arabic proved unintelligible the reporter addressed him in
Turkish, and it was then that he recognized him as Hassan, the grandson of the Tin-kish Sultan Abdul
Aziz and nephew of the Sultan Abdul Majid. The driver made no attempt to hide his identity, explaining that he was driven to this occupation as the only one open to
him for earning a living.
Shades of Russian nobility in
Paris and other cities of Europe!
SETTLING THE BEDU
There is in the government of
Syria a special department for the
regulation of the affairs of the bedu,
or the nomad Arabs in the country.
This department had laid a program
for the gradual settling of the nomads and the direction of their interests and energies to agriculture.
It is now announced that it plans
the enforcement of this program by
the erection this year of one thousand houses in the district of Deir
Ezzour, which will be turned over
to the Arabs on easy terms as an
inducement for them to settle permanently on the land. They will also
be taught modern methods of agriculture.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
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English
Contributor
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Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
Identifier
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NS 0002
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
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TSW1930_03reducedWM
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Volume 04, Issue 07
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930 March
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 4 Issue 07 of The Syrian World published March 1930. Editor Salloum Mokarzel opens the issue with a special article on his visit to the Maronite Patriarch at his summer residence, discussing his opinions on home politics and the religious future of his spiritual children in America. Ameen Rihani then presents a further account of his experiences in Jeddah including interesting discussions with King Hussein, specifically dealing with Koranic Law, and unorthodox banking operations. Followed by a poem by J.D. Carlyle and An Arabian Nights' Story, Kahlil Gibran showcases his thoughts on the meaning of giving and taking, surrounded by his own illustrations. Dr. Salim Y. Alkazin is next, contributing his another one of his poems titled "The Two Answers," followed by another work of poetry by Alice McGeorge. Salloum Mokarzel is featured yet again in this issue with more describing his trip, this time through Southern Lebanon, specifically to Mashgara, Jezzine, Kfarhouna, Al-Mukhtara, Beit Eddeen, and Deir El-Kamar. The issue ends with a poem by Labeebee A. J. Hanna titled "Advice to Rash Youth" in which she discusses the trouble with making quick decisions. The issue is once again closed with excerpts from the Arab press, information on the Causes of Palestine Riots, and more on political developments in Syria.
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Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
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English
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
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New York Public Library
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
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1930s
Alice McGeorge
Ameen Rihani
Kahlil Gibran
Labeebee A.J. Hanna
Lebanon
Maronite Church
New York
Poetry-English
Salim Alkazin
Saudi Arabia
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https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/e200c01e257a5727698cbe4e1f3a8781.pdf
6255c2e8ae7cfc5959ee290f33af5aed
PDF Text
Text
VOL. IV. No. 10.
JUNE, 1930.
TTTF
SYRIAN WORLD
A
MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ENGLISH DEALING
WITH SYRIAN AFFAIRS AND ARABIC LITERATURE
CAN THE SYRIAN RACE SURVIVE IN AMERICA?
REV. W. A. MANSUR
THE SYRIANS IN AMERICA
DR. TALCOTT WILLIAMS
<si
ALEPPO, METROPOLIS OF NORTHERN SYRIA
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL
3L
LOVE AMONG THE ARABS
(SHORT STORY)
LEBANON MOUNTAINEERS TAKE UP
HEALTH INSURANCE
STUART CARTER DODD
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN SYRIA
THE COPY 50c
1
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THE
SYRIAN WORLD
"Published monthly by
SALLOUM
A.
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
MOKARZEL,
Editor.
I
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single copies 50c.
Entered as second-class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New
York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. IV. No. 10.
JUNE, 1930,
CONTENTS
PAGE
Can the Syrian Race Survive in A merica?
REV.
W. A.
5
MANSUR
Reconciliation (Poem)
12
DR. SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
The Syrians in A merica
13
DR. TALCOTT WILLIAMS
Aleppo, Metropolis of Northern Syria
SALLOUM
A.
16
MOKARZEL
On Hatred
28
KAHLIL GIBRAN
Love Among the Arabs (Short Story)
29
�•'
•'"•
'
—
^
*
CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
On Temper (Poem)
J. D.
34
CARLYLE
Lebanon Mountaineers Take Up Health Insurance
35
STUART CARTER DODD
The Prophet (Poem)
40
THOMAS ASA
Editorial Comment
41
Another Milestone
41
Syrians Only
41
Talent Available
42
Organization
44
Publication Dates
\
1
44
Spirit of the Syrian Press
45
Political Developments in Syria
48
About Syria and Syrians
53
i
-—
�—
MM
IN THIS ISSUE
REV. W. A. MANSUR discusses a question that should
seriously engage the attention
of every thinking Syrian in the
United States. "Can the Syrian
race survive in America?" he
asks, and proceeds to give his
weighty reason for an affirmative answer. Our readers know
the scholarly merits and sound
reasoning of the Rev. Mansur.
Not a statement does he make
but gives for its support ample
quotations from the most competent authorities. Especially is
his article in this issue instructive. We would ask our readers
to give serious thought to the
question raised because the situation becomes more and more
critical. Should we endeavor to
maintain a certain form of separate identity, compatible, of
course, with our spirit of loyalty to our adopted country, or
shall we go down in defeat and
admit our unworthiness? Read
the able article in question and
see if you can agree with the
erudite writer. * * * DR. TALCOTT WILLIAMS has long
since expressed an opinion that
not only conforms to that of
the Rev. Mansur but even goes
much farther in certain particulars. Few are those among
students
of
contemporary
American literature who do not
know who Dr. Williams is,
especially that he was so influential in shaping the course of
American literature by his
direction of the School of Journalism at Columbia University.
One is almost tempted to make
the assertion that Dr. Williams
holds a much higher opinion
of us than we do of ourselves.
Also that he entertains of us
much stronger hopes. Else what
could account for the apparent
lethargy noticeable in our racial
affairs! Dr. Williams' article
should prove a strong stimulus
to us in efforts of that nature.
It also contains invaluable material for quotation whenever a
Syrian finds himself in a position of self-defense. We cannot too strongly recommend a
most attentive reading of this
article. * * * THE EDITOR
takes you in the current installment of his travel articles
through northern Syria as far
as the ancient and romantic city
of Aleppo. Would you visit a
typical Oriental city such as you
find described in the Arabian
Nights? Then here is where
you may have your wish fully
gratified. A great city without
taxis, with covered bazaars,
vaulted streets that run in a
baffling maze like a catacomb,
open-air gardens with dancers
and singers and audiences fresh
HHR
�from the desert. All this you
will find described in a vivid
narration interwoven with exceedingly interesting historical
facts. The trip to Syria with
the editor is well-worth taking.
* * * STUART CARTER
DODD, professor of sociology
at the American University of
Beirut, discusses a most interesting experiment in health insurance undertaken" by a Lebanese physician who graduated
from the American University.
Dr. Rasheed Ma'took, the
physician in question, is unquestionably a benefactor to his
town and district. The account
given by Prof. Dodd of his activities is most interesting. Perhaps the example set by Dr.
Ma'took will before long be
emulated throughout Lebanon
and Syria. It is a novel case and
a noble experiment for the detailed description of which we
feel grateful to Prof. Dodd,
and which we feel confident
our readers will thoroughly
enjoy. * * * THE FICTION
in this issue is not really fiction. It is facts told in a romantic manner and dealing with
the general subject of love
among the Arabs and the case
of two famous lovers in particular. Arab chivalry is here
portrayed in its noblest methods of expression. The principals are a lad, a lassie and a
mare. Readers will profit much
by enlightening themselves on
the details of courtship as it
existed among the Arabs of olden days, and which persists to a
certain extent to our day. * * *
THE EDITORIAL COMMENT in this issue is a discussion of many timely and pertinent subjects. We would call
particular attention to the suggestion of enlisting able native
talent for our better representaton at all public functions.
* * * THE SPIRIT OF THE
PRESS is ever teeming with
topics of interest because it is
a condensation of the best comment appearing in our native
press. From this department
the reader can glean much information on subjects nowhere
else discussed. * * * POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
in Syria should be of more
than usual interest at this time
because of the great upheaval
taking place in the country. In
this department we give a comprehensive summary not only
of cable dispatches but of the
reports of the native press.
Nowhere else in English could
students of political affairs in
Syria find such a wealth of information, because we are in
direct touch with original
sources. Syria proper, Lebanon
and Palestine are all covered in
this department. * * * In all,
every endeavor is being made
to make of THE SYRIAN WORLD
a medium of information
meeting every need of SyrianAmericans and those interested
in Syrian affairs.
�THE
SYRIAN WORLD
JUNE, 1930.
VOL. IV. No. 10.
Can the Syrian Race Survive
in America?
By
REV.
W. A.
MANSUR
IN an article on The Future of Syrian-Americans which appeared
in THE SYRIAN WORLD the writer raised the question of the
survival of the Syrian-American race. "Shall they be as the proverbial 'lost ten tribes'? Shall they be destroyed through race
destroying factors in the modern social order? Or, shall the present Syrian-American generation realize its racial self-consciousness, bring about a healthy adjustment to the new situation, and
enhance the renaissance of the Syrian spirit in all its glory in the
future Syrian-American?" (Syrian World, Sept., 1927.)
In an able article in THE SYRIAN WORLD on Syrians* Future
in America George A. Ferris says, "In studying the history of
foreign minorities in the United States, it would seem to indicate
that separate, distinct, racial groups are doomed to be absorbed
into the body politic leaving little, if any, traces of their racial
characteristics." His conclusions are that while the Syrian race
will make its contribution to the upbuilding of the American
nation, it is nevertheless "bound in the process of time to lose" its
"racial identity." (Syrian World, May, 1929.)
S. A. Mokarzel, editor of THE SYRIAN WORLD, asks the following provocative questions in an editorial on Future of the
Race, "Shall we drift aimlessly, letting matters take their course,
which we may well admit is being determined by the organized
efforts of other groups, or shall we make an equally conscious
effort to assert ourselves?" "In other words, are we to assert our
racial characteristics, and in the latter case, what are the best
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
M?y,S192V)e
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The writer believes in the future survival of the Syrian race
in America. He believes that the inherent race vitality, race pride,
and race progress are already resisting the absorption of the Syrian race by other races in America. He is persuaded there are
forces now at work that are making for the preservation of the
Syrian race. He is convinced that Syrian-American pioneers, Syrian-American leadership, and Syrian-American race awakeninhave already established a determined race consciousness, pride*,
and hope that mark the stemming of the tide of race amalgamation, race absorption, and race extinction. The writer suooorts
PP
his conviction by the following considerations:
/•
The Syrian Race Can Survive Because its Background Is a
Religious Philosophy of Life.
the nl ^°StOV;z"ff ^ jj. hi,S Rome in the chaPter on Causes of
t*?<u7 °f ATentA Cwdizati > "!" the East we never obwh rU
KgCnera and Permanent ch^"ge of mental attitude
which ,s characteristic of the West-that Oriental culture was
based on a dehnite view of religion, which survived all change
ofde
ta,KeS and SaVCd mCn fr m fallin
°
S
int
°
the
«
The strongest factor in the preservation of the Syrian race in
America is the Syrian religious philosophy of life. Permeadng
our economic, educational, social and political views of life S
rflin?,^ exP^"g itself in a spiritual evaluation
relitLeusltldtfwg,VeS
th£ H,gheSt mea,li g t0 life is a
"
*y
The Syrian race is pre-eminently the race of prophets seers
i§
prets"hin:nanS: °f ^ "&»*
^ m*ral
^
,g] US aUd
VdueS
'£? inter-'
thl?r£
ZtlT
^ relationships
.°
°and progresst0in]ifeterms
- Ij ofis
he race that
defines things,
he highest welfare to all of life. In this vitality! inherent" th
race of a religious philosophy of life, lies the future survival of
the Syrian race in America.
//.
The Syrian Race Can Survive Because of the Renaissance of
Race Consciousness, Race Talent, and Race Greatness.
The Syrian race consciousness began to be born in the decision
of Syrian-Americans to make America a permanent homeland!
�JUNE, 1930
7
It is now being organized in the mind and heart of the Syrian
people. It is now showing signs of fruitfulness through the rise
of Syrian-American leadership. Already Syrian-American youth
are successfully answering the challenge of the hour by splendid
achievements.
The leader of the Syrian-American awakening, S. A. Mokarzel, editor of THE SYRIAN WORLD, said in A Call to Form a Federation of Syrian Societies, "During the past two years there hai>
been increasing evidence of a healthy awakening of racial consciousness among the younger generation of Syrians in the United
States. From every section of the country comes news of the
formation of new societies of our young people among both sexes.
Where once there had been suspicion of indifference, even hesitancy and reluctance to admit one's racial extraction, we have in
these societies proof positive that our young generation is beginning to show genuine pride in its origin." (Syrian World, Nov.,
1928.)
The Syrian race awakening is inspired by intelligent understanding of our glorious race inheritance. There is evidence in
education, commerce, religion and civilization of the rising tide
of Syrian race talent. There is rising on the horizon the rising
greatness of a SYRIAN WORLD EMPIRE. In the rise of a
common race re-birth, common race re-juvenation, and common
race achievement lies sufficient community interest to hold together our race, perpetuate race identity, and promote race pride,
inheritance and greatness.
///.
The Syrian Race Can Survive Because Race Persecution
Has Aroused Our Race to Self-Defense.
The World War brought the nations, races and languages of
mankind to grips with one another. Self-determination has become the watch-word of the times. Race equality has become a
race issue. Language became the accompaniment of the national
and racial questions.
Bishop J. H. Oldham says in Christianity and the Race Problem, "A claim to permanent domination exclusively on the ground
of race is bound to be resisted by other peoples with all their
force. A thoroughgoing racialism cannot be advocated on one
side without provoking an equally intense racial consciousness on
the other."
Ameen Rihani said in an address Americanism and Native
II
�8
'THE SYRIAN WORLD
Culture, "Every people, ladies and gentlemen, has a certain culture, which reflects the best of its racial heritage; and the nation
in which these various cultures abound and are incorporated harmoniously into its own spirit, without losing altogether their
original identity, is destined to become the greatest nation in the
world." "On the other hand, the foreign-born and their descendants in this their adopted country, cannot better perform their
duties as citizens than by preserving their native culture and
keeping alive all that «s good in their racial characteristics." (Syrian World, April, 19^9.)
The race struggle in America brought on a wave of race
defamation, race disparagement, and race depreciation. It aroused
the various races in America to self-defense. The Syrian-Americans began the study of their race history, their race talents, and
their race achievements. It awakened them to the glory of their
forefathers in navigation, trade and commerce; in religion, morals and philosophy; in mathematics, law and civilization. With
enlightenment regarding Syrian race heritage arose race pride,
race defense, and race organization. Due to our sufferings because
of race prejudice we are compelled to struggle for individual and
race survival. Due to hindrances because of race defamation we
are forced to develop the racial talents within us. Due to our
children because of the equal right to equal opportunity we are
urged to push forward for the sake of our posterity. In the
memory of the Syrian-American race, in the mind of our children and our children's children, and for many generations to
come will live the story of the struggle of the Syrian race in
America, its sufferings, and its sacrifices, which in turn will ever
promote the future survival of the Syrian race in America.
IV.
The Syrian Race Can Survive Because Disillusionment Regarding Western Races Has Accentuated Our Appreciation
of Syrian Race Virtues.
Bishop John Francis McConnell says in Human Needs and
World Christianity, "The war itself led to disillusionment."
The World War brought to a climax complete disillusionment about Western nations, races and religion. It was realized
the Western civilization was established on a triumvirate of military power, material exploitation, and race aggression. The Russo-Japanese war smote the first blow to Western claim to superiority. The rise of nationalism smote the second blow to western
�JUNE, 1930
9
greed. The World War smote the third blow to western aggression. Western nations, races and civilization are being weighed
in the balances in the Near-East, the Far-East and through the
nations of mankind. Western thought on the race, home, religion,
education, commerce, marriage, democracy and nationalism are
being weighed in the balances of justice among the races, nations
and peoples of earth.
Syrian-Americans are finding their race to be of the highest
intellectual ability, possessing great religious and moral capacity,
and capable of a tremendous urge for progress. They are finding
their racial character to be one that makes for the highest homeloving, liberty-loving, law-abiding and industrious-living citizens
in America.
The self-appreciation of their race by Syrian-Americans
will create a high sense of enjoyment of their race qualities, hold
together the various scattered elements, and promote the preservation of the Syrian race as a race identity in America.
V.
The Syrian Race Can Survive Because of the Establishment
of Syrian Denominational Churches in America.
The establishment of Syrian denominational churches in
America is a social insurance for the preservation of Syrian race
identity.
"Where there is a difference in religion, religious loyalty
may suffice to keep communities distinct; in India Hindus and
Mohammedans retain their separateness," says Bishop J. H. Oldham in Christianity and the Race Problem. "In Ceylon Tamils
and Singhalese live side by side and intermarriage between the
two communities seldom takes place. In Switzerland the German-speaking and French-speaking communities preserve their
distinctness though they belong to the same nation. The Jews
have for centuries maintained their identity while living in the
midst of other peoples j religion has no doubt been a powerful
factor in bringing this about, but a sense of racial community
seems also to be involved, since the separateness is maintained
even when religious fervor dies down.
The founding of Syrian churches in America marks an important factor in the preservation of our Syrian race distinctness.
Investigation will reveal a most powerful factor in the awakening of race consciousness, race pride, and race defense. It will
be discovered that there are Maronite Churches, Greek Catholic
�-
"'Sa
10
'•
" ,
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Churches, Antiochan Greek Orthodox Churches, Syrian Greek
Orthodox Churches, and Syrian Protestant Churches. It will be
found that Mohammedans, Druze and Mitwalites, though small
in numbers, have such meetings as meet their religious needs.
Let it be remembered that these churches and religious organizations are shepherded by native priests, ministers and sheikhs.
Through the Syrian churches in America there is being awakened by education appreciation of Syrian race inheritance, being
urged the emulation of our glorious ancestors, and being promoted the upbuilding of our Syrian race legacies for the preservation of the Syrian race. The following statement is taken from
an address by S. A. Mokarzel which was delivered to the United
Maronites Society in Brooklyn: "With the present generation
this precious heritage (referring to Maronite heritage) seems to
be safe, but the concern is for the future and it rests upon the
coming generations to insure the continuity of the work that has
so far endured for nearly sixteen centuries." "It is to be hoped
that they will imbue coming generations with this same sense of
obligation towards a sacred cause, to the end that this noble heritage which has come down to them through the ages will endure
to the lasting glory of a valiant race and a most worthy saint anc1
reformer." (Syrian World, March, 1929.)
The Syrian churches in America because of their religious
ritual, their training of the young, and their appeal to pride in
racial heritage and supported by centuries of historical background in present day world wide organizations will ever make
for the survival of the Syrian-American race.
VI. The Syrian Race Can Survive Because the World Has Become a Community Through Modern Invention, Discovery
and Transportation.
The discovery of the New World by Columbus began the
process which made the world a neighborhood of nations and
races. The modern missionary impulse is making the world a
brotherhood of all people. The rise of the machine is now making the world a community of citizens.
"The mechanical revolution," says H. G. Wells in The Outline of History, "the process of mechanical invention and discovery, was a new thing in human experience, and it went on
regardless of the social, political, economic and industrial consequences it might produce." The advent of the steamship, the
�* •
JUNE, 1930
n
railroad, telephone, telegraph, automobile, and the airplane is
shrinking the world, demolishing barriers, and destroying provincialism everywhere. The myriads of inventions, discoveries,
and modern methods are making education universal, luxuries
common to all, and speedy travel within the enjoyment of all
people.
Early immigrant communities were isolated from their native
homelands because of their remoteness. Scattered individuals
and families, because of high cost of travel, were largely dependent on other racial groups for social intercourse. The advanced
in education, business, and prestige sought social contact with individuals of like standing among other people.
During the last quarter of the nineteenth century there began
he impulse which brought into full swing the mechanical, industrial and social revolution of our times. The coming of Syrian
immigrants to America dates about the eighties of the nineteenth
century. During that period began the acceleration of popular
education, increase of railways, invention in the mechanical, electrical and various scientific fields. With the aid of native language
publications, newspapers, magazines and books: with the helo of
modern means of travel, by railroad, automobile and airplane;
with possibilities of immediate communication, by telephone
telegraph and radio, the Syrian race in America is holding itself
together during the transitional period, and thereby maintains
Syrian race identity in America.
With the modern means of communication, transportation
and information the Syrians in America, whether'in cityPor counm^/?UPS °rM f!?11' as.illdividuals or as families, are within
immediate possible fellowship with their countrymen at, practically, any time or place. With the automobile they are within
treVw?, f^ t0,Syrlan fellowshiP- With the telephone they
are within talking distance with Syrian people. With the radio
hey are within hearing distance of Syrian leadership. With
television they are within seeing distance of their loved ones
friends and others With the airplane they are within flying 2sance to Syrian fellowship friendship and society in America, and
soon among the nations of earth. Social intercourse among the
Syrian-Americans is now an every day practical possibility: is
promoting Syrian race solidarity, race pride, and race progress
is preserving Syrian race identity; and is making for Syrian race
survival for all time in America.
The writer has stated the factors and forces whose cumulative
�12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
power will preserve Syrian race identity in America among the
races of the nation. For it is our belief that the day is coming,
(may Heaven speed the way!) when for one to say "I am a Syrian-American" will be more glorious than the Roman Eagle,
more honorable than the Star and Garter, more desired than the
riches of Croesus, and more noble than the Lordly Caesars. It is,
therefore, our purpose to plant in the body, mind and heart of
Syrian-American youth intelligent understanding regarding the
glorious history of our ancestors, their benevolent influences upon
mankind and their superior race talents and thereby arouse race
enlightenment concerning the greatness of our race among the
races in America. It is our desire that our descendants shall ever
remember their race identity, race heritage and race talent and
preserve the same to the lasting honor of our glorious Syrian
race. It is our commission to our Syrian posterity that they preserve our race identity, uphold our race legacies, and defend our
race honor in America through race enlightenment, splendid
achievement, and race loyalty to our American homeland.
Reconciliation
By
DR. SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
O come, and let us turn this leaf,
And cover this disfigured page;
Disputing not the cause of rage,
Nor whose the balance of the grief!
Or if thou must, then gently chide;
For wert thou wholly innocent,
Or I alone on mischief bent—
But why by troublous tales abide?
Come, let us dash this cup of pain
To earth, and on its fragments rise,
And with life's beauty fill our eyes,
And lure dead love to life again.
I
�j;
13
JUNE, 1930
The Syrians in America
AN APPRAISAL OF THEIR CHARACTER
AND HISTORY
By
'
DR. TALCOTT WILLIAMS
CYRIA and Syrians constitute the first land and the first people
in Southwestern Asia who have entered into modern civilization. They stand alone in this. If Syria were an islanded-land,
instead of being four thousand years a thoroughfare of conquering peoples, swept by many tides, it would be, in its place, as
striking an example of progress as Japan.
Southwestern Asia begins with the fringe of the vast tableland
of the Central Asia steppes, lifted into an Arctic air, a vast desolation. The Khanates of Turkestan have changed the drill of
their soldiery and are responsive to Russian administration; but
they are as they are, imitating and not well the flaming architecture of the days of Tamerlane and still walking in the track of
the Institutes of Bokhara. The book shops in the city of that
name are still the great center of the book-buying of Islam. If
the Emir of Afghanistan has his aeroplanes, Cabul could neither
make nor repair them. Beluchistan is where it always was. The
lithographed pages of the newspapers of Persia are a pathetic
proof of a land still in the age and bondage of the written word,
not having attained the full liberty of print. Mesopotamia, were
the English troops withdrawn, would be where Mosul was when,
as a child, I saw its gates nearly seventy years ago, as far as the
real life of the desert, the town and the rivers twain are concerned. The Armenian Soviet Republic has far more self-government than the Russian province of Erivan in 1913. Armenians
are scattered over the trade of the world. They almost monopolize in some of the cities in Europe and America the trade in
Asiatic rugs, but they have not taken a place in European banking as has Greece, nor is their trade as far-flung as that of the
Syrian merchant. Nor has the Armenian created a new literature
on the same scale as has Syria and the Syrians. The strength of
Angora is to-day the strength of the past rather than of to-day
or to-morrow. To me, the Angora group as I meet the few I
�14
'THE SYRIAN WORLD
have come in contact with, follow their work and see their utterances remind me more of the old Turkish Pashas whom I saw
as a boy after the Crimean War, than of the young Turks of
the past fifteen years, whom we once believed and hoped, alas,
m vain would recast the Ottoman rule. I am strongly inclined
to think that Mustapha Kemal Pasha would have felt much
more at home with Barbarossa, or the greater viziers of the past,
than he has with Envers Bey or even Talaat.
The Syrians have in the last seventy years added a new chapter to the loftier tone of the Arabic literature. I can myself remember seeing even Moslem eyes brighten as the poems of Nasif
el Yaziji were adequately read; how hard a task and how difficult
to achieve. A new field of fiction has been created in Syria which
influences the Arab world as a whole. Modern journalism in
Arabic has been almost wholly created by Syrians. A Syrian edits
the organ of the Shareef of Mecca, who sits in the seat of Muhammad. The leading magazine at Cairo, foremost in the Arab
world, was brought into being by Syrians. Wherever there are
newspapers in Arabic, they are generally, not always, edited by
Syrians. The new literature of the Arab tongue, in science, in
history, in the discussion of modern issues, is by no means as
large, as effective or as widespread as the like literature in the
newly awakened peoples between the Aegean and the Baltic but
the output of Syria on modern topics and the progress of to-day
exceeds that of any land or people in Southwestern Asia.
This is not due simply to access and position. Egypt has access
and position as much as Syria. Persia has as lofty a tradition. Intellectual ability is still high in Mesopotamia. Narrow as is its
intellectual tradition, cramped as it has been by fanaticism, yet
no one can fail to see that the Khanates have powerfully influenced Moslem legalism. Let us not forget, this is one of the
great systems of law, the weight of whose codes, statutes, traditions decisions and precedents are still cited and argued, and
establish property and personal rights, from the Judicial Committee of Privy Council of Westminster to the far-flung frineine
palms of the Malaysian Archipelago.
But the trading instinct of the Phoenician has carried the Syrian trader over both North and South America as well as Africa
and Southern Asia. He has penetrated to the head-waters of the
Amazon, he is to be found in all parts of the West coast of Latin
America and more than one national legislature and city ordinance
has acknowledged the superior commercial ability of the Syrian
�JUNE, 1930
15
by trying to exclude him altogether. The trade of Brazil passes
more and more into his hands and every year there appear at
Beirut from the very ends of the Western world and the outer
Eastern coast of Asia, the sons of the alumni of the American
University at Beirut returning each autumn to share the education of their fathers, at the site of the greatest university of the
Mediterranean, since the Roman Empire reached its utmost
bounds from Bactria to Britain, from the great Atlas to the
North Sea.
This cosmopolitan note lends significance and weight to the
Syrian migration of our day. I know no American city where I
have not spoken Arabic and no port on the Gulf or the Caribbean
where the Syrian is absent. Twenty-five years ago, I found a
Syrian in command in the Southwestern corner of Morocco, north
of the Atlas, of an outpost, awaiting an attack from the locally
independent tribes of Wad Sur. No more intellectual immigration has come to us in the fast forty years. None more swiftly
feels the American sprit or retains more tenaciously the sprit
of Syria and the Syrian. No melting pot is the United States.
It never has and it never will reduce our population to a common amalgam. The stocks of many European peoples and most
of the Mediterranean races have been grafted on our national
stock. There they will remain and retain their old life, strength,
genius and flavor. They all, if they abide in belief in liberty,
shall be grafted in and grow, maintaining an identity through
centuries to come.
So after three centuries, Hollander, Huguenot, men of the
Palatinate and both banks of the Rhine, of Brittany and of
Sweden and Switzerland retain their identity in their descendants.
The descendants of Baron Graffenreid of Berne who founded
Newbern are still among us. What would we not give if we had
a close and contemporaneous study of the Huguenots who came
here two centuries ago in such throngs that a sixth of Philadelphia spoke French when Franklin began his work there as a
printer? A like service has Dr. Philip K. Hitti done in his
book "The Syrians in America." His intimate acquaintance
with Syrian immigration, his sympathy with the life from
which this addition to American life comes, all these things
enable him to understand, to appreciate and to describe the Syrian in America. For all these Syrian traditions I have the deepest sympathy. There I was born and there to-day the youngest
of my father's descendants are passing their childhood days.
�16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Aleppo, Metropolis of Northern
Syria
A CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD OF THE
EDITOR'S TRIP ABROAD
IX
By
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
I^ATAKIA could have claimed more of our time by virtue of
its being the capital of that district of Syria which Renan once
described as the treasure house of the archaeologist. Its interest
lies not alone in the fact that it was a flourishing Phoenician settlement fifteen hundred years or so before Christ, but in its
checkered career during all the succeeding centuries. Relics of
Seleucides, Romans, Arabs and Crusaders in and around it are
still to be found in great abundance, and the strife of which it
was once the scene between Moslem and Christian a thousand
years after Christ forms a bloody, yet most interesting, chapter
of history. The cynical poet Abul 'Ala, who saw only with the
eye of reason, once wrote of it:
Latakia is the scene of constant strife
Between the hosts of Mahomet and Christ.
While these ring bells and cause a steady din,
The others send loud shrieks from minarets.
Each claims his faith the greatest of the two.
Granting their claims, I wonder which is true?
But our present trip was only in the nature of a reconnoitering tour and, considering the limitation of time, our itinerary
had to be carefully planned so as to permit a visit to all parts of
Syria. Our reliance was on the smattering knowledge of the historical background of the country to render the visit, short as it
is, more proportionately profitable.
Accordingly, we planned to leave Latakia as early as possible
in the afternoon in order to insure arrival at Aleppo by daylight,
and we gave our chauffeur instructions to that effect. But the
half-breed was not unlike the proverbial sailor, with a cause for
�JUNE, 1930
I
!
17
delay in every port, and a faculty for inventing for his tardiness
the most ingenious excuses. This was our first experience with
him on this score, and, unfortunately, it was not destined to be
the last.
Finally the swarthy, diminutive Lebanese-Mexican-Indian
came driving madly to the hotel. He greeted us with a broad
diabolical smile and the provoking question: "Are you ready?"
To which we could only answer in a disgusted, searching look.
But the scoundrel would not be abashed. He hastened to explain:
"\ ou see," he said, "we are about to travel in an extremely
hazardous country. Not that we are in danger of attack by highwaymen, for the roads are perfectly safe in this respect. But we
shall have to travel over mountains and through valleys where
the winds blow with the fierceness of winter gales. I know these
sections well and you can't find in all Syria another chauffeur to
compare with me in experience. Considering which I had to take
the necessary safeguards, and the cause of my delay was to secure
rope to protect my car."
Surely enough, the canvas top of the open car was securely
tied to the iron frame in all the vulnerable places. We had no
further reason to question the cause of his delay, but we were at
a loss to account for the necessity of such precaution.
To give the devil his due, we will readily admit that in this
instance the action of the chauffeur was fully warranted. We
had no sooner left the plain of Latakia and begun the ascent of
the mountain leading to the plateau of the Syrian hinterland than
we realized the truth of his prediction. The wind that played
around the barren hills and forced its way through the narrow
valley.s attained at times the velocity of a hurricane. But it was
a scorching wind which smote our faces like blasts from a raging
furnace. We had to hold handkerchiefs to our mouths and noses
as a protection against the dust and sand. It was an unconscious
imitation of the Arab in completely covering his face when caught
in a sandstorm.
But in~spite of all this discomfort, the chauffeur insisted on
talking and extolling his .foresight and his many other virtues,
gesticulating the while and lapsing into his wonted habit of relinquishing his hold on the wheel while driving at 110 kilometers.
What would my companion have given just to be able to talk
back and tell that crazy driver where he belonged. But howcould he when he was huddled in the corner of the open car
almost at the point of suffocation from the heat and the sand
�•*
•-4.
Co
o
Panoramic view of Aleppo, showing the towering form of the great fortress dominating the city.
mmm
jsmm
O
"• M^ —!
rr* rr\ * >.
'—
r\
'-.:-
in
b
�JUNE, 1930
19
and the pressure of the handkerchief. I was in a like predicament
and all we could do was to exchange occasional glances laden
with reciprocal sympathy for our common suffering.
Once across the mountains conditions became more bearable
and we began to take notice of the landscape. We could not help
admiring the fine condition of the road which was being kept in
constant repair by gangs of workmen at regular distances. We
noticed here what we had failed to see in almost all other parts
ot byria, namely milestones along the way and conspicuous road
signs inscribed in both Arabic and French at all intersections.
We crossed the Orontes over the Shagour bridge at a point
sixty-hve kilometers from Latakia. It was the first time we had
come to this historic and famous Syrian river, and the setting was
well calculated to give emphasis to the mental picture we had
formed of it. If anything, Shagour is a perfect relic of the
medieval ages. Its closely huddled houses of massive masonry
and flat roofs formed but a slight break in the uniformity of the
terrain panorama. Only the bridge was impressive by its stupendous size and the pnmitiveness of its construction.
Then began a monotonous drive through the plains of Syria
across immense stretches of fields presenting a most desolate
aspect after the harvest. Now and then we passed an isolated
town of low mud huts of conical shape, but what was most conspicuous by its absence was forestation. Both in this section and
m the vast ondulatmg territory between Aleppo and Horns and
Hama hardly a tree is to be seen except on the banks of the
Orontes or in the immediate vicinity of Muarrat Nahman A
tired laborer or a weary traveler could not find a shady nook for
scores of miles around to protect him from the scorching ravs
of the Syrian sun.
Late in the afternoon we had ample compensation for the discomforts of the journey by the welcome sight of Aleppo. The
impressive appearance of the city as one approaches it from the
west justifies its claim to the proud title of Queen of Northern
Syria. The uniformity of its attractive white buildings is broken
by its numerous mosques with their stately minarets, while dominating the city, and almost in its very center, looms the huge
form of its famous citadel. The great expanse of the city bespoke
its importance from time immemorial as the emporium of Northern Syria.
We passed through a residential quarter which in point of
modernity would compare favorably with any section of an Amer-
�=SBBgg— WA
20
mmmmmmmsBBSBssm
THE SYRIAN WORLD
A typical view of Aleppo. The mosque in the foreground being
the traditional spot where Father Abraham had his sheep pen.
ican or European city—wide streets, spacious side-walks, and so
many balconies that further carry the picture by giving the impression of fire-escapes. The streets were also uniformly clean,
even the covered bazaars presenting the appearance of extreme
care and orderliness. Here, as in Beirut and Damascus, the work
of destruction and reconstruction is going on apace, many old
quarters giving way to wide, straight boulevards.
The Hotel Baron was recommended to us as the best in the
city and thither we went to secure accommodations. The registration blank we were requested to fill is a valued memento of
our experiences. "Police regulations," the affable clerk apologetically explained when he noticed our surprise, adding that we
�JUNE, 1930
21
had the option of giving
the information in either
Arabic, English, French
or Hebrew. Here was
our "third degree."
1. Name in block capitals. 2. Nationality. 3.
Occupation. 4. Residence.
5. Date of Arrival. 6.
From where. 7. Proceeding to. 8. Ultimate destination. 9* Signature. 10.
Room No. 11. Date of
Departure.
*
Having gone through
the ordeal, we decided to
dispense with any serious
business for the evening
and see the life of the
town. I made short shift
of washing and dressing,
more especially because
of the din of a gasoline
motor which sounded as
if coming from the adjoining room. Inquiry, A detail of the fine Arabesque designs
however, brought the as- done in mosaic in one of the mosques
suring information that
of Aleppo, formerly a church.
the motor was the hotel's electric generating plant, located within the building. But in order to insure
the comfort of the guests, there was an auxiliary motor outside
the building to relieve the regular "inside" motor in night duty.
That news was certainly relieving, for how could a person
sleep with the constant detonation of a gattling gun beside his
pillow!
After the trying drive of the day we had dismissed our chauffeur and counted on going about town with a native taxi driver.
Inquiry at the desk, however, elicited the information that in the
great city of Aleppo there were no taxis. The only means of
getting about, sir, is in the reliable old horse carriages, dependable hacks of proven merit, which can take you through the tortuous, narrow alleys of the old quarters as well as through the
�22
THE SYRIAN WORLD
wide, straight boulevards
of the new quarters. And
the price is very reasonable, only three mejides
per hour (about $1.50).
Having resolved to see
the town, we figured it
would be better to see it
slowly, and slowly we
did. Everything seemed
to keep pace with the
horse, even the action of
the dancers 'and singers!
The driver informed
us that the f a m o u s
Egyptian singer, Saleh
Abdul Hay, was in the
city. The opportunity was
exceptional. Would we
want to profit by it? We
did and the driver drove
us about until the hour
set for the opening of
the performance,
The Perfumery Bazaar in Aleppo, a 9 o'clock. The theatre
typical street of the old city totally was an open-air cafe to
which the admission was
stone-vaulted.
one mejide. It was packed to overflowing with
pleasure-loving Aleppian music enthusiasts. Small and large parties were clustered around tables heaped with arac glasses and
the indispensable maza. Circulating coffee servers went about
offering their commodity to the wanting, free, in common cups.
Others carried braziers full of Jive coals to add to the waning
fire of your arghile. While still others peddled delicacies to the
fastidious.
The scene was certainly one of quiet and dignified merriment.
Not a sound was heard but that of the click of glasses and the
melodious chant of the venders. Here was a real night club of
an Oriental city but without the boisterousness of an American
or European gathering. But where was the public entertainment?
The opening was scheduled for 9 o'clock, and here it was ten-
�n
**""*'1*'
JUNE, 1930
23
thirty, and the principal
has not appeared. Could
it be that he has met with
an accideent? We were
about to leave when at
last the famous singer
made h i s triumphant
entry! He was-dressed
in impeccable European
fashion with the tarboush
as his only Oriental distinguishing mark. He
took his seat between the
oud, kanoun and violin
players amidst .deafeningapplause. It was another
fifteen minutes before he
warmed up to begin.
"Ya Leil," he began
and paused. "Ya Lei
he continued and paused
longer. And "Ya Leil/'
he repeated betwee n
1 o n g and short pauses
until more than fully
The Red Slipper Bazaar in Aleppo,
twenty minutes were conso railed because it is the centre of
sumed without him "bethe shoe trade.
ginning his song. But
such is the accepted manner of Oriental entertainment, and whoever disapproved could
leave. And that is exactly what we did because of our having lost
the Oriental sense of evaluating time. We paid a mejide each
to hear a single "Ya Leil."
Our trusted hackster, whom we found waiting at the gate,
offered to drive us to a real native resort, where there was action
and motion. The place proved to be arfother open-air cafe where
a woman sang and danced with what the natives appeared to consider a good deal of spirit. But neither her words nor her motions conveyed the suggestive interpretations one encounters on
the American vaudeville stage.
The surprising feature of this second visit was that most of
the audience were bedouin Arabs—young men in aba, koufia and
�24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The fortress of Aleppo viezved from the main entrance showing
the tzvo gates and the bridge over the moat.
ighal and patent leather pumps. They displayed all the primitive
qualities of the sons of the destrt in these urban surroundings and
appeared to thoroughly enjoy the performance.
The night at the hotel was a truly miserable one. The sheets
were clean and the bed comfortable. But the din of the infernal
dynamo was not conducive to sleep. True, they had shifted from
the one inside to the one outside, but the change did not improve
the situation. The night motor was directly below my window!
Next morning we were up, perforce, bright and early, and
we decided to take a stroll for a further and fuller inspection of
the town. We had not reckoned that there would be many others
up and about much earlier than we. We had gone less than half
a square when we were accosted by two little tots in rags who
appeared to be not much older than six and four. Their disheveled long hair hung over their shoulders and their dirty dresses,
made apparently of plain sacks, trailed on the ground. They
were on the side of my companion, and the elder, with one hand
holding on to his baby brother, and the other outstretched in begging appeal, mechanically repeated: "A small barghout, a small
barghout," this being the smallest monetary denomination. The
alms given them was not a small but a big barghout. But I could
�ir >
JUNE, 1930
IUMIBW
25
Close-up of the main tower at the entrance of the Aleppo forttress showing some details of the fine work in what once formed
the^ residence of the lords of the city.
see that the effect of this early scene on my companion was anything but favorable. It was but natural to feel pity for the sad
plight of two children of such tender age, but the mind of the
business executive wandered in other fields. John began to reason: "Why should the government permit such vagrancy? Both
from humanitarian and utilitarian considerations orphanages or
asylums should be provided to care for destitute children, where
they could be taught some trade for their future self-support.
Where in civilized countries are such young children permitted
to drift about and subsist by begging? Much reform seems to be
still needed in this land!"
Later in the morning I visited the office of At-Takaddum,
the daily Arabic paper of Aleppo. I hope I am not betraying
any confidence by echoing the complaint of the editor that its
circulation is shamefully small, barely reaching 1500, for a city
of the size of Aleppo which claims a population of almost 200,000. The explanation was equally surprising: The lower classes
seemed to have a certain apathy for reading, while the educated
L.
�26
"THE SYRIAN WORLD
class read almost exclusively foreign papers. In all, the proportion of the patrons of the press could scarcely rise over one or
two per cent.
To one who had had the preconceived notion that Aleppo
was a city of arts and letters these revelations were shocking.
But perhaps the interest of the people was directed into other
channels. I had known that the Maronite bishopric of the city
enjoyed a long and brilliant record of scholarly pursuits and
achievement, and I would visit its press which I was told was
located in the "Crusaders' " Street, an odd name for a street in a
city located so far in the interior of Syria and never occupied
by the Crusaders. Here I was pleasantly surprised to discover
the nearest approach to a modern press among all the native
printing establishments in Syria. I was advised that the press
is maintained by a special trust fund which yields an adequate
income. Its specialty is religious and scholarly publications. My
visit later to the bishop's house further confirmed what I had
learned of the sustained interest of this religious institution in
scholarly pursuits. Bishop Michael Akras had his secretary, Father Elias Galy, conduct me to the formal reception hall opening on the patio of the building. The room proved to be
nothing less than an immense treasury of rare manuscripts carefully sorted and catalogued. All around ran bookcases reaching
to the ceiling with here and there a few portraits of former
bishops of the diocese. It was evident from the atmosphere of
the place that the arts and letters were fully appreciated in this
institution where such traditions have been maintained in unknown continuity since the time of the famous Arabic poet and
scholar Bishop Germanos Farhat, who lived about a century and
a half ago. In a prominent position on the wall hung a life-like
painting of St. Elias, patron saint of the cathedral, which the
admiring guide told me dated from 1489. It was executed on
parchment, making possible the finest shades and details. Other
objects of art were to be seen all about the room.
Such, then, is the setting in which the Maronite bishop of
Aleppo holds formal functions and receives distinguished visitors.
We had reached the bishop's residence through a covered
street lighted, even in daytime, by kerosene wall lamps. It is a
peculiarity of this old quarter of the city that most of its public
streets are in the form of underground passages. But once within
the gate of a residence you emerge into a spacious court flooded
with sunshine and smiling with shrubbery and trees. In places
�JUNE, 1930
27
the streets are not on an even level and as one peers through the
semi-darkness, with the flickering light of the street lamps creating fantastic shadows, one cannot help imagining oneself in some
sub-terranean passage of an immense medieval fortress or in the
intiricate maze of a catacomb. Strategic reasons undoubtedly
forced the building of the old city in this manner.
Even the square of the cathedral, which we had to pass on
our way out, was completely inclosed, access to it being available
only through vaulted passages, commonly called streets.
What perhaps is the most impressive sight in Aleppo is its
famous fortress. The main gateway and the ramparts are in a
fair state of preservation, and the purity of its Arabic architecture
is a delight to the eye. The perfectly smooth sides of the hill
on which the fortress stands attest the truth of the contention
that it is mostly artificial, so raised as to dominate the city. Facing the main gate is an immense open square that has withstood
building encroachment, but in other directions building has been
carried to the very edge of the driveway skirting the deep moat.
We arrived at the fortress shortly before noon and the Senegalese guards, after much persuasion, would permit us access
only to the second gate across the bridge.
Public visits are permitted only at 4 in the afternoon, and
although we could have applied to Mr. Lavastre, local representative of the High Commissioner to whom I had been recommended, for a special permission, we decided that possible formalities might delay our departure which we had planned for
the early afternoon considering the long distance we had to cover.
What we had already seen of the immensity and ornate decorations and vestiges of former splendor of this great fort was considered sufficient reward for anyone's pains to travel any distance
to see. After all, the finest specimens of art work are in the
facade of the main entrance. The outer tower guarding the bridge
is imposing as a piece of masonry, but the architect's and the decorator's art is chiefly in evidence at the main gate and the huge
building rising over it. King Al-Zaher, son of the famous Saladin, had lavished untold wealth on improvements in the fortress
which he meant for his official residence at the time he considered
making Aleppo the capital of Syria. Additions and decorative
details were later introduced by Sultan Kalil ibn Kalaoun about
1250. Throughout the decorative details, the nail and horseshoe
motif predominate.
Running along a section of the fortress is a broad boulevard
�11
'
28
"" '"
THE SYRIAN WORLD
lined with tall shade trees. Here one comes across a scene that is
typically Oriental in its picturesqueness and a relic of the ages of
long ago. In the cool shade, lined against the wall of an old
barracks, are the curators of that old Oriental institution known
as "public scribes." There they are with all their versatility waiting to write you anything from a letter to an absent husband or
son, to a petition to the governor. In former days they used to
squat on the ground and hold court wherever convenient. Now
they are assigned definite places and enjoy the luxury of a desk.
Modern conditions have not succeeded in completely eliminating
them, however. They are there to this day and seem to be enjoying a thriving business.
On Hatred
By G. K.
GIBRAN
Oftentimes I have hated in self-defense; but if I were
stronger I would not have used such a weapon.
*
*
*
How stupid is he who would patch the hatred in his eyes
with the smile of his lips.
*
*
*
Only those beneath me can envy or hate me.
I have never been envied nor hated; I am above no one.
Only those above me can praise or belittle me.
I have never been praised nor belittled; I am below no one.
*
*
*
Your saying .to me, "I do not understand you," is praise
beyond my worth, and an insult you do not deserve.
�29
JUNE, 1930
Love Among the Arabs
A SHORT STORY
Adapted from the Arabic Original.
THE Arabs of Al-Jahiliat, or pre-Islamic era, were noted for
the fierceness of their zeal in guarding the honor of their
women. A girl would be trusted to wander alone in the wilderness shepherding the flocks, but once she was suspected of contracting a secret friendship, she was immediately and mercilessly
secluded. If her love affair attained such proportions as to become
a topic for public gossip, the cruel custom prevailed of interring
her alive. The father would resort to this method as a last extremity in expiation for the family honor and the tribe's good
reputation.
This custom of burying alive maidens suspected of straying
on the hazardous road of romance before marriage was later so
modified as to only ban the marriage of offending couples. Most
of the love epics among the Arabs are based on such cases. The
famous case of Majnoun Lila, who when forbidden from meeting his beloved, deserted civilization and roamed for the rest of
his life among the wild beasts, affords the most striking example.
Kais Ibn Al-Molawah, the real name of Majnoun, which is but
a nickname meaning "madman," was one of the foremost Arab
poets who sang of tragic love and the pangs of separation.
To this common rule there were, however, some noteworthy
exceptions. The love affair of gallant Mussab and beautiful
Rihana was one such. The happy ending of the courtship was
due mainly to the self-assertion of the lady and her insistence
on marrying only the man of her choice.
This tale of romantic courtship and happy marriage abounds
in incidents indicative of the finest Arab virtues. It is here told
in strict conformity to the spirit of Arab chroniclers who revel in
lauding the chivalrous and the beautiful.
The persona; dramatis of the play are the two young people
directly involved} the father of the maiden, a prince of his tribe;
a troubadour poet who was instrumental in bringing about the
meeting of the principals, and last but not least, a famous mare
of a powerful chieftain which was required of the aspiring young
man as a dowry.
�HMHMHMMMMHMMMMHMfHMMH
30
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Following is the manner in which the tale is told in the
Arabic original:
Providence had been most generous to Mussab, a scion of the
powerful tribe of Beni Sakhr, in gifts of personal distinction. In
hospitality he was unexcelled, in war he was ever victor, in debate
and in conversation he possessed the strongest argument and the
most captivating charm, and in physical appearance he was the
handsomest of men.
But Mussab was not of princely blood nor of exceeding
wealth.
In the north of Arabia Emir Faiz ruled over a powerful
tribe. His only daughter was Aida, a maiden of extraordinary
intelligence and charm, who had been wooed by many but accepted none. Her people were extremely proud of her and looked
up to her with the reverence of subjects to their queen, although,
in her extreme affability, she treated them as brothers. They
called her "Rihana", a term applied to aromatic flowers.
There also lived in those days a certain troubadour whose
name was Sayyah and who roamed the land singing the praise
of princes and chieftains of distinction among the Arabs. At regular intervals he alternated his visits between the tribe of Beni
Sakhr in the south and the tribe of Emir Faiz in the north. In
his accounts of his experiences he unfailingly lauded to the Sakhrs
the virtues of Emir Faiz and particularly his gifted daughter
Rihana, and to the tribe of Emir Faiz he was loud in his praise of
the extraordinary qualities of Beni Sakhr and particularly their
idol and youth without peer, Mussab.
In this manner he was unconsciously instrumental in kindling
the fires of love between Mussab and Rihana. Often, at the request of Mussab, Sayyah would spend nights giving accounts of
the extraordinary qualities of Rihana both from personal knowledge and current legend.
Mussab felt a strong urge to ask for the hand of Rihana in
marriage and was restrained only by the fear of being refused
owing to his station in life. To him who was the strongest in
battle and the most open-handed in hospitality such a blow to his
pride would be well nigh unbearable.
Rihana, on her part, had innumerable offers of marriage.
Many were the princes and men of great wealth who sought her
of her father but were refused because the proud princess had
formed the decision that only Mussab was her worthy mate.
Her father had left her destiny in her hands, and she abided her
�JUNE, 1930
31
time and awaited the periodical visits of the roaming poet with
increasing impatience.
One day Sayyah made an unexpected appearance at the camp
of Beni Sakhr. This time he was louder than ever in his praise
of Rihana. To the interested group of men that gathered about
him he repeated the verses which he said Rihana was fond of
reciting lately, to the effect that
Heed not the accident of birth, but let good deeds
Replace the honor of a noble blood.
The man is what he rriakes himself, not he
Who can but boast of what his father was.
Mussab took sufficient courage from this quotation to overcome his timidity—Rihana was bidding him overlook the causes
which had so far prevented him from seeking her hand. She was
far above considering the mere accident of birth a valid reason
for overlooking the merit of personal achievement. And he
forthwith prepared himself for the journey to the country of
the Arabs of the North.
Incognito, Mussab sought hospitality at the tent of the Emir.
There he remained three days receiving treatment as an honored
guest without a question being asked as to his motives or his
identity. Feasts were spread and conversations held but without
the slightest infringements on the accepted proprieties of hospitality. The guest was found to be of a most charming personality and entertaining manner, and Rihana always took a position behind a partition in the tent where she could hear and see
without herself being observed. She very soon came to the conclusion that if she were to marry any other than Mussab, her
choice would be this fascinating guest.
At the conclusion of the prescribed three days of hospitality,
Emir Faiz asked of his guest, "Who may be the brother Arab
whom we have the pleasure of entertaining?" And Mussab revealed his identity, and was received with further expressions
of welcome. Then the Emir asked, "And what may be the object
of the guest's visit?" To which Mussab replied, "To become
unto the exalted Emir like one of his sons."
No more welcome news could have been broken to Rihana,
but to her father it was the cause of a perplexing dilemma. How
could he consent to giving his famous daughter to an Arab of
common birth after having turned down many wealthy notables
and powerful emirs? In personal qualifications, Mussab was
�32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
fully acceptable to Emir Faiz, but have not the Arabs said:
"Marry your son to people of might, but your daughter to people
of position and wealth?
Not willing, however, to definitely refuse such a sterling
man without plausible excuse, the Emir finally asked of him as
dowry for his daughter the famous mare Nuhama, the pride of
all Arabia, belonging to Emir Malik of the powerful tribe of
Beni Aida.
Plead as he may, Mussab could not shake Emir Faiz from
his decision. He then realized that the request was but to test
his courage and resourcefulness and resolved to secure the coveted mare whatever the cost.
Without returning to his tribe, Mussab made directly for
the Valley of Beisan, the camping ground of Emir Malik. He
loitered for several days around the camp in the hope of scenting
news of the Emir and his famous mare, and what he discovered
only tended to add to his difficulties. For the Emir could not be
conquered in battle, nor was his vigil over the mare ever relaxed
sufficiently to permit of her being stolen. Still Mussab would not
despair.
One day Mussab learned that the Emir was about to visit
some of his outlying districts alone, and he laid his plans carefully to profit of this singular opportunity. He therefore inquired
about the route that the Emir was to follow, and laid in wait
for him on the way. He would resort to a ruse so long as the
mare could not be taken otherwise.
Noticing the Emir approach, Mussab began to roll on the
ground as if writhing in pain. The Emir dismounted and offered
assistance to the extent of having the supposedly unfortunate man
mount the mare while he led her by the halter. But Mussab
would have none of that: "Is it not enough that so exalted a prince
should walk while I ride that he should also lead himself the
mount of one who is not fit to be his servant?"
The ring of sincerty in Mussab's speech was so convincing
that the Emir reluctantly released the halter, at which the supposedly helpless sufferer immediately stiffened in the saddle and
Nuhama's fleet feet soon left the bewildered Emir far behind.
In bitter remorse, Emir Malik bit his fingers until they bled,
but before Mussab was out of hearing he called on him to halt
for a parting word.
"What is the wish of my lord the Emir?" asked Mussab.
'You well realize, brother Arab," pleaded Emir Malik, "what
�JUNE, 1930
33
every Arab's horse is to him, particularly what Nuhama is to me.
I beseech you to return her to me and ask what you will in money
or cattle."
But Mussab could not at that time think of Emir Malik's
loss in Nuhama as much as of his own loss in Rihana. Here was
a princess and a mare placed in the balance, and to the lovestricken Mussab there was no price too great for winning the hand
of his beloved. The plea of Emir Malik fell on deaf ears.
But as he again turned to go the Emir begged of him to listen
to a final word, and while Mussab remained mounted and at a
safe distance, he said:
"Now that you are in possession of Nuhama I willingly relinquish to you all right in her. Take her and may Allah reform
your ways. But when you reach your people they will surely
insist upon you telling them how you came by this highly prized
horse. Now take my advice and conceal the truth. For if you
tell them that you won her by a base ruse you will set a disreputable precedent among the Arabs, and owing to the result of your
deception and perfidy, no one would thereafter be willing to
lend a stricken wayfarer a helping hand. This would kill every
emotion of honor in the breasts of men. But what I advise you
to do is to say that you have met Emir Malik in fair combat and
killed him and won his mare. By this you will preserve my honor
and yours and maintain unsullied the record of Arab chivalry."
Up to this time Mussab had only thought of Rihana, and of
the mare as but a means of winning her hand. But at the words
of the Emir the chords of his nobler feelings were touched, and
for a few moments he was the prey of the most conflicting emotions. Should he, the chivalrous Mussab, be guilty of such a base
trick for the sake of a girl? Not on the honor of the Arabs! And
he forthwith dismounted and returned the mare to the astonished
Emir, remarking: "Not even for Rihana will I take Nuhama.
Much above both do I value my honor."
Emir Malik soon extracted from the confused young man
the full story of his rash and desperate action, but whatever the
causes, the valiant Emir could not conceive of anything nobler
than the return of Nuhama after once having had possession of
her, and his admiration of Mussab was beyond bounds. He insisted that he return with him to his camp, and there displayed
to him the extreme of hospitality. And at the end of three days
Emir Malik further surprised his guest by declaring that he
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
would accompany him in person to Emir Faiz and seek for him
the hand of Rihana.
Needless to say that Emir Faiz received his guests with the
greatest manifestations of joy and hospitality, and one evening,
while all the notables of the Arabs of the North were gathered
in the tent of Emir Faiz, Emir Malik solemnly recounted to
them the peerless deed of Mussab. Then addressing Emir Faiz
he said: "If thy demand for Nuhama is a test of Mussab's courage and resourcefulness, thou shouldst realize that his character
should be above such tests. But if in truth thou desirest Nuhama
as dowry for thv daughter, then both the mare and her owner
are at thy disposal. If I were the father of Rihana and had such
as Mussab ask for her hand I would give her to him in preference
to a hundred Arab emirs of noble blood."
To which Rihana's father replied: "If such is thy sentiment,
O noble prince, and such the chivalry of Mussab, I shall not be
the knave among the three. From this moment Rihana is Mussab's bride, while Nuhama remains thy proud property, and from
this day till the day of judgment there shall be peace and friendship between the tribe of Beni Aida and the Arabs of the North."
The festivities attending the nuptials of Mussab and Rihana
were unequalled in splendor among the Arabs of that age. After
which Mussab returned with his bride to his tribe of Beni Sakhr,
while Emir Faiz rode at the head of a chosen band of his men
to escort Emir Malik to his country in the Valley of Beisan.
On Temper
Translated from the Arabic by J. D.
CARLYLE
Yes, Leila, I swore by the fire of thine eyes,
I ne'er could a sweetness unvaried endure;
The bubbles of spirit, that sparkling arise,
Forbid life to stagnate and render it pure.
But yet, my dear maid, tho' thy spirit's my pride,
I'd wish for some sweetness to temper the bowl;
If life be ne'er suffer'd to rest or subside,
It may not be flat, but I fear 't will be foul.
i
�I
JUNE, 1930
35
Lebanon Mountaineers Take Up
Health Insurance
By
STUART CARTER DODD
Professor of Sociology, American University of Beirut.
J7IGHT years ago a young Syrian doctor, a graduate of the
American University of Beirut, settled in his native village
of Duma in the Lebanon. Gradually he acquired the confidence
of the people and came to be familiar with the sicknesses and
pains of every one of them.
One day Dr. Rasheed Ma'took suggested to the father of
one family that they arrange a group fee for the doctor's attendances on his family, instead of paying for each visit. He pointed
out that his family was large and when sickness came several of
them were apt to be ill at once. He found it difficult to pay the
fees when so many came at once, but could do it well if scattered
over the year. The doctor knew that on the average the total,
number of calls during a year to such a family did not vary
greatly. So they arranged an annual fee in return for which the
doctor was to care for all sickness in that family. The father now
could set aside a certain amount from his income each month, or
pi the annual harvest time when cash could be in hand, to pay
for health care of his family.
The idea was passed around of an evening on the village
doorsteps or under the walnut tree in the vineyard of a Sunday
afternoon. Other heads of families observed how the doctor
would go to that family without the father having to think of
the fee each time. They saw how the doctor would stop there
and advise what to do to keep the rest from catching some current sickness. Soon other families had made similar bargains
with the doctor to care for their health on an annual salary basis
The community was a typical Lebanon mountain village. One
half of its nominal population of 5,000 had emigrated to better
their fortune in foreign continents. But most of these still called
this "home" and returned to marry, or die, or to visit their relatives and childhood home. On any doorstep your host would
hail passing villagers and introduce his guest—a cousin returned
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
36
from twenty years in the Klondyke, a neighbor who had made
his fortune in Australia, a friend who was studying medicine in
America, an ex-cowpuncher from the Argentine, an ex-boss in a
steel mill in Pittsburgh, or his nephew away at school in Beirut.
Education had come to the village seventy-five years ago and
become a cult. Now sixty to ninety per cent, of the people of
Duma are literate in a country without free public schools and
a very low general literacy rate. In the smaller villages where
there is no school, the literacy is very much less.
The villages depend mostly on silk worm culture. A little
wheat is grown on the floor of the valley, olive trees and grapevines for local use surround most of the houses, and sheep and
goats are herded over the barren mountain slopes. The ancient
cedars and all the forests have long since gone and only diligent
terracing holds enough soil to grow anything. Most of the land
is devoted to raising mulberry trees whose leaves support the
silk worms. Wealth is reckoned by the yardstick of "He owns
so and so many mulberry trees." At one tree every three meters,
this measures acreage. The harvest season is June when the
cocoons are ready for sale and cash is in hand to pay all debts.
There are now six hundred families that are insured. This
means around six thousand individuals, as with the patriarchal
joint family system persisting, the average family is large. This
is about one-half of the population of the twelve villages in the
valley. Two hundred families pay two Turkish gold pounds
(about $9.00) each a year, two hundred pay one gold pound,
one hundred pay half of a gold pound, and one hundred are
included free. The amount to be paid by each family is determined, neither by the size of the family nor by the frequency of
sickness it has had in the past, but, by the ability to pay. Each is
assessed according to the number of mulberry trees, cattle or
other sources of income it possesses. The village meets in caucus
and then the elders draw up the neatly handwritten list in Arabic
script informing the doctor how the village will collect their
share of his annual stipend.
Generally no difficulty is met in collecting the amount, because its charges are less than former doctors' fees. The public
opinion strongly sanctions payment. Dr. Ma'took firmly believes
that the scheme is worth continuing because of its good effect
upon the general health, but, unfortunately, he had kept no statistical records of sickness to demonstrate the results in an objective form.
:f Bl— —
�——
JUNE, 1930
-"
37
One big difficulty presents itself at the start and serves to
deter neighboring doctors from adopting the plan more widely.
When payment is no longer proportionate to the number of calls,
anyone can call on the doctor for every little ache and pain and
enormously increase his work. This happened to Dr. Ma'took.
But instead of giving up the plan it drove him to a defensive
adaptation of a distinctly social sort. He proceeded to educate the
villagers to take care of themselves. Whenever he was called for
a child's digestive upset, he would call in the whole family and
the neighbors and tell them what to do for such symptoms and
how to feed children properly. When he visited a malaria case,
the neighbors as usual would gather and he would instruct them
in the use of a thermometer and quinine so that only in the most
serious cases need they call for him to come riding five or six
miles over the mountain trails. For contagious cases, he instructed
the headman about isolation and simple disinfection techniques
so that the neighbors would insist on a child with measles being
promptly isolated from the other children. This campaign of!
education proved successful to the point where now the number
of calls upon him per month is less than formerly under the feeper-visit system—and the villagers have learned hygiene.
From the social point of view the complete shift of emphasis
from curative to preventive medicine is the biggest feature to
consider in evaluating the plan. Flis selfish interest as well as
his altruistic impulses are lined up behind preventive work of
educating people in hygiene and sanitation. It will mean less
work for him in the future if the villagers eliminate a source
of mosquitoes and malaria; it will mean a more loyal clientele
if he inoculates them for small pox and they see that only clients
of other doctors get the disease; it will mean not only fewer calls
but public prestige when he insists that the school management,
in order to reduce colds and measles, establishes proper hygienic
precautions among the children. When the influenza swept
through the country he rode from doorstep to doorstep advising
the families how to guard themselves. His authority and intimate
touch with the simple villagers enable health education that no
amount of public print, lectures, or posters could accomplish. He
advises both the children and the parents in the home itself,
knowing its conditions and traditions. He is thus able to attack
the whole situation and not the ailment or defect of one member
of the family, which may often be but a symptom of the habits
in the home. The family doctor, in short, has become completely
�38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"socialized."
But he is not a public health officer salaried by the government. He can be economically supported in a community too
poor to pay taxes to support a Public Health department. But
more important is the motivation which is retained by this plan
and may be lost in a government official, appointed or elected by
devious ways. Here the doctor must keep the confidence of each
family and give service that satisfies it or at any time it may leave
the annual payment basis and revert to a fee-by-the-visit basis
with a rival doctor. But without being a government official he
acts as such, for his selfish interest in his practice is best prompted
by interceding with the government to improve health conditions—whether the need is a mosquito campaign, free vaccine,
hospital care of a destitute tubercular or insane case, or literature
on baby welfare.
In evaluating the factors that make this insurance plan work,
the factor of the personal qualities of Dr. Ma'took needs investigation. How far is the plan feasible elsewhere and how far is
its success here due to his particular qualities? For evidence on
this point some cases of the doctor's personal leadership will be
described and then a case of the plan worked out by a different
doctor.
The health insurance plan is only one among several projects
through which Dr. Ma'took is striving towards his avowed life
purpose—to create co-operation among the different sects and
factions in his villages towards the public welfare. The project
of controlling the floods of the river is famous all over the Lebanon. A rock ledge blocks the valley and prevents the swift
mountain torrent from washing the deforested hillsides out to
sea as fast as they erode. Behind this ledge silt has been deposited until a strip of land two miles in length has been built up.
This strip is flat in remarkable distinction from all the other rugged valleys of the Lebanon. The stream used to change its channel during the Spring rains and flood the floor of the valley,
killing the wheat, yellowing the mulberry leaves till the worms
even turned against them, and covering the fertile land with a
layer of pebbles often a foot deep. Dr. Ma'took succeeded in
collecting the villagers and organizing their desire to straighten
and deepen the channel. The banks were bound by planting willow trees along them and by throwing up dykes of pebbles. Here
and there a sluice gate of sticks would allow the water with its
silt to run over the land under control while sifting out the
HHiHnanHD
i
�MM
JUNE, 1930
39
pebbles. Each property holder in the valley was assigned a share
to be paid in money or labor as he preferred. Each Spring after
the rains the doctor appoints a day when the villages will gather
and inspect the damages, decide on repairs, and allocate shares
in proportion to property ownership. The government has nothing to do with the scheme; the enforcement of the decisions
upon the lazy is accomplished by the force of public opinion
brought to bear in very personal and forceful ways by the neighbors and the doctor himself. Its proven advantage in enabling
wheat to be grown between the mulberry trees on the valley floor
and in improving all crops is the chief incentive, however, to
every man to contribute his share.
Another illustration of the personal leadership factor in the
success of the insurance system was the case of the telegraph
service. Negotiations had been made with the Government which
had agreed to furnish the wire and a wireman, if the villages
would furnish the poles and labor to bring the telegraph line
from the plain up two thousand feet to the valley where Duma
and the other eleven villages were situated. But the villages
could not raise the money. Several attempts had been made and
each time the official had pocketed the contributions collected.
So Dr. Ma'took decided to get action in a form which was not
open to being frustrated by official corruption. One morning the
village saw him walking down the road with a pick over his shoulder. On being questioned he replied he was "going to dig a hole
for a telegraph pole." Others followed the example of the idolized professional man turned day laborer. The idea caught hre
and within two weeks, with the co-operative labor of the whole
village, four hundred poles had been cut and planted and the
telegraph line was brought to town.
It is quite characteristic also of Dr. Ma'took that he does not
believe in settling troubles and disputes among the people
through the court. He aims at reconciliation and mutual understanding. His personality and prestige enabled him to assume
the position of judge for the farmers and many a story is being
told of how he peacefully settled a bitter quarrel. It is for this
purpose that he is now studying law two months a year in the
University of Damascus.
His future plans are still more adventurous. He is planning
to have the villages send one of their boys to specialize in agriculture, then come back and scientifically develop the production
of the valley. Building a modern hospital for the district is being
�40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
thought of and discussed. Perhaps still bolder than any of these
is his idea of turning the richly endowed Lebanon Monasteries
into centers of education!
Dr. Ma'took's own evaluation of the personal factor is worthy of being quoted. "The urgent need of my country is not for
educated young men, but rather for those few of them who are
willing to go back to their villages and are able to win the public
confidence in leading the people to act in co-operation for the
common welfare."
Advocates of social insurance, national health insurance, and
such measures may well consider this type of insurance. It works
in a community where insurance by the government or a company is unknown and would make no headway. It comprises personal elements of confidence and individual advice and group
education which no large organized insurance project can hope
to include to such a degree. Under such a prospect, practice in
rural regions which is now avoided by young medical school
graduates, may acquire a new dignity and attractiveness.
The Prophet
By
THOMAS ASA
To G. K. G.
A trackless empire hearkened to thy word,—
Rose from primordial dust to dreaming spires;
Infused it with the voice of Godly lyres,
Lead by the vision of the sacred Bird
Of Heaven, whose message thou hast heard}
And from thy heart emerged the fusing fires,
And love divine in sodden minds inspires;—
Rule thine own people, in one nation gird.
And thou hast formed in thy short span of life,
From Sedrat's shaded desert thou hast made,
An ever-shining beacon to thy fame;
That all the world may wonder that the strife
Of thine own musing, God-like soul hast laid
The enduring wisdom of thy noble name.
�I
41
JUNE, 1930
EDITORIAL COMMENT
ANOTHER
\
MILESTONE
YY/ITH this issue THE SYRIAN
WORLD passes another milestone on the road of public
service. It has completed its
fourth year and now enters
upon the fifth. On its past record we shall refrain from any
comment, leaving to our readers the responsibility of judging its merits, its accomplishments and its earnest effort at
improvement. Nor shall we
dwell upon the discussion of
whatever plans we may have
for the future. What we may
be permitted to say, in all modesty, is that we have always
striven to give of our best in
the past, and that we shall continue to bend all our energy
and devote all our resources
towards continued and progressive improvement in the
future. We shall not, however,
venture on the hazardous path
of making any definite promise. Our record of sustained
and unstinted effort during the
past four years should be sufficient proof of our intentions.
Still it should be no secret
that, owing to difficulties of
various natures, the travel so
far has been extremely arduous. This should not imply,
however, that these difficulties
are insurmountable. THE SYR-
* KSoSfctafra , .
IAN WORLD is already an established institution which should
endure for the proven moral
prestige it brings to our race in
America. And endure it shall
because the will to continue it
exists, and the way should not
be difficult to find.
To that group of loyal
friends who have constantly
given of their encouragement
and collaboration goes our
heartiest gratitude. They shall
always be remembered as having most liberally contributed
to the success of the movement
for the Syrian reawakening.
A detailed account of their individual contributions will be
given in due time. They were
the first to grasp the importance
of the mission of THE SYRIAN
WORLD and the strongest to
foster and sustain it, and future
generations should always remember them in the fullest
sense of appreciation and gratitude.
We shall enter upon our
fifth year strong in the faith
of their continued support and
growing interest.
SYRIANS ONLY
A LTHOUGH written some
six years ago as an introduction to Dr. Philip K. Hitti's
book "The Syrians in Amer-
�E
42
ica," Dr. Talcott Williams'
eulogistic appraisal of the SyrSan people should always be
timely, especially to the Syrians themselves, and for this
reason we are reproducing it
in this issue. We would call on
our readers to ponder well the
statements of Dr. Williams,
whose place among American
educators and thinkers was appropriately recognized by his
appointment as director of the
School of Journalism at Columbia University, which office
he filled until his death.
Coming from such an authority, the testimony as to their
glorious past should be fully
appreciated by the Syrians, as
well as the. evaluation of their
splendid qualifications as desiralile immigrants.
What should be more relevant in the thesis is the author's
opinion on the supposed function of the so-called melting
pot. The lesson the Syrians
should derive from the writer's
trend of reasoning is obvious.
He answers for us the question
as to whether or not we should
forgo our rightful name or our
racial heritage. Certainly, as
would seem plain from the
study of our past history and
from our record in America,
we have every reason to be
proud of our race and of our
name. We have our place in the
sun and we should adhere to it
and defend it. We have estab-
THE SYRIAN WORLD
lished for ourselves a name
that we should not trade for
another. The Syrian should be
proud to be called Syrian and
to work to add lustre to the
name. For the last half century
we have been known in America as Syrians, and as Syrians
only we should continue to be
known. It is an admission of
inferiority to countenance a
change.
TALENT AVAILABLE
brilliant success of the
T HE
convention of Syrian societies held under the auspices of
the Syrian-American Society of
New London, Conn., at the
latter city on June 22, gives
rise to a timely and pertinent
suggestion. Why not call on
our best talent, wherever and
whenever available, to fittingly
represent us at such gatherings
when Americans are invited to
participate, or to insure the full
moral benefit of such meetings
when Syrians alone attend? The
question, we believe, is worthy
of serious consideration.
At the convention of SyrianAmerican societies at New London, the mayor and many other
high officials of the city attended. What they saw and heard
tended to confirm their belief
in the high moral standard of.
the Syrians, their industry, lawabidedness, integrity and desirability as stock for American
citizenship. Syria's place in
�HBi
JUNE, 1930
history, old as it is, was made
evident anew to the mixed
audience, inspiring in Americans a higher respect and in the
Syrians themselves a fuller
sense of self-esteem. This is a
most constructive method for
making better citizenry.
The presence of N. A. Mokarzel, editor of Al-Hoda; of
Ameen Rihani, well-known
author, lecturer and traveler}
of Faris Maloof, prominent
Syrian lawyer of Boston, as
well as of many other distinguished visitors swelling the
ranks of delegations from nearby and distant cities of Connecticut, Massachusetts and New
York, afforded a material contribution to the already fine
representation of the host society.
For having shown such
broad vision, intelligent initiative and befitting racial pride
in our native talent, the SyrianAmerican Society of New London is to be highly commended.
We Syrians in America are
comparatively a very small
group, and, aside from those of
pivotal centers, few Syrian
communities in the United
States number more than a few
hundred. Nevertheless the necessity exists that they should be
properly represented. They
command higher respect and
enhance their local prestige
when outstanding individuals
of their race are called upon
to assist in their public functions. Furthermore, such policy
would materially assist in
building up the prestige of the
race nationally.
THE SYRIAN WORLD offers
its services to communities and
organizations to promote work
of this nature by being ready
to supply necessary information on the availability of native
talent for public functions.
There are among us many lawyers and able public speakers
who we are sure will subscribe
to the idea. We may be able to
advise .applicants on the availability of talent perhaps in their
immediate locality, thereby dispensing with the necessity of
calling them from distant
places.
Although these remarks are
made in their broadest sense,
we would illustrate by citing a
case in point. We now have
among us our celebrated author
and lecturer, Ameen Rihani,
who by his lectures at universities and before the most
intellectual and critical audiences throughout the United
States has brought much honor
to the Syrian name. We maintain that if he is so appreciated
by others he should be more
so by us. His presence is bound
to lend prestige to every gathering and we would be passing
by a rare opportunity by not
profiting of his cooperation
during his stay among us. Sure-
�""*
THE SYRIAN WORLD
44
ly his convenience will have to
be consulted owing to his heavy
speaking program, but we cannot conceive of the possibility
of his refusing invitations from
his own people whenever feasible. In case of necessity we
can draft him to the service of
our common cause. His sense
of racial duty, however, renders such a course unlikely.
Another outstanding figure
is our scholar and historian Dr.
Philip K. Hitti of Princeton
whom we know to be much
sought after as a speaker to the
most select audiences. He also
should be drafted to the service of the common cause. We
have a right to the services of
such of our distinguished men
and they should not evade the
call to duty. The Rev. W. A.
Mansur of Nebraska is another
able representative who should
be available within a certain
radius from his city, and we
feel confident that he can do
honor to every public occasion.
Only when these and others,
too numerous to be here mentioned,find it impossible to respond should we forgo the advantage of their presence. We
should awaken to the necessity
of mobilizing our native talent
for the most effective service
they can give. It would be gross
negligence on the part of our
scattered Syrian communities
not to avail themselves of such
opportunities.
'
ORGANIZATION
HERE is an object lesson
to the Syrians of America
in a recent example set by the
Jews. The number of Palestinian Jews in the country does not
exceed five thousand, yet they
have formed a national federation of their societies at a convention held in New York and
attended by one hundred delegates. Could not the Syrians be
brought together to work in cooperation and harmony when
their number in the countrv
exceeds 250,000?
T
PUBLICATION DATES
pOLLOWING the precedent
etablished last year, THE
SYRIAN WORLD will suspend
publication during July and
August of this year also, as well
as during each following year
until further notice. This would
make the regular year of THE
SYRIAN WORLD ten months, a
practice followed by many other publications of a special
character.
Owing to the editor's absence
in Syria last year we had fallen
behind our regular publication
dates. This delay will be eliminated in the future when we
hope to resume our former
method of publishing each issue at the beginning instead of
at the end of its particular
month. The coming issue for
September will therefore appear early in that month.
I^^M
-•
�.—m
JUNE, 1930
45
Spirit of the Syrian Press
Under this caption we hope to present from time to time a microcosmic
picture of the Arabic press, not only in this country, but wherever Arabic
dailies and magazines reflect the opinions of responsible, thinking writers
who are treating the different problems that confront the Arabic-speaking
world from all conceivable angles. Needless to say, we will take no part in
the discussions reproduced, nor assume any responsibility. Our task will
simply consist in selecting, to the best of our knowledge and with utmost
sincerity, what we think is representative of the public opinion as expressed
in these editorials.
Editor.
PALESTINE DELEGATION
MAKES GOOD POINT
A point well taken in the statement of the Palestine delegation
now visiting in the United States is
their exhortation of their fellow
countrymen to retain their lands
and other property, and to acquire
what there is of such lands for sale,
in order to prevent its falling into
the hands of the Jews. This would
seem to be the only safe and sane
course to follow, as no benefit could
accrue from inciting to riot and
bloodshed. Violence is calculated to
benefit only the wealthy classes in
that it would bolster their prestige
and strengthen their hold on the
ignorant.
The only recourse of any country
boasting of independence in an effort to ward foreign penetration
should be the encouragement of
agriculture, industry and mining,
and the establishment of a system
of public education that would be
truly non-denominational, such as
now exists in the United States and
in France. The separation of civil
government from religious influence
cannot be too strongly emphasized.
This, and not the mere sending of
delegations to collect funds, should
be the supreme goal of those who
would see their country free from
any outside interference or tftie
danger of foreign invasion.
AI-Hoda, N. Y., May 10, 1930.
ARMENIANS IN SYRIA,
JEWS IN PALESTINE
The proportionate number of Armenians in Syria, we believe, is
much larger than that of the Jews
in Palestine, yet between the immigration of the two groups there is
a vast difference. The Armenians
came to Syria as honest immigrants
with the will to toil in contentment
and share witJh the natives some of
their privileges and gifts of life,
while the Jews came not as immigrants, but as usurpers who would
impose themselves on the country
not by their might but by their
financial influence on European government, especially the English government, one of whose spokesmen
lately stated that the Balfour declaration was a war necessity designed to influence Jewish financiers
in Germany against subscribing to
the war loans of their government.
The Armenians in Syria came to
�mm
46
settle in the land and earn their
living by the sweat of their brows,
but the Jewish influx into Palestine
was of a decidedly different character—they came from the ends of
the earth with the fixed purpose of
establishing a Jewish state.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
SYRIANS' PROGRESS
IN THE UNITED STATES
Every day we have a new proof
of the progress of the Syrian and
Lebanese immigrants in the United
States. This progress, it should be
borne in mind, is not restricted to
Under the circumstances Syria's the commercial field; it has encomlot is much better than that of Pal- passed every field of human endeaestine, because the Armenians are vor and is cogent proof of the native
peaceful and industrious and are Intelligence,
resourcefulness and
proving a potent factor in the eco- versatility of our immigrants. We
nomic rehabilitation of the country. now find amongst us many men of
They did not advance any claim on standing in science, in arts, in letSyria. They did not boast that they ters and even in politics. Many are
had a right in the land which they those who have become recognized
came to claim. All they did was to writers of high standing in the Engenter into competition with the na- lish language. We also have lawtives which is a natural right of all yers, architects, physicians
and
immigrants who abide by the laws dentists. We can also count several
of the land.
bankers. And this in spite of the
Not so are conditions in Palestine fact that our immigration dates
where no sooner had the Jews made back to no farther than forty years.
Perhaps the outstanding achievetheir entry than they began laying
claims to the legal possession of the ment of the Syrians is in the field
country, its holy places, its govern- of commerce. Not only in New York
ment and its resources. They had but everywhere throughout the
their language proclaimed as an of- United States they have succeeded
ficial one and bent every endeavor in establishing flourishing business
to revive and impose their tradi- enterprises which bear testimony to
tions from which they will not move their inherent ability and sustained
a single iota. This has resulted in energy and industry.
We would rather say that our
bitter enmity between them and the
brothers
in the interior have scored
natives.
an advance over us in mingling
Had the Jews sought to settle in with Americans and sharing in the
Palestine in the same spirit that the social and political life of the comArmenians came to Syria there munity. There is hardly a city in
would have been none to bear them the interior where we do not find
enmity or wish them ill. Instead, the Syrians prominent in civic mattheir presence has been cause for ters and well known by the authorioting and bloodshed at every op- rities and the community at large.
portunity. Such is the result of the
We are prompted to these reaggressive policy of their leaders marks by the success of the Syrianwhich aimed to usurp the country Lebanese community of Worcester,
from its inhabitants by force and Mass., in capturing second prize in
succeeded only in gaining the enmi- the celebration held by that city on
ty of the country which they sought the occasion of the tercentenary of
to settle.
its foundation.
The Syrians and Lebanese posAs-Sayeh, N. Y., July 3, 1U30.
-
I
WJ
�2£^
JUNE, 1930
sess a moral force of whose existence many of us seem to be unconscious. This force is what preserved
the life of the nation throughout the
centuries in spite of the many vicissitudes which befe'l it. And this
latent force is what the Syrians and
Lebanese should rely upon and cultivate for the enhancement of their
prestige in this country. This should
be a powerful weapon in their hands
which they could wield in self-defense and which is more potent than
any material power they could muster.
It is gratifying to see that the
Syrians and Lebanese are gradually
awakening to the potentialities of
this latent force, and that they are
having recourse finally to the only
method which insures their benefiting fully by it. We refer to the
steady and growing formation of
Syrian-American societies which at
once preserve out entity and permit
our participation as a racial unit in
Hie life of the nation. Our wholehearted participation in all phases
of American public life should be
t once admitted beyond argument.
Organized, our participation will be
more beneficial and effective both to
ourselves and to the Americans who
should be convinced that our loyalty
to our adopted country is equal to
theirs.
Ash-Shaab, N. Y., June 28, 1930.
47
be in a much better condition than
the one we are in now.
During the Turkish regime our
rulers sought to fan the fires of
religious and sectional prejudice in
pursuance of the policy of keeping
us divided, but what excuse have we
now in continuing such practices?
As Syrians, we should confine our
discussions to our national problems without touching on creeds,
and as Arabs, the interest of the
whole Arab race should be our concern regardless of geographical
divisions.
Europeans and Americans despise
us only as a result of our dissensions and divisions, and the mandatory powers offer no excuse for the
continuation of their occupation of
our country except that of protecting the minorities owing to the
danger of conflict between Christians and Moslems.
The Arabic press has been grievously responsible for this condition.
The Moslem and the Christian press
share the blame in an equal degree.
This is a sad commentary on the
mentality of a people who claims
the right of independence. If we
would be truly free we should free
ourselves first from the pernicious
influence of re'igious prejudice, allowing to the Christian and the Moslem the right to worship God in his
own way but joining hands in matters affecting the national welfare.
Syrian Eagle, N. Y. July 1, y930.
RELIGIOUS PREJUDICE
OUR NATIONAL EVIL
&
Is there no means of preventing
the Arabic press in general from indulging in discrimination between
religious creeds amoeg the Arabicspeaking peoples? Religious prejudice has been at the root of our
misfortunes and without it we would
MUCH ALIKE
Truly Beirut is the Paris of the
East. Do we not see how cabinets
rise and fall with the same quick
succession that such events take
place in the Paris of France.
As-Sayeh, N. Y.
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
46
settle in the land and eam their
living by the sweat of their brows,
but the Jewish influx into Palestine
was of a decidedly different character—they came from the ends of
the earth with the fixed purpose of
establishing a Jewish state.
Under the circumstances Syria's
lot is much better than that of Palestine, because the Armenians are
peaceful and industrious and are
proving a potent factor in the economic rehabilitation of the countryThey did not advance any claim on
Syria. They did not boast that they
had a right in the land which they
came to claim. All they did was to
enter into competition with the natives which is a natural right of all
immigrants who abide by the laws
of the land.
Not so are conditions in Palestine
where no sooner had the Jews made
their entry than they began laying
claims to the legal possession of the
country, its holy places, its government and its resources. They had
their language proclaimed as an official one and bent every endeavor
to revive and impose their traditions from which they will not move
a single iota. This has resulted in
bitter enmity between them and the
natives.
Had the Jews sought to settle in
Palestine in the same spirit that the
Armenians came to Syria there
would have been none to bear them
enmity or wish them ill. Instead,
their presence has been cause for
rioting and bloodshed at every opportunity. Such is the result of the
aggressive policy of their leaders
which aimed to usurp the country
from its inhabitants by force and
succeeded only in gaining the enmity of the country which they sought
to settle.
As-Sayoh, N. Y., July 3, 11)30.
SYRIANS' PROGRESS
IN THE UNITED STATES
Every day we have a new proof
of the progress of the Syrian and
Lebanese immigrants in the United
States. This progress, it should be
borne in mind, is not restricted to
the commercial field; it has encompassed every field of human endeavor and is cogent proof of the native
intelligence,
resourcefulness and
versatility of our immigrants. We
now find amongst us many men of
standing in science, in arts, in letters and even in politics. Many are
those who have become recognized
writers of high standing in the English language. We also have lawyers, architects, physicians
and
dentists. We can also count several
bankers. And this in spite of the
fact that our immigration dates
back to no farther than forty years.
Perhaps the outstanding achievement of the Syrians is in the field
of commerce. Not only in New York
but everywhere throughout the
United States they have succeeded
in establishing flourishing business
enterprises which bear testimony to
their inherent ability and sustained
energy and industry.
We would rather say that our
brothers in the interior have scored
an advance over us in mingling
with Americans and sharing in the
social and political life of the community. There is hardly a city in
the interior where we do not find
the Syrians prominent in civic matters and well known by the authorities and the community at large.
We are prompted to these remarks by the success of the SyrianLebanese community of Worcester,
Mass., in capturing second prize in
the celebration held by that city on
the occasion of the tercentenary of
its foundation.
The Syrians and Lebanese pos-
�JUNE, 1930
<;l
sess a moral force of whose existence many of us seem to be unconscious. This force is what preserved
the life of the nation throughout the
centuries in spite of the many vicissitudes which befe'l it. And this
latent force is what the Syrians and
Lebanese should rely upon and cultivate for the enhancement of their
prestige in this country. This should
be a powerful weapon in their hands
which they could wield in self-defense and which is more potent than
any material power they could muster.
^ It is gratifying to see that the
Syrians and Lebanese are gradually
awakening to the potentialities of
this latent force, and that they are
having recourse finally to the only
method which insures their benefiting fully by it. We refer to the
steady and growing formation of
Syrian-American societies which at
once preserve out entity and permit
our participation as a racial unit in
the life of the nation. Our wholehearted participation in all phases
of American public life should be
t once admitted beyond argument.
Organized, our participation will be
more beneficial and effective both to
ourselves and to the Americans who
should be convinced that our loyalty
to our adopted country is equal to
theirs.
Ash-Shaab, N. Y., June 28, 1930.
47
be in a much better condition than
the one we are in now.
During the Turkish regime our
rulers sought to fan the fires of
religious and sectional prejudice in
pursuance of the policy of keeping
us divided, but what excuse have we
now in continuing such practices?
As Syrians, we should confine our
discussions to our national problems without touching on creeds,
and as Arabs, the interest of the
whole Arab race should be our concern regardless of geographical
divisions.
Europeans and Americans despise
us only as a result of our dissensions and divisions, and the mandatory powers offer no excuse for the
continuation of their occupation of
our country except that of protecting the minorities owing to the
danger of conflict between Christians and Moslems.
The Arabic press has been grievously responsible for this condition.
The Moslem and the Christian press
s'hare the blame in an equal degree.
This is a sad commentary on the
mentality of a people who claims
the right of independence. If we
would be truly free we should free
ourselves first from the pernicious
influence of re'igious prejudice, allowing to the Christian and the Moslem the right to worship God in his
own way but joining hands in matters affecting the national welfare.
Syrian Eagle, N. Y. July 1, y930.
RELIGIOUS PREJUDICE
OUR NATIONAL EVIL
Is there no means of preventing
the Arabic press in general from indulging in discrimination between
religious creeds among the Arabicspeaking peoples? Religious prejudice has been at the root of our
misfortunes and without it we would
MUCH ALIKE
Truly Beirut is the Paris of the
East. Do we not see how cabinets
rise and fall with the same quick
succession that such events take
place in the I'aris of France.
As-Sayeh, N. Y.
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
48
Political Developments in Syria
SYRIANS PROTEST
NEW CONSTITUTION
Hold Public Demonstration in
Damascus and Other Cities.
High Commissioner Ponsot Leaves
for France.
Instead of pacifying the Syrians
the proclamation of a republic
has only tended to reawaken their
militant spirit and prompt them to
take energetic measures of protest.
Syrian papers reaching the United
States bearing dates as late as June
15 depict the country as being in a
tense state of excitement, with public demonstrations of protest and
encounters with the police taking
place in Damascus, Aleppo and
many other cities.
The apparent placidity with which
Ihe Syrians first received the proclamation of the new constitution
would seem to have been the result
of astonishment which atrophied
the populace into inaction. What
they were given was completely out
of harmony with what they had expected. After a patient wait of almost two years following the suspension of the Constituent Assembly, they were nursing the hope of
being given something that would
at least serve as a basis for a possible solution. The result was a further curtailment of their liberties
and an offer of new elections which
would aggravate the chaotic conditions prevailing in the country. The
present situation is seething with
elements of danger.
The new constitution having been
proclaimed on May 22, no definite
action was taken until a fortnight
later when Fakhry Bey Baroody, a
Nationalist leader and Secretary of
the Constituent Assembly, called a
meeting of his Nationalist colleagues
to meet at his house on June 11.
The provisional government, still in
control and opposed to the Nationalists, sought to prevent the meeting
on the pretext that no permit had
been granted for holding it. Police,
militia and firemen laid siege to
the house of Baroody and blocked
all access to it. The encounters which
ensued with the demonstrators resulted in several casualties. But the
Nationalists outwitted the forces of
Ihe government and the meeting
was held on schedule at the house
of Jamil Bey Murdam, another Nationalist leader. Fiery speeches were
made by Fares Bey Khoury and
others, and the following resolutions adopted and sent to the High
Commissariat, the French Foreign
Office and the League of Nations,
signed by Murdam:
"I am authorized by the throngs
gathered today in a public demonstration of protest, and who have
the support of the whole city which
has declared a general strike, to dispatch a strong protest to the League
of Nations against: 1, the action of
the authorities in preventing the
Constituent Assembly from pursuing
its natural functions; —2, the proposed division of the country and
the bestowing upon it of five different
and separate constitutions; —3, the
inclusion of Article 116 which nullifies the constitution and our national independence; —4, maintaining in power a provisional govern-
t
�i
JUNE, 1930
ment which has held office for years
against the will of the people; —5,
denying a large number of Syrians
the right of return to their country;
—6, the government action in restraining the liberty of the people
in their own homes by force of arms.
They wish to declare themselves as
determined against recognizing any
action or treaty that does not emanate from the people or their lawful
representatives."
J
Other than the above, no official
reply to the action of the High
Commissioner has been issued from
Nationalistic sources. The nearest
approach to any such action is the
press interview given by Fakhry Bey
Baroody denying the existence of
dissension in the ranks of the Nationalists and asserting that the
country would never acquiesce in the
administrative
arrangement
decreed by the new draft of the constitution. "Even a superficial comparison between our constitution
and that of the mandatory power,"
he said, "will demonstrate the utter
impossibility of the people's acceptance of it. It irrevocably decrees
the division of the country into separate states when we demand unity.
It makes of the temporary arrangement a permanent institution and
thereby perpetuates the illegality
first committed. The Provisional
government owes its existence to
the will of the Mandatory Power
which has ignored the desires of
the lawfully-elected representatives
of the people. Furthermore, the proclamation of the new draft of the
constitution was undertaken without the consent of the Constituent
"\ssembly."
Baroody Bey makes by this deca ration a direct contradiction to
the High Commissioner's statement
i which he asserted that the sec-
''
"' "
49
retariat of the Constituent Assembly was consulted before action was
taken on the constitution and that
it had tentatively subscribed its
approval.
What is considered of paramount
importance in the statement of the
Syrian Nationalist leader is his unequivocal declaration of the Syrians'
desire to be a part of the pan-Arab
movement! Hjis exact words are:
"Arab unity is the goal of every
Arab. If efforts are directed towards
its materialization then the nation
may be said to have discovered the
right path leading to the fulfillment
of its aspirations. I, personally, will
not deviate a hair's breadth from
pursuing the strict line of pan-Arab
policy, and I trust that the whole
nation realizes that the policy of
decentralization and regional divisions is doomed to failure."
The Nationalists' spokesman here
took pains to deny that any serious
difference on matters of policy had
arisen in the ranks of the party and
attributed rumors to that effect to
the malicious intentions of persons
in alliance with the "colonists."
The nature of these rumors is,
indeed, disturbing. They represent
President Tajeddin as having succeeded in splitting the Nationalists
by a tentative coalition program
which would admit some Nationalist
leaders into office. This arrangement
would leave Tajeddin at the head of
the government while Jamil Bey
Murdam (Nationalist) would be offered the Premiership and Hashim
Bey Atassi, President of the dissolved Constituent Assembly, would
be made President of the coming
Representative Assembly.
Some sort of verisimilitude is
lent these rumors by the fact that
the Nationalists called a convention
for June 9 to be held at Aleppo,
when it was expected they would
deliberate their future policy and
�.
-,
50
issue a formal statement on their
stand in the face of the new developments. This failed of materialization
and rumors went abroad that dissension had arisen within their
ranks.
Royalists Active.
There is now in Syria, on the
other hand, a royalist party which is
said by its adherents to be gaining
in strength the more the people
realize their unpreparedness for a
republican form of government. The
acknowledged leader of the Royalists, Aref Pasha Adlebi, proceeded
to Beirut soon after the declaration
of the Constitution and lodged a
protest with the mandatory authorities against proclaiming Syria a
republic. His contention is that the
overwhelming majority of the population favors a constitutional monarchy, asserting that if the coming
elections are free from administrative interference fully seventy-five
per cent, of the deputies elected will
be of his party. The Royalists' candidate for the proposed throne is
Ahmad Nami Bey, erstwhile President of Syria, who is said to be
the only man able to bring harmony
between the Syrians and the French
on one hand, and between the large
bedouin element and the urban population on the other.
Clearly, as some Syrian papers
comment, not a single element of
the Syrian population is satisfied
with the result of the latest move
of the French High Commissioner.
Meanwhile, M. Ponsot sailed for
France on his annual vacation and
for the purpose of being near to
give advice when the question of the
new political arrangement in Syria
comes up for discussion in the
League of Nations. Already the
French representative on the Mandates Commission has submitted to
THE SYRIAN WORLD
his colleagues the drafts of the new
constitutions for the several Syrian
States and the general expectation
is that they will be approved.
What is claimed by the correspondent of Al-Ahram of Cairo to be
authentic information is that the
Syrian Nationalists have finally decided to take part in the coming
elections on three conditions, namely, the issuance of a general amnesty, dismissal of the present government, and appointment of a neutral
government to supervise the elections. These conditions are said to
have been submitted by Hashim Bey
Atassi to the French authorities.
CONDITIONS IN LEBANON
The economic situation in Lebanon, as well as in all other parts of
Syria, is far from being satisfactory.
The French authorities
called a conference early in June
to discuss means for improving
conditions and tentatively decided
lo lower the tariff. The unstability
of the political situation in Syria
has tended to aggravate matters
already acute.
Lebanon depends on the summer
resort industry as one of its chief
sources of income, and the native
government had taken extra pains
to attract residents and tourists to
the country this season. The main
dependence is on Egypt whence
thousands of families come to Lebanon each year for the summer,
and a special Lebanese representative was sent thither to lecture and
otherwise
conduct
propaganda.
Prospects had been exceptionally
good until an order was issued requiring every Egyptian coming to
Xebanon to be inoculated with anticholera serum due to the discovery
of a few cases of bubonic plague in
Egypt. This immediately raised a
storm of protest which caused the
�1
JUNE, 1930
'
51
Lebanese authorities to rescind the to the growth of home industry.
harmful requirement. It later trans- The native governments of the varpired that the native Lebanese gov- ious Syrian States have been reernment had no part in, or even quired to take over the property of
knowledge of, the issuance of the the dissolved Regie at a figure fixed
order. The health authorities at the by the French authorities, while
headquarters of the High Commis- charters are being issued to foreign
sariat had done so on their own interests to compete in the tobacco
initiative. When the Arabic papers trade of the country. The Regie, as
of Egypt condemned the action the a result, may be reorganized to enter
President of Lebanon went in per- the field after having .disposed of
son to see the acting High Commis- its old stock and obsolete machinery
sioner and made strong representa- at a handsome price and enter into
tions to him. It is a sad commen- competition with the natives with
tary indeed on conditions in the decided advantage.
country that things have to be done
in such manner. Still the necessary
PALESTINE
rectification of the matter was made
before much damage had been done.
Case of the Wailing Wall—Arab
The new developments in the SyrExecutions.
ian political situation had a depresThe International Commission apsing effect on Lebanon. The papers
pointed
by the League of Nations to
of Beirut, almost of one accord, disinvestigate
the Moslem and Jewish
approve of the French High Comclaims
to
the
Wailing Wall was remissioner's plan for solving the
ported
in
press
dispatches from
tangled problem. Many are boldly
Jerusalem
on
June
25 to have opencommenting on the inadequacy of
ed
its
hearings.
The
Jews presented
such half-way measures and cite the
ineffective and unsatisfactory work- a lengthy memorandum establishing
ing of the Lebanese constitution as their right to worship at the Wall
an example of the one proposed for from time immemorial, a right
which the Arabs denied. The ComSyria.
mission is still conducting its hearLebanon seems to be doomed to ings.
continual political upheavals. The
The fortress city of Acca in Palpress criticism directed at the cabi- estine was the scene on June 17 of
net of August Pasha Adib fore- the execution of the three Arabs
bodes ill for it. Some observers
condemned for participation in the
would see in the growing volume bloody riots of August 23 of last
of criticism signs of an approaching
year. The original number of Arabs
crisis bound to result in the cabi- under death sentence was twentynet's downfall. It has already been five, but a reprieve was granted in
in office three months and has the case of twenty-two. The Arabs
achieved nothing.
Three to six of Palestine mobilized the whole
months has been the average life of Arab world to intercede for the
Lebanese cabinets in the past few other three, influencing King Feiyears.
sal of Iraq and Emir Abdullah of
Although the Regie, or tobacco Transjordania to send telegraphic
monopoly, has been terminated in petitions in their behalf to King
Syria and Lebanon, the result has George, but all to no avail.
not been found very encouraging
On the day of the execution all
�MII1UL »LH 11II. JIIIWIUH.JHH1.t
52
Palestine went on strike, and although the day passed without serious disturbances, a British police
officer was stabbed by a Moslem in
Jaffa.
Commenting on the execution, the
Arab national organ Falastin, in its
English edition of June 21, declares
that the three executed men are "in
the eyes of their countrymen martyrs to the National cause. It has
been suggested that murders do not
make martyrs. It is a misreading of
history. To take a comparative recent instance, the man Who murdered the Archduke of Austria and
was the tangible cause of the Great
War, was honored by his government officially, after his death. It
Is another thing to judge a man objectively, in cool moments, with
the ordinary law. But when nations
are sold away for selfish ends by
mightier powers; when they are
economically murdered as foully as
any physical murder; when theirs
and their children's bread is snatched
under treaties to which they are not
a party; when an alien people -is set
amongst them to insult them every
day by different means; when all
attempts to redress the wrongs
have failed; then human beings do
not use the ordinary weapons or
submit to be enslaved, but strike
back blindly, passionately and cruelly. * * * These three Arabs could
not be treated like ordinary criminals. *** If the government thought
these men very dangerous, it could
easily save society by keeping them
7n prison. To disregard all the passionate appeals (of Arab rulers) is
to show the value it sets on the
friendship of those who tried to intervene. Can it then wonder if the
Arabs pay back in similar sentiments and hug closer their dead
Che more to nurse the bitterness of
humiliation?"
THE SYRIAN WORLD
PALESTINE MARTYR'S WILL
Fuad Hijazi, one of the three
Palestinian Arabs executed at Acca
on June 17, was an educated young
man and a government employee.
Before going to the gallows he is
reported to have addressed the
British officials present in their own
language condemning the policy of
their government in Palestine and
warning them of the consequences
of their tyranny, asserting that the
Arabs did not fear their might.
In his last will he addressed each
member of his family personally,
admonishing one of his brothers
against "disturbance of the peace
and all other activities liable to impede his success in life." To his
brother Ahmed he says: "I was exceedingly touched by your vow of
yesterday to avenge my death.
Know, my beloved brother, that this
matter should not be your personal
concern any more, because I am become the son and brother of the
whole nation."
In addressing his mother he expresses himself as follows: "Grieve
not over my death, but rather wish
that you had a thousand sons who
would offer their lives for the nation. Your son Fuad is not des.d. I
have become immortal, thanks to
God, and my name shall be handed
<Town from generation to generation.
You should rejoice that your son
Fuad has achieved such distinction
and died before passing the second
decade of life.... A nation is deserving of life in proportion to the number of its sons willing to offer the
supreme sacrifice. The nation that
meekly submits to oppression and
tyranny should have its name stricken from the book of life... . Behold
how I offer my life as a cornerstone
in the foundation of the independence of Palestine within the Arab
federation."
I
�Ill III"
I
JUNE, 1930
53
About Syria and Syrians
SYRIAN CELEBRATION
AT NEW LONDON
The Syrian-American Society of
New London, Conn., held its annual
celebration at Wendell's Pavillion on
the afternoon and evening of Sunday, June 22, and made of the occasion a great success. The mayor and
many other officials and notables of
the city, as well as numerous delegations and representatives of Syrian
communities in other cities, were
present.
The program called for an afternoon session, which was conducted
in Arabic and at which N. A. Mokarzel editor of Al-Hoda, presided,
and for an evening session conducted in English at which the editor of
The Syrian World acted as chairman.
N. A. Mokarzel read an original
poem in Arabic which he composed
for the occasion. The list of the
Arabic speakers included Joseph S.
Hage, President of the Syrian-American Society; Rt. Rev. Antoun Anid,
Syrian pastor of New London; Fred
Hashim, President of the LebaneseAmerican Club of Poughkeepsie, N.
Y., and head of a visiting delegation; Esper Ganim of Bridgeport,
Conn., who although a boy of fourteen and American-born, spoke in
English on the necessity of the perpetuation of the Syrian heritage in
America; Ameen Rihani, author and
lecturer; Rev. Louis Eid of Fall
River, Mass.; A. Rustum of Orange,
N. J.; Farris S. Maloof, attorney of
Boston; S. P. Hamrah of Hartford,
Conn., and Elias S. Hage of New
London.
During intermissions Mrs. Julia
ssia sang Arabic selections to the
accompaniment of B. Hallal on the
oud. American music was supplied
by Shepard and Swanson Orchestra.
Speakers at the evening session,
besides the chairman, were Hon. C.
D. Twohmey, mayor of New London; Homer K. Underwood, Headmaster of Bulkley School; Deputy
Judge John McGarry; Prosecuting
Attorney Max Boyer; Ameen Rihani
and Farris S. Maloof.
The Syrian speakers acquitted
themselves most creditably on this
occasion and the society is to be
highly complimented on its good
judgment in inviting them.
The success of the celebration may
be judged by the visiting delegations
which came from New York City,
Syracuse and Poughkeepsie, N. Y.;
North Adams, Boston, Fall River'
New Bedford and Springfield, Mass.;
Providence, R. I.; Torrington, Danbury, Waterbury, Bridgeport, New
Haven, Ansonia, Willimantic and
Norwich, Conn., and from as far as
New Jersey.
The delegates were banqueted at
noon at the home of A. J. Maloof,
an ex-President of the society, and
in the evening, at the Pavillion.
The Syrian-American Society of
New London has done much during
its short existence to enhance the
prestige of the Syrian community
in the city and state. Its word of
greeting appearing in its program
is illuminating. It says in part:
"While our society came into
existence as an organized body only
a few years ago, the SyrianAmerican community of New London has been at all times striving
toward the fulfillment of the ideal
for which their society stands,
�T
52
Palestine went on strike, and although the day passed without serious disturbances, a British police
officer was stabbed by a Moslem in
Jaffa.
Commenting on the execution, the
Arab national organ Falastin, in its
English edition of June 21, declares
that the three executed men are "in
the eyes of their countrymen martyrs to the National cause. It has
been suggested that murders do not
make martyrs. It is a misreading of
history. To take a comparative recent instance, the man Who murdered the Archduke of Austria and
was the tangible cause of the Great
War, was honored by his government officially, after his death. It
Is another thing to judge a man objectively, in cool moments, with
the ordinary law. But when nations
are sold away for selfish ends by
mightier powers; when they are
economically murdered as foully as
any physical murder; when theirs
and their children's bread is snatched
under treaties to which they are not
a party; when an alien people-is set
amongst them to insult them every
day by different means; when all
attempts to redress the wrongs
have failed; then human beings do
not use the ordinary weapons or
submit to be enslaved, but strike
back blindly, passionately and cruelly. * * * These three Arabs could
not be treated like ordinary criminals. *** If the government thought
these men very dangerous, it could
easily save society by keeping them
7n prison. To disregard all the passionate appeals (of Arab rulers) is
to show the value it sets on the
friendship of those who tried to intervene. Can it then wonder if the
Arabs pay back in similar sentiments and hug closer their dead
{he more to nurse the bitterness of
humiliation?"
THE SYRIAN WORLD
PALESTINE MARTYR'S WILL
Fuad Hijazi, one of the three
Palestinian Arabs executed at Acca
on June 17, was an educated young
man and a government employee.
Before going to the gallows he is
reported to have addressed the
British officials present in their own
language condemning the policy of
their government in Palestine and
warning them of the consequences
of their tyranny, asserting that the
Arabs did not fear their might.
In his last will he addressed each
member of his family personally,
admonishing one of his brothers
against "disturbance of the peace
and all other activities liable to impede his success in life." To his
brother Ahmed he says: "I was exceedingly touched by your vow of
yesterday to avenge my death.
Know, my beloved brother, that this
matter should not be your personal
concern any more, because I am become the son and brother of the
whole nation."
In addressing his mother he expresses himself as follows: "Grieve
not over my death, but rather wish
that you had a thousand sons who
would offer their lives for the nation. Your son Fuad is not des.d. I
have become immortal, thanks to
God, and my name shall be handed
uown from generation to generation.
You should rejoice that your son
Fuad has achieved such distinction
and died before passing the second
decade of life.... A nation is deserving of life in proportion to the number of its sons willing to offer the
supreme sacrifice. The nation that
meekly submits to oppression and
tyranny should have its name stricken from the book of life.... Behold
how I offer my life as a cornerstone
in the foundation of the independence of Palestine within the Arab
federation."
�" "
.
——^M^—
JUNE, 1930
53
About Syria and Syrians
SYRIAN CELEBRATION
AT NEW LONDON
The Syrian-American Society of
New London, Conn., held its annual
celebration at Wendell's Pavillion on
the afternoon and evening of Sunday, June 22, and made of the occasion a great success. The mayor and
many other officials and notables of
the city, as well as numerous delegations and representatives of Syrian
communities in other cities, were
present.
The program called for an afternoon session, which was conducted
in Arabic and at which N. A. Mokarzel editor of Al-Hoda, presided,
and for an evening session conducted in English at which the editor of
The Syrian World acted as chairman.
N. A. Mokarzel read an original
poem in Arabic which he composed
for the occasion. The list of the
Arabic speakers included Joseph S.
Hage, President of the Syrian-American Society; Rt. Rev. Antoun Anid,
Syrian pastor of New London; Fred
Hashim, President of the LebaneseAmerican Club of Poughkeepsie, N.
Y., and head of a visiting delegation; Esper Ganim of Bridgeport,
Conn., who although a boy of fourteen and American-born, spoke in
English on the necessity of the perpetuation of the Syrian heritage in
America; Ameen Rihani, author and
lecturer; Rev. Louis Eid of Fall
River, Mass.; A. Rustum of Orange,
N. J.; Farris S. Maloof, attorney of
Boston; S. P. Hamrah of Hartford,
Conn., and Elias S. Hage of New
London.
During intermissions Mrs. Julia
Assia sang Arabic selections to the
accompaniment of B. Hallal on the
oud. American music was supplied
by Shepard and Swanson Orchestra.
Speakers at the evening session,
besides the chairman, were Hon. C.
D. Twohmey, mayor of New London; Homer K. Underwood, Headmaster of Bulkley School; Deputy
Judge John McGarry; Prosecuting
Attorney Max Boyer; Ameen Rihani
and Farris S. Maloof.
The Syrian speakers acquitted
themselves most creditably on this
occasion and the society is to be
highly complimented on its good
judgment in inviting them.
The success of the celebration may
be judged by the visiting delegations
which came from New York City,
Syracuse and Poughkeepsie, N. Y.;
North Adams, Boston, Fall River,
New Bedford and Springfield, Mass.;
Providence, R. I.; Torrington, Danbury, Waterbury, Bridgeport, New
Haven, Ansonia, Willimantic and
Norwich, Conn., and from as far as
New Jersey.
The delegates were banqueted at
noon at the home of A. J. Maloof,
an ex-President of the society, and
in the evening, at the Pavillion.
The Syrian-American Society of
New London has done much during
its short existence to enhance the
prestige of the Syrian community
in the city and state. Its word of
greeting appearing in its program
is illuminating. It says in part:
"While our society came into
existence as an organized body only
a few years ago, the SyrianAmerican community of New London has been at all times striving
toward the fulfillment of the ideal
for which their society stands,
�54
namely, to promote the civic welfare of the Syrian and Lebanese
people in this country. Coming from
a race which has given much to the
world, it is our ambition to give to
America the best that is in us of
our racial heritage by making every
effort to be loyal American citizens."
RIHANI LECTURES
AT CHAUTAUQUA
Ameen Rihani, noted Syrian traveler, author and lecturer, has beer
invited to give a series of lectures
covering the whole week of July
20-26. He is, to our knowledge, the
first Syrian to appear on the Chautauqua platform for such a long
engagement. The Syrians are to be
congratulated on the distinction
achieved by one of their most brilliant sons in America.
Prior to his appearance at Chautauqua, Mr. Rihani is expected to
take part in the Syrian pageant at
the tercentenary celebration of the
city of Boston by invitation from
the local Syrian community.
WORCESTER SYRIANS
WIN SECOND PRIZE
The city of Worcester, Mass.,
celebrated on June 28 the tercentenary of its foundation, by a historic
pageant in which all racial groups
took part.
The Syrian community, under the
leadership of the recently organized
Syrian-American Club, contributed
a float representing an American
historical scene. They won the second prize consisting of a state flag.
The first prize was won by the
Greeks who represented the progress
of civilization and the prominent
part Greek culture played in its acceleration. The prize consisted of a
gold cup.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
VISITING EDUCATOR
RETURNS TO SYRIA
Having wound up her campaign
for the Ahleyah School in Beirut,
Miss Marie Kassab will sail for
home about the middle of July.
During her stay in the United
States she visited the principal Syrian centers and succeeded in raising
a fund exceeding $6,000. She returns
by way of France where she expects
to spend some time studying modern
and improved educational methods
for introduction in her school.
BRILLIANT SYRIAN SCHOLAR
Having won his Ph. D. at Princeton at the age of twenty-one, Costy
Zrike of Damascus, sailed for Syria
early in July to take up his duties
as Assistant Professor of Oriental
History at the American University
of Beirut.
Dr. Zrike's scholastic record has
been a most brilliant one. Having
made his studies in Arabic in one
of the native schools of Damascus,
he won a scholarship at the American University where higher studies
are conducted in English. During the
summer recess the boy set about
studying English and passed his
examinations for admission to the
elementary school. In five years he
had graduated with high honors and
won another scholarship Which
brought him to the United States,
where he studied at the University
of Chicago, Columbia and Princeton.
FIRST LEBANESE IN
BRAZILIAN CONGRESS
The Sphinx, an Arabic-language
paper of San Paolo, Brazil, reports
that Dr. Jose Petro Abi Deeb has
been elected a member of the Bra-
t
�1
JUNE, 1930
zilian congress for the State of
Espirito Santo.
Dr. Deeh is of Lebanese origin,
his father having migrated from
Zgharta in North Lebanon and settled in Victoria, capital of the Brazilian State of Espirito Santo. He
is, according to the statement of the
paper, the first Lebanese to hold
such office.
LEBANESE GIRL
BEAUTY QUEEN
Arabic papers of South America
report that as a result of competition in a beauty contest held in the
sixteen states of the Uruguay Republic, a Lebanese girl, Miss Aneesa
Juan Antoun of Gouma, Lebanon,
won first prize in the state of San
Jose and was consequently given the
title of "Miss San Jose."
Now the Lebanese girl is entitled
to enter the national contest for the
selection of the beauty queen of the
whole republic. Her chances are
strong for being selected as the Uruguayan representative at the world
beauty contest to be held in Rio
Janeiro, Brazil.
PALESTINE JEWS
FORM FEDERATION
/
A national federation of Palestinian societies was formed in New
York early in July at a convention
of more than 100 delegates of local
organizations of Jews who were
born in Palestine, according to a
report of the New York Times. The
delegates, Who came from Chicago,
Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston and
several other cities, gathered at
the Pennsylvania Hotel, where messages of greeting were read from
Felix M. Warbrug, national chairman of the Allied Jewish Campaign
'
55
for Palestine and other prominent
American Jews.
Joseph Gabriel of New York, who
opened the convention, pointed out
that there were more than 5,000
Jews in the United States who had
been born in Palestine and that
many of them wished to return to
their native land.
The significant point in this news
item to Syrians is that the Palestinian Jews who number but 5,000
should have so many societies as
to send a hundred delegates to a
national convention. Granting that
the Syrians have societies in the
same proportion, will they respond
to a call for a federation in the
same manner?
DAMASCENES INCENSED
AT POLICE HELMETS
Aleph Ba, a leading paper of Damascus, reports that a good-sized
demonstration was staged by ulemas, merchants and artisans to protest the action of the police in wearing cork helmets during the summer
season.
The demonstrators are reported
to have first visited the mufti of
the city hoping to induce him to
voice their protest to the authorities, but he refused to take an active
part in the matter. Undaunted, they
marched to the Saraya and complained personally to President
Tajeddin, demanding that he issue
peremptory orders prohibiting the
innovation. Their argument was
that the heat was no excuse for
breaking age-long traditions held in
high reverence by the Moslems.
Members of the police force, they
claimed, could wear the kerchief
and ighal or otherwise adhere to
the tarboush. .
The President calmed the excited
demonstrators by promising to con-
�56
THE SYRIAN WORLD
duct an investigation into the matter, stating that the action of the
police was taken without the knowledge or sanction of the government.
It will be recalled that Dr. Ayub
Tabet, when Minister of the Interior
in Lebanon, forced the police to wear
the helmet over the protest of the
reactionary element.
tion. Many articles, especially statues of the Pharaohs, bore hieroglyphic inscriptions and were traced
to about 2,000 B. C.
All the newly discovered objects,
coming under twelve categories,
went to the National Museum, none
having been permitted to leave the
country.
SEVENTY ALAOUITE FAMILIES
CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY
DR. FORD'S COLLECTION
BEQUEATHED TO LEBANON
The majority of the inhabitants
of the villages of Taffaha and Jenainah, in the district of Tartous,
in the Alaouite State of Syria, comprising about seventy families, are
reported by the Syrian press to have
embraced Christianity at the hands
of a Jesuit missionary.
The religion of t'he Alaouites is
Islam of the Shiite sect, or followers of Imam Ali. They are bitterly
opposed to the Sunnites, or Moslems
of the orthodox faith.
Following this group conversion,
attacks on the converts are reported
to have been made by some of their
neighbors before the authorities
could intervene and furnish adequate
protection.
A most valuable addition to the
National Museum of Beirut 'has been
made possible through the generosity of Dr. Ford, an American missionary who lived in Sidon for nearly fifty years.
At a time when the natives knew
little or nothing of the value of the
antiquities which were to be found
in large quantities in and around
Sidon, once the flourishing capital
of the Phoenicians, Dr. Ford was
patiently and persistently gathering
his collection. Some of his articles
are invaluable as relics of Phoenician
civilization. The collection is carefully arranged and stored in a building of fifteen rooms.
Soon after the declaration of the
Lebanese Republic, the Lebanese
government was anxious to secure
the Ford collection for the National
Museum and bid for it $200,000. Dr.
Ford, however, set a price of $500,000.
Dr. Ford has since died, and when
Sis will was probated it was discovered that he had left his whole collection outright to the Lebanese government with the only condition that
it be preserved complete at the National Museum without permitting
a single object to leave the country.
The Council of Ministers at Beirut
ffeliberated the offer and voted to
accept it on the donor's conditions.
Out of gratitude for so great and
BYBLOS YIELDS
MORE TREASURES
Archaeological research at Jebail,
in Lebanon, on the site of the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos, has
yielded recently much
valuable
treasures, according to a report of
the curator of the National Museum
at Beirut.
Among the discoveries were several bronze statues of sacred cows
covered with gold leaf. Some of the
objects were in a fine state of preservation while others had rotted
beyond the possibility of redemp-
t
r
�1
JUNE,
1930
valuable a gift the government bestowed its highest decoration on
Dr. Ford's widow and on the American Consul General in Beirut.
SYRIAN ANTIQUITIES
DISPLAYED AT YALE
mmmm
57
the Syrian sun god about 2,500
years ago. Material of great importance in tracing the history of
the old Syrian city and the religious
cults of Syria before the advent of
Christ was found during excavations
in private houses and in the towers
of the city walls.
A rare collection of antiquities,
the fruit of two years of excavations SYRIAN PUPILS
in Syria, was placed on public exWIN FIRST HONORS
hibition for the first time at the
The Montreal correspondent of
Yale Gallery of Fine Arts as part Meraat-Ul-Gharb sends a glowing
of the commencement celebration, account of the extraordinary success
according to reports in the American of Syrian pupils at a certain public
press. The collection comes from school of that city at the last comSyria, where the historical objects mencement.
were found after being buried in
In the East side of Montreal, he
sand for several thousand years.
states, where live most of the SyrRare idols of worship are included ians, there is a public school whose
among the collection. There is also pupils number 1,000 drawn from all
a fine bas-relief of Atargatis and nationalities. The annual prizes of
Hadad—a copy of what is believed the school are equally divided beto be the great cult statues at Baal- tween the boys and the girls, four
bek; a Parthian altar with bas-re- for each group.
liefs; a head of a man sculptured in
Out of the thousand or more atstone; and
several inscriptions, tendance the Syrian pupils count
pieces of pottery, coins and some about fifty. But in the distribution
specimens of unusual jewelry.
of medals and prizes they won five
The finds were made during ex- out of eight, a very high percentage
cavations in the last two years at fndeed considering the large attendDoura-Europos, on the Euphrates ance and their relatively small numRiver, a place famous in olden times ber.
before it was buried under a heavy
The winning Syrian pupils were:
blanket of sand. With the permis- Olga Salim Kassab, Edna Abi Kasion of the Syrian Government, ex- lam, Adeeb Nicola Tannaj, Shafic
cavators from Yale University have Zerebtani and Kalil Hajje.
worked with a scientific group representing the French Academy on
the ancient fortress, and with outSYRIAN CANDIDATE
standing success.
FOR CONGRESS
The famous Temple of Artemis
has now been partly uncovered. This
A Syrian paper of New York refamous institution had been located ports that Sassin Letaif, a Lebanese
previously by Professor F. Cumont resident of Cross Plains, Texas, has
of the French Academy and beside been nominated by the Democratic
it a Temple of Atargatis and Hadad Party for congress. His chances of
was also discovered. Atargatis was success are excellent owing to the
sung as the Syrian goddess of fer- strength of the Democrats in the
tility and Hadad was worshiped as South.
—•-.
�BOOKS BY SYRIAN AUTHORS
To recommend to Syrians the acquisition of books
in English by Syrian authors would seem superfluous,
especially when the books are such as to cause every
Syrian to feel proud of the fact that their authors are of
his countrymen. All the books listed below have been
exceptionally well received by American critics, some of
them gaining national and even international distinction.
Not alone as a matter of racial pride, but also as a valuable addition to every modern library and as an indispensable medium of wider culture all Syrian homes should
have all or most of these books.
All prices quoted include postage.
Books by Ameen Rihani
Maker of Modern Arabia
The Path of Vision
A Chant of Mystics and Other Poems
$6.00
1.25
1.25
Books by Kahlil Gibran
Sand and Foam
Prophet—Reg
The Madman
The Forerunner
Jesus, The Son of Man
2.25
2.75
2.00
2.75
3.75
Books by Dr P. K. Hitti
As-Suyuti's Who's Who in the 15th Century (Arabic)
Pap<;r Cover
Usamah, an Arab-Syrian Gentleman and
Warrior of the Crusades
Syrians in America
Syria and the Syrians (Arabic)
History of Syrian Commerce in the United
States (Arabic; Illustrated)
By S. A. MOKARZEL.
Immortality (By DR. I. G. KHEIRALLA)
3.50
3.00
4.75
1.25
1.10
3.25
1.25
/I
�1
i
JUNE, 1930
59
(
[
SYRIA, LEBANON, PALESTINE, EGYPT
OR ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE
NEAR EAST
Can Best Be Known by
VISITING —SEEING
Our native staff is in a position to give you first-hand
information on any of these countries, as well as expert
advice on planning itineraries that will afford the max
imum of benefit for the minimum of expense.
A. K. HITTI & COMPANY
83 WASHINGTON STREET
NEW YORK CITY
Phone Bowling Green 2765
!
�60
THE SYRIAN WORLD
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On check accounts, interest will be paid at the rate of
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a
The Lebanon National Bank inaugurates the return
of control to its original founders by this liberal policy
of sharing profits with its depositors. Out-of-Town accounts are solicited on the same basis. We shall be glad
to correspond with anyone, anywhere, interested in availing himself of our facilities and liberal terms.
BANKING BY MAIL is a conception of good business.
You can begin at once to enjoy the facilities of
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THE
MOSLEM WORLD
A Christian Quarterly Review of
Current Events, Literature and
Thought among Mohammedans.
Editor: SAMUEL M. ZWEMER
It is the only magazine published
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with the Moslem problem in all its
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It is indispensable to those who
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�•
THE ARABIC
LINOTYPE
in the FAR EAST
From the Far West of the Old World, Morocco, Tunis,
etc., to what is known as the Far East, the Arabic Linotype
is coming into general use. It has covered not only the
countries that speak Arabic as a native language, but those
speaking various Oriental languages using the Arabic
characters. There are around two hundred and fifty millions coming under this category.
The Malayan language was one of those to benefit by
the adaption of the Linotype to Arabic, and the government of the Federated Malay States was quick to avail
itself of this modern, economical, and versatile type composing machine. In the Government Press at Kedah there
are now two American Model 14 Arabic Linotypes setting
Malay Arabic, and having all the distinctive features
known to the wonderful Arabic Linotype.
QRflDE LI N OTYPE
K
)
MERGENTHALER LINOTYPE COMPANY
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, U. S. A.
CABLE
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LINOTYPE CLOJSTLR SERILS
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�64
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ALPHABETS, NUMERALS AND
BANK ACCOUNTS
i
Just as languages must have alphabets and mathematics figures, likewise you must have pennies to accumulate the dollars.
If you don't save the ten dollars you will never have
the hundreds, and by saving the hundreds you will
have the thousands.
If you fail to begin today in saving the dollars, the
tens, and the hundreds, you will never have the thousands.
In fact if you fail to accumulate you will lose.
The best way to save is to open a savings account
with Faour Bank and be thrifty, as the proprietors of
Faour Bank are themselves a model of thrift.
Faour Bank is always ready and willing to counsel
and assist you to the best of its ability.
Let your dollars be the beginning of your wealth
as the alphabet and figures are the foundation of literature and mathematics.
The dollar you will save is your best friend, particularly when old age and misfortune occurs through
illness, etcetera.
The deposit you have in the bank will be your best
friend, and you can depend on it for help.
Faour Bank accepts time deposits from $5.00 to $10,000.00 at 4^2 per cent, interest per annum.
Checking accounts and thrift accounts may be opened
by mail, as well as in person.
FAOUR BANK
D. J. FAOUR & BROS.
Established 1891
Under Supervision of New York State Banking Department
85 WASHINGTON ST.,
•
NEW YORK,
N. Y.
�
Dublin Core
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Title
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The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
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Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
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New York Public Library
Publisher
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
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English
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Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
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NS 0002
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This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
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Identifier
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TSW1930_06reducedWM
Title
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The Syrian World Volume 04, Issue 10
Date
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1930 June
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 4 Issue 10 of The Syrian World published June 1930. The issue begins with Rev. W. A. Mansur's engaging question, "can the Syrian race survive in America?" He proceeds to give his concise response with sound reasoning, crafting an article that is certainly meant to make readers think deeply on the question. Dr. Salim Y. Alkazin is next featured with his poem titled "Reconciliation," which discusses forgetting the past in lieu of forgiveness. Dr. Talcott Williams continues on the topic of Syrians in America. Salloum Mokarzel then continues to relay his travels in northern Syria and the city of Aleppo in a vivid narration interwoven with the region's history. Kahlil Gibran is featured with another piece titled "On Hatred." There are a number of fiction pieces in the issue described as "not really fiction," but a formation of facts told in a romantic way, dealing with attributes like chivalry, love, and courtship. Finally Stuart Carter Dodd, a professor of Sociology at the American University of Beirut, writes the last article presented in this issue. He discusses an experiment regarding health insurance undertaken by Lebanese physician Dr. Rasheed Ma'took. After a poem by Thomas Asa titled "The Prophet," the issue concludes with excerpts from the Arab press and more on political developments in Syria.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
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English
Creator
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
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New York Public Library
Publisher
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
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Text/pdf
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Text
1930s
Kahlil Gibran
Lebanon
Medical
New York
Reverend W.A. Mansur
Salim Alkazin
Stuart Carter Dodd
Syria
Talcott Williams
Thomas Asa
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/af33fc06699bf8fe5c3cd4474b402a3f.pdf
d6c7a1f91dbeedb2b9657f09a6fea0e1
PDF Text
Text
VOL. IV. No. 5.
SYRIAN WORLD
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ENGLISH DEALING
WITH SYRIAN AFFAIRS AND ARABIC LITERATURE
I
ft
m
MODERN SYRIANS' CONTRIBUTIONS
TO CIVILIZATION
REV-. W. A. MANSUR
I
m
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL
I
grig
THE AHLEYAH SCHOOL OF BEIRUT
m
THE CHANGING EAST
AMEEN RJHANI
THE STRANGE CASE OF HASSAN AND HUSNA
(AN ARABIAN NIGHTS* STORY)
THE WAGER-A SHORT STORY
I
m
Ml
AREF EL-KHOURY
m
THE COPY 50c
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��^^^__^________
SYRIAN WORLD
Tublished monthly by
SALLOUM
A.
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
MOKARZEL,
Editor.
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single copies 50c.
Entered as second-class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New
York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. IV. No. 5.
JANUARY, 19 JO
CONTENTS
PAGE
Modern Syrian'' Contributions to Civilization
REV.
W. A.
7
MANSUR
From the Arabic
14
The Changing East
15
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
Advice to a Lover (Poem)
LABEEBEE
27
A. J.
HANNA
The Master-Builder (Poem)
DR. SALIM
Y.
28
ALKAZIX
The Tzvo Learned Men
KAHLIL GIBRAN
29
�HHHHK
CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
The Last Leaf (Poem)
30
MISCHA NAIMY
The Ahleyah School of Beirut
31
AMEEN RIHANI
The Strange Case of Hassan and Husna
33
(AN ARABIAN NIGHTS' STORY)
Arab Wisdom
38
The Wager (Short Story)
39
AREF EL-KHOURY
The Greatest of These Is Charity (Poem)
41
ALICE MCGEORGE
Editorial Comment
Beauty Contests
On the Nature of Cursing
42
43
Spirit of the Syrian Press
45
Political Developments in Syria
49
About Syria and Syrians
53
ILLUSTRATIONS IN THIS ISSUE
A Minister of Lebanon at Home
A View in North Lebanon
An Enchanting Scene in North Lebanon
Miss Lebanon in International Beauty Contest
A Flourishing Native School
Physical Training for Syrian Girls
�IN THIS ISSUE
1
REV. W. A. MANSUR contributes a splendid appraisal of
the Syrians' Contributions to
Civilization. This patriotic minister's writings have been uniformly inspirational, and we
feel sure that those anxious to
learn things of value of their
ancestral background will feel
grateful to him for the wealth
of material he takes so much
pains to provide for them. We
urge a careful reading of his
current article.*** SALLOUM
A. MOKARZEL discusses in
this issue some of the changes
now taking place in the East,
with partiuular emphasis on the
fundamental orientation in the
character of the people. He tells
of the birth of a new spirit of
co-operation which is showing
unusual manifestations, especially in the economic field. The
great hydroelectric project of
Nahr Kadisha, wholly native in
conception, execution, capital
and management, is here described at length, together with
detailed accounts of special interviews with Archbishop Antoun Arida and the prominent
leaders connected with the undertaking. The account of the
obstructive tactics of inimical
"foreign interests", and how the
natives succeeded in overcoming
them with grim determination,
is worth reading.*** AMEEN
RIHANI writes a vivid account
of the inception and growth of
the Ahleyah School in Beirut.
Miss Marie Kassab, the founder, is now in New York in the
interest of the institution.***
DR. SALIM Y. ALKAZIN
has another beautiful poetical
contribution which carries a fine
moral, as usual.***AREF ELKHOURY, an aspiring young
Syrian writer of Welch, W. Va.,
has an original short story
whose scene is laid in Damascus
and whose characters are a Syrian-American boy and girl. It
boldly emphasizes the spirit of
American daring.*** OTHER
CONTRIBUTORS include:—
Kahiil Gibran, Miss Labeebee
A. J. Hanna, Mischa Naimy
and Alice McGeorge. The department of political developments in Syria for this month is
particularly interesting, as well
as that of the Spirit of the Syrian Press. The reaction of the
Arabic-speaking elements to
European diplomacy is gaged
here as it can be nowhere else.
JOIN
THE GREAT
SYRIAN WORLD
CONTEST
NOW
J
�Great Syrian
For a FREE TRIP to
i
k.
The editor of THE SYRIAN WORLD having made a trip to Syria in
the summer of 1929, -which he is now describing in a series of articles in
the magazine, came to realize not only the great educational and cultural
advantages of such a trip, but its unrivr.lled possibilities for pleasure and
recreation. In our enthusiasm for the benefits of such tours, we decided to
offer one as a prize to our readers. This is on a par with the most liberal
offers made by the biggest American publications, whose readers are hundreds of thousands and even millions. Needless to say that this is unprecedented in the history of Arabic journalism, whether in America or abroad.
THE SYRIAN WORLD, in making the great prize offer in spite of
the heavy sacrifice involved, considers that in so doing it is promoting the
cause of sympathetic understanding of the motherland. This is in keeping
with the main object behind the publicati >n of the magazine. Whether the
winner be a boy or girl, American or Syrian, the purpose would have been
served by the actual contacts established with the great scenic beauties
and places of immense histork:il interest in our country of origin.
The proposition is unprecedented, the advantages great, Lhe conditions most liberal. It is surely the opportunity of a lifetime for the ambitious.
t<
rc
a!
t!
2.
3.
ITINERARY OF TRIP
4.
The free trip offered by THE SYRIAN WORLD takes the same route
fol'owed by :
or in his recent trip to Syria. Fassage will be Cabin
class on the luxurious steamer Providence, of the Fabre Line, sailing from
New York July 2nd. Stops on route and shore excursions will be made at
Ponta Delgada, Azores Islands; Lisbon, Portugal; Naples, Italy; Palermo,
Sicily, and Piraeus and Athens, Greece.
In Syria and Lebanon the winner may remain as long as he desires
and return on any of the Fabre Line steamers to New York, a>so Cabin
Class.
Sailing from New York will be under the direction and full assistance
of the firm of A. K. Hitti & Co., the well-known steamship ticket agents.
The Beirut Branch of the same firm will render the winner all necessary service and advice free. The editor, thanks to the contacts contracted
on his last trip, will also give the winner letters of introduction and recommendation to many influential friends who would render all necessary
courtesies. The winner, representing THE SYRIAN WORLD whose services
are fully recognized in the motherland, will be assured of the most friendly
reception by the authorities and the public.
6.
f,
/
I
I
�World Contest
SYRIA and RETURN
SYRIAN WORLD OFFER
The prize offered by THE SYRIAN WORLD to the winner in the contest is free passage, Cabin Class, both ways from New York to Beirut and
return, together with a liberal cash allowance for the shore excursions
Jove mentioned on the outward passage. Is this not a worthy prize to
try to win?
CONDITIONS OF CONTEST
1. THE SYRIAN WORLD prize of a Free Trip to Syria and return will be
awarded the individual securing the largest number of New subscribers to the magazine at the regular price of subscription.
2. Considering the great value of the prize offered, the minimum number
required to win the award must be not less than one hundred.
3. Every contestant, other than the winner, securing more than one huntt, T* sllbscriJ,ti0RS> wil1 be awarded a special cash premium of
$1.50 for every subscription. Those securing less than one hundred will
be given S.liO for every subscription. In the event of two or more contestants tying for the Grand Prize, all will receive identical prizes.
4. The contest closes June 10, 1930. Letters post-marked later than this
date mil .:ot bs counted. Announcement of the awards will be made
June lo.
5. Every subscription must be a new subscription, and must be accompanied by a remittance of the full price of $5.00.
6. Gift subscriptions will be counted as direct subscriptions. For instance
if a contestant succeeds in inducing a friend to make gifts of a year's'
subsection to each of five individuals, he will be given credit for
five individual subscriptions. Multiple subscriptions to the same person
will not be counted by the number of years; as, for instance, a single
individual subscribing for two years will not be given credit for two
subscriptions.
7. Those wishing to enter the contest must write to register, in which case
they will be furnished with special blanks and helpful literature.
8. The contest is open to all friends of THE SYRIAN WORLD anywhere
in the United States and Canada.
�IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
ON THE SUBJECT OF THE
SYRIAN WORLD CONTEST
fYWING to the appreciation by the public of our liberal offer
of a free trip to Syria as a first prize in the current Syrian
World Contest, and in compliance with numerous requests to
this effect, we have decided to extend our offer as follows:
1—While the minimum number of subscriptions required to win
the Free Trip remains at one hundred, any contestant, besides the winner, procuring one hundred subscriptions has
the option of receiving either the cash prize or a one-way
free trip to Syria.
2—If a contestant should procure two hundred, he receives a
free round trip.
3—For all subscriptions above two hundred the winner, as well
as any other contestant, receives a cash premium of one
dollar for each subscription in excess of two hundred.
4—Organizations are permitted to enter the contest and award
the prize to any individual member.
5—Contestants working for the limited prizes of either a oneway trip or a round trip may withdraw once their goal is
reached and sail on any Fabre Line steamer, cabin class,
before the date set for the close of the Contest.
Registered contestants to date are the following:
Mr. H. John Hashem
63 Thompson St., Poughkeepsie, N. Y.
Miss Evelyn Assmar
181 - 79th St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Mr. Richard Hajjar
180 Warren St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Mr. Hafey Abood
179 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Mrs. Rose A. Hamrah
56 Scott St., Naugatuck, Conn.
FOUR MORE MONTHS
IN
WHICH
TO
WIN.
�VOL. IV. No. 5.
JANUARY, 1930.
Modern Syrians' Contributions
to Civilization
By
REV.
W. A.
MANSUR
1*HE MODERN Syrians, descendents of the famous Phoenicians, are now making significant contributions to civilization.
The rise of the Syrian race through the renaissance of the Syrian spirit, the emigration of the Syrian people, and the progress
of Syrian talent marks a new era in the progress of civilization.
The modern Syrians' contributions to civilization are based on
prosperity, commerce, welfare, progress, and not on military conquest, colonial exploitation, or racial aggression.
The world needs enlightenment regarding the origin, history, character, talent and progress of the Syrian race. Tames
Bryce says in The Holy Roman Empire: "During the Middle
Ages, Western statesmen and churchmen, Western thinkers and
writers, took little note of the Eastern Empire which stubbornly
held its ground at Constantinople down to A. D. 1453." "Even
in later times the part played by the people and rulers of New
Rome was inadequately appreciated, and it is only in our own
days that history has begun to atone for this long neglect." We
must inform the world regarding Syrian race history, Syrian race
talent, and Syrian race contributions to mankind.
Through knowledge about the awakening of the modern Syrian race we shall plant intelligent information, arouse sympathetic understanding, and win cordial appreciation. "Fundamental in every search for entrance into the mind of a race other
than our own," says Bishop Francis John McConnell in Human
Needs and World Christianity, "is straight-forward justice."
I i
�8
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Bishop J. H. Oldham says in Christianity and the Race Problem^
"In order that the different peoples may enrich the life of the
world by the contribution which each is best fitted to make, each
must have freedom to develop a distinctive life of its own."
When president, Calvin Coolidge said, "All peoples have points
of excellence and are justly entitled to the honorable consideration of other nations." The present awakening of the Syrian race
is bringing to the forefront an illustrious race whose native land,
contributions to humanity, and racial talents are again to bless
mankind. The world will soon acknowledge the "straight-forward justice," recognize with appreciation the "distinctive life,"
and grant with regard "honorable consideration" a prominent
place to the Syrian race and its benevolent influences on civilization.
The following modern Syrians' contributions to civilization
are meant to indicate the trend of the modern Syrian race, the
legacies it is making to human welfare, and the vindication of
the race's awakening, vitality, leadership, civilization and progress.
/.
The Modern Syrians Are Contributing Leadership for the
Arabic-Speaking World.
"Syria and Syrians," says Talcott Williams in an introduction
to The Syrians in America, "constitute the first land and the first
people in Southwestern Asia who have entered into modern civilization."
Remember that for centuries Syria was under military suppression, autocratic control, and devastated condition. The expression of racial talent was hindered, the exchange of learning
was stopped, and intercourse with the outside world prohibited.
Three impulses helped bring the Syrian renaissance: the Napoleonic invasion, European interest, and contact with the outside
world.
"The twentieth century found the Syrians," says Philip K.
Hitti in THE SYRIAN WORLD, "the teacher and literary leader
of the Arabic-speaking world." (July, 1926.) In a masterful
article on "Syrian Leadership in Arabic Affairs" he says, "Not
only have the Syrians in recent times supplied a large part of the
leadership throughout the Arabic world in progress, in commerce,
in education and in literature but in nationalistic movements,
too." (Aug., 1927.)
The character of the modern Syrian leadership will deter-
i
�mine largely the nature of the rising civilization in Arabic-speaking lands. The modern Syrian is moulding the thought life, inspiring emulation of modern democracy, and awakening the talents of Arabic-speaking races and nations.
77.
The Modern Syrians Are Giving Original Religious and
Moral Impulses for World Welfare.
The leadership of mankind is already recognizing the superior religious and moral capacities of the Syrian race for world
civilization. "The destiny of the Near and Middle East will go
far to determine the trend of the new world's life," says Basil
Mathews in The Riddle of Nearer Asia. "For those lands between the Aegean and the Nile on the one hand, and the Caucasus and mountain buttresses of Persia on the other, are strategically a pivot on which world issues swing, while immeasurable
possibilities lie undeveloped in their human and material resources, and, above all, in their spiritual capacities."
The modern Syrian is awake to his religious, moral and racial
inheritance. He recognizes his native talents. He realizes the contributions his ancestors made to humanity. He feels the urge to
intellectual, cultural and humanitarian achievement.
The world is again to be led by the religious and moral enthusiasm of Syrian prophets. The truth will be heard through
silver-tongued Syrian heralds. Righteous dealing will be advocated by golden-mouthed Syrian statesmen. Human brotherhood
will be preached by divinely-inspired Syrian missionaries.
7/7.
The Modem Syrians Are Promoting True Inter-Racial
Idealism Toward Sympathetic Appreciation, Human Brotherhood, and World Civilization.
"As for the Asiatics," says Tyler Dennett in A Better World,
"they have, from the dawn of history, been the great creative
religious folk. They have given religion to the world: Judaism,
Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Mohammedanism. A Roman
or an Anglo-Saxon may be the organizer, but it takes an Oriental
to write a psalm or to make a prophecy.—When Christianity is
restored to the Orient from which it came it uncovers energies
and vitalities such as were characteristic of the Apostolic days."
The world is in great need of the Syrian gospel of inter-racial
appreciation, brotherhood and civilization. The world suffers
from race prejudice, color discrimination, and national aggression.
�y
-10
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The modern Syrian is promoting the true gospel of interracial equality. Equality of the races, equality of the rights, and
equality of privilege will be preached to mankind. Equality of
human worth without regard to race, color, creed, time, clime or
place will be heralded to human minds, hearts, and life everywhere. The modern Syrian will blast the Syrian evangel of interracial brotherhood to humanity: from Syrian hearts the equal
love of God will be preached, from Syrian minds the universal
truth of God will be proclaimed, and from Syrian tongues the
even righteousness of God will be heralded for human brotherhood to every race, nation and tongue. The modern Syrian hearts,
minds and tongues are already promoting the new order of human
brotherhood. The world everywhere awaits with expectation the
regenerating power of the Syrian Gospel of inter-racial brotherhood!
IV.
The Modern Syrians Are Disseminating the Principles of
Freedom: Intellectual, Religious and Political.
S. A. Mokarzel, editor of THE SYRIAN WORLD, in writing
of the Syrian community in New York as an example of the Syrians in America, says, "It has helped plant the love of America
in the hearts of millions of people speaking the common Arabic
language, and it has proven its gratitude and loyalty to its adopted
country by responding in vastly more than its proportionate quota
to the appeal of the government either for financial aid or for
man power in times of national crisis." (Syrian World, Nov.,
1927.)
What is here said of the Syrians in America applies equally
to Syrians in every country in the world. Modern Syrians are
carrying to the ends of the earth the ideals of intellectual enlightenment, political liberty, and religious freedom. Wherever
the Arabic language is spoken Syrian leadership is broadcasting
the principles of democracy. Wherever Syrians dwell there is
founded a radiating center for modern human freedom.
The modern Syrian will act as mediator between the old and
the new civilization, between the old and the new generation,
between the ideas of Arabic-speaking millions of the meaning
of liberty, its proper uses and its benefits upon mankind. He will
give personal testimony to the uplifting influence of religious,
intellectual, and political freedom as evidenced in his adoption,
prosperity, and progress in the lands of liberty.
%»fti
�JANUARY, 1930
V.
The Modern Syrians Are Carrying Forward the Means of
Civilization: High Standards, Beneficial Commerce, Progressive Living.
Like his famous ancestors, the modern Syrian is an advance
agent of civilization. George Adam Smith says in Syria and the
Holy Land, "Hebrew and Greek writers acclaim the wealth of
Phoenician industries and the size and the range of Phoenician
ships. Long before the Christian era these galleys had passed
the Straits of Gibraltar as far at least as the Canaries and Sicilies;
and had sailed down the Red Sea and along the coast of Africa."
The modern Syrian is disseminating modern trade, commerce
and high standards of living. S. A. Mokarzel says in THE SYRIAN WORLD, "He is in Paris, London, Manchester, Berlin, New
York, Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires, Shanghai, Yokahama, Manila,
Sydney and every leading commercial center that you may think
of. And he is there a trader, a purveyor to the needs of the public, an. agent for the cause of civilization! But let us not stop
at that. Let us delve deeper into the interior of the five continents and we will find the Syrian there—in the jungles of Brazil,
in the wilds of Africa, in the wastes of North America—a trader,
a merchant, a practitioner of the art of peaceful penetration, an
advocate of higher standards of life through the art of trade
and commerce." (Issue of Aug., 1926.)
J. Ray Johnson, editor of The Interpreter, organ of the Foreign Language Information Service in New York, says, "The
modern Syrian merchants advanced into almost all the maritime
cities of Europe and carried their trade across the seas to South
Africa, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, South America, Mexico, Canada and the United States." (The Syrian World,
June, 1928.)
The modern Syrians, descendents of the illustrious Phoenicians whose civilizing influences forwarded the progress of mankind, are rising to claim similar fame by contributing to the progress of humanity. They are becoming the merchant princes of
modern times. They are forwarding friendship, mutual-welfare,
and civilized life wherever they dwell. They are the exchangers
of merchandise, culture and high standards. They examplify in
their lives industrious living, patriotic loyalty, law-obedience and
love of liberty.
�12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
VI.
The Modern Syrians Exemplify Loyal Citizenship to Their
New Homelands: Patriotism, Loyalty, Gratitude, Service.
The modern Syrians are, perhaps, par excellence the most
loyal citizens in their new homelands.
Let it be remembered that love of our new homeland is compatible with love of our motherland. We modern Syrians will
stand for our race virtues, proclaim our love for the motherland
of our race, uphold the splendor of the Syrian race legacies to
humanity, and claim for our race a rightful place among the
races of earth. We modern Syrians believe in our new homelands, are loyal to their laws, and work for their welfare. The
true Syrian-American believes in America First} the Syrian-Argentinian in Argentine First} the Syrian-Brazilian in Brazil First}
the Syrian-Australian in Australia First.
A. Hakim, "The Sage of Washington Street," expressed the
true sentiment of the Syrian-Americans toward their new homeland. He says, "
that we are in America to stay} that we
owe it our allegiance whole and undivided, and that whatever
assistance we render the motherland is prompted by humanitarian, sentimental considerations only." (Syrian World, Oct., 1928.)
The modern Syrians are vindicating their pure patriotism,
loyal citizenship, and sincere gratitude to their new homelands.
Capt. Emilio Carranza, the Mexican air hero, said at a reception
held in his honor by the American Syrian Federation of New
York, "The cost of my plane was raised by popular subscription.
The Mexicans and all other racial groups contributed two-thirds
while the Syrians of Mexico alone contributed the other third."
The Syrian Bolivians decided to show their gratitude with a
full-sized statue of General Bolivar, the Father of Bolivian liberty, as their snare of the centennial celebration of the Independence of Bolivia. The Syrian merchants of Sao-Paolo, representing the Syrian community in Brazil, decided to show their
loyalty by presenting President Washington Luis, with a golden
tray with a message of loyalty engraved thereon. The SyrianArgentinians responded generously toward the purchase, from
the French Government, of the house in which Gen. San Martin,
the Argentine Liberator, died. The Syrian-Americans are, as
shown by their record during the World War, perhaps the most
loyal, patriotic and devoted among the races in America, and
"unexcelled—even by the Americans themselves."
n
�JANUARY, 1930
VII.
13
The Modern Syrians Represent the Most Benevolent Kind
of^ Emigration: Enter-prising Trade, Mutual Welfare,
Righteous Dealing, Loyal Citizenship.
The modern Syrian immigrants represent the most benevolent
type of race emigration in the modern world. They represent
a peaceful emigration which carries with it enterprising trade,
mutual-welfare, and cultural influence. They are following in
the footsteps of their ancient ancestors the Phoenicians. H. G.
Wells says in The Outline of History, "The great trading cities
of the Phoenicians are the most striking of the early manifestations of the peculiar and characteristic gift of the Semitic peoples
to mankind, trade and exchange."
The writer of Tyre: Its Rise, Glory, and Desolation says of
the colonies of ancient Phoenicia, "These colonies were not obtained by conquest, or, as in the case of many other nations, by
the forcible removal of the original inhabitants, and the settlements of others from time to time by bold navigators, and which
were considered to present opportunities for originating and
maintaining commerce."
The modern Syrians are dependent upon peaceful, prosperous and friendly intercourse for their welfare as well as that
of the people among whom they live. Other races, nations, and
peoples may make progress through exploitation of the material
resources of others, military domination, and numerical superiority. The modern Syrian immigration is free from aspiration
for establishing colonies advantageous to a particular religion,
free from ambition for founding centers for selfish exploitation
of other lands, and free from desire for political domination of
other countries.
Through the modern Syrian immigrants every race, nation,
and people are enriched by their wholesome influences. The Syrian communities in their new homelands are prophetic of the rise
of prosperity, peace, and progress to their respective communities, countries, and nations. Syrian communities everywhere are
centers of beneficial trade, mutual welfare, and progressive citizenship.
The modern Syrians' contributions to civilization are bound,
in their cumulative effect, to draw the intelligent attention of
mankind, awaken sympathetic appreciation of the race's civilizing
influence upon humanity, and command a high position of leadership among the races, nations, and peoples of earth.
A
�14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The knowledge of these contributions will enlarge the vision
of growing Syrian youth, appreciation will spur the rising Syrian leadership to greater achievements, and propagation will
arouse Syrian race consciousness, Syrian race solidarity, and Syrian race pride.
From the Arabic
TRUE GREATNESS
Meeting one of the retinue of the Vizier Ibn Al-Ameed, AlAsjadi asked him: "How find you our lord the Vizier?" and the
man replied: "He is a branch whose sap has dried, and he has
become so adamant that no charitable impulse finds its way into
his heart. Instead, his position seems to breed in him extreme
suspicion." "But," insisted Al-Asjadi, "see you not the pomp
of the court, and the imposing palace, and the luxurious furnishings, and the great fame that goes with power?"
And the man replied: "Power does not necessarily imply magnanimity, nor good fortune signify glory. If you were to have
proof of a man's true greatness, note the number of his visitors
and the seekers after his munificence; and how they leave his
court, if in a thankful and appreciative mood,—and what is the
nature of their comment after they leave, whether their praise is
prompted by fear or by a spirit of earnestness. Truly, such are
the signs of popular leadership and inherent magnanimity of
character and well-deserved glory."
THE THREE VICES
The three most detestable of cardinal vices are the following:
Pride that leads to inertia, miserliness that is impossible of eradication, and vanity that insists on displaying itself under all circumstances.
TRUE FRIENDSHIP
Your true friend is he who hastens to your aid when you fall;
who spares not criticism when you err; who is pleased to see you
clothed in virtue, and is grieved to see you fall in the esteem of
men. But he is not your friend who shows unconcern in your
fate, and it is immaterial to him whether you go astray or find
your way.
fir
�JANUARY, 1930
15
The Changing East
By
f'
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
yHE EAST, after all, does change. That part of it which I
visited the past summer is undergoing a rapid, almost phenomenal transformation. People of the East do not seem to be
any more given up to that passiveness which springs from their
belief in kismet. True, one still comes across the petty merchants
squatting in their stalls smoking their water-pipes and waiting
for the favor of Allah—and a customer; but there is also noticeable abroad in the land a spirit of strong initiative, even to the
point of aggressiveness. And the change is not confined to the
physical appearance of the country; it is permeating the character of the people and effecting a radical change in their lives
and traditional viewpoints. Changing economic conditions are
responsible for this transformation, and although the peoples
of the East are still novices at the task, they are showing marked
progress in their earnest efforts to adopt from the West its methods of organization and its principles of cooperative, collective
action in economic pursuits.
When I landed at Beirut, the city was hardly recognizable to
me after an absence of thirty years. I actually had to search for
those scenes and places which are typical of the East, and found
only a faint vestige of them to have remained. Almost gone
were the narrow, covered bazaars and their Oriental picturesqueness. Work of demolition was going on everywhere and new,
well-paved, broad streets, flanked by buildings of pleasing uniformity, were rising everywhere. I was told that a native architect, who, although having studied in Europe, had retained his
appreciation for the charm of Eastern architectural designs, was
responsible for the happy blending of Eastern and Western effects which characterize the new Beirut. The colonnade arrangement over the broad sidewalks predominates, and serves as a
protection from both sun and rain. Those who recall the Rue de
Rivoli in Paris can draw from it a picture of the modern streets
of the Syrian city.
Women circulated freely in the streets. Those of the Mos-
2
—
�16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
lems who had discarded the habara and the veil, were dressed in
the latest fashion creations much like their Christian sisters. I
was told that the newest Parisian styles reach Beirut almost at
the same time, if not before, they reach New York.
I was expecting to encounter everywhere the sherbet venders
or sweets peddlers with trays balanced on their heads tinkling
their cups and saucers and singing the praises of their refreshments and wares in their peculiar and inimitable way, as they
were wont to do in times of old. Instead, I saw many sellers of
ices pushing about wheeled carts, while the peddlers of sweets
had, instead of the exposed tray, closed boxes with glass tops as
a protection against dust and flies. The change was brought about
as a result of a vigorous, systematic public health campaign waged
by Dr. Ayoub Thabet at the time he was Minister of the Interior
in the government of Lebanon. Dr. Thabet had his education in
the United States.
The policemen of Beirut give an indication of the general
transition from old conditions. They are dressed in trim navy
blue uniforms with holster belt. Those who are on traffic duty
carry a short, white club. But the most conspicuous thing about
them is their helmet. The Oriental, especially a Moslem, clings
to his headgear as his most revered sartorial tradition. He may
change into Western garb, but he must never forgo his turban
or tarboush. I saw the policemen of Egypt keeping their posts
under the torrid heat of a tropical sun with no head protection
other than the close-fitting, unbrimmed, tarboush. Such being
the attitude towards the tarboush, the change to the helmet must
be considered as of a revolutionary character. And so it is, and
the way it was brought about is even more startling considering
the prejudices of the East.
The man responsible for the change from the tarboush to
the helmet was Dr. Thabet also. I visited him at his summer
camp near his native town of Bhamdoun, in Lebanon. He was
leading the life of a semi-recluse, and although he was out of
office he was not out of the reckoning in politics. He belong:, to
a religious minority in a republic which still adheres in its form
of representation to sectarian traditions, but his admirers and followers among all denominational factions are legion in consideration of sheer merit and ability. I discussed with him the different
phases of the transition movement now taking place and inquired
particularly about the circumstances attending some of the revo-
�mmtm^-
A MINISTER OF LEBANON AT HOME
This intimate snapshot of Dr. Ayoub Thabet was taken of him at his summer camp near his native town of Bhamdoun in Mt. Lebanon during The
Syrian World editor's visit to him last summer. Dr. Thabet is responsible
for many notable reforms while Minister of the Interior. (See article "The
Changing East.")
A VIEW IN NORTH LEBANON
The steep mountain from which gushes the abundant water of Nahr Kadisha above Bcharri, now harnessed for generating electricity. Along the
side of the mountain runs the narrow canal described in article "The Changing East."
�AN ENCHANTING SCENE IN NORTH LEBANON
The whole district of North Lebanon is dotted with thriving villages. This view was taken from a point
overlooking the town of Hasroun.
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�JANUARY, 1930
n
lutionary changes he had inaugurated. Here is how he explained
"The East is not unreasonable," he said. "What it needs is
men of intelligent, unselfish leadership whose motives are above
suspicion and who have the courage to act on their convictions
Unce a step in the proper direction is taken and the reform n^
into effect, objection will cease. But the curse of our country has
been the policy of temporizing. Our public opinion has not yet
reached the stage of coalescence. Our public affairs are still governed by the personal influence of factional or religious leaders
whose main concern is to preserve their traditional prestige.
Our great bugaboo is our sentimental consideration for tradition especially when it affects our brother Moslems. I have
proved by my ordinance inaugurating the change from the tarthan red
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COnsiderations are more
imaginary
"What I did was to act on my authority as Minister of Public
Health peremptorily and without submitting the matter to public
discussion. I had secretly ordered bought all available helmets
in the city and issued them one summer morning to the police
men as a complement of their regular outfit. The Moslem members of the force welcomed the change with even more alacrity
than did the Christians. The general public, although at first surprised, soon came to realize the benefits of the change and heartily
approved of ,t. Not even from the ulemas did we encounter any
objection."
To one who was born and raised in Syria, the modernization
processes now rapidly working in the country are amazing. In
Beirut I saw a furniture factory employing several hundred men
run on Western industrial principles and employing modern machinery, even to the individual motor for every unit. In Damas
cus, supposedly the stronghold of conservatism, modernization in
industry is just as evident. The Syrians are awakening to the
realization that the exigencies of modern economic life cannot
be met with antiquated methods, and they are fast adopting thnew processes which enable them to successfully compete with
foreign industries.
u?neB°f fi£ ^r°min1e,nt leaders of ^e Syrian Nationalists,
Pakhry Bey Baroody, illustrated to me the progress of Syrian
industry by pointing out that every article of clothing he was
wearing, from the fine broadcloth suit to the underwear socks
IT
�18
THE SYRIAN WORLD
and shoes, were of native manufacture. The Syrians have even
developed a match manufacturing industry. They now have about
three hundred young men in Europe and America receiving technical education in different lines. They are not, as it seems, inalienably bound to tradition.
Breaking down the barriers of tradition, especially as it affects
the status of women in Syria, is most obvious in Beirut. The first
customs official I met upon landing at that port on July 21st was
a native woman. Later, upon visiting the Saraya to pay my respects to Mr. Chas. Dabbas, President of the Lebanese Republic,
I discovered that the head of the Information Bureau also was a
native woman who had at one time been a resident of the United
States. I was interested in discovering the extent to which the
women of the East had progressed in their movement for emancipation and asked that lady for information on that point. She
told me that in the government service alone there were no less
than two hundred young women, while in the city of Beirut much
over five hundred native women were employed at various gainful occupations. I was not surprised, therefore, when later in
passing through one of the principal streets, I came across a large
sign in Arabic and French reading: "Girls' Business School—
Courses in Typewriting and Stenography."
What further caused me much pleasant surprise was the discovery in Beirut of several Arabic Linotype machines imported
from America. They had been in operation for several years and
were satisfactorily manned by native operators.
But the greatest transformation I was able to observe was
in the psychology of the people. A deep appreciation of the necessity of collectivism seems to be gradually dawning upon them.
Where in the past every undertaking was the result of personal
initiative and individual management we now find the people of
Syria seriously attempting collective action. This disposition is
being demonstrated both in political and economic undertakings.
In the political field, we have as proof of this phenomenon the
solidarity of the Nationalist Party in Syria which has held together in the Constituent Assembly in face of the most trying
conditions. While in Lebanon it has actually given birth to the
first republican form of government to be established among
Arabic-speaking peoples. Trials there are, of course, as would
be natural in any first experiment, but the attempt itself attests
the existence of an awakening which disproves the contention that
the East never changes.
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�JANUARY, 1930
/p
What I would advance, however, as the most cogent proof
of the new order that is invading that portion of the East which
is closer to the West and coming into more intimate contact with
Koropean and American influences, is what the Lebanese term
the great corporate enterprise for the generation of hydroelectric power ,n Northern Lebanon. This undertaking is onehundred per cent, native in conception, execution, control and
operation. It has been watched for the last fifteen years bv natives and foreigners alike as a test of native initiative and fitness tor group action. I was fortunate in having been in that
part of the country when it was first put in operation and the
historic town of Bcharri lighted by electricity through the enterprise and determination of its own citizens.
THE HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT
OF NAHR KADISHA
It was Saturday, August 3, when I decided to visit the famous
Lectors ol Lebanon which are reverentially called by the people
of the country the "Cedars of the Lord." I had until then hard
very little of the hydroelectric project of Nahr Kadisha, or the
Sacred River, which was being developed in Bcharri, the highest
point of habitation in Lebanon on the way to the Cedars, and
nestling snuggly on a ledge of the mountain at an altitude of
1230 meters Certainly at the time, my interest in the town was
confined to the fact that it was the birthplace of my friend and
countryman Kahlil Gibran, author of "The Prophet," and consjdenng die limitation of time, I thought that an hour at most
would be all that I could reasonably tarry at the place
We reached Bcharri at four o'clock in the afternoon, and
stopped at the principal square by the church to take some refreshments. The cafes on all sides were crowded and the shops
doing a bustling business. WTe took our places around a running
fountain in the basin of which floated many watermelons and
baskets of grapes and other fruit to be cooled.
When my companion, Joseph Mokarzel, insisted on having
our presence announced to a certain Father Tanius Jahjah of
whom he had spoken in the highest terms of praise, I immediately realized that such a course irretrievably defeated my
purpose of staying only a short time in the town, knowing the
open hospitality of all the people of that locality.
V
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�20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The priest presently came and joined the circle which had
formed about us. He was a man of about fifty, tall and slender,
his steady gait showing poise and determination, and his keen
eye and high forehead denoting unmistakable signs of intelligence and latent energy. He was, however, sincerely modest,
for when my cousin introduced him as the father of the hydroelectric project of Nahr Kadisha, he blushed like a child. Attempts to draw from him an account of the trials and sufferings
attending the earlier stages of the promotion of the project were
futile. My cousin whispered to me that we could get that account
later from other sources. Besides, in going over the ^rrain which
lay on our way to the Cedars, we would be in a better position
to understand the enormity of the task.
That same afternoon, despite the importunities of the good
folk of Bcharri, we resumed our journey to the Cedars over the
new motor road, opened to traffic only two weeks before. The
road left much to be desired, but the Minister of Public Works,
Hussein Bey El-Ahdab, who had made an inspection only the
preceding day, promised to provide the essentials of safety before
the coming season. What it needs most is a stone parapet to
give nervous motorists a feeling of security in negotiating the
steep sides of the mountain which rises to almost three thousand feet. In all this distance not a tree is to be seen, nor even
a small terrace such as are common in other parts of Lebanon
to break the smoothness of the even slope. It is indeed bad travel
for those who suffer from a weak heart or unsteady nerves. But
the panorama of Lebanon from the eminence is most beautiful to
him who entertains no fear.
From the side of this mountain, directly below the famous
Cedars of Lebanon, gushes forth from a cleft in the rock the
abundant spring which waters the successive valleys until ft
reaches the city of Tripoli by the sea, and is known as Nahr
Kadisha, which is now harnessed for generating electricity.
Due to the lateness of the hour and the dangers of the road,
we decided to defer inspection of this master feat of engineering
till the following day. So next morning, on the way down, we
stopped at the reservoir by the road, built on a direct line a thousand feet above the power station. The guard, a lad of not more
than twenty in native garb, was standing unconcernedly on the
edge of the precipice. He told us that to get to the grottoes we
must follow the concrete-covered canal of only two feet width
skirting the mountain to a distance of a mile. We must balance
/,
�-
JANUARY, 1930
2/
ourselves well, he admonished, because the over-hanging rocks
were very low in places.
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«, !u° 7* thJhree «>mpanions we filed singly along the narrow
walk. As the guard had predicted, we almost had to crouch to
the ground in places to negotiate the passage. In other places, the
canal was carried through completely covered tunnels where seeping water made walking extremely slippery. But for the most
part it formed just an open, unprotected footpath in the side of
the smooth, pyramid-shaped mountain. The grottoes were never
reached from this side of the mountain before, but only by a
trail runnmg through the other and more accessible side of the
valley.
In covering the whole distance of a mile we never thought of
looking behind once. We glanced to the side; we looked directly
ahead; we watched every step we made, but the one coming behind had to be satisfied with the oral assurance of the one ahead
It was as if one were balancing himself on a tight rope.
Imagine our surprise, therefore, when upon reaching the
broad clearing at the entrance to the grottoes and looking about,
we beheld two sturdy men trailing us and of whom we had not
heard a sound. They proved to be workmen who had once been
employedI in the cutting of the canal in the side of the mountain.
lhey had attended early mass that Sunday morning and had
come on a picnic to the scene of their former labors, where we
thought the angels would fear to tread.
"You must have had a trying time completing this difficult
work, I a ked one of the men. He laughed and proceeded to
explain.
"For five years," he said, "we worked incessantly hewing
the side of the mountain. At first we had to be let down by ropes
until we could cut for ourselves a foothold. We labored from
dawn to nightfall and slept at our places. Some of us did not
return to our homes for weeks at a time and had food lowered
to us in baskets. But Father Jahjah is a saint for whose sake
we are willing to risk anything. He and the engineer used to be
lowered down by a rope, too."
The laborer, in his simple words, had given the most eloquent
description of the character of the father of the project of Nahr
Kadishah. Here was a dynamic leader of the community, a priest
who sensed the needs of his people and led them by word and
example to constructive efforts. He realized the intense respect of
the people of that section of Lebanon for their clergy and directed
�».' I
22
THE SYRIAN WORLD
it to the improvement of their crying economic needs. I had been
told while at the Cedars that the fine modern hotel built there
even before the opening of the motor road was also made possible through the initiative of a Maronite priest of Bcharri. But
that is not all that can be told of the efforts of the Maronite
clergy along that line. A greater surprise was in store for me
upon my return to Bcharri that memorable Sunday of August 4.
At the northern entrance to the town, on a sharp bend in the
road of descent, we were stopped by Father Jahjah who had been
awaiting our return since early morning:
"It's an insult to pass through our town without giving us
an opportunity to break bread with you," he said, "Besides, our
Archbishop Antoun Arida is visiting us today and upon being
informed of your presence he expressed the wish to meet you."
Meeting the Archbishop I could not refuse, and I was led by
Father Jahjah to the modern home of that dignitary's sister
where he was staying.
I found the outer court full of people, while the spacious
reception hall within was packed to the door. Rising voices reaching the outside betrayed a heated discussion, and when I was
led to where the Archbishop was seated in the extreme center the
tumult was immediately hushed. The Archbishop led me to an
adjoining room for a private conversation.
From him I learned that this was a general meeting of the
stockholders of the Kadisha Hydroelectric Power Co., called to
discuss two important questions, viz: raising of the capital stock
from £75,000 to £100,000 and consideration of the proposition
to consolidate the Kadisha Company with a similar project known
as the Nahr Abu Ali Co., now controlled by the sheikhs Estephan, also of the North Lebanon district. The latter project was
organized to furnish power, while the former was chartered only
to furnish light. The market for both companies was the district
of North Lebanon and the city of Tripoli. So those fostering
the spirit of corporate enterprises in that Eastern land of traditional individual initiative proved still further the degree of
their progress along those lines by sponsoring the movement
for the merger of the two companies.
"This is our first attempt at corporate action, and we must
carry it on to success," they argued. "All the resources of our
country are being developed by foreign capital and management
because of our lack of co-operative effort. This being our first
attempt at a collective undertaking, we cannot under any circum-
�JANUARY, 1930
23
stances suffer it to fail. A merger will be positive insurance against
failure because of the economy in management and the substitution of co-operation for competition. We owe this not only to our
interest as stockholders but to our sense of self-respect and patriotism. Our failure in this will spell the doom of every future
collective enterprise undertaken independently by the natives. We
are under moral obligation to push on in the only logical course
open to us, which lies in a combination of the capital and management of both enterprises."
This argument carried the day for the proponents of the
merger. Archbishop Arida, who was the moving spirit in the
initial enterprise, was continued as honorary president of the
amalgamated companies.
The multiplying signs of this new spirit of co-operative enterprise were a revelation to me. I was more surprised to learn
that the pioneers in these new realms of Western principles were
members of the clergy. It was gratifying to witness that the
. efforts of these enlightened clerics, who have been from time
immemorial both the religious advisers and the political leaders
of this solidly Maronite section of Lebanon, were now directed
towards promoting the economic welfare of their people. To
me this was cogent proof of the contention that the crying need
of the East is intelligent, enlightened and unselfish leadership.
"How did you succeed in raising the necessary capital for
this project?" I inquired of the Archbishop. His answer was
much broader than my restricted question.
"You will realize," he said, "that if any co-operative effort
were to succeed in our section of the world its success is more
likely in the district of Northern Lebanon than anywhere else.
And we want to prove that such success is possible. The country
is ours and we should have first claim to the right of exploiting
its resources which are, at best, very meager. Foreigners should
step in only in case of our failure to carry out the work properly,
and this we are not willing to concede. We are a homogenous
people in these parts of Lebanon. We have held together for
centuries past in defense of our right to life and freedom of worship. Now we want to prove the same solidarity in the face of
economic danger. Our people are now awakening to the necessity of working together for constructive effort instead of mere
defense. We are determined to prove both our initiative and
our fitness.
"The Kadisha enterprise is 100 per cent, native in control
" — umnmmmm
�24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
and operation. The concessionnaire is Father Jahjah, one of my
priests. The engineer is Albert Naccash, one of our countrymen.
The capital was raised wholly by subscription from native sources.
Foreign interests did their utmost to impede our efforts, both
before the grant of the concession and after, but we would not
go down in ignominous defeat. It was our hope that those responsible for the shaping of our destinies would b« helpful to us
in our constructive efforts instead of placing all forms of hindrances in our way. But our hopes were an illusion. We now
have come to realize that they only want to exploit us for their
own benefit."
Archbishop Arida could not be induced to go into more explicit details of this "foreign interference." He would only
reiterate that it was evident in every enterprise that the natives
undertook. He mentioned another new project of his for the
manufacture of cement on the same lines that he had organized
the hydroelectric undertaking, and asserted that before being
granted the concession he was subjected to the most determined
interference. The supposed reasons for this policy on the part
of "foreign interest" I was to get later from other sources.
In the meantime, I listened to the Archbishop's account of
how he was able to raise capital for the Kadisha project.
"America has had a telling influence in the shaping of our
destinies," he resumed. "We owe her not only a large part of
our working capital but the credit for bolstering up our spirit of
initiative as well. And think not that I am complimenting America because of her being the land of your adoption. The people
of this very town, Bcharri, were the first Syrians to migrate to
America, and their enterprise has resulted not only in benefit to
themselves but to their home town also. We were able to draw
on the citizens of Bcharri abroad for a considerable amount of
our capital, and we feel confident that we can draw on them for
a good deal more once they realize that they can profitably invest
in their homeland. We are also hoping that they would return
to further benefit the country by their wealth of commercial and
industrial experience. Some of them have already done so. You
must have noticed, while coming up the mountain at the parting
of the road near Tripoli, the large, modern factory building on
the coast. Well, that represents not only American capital but
American industrial methods also. The owners are emigrants
from this section who returned to study manufacturing possibilities here and concluded that they were justified in establish-
�JANUARY, 1930
25
ing a textile mill utilizing the products of the land in silk, cotton
and wool. Their modern methods brought them success and they
will be enabled to effect further economies, and consequently
earn more profits, when we supply them with cheap electric
power."
I felt that the Archbishop spoke with good economic sense,
and being unwilling to further keep him away from his stockholders' meeting, I took leave to join the engineer of the Kadisha Company who was to conduct me on a tour of inspection
through the plant, situated on the outskirts of the town.
The plant consists of a huge stone building with two generators and a control room in the rear. The water descends through
a 600-meter pipe having a perpendicular fall of 275 meters. In
the so-called dry season, the power generating capacity is 1200
H. P., while in the abundant or flood season, comprising eight
months of the year, the capacity is on a basis of 3600 H. P. With
the consolidation of the Kadisha and Abu Ali companies the total
capacity will rise to 10,000 H. P. This is more than ample for
the light and power needs of the section.
Mr. Naccash, the engineer, was bitter against the French and
outspoken in his condemnation of their tactics of opposition to
native enterprise. I learned from him that which the Archbishop
had alluded to only guardedly. While I am not accepting his explanation of conditions as being true in toto, I can conscientiously
state that the grumbling against the petty, obstructive tactics of
the French were evident in all parts of Lebanon and Syria, particularly in the district of North Lebanon which is considered
the bulwark of French influence in the country.
Here is the gist of the complaint, whose warp is politics
and woof is economics.
"French interests have heavy investments in Syria and Lebanon, and for that reason wish the continuation of the occupation. There is in France, on the other hand, a strong faction
opposing this policy because of its strain on the national budget.
To create, therefore, as strong a sentiment as possible for the
policy of occupation, French officials are working assiduously and
systematically to increase the investment of French capital in the
country, and to that end, they place every hindrance in the way
of native projects in order to make way for the employment of
French capital. In such eventuality there would be justification
for the continuation of French occupation, and the swarms of
French officials now finding lucrative employment in Syria would
i
�»>:>.^.gi—loiiai
26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
feel secure in their jobs. Besides, Syria's strategic value to France
would be safeguarded by the increase of invested capital."
Apart from the difficulties placed in the way of native projects
in North Lebanon, the accusers of the French charge that this
studied policy of impediment on their part is also the real cause
for the continued delay in beginning work on the truly gigantic
project of deflecting the course of the Orontes river in the interior of Syria. This scheme was proposed several years ago and
had been hailed as the greatest step for the economic rehabilitation of the country. The Orontes is the largest river of Syria
and was once navigable for a considerable distance. Hence the
importance of the ancient city of Antioch, once the rival of Rome.
The English, previous to the opening of the Suez Canal, had
seriously considered opening a water route to India by widening
the Orontes and connecting it by eanal with the Euphrates. It
can be reasonably deduced, therefore, that a river of such size
can be employed to irrigate immense areas whose productivity is
curtailed by lack of water. This is made impracticable at present
owing to the great depth of the valley through which the river
flows almost the whole length of its course. Water for drinking
purposes and for partial irrigation is drawn in many places by
water-wheels, which are most numerous in the city of Hama.
While if a dam were built near the source of the Orontes, and
its course deflected so that it may run in irrigation canals in the
vast plains which are now arid, immense wealth would accrue
to the country from the development of its greatest latent resources, namely agriculture.
The reason for the delay in carrying out this irrigation scheme,
as it was explained to me in the course of my discussion of the
economic problems of the country with many leading men, was
that the French had not an irrigation engineer big enough to
qualify for the job, and rather than entrust the task to the English, who have many competent specialists in this line, they preferred to hold it in abeyance regardless of the country's welfare.
Whether these accusations be true or not, they represent, nevertheless, the current native opinion of the economic policy of
the French in the territory under mandate. The French are
openly charged with a systematic attempt to stifle all native initiative in the economic field.
But the success of the hydroelectric project of North Lebanon, not to mention numerous lesser enterprises being undertaken in all sections of the country, proves that the Syrians are
1
�JANUARY, 1930
27
determined to shape their own destinies in the way of economic
rehabilitation. Furthermore, they are marchalling for the task
the strength that comes from collective effort. Such evidences
of co-operative action were never before so evident in the East.
It is the sign of a revolutionary change in the character of the
people which is pregnant with immeasurable possibilities.
Advice to a Lover
By LABEEBEE A. J. HANNA
Keep heaping coal on the fire
Or else it will go out:
The fire of love needs fuel,
Or else it will go out!
Keep nearest to your loved one,
If you would have her love youj
Take a walk in the moonlight,—
Gaze at stars above you.
Keep thinking of your loved one,
And she will think of you.
Even if you go away:
Just write a line or two.
Keep heaping coal on the fire
Or else it will go out:
The fire of love needs fuel,
If it must not go out!
(/
i
�.
2€
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The Master-Builder
By
DR. SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
^H, Master-Builder, sayest thou the task is done,
And wouldst have the king survey the house thou hast built for
him and his posterity?
Wouldst have him mount its roof, and from that dizzy height
observe and speak his praises and thanks?
Wouldst have him view his city at his feet, a crowned queen,
stately, fair and rich;
The plains beyond—a page in nature's Diwan, illumed with gold
and emerald;
The river, crowded with a thousand sail, washing the feet of
yonder cloud-beturbaned mount?
Be it so, Master-Builder!
Tis as my heart would have it—praise be unto Allah!
My gratitude to thee, Master-Builder,
For hath not thy hand also engraved my name on nature's page
in terms gigantic,
So, when king and builder are no more
And time unfolds the future's breast,
Wrhen in the streets the fall of stranger's feet resound,
And in their dusty crevices strangers' voices stir the echoes
They may see and read my name?
Dost envy me?
Nay, Master-Builder, begrudge me not this!
I have watched thee at thy work—
I've seen the daughters of thy imagining spring to life,
And watched thy hand unveil their charms and robe them in
splendour:
And as higher and more spacious grew the noble pile,
As halls spread out their wings and towers their heads reared high,
As angle emphasized a curve and arch to pillar added grace,
As massiveness seemed to enhance the charms of slenderness,
As strength with beauty vied,
Master-Builder, I envied thee.
I
�n
JANUARY, 1930
29
But what of thy boast in market-place,
Of a keystone for destruction thou hast arranged,
Which, once displaced, reduces all this wondrous work to ruin.
Is it true, Master-Builder?
Hast thou no other loves than for reward,
Seest nought in a child but service for his sire?
Nay, Master-Builder, but thou hast erred!
He who builds should ne'er of ruin think except to guard
against it,
And, a Builder once, to die while still one 'twere better!
Thy reward?
To save thee from thyself, Master-Builder.
The king hath spoken.
The Two Learned Men
By
KAHLIL GIBRAN
Once there lived in the ancient city of Afkar two learned
men who hated and belittled each other's learning. For one of
them denied the existence of the gods and the other was a believer.
One day the two met in the market-place, and amidst their
followers they began to dispute and to argue about the existence
or the non-existence of the gods. And after hours of contention
they parted.
That evening the unbeliever went to the temple and prostrated himself before the altar and prayed the gods to forgive his
wayward past.
And the same hour the other learned man, he who had upheld the gods, burned his sacred books. For he had become an
unbeliever.
�30
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The Last Leaf
V
By MISCHA NAIMV
QN a lonely bough
- Of a lonely tree
Sits a lonely leaf
Lost in reverie. .
While the sky is but one heaving,
Grim, unending cloud j
And the wind is deftly weaving
For the earth a shroud.
Neighbors, friends and mates
Left her long ago.
None came back to tell
Of the world below.
Nightingales no longer flutter
Gaily round her bed.
Only ravens come to utter
Dirges o'er her head.
Dry is now the breast
Whence she sucked the sap;
Frozen now and cold
Is her mother's lap.
Yet she neither joys, nor sorrows,
But serenely sways,
Knowing that all her to-morrows
Are but yesterdays.
For upon her face,
Shrivelled though and wet,—
As within her heart,—
All the seasons met.
�JANUARY, 19 SO
31
The Ahleyah School of Beirut
u
}
i
By
AMEEN RIHANI
of the mysteries of life is that calamities are not without
0 NE
compensations; and of the compensations of the calamity of
Syria during the World War is one which continues in its benefits to grow and spread. It started like a candle lighting a little
circle of education and developed in ten years to a torch of enlightenment in a nation.
And this is due to a Syrian woman is whose heart God kindled
the fire of true patriotism—the patriotism that combines the love
of country with the love of humanity—and endowed her with
an inexhaustible energy and an undying faith.
Marie Kassab, a peerless daughter of Syria, carries high the
lighted torch and goes forth bravely in the interest of knowledge
and education.
When darkness came upon Syria during the War, the foreign
schools in the country were closed, and Marie Kassab realized
the opportunity, saw the compensation in the calamity.—The day
has come when we must cease to be the beneficiaries of foreign
education.
She took the burden—a divine calling—upon herself and
started to teach a few small boys and girls in her own home.
The few very soon increased and the class became a regular
school, which she called the Ahleyah, or National School.
But a school can not exist without a house. The native teacher
appealed to the Turkish authorities at that time and succeeded
after some difficulties in realizing her desire. The Ahleyah School
occupied the house of the English Schools for Girls in Beirut.
It was not, however, in the manner of British occupation. For
the English Principal returned after the War to reopen the
School, and Marie Kassab had to give up the house. Were it not
for her indomitable purpose, her energy and faith, she might
have also given up the struggle.
The English lady said to the Syrian: Now that we have reopened our School there is no longer any need for yours, and
you should transfer your pupils to ours.
The Syrian lady replied: No, Madame. The war has
�32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
taught us and tried us, and we should depend upon ourselves
for the education of our boys and girls.
And she went out to look for another house for her school.
The second house was also an English property—the property of
a Scotch Mission—and when she rented it from the agent, she
hoped that she could hold it forever.
Marie Kassab, therefore, summoned all her resolution and
faith in the will to purchase the house. Her School was becoming very popular and she saw no reason why this popularity cannot be materialized. With text book and tackle she went forth.
—Blessed are the benefactors who opened their purses to her.
"Miss Kassab's School," says Dr. Bayard Dodge, President
of the American University of Beirut, "is the best example that
I know of what the people of this country can do to help themseivse."
Marie Kassab purchased the house, which soon became too
small for her rapidly growing school. So, she added an extension to it, thereby adding to her financial worries. But she did
not despair. Difficulties doubled her energy and sharpened her
resolution.
She came to Egypt, where the Syrians and Lebanese responded to her appeal; and a month later, returning to Beirut, she
bought the building and the property around it, which are now
the legal and permanent estate of the Ahleyah School.
And the work goes on in its development and progress. But
so many are the applicants—even from Egypt and Palestine and
Iraq many girls seek this national fountain in Beirut—that a new
worry has come upon Marie Kassab. She is reluctant to refuse
and she is reluctant to accept; for in the first instance she would
be denying the benefits of education to hundreds of young girls,
and in the second she would be crowding her school and rendering it less efficient.
But geniuses do not readily surrender to difficulties. A new
thought sometimes suffices for a new victory. Marie Kassab
crossed one sea—she came from Beirut to Cairo—and her school
acquired the ownership of one building. Now she crosses two
seas—she comes from Beirut to the United States—that the one
building might become two or three.
�A FLOURISHING NATIVE SCHOOL
A partial view of the campus of the Ahleyah School for Girls in Beirut,
showing students in trim uniform during recreation period.
PHYSICAL TRAINING FOR SYRIAN GIRLS
Exercises at the Ahleyah School for Girls in Beirut conducted by a competent instructor along modern methods.
I 7U
��JANUARY, 1930
33
The Strange Case of Hassan
and Husna
t
!
AN ARABIAN NIGHTS' STORY
(Translated from the Arabic Original.)
["HERE once lived in Baghdad a comely youth by the name of
Hassan who owned a slave-girl the like of whom there was
to be found none other in all the world. Her name was Husna,
and not only was she surpassingly beautiful, but she was gifted
with an exceedingly dulcet voice and had mastered the art of
music to such a point that hardly could it be imagined within
the gift of mortals. And her master was of such appreciative
soul that he prized her possession beyond all other perishable
things. He devoted himself exclusively to her and could not
bear parting with her for the shortest length of time. And although at the time he came into possession of her he was exceedingly rich, he neglected all his affairs and spent lavishly on her
maintenance, so that soon he was reduced to a dire condition of
want. When he awoke to the realization of his state the day
turned into night in his eyes and he gave himself into weeping
and lamenting over his unhappy lot.
During his affluence he could count his friends bv the score,
but once his plight became known he was evaded and shunned,
and all the help he could expect of his pseudo-friends was that
of oral advice. Claiming not to have the means to assist him
financially, they counseled him to sell his slave-girl as the only
way out of his difficulties, but he preferred death to parting with
her. Still he could not let her starve, even though he himself
was willing to undergo the direst privations, because his love for
her was too great to let her suffer. He reasoned that it would
not be love, but selfishness of the basest sort, to have the one he
held so dearly suffer for his sake, and as the result of his own
foolish prodigality. And when he came to her with tears in his
eyes and informed her of the advice of his friends, he found
her not unwilling to approve of this solution. "Because," she
said, "you can never bear having me sing for the entertainment
of strangers as a means of profit, due to your intense jealousy;
�34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
whereas if I were to be offered for sale, none but a rich man
could afford to buy me because of my accomplishments, and the
price is bound to be large, and it will insure your comfort to
such extent that I would feel sufficiently compensated for the
anguish of your loss."
Realizing there was no other solution to his predicament, he
finally consented to the sale, and took her to the public slave market, where she was heatedly bid for by many anxious aspirants
to her possession. In the end she fell to the lot of a rich Hashimite of Al-Basra, who paid for her the high sum of one thousand five hundred dinars.
Although he had received for his slave-girl a fabulous price,
Hassan was disconsolate over her loss. He could not return to
his own residence because of the many associations in it which
reminded him of her. And in his distracted condition he wandered about the streets until the time of the evening prayer,
when he happened to be in the neighborhood of a mosque, which
he entered in the hope of finding some spiritual consolation. He
was exhausted by his sorrow and and long wanderings, and
placing the bag of money on the ground, he rested his head on
it and soon fell asleep.
It was early morning when he awoke, only to find that a
stranger had snatched the bag from under his head and was about
to make away with it. He attempted to follow him, but discovered that his feet had been tied, and before he could undo the
knot the stranger had made his get-away and disappeared in the
tortuous alleys of the great city.
This proved the last straw in the load of his misfortunes,
and in his despair he attempted to do away with himself. Bent
on carrying out this resolve, he directed his steps toward the
Tigris where he hesitated but for a minute to bind a kerchief
around his eyes, and then plunged into the water.
But fate had written that he should be saved. Some passers-by
had seen him fall into the water and hastened to his rescue, not
doubting that he had fallen by accident. But he protested that
he wanted to die and recounted to them the whole story of his
misfortunes, whereupon some pitied and some blamed. An old
man, however, took him aside and began to scold him for his
lack of trust in the justice of Allah ; "Thou art not the first to
lose his fortune. And dost thou not realize that thy condition
is the creation of thine own folly? Why, then, despair: Thou
wouldst not only lose thy life and possible future worldly pleas-
�/
JANUARY, 1930
35
ures, but thou wouldst also gain for thyself the eternal tortures
of Gehennam by such a rash deed."
This had the effect of bringing him to his senses, and he
promised the kindly old man not to make any further attempts
at self-destruction. But return to his house and the scene of his
former joy and affluence he could not, and he resolved upon
migrating to another city, far away from anything that could
remind him of his former condition. And he again sought the
river bank and borrowed from a compassionate friend the pitiable
sum of fifty dirhams aand awaited a ship that would sail for
Wasit, midway between Baghdad and Al-Basra.
Now it happened that a ship was about ready to sail for his
destination and he sought the captain and asked him for passage.
He was told that the ship was privately owned and not in the
passenger traffic, but if he would pay a certain sum and disguise
himself as a sailor, he would be permitted to go aboard.
Hassan was so desperate as to be willing to go to any extreme,
and he readily consented to buy a sailor's garb and pay the sum
required. But how great was his astonishment when he discovered that the owner of the ship was none other than the buyer of
his beloved Husna. He then thanked Allah for His great mercy
in having spared his life.
Presently a feast was spread and a curtain raised behind
which the slave-girl was placed and asked to sing. But she was
in the most dejected mood, and only after the most earnest solicitations could she be induced to take up her oud and sing a
refrain. And this song was of the most plaintive nature, so that
she had no sooner finished than she fell in a swoon and could
be revived only with difficulty. Seeing which, Hassan was so
overcome with emotion that he himself fell to the deck in a faint,
and no sooner was he brought to his senses than the owner of the
ship asked of his captain, "How could you permit a demented
man among the crew? Throw him overboard." This had the
effect of sobering Hassan so that he comported himself thereafter
with more restraint, until the ship sailed far away from Baghdad
and was being carried by the stream swiftly towards Al-Basra.
Towards evening, the merry company had feastad and drunk
and so reveled at the exotic strains of Husna's music and the
enchantment of her voice, that they decided to land on an inviting spot on the shore where they could roll merrily on the grass
and have the open spaces of the country as a stage for their
hilarity. They were away for several hours, during which time
�36
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Hassan seized on the opportunity to arrange the strings of the
oud in a manner known only to himself and to Husna, and he
then repaired to the sailors' quarters.
When, upon their return, they again asked Husna to sing
and she took up the oud and felt its strings, she uttered a strange
cry and swore that her former master was even then with them,
as only he could have arranged the oud in the manner in which
she found it.. And her new master then said: "If what you say
be true, we shall only be too happy to have him as a boon companion, for then you will be in a better mood to give us the best
of your art, and we shall be exceedingly glad."
The master then asked his captain if he had taken any stranger
on board, and before the latter could reply Hassan made his
presence known, and the master said to him: "Know, my son,
that I am a man to whom Allah has been most generous. He
has given me not only material wealth but the spirit of contentment. And I swear to thee that I have not known Husna, nor
have I bought her as a concubine. Now if thou wilt only consent to let her entertain me and my friends by her song, from
behind a curtain, we shall feel amply satisfied, and I shall give
her back unto thee and join thee with her in marriage and thou
wilt be relieved of all want."
Hassan was overjoyed at this turn of fortune, so was Husna
who now began to pour out her melodies with such emotion that
the whole company was transported with ecstasy, while Hassan
urged her on all the more by suggesting new songs and airs
which she rendered in the most perfect manner.
Thus the first night was spent, in a steady ship gliding softly
over the smooth waters of the Tigris, with the low-hanging
moon casting its silvery reflections over sail and sea and lending
an air of sweet mystery to the enchanted scene. A cool breeze
inflated the sails and carried the ship in a steady motion, and the
soft swish of the water only added to the beauty of the music.
Hassan had all this, together with his meeting again with his
beloved Husna, to induce him to indulge in drink, so that towards
morning he had almost lost possession of his senses and felt as
one living in another world.
As a matter of fact, the whole company was in a similar
state, and being bent on making more merry in every manner
conceivable, whether there was reason for their actions or not,
they decided on making another landing, and this time Hassan
also went along.
f
�JANUARY, 1930
37
Now it so happened that Hassan detached himself from his
companions, and being heavily under the influence of liquor, he
laid himself on the cool grass and fell asleep. When he awoke
his friends had departed and there was no trace left of either
them or their ship.
Hassan was desolate. He cursed his luck and foreswore drink.
For what greater misery could befall him coming after such good
fortune? He had sought death and found life, and no sooner
had he felt his grip tighten on it than it slipped from his hands.
But now Hassan saw in life a ray of hope. Husna was not
lost to him forever as he had at first imagined. For had not her
master given her back unto him on the most generous of conditions? All that he now had to do was to seek Husna and her
master, and to that task he resolved to dedicate the rest of his
life.
He hailed a passing ship and begged for transportation to
Al-Basra. Once there, he roamed the streets in the hope of finding the rich Hashimite who bought his slave-girl, but only met
with failure. He entered a store to buy some provisions with
what little money he had left.
Now the storekeeper was of a kindly disposition and took an
interest in him, and Hassan complained to him of his misfortune,
and told him he was a stranger in the city without funds, but took
care to conceal from him the true circumstances of his plight.
Seeing that Hassan was of good education and beautiful handwriting, the storekeeper offered him employment and showed
otherwise in him genuine fatherly interest. After the lapse of
a month, the storekeeper found that Hassan had caused him considerable savings by his honesty and accuracy, and he became
greatly attached to him, so that at the end of a year he took him
in partnership and gave him his only daughter in marriage.
But Hassan was not reconciled to his new condition; he still
longed for his beloved Husna aand hoped some day to find her.
He seemed only to live with that object in view.
One day the streets began to fill with crowds carrying palms
and candles in a form of religious celebration. Hassan was moved
by a strange feeling and inquired about the nature of the event,
and was told that it was the Palm Sunday of the Christians.
Something vaguely told him that among the surging multitude
he would find his beloved, or a trace of her, and he asked leave
of his father-in-law for the day.
--
�38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Hassan went home and dressed in his best. He then joined
the crowds and began to scan their faces, and very shortly his
search was rewarded by meeting the very same company with
whom he had traveled from Baghdad that fateful night in which
he was lost.
"Praised be Allah!" exclaimed the rich Hashimite who had
bought Hassan's slave-girl. "Our happiness at finding you cannot be limited within bounds. We had given you up for dead,
believing you had been drowned in attempting to regain the ship.
And how pitiful was the condition of Husna upon realizing your
disappearance! She absolutely refused to be consoled. She donned the dress of mourning and sat day and night weeping by a
semblance of a grave. Hasten now to her that she might rejoice
at finding you still alive."
The meeting of the two lovers was most pathetic. Husna
raised a great cry of surprise upon seeing Hassan and swooned.
She was revived with difficulty by the sprinkling of rose water.
Now the Hashimite requested Hassan to remain in the company of Husna and never to leave her again, and Hassan forthwith returned to his father-in-law, the storekeeper, and having
explained to him all the strange circumstances of his life, divorced
his daughter and returned to live in happiness and peace with
his beloved Husna.
Arab Wisdom
Let your faith be above your knowledge; your deeds greater
than your words, and your dress below your rank.
There are four manifestations of ignorance: To show anger
when displeased j to associate with evil company j to plead poverty to one equally poor, and to meddle in matters not of one's
concern.
The truly wise is he who receives the censure of the adviser
more readily than the praise of the flatterer.
�.
JANUARY, 1930
The Wager
A SHORT STORY
By
AREF EL-KHOURY
P)AMASCUS lay squatted on the plane, its stone walls giving
the appearance of bas-relief on emerald-green, deep sea Chinese majolica among the overlapping orchards and gardens; and
up on the balcony of the Victoria Hotel, a group of Syrian-American girls stood looking at the panorama. Suddenly Edna spoke:
"That dragoman took us to every place in the city except
that section behind the big railway station."
"Every place worth seeing," commented Ruth.
'Of course he knew best," added Mary, the self-appointed
guardian for the group.
"Well," answered Edna," I am going to explore it,—and
how!"
"It may be the dirtiest section in Damascus; better be careful, dear," came Mary's advice.
"You may go, but how about your coming back?" asked Ruth,
allowing a sardonic, bravado smile to pass across her crimson lips.
"I am old and wise enough to take care of myself."
"I'll bet you a dollar that you won't venture five yards behind the avenue, over there," said Ruth.
"Who—I? Show the color of your money, baby," said Edna
with enthusiasm.
Ruth opened her compact and took out a powdered dollar
and handed it to Mary. Edna did likewise.
"But remember," Mary added, "our cars will leave for Beirut in about thirty minutes."
"These drivers will never know what punctuality means. If
we are on time, they are late," Edna flung this back over her
shoulder as she departed in the direction of the station.
"She was a fool and I made a bigger fool out of myself when
I let her go," said Mary regretfully.
"Don't let that worry you; she is exactly as the Arabs say
I
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
'Throw her in the sea and she will emerge with a fish in her
mouth,' " philosophized Ruth.
Edna reached the first alley leading into the residential section, and soon developed a feeling of suspicion that perhaps the
dragoman may have been correct in leaving this area out of his
itinerary. As the alleys became narrow and twisted and surrounded by high walls, she quickened her steps until she reached
a market place. Continuing ahead, she passed market after market until she was in the western section of the Straight, not far
from the Inn of the Cheese. Hesitating momentarily, she was
suddenly confronted by a slender youth.
Edna now realized that this was no place for a self-respecting girl to be. Presently a tall figure left the cafe on the opposite
side and ran toward her, and the youth made an effort to stop
him. A throng soon gathered around them, rogues, half-naked
urchins, half-caste girls, and lawless women. Edna looked around
for help, but the khaki uniform of the Damascus police was
not to be seen. The tall man unceremoniously seized her by the
hand to lead her away, brushing the youth away with a gesture
of impatience.
The youth backed away to a vegetable stand and began pelt ing his adversary with whatever came to hand. A true Damascus
street battle was soon in full swing as men and women sided
with this or the other. In the excitement Edna attempted to
escape, but the milling crowd blocked her way.
At the end of the street appeared two horsemen.
"Let us watch the battle," suggested one, a native of Damascus by the name of Mahmud.
"Great," answered Walter Ayoub, who was his classmate at
the American University of Beirut, and of Syrian parents born
in America.
"Look," they exclaimed simultaneously and spurred their
mounts through the milling crowd. Mahmud struck with his
bamboo wand the latest man to seize Edna while Walter lifted
her to his saddle. Mahmud faced the throng and shouted:
"Whelps, terriers, mastiffs, go to your kennels or Wallah! I shall
make seives out of your bodies." Recognizing a scion of one of
the leading families of the city they slunk away.
"Where to, Madam?" asked Walter as Mahmud hailed a
\ I
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I I!
/
S
I!
/
�41
JANUARY, 1930
k
/
1
1
*
/
carriage, which seemed to appear magically at the wave of his
bamboo wand.
"To the Victoria, and I certainly am much obliged to you
both," replied Edna, as Walter and Mahmud saw her safely
out of the district.
"Well! That's that," said Walter as they watched the cab
disappear.
A few minutes later Walter, with a suddenness which Mahmud could never understand, spurred his mount and clashed off.
Mahmud followed with astonishment until they approached the
Victoria, when a knowing smile passed over his face. At the
hotel they were told that the girls had already left for Beirut.
"We must go. 1 forgot to tell her something," said Walter.
"Are you in earnest or is this another of your crazy American ideas?" asked Mahmud.
"Earnest: Yes! This is serious. We must rush."
Together they galloped to the home of Mahmud, where the
latter directed his Armenian chauffeur to bring out the Rolls.
Walter brushed him aside and took the wheel with the remark
that this was a time for some one to drive who could drive. They
overtook the girls near the frontier of Lebanon.
"Come here, sister," said Walter, singling Edna from the
group, "I forgot to tell you something."
"Oh!"
"Come," he insisted and held out his arms.
"Say, Ruth, I won my bet," said Edna, smiling over Walter's
shoulder.
"Just as I said—Throw her into the sea and she wouid come
out with a—Oh! I must buy you a wedding present."
Mahmud shook his head. "These Americans!!!"
THE GREATEST OF THESE IS CHARITY
By
ALICE MCGEORGE
No matter if the day be short, the sun be garmented in grey,
Sweet Charity will fill each hour with plenteous kindly deeds
Today.
No matter if the rainbow bright, fades out at setting of the sun,
Sweet Charity will pierce the clouds, and through the rift
God smile: "Well done."
11
�""" '- —-—-
42
THE SYRIAN WORLD
EDITORIAL COMMENT
BEAUTY CONTESTS
THEY are now introducing
beauty contests and all other
forms of modernistic practices
in the East. The stronghold of
conservatism seems to be gradually giving way to European
and American innovations. Under the circumstances, the logical question imposing itself is:
How far will these modern
fads go, and how long will they
last? Coming, as they do, as
the immediate result of the
World War, will they be just
a fleeting phenomenon or will
rhey take a permanent hold on
the people and produce a genuine change in their manners
md customs? These are relevant questions that cannot be
massed lightly.
It is well to ponder the nature of the transformation now
taking place. Indeed, while this
transformation encompasses the
whole manifestations of the
people's life, it is most significant and noticeable in the social
sphere. The first barriers to
crumble before the onslaught
of modernism seem to be those
of human relationship.
Heralding the coming of the
new order was the tendency to
discard the veil. In Turkey the
transition was sudden and complete, while in Egypt, Syria and
other countries of the Near East
coming more or less under
European influence, the struggle for emancipation is being
waged vigorously by the disciples of modernism, with all
the odds in their favor so far.
It seems but a question of time,
say another decade or the coming of another generation, when
the old social order in the East
will be history.
What seems to overshadow
anything else as an indication
of this transformation is not the
change in garb, but rather the
change in the viewpoint of the
status of women in the East.
The. traditional viewpoint was
that women were created for
the home, and to that capacity
they have been heretofore restricted. Hence the harem and
the veil and absolute seclusion.
When, considering the traditional strictness of these social
customs, we find the women of
the East now engaging in beauty
contests, openly and with no
apparent compunction, then the
term "radical" would seem conservative in describing the
change.
With the sanction of Mustapha Kamal Pasha, a Turkish
newspaper recently launched
a beauty contest in which hundreds of Turkish young wo-
\ W
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�JANUARY, 1930
i
men participated. And be it remembered that all these were
Moslem young women who
have discarded the veil only a
few years since. Modernism is
certainly making rapid strides
in Turkey.
But let us concede that Turkey is an exceptional case; that
the modernization policy of
Mustapha Kamal would place
nationalism above religion, and
in an effort to more quickly Europeanize the Turkish nation,
would force these new methods
on an otherwise reluctant population regardless of tradition or
moral code.
But what about Egypt where
the dramatic arts are flourishing as never before, and where
illustrated publications are full
of photographic reproductions
of native beauties, and where a
native moving picture industry
is fast developing along the
most advanced Western lines?
Then, too, we have the case
of Syria, hitherto the stronghold of conservatism, where
there seems to be no objection
taken to the launching of a national beauty contest. Rather,
the objection taken was to the
choice of Miss Lebanon from
among the Parisian colony,
whereas the contention is held
that the choice should be from
among resident Lebanese. They
seem to vie for the honor.
Considering these develop-
43
ments, the logical deduction
would be that the East is undergoing a modernistic craze, something of the nature of indulgence to excess after a long period of forced abstention, as
otherwise it would be expected
that transition be slower and
more orderly.
But the Arabic East is bound
to check itself in due course of
time. The novelty of these indulgences will wear off sooner
or later and the effect of centuries of tradition will compel
a more rational and conventional course. The East, it is true,
cannot escape adopting some of
Europe's customs and Europe's
ways, but not to the extent of a
complete change of its character. A middle course will be
found which will be neither
wholly Western nor altogether
traditionally Eastern. The East
will profit by these evolutionary
tendencies to develop a character all its own.
ON THE NATURE OF
CURSING
THE BRITISH authorities
in Palestine have deemed it
necessary to hold cursing a misdemeanor punishable by a
heavy fine. In this they are
actuated not by a desire for
moral reform but by purely
political motives. Theirs is a
hard task keeping Arabs and
Jews at peace, and in their study
�*""—-"-••
44
of the basic causes of enmity
between the two factions they
have introduced the anti-cursing
ordinance as a possible deterrent from, further trouble. How
this apparently simple measure
can effect the maintenance of
law and order may be better
understood when the [nature of
cursing in the East is explained.
It may be held axiomatic that
the nature of cursing denotes
a people's character and trend
of thought.While these remarks
ar& not intended as a scholarly
dissertation on the subject, a
few illustrations are bound to
be helpful in drawing a conclusion.
While all cursing is intended
as an expression of contempt, it
is expressed in different terms
among different peoples. The
English invoke God's damnation, or otherwise address an insulting remark directly to the
person involved. The French,
in their anger, call one a pig or
a beast. But in all cases the insult is personal and very rarely
is anyone implicated other
than he who is directly concerned. In the East, however,
one is not cursed himself, but
his religion is, or something
pertaining thereto which he
holds sacred. Hence the Prophet, or his beard, or the holy
places, or the cross, or heaven
itself are showered with imprecations, while the one at whom
THE SYRIAN WORLD
the curse is directed personally
escapes.
One of the most ready excuses in the East for collecting
an angry crowd or inciting to
attack is to accuse one of having
cursed another's religion.
Consequently, because religion in the East is held in such
sacredness, a devilement of it is
calculated to hurt one in his
most vulnerable
sensibility.
Especially does this apply to
the land which has given birth
to so many religions, and which
has been, and still is, the subject
of so much contention for none
else than purely religious motives. An Emir of M. Lebanon,
over a hundred years ago, realized the benefits of such a policy
and ordered every one heard
uttering a curse fined a quarter
of a Mejidi. A certain elderly
person noted for his profanity
restrained himself as much as
he could, then called a law officer and said: "Here is a whole
Mejidi—I must relieve myself.
The words in my throat are
choking me."
The British would lessen
causes of dissension among the
people of Palestine by an effort
to stamp out cursing. It is to be
hoped that they will succeed in
this effort, as they would be
changing the very character of
the people even jwithout offering a substitute for the expression of one's anger.
V
}
f
i
Ir
�%
45
JANUARY, 1930
Spirit of the Syrian Press
vl
I
Under this caption we hope to present from time to time a microcosmie
picture of the Arabic press, not only in this country, but wherever Arabic
dailies and magazines reflect the opinions of responsible, thinking writers
who are treating the different problems that confront the Arabic-speaking
world from all conceivable angles. Needless to say, we will take no part in
the discussions reproduced, nor assume any responsibility. Our task will
simply consist in selecting, to the best of our knowledge and with utmost
sincerity, what we think is representative of the public opinion aa expressed
in these editorials.
Editor.
BRITISH JUSTICE
NON-EXISTENT
When the British Government
sent its commission of investigation
to Palestine, it gave it explicit instructions not to invade the realm
of politics, but to confine its activities to the ascertainment of the
causes of the disturbances. The commission went to Palestine, then returned to England, without accomplishing anything of consequence,
and a full month has now passed
without it presenting its report on
the main causes of the uprising. The
reason for this delay is quite plain:
the British Government wants to
temporize in an effort to smooth
over matters by delay, as it cannot
be in ignorance of the real causes of
the uprising, which are the Balfour
declaration and the encroachment of
the Jews on the rights of the original inhabitants of the country.
If Great Britain wished to settle
the Palestine question in a true spirit
of justice it would not have found
it necessary to send a commission of
investigation to the country, because
self-evident facts should not be held
subject to inquiry. But England had
/already committed herself to a prom-
,
5l
ise of a national homeland to the
Jews and she feels loath to break
her promise, especially because the
Jews are financially and politically
strong, while her own interests require that she maintain a strong
foothold in that part of the world.
It follows that "British Justice"
is a myth and all hope for its operation a dream. Proof of this is in
the fact that no sooner had the commission of inquiry completed its
labors than England proposed the
appointment of an international commission in which there would be no
British representation, and this even
before the publication of the findings
of the special commission sent to
Palestine. In truth, we fail to understand the reason for all these manoeuvres when there should be no
question of self-evident facts. But
Great Britain, like all other colonial
powers, uses the well-known strategy
of dilatory tactics to gain her ends,
and when she fails in this she has
recourse to fire and sword, mean*
while accusing those who seek liberty and justice of being savages
and barbarians.
,
This has been the bane of Palestine
and all other Arab countries who
have the misfortune of being under
�46
mandate. It follows that our dependence on "British Justice" will avail
us no more than if we depended on
the very devil. On this point we
wish to make ourselves clear and
do not hesitate to state that "British
Justice" exists only in. Britain, and
applies only to the British people.
The same may be said of French
justice and French liberty. These
Colonial powers acknowledge justice and liberty only in their own
lands and among their own peoples
but abroad they interpret these virtues into oppression, treachery and
injustice. They believe that all nonEuropean nations should be held
under subjugation and prevented by
all possible means from rising and
progressing, while the irony of the
situation is that these self-same
European nations seize their preys
on the pretext of civilizing these
peoples and preparing them for the
task of independence and self-government.
Such is tiie truth, whole and unadulterated-, and it follows that if
we were to appeal to the so-called
"British Justice", we would be in
the position of htm who has recourse
from the heat of the sun to the fire.
Because both Britisher and Jew are
in league against us and our country: the first with the object of affirming his foothold in Palestine
under the pretext of protecting the
Jew, and the second with the object
of seizing our country under the
protection of Britain. Let us then
forget all about this misapplied
"British Justice", for even though it
may be tangible and real in Great
Britain, it is but a farce and a lie
in Palestine as well as in other similarly weak countries.
Our brothers in the homeland are
awakened to the realization of this
truth and learned to place no more
THE SYRIAN WORLD
trust in this counterfeit "British
Justice" in the attainment of their
just aspirations. For this reason they
have resolved upon boycotting the
new commission which His British
Majesty proposes to send to Palestine for investigating the question
of the Wailing Wall, as if Moslem
sacred places were public property
subject to adjudication. This new
move, indeed, is but another BritishJewish plot to distract attention
from the real causes under controversy.
"Nothing like your own nail will
scratch your skin" says our Arabic
adage, and our dependence upon the
benevolence of this one or the other
for the attainment of our rights of
liberty and honorable existence is
manifestly wrong. Let our dependence be upon ourselves alone and
none other.
Al-Bayan, N. Y., Jan. 27, 1930.
'I
TRUE GOVERNMENT
We understand by the Lebanese
Government the native government
which SHOULD be the supreme
authority in its own country exaept
in matters requiring expert advice or.
where France should exercise the
role of an honorable ally and a
powerful guardian. But if the functions of the government should be
restricted to levying taxes as a
means of revenue for salaries, and
disregarding thereafter all the inherent rights of the people in such
manner as to deny the natives all
access to the resources of their own
country, then it were better that
the country be annexed to the mandatory power and let matters rest
at that. In such eventuality, it should
be understood that the Lebanese and
not the French must be held respon*
l
I
�1
JANUARY, 1930
sible for the outcome. But what redress can there be to such a situation when greed for office is at the
root of all our woes in Lebanon?
Al-Hoda, N. Y., Feb. 6, 1930.
THE BALFOUR DECLARATION
I J
1/
The English press is awakening
to the danger attending the insistence upon carrying out the Balfour
Declaration. The Daily Mail, that
great English paper which is noted
for its uncanny foresight, and which
had warned Great Britain of the
approaching war with Germany
many years before 1914, has now
taken the lead in warning its country
of the dangers attending its policy
of disregarding the dictates of honor
m dealing with the peoples of the
East.
The Daily Mail is absolutely justified in its predictions. The findings
of the Shaw commission of investigation into the causes of the last
riots in Palestine have revealed the
extent of the conspiracies which the
Zionists have framed against the
country on the flimsy pretext that
their ancestors had been In possession of it thousands of years back.
Lord Balfour should be reminded, it
seems, that his Declaration in favor
of a homeland for the Jews cannot
be taken as the pivot of British policy. It would seem timely to remind
the people of Great Britain that antedating that famous declaration
were other declarations which should
be held just as valid. In truth, they
should be held more valid in view
of their priority.
These declarations and promises
referred to deal with the Allies' solemn vows to the Arabs to help them
attain their independence and to
leave them fuH liberty to determino
47
the form of government best suited
to their needs.
We may remind Great Britain of
the manifesto addressed to the Arabs
and which its airplanes dropped
freely among Arab communities during the war assuring them of unconditional assistance in the attainment of their national aspirations.
No doubt the archives of the Foreign
Office contain copies of this manifesto and it would be well for the
statesmen who are now in control
of British policy to refresh their
memories on its contents, that they
may ascertain the possibility of reconciling between these earlier promises to the Arabs and the later contradictory promises to the Jews
which followed much later.
Meraat-Ul-Gharb, N.Y.,Jan. 27, 1930.
UNITY SPELLS SUCCESS
The advocates of Svrian independence have shown by their steadfast
tenacity that no obstacles will swerve
them from the pursuit of their ends,
and because of this strong spirit of
determination they are bound to
achieve success.
This same spirit characterizes the
activities of the Palestinian Arabs
these latter days. Whether the incentive is their own, or whether it
is the Syrians' who are showing such
active interest in the Palestinian
question lately, we do not pretend
to discuss, because the Syrians seem
now to be in control of the guidance
of Palestinian destinies. But whatever the case, we cannot fail to admit that the Palestinians are bound
to succeed in their endeavors because
of the strong determination characterizing their efforts.
It is gratifying to see that Great
Britain herself has been favorably
�—
48
impressed by the attitude of the
Arabs. This should serve as a lesson
to the Arabs to appreciate the great
benefits of unity.
Syrian Eagle, N. Y., Jan. 28. 1930.
JEWS OF NEW YORK
BEING DISILLUSIONED
It is a fundamental truth that the
surest and safest means of success
is in unity. Unified efforts are the
greatest factor in assuring for every
nation the attainment of its aspirations and the breaking down of all
obstacles obstructing its way.
We are prompted to these remarks
by the honorable stand which the
Arabs have assumed in the Palestinian question, whether in the home
country or abroad, and which caused
a pronounced change in the attitude
of their Zionist foes. By such action
they have given cogent proof of
their fitness for national independence which all other free nations
enjoy.
Now the Jews of America are
coming to gradually awaken to the
utter impossibility of the success of
Zionist designs in the face of the
organized Arab defense. And American Jewry, as is well known, is the
backbone of Zionism. Because were
it not for American money which
is being poured into the Zionist
treasury by the hundreds of thousands the Zionist movement would
not have gained such impetus and
made possible the calling of the
Zurich congress which revealed the
sinister designs of the Jews against
the Arabs. Nay, had it not been for
that, the sons of Israel would not
have dared desecrate the holy places
of Islam and make such bold attacks on the people of the country
which resulted in the bloody uprising in which the Jews reaped the
reward of their perfidy and treachery.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Now the former illusions of the
American supporters of Zionism are
being dissipated, thanks to organized Arab propaganda. Instead of
the visionary homeland which they
aspired to erect, they have come to
realize that the Arabs have in the
land sacred places which they hold
inviolable, as well as traditions
which surpass by far anything that
the Jews may claim. Besides, the
Arabs in Palestine are strong in
numbers and have millions of their
Arab brothers in neighboring countries who would never permit an
alien people, whomsoever that people
may be, to carry out its designs
against Palestine which the Arabs
hold so dearly.
Al-Bayan, N. Y., Jan. 21, 1930.
LOST OPPORTUNITIES
Had the Syrians, in the early
stages of their immigration, realized
the great latent opportunities in the
acquisition of real estate in Washington Street, many would be the
millionaires among them today. As
it happened, they were laboring under the false hypothesis that they
were only transients, and their stay
in America destined to be only of
short duration, for, say, a few years
in which they would acquire a small
fortune and return to their homeland. Had they but realized earlier
that their stay would be permanent
they would have invested in real
estate and reaped the great profits
that they now see slipping from
their hands.
Washington Stret in New York is
popularly known as the Syrian Quarter and the great building activities
now taking place in the district have
made land in this street as valuable
as anywhere in the metropolitan
area.
Ash-Shaab, N. Y., Jan. 30, 1930.
La
been
I the t
' takei
4*
"
�•
mm-
\
49
JANUARY, 1930
Political Developments in Syria
PALESTINE
Law and order now seem to have
been restored in Palestine. Even with
the trials of those accused of having
taken part in the last bloody uprising going on, no fresh outbreak 'has
been reported. When the Jewish
policeman Hinkas accused of leading a mob of his coreligionists
against an Arab family and murdering them in cold blood, was tried
and found guilty, the verdict was
received with indignation by the
Jews, but no recourse was had to
violence.
Present activities seem to center
on the political phase of the situation. While the Shaw Commission
of Inquiry has not yet submitted its
report, there are other moves being
considered by the British Government apparently for the purpose of
bringing a definite settlement of
the Palestine question. The latest
such move is the proposition to appoint a commission by the League of
Nations for determining the rights
of Moslems and Jews in the Wailing
Wall. Great Britain would then
claim to have shifted the responsibility from her own shoulders so
that whatever decision is reached
would be considered the concensus
of opinion of the world. This move,
if the Arabs have their way, will
prove abortive, as they plan to boycott such a commission if appointed
and never to admit in principle that
their sacred places are subject to
foreign interference and regulation.
Indicative of Arab feeling in this
matter is the editorial comment of
Al-Jamia al-Arabia, an Arab daily
of Jerusalem considered the mouth-
piece of the Moslem Supreme Council, which the correspondent of the
New York Times cabled to his paper
on January 26. Coming from what
is admittedly a highly authoritative
source, the editorial may be taken as
fairly expressive of the official Arab
point of view on the Wailing Wall
question. As reported in the dispatch
to the Times, the appointment of a
new commission would be considered by the Arabs an Anglo-Zionist
plot designed to deprive the Arabs
of their inalienable rights. Part of
the editorial follows:
"The commission is an AngloZionist plot which should be carefully watched. The British Government desired to throw the burden
of solution of the Wailing Wall problem on the mandates commission,
but the latter refused because it did
not want to shoulder the responsibility of this conflict, arisen out of
evil religious and political designs,
and because they considered there
was, in appointing such a commission, a sort of concession to the Jews
by the British Government at the
expense of the Moslems.
"Despite this the British Government did not rest and still aims to
throw its responsibility on the
League.
"The appointment of this commission, consisting of three members, is received by us with the
greatest surprise and astonishment,
because it again proves how great
is British influence on the League,
so much so that the latter finds it
difficult to refuse any British demands."
Discussing a communique issued
by the Palestine Government con-
�mmmmm
50
cerning the appointment of this
commission, the editorial goes on
to say:
"We surmise that the Council of
the League agrees with Britain that
the present conflict existing in Palestine between the Jews and Arabs
is religious and hinges on the Wailing Wall, and not that it is a political conflict over the rights of Palestine Arabs, of which they a^e being
robbed by the fact that the country
is being handed over to the Jews
under the mask of a British mandate
and the supervision of the League."
Asserting that the Wailing Wall
is a purely Moslem shrine the editorial quotes the last paragraph of
Article XIII of the mandate, which
states that the rights of Moslem holy
places should not be disputed, and
that they are to be safeguarded for
ever.
"We see," the editorial continues,
"that nine years have passed since
the ratification of the mandate, and
no commission has been appointed
to solve the religious conflicts among
the different non-Mos'cm communities, as provided by Article XIV of
the mandate.
"Why, then, does the British Government now force the Council of
the League to appoint a commission
on the wall, ignoring established
Moslem rights to their religious
shrine, which are assured by the
mandate? Is not the whole affair a
plot worked out by the British Government with the Jews for the purpose of granting the latter imaginary rights to the Wailing Wall ? Yet
this plot is being arranged with the
approval of the League and under
its supervision.
"We call the attention of the Moslem Supreme Council and the entire
Islamic world to this serious state
of affairs, and propose that Palestine
rr~r~~-!r
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Moslems boycott this commission
which the British Government is
trying to stamp with the seal of
the League of Nations.
"Palestine Moslems should reject
any solution which would in the
slightest way infringe upon their
rights to religious places. We want
the British Government and the
whole world to know that the conflict in Palestine is political between
the rightful owners of the country
and those trying to rob them of their
rights. Any solution of the Wailing
Wall problem, right or wrong, will
neither aid nor hinder solution of
the national conflict of Arabs and
Jews."
A special correspondent of the
New Yoi-k Herald Tribune, writing
from Jerusalem under date of January ]0, points out a new, important
development in the attitude of the
Aabs and anti-Zionist
elements
towards the land question in Palestine. This correspondent reports that
the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
is strongly anti-Jewish, and that in
its efforts to block Zionist acquisition of land necessary for the develorment of some of their colonization schemes it is acquiring possession of the land itself. The Zionists,
according to this report, fear that
the purchase of land for colonizing
purposes will become increasingly
difficult as a result of this new development.
The Latin Patriarchate has lately
purchased a village that is considered of great strategical importance
for the security of Emek Israel, the
main center of Jewish post-war colonization. It is also considering the
purchase of another equally important property hindering the colonization scheme of the Zionists in another locality.
The Moslems are also bending
\
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�JANUARY, 1930
every effort to fight the Jews with
their own weapons, namely, the use
of money and the acquisition of land.
The Moslem Supreme Council, a government department which administers the income from the Moslem
religious trusts, has purchased a
plot of land which the Jews wished
to buy so as to extend one of the
settlements destroyed during the
disorders. The Keren Kayemeth, the
land purchasing instrument of the
Jewish Agency, failed to acquire
the property for lack of funds. For
that reason the Jews now plan a
special drive to raise funds in the
United States for their depleted
treasury, but they are experiencing
increasing difficulty in the task owing to recent publicity on flagrant
cases of mismanagement.
On its way to the United States is
also an Arab delegation headed by
Emir Adel Arslan whose object is to
influence American public opinion on
Palestinian matters and induce, at
the same time, Arab residents of
America to use their resources for
the development of the mothercountry. The delegation was last
reported in Egypt where it is being
lavishly entertained by Arab sympathizers.
SYRIA
Rumors concerning expected developments in the Syrian political
situation continue to fill the air—
and the press. Party caucusses, conferences of officials and discussions
of various programs are of everyday occurrence. But M. Ponsot continues in his silence. Not a declaration has he made since his return
from Paris last summer, and the
expected solution of the Syrian problem rests on the results of his extended study.
51
A rumor which was given much
credence was to the effect that contemplated reforms in Syria are to be
shaped along the lines of those now
being introduced in Lebanon. This
would mean drastic economy in administration by the reduction of the
numbers of officials and the adoption of a semi-dictatorial rule. Those
discrediting the probability of this
rumor advance as their only reason
the long delay attending such a policy, which would mean a wait of at
least six months, while the Syrians
have suffered and waited long enough
not to be subjected to such further
delay.
From another source it is learned
that a group of thirty prominent
notables of Damascus met in Beirut
and decided to petition the High
Commissioner to terminate
as
speedily as possible the present
uncertain condition in the political
status of Syria. While insisting on
the immediate dismissal of the
present
provisional
government
headed by Sheikh Tajeddin and demanding the substitution of a permanent, responsible government,
they left the form of government to
be chosen to the discretion of the
High Commissioner.
Strong sentiment seems to be
developing in favor of a constitutional monarchy for Syria, judging
by reports of the Arabic press of
Beirut. A convention of a large number of prominent Syrian leaders was
declared to have been held in Beirut
early in January and to have petitioned the High Commissioner for
declaring a monarchy. The comic
element in the situation is that all
those present at the conference,
while agreeing on a monarchy in
principle, differed as to the person
to be chosen. They were divided into
three principal factions, one favor-
�52
ing Ahmad Nami Bey, the other the
Sherif Ali Haidar Pasha, and the
third Adel Ibn Iyad. The two first
factions actually presented to tha
High Commissioner an identical
petition simply substituting the name
of their candidate for that of the
other, while the third faction deferred action.
LEBANON
Premier Eddy of Lebanon has at
last begun putting his economy program into effect. Some papers describe his activities as a whirlwind
and others as bombs. Quite naturally,
there has been occasioned some
grumbling as a result of hundreds
of government employees losing their
jobs, but the general sentiment seems
to be one of satisfaction and approval.
The Lebanese Academy of Science,
formed only recently, has been abolished. Eighty-five schools of different grades have been suppressed
and a saving of over one hundred
thousand dollars effected in this department alone. The judicial department was also severely pruned.
Premier Eddy is described as being
indefatiguable in the pursuit of his
policy of economic reform. He is
reported at his desk in the Saraya
even on Sundays, and many of his
subordinates and colleagues are
made to work just as hard. Rumors
are being freely circulated to the
effect that reductions in salaries
will be made to affect even members of the Representative Assembly.
What is more, there are reports that
the whole Assembly will be reorganized along the lines obtaining
in Lebanon in the pre-war period,
which means that the number of
representatives will not
exceed
twelve, instead of forty-five as at
present.
The Eddy program is said to have
THE SYRIAN WORLD
\
the whole-hearted approval of the
mandatory authorities who, according to reports, plan to introduce similar reforms in all the states of Syria
under mandate once they prove effective in Lebanon. Surely, in the
present financial stringency of the
country, the crying need is for administrative economy.
The tobacco monopoly in Syria and
Lebanon has been granted an extension of three months from January
4. The Regie, as it is called, is under
French control and had been granted
the concession during Turkish rule.
THE DRUZES
The government of Transjordania
has officially notified the Druze refugees within its borders to either
leave the country or take up their
residence within the city of Amman,
capital of the country, where they
would be under constant surveillance. This action is said to have
been the result of an attack on an
automobile caravan sometime ago
in the desert which the Druze refugees are accused of having perpetrated, although in some quarters
this sudden decision of the Transjordan Government is said to be the
result of an understanding between
the French authorities in Syria and
the British authorities of Palestine
which bound the latter to force the
native government of Transjordania
to take this step.
About a hundred Druze exiles
with their families have already returned to Syria and surrendered to
the French who are declared to be
willing to extend them clemency except in cases of personal offenses.
Among those to return was the
brother of Sultan Pasha Atrash,
leader of the last revolt, but the
leader himself is said to be contemplating seeking refuge within the
borders of Arabia further south.
-«s>a.
»***-«» >**
'
I
ill
�JANUARY, 1930
53
About Svria and Syrians
SYRIANS AGAIN CONTROL
LEBANON NATIONAL BANK
While the Lebanon National Bank
of New York was originally a purely
Syrian
institution, having
been
launched through the initiative oT
Mr. J. A. Mandour, its founder and
president, its control passed out of
Syrian hands through purchase of
the majority stock by the New Jersey Banking Corporation, then anxious to extend its banking activities
into the metropolitan area.
Now, however, control of the Lebanon Bank again reverts to Syrian
hands through the purchase of the
majority stock by the Lebanon Financial Corporation, a holding company in Which about three hundred
leading Syrian business men of the
city are interested and also launched
and presided over by Mr. J. A. Mandour. This turn of affairs is bound
to please those who regretted the
loss of control of the Lebanon National and to insure fres'h support to
this Syrian financial
institution
which is a distinct credit to Syrian
business enterprise.
SYRIAN JUNIOR LEAGUE
GIVES SUCCESSFUL PLAY
\
During the three nights that the
Syrian Junior League of New York
gave its play, "Blue and Green Mat",
at the Brooklyn Little Theatre, Jan.
30 and 31 and Feb, 1, the house was
filled to capacity. After the last performance a supper-dance was held by
the League and was well attended.
The story is by Constance Wilcox,
and the play was directed by Adele
Gutman Nathan. The cast was composed wholly of members of the
League supported by male members
of the Syrian community. Considering that this was their first effort
i' dramatic productions, the actors
displayed creditable talent.
The group of dancing girls, directed by Esther Markowitz, performed
exceedingly well. John Maesoud, in
the ro^e of the Wandering Piper and
Miss Josephine Ayoub, in the role
of Zahira, the heroine, elicited considerable admiration for their fine
I laying.
Others contributing to lend to the
play its charming Oriental atmo
sphere were Anis Fuleihan, who composed the music and directed the orchestra, and Helene Jacobs, who designed the costumes.
MARCNITE YOUNG WOMEN
HONOR PATRON SAINT
The feast day of St. Maron, patron
saint of the Maronites, having fallen
this year on Sun., Feb. 9, the Daughters of the United Maronites Society
of Brooklyn celebrated it this year
by a luncheon and dance at the Leverich Towers. Anis Azoury, president of the Holy Name Society of
the church of Our Lady of Lebanon,
acted as chairman. The speakers included N. A. Mokarzel, editor of AlHoda; Joseph M. Khoury, editor of
Ash-Shaab; Dr. Najib Barbour, representative of the Lebanese president in New York; Dominick Faour,
N. Hatem S. Harfoush and S. A.
Mokarzel, editor of The Syrian
World. Over two hundred were present.
�54
THE SYRIAN WORLD
PLAY IN ARABIC
FOR MARONITE CHURCH
SYRIANS PARTICIPATE IN
BEAUX ARTS BALL
"Fee Sabeel Ettaj", a play in five
acts translated from the French by
Rev. Mansour Estephan, was given
at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
on January 18 for the benefit of
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite
church of Brooklyn, of which tho
Rev. Estephan is pastor. The leading roles were acted by Mrs. Aseen
Azoury and Said Harfoush who
showed such talent as to be a credit
to professionals. The director was
Salim Mechelany who is a veteran
in this line but contributes his time
and effort for charity. The Brooklyn
Academy of Music was packed as it
has been only on a few occasions
since the Syrians began to use it for
their entertainments. The program,
a huge book of 168 pages was the
largest so far produced for any Syrian affair.
The Painters and Sculptors Society
of Brooklyn, of which Nicolas Macsoud, the well-known Syrian miniature painter is president, gave its
annual ball at the Leverich Towers
in Brookiyn on Feb. 8. This is considered one of the most important
society events of Brooklyn and almost rivaled this year the Beaux
Arts Bail held in New York a few
weeks earlier.
The ball this year took on a decidedly Oriental atmosphere, which
was added to by the presence of several members of the Syrian Junior
League of Brooklyn who served
Arabian coffee of the well-known
Sheik Brand imported by M. E.
Howatt. Among the coffee dispensers
were: the Misses Adele Macsoud,
Najla Macsoud, Florence Jabara,
Selma Milkie and Helene Jacobs.
CLASS OF LEBANESE
TEACHER WINS CERTIFICATES
SYRIAN PHYSICIAN
PLANNING HOSPITAL
The principal papers of Boston
carried an account of how two rooms
of the Bowditch School of Jamaica
Plain, had been awarded Certificates
of Achievement for excellent work
in Hygiene by the Boston Tuberculosis Association. The two classes
are conducted by Miss Labeebee A.
J. Hanna, a teacher of Lebanese
descent.
In the illustrations accompanying
t5ie account, the recipients of the
certificates, together with their instructor, are shown receiving the
scrolls of distinction from Mr. Frank
Kiernan of the State League. The
activities of the pupils in the winning classes as described in the accounts, attest the intelligent devotion which the teacher paid 'her work.
Dr. M. Shadid of Elk City, Okla.
has announced the formation of a
corporation for the erection of a
"hospital with the idea of eventually
serving Western Oklahoma on the
basis of the actual cost of hospitalization." The project is capitalized
at $100,000 and some of Dr. Shadid's
associates include many men prominent in the business and financial
fields in the State.
It will be remembered that Dr.
Shadid had made plans for such an
undertaking in Syria and actually
went abroad to study the situation.
We understand that he has not altogether given up his original intentions and that his present enterprise
might prove the prelude to a similar
one to be undertaken later in Beirut.
\
�JANUARY, 1930
LEBANESE PHYSICIAN
DEFENDS FRENCH
\
In a letter addressed to The New
York Times under date of Jan. 18,
Dr. Najib Barbour, signing himself
as the Representative of the Libano
Syrian Colony, takes issue with a
Mrs. Orth on statements by her published in The Times criticizing the
French administration in Syria and
i Lebanon.
\ \J
"The FrencV said Dr. Barbour,
"have their mandate from the League
of Nations and are responsible for
their conduct in Syria to that group
of powers who constitute the League.
The mandatory government has already reported its work officially to
the League and received its sanction
and approval."
Explaining the work of the French
in the country under mandate, Dr.
Barbour continues:
"The French are doing real constructive work in Syria, and all neutrals and reasonable people who have
come in contact with French activity
in that country can testify to the
truth of this.
"Again let me state that the
French mandate has been, and is
now, acceptable to the various races
and creeds now in Syria. To them it
means continued peace, security of
life and constructive substantial
progress."
SYRIAN STUNT AVIATOR
WINS HIGH PRAISE
Joseph Musleh, a Syrian aviator
of Jacksonville, Fla., is "recognized
in aviation circles as one of the
most intrepid in the South," according to the Jacksonville Times-Union.
In its account describing the feats
of the Syrian aviator, the Jacksonville paper characterizes them as
/
55
"most daring, and being done for
the love of the sport and not for
the applause they bring, and of such
character that other aviators are
awed at the manoeuvres."
Through a letter received from
Miss Mary Sabbag of Jacksonville,
we learn that Mr. Musleh came to
America about eleven years ago
when at the age of twelve. He knew
little or nothing of English, but
through attending night school, he
not only learned the language but
acquired such an education as to be
able to pass the strict test required
of licensed pilots. Furthermore, at
the U. S. Army Air Corps in Montgomery, Ala., he withstood the examination and was passed to become,
if he desired, a second lieutenant of
Reserve Officers. There were thirty
men taking this examination and
only two were accepted, one being
Musleh.
Recently, he was admitted to
membership in the Federation Aeronautique Internationale which entitles him to any assistance or aid that
may be required in this or any foreign country.
Mr. Musleh purchased his plane
out of his own funds and while the
craft is not of the most modern
type, his handling of it in his hazardous feats emphasizes his great
skill as an aviator.
CARAVANEERS OF BOSTON
ELECT OFFICERS
The Caravaneers Club of Boston
elected the following officers for the
coming year:
George G. Naymie, President;
Nicholas Samaha, Vice-President;
Harry Nassif, Treasurer;
Anna
Shire, Secretary.
President George G. Naymie has
appointed Labeebee A. J. Hanna, who
�56
THE SYRIAN WORLD
needs no introduction to readers of Treasurer; Alfred Abdalla, SecretThe Syrian World, as corresponding ary; Sydney Abdalla, Chaplain;
Schofik Mickal, Sergeant-at-arms.
secretary of the club.
The Caravaneers are now hard at
work rehearsing Channing Pollock's
"The Enemy,'" to be presented on LEBANESE ENTERTAINS
Friday, March 7, 19G0. The coach,
AMERICAN AUTHOR
Miss Gertrude Spaulding, is well
How an individual tan be of efknown in Boston and vicinity for
fective
service to the cause of better
hc-r talent and ability.
understanding
of his motherland
The members of the club have
was
demonstrated
the past summer
reason to feel very proud of one of
by
Mr.
Michel
Maloof,
of Boston,
their members George Shaghoury,
while
on
a
visit
to
Zahie,
his homeSenior at Boston University. We
have learned that in a contest con- town in Lebanon.
Mr. Maloof counts among his
ducted by a New York publishing
house, for seniors only, at the close friends many Americans prominent
of last year, young Mr. Shaghoury, in the domain of arts, the letters and
the only Junior to compete—at the finance, some of whom were his
urgent request of his instructors— classmates in Harvard. So once back
was the winner of a very fine set in his hometown, he decided that
of law books. We feel that the young other and impartial eyes should see
man has a successful future as a the beauty of Lebanon and judge it
lawyer in store for him, and wish on its own merits. He therefore
cabled his friend Mr. Lester G.
him well.
Miss Hanna will be happy to open Hornby, the well-known American
correspondence with any Syrian So- arti3t and author who was then in
cieties anywhere concerning club in- Paris, to visit him in Lebanon. Mr.
terests. Those desiring to may write Hornby came and was the guest of
Labeebee A. J. Hanna in care of the Mr. Maloof for over a month and a
Caravaneers, 37 Sharon St., Boston, half during which they visited the
Mass., and may be assured of an famous Cedars, the ruins of Baalbek and many other outstanding
immediate response in every case.
places of interest. Mr. Hornby, in an
interview with one of the Lebanese
papers, is declared to have been imNEW SYRIAN CLUB
IN McCOMB, MISS. pressed with what he saw in this
country as he never was in all his
A correspondent in McComb, Miss.,
travels in any other country in the
writes that the Syrian-American
world. He is also said to be preparyouth of that city had formed an
ing an important book with many
organization to which they have
given the name of "Young Peoples' original illustrations of the natural
Syrian Club" and whose object is beauty of Syria and Lebanon.
the promotion of good-fellowship and
the cultivation of knowledge of their
racial background. The following officers were elected:
Kinnon Amuny, President; Corinne
Abdalla, Vice-President; Foeh Assaf,
}
U-
JOIN
THE GREAT
SYRIAN WORLD
CONTEST
¥
Jl
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
Identifier
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NS 0002
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
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TSW1930_01reducedWM
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Volume 04, Issue 05
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930 January
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 4 Issue 05 of The Syrian World published January 1930. The issue begins with a discussion of Syrians' contributions to society introduced by Rev. W. A. Mansur. As is usual with Mansur's writings in the Syrian World, it is imbued with patriotism and inspiration in relation to the value of the Syrian people. Salloum Mokarzel is featured next with a discussion focused around the changes taking place in the Middle East, with particular attention paid to the fundamental orientation in the character of the people. He discusses the new presence of cooperation taking place within the economic field, the great hydroelectric project of Nahr Kadisha, and detailed accounts of special interviews with Archbishop Antoun Arida. Labeebee A. J. Hanna and Dr. Salim Y. Alkazin follow his article with poems, and Kahlil Gibran presents his literary genius with yet another of his prose poetry titled "The Two Learned Men," a story that showcases the struggle of faith. Following yet another poem by Mischa Naimy, Ameen Rihani gives a vivid account of the inception and growth of the Ahleyah School in Beirut. Aref El-Khoury's short story titled "The Wager" is the last work of prose in the issue. The story is set in Damascus, with a Syrian-American boy and girl as its characters. The issue closes with excerpts from the Arab press and an update on the political developments in Syria.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
A language of the resource
English
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
Format
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Text/pdf
Type
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Text
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Ameen Rihani
Aref El-Khoury
engineering
Kahlil Gibran
Labeebee A. J. Hanna
Mischa Naimy
New York
Poetry-English
Reverend W.A. Mansur
Salim Alkazin
Syria
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/f9f1fd66a443fca13af9c7892a8911ba.pdf
0eb2ee819b9e6d3012e78ffa27eb34f4
PDF Text
Text
VOL. IV. No. 6.
FEBRUARY, 1930
|
THE
3
I
SYRIAN WORLD
A
MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ENGLISH DEALING
WITH SYRIAN AFFAIRS AND ARABIC LITERATURE
j5
mm
.Ay
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fa
3
AR-RAZI AND HIS MILLENIAL CELEBRATION
DR. F. I. SHATARA
II
1
A DISCIPLE IN NOMADISM AND WISDOM
AMEEN RIHANI
THE OLD CRIMINAL
RAJAH F. HOWRANI
1
FROM THE DOG RIVER TO THE CEDARS
SALLOUM A. MOKAKZEL
MAGGIE AND JOE (A SHORT STORY)
LABEEBEE A. J. HANNA
THE COPY 50c
w
m
�—V-»,
�THE
SYRIAN WORLD
Tublished monthly by
SALLOUM
A.
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
MOKARZEL,
Editor.
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single copies 50c.
Entered as second-class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New
York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
FEBRUARY, 1930
VOL. IV. No. 6.
CONTENTS
PAGE
A r-Razi and His Millenial Celebration
DR.
F. I.
7
SHATARA
While Mortal (Poem)
13
DR. SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
A Disci-pie in Nomadism and Wisdom
14
AMEEN RIHANI
Song of a Homesick Man (Poem)
21
NAT LA SABE
The Old Criminal
RAJA
;
F.
HOWRANI
Tears (Poem)
29
R. A.
I—w_-
22
NICHOLSON
�urn inn wini,
i
CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
From the Dog River to the Cedars
SALLOUM
A.
30
MOKARZEL
CO
Maggie and Joe (Short Story)
LABEEBEE
A. J.
39
HANNA
To My Father (Poem)
LABEEBEE
S
44
A. J.
HANNA
t!
Editorial Comment
45..
Spirit of the Syrian Press
47
Political Developments in Syria
51
About Syria and Syrians
54
h
P1
Pi
th
rr
fi
bi
si
A
a;
A
s<
ti
SI
i
ILLUSTRATIONS IN THIS ISSUE
General View of the Dog River
Showeir and its Heights
The Dog River Park
The Solitary House at the Dog River
A General View of Beit Shabah
The Hub of Ehden
The Spring of St. Sarquis
c
a
t
F
c
�IN THIS ISSUE
)
V
DR. FUAD SHATARA should prove most helpful to
contributes to this issue an ap- those who would be initiated
preciation of the eminent Arab into the intimate life of the
physician Ar-Razi apropos of country, or those contemplating
the proposition to celebrate his a future visit to that interesting
millenial anniversary. It is re- land. * * * LABEEBEE A. J.
freshing to learn through the HANNA contributes an origbiography of Ar-Razi of the inal short story that deals with
substantial contributions of the a phase of Syrian life in AmerArabs to medical science even ica and is quite original in its
as far as a thousand years back, treatment. Her additional conAnd the account is by no means tribution of a poem will be
scientifically dull—on the con- found of extremely tender aptrary, it is of a happy, facile peal. * * * RAJA F. HOWRAstyle and abounds with anec- NI translates from the Arabic
dotes. *** AMEEN RIHANI a treatise entitled "The Old
gives us another delightful Criminal" by the foremost
chapter of his eventful travels Arabic woman writer, Mary Ziand describes in his present con- adah. The theme is based on a
tribution some of his rare ex- radical method of reasoning and
periences in Jeddah. The read- affords much material for
er is here introduced to a novel thought. Mr. Howrani is at
Prayer Club, the like of which present a student at Columbia
is possible only in Arabia. The University. * * * DR. SALIM
author further gives a most en- ALKAZIN gives various reatertaining account of a conver- sons for enjoying being mortal
sation he had with the Arab in a charming poem.* * * NAJKing, in which His Majesty LA SABE, a new contributor of
cites many heretofore unknown Brooklyn, echoes the song of a
reasons for 'Allah's especial fa- homesick man in the delicate
vors to Arabia. *** THE EDI- feeling of a young girl. * * *
TOR takes us on another leg of Other departments will be
his travels in Lebanon. In this found unusually interesting.
installment he covers the disJOIN
tance from the Dog River to
THE GREAT
the Cedars and describes many
SYRIAN WORLD
interesting places on the way.
CONTEST
This series of travel articles
�mg/m
Great Syrian
For a FREE TRIP to
I
I
\
The editor of THE SYRIAN WORLD having made a trip to Syria in j
the summer of 1929, which he is now describing in a series of articles in
the magazine, came to realize not only the great educational and cultural
advantages of such a trip, but its unrivalled possibilities for pleasure and
recreation. In our enthusiasm for the benefits of such tours, we decided to '
offer one as a prize to our readers. This is on a par with the most liberal
offers made by the biggest American publications, whose readers are hun^
drede of thousands and even millions. Needless to say that this is unprecedented in the history of Arabic journalism, whether in America or abroad.^
THE SYRIAN WORLD, in making the great prize offer in spite of
the heavy sacrifice involved, considers that in so doing it is promoting the
cause of sympathetic understanding of the motherland. This is in keeping
with the main object behind the publication of the magazine. Whether the
winner be a boy or girl, American or Syrian, the purpose would have beerit
served by the actual contacts established with the great scenic beauties}
and places of immense historical interest in our country of origin.
The proposition is unprecedented, the advantages great, the conditions most liberal. It is surely the opportunity of a lifetime for the ambitious.
ITINERARY OF TRIP
The free trip offered by THE SYRIAN WORLD takes the same route
followed by the editor in his recent trip to Syria. Passage will be Cabin
class on the luxurious steamer Providence, of the Fabre Line, sailing from
New York July 2nd. Stops on route and shore excursions will be made at
Ponta Delgada, Azores Islands; Lisbon, Portugal; Naples, Italy; Palermo,
Sicily, and Piraeus and Athens, Greece.
In Syria and Lebanon the winner may remain as long as he desires
and return on any of the Fabre Line steamers to New York, also Cabin
Class.
.
Sailing from New York will be under the direction and full assistance
of the firm of A. K. Hitti & Co., the well-known steamship ticket agentsl
The Beirut Branch of the same firm will render the winner all neces^
sary service and advice free. The editor, thanks to the contacts contracted'
on his last trip, will also give the winner letters of introduction and recommendation to many influential friends who would render all necessary
courtesies. The winner, representing THE SYRIAN WORLD whose services
are fully recognized in the motherland, will be assured of the most friendly
reception by the authorities and the public.
\
�World Contest
SYRIA and RETURN
\
SYRIAN WOULD OFFER
The prize offered by THE SYRIAN WORLD to the winner in the contest is free passage, Cabin Class, both ways from New York to Beirut and
return, together with a liberal cash allowance for the shore excursions
above mentioned on the outward passage. Is this not a worthy prize to
try to win?
\
CONDITIONS OF CONTEST
/ 1. THE SYRIAN WORLD prize of a Free Trip to Syria and return will be
awarded the individual securing the largest number of New subscribers to the magazine at the regular price of subscription.
2. Considering the great value of the prize offered, the minimum number
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�IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
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�THE
SYRIAN WORLD
FEBRUARY, 1930
VOL. IV. No. 6.
Ar-Razi and His Millenial
Celebration
I
By
DR.
F. I.
SHATARA
AL MUKTATAF, one of the leading Arabic magazines published in Egypt, has arbitrarily set January 30, 1930, as a date
for celebrating the passing of one thousand years since the death
of the famous Arab physician Ar-Razi, and has called upon the
Egyptian Medical Society, the Arab Academy of Damascus, and
other scientific and medical organizations throughout the Arabicspeaking world to consecrate that date in memoriam of Ar-Razi,
and to send in scientific contributions describing his life and works.
In the December issue of the same magazine is published a splendid lecture on Ar-Razi delivered before the Arab Academy of
Damascus last October by Dr. Joseph Faraj Hiraiz.
In view of this, the Editor of THE SYRIAN WORLD has accorded me the honor of asking me to review the life and accomplishments of this famous physician. I do this gladly but with
the understanding that I am unable to contribute anything original to what has already been written, and with the hope that his
life may be another reminder to the Syrians in America of their
rich heritage, and a stimulus to them to emulate his by contributing their share to the upbuilding of culture, learning and civilization of the land of their adoption.
Abu Bakr Mohammad ibn Zakariyya was born at Ray, near
Taharan in Persia, so that he, like many of the scholars of his
day, was an Arab culturally though not racially. The surname
Ar-Razi or Rhazes is derived from the name of his birthplace.
He was probably the greatest and most original of all the Moslem physicians and one of the most prolific as an author. He
stands in sharp contrast with Avicenna, for Avicenna was a better
�«=*****
8
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
philosopher than physician, while Ar-Razi was a better physician
than philosopher. (Browne).
There is some uncertainty about the date of his birth and it
can only be guessed at by computing from the date of his death,
which is somewhat less uncertain, occurring probably in the year
923 A. D.
Ar-Razi spent most of his life in Persia and was first interested in music, finance and other pursuits and did not take up
medicine until the age of 40. His interest in medicine was aroused
by visits to the Adudi Hospital in Bagdad, and conversations with
an old druggist who informed him that the first herb medicinally
used was accidentally discovered along a river bank by a descendant of Aesculapius who had suffered from inflammation of
his arms. On a subsequent visit to the Hospital, he beheld a fetal
monster with one head and two faces, and this aroused his curiosity and interest in medicine.
One of his principal teachers in medicine was Ali ibn Rabban
of Tabbaristan, whose father Rabban was either a Christian or
a Jew, probably the latter. Ali, according to Al-Qifty, embraced
Islam after he entered the service of the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil.
He is the author of Firdaws-ul-Hikmat—the "Paradise of Wisdom", a treatise on medicine and philosophy which was probably
used as a text by Ar-Razi.
Shortly after completing his medical studies his ability was
recognized and his fame spread rapidly. He was made physician
in chief to the hospital at Ray, where large clinics were held by
him and his pupils, and his pupils' pupils. Every patient who
reported to the clinic was first examined by the latter, and if the
case proved too difficult for them it was passed on to the Master's immediate pupils, and finally, if necessary, to the Master
himself.
Subsesuently Ar-Razi became physician in chief to the Adudi
Hospital in Bagdad, which received the name of the great Adudu'd-Dawla. Here exists some confusion, for this ruler's reign
extended from 949 to 982 A. D., long after the probable date
of Ar-Razi's death. Ibn Abi Usaybia states that when Ar-Razi
was asked to select the most suitable site for the Bagdad Hospital
he caused pieces of meat to be hung in different quarters of the
city, and selected the section where they showed the least signs
of decomposition. Another writer, Kamal-ud-Din Abi-Turab,
states that in selecting the physician in chief to the Bagdad Hos-
h
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FEBRUARY, 1930
pital, Adudu'd-Dawla resorted to a process of elimination and
had a list prepared of about one hundred of the most famous
physicians. Out of this list he selected fifty according to ability
and skill, and out of the fifty he picked fifteen, and then three,
and out of these chose Ar-Razi.
It is agreed by all biographers that Ar-Razi's code of medical ethics was of the highest standard. Thus Ali Ibn Ridwan, an
Egyptian, states that the most befitting description of his standard of ethics is that contained in the Hippocratic Code, namely
"that the physician shall be more interested in curing disease than
in obtaining reward; in treating the poor more than in treating
the rich; and that he should diligently pursue learning and devote
himself to the benefit of others."
Ibn Abi Usaybia, in describing Ar-Razi, says:—"He was intelligent, kindly to the sick, diligent in curing their ailments,
persistent in his search into the mysteries of medicine and other
sciences, and spent most of his spare time in reading and having
a friend read to him the writings of Hippocrates, Galen and
others."
The Editor of the Fihrist states:—"He was the man of his
day and age, who possessed the knowledge of the ancients,
especially in medicine. He traveled about the country and was
very friendly with Al-Mansur, in whose honor he wrote his
book Al-Mansuri."
He was described by a native of Ray as "an old man with a
large drooping head, who sat among his pupils to whom patients
reported, and never interrupted unless the case was too difficult
for them. He was generous, virtuous and sympathetic."
He became blind toward the end of his life from a cataract
and refused to undergo an operation on the ground that he desired to see no more of a world with which he was disgusted and
disillusioned. (Browne). As contributing causes to his blindness
it is stated by some that he was hit on the head by a patron to
whom he dedicated one of his works on alchemy when he refused
to put his theories into practice by the actual production of gold.
Others ascribe his blindness to the excessive eating of beans of
which he was very fond. For this there is no medical justification.
There is less uncertainty about Ar-Razi's writings than about
other phases of his life. The Fihrist enumerates 113 major and
28 minor works by him, besides two poems. Browne states that
of his many monographs the most celebrated is his well-known
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
treatise on small-pox and measles first published in the Arabic
original with a Latin translation by Channing (London, 1766).
Of this a Latin translation had already appeared in Venice in
1565 and an English version by Greenhill was published by the
Sydenham Society in 1848. This tract was formerly known as
"de Peste" or "de Pestilentia" and, as Neuberger says, "on every
hand and with justice, it is regarded as an ornament to the medical
literature of the Arabs."
Other monographs of Ar-Razi were on stone in the bladder
and kidney, on gout and rheumatism, and on colic. He gave a
description of spina ventosa, spina bifida, hernia and its treatment, and other surgical topics, borrowing largely from Hippocrates, Aetios and Paulos of Aegina. For cancer he advised
against excision unless the disease was limited, in which case the
entire mass affected should be removed. For bites of rabid animals he prescribed the cautery.
He added several chemical preparations to the category of
official medicines. Among these were orpiment, blue and green
vitriol and borax. (Wilder).
He wrote an entertaining work on the success of charlatans
and quacks in securing a popularity often denied to the competent and properly qualified physician.
Of his major works on medicine, the best known are the Jami
or compendium, the Kan or sufficient, the Lesser and Greater
Madkhal or introduction, the Muluki or royal, the Fakhir or
splendid, the Mansuri or Liber Almansoris, dedicated to AlMansur, one of the kings of Khorasan, and the Hawi or Continens. Unfortunately, the Hawi has never been published in the
original and what exist are translations of some of its volumes,
three of which are in the British Museum, three in the Bodleian,
four or five in the Escorial and others at Munich and Petrograd.
The Fihrist enumerates 12 volumes while the Latin translations
contain 25. On account of its enormous size, and the mass of details it contained, The Hawi appalled the most industrious copyists and was beyond the reach of all save the most wealthy bibliophiles, so that Ali Abbas tells us that in his day he only knew of
two complete copies.
There are many accounts and various valuable observations
by Ar-Razi depicting his skill in the art of medicine. The following case reported in Kitabul Faraj ba'da Shedda (book of
relief after distress) is typical.—A young man of Bagdad came
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FEBRUARY, 1930
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to him seeking relief for vomiting blood. After careful examination no cause for this malady could be determined and the patient
was in despair, believing that where Rhazes failed no one could
succeed. Rhazes, touched alike by his faith and his distress, proceeded to question him carefully and found that he had drunk
water drawn from a stagnant pool, whereupon he said to the
patient:—"When I come to-morrow I will treat you and not
leave you until you are cured on condition that you order your
servants to obey me in all that I command them concerning you."
The patient consented to this. On the following day Ar-Razi
returned with a large quantity of moss (tuhlub) which he ordered
the patient to swallow. The patient obeyed until he was unable
to take any more, whereupon Ar-Razi ordered the servants to
hold him flat on his back and force more and more of the weed
down his throat. This induced severe vomiting, and on examining the vomitus a leech was found. This had attached itself to
the patient's stomach and sucked his blood until it transferred
itself to its usual and more congenial medium—the water weed,
and thus the patient was cured. Numerous case reports similar
to the preceding could be cited. These show the unusual skill,
intuition, and power of observation of Ar-Razi.
The following are a few of the edicts he announced:—"Treatment of disease according to book instructions is dangerous unless
controlled and supplemented by the judgment and opinion of the
skilled physician."
"The physician should foster in his patient the belief in ultimate recovery even where the physician is in doubt as to the outcome, for the vital processes of the body are greatly influenced
by the status of the patient's mind."
"Stick to one physician in whom you have confidence. The
possibility of his error is negligible. In changing from one physician to another you are likely to suffer by the mistakes of all."
"If the physician is able to treat by natural means instead of
drugs he is pursuing the right course."
"The physician should be of moderate circumstances neither
too wealthy and tempted to attend to material pursuits, nor too
poor and obliged to be distracted from his scientific endeavors."
An Evaluation of Ar-Razi:
No medical Hall of Fame would be complete that did not
dedicate a liberal space to a statue or some other concrete way
of commemorating Ar-Razi. If it were possible to resurrect all
'-4BHHMPMMBHH
�12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
the dead Masters of Medicine from the time of Hippocrates up
to the present day and assemble them on a stage for the present
generation to view, Ar-Razi should be, and rightly belongs, in
the front ranks. If we possessed a yardstick for medical achievements and a scale to weigh ability, the achievements and ability
of Ar-Razi would hardly be outweighed or outmeasured by, any
of the greatest physicians in history
And what is the secret
of his greatness: Was it because of his unusual skill, his high
code of ethics, and the wisdom of his edicts? Was it because he
was one of the most prolific writers or was it because "he walked
with kings and yet did not lose the common touch" and thus won
the respect and admiration of the highest and the lowliest of his
day and age? While he possessed all these unusual qualifications,
any one of which alone entitles a man to distinction among his
fellow men, the secret of his greatness lay elsewhere. It lay in
his ability to use his five senses to better advantage than any
other physician of his day and age or any other day and age. He
resolved every medical problem to simple fundamentals and then
found and applied a simple remedy. He was not awed, or dazzled. His insight was clear, his observation keen, and his reasoning precise. He went right to the heart of a problem and did
not permit incidentals to befog his vision or detract his attention.
When Adudu'd-Dawla asked him to select a site for the hospital
in Bagdad, he knew that the driest section of the city would be
the healthiest. He did not possess, as we do now, an instrument
of precision to measure the degree of humidity, but did not permit this handicap to thwart his efforts, and therefore contrived a
simple but efficient method of hanging pieces of meat and watching for putrefaction.
When the young man who vomited blood was brought before
him he diagnosed the condition with startling accuracy and applied the remedy with equally startling efficiency. No X Rays,
stomach tubes, blood tests or any of the numerous modern diagnotic aids were available to him. If that young man were to
present himself to-day before a group of the most eminent physicians and surgeons of modern times, it is doubtful if after a
very exhaustive study they could arrive at the diagnosis as quickly
and as accurately as did Ar-Razi alone and unaided, and if they
did succeed in making the diagnosis it is doubtful if they could
prescribe such a simple and efficient remedy.
Modern scientific discoveries and inventions have been a great
Fl
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13
FEBRUARY, 1930
boon to humanity, but they have had the tendency of benumbing
and rendering dull the greatest gifts that a physician has—his
five senses.
It is a matter for pleasant speculation to conceive of a physician possessing all the native ability of Ar-Razi combined with
all the modern scientific methods of diagnosing and treating disease. History as yet has not produced such a physician. He is
a superman.
While Mortal
By
X
LP
V
V
DR. SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
To Fortune's smile I will respond
With rapture and with pleasure;
And when her brow is overcast,
With pain I fill my measure,
For still I am a mortal.
And in the silver throat of song,
I find the secret thrilling}
But in the gloomy house of death,
I am a mourner willing,
For still 1 am a mortal.
In Beauty's castle I submit
To signs of magic power,
And either laud the golden fruit,
Or sing the crimson flower,
Just like a humble mortal.
To drug the passions of my soul,
Or still its silent voice,
Or drive it like a thrall in chains
Will never be my choice.
Nor will it lead me at its will,—
But governed by concern,
Like friends, the mutual goblet fill,
And each will quaff in turn
Till I no more am mortal.
�in mi WWII
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
14
A Disciple in Nomadism
and Wisdom
By
AMEEN RIHANI
THERE is no need in ordinary hospitality for a liaison officer
between the host and his guest. You may ask for what you
want, you may refuse what is offered, you may even have an
especial desire, without any messengers, between you and your
host, except good taste and common sense. But royal hospitality
is different. The first rule is that you must not refuse anything
offered you or conferred upon you.
The kings of Arabia, despite what is attributed to them of
clannishness and coarse taste, are, in this respect, like all other
kings. They never surprise a guest, lest he become confused in
speech or conduct. Therefore, in addition to the servants, they
appoint a special person as companion to the favored one,—a
sort of liaison officer between him and Majesty,—whose business,
like a lightning rod, is to absorb desires and spontaneities, and
conduct them in mild form from one end to another.
My friend Constantine Yanni was this lightning rod; and
on the third day after my arrival on Arabian soil, he came to me
with a flow of speech which flashed with titles and decorations.
This would have been annihilating had it fallen upon me direct
from the lips of Majesty. But I reminded Constantine of the
hermit of Freike and of twenty years the said hermit spent in
America, a pitifully democratic country, without even a reminiscence of any title or decoration. And then, impressing the matter
strongly: "I am at thy mercy, O Constantine. Be quick to intercept the boon before it falls." Whereupon he said: "What about
presents?"—"Of presents I will accept anything that comes."
On the following day one of the black slaves of the Palace
came carrying upon his two hands, from His Majesty the King,
a bundle wrapt in cloth of silk, on top of which was a Meccan
dagger in a scabbard of filigreed gold; and in the bundle was a
kiswah—a suit of Arab garments—and a piece of the cUftaiii- of
the Kaaba, on which In the name of the Most Merciful God is
elaborately designed in what looks like a bas-relief in gold. My
Y3
�FEBRUARY, 1930
15
friend Constantine's mission was a great success. He must have
said to His Majesty: This Rihani is a hermit, and sacred things
are more worthy of him than a title. Of a truth, the Kaaba curtain-piece is the most sacred and precious thing that ever comes
out of the Holy City, and is seldom presented to a Christian.
I was as happy too in my change of clothes. I put on the
white cotton smock with the long tapering sleeves, embroidered
in red around the collar and down the opening on the breast;
girded myself with the Meccan dagger, judmiyah (V); slipped
my bare feet into sandals; covered my head with a richly wrought
Indian sumadah and an ighal of gold thread, and went straightway to thank His Majesty. He opened his arms, when he saw
me in this guise, and exclaimed: "O, my dear one, O, my own
eye!" embracing me, pressing me to his heart. Needless to say
that I too was moved, so much so, that I felt something forming
in my eye; and I hastened to where I usually kept my handkerchief, but not finding even a pocket in my new garment, I dried
my tear with the end of my sleeve. His Majesty laughed and
said: "Verily thou art now of the Bedu."
We then sat down to a political discussion, which did not
last long. For the French Consul and some Jeddah worthies came
in to say salaam, and His Majesty, changing the subject, spoke
to us, for the benefit of the new beduin, methinks, about the Bedu
and their unwritten law of protection and hospitality.
***"Three have the right to khewvcah (brotherhood) and
protection; the temporary guest (2), the moving tent (3), and
the rafiq, or traveller's companion. When a temporary guest
comes into a town or a dirah, the first house or tent he passes by
claims him, having the first right to offer him hospitality—I say,
O my dear one, the first right. If the traveller goes to the next
door neighbor, the people in the first house consider it an offense
and ask the neighbor to give back the guest.—'He passed first
by our door, billah! and are we not Arabs, and have we not, of
the bounty of Allah, the wherewithal to receive a guest?' If they
f-
/
(1) A dagger is called in Al-Hijaz qudmiyah, a front-piece, because it is
worn in front. The q in Al-Hijaz and in Najd is pronounced j—judmiyah. In Al-Yaman it is called jambiyah, a side-piece, because it is
worn on the side.
(2) A passing traveller.
(S) He who enters the dirah seeking its protection, sets up his tonb or
booth of hair in its pasture land. By the tent or tonb is meant the
nomad himself, even though he has none.
�16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
do not make this protest, at least, they are looked upon with disdain. Some of them will even insist upon their right, clutching
at the guest and forcing him back to save their honor
He who
entertains a passing traveller, O brilliant one, has to offer him
protection for twelve hours after his departure, even if he has
to travel with him, or send someone to accompany him the distance of a day's travel
To ask for assistance of kinsmen against
a foe, has its limits. The right ceases beyond the fifth degree;
—that is, I have the right to ask my cousins only from the fifth
down—I say, from the fifth only
No, there is no difference
in this respect between Arabs and ashraf (sherifs=descendants
of the Prophet). But in case of a murder premeditated, the life
of a sherif is entitled to a double diah, that is two lives."
In adjudication all Arab rulers continue to observe certain
customs of the Bedu, because the Koranic law is not always accepted in the desert. Of the traditions of the Bedu, for instance, is
that any Arab can be and has to be judge, when he is called upon.
But when the difference is between two tribes, the case is heard
in the private majlis of the King.
His Majesty, relating of the trial, said: "Each party selects
twelve men to prove his case, the plaintiff selecting his from the
tribe of his opponent, and vice versa. Of the twelve men four affirm, four inform, and four adjudicate. The first four, O thou brilliant one, state the case; the second prove or disprove it; the third,
decide it. Says the affirmer: The case is thus and thus. Says the
informer. I saw or I heard thus and thus. Says the adjucator:
The decision is thus and thus."
\\
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How approximately come the Bedu in their litigations to the
judicial system of civilized nations. They are even more certain
of discovering the truth and achieving the highest justice. For
do not the plaintiff and the defendant choose their men, that is
their lawyers and witnesses and judges, each from the tribe of
his opponent? And do not the adjudicators or judges resemble
the jury in Europe?
When I mentioned this to His Majesty, he said: "Allah,
praised be he, did not signal out the Europeans for all the human { v[
virtues. We Arabs have a few. And thou, O my dear brilliant
one, art better informed of this. Not everything that comes from
Europe is free from fault or flaw—is perfect. The Europeans
may still be ignorant of certain things, the knowledge of which
we possess and can impart. Take medicine, for example, ThoU
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i
�GENERAL VIEW OF THE DOG RIVER
Let. ponls du fleuve du Chien
of which has been rebuilt or repaired by Seleucids, RoA panoramic
view showing the three bridges, the upper
P
mans and Arabs since as far back as 250 B. C
�HHHM&.-.
THE SOLITARY HOUSE AT THE DOG RIVER
to
This is a sort of a wayside inn that an enterprising returned emigrant built
at the farthest settled point on the Dog River towards the source.
THE DOG RIVER PARK
The clearing on the southern bank of the Dog River makes an ideal setting
for Kaif connoisseurs.
�SHOWEIR AND ITS HEIGHTS
<
This is one of the principal summer resorts in Lebanon. The town proper
is spread on the mountain side while the new development on the heights
appears in the left background.
A GENERAL VIEW OF BEIT SHABAB
This town was once the foremost industrial center in Lebanon and is situated at an elevation overlooking the canyon dividing Al-Kateh and Kisrawan.
�THE HUB OF EHDEN
FEB
hast!
May
pain;
from
The public square of Ehden, North Lebanon, as it appeared teeming with
humanity on the Sunday afternoon of The Syrian World editor's visit.
THE SPRING OF ST. SARQUIS
A partial view of the cafes clustered around the spring which is given the
name of 'the patron saint of Ehden. Standing under the branches of the
big tree to the extreme left, is Representative Kabalan Frangei, who was
our host.
tur«
wor
bou
�FEBRUARY, 19 SO
17
hast seen, O dear one, the best doctors; but they did not cure thee.
May Allah, through the medium of our doctor, rid thee of thy
pains. Thou wilt then say to them, "Recovery has come to me
from the vicinity of Mecca, from Allah and his Prophet."
\
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He then said: "It may be hallucination, O dear one—I say,
hallucination—imagination. Animals are also subject to it like
human beings. I will cite an example among camels. When a
certain one refuses for physical or temperamental reasons to
suckle her foal, we take him to another. But she too, for even
a better reason, withholds her milk. She will not suckle a strangfer. Now, what does the Arab do, the Arab of short-wit? He is
not always short-witted, O brilliant one. He blindfolds the beast
and then gags her, thus driving the wind inward and causing her
stomach to swell. Whereupon, with a sharp knife he performs a
slight operation, makes a few incisions in her genitals, deep
enough to be felt—I say, deep enough to be felt. The foal is
then brought near her and the bandages are removed. Instinctively, she turns her head to the region of pain, smells blood, sees
the foal, and is duped. She yields her udder with motherly tenderness. No, the Arabs are not slow-witted, O my dear one.
I They are also as quick with their eye and hand. Hast thou seen
khc boy that comes to the lagoon every day about sunset carrying
ia basket and a stick in his hand? I watch him often with amusement from this window."
|
I had indeed seen that boy the day before from closer vantage, from the opposite side of the lagoon, when he was knee-deep
in the water, prying about, peering through it. At small intervals he would stop, strike something at the bottom with his stick,
place his foot quickly upon it, and stoop to pick it up. He had
caught something, which he placed in his basket. Slowly wading
through the clear blue water, slowly with his keen eyes penetrating to the bottom, and every time the stick went down, some' thing was brought up. Not once did he miss, so trained was his
hand, so quick his stroke, so keen his eye. He was catching crabs.
His Majesty was so pleased that, like himself, I had also
observed this object of wonder. And he went on, from one subject to another, holding forth on the strange and interesting features of a country which he knew as good as the Holy Book.
***"No, Allah hath not deprived us of all the virtues, O
worthy one, nor hath he deprived us of all the fruits of his
bounty. There is a wadi near At-Taief, wadi Liyah by name in
�I—— —,
—
18
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
which the pomegranate grows. Big pomegranates, some as big
as the head of a man, and with seeds that have very little of the
hard matter in them—full of the sweet juice. Excellent remedy
for the lungs. Some of the fastidious take it like a sherbet
squeezed into a glass. But a pomegranate should be eaten, not
drunk; for half its taste is in the pleasure of exerting the teeth
upon it. Our young men have pomegranate competitions, in
which a prize is given to him who eats the whole fruit first and
without dropping a single seed on the ground
Yes, yes; it is\
a competition. Young men everywhere, methinks, will have their
games
We have also a plant that grows in the late summer;
it has a white flower, on which the bees feed; and they produce
a honey unsurpassable in the whole world. I say so upon the
assurance of a distinguished traveller, the Khedive Abbas. For
when he came here a-pilgrimaging, he ate of our honey and
added to the two Testimonies (1), saying: 'And I testify that the
honey of Al-Hijaz is the best honey in the world.' As for our
pomegranates of wadi Liyah—'From wadi Liyah,' the hawkers
cry. 'Good for hediyah* (present)!—When I sent some to the
Sultan Abd'ul-Hamid, he exclaimed on beholding them: 'Praised \
be Allah and Peace upon his Prophet! These fruits are not only
the best of their kind in the world, but they come from the best
spot in the world.' Of a truth, O my son, we have a few good
things, and we are therewith content. Our pomegranates and \,
our honey, here be a proof that Allah, praised be he, hath not
forgotten us Arabs, the Arabs of Al-Hijaz."
That they might be forgotten one day is not morally conceivable since they have in Jeddah a form of piety and wisdom
the like of which I have not seen anywhere else in Arabia. It is
a club of seven members only, all sages;—a small circle of light,
without a line of darkness to define it;—a unique institution.
The founder is the Mayor of Jeddah, who is one of those
Oriental sages that are rare in the public life of Europe and America. He is a simple soul with an ingenious mind, who realizes
that even in India, where he spent many years, civilization has
a few things that Jeddah might well envy. But he will not concede that man in a desert waste can not order the world to him. '
\ v.'
He defines civilization as man's right relation between God and
Nature, and finds the right means to such, an end in a prayer
<v
(1) The two Testimonies of the Muslem are: I testify that there is no God
but Allah and that Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah.
wmmmmm
�—
FEBRUARY, 1930
19
rug and a hand-ball. He is the organizer and the moving spirit
of the Prayer Club of Jeddah.
i \
But it is more than a Prayer Club, for it combines its exercises so they include the body and the mind as well as the soul.
It might be better called the Koran-Athletic Club. Even then
the name is not inclusive. A triangle of practical wisdom, balancing the three purposes of life, without anything to hold it
together;—a unique conception;—a Club without a club house,
without a president, without by-laws, without dues. There is but
an understanding, an article of faith, and a pledge to attend the
daily meetings. The understanding is based on the article of
faith, which is the Mayor's definition of civilization, and the
article of faith is made a living principle at least an hour each day.
Bring your prayer rug and meet us on the sand outside the
city at sundown. There, on an elevation, beyond the citadel, I
joined these good people one day, and in spite of a deficiency,
an irregularity rather, in my Triangle, they took me into their
blessed circle. But I was beaten by their elder in throwing the
ball, and by their cadet in a poetic tilt. The meeting was always
started by standing in a line facing Mecca to say the sunset prayer;
and the member who led in prayers as imam would be the first
afterward to dctff his jubbah and start the ball game. They use
a cannon ball about the size of what we use in bowling, which
they hold in both hands, swinging it in a half-circle between the
legs and above the head, preliminary to the throw. He who
throws farthest scores. After the games, a few movements in
callisthenics are executed, and then the discussion, the intellectual
exercise, to complete the Triangle.
Having taken you, O worthy one, to the Club, allow me now
to introduce the members. Here is Hajji Zainal, the octogenarian who beat me at throwing the ball. He is brother to the Mayor
Abdullah Zainal, and is fond of quoting from the Persian poets,
Hafez and Sa'di and Jalal'ud-Din Roumi. The Zainals are of
Persian origin, and Hajji Zainal quotes in the original which
his brother translates. Here is one of his favorite quatrains from
Jalal'ud-Din Roumi the Sufi poet:
"When first my lips cajoled the flute, it moaned
i\.nd told the secret of the world's ill:—
It said: When I was severed from Love's Tree
I wrept, and all the world is weeping still."
�—
20
1
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The Collector of Customs, Sheikh Muhammad Tawil, is the
Beau Brummel of Jeddah. His jubbah, which he changes every
day, tells of a variety in his wardrobe that ranges from striped
cashmere to flowered silk. Under the jubbah is a waistcoat equally
radiant in design;—one of light green material, with green buttons of a lighter shade, I particularly remember;—and under
the waistcoat is a robe of pongee silk or of barred Damascus weave,
which comes down to a little above the ankle upon which peeps
the famous linen pantaloons, whose lace or open work graces a (
pair of patent leather pumps. His turban alone is like that of his
fellows,—a regular Hijaz turban, which is a bonnet of green
and red and yellow cloth woven together in mosaic fashion, and
around which is wound, not too heavy, a white sash. But this
Arab Beau Brummel is also a man of business, the most practical
and the most energetic member of the Hijaz Government. He
collects and he pays out with a conscience and an accuracy unexcelled in Arabia, except it be by the Parsis of Aden.
The Ghabel brothers, Sulaiman and Abd'ul-Qader, most sincerely flatter the Honorable Collector, but they do not always
succeed in imitating him. The lace upon their linen underwear
is always more evident, however, and their perfume announces
them before they approach. All Arabs love perfume; but the
Ghabel brothers are artists in the composition of essences. I have
always imagined East and West flowing from their robes, without any particular spice or flower intruding itself, without even
noticing in the swooning effusion a waft from a Paris bottle. But
they are nontheless extremely pious. If they pay five pounds
gold for a bottle of French perfume, they pay their homage
five times a day to Allah and the Prophet. Sheikh Sulaiman seems
to think that it is necessary to train oneself in mortal ease preliminary to an immortality of it.
But Sheikh Naser of Najd, who thirty years ago shook the
sand of the Nufoud from his sandals, remains a Wahhabi both
stern and serene. He yields not to the luxuries of the people
of Al-Hijaz, but he frowns not upon them. He has learned tolerance in his travels, and is a true Brother, disdaining not to pray,
as a Wahhabi of South Najd, with Muslems of other sects.
Opposite to Sheikh Naser in belief is the Persian Mulla Husein of Shiraz, he who is a master in mechanics and a disciple
of Jalal-ud-Din Roumi. He supplies the lux lights to Jeddah,
repairs its sewing machines, and airs his Sufism in the bazaars. But
,
I
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/
�FEBRUARY, 1930
I
21,
the Prayer Club is non-sectarian. Bring your prayer rug and meet
us on the sands. If you have a new book of verse, bring it also
with you. But Mulla Husein carries his book in his head; and
it is a rare joy to hear him intone in opulent Persian accents the
couplets of our Master Jalal'ud-Din.
I
"I am a piece of wood,
Cut from the Tree of Love,
And made into a flute:—
The flute forevermore pines for the grove."
±41
\ <•
Although I was but a passing traveller, a moving guest, I
too feel that I am a piece of wood cut from that blessed tree—
the tree of the Prayer Club of Jeddah—and made into a flute
And the flute forevermore pines for the grove.
Sang of a Homesick Man
.
By
NAJLA SABE
My heart's in the hills,
The Lebanon hills.
Where I first learned that beauty dwells;
And bliss sublime
In the sunniest clime
The peace of the world foretells.
How I love the pine
And cedar trees
That shadow the Lebanon plains;
And Mount Sannin
In her immaculate sheen
As a monarch of beauty, she reigns.
My eyes are dim
And my hair is gray,
Yet my joy has banished my ills,
For they promised, you see,
They'd bury me
With my heart on the Lebanon hills.
�as
22
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The Old Criminal
A PORTRAYAL OF LIFE THROUGH ITS
TRAGIC ELEMENT
By MARY ZIADAH
Translated from the Arabic by RAJA F. HOWRANI
Translator's Note—The following article is a translation, more or less
free, from an Arabic Monthly Review, Al-Muktataf, (February, 1928) under the title "Al-Mojrim-ul-Kadeem", The Old Criminal. The author of the
Arabic text, Mary Ziadah (pen name, Mey) is the leading woman-literarywriter in the Arabic-speaking world, and her style is among the best of
modern Arabic literature. Mey, however, is not original in this literary
piece. She has adapted it from a play written by a Gei-man poet—a certain.
Reinhardt?
This play, or better tragi-drama, centers around a historic figure, the
Ephesian Herostratus, who lived around the middle of the 4th century B. C.
The following account of Herostratus is given in Smith's "Dictionary of
Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology."
"Herostratus, an Ephesian, set fire to the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, which had been begun by Chersiphron, and completed by Demetrius
and Paeonius. It was burnt on the same night that Alexander the Great
was born, B. C. 356> whereupon it was remarked by Hegesias the Magnesian, that the conflagration was not to be wondered at, since the Goddess
was absent from Ephesus, and attending on the delivery of Olympias: an
observation, says Plutarch, frigid enough to have put out the fire. The
stroke of Genius in question, however, is ascribed by Cicero, whose taste
it does not seem to have shocked, to Timaeus of Tauromenium. Herostratus
was put to torture for his deed, and confessed that he had fired the temple
to immortalize himself. The Ephesians passed a decree condemning his
name to oblivion, but Theopompus embalmed him in his history, like a fly
in amber."
In the present article Herostratus is justified in his deed. The article
itself, I take it, is an artistic expression, every part of which when analyzed, admirably coincides with the theory of Aesthetic appertaining to literature (prose) as Art and especially to that tragic element which is the
solution for the problem of evil in Aesthetics. In spite of its so-called pathetic element—and pathos indeed is essential in a tragedy—this picture
of human destiny affords us the proper purgation of emotions not only
through pity and fear but also through admiration for the hero as portrayed
by the artist.
The writer is sensibly aware of the difficulty of the task which he has
undertaken. He duly confesses that the Arabic text at certain culminations
la immeasurably superior to what he can put into English. Every language
has its own 'genius' and translation becomes a hazardous matter to that
I*
VjV
�FEBRUARY, 1930
23
genius. This is especially true in this case because of the very limited
knowledge the writer has of the philosophy of Art whether in Arabic or
any other language.
DOETS sometimes show mercy. It was Reinhardt whose heart
was touched by compassion, and who composed a dramatic
tragedy around this historical episode, whose hero was the un| lucky, ill-fated Herostratus.
Around the middle of the fourth century B. C, Greece was
at the zenith of her glory. Nay, even more—by virtue of her
attainments she creates in us that sense of greatness itself which
perturbs our souls whenever Greece and her glorious history are
recalled. If it be true that such an effort is produced in us after
so many centuries, how much more true in the Greeks themselves,
and it was they who made live their greatness and created it day
after day in the exuberance of pride and the love of competition
and excelling.
Apropos of this, history records Themistooles' reputed statement, "The wreath which crowns Miltiades drives sleep from
me," which is an indication of their competitive spirit.
Every unfolding of their supremacy they immortalized in
the form of a brilliant poem, and objectified through an artistic
medium. It was by this means that men learned to become heroes,
and heroes aspired to become gods.
Moreover, the land with its beautiful location and its clear
azure-blue sky shone with a radiance greater and brighter than
that of the sun—namely the radiance of life and exquisite beauty
created at the hands of the Greeks. But Athens among the Greeks
was the pinnacle of greatness and the climax of posterity, for it
was Athens of the Genius, of the Parthenon, of Wisdom, of Democracy, with Pericles at its summit.
And there, across the sea in Ephesus, arose another man, Herostratus by name, destined to perform the role of despair along
with happiness and defeat along with victory.
Instead of seeing in that criminal a crazy fool, the German
poet created in him another aspect of defeated greatness. Through
a person immortal in his defeat and despair he brings to us emotions indigenous to the human heart. For who of us has not, at
least once in his life, tasted the bitterness of defeat and the fruitlessness of hard work? "In this ultimate sense, most of human
life is tragic." (Parker). The poet sensed that remote crime, and
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
24
extracted from it the essence of life. Herein lies the greatness >
of the artist: his ability to see through the walks of the soul and
probe into the innermost of consciousness disclosing what others,
can not see. He then falls back to his special tools by the aid of I. L
which he shows us, through his own eyes, the secrets of life. We
then stamp our immediate approval interfused with a little astonishment, and with him we are moved to comprehend what he
has sensed. Indeed, Browning has sung the fame of such an artist
in
Truth is within ourselves; it takes no rise
From outward things, what'er you may believe.
There is an inmost center in us all,
Where truth abides in fullness; and around,
Wall upon wall, the gross flesh hems it in,
This perfect, clear perception—which is truth.
A baffling and perverting carnal mesh
Binds it, and makes all error; and to KNOW
Rather consists in opening out a way
Whence the imprisoned splendor may escape,
Than in effecting entry for a light
Supposed to be without.
—Browning, Robert, Paracelsus. L 726-37. \
Or Parker when he wrote: "The artist will try to reveal the j
hidden unities that so delight the mind to discover. He will aim \
to penetrate beneath the surface of experience observed by comman perception to its more obscure logic underneath. In this way
he will go beyond what the mere mechanism of imitation requires"... Or again, "Out of the infinite fullness of nature and
of life, the artist selects those elements that have a unique significance for him.
Music, when soft voices die,
Vibrates in the memory,
Odors, when sweet violets sicken;
Live within the sense they quicken;
Rose leaves, when the rose is dead;
Are heaped for the beloved's bed;
And so thy thoughts when thou art gone,
Love itself shall slumber on.
Observe how, out of the countless things which he knows,
the poet has chosen those which he feels akin to his faith in the
immortality of love."
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�FEBRUARY, 1930
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25
Herostratus in this tragi-drama possesses a poignant, artistic,
temperament, true in its aspiration and pain, nevertheless one
with its irregularities—perhaps weaknesses. Surely he deserves
compassion and mercy, for he is a hero in his reactions and aspirations; meagre in his work and production, he aspires to chisel the
magnificent statues and to create masterpieces of beauty, but succeeds only in being an insignificant apprentice who accomplishes
mediocre monuments and small idols of worship. How could
he endure this humiliation and feeling of impotency while he is
living in the shadow of the great temple Artemis?
George Moore in "Confessions of a Young Man" says: "How
terrible are the languors and yearning of impotency! how wearing! what an aching void they leave in the heart! And all this
I suffered until the burden of unachieved desire grew intolerable."
It was Paeonius who erected that riddle in marble, the temple
of Ephesus, the center of admiration and envy of both the Greek
and the Barbaric worlds. Foreigners, Athenians, Spartans and
multitudes of pilgrims nocked from every direction to that temple
for religious worships and aesthetic enjoyment. But he, Herostratus, while looking at the walls and high friezes of the temple,
is reminded of the immortal genius, of the old artist who has
embodied the last work of undying fame. As he recalls all this,
Herostratus becomes increasingly aware of his impotency.
Around the temple throbs the rich and varied life of the
people. Here is the day destined to dedicate Artemis. The people
raise their voices high unto heaven, unto their gods. Ships embark multitudes of worshipers. Processions of priests, Greek notables, and young men and women leave the temple with music
and songs—an exaltation of life that envisages the Greek world
in its fervor and happy religion and in its devotion to real beauty.
Amidst this exaltation Herostratus alone stands disappointed,
and weeping, waives the consolation of his beloved mother who
creeps out of her mean dwelling in a vain attempt to heal his
drooping spirit. Thus he answers her: "Remember! it was none
but you who, once, led me to this temple and with burning zeal
uttered in my ears: 'My son! let the love of fame envelop you.
Be a model of your father who shed his blood in the pursuit of
greatness and glory. Let your impelling motive be world-widefame'. I then knelt down before the altar of the temple and my
tender lips whispered fervently the prayer: 'Grant me fame, Ye
great gods'".
�*t m
ms*
26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
His mother disappeared like a 'drunkard staggering toward
home', leaving her son in a state of mental destitution.
Then came Agasias, dealer of the statues of Artemis, rebuking him and calling him to resume his 'mean, unpleasant' task. He
heard him not, nor did he hear the voice of the Ionian maiden,
the pretty Cilisea, the descendant of Paeonius. For, although he
had reciprocated her love, his hunger for perfection made him J
cruel and fierce and locked his heart to every tender and sweet \,
sentiment. While young Cilisea, the incarnation of youth, who
knew nothing of life save love and its paths, who comprehended
not the significance of perseverance and sorrow, and whose main
concern was a "friendly dwelling with life itself," turned to him
and said: "Listen, Herostratus! but we are guilty if we succumb
to sorrow and grief in our bright moment. Let us avail ourselves
of the most in life while at the prime of youth and envy not
even the builder of the temple himself. He has passed away to
his destination, but we are the children of this life."
"No! No!" answered Herostratus, "We do not belong to
this life! nor are we living! because we did not excel. Life is
but victory and conquest, or it is death, yea more bitter than
death. The children of life are Phidias the ideal sculptor, Homer
the peet, and a host of outstanding 'men of genius'. They are
and will continue to be living, enjoying a beauty of godly youth
which does not wither, notwithstanding the wind that scatters
their ashes into the four corners of the earth. We might just as
well have been unborn—I wish we were."
Herostratus, the criminal, fully realizes the worth of the
Message that great men leave to posterity. Those who, owing
to their imaginative power, have created a disingenuous, complete
world, have realized it through their art, thus enriching the wealth
of the world by their creations which became a part of the real
world—be they philosophers, politicians, leaders, artists, or poets.
In fact, were it not for their intuition, decades and centuries would
have passed and the world have been less rich, less noble, and
less beautiful; nations, like animals, would have fallen into an
abyss of utter insignificance.
It is this message, which is the guarantee for the compensation of the genius and his radiancy, that Herostratus' tragedy lies.
He is the man who fully comprehended the significance of
that Message, yet failed. He had aspirations, but lacked technical skill—his art would not obey him.
i'
�stam
FEBRUARY, 1930
I*>
[•
i
27
Now his chance lies before him. The City of Ephesus determined to replace the old wooden statue of Artemis by a marble
one with which to decorate the temple. Herostratus, because
he was a citizen and because he was a sculptor, was intrusted
with this task.
Like an electric shock, genius and intuition challenge Herostratus, "Blessed be Ye Artemis," he cried, "Ye who responded
to the prayer of the child who was reared at your feet—now is
the time that people should know him as a creator." He confined himself to his room, closing his eyes to Cilisea and to any
talk of love. He burned his midnight oil in imagination, working persistently and untediously, now measuring and then remeasuring, trying and erring, carving, building and destroying,
and rebuilding anew; disappointment turns out to be his product.
He could picture and visualize a great image, but alas! the hand
would not obey the inventive mind.
His people grew impatient with him. They announced a
competition between their Herostratus and the celebrated Athenian, Praxiteles. The latter arrived on board an Athenian ship,
and was greeted by multitudes of people who flocked to meet
him: processions of priests, elders, and young men, led by the
pretty Ionian maidens who were playing their guitars, singing
their songs of merriment and welcome, and posing their beauty—
and beauty is intensified before those who appreciate it—to the
new artist who might pass for a conqueror.
While proceeding toward the majestic temple, Praxiteles
appeared to be the carrier of Athens' greatness and its Genius.
There was hardly a measure of comparison between Herostratus
and his rival. The latter loved life sympathetically, free from
sorrow—life to him meant the enjoyment of the passing moment.
Work for him was play. He would neither give heed to, nor
would he crave for unsubstantial and hypothetical immortal
glory. Through his character (nature) he spanned the chasm
which lay between Herostratus and beloved Cilisea, and soon,
with her, a mutual understanding was reached of problems of
life and ecstasy of love.
Herostratus, the unsuspecting, became an enemy to life
through his art which disobeyed him, while Praxiteles, the happy
conqueror, created his goddesses from the very girls whom he
saw. To him girls and goddesses were one, and in the charming
looks of the former, divinity and humanity were combined, and
art and life became one.
�I ,.... I... * —
28
.BWIIUMLTWH....
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Beauty is the bridge which connects earth with heaven. In
Athens, inspired by an Athenian maiden, Praxiteles craved his
Aphrodite, and in Ephesus his Artemis shall be inspired by an
Ephesian beauty. Around him gathered the Ionian girls singing
and dancing, and among them he caught sight of Cilisea. Soon
his eyes glistened with inspiration; isn't this Artemis declaring
herself to the Artist? Her beautiful, yet fading, youth, and her
looks over-laden with love, Praxiteles shall reap and immortalize
in the beautiful marble. How wouldn't Cilisea love the Athenian
and be inclined toward him after her long experience of bitter
loneliness and misery? But how wouldn't the tragedy flame
in the soul of Herostratus, the defeated, both as a man and as
an artist?
For a second time, he was experiencing a new defeat. The
Athenian sculptor, having completed his admirable work which
emphasizes the Praxitelian conception, the human-divine conception, objectifying the beauty and the grace of the body of
Cilisea, exposed it to the onlookers, among them Herostratus,
who became an inculcation of fruitless effort. There he stood
lamenting the love of which he did not avail himself, and the
glory which passed from his hands. The demon of jealousy and
hatred overwhelmed him as he thought of that stranger who
robbed him of everything 'lightly'. Looking at the magnificent
statue, he felt the unrealization of his dreams and the futility
of his aspirations—yea, more than that, he felt an inferiority in
his personality. In view of all this, and under the stress of emotional disturbance, he picked up the chisel of his rival which lay
beside the statue, and went back home; and with one stroke he
smashed the incomplete statues and cut down the disobedient
marble, in which he tried his Art, and his luck, and his aspirations. And, coming out of his home, he caught sight of Cilisea
weeping for her lover who, having completed his monumental
work, was ready for departure to Athens, where a new glory
awaited him, and the Athenian maidens invited him for a new
love. Thus he addressed her: "With this chisel I have smashed
my statues and models; my failure is complete and to my rival is
due all the laurel crowns of victory. Come now to me, Cilisea,
you girl of the moment! Grant me the joy of the fleeting 'happy
festival of life', for which I cared not hitherto. Will you remain
true to him! he who left you without sorrow—unhesitatingly?"
"But I love him," answered Cilisea, "and I shall remain true
to him."
i.
/
�29
FEBRUARY, 1930
"Ye beautiful world!" cried Herostratus, "Are you created
to be in your entirety subservient to this man? Wouldn't you
grant me the crumbs which fall from his table, not even the withering flower that falls from his laurel crown? Do the gods so
unjustly distribute their gifts? And I, the fool, trust in their
justice and mercy?" Despair overwhelmed him and the tragedy
was inevitable. Fire and smoke pierced through the darkness
which enveloped the earth. The great temple was burning and
in front of it Herostratus was standing dishevelled, with eyes
fixed, holding a torch in his hand and crying like a madman in
,' the phantasy of his delirium.
He was incapable of creating anything, but he destroyed
/ everything. No temple, no statues, no columns, nor any immortal
remains do we have after this day.
Would they imprison him and condemn him to death, and
his name to oblivion? Yea! death is far better than life which
deceived him. If fate has thus decreed to him, he has demolished everything else: Cilisea, under the afflication of love (to
Praxiteles) threw herself into the sea; the temple is gone forever—in vain did Praxiteles come and useless was his art, and
his love, and his inspiration.
Similarly, the spirit of evil, of jealousy, of hatred, and of
repugnance had corrupted the enigmatic ancient world. But Herostratus is justified—as the German poet sees him—by his great
pain and sacrifice in loss and suffering.
It is but an Imitation of life—a true one representing defeated humanity and its subdued, though struggling, Genius.
"It is a picture of human destiny with all its significance," as
Aristotle expresses it.
I
Tears
Translated from the Arabic of Al-Khansa
by R. A.
py .
lin
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i
NICHOLSON
Tears, ere thy death, for many a one I shed,
But thine are all my tears since thou art dead.
To comforters I lend my ear apart,
While pain sits ever closer to my heart.
�30
THE SYRIAN WORLD
From the Dog River to the
Cedars
A CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD OF THE
EDITOR'S TRIP ABROAD
v
V
By
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
I EBANON claims many places of historical interest. The ruins
of its famous cities of old are among the wonders of the world.
They dot the coast of what was formerly old Phoenicia all the
way from Tyre and Sidon in the south to Byblos and Tripoli in
the north; while the majestic ruins of Baalbeck are reminiscent
of the glory that was once the great city of the central plain.
But all these are dead relics, representing a glory that has
passed and a civilization that exists only in memory. The pulse
of life does not throb in them, nor do they possess any inherent
virility that could defy time and insure their continuity. They
were destroyed when the civilization which they represented
came to its end. They existed so long as the race which reared
them was able to defend and preserve them. They were a flare
which illumined the horizon and diffused the light of culture
and knowledge while they lasted, but when they were consumed,
only the cinders remained, mute evidence that man's mightiest
physical achievements are subject to his own fate, that mortal
cannot build anything eternal, that only that which is native to
the soil, and is an integral part of mother nature, can lay claim
to any degree of perpetuity.
But there is in Lebanon two living witnesses to its hoary
civilization and ancient glory that have withstood the ravages of
time and defied and challenged the actions of elements. They
are records imperishable. They are an integral part of the history of man's progress on the road of culture and his ascent to
the heights of human power and achievement. Their virility is
inherent, making them self-perpetuating. In his reckoning of
his future by the study of his past, man will find these two living
memorials conspicuous milestones on his road toward progress.
Such is their quality that not only will they retain their distinc-
K
I
�FEBRUARY, 1930
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31
tion, but grow in comparative importance as man realizes his
primitive beginnings for the proper evaluation of his gradual
advance toward his ultimate ends.
The living rocks at the mouth of the Dog River, and the
seemingly everlasting Cedars of Lebanon, are the two silent, yet
unimpeachable witnesses of this march of human progress since
earliest recorded history. The two huge piles of rocks forming
the gorge through which the waters of the river Lycos flow into
the Mediterranean are forbidding in their bareness, inhospitable
in their aspect, awing in their approach. But engraved in their
flanks are evidences of the greatest articulate expressions of man's
power,—and vanity. They bear inscriptions in hieroglyphics, in
cuneiforms, in Roman alphabetical characters, in Arabic, in English and in French. They tell the story of the great exploits of
world conquerors in pictures as well as in words. Assyrian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Arab and European have all left their mark
of passage on this immutable rock. Why was it that throughout
succeeding centuries the great of the world passed through this
place, and took pride in recording their deeds on its barren rocks,
for the edification and admiration of posterity? Can it be any
reason other than that this place is the pivot of the world, the
imperishable tome of history, the observation place of all generations to come? What an honor for a country to boast of being
the perpetual repository of such an historical treasure?
A little further north, in the same small, serrated territory,
are other living witnesses to a hoary age and to the steady march
of human progress. They are not as mute as the rocks, because
they have the faculty of growth, and for that reason are more
eloquent. Their virility was the subject of lyrical praise both
in the Bible and in pagan literature. Their hardihood is proverbial, and their quality of inherent youth is held forth as a
symbol. We need but mention the Cedars of Lebanon to evoke
admiration for a thing that is at once old and young, whose roots
are imbedded deep in the earth and branches reaching high toward
the heavens; trees that are as old as man's earliest recorded history; that have furnished beams for the Temple of Solomon
| as well as for the temples of pagan gods; that have served to
build the great navies of the Phoenicians and of the Egyptians;
that have stood at their vantage point, overlooking the sea and
the plain, reviewing the passage of some of the mightiest armies
and navies ever marshalled throughout history marching to
certain destruction, while they, the great Cedars, defied time and
�32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
the elements. These are the Cedars reverently called by the
natives of Lebanon the "Cedars of the Lord," because they proclaim His glory and His mark of eternity, and both through
pride and as a good augury have been chosen the emblem of
the young republic of Lebanon.
It is the privilege of the tourist to visit these two great, natural monuments of Lebanon in a single day, while at intermediate
points en route many other places of immense historical interest
may be passed.
We spent the night of August 2nd at Dhour or Heights of
Showeir, one of the principal summer resorts of Lebanon, situated
at an elevation of 1200 meters and at about an hour's drive
from Beirut. The resort may be said to be the growth of ten
years, during which the lonely, pine-covered hills were almost
magically transformed into a bustling little city where one would
scarcely find accommodations in its score of hotels, especially during week-ends, without advance reservations. Its attractions are
many and varied, chief among which is its dry climate, and the
bracing air of its pine forests which exhilarate intoxicating fragrance. At night it is a scintillating cluster of a myriad of lights,
pulsating with the strangeness of a highly cosmopolitan life, to
which the Egyptian not only contributes his presence and all
his natural gaity, but adds to that his musical and entertaining
talent. At the time of our visit two famous Egyptian singers
were giving recitals, coincident with the appearance of a theatrical company. Nor was the purely native touch lacking, for in
one of the principal open-air cafes hundreds of devotees of the
fine art of improvised poetry in the Arabic vernacular had gathered to hear one of the leading exponents in the country of this
rapidly waning art.
We made the rounds of all the principal hotels in quest of
accommodations, but without success. A courteous hotel-keeper,
a former emigrant who had returned to invest his acquired fortune in home industries, offered us his family quarters for the
night, but the offer was declined. Instead, we chose to put up
in a hastily arranged room on the ground floor opening on the
gardens, which corresponds to attic accommodations in America.
I suggested that we seek some secluded spot to spend the
evening; a place of quiet and repose where we would have thej
companionship of the pines, and the entertainment of the scintil-
�I
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FEBRUARY, 1930
33
lating stars of the clear Lebanon nights. It would be well to
evade for a time the Broadway atmosphere of this lively Lebanon resort, especially that our time was limited, and we were
touching on the high spots of the country with little opportunity
for sharing the many natural advantages it affords the true vacationist.
A companion suggested a drive through the "Bois," so named
after the famous Bois de Bologne of Paris. And it proved an
enchanting place: miles of pine forests so thick in places that
they completely hid the sky, while here and there they permitted of some apertures for the shiny stars to peep through on the
roadway.
We had driven up from Beirut that afternoon, and in the
sweltering heat of the city we had failed to provide for the
change of altitude. How we wished then to be in a closed car,
or to have some sort of warm covering!
We finally halted at a cafe deep in the woods. Everything
was still and peaceful. Only a few small parties were in the
clearing among the pines engaged in quietly sipping their arak
and nibbling at their maza. The gentle murmur of running
water was all that could be heard. But seeing us approach, and
realizing we were strangers, the obliging proprietor hastened to
treat us to some lively music, and he began to play one screeching
American jazz record after another!
In the morning we had a fuller opportunity to appreciate
the unique advantage of location which gained for this resort
its deserved popularity. It is situated on a central ridge of the
Lebanon range, commanding at once a superb view of both land
and sea. Sannin stands at close proximity, and the picturesque
valleys to the East form a kaleidoscopic panorama of endless
variety. While to the West a succession of hills and valleys,
dotted with thriving villages, gently slope down to the vast expanse of the sea. Crowning the crests of most of the hills in this
section are massive churches or monasteries which project their
bulk forcibly into the landscape.
1
f
The fortnight I had spent in Lebanon so far had been confined to Beirut and its immediate vicinity. But now was to begin
my extensive trips to the outlying sections of Lebanon and Syria.
Our itinerary called for covering the stretch from the Dog River
to the Cedars in a single day. The Dog River is mid-way on the
�34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Lebanon littoral being only eight miles from Beirut, and although
we did not carry out our program to the letter, we can truthfully
claim that we covered half the length of Lebanon in a single
afternoon.
The descent from the Heights of Showeir was begun early
on August 2nd through beautiful Bikfaya, to the once foremost
industrial town of the countrv, Beit Shabab. In times past the town
was an important center of pottery and textile manufacturing
and brass and iron foundries; the bell-casting industry is a monopoly of the NafFah family. Not so prosperous are its industries
at present, however. It is maintained, as many other towns in
Syria and Lebanon, by emigrants' remittances.
We breakfasted at the house of Ibrahim Rahhal Mokarzel,
the mukhtar, or mayor of Beit Shabab, who, although in his
early fifties, has retired from the active management of his
extensive business interests in South Africa, which he has left
to his sons, and has chosen to spend the rest of his days in the congenial surroundings of his homeland. He built himself a large
modern house on the highest crest in the town and surrounded
it with extensive vineyards and fruit orchards. The large court
commands a magnificent view of the countryside, and it was in
this court that the board was spread for breakfast. Life in Lebanon is almost totally in the open air during the summer.
Milhem, the son of Ibrahim, was then on his bi-annual visit
to the parental home. He was young and adventurous, and waxed
enthusiastic about joining us on the trip to the Cedars. When his
father could not dissuade him from his hasty decision, he decided
to come along too. And it was well that he did, for he proved a
vernacular poet of no mean talent, offering us no end of entertainment by his copious improvisations.
Being, furthermore, the mayor of his town, he had the privilege of carrying weapons, and he brought along his double-barreled hunting rifle. A quail or a rabbit might prove a delicious
addition to a meal, and he would use the privilege of his office
to our benefit. On the way he stopped for some cartridges, but
when, later in the day, he spotted a quarry and wanted to load,
he discovered that the storekeeper had given him cartridges of
a wrong calibre! For the three days that we were together, his
honor, the mayor, every time he looked at the gun which he
was toting as useless extra weight, forgot the dignity of his
office sufficiently to curse the idiotic storekeeper in some of the
most original expressions I ever heard.
?
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�FEBRUARY, 1930
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We took hasty leave of the Hayeck family in Beit Shabab,
and made swiftly for the neighboring town of Freike, there to
bid farewell to the family of the distinguished author Ameen
Rihani, now in the United States. Half an hour later we had
reached Antilyas by the sea, whence we turned northward in the
direction of Nahr El-Kalb, or the Dog Rfver.
Except to passing tourists, the great historical importance of
the inscriptions at the Dog River gorge seem to be little appreciated. The most modern of the inscriptions, that which is commemorative of French occupation, is the most legible and conspicuous. With some effort one can locate the Assyrian inscription which remains in a remarkable condition of preservation
-'
considering that it dates back to almost three thousand years.
But the rest of the great record of the marsh of human history
seems to be in a deplorable state of neglect. This spot should be
second in importance, if not equal to, the ruins of Baalbeck among
Lebanon's historical shrines, and one would think that the government would show its appreciation of the singular honor of
being the custodian of such invaluable relics, by taking some
action to protect them and make them more accessible to tourists
of limited time.
As it is, a modern road has been built about half a mile
through the gorge to a little clearing used for a popular cafe.
It fails even to reach the old Roman bridge, only a short distance
further inland (1).
It almost borders on the profane to speak in the same breath
of these sacred relics of the ages and of the modern trivialities
that are now made their close associates. Nahr El-Kalb is now
visited for the attraction it has been lent by an enterprising and
yet romantic Lebanese emigrant who has chosen to be an amateur
botanist and naturalist, and who is an addict of the sport.
Sab4 Rouhana, a former resident of Drumright, Okla., is
the proprietor of the so-called casino at Nahr El-Kalb. He returned to Lebanon after the war and was attracted to this historic place for its sport possibilities. He built himself a house
on leased land, and when not catering to picnickers he indulges
in the chase. He was proud in showing me his menagerie of a
/
(1) An article by Dr. Philip K. Hitti in description of the Dog River and
its inscriptions and strategic importance during the ages was published in a former issue of The Syrian World, a few copies of which
are still available.
�"-
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36
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
corend, a hyena, a fox, a deer and a wolf. He even has a young
eagle in a cage, perhaps, like the Greek philosopher of old, to
ascertain personally his longevity. Whenever he cannot engage
in the hunt he finds diversion in fishing. We were his guests
until 3:30 that afternoon and we discovered that he had retained
a good deal of his American business acumen, for he charged us
Oklahoma prices.
The drive north along the seashore towns of Lebanon is
fascinating. At times the waves almost lap the road which runs
along the even level of the beach; at others the road is hewn
in the rock and almost perches over the breaking waves. Before
we reached the outskirts of Tripoli we came to the rock of Mesailaha, through which the road winds in sharp curves until it
reaches what formerly was an unnegotiable pass. Now they have
carved a tunnel through the high rock, overlooking the sea, and
the thrills of the passage are the delight of the adventurous.
We did not stop long at Jebail, ancient Byblos. But we tarried sufficiently to contemplate with reverence the abundant
waters of Nahr Ibrahim, to which the ancients gave the name of
Adonis. What memories the name invokes! For here were laid
the scenes of the most famous love episode in history—the tragic
love of Venus and Adonis. To the present day the waters of
the river turn red in the spring flood, because of the red earth
formation of the neighboring hills, and mythology ascribes the
phenomenon to the desire of the gods to commemorate annually
the flow of blood of Adonis when gored by the wild boar.
Futher north is the town of Batroun, known in times past for
its sponge fisheries. We stopped there to take some refreshments.
We were treated to the experience of having a drink of running
water—from a stationary barrel. Before dusk we reached the
outskirts of Tripoli, but instead of continuing to the city we
took the road leading to the mountain. We had an oppottunity
to admire the beautiful plain of Al-Koura, a duplicate in miniature of Al-Bika' plain, resplendent in its dark-green of olive
groves. Then began the steep ascent of the mountain in the
gathering dusk. We could feel the labors of the engine negotiating the steep climb. But night was merciful in having spread its
cloak over the countryside while we made the ascent. We reached
the town of Al-Hadath where we spent the night, and when we
rose in the morning to view the scene of the previous night's
climb, we thanked both the night and the able chauffeur in the
person of our courageous cousin, Milhem ibn Ibrahim.
)
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�FEBRUARY, 1930
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37
The morning of August 3rd found us again on the march on
the way to the Cedars. But we could not pass by Al-Diman without a halt. Fo Al-Diman is the summer residence of His Beatitude the Maronite Patriarch, the spiritual ruler, as well as the
political leader, of the Maronites. We were detained as his
guests for lunch, and only permitted to proceed after considerable
entreaties.
From the vantage point of Al-Diman we could behold the
imposing panorama of Wadi Kadisha, or the Sacred Valley.
From an elevation of seven hundred meters we saw as small
specks clinging to the sides of the valley, the old monasteries
that served for many centuries as the seats of the Maronite
Patriarchs, when they and their adherents stood in constant fear
of persecution and sought for refuge the most inaccessible spots
in the rugged mountain.
We were maintaining a furiously fast pace, as no sooner were
we permitted to leave the precincts of Al-Diman, in the early
afternoon of August 3rd, than we tore along the road leading to
the Cedars. We passed through Hasroun, birthplace of the most
famous of Oriental scholars, Assemani, who was at one time the
Librarian of the Vatican; thence to Bcharri, home of our famous
contemporary author, Kahlil Gibran, author of "The Prophet,"
the literary masterpiece which has been translated into more than
twenty languages; thence to the Cedars, our ultimate goal, where
we spent the night of Saturday and the forenoon of Sunday,
meeting experiences that make one live the life of a thousand
years or more back. Truly, after one's experience in traveling to
the Cedars, and beholding their majesty, one cannot fail to exclaim that they are Lebanon's crowning glory (1).
Sunday noon found us again at Bcharri, there to meet Archbishop Antoun Arida and the Board of Directors of the Nahr
Kadisha hydroelectric project, the enterprise which spells the
indomitable native spirit of enterprise and initiative, and then to
partake of the bounteous hospitality of the mayor, Sheikh Najib
Daher.
That afternoon found us in the neighboring town of Ehden,
famous as the birthplace of the Lebanese hero, Joseph Bey Karam, and as the town of the free and the home of the brave of
Lebanon. We waived formalities to first pay homage to the re(1) The visit to the Cedars of Lebanon will be described independently in
a eoming issue.
\
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38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
mains of the great patriot and hero, reposing in state in the principal church. To one familiar with the history of Lebanon in
the nineteenth century, the sight of the body of Joseph Bey Karam, lying as if in restful sleep after the lapse of more than
seventy years, cannot fail but inspire admiration for the great
leader whose patriotism, piety and courage upheld the Lebanese
tradition of sacrifice to the extreme in the cause of liberty.
Our entry into Ehden was by the southern route known as
Dawaleeb; otherwise the wheels. They are a succession of cafes
terraced one above the other and all thronged with merrymakers.
The roads also were congested for a mile or more from where we
first entered the precincts of the town until we reached the public
square. And the square, as well as its cafes, was also congested. Where do all these multitudes come from?
In the square we were received by the newly-elected representative of the Northern District, Kabalan Bey Frangie. He
insisted that we be his guests at the spring of Nahr Sarquis. There
prohibition is not in force, and the few hours we spent at the
cool, refreshing spring left no room for doubt as to the hospitality
of the people and their leader.
The abundant spring which takes its name from the neighboring monastery of St. Sarquis, gushes from the heart of a rock.
Last year, when Rev. Simon Akle, who was at one time a prior
of the monastery and is now in America, visited his home town,
he contributed several thousand dollars towards the creation of
a public park by the spring. The improvement was already noticeable.
| • -i u jfj
That night our whole party, composed of Ibrahim, Milhem
and Joseph Mokarzel, John Trabulsi of New York and myself,
were guests of Sheikh Joseph Estephan, member of the Representative Assembly, who had been in the United States the year
previous. His home town, Kfar Sghab, is midway between Ehden
and Bcharri, and he had anticipated our coming. This should be
sufficient explanation for the elaborate preparations. The two
cakes which the hostess had prepared could have aroused the
envy of the most expert New York chef. On the chocolate
coating, in beautiful Arabic script, were the words: "Long live
the Lebanese Emigrants" and "Long live the Mokarzels."
It was with a great effort that we were able to get leave of
our hosts to depart the next morning, crossing country by the
most roundabout ways, to reach the city of Tripoli and regain
our way to the northern cities of Tartus, Latakia and Aleppo.
FE<
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thrc
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Ma
best
to
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�FEBRUARY, 1930
39
Maggie and Joe
A SHORT STORY
By
s.
re
ic >
i-
LABEEBEE
A. J.
HANNA
"Y^HERE did I hit her with the snowball?" asked the boy—
confidentially.
The girl looked at him, took his arm, and dragged him
through the snow and around the corner.
"It was some blow! Eh, sis?"
"Well, Joe," said the girl, hesitatingly, "you hit her on the
neck and the snow must have gone down inside her clothes."
"Serves her right. What do you think she'll do now, Maggie r
"Gosh, I don't know! She'll tell her mother."
"Yeh, girls always tell their mothers everything."
Maggie wasn't sure but what girls ought to tell their mothers everything, but kept still. She had her reasons for not wishing to appear dogmatic at this moment.
"Let's hurry on to the library! We must get that book! Poor
Aggie. You had no reason for hitting her that way!"
"Well, I did it just for fun!" and to the boy (and every boy)
this was final in any argument.
Maggie had no desire for an argument, but couldn't refrain
from exclaiming, "You're always having fun hurting someone!"
"Yeh!" and he turned to leave her.
"Oh!" and she caught his coat, "you're all right, only, you
must be careful. You're perfectly all right, but I don't want
you to get into trouble."
"What kind of trouble? Good grief! You girls!" and he
turned quickly.
"All right. It's all right. Only, come with me!" and Maggie
held on to Joe's coat for dear life. He didn't dare to leave her
for fear his coat would tear—and then! Why the dickens didn't
she hold his hand? He could easily wriggle away then. But
Maggie knew his strength and her weakness. She knew she could
best hold him by his coat with her left hand. She knew, as others
to their sorrow, that those fingers were strong from constant
practise on the violin, and she held him!
"Are you gonna let me go?"
�-=1*
40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"No!"
"Well, I won't go, if you don't!"
"If I let you go, will you come?"
"All right."
They went on Down Brookline Street to the doors of the
library. Her left hand was ready in case he changed hs mind
J.m stopped Maggie looked at him menacingly
"Don't forget!" she warned.
"Oh, all right!"
taxi
6 11
b k
y
bspecial
renn^'in
' school
f*7°°*
°° ^ >'0U'J1 ^ PreP^ed for your
report
tomorrow."
Peciai
"But you said you'd help'"
miJ
'qf^f/T,? f ShTall~h' remembe^ self-reliance!"
Ir you don't help, I won't do it'"
That night, Maggie and Joe worked together. Toe was so
pleased with his oratorical attempt, as practised on hisristeTth*
wo
TEN YEARS LATER.
gaj
Margaret (she no longer allowed the name Masael
hSH
g
her hand on Joe's. It was growingg dark but he
hm
JI
2
made no attem t
to put on the light.
'
P
"Don't say that again, Joe'"
bUt
3 hUm di ger
Pd Slam her
said"tte!"
" "'"
" '
^Remember, Joe, she's your wife I"
W
<&* » she
ing hKS °',e mMher- She h- - b—s bring"Do you love Mae?"
"No."
She knew he lied.
"Even so, you must go back to her.
no woT'"11
y0U1 Hfe!
"
And liSten t0 h£r knocki
"g because I have
bbeMd e
Margaret arose and walked to the window
c?jtz
ca
sh
SI l
i 5
* - * -Ma £**£ S
w
;
»1
�___»^—
RLD
FEBRUARY, 1930
wrme**
'
mmm
41
"Joe!" she exclaimed suddenly.
He lifted his head.
"What is it?"
"Have you still your driving license?"
"Yes."
"Is it true that any one having a car may join an independent
taxi company, providing he paints it with the colors and stripes?"
"That's right!"
"Well, look here! Wouldn't my car make a good taxi?"
"It's too old."
"I've had it two years, but it's only gone fifteen thousand
miles! And I've taken good care of it."
"Perhaps. Well, what do you want to do?"
"I'll turn it into a cab and you can be my chauffeur!"
"That means I must get a chauffeur's license. I'm broke."
"I'll get it for you."
"All right. If you'll give me the car. Too much trouble
working for someone else."
"I won't give it to you, but I'll sell it. You can have a mortgage on the car."
"I don't care. You'll never get the money either way."
"How well I know it!"
He laughed.
"Well, you know, sis, if ever I can, you'll get your money.
Whether I sign or not, my word is just the same."
"Yes, I know—just as bad."
He laughed again.
She turned away from the window and sat down.
"You know, sis, there's a lot of expense to turn a car into a
cab. Paint job. Meter. Partition. Special license. Membership."
"How much all together?"
"Over seven hundred dollars."
"Good grief! That's terrible! You know I haven't been
;
working long."
"Well, it's up to you. I'm not forcing you!"
"All right. Only don't tell Uncle Abe. You know nobody
approves of my helping you."
"They're dumb!"
"Well, back to your wife you go!"
She gave him her car, and nobody knew.
�40
FE
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"No!"
"Well, I won't go, if you don't!"
"If I let you go, will you come?"
"All right."
They went on. Down Brookline Street to the doors of the
library. Her left hand was ready in case he changed his mind.
Jim stopped. Maggie looked at him menacingly.
"Don't forget!" she warned.
"Oh, all right!"
"We'll get your book and you'll be prepared for your special
report in school tomorrow."
"But you said you'd help!"
"Yes, of course I shall—but, remember, self-reliance!"
"If you don't help, I won't do it!"
That night, Maggie and Joe worked together. Joe was so
pleased with his oratorical attempt, as practised on his sister, that
he waxed enthusiastic, and the next day received a high compliment from his teacher.
taxi
miJ
wo
gal
TEN YEARS LATER.
Margaret (she no longer allowed the name Maggie) laid
her hand on Joe's. It was growing dark, but she made no attempt
to put on the light.
"Don't say that again, Joe!"
"My, but it was a hum dinger! I'd slam her again if she
said that!"
"Remember, Joe, she's your wife!"
"Yes, but I have only one mother. She has no business bringing her into our affairs!"
"Do you love Mae?"
"No."
She knew he lied.
"Even so, you must go back to her.
"Not on your life! And listen to her knocking because I have
no work!"
"Of course, it was wrong of you to marry so early in life,
but after all she's your wife and you've got to stick together."
Margaret arose and walked to the window. She looked out,
and at the curb beheld the car in which she had just brought her
brother home.
W
cal
sh
/
;
W(
ap
�FEBRUARY, 1930
ft
)\
J
I
41
"Joe!" she exclaimed suddenly.
He lifted his head.
"What is it?"
"Have you still your driving license?"
"Yes."
"Is it true that any one having a car may join an independent
taxi company, providing he paints it with the colors and stripes?"
"That's right!"
"Well, look here! Wouldn't my car make a good taxi?"
"It's too old."
"I've had it two years, but it's only gone fifteen thousand
miles! And I've taken good care of it."
"Perhaps. Well, what do you want to do?"
"I'll turn it into a cab and you can be my chauffeur!"
"That means I must get a chauffeur's license. I'm broke."
"I'll get it for you."
"All right. If you'll give me the car. Too much trouble
working for someone else."
"I won't give it to you, but I'll sell it. You can have a mortgage on the car."
"I don't care. You'll never get the money either way."
"How well I know it!"
He laughed.
"Well, you know, sis, if ever I can, you'll get your money.
Whether I sign or not, my word is just the same."
"Yes, I know—just as bad."
He laughed again.
She turned away from the window and sat down.
"You know, sis, there's a lot of expense to turn a car into a
cab. Paint job. Meter. Partition. Special license. Membership."
"How much all together?"
"Over seven hundred dollars."
"Good grief! That's terrible! You know I haven't been
working long."
"Well, it's up to you. I'm not forcing you!"
"All right. Only don't tell Uncle Abe. You know nobody
approves of my helping you."
"They're dumb!"
"Well, back to your wife you go!"
She gave him her car, and nobody knew.
�*2
THE SYRIAN WORLD
TWENTY YEARS LATER.
"Say, ma, Aunt Maggie is coming in!" A young girl turned
away from the window into an untidy sitting room.
"Who did you say?" answered the older woman, stout yet
pinched looking.
"Aunt Margaret!*' and the girl laughed in derision.
"Well, Joe isn't home yet!" and the woman continued with
her cooking.
v
"Did papa want her for something?"
"Well! Guess she wants some more help, trying to keep us
broke!"
"Where's John?"
"Out, goodness knows where—just like his father!"
The door bell rang. Bertha ran to let her aunt in.
"Why, Aunt Maggie!"
"How are you, Bertha?" answered the woman frowning at
the "Maggie." "Is your mother in? I see. And where's Joe?"
"Oh, he isn't home yet. Mother says you must excuse the
appearance of the sitting room."
"That's all right."
"Mother says you'd better not ask for money for you always
keep us broke."
"Keeping you broke: Is that so? Where is your mother?"
"You just sit down. She'll be right in."
"How's your brother John?"
"Out."
"I should have liked to see him. I don't often get a chance
to come here—and you people never think to visit me."
"We're always busy."
When the mother finally came in it was to make one long
continuous excuse for keeping her sister-in-law waiting. Then
she went on to tell how hard times were and how badly in need
of money they were. After that she began to admire her visitor's
clothes and to inquire the price of each article. There had been
a time when Margaret had pleased herself to hurt the other by
telling the exact price of articles. Now, however, she had become
more careful and said little concerning expense. She had learned
to direct the talk into other channels, for envy did not please her
any longer—nor ever had to any great extent.
The young girl sat in the corner of the room, listening to all
that passed—and certainly agreed to all her mother said and did
�FEBRUARY, 1930
'(
j:
43
—and disapproved of her aunt.
It was some time after that Joe came in. He threw his hat
on the hatrack and saying, "Hello, Maggie!" dashed into the
kitchen.
fj j
When he came back, he sat down and stretched out his long
legs lazily.
"Oh," he said to his wife, "there's something burning in the
kitchen!"
She rushed in.
"You go in, Bertha, and help her." The girl went.
Margaret sat silent, looking straight at Joe. Her brother!
She didn't belong here, no matter the blood.
"Joe," she finally said, "I need money."
"I was just gonna ask you for some. John needs a new tire
on his roadster. He's got some snappy car!"
"How's your cab company going?"
"Oh, I've got about seven cabs—all going now, but the expense is terrible. I've got so many bills to pay."
"You usually have. Well, what am I to do? I've been giving you money for years."
"What can I do? Times are tough, you know."
"They usually are," she said, drily.
"Say, why don't you get a husband? Don't you think it's
about time?"
"Get a husband? For what?"
"Then you won't have any more worries and you'll have all
the money you want."
"That is an idea—and just like you. But, as I have always
said to you, I can't marry for money, and besides, I have had no
time to think of marriage with so many family aifairs occupying
my mind. On top of that, I'm too old now."
"No," but he looked at her. Margaret was old. True, her
hair hadn't turned nor had her face become wrinkled over much
. —but her eyes, when she looked at you, how old they were!
Of course, they had always been old eyes, but they were extremely
so now, especially since they didn't seem to laugh at you any
more. Queer how time had changed his sister. Was this the little
Maggie who had rushed him along to do his homework when he
was still at school? Was this the pretty Margaret who had given
up so much that he might be with his wife always? And she had
never complained. He would call her Margaret to please her.
�rtl
44
THE SYRIAN WORLD
"Margaret," he began. She looked up, surprised. "Why have
you done so much for me? I didn't deserve t."
"You are my brother," she said simply.
"My God!" he exclaimed. He hid his head in the palms of
his hands.
"Joe, for goodness' sake, don't!" She arose and came to
him, and placed her hands on his head.
"I didn't deserve it! I didn't deserve it! How can I ever
repay you!" he repeated over and over.
"You can't. I'll go on like this."
"You're alone and we've never given you a thought. Oh,
my God!"
Joe's wife appeared suddenly. "Come in, Joe," she called.
"How long do we have to wait for you?"
Margaret tightened her coat about her. She had kept it on.
She drew herself up to her greatest height, but her sister-in-law
ignored her. She knew she was dismissed.
Joe rose and quickly followed his wife.
Margaret let herself out, to walk home alone.
To My Father
(February 12, 1880—July 17, 1923)
By LABEEBEE A. J. HANNA
Nothing but the sky
So large, so firm, so fine —
And trees with tiny leaves, so new,
Open spaces —
And my thoughts turned to you.
Nothing but the sea
So green, so blue, so deep —
The waves, each movement ever new,
And the sand dunes —
And my thoughts turned to you.
Nothing but black walls
So hot, so firm, so sure,
My soul that tires and is through
And agony
And my thoughts turned to you.
I
/
�D
45
FEBRUARY, 1930
/e
EDITORIAL COMMENT
lo
jr
QO FAR the contest for a free
trip to Syria has produced
more enthusiasm than actual
results. There has been an addition this month to the number
of registered contestants, but
none has so far attained results
anywhere approaching the minimum goal. The fact, however,
that the contestants are enthused holds forth good promise. It is to be hoped that before
the date set for the closing of
the contest the leaders would
have far exceeded the mark.
We wish to again call attention to the important concession that gift subscriptions are
credited as direct subscriptions.
* Uur
Our recor
records show that scores of
M j sympathii
izers with the cause of
/ THE S^
SYRIAN WORLD have
made gift subscriptions ranging
from five up to twenty. This
fact indicates a commendable
disposition to help circulate the
magazine because of its patent
service to the Syrian cause.
Undoubtedly there are many
more who could be brought to
share this disposition, and a few
such would help swell the list
of any contestant materially.
Why not try for them? There
are any number of wealthy Syrians and Lebanese throughout
the United States who, once the
1
fact is made plain to them,
would welcome the opportunity
to make such a valuable gift, at
low cost, to their American and
Syrian
friends.
Contestants
should find it comparatively
easy to arouse the racial pride
of their wealthy friends to the
extent of availing themselves
of such a suggestion.
It is our ambition to ultimately have THE SYRIAN WORLD
reach every Syrian home in
America and the Free Trip
Contest we have inaugurated is
but one means to that end. No
doubt the prize is large and
seemingly out of proportion
with the limited means of a
small publication, but this only
goes to show the extent of our
determination.
And let it again be said that
in the publication of THE SYRIAN WORLD we are not simply
striving to exploit a popular
need. In truth, although such
a publication seems to be a need
indeed, we are struggling
against almost insuperable odds
for its bare maintenance. It is
rather our conviction that the
service is indispensable in its
ultimate benefits of arousing
among our race a consciousness
for the best that is in them,
that we are hoping for a grad-
�46
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ual awakening to the appreciation of the true value of the
publication. And on the strength
of that hope we shall continue
to strive, to the end that THE
SYRIAN WORLD and its benefit
will in time be adequately appreciated.
READERS of THE SYRIAN
WORLD will notice that our
material covers a broad latitude and is designed to give
the widest possible variety of
reading consistent with the nature of the magazine. History,
travel, literature, poetry, fiction, politics and general news
are to be found in almost every
number. Our contributors comprise practically every known
writer of standing in the United
States, and we are happy to
state that we are discovering a
good deal of new talent, some
of whom show distinct promise.We believe we are justified
in the pursuance of such a policy, inasmuch as THE SYRIAN
WORLD is the only publication
of its nature extant, and as
such it has to cater to all manner
of needs and tastes. As often
stated, it is in a class by itself,
creating its own standard, and
can by no valid reason be held
up to comparison with the general run of English periodicals.
These enjoy an extensive field
which permits of a high degree
of specialization.
s
As matters now stand, THE
even with its
cosmopolitan nature and its
general appeal, has good reason to complain of its limited
circulation.
SYRIAN WORLD,
would, nevertheless, welW]Ecome
our readers' opinions
r
on the general policies of THE
SYRIAN WORLD. Not that we
invite commendation and approval only, rather, we would
be most anxious for constructive
suggestions and advice on methods of betterment and improvement. We wish our readers to
fully and frankly give us the
benefit of their reactions, and
every practical suggestion making for improvement in the
magazine will be cheerfully
acted upon.
^HILE on the subject of
readers and their reactions,
may we not also invite their
appraisal of our various material? We would be gratified to
learn that they appreciate and
approve of this article or department, or condemn the other. Perhaps they might have
a little more information to add
to some particular subject under
discussion, which would be welcome for publication. Whether
the opinion be in praise or in
criticism, we feel confident that
all our contributors would welcome an expression of opinion
on the part of the readers.
/
A,
9
!
'•I
�FEBRUARY, 1930
47
Spirit of the Syrian Press
Under this caption we hope to present from time to time a microcosmic
picture of the Arabic press, not only in this country, but wherever Arabic
dailies and magazines reflect the opinions of responsible, thinking writers
who are treating the different problems that confront the Arabic-speaking
world from all conceivable angles. Needless to say, we will take no part in
the discussions reproduced, nor assume any responsibility. Our task will
simply consist in selecting, to the best of our knowledge and with utmost
sincerity, what we think is representative of the public opinion as expressed
in these editorials.
Editor.
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE
IN THE EAST
Tho misinformed on true conditions among Eastern peoples and in
Eastern countries take it for granted
that public opinion, as represented
by the press, is the controlling power,
in the shaping of Eastern affairs.
This is an illusion which should be
corrected. The only influence in the
East that should be reckoned with
is that of the clergy. The whole
political structure seems to be still
raised on religious foundations.
Taking the Arabic-speaking countries, we find that the governments
of King Ibn Saoud, of Imam Yahya,
of King Faisal of Iraq, are all based
on religious influence and governed
along religious considerations. Even
the Constitution which the Syrians
had drafted for a republican form of
government in their country was
impregnated with the religious
spirit. While in Lebanon itself, and
in Egypt which is noted for its
modernism, and in Turkey which is
apparently adapting itself by a revolutionary process to Western
methods, the real influence governing the peoples in all walks of life
is paramountly religious.
For this reason we cannot escape
the conclusion that all our ills and
misfortunes, whether in the mother
country or abroad, can be traced to
religious beginnings and to the
harmful influence of the clergy. We
would even state unequivocally that
political and social leaderships
are but nominal figures which bow
in impotence to the great prestige
of religious influence.
Al-Hoda, N. Y.. Feb. 28, 1930.
CLOSING SCHOOLS IN LEBANON
The reform and economy program
of Premier Eddy of Lebanon seems
to be overreaching itself. The need
for a dictator in Lebanon should not
extend to the point where the most
vital department of government,
that of education, would be demoralized in the interest of false economy.
The judicial department could stand
a good deal of retrenchment, but to
curtail expenditures on education is
an unpardonable crime.
What Premier Eddy has done so
far indicates that he is pruning the
small twigs and sparing the big
branches. Only those whose salaries
are insignificant have so far fallen
�,
48
under the knife, while those drawing fat salaries seem to be safe
from molestation.
What can the result of such false
economy in the closing of native
schools mean other than that our
children will now have to flock to
foreign
educational
institutions
where, to say the least, they could
not have an equal opportunity to
learn the rudiments of true citizenship. They will learn to respect the
foreigner and despise the native
and become on that account willing
tools in the hands of the colonizers.
Meraat-Ul-Gharb N.Y.,Feb. 18, 1930
PALESTINIANS FOREIGNERS
IN THEIR COUNTRY
The status of Palestinian citizenship came up for discussion lately
in the British Parliament and drew
from the under secretary of the colonies the explanation that the regulations in force apply equally to
Jews and Arabs without discrimination. "Any Palestinian who has not
forsaken his Turkish citizenship,"
explained the British official, "will be
permitted to return to Palestine if he
is sound of mind and body. A twoyears' residence will entitle the applicant to citizenship."
How strange are the workings of
English policy in Palestine. A foreign element of various nationalities
and tongues are permitted to enter
the country without restrictions,
while the original inhabitants of the
country are denied the right of
entry except under hard and almost
prohibitive conditions!
Such is the policy that the reputed
"British Justice" is pursuing in
Palestine to fedeem a pledge made
by Lord Balfour during the war, a
policy Which recks with injustice
in that it places a race of strangers
THE SYRIAN WORLD
on a par with the original people of
the land.
The net result of these regulations
is that the Palestinian Arab may return to his homeland if he has retained his Turkish citizenship, subject to medical examination, while
if he has become a naturalized
American he is confronted with all
manner of restrictions. But the Jew,
the wanderer who supposedly owes
political allegiance to any number
of countries, may enter Palestine
and have the right to settle in it
without the slightest restriction if
he but passes the physical examination !
It would be in order to extend to
Great Britain condolences over the
passing of what was known as
"British Justice". But it is well to
recall a famous Arab maxim which
warns that: "No tyrant but will
reap at some time the just reward
of his injustice."
Al-Bayan N. Y., Jan. 30, 1930.
FRANCE AND LEBANON
A rumor gained circulation that
the Ehdenites of North Lebanon
opened negotiations with the inhabitants of Deir El-Kamar, of South
Lebanon, with the object of the two
factions joining hands in demanding
for the country direct administration under a French governor.
The rumor proved to be false. It
was discredited by the Ehdenites
both at home and abroad. If it had
any foundation of truth the Ehdenites of the United States would have
known of it because one of the
characteristics of these Lebanese is
that they will undertake no public
action before a general consultation
among themselves, whether they be
at home or abroad. Some of their
prominent leaders in America have
f
;
/
�FEBRUARY, 1930
assured us that the rumor was a
pure fabrication. We have reason to
believe that some trafickers in patriotism engineered the rumor for
possible later benefits to themselves.
We cannot too often state that
while Lebanon loves France it will
not renounce its independence. If
France will agree to be Lebanon's
aegis and defender, without exploiting it to the personal benefit of the
profiteering among its colonizers,
then she will be the queen of Lebanese hearts and Lebanon will be
to her a more impregnable stronghold than Gibraltar. This should be
sufficient to eliminate any greed on
the part of France and any fear on
the part of Lebanon. But if the
profiteering among the French and
Lebanese should combine to pervert
this policy of amity then the two
nations are bound to lose, and the
Lebanese in that case would be the
more to blame.
We want France as a friend and
not as a domineering mistress. We
want her in that capacity for our
own honor as well as for hers. For
this reason we find no recourse but
to declare a moral war for the purging of our relations with France
from any influence that might corrupt these lofty motives.
Al-Hoda, N. Y., Feb. 27, 1930.
FAISAL AND ZIONISM
/
In support of their contention of
having a right to Palestine, the Jews
produced a ten-year-old document in
the form of a letter written in 1919
by Emir Faisal, now King of Iraq,
to Prof. Frankfurter in which he
approves of the Jewish aspirations
for the creation of a national home
in Palestine and states that the
Arabs harbor no ill-feeling towards
th» Jwwi in the latter'* prosecution
49
of this claim, "because the leaders
among the Arabs are in complete
sympathy with Zionism."
This document was produced by
the Jews as evidence in support of
their case before the Shaw commission of inquiry and was reproduced
textually by the Boston Transcript.
As would be natural, there arose
a heated controversy among the
Arabs as to the authenticity and the
propriety of the said document.
There were some who claimed that
at the time of its writing Zionism
had not reached its present acute
stage, while others defended Faisal
on the ground that his hands were
forced by political motives which he
could not well disregard.
We are of the opinion that both
contentions are wrong. It seems to
be the object of both factions to
defend Emir Faisal, overlooking the
all-important consideration that the
missive itself is of no inherent value
and cannot be entered as material
evidence. When Faisal wrote the letter he was not representing the
country in any logical form, while
on the other hand Palestine cannot
be considered an article of barter
which the Emir could trade for some
personal benefit to please the
Zionists or conform to the dictates
of whatever diplomatic considerations prevailed at that time.
On the date of the letter, Emir
Faisal was in Paris negotiating for
an Arab throne which he could occupy and for the sake of which he
was willing to make many concessions, the least of which would be
the approval of Zionist claims.
Even if Faisal, who is now King
of Iraq, were to approve the Jews'
claim to Palestine, of what weight
would be his opinion when he is but
a stranger who can claim no legal
right to represent Palestine when
the country does not authorize him
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
50
the Lebanese constitution in such
to act in such a capacity?
It would seem to us that whether manner that it became a mockery.
Faisal be the author of the afore- He deprived the Assembly of all
mentioned letter or not, or whether power and saw to it that the powers
or not he wrote it under political vested in the High Commissioner, of
pressure, none of these considera- whom he was the personal repretions could be seriously considered sentative, were well guarded. In view
because the life of a nation cannot of these facts, we feel justified in
be bartered by the mere letter of a the belief that the regrets expressed
stranger, nor can it be affected by at the departure of this French ofthe wrecklessness of a political ficial were not genuinely sincere.
schemer who exhausted every means We also would add our expressions
at his command to achieve his poli- of elation in view of the announcement that the gentleman is not to
tical ambitions.
As-Sayeh, N. Y., Feb. 20, 1930. return.
Meraat-Ul-Gharb, N.Y.,Feb. 15, 1930.
A GLAD FAREWELL
The Syrian press reports that on
the occasion of the departure of M.
Solomiac for France, the President
of Lebanon, as well as the Premier
and many ministers and representatives bade him farewell on board
his ship and showed otherwise many
marks of esteem to the departing
French official.
The importance of the event is that
M. Solomiac was the "power behind
the throne" in the Lebanese government. He had held his office as special representative of the High Commissioner for four years during
which he performed his duties with
the utmost consciousness. He was
the bugaboo of the Representative
Assembly and took great pains in
safeguarding French influence and
French interests. Whenever covert
diplomatic suggestions failed to
have the proper effect he resorted
to overt acts of intimidation to make
the representatives think his way.
He often rose in the Assembly and
attempted to silence the resolute
and courageous members who opposed foreign interests in their defense of native interests.
M. Solomiac also helped frame
THE LESSER OF THE TWO EVILS
The two principal towns of Lebanon, Ehden in the north and Dair
El-Kamar in the south, are reported
to have entered into negotiations
on the advisability of asking for
direct French administration over
the country by the appointment of
a French governor who would supercede the present republican form
of government which has given rise
to many misgivings. This is said to
have been brought to a climax by
the application of the Eddy program which has wrought havoc in
the administrative regulation of the
country, depriving some of the principal centres of distinctive privileges
which they formerly enjoyed.
It is an incontestable fact that the
Lebanese have been driven to desperation by the successive administrative changes which have taken
place in their country since the
French occupation. The republic has
been more of a preparatory school
than a going concern. And while all
these changes were taking place the
high officials were fattening on their
salaries while the rest of the people
were in dire distress.
/
�FEBRUARY, 1930
Due to these disturbed conditions
many opinions have been advanced
for administrative changes in the
country. There were those Who advocated direct French administration, while others favored a dominion status or some sort of a condition which would place Lebanon on
the same basis as outright French
colonies. Still others clamored for
complete independence along the
same terms that our brother Syrians are demanding for their own
country.
Under present circumstances we
are of the opinion that the Lebanese
Republic should remain in its present form because it is the form of
government most suitable to the
needs of the country. The Lebanese
should seek neither a principality,
nor a monarchy, nor any other form
51
of government that savors of absolutism. Many other nations have
experimented with all sorts of government theories and discovered that
the republican principle is the best.
It is well for Lebanon to profit by
the experience of other nations.
We are not inclined to offer any
apology for present conditions in
Lebanon. The situation is of the
gravest whether from the political
or economic standpoint. But what
we would say is that when one is
confronted with two evils he chooses
the lesser one. Under the present
circumstances, the wiser course is
to let matters take their course under
the direction of the Eddy cabinet
until such time that we can see concrete results, otherwise the situation
will adjust itself at the proper time.
Ash-Shaab, N. Y., Feb. 19, 1930.
Political Developments in Syria
/
PALESTINE
Peace seems to have returned to
Palestine—peace in the sense that
no further riots have been reported
and that the activities of both the
Arabs and the Jews are confined to
propaganda and political manoeuvres. In the battle of words the
Arabs appear to be having the
upper hand in that the public opinion
of the world is being won over to
their favor, a fact admitted by the
Jews themselves.
The most concrete result of the
post-riot period is that a noticeable
change is observed in the attitude
of world Jewry towards Zionism.
The stand of Dr. Magnes, President
of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has had the effect of dimming a good deal of the enthusiasm
characterizing the earlier stages of
the Zionist movement. Now the Jews
seem to be realizing that the Arab
element can be aroused to popular
action and that once such a condition prevails it becomes difficult to
deny a whole people an inherent
right.
It had been the hope of the Zionists to gradually populate Palestine
with their coreligionists, depending
for the success of this plan on Great
Britain's direct administration of the
country and the interpretation of the
Balfour declaration in a manner
favorable to their designs. Meanwhile their policy called for opposition to any form of representative
government because of the overwhelming Arab majority. Arab demands are naturally the direct op-
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
52
posite of any such plan.
Mufti of Jerusalem and reports that
At present both sides are anxiously when he asked him what Balfour had
awaiting the report of the Shaw in mind during the war when he
commission of inquiry which is ex- made promises to both Jews and
pected to be made public in the near Arabs, the Mufti replied: "He had
future. Recent dispatches from Lon- England in mind."
The proposal that an Arab commisdon stated that forecasts of the report suggest that it will be favorable sion go to London to further defend
to the Arabs. The Commission, it is the case of Palestine Arabs has not
further understood, will not confine yet been carried out.
its report to the causes of the riots
SYRIA
of last August but will deal extensively with the whole Palestinian
Conferences are still reported to
situation, offering many suggestions.
be taking place between High ComAccording to one account, the Commissioner Ponsot and his lieutenants
mission "considers the time not yet
ostensibly for the purpose of seeking
ripe for the Zionists to take control
a solution to the Syrian problem.
in Palestine." Furthermore, accordNot a word, however, has come auing to the same source, one of the
thoritatively from the High Commisrecommendations of the Commissioner as to his future plans. A
sion is likely to be that a wider inParis newspaper definitely announces
terpretation should be made of the
that M. Ponsot will soon return to
Balfour declaration on the establishFrance for further consideration of
ment of a national home for the
the Syrian question with the Foreign
Jews, and some consider that the
Office and perhaps for attending tb*
report may raise the whole question
coming session of the Mandates
of the future of the British mandate
Commission of the League of Nain Palestine.
tions.
In an article appearing in The
The latest rumor to gain circulaNew York Times, Emil Ludwig, the tion on a possible solution to tha
eminent German author who is mak- Syrian question is that High Coming a tour of the Near East, ex- missioner Ponsot has offered the
presses the belief that a parliament Nationalists what are supposed to be
in Palestine is inevitable and re- the maximum terms that France can
marks that "only by mutual under- give, which are reported by the
standing can the Arabs and the Damascus paper Al-Qabas to include
Jews live together in the country, the following concessions:
which both races possess by virtue
1—The Constituent Assembly, as
of tradition and by virtue of prom- at present constituted, to be given
ises given in recognition of their the status of a Representative Asconduct during the World War." No sembly with full powers to elect a
prudent Zionist, he continues, speaks permanent government which would
any longer of the Jewish State of enter into negotiations with the
Palestine, but all speak of a home French tending to the conclusion
in Palestine.
of a treaty.
The established right of the Jews
2—The State of the Alouites will
to Palestine which Mr. Ludwig seems be permitted to join the proposed
to concede to them is the very thing Syrian Republic on condition that
the Arabs deny.
the former retain a form of fiscal
Mr. Ludwig interviewed the Grand
~ ^
„ -.*•-**£*
autonomy similar to that now en-
/
�53
FEBRUARY, 1930
i
joyed by the districts of Alexahdretta and Antioch.
3—The city of Tripoli will be made
a free port to serve as a maritime
outlet for Syria, or perhaps it may
be definitely annexed to the State of
Syria.
4—France will waive its reservations concerning the six objectionable articles occurring in the first
draft of the Syrian constitution.
While this offer seems to be most
liberal on the face of it, there seems
to be special conditions which
Franee demands in the making of
the Treaty which the Nationalists
hesitate to concede. On the other
hand, the High Commissioner is said
to have warned the Nationalists
that in case his last offer is not
accepted he is ready to proclaim
Syria a monarchy and raise to the
throne the sherif Ali Haidar Pasha,
one of the lineal descendants of the
Prophet.
Meanwhile, sheikh Tajeddin remains in control and is apparently
as distant as ever from the Nationalist bloc. A great cry has been
raised against his application of the
strictest censorship to the press and
his causing the imprisonment of an
opposition editor and the fleeing of
several others from the country to
escape persecution.
The Paris correspondent of the
Beirut newspaper Al-Ahwal reported that Jaberi and Arslan, who
claim representation of the Syrian
nation in Europe, have entered into
an agreement with Italy for transferring to it the mandate over Syria
on condition that it place ex-Khedive
\
Abbas Helmi of Egypt on the Syrian
throne. The report was vehemently
denied by Emir Shakib Arslan, one
of the two concerned.
Rumors that Sultan Pasha Atrash,
leader of the Druze revolt, had been
warned by the government of Trans-
jordania to leave the country by the
end of winter, and that he intended
to seek refuge in Persia or sail for
Europe, have been authoritatively
denied. The self-exiled leader announces that he intends to remain
in Wadi Sirhan within the boundaries
of Nejd falling under the jurisdiction of King Ibn Saoud.
LEBANON
The Lebanese Cabinet is still engrossed in the task of enforcing the
economy program which Premier
Eddy insisted should be carried out
before he accepted administrative
responsibility. The pruning of sinecures is proceeding steadily and
material economies have been effected.
Naturally, objections are being
raised by the sufferers and their
sympathizers, but the Premier seems
to be enjoying the support and the
confidence of an overwhelming majority of the people. Where the application of the program caused the
the greatest objection was when it
cut deeply into the appropriations
for public schools. The Moslems being the largest beneficiaries under
the eld system, their losses were
naturally the most felt and they
were not unfailing in rising to protest. They claimed that discrimination was being applied owing to
religious considerations, but the
Premier refuted this accusation by
the citation of statistics and the
enumeration of flagrant cases where
teachers drawing pay for several
years were in some cases illiterates
and in others constant absentees.
What appeared for a time as a
serious move on the part of the
Ehdenites to voice their protest on
present conditions in Lebanon was
their reported negotiations with the
inhabitants of Dair El-Kamar tend-
�mat
THE SYRIAN WORLD
54
ing to the taking of action to demand
direct French administration in the
country. Bishop Augustine Bistani,
to whom the Dairanians submitted
the matter, counseled patience before
deciding on such a drastic step. The
Ehdenites later denied that they had
authorized any such move. The significance of the matter is that Ehden
and Dair El-Kamar are respectively
the most important Maronite towns
in north and in south Lebanon.
A committee of prominent citizens
, of Tripoli sent telegraphic protests
to the Lebanese Government and to
the High Commissioner on the Eddy
policy of curtailing educational facilities, accusing the Premier of improper motives and of desire to
kill the native language in an effort
to raise a generation of Lebanese
knowing only French. Legal action
was brought by the Premier against
the signers of the petition and when
they refused to appear in court by
reason of the Ramadan fast, they
were tried in their absence and sentenced to a short jail term.
About Syria and Syrians
PASSING OF BUSTANI,
GREAT ARABIC SCHOLAR
Sheikh Abdullah Bustani, concededly the greatest Arabic scholar of
the age, passed away in Beirut on
February 16 at the age of seventysix. His body was taken to Dair ElKamar for interment, while the
funeral services, held in the city of
Beirut, were attended with such
pomp and marks of reverence on the
part of the clergy, the government
and all classes of the people that
newspaper reports agree that no
other funeral of recent times approached it in ostentation.
The deceased scholar was famous
throughout
the
Arabic-speaking
world for his mastery of the language and for his gifts as a poet.
His works comprise numerous plays
in both poetry and prose. But his
greatest contribution to the language
is Al-Bustan, the new Arabic dictionary which has revolutionized the
method of word classification. It i3
published in two volumes by the
American Press of Beirut.
Perhaps the outstanding distinction of Sheikh Abdullah is his halfcentury of teaching advanced Arabic
in various colleges of Beirut, principally the Maronite College. Some
of his pupils are among the foremost Arabic scholars of the day.
The Syrian-Lebanese community
of New York is planning a memorial
meeting for the deceased scholar to
be held early in April. A committee
has been elected of which N. A. Mokarzel, editor of Al-Hoda, is chairman, Sheikh Abbas Shakra, secretary, and A. K. Hitti, treasurer.
The loss of Sheikh Abdullah Bustani is more keenly felt because it follows so closely on the death of Prof.
Jabr Dumit, who died on January 20,
and who held the chair of Arabic
literature in the American University
of Beirut for over half a century.
LEBANON NAT'L BANK
ELECTS VICE-PRESIDENT
William Catzeflis of New York
City has been elected a Vice-Pres-
1/
�FEBRUARY, 1930
ident of the Lebanon National Bank
of New York.
Mr. Catzeflis was general manager of the firm of Mallouk Brothers of New York for a period of 12
years. He is a college graduate and
thoroughly conversant with the English, French and Arabic languages.
His long business career and wide
popularity eminently fit him for his
new post.
55
city's prominent Syrian lawyers.
The entertainment was preceded by
short exercises in which the present
incumbent of the Presidency, Said
J. Akel, lauded the services of his
predecessor and his untiring activity in the intei^est of the organization. Mr. Ferris followed by a short
speech in which he outlined the purposes of the Federation and stressed
the intention of creating of the
splendid building of the Federation
a civic centre for the Syrian community at large.
PALESTINIAN WOMEN
THANK RIHANI
The women of Palestine broke
traditions to the extent of holding
public demonstrations and engaging
in many other activities in support
of the Arab cause which were unprecedented among women of the East,
especially Moslems. They also called
a convention for the public discussion of means to further their ends
and gave by their display of aggressiveness and determination great
courage to the workers for the Arab
cause.
The Syrian World has learned that
one of the first acts of this first
congress of Palestinian women was
to send a cable of thanks and appreciation to our eminent author and
lecturer, Ameen Rihani, for his effective defense of the cause of Palestine Arabs in America, reports of
which caused great rejoicing among
the Arabs of Palestine.
AS-SAYEH RESUMES
PUBLICATION
As-Sayeh, formerly one of New
York's Arabic dailies, which had
suspended publication temporarily,
has resumed publication as a weekly
magazine. The announced purpose
of this change is to reinvest the publication with its distinctive literary
character which it had largely disregarded while appearing as a daily.
As-Sayeh is the organ of Ar-Rabitah, the literary society of which
our famous author Kahlil Gibran is
president, and which counts among
its members such known literary
figures as Mischa Naimy, Nasib Arida, William Catzeflis, Nadra Haddad,
Richard Ayyoub and others.
POPULATION OF LEBANON:
FEDERATION HONORS
FORMER PRESIDENT
The American Syrian Federation
of New York held an entertainment
and dance on the evening of February 22 in honor of its former president Joseph W. Ferris, one of the
The census Bureau of the Lebanese
Republic announces that at the end
of 1929, the registered population
of the country was 840,650. These
figures comprise only Lebanese citizens and do not include foreign residents.
�56
THE SYRIAN WORLD
NEW FIND CONFIRMS
ORIGIN OF ALPHABET
CRISIS IN ELECTION OF
ORTHODOX PATRIARCH
Fourteen Sinaitic inscriptions on
stones dating from about 2000 B.
C, which are expected to establish
conclusively that Egyptian hieroglyphs furnished the basis for the
Phoenician alphabet, the ancestor of
our modern scripts, have just been
discovered on and near the plateau
of Serabit-el Khaden, in the Sinai
desert, by an expedition sponsored
jointly by Harvard University and
the Catholic University of America,
according to a dispatch to The New
York Times from Sinai dated March
13. The discoveries were made near
the site of the ancient turquoise
mines in Wadi-el-Maghara and in
the ruins of the Egyptian Temple of
Hathor, goddess of love and beauty,
on the plateau itself, which were first
explored by Sir Flinders in 1904 and
1905.
Among the Egyptian hieroglyphs
then photographed by the English
scholar were certain crudely executed
inscriptions which, although resembling hieroglyphs, defied translation
as Egyptian. It was not until 1918
that two English Egyptologists,
Professors Peete and Gardiner, announced these mysterious inscriptions were not Egyptian at all but
an adaptation of the picture-writing
of the Pharaohs into arbitrary signs
forming consonants of the Semitic
tongue.
On this basis Professor Gethe, a
German scholar, deciphered the majority of the inscriptions and illustrated their kinship with various
late Semitic alphabets. Thereupon
another German Egyptologist, Professor Grimme of Munster, made
the sensational announcement that
the names of Moses and the Egyptian Princess who rescued him from
the Nile appeared in the Petrie documents.
Ever since the death of the Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox
Church, well over a year ago, futile
attempts have been made to choose
his successor. Several conclaves
have been convened but they invariably resulted in failure, at times
accompanied by physical violence
owing to the interference of laymen
in the deliberations of the clergy.
The latest news to reach the
United States from Syria indicates
that a convention of laymen was held
in Beirut at which it was decided to
call on the bishops to elect a Patriarch within a fortnight from Jan.
29, otherwise the laymen's convention will bring the matter formally
to the attention of the mandatory
power and to that of the native governments of the Syrian States, and
will further disclaim all representative authority of the bishops in
church matters.
This decision was precipitated by
a call issued by the Patriarch of
Constantinople to an ecumenical
congress to be held in Saloniki,
which is said to be the first of its
sweeping nature to be convened since
the division of the Eastern and Western Churches.
..
FAMOUS ORIENTALIST
DIES MOHAMMEDAN
The Syrian press reports the death
in Paris (date not given), at the
age of 68, of the famous French
Orientalist Etien Dene who had embraced Islam and performed the pilgrimage to Mecca. He was especially
noted for his paintings of North
African scenes.
His funeral took place at the
Mosque of Paris and was attended
by the Minister of Marine and many
I
in
�57
FEBRUARY, 1930
French officials and notables, as well
.B by many Moslem sultans of North
African countries visiting in Paris.
His body is to be sent to Algeria
for burial in a special grave lie had
prepared before his death.
LITERACY IN SYRIA
AND LEBANON
According to official figures made
public by the French Commissariat,
illiteracy in the different states of
Syria and Lebanon is as follows:
Country
LOCUSTS IN PALESTINE
A special cable dispatch to The
New York Times from Beershaba
dated February 27 states that Arabs
and Jews have drowned their differences and joined hands in fighting
He dread locust invasion which has
ppeared in the Jordan Valley. The
J
alestine Administration has appropriated $250,000 to combat the
menace and already more than 3000
men have been enrolled to carry on
the fight. The latest scientific devices
known are to be employed to check
the invasion, including flame throwers and poison.
In olden times the natives attempti to check locust invasions by beat.\g drums.
\
AUTOMOBILES IN SYRIA
According to the latest census,
automobiles in Syria at the close of
the year 1929 were as follows:
Lebanon
3,670
Syria
4,150
Alouite State ... 795
Jebel Druze
275
Some Lebanese newspapers complain that the number of automobiles
in Lebanon far exceeds the needs of
the country, inasmuch as its population is only eight hundred thousand souls. They remark that lack
of gainful occupations has driven
large numbers to exploit the automobile traffic.
Percentage of
Illiterates.
Lebanon
40 per cent.
Syria
77 per cent.
Jebel Druze
93 per cent.
Alouite State
85 per cent.
These figures include the whole
population of both sexes and all
classes and ages.
LEBANESE HIGHLY RESPECTED
IN URUGUAY REPUBLIC
The Arabic press of South America reports that the Lebanese colony
of Montevideo, Uruguay, has presented the government of that country with a portrait of General Otiva,
the liberator of Uruguay, woven in
threads of silver and gold and true
in every detail to nature. The woven
portrait, equalling in artistry the
finest European tapestries, was executed by native artists of Zouk in
Mt. Lebanon. The presentation was
made on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the independence of the Uruguayan Republic.
PEACE AMONG ARABS
Through the good offices of Great
Britain, King Faisal of Iraq and
King Ibn Saoud of Arabia met on
board a British sloop on February
24 and signed a treaty of peace and
amity. The countries of both kings
are contiguous on Syria and peace
among them should affect stabilization of conditions on Syria's
frontiers.
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
58
I
<***>«f,'**-*r-r*r<^
t
THE LEBANON NATIONAL BANK
3 19 FIFTH AVENUE,
COR. 32ND STREET
Legal Depository of
The United States — New York State — New York City
Member of
The Federal Reserve Bank — New York State Bankers
Association — American Bankers Association
*
*
4-^% INTEREST
We are pleased to announce that our Board of Directors has decided to raise the rate of interest on savings
accounts from 4% to 4J4%, computed every three
months, which raises the rate considerably above 4}4%
per annum.
On check accounts, interest will be paid at the rate of
2 ) for daily balances below $5,000, and 3% for daily
balances of $5,U00 and over.
l
The Lebanon National Bank inaugurates the return
of control to its original founders by this liberal policy
of sharing profits with its depositors. Out-of-Town accounts are solicited on the same basis. We shall be glad
to correspond with anyone, anywhere, interested in availing himself of our facilities and liberal terms.
BANKING BY MAIL is a conception of good business.
You can begin at once to enjoy the facilities of
our "Banking by Mail" department.
THE LEBANON NATIONAL BANK
"THE BANK OF FRIENDLY CO-OPERATION"
319
Corner
New York City
FIFTH AVE.,
32ND ST.,
» >>»>»»»»>>>>>>>>»>», »>>>>>>>>>»>>>>>>
>>>>»>»»
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
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NS 0002
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This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
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TSW1930_02reducedWM
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Volume 04, Issue 06
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930 February
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 4 Issue 06 of The Syrian World published February 1930. Dr. Fuad Shatara opens the issue with an appreciative account of Arab physician Ar-Razi. This article highlights the achievements of Arabs in medicine. Following a short poem about mortality by Dr. Salim Y. Alkazin, Ameen Rihani further details his travels through Arabia. This time Rihani covers his rare experiences while in Jeddah, and a particularly interesting conversation had with King Hussein. Najla Sabe's song, Raja F. Howrani's translated treatise "The Old Criminal," and R. A. Nicholson's poem "Tears" proceed another portion of Salloum Mokarzel's travels in Lebanon. In this issue he covers the distance from the Dog River to the Cedars. Finally Labeebee A. J. Hanna contributes an original short story that discusses a phase of Syrian life in America, followed by one of her poems titled "To My Father." This issue concludes with excerpts from the Arab press and more on political developments in Syria.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
A language of the resource
English
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
Format
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Text/pdf
Type
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Text
Rights
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Ameen Rihani
Fuad Shatara
Labeebee A.J. Hanna
Lebanon
Medical
Music
Najla Sabe
New York
Poetry-English
R. A. Nicholson
Raja F. Howrani
Rivers
Salim Alkazin
Saudi Arabia
Travel
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/d99bb6615d2b34c33c935625e5570a0f.pdf
01b1f456b17ac20a383248d63638c76d
PDF Text
Text
DECEMBER, 1930
VOL. V. No. IV.
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
A
MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ENGLISH DEALING
WITH SYRIAN AFFAIRS AND ARABIC LITERATURE
H
l
Hi?
M
WHAT EVERY SYRIAN BOY AND GIRL OUGHT
TO KNOW
REV. W. A. MANSUR
I
p
1
ECONOMIC RECONSTRUCTION OF SYRIA
PROCEEDS .SLOWLY
LOVE AND WAR IN THE DESERT
THE TWO SEAS
PHARES BEHANNESEY
§%2
ALI ZAIBAQ (QUICKSILVER)
(A SERIAL)
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN SYRIA
§
��THE
SYRIAN WORLD
Tublished monthly except July and August
by
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
104 Greenwich St., New York. N. Y.
Ey subscription $5.00 a year.
Singia Copies 50c
Entered as second class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New York,
N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. V.
No. IV.
DECEMBER, 1930
CONTENTS
PAGE
What Every Syrian Boy and Girl Ought to Know ........
REV.
W. A.
7
MANSUR
Song ..
13
G. K. GlBRAN
Economic Reconstruction of Syria Proceeds Slowly
14
D. F. MCGONIGAL
Vice Consul, Beirut
The End and the Beginning (Poem)
20
AMEEN RIHANI
The Two Seas
21
PHARES BEHANNESFV
11
�CONTENTS (Continued)
PAGE
In the Garden of Love (Poem)
DR. SALIM
Y.
26
ALKAZIN
Love and War in the Desert
27
On His Friends (Poem)
34
J. D. C-ARLYLE
Alt Zaibaq (Serial)
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
35
and
The Gardener (Poem)
THADDEUS
S.
DAYTON
41
THOMAS ASA
Editorial Comment:—Racial Considerations
43
Syrian Societies
45
Readers' Forum
45
Political Developments in Syria
4g
About Syria and Syrians
51
�BEL
IN THIS ISSUE
GE !
5
1
^O more timely subject
could be chosen for discussion than that which forms the
topic of Rev. W. A. Mansur's
article in this issue. We feel
confident that readers will find
as much pleasure in reading it
as the author experienced in
writing it. And judging by the
letter of the Rev. Mansur accompanying the article, this was
one that swelled his heart with
more joy than any he has heretofore written. When readers
would have finished with it
they will concur in our opinion
that it supplies the essence of
the educational program which
the Syrian-American generation
should follow. We would be
inclined to counsel every Syrian boy and girl to read it not
only once, but repeatedly at
regular intervals, so as to keep
alive in their memory the fundamental requirements of their
racial education. The article,
besides, will be found replete
with historical information and
copious quotations which seem
always new and enlightening.
An appraisal of Rev. Mansur's
contributions is published in the
Readers' Forum of this issue,
and we believe that his present
article will raise much higher
the appreciation of this patriotic
clergyman's efforts by the
grateful Syrian-American generation to whom he has become
such a wise and benevolent
mentor.
J^ story with a real thrill is
that of War and Love in
the JDesert which, contrary to
expectations, is not translated
from a book, nor does it deal
with a happening of long ago,
but is most modern and is being
treated sensationally by the
contemporary press of Syria.
The story revolves upon the
love of an impetuous young
sheikh for a beautiful maiden
of another tribe which culminates in his kidnaping her.
Then the desert is set aflame
with the spirit of war. Murders
are committed and reprisals
planned, and thousands of warriors assemble to confer on
strategy and methods of revenge. Those who relish a burning love story staged in the
burning sands of the desert by
a genuine sheikh lover will
find this story after their own
heart.
�I gTILL more thrilling and replete with the fantastic creaI tions of a most fertile Oriental
. imagination is the present installment of the serial Ali Zai, baq. Our hero in his present
exploit goes out to seek the AllSeeing Eye in the Enchanted
Isle. You will be thrilled by
"his extravagant adventures in
encountering the ever-playing
swords that reduce great stones
to powder. And you will be
more thrilled when you follow
the hero on his return journey,
expecting to meet the king,
and, incidentally, his beautiful
daughter, only to find the city
besieged by a great army of
Blacks. Follow Ali Zaibaq in
his adventures and you will be
fully compensated.
RUT not all the material of
this issue is of this nature.
The article on the economic conditions in Syria, based on consular reports, will prove most
instructive. The general information it contains on the resources of the country and the
efforts of the government is
most comprehensive.
'THOSE who ponder the peculiar social order in America
will appreciate the editorial entitled Racial Considerations.
There are facts continually
challenging our attention which
we just as persistently overlook
or ignore. The case in point
here cited should give Syrians
in America ample food for
thought.
THE department About Syria
and Syrians is always interesting. It may prove extremely
so now to those interested in
the future of this publication.
The report of the dinner held
in New York to discuss the Syrian World Corporation gives
an idea of what our leading
men think about our racial heritage and the means of preserving it.
There is also in this issue a
liberal amount of poetry by
such outstanding names as Rihani, Gibran, Alkazin and Asa.
Political developments in
Syria are, as usual, treated concisely and comprehensively.
Palestine, Syria proper and
Lebanon are undergoing remarkable changes which are
here faithfullv recorded.
�-
THE
SYRIAN WORLD
VOL. V.
No. IV.
DECEMBER, 1930
What Every Syrian Boy and Girl
Ought to Know
TIMELY ADVICE TO THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN
GENERATION
By
IB
REV.
W. A.
MANSUR
""pHE idea of this publication," said S. A. Mokarzel, founder
of THE SYRIAN WORLD, "was conceived in the spirit of
service to the Syrian-American generation." He stated that,
one of our chief objects in helping Syrian-Americans discover themselves is to breed in them a consciousness of appreciation for their racial qualities and inheritances so that they may
comport themselves with a befitting sense of honor as citizens of
this great American nation.1' (Syrian World, Vol. L No. 1, Tulv,
1926.) .
.
When Syrian boys and girls know that their ancestors are
among the greatest people, of all times they will become proud
of their race. When Syrian boys and girls understand that their
forefathers gave to humanity the greatest legacies of all ages
they will appreciate the splendor of their fame. When Syrian
boys and girls realize that they are descendants of a most illustrious race, that they possess superior talents, and that they are
destined to become foremost among the peoples of the earth
they will become enlightened as to their place in the world.
Now is the time for Syrian boys and girls to become intelligently informed about their race history, race ancestry, race talent, and race heritage. Now is the hour for Syrian boys and girls
to become enlightened about the glorious place of the native
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
land of their race and its relation to the races, nations, and peoples of the earth. Now is the period for Syrian boys and girls
to awaken to the appreciation of their race history, their superior
race talents, and their potentialities for race progress to a foremost place among the races, nations, and empires of the earth.
Therefore in order to Awaken Syrian boys and girls to an intelligent understanding of Syrian race history, to arouse them to
appreciation of Syrian race inheritance, and to spur them to high
achievement through race appreciation, race pride, race solidarity,
and race progress, I thought it good to write of some elementary
things every Syrian boy and girl ought to know.
/. Every Syrian Boy and Girl Ought to Know the Importance
of the Geography of Syria.
Of vital significance to the right understanding of the Syrian
race, its character, its history, and its future is the knowledge of
Syria's geographical location, its topographical condition, and its
relation to the rest of the countries, races, and nations of the earth.
"Syria, the name given generally to the land lying between
the eastermost shore of the Levantine Gulf and a natural inland
boundary formed in part by the Middle Euphrates and in part
by the western edge of the Hamad, or desert steppe. The northern limit is the Tauric system of mountains, and the southern
limit the edge of the Sinaitic desert. This long strip extends,
therefore, for about 400 m. between 38' and 31' N. lat. with
a mean breadth of about 150 m." (Encyclopaedia Brittanica,
article, SYRIA.)
The physical geography of Syria is one of the most important
keys to the right understanding of Syria, Syrians, their character,
their history, their problems, their religions, and their world view.
Syria's location on the map will reveal its relation to neighbouring
nations, races, and cultures. It will show Syria's relation to ancient
world empires: Egypt, Babylonia, Nineveh, Assyria, Macedonia,
Greece, and Rome and others.
Syria has been called a battle-ground, a market-place, and an
international highway between empires, races, and cultures. Syria
has been called a hub, a bridge, a link between Asia, Europe and
Africa. Syria has been called the mother of religion, the cradle
oi civilization, and the promoter of commerce.
Already Syria is becoming the center of world interest. With
the awakening of the Syrian race, with the entrance of the Syrian
�'DECEMBER, 1930
Rev. W. A. Mansur
Minister of the First Methodist Church of Winside, Nebraska,
nation into modern civilization, and with the rise of surrounding
nations into the family of modern nations, Syria will again become
the center, the hub, the bridge, and the highway of world activities.
Every Syrian boy and girl ought to know the geography of
Syria, its reJation to other countries, races, and cultures, and its
effect on the Syrian race: its character, its religion, its problems,
its culture.
//. Every Syrian Boy and Girl Ought to Know the Origin of
the Syrian Race.
The modern Syrian race is Caucasian of race, Semitic in stock,
and white in color. The racial stock of the Syrian race is of Semitic origin. Being centrally located, Syria became the meeting place
�8
THE SYRIAN WORLD
of races, nations, and cultures. Into Syria came, repeatedly, various racial admixtures. This explains the highly mixed character
of the Syrian nation, the Syrian race, and the Syrian culture This
explains the presence of a variety of people in modern Syria
Ihis explains the presence of numerous religions in modern
Yn
C
«Tu
?kl oS the natUre of the Problems of modern Syria.
The modern Syrians," says Philip K. Hitti in "The Syrians
m America " "are the remnant of the ancient Phoenician-Canaanite tribes who entered Syria about 2500 B. C, the Aramean-IsraeledC ifS arnved about} S00 B. C, and the Arabs who drift
ed, and still drift in, from the desert and gradually pass from a
nomadic to an agricultural state.
"With this Semitic stock as a substratum the Syrians are a highly
Wh m s0me ri htl
cZt *"£
f y tr^e their origin back to the
j° ,
Greek settlers and colonists of the Selucida, period, others to the
Prankish and other European Crusaders, still others to Kurdish
and .Persian invaders and immigrants."
The Syrian race has survived many recurring invasions: military, racial, and religious. The language of the invaders and con-
e ASE
6 kngU age f
"
° ^
W:
** ^
Aram
^
^,-Af' f^°karze1' leader of the Syrian-American awakening,
said. In the same manner that the Americans are a highly mixed
nation because^tney are drawn from many racial strains, so are
the Syrians Drawing an analogy, we may safely state that the
Tynans, ethnologically, are the Americans of the Old World "
(Syrian World, Editorial, May, 1930.)
The Syrian-Americans are progressive in spirit, possess religl°Z T'i mSlght'r P[°m0te mUtUal Welfare> ^-abiding and
abide by the vote of the majority, highly intellectual, adaptable,
industrious, home-loving, and country defending citizens
III Every Syrian Boy and Girl Ought to Know the Syrian Race
Legacies to the World.
"YefpW Gibb0'^T in ^History of the Roman Empire,
^et Phoenicia and Palestine will forever live in the memory of
Wdl aS Euro e h
H SmCe ^"T?'
P > ^ received leTters
irom the one and religion from the other."
George Adam Smith says in Syria and the Holy Land, "Syria
chiefly, because it includes Phoenicia and Palestine, has been of
greater significance to mankind, spiritually and materially, than
1* .„,
H:
�•TiTiirTiirfirTiiiiiMBiiimii[>iifMiiilwn
"DECEMBER, 1930
,.
0
any other single country in the world."
«v W'lliam A* Masson says i" A History of the Art of Writing
\ et these two Semitic nations, the Phoenicians and the Israelites!
have influenced more profoundly the western civilization and the
culture and refinement of Europe than all the civilizations that
have preceded them."
• ^7 S£iaa h°y and gIrl OUSht t0 klww ^at Syria, because
it includes Ihoemcia and Palestine, is the greatest benefactor of
the nations, races and countries of the earth. Every continent
every race, and every civilization is for all time indebted to the
Syrian race and its native-land. While Greece gave her culture,
Kome her Jaw, Syria is eternally giving the world the Syrian
Gospel: the Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of Man, and
the Kingdom of Universal Peace.
Every Syrian boy and girl ought to know that Svria is great
m the annals of mankind, spiritually, morally, and materially
Uur ancestors, the Phoenicians, gave mankind the alphabet, the
art or navigation, and trans-marine commerce. Our forefathers
of the pre-Christian era, produced the highest ideas in religion!
morals, philosophy, and society. Our forbears, of Christian times
initiated the spirit that Christianized mankind. Our medieval
fathers carried civilizing influences to Europe, Asia, and Africa
Every Syrian boy and girl ought to know that they are the
custodians of the legacies of the Syrian race, that they are the car- '
ners of the blood strains of the great peoples of the past, that
they are destined to become one of the greatest people in modern
times.
IV. Every Syrian Boy and Girl Ought, to Know the Reasons for
Syrian Emigration.
We Syrians emigrated to escape the deadlock which dominated
our beloved motherland in search for religious, political, and economic freedom in the world. With the breakdown of military
autocracy economic exploitation, and intolerable ignorance the
m de
°
7Lmn went everywhere in pursuit of religious freedom,
political liberty, and economic independence. We have found
freedom from overpowering religious intolerance, we have found
liberty from oppression by autocratic control, we have found independence from enslavement bv economic exploitation
N. A. Mokarzel, with true insight, says, "The only influence
in the East that should be reckoned with is that of the clergy
.-.
�10
THE SYRIAN WORLD
The whole political structure seems to be still raised on religious
foundations." He says further that "..... the real influence governing the peoples in all walks of life is paramountly religious."
(Syrian World, May, 1930, in editorial, Al-Hoda, Feb 28
1930.)
'
S. A. Mokarzel, with true observation, says, "Religion seems
to be in that country the axis upon which revolves all human activities and with which is inalienably involved the whole social
fabric, from the family, to the clan, to the whole nation." (Syrian World, May, 1927, The Religious Problem in the East.)'
Every Syrian boy and girl ought to know that the backgrounds
of the political, economic, and cultural life of the Syrian people
are different religious philosophies of life. They ought to know
that from such religious backgrounds developed the deadlock
which in turn brought on the causes which eventuated in the Syrian emigration to the ends of the earth.
With the understanding of the background of the thought,
feeling, and life of the Syrian people we shall understand better
the causes of their emigration. Philip K. Hitti, with true historical accuracy, says, "The primary impulse for Syrian emigration can be faced back, in the main, to economic causes, yet it
cannot be wholly explained on that ground. The movement is
the resultant of a combination of political and religious forces as
well."
We Syrian-Americans have found religious freedom, political liberty, and economic independence in our American homeland.
Syrian boys and girls, descendants of the foremost race emigration, race expansion, and race progress in modern times, guard
well the spiritual heritage entrusted to thy keeping for the glory
of God, home, and posterity!
V. Every Syrian Boy and Girl Ought to Know the Patriotic
Loyalty of the Syrian Race to America,
S A. Mokarzel, leader of the Syrian awakening, says, "During all the time they have been in America, the Syrians have
proven themselves most law-abiding and loyal to the institutions
of the country." (Syrian World, Radio Address, The Syrians in
America, May, 1930.)
«* ?' JS G,-bran SayS 'n "T° Y°UnS Americ*ns of Syrian Origin,"
And I believe that it is in you to be good citizens." (Syrian
m
SB
.:
�__
i1
'DECEMBER, 1930
11
World, July, 1926.)
Talcott Williams says of the Syrians in America, "None more
swiftly feels the American spirit
". (Syrian World, Tune,
1930.)
' J
'
We Syrian-Americans became Americans first in our hearts.
We have chosen to make America a permanent homeland. We
have decided to uphold America's Constitution, laws, and institutions. We have proven our American loyalty by an honorable
record of upright citizenship.
We Syrian-Americans stand for America first and nothing
else. Let it be remembered that we still hold in loving memory
the native land of our race, that we will maintain the identity of
our race, that we shall preserve the traditions of our famous' ancestors. We want to be clearly understood, without equivocation
or mental reservation, that we give first place to our American
homeland, that we uphold single allegiance to our country, and
that we will always be ready for America's defense against all
enemies. We Syrian-Americans urge our posterity to abide by
the Constitution, to acquiesce in the vote of the majority, to stand
for religious freedom, free speech, free press, loyal citizenship,
and for the nation's defense.
Every Syrian boy and girl ought to know that loyalty to
America is fundamental to the honor of the Syrian name, the
prosperity of our posterity, and the progress of the Syrian race
everywhere.
VI. Every Syrian Boy and Girl Ought to Know the Progress of
the Syrian Race in America.
Every Syrian boy and girl ought to know of the splendor of
the Syrian race progress in America: materially, religiously, morally, patriotically, and culturally. S. A. Mokarzel says with
pride in an article on the History of the Syrians in New York,
"The Syrian community in New York may well be taken as an
example of all other communities, although in some respects it
enjoys certain distinctions which cannot be claimed by all others.
In general, however, what is said of the Syrians of New York
applies equally to all sister communities." (Syrian World Nov
1927.)
We Syrian-Americans, sons and daughters of the famous
Phasnicians, are now duplicating achievement and glory similar
to that which was enjoyed by our illustrious ancestors. Arthur
— .n .
�12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Brisbane commenting on the Phoenicians, who are Semites, says,
lime has wiped out the empires of Alexander and of Rome.
And on the other side of the Atlantic, crossed by Semitic ships
so Jong ago, Semitic trading genius rules in a mw world There
is more organized Semitic trade between Fourteenth and FiftvNinth streets m New York than there ever was in all Phoenicia
and Carthage." (Jan. 6, 1930.)
Every Syrian boy and girl ought to know that intelligent
understanding of our race progress will create self-appreciation
of our racial inheritance, arouse race pride, and inspire the mind
and heart toward high ambition, noble living, and glorious
achievement. Probably no race in America can boast the miraculous prosperity that has been achieved within the lifetime of the
Syrian pioneers in America.
Our Syrian race progress may be exemplified by N A Mokarzel, the Journalist; Antonius Bishallany, the Pioneer: G K
Ubran, the Poet; Ameen Rihani, the Traveller; Philip K Hitti
the Historian; and S. A. Mokarzel, the Leader. Many others
are rising to prominence through splendid achievement.
In the fields of business, industry, and commerce; in religion
morals, and citizenship; in journalism, literature, and scholarship; in leadership philanthropy, and progress, the Syrians in
America are second to none in their rise and achievement to a
ioremost place among the races in America.
VII. Every Syrian Boy and Girl Ought to Know the Challenges
of the Hour to Syrian-American Youth.
Every Syrian boy and girl ought to know they are being challenged to great achievement because they are the custodians of
the Syrian race heritage, because they are the founders of the
Syrian race in America, and because they are the ancestors of the
glorious Syrian race posterity.
We pioneers of the Syrian race in America bequeath it as
our last will and testament to our posterity to uphold the honor
of our Syrian name in America. We urge you to maintain our
bynan race identity among the races in America. We challenge
you to law-abiding citizenship; to constant industrious living- to
continued mental, moral, and religious enlightenment; and to
preserve mental, religious, and political freedom.
Talcott Williams says of the Syrians in America, "No more
intellectual immigration has come to us in the past forty years
�If
"^
'W"8*^
..M*.*,.*.^
DECEMBER, 1930
13
None more swiftly feels the American spirit, or retains more
tenaciously the spirit of Syria and the Syrians." (Syrian World,
June, 1930, or, Hitti's The Syrians in America.)
Every Syrian boy and girl ought to know that the blood of
our ancestors calls upon them to maintain the splendor of their
name by high achievement. Every Syrian boy and girl ought to
know that the illustrious legacies of our forefathers challenge
them to uphold the glory of their fame by great progress. Every
Syrian boy and girl ought to know that we Syrian-American pioneers urge them to glorify the honorable foundation for Syrian
race greatness laid down by the Syrian pioneer fathers in America.
We Syrian-American pioneers in America believe Syrian youth
will ever honor the Syrian name by their race awakening, race
achievement, and race progress. We are confident because of our
reliance upon their race heritage. We are certain because of our
faith in their race pride. We are sure because we have laid a
glorious foundation for Syrian race enlightenment, race achievement, and race progress in America.
Song
Bv G. K. Gi BRAN
A great singer is he who sings our silences.
How can you sing when your mouth is filled with food?
How shall your hand be raised in blessing if it is filled with
gold?
They say the nightingale pierces his bosom with a thorn when
he sings his love song.
So do we all. How else should we sing?
The song that lies silent in the heart of a mother sings upon
the lips of her child.
�14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Economic Reconstruction in Syria
Proceeds Slowly
Public Works Program Expands—Crop Returns Improve, But
Prices Lower—Credit Stringency Continues.
Based on Reports From Vice Consul D. F.
and Official Sources.
MCGONIGAL,
(From Commerce Reports, Oct. 13, 1930.)
Beirut,
-
RECENT developments in Syria point to a gradual expansion
of the public-works program, with a view to expediting the
economic reconstruction of the country. Activity has been particularly evident in port improvements, road extension and repairs, and exploitation of the water-power resources. While funds
for this work have been limited by the adverse economic situation, the growing need of these projects has brought about a
moderate increase in allotments from Government revenues. The
plans were aided somewhat by the less unsatisfactory economic
conditions in 1929, when crop returns were considerably larger
than in the preceding year, though prices were lower and industry
was more active. Domestic trade continued to suffer from the
impaired purchasing power of the population as a result of the
poor crop returns in 1927 and 1928, and this was reflected in the
difficulties of many importers and the continued credit stringency.
Budget revenues have been fairly satisfactory, with a small surplus indicated. Increased imports in 1929 resulted in a larger
adverse trade balance, and trade with the United States expanded.
Agricultural Production Larger.
After two years of poor yields, returns for 1929 showed
bumper crops for the country's leading products. The benefits
from these favorable returns were, however, considerably reduced
by a sharp decline in the world prices. The fruit crop was excellent, with the orange output about twice the normal returns, or
approximately 40,000 metric tons. Orange exports were favo'red
by the opening of the Russian market. Grape production was
H
�•
'DECEMBER, 1930
15
larger, but marketing was difficult because of smaller domestic
demand. The olive output was larger, but this crop also was
affected by diminished demand from both local and foreign
sources. Activity in the licorice-root trade was restricted by the
imposition of a heavy tax.
Cocoon production totaled 3,500 metric tons, as compared
with 3,350 metric tons in 1928. The development of cocoon culture continued during the year, with free distribution of mulberry
trees by the Government. Further progress was made in the
culture of cotton, production in the State of Syria amounting to
2,466 metric tons in 1929 as against 570 metric tons in 1928. In
the Alaouites the cotton crop totaled 710 metric tons, as against
half that amount the year before.
Government nurseries and agricultural experiment stations
were active during 1929j in the Alaouites, 250,000 trees, mostly
orange and pistachio, were distributed.
The number of sheep in the State of Syria increased from
1,934,000 in 1928 to 2,239,000 in 1929, with similar increases
in other regions, due to favorable weather. As a result, the wool
clip was reported to be excellent.
Industry Active.
Industry, which is relatively small in Syria, was fairly active
during 1929, textile manufacturing showing the principal gain.
Modernization of industry in general continued, with the establishment of many workshops and small manufacturing plants in
Damascus and Aleppo. These included principal tanneries and
plants for the manufacture of textiles. A cement factory near
Tripoli, nearly completed at the close of 1929, is expected to
produce about 50,000 tons in the first year of operation.
With a view to stimulating the creation of new industries and
encouraging development of existing ones, the Prime Minister of
the State of Syria on June 7, 1929, issued a decree authorizing
the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce to form an industrial
bank with a capital of 500,000 Syrian pounds ($392,000), part
of which will be furnished by the State Bank. A commission was
appointed to study this project.
Credit Situation Unimproved.
Owing to numerous bankruptcies in 1929 there was no change
in the credit situation, extreme caution prevailing. While bankruptcies were due in part to domestic trade conditions and to over
--"r-ifi
�16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Entrance to fort of Beirut where extensive facilities are being
created as fart of the public-works program.
extensions of credit by certain foreign exporters, they were also
attributable in part to the ease with which "judicial liquidations"
were arranged, thereby enabling settlement of debts at a fraction
of their value. Action by the authorities in the latter part of
1929, however, soon put an end to this practice, which had tended
to undermine legitimate business operations.
Budget Surplus Indicated.
?!
Preliminary data on budget operations in the mandated territory for the year 1929 indicate a small increase in revenues and
a slight decline in expenditures, as compared with 1928, the surplus amounting to 3,794,200 Syrian paper pounds as against 3,462,000 Syrian paper pounds for 1928 (the Syrian paper pound
equals 20 French francs, or $0,784). Revenues are estimated at
21,905,200 and expenditures at 18,111,000 Syrian paper pounds-,
the respective figures for 1928 were 21,639,000 and 18,177,000.
The decrease in expenditures is attributed to the failure to utilize
total funds allotted for public works. In the State of Syria revenues totaled 12,748,210 Syrian pounds (1,1,950,000 in 1928),
and expenditures 10,567,190 Syrian pounds (9,950,000). Budget estimates for 1930 anticipate a decline in both receipts and
expenditures from 1929.
Syrian Exchange Stable.
The Syrian-Lebanese paper pound continued stable during
1 i
I [
1
�-_____.
DECEMBER, 1930
17
1929, averaging $0,784, or practically unchanged from 1928.
The Turkish gold pound, which with silver still continues to serve
largely as a currency of commerce in the interior, was slightly
lower at $4.34, par being $4.40. The value of Turkish silver currency, however, slumped sharply toward the end of 1929, in sympathy with the drop in the world price of silver.
The policy of encouraging the use of Syrian instead of Turkish currency was continued during 1929 in the form of lower rediscount rates for the former. Official rediscount rates written in
Syrian paper currency averaged from 6 to 61/. per cent, and bills
written in Turkish currency from $y2 to 9 per cent. Private
rates, however, were much higher.
Small Increase in Note Circulation—New Silver Coinage.
Notes in circulation on December 31, 1929, totaled 8,730,000
Syrian-Lebanese pounds, according to the Banque de Syrie et du
Grand Libanj this compares with 8,610,000 pounds at the close
of 1928. The volume of Turkish currency in circulation in the
interior was unofficially estimated to be almost equal to the Syrian
currency, although efforts are being made to replace it with Syrian currency.
The issuance of silver coins to the nominal value of 10, 25
and 50 Syrian piasters C100 Syrian piasters equal 1 Syrian pound)
was authorized by the French High Commissioner by decree of
April 16, 1929. The maximum amount to be issued was fixed at
1,500,000 Syrian pounds, or about 50 piasters per inhabitant.
This money was expected to be put into circulation in 1930. The
decree provided further that one-third of the profit resulting
from the issue should be placed in the reserve fund and used for
currency stabilization, and the remaining two-thirds given to the
Agricultural Bank.
Ottoman Public Debt Agreement.
An agreement was signed at Paris on January 19, 1929, between the representatives of the bondholders of the Ottoman
Public Debt and the States under French mandate, under the
terms of which the Syrian States paid during 1929 the equivalent
of 1,364,910 Syrian pounds (approximately $1,070,000) in
pounds sterling. The annuities, 244,000 Turkish gold pounds
($1,073,600) until 1935, reach 415,000 Turkish gold pounds
($1,826,000) at the highest, and then gradually decrease until
�Iri'ltti lift i i ,h;
,.,-,
___
18
THE SYRIAN WORLD
the year 2017, when the payments will end. The customs receipts
are pledged as security for payment.
Under this agreement the Syrian States' share of the capital
of the old Ottoman Debt amounts to 10,870,000 Turkish gold
pounds ($47,938,000), or 8.41 per cent, of the total.
Transport Extension gradual—Shipping Increases Slightly.
I
I I
The year witnessed a normal amount of repair, improvement,
and extension of existing roads. A regular bus service was inaugurated in October, 1929, between Beirut, Tripoli, Latakia, and
Aleppo, and work was begun on the only interurban electric railway in the mandated territory, to run from Damascus to Douma,
12 kilometers (iy2 miles) northeast of Damascus; this line will
carry freight as well as passengers.
The volume of traffic over the transdesert route between Damascus and Baghdad was well maintained during 1929, despite
the increasing competition from airplane service and the railroad
to Nissibine, which connects with Mosul and Kerkuk (Iraq) byauto service.
Airplane service between Beirut and Marseille (France) was
started in June, 1929, with weekly trips maintained throughout
the year. This line is part of the proposed route from France to
French Indo-China.
Preliminary data on shipping for 1929 indicate a small increase over 1928 in the total number and tonnage of vessels calling, at Syrian ports. For Beirut, however, the principal port, a
small decline was recorded.
Part Improvements.
Developments during the year indicate a definite program
for expansion of port facilities. New customs warehouses at Beirut, having a floor space of 7,000 square meters, were completed
during the year, and an area comprising about 30,000 square meters of the bay was filled in; the latter area is now available for
loading and unloading operations, as well as for warehouses.
Work was begun in October on the deepening and improvement
of Latakia harbor. When this is completed in about two or three
years, ships of average tonnage will be able to enter the harbor.
With a view to supplying northern Syria and southern Turkey
with gasoline, construction of storage tanks was begun in the port
of: Alexandretta. Proposed construction of a port" for airplanesat Tripoli was also announced early this year.
!
�.
.
„,,,.
'DECEMBER, 1930
19
Adverse Trade Balance Larger.
Syria's foreign trade position in 1929 was less favorable than
in the preceding year, owing to an increase of 10.4 per cent, in
the total value of imports and but little change in the value of
exports. Consequently, the adverse trade balance totaled $37,187,000, as compared with $30,802,000 in 1928.
Among the imports the principal increases occurred in cotton
and cotton goods, wool and woolen goods, vehicles, animal products, oil, machines and tools, rubber, and chemicals. Some of
these, to a certain extent, reflect the increasing needs for reconstruction and development work. Declines occurred chiefly in
purchases of cereal and cereal products, fuel oils, and silk goods.
The continued heavy imports of cereals in the early months of
1929 were necessitated by the failure of the crop in 1928.
Exports and reexports, exclusive of precious metals, compare
favorably with 1928, despite the lower price obtained, as the large
increase in volume over 1928 indicates.
Wider Exploitation of Water Resources.
Important progress was made in developing the water resources of the country during 1929. A hydroelectric plant on the
Kadisha River, which will supply electric current to the city of
Tripoli and environs, was completed; work was begun on a dam
and hydroelectric plant on the River Orontes, to supply the cities
of Horns and Hama, and a similar project was begun in the last
quarter of 1929 at Nahr el Safa. The latter station will supply
power to Beirut, the villages of Deir el Kamar, Damour,- Aley,
Souk el Gharb, and Bhamdoun, as well as the radio station at
Khalde and the D. H. P. Railway shops and the military airplane
shops at Rayak. In addition, studies are also scheduled for electric-power projects on the Euphrates, Khabour, and Yarmouk
Rivers.
Radio Service Extended. A direct radio service between Beirut and New York was inaugurated on September-3, 1929. Formerly messages were relayed
via the French station, Sainte Assise. In October, 1929, radio
communication between Aleppo and Deir ezZof was'established.
France Chief Source of Imports:
-••;
•
•• - • ± - '
Imports in 1929 came chiefly from France, which furnished
�'I
20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
13.9 per cent. (14.8 in 1928) of the total. It was followed by
the United States with 11.8 per cent. (9.8); England, 10.9 per
cent. (10); Italy, 8.4 per cent. (8.7); and Turkey, 6.7 per cent.
(7.5).
Exports and reexports went principally to the United States,
which took 17.5 per cent. (15.1 in 1928) of the total. Palestine
was next, with 16.9 per cent. (15.04); Egypt, 14.5 per cent.
(19.2); France, 12.9 per cent. (17.5); and Italy, 6.9 per cent.
(5).
Trade with United States Increases.
' Imports from the Unites States in 1929 totaled 8,586,150
Syrian-Lebanese paper pounds ($6,723,000), or 11.8 per cent, of
total, as compared with 6,466,370 Syrian-Lebanese paper pounds
($5,063,000), or 9.8 per cent, in 1928. Automobiles and accessories, cereals, and various machines and agricultural implements,
show the principal increases; declines occurred in purchases of
petroleum products, textiles, and leather.
Exports and reexports to the United States in 1929 amounted
to 4,472,240 Syrian-Lebanese paper pounds ($3,502,000), or
17.5 per cent, of total, as compared with 4,022,340 Syrian-Lebanese paper pounds ($3,149,000), or 15.01 per cent., in the preceding year. Exports declared to the United States through the
American consulate at Beirut were valued at $5,032,770, as against
$4,349,300 in the preceding year. Shipments of wool, goatskins,
nuts, camel hair, and rugs increased in value over the previous
year; the principal declines were noted in foodstuffs, licorice root,
and sheep casings.
The End and the Beginning
By
AMEEN RIHANI
The deed is done, O Kings: the blood is shed:
The sword is broken:—broken, too, the Cross.
But she, the mother eternal of the dead,
Though sorrow-laden, smiles at the loss.
You go down grimed with the blood and smoke of wars;
Your armies scattered and your banners furled;
She comes down covered with the dust of stars,
And gives her life again to build the world.
i
�-DECEMBER, 1930
21
The Two Seas
By
PHARES ANTON BEHANNESEY
(The following is the text of an address given by Mr. Be Hannesey
at the Lions Club of Hollywood, Calif., of which he was President in
1927. Enthusiastic admirers of Mr. Be Hannesey had thousands of copies of the address printed and handsomely bound for discriminate distribution. We are glad of the opportunity to give it further publicity.)
• ,
JN the very heart of my native land there Jie two bodies of
water that are remarkable for their physical features, past history and present aspect. The name of the one is the Sea of
Death, that of the other the Sea of Galilee. These two inland
lakes are only a few miles apart, and yet the character of the
one is as far above the other as the heavens are above the earth.
Both receive into their bosoms the same sweet waters of the
Jordan, as well as those of other mountain streams, and yet the
water of the one is intensely bitter, salty and poisonous; no life
can exist in its fatal depths, while that of the other is fresh and
wholesome, sweet to the lips of man and beast. It is especially
famous for the countless variety of fish which therein abound.
The country surrounding the Sea of Salt is as dead and barren as the Sea itself, and nourishes but two kinds of trees, and
both of those are worthless. The one is that out of which was
composed the Crown of Thorns for Him who died on Calvary;
the other has fruit resembling golden apples, which, when you
offer to taste them, crumple to ashes on your lips.
The region adjoining the Sea of Galilee is wonderful for its
surpassing fertility. Almost the year around it is a perfect paradise of beauty. Not only oranges, lemons, laurels and magnificent oleanders flourish there in profusion, but the entire country
is embellished with luxuriant wild flowers and crested with the
clinging fingers of a thousand vines; and as one inhales here the
sweet air of blossoms, and hears the chorus of the nightingales
as they chant their heavenly music, he realizes that his youthful
dreams have been fulfilled; at last Galilee with its beautiful Rose
of Sharon is all he fancied in childhood.
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The Sea of Galilee on which border hills and -plains of enchanting beauty, in marked contrast to the scenery of the Dead Sea.
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'DECEMBER, 1930
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To him who may chance to visit these two unlike seas the contrast is wonderful beyond description. It is a never-to-be-forgotten moment when he looks for the first time upon the shining
waters of the Dead Sea as they extend before him to the very
horizon. Strange and memorable scene! High mountains tower
above them to the east and west and seem to rise from the gloomy
shores heavenward in their robes of purity as some celestial visitors might withdraw from the dark, evil passions of mankind.
To the south extends a long, narrow belt of sand and ashes.
From the north iiows slowly the mighty Jordan, desirous apparently to prolong its luxuriant meanderings in the silent valley,
reluctant to pour its sweet and sacred waters into the accursed
bosom of a sea doomed to inactivity. Not a cloud breaks the blue
serene of heaven and not a breath stirs the air. Scarcely a ripple
relieves the glassy surface of the lake. The silence is most oppressive. Oh, for the voice of a bird, the hum of an insect to
break in upon the overwhelming monotony! Oh, for a screen of
leafy boughs to shelter from the glow of the sun and the glare
of the sand!
What an impressive evidence there exists along this barren
strand of the conflict between the forces of life and death! Here
and there are scattered trunks and branches of trees—venerable
patriarchs of the forest—rent by violent floods from their ancient
dwelling places near the sacred river Jordan, dashed into the Sea
of Salt; then, after being steeped in brine, flung upon the dreary
beach to petrify into mute memorials of the past. Dead, yet they
live. Voiceless, yet they speak, and with a voice in comparison
with which the mighty roars of Niagara are but a whisper.
But why should one linger amid such gloom: Let him but
behold the Sea of Galilee and he is at once enraptured. On every
side the scenery is charming. Glorious indeed are the glimpses
which he gains of the Galilean shore, to which history, poetry
and legend give undying interest. Blue beneath the Syrian sun,
flecked with light shadows of the passing clouds; or dark and
wrathful beneath the storm, this Sea is a constant source of pleasure and fascination. Paths of ideal beauty wind about its snores,
sun-sheltered by the trees, rendered cool and fragrant by the
breezes from those calm waters upon which the Man of Galilee
walked and, in His majesty, spoke peace to the angry winds,
hushing the surging waves to silence beneath His feet.
Anticipate what you will, you never can be disappointed in
.i.i' ....
�24
THE SYRIAN WORLD
the Sea of Galilee. In the words of the Queen of Sheba the
astonished traveler exclaims, "The half has not been told!" Nor
does familiarity with its glorious and charming scenes lessen their
effect, for, according to that immortal poet, "A thing of beauty
is a joy forever." Whatever else may be forgotten in this crowded life of ours, such a vision of this glorious Sea will linger like
an inspiration with him who has stood on its shore, until memory
shall have lost its power, until his eyes shall have closed upon the
finite to behold the Infinite.
In remote ages the Sea of Death was as beautiful as the Sea
of Galilee; its scenery as charming. That was the time when the
fated cities of the plains flourished in its vicinity till their crimes
drew down from above the consuming fire and they were withered from off the face of the earth. When we consider that once
the contrast between these two seas was almost imperceptible, the
first thought that comes to the mind is, "Why such a contrast
today?" It is a well-known fact that every inland lake must
sooner or later become salty, bitter and poisonous if it has no
outlet; and this is precisely the cause of the existing condition
of the Sea of Death. Situated as it is, in such a low crater-like
basin, fourteen hundred feet below the sea-level, it receives
great volumes of water from every direction, giving nothing out
except what is forced by evaporation. Thus it becomes still more
bitter, salty and poisonous. It is even seven times more salty
than the ocean, while the Sea of Galilee becomes sweeter and
more beautiful as the countless ages sweep into fathomless eternity, for underlying its action is the fundamental law of the universe of God, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
These two seas, so near and yet so unlike, represent two types
of human life; the one governed by selfishness—the other, by
love. How low must be the impulses of him who absorbs the
resources of others to gratify his own selfish desires. If he were
not living on such a low plane, fourteen hundred feet below the
level of the Heart of Humanity, he surely would be conscious
of that sacred power, so lofty and sublime, implanted in every
human breast, which, if not perverted into selfishness, would fling
outwardly upon society and even upon the brute world. As the
Sea of Death receives great volumes of water and never becomes
full, so is that nature that absorbs, always having a sufficiency
but never enough. The time at last comes when there is not even
a sufficiency and it is the means of its own destruction. As the
'
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'DECEMBER, 1930
25
Sea of Galilee pours out its sweet and sacred waters forever, and
never becomes empty, so is the human soul made infinite in power
to love and serve; the higher mortal ought to mourn that he has
thus far Jived having helped so few with this godlike thing—the
lingering image of the Great Creator.
A Syrian of the tenth century, feeling the littleness of himself, once said, "A bird could fly across the whole heavens, and
why can't I enter into wider realms of truth?" Our age would
reply, "There is nought to hinder. Let him fly everywhere and
see the extent of the human-divine kingdom." No bird can race
in the great blue sky against a noble soul. In a single hour America's love and sympathy fell, like a shower of manna, upon the
earthquake victims of Japan.
Though we climb fame's proudest height,
Though we sit on hills afar,
^ Where the thrones of triumph are;
Though all deepest mysteries be opened to our sight,
If we win not by that power
For the world a richer dower,
If this great humanity share not in our gain,
We have lived our life in vain.
Though our lot be calm and bright;
Though upon our brows we wear
Youth and grace, and beauty rare,
And the hours go swiftly, singing in their flight;
If we let no glory down
Any darkened life to crown—
If our grace and gladness have no ministry for pain,
We have lived our life in vain.
But the life of men and women in this sort of work is not
thus to be spent; their souls are not dumb, but eloquent. There
is no value in education unless we can act out the wisdom of the
school. There is no merit in culture if sleep and stupor can fill
its place.
It cannot be that an era so powerful, a country so vast and
marvelous as this, asks only for the common pursuits that bring
us daily bread for the table or shelter from the storm. There
must be something more than this, and today, more than ever,
- - r -.W'.rm-^tT^i
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�THE SYRIAN WORLD
26
there is a flag of progress and service waving over every hill and
tower. Happy are we if we can see this divine banner, if our
ear can from the noises of this world separate the whisper that
asks us to be soldiers of mankind. As such, in our highest form,
we must be in ceaseless action, with an Americanism simple in
creed but rich in activity; and, like the Americanism of Abraham
Lincoln, let it all be incarnated in life; like the red in the rose,
let Americanism be in us 3 let it be our color, our very form of
being. We may find times for patience with radical theories of
government, but let us be as impatient of their wrong application
as a good musician is impatient with discord; and all of this will
soon form into a river, the streams whereof will make more and
more glad the whole of humanity and our God.
/// The Garden of Love
By
DR. SALIM
Y.
ALKAZIN
HE cypress swayed with ecstasy,
T.The
roses flushed with anger,
When on her lips I pressed my lips,
And on her heart my finger.
Beside the violet bed, beneath the jasmine vine
There dreamed the rivulet, the daisies seemed to pine.
But not a word we spake,
For fear the spell to brake—
Our hearts were speaking—
But from her eyes I deeply quaffed the ancient wine.
With magic reeking.
/
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�'DECEMBER, 1930
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27
Love and War in the Desert
An Actual Love Drama Among the Bedouins and its Sequel
THE eternal forces of love and hatred, of injury and revenge,
as intense and relentless as the heat of the desert sun, still
exercise their sway among the Bedouin Arabs as in the remotest
times of the past. Just as the mode of life of these sons of Ishmael
has not changed for countless centuries, so have their characteristics, born of the hard life of their inhospitable surroundings,
remained immutable. Even to our day and in the face of the
great strides the world has made in science, invention and methods of transportation, we read of raids and feuds and wars of
retaliation such as we are wont to find in the lore of the remotest
ages.
The Syrian press has of late been full of sensational details
of the rising of the bedouin tribes of the northern Syrian desert
to what threatens to develop into a general war—war as fierce
and relentless as only the Arabs in their inad desire for revenge
can wage. Already several casualties have occurred which served
to fan the fire of passion into greater flame. An emir was murdered in cold blood in defiance of the laws of hospitality which
has been held unbroken among the Arabs of the desert from
time immemorial, and the indignation aroused by this action has
swept the land as a great conflagration. Immediately the scattered sections of the tribe of the murdered chief rallied from
all parts of the desert bent on retaliation, and those of the enemy
tribe did likewise for self-defense. Only the timely intervention of French armed forces comprising tanks, airplanes and
artillery prevented a general clash. But the French admit that
they have a serious problem on their hands in dealing with these
untamed sons of the open sandy wastes who are still dominated
by their age-old traditions and refuse to be appeased unless revenge is had in their own way. In this case the injured tribe
would be satisfied only if a man of equal rank from the attacking
tribe is offered as a propitiatory sacrifice, and to no other solution
would they consent, even if they were to kill hundreds and thousands of common enemy men. Revenge among the nomads of
the desert is a sacred tradition considered most essential for pur-
�esa
28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
poses of self-respect. It is to them an assertion of power that
serves as warning to enemies that their attacks and depradations
will not be permitted to go unpunished. This has been the law
of the desert from time immemorial and no civilizing influence
can eradicate from the breast of the bedouin this deeply-rooted
tradition so long as he adheres to his roving instincts and is apparently far from the reach of organized agencies of the law.
As would be expected, the cause of strife was a woman.
Sabha, the belle of the Hudaidi tribe, and reputed the most
beautiful among the women of the desert, was desperately
sought by rival chiefs. An emir of her own tribe was a suitor,
as well as a young emir of the powerful tribe of the Mawalis,
Nawaf El-Ahmad by name.
Emir Nawaf had at first followed the prescribed tribal tradition governing such cases among the Arabs and asked the hand
of Sabha of her elder brother, to whom he paid the sum of £150
in gold as dowry. But it later developed that the brother acted
without sufficient authority since the father of the girl was still
alive and his consent had to be had in preference. Furthermore,
the accepted custom among the tribes is that no union with
another tribe is to be consummated unless the permission of the
ranking chief is first sought and granted, and remonstrances by
the latter engendered fear in the heart of the young emir that
he would be denied possession of his beloved.
Acting in the impatience of youth, emir Nawaf set out one
night to execute a bold plan. His consuming love for the bedouin
maiden would brook no interference and it mattered not to him
if he plunged the whole population of the desert in bloody strife.
Accompanied by his young brother and another brave of his tribe,
he surprised the girl while asleep and proceeded to carry her
away in the most approved romantic style. But her father, awakened oy the commotion, raised the alarm among his townsfolk
who hastily armed themselves and rode out in pursuit. The posse
overtook the kidnappers in the outskirts of the village and engaged them in battle. The sheik-lover placed the girl in charge
of his companion and with his brother held the pursuers in check,
but owing to the latter's superior numbers they were gradually
closing in upon him. The guardian of the girl was quick to perceive the danger of the situation and hastened to the assistance (
of his companions. It was then that the girl seized the oppor- i
tunity of this momentary relaxation of the vigil and made aj
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THE SYRIAN WORLD
dash for liberty. But her strength was not'equal to the task and
she fell exhausted in the line of fire. A member of the posse
made a desperate effort to rescue her but was felled by a wellaimed bullet. Another braved the danger in the same effort and
met the same fate. Then the father boldly dashed to save his
daughter, but instead of shooting him from a distance the embattled Romeo engaged him in a hand-to-hand tussle and finally
laid him helpless on the field with a dagger in his side.
None of the pursuers now dared brave the fire of the kidnappers, who carried the girl and rode swiftly away on their fleet
Arabian horses and were swallowed by the night.
The posse carried its dead and wounded back to the village
and sent news of the attack to members of the tribe in the locality. Soon the news spread all over the desert with amazing rapidity and there was great indignation over the manner in which the
deed was committed. The sympathy of the bedouins was all
on the sides of the girl's father and his tribe of Hudaidis.
But something soon occurred which caused a most serious
change in the situation and reversed the sentiment in favor of
the Mawalis, the tribe to which belongs the young emir-lover
who was responsible for the kidnapping. It came about in the
following manner.
Emir Abdur Razzak, ranking chief of the Mawalis, had hastened from the city of Hama to the scene of the disturbances in
an effort to bring about peace since emir Nawaf, the kidnapper,
was one of his relatives. He had reached the district of Marrah,
about midway between Hama and Aleppo, which is considered
within the territory of the Hudaidis. He pitched his camp and
awaited the opportunity to enter into negotiations with the Hudaidis on the assumption that the kidnapping incident was but a
trivial matter which could be easily smoothed over. But he had
reckoned ill with the temper of the emir of the Hudaidi tribe
who was a suitor to Sabha and had been promised her hand in marriage by the father. No sooner did the emir of the Hudaidis,
Naif, learn of the presence of emir Abdur Razzak within his territory than he rode at the head of fifty of his men bent on revenge. At their approach Abdur Razzak came out of his tent
unarmed and made them a sign of peace. He expressed regret
at the action of the rash youth who caused this unpleasantness to
arise between the two friendly tribes and promised to use his
authority and influence to make redress. But the Hudaidis had
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French desert police in Syria standing guard over a group of Arabs.
I
�32
THE SYRIAN WORLD
murder in their hearts and would entertain no such course, and
to the blunt auestion of the Mawali emir as to what they finally
wanted the Hudaidi emir replied: "We will be satisfied only
with your life." Saying which he levelled his rifle and sent a
bullet through the heart of the Mawali chief. He was about to
kill more but his followers restrained him and induced him to
return with them to their camp.
Now the women of the murdered emir whom he was bringing with him from his city residence were witnesses to the crime
and the cry they raised was echoed throughout the desert with
such force and speed that within less than twenty-four hours
tens of thousands of armed bedouins of the Mawali tribe and
their adherents had responded to the call of danger. The scenes
which followed were considered sinister forebodings of coming
events, and the French authorities prepared for eventualities.
The funeral of the murdered emir was described as one which
the desert has not witnessed for many a generation. Thousands
of horsemen swore that they would not dismount until they had
taken revenge and rode in the funeral procession fully armed.
Their women, who were ever in Arab history the sustainers of
the spirit of the men in war, gave vent to the most pitiable wailings and lamentations. Their praise of the beauty, the generosity,
the hospitality and the youth of the murdered emir incited the
men to greater frenzy. Their spirit of anger and impatience
seemed to be transmitted to their fiery steeds which strained at
their reins as if anxious to plunge into action.
Marching in the cortege with their slow, measured gait, were
hundreds of camels draped in black silk and lending a strange
and sombre aspect to the procession. Riding on their humps were
more wailing women who at times stood at full length and made
wild gesticulations while emitting piercing shrieks. All this had
the effect of arousing the already enraged tribesmen to the highest pitch of frenzy.
The body of the murdered chief was carried on the shoulders
of some of his men. Behind them walked his afflicted sister
dressed in a manner calculated to further arouse the anger and
steel the determination of the tribesmen. She had donned her
brother's garb, even to the riding boots and the head dress, consisting of koufia and ighal. She had girded herself with his
cartridge belt and slung his rifle across her back. On her left
swung his long curved sword and on her right hung his short
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DECEMBER, 1930
33
ornamented dagger. "The dogs did not give you a chance to
fight, but I shall show them how terrible will be our revenge,"
she shouted once and again, and her spirit ran like fire through
the immense throng.
Word had reached the Hudaidis of the war preparations of
the Mawalis and they engaged in similar preparations. But word
also had reached the French military authorities of the threatening danger and they were no less prompt in taking action. Soon a
squadron of airplanes were hovering over the district and the
armored cars and the several batteries of artillery which followed
arrived in time to wedge themselves between the two tribes arrayed for battle and prevent an actual clash.
Col. Bonnot, French military commander of the Northern
Syrian district, offered to act as mediator and strained every
effort to convince the warring tribesmen of the futility of engaging in continued strife. The chiefs promised to use all their influence to hold their followers in check. But the Mawalis were
most frank in stating their position. "We do not wish to drench
the desert with blood," they said, "but our sense of self-respect
will not permit us to let the murder of our emir go unavenged."
"But emir Nawaf, when he carried away the girl Sabha, killed
two of the Hudaidis and wounded the girl's father," pleaded the
French officer.
"Even so the scale is in favor of the Hudaidis," replied the
Mawali emirs. "We may kill thousatids of them and not feel
fully avenged. We will rest only when we have spilled the
blood of their emir or one of his sons, for then there would be
an equality in rank, and they would have more respect in the
future for the great reach of our arms."
No words could carry a plainer meaning of the intent of the
Mawali bedouins. It is said that they are not as strong numerically as their enemies the Hudaidis, but they have a reputation
throughout the desert of being the fiercest and most desperate
warriors. And their passion for revenge may smoulder but will
never die.
Under the conditions the French authorities are taking no
chances. They are keeping a strong armed force in strategic positions and are prepared for all eventualities. To let the fierce
bedouins follow their natural bent would soak the whole desert
with blood.
Nor would the fighting be confined to the desert but there is
�34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
every danger of it spreading to the border cities which the bedouins are known to frequent. About the end of October, when
news reached Aleppo of the tragedy which was enacted in the
desert resulting in the murder of Emir Abdur Razzak, Emir
Abd Ibn Ibrahim Pasha of the Mawalis was in conference at
the Intelligence Bureau of the French military authorities, and
upon learning the news he left in great anger bent on proceeding immediately for the desert to engage in the war. At the
entrance of the building he met an emir of the Hudaidis, the
tribe which had committed the murder, and without parley or
explanation he drew his pistol to kill him. But another emir of
an impartial tribe who happened on the scene stepped between
them -and prevented another tragedy.
Meanwhile, young emir Nawaf who had plunged the desert
into this condition of turmoil and unrest because of his uncontrollable love for a maiden of another tribe, still remains at large
in the desert. News at one time reached Aleppo that a posse had
overtaken him near the banks of the Euphrates, preparing to
plunge still further into the trackless desert. But he gave his
pursuers battle and escaped with his prize. The same determination that prompted him to resort to kidnapping has not forsaken
h'm in still defying the machinery of law and braving the wrath
of the whole Arab society through his mad love for the girl he
set his heart on possessing.
On His Friends
Translated from the Arabic by J. D.
CARLYLE
With conscious pride I view the band
Of faithful friends that round me stand,
With pride exult that I alone
Can join these scatter'd jems in one:—
For they're a wreath of pearls and I
The silken cord on which they lie.
'Tis mine their inmost souls to see,
Unlock'd is every heart to me,
To me they cling, on me they rest,
And I've a place in every breast:—
For they're a wreath of pearls, and I
The silken cord on which they lie.
�DECEMBER, 1930
35
ALI ZAIBAQ
(Quicksilver)
THE UNPARALLELED ADVENTURES OE THE
CHIEF OF POLICE OF THE CALIPH HAROUN
AL-RASHID, OF THE CITY OF BAGDAD.
Translated front the original Arabic by
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
and
CHAPTER
THADDEUS
S.
DAYTON
IV
THE ISLE OF ENCHANTMENT
QUICKSILVER tarried seven days while preparing for his
^ iourney, and on the eiehth he rode forth on a camel and proceeded in the direction of the Island of Enchantment. But Hassan said to him as he departed:
"O my lord and companion, I desire to go with you and
serve you in whatever you undertake, and I entreat you to give
me permission to do so."
But Quicksilver answered him that it was impossible, and
that in order to realize the accomplishment of his quest and the
task that was imposed upon him he must proceed alone. Thereupon he bade him farewell, and pursued his journey.
For six days he continued with but little rest and finally
reached the shore of a sea where he found a village in which he
spent the night.
On the morrow Quicksilver gave the man who had sheltered
him ten pieces of gold and asked him to provide a boat so that he
might reach the Island of Enchantment. The fisherman was overjoyed at the munificence of the payment and made haste to
comply.
Thereupon they embarked and rowed a long distance through
the sea until they reached the island. There Quicksilver left
the boat in the keeping of his companion while he proceeded to
explore the place.
In the center of the island he perceived two opposing swords
�36
THE SYRIAN WORLD
which played swiftly in the air, up and down, without striking
each other. At sight of these he stood transfixed with wonder
at their diabolical, never-ceasing movement.
Finally he lifted from the earth a huge stone which he cast
between the swords, and they instantly reduced it to powder.
Thereupon he retired a little distance to a secluded spot and
stood pondering upon his predicament, not knowing which way
to turn or how he should go about it to make the swords pause
in their incessant motion.
While thus engrossed with his thoughts sleep overcame him
and he saw in a dream a celestial being who addressed him saying:
"Arise, Quicksilver, and toss at the ever-playing swords the
branch of the palm tree which you brought from Egypt."
Quicksilver awakened from his slumber, took the branch of
the palm tree and threw it between the ever-moving swords.
It came to pass exactly as had been foretold in his dream;
their action immediately ceased. At the same moment the heaving sea became calm and the island shook with the tremors of an
earthquake, after which the swords disappeared completely and
there came into view a great dome whose only entrance was a
brazen door upon which was inscribed in letters of gold the following legend:
"Oh thou, who enterest this place, pass without fear, and
take thy booty, the magic box of the All Seeing Eye, and depart."
No sooner did Quicksilver read this inscription and comprehend its meaning than he advanced and set his hand against
the brazen door whose ponderous weight immediately yielded
to his touch. He entered and found within a vast circular chamber beneath the dome enormous quantities of gold and jewels
which shone with a radiance that dazzled his eyes. In the midst
of all this treasure, resting on a pedestal beneath the center of
the dome, was the magic box of the All-Seeing Eye, at sight of
which his reason almost fled from him. Recovering himself
quickly, for he dared not delay an instant, he advanced and lifted
the enchanted box upon his shoulders and bore it swiftlv out of
the place without pausing to gather up any of the vast riches that
lay heaped within. But no sooner had he passed across the threshold than the brazen door closed with a thunderous crash and an
awful voice that resounded to the heavens cried:
n
9HIBH
�»..
DECEMBER, 1930
.. . -..
37
"To the end of time! To the end of time!"
Quicksilver looked back in fear and was amazed to perceive
behind him Hassan who had emerged from the portal by a hair's
breadth before the closing of the door. Upon perceiving his
companion Quicksilver was seized with rage and demanded what
had brought him to the Enchanted Island, to which Hassan replied:
"O my lord, may your wrath be appeased. When you left
me in the Enchanted City I followed your footsteps taking care
not to let my presence be known to you, and I continued to pursue you until you reached this place. I followed closely when you
entered and as you lifted upon your shoulders the magic box I
hastily gathered these precious stones which I brought forth with
me. I had no thought but to render to you whatever aid might
be within my power, for to you I owe my life."
Quicksilver, whose anger had how cooled, marvelled at Hassan's words and took the jewels saying:
"Verily, I entered this great treasure house and came away
without thinking of gathering any of the vast stores of jewels
that lay about me. I will take these gems as an offering for the
shrine in Egypt."
Thereupon both men made their way to the shore of the
island and crossed to the mainland where they mounted their
camels and pursued their journey for nights and days until they
came within sight of the Enchanted City. There they were surprised to see about the walls a vast armed camp and to hear a
deafening noise which filled the air and rose to the skies. It was
then night and Quicksilver, who was at a loss to discover the
reason for the presence of such a great army before the city,
said to Hassan:
"Wait for me here a little while until I can ascertain what
peoples these are that have come here in such war-like array."
So saying he dismounted from his camel and made his way
on foot without detection until he reached the outskirts of the
encampment. There he discovered that the multitude was a
mighty army of Blacks and it became clear to him at once that
the King of the Blacks and the Soudanese had come all the way
from his own country to avenge the death of his emissaries who
had been destroyed and to take by force the daughter of the
King of the Enchanted City.
Quicksilver being as wise as he was brave, saw that his un-
�38
THE SYRIAN WORLD
aided strength could not prevail against such a great host. He
therefore retraced his steps to where Hassan awaited him. His
companion counselled him to evade the besieging army and to
make a detour about the Enchanted City with the hope of finding some place to enter it.
"Such is not my plan," responded Quicksilver, "my intention
is to capture the King of the Blacks by artifice and to bring him
forth from his camp to this place, after which the rest will be
comparatively easy."
Thus saying he ordered his companion and friend to make a
fire over which he placed a pot into which he poured water dissolving therein a powder such as spies use to disguise themselves
in time of war. After letting the water and the powder boil for
a necessary time he took the liquid which had now become of an
inky blackness and bathed himself with it, straightway becoming
as though he had been born a black slave.
Then in order to more successfully achieve his purpose he
bound his left arm in a sling and proceeded towards the encampment of the army of the Blacks. There he mingled with the
soldiers, lifting his voice in a plaintive cry, and perfectly imitating their vernacular, he said:
"O sons of my maternal uncles, I am now under the wing of
your protection. May curses fall like torrential rain on the heads
of the Whites!"
Perceiving him in the pitiable condition which he had assumed, the Blacks gathered around him in great numbers demanding the cause of his outcry.
"To none other than the Whites do I owe my grievous condition," answered Quicksilver. "It is they who have covered me
with wounds and from them I have received this broken arm.
But my story is long to tell. Take me therefore to our most
powerful and gracious King so that I may inform him of all
that has befallen."
The Blacks, unsuspicious of his identity, conducted him to
the royal tent within which Quicksilver immediately perceived
the King, seated in the center surrounded by his officers and aides
with drawn swords, his countenancec resembling a tower of anger.
Immediately Quicksilver raised a great cry of lamentation
which attracted the attention of the King who ordered the supposedly wounded soldier to be brought before him. Whereupon
Quicksilver, after saluting the King, said:
�'DECEMBER, 1930.
39
"Know, O my Lord, that this night, in company with some
of the sons of my uncle, I bethought myself of approaching the
gates of the city with the hope of discovering something of importance relative to the enemy. When we neared one of the
gates we were surprised to find it was open and immediately
rushed in, but a great number of soldiers sprang at us from an
ambush and there ensued a battle in which our small company
fought valiantly but was finally overcome. All my companions
were killed and I alone succeeded in escaping, as though by magic.
Thereupon I hastened to inform your Majesy of this affair and
of the treachery of our enemies."
Upon hearing this the king became terribly enraged, his
eyes seemed to start from their sockets and he swore by the fire
that he worshiped that he would put the inhabitants of the Enchanted City to the sword.
To Quicksilver, as a reward for his services, the King promised a beautiful white maiden as soon as he was able to effect
the capture of the Enchanted City.
After expressing his gratitude, Quicksilver withdrew from
the royal tent and mingled with the King's body-guard outside
feigning that he was cold. These took compassion on him, gave
him clothing and asked him to spend the night with them, as he
appeared weak from his wounds.
Quicksilver wished for no better opportunity for carrying
out his designs, and remained awake until he was assured that
all the guards were plunged in heavy slumber. Then he took
from his bag some antidote for benj which he placed in his nostrils, and taking a bowl of metal he filled it with a mixture of
benj and dried herbs which he lit, causing it to smoke so furiously
that soon the tent became filled with the poisonous fumes,
straightway stupefying all of the King's body-guards. Thereupon he proceeded stealthily to the royal tent " u">e he repeated
the same stratagem so that the King also completely lost all consciousness.
That night being dark and the whole army asleep, Quicksilver bound the King with heavy cords and wrapped him as
a carpet. Then Quicksilver lifted the King upon his shoulders
and succeeded in getting clear of the camp and reaching the spot
where he had left Hassan, whom he acquainted with what he
had done. They then hastened to the great gates of the Enchanted City where the guards on the high walls greeted them
�40
?HE SYRIAN WORLD
SiSZSd ^^that the^w- *-*> **
"Withhold your hands! We are friends of your Kin*! T
am Quicksilver whom I hope you have not yet &Z£fl
Upon heanng this the guards informed the King who straight
way came to meet Quicksilver, accompanied by £?v£fa^ ancfa1
the d-gnitanes of his court. The King ordered that rones should
be let down from the top of the wall so that Quicksilverand his
companion might be hoisted up.
^suver ana his
Now Quicksilver was still black with the dve nf k« Aed trnform^8 Tt^
eXCeedi
:
"^ ^ Q"ick0 utlS!
alter delivering me from them. I have been sick 55. «
*
being captured and delivered over to the erne" fate thf h K
awaiting me, but now my heart is filled with :
and I feel that my safe y a'Sthe ate^S Y ^J°«reOln,
y f Ur bn8d m 1S once
more assured by your presence
° °
°
deserSrnt^s^'thl Se^t^ -» a
rated of the amazing adventures oQuicklver in the
he rv"^
C,ty of
Enchantment. All these 1 shall rem,,„,,
"
.
Unt
will be well worth Z hearing » °
"""'i^, and they
*'
(»o be continued)
./
�DECEMBER, 1930
41
The Gardener
By
THOMAS ASA
UN-ARRESTED qualms a day beset me,
Ephemeral visions of an unknown shoreChaotic hopes and fears that would decree
1 he truth of pages from forbidden lore—
But divine revealment was not to be
For swiftly closed again the unseen 'door.
Then I started from my chair in great confusion,
And in thoughtless haste I left the chambered gloomBu uppermost, my mind had touched the grave Illusion,
Wherein reposed the secret of eternal doom :Oh why had Fate so stirred the hoarded fusion
And transformed my soul into a darkened tomb!
And then unheeding of the darkened sky
And like a madman thru the hiding night,
I fled as from pursuit the damning Lie —
Punitive Hand that dawns with guarded LightUnbroken Watch that keeps the fearful Eve—
1 he destinies of Life in Godly sight.
Along a winding path, with unseeing eyes
I T?.nLy t,houghts in blinding, searing haze:
And high above, with ill-portent, the hov'ring skies—
But none of this I saw in fevered mental craze
While, over humble fields which fall and rise'
Simple peasant folk would stare in great amaze.
My strength had gone from soul's exertion
So perforce I stopped to gaze in doubt
On an unmarked grave in rank desertion
That lay half-hidden amidst a leafy rout
What had led me here but His assertion,
To best my probing mind with soul devout
11
�42
?HE SYRIAN WORLD
Silent-voiced and vision fastened to the mound,—
And then I heard the summer shower break,
And cool the fevered brow and still the sound
That my madly struggling thoughts would make—
What form from which new faith to found,
And in what wise the sentient lesion wake?
I
And, in grateful pension of the cooling rain,
Stood in rigid silence with uncovered head,
With my mind once more, in common, sane,
And pondered whereat my tortured soul had led}
The restless doubt, in past long years inane,
Has come to light as from the secret Dead.
And then anon the summer shower ceased,
And from the dampened foliage rose
A scented vapor, from the earth released,
As with reluctance from the grave it goes.
But what ghostly sight is that from out the East?
As from the sodden earth the vapor rose.
The ghostly mass took form before my faltering sight,
And nearer drew it to the crumbling grave}
And then on the nonce a ray of super-light
Flashed at its base, as though the way to pave}
And back I stepped in preternatural fright—
To stop, for from without a Hand doth wave!
And, like a graven image, stood I there
To see the ghostly sight a human born,
In hallowed robes of snow-white blinding glare
Then to bend o'er the wasted grave, and shorn
Soon lies the alien weed, and blossoms fair—
And bloom,—my questioning Faith in like reborn!
:..-..
�DECEMBER, 1930
43
EDITORIAL COMMENT
RACIAL
CONSIDERATIONS
I
AMERICA has not as yet
passed the stage of racial
considerations.
Evidences of
this condition continue to assert
themselves in various ways despite claims to the contrary. The
condition seems to be one that
not only cannot be ignored but
is given tacit approval and even
taken advantage of on various
occasions. This by no means
should be construed as division
in the American nation, but
rather a natural attempt by each
ethnic group to assert itself and
vindicate its moral rights in the
face of similar policies on the
part of other groups. The situation would seem to justify
the conclusion that just as much
as the Americaii government is
one of parties so is it one of
racial groups.
One can hardly think of the
government of New York City,
for instance, without associating
it with Tammany and the Irish,
nor of some Mid-Western
States without affiliating them
with the German element. The
senatorship of a certain State
has even become the heritage
of a particular family controlling the votes of a racial element. No secret was made of
this fact in the last general elections.
But these remarks are not
prompted by happenings of
long ago. Something more recent and of equally strong significance has been enacted on
the stage of New York politics
which again brings racial considerations to the limelight.
And there was no mincing of
words about it. The discussion
was freely indulged in not only
in the public press but in the
courts. The very expression
"racial considerations" is borrowed from the official records.
This came about through the
investigation into the appointment of ex-Magistrate George
F. Ewald to the bench in 1927.
Supreme Court Justice McCook, presiding at the trial, is
thus reported by the N. Y. Sun
of Nov. 26, 1930, to have reviewed the case in his charge to
the jury.
"Justice McCook said that
in the spring of 1927, Mayor
Walker was considering a vacancy about to occur on the
magistrates' bench. Magistrate
Oberwager, a German-American, was to be retired, and the
Mayor might have had it in
mind to choose a GermanAmerican to be his successor. In
any event, the Mayor received
�44
THE SYRIAN WORLD
letters recommending Ewald principles were against the infrom the Steuben Society (Ger- terest of America we would unman organization) and from hesitatingly disapprove of it.
Victor A. Ridder, the publisher Not alone that, but we would
of the Staats-Zeitung (German be the first to combat it and use
newspaper)."
every means to stamp it out.
"According to the prosecu- Our loyalty should be to our
tion," he continued, "Ewald adopted country whole and unknew he must get Healey's divided. THE SYRIAN WORLD
backing if he were to be ap- has always stood for the prinpointed a magistrate, while the ciple of Americanism unflinchdefense contended that Ridder, ingly and without equivocation.
the German-American Steuben And other than this course it
Society and racial considerations will never follow—other than
were the only factors involved this policy it will never enterin Mayor Walker's choice."
tain.
So racial considerations still
But it is not here a question
are very much in evidence in of loyalty. It is a question of
America. Racial organizations group interest signs of which
deal out their recommendations we observe all about us at all
for political favors and political times and in various ways. The
favors are granted on racial inescapable conclusion is' that
considerations. We say this what is permitted to others
neither in a spirit of approval could not within reason be denor of criticism, but as a mere nied us.
statement of facts.
If, therefore, we advocate
Our only reason for stressing race consciousness and race
the point is to bring the subject solidarity it is for the service
closer home to Syrian-Ameri- of ourselves as an integral
cans. Syrians are late comers to group in America and for the
America and should for that service of America through our
reason be the more race con- united effort. We would claim
scious. They may be so indi- our rights as we discharge our
vidually but they certainly fail obligations. We would mainto show any traces of such con- tain ourselves in the standing
sciousness collectively in any or- due every self-respecting group
ganized form. It would seem, or community.
under the circumstances, that
Leaving aside political conthey are wanting in the practice siderations we urge first the deof an accepted American tradi- velopment of that which is best
tion.
in our racial heritage for perIf coming together on racial petuation as our contribution to
�^DECEMBER, 1930
America. Let us admit that we
cannot make an impression as a
political force, but there is no
end to our potential contributions along more constructive
and enduring lines. To secure
these benefits we must first develop that consciousness of
power which alone is the incentive to achievement. The development of this consciousness
depends largely on a proper
estimation of our inherent racial
qualities which our younger
generation fails to appreciate
through inadequate methods
of enlightenment. Our efforts,
therefore, should be directed
towards self-enlightenment as
a means of proper self-appraisal. An interest in racial organizations sponsoring cultural
programs, as well as in other
mediums for the spread of
proper knowledge bearing on
our history and past achievements, should not fail to bringabout their desired results.
SYRIAN SICIETIES
yHE growing movement for
united,
organized
action
among the Syrians of America,
so much in evidence of late, is
a most welcome one. It is a sign
of reawakening that holds great
portents. It is an unfailing indication that the Syrians are
coming to a realization of their
latent powers and are striving
to develop them.
In this issue of THE SYRIAN
45
several new Syrian societies are reported organized in
widely scattered parts of the
country. What is more significant is that they are invariably
the result of the efforts of the
younger generation.
Syrian
young men and young women
are coming together on a new
basis of understanding and racial
consciousness. They have come
to appreciate their especial situation and to vision their opportunities. Untold benefit could
come from this movement if the
various organized units were
brought together under a national federation along the line
once suggested by this publication. Perhaps it has been for
the best to have held the consummation of the movement in
abeyance after once having
aroused widespread interest in
it. Its resumption in the future
might prove of immensely
greater benefit owing to the
larger possibilities offered. WTe
shall await the opportune time
to again take up the task of
forming the federation.
In the meantime, we cannot
urge too strongly the necessity
of forming a Syrian-American
society wherever the size of
the community warrants. This
will not only bring about close
cooperation among members of
the particular community, but
will pave the way for the larger
possibility of national solidarity.
WORLD
�46
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Readers' Forum
SYRIAN-AMERICAN LEADERS
Contributions of Rev. W. Mansur
Hailed as Inspirational.
Editor's Note—The writer of the
following letter, a prominent physician of Flint Mich., is a typical
Syrian-American of open mind who
bases appraisal of service purely on
merit. We publish his letter not so
much for its laudatory references to
The Syrian World as for its expressions of appreciation for the very
valuable contributions of our many
collaborators. We especially welcome
his suggestion of publishing biographical sketches of our pioneers
and leaders in various fields of endeavor and trust to be able to take
up the task in the not distant future.
Editor The Syrian World
As you well know, I have been a
constant reader of The Syrian World
ever since its infancy. I can honestly
say that I have read every article
ever published in The Syrian World;
I have presented it at least to one
friend and introduced and praised it
to many others. I ask neither praise
nor reward for doing so, because I
do not care for praise, and because
the growth and the flourishing of
The Syrian World is my greatest
reward. May it grow, may it flourish, and may it endure as a guiding
star to our Syrian-American people.
I hope you will live long enough to
guide its footsteps.
My reason for this correspondence
is to tell you how much I enjoy The
HHHMMBfe
Syrian World and how mueh I benefit by it. My second reason is to
compliment Rev. W. A. Mansur on
his article viz:—"Great SyrianAmericans of Our Times." I think it
is a most timely article. I want Rev
Mansur to know that I join him in
paying tribute to the great SyrianAmericans in general and to those
whom he wrote about in particular.
I would also ask him to give us an
epitomized biography of those great
men whom he wrote about in the
October issue of this year, because
there are many Syrians who do not
know much about these great men.
I myself had the good fortune of
reading Al-Hoda daily and therefore
I have known quite a bit about N.
A. Mokarzel. He is a man I admire
but I was never as yet lucky enough
to meet him personally. I have had
the good fortune to read the articles
of the other men, and to meet Mr.
Ameen Rihani in Detroit last year
and Dr. Ph. K. Hitti in Chicago a
f
ew years ago while I was studying
nedicine. I also had the good fortune of reading every article that
Rev. W. A. Mansur wrote for The
Syrian World. I hope some day to
meet Rev. Mansur or at least to read
about his life and works in The Syrian World. His articles have always
been inspiring to me. I also believe
his articles were inspiring to many
others. The more he writes and tells
us about these great men, the more
we progress, because we begin to
imitate and copy after him and after
such great men.
I wish you would please accept a
great deal of my tribute to yourself
and to The Syrian World, for you
have been a great mediator, and a
�'DECEMBER, /9Jtf
47
great influence in bringing an appreciation of culture, information
and education to our people. You are
in my estimation just as much a
pioneer in this field as N. A. Mokarzel in his. That is a great influence indeed.
Jos. A. Macksoud M. D
Flint, Mich.
PROUD OF ORIGIN
Editor, The Syrian World
• • Since we have been reading The
Syrian World we have gained so
much valuable information about
our country of origin that we now
feel proud of proclaiming our Syrian descent. It is only now that we
can appreciate the value of this publication in English which is the only
means of enlightening us on the
"st history of the mother country
of our parents and the wonderful
achievements of our forbears. To
praise the pioneering spirit which
made possible this invaluable means
of public service is but to express
the natural gratitude of those who
are deriving such concrete benefits
rom it.
I
Syrian-American Modern Society
Oklahoma City, Okla.
\N OPINION FROM EGYPT
Editor, The Syrian World
I began receiving The Syrian
Uor d with the September issue and
nave enjoyed reading it exceedingly
as it gave me a wider conception
of the activities of the Syrians in
America. The publication fills a
long-felt need in the Syrian world.
To the Syrians in America it is invaluable as it helps to keep them in
touch with the mother country and
acquaints them with the literature,
culture and traditions of their fore-
fathers. To non-American Syrians,
on the other hand, it should be of
great benefit in giving them a new
notion of the industrial and cultural
activities of their fellow countrymen
in the New World.
I feel confident that in the very
near future The Syrian World will
have a far-reaching influence, drawing nearer and binding together the
Syrians all over the world, and
thereby achieving that which it has
set forth to accomplish.
Before closing I would like to
draw your attention to a small error occurring on page 16 of the
September issue where College Hall
of the American University of Beirut is erroneous'y named West Hall.
Albert A. Mirshak.
Cairo, Egypt.
A SUGGESTION
Editor, The Syrian World
* It is my hope that you will
in due time publish your travel articles which have been appearing in
the pages of The Syrian World in
book form. I have been enjoying
them immensely, and would like to
see them in book form and made
possible in that manner to the public.
Rev. W. A. Mansur.
Winside, Neb.
A CORRECTION
Editor, The Syrian World
You make mention of Tartus as
the birthplace of St. Paul, while his
birthplace is the city of Tarsus, in
Asia Minor.
One of your contributors mentions
that inscriptions at Nahr El-Kalb
commemorate, among others, a Napo'eonic invasion while Napoleon
never reached so far north in Syria.
A Reader.
New Kensington, Pa.
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
Political Developments in Syria
PALESTINE QUESTION
STILL UNSETTLED
The Palestine Question cannot be
expected to be settled by the simple
issuance of a British White Paper,
although the British declaration of
policy may be said to have materially altered the situation existing
up till then in Palestine. It has had
the effect of causing a reversal of
sentiment in the two opposing camps
in a wholly unexpected manner.
Where the complaints and the howling came heretofore almost exclusively from the Arab side, the expression of grievances now has apparently been monopolized by the
Jews. Judging by the moderated
tone of the Arab press, and the official pronouncement of Arab leaders, one cannot escape the conviction
that the Arabs are now disposed to
cooperate with the British in all
matters short of a definite renunciation of their basic national rights.
Press dispatches from Jerusalem
of November 19 report that the
Arabs are believed ready to cooperate with the legislative council,
though an Arab opposition leader is
reported by the New York Times
correspondent to have said that as
long as the mandate and the Balfour
Declaration remain the White Paper
must be considered incompatible
with Arab aspirations. "Though the
Arabs will accept the White Paper,"
he is further reported to have said,
"they will continue to struggle for
obtaining full independence and a
United States of Arab countries."
Although this statement unmistakably indicates a policy of conciliation and cooperation on the part
of the Arabs despite the expression
mBKBHHmmXHmmt'
of adherence to the larger national
demands, a truer indication of the
present Arab feeling may be had
through the declaration of the Arab
paper Falastine, in its English edition of November 22 commenting on
a statement by the Jewish leader
Dr. Bergmann. "The Arabs are neither averse to an understanding,
honorable and just to both peoples,"
it remarks "nor do they undervalue
the gain from cooperation, but they
cannot bind themselves to statements
which are falsified by actual practice. * * * An honest Zionism may
prove the salvation of both peoples.
As it is, it has ceased to respond
to the spiritual call. Rachel mating
with Israel could not leave behind
the gods of Laban, and Zionism
mating with Palestine has brought
with it the gods of Europe. It came
to find its soul; losing the way it
has set up as the high priest of
Baal."
But it would seem farthest from
the intention of the Jews to relinquish the fight for a Zionist Palestine conforming with their original
conception. Press dispatches from
Jerusalem of November 19 inform
us that the National Council of
Palestine Jews, which is the supreme body of Palestine Jewry, issued on that date a statement denouncing the British government and
expressing its determination to forever continue to struggle. On this
point the statement reads: "Palestine Jews call on Jewry the world
over to fight against the repeated
attacks of his Majesty's government. No abuse from any government will break the eternal bond of
Palestine and the Jewish people.
Our rebuilding and the regeneration
IMMMMM
�"DECEMBER, 1930
of our country will proceed."
Meanwhile conferences continue in
London between the British government and representatives of the Jewish Agency on the government's policy in Palestine. Lord Passfield, Colonial Secretary, defended the government's Palestine policy in the
House of Lords on December 3,
stating that the government would
not prohibit the purchase of land in
Palestine or prevent the exclusive
employment of Jewish labor on land
held as the inalienable property of
the Jewish people. This is taken by
the Jewish Telegraphic Agency to
mean a marked retreat by the British government from its recently announced Palestine policy.
The next Zionist Congress will be
held in February, probably at Carlsbad, and it will serve as an indicator
of the fate of Zionist leadership,
which is to be discussed at the congress as a result of Dr. Chaim Weizmann's resignation.
49
achieved perhaps no man can bring
it about better than the present High
Commissioner. Although slow in
reaching a solution he is conceded
honest intentions and conscientious
efforts in devising a plan that would
at once meet the reasonable demands of the Syrian Nationalists
and be compatible with the dignity
and alleged rights of France. But
despite all efforts no solution has so
far been reached and the country is
anxiously awaiting the return of the
High Commissonier in the hope that
by now he must have exhausted his
studies and formulated the longawaited solution. Surely his unusually long stay in Paris cannot be
barren of some concrete results.
The return of M. Ponsot, according to reports of the Syrian press,
was definitely set for November 25.
As a part of his political program,
he is said to be contemplating a
stop-over of several days in Egypt
for conferences with Dr. ShahbanMAJOR CHANGES EXPECTED dar and other exiled Syrian leaders.
IN SYRIA AND LEBANON He is also reported to have engaged
several prominent economic advisPalestine figures more prominently ers to assist in the rehabilitation of
than other sections of Syria in cur- the country.
rent news because of its Jewish asAccording to what seems to be
sociations and the greater activities authentic reports M. Ponsot's first
of the Jewish news agencies. For efforts will be directed to economic
news about Syria and Lebanon we reform. Large projects are contemare therefore reduced to dependence plated which are expected to greatly
on the native press which accounts enhance the economic prospects of
for the fact that this particular the country. Included in his program
news is comparatively late.
are important irrigation enterprises
Aside from the economic depres- and putting into immediate operasion, which perhaps is as acute in tion the general economic council.
Syria as anywhere in the world, the
The political question, important
uncertainty of the political situation as it may seem, only comes second
continues to be the absorbing topic in order in the High Commissioner's
of the country. After almost eleven program. Surely it is not proposed
years of mandate the people are to delay unduly an attempted solustill struggling to define their poli- tion of this question, but owing to
tical status and reach a proper unthe delicacy of the situation and bederstanding with the mandatory cause matters have dragged so long,
power. If such a result is to be no hasty action is contemplated, a
�50
policy seemingly consistent with M.
Ponsot's method of procedure. The
latest date given by any observer
for holding elections however, is
summer of the coming year when
it is hoped the country would have
had the opportunity of digesting the
I Ian which the High Commissioner
proposes to lay before it.
Granting Syria a fuller measure
of self-government seems to be
taken for granted, as well as a proposal to substitute the present form
of mandatory administration by a
treaty agreement. But to elect a de
jure government capable of negotiating the contemplated treaty is
what may prove the stumbling block
in the successful carrying out of the
I logram. The present Syrian government is described as resorting to
frantic efforts to perpetuate itself
in authority and for that reason
us'ng all its prestige and the advantJRC3 of its position to influence the
coming poiuar elections. But the
important Nationalist bloc cannot be
l?ft out of the reckoning, and if they
should decide to take part in the
elections their former success at
the rolls may be repeated and they
would be in control of the Assembly. The Nationalist principle of
first asserting national sovereignty
is well known, and it is for the purpose of averting such complications
that the High Commissioner is said
to be abiding his time before calling
the elections.
Credit is given M. Ponsot for having influenced the decision of French
and American interests in Mosul
petroleum to favor Tripoli as the
terminus of the pipe line which it
is proposed to lay across the desert
to the sea. England had steadfastly
stood for the port of Haifa in consideration of the fact that it is
within British mandated territory,
and in view of the uncompromising
British attitude the other interests
THE SYRIAN WORLD
involved decided to act independently of England. This decision is
bound to bring incalculable benefit
to Syria as a whole and to the cities
of Tripoli and Horns in particular.
Tripoli might develop into the first
seaport of Syria and already Beirut
is showing no little uneasiness over
the future. As to Horns, being situated inland directly east of Tripoli,
it will become the emporium of the
plain owing to its advantageous
location.
Negotiations for this new development have progressed far beyond
the initial stage, the press of Beirut
reporting that early in November a
r3r.resentative of the Iraq Petroleum
Company arrived in Beirut and held
several lengthy conferences with
the President of the republic, following which the President called
a meeting of the cabinet and laid before it the results of the negotiations.
If reports of the native press may
be taken as a criterion, the population of Damascus is overwhelmingly
Nationalists in its sympathies and
ever ready to do the bidding of the
leaders despite all efforts of the
government to stifle the popular enthusiasm. One of the most popular
and effective weapons employed is
that of passive resistance as expressed in the cessation of all business activities in the city to the accompaniment of peaceful demonstrations.
Early in November Damascus shut
down in protest against an attack
on the popular Nationalist leader
Fakhry Bey Baroody by several men
supposed to be henchmen of the
president. Had it not been for the
issuance of a timely statement by
Baroody enjoining the populace from
resort to violence there would have
been every likelihood of clashes with
the military.
�"DECEMBER, 1930
51
About Syria and Syrian:
SYRIAN WORLD
CORPORATION LAUNCHED
.
.
and civic pride to get behind it." He
went on to explain the terms of the
incorporation, stating that the 1000
Prominent Leaders Endorse Publi- shares of capital stock, at $25.00 par
cation and Pledge to it Moral and
value, bear 7 per cent, interest and
Financial Support.
are all offered for sale to the public
To every holder of a unit of four
shares
of preferred, however, goes
The Syrian community of New
one share of common stock in the
^ork expressed its unqualified approval of The Syrian World as a form of a bonus. It is not necessary,
he further explained, to sell all of
racial organ and pledged itself to
the
preferred stock to effect the
its liberal support, both morally and
financially, at a dinner held at the transfer of the publication to the
hheik Restaurant on December 8. public, but what was immediately
intended was to raise a sum of $5,000
The attendance was representative
to effect the reorganization and make
of the best professional and business
possible the carrying out of the
elements. The Board of Directors of
the Syrian World Corporation, liv- program of enlargement. In laying
these plans before the public he asking up to their promise of restricted those present to give free expresing the meeting to a conference on
sion to their opinions and called on
the future of the publication, refrainDr. Philip K. Hitti for a few words.
ed from any attempt to sell stock
Dr. Hitti, the foremost Syrian
but it was evident that the reaction
educator
in the United States, who
of all those present was most favorhad
come
especially from Princeton
able to the new move of having the
to
attend
the conference, prefaced
public share in the financial responbis
remarks
with a historical outsibilities—and assured benefits—of
line
of
Syrian
immigration to Amerthe corporate enterprise.
ica.
Although
some Syrians may
In opening the discussion Mr
have
reached
the
United States in
George A. Ferris dean of Syrian
the
middle
of
the
nineteenth cenlawyers in New York, who presided
tury,
the
immigration
movement en
Rave a brief sketch of The Syrian
masse started only in the early
W orld, its mission and its possibilities. Having himself drawn the ar- eighties. That, he explained, may be
ticles of incorporation he explained termed the pioneer stage, the stage
of economic dependence, when the
that the publication had an estabSyrians
bent all their energies on
lished good-will value and has been
establishing
themselves and insurconducted for nearly five years on
ing
a
means
of
earning a living for
the personal initiative and effort of
themselves
and
their
children. Then
the founder. Now that it has proven
came
the
second
stage,
that of ecoits merit "I and some others felt
and feel that the continuation of nomic independence, which he dethis magazine is so important to us fined as being that period of affluall that it is a matter of civic duty ence between the beginning of the
World War and the present year
�___
THE SYRIAN WORLD
52
Proceeding to the description of
what 'he termed the third stage he
outlined what he believed was the
duty of the Syrians as a racial
group in this country.
Syrians' Duty Defined.
"Beginning with the year 1930, we
are facing a new stage in our development as a people in this country," declared Dr. Hitti. "We have
come to the point where we have to
share in the intellectual, educational and spiritual life of the country. There are, of course, various
ways in which this can be done, but
I believe that The Syrian World, and
what The Syrian World can be with
your fuller cooperation and interest, will be one of the finest means
by which we can usher in this new
stage. We want to educate the American people further about our history. We want our children and coming generations to take part in this
higher life that we are being ushered into. The Syrian World is one
of the most potent mediums by
which this can be accomplished."
No less emphatic was the endorsement of the eminent author, lecturer and traveler, Ameen Rihani. He
not only visioned in The Syrian
World an inestimable medium for
the perpetuation of what is best in
our racial heritage, but expressed
the confidence that it could be made
into a tremendous financial success.
This opinion he ventured on the
strength of his observations during
his extended travels throughout the
country and his personal contact
with the young generation Syrians
everywhere.
Rihani Stresses Cultural
Heritage.
The following are extracts from
Mr. Rihani's address:
"We all agree that culture is a
good thing, and that the spirit of
culture is essential to the welfare
of civilized peoples. But my remarks
this evening shall be on a feature of
foreign culture in this country. The
people of the Old World, whether
from Europe or Asia, who have immigrated in the past, and are still
immigrating to this country, have
not come here without any capital
at all. They may be poor, they may
be ignorant, they may be truly devoid of resources, but they have
come here with a capital. They have
come here with racial heritage and
culture. This is fundamentally human. It may have some things in it
that are obsolete, but in essence, I
say, it is a vital thing. It is vital
and vitalizing, it humanates and
mellows the character of an individual or of a people. That is true of
every foreign group that has come
to this country. We Syrians, although we are the youngest of the
foreign groups, have a culture that
is very ancient, a culture that is of
real significance morally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. This
culture I maintain, is independent
of education. For a Syrian may be
illiterate, and yet be well bred. That
is to say, thoughtful of the feelings
of others, courteous in his ways and
manners, generous in his dealings,
and on the whole, mellow and not
selfish. You take for instance, a Syrian peasant who may be illiterate,
and a longshoreman who reads his
newspapers on his way to work.
Which of the two would you prefer
to sit with to dinner? Which of the
two has a deeper insight to life, has
more common sense, has more generosity, more courtesy and more
thought for the feelings of others,
who has more endurance in the face
of adversity? That is what I call
racial culture and heritage. The foreign groups of this country strive
�"DECEMBER, 1930
i
.
-;
to show the best there is in their
racial heritage and make of it a
vital addition to American life, and
we Syrians should be in the first
rank in this matter, because we are
not a very important foreign group
numerically. In other words, I do
not think there can be more than
one sound opinion on the subject—
the best of our heritage we should
stick to, and at the same time we
should do our best to secure the best
of what America can offer us. But
how can we stick to the best that is
our heritage outside of our mother
land, if we do not keep ourselves and
our children in touch with the historical past and present of our
mother land ? That is the word that
was left for me to say. It brings me
down to the subject of this night's
meeting.
"I found during my travels last
year that the new generation does
not read Arabic, although very much
interested in their people's affairs.
This is one of the reasons why I
have repeatedly recommended The
Syrian World. When Mr. Mokarzel
wrote to me about it the news gave
me a thrill. Here, I said, is a man
like Columbus. He just saw the thing,
it was a simple thing open to plenty,
but he was the first to get it. I
wrote him and said this was going
to fill a great gap in the life of the
Syrians of America, and I now feel
that The Syrian World is necessary
to our life here, necessary for the
enhancing of our standing, necessary for our prestige, and I am going
to add another word, and this also
I say with conviction: the magazine
can be made a commercial success.
Now I say this not as an amateur,
although I have no knowledge of
commerce, but as a practical observer. During my travels last year
through the United States, I came
in contact with Syrians everywhere.
53
1 spoke to them about Syria, and 1
found them so eager to know about
Syria. They all felt that they were
being deprived of something. So, I
say, there is a desire, and this magazine can be made a commercial success if the merchants get behind it.
The cultural importance of it, I
have tried to impress upon you. The
practical side of the subject has been
placed before you by our Chairman,
and I think it is up to you gentlemen to give us your practical suggestions of how to promote and make
good this magazine and bring the
benefits of it to a greater number
of Syrians in America."
Other Prominent Speakers.
The audience being drawn from
the best elements of the Syrian community, the chairman called on some
others for their opinions. N. A. Mokarzel, dean of Syrian editors in
New York and publisher of AlHoda, spoke in Arabic. Having his
fingers on the pulse of the Syrian
people in America, his opinion was
eagerly looked to in the present
situation entailing the support of
an English publication. But he was
unhesitating in his advocacy of the
necessity of The Syrian World, adding that the public's backing of such
a worthy enterprise was a true test
of the Syrians' fitness for cooperative action in all phases of national
life.
Other speakers were Dr. Salim Y.
Alkazin, well known to readers of
The Syrian World, Henry Hadad,
manufacturer, Peter S. George, lawyer, and Alexander Maloof, composer.
John Trabulsi manufacturer, and
A. K. Hitti, steamship agent, both
members of the Board of Directors
of the Syrian World Corporation,
announced that they had each secured one thousand dollars in subscrip-
�54
tion to stock from their respective
friends.
The spirit of the gathering was
one of high hopes for the success of
the new corporation, auguring not
only the future stabilization of the
publication but its greater enhancement as a cultural and unifying
racial organ.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
SYRIAN LADY ENDOWS
CHAIR OF ARCHAEOLOGY
Through the munificence of a Syrian lady who prefers to withhold her
name from the public, the American
University of Beirut has been endowed with a chair for archaeological
research, according to an announcement by the Alumni Monthly, organ
of the American University.
So much pains has been taken to
AMERICAN PROFESSOR
DIES IN BEIRUT shield the identity of the donor that
not even her country of residence is
Alfred E. Day, professor emeritus given, other than to state that she
of natural sciences at the American is a Syrian. This at once gives rise
University of Beirut, with which he to many conjectures, with opinion
had been associated for forty years, favoring the assumption that the
died in Beirut on December 5 after donor is from the United States.
a long illness, according to a cable However, out of deference for the
dispatch from President Bayard donor's motives, it would seem best
Dodge of the University received by for the public to be satisfied with
the Near East Colleges Association the knowledge that a genuine movein New York.
ment of scientific giving is already
Professor Day was born in Jack- te king shape among the Syrians.
sonville, 111., June 11, 1867, and at
In making the announcement the
the age of 22 was appointed to the General Secretary of the Alumni Asfaculty of the American University sociation of the American University
of Beirut, where he first held the characterized the Syrian lady as
chair of natural sciences, then that being of "princely generosity. . . does
of botany and geology. He con- not crave for fame or publicity, but
tributed many articles to magazines is only gratified to know that her
on these subjects. In 1924 he was a money will serve science and will
member of a scientific expedition bring untold good to her people and
that sought new material on the to the other peoples of this part of
"vexed subjects of the Cities of the the world. Like many other patriotic
Plain" Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, persons in this land she has for a
Zebolim and Zoar. Professor Day's long time felt that some of the edulast book "Geology of Mount Leb- cated young men of Syria and the
anon" has just been published.
Near East should be trained to do
Readers of The Syrian World will original
archaeological
research
recall Professor Day's article on the work in their own countries."
Geology of Syria and Palestine pubAmplifying on the purpose underlished in our issue of June, 1927. He lying the gift, the Alumni Monthly
declares himself of the opinion that describes the richness of the field
the country is not sufficiently rich for research in Syria and the benein mineral resources, but "if the fits bound to accrue from a fuller
higher parts of Lebanon, which are knowledge by Syrians of their anunsuitable for cultivation, are ever cestry. "These historic lands," it
covered with forests, they will be states "were for centuries in the
the greatest asset of the country." past the centres of education, civil-
�DECEMBER, 1930
ization and culture. Invasions, wars
and time left traces of their work
in demo ishing or concealing under
Mother Earth the marks and evidences of past civilizations. Historians, archaeologists from Europe and
America, either singly or in groups,
and expeditions representing governmenti and institutions of learning
aa\e for many years been spending
time and money in excavating old
towns and cities and in digging out
and bringing to light the rich treasures of the civilizations of the past,
and in studying in the ancient ruins
the arts and the customs of the past
as they are depicted by these ruins."
Already Dr. Harald Ingholt of
Denmark has been engaged for the
(hair created by the Syrian lady's
endowment. He will assume his duties in 1931, devoting the first semester to teaching at the University and the second to excavations
he has already started in the neighborhood of Hama.
We heartily subscribe to the sentiment expressed by the Alumni
Monthly in its concluding paragraph:
"All honor to this gentle and cultured philanthropist who has raised
high the name of the Syrian woman
and has set up such a noble example
for other rich men and women of
the East to emulate."
RIHANI LECTURES ON
ARABS' CONTRIBUTIONS
An audience that filled the main
hall of the American-Syrian Federation building in Brooklyn heard Mr,
Ameen Rihani, author and lecturer,
discuss the Arabs' contribution to
civilization on the evening of December 2.
The speaker traced the progress of
Arab civilization from the time of
the nourishing of the Arab empire
i' (
55
in Al-Yaman many centuries before
the Christian era down to the time
of the Arabs' long occupation of
Spain and their close contact with
Europe. The Abbaside era in Baghdad Mr. Rihani characterized as the
golden age of Arab culture, when
not only the caliph Al-Ma'moun encouraged learning but himself engaged in debates and wrote treatises on controversial questions. To
the Arabs the lecturer attributed
most of the credit for the preservation of Hellenic culture and its transmission to Europe. He also gave
comprehensive sketches of original
works by many Arabs whose names
are familiar to all Western scholars
such as Avicenna, Avirroes and
others.
Mr. Rihani's lecture was given as
the first of a series in an educational program which the AmericanSyrian Federation has planned for
this season.
SYRIAN ARTISTS
ENTERTAIN CELEBRITIES
The New History Society of New
York on December 7 entertained the
celebrated Hindu poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore at the
Ritz-Carlton. Mr. Louis Styvesant
Chandler, leader of the Bahai movement in the city and president of the
society, arranged to have address the
gathering several speakers of international reputation. We are pleased
to state that the musical entertainment was supplied by two Syrian
artists, Mrs. Fedora Kurban, the
singer and Mr. Alexander Maloof
the composer. Mr. Maloof made a
special composition for the occasion
of which he presented the original
copy to the distinguished guest.
The same society held a reception
December 14 in honor of the famous
German scientist Professor Einstein.
�Hi
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Also on this occasion our gifted
musician Mr. Maloof was engaged to
furnish the musical program.
POLITICAL APPOINTMENT
John Mansur Shadrawy, born m
Hadath Jebbe, Mt. Lebanon, and for
the last few years a resident of Boston, whither he came from Vermont,
has been appointed by Governor
Frank G. Allen of Massachusetts
assistant examiner of the Insurance
Department of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts.
Mr. Shadrawy is the first Syrian
appointed to a political post of consequence in the city and it is hoped
that by his conscientious devotion to
duty and native ability he will
achieve a rapid rise in the political
life of the city and state.
SYRIAN BOY ORATOR
The University of Oklahoma had
a special Armistice Day program
broadcast over its own station
WNAD on November 11. Those taking part in the program had each
won either a state or a national
contest, according to the Daily Oklahoman. Their subjects dealt with
government and world peace.
Among the speakers was the Syrian boy Louis Dakil of Jededat MarjAyoun, who had competed in many
oratorical contests and won many
honors and prizes, being at one time
state oratorical champion. At present he is a student at the University
of Oklahoma.
TWO SYRIAN GIRLS
HEARD ON RADIO
On November 30 Miss Louise Yazbeck, the gifted Syrian music teach-
er of Shreveport, La., gave an
Oriental music program over station
KWKH of that city. We are pleased
to learn that Miss Yazbeck's musical
talents are meeting with such public
recognition that she is frequently
called upon to take part and at times
take full charge of musical functions
in her city.
While visiting Shreveport in September, Miss Ruth Shadid of Elk
city, Okla., was extended the courtesy of the same station to make a
radio address and send her greetings
to her home town, an opportunity
of which the Syrian young lady
availed herself to the best advantage
for extolling her race.
NEW SYRIAN SOCIETY
IN SOUTH CAROLINA
A promising Syrian organization
has recently been formed in Columbia, S. C, under the name of
the Syrian-American Society. It is
modeled along the lines of other associations of that nature in that it
stands for the promotion of Americanism without losing sight of the
rich cultural heritage of our race.
Officers elected for the first year
were: S. A. Sabbagha, president; E.
S. Mack, vice-president; S. Koosa,
secretary, and N. J. Marsha, treasurer. The Board of Executives consists of George Alexander, Norman
Khoury and N. J. Marsha.
The Syrian World has every reason to believe that this society will
be particularly successful in its efforts to promote the ends for which
it was established. One of the initial
efforts of its president was to urge
every member to become a constant
reader of The Syrian World considering that it is our only publication in English striving to con-
f\
j
�"DECEMBER, 1930
serve the best in our native culture.
The response to his appeal was most
gratifying, resulting in over fifty
per cent, of the members becoming
subscribers. When an organization of
Syrian-Americans is capable of displaying such a spirit there could be
left no room to doubt that success
will crown its every endeavor.
SYRIAN YOUNG WOMEN
FORM ORGANIZATION
'
57
tribution to thIS country. Naturally,
when a large group is brought together by a single purpose the mere
tact of their meeting under such
auspicious conditions will bring untold benefits to them individually and
collectively in the form of social entertainment and otherwise.
l,,AM"ArZTC?Ub WaS first su-ggested
by Miss Juha M. Rais, a teacher in
the public schools of Globe, who was
elected President. Other
officers
elected were Sam Kiamy, Vice Pres
ident; Alex. Zude, Secretary; GeneMeve Kiami, Corresponding Secretary; Anis Nader, Treasurer.
The Club is non-sectarian and has
already held several social and educational functions. The enrollment is
so far about thirty members of both
sexes.
A group of young women in Oklahoma City, Okla., have formed the
Syrian-American Modern Society and
immediately engaged in many public
activities. Their objects are charitable, social and patriotic. They plan
to hold evening classes for the teaching of Arabic as a cultural asset, and
have already started a Who's Who
contest for popularity and Civic usefulness. On Dec. 20 they will give a SYRIAN-AMERICAN CLUB,
TUCSON, ARIZONA
play entitled The Birth of Christ
whose proceeds will go to charity.
A Syrian-American Club has been
The following officers were elected: formed in Tucson, Arizona, through
Mary Bashara. President; Eva Kou- the efforts of some patriotic Syrri, Vice President; Camella Eddie, ians who realize the value of orSecretary; Rosa Farris, Assistant ganization for constructive effort
Secretary; Lillie Nayphe, Treasurer, Th,s club represents the new trend
and Louise Rahill, Assistant Treas- ot thought among the younger genurer.
eration and is non-sectarian and dedicated to the purpose of promoting
a better understanding between Syrians and Americans. Its object also
AL-ARZ CLUB, GLOBE, ARIZ.
includes social and political activiA correspondent of Globe, Arizona, ties.
The officers elected were Faris F
writes that the younger generation
of Syrians and Lebanese in the Ganim president; William E. Jacob
Globe-Miami district have formed a vice-president; E. M. Courey, secsocial club to which they have given retary; Taft Jacobs, treasurer; John
the name of Al-Arz Club. They were Mabarak, sergent-at-arms, and Edmoved primarly by cultural consi- ward Aboud, councillor.
derations and plan to devote their
energies to the cultivation of those
The Lebanese government has apnative characteristics which they
propriated $400,000 for repairing the
consider to be their richest racial
ruins of Baalbek and building a road
heritage and their most valuable conbetween Baalbek and the Cedars
�-
58
THE SYRIAN WORLD
PAN-ARABIAN PICTURE
CORPORATION, LTD.
Authorized Capital Stock
40,000 SHAKES COMMON
$5 PAR VALUE
Main Office:
")12 Union Bank Building
Los Angeles, California.
This is a purely Arabian organization, the first and only corporation of its kind in the world dea'ing in ths moving and talking picture
industry in Arabic. It comprises the three elements necessarily associated with the film industry namely, production, distribution and
exhibition.
This is the age of amus2ment and our people, whose enterprises
and adventures are proverbial, must have their due share in this
flourishing industry. It is the intention of this company not only to
furnish the entertainment but to insure also for our people the organizing credit and profit.
We will make talking pictures of an Oriental character which will
acquaint our people in the American continent and in the East with
our historical deeds and cultural attainments. This we will perform
directly and through various theatrical groups.
We will also produce pictures of various phases of Syrian life in
the different cities and countries and present them to our countrymen
in other parts of the world and at 'home together with pictures of
famous men and great events in both the East and foreign lands and
wherever Arabic-speaking peoples may be, so thr.t they may be informed of each others leaders and affairs.
We intend to train the talented ones of our race in music, singing,
acting etc., in order to have our own professionals and thus provide
t'hem with employment.
Will you help us to attain that goal? Be a stockholder and gain
the privilege and credit in making this corporation a success.
You will not be risking anything. Your money is amply protected
by the laws of the state of California which guarantee you that only
10 per cent, of what you pay for the stock will go toward the preliminary expenditure if the-company does not raise the necessary capital for the work. Otherwise your investment will be very profitable.
The general sales agent, Edward Gillett, will travel throughout
the United States in the interest of the corporation. Application for
subscription to stock may also be made to the corporation's headquarters in Los Angeles or to any of the Syrian papers, or to the corporation's representative in New York State, Mr. A. G. Milkie, 160
Greenwich St.. New York City.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
NS 0002
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
TSW1930_12reducedWM
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Volume 05, Issue 04
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930 December
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 5 Issue 04 of The Syrian World published December 1930. The issue begins with an article by Rev. W. A. Mansur that features his thoughts on the educational program that the Syrian-American generation follows. Mansur imbues his writing with patriotism. This is followed by yet another piece by G.K. Gibran titled "Song"
there is an article with a slightly different tone discussing the economic reconstruction of Syria. In D.F. McGonigal's article "The Vice Consul of Beirut" speaks on the resources of the country and the efforts of the government in a comprehensive manner. Falling back into the more lyrical and fictional literary contributions in this issue there is a poem by the well-known Ameen Rihani, as well as an address given by Phares Anton BeHannesey at the Lions Club of Hollywood, CA. Before the two primary fictional inclusions in this issue, there is also a poem by Dr. Salim Y. Alkazin titled "In the Garden of Love." Hailed as the most thrilling contribution is "Love and War in the Desert," a modern story that revolves around the love of a young sheikh for a maiden of another tribe, which culminates with her kidnaping at his request. This narrative is further followed by the next installment of "Ali Zaibaq." The last work in the issue is a poem by Thomas Asa titled "The Gardener." The issue concludes with the Reader's Forum, an update on the political developments in Syria, and a number of excerpts from the Arab press that specifically touch on Syria and Syrians.
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Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
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English
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Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
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New York Public Library
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Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
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104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
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The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
Beirut
California
Education
Kahlil Gibran
New York
Phares Anton BeHannesey
Poetry-English
Reverend W.A. Mansur
Salim Alkazin
Thomas Asa
-
https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/a27c489e68056d624ea2342aed8919a9.pdf
41e935eda93c2a7200f1873d95424ec4
PDF Text
Text
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VOL. IV. No. 8.
I
APRIL, 1930.
THTi
SYRIAN WORLD
A
MONTHLY MAGAZINE IN ENGLISH DEALING
WITH SYRIAN AFFAIRS AND ARABIC LITERATURE
ill
111
1
ii
1I
1
I1
1
1ft
AN INTERVIEW WITH EL-ATASSI
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL
IMAGINARY SPEECH TO THE SENATE
REV. W. A. MANSUR
THE RETURN HOME (SHORT STORY)
I
LOUIS MARON
iff
FROM BEIRUT TO THE PALESTINE BORDER
SALLOUM A. MOKARZEL
IS
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN SYRIA
m
THE COPY 50c
1
I
��THE
SYRIAN WORLD
Tublished monthly by
SALLOUM
A.
THE SYRIAN-AMERICAN PRESS
MOKARZEL,
Editor.
104 Greenwich St., New York, N. Y.
By subscription $5.00 a year.
Single copiea 50c
Entered as second-class matter June 25, 1926, at the post office at New
York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.
VOL. IV. No. 8.
APRIL, 1930.
CONTENTS
PAGE
An Interview with El-Atassi
SALLOUM
7
A.
MOKARZEL
Helpfulness
13
KAHLIL
GIBRAN
Imaginary Speech to the Senate
REV.
W. A.
14MANSUR
Despair (Poem)
22
NAJLA SABE
Wayfarers of the Lowly Road (Poem)
PAUL DEAB
I'S
�mmm H5
CONTENTS (Continued)
The Return Home (Short Story)
Louis
24
MARON
Beethoven (Poem)
27
THOMAS ASA
From Beirut to the Palestine Border
SALLOUM
A.
28
MOKARZEL
The Syrian Laborer (Poem)
38
JONARD EGIS
Book Reviews:—
Another Notable Book by Rihani
A Useful Book
A Book on Religion
English and Arabic Manual — Revised EnglishArabic Dictionary
39
40
41
42
Editorial Comments:—
Asfuriyeh a Criterion
43
Potential Field
45
Readers* Forum
46
Political Developments in Syria
49
About Syria and Syrians
53
LAST CALL
TO THE
GREAT SYRIAN WORLD CONTEST
FOR A
FREE TRIP TO SYRIA
: :
�IN THIS ISSUE
REV. W. A. MANSUR has in defense of my people. I send
ever in his writings the element it with my prayers that my
of inspiration. No doubt our blessed Master and Saviour
readers are glad that he writes may bless it to those who read
so frequently on the different it." * * * The account of the
phases of the transitional period editor's interview with Hashem
we are now going through in Bey El-Atassi, Syrian NationAmerica. It is a period frought alist leader, should prove timewith the gravest consequences ly and enlightening at the presif not dealt with in the proper ent critical stage of Syria's remanner. Rev. Mansur is con- lations with France. * * * The
tributing considerably towards editor's travel article in this isthe creation of that proper con- sue covers his journey from
sciousness that will materially Beirut to the Palestine border,
enhance the Syrians' evaluation passing through sections of
of their sterling racial qualities. Shouf to Sidon and Jedaidat
This in turn will react to a sa- Marjioun. The latter is a modtisfactory adjustment of the el Lebanese town abounding
transition problem. In his pres- in matters of interest. * * *
ent contribution he has a Syrian The short story in this issue is
character deliver an imaginary written by a college student
speech to the United States who conceals his or her identity
Senate apropos of some deroga- behind a nom de plume. Pertory remarks made against the haps the author will be inSyrians in that body. We have duced to reveal himself or herno doubt that our readers will self upon ascertaining the pubshare with the learned clergy- lic's appreciation of the touchman the spirit that prompted ing story. * * * Our poetical
him to write it. In truth, it is contributions in this issue are
more real than imaginary. And not only numerous but of exas proof of the intense degree tremely high quality, and all
of his sincerity we quote the by Syrian-American talent.
following from his covering Many of the poets are already
letter: "Nothing that I have
known to our readers, the only
written have I cared more to
present to the readers of THE new one being Jonard Egis,
which is a nom de plume.
SYRIAN WORLD than this speech
�Great Syrian
For a FREE TRIP to
The editor of THE SYRIAN WORLD having made a trip to Syria in
the summer of 1929, which he is now describing in a series of articles in
the magazine came to realize not only the great educational and cultural
advantages of such a trip, but its unrivalled possibilities for pleasure and
recreate. In our enthusiasm for the benefits of such tours, we decided to
offer one as a prize to our readers. This is on a par with the most liberal
offers made by the b,ggest American publications, whose readers are hundreds of thousands and even millions. Needless to say that this is unpreTHEinSYRIANt0WO°mAnabiC J<TaHsm' whether * America or abroad.
THE SYRIAN WORLD, m making the great prize offer in spite of
the heavy sacrifice involved, considers that in so doing it is promoting the
cause of sympathetic understanding of the motherland. This is in keeping
W!th the main object behind the publication of the magazine. Whether tne
winner be a boy or girl, American or Syrian, the purpose would have been
served by the actual contacts established with the great scenic beauties
and places of immense historical interest in our country of origin
The proposition is unprecedented, the advantages great the condi
tions most liberal. It is surely the opportunity of a lifetime for the ambitious.
"
e
ITINERARY OF TRIP
i
66
HP
ffered by THE SYRIAN
i
WORLD takes the same route
f ., ^ I"
J°
followed by the editor in his recent trip to Syria. Passage will be Cabin
class on the luxurious steamer Providence, of the Fabre Line, sailing from
New York July 2nd. Stops on route and shore excursions will be made at
Ponta Delgada, Azores Islands; Lisbon, Portugal; Naples, Italy; Palermo
Sicily, and Piraeus and Athens, Greece.
In Syria and Lebanon, the winner may remain as long as he desires
and return on any of the Fabre Line steamers to New York also Cabin
Class.
Sailing from New York will be under the direction and full assistance
of the firm of A. K. Hitti & Co., the well-known steamship ticket agents
The Beirut Branch of the same firm will render the winner all necessary service and advice free. The editor, thanks to the contacts contracted
on his last trip, will also give the winner letters of introduction and recommendation to many influential friends who would render all necessary
courtesies. The winner, representing THE SYRIAN WORLD whose services
are fully recognized in the motherland, will be assured of the most friendly
reception by the authorities and the public.
�World Contest
SYRIA and RETURN
SYRIAN WORLD OFFER
The prize offered by THE SYRIAN WORLD to the winner in the contest is free passage, Cabin Class, both ways from New York to Beirut and
return, together with a liberal cash allowance for the shore excursions
above mentioned on the outward passage. Is this not a worthy prize to
try to win?
CONDITIONS OF CONTEST
1. THE SYRIAN WORLD prize of a Free Trip to Syria and return will be
awarded the individual securing the largest number of New subscribers to the magazine at the regular price of subscription.
2. Considering the great value of the prize offered, the minimum number
required to win the award must be not less than one hundred.
3. Every contestant, other than the winner, securing more than one hundred new subscriptions, will be awarded a special cash premium of
$1.50 for every subscription. Those securing less than one hundred will
be given $.100 for every subscription. In the event of two or more contestants tying for the Grand Prize, all will receive identical prizes.
4. The contest closes June 10, 1930. Letters post-marked later than this
date will not be counted. Announcement of the awards will be made
June 15.
5. Every subscription must be a new subscription, and must be accompanied by a remittance of the full price of $5.00.
6. Gift subscriptions will be counted as direct subscriptions. For instance,
if a contestant succeeds in inducing a friend to make gifts of a year's
subscription to each of five individuals, he will be given credit for
five individual subscriptions. Multiple subscriptions to the same person
will not be counted by the number of years; as, for instance, a single
individual subscribing for two years will not be given credit for two
subscriptions.
7. Those wishing to enter the contest must write to register, in which case
they will be furnished with special blanks and helpful literature.
8. The contest is open to all friends of THE SYRIAN WORLD anywhere
in the United States and Canada.
�IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
ON THE SUBJECT OF THE
SYRIAN WORLD CONTEST
OWING to the appreciation by the public of our liberal offer
Won/ rl^ !? ^ Syrla aS ? firSt Prize in the cur^nt Syrian
World Contest and m compliance with numerous requests to
this effect, we have decided to extend our offer as follows
l~While the minimum number of subscriptions required to win
P rCmainS at ne hundre
SLT
°
d, any contestant, besides the winner, procuring one hundred subscriptions has
the option of receiving either the cash prize or a one-wayy
free trip to Syria.
2—If a contestant should procure two hundred, he receives a
rree round trip.
3—For all subscriptions above two hundred the winner, as well
as any other contestant, receives a cash premium of one
doJJar for each subscription in excess of two hundred.
1
011 8 arC e
enter the
^^fhe
, any Vindividual
Tnfd<°member.
the !^
pnze to
co test a
»
"d award
5-Contestants working for the limited prizes of either a oneway trip or a round trip may withdraw once their goal is
reached and sail on any Fabre Line steamer, cabin class,
before the date set for the close of the Contest.
Registered contestants to date are the following:
ttj. Hashem, Poughkeepsie, Mrs. J. Rafful, Toledo, Ohio
N. Y.
Ed. Hershewe, Fort Dodge,
H. Abood, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Iowa.
Mrs. R. Hamrah, Naugatuck,
Conn.
S. Kallil, Detroit, Mich.
N. Sayed, Georgetown, S. C.
F. A. Coriaty, Manchester,
E. George, E. Liverpool, Ohio
N. H.
ONE MORE MONTH
IN
BWwB^ilvi^fiL'iW.'^.'twii'w.'Mii.i.ii*^
WHICH
TO
WIN.
�THE
SYRIAN WORLD
APRIL, 1930.
VOL. IV. No. 8.
An InterviewjgWith El-Atassi
i
Syrian Nationalist Leader and President of the Constituent
Assembly Discusses the Political Situation.
By
I
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
"THAT the frequent changes of French High Commissioners
in Syria is but a part of French policy to wear down Syrian
resistance by dilatory tactics is the belief of Hashem Bey ElAtassi, President of the Syrian Constituent Assembly, and foremost Nationalist leader, as expressed to the writer in a private
interview while in Damascus last summer. He holds that High
Commissioner Ponsot, however, is the most sympathetic and the
best qualified of all the High Commissioners France has so far
sent to Syria. The Nationalists believe that if ever a satisfactory
solution is to be reached in the Syrian problem it will be through
him. That such a solution has not yet been reached indicates
the degree of the Syrian Nationalists' insistence on their sovereign rights as against France's interpretation of her mandatory
authority. They are not unwilling to concede to France its special
position, but only to such a degree as will be compatible with
their sovereignty.
In the light of the latest dispatches from Syria, the problem
seems no nearer an acceptable solution now than it was last summer. Hashem Bey El-Atassi had a long interview with High
Commissioner Ponsot in Beyrouth on April 11, later issuing a
statement announcing the failure of the negotiations. This climax came as a distinct shock to the high expectations of the Syrians who had called a special meeting of the Constituent Assembly on April 4 to formulate the minimum demands they would
'
HHRBHHBHHHHHHHMa
�8
THE SYRIAN WORLD
accept for presentation to the High Commissioner. Substantially, therefore, the Syrian situation has not undergone the
slightest change since the High Commissioner dissolved the Constituent Assembly in August of 1928, and the declarations of the
Syrian Nationalist leader would hold true at this late date as
when they were first given the writer last summer.
My interview with Hashem Bey El-Atassi took place on
August 12, 1929, at the house of one of the most militant Nationalist leaders, Falchry Bey Baroody. It was on the anniversary
of the declaration of Syrian independence and about forty of the
foremost Syrian Nationalists of Damascus had gathered at the
Baroody mansion ostensibly to attend as a body the betrothal
ceremony of the son of a certain minister of the Provisional Government. El-Atassi drew me to a corner of the spacious hall of
the men's quarters, and to the tune of the running fountain, a
prime feature in all Damascene palaces, poured out in an eloquent
flow of words the account of the Syrian Nationalists' struggles
and aspirations. He was speaking with the knowledge and the
authority of one who occupied the most responsible state offices
both during the reign of King Feisal and after. When the first
People's Assembly, which declared the independence of Syria
before the French occupation, was called he was elected President
and later became Prime Minister during the short reign of King
Feisal, and was finally elected President of the Constituent Assembly which formulated the Syrian Constitution found objectionable by High Commissioner Ponsot. He reviewed not only
the events associated with these turbulent times but touched on
the preliminaries leading to them, including the unsuccessful efforts of the United States at adjusting the Syrian political situation. On this point he spoke in unequivocal terms:
"At the conclusion of the World war, Syria looked to America with the fondest expectations. The world was then being reborn to new conditions and every nation was given to understand
that it would be free to shape its own destiny on the principal of
self-determination. During the war we had suffered much and
hoped that the intervention of America would be the panacea of
oppressed peoples. America was idealistic, disinterested and rich.
Being strong, she was in a position to enforce her will in demanding for the weak their just rights. We had even hoped that Amer-
V
�"^ ~-'^<*w*Trtf*#Mt
APRIL, 1930
ica would guide
us, on our rebirth
to national life,
along the Ipaihs
of self-government, and we so
expressed 'o u r selves to the
King-Crane Commission at the
time it visited
Syria. But America failed us and
left us to drift
alone on an uncharted
course
subject to European greed.
The .disappointment was most
severe. But this
much I can say
with the same degree of truthfulness and sincerity: we harbor no
bitterness against
America in spite
of all our suffering 'which we attribute to this
Hashem Bey El-Atassi,
failure on her President of the Syrian Constituent Assembly.
part. If she has
withheld
her
active political support, we are still hopeful of her continued
interest and moral support. We are firm in our belief that she
is the most unselfish and disinterested among the great Powers.
One could not mistake the ring of sincerity in the voice of
El-Atassi. As he spoke an expression of deep feeling crept over
his features. It was evident that the review he was making of
the recent political history of Syria stirred the very depths of his
�10
THE SYRIAN WORLD
soul. The bhthing of the roseate hopes which the Syrians had
cherished in America's interest was cause for the deepest sorrow.
The veteran leader soon regained his composure, and to the
question as to the extent of help expected from Syrian immigrants
in America, he replied that this help could be only moral and
financial. The sympathy of Syrians abroad gives the active workers in the field strength and courage to prosecute the national
cause to a successful finish, while financial aid is the sinews of all
political campaigns. The emigrants' past assistance is fully appreciated, and the hope was expressed that this display of interest would be continued without abatement or interruption.
The conversation then shifted to the subject of the present
political situation in the country. Hashem Bey El-Atassi does
not believe, in spite of the continual setbacks attending the course
of negotiations, that the situation has reached an impasse. "The
Syrian people are dependent on the righteousness of their cause
and determined to hold negotiations only with France in the
firm belief that she will act in the end on her reputed sense of
justice. All hope of English aid and fair play has been abandoned.
England, like Turkey, only used the Syrians as pawns in the
political game without regard for their own welfare. The Syrians concede that France is in occupation of the country by the
same right that would be claimed by any other Power, although
the illegality of any such claim is beyond question. But since
Prance is in actual occupation, the Syrians would be satisfied with
her mandate if it could be applied in a manner compatible with
Syrian sovereignty and dignity as a nation, a condition on which
the Nationalists insist."
Here the Syrian leader surveyed the evolution of political
events in the country from the time of the termination of the
war up to the dissolution by High Commissioner Ponsot of the
Constituent Assembly. He related how the British and Arab
forces occupied the country upon its evacuation by the Turks and
how Emir Feisal, then commander in chief of the Arab army
was entrusted with the task of government. Transjordania at
that time, was comprised within Syria as well as the four districts
of Baalbeck, Hasbaya, Rashaya, and Beka which were later annexed to Lebanon. The Syrian Government was still a military one
the Syrians declaring a monarchy and raising to its throne King
Feisal only after the failure of the American Commission to take
decisive action. Hashem Bey El-Atassi was the president of the
�V*
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^
3
Al-Marje, the principal square in Damascus, massec
I with French -whippets during the Syrian revolution. *,
�12
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Congress which declared Syrian independence and became later
the first and only Prime Minister during the six months' reign
of King Feisal.
"That short period of complete and actual Syrian independence," he said, "shall ever remain a golden dream which we shall
continue striving to again translate into actuality."
The British forces had evacuated the country and the Syrians were in full control. Only Lebanon was under actual French
occupation, and in order to bring this latter country into the Syrian fold the proposition was advanced by the Syrian Government
to form a Syrian federation, "chiefly to permit Lebanon to retain
its status of independence." But then the political tempest broke
out and General Gouraud sent his famous ultimatum containing
the five conditions to wit: Acceptance of the French mandate;
disbanding of the national army; acceptance of the paper issue
of the Syrian-Lebanese bank as legal currency; surrender by
Syria to France of all railroads and appointment of a commission
to determine the terms of the application of the mandate.
What followed this famous ultimatum is history. King Feisal claims to have answered it upon receipt, agreeing to all conditions, while General Gouraud insists that the answer was received
only after the elapse of the time limit and when he had already
ordered the mobilization of the army. Then came the battle of
Maisaloom and the entry of the French into Damascus for the
first time after the great war.
Hashem Bey El-Atassi here supplied some extremely important details which have not so far appeared in print. King Feisal, according to his account, was not in Damascus at the time
the French entered the Syrian capital as commonly believed. On
the contrary, he was at the town of Kaswa which is beyond the
confines of Al-Ghouta and on the borders of Hawran. He immediately returned to Damascus upon receiving the news that the
French were in occupation of the city, but no sooner had he arrived than the French themselves told him to leave. This would
absolve King Feisal of any accusation of cowardice in having fled
the city upon the approach of the French.
Here Hashem Bey El-Atassi recalled the frequent changes
of High Commissioners and consequently of policies: How De
Jouvenel had permitted the convocation of a Constituent Assembly with the tacit understanding that it would eleci. a native government on the basis of entering into treaty negotiations with the
r
�13
APRIL, 1930
mandatory power. But De Jouvenel departed, never to return,
and his successor, Ponsot, not only sanctioned his action but promised to give the people of Syria a free hand in choosing their
own form of government. The elections to the Constituent Assembly resulted in an overwhelming victory for the Nationalists,
and they decided on a republican form of government for which
they naturally laid down a constitution. Here was the stumbling
bloc to the orderly progress of Syrian efforts towards achieving
national life. The High Commissioner objected to six articles
which he held to be incompatible with the right of France as the
mandatory power, while the Nationalists, in the words of Hashem Bey El-Atassi, as expressed to the writer, maintain that the
Constitution will cease to be a constitution at all of a free and
sovereign nation if shorn of these articles."
It is now over a vear and a half since the High Commissioner
dissolved the Syrian Constituent Assembly owing to these objectionable articles, and during all this time, in spite of frequent and
earnest efforts on the part of both parties, no middle ground
seems to have been reached. Such is the political situation in
Syria today, and the faith of the veteran Syrian leader, Hashem
Bey El-Atassi, remains unshaken that if ever a solution is to be
reached it shall be through High Commissioner Ponsot and on
the strength of the Syrians' belief in their inherent fight and
in France's sense of equity and justice.
Helpfulness
By KAHLIL GIBRAN
We are all climbing toward the summit of our hearts' desire.
Should the other climber steal your sack and your purse and wax
fat on the one and heavy on the other, you should pity him;
The climbing will be harder for his flesh, and the burden
will make his way longer.
And should you in your leanness see his flesh putting upward,
help him a step; it will add to your swiftness.
*
*
*
*
*
You cannot judge any man beyond your knowledge of him,
and how small is your knowledge.
�rf
14
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Imaginary Speech to the Senate
By REV. W. A. MANSUR
/. The Greatness of the Loyal Syrian-American Citizens.
SENATORS, all history praises the venerable Syrian race because of its prominent place in history, its contributions to
avilization, and its potentialities for future world service. Europe
America and the world are its debtors. Cultures and governments
inherit vital impulses from this race. The world itself could no
progress, could not attain happiness, and could not achieve freedom were it not for the legacies of the Syrian race
q
nt I
iTC °nuy °ne authority to impress upon you the debt
of the world to the Syrian race and its native land. Edward
Gibbon says in The History and the Decline of the Fall of the
Roman EmPre, "Yet Phoenicia and Palestine will forever Ive
in the memory of mankind; since America, as well as Europe
has receded letters from the one and religion from the otW»
to hum-^nr 06 ^l ^ the m°St imP°rt^t contributions
to human progress. Their ancestors, the Phoenicians, gave us
the alphabetj the art of navigation and transmarine commerce
Their forbears of pre-Chrirstian times gave us the highTsTcon
ceptions of man regarding religion, morals and sociefy Thdr
Christian forefathers began the missionary impulse that Chris
lamzed the world Their mediaeval fathers car'ried the dvilit
mg influence to the nations, races, and languages of Europe and
The Syrian race survived world conquerors, repeated miera
tions, alien cultures and race struggles. Their country, sSd
be ween Africa Europe and Asia, was made a settlement ground
for the quarrels of surrounding nations. There Alexander the
Macedonian, Pompey the Roman, Tamerlane the Tartar, Nap0_
!rvenbahtet,eFsrenChman' & ^^ the *«&* * W*Xmn TV ^S"^"1,6^3"8 h^'e proven themselves perhaps the
most law-abiding, hberty-loving and industrious-livingof he
races in America. During the World War they contributed
�e
APRIL, 1930
racially, perhaps the highest percentage to the army and navy;
they enthusiastically supported the nation's financial drives, and
they faithfully upheld American patriotism. For Syrian-Americans believe in America's constitutional government, rule by the
vote of the majority, separation of church and state, law-obedience, free speech, press, and assembly, and readiness for the
nation's defense.
II. The Attack upon America's Constitutional Patriotism.
Recently, Senators, you heard the illustrious Syrian race
slandered to your faces; you saw the glorious Syrian race crucified before your eyes and felt the innocent Syrian race stabbed
at your feet. But, sirs, these talented people, these progressive
citizens, and these high-grade, liberty-loving, law-abiding, loyalminded, industrious-living, and God-fearing Americans are slandered, crucified and stabbed for no other reason than race prejudice.
• • i
t m
But, Senators, America's constitutional patriotism, principles
and future are being attacked, undermined and destroyed by the
slander, disgrace and hatred of American citizens. The assault
is upon the charters of independence and freedom, the ideals
and hopes, the welfare and future of the nation. The charge is
against millions of children and youth, millions of weak and
helpless, and millions of law-abiding, loyal-hearted and industrious-living citizens.
What think you of him who tramples under his feet the principles of the Constitution? What think you of him who flings to
flames the flag that stands for our liberties? What think you of
him who betrays the rights of the peoples of our nation? Sirs,
trust him not who arrays race against race in America. Trust
him not who spurrs America's races to alliances with outside
races. Trust him not who promotes the division of America on
the basis of race, color, or creed. Trust him not who plants seeds
of discord in the body, soul, and spirit of America. I care not
what his power or pelf, his name or claim, his race or place, he
who divides our nation into hostile races based on race prejudice,
discrimination, and hatred betrays the nation's soul, leads you
astray, and plants seeds of decay in the nation.
Let us beware of a narrow patriotism, the ruin of nations; a
divided nation, the bane of governments; and race prejudice,
the destroyer of good-will. Let us learn a lesson from history.
�16
THE SYRIAN WORLD
H. G. Wells says in The Outline of History, "She (Rome)
understood the value of allies; she could assimilate; abroad as
at home she could in those days at least "give and take" with a
certain fairness and sanity. There lay the peculiar power of Rome.
By that it was she succeeded where Athens, for example, had
conspicuously failed. The Athenian democracy suffered much
from that narrowness of "patriotism", which is the ruin of all
nations. Athens was disliked and envied by her own empire because she dominated it in a spirit of civic egotism; her disasters
were not felt and shared as disasters by her subject-cities. The
shrewder, nobler Roman senators of the great years of Rome,
before the first Punic war overstrained her moral strength and
began her degeneration, were not only willing in the last resort
to share their privilege with the mass of their own people, but
eager to incororate their sturdiest antagonists upon terms of
equality with themselves."
When I behold the declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the oath of citizenship, my
mind becomes clear as to the true nature of American patriotism.
It is upon Constitutional patriotism that we should continue to
build America. Upon the following principles rest the harmony,
prosperity and defense of America: That all men are created
equal, that they arc endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit
of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That we stand for a perfect union, the
establishment of justice, and the guarantee of domestic tranquillity. That we uphold the provision for the common defense,
the promotion of the general welfare, and the securing of the
blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. That we believe, preserve and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Senators, he who slanders any race within our nation violates
the spirit of the Constitution, lays a precedent for the insult of
other races, and prepares the way for national discord. He who
counsels you thus would delude you, betraying the trust of our
American forefathers, and leading to the dissolution of the Republic. I counsel you to abide by the Constitutional guarantees
as m so doing you stand by the soul of the Republic, you uphold
the spirit of the Union and you promote harmony among the
races in America.
*
�APRIL, 1930
17
III. The Solution of America's Immigration Problem.
What is the occasion for the disgrace, disparagement, and
contumely of other races: It is the immigration problem. Is it
not possible for men of honor, intelligence, wisdom, and humanity to study, discuss, and solve this perplexing problem without
contemptuous reproach, insolent temper, and disgraceful vituperation:
Prejudice, racial, religious or national, is usually mothered
by ignorance, born in conceit, cradled in isolation, and reared in
ill-will. Prejudice blights the mind, atrophies the sympathies
and impoverishes the life. Shall prejudiced men who have belated minds, are ignorant of other world values, and lack the
principle of good-will, be permitted to lead the nation astray?
Prejudiced men are incapable of thinking upon and solving America's immigration problem in a clear, sympathetic and just manner.
Thinking men are agreed that America's welfare demands
restrictive immigration. We are convinced that we muts safeguard America's principles, institutions and future; that overwhelming numbers cannot change their attitude, customs, and
culture quickly enough; that we cannot provide adequate means
for the Americanization of incoming multitudes. We are convinced that the incoming peoples would supplant the rights, opportunities, and future that rightly belong to Americans and
their children. We are convinced that it is difficult for some races
to be amalgamated, transformed and Americanized to produce
harmony with American ideals.
For patriotic, economic, and cultural reasons, restrictive immigration is necessary. As President-elect, Herbert Hoover was
right in saying, "The restriction upon immigration is a boon not
only to those of my hearers who were born on American soil, but
to those who have come from the old countries, for every one
would suffer equally by the lowering of our wages and standards of living."
Sirs, I propose a solution of the immigration problem on
more American, equitable, just and honorable basis. Without
insult to any race, without discrimination against any people, and
without nullification of human rights. My proposition is simple:
First, let the number of races and their population be ascertained.
Second, find the percentage of each race and nationality in penitentiary and jail, in orphanage and poor-farm, in illiteracy and
�18
THE SYRIAN WORLD
poverty. Third, secure facts about the health, education, patriotism of the rising generations. Fourth, let the immigration quota
be set on the basis of American loyalty, law-obedience, and industrious living. Let it be remembered that the public schools will
help solve the immigration, education and Americanization problems. Restrictive immigration will give guidance in selecting
incoming people, accelerate the Americanization process, and protect America's nationalism. The Constitutional guarantees will
maintain pure Americanism, provide adequate defense and uphold
national harmony.
IV. The Decision of Syrian-Americans to Uphold the Honor
of Their Race.
It seems the Senator who slandered my race knew that we
Syrian-Americans, being few in number, could not be heard above
the crowd. The Senator who villified my race must have known
that we Syrian-Americans were not racially organized and could
not speak powerfully for ourselves. The Senator who insulted
my race must have realized the Syrian race in the world was
small numerically, unrepresented by ambassadors, and unaMe to
resort to arms. Did the Senator lack the milk of human kindness: Was he ignorant of Syrian race history? Was he filled
with race bigotry that he inaugurated race persecution? Is race
organization necessary in America as insurance against race slander by the Senator?
Sirs, what man of you who nursed from his mother's breast
whose blood would not boil with indignation at the slander of
his mother and her kind? What man of you with human feelings
would not be fired with resistance at the insult of his person and
race? WThat man of you with paternal instincts for his child
would not fight at the disgrace of his child and family?
Sirs, shall we Syrian-Americans submit like dumb, driven
cattle to this ignominy and disgrace? Shall we keep silent lest
we offend you by our self-defense? Shall we cower like brute
beasts before greater numbers of other races? Sooner will our
tongues be torn by their roots, our eyes gouged out of their
sockets, and our hearts plucked from our breasts ere we consent
to such cowardly proposals. Sirs, we shall not submit, we shall
not keep silent, we shall not cower; rather, we shall resist, fight
and press our righteous cause before heaven.
But Senators, this is not the question of one race, but of all
1
..ijffBiii !_
>
» »K.£V.
I rif _
�APRIL, 1930
.
t-
races, civilizations and nations. The slandering senator has made
the American immigration problem the occasion for the world
race question.
Again let us be guided by the lessons of history. Yesterday
the cohorts of Persia, Babylon, Nineveh and Egypt overran
the Near East. Yesterday the armies of Hannibal, Alexander,
and Caesar galloped over the earth. Yesterday the Ottomans,
Spain, and Portugal swayed their powers over mankind. Today
they are all lying in the dark past, their powers destroyed, and
their civilizations a memory.
Seventy-five years ago Japan would have been considered
among the backward and inferior races. One hundred years ago
Russia, Prussia and Austria were not even mentioned at the Holy
Alliance. One hundred and twenty-five years ago China, Japan,
Belgium, Australia, and South Africa had not appeared on the
world horizon. One hundred and fifty years ago the United
States did not exist.
He would be a rash, unreasonable, and presumptuous man
who, in the light of history, would venture to draw permanent
lines for all times separating the backward from the forward
people, the inferior from the superior races, and the uncivilized
from the civilized nations. There is no basis of scientific facts,
divine revelations, or historical deductions that any race, nation,
or people is forever to be the superior of earth. For the backward, inferior and uncivilized race, nation, or people of yesterday may tomorrow supplant the forward, superior, and civilized
races, nations, and peoples of today. Thus, in the light of history,
there is nothing to be gained from race arrogance, national exploitation and military dominance.
As for the Syrian race it is among the most intelligent of
the races, among the most talented people of mankind, and
among the most progressive of immigrant races in America.
Chas. W. Eliot, president of Harvard University, said, "Millions of European and Near-Eastern people have crossed the
Atlantic and taken the serious risk of attempting to secure a foothold in fresh and free America, because they hoped to escape
from economic pressure and chronic poverty. * * * The early
comers took the risks of the wilderness, the Indians, the untried
climate, and the unknown diseases. The late comers have dared
the perils of congested cities, of novel industries and of insecure
employment. Hence, by heredity, the white Americans of today
)
\
::.;-
.
.-... *
'
�20
THE SYRIAN WORLD
—of whatever race or stock—have a fair chance to be by nature
independent, bold, and enterprising." George Adam Smith
quotes Hogarth's statement, "There is no more enterprising, no
keener intellect in the Near East than the Syrian of the Fringe
—the inhabitants of the Lebanon and the Syrian littoral." Talcott Williams says of the Syrians in America, "No more intellectual immigration has come to us in the past forty years."
The modern renaissance of the Syrian race is already bringing forward a world Syrian race, world Syrian influence, and
world Syrian commerce. Therefore, as Syrian-Americans, because of our race inheritance, race legacies, and race progress
we boldly stand for the honor of our race, and resist the slander
hurled at us in the senate chamber.
I . The Demand of Syrian-Americans for Their Rights as American Citizens.
We Syrian-American citizens demand what are our rights as
Americans. First, on the basis of the Constitutional guarantees.
Second, on the ground of having made the supreme sacrifice during the World War. Third, on the foundation of being Godfearing, liberty-loving, law-abiding, and industrious-living people.
We ask for no special privileges, we desire no exceptional favors,
and we want no rights but what belong to all Americans.
It is what a man is through choice, growth and achievement
that counts and not what he is by accident of birth, place and
circumstance. That is the true basis of American citizenship,
ideals and institutions. That is what lies back of America's character, prosperity and progress. That is the real ground of America's spirit, development and future. That is the foundation of
America's doctrine of equality. .
We Syrian-Americans are proud of our ancestors because we
would emulate them. We are proud of the achievements of our
forefathers because we desire to achieve like them. We are proud
of our fathers because we would imitate their progressive spirit.
As for pride of race, in itself it is a delusion, for no man chose
his race. As' for pride of place, in itself it is a fiction, for no man
picked his birthplace. As for pride of color, in itself it.is a superstition, for no man selected his color.
I demand what rightfully belong to Syrian American citizens
on the basis of American citizenship. Chas. W. Eliot groups the
Syrian Christian immigrants in America with the highest types
�—"
—
21
APRIL, 1930
of America's pioneers. "The English Pilgrims and Puritans, the
French Huguenots, the Scotch Covenanters, the Moravians, the
Quakers, the Russian jews and the Syrian Chnstians all fled
from religious hostilities or restrictions, and meant to secure, or
expected to find, in the New World freedom to worship God
each in his own way. They found that liberty, and ultimately
established in the United States a regime of absolute religious
toleration " We Syrian-Americans are Americans in heart, have
made America a permanent homeland, and have an American
outlook. Let us Americans repudiate race superiority, for it is
at the expense of other races; let us do away with race prejudice,
for it is due to lack of appreciation of other races; let us do away
with race discrimination, for it is founded on the discount ot
equal opportunities to other races.
On the basis of America's doctrine of equal liberty to American citizens we Syrian-Americans claim equal respect for our
race on the ground of equality with other races in America, as
well as equality of citizenship, equality of opportunity and
equality before the law.
VI. The Assurance of Victory Is Trough a Firm Trust in God.
Senators, the assurance of victory for the honor of the Syrian
race is a firm trust in God. Since our trust is in God our faith
is well founded. We are confident of final triumph because ot
the righteousness of our cause. But let it be remembered that
we did not choose this race controversy, we did not provoke this
race strife, we did not bring on us this race struggle.
Shall Senators rally to the side of race good-will, national
harmony, and human brotherhood, or to the side of race prejudice,
national sectionalism, and human strife?
Will you sing the hymn of race hatred of the slandering
Senator and betray, like Judas Iscariot, the Gospel of Christian
brotherhood for the glittering things of earth; will you apostatize, like Julian the Apostate, from the truth that would make
mankind free to uphold a dying superstition; and will you bargain, like Benedict Arnold, the republic of free men for the
sordid reward of the enemy of human progress?
I believe God has given the standard to which we should
rally It is my belief that God is the Creator, preserver and
governor of the universe; that He is the Father of all races
alike- that the Golden Rule is the guide for race relationships;
inmiffismim .
... --..
,: ? .
sessssMsssis - v;-5v-"«;».>v.->.
�22
THE SYRIAN WORLD
and that we ought to be brethren. It is my sentiment that we
uphold pure Americanism, equal citizenship, and industrious living. In the name of God, in the spirit of America's founders,
and for the sake of posterity let there be no race arrogance, race
division, or race hatred among us, rather let there be one race,
an American race; one flag, an American flag; one allegiance, an
American allegiance that shall transcend race, color, creed and
birthplace in a common American patriotism.
I predict the outcome of the race problem in America. The
day is here, and it is coming to the whole world, that no more
shall any one, group, or race be slandered, hindered or judged
on the basis of race prejudice.
With my eyes lifted to the God of mankind, my hand saluting the flag of our country, and with a prayer in my heart imploring Divine blessing, let us judge patriotism on the guarantees of
the Constitution, men on the basis of character, races on the
ground of humanity, and issues on the foundation of justice.
It is upon the Constitution, character, humanity and justice that
I claim equal respect for the glorious Syrian race among the
races of mankind.
Despair
By
NAJLA SABE
I wandered by the sea last night
To watch the foamy waves,
But more to hear their dismal groans
Resounding in the caves.
I heard them tell their tales of woe
In melancholy tones,
And heard their answer to my prayers
In mournful, fitful moans.
*
*
*
Oh Sea! If thou, a soulless thing,
Hast felt the pang of Life
How much more I, who live and love,
Must shoulder in the strife'
,,
�^
23
APRIL, 1930
Wayfarers of the Lowly Road
By
PAUL DEAB
EWER searching, our eyes seek a star,
That most precious jewel in the diadem
Which night does wear. And from afar
Our lowly road seems to wind on endlessly,
For we may not rest now and then
To hear the matins of birds, and lovingly
To touch the crimson of a rose,
Whose fragrance tells us its presence is so near.
We would forget that mortal woes
Shall be our fate. We would have not e'en one fear—
If in willows' shade we might lie,
And glimpse through swaying branches the magic sight
Of moods that fill the golden sky
As it dons the star-flecked sapphire veils of night.
Life sent for our journey the hours,
But gave us not one to spare for happy things;
Not one for music or flowers.
As though imbedded in our mind, ever rings
The cry that these hours are soon gone;
And the omnipresent fear there be no bread.
By a thousand fears are we torn.
Onward, we are into Eternity led,
Very weary. Yet shall we smile
For having rejoiced to feel the ecstasy
Of kind hands leading us awhile,
Of friendships made on this road of Destiny.
�'
---•-
THE SYRIAN WORLD
24
The Return Home
(A SHORT STORY)
By Louis
MARON
MAJIB was leaning on the railing of the upper deck at the stern
of the ship. He was watching the unending, foamy path
trailing behind them in the water. He could still see dimly the
harbor of Beirut, in the distance, and a little nearer, the American University, his Alma Mater. His young, handsome face lit
up as he fondly thought of the beautiful site of the college, of
his evening walks around the campus, and of the magnificent
view of the waters and harbor as seen from the college. Nothing had so inspired him as the lovely sunsets on the Mediterranean waters. He used to stay for hours at a time watching
their colorful, slow progress, in enraptured silence. How he was
going to miss these! Yet, they had told him of many more wonderful things in America. Perhaps they have beautiful sunsets
there, too. His brain was a whirl of past and future events. He
thought of his friends and how they had envied him when he
told them that he was going to America to continue studying.
He wondered if the college in New York was as nice as his in
Beirut. His eyes kindled as he thought of New York! In a few
weeks he would be there and see for himself all that was claimed
for it. New York had always seemed to him a realm of opportunity and adventure; yet today, as he thought of it," he felt
uneasy. His reveries seemed to have a flaw in them, a, worldly
element which was constantly interrupting them and troubling
him. And then he thought of his mother—sad and lonely, looking at him with pleading, tearful eyes. Yes, that was why his
happiness was not complete. He covered his face with his hands.
He was ashamed at the thought of leaving his mother without
a word of parting. What would she do when she found out that
he had gone—gone to a country which she knew so little about?
He trembled! How would she bear it? He made a resolution,
then, to pray each night for her welfare and health. Najib loved
the fulfillment of his ambitions and had allowed this passing
love to conquer his everlasting, sincere love for his mother. But
�25
APRIL, 1930
lie would repay her! Yes, he would write to her always—comforting letters. He would earn much money in New York—New
York, the city of fortune, teeming with good American dollars.
Yes and he would send her many of them, and perhaps then
she would be happv. The thought of acquiring money easily and
quickly braced him. He straightened his strong, lithe body.
Again he gazed at the rippling foam of the waters. He was surprised to rind that Night had suddenly taken possession of the
world during his reveries. And he was glad. He loved Night;
it helped him to dream such lovely things. The sight now from
his position on the deck was much more beautiful than before.
The moon was directly above the path of foam and was decorating it daintily with sparkling dots of silver. It was a perfect orb,
with a soft, mellow halo about it. Fluffy, black clouds covered
it now and then. Najib felt like a child and delighted in catching sight of it as it emerged from behind its temporary hiding
place, beaming and radiant with light. He stayed there for a
long while, discovering new sights and visions to refresh his sensitive, weary mind.
*
*
Three years have passed and Najib is still in New York. He
is now taking only one course at college, devoting most of the
day to his work. He has had a hard time promoting a business
enterprise of his own and even now he is having trouble trying
to keep things going smoothly. Just a little time remains to
himself and this he generously gives to his blond American
friend He liked her ever since he met her at an affair given by
one of his friends. She always seems to him so pleasant and
cheerful He likes the way she pronounces his name and admires
even more the way she talks in her inimitable, babyish way.
His letters to his mother have dwindled to an average ot
about one every four months. She is writing him faithfully,
pleading with him to come back. She enquires constantly about
his health and well-being. He knows in advance what each of
her forthcoming letters will contain. Yet he likes to receive and
read them He can picture his mother so vividly wnen reading
her letters He wants to write to her more often, but his time
is not his own. No, his time belongs to his business. His career
needs all his attention now. When he becomes successful he will
make up for everything. His mother must realize this. Doesn t
�26
THE SYRIAN WORLD
she want him to become rich? For then he could send for her
his IitH " "IT f ,Ve *?&***"• He *nUes as he thinks of
his little, o d-fash.oned mother. What would she think of New
\ork and ,ts dazzlmg, breath-taking activities? He ho es she
will bke his American friend. Yes, she will have to if she is to
live with him. But, now, he must forget about the future and
concentrate on his business. Plenty of time for these other things!
*
*
*
*
nt
is now more
ful
\yeHe
£ hhas
f Sdiscovered
Fd ^ Najib
ful, IutnT
but not much.
that his dreams of successacauir-
NfwTorrevJntit "" "^ ^ ^ * "* ^ *
Najib is changed. Success and riches do not lure him on to
work as they used to. He has no more the blond, babyish^frienS
With the sweet sm.le. He has no more the pitiful letters from
m
h, ag.„g
th
H
]S done now_]onesome and de
nde°n
He s,t at his desk and gazes blankly at the world. What ails
him? l<or months he searches for the cause of his despondency
It dawns upon him suddenly that he is homesick-homesick for
everything—his mother, and Lebanon with its beautiful hills and
plains. But most of all his mother. He longs to see her againYnSl rVKSt g°A baCk- ?°thing n°W entices hi to «tay in New
York. O her, deeper things lure him. But he'll come back to
New York! Oh, yes! For when he is well again, he will pick
up he stray threads of his business and ambitions and everyth
g
y
g
will be as he wishes it to be.
Again he is on the ship, standing on the spot where he had
stood seven long years ago. He is thinking of the mother whom
he has not seen for so many years! Is she changed? Will she
greet him the way he had imagined she would? He dopes'so
and is confident of it.
* l
He has reached his little town in Lebanon radiant with the
thought of seeing his mother again. Najla, his childhood friend,
tells him about her. Najib,s stunned! He cannot believe it He
is dazed and seems oblivious to everything. Not until he has" seen
the little rooms of his home, does he realize it all. He cries bitCOnSC
IA
U L
flce tortures hi - Why hadn't he communiCr
And
his h
dreams
fututTf
°/KtenerL
"F and
°P£S and
o£ hears
their
future
life ,together:
Shattered
lost!
He constantly
the soft, consoling voice of Najla—his mother's faithful com-
PMHHBMIHHMHMHBHI
'
�"
27
APRIL, 1930
panion. But not even that will fill the vacuum in his heart. He
needs no comfort. He wants to fight it out alone with himself.
Many months pass and Najib is still living in the same state
of misery and loneliness. One day he finds himself gazing fondly at Najla, who is now keeping house for him as she had for his
mother. Najla is pretty! Was she always like that? He never
noticed it before. How quietly she went about her duty! Everything she does or says now seems perfect to him. Her presence
makes him happier now. He wants her to be near him all the
time. Najla is conscious of the sudden change in Najib. She
blushes when their hands accidently touch. Najib wonders. Does
she feel the same way about him as he does about her? He determines to find out! Would she ? He is relieved when she reassures him. Najib is happy. He hasn't felt so in such a long time
that now it seems almost unreal. Najla is happy, too. Happy
to be with him, and happy because they are going to America.
On the day that they are to leave the little town of^ thenchildhood, Najla brings out a large oil painting of Najib's
mother. Najib reverently kisses it and prepares it for its long
journey home with them.
Beethoven
By
THOMAS ASA
Oh, immortal master of divine intent!
Though you now rest in silence and repose,
And thy knowing heart and eyes did close
Upon the world you knew, with full content,
Your deathless voice has chained this firmament jMade it forget its earthly cares and woes,
Dispelled the menace of life's hidden floes—
A messenger of love by Heaven sent.
The wings of time shall bear the joyful praise
Of creatures of the earth, with lips released
By thy vicarious touch of Godly flame j
That shall guide the soul through fruitful ways,A light to ages yet to come—till all has ceased}
Your genius has not left the world the same.
u
�28
THE SYRIAN WORLD
From Beirut to the Palestine
Border
A CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD OF THE
EDITOR'S TRIP ABROAD
By
SALLOUM
A.
MOKARZEL
VII
RISING directly behind Beirut, and forming a sort of backdrop
to the level plain which serves as stage to the capital city, is
the district of Ash-Shouf, one of the most beautiful and populous sections of the Lebanon range. Aleih, the summer capital
of the Lebanese Republic, is in this district, and although situated
at an elevation of 2500 feet, the distance from the capital proper
is but twenty minutes by automobile. Along the same latitude
towards the south are a number of important towns but a few
miles apart. If all places of interest in Lebanon were to be seen,
these could not be missed.
Aleih is the gateway to this section in that it lies directly on
the Beirut-Damascus highway. It offers much of the cosmopolitan aspect} its cafes and shops and bustling traffic and general
activity immediately betray its official character. But as one travels further south, away from the main highway, he comes more
and more into the Lebanese atmosphere, although of a decidedly
refined and modern character. The comparative proximity to
the city and the increasing means of easy transportation have converted the towns of this district into virtual suburbs. I was told
that since the war regular commutation to Beirut has been maintained during all seasons.
Aside from considerations of general interest, I had definite
personal reasons for visiting this section. Souk-El-Gharb is the
hometown of my friend and schoolmate, Nasib Kalaf, and
the summer residence of the great Arab scholar, Jabr Dumit,
whose golden jubilee as teacher of Arabic in the American University of Beirut was celebrated only a year before. We were
friends through correspondence, and in paying my respects to
mm
I
�mamm
APRIL, 1930
29
him I was voicing the admiration of his thousands of Syrian and
Lebanese admirers throughout America. Alas that he should
have passed away before the close of the year!
From there the road led to Shamlan. This is a town I would
not have failed to visit even if it were not so easy to reach. It is
the hometown of our celebrated scholar Dr. Philip K. Hitti as
well as that of our well-beloved compatriot Ibrahim K. Hitti.
Who knows that this little hamlet will not some day house a
national shrine?
And only a few miles further south was Abeih, hometown
of one of our shining literary lights in America, Dr. Salim\ .
Alkazin. I could tell by the first glance at his venerable mother,
sitting serenely on the stoop of her home facing the massive old
church, whence had come her son's rich spiritual heritage. Ihen
there must be something inspirational in the natural topography ot
the town. It nestles snuggly on a bluff overlooking a succession
of gently deploying valleys which terminate in the vast stretches
of the coastal plain to the south of Beirut. The plain here appears
like an immense checkerboard with its yellow patches of desert
and green squares of sown. It merges harmoniously into the
limpid blue of the placid Mediterranean.
This circumscribed tour of the district was accomplished in
a single afternoon. That night I spent in the city to permit ot
my early continuation the next morning on the last eg ot my
travels through Lebanon. At that season they were busily engaged
in widening the road from Beirut to Sidon and covering it with
asphalt. General traffic was permitted only at certain intervals
during the day, and the authorities were most strict in showing
no favoritism. Hence the necessity of an early departure.
The morning of August 21 found us speeding south in the
direction of the Palestine border. Soon we came to the famous
olive grove of Shwaifat, said to be the third largest in the world.
Then we passed the wireless station at Khalda, which is in daily
communication with the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Ad-Damour,
with its vast mulberry groves and numerous silk filatures, was
the next town of importance on the way. At that time of the
year, however, its river had almost dried up leaving the broad
beach in a not altogether hospitable appearance of deso ation and
nakedness. Tradition tells us, nevertheless, that it was hospitab e
enough to Jonah when he was cast ashore by the inhospitable
whale after his three days' incarceration.
�1
30
^
THE SYRIAN WORLD
While passing through a small town below Ad-Damour, our
chauffeur, who in this instance was a Metwali native of the section, brought his car to a sudden stop and complained of being
hit by a pebble. Blood was trickling from a wound in his forehead just above the left eye. He had been more observant than
we and said that two small boys about a hundred feet away were
engaged at the pastime of pelting passersby with stones, and he
would remonstrate with their parents who were the keepers of
a nearby inn. At first we thought we would not interfere, but
soon we heard piercing shrieks and screams from the direction
of the inn. Fearing the little incident might develop into a serious affair between the chauffeur and the lads' parents we decided
to investigate. Think of our surprise when, upon our arrival, we
discovered the father belaboring the youngsters mercilessly with
a mulberry twig. He was profuse in his apologies to us and to
the chauffeur. "The boys are of an irresponsible age," he remarked, "but they must learn to welcome and protect strangers
instead of molesting them." This was in strict keeping with the
universally observed Lebanese tradition.
We reached the city of Sidon shortly before noon. My cousin, Joseph Mokarzel, would not rest until he found his local
agent. And he was right in his insistance, for the agent proved
to be a neat young chap having ready access to all quarters and
all places of historical interest in the city. The car could not
travel in the narrow, tortuous streets of the old town, so he led
the way on foot to the waterfront. Going through this once
famous Phoenician seaport one did not have to draw much on his
imagination to reconstruct its hoary civilization and the conditions under which its inhabitants of old lived and worked. The
guide led us to places the ordinary tourist could hardly hope to
see—through the old Moslem and Christian quarters, past rows
of small doorways opening on inner courts that left much to be
desired from the sanitary viewpoint. Every block seemed to be
a fort in itself, built in heavy masonry with narrow and dingy
passages giving the aspect of catacombs, and the denizens flitting
about noiselessly like phantoms. The guide explained that he
was leading to the old Crusaders' fort, of which only an isolated
tower and a block house remained. But the objective did not
prove as interesting as the sites encountered en route. At one
time we actually had to stoop to pass under a stone arch supporting tower-like dwellings. He made the amazing statement that
i
�The plain of Saida, ancient Phoenician city, viewed from the piazza of a palace crowning
one of the neighboring hills.
o*
�b;
V:
General view of the Crusaders'* Castle protecting the harbor and
city of Saida. Its only value at present is that of
a relic of antiquity.
» <,m.... « m
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it
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APRIL, 1930
33
that passageway was actually not only a public thoroughfare, but
one of the main traffic arteries of the old quarter of the city.
Perhaps the most imposing sight in Sidon is the sea fort. It
is reached over a causeway that has fallen in ruins in places and
is covered by planks. Within this causeway was buijt an acqueduct to supply the fort with potable water during sieges.
The lone guardian of the fort opened the dilapidated wooden
door to let us into the enclosure. Alice Mokarzel, an Egyptianborn niece of Joseph Mokarzel, displayed not only bravery but
sure-footedness in negotiating the risky passages of the fortifications We went as far as the extreme tower, at the base of which
can still be observed, in a good stage of preservation, the ominous
looking sea gate. What desperate hand-to-hand encounters must
have taken place throughout the centuries in the narrow passages
leading up from the landing within this tower!
The guardian called our attention to the walls of the fort
facing the sea in which were still embedded the solid cannon balls
used before the invention of explosive shells. He also pointed
-' out the ruins of what was once the chapel during the occupation
Tof the Crusaders.
,
.. ,
The mental picture of days gone by, with all their bloody
and desperate struggles, evoked by the sight of these historic
ruins, was rudely shattered when we repaired to what was described to us as the cleanest restaurant in town. There we discovered that this was made possible through the enterprise of a
former Syrian emigrant in America, one who had seen service
on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn and who was now doing a thriving
business by providing his patrons with clean napkins and decent
service.
We could have continued from Sidon to the other famous
Phoenician city, Tyre. But I chose to visit Jedaidat Merjioun
and enter Palestine from the inland route. The road led to the
Khardaly Bridge, where the French army made its last desperate
stand against the Druze rebels in 1925 and effectively stemmed
their tide. Above this bridge, on the crest of a steep hill whose
bare sides rise almost perpendicularly from the depth of the
valley, is the famous Crusaders fort of Shakif, its black walls
silhouetted menacingly against the azure skies. One could hardly
imagine a more imposing and awe-inspiring sight.
Before reaching Jedaidat we stopped at a melon-grower's
hut to sample the watermelons for which this section is noted.
�I
—IIW
MMMn
34
THE SYRIAN WORLD
A section of the old. sea fortification of Sidon, now partly used as
dwellings, as viewed from the causeway leading to the Crusaders'
Castle.
They proved to be of a small variety, only a little larger in some
cases than ordinary oranges. They are sold by weight and the
virtues ascribed to them were surprising. "Place the melon in
the shade for three minutes and it becomes as cold as ice," asserted the vender. We acted on his advice but were not convinced.
The natural flavor of the melon, however, was all that was
claimed for it.
That evening I was the guest of Ceasar Rashid, brother of
mv good friend in America Mubadda Rashid of Chautauqua.
About twenty prominent citizens attended the dinner, and their
geniality, hospitality and culture were in keeping with the standard of their compatriots in America. The host requested George
Samra, then on a visit from New York, to act as toastmaster.
The speakers included Dr. Mujalli Jabara, George Nada, George
Shadid, Dr. Michel Jabara, N. Farha, Alfred Samra and the
editor of Al-Nahdat, one of the two local papers.
In responding, it was but natural to tell the homefolks of the
wonderful success their townsmen had achieved in America. The
immigrants of Jedaidat are a credit to the Syrians in every field
of endeavor.
It was most gratifying to learn of the extent of progressiveness among the inhabitants of Jedaidat. Here is a town that is
MM
I
�\\
APRIL, 1930
35
A general view of Jedaidat, taken from the highest hill of the
town which is to be soon converted to a reservoir through the
enterfrise of Jedaidat immigrants in America.
one-hundred per cent, literate. Education is paramount in the
mind of every citizen so that out of a population of two thousand,
the twelve hundred minors of school age all attend school. In
this respect it may be held out as the ideal town of Lebanon.
Another virtue of the citizens of Jedaidat is their civic pride
and patriotic solidarity. While entering the town I noticed a
beautiful cemetery, surrounded by a neat stone wall above which
could be seen stately cypresses and numerous elaborate tombstones. Inquiry revealed that all denominations, Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants, had subordinated denominational differences to the creation of this civic enterprise.
Jedaidat supports two weekly newspapers, both well edited
and of good typographical appearance. They not only serve the
local community, but furnish the connecting link between the
town and its emigrant sons abroad.
_
Ceasar Rashid accompanied me on a visit to the Melchite
cathedral where we met the Rt. Rev. Clement Sayegh who had
just returned from a visit to South America. The bishop was
occupying temporary quarters while his residence was being rebuilt after it had been destroyed by the Druzes during their
occupation of Jedaidat in their last revolution. The church building during those eventful times was used as a stable, and the
I
�:^*y BaasMSM ': aaiBw
56
THE SYRIAN WORLD
mf!e*w;-
i
77;,* Old-Country conception of kaif—a picnicking party at the
headwaters of the Hasbani river on an improvised island-cafe.
Running water is music to Lebanese ears.
sacred vessels carried away. Bullet marks were still visible in
the dome and other parts of the church.
N. Farha treated me to a pleasant surprise. He led me up
the highest hill in Jedaidat commanding a superb view of the
countryside for miles around. "On this spot," he said, "we plan
to build a reservoir which not only will supply Jedaidat with
drinking water to be distributed in the homes, but also furnish
ample water for irrigation purposes. Water is plentiful in yonder river below, and the hydroelectric power we will generate
will serve both to supply the town with light and power and
serve to pump the water to the reservoir. Then this arid land
will be transformed into radiant gardens. We could ship the
produce to nearby and distant markets and can the remainder
according to American methods for home and foreign markets.
This will become possible when power is made available. Building of home industry is the salvation of the country."
Farha was a successful business man in the United States.
He returned to Lebanon early in 1929 to devote himself to the
promotion of this project in which he is being morally and financially supported by his fellow immigrants of Jedaidat in America. He has already secured the franchise from the Lebanese
government.
�APRIL, 1930
37
Part of the party at the Hasbani river during the editor's visit to
Jedaidat. Mr. Farha is the bare-headed man with glass in center.
Mrs. Farha is mixing the ingredients for the Kibbe.
With such initiative and enterprise, Jedaidat could be transformed into a garden spot.
The following morning we breakfasted at the modern home
of the Samras. The revolution had visited this, as well as many
other homes in Jedaidat, with either complete or partial destruction, and all are being rebuilt or repaired principally with funds
from America. Nejib Samra went back home for a visit a few
years ago, and his brother George undertook the same pilgrimage
last year, and each contributed to make the parental home a
model of modern comfort.
One is actually overwhelmed by the wholehearted hospitality
of the people of Jedaidat. I was anxious to cross early into Palestine, only a few miles distant, but they insisted on treating me
to a real picnic at the headwaters of the Hasbani River. Farha
was host on this occasion and the lambs slaughtered and the Kibbe
pounded and the Arac provided were sufficient to provision an
army. And we were in fact a small army and lived up to the
most accepted army traditions in this respect.
There must have been in Jedaidat at the time more than a
score who were returning from the United States alone for a
visit to the homeland. One of these was bent on roughing it to
the limit When the party broke up in the late afternoon he
despisingiy spurned the offer to ride back to town in an automo-
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
38
bile. Shouldering his gun and rolling up his pants almost to
the knee, he hit the road alone with the assertion that he would
reach town before dark.
Close by Jedaidat is the town of Hasbaya which was the scene
of a bloody massacre during the uprising of 1860 and to which
we paid a short visit. Midway between Jedaidat and Hasbaya is
Kawkaba, whose inhabitants covered themselves with glory by
their valiant defense of their homes during the recent revolution. From time immemorial the history of that part of Syria
seems to be a continuous record of bloody feuds. I crossed the
border into Palestine that afternoon only to encounter another
bloody outbreak with the memorable Arab-Jewish riots of
August 23.
The Syrian Laborer
By
JONARD EGIS
"THE factory whistles shriek: it's five o'clock.
The mother lays her child in bed and goes
To heat the supper
"Liz, be sure to rock
The baby if he cries." Fair Lizbeth throws
Her doll aside and runs to baby's bed,
To look into his laughing eyes and say
That baby has the prettiest little head
In all the world. It seems, at end of day,
Her brother feels that father will arrive;
For now he smiles and waves his clenched fist
To show the world he's happy he's alive.
The mother looks outside: a treacherous mist
Pervades the streets
and father has not worn
His coat
She worries
In the hall she hears
His step
At last
the father's come. Man born
To work is he: a giant with no fears
—Except that one, of God. No school had he
In youth to aid him in his later life;
No books of science and philosophy;
Yet see what Life has granted him: a wife
Who loves, is faithful; children satisfied;
A place called Home to which he returns at night:
A happy, God-bless'd man, who spaces wide
Can face and shout that all on Earth is right.
it
�APRIL, 1930
39
Book Reviews
ANOTHER NOTABLE BOOK BY RIHANI
Around the Coasts of Arabia, by Ameen Rihani, New York,
Houghton Mifflin Company, 364 pp. $6.00.
ANY book by Ameen Rihani on Arabia is bound to be hailed as
a distinct contribution to Arabian lore. His former book entitled Maker of Modern Arabia, or Ibn Saoud, His Country and
His People, was considered the most notable addition in modern
times to the sum total of our knowledge on Arabia. And if it is
so considered with almost common consent it must rank among
the most notable contributions of all times, because Arabia remains today as in all times past the country of inscrutable mystery of whose forbidden interior only the most daring had ever
had a glimpse.
Not so, however, with our celebrated author and traveler
Rihani. He had access to every spot in Arabia with the exception
of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. And even these he
could have seen if he but wished to profess Islam, but this he
would not do not through any religious scruples, but simply because he would not buy a privilege on any condition. He is so
broad on matters religious that he could not conscientiously be
bound to any one creed.
Rihani's accounts of his Arabian experiences and adventures
lose nothing, however, through this seeming deficiency. Of the
two Moslem holy cities Mecca is by far the most important, and
Mecca is forbidden to all but Moslems, which puts it beyond
the immediate interest of travelers, while descriptions of it so
far published by Moslems and others have deprived it of a good
deal of its element of mystery. All other parts of Arabia, however, are lands of potentialities, yet only very little was known
about them. Never before, we believe, was such a comprehensive
account given of these parts of the world as in Rihani's recent
work.
.
,.,- j
Rihani is one of the very few contemporaries qualified to
speak authoritatively on modern Arabia. His travels in that
country were conducted under the most auspicious circumstances.y
T,rw-~i**"**-
�ammamm
40
THE SYRIAN WORLD
making it possible for him to learn and observe what the casual
traveler could never hope to know. He was the guest of the Arab
potentates wherever he went, inasmuch as his professed object
was to bring about a federation of Arab states. Arabic, besides,
being his native language, he was able to gather all his information first-hand.
While in his former work Rihani dealt with Ibn Saoud's
kingdom, in his other book just published he deals with all the
countries along the Arabian coasts. The book is in five parts, the
first dealing with the author's experiences while with King Husein in the Hijaz, the second while with the Adrisi, the third is
on the subject of Kuwait, the fourth about Bahrain and the fifth
about Aden and the Protectorates.
The book abounds with interesting information and anecdote.
Rihani in it is at his best and the reader finds himself fascinated
by the charm of description and the wealth of material. One
almost lives with the author those memorable days he spent with
each potentate, so vivid and gripping the style.
To our readers this, as well as other books by Rihani, should
have a special appeal. The author is one of us, and to share with
his host of admirers throughout the English-speaking world
their admiration of him is the least that could be expected of us
We should have his works not alone as a gesture of appreciation
but as a distinctive mark of culture in our homes and pride in
our men of outstanding achievement.
A USEFUL BOOK
The Syrian-American Directory Almanac for 1930, Arida and
Andria, New York, $2.50.
By the publication of this book, Nasib Arida and Sabri Andria have rendered the Syrian community a genuine service
which fills a Jong-felt want. The arrangement of the work is
comprehensive. It is divided into two main parts, the first being
in Arabic and containing much useful information serving as a
source of ready reference on Syrian history, political divisions of
the country and a historical sketch of Syrian immigration to
the United States, while the other section contains a business and
residential directory of Manhattan and Brooklyn in both Arabic
m
——
a
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r
\
�I
APRIL, 1930
41
IF.
and English. This should prove invaluable for business purposes
whether for Syrian or American concerns wishing to circularize
the Syrians. The publishers promise to issue the directory annually, with additions that will gradually cover all parts of the
United States and perhaps, in time, Canada and Mexico.
With the appearance of Arida and Andria's publication, announcement was made of similar projects to.be undertaken locally
for the city of Detroit and the State of California. Naturally,
when the Syrian-American Directory is complete, as we hope it
will be in time, the other local directories will become unnecessary.
A Syrian-American Business Directory for all the United
States was published over twenty years ago by S. A. Mokarzel
and H. Otosh. It was discontinued after the first year for lack
of sufficient public support. Now, after the lapse of almost a
quarter of a century, we trust that the Syrian community will
appreciate the benefits of such a useful public enterprise sufficiently to lend it their support so that it may not prove as shortlived as its predecessor.
A BOOK ON RELIGION
The Pearl of Revelation, by Rev. Emmanuel Elkouri Hanna,
published by the author, 88 Washington St., New York City.
Rev. Emmanuel Elkouri Hanna is a Syrian Catholic missionary priest in America known among his friends for his original theories as to the High Priest Melkizadek. In the foreword
to his book he makes plain the fact that one of his principal objects in its publication is to "show who was Melkizadek and to
prove that he was a true man, a true priest and a true king having
a real father and mother." Other objects of the book are "to
prove that the sacrifices of the Old Law were real symbols of
our Divine Sacrifice, which is the Manna from Heaven; and that
the institution of the Holy Eucharist is Divine."
Church authorities and theologians are better judges of the
merits of such a work, and their approval is apparent from the
fact that it is published by the authority of His Eminence Cardinal Hayes of New York. The dedication is to the Rt. Rev. Joseph
Schrembs, bishop of Cleveland, Ohio.
�MM
42
THE SYRIAN WORLD
ENGLISH AND ARABIC MANUAL
MB k a
G
eya by Ur A J ArbeeJ
~ N.^ Z
\y\~
ti
k
- - ^
M. Dwb, N. Y., 670 pp. $6.00.
Publisked by
The second edition of this useful book was published by N.
M . Diab, editor of the Mirror of the West, who bought the pub^
n
rl
^Jrpmtht estate of the author, the late Dr. Arbeely
I he second edition is printed from the original plates of the firk
and is in every respect similar to it.
I 7 ?A cArbeely was one of the first Syrian immigrants to the
United States Having had his English education in the mother!
land and following it up to a great deal of advantage in Amer-
MSST*qualified for such a difficult work as appears
Mainly, the object of the book is to serve as a self-instructor
m English to readers of Arabic. The lessons are simplified by
the= transliteration of the exercises and the giving of the pronunciation in both languages. In this respect it is one of the most
useful books to be had in its class.
An added advantage of the work is the appendix consisting
of forty pages intended to help English-speaking persons learn
the Arabic language. The same simple and effective method is
here lollowed as in the other part of the book dealing with the
teaching of English to Arabic-speaking persons
REVISED ENGLISH-ARABIC DICTIONARY
Ellas' Modem Dictionary, by Elias A. Elias, Ettas' Modern
Press, Cairo, Egypt.
Mr Elias' Dictionary is by no means the only one of its
nature, but it surely ranks among the best. In its revised form
appearing late in 1929, many corrections and additions have been
introduced making the work more serviceable and dependable
whether for the student or the scholar. The hundreds of illustrations occurring in it give it a decided advantage.
Other recent publications by this publishing concern include
Arabic translations of The Socialistic Movement, by Ramsay
MacDonald; A Monk's Romance, by Alexis Bouvier, and other
novels and works on sociology by English and French authors
�APRIL, 1930
43
EDITORIAL COMMENT
lished in a former issue a short
report by Miss Hilda Fox on
the Lebanon Hospital for
pOR Dr. Corban's enthusiasm
Mental diseases. We now wish
over the Lebanon Hospital to announce that we have refor Mental Diseases, otherwise ceived from Miss Fox a numknown as Asfuriyeh, there is a ber of copies of the latest report
plausible reason. He is a spec- on this institution for free disialist in mental diseases and is tribution. Anyone interested
in a position to appreciate the may write us for a copy and it
great need of such institutions. will be cheerfully sent him.
Mentally deranged persons are
We are again referring to
no longer considered, in this
advanced age, as being pos- this hospital apropos of the
sessed by the devil and shackled publication of Dr. Corban's
and confined to dungeons. communication on the subject.
Medical science, combined with We cannot too highly comhumanitarian treatment, has mend the active .interest which
restored many an unfortunate this New Zealand-born Lebto a normal condition of health. anese physician has taken in the
Neglect in the initial stages of promotion of this project. It
mental, as well as of other dis- would be most gratifying to
eases and physical irregulari- see some Syrian or Lebanese
ties, is bound to aggravate the physician in all other countries
patient's conditions and perhaps follow his lead. Such work falls
lead to an incurable state, naturally within the province
whereas scientific care, applied of medical men and they
in time, might prove the means should take the initiative in
promoting it. A physician apof a complete cure.
In our age of high-tension preciates more than any other
living, mental derangements the importance of mental hyand nervous breakdowns are giene and the necessity of such
more prevalent than in former humanitarian enterprises, and a
times. Hence the necessity of committee of physicians, if
greater attention and care, and formed for the purpose, should
the urgency of providing suit- find little difficulty in interestable means for the proper treat- ing our men of wealth in the
cause.
ment of mental ills.
Dr. Corban has taken the
THE SYRIAN WORLD pub-
ASFURIYEH
A CRITERION
�44
initiative in New Zealand. He
has succeeded in interesting the
local press and raising considerable funds. He has set the
goal for his campaign at $15,000.
A further and most important consideration is that we
cannot depend forever in the
upkeep of our educational and
humanitarian institutions on
foreign charity. All claim to
national pride and all assertion
of the right for independence
fail of their own weight when
we make no concrete move to
take care of our own public institutions.
Independence in
educational and charitable enterprises should even be more
important to us than economic
independence. The latter will
follow as a natural result of the
former. We cannot hope to develop a national consciousness
when our educational and charitable destinies are controlled
and directed by foreigners.
So far practically all institutions of higher education in
Syria have been established and
are still directed by foreigners,
principally missionary interests.
The same statement, with perhaps a few exceptions of recent
origin, applies to charitable enterprises. This condition of continued dependence on foreigners spells ill for the country's
future.
THE SYRIAN WORLD
But with the present awakening of national consciousness
this condition should not be
suffered to continue much
longer. Already we are extended the invitation to share in the
management, and ultimately to
assume complete control, of
many such institutions. We
would naturally retain for the
founders the gratitude due
their benevolent initiative, but
aside from that, control and
direction should be in our
hands. The American University of Beirut is one of the institutions coming under this
class—the last campaign to
raise funds from among its
alumni and their friends was
launched on this understanding. It was a clear invitation
to the natives to share in the
support and management of
the institution with the avowed
purpose of ultimately assuming
full control. Other institutions
may be expected to adopt the
same policy.
Our fate is in our own hands,
and it would behoove us to
ponder the result of our continued dependence on foreign
charity, and to seriously consider the effect of such dependence on our national character,
for then we might be prompted
to accelerate the movement for
educational and economic independence which we believe is
bound to come eventually.
�APRIL, 1930
POTENTIAL FIELD
45
would still have ten or fifteen
thousand Syrian-Americans of
a comparatively high standard
of education. Are these not sufficient as potential readers?
A correspondent from South
Africa writes that his greatest
regret is that he cannot compete in THE SYRIAN WORLD
What would seem to be the
contest for a free trip to Syria. greatest obstacle in reaching
This would indicate that the this large number of Syrians is
idea of a free trip finds favor that they are too widely scatwith lovers of travel, especially tered. But, on the other hand,
when travel is to the homeland that should be all the more
of one's ancestors. Here in reason why they should be
America we have had unstinted reached. Protracted isolation
praise of the idea. It is agreed will in time result in complete
that the prize is valuable, the loss of one's racial identity.
terms liberal and the object This would be unfortunate for
most worthy. But why no con- what it would mean in the futestant has so far approached ture. Knowledge and appreciathe goal we are at a loss to un- tion of one's ancestral backderstand, except that entrants ground is a decided asset in the
in the contest are unwilling or cosmopolitan nature of the
unable to give the work suf- American nation, and a symficient time and effort. Other- pathetic understanding of one's
wise the goal should be easy of racial cutlure would mean a
attainment. The excuse of distinct addition to American
hard times is not sufficient to culture now in process of forstand in the way of securing a mation.
hundred subscriptions.
Syrians in America can contribute
largely along this line.
Out of a total of 250,000
Syrians in the United States, It would be a sad commentary
100,000 at least are American- on our racial pride if we canborn. All these must have at- not be aroused to an adequate
tended school, and no less than appreciation of our singular
fifty per cent, must have grad- racial heritage.
We are only too anxious to
uated from high school. Pubhave
someone win the prize.
lication of THE SYRIAN WORLD
was undertaken primarily for But it is only reasonable that
this element. They should all in order to win one should
be potential readers. Even if show results commensurate
we were to concede a drastic with the value of the prize
reduction in this estimate we offered.
i
�46
THE SYRIAN WORLD
Readers' Forum
SYRIAN SPECIALIST SUPPORTS
ASFURIYEH HOSPITAL PROJECT
Dr. Corban of New Zealand has
Faith that Syrians will not Be
Satisfied with Erection
of One Ward.
Editor The Syrian World
I was very glad indeed to see
commendable and honourable mention of the Lebanon Mental Hospital in your November issue. Unlike yourself, I have not yet had
the good fortune to pass by on the
Beirut-Damascus road and view in
reality what you bear witness to as
"the trim buildings, the well-kept
grounds, and the apparently contented inmates giving indications of
efficiency and benevolence in management." At the moment I cannot
think of any more worthy object
for interested Syrians to spend
their money on in their old
home'and, unless indeed it be
the direct relief of any of their own
relatives in necessitous circumstances. At heart the average Syrian is a supporter of good causes,
and often a builder of worthy structures. Before men had enough medical knowledge to take practical interest in cooperative healing, they
inclined more to the attractions of
religious belief, and sacred edifices
formed a common vehicle for expressing themselves. Then came general hospitals. Finally the most
highly specialized of all, dealing
with the mind—mental hospitals.
Religion, physical healing, mental
healing—a serial of progress in
three chapters. In all these the Arab
mind has played a significant role.
Dr. Withington in his book "Medical History from the Earliest
Times," states that "in an age when
no Christian monarch, with the rare
exceptions of Charlemagne and Alfred the Great, troubled himself in
the slightest about the education of
his subjects or the progress of science and literature, we find Caliph
after Caliph, and Vizier after Vizier
establishing schools and libraries
for the public benefit, and filling
their courts with pihysicians and
philosophers. Their remarkable generosity to the former would alone
entitle them to the gratitude of the
profession, and even had the Arabs
themselves made no scientific discoveries, they would at least deserve
the praise of having encouraged
others to do so."
Nearer home, we have the testimony of Usamah and others to show
that the older Arab physicians had
an intelligent conception of the
treatment of mental disorder. Are
we sufficiently honouring their skill
and wisdom by exercising in the
present generation more than a
passing interest in their achievements? A tendency of the present
age is to take the big things of
the past for granted while hurrying on to ultra modern stunts. With
what exuberance does the modern
Syrian scatter a few thousand dollars in a big to-do to express delight on some such occasion, say,
as a memorable air-journey by a
Carranza? When those in high
places pass by in the land, the Syrian is ready to meet and to fete.
\
f,'
�1"
APRIL, 1930
Of course open-heartedness can be
and is expressed in many channels.
One will build a neat new church
in his old native village; another
will be benevolent to a charity in
his new Western home. Being specially interested in mental hygiene I
perhaps run some risk of being
labelled biased, or of seeing the
world along one main path. As the
business man roughly classifies humanity for his purpose into those
who buy and those who sell, so I
suppose the doctor cleaves a line
between those who are sick and
those who are well; the psychiatrist
likewise into the more or less sane
and the more or less insane. The absence of any sharp-demarcated
boundary should make all thinking
folk attempt to visualize the aspect
from either side. Miss Hilda Fox's
article and your endorsement are
very timely and deserving of the
consideration of all Syrians Who
realize the necessity of dissimulating indifference to past heritages
from the illustrious Arabs, and the
urgency of present day claims to exercise the benevolent instinct in a
thoroughly sound channel. Only Miss
Fox was far too modest in suggesting the donation of one mere ward—
a good half dozen would better meet
the case. At our hospital here (Tokanui Mental Hospital, Kihikihi, N.
Z.) we have this week opened modern wards for over a hundred patients, and the extensions are contemplated to make provision for at
least a thousand. In addition, there
is also being erected a very fine new
nurses' home to house over sixty.
At the very least, a hospital like
Asfuriyeh wants its accommodation
douK • d almost right away. A hospital run on such amazingly sound
and proper lines should be as speedily as possible built up to a minimum
of five hundred beds. It would then
47
be in a position to make its facilities and amenities properly known,
and it could easily be filled within
a short time with all manner of
mental patients. This amplifying of
accommodations on the; very modern
system of detached wards (houses
or villas) allows both the proper
classification of patients according
to type, and the provision of more
homelike and curative features
without the evils of overcrowding.
Housing of staff is also most important—nurses deserve all the consideration that can be given to make
their work more efficient and pleasant to themselves and their charges.
The great object of a mental hospital is not much to harbour nervous
wrecks (the old idea, hence the term
asylum) as to cater to individuals
in the early stages of mental disorder and speedily return them to
their former useful spheres in a condition of normalcy. Mental hospitals
in the Near East are frightfully inadequate in accommodation when
measured by Western standards.
Whatever the French may have done
in Syria for the improvement and
betterment of its inhabitants, the
handling of the problem of mental
hygiene has not been one of their
strong points. The more the pity,
since it was a great Frenchman,
Philippe Pinel, who over a century
ago did much to bring the treatment of insanity into the high place
it now occupies. Contemporary with
him was the great English Quaker,
William Luke, who in 1792 established at York the long famous Retreat, a hospital in close sympathy
with that at Asfuriyeh.
Where others may have failed,
then, the Syrians the world over
now have upon them the duty of
focussing their attention and interest upon problems which are gaining
in importance and which merit con-
�48
THE SYRIAN WORLD
certed effort and action. I feel that "Western Civilization."
the greatest difficulty with the SyrDr. Bishara observed that Mozart
ians in the past has been insufficient and Beethoven were among the first
acquaintance with the problems con- great musicians who intuitively refronting them at home and abroad. cognized the inherent beauty and
For that reason alone they should dignity of Arabic musical themes.
support any magazine like The Syr- No nationalistic school of music has
ian World which coordinates thought
been able to escape the subtle fasciand action, and expounds and feanation of oriental melody. The Rustures those problems touching upon
sian school, which is preeminently
the welfare of the race. Therefore
oriental in tendency, is prominently
in view of the publicity which has
now been given to the Lebanon Hos- represented by the composer Rimpital in your pages, it would be dis- sky-Korsakov, who employs oriental
appointing if the assistance were themes in his "Scheherazade" symlimited to a single ward especially phonic suite. The Norwegian school
when there are probably patriotic is represented by Grieg with his
individuals who would be glad to "Peer Gynt" suite; the French school
personally donate a ward privately, contributed "Samson et Dalila" by
Saint-Saens, and the Spanish and
if only the claims are made suffiItalian
schools are likewise repreciently clear to them. I have nosented.
where else heard of such a good
In the classical works of Beethoward being able to be erected and
ven,
specifically where the minor
furnished for the very small sum of
signatures
are employed, we are
£'3000. But one feels that the Syrians abroad will miss no occasion frequently arrested by measures in
of showing that they will not let which Arabic themes are almost
such opportunities pass by without exclusively developed. In the hands
acquitting themselves honourably.
of this great genius the simple meloC. Assid Corban, M. B., Ch. B. dies of Syria and Arabia assume,
Kihikihi, New Zealand,
with their new harmonic embellishments, forms of entrancingly original euphony, making them equal if
ARABIC THEMES IN
not superior to other musical sysWESTERN MUSIC
tems. And it is in the spirit of admiration and gratitude that I feel,
Mozart and Beethoven recognized
and the Syrian world in general
their inherent beauty and dignity.
should feel, for the service rendered
by this great master, in whom no raEditor, The Syrian World:
The very interesting article con- cial prejudice existed, and who recogtributed by Dr. K. A. Bishara to a nized inherent beauty and worth
former issue of "The Syrian World" regardless of the source, that I have
impressed me as being decidedly inscribed the slight but sincere apopportune during the present period preciation which is enclosed.
Thomas Asa.
of racial agitation. The article furW.
Brownsville,
Pa.
ther emphasizes the incalculable influence the Arabic-speaking world
has had in the formation of what
is ambiguously designated the
Editor's Note—A poem by Mr.
Asa on Beethoven is published elsewhere in this issue.
h
(
1
�APRIL, 1930
49
Political Developments in Syria
PALESTINE
,
<
England has taken a definite
stand against the principal demand
of the Palestine Arabs looking
towards the establishment of representative government, for the prosecution of which they had sent a
delegation to London. The refusal
of England is based on the claim
that such a proposal is incompatible
with the requirements of the mandate. The mandate, on the other
hand, is an instrument entrusted to
England by the League of Nations,
and to act contrary to its provisions
would be a breach of trust. This
England will not undertake to do.
Lord Passfield, the Colonial Secretary, according to a dispatch to
the New York Times from London
under date of May 14, gave the
Grand Mufti and his colleagues of
the Palestine-Arab delegation a
sweeping rebuff, reaffirming the
fidelity of the MacDonald government to the Palestine mandate.
The Arab delegation had arrived
in London shortly before the publication of the Shaw commission's report. Among other things, the delegation urged the immediate creation of a Palestine Parliament in
which Arabs and Jews would be represented in proportion to their present population. This demand Great
Britain refuses to concede, as indicated by the following official statement of the Colonial office:
"The conversations which have
taken place in London between
members of the Government and the
Palestine Arab delegation are now
at an end. The delegation has expressed its views on a number of
subjects, particularly land, immi-
gration and the grant of a constitution. His Majesty's Government
has taken note of its view on these
subjects.
"It was pointed out to the delegation that the sweeping constitutional changes demanded by them
were wholly unacceptable since they
would have rendered it impossible
for His Majesty's Government to
carry out its obligations under the
terms of the mandate. It was made
clear that no proposals could be
considered which were incompatible
with the requirements of the mandate."
The Arab delegation made no attempt to conceal its bitterness at
this turn of events. It immediately
retaliated by the publication of the
following statement:
"We have decided to leave for
home with the-: impression that the
Palestine Arab case will not be
justly solved by the British Government, with which the Zionists have
such great influence as to hinder it
from doing justice or from removing injustices in our case. We are
convinced tJhat every Arab in Palestine prefers to die in defense of
his natural rights and existence
than to submit to the oppression inflicted by any measure of coercion.
As the Arab and Moslem worlds
are our co-partners in Palestine, it
is our duty to make them acquainted with the dangerous situation
threatening, the very existence of
their holy country and brother inhabitants."
The general impression in London is that the Palestine situation
is now worse than it ever was before. It is plain from the statement
�50
THE SYRIAN WORLD
of the Arab delegation that they The Alshura, an Arabic newspaper
count on the support of their broth- in Cairo, which is the Palestine Arab
er Moslems in India whom England Nationalist's organ, has telegraphed
is endeavoring to play against the to London demanding the Arab poHindu followers of Mahatma Gan- litical delegation to return as a sign
dhi, in the present civil disobeof protest, while other Arab organs
dience movement. What success such declare the delegation ought to retactics will 'have is a matter of con- turn and devote itse'f to internal
jecture. It is plain however, that
activity which has been neglected in
neither the Arabs nor the Jews are the past few years, saying:
satisfied, the former because of the
"It is impossible to solve the Arab
denial of their demands and the
latter because of the nature of the problem in London as long as it remains unsolved in Jerusalem."
Shaw report.
New life seems to have been inThat Palestine is facing a new
jected
in the Palestine Arab cause
era of political disturbance owing
to the recent developments may be in America with the arrival in New
inferred from a dispatch to * the York, the latter part of April, of a
New York Times from its Jerusalem new Palestine-Arab delegation comcorrespondent dated April 10 which posed of Emir Adel Arslan and Issa
states that Mahatma Gandhi's cam- Bandak, editor of Sawt Ash-Shaab
(Voice of the People). Emir Arslan,
paign in India is having a considerhead of the delegation, is a brother
able effect upon the political conof
Emir Shakib who came to Amersciousness of the Near East. In Palica
on a similar mission in 1927.
estine, the correspondent further
He
took active part in the Dru/.e
reports, a new Arab political party
revolt
against the French in Syria
• ailed Isteqlal, (meaning independand
chose
voluntary exile with Sulence) intends to imitate Gandhi's
tan
Pasha
Atrash in the Arabian
methods to some extent and is ordesert.
ganizing ;i procession of youths in
In a public- statement which the
cities, towns and villages throughdelegation
gave to the Arabic press,
out Palestine similar to Gandhi's
inarch in India.
they declared that they represented
The Isteqlalists aim thus to re- the Central Arab Relief Committee
vive the movement against Arabs of Jerusalem which is the financial
selling their lands to Jews. The branch of the Central Arab Execuyouths will be called the "Arab tive Committee, and that their misDefense Army," and the party's sion was two-fold: first to collect
newspaper the Meraat Elsharq, has relief funds, and the second to lay
already appealed to Arab youths before the Palestine Arabs of Amerurging participation in the week- ica authentic information on conditions in the motherland in the hope
long march.
of enlisting their interest in the reAral, feeling in Palestine is greathabilitation of the country and inly aroused over Prime Minister
ducing theni to invest in its agriMad >ona Id's statement in the House
cultural development. Purchase of
of Commons that Britain does not
land by the Arabs, they insist, will
intend to relinquish her mandate or
not only result in considerable finabrogate the Balfour Declaration.
ancial profit to investors but will
•
3
�APRIL, 1930
51
27, 1927, and their resolve to extend
the hand of conciliation to the
French on an honorable basis.
Later elections were held to the
SYRIA
Constituent Assembly in which the
The official view of the Syrian Nationalists emerged victors and
Nationalist Party is that the polit- made a sincere attempt to interpret
ical situation in the country is the will of the nation in formulatgrowing more alarming. The nation ing the draft of the constitution.
is being driven to desperation by the Great was their surprise when they
continued inaction of the French were called upon to eliminate the six
authorities in finding a suitable principal clauses which the French
solution to the present difficulties claimed to be objectionable. Then
and the protracted silence of the followed the suspension of the AsHigh Commissioner is interpreted sembly for a period of three months
as bearing ominous portent. Never- and the growing gravity of the sittheless, the Syrian official stand is uation attending this troublesome
period was such as to tax the nathat of patient waiting.
The above conclusion is deduced tion's utmost patience. This proved
from the statement published in the conclusively, however, the nation's
aptitude to weather political crises
form of an open letter to the Syrian
nation by Hashem Bey El-Atassi, inasmuch as they retained their
leader of the Syrian Nationalist self-control in spite of the increasdevelopments.
Party and President of the Con- ingly aggravating
stituent Assembly, reporting the "We have repeatedly appealed to
result of his conversation with High the nation to be patient and it conCommissioner Ponsot upon the tinually showed admirable response,
latter's return from France. The but we now entertain the gravest
meeting took place in Beirut on fear that its patience will soon be
April 11 and El-Atassi's statement exhausted as a result of repeated
was published on the 15th. Through- disappointments."
out the document there runs a feelThe statement further points out
ing of deep disappointment and bit- that the Syrian nation adhered to
terness but hope is nevertheless its policy of peaceful cooperation
manifested in the ultimate success in spite of repeated adjournments
of the cause through the tradi- of the Assembly, hoping the French
will in the end act on their protional liberalism of France.
The Syrian leader prefaces his fessed good faith. This continued
statement by an account of the trials until Jan. 11, 1929, when the High
the
long
under which the country labored Commissioner offered
during the first eight years of awaited solution which proved only
French occupation, and in which a means for the annulment of the
there were continued efforts to reach whole constitution in that it suga proper solution of the political gested deferring action on the six
problem that would safeguard to objectionable clauses until after the
the nation its self-respect. The enactment of treaty relations bepacific intentions of the Syrians tween France and Syria. Still the
were demonstrated by the meeting Syrians showed patience and M.
of their leaders at Beirut on October Ponsot again sailed for France and
also have considerable effect on the
Arab cause politically.
:
[
�THE SYRIAN WORLD
the Syrians awaited his return with
high hopes. But weeks and months
passed without his undertaking a
move for the solution of the problem. Meanwhile the Executive Bureau of the Constituent Assembly
continued functioning within the
rights invested in it by the Assembly, and by this authority addressed
the High Commissioner suggesting
a conference. This took place in Beirut on April 11, and although it lasted over an hour all that could be
drawn out of the High Commissioner was the indefinite promise
of "undertaking soon a definite
solution of the problem based on the
same liberal attitude characterizing
his former policy."
At this point El-Atassi appeals
to the nation for further patience
and for the maintenance of the
spirit of solidarity which alone is
a guarantee of ultimate success.
"The history of nations is replete
with object lessons. No weakness
can overcome a nation unless that
nation becomes divided upon itself.
The greatest crisis in the life of any
nation is when it gives itself up to
internal quarrels and dissensions
and thereby lays itself open to the
designs of the foreigner. I would
exhort you to maintain your united
front as this is your best guarantee
of retelling the aggressor. This in
your hands is the most effective
weapon against force. For a solid
union I appeal to you, as well as forrising above personal rancor which
might stand in the way of such
union. The ground of your country
soaked with the blood of your martyrs cries loud to you to be solidly
united."
The French High Commissariat
maintained its habitual silence in
the face of these developments and
the only unconfirmed rumor ap-
mmm*
pearing in the press is that M. Ponsot is still studying the problem.
M. Ponsot paid a visit to Damascus
after his conference with the Syrian Nationalist leader but met there
only French officials. A current report is that he plans another visit
to Paris soon for a further conference with the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.
There is now in Syria a growing
tendency for joining the proposed
Arab federation under the leadership of King Ibn Saoud. Political
observers claim to see in this orientation of Syrian public opinion a
triumph of English diplomacy into
the hands of which the French are
playing unwittingly. England is now
at peace with the Arab elements and
if Syria were to be drawn into an
Arab federation France would find
herself facing a new problem which
would make her position in the
East extremely untenable.
LEBANON
The cabinet of August Pasha
Adib, formed March 25, submitted
its program to the Legislative Assembly on April 5 and was accorded
a vote of confidence. The same reform plans laid down by the Eddy
cabinet were adhered to with the exception of
those
objectionable
clauses which caused the latter's
downfall, especially those touching
on education. A new and serious
development in Lebanon is the advocacy by the Moslem element of a
change in the relations between
Lebanon and France to take the
form now existing between Iraq and
England. This movement is expected to meet with little success, but
it will tend to demonstrate to the
mandatory power the disastrous effects of its continued policy of
temporization.
-
�APRIL, 1930
5$
About Syria and Syrians
conceal the fact of his Syrian extraction. His affiliation with the
American-Syrian Federation and his
By the unanimous vote of the 54 sustained interest in all Syrian
members of the Republican Assem- public activities speak eloquently
bly District Committee of Brook- for his pride in his racial descent.
It is men such as he Who through
lyn present George C. Dagher was
elected executive member of the sheer personal ability and merit
gain the respect of the American
First Assembly District at a meetpublic
both for themselves and for
ing held on May 7, according to the
report of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle their race.
ond other metropolitan newspapers
Mr Dagher was elected to succeed
the late leader D. Harry Ralston
SYRIAN WOMAN LAWYER
who died April 4.
RECEIVES APPOINTMENT
The New York papers give long
Miss Emily Ferris, the only Syraccounts of the political and military careers of Mr. Dagher who has ian woman lawyer in New York,
been a resident of the district and was appointed Deputy Attorney
active in politics for twenty-five General for the State of New York
years and who saw service during to take office on May 1. She is to
be in charge of incompetency prothe war in an artillery regiment
The New York Syrian papers hail ceedings.
Miss Ferris has attained rapid
the election of Mr. Dagher to this
important post of leadership as success in her chosen career. Having
marking the first important success gained admission to the bar in Nebof a Syrian in national politics. The raska her native State, in 1926, she
American-Syrian
Federation
of moved to New York the following
year and in the same year was adBrooklyn, of which Mr. Dagher is
mitted
to the bar in the latter state.
a director, plans a dinner in his
She
is
a sister of the well-known
honor to be given at the Elks Club
Syrian New York lawyer Joseph W.
early in June.
Mr. Dagher is an example of the Ferris.
best type of Syrian-Americans. He
has served his country by enlistment during the war and is most SYRIAN PRINCESS
LECTURES ON SYRIA
active in serving it in politics in
times of peace. During his long
Emira Najla Bellamah of Montpolitical career his character has
real, Canada, has been giving a
been above reproach, and it was
series of lectures on Syria at the
through his sterling qualities that invitation of the Oriental Club of
he was elevated to the post of lead- McGill University of Montreal.
ership of his important district
Emira Bellamah come to America
without contest.
only a few years ago to join her
Mr. Dagher makes no attempt to
SYRIAN ELECTED
REPUBLICAN LEADER
�54
brother who is engaged in business
in Montreal. She knew very little of
English, although she had been engaged for a consideroble time in
editorial work in the mother country.
Her rapid mastery of the language
denotes the degree of her intelligence and application. The gifted
princess is to be congratulated on
her splendid efforts in bringing
obout a better knowledge of her
mother country to the people of
Canada.
SILVER JUBILEE OF
A MAKONITE PRIEST
Over one hundred and fifty guests
met at the Hotel Statler in Boston
on Sunday, April 27, to celebrate
the twenty-fifth anniversary of the
ordination of Chor-Bishop Stephen
El-Douaihy to
the
priesthood.
Among the celebrants were delegations from many distant cities.
Elias F. Shamon, President of the
Jubilee Association, was toastmaster. Speakers included Miss Labeebee A. J. Hanna, "An appreciation
of Monsignor Douaihy" followed by
a poem, "Planted in Lebanon"; ExCongressman Joseph A. Conry, former Ambassador to Russia; Rev.
Michael Saab; District Attorney
William J. Foley; Monsignor Abouzaid; Mrs. Mary Ahwaji; George
Faour; Mirshed Abdo; Joseph Reesha and Josepn J. Sarofeen.
Mgr. Douaihy was presented with
a gold purse which he immediately
pledged for the erection of a new
church and school.
In the course of his speech the
Hon. S. A. Conry said: "You should
not bend your knee to any. Your
race is as good as any of the others.
The teachings of your people have
been granted by parents who de-
THE SYRIAN WORLD
serve t'he greatest amount of respect. Developing fiction can not
equal the work of your country."
"The best sailors, from Tyre," he
continued, "had accomplishments
which have never been surpassed
The courage and bravery of the men
and the beauty of the women have
been unequaled by secular or religious history.
"The Irish have the greatest affection for you. We are related. The
Irish came from there originally—
the Phoenicians for old Erin. From
them the Irish descended.
"On behalf of His Honor Mayor
Curley, I re-welcome you here for a
strong building of the commonwealth."
District Attorney Foley said, "I
can honestly and sincerely say that
your people have given me less
trouble than any other people, and
I am proud of you."
NEW MILLION-DOLLAR
BANK IN SYRIA
The Arabic press of Beirut an^
nounces definitely the success of Mr.
Paul Knabenshu, former American
consul in Beirut and American consul in Jerusalem, in the organization of a Syrian-American bank with
a capitalization of $1,000,000.
Mr. Knabenshu had conceived the
idea of the bank when he was still
in Beirut, but owing to his transfer
was unable to complete the details.
The capital stock of the bank is
divided into twenty thousand shares
of $50.00 each, fifty per cent, of
which is reserved for American subscribers, forty for Syrians and Lebanese and ten for French.
The Syrian-Lebanese quota was
over-subscribed immediately
the
shares were offered.
!
�J
APRIL, 1930
Syrian papers further announce
that Mr. Knabenshu has sailed for
the United States to raise the necessaiy American quota. Mr. .). P.
Morgan is said to have consented
to act as chairman of the Board of
Directors.
RIHAN1 FETE I)
BY COUNTRYMEN
A correspondent in Los Angeles
writes that while in that city on
his Western lecture tour, our noted
author and traveler Ameen Rihani
was extended a banquet by the Syrian and Lebanese community at
the Hotel Roosevelt at which over
150 were present.
George A. Fuleihan of Hollywood
was master of ceremonies and introduced the speakers who included
Charles Andrews, P. A. Be Hennesy,
M. K. Doumani, Dr. A. S. Abdel
Nur, Charles Cressaty, S. K. Karam,
Miss Helen Gastine and Miss Margaret Andrews.
55
Readers of The Syrian World can
lend their co-operation to the cause
of better understanding between
the Syrians and other races by in
ducing their friends to tune in on
the coming talk of the editor which
is designed to show the Syrians in
their proper light.
SYRIAN JUNIOR LEAGUE
GIVES DINNER-DANCE
The Syrian Junior League of New
York gave a dinner-dance o.i the
roof garden of the Hotel St. George
in Brooklyn on May 10 which was
attended by 350 guests.
The Brooklyn department store at
Fredrick Loeser conducted the fashion parade held in conjunction with
the affair.
Miss Adele Macsoud, President of
the League, made a statement on
the organization's activities. The
speakers of the evening were William Catzeflis and Assad Milkie.
SYRIAN SOCIETY HOLDS
ELECTION ^AND DANCE
COMING RADIO TALK
P»Y S. W. EDITOR
The editor of The Syrian World
will speak over station WPCH in
New York City, at 4 P. M., on Sunday, June 8, on the subject of Syrians in New York City and the
United States. The program will be
under the auspices of the Young
Men's Christian Association and the
Reconciliation Trips.
Although this will be the second
time the editor will broadcast under
the auspices of the above named organizations, he has already given
many radio talks on Syria and the
Syrians since his return last year
from Syria.
The Syrian Young Men's Society
of Los Angeles, Cal., held its annual
meeting for the election of officers
for the season 1930-31, the successful ticket being as follows: Leon Saliba, President; Leo Saad, VicePresident; Samuel Mamey, Secretary; Elias Baker, Treasurer.
Previous to the induction of the
new regime, the society gave a
dance on April 30 at the Diana Studio Ballroom which was attended by
about five hundred of the best element of the Syrian community. Albert Dager acted as master of ceremonies for the evening and introduced both the retiring ond incoming officers.
�56
LEBANESE SCIENTIST
AIDED IN WORK
We are glad to copy from "Science," the official organ of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science, the following
announcement appearing in its issue of April 25:
"The Committee on Scientific Research of the American Medical Association has made an appropriation
of $500 to the department of bacteriology of the School of Medicine
and Dentistry of the University of
Rochester at Rochester, N. Y., for
research on chemotherapy in tuberculosis. The grant is to aid the
work of Dr. George Knaysi, of the
New York State College of Agriculture, who has been granted leave
of absence by Cornell University
and will conduct his experiments at
the University of Rochester."
Dr. Knaysi plans a visit to Syria
this summer and will sail early in
June.
SYRIAN GIRL WINS
POPULARITY CONTEST
I
The Elk City Daily News of Elk
City, Oklahoma, announces in its issue of April 5 that Miss Vaughncille
Joseph and her co-worker, Miss Bessie Shadid, have won the beauty and
popularity contest conducted by the
leading mercantile establishments of
Elk City. The winners will accompany the Beauty Queens of fifteen
other cities of Oklohoma on an
eighteen-day tour of the Western
part of the United States. The whole
party is to consist of thirty-two
women who will travel in a private
pullman car.
Bessie is the daughter of Dr. and
Mrs. M. Shadid of Elk City. Miss
Joseph is a music teacher and a
THE SYRIAN WORLD
studio director of the radio broadcasting station KGMP. Both young
ladies are eighteen years of age
and graduates of high school.
SYRIAN BOY WINS
ORATORICAL CONTEST
The Lake Charles American-Press
of April 11 publishes on its first
page a picture of Edward L. Shaheen with the announcement that
he had won the State oratorical contest of Louisiana and was to go to
Kansas City to enter the zone contest to be held sometime in May.
Edward is a Syrian boy of nineteen who 'has been in this country
not over ten years and whose academic career has been one of extraordinary success. He is the son of
Louis Shaheen Baaclini of Bzebdin,
Lebanon.
SIX BROTHERS
IN ONE SCHOOL
The American University of Beirut is perhaps the only educational
institution in the world that can
claim the distinction of having six
brothers attending its classes at the
same time. They are the sons of Dr.
Dawud Suleiman Bulus who graduated from the University in 1905.
The boys range in age from six to
sixteen, and accommodations for all
are provided in the university.
Dr. Bulus has held many important medical posts in the Near East
and was a captain in the medical
corps of the Egyptian army. He is
now chief of the Haifa Hospital.
The delay attending the publication of this issue permits reporting
news for a part of May.
�I
APRIL, 1930
SOUND PICTURES AROUSE
INTEREST IN SYRIA
By Vice Consul D. F. MrGnnigal,
Beirut.
(From Commerce Reports)
The first talking pictures to be
shown in Syria were exhibited on
February 12, 1930, at a theater in
Beirut. The American sound system
was used. The program consisted of
an animated cartoon, a one-reel comedy, a news reel and an American
feature picture starring a famous
French actor. All were talking films
and all were in English with the
exception of a few songs and monologues in French.
The program aroused the enthusiasm of the local public and there
seemed to be little objection to the
fact that the dialogue was in English. The theater, which seats about
700, doubled its prices, increased the
number of its weekly performances
from 11 to 21, and extended the
showing of the program from 1 to
2 weeks. The average weekly receipts of the theater when showing
silent pictures is understood to have
been about $375, whereas the gross
receipts for the first week of the
talking picture is said to have been
$3,307 and $1,575 the second week.
The cost of the program for the two
weeks is reported to have been
about $1,000.
Other theater owners have been
impressed by the success of the
talking-film exhibition and are considering the installation of sound
equipment.
The local censorship law provides
for the showing of all pictures at
the French High Commission but
as the official projection hall is not
equipped to handle sound pictures,
the Beirut exhibitors arranged to
have the censors come to their thea-
$7
tor for the required examination.
Although no new official rulings
have been announced, it is understood by the exhibitors that a sound
picture found unsuitable will be rejected as a whole and no attempt
will be made to modify it in any
way, because of the technical difficulties involved.
It is too early to predict the effect
of the introduction of sound pictures into Syria on the market for
silent pictures, but it would appear
that the demand for silent pictures
will continue active for some time
to come.
SYRIA INVADED BY LOCUSTS
In spite of all efforts to check
their advance, the locusts are making considerable headway in their
invasion of Syria and Lebanon. The
latest reports indicate that swarms
of the pests have appeared in the
vicinity of Beirut. In the district of
Damascus they have invaded the
Ghouta, after having overrun the
plains of Hauran and Jebel Druze.
Further north they have reached
the outskirts of Aleppo.
The governments of all mandated
countries are taking the most energetic measures to destroy the eggs
before 'hatching in an effort to save
the crops.
REVIVING A DEAD
SYRIAN
CITY
The Syrian government is actively engaged in rebuilding the famous
city of Palmyra, once the capital of
Queen Zenobia who for a time successfully challenged the authority
of Rome. Already 100 lots have
been awarded settlers and 45 houses
built. The highway leading to Damascus is being paved and the debris of the old native houses removed from within the enclosure of
the Great Temple.
�58
THE SYRIAN WORLD
STATEMENT OF THE OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, CIRCULATION
of The Syrian World, published monthly at New York, N. Y., Apr. 1st,1930
STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF NEW YORK.
Before me, a Notary Public, in and for the state and county aforesaid,
personally appeared Salloum A. Mokarzel, who, having been duly sworn
according to law, deposes and says that he is the publisher of The Syrian
World, and that the following is, to the best of his knowledge and belief,
a true statement of the ownership, management (and if a da.ly paper, the
circulation), etc., of the aforesaid publication for the date shown in the
above caption, required by the Act of August .24, 1921, embodied in section
411, Postal Laws and Regulations, printed on the reverse of th s form, to wit:
1. That the names and addresses of the publisher, editor, managing
editor, and business managers are:
Name of—
Post office address—
Publisher, Salloum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenwich Street.
Editor, Salioum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenwich Street.
Managing Editor, Salloum A. Mokarzel
104 Greenwich Street.
Business Managers, Salloum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenw.ch Street.
2. That the owner is: (If owned by a corporation, its name and address
must be stated and also immediately thereunder the names and addresses
of stockholders owning or holding one per cent, or more of total amount of
stock. If not owned by a corporation, the names and addresses of the individual owners must be given. If owned by a firm, company or other unincorporated concern, its name and address, as well as those of each individual
member, mhst be given.)
Salloum A. Mokarzel,
104 Greenwich Street.
3. That the known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1 per cent, or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other secur.ties are: (If there are none, so state.) None.
4. That the two paragraphs next above, giving the names of the owners, stockholders, security holders, if any, contain not only the list of
stockholders and security holders as they appear upon the books of the
company but also, in cases where the stockholder or security holder appears
upon the books of the company as trustee or in any other fiduciary relation,
the name of the person or corporation for whom such trustee is acting is
given; also that the said two paragraphs contain statements embracing affiant's full knowledge and belief as to the circumstances and conditions under which stockholders and security holders who do not appear upon the
books of the company as trustees, hold stock and securities in a capacity
other than that of a bona fide owner; and this affiant has no reason to believe that any other person, association, or corporation has any interest
direct or indirect in the said stock, bonds or other securities than as so
stated by him.
5. That the average number of copies of each issue of this publication
sold or distributed, through the mails or otherwise, to paid subscribers during the six months preceding the date shown above is.
(This information is required from daily publications only.)
S. A. Mokarzel.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 11th day of April, 1930.
[SEAL]
EDNA M. HUCKER,
(My commission expires March 30, 1932.)
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Newspapers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Salloum Mokarzel, a Lebanese American intellectual, founded<em> The Syrian World</em> in 1926. Salloum Mokarzel was the younger brother of Naoum Mokarzel, the publisher of the Arabic-language newspaper <em>Al-Hoda. </em>Together, the Mokarzel brothers ran Al-Hoda Publishing, and in 1909, they published <em>The Syrian Business Directory.</em> </p>
<p>Mokarzel created <em>The Syrian World</em> in order to document and celebrate the culture and history of "Syria." At the time, Syria referred to the modern-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The publication was primarily aimed towards second-generation children of immigrants, but Mokarzel hoped that it would also appeal to the general American public.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p><em>The Syrian World</em> was published between 1926 and 1932 as a journal. In 1932, the format was changed from an academic journal style to a newspaper style, which continued until the periodical's end in 1935. After the death of his brother Naoum, Salloum took over the publication of <em>Al-Hoda.</em></p>
<p>The articles in <em>The Syrian World</em> cover a variety of topics spanning from the practical to the theoretical. Practical subjects include international and domestic travel, historical and contemporary Arabic and Arab-American art and literature, and the mental and physical health and hygiene of immigrants. More theoretical, philosophical, and ideological subjects include ideologies of race, the changing role of women, the formation of Syrian and Lebanese-American societies, and the political and psychological relationships between immigrants and their countries of origin.</p>
<p>All issues of <em>The Syrian World</em> are available, along with full indexes for the first four volumes. For volumes five and six, there are tables of contents at the start of the issues.</p>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabs--United States
Arabic periodicals
Newspapers
Arab American Newspapers
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926-1935
Relation
A related resource
<em><a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/41" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Syrian Business Directory</a></em>
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mokarzel Family Papers</a>
<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11299/175685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annotated Index to the Syrian World, 1926-1932</a> at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center Archives
<a href="https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Al-Hoda Newspapers</em></a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Processed by Claire A. Kempa, 2015-2017. Collection Guide written by Claire A. Kempa, 2017.
Collection Guide updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 August.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
NS 0002
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
TSW1930_04reducedWM
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Volume 04, Issue 08
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930 April
Description
An account of the resource
Volume 4 Issue 08 of The Syrian World published April 1930. The issue opens with an interview conducted by Salloum Mokarzel with El-Atassi, a Syrian Nationalist Leader and President of the Constituent assembly. This is followed by a quote by Kahlil Gibran titled "Helpfulness." The most important article in this issue is Rev. W. A. Mansur's writing about the transitional period occurring in America
in his story he has a Syrian character deliver an imaginary speech to the United States Senate, apropos of some derogatory remarks made against Syrians in America. This is followed by two poems, one by Najla Sabe and the other by Paul Deab. Louis Maron then presents one of his short stories titled "The Return Home," which recounts the story of a boy named Najib and his journey back and forth between Lebanon and the United States over several years. Salloum Mokarzel, the editor, then presents another portion of his journey through Lebanon, covering his travels from Beirut to the Palestine border. The last work in the issue is a poem by Jonard Egis (using a nom de plume) titled "The Syrian Laborer." The issue closes with the Reader's Forum, excerpts from the Arab press, and more on political developments in Syria.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Arabic literature--History and criticism--Periodicals
Arabs--United States--Periodicals
Lebanese-Americans--United States--Periodicals
Language
A language of the resource
English
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Salloum A. Mokarzel
Syrian-American Press
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
New York Public Library
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
104 Greenwich St., New York, NY
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Text/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
1930s
El-Atassi
Immigration
Kahlil Gibran
Lebanon
Najla Sabe
New York
Palestine
Paul Deab
Poetry-English
Reverend W.A. Mansur
Travel