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VOL. V. No. V.
IP
JANUARY, 1931.
THE
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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 '
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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"
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of going through a country and amonVTn^nl
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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
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beside
y
y an Nati0
alist leader, Fakhry Bey Baroodv T„ '"T
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"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
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the conditions of a count wf
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take the half-day iourncv ,„
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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
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"
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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-
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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.
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�——
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
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�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
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�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
»
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�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
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
TSW1931_01reducedWM
Title
A name given to the resource
The Syrian World Volume 05, Issue 05
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1931 January
Description
An account of the resource
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
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
Alice Poulleau
Christmas
Druze
Egypt
English
Kahlil Gibran
New York
Poetry
Thomas Asa
Toufik Moufarrige
Travel