public domain works from the ,university
 of ,michigan ,digital ,libraries47     
,,the ,,women  ,,of  ,,the ,,arabs4     
,,with ,a ,,chapter ,,for ,,children4   
,,by   ,rev4 ,,henry ,,harris ,,jessup1 
,d4,d41  ,seventeen years ,american     
,missionary in ,syria4   ,,edited ,,by  
,rev4 ,c4,s4 ,,robinson1 ,d4,d41  ,rev4 
,,isaac ,,riley4   ,the threshold weeps 
forty days when a girl is born4 --,mt4  
,lebanon ,proverb4   ,,new ,,york3      
,,dodd  ,,mead1 ,,publishers4   ,entered
 according to ,act of ,congress in the  
year #ahgc1 by ,,dodd  ,,mead1 in the   
,office of the ,librarian of ,congress  
at ,washington4     ,,this ,,book  ,,is 
,,dedicated ,,to ,,the  ,,christian     
,,women ,,of ,,america4                 
,beirt1 ,syria1 ,july1 #ahgc4           
,owing to the impossibility of my       
attending personally to the     editing 
of this volume1 ,i requested my old     
friends1 ,rev4 ,c4,s4     ,robinson1    
,d4,d41 and ,rev4 ,isaac ,riley1 of ,new
 ,york1 to superintend     the work1 and

 would gratefully acknowledge their kind
 and     disinterested aid1 cheerfully  
proffered at no little sacrifice of     
time4                                   
,h4,h4 ,,jessup4     ,,preface4   ,the  
,orient is the birthplace of prophecy4  
,before the advent of our ,lord1 the    
very air of the ,east was resounding    
with the unconscious prophecies of      
heathenism4 ,men were in expectation of 
great changes in the earth4 ,when       
,mohammed arose1 he not only claimed to 
be the deliverer of a message inspired  
of ,allah1 but to foretell the events of
 futurity4 ,he declared that the        
approach of the latter day could be     
distinguished by unmistakable signs1    
among which were two of the most notable
 character4  ,before the latter day1 the
 sun shall rise in the ,west1 and ,god  
will send forth a cold odoriferous wind 
blowing from ,syria ,damascena1 which   
shall sweep away the souls of all the   
faithful1 and the ,koran itself4 ,what  
the world of ,islam takes in its literal

 sense1 we may take in a deeper         
spiritual meaning4 ,is it not true1 that
 far in the ,west1 the gospel sun began 
to rise and shed its beams on ,syria1   
many years ago1 and that in our day that
 cold odoriferous wind of truth and     
life1 fragrant with the love of ,jesus  
and the love of man1 is beginning to    
blow from ,syria ,damascena1 over all   
the ,eastern world6 ,the church and the 
school1 the printing press and the      
translated ,bible1 the periodical and   
the ponderous volume1 the testimony of  
living witnesses for the truth1 and of  
martyrs who have died in its defence1   
all combine to sweep away the systems of
 error1 whether styled ,christian1      
,moslem or ,pagan4  ,the remarkable     
uprising of christian women in          
,christian lands to a new interest in   
the welfare of woman in heathen and     
,mohammedan countries1 is one of the    
great events of the present century4    
,this book is meant to be a memorial of 
the early laborers in ,syria1 nearly all

 of whom have passed away4 ,it is       
intended also as a record of the work   
done for women and girls of the ,arab   
race2 to show some of the great results 
which have been reached and to stimulate
 to new zeal and effort in their behalf4
  ,in tracing the history of this work1 
it seemed necessary to describe the     
condition of woman in ,syria when the   
missionaries first arrived1 and to      
examine the different religious systems1
 which affect her position4  ,in        
preparing the chapter on the            
,pre-,islamic ,arabs1 ,i have found     
valuable materials in ,chenery's        
,hariri1 ,sales and ,rodwell's ,koran1  
and ,freytag's ,arabic ,proverbs4  ,for 
the facts about the ,druze religion1 ,i 
have consulted ,col4 ,churchill's       
,works1 ,mount ,lebanon1 and several    
,arabic manuscripts in the mission      
library in ,beirt4  ,rev4 ,s4 ,lyde's   
interesting book called the ,asian      
,mystery1 has given me the principal    
items with regard to the ,nusairyeh     

religion4 ,this confirms the statements 
of ,suleiman ,effendi1 whose tract1     
revealing the secrets of the ,nusairyeh 
faith1 was printed years ago at the     
,mission ,press in ,beirt1 and          
translated by that ripe ,arabic ,scholar
 ,prof4 ,e4 ,salisbury of ,new ,haven4  
,the bloody ,nusairyeh never forgave    
,suleiman for revealing their mysteries2
 and having invited him to a feast in a 
village near ,adana1 #ahga1 brutally    
buried him alive in a dunghill6  ,for   
the historical statements of this       
volume1 ,i am indebted to the files of  
the ,missionary ,herald1 the ,annual    
,reports of the ,syria ,mission1 the    
archives of the mission in ,beirt1 the  
memoir of ,mrs4 ,sarah ,l4 ,smith1 and  
private letters from ,mrs4 ,whiting1    
,mrs4 ,de ,forest1 and various          
missionary and native friends4          
,information on the general work of the 
,syrian ,mission may be found in ,dr4   
,anderson's ,missions to the ,oriental  
churches1 ,rev4 ,isaac ,bird's ,bible   

,work in ,bible ,lands1 and the pamphlet
 sketches of ,rev4 ,t4 ,laurie and ,rev4
 ,james ,s4 ,dennis4  ,the specimens of 
poetry from ancient ,arabic poetesses1  
have been gathered from printed and     
manuscript volumes1 and from the lips of
 the people4  ,some accounts of child   
life in ,syria and specimens of         
,oriental stories and nursery rhymes    
have been gathered into a ,children's   
,chapter4 ,they have a value higher than
 that which is given by mere            
entertainment as they exhibit many      
phases of ,arab home life4 ,the         
illustrations of the volume consist of  
drawings from photographs by ,bergheim  
of ,jerusalem and ,bonfils of ,beirt4   
,the pages of ,arabic were electrotyped 
in ,beirt by ,mr4 ,samuel ,hallock1 the 
skilful superintendent of the ,american 
,press4  ,i send out this record of the 
work carried on in ,syria with deep     
gratitude for all that the ,lord has    
done1 and with an ardent desire that it 
may be the means of bringing this great 

field more vividly before the minds of  
,christian people1 of wakening warmer   
devotion to the missionary cause1 and so
 of hastening the time when every ,arab 
woman shall enjoy the honor1 and be     
worthy of the elevation which come with 
faith in ,him who was first foretold as 
the seed of the woman4                  
,,henry ,,harris ,,jessup4 ,beirt1      
,syria1 ,nov4 #bh1 #ahgb4               
,,contents4   ,,chapter ,i4             
,,page ,state of ,women among the ,arabs
 of the ,jahiliyeh1 or the ,times of the
 ,ignorance4                            
#a  ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,state of ,women in 
the ,mohammedan ,world4                 
#g  ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,the ,druze        
,religion and ,druze ,women4            
#bj  ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,nusairyeh4        
#ce  ,,chapter ,v4 ,chronicle of        
,women's ,work from #ahbj to #ahgb4     
#de  ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,mrs4 ,whiting's   
,school4                                
#eg  ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,dr4 ,de ,forest's
 ,work in ,beirt4                       

#gc  ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,re-opening of   
the ,school in ,beirt4                  
#ig  ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,luciya ,shekkur4  
#aad  ,,chapter ,x4 ,raheel4            
#abj  ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,hums4            
#adj  ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,miriam the      
,aleppine4                              
#aea  ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,modern ,syrian 
,views with regard to ,female           
,education4        #aeh  ,,chapter      
,,xiv4 ,bedawin ,arabs4                 
#ahj  ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,woman between    
,barbarism and ,civilization4           
#aia  ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,opinions of     
,protestant ,syrians with regard to the 
,work of ,american ,women in ,syria4    
#bjj  ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,other ,labors  
for ,women and ,girls in this ,field4   
#bjd  ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,the ,amount of
 ,biblical ,instruction given in        
,mission ,schools4                      
#bae  ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,the ,children's 
,chapter4                               
#bcc     ,,the  ,,women ,,of ,,the      
,,arabs4     ,,chapter ,i4  ,,state ,,of

 ,,women ,,among ,,the ,,arabs ,,of     
,,the ,,jahiliyeh1 ,,or ,,the ,,times   
,,of ,,the ,,ignorance4   ,in that      
eloquent ,sura of the ,koran1 called    
,ettekwir1 7lxxxi47 it is said1 ,when   
the girl buried alive shall be asked for
 what sin she was slain4 ,the passage no
 doubt refers to the cruel practice     
which still in ,mohammed's time lingered
 among the tribe of ,temm1 and which was
 afterwards eradicated by the influence 
of ,islam4 ,the origin of this practice 
has been ascribed to the superstitious  
rite of sacrificing children1 common in 
remote times to all the ,semites1 and   
observed by the ,jews up to the age of  
the ,captivity1 as we learn from the    
denunciations of ,jeremiah4 ,but in     
later times daughters were buried alive 
as a matter of household economy1 owing 
to the poverty of many of the tribes1   
and to their fear of dishonor1 since    
women were often carried off by their   
enemies in forays1 and made slaves and  
concubines to strangers4  ,so that at a 

wedding1 the wish expressed in the      
gratulations to the newly-married pair  
was1 with concord and sons1 or with     
concord and permanence2 with sons and no
 daughters4 ,this same salutation is    
universal in ,syria now4 ,the chief wish
 expressed by women to a bride is1 may  
,god give you an arees1 i4e4 a          
bridegroom son4  ,in the ,koran1 ,sura  
xiv1 ,mohammed argues against the ,arabs
 of ,kinaneh1 who said that the angels  
were the daughters of ,god4 ,they       
7blasphemously7 attribute daughters to  
,god2 yet they wish them not for        
themselves4 ,when a female child is     
announced to one of them1 his face grows
 dark1 and he is as though he would     
choke4  ,the older ,arab ,proverbs show 
that the burying alive of female        
children was deemed praiseworthy4       
,to send women before to the other      
world1 is a benefit4       ,the best    
son-in-law is the grave4  ,the ,koran   
also says1 that certain men when hearing
 of the birth of a daughter hide        

themselves from the people because of   
the ill-tidings2 shall he keep it with  
disgrace1 or bury it in the dust4 7,sura
 xvi47  ,it is said that the only       
occasion on which ,othman ever shed a   
tear1 was when his little daughter1 whom
 he was burying alive1 wiped the dust of
 the grave-earth from his beard6        
,before the ,seventh ,century this      
practice seems to have been gradually   
abandoned1 but was retained the longest 
in the tribe of ,temm4 ,naman1 king of  
,hira1 carried off among his prisoners  
in a foray1 the daughter of ,kais1 chief
 of ,temm1 who fell in love with one of 
her captors and refused to return to her
 tribe1 whereupon her father swore to   
bury alive all his future female        
children1 which he did1 to the number of
 ten4  ,subsequent to this1 rich men    
would buy the lives of girls devoted to 
inhumation1 and ,sa ,saah thus rescued  
many1 in one case giving two milch      
camels to buy the life of a new-born    
girl1 and he was styled the ,reviver of 

the ,maidens buried alive4  ,the        
following ,arabic ,proverbs having      
reference to women and girls will       
illustrate the ancient ,arab ideas with 
regard to their character and position1 
better than volumes of historic         
discourse3       ,obedience to women    
will have to be repented of4       ,a   
man can bear anything but the mention of
 his women4       ,the heart of woman is
 given to folly4       ,leave not a girl
 nor a green pasture unguarded4         
,what has a girl to do with the councils
 of a nation8       ,if you would marry 
a beauty1 pay her dowry4       ,fear not
 to praise the man whose wives are true 
to him4       ,woman fattens on what she
 hears4 7flattery7       ,women are the 
whips of ,satan4       ,if you would    
marry a girl1 inquire about the traits  
of her      mother4       ,trust neither
 a king1 a horse1 nor a woman4 ,for the 
king is      fastidious1 the horse prone
 to run away1 and the woman is          
perfidious4       ,my father does the   

fighting1 and my mother the talking     
about it4       ,our mother forbids us  
to err and runs into error4       ,alas 
for the people who are ruled by a woman6
  ,the position of woman among the      
,arabs before the times of ,mohammed can
 be easily inferred from what has       
preceded4 ,but there is another side to 
the picture4 ,although despised and     
abused1 woman often asserted her dignity
 and maintained her rights1 not only by 
physical force1 but by intellectual     
superiority as well4 ,the poetesses of  
the ,arabs are numerous1 and some of    
them hold a high rank4 ,their poetry was
 impromptu1 impassioned1 and chiefly of 
the elegiac and erotic type4 ,the       
faculty of improvisation was cultivated 
even by the most barbarous tribes1 and  
although such of their poetry as has    
been preserved is mostly a kind of      
rhymed prose1 it often contains striking
 and beautiful thoughts4 ,they called   
improvised poetry the daughter of the   
hour4  ,the queen of ,arabic poetesses  

is ,el ,khunsa1 who flourished in the   
days of ,mohammed4 ,elegies on her two  
warrior brothers ,sakhr and ,mu'awiyeh  
are among the gems of ancient ,arabic   
poetry4 ,she was not what would be      
called in modern times a refined or     
delicate lady1 being regarded as proud  
and masculine in temper even by the     
,arabs of her own age4 ,in the eighth   
year of the ,hegira1 her son ,abbas     
brought a thousand warriors to join the 
forces of the ,prophet4 ,she came with  
him and recited her poetry to ,mohammed4
 ,she lamented her brother for years4   
,she sang of ,sakhr3      ,his goodness 
is known by his brotherly face1         
,thrice blessed such sign of a heavenly 
grace3     ,you would think from his    
aspect of meekness and shame1     ,that 
his anger was stirred at the thought of 
his fame4     ,oh rare virtue and       
beautiful1 natural trait1     ,which    
never will change by the change of      
estate6     ,when clad in his armor and 
prepared for the fray1     ,the army    

rejoiceth and winneth the day6  ,again1 
she lamented him as follows3      ,each 
glorious rising sun brings ,sakhr to my 
mind1     ,i think anew of him when sets
 the orb of day2     ,and had ,i not    
beheld the grief and sorrow blind       
,of many mourning ones o'er brothers    
snatched away1     ,i should have slain 
myself1 from deep and dark despair4     
,the poet ,nabighah erected for her a   
red leather tent at the fair of ,okaz1  
in token of honor1 and in the contest of
 poetry gave her the highest place above
 all but ,maymn1 saying to her1 ,if ,i  
had not heard him1 ,i would say that    
thou didst surpass every one in poetry4 
,i confess that you surpass all women4  
,to which she haughtily replied1 ,not   
the less do ,i surpass all men4  ,the   
following are among the famous lines of 
,el ,khunsa1 which gave her the title of
 princess of ,arab poetesses4 ,the      
translation ,i have made quite literal4 
,ah time has its wonders2 its changes   
amaze1     ,it leaves us the tail while 

the head it slays2     ,it leaves us the
 low while the highest decays2     ,it  
leaves the obscure1 the despised1 and   
the slave1     ,but of honored and loved
 ones1 the true and the brave     ,it   
leaves us to mourn o'er the untimely    
grave4     ,the two new creations1 the  
day and the night1     ,though          
ceaselessly changing1 are pure as the   
light3     ,but man changes to error1   
corruption and blight4  ,the most       
ancient ,arab poetess1 ,zarfeh1 is      
supposed to have lived as long ago as   
the ,second ,century1 in the time of the
 bursting of the famous dyke of ,mareb1 
which devastated the land of ,saba4     
,another poetess1 ,raksh1 sister of the 
king of ,hira1 was given in marriage1 by
 the king when intoxicated1 to a man    
named ,adi4  ,alas1 in these days the   
,moslem ,arabs do not wait until blinded
 by wine1 to give their daughters in    
marriage to strangers4 ,i once overheard
 two ,moslem young men converging in a  
shop1 one of whom was about to be       

married4 ,his companion said to him1    
have you heard anything about the looks 
of your betrothed8 ,not much1 said he1  
only ,i am assured that she is white4   
,in a book written by ,mirai ibn ,yusef 
el ,hanbali1 are the names of twenty    
,arab women who improvised poetry4      
,among them are ,leila1 ,leila el       
,akhyalyeh1 ,lubna1 ,zeinab1 ,afra1     
,hind1 ,may1 ,jenb1 ,hubaish1 ,zarifeh1 
,jemleh1 ,remleh1 ,lotifeh1 and others4 
,most of the verses ascribed to them are
 erotic poetry of an amatory character1 
full of the most extravagant expressions
 of devotion of which language is       
capable1 and yet the greater part of it 
hardly bearing translation4 ,it reminds 
one strikingly of ,solomon's ,song1 full
 of passionate eloquence4 ,and yet in   
the poetry of ,el ,khunsa and others1   
which is of an elegiac character1 there 
are passages full of sententious        
apothegms and proverbial wisdom4        
,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,state ,,of ,,women   
,,in ,,the ,,mohammadan ,,world4   ,our 

knowledge of the position of women among
 the ,mohammedans is derived from the   
,koran1 ,moslem tradition1 and ,moslem  
practice4  ,i4 ,in the first place1 the 
,koran does not teach that women have no
 souls4 ,not only was ,mohammed too     
deeply indebted to his rich wife        
,khadijah1 to venture such an assertion1
 but he actually teaches in the ,koran  
the immortality and moral responsibility
 of women4 ,one of his wives having     
complained to him that ,god often       
praised the men1 but not the women who  
had fled the country for the faith1 he  
immediately produced the following      
revelation3       ,i will not suffer the
 work of him among you who worketh to be
      lost1 whether he be male or       
female4 7,sura iii47  ,in ,sura iv4 it  
is said3       ,whoso doeth good works1 
and is a true believer1 whether male or 
female1 shall be admitted into          
,paradise4  ,in ,sura xxxiii3           
,truly1 the ,muslemen and the           
,muslimate1 7fem47     ,the believing   

men and the believing women1     ,the   
devout men and the devout women1        
,the men of truth and the women of      
truth1     ,the patient men and the     
patient women1     ,the humble men and  
the humble women1     ,the charitable   
men and the charitable women1     ,the  
fasting men and the fasting women1      
,the chaste men and the chaste women1   
,and the men and women who oft remember 
,god2     ,for them hath ,god prepared  
,forgiveness and a rich recompense4     
,,ii4 ,thus ,mohammedans cannot and do  
not deny that women have souls1 but     
their brutal treatment of women has     
naturally led to this view4 ,the ,caliph
 ,omar said that women are worthless    
creatures and soil men's reputations4   
,in ,sura iv4 it is written3      ,men  
are superior to women1 on account of the
 qualities     ,with which ,god has     
gifted the one above the other1     ,and
 on account of the outlay they make1    
from their substance for them4          
,virtuous women are obedient4444        

,but chide those for whose              
refractoriness     ,ye have cause to    
fear 444 and scourge them4  ,the        
interpretation of this last injunction  
being left to the individual believer1  
it is carried out with terrible         
severity4 ,the scourging and beating of 
wives is one of the worst features of   
,moslem domestic life4 ,it is a degraded
 and degrading practice1 and having the 
sanction of the ,koran1 will be indulged
 in without rebuke as long as ,islamism 
as a system and a faith prevails in the 
world4 ,happily for the poor women1 the 
husbands do not generally beat them so  
as to imperil their lives1 in case their
 own relatives reside in the vicinity1  
lest the excruciating screams of the    
suffering should reach the ears of her  
parents and bring the husband into      
disgrace4 ,but where there is no fear of
 interference or of discovery1 the blows
 and kicks are applied in the most      
merciless and barbarous manner4 ,women  
are killed in this way1 and no outsider 

knows the cause4 ,one of my ,moslem     
neighbors once beat one of his wives to 
death4 ,i heard her screams day after   
day1 and finally1 one night1 when all   
was still1 ,i heard a dreadful shriek1  
and blow after blow falling upon her    
back and head4 ,i could hear the brute  
cursing her as he beat her4 ,the police 
would not interfere1 and ,i could not   
enter the house4 ,the next day there was
 a funeral from that house1 and she was 
carried off and buried in the most hasty
 and unfeeling manner4 ,sometimes it    
happens that the woman is strong enough 
to defend herself1 and conquers a peace2
 but ordinarily when you hear a scream  
in the ,moslem quarter of the city and  
ask the reason1 it will be said to you  
with an indifferent shrug of the        
shoulder1 that is only some man beating 
his wife4  ,that thirty-eighth verse of 
,sura iv4 is one of the many proofs that
 the ,koran is not the book of ,god1    
because it violates the law of love4    
,husbands love your wives1 is a precept 

of the ,gospel and not of the ,koran4   
,yet it is a sad fact that the nominal  
,christians of this dark land are not   
much better in this respect than their  
,moslem neighbors4 ,the ,greeks1        
,maronites and ,papal ,greeks beat their
 wives on the slightest provocation4 ,in
 the more enlightened towns and cities  
this custom is going out of fashion1    
though still often resorted to in fits  
of passion4 ,sometimes the male         
relatives of the wife retaliate in case 
a husband beats her4 ,in the village of 
,schwire1 in ,lebanon1 a man beat his   
wife in a brutal manner and she fled to 
the house of her brother4 ,the brother  
watched his opportunity2 waylaid the    
offending husband1 and avenged his      
sister's injuries by giving him a severe
 flogging4 ,in ,eastern ,turkey1 a      
missionary in one of the towns noticed  
that not one woman attended church on   
,sunday4 ,he expostulated with the      
,protestants1 and urged them to persuade
 their wives to accompany them4 ,the    

next ,sunday the women were all present1
 as meek and quiet as could be wished4  
,the missionary was delighted1 and asked
 one of the men how they persuaded them 
to come8 ,he replied1 ,we all beat our  
wives soundly until they consented to   
come6 ,this wife-beating custom has     
evidently been borrowed by the          
,christian sects from their ,moslem     
rulers and oppressors1 and nothing but a
 pure ,christianity can induce them to  
abandon it4  ,,iii4 ,some have supposed 
that there will be no place in the      
,moslem ,paradise for women1 as their   
place will be taken by the seventy-two  
bright-eyed ,houris or damsels of       
,paradise4 ,mohammed once said that when
 he took a view of ,paradise he saw the 
majority of its inhabitants to be the   
poor1 and when he looked down into hell1
 he saw the greater part of the wretches
 confined there to be women6 ,yet he    
positively promised his followers that  
the very meanest in ,paradise will have 
eighty thousand servants1 seventy-two   

wives of the ,houris1 besides the wives 
he had in this world4 ,the promises of  
the ,houris are almost exclusively to be
 found in ,suras1 written at a time when
 ,mohammed had only a single wife of    
sixty years of age1 and in all the ten  
years subsequent to the ,hegira1 women  
are only twice mentioned as the reward  
of the faithful4 ,and this1 while in    
four ,suras1 the proper wives of the    
faithful are spoken of as accompanying  
their husbands into the gardens of      
bliss4      ,they and their wives on    
that day     ,shall rest in shady       
groves4 7,sura #cf47      ,enter ye and 
your wives into ,paradise delighted4    
7,sura #dc47      ,gardens of ,eden into
 which they shall enter     ,together   
with the just of their fathers1 and     
their wives4 7,sura #ac47  ,an old woman
 once desired ,mohammed to intercede    
with ,god that she might be admitted to 
,paradise1 and he told her that no old  
woman would enter that place4 ,she burst
 into loud weeping1 when he explained   

himself by saying that ,god would then  
make her young again4  ,i was once a    
fellow-passenger in the ,damascus       
diligence1 with a ,mohammedan pilgrim   
going to ,mecca by way of ,beirt and    
,egypt1 in company with his wife4 ,i    
asked him whether his wife would have   
any place in ,paradise when he received 
his quota of seventy-two ,houris4 ,yes1 
said he1 looking towards his wife1 whose
 veil prevented our seeing her1 although
 she could see us1 if she obeys me in   
all respects1 and is a faithful wife1   
and goes to ,mecca1 she will be made    
more beautiful than all the ,houris of  
,paradise4 ,paradise is thus held up to 
the women as the reward of obedience to 
their husbands1 and this is about the   
sum and substance of what the majority  
of ,moslem women know about religion4   
,women are never admitted to pray with  
men in public1 being obliged to perform 
their devotions at home1 or if they     
visit the ,mosques1 it must be at a time
 when the men are not there1 for the    

,moslems are of opinion that the        
presence of women inspires a different  
kind of devotion from that which is     
desirable in a place set apart for the  
worship of ,god4  ,the ,moslem idea of  
woman is vile and degraded4 ,a ,moslem  
absent from home never addresses a      
letter to his wife1 but to his son or   
brother1 or some male relative4 ,it is  
considered a grievous insult to ask a   
,moslem about the health of his wife4   
,if obliged to allude to a woman in     
conversation1 you must use the word     
ajellak ,allah1 ,may ,god elevate you   
above the contamination of this subject6
 ,you would be expected to use the same 
expression in referring to a donkey1 a  
dog1 a shoe1 a swine or anything vile4  
,it is somewhat like the ,irish         
expression1 ,saving your presence1 sir1 
when alluding to an unpleasant subject4 
,a ,greek christian 787 in ,tripoli came
 to an ,american ,missionary physician  
and said1 there is a woman1 'ajell      
shanak ,allah' here who is ill4 ,i beg  

your pardon for mentioning so vile a    
subject to your excellency4 ,said the   
doctor1 and who may it be8 ,ajellak1 it 
is my wife6  ,i remember once meeting   
the ,mohammedan ,mufti of ,beirt in ,dr4
 ,van ,dyck's study at the printing     
press4 ,the ,mufti's wife1 7at least one
 of them17 was ill1 and he wished       
medical advice1 but could not insult the
 ,doctor by alluding to a woman in his  
presence4 ,so he commenced1 after       
innumerable salutations1 repeating      
good-morning1 and may your day be happy1
 until he could decently proceed to     
business4 ,your excellency must be aware
 that ,i have a sick man at my house4   
,may ,god grant you health6 ,indeed1    
peace to your head4 ,inshullah1 it is   
only a slight attack6 ,he has pain in   
his back1 headache1 and he will not eat4
 ,has he any fever8 ,a little4 ,i will  
come and see her this afternoon4 ,may   
,god increase your good4 ,good morning1 
sir6  ,the ,mohammedan laws with regard 
to polygamy1 inheritance and divorce1   

are a decided advance on the ,pagan     
,arabs of the ,ignorance4  ,the ,pagan  
,arabs allowed any number of wives4 ,the
 ,koran allows only four to any         
believer1 the prophet himself having    
peculiar privileges in this respect4    
,the modern practice of ,mohammedans in 
taking a score or more of wives is      
directly contrary to the ,koran4 ,the   
,pagan ,arabs suffered no woman to have 
any part of the husband's or father's   
inheritance1 on the ground that none    
should inherit who could not go to war1 
and the widows were disposed of as a    
part of their husband's possessions4    
,the ,koran says1 7,sura iv47 ,women    
ought to have a part of what their      
parents leave4 ,a male shall have twice 
as much as a female4 ,but a man's       
parents1 and also his brothers and      
sisters are to have equal shares1       
without reference to sex4 ,god          
commandeth you to give the male the     
portion of two females4 ,if she be an   
only daughter1 she shall have the half4 

,your wives shall have a fourth part of 
what ye leave1 if ye have no issue4     
,among the ,pagan ,arabs1 divorce was a 
mere matter of caprice4 ,the ,koran     
says1 7,sura ii47 ,you may divorce your 
wives twice 7and take them back again74 
,but if the husband divorce her a third 
time1 it is not lawful for him to take  
her again1 until she shall have been    
actually married to another husband1 and
 then divorced by him4 ,i have known    
cases where the husband in a fit of     
passion has divorced his wife the third 
time1 and1 in order to get her back     
again1 has hired another man to marry   
her and then divorce her4 ,a rich       
,effendi had divorced his wife the third
 time1 and wishing to re-marry her1     
hired a poor man to marry her for a     
consideration of seven hundred piastres4
 ,he took the wife and the money1 and   
the next day refused to give her up for 
less than five thousand piastres1 which 
the ,effendi was obliged to pay1 as the 
woman had become the lawful and wedded  

wife of the poor man4  ,no ,mohammedan  
ever walks with his wife in the street1 
and in ,moslem cities1 very few if any  
of men of other sects are willing to be 
seen in public in company with a woman4 
,the women are closely veiled1 and if a 
man and his wife have occasion to go    
anywhere together1 he walks in advance  
and she walks a long distance behind    
him4 ,nofel ,effendi1 one of the most   
learned and intelligent ,protestants in 
,syria1 once gave me the explanation of 
this aversion to walking in public with 
women1 in a more satisfactory manner    
than ,i had ever heard it before4 ,said 
he1 ,you ,franks can walk with your     
wives in public1 because their faces are
 unveiled1 and it is known that they are
 your wives1 but our women are so       
closely veiled that if ,i should walk   
with my wife in the street1 no one would
 know whether ,i was walking with my own
 wife or another man's6 ,you cannot     
expect a respectable man to put himself 
into such an embarrassing position6 ,no 

,moslem woman or girl would dare go into
 the street without a veil1 for fear of 
personal chastisement from the husband  
and father1 and the ,greek1 ,maronite   
and other nominal ,christian women in   
,syria shrink from exposing their faces1
 through fear of insult from the        
,mohammedans4  ,when ,european women1   
either residents or travellers1 pass    
through the ,moslem quarter of these    
cities of ,syria and ,palestine1 with   
faces unveiled1 they are made the theme 
of the most outrageous and insulting    
comments by the ,moslem populace4 ,well 
is it for the feelings of the most of   
these worthy ,christian women1 that they
 do not understand the ,arabic language4
 ,the ,turkish governor of ,tripoli was 
obliged to suppress the insulting       
epithets of the ,moslems towards        
,european ladies when they first began  
to reside there1 by the infliction of   
the bastinado4  ,in #aheg1 the ,rev4    
,mr4 ,lyons in ,tripoli1 hired ,sheikh  
,owad1 a ,moslem bigot1 to teach him the

 ,arabic grammar4 ,he was a conceited   
boor2 well versed in ,arabic grammar1   
but more ignorant of geography1         
arithmetic and good breeding than a     
child4 ,one day ,mrs4 ,lyons passed     
through the room where he was teaching  
,mr4 ,l4 and he turned his head away    
from her and spat towards her with a    
look of unutterable contempt4 ,it was   
the last time he did it1 and he has now 
become so civilized that he can say good
 morning to the wife of a missionary1   
and even consent to teach the sacred1   
pure and undefiled ,arabic to a woman6  
,i believe that he has not yet given his
 assent to the fact that the earth      
revolves on its axis1 but he has learned
 that there are women in the world who  
know more than ,sheikh ,owad4  ,in      
ancient times ,moslem women were        
occasionally taught to read the ,koran1 
and among the wealthier and more        
aristocratic classes1 married women are 
now sometimes taught to read1 but the   
mass of the ,moslem men are bitterly    

opposed to the instruction of women4    
,when a man decides to have his wife    
taught to read1 the usual plan is to    
hire a blind ,mohammedan ,sheikh1 who   
knows the ,koran by heart4 ,he sits at  
one side of the room1 and she at the    
other1 some elderly woman1 either her   
mother or her mother-in-law1 being      
present4 ,the blind ,sheikhs have       
remarkable memories and sharp ears1 and 
can detect the slightest error in       
pronunciation or rendering1 so they are 
employed in the most of the             
,moslem-schools4 ,the mass of the       
,mohammedans are nervously afraid of    
entrusting the knowledge of reading and 
writing to their wives and daughters1   
lest they abuse it by writing           
clandestine letters to improper persons4
 ,teach a girl to read and write6 said a
 ,mohammedan ,mufti in ,tripoli to me1  
,why1 she will write letters1 sir1--yes1
 actually write letters6 the thing is   
not to be thought of for a moment4 ,i   
replied1 ,effendum1 you put your foot on

 the women's necks and then blame them  
for not rising4 ,educate your girls and 
train them to intelligence and virtue1  
and then their pens will write only what
 ought to be written4 ,train the hand to
 hold a pen1 without training the mind  
to direct it1 and only mischief can     
result4 ,saheah1 saheah1 very true1 very
 true1 said he1 ,but how can this be    
done8  ,it has begun to be done in      
,syria4 ,from the days of ,mrs4 ,sarah  
,l4 ,smith to the present time1 ,moslem 
girls have been taught to read and write
 and sew1 and there are many now        
learning in the various ,american1      
,british and ,prussian schools4 ,but it 
will be long before any true idea of the
 dignity of woman enters the debased    
minds of ,arab ,mohammedans4 ,the simple
 fact is that there is no moral purity  
or elevation among the men1 and how can 
it be expected among the women4 ,the    
,moslem idea of woman is infinitely     
lower than the old ,jewish idea4 ,woman 
in the time of ,christ was highly       

honored4 ,believing women followed      
,christ throughout ,galilee and ,judea1 
and although enemies stood watching with
 hateful gaze on every side1 not one    
word of insinuation was ever lisped     
against them4 ,it is a most sadly       
impressive fact to one living in ,syria 
at the present day1 that the liberty and
 respect allowed to woman in the days of
 our ,saviour would now be absolutely   
impossible4 ,in purely ,greek or        
,maronite or ,armenian villages1 the    
women enjoy far greater liberty than    
where there is a ,moslem element in the 
population4 ,and it is worthy of remark 
and grateful recognition1 that although 
,christianity in the ,east has sunk     
almost to a level1 in outward morality1 
with the ,islamic and semi-,pagan sects1
 there is a striking difference between 
the lowest nominal ,christian community 
and the highest ,mohammedan1 in the     
respect paid to woman4 ,ignorant and    
oppressed as the ,greek and ,maronite   
women may be1 you feel on entering their

 houses1 that the degrading yoke of     
,moslem brutality is not on their necks4
 ,their husbands may be coarse1 ignorant
 and brutal1 beating their wives and    
despising their daughters1 mourning at  
the birth of a daughter1 and marrying   
her without her consent1 and yet there  
are lower depths of coarseness and      
brutality1 of cruelty and bestiality1   
which are only found among ,mohammedans4
 ,i once suggested to a ,tripoli        
,moslem1 that he send his daughters to  
our ,girls' ,school1 then taught by     
,miss ,sada ,gregory1 a native teacher  
trained in the family of ,mrs4 ,whiting1
 and he looked at me with an expression 
of mingled pity and contempt1 saying1   
,educate a girl6 ,you might as well     
attempt to educate a cat6  ,not two     
months since1 ,i was conversing with    
several of the aristocratic ,mohammedans
 of ,beirt1 who were in attendance at   
the commencement of the ,beirt          
,protestant ,medical ,college4 ,the     
subject of the education of girls was   

introduced1 and one of them said1 we are
 beginning to have our girls instructed 
in your ,protestant schools1 and would  
you believe it1 ,i heard one of them    
read the other day1 7probably his own   
daughter17 and she actually asked a     
question about the construction of a    
noun preceded by a preposition6 ,i never
 heard the like of it4 ,the things do   
distinguish and understand what they    
read1 after all6 ,the others replied1   
,mashallah6 ,mashallah6 ,the will of    
,god be done6  ,some ten years ago1 an  
influential ,moslem ,sheikh in ,beirt1  
who was a personal friend of ,mr4       
,araman1 the husband of ,lulu1 brought  
his daughter ,wahidy 7only one7 to the  
,seminary to be instructed1 on condition
 that no man should ever see her face4  
,as ,mr4 ,araman himself was one of the 
teachers1 and ,i was accustomed to make 
constant visits to the school1 she was  
obliged to wear a light veil1 which she 
drew adroitly over her face whenever the
 door was opened4 ,this went on for     

months and years1 until at length in    
recitation she would draw the veil      
aside4 ,then she used to listen to      
public addresses in the school without  
her veil1 and finally1 in ,june1 #ahfg1 
she read a composition on the stage at  
the ,public ,examination1 on1 ,the value
 of education to the women and girls of 
,syria1 her father1 ,sheikh ,said el    
,ghur1 being present1 with a number of  
his ,moslem friends4     ,,chapter      
,,iii4  ,,the ,,druze ,,religion ,,and  
,,druze ,,women4   ,the great expounder 
and defender of the ,druze religion is  
,hamz1 the ,universal ,intelligence1 the
 only ,mediator between ,god and man1   
and the medium of the creation of all   
things4 ,this ,hamz was a shrewd1 able  
and unprincipled man4 ,in his writings  
he not only defends the abominations of 
,hakem1 but lays down the complete code 
of ,druze doctrine and duty4  ,it is the
 belief of many1 and said to be the     
orthodox view among the ,druzes that    
their system as such is to last exactly 

#ijj lunar years4 ,the date of the      
,druze era is #djh ,hegira1 or #ajbj    
,a4,d4 ,the present year1 #ahgb1        
corresponds to the year #abhi ,anno     
,hegira1 so that in nineteen lunar years
 the system will begin to come to an end
 according to its own reckoning1 and    
after #ajjj years it will cease to      
exist4 ,others have fixed this present  
year as the year of the great cataclysm1
 but the interpreters are so secret and 
reserved in their statements1 that it is
 only by casual remarks that we can     
arrive at any idea of their real belief4
 ,lying to infidels is such a           
meritorious act1 that you cannot depend 
on one word they say of themselves or   
their doctrines4 ,their secret books1   
which were found in the civil wars of   
#ahda and #ahde1 have been translated   
and published by ,de ,sacy1 and we have 
a number of them in the original ,arabic
 manuscripts in the ,mission ,library in
 ,beirt4 ,from a chapter in one of      
these1 entitled ,methak en ,nissa1 or   

the ,engagements of ,women1 ,i have     
translated the following passages1 to   
show the religious position of women1 as
 bearing upon my object in describing   
the condition of ,syrian females4       
,believers are both male and female4 ,by
 instruction women pass from ignorance  
to knowledge1 and become angels like the
 ,five ,ministers who bear the ,throne3 
i4e41 the ,doctrine of the ,unity4 ,all 
male and female believers ought to be   
free from all impurity and disgrace and 
dishonor4 ,believing women should shun  
lying 7to the brethren7 and infidelity  
and concupiscence1 and the appearance of
 evil1 and show the excellency of their 
work above all ,trinitarian women1      
avoiding all suspicion and taint which  
might bring ill upon their brethren1 and
 avoiding giving attention to what is   
contrary to the ,divine ,unity4  ,we    
have written this epistle to be read to 
all believing women who hold to the     
,unity of ,hakem1 who knows ,his        
,eternity and obey their husbands4 ,but 

let no ,dai or ,mazn read it to a woman 
until he is well assured of her faith   
and her religion1 and she shall have    
made a written profession of her faith4 
,he shall not read it to one woman      
alone1 nor in a house where there is but
 one woman1 even though he be worthy of 
all confidence1 lest suspicion be       
awakened and the tongue of slander be   
loosed4 ,let there be assembled together
 at least three women1 and let them sit 
behind a curtain or screen1 so as not to
 be seen4 ,each woman must be           
accompanied by her husband1 or her      
father1 or brother or son1 if he be a   
,unitarian4 ,the ,dai in reading must   
keep his eyes fixed on his book1 neither
 turning towards the place where the    
women are1 nor casting a glance towards 
it1 nor listening to them4 ,the woman1  
moreover1 must not speak a word during  
the reading1 and whether she is affected
 by a transport of joy1 or moved by an  
impression of respect and fear1 she must
 carefully abstain from showing her     

feelings either by smiles or tears4 ,for
 the smiles1 the tears1 and the words of
 a woman may excite man's passions4 ,let
 her give her whole attention to the    
reading1 receive it in her heart1 and   
apply all the faculties of her mind to  
understand its meaning1 in order clearly
 to conceive the true signification of  
what she is listening to4 ,if she finds 
any passage obscure1 let her ask the    
,dai1 7the preacher17 and he shall      
answer1 if he can1 and if not1 promise  
to ask those who are more learned1 and  
when he has obtained the solution he    
must inform her1 if she be deemed       
worthy4  ,the highest duty of ,unitarian
 women is to know our ,moulah ,hakem and
 the ,kaim ,hamz4 ,if they follow ,him1 
let them know that ,he has released them
 entirely from the observance of the    
,seven ,arbitrary ,pillars of the ,law  
7of ,islam7 which are 7#a7 ,prayer1 7#b7
 ,fasting1 7#c7 ,pilgrimage1 7#d7       
,asserting1 ,there is no ,god but ,god  
and ,mohammed is the ,prophet of ,god1  

7#e7 ,giving tithes1 7#f7 ,war on       
infidels1 7#g7 ,submission to authority4
 ,but on the other hand1 all believing  
women must perform the ,seven ,religious
 ,duties3 ,the ,first and greatest is   
,truth in your words3 7i4e4 to the      
brethren and sisters72 the ,second is1  
,to watch reciprocally over the safety  
of the brethren2 the ,third is1 to      
renounce wholly and entirely whatever   
religion you may have previously        
professed2 the ,fourth is1 ,to keep     
yourselves apart1 clear and distinct    
from all who are in error2 the ,fifth   
is1 ,to recognize the existence of the  
,unity of our ,lord in all ages1 times  
and epochs2 the ,sixth is1 ,to be       
satisfied with ,his will and ,his works1
 whatever they may be2 ,the ,seventh is1
 ,to abandon and resign yourselves to   
all ,his orders whether in prosperity or
 adversity4 ,you must keep these ,seven 
,commandments1 and keep them strictly   
secret from all who are of a different  
religion4 ,if the ,druze women do all   

this and fulfil their duties1 they are  
indeed among the good1 and shall have   
their reward among the #aei ,angels of  
the ,presence and among the ,prophets   
who were ,apostles1 and be saved from   
the snare of the accursed ,ibls         
7,diabolus74 ,praise then to our ,lord  
,hakim1 the praise of the thankful6 ,he 
is my hope and victory6  ,what can you  
expect of the women1 if the teachers are
 thus warped with hypocrisy and         
falsehood4 ,they receive you politely4  
,dr4 ,de ,forest used to say1 that there
 is not a boor in the ,druze nation4    
,but their very politeness confounds    
you4 ,the old ,druze women are masters  
of a pious religious phraseology4 ,we   
are all sinners4 ,the ,lord's will be   
done4 ,praise to ,his name4 ,he only can
 command4 ,the ,lord be merciful to us4 
,he orders all things1 and yet they will
 lie and deceive1 and if not of the     
initiated class1 they will swear in the 
most fearful manner4 ,the ,okkal cannot 
swear1 smoke or drink1 but they tell a  

story of a village where the people were
 all ,okkal1 and things having reached a
 high pitch of excitement1 they sent for
 a body of ,jehal or the non-initiated  
to come over and swear on the subject1  
that their pure minds might be relieved6
 ,when they talk in the most affectingly
 pious manner1 and really surpass you in
 religious sentiment1 you hardly know   
what to do4 ,tell them ,god knows the   
heart4 ,they reply1 ,he alone is the    
,all-knowing1 the ,searcher of the      
hearts of men4 ,you shrink from telling 
them in plain language that they are    
hypocrites and liars4 ,you can tell them
 of the personal love of a personal     
,saviour1 and this simple story will    
affect and has affected the minds of    
some of them more than all logic and    
eloquent refutation of their foggy and  
mysterious doctrinal system4  ,they     
respect us and treat us politely for    
political reasons4 ,during the massacres
 of #ahfj1 ,i rode from ,abeih to ,beirt
 in the midst of burning villages1 and  

armed bodies of ,druzes passed us       
shouting the war song ,ma hala ya ma    
hala kotal en ,nosara1 ,how sweet1 oh   
how sweet1 to kill the ,christians1 and 
yet as they passed us they stopped and  
most politely paid their salams1 saying1
 ,naharkum ,saieed1 ,may your day be    
blessed1 ,allah yahtikum el afiyeh1 ,god
 give you health6  ,when a ,druze       
,sheikh wishes to marry1 he asks consent
 of the father without having seen the  
daughter4 ,if the father consents1 he   
informs her1 and if she consents1 the   
suitor sends his affianced presents of  
clothes and jewelry1 which remain in her
 hands as a pledge of his fidelity4 ,she
 is pictured to him as the paragon of   
beauty and excellence1 but he is never  
allowed to see her1 speak to her1 or    
write to her1 should she know how to    
write4 ,his mother or aunt may see her  
or bring reports1 but he does not see   
her until the wedding contract is signed
 and the bride is brought to his house4 
,the following is the marriage ceremony 

of the ,druzes4 ,it is read by the ,kadi
 or ,sheikh1 and in accordance to the   
,druze doctrine that they must outwardly
 conform to the religion of the         
governing power1 it is a purely         
,mohammedan ordinance4  ,praise to ,god1
 the original ,creator of all things2   
the ,gracious in all ,his gifts and     
prohibitions2 who has decreed and fixed 
the ordinance of marriage2 may ,allah   
pray for 7bless7 our ,prophet ,mohammed1
 and his four successors6 ,now after    
this1 we say that marriage is one of the
 laws given by the prophets1 and one of 
the statutes of the pious to guard      
against vice2 a gift from the ,lord of  
the earth and the heaven4 ,praise to    
,him who by it has brought the far ones 
near1 and made the foreigner a relative 
and friend6 ,we are assembled here to   
attend to a matter decreed and fated of 
,allah1 and whose beginning1 middle and 
end he has connected with the most happy
 and auspicious circumstances4 ,this    
matter is the blessed covenant of       

marriage4 ,inshullah1 may it be         
completed and perfected1 and praise to  
,allah1 the ,great ,completer6 ,amen6   
,in the name of ,god1 the ,merciful1 the
 ,compassionate4 ,he is my portion and  
sufficiency4 ,may ,allah pray for his   
pure prophet6  ,this is the marriage    
contract between the person named ,a4   
son of ---- of the village of ---- in   
the district of ---- in ,lebanon1 and   
his betrothed named ,b4 the daughter of 
---- of the village of ---- she being a 
maiden of full and marriageable age1    
with no legal obstacles to her marriage4
 7,may ,allah protect her veil1 and have
 mercy on her relatives and friends67   
,in view of the mercies of ,allah and   
his prophet ,mohammed1 they pay fifty   
piastres 7#b4jj7 of full and lawful     
number1 weight and measure1 of the      
,imperial mint of our ,moulah the       
,sultan1 7may the exalted and merciful  
,one give him the victory67 and of new  
white silver4 ,the agent of the husband 
is ---- and of the wife is ----4  ,it is

 the absolute and bounden duty of the   
husband to provide clothing for the body
 of his wife and a crown for her head1  
and of the wife to give him his due     
honor and rights and do his work1 and   
,allah will be with those who fear ,him1
 and not suffer those who do well to    
lose their reward4                      
,signed ,sheikh ---- 7seal7             
--                          seal        
,witnesses   --                         
seal                      --            
seal  ,a whole week is given up to      
festivity before her arrival1 and the   
retinue of the bride mounted on fine    
horses escort her amid the firing of    
musketry1 the zilagheet shrieks of the  
women1 and general rejoicing1 to the    
bridegroom's house4 ,col4 ,churchill    
describes what follows3 ,the bride      
meantime1 after having received the     
caresses and congratulations of her near
 relatives1 is conducted to a chamber   
apart and placed on a divan1 with a     
large tray of sweetmeats and            

confectionery before her1 after which   
all the females withdraw and she is left
 alone1 with a massive veil of muslin   
and gold thrown over her head and       
covering her face1 breasts and shoulders
 down to the waist4 ,what thoughts and  
sensations must crowd upon the maiden's 
mind in this solitude6 not to be        
disturbed but by him who will shortly   
come to receive in that room his first  
impressions of her charms and           
attractions6 ,presently she hears       
footsteps at the door2 it opens quietly2
 silently and unattended her lover      
approaches her1 lifts the veil off her  
face1 takes one glance1 replaces it and 
withdraws4  ,he then returns to the     
grand reception-room1 takes his seat at 
the head of the divan amid the throng of
 ,sheikhs and other invited guests4 ,he 
maintains an imperturbable silence1 his 
mind being supposed to be absorbed by   
one engrossing object4 ,it may be       
delight4 ,it may be bitter              
disappointment4 ,it is generally past   

midnight when the party breaks up and   
the family retires4  ,a plurality of    
wives is absolutely forbidden4 ,if a    
,druze wishes to divorce his wife1 he   
has merely to say1 ,you had better go   
back to your father1 or she1 the woman1 
wishes to leave her husband1 she says1  
,i wish to go back to my father1 and if 
her husband says1 ,very well1 go1 the   
divorce in either case holds good1 and  
the separation is irrevocable4 ,both    
parties are free to re-marry4           
,childlessness is a common cause of     
divorce4  ,the birth of a son is the    
occasion of great rejoicing and presents
 to the family4 ,but the birth of a     
daughter is considered a misfortune1 and
 of course not the slightest notice is  
taken of so inauspicious an event4 ,this
 holds true among all the sects and     
peoples of ,syria1 and nothing but a    
,christian training and the inculcation 
of the pure principles of gospel        
morality can remove this deeply seated  
prejudice4 ,the people say the reason of

 their dislike of daughters is that     
while a son builds up the house1 and    
brings in a wife from without and       
perpetuates the family name1 the        
daughter pulls down the house1 loses her
 name1 and is lost to the family4  ,the 
wealthier and more aristocratic ,druze  
sitts or ladies are taught to read by   
the ,fakih or teacher1 but the masses of
 the women are in brutish ignorance4    
,you enter a ,druze house4 ,the woman   
waits upon you and brings coffee1 but   
you see only one eye1 the rest of the   
head and face being closely veiled4 ,in 
an aristocratic house1 you would never  
be allowed to see the lady1 and if she  
goes abroad1 it is only at night1 and   
with attendants on every side to keep   
off the profane gaze of strangers4 ,if a
 physician is called to attend a sick   
,druze woman1 he cannot see her face nor
 her tongue1 unless she choose to thrust
 it through a hole in her veil4 ,in many
 cases they suffer a woman to die sooner
 than have her face seen by a physician4

  ,the ,druzes marry but one wife at a  
time1 and yet divorce is so common and  
so heartlessly practiced by the men1    
that the poor women live in constant    
fear of being driven from their homes4  
,in ,abeih1 we were startled one evening
 by the cry ,rouse ye men of self       
respect6 ,come and help us6 ,it was a   
dark1 rainy night1 and the earthen roof 
of a ,druze house had fallen in1 burying
 a young man1 his wife and his mother1  
under the mass of earth1 stones and     
timber4 ,they all escaped death1 but    
were seriously injured1 the poor young  
wife suffering the most of all1 having  
fallen with her left arm in a bed of    
burning coals1 and having been compelled
 to lie there half an hour1 so that when
 dug out1 her hand was burned to a      
cinder6 ,for several days the husband   
refused to send for a doctor1 but at    
length his wife ,hala was sent to the   
,college ,hospital 7of the ,prussian    
,knights of ,st4 ,john7 in ,beirt where 
,dr4 ,post amputated the hand below the 

elbow4  ,one would naturally suppose    
that such a calamity1 in which both so  
narrowly escaped death1 would bind      
husband and wife together in the        
strongest bonds of affection and        
sympathy4 ,but not so in this case4 ,the
 poor young wife is now threatened with 
divorce1 because she is no longer of any
 use to her husband1 and her two little 
children are to be taken from her6 ,she 
lies on her bed in the ,hospital1 the   
very picture of stoical resignation4    
,not a groan or complaint escapes her4  
,she said one day1 ,oh how glad ,i am   
that this happened1 for it has taken    
away all my sins1 and ,i shall never    
have to suffer again in this world or   
the next6 ,this is the doctrine of the  
,druzes1 and1 cold and false as it is1  
she has made it her support and her     
stay4  ,dr4 ,post and ,mrs4 ,bliss have 
pointed her to the ,lamb of ,god who    
bore our sins in ,his own body on the   
tree1 and she seems interested to hear  
and learn more4  ,her younger sister is 

in the ,beirt ,seminary4 ,may this poor 
sufferer find peace where alone it can  
be found1 in trusting in the ,lord      
,jesus ,christ1 whose blood cleanseth   
from all sin6  ,the cruelty of her      
husband1 sanctioned as it is by the     
religious code of the ,druzes1 may be   
the means of opening her eyes to the    
falsity of that heartless ,christless   
system1 and lead her to the foot of the 
,cross6  ,christians1 who read these    
lines1 pray for ,hala of ,abeih6        
,,sitt ,,abla4  ,more than twenty years 
ago in the little ,druze village of     
,aitath1 in ,lebanon1 about seven miles 
from ,beirt1 lived a family of ,druze   
,sheikhs of the tribe of ,telhk4 ,this  
tribe was divided into the great        
,sheikhs and the little ,sheikhs1 and   
among the latter was the ,sheikh        
,khottar4 ,the proximity of this village
 to ,beirt1 its elevated position1 cool 
air1 and fine fountain of water1 made it
 a favorite summer retreat for the      
missionaries from the withering heats of

 the plain4 ,sheikh ,khottar and his    
wife the ,sitt1 having both died1 their 
orphan son ,selim and daughter ,abla1   
called the ,sitt 7or lady7 ,abla1 were  
placed under the care of other members  
of the family of ,telhk4 ,the           
missionaries opened a school for boys   
and ,selim attended it4 ,dr4 and ,mrs4  
,van ,dyck were living in ,aitath at the
 time1 and the young ,druze maiden      
,abla1 who was betrothed to a ,druze    
,sheikh1 became greatly attached to     
,mrs4 ,van ,dyck1 and came almost       
constantly to visit her4 ,the light of a
 better faith and the truth of a pure   
gospel gradually dawned upon her mind1  
until her love for ,mrs4 ,van ,dyck grew
 into love for the ,saviour of sinners4 
,the ,sheikh to whom she was betrothed  
was greatly enraged at her course in    
visiting a ,christian lady1 and meeting 
her one day when returning to her home1 
attacked her in the most brutal manner1 
and gave her a severe beating4 ,she fled
 and took refuge in the house of ,mrs4  

,van ,dyck1 who had taught her to read  
and given her a ,bible4 ,a short time   
after1 several of her cousins seized her
 and scourged her most cruelly1 and a   
violent persecution was excited against 
her and her brother ,selim4 ,she was in 
daily and hourly expectation of being   
killed by her male relatives1 as it had 
never been heard of in the ,druze nation
 that a young girl should dare to become
 a ,christian1 and ,mr4 ,whiting1       
missionary in ,abeih1 sent over a       
courageous ,protestant youth named      
,saleh1 who took the ,sitt ,abla by     
night over the rough mountain road to   
,abeih in safety4 ,but even here she was
 not safe4 ,the ,druzes of ,lebanon at  
that time were at the height of their   
feudal power4 ,girls and women were     
killed among them without the least     
notice on the part of the mountain      
government4 ,abla was like a prisoner in
 the missionary's house1 not venturing  
to go outside the door1 and in order to 
be at peace1 she went down with her     

brother to ,beirt1 where she has since  
resided4 ,selim united with the ,church1
 but was afterwards suspended from      
communion for improper conduct1 and     
joined himself to the ,jesuits1 so that 
,abla has had to endure a two-fold      
persecution from her ,druze relatives   
and her ,jesuit brother4 ,on her removal
 to ,beirt she was disinherited and     
deprived of her little portion of her   
father's estate1 and her life has been a
 constant struggle with persecution1    
poverty and want4 ,yet amid all1 she has
 stood firm as a rock1 never swerving   
from the truth1 or showing any          
disposition to go back to her old       
friends4 ,at times she has suffered from
 extreme privation1 and the missionaries
 and native ,protestants would only hear
 of it through others who happened to   
meet her4 ,since uniting with the       
,church in #ahdi she has lived a        
,christian life4 ,in a recent           
conversation she said1 ,i count all     
things but loss for the excellency of   

the knowledge of ,christ ,jesus my      
,lord1 for whom ,i have suffered the    
loss of all things 444 and ,i still     
continue1 by the grace of ,him ,exalted1
 and by the merits of ,jesus ,christ my 
,saviour1 awaiting a happy death1 and   
everlasting rest4   ,,khozma4  ,her     
,christian experience is like that of   
,khozma ,ata4 ,she is the only female   
member of the ,protestant church in     
,syria from among the ,druzes1 except   
,sitt ,abla4 ,she was born1 in ,beirt of
 the ,druze family of ,witwat1 and when 
quite a child was taken by ,dr4 ,beadle1
 then by ,miss ,tilden1 living at one   
time in ,aleppo1 then in ,jerusalem1 and
 finally settled in the family of ,dr4  
,de ,forest1 where she continued until  
his departure for ,america in #ahed4    
,for several years she has been an      
invalid1 and is not often able to leave 
her house1 even to go to church4 ,two of
 her little girls are in the ,female    
,seminary4 ,in #ahfa she taught a day   
school for girls in ,beirt1 and assisted

 ,dr4 ,de ,forest in his work in the    
,beirt ,seminary4 ,i called upon her a  
few days since1 and she handed me a roll
 of ,arabic manuscript1 which she said  
she had been translating from the       
,english4 ,it is a series of stories for
 children which she has prepared to be  
printed in our monthly journal for      
,syrian children4 ,the name of the      
journal is koukab es ,subah1 or ,morning
 ,star4 ,she has been confined to her   
bed a part of the summer1 and when she  
gave me the manuscript1 she apologized  
for the handwriting1 on the ground that 
she had written the most of it sitting  
or lying on her bed4 ,she has not       
forgotten the example and instructions  
of ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,de ,forest1 and      
speaks of them with enthusiastic        
interest4 ,her husband failed in        
business some years ago1 and she is in a
 constant struggle with want1 but her   
old friends and loving sisters1 ,raheel 
and ,lulu1 who are among her nearest    
neighbors1 are unremitting in their kind

 attentions to her4  ,what a difference 
between the faithful ,christian nurture 
her little children are receiving at    
home1 and the worse than no training    
received by the children of her ,druze  
relatives at ,ras ,beirt1 who are still 
under the shadow of their old           
superstitions4 ,she never curses her    
children nor invokes the wrath of ,god  
upon them4 ,she is never beaten and spit
 upon and tortured and threatened with  
death by her husband4 ,it is worth much 
to have rescued a ,khozma and an ,abla  
from the degradation of ,druze          
superstition6 ,these two good women1    
with ,abdullah in ,beirt1 and ,hassan1  
,hassein1 ,asaad and ,ali1 in ,lebanon1 
are among the living witnesses to the   
preciousness of the love of ,christ1 who
 have come forth from the ,druze        
community4 ,they have been persecuted1  
and may be again1 but they stand firm in
 ,christ4 ,not a few ,druze girls are   
gathered in our schools in ,beirt1      
,lebanon1 and the vicinity of ,hermon1  

as well as in other schools in          
,damascus1 ,hasbeiya and elsewhere1 and 
some of their young men are receiving a 
,christian education4     ,,chapter     
,,iv4  ,,nusairiyeh4   ,to the ,north of
 ,mount ,lebanon1 and along the low     
range of mountains extending from       
,antioch to ,tripoli1 and from the      
,mediterranean on the ,west to ,hums on 
the ,east1 live a strange1 wild1        
blood-thirsty race called the ,nusairyeh
 numbering about #bjj1jjj souls1 and now
 for the first time in their history    
coming within the range of ,missionary  
effort4  ,the ,druzes admit women to the
 ,akkal or initiated class1 but not so  
the ,nusairyeh4 ,the great secret of the
 ,sacrament is administered in a        
secluded place1 the women being shut up 
in a house1 or kept away from the       
mysteries4 ,in these assemblies the     
,sheikh reads prayers1 and then all join
 in cursing ,abubekr1 ,omar1 ,othman1   
,sheikh et-,turkoman and the ,christians
 and others4 ,then he gives a spoonful  

of wine1 first to the ,sheikhs present1 
and then to all the rest4 ,they then eat
 fruit1 offer other prayers1 and the    
assembly breaks up4 ,the rites of       
initiation are frightful in the extreme1
 attended by threats1 imprecations and  
blasphemous oaths1 declaring their lives
 forfeited if they expose the secrets of
 the order4  ,they use given signs and  
questions1 by which they salute each    
other1 and ascertain whether a stranger 
is one of them or not4 ,in their books  
they employ the double interlacing      
triangle or seal of ,solomon4 ,they call
 each other brethren1 and enjoin love   
and truthfulness1 but only to the       
brethren4 ,in this they are like the    
,druzes4 ,so little do they regard all  
outside their own sect1 that they pray  
to ,god to take out of the hearts of all
 others than themselves1 what little    
light of knowledge and certainty they   
may possess6 ,the effect of this secret1
 exclusive1 and selfish system is shown 
in the conduct of the ,nusairyeh in     

robbing and murdering ,moslems and      
,christians without compunction4  ,as it
 has been said1 the ,nusairyeh women are
 entirely excluded from all             
participation in religious ceremonies   
and prayers1 and from all religious     
teaching4 ,the reason given1 is         
two-fold2 the first being that women    
cannot be trusted to keep a secret1 and 
the second because they are considered  
by the ,nusairyeh as something unclean4 
,they believe that the soul of a wicked 
man may pass at death into a brute1 or  
he may be punished for his sins in this 
life by being born in a woman's form in 
the next generation4 ,and so1 if a woman
 live in virtue and obedience1 there is 
hope of her again being born into the   
world as a man1 and becoming one of the 
illuminati and possessors of the secret4
 ,it is a long time for the poor things 
to wait1 but it is a convenient reward  
for their husbands to hold out before   
them4  ,yet the women are so religiously
 inclined by nature that they will have 

some object of worship1 and while their 
husbands1 fathers and sons are talking  
and praying about the celestial         
hierarchies1 and the unfathomable       
mysteries1 the wives1 mothers and       
daughters will throng the zeyarehs1 or  
holy visiting shrines1 on the hill tops1
 and among the groves of green trees1 to
 propitiate the favor of the reputed    
saints of ancient days4 ,these shrines  
are supposed to have miraculous powers1 
but ,friday is the day when the prophets
 are more especially at home1 to receive
 visitors4 ,on other days they may be on
 a journey1 or asleep4 ,whenever a      
,nuisairiyeh woman is in sorrow or      
trouble or fear1 she goes to the zeyareh
 and cries in a piteous tone1 zeyareh1  
hear me6  ,their women do not veil      
themselves1 and consequently there is   
more of freedom among them than among   
,moslems and ,druzes1 and in their great
 festivals1 men and women all dance     
together4  ,when a young man sees a girl
 who pleases him1 he bargains with her  

father1 agreeing to pay from twenty     
dollars to two hundred1 according to the
 dignity of her family2 of which sum she
 receives but four dollars1 unless her  
father should choose to give her a red  
bridal box and bedding for her outfit4  
,she rides in great state to the        
bridegroom's house amid the firing of   
guns and shouts of the women1 and on    
dismounting1 the bridegroom gives her a 
present of from one to three dollars1   
called the dismounting money4  ,divorce 
needs only the will of the man1 and     
polygamy is common4 ,lane says in       
speaking of ,egypt1 ,the depraving      
effects of this freedom of divorce upon 
both sexes1 may be easily imagined4     
,there are many men in this country who1
 in the course of ten years1 have       
married as many as twenty1 thirty or    
more wives2 and women1 not far advanced 
in age1 who have been wives to a dozen  
or more men successively4  ,the         
,nusairyeh women smoke1 swear1 and use  
the most vile and unclean language1 and 

even go beyond the men in these         
respects4 ,swearing and lying are       
universal not only among the ,nusairyeh1
 but among the most of the ,syrian      
people4 ,you never receive a direct     
reply from a ,nusary4 ,he will answer   
your question by asking another1 in     
order1 if possible1 to ascertain your   
object in asking it and to conceal the  
true state of the case4 ,their ,moslem  
and nominal ,christian neighbors are not
 much better4 ,they all lie1 and swear1 
and deceive4 ,mr4 ,lyde illustrates the 
ignorance of the ,greek clergy in       
,latakiah by the following incident4 ,a 
ploughman who had learned something of  
the ,bible1 heard a ,greek priest       
cursing the father of a little child4   
,he said1 ,my father1 is it right to    
curse8 ,oh1 said he1 it was only from my
 lips4 ,but does not the psalmist say1  
,keep the door of my lips8 ,that1       
replied the priest1 is only in the      
,english ,bible4  ,walpole says of the  
,nusairyeh women1 when young1 they are  

handsome1 often fair1 with light hair   
and jet-black eyes2 or the rarer beauty 
of fair eyes and coal-black hair or     
eyebrows4  ,when a fight takes place    
between the tribes1 the women1 like the 
women of the ,druzes1 enter into the    
spirit of it with demoniacal fury4      
,during the battle they bring jars of   
water1 shout1 sing1 and encourage the   
men1 and at the close carry off the     
booty1 such as pots1 pans1 chickens1    
quilts1 wooden doors1 trays1 etc4 ,in   
the ,druze war of #ahfj1 ,i saw the     
,druze women running with the men       
through ,aitath1 on their way to the    
scene of hostilities in the ,metn4 ,the 
,bedawin women likewise aid their       
husbands in the commissariat of their   
nomad warfare4  ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,lyde   
was the first to undertake direct       
missionary labors among the ,nusairyeh1 
and his work has been carried on by the 
,reformed ,presbyterian ,mission in     
,latakiah4 ,the ,rev4 ,j4 ,beattie sends
 me the following facts with regard to  

the work now going on among the women   
and girls4  ,the first convert under the
 labors of ,mr4 ,lyde was ,hammd1 of the
 village of ,merj1 a young man of fine  
mind and most lovely character1 who gave
 promise of great usefulness4 ,after he 
became a ,christian1 his mother1 finding
 that no ,nusary girl would marry a     
,christian1 determined to secure a young
 girl and have her educated for ,hammd4 
,so she paid four ,turkish pounds for a 
little ,nusary girl named ,zahara or    
,venus1 whose widowed mother had removed
 to her village4 ,this payment was in   
accordance with ,nusary customs1 and    
constituted the girl's dowry4 ,after the
 betrothal in #ahfc1 ,hammd sent her to 
,latakiah1 where she was taken into the 
family of the late ,dr4 ,dodds for      
instruction and training4 ,she gladly   
received the truth1 and ,hammd labored  
earnestly for her enlightenment4        
,everything seemed bright and promising1
 until suddenly all their earthly hopes 
were dashed by the early death of ,hammd

 in ,december1 #ahfd4 ,he died in the   
triumphs of the ,christian faith1 and   
from that time she gave herself to the  
,lord4 ,in ,august1 #ahfe1 she with     
several others was baptized and received
 into the communion of the ,church4 ,at 
her own request1 she was baptized as    
,miriam4  ,in #ahff she was married to  
,yusef ,jedid1 and lived with him in    
several of the villages among the       
,nusairyeh1 where he was engaged in     
teaching4 ,her husband at length removed
 to ,bahlulyeh in #ahgj1 and a wide door
 of usefulness was opened to them4 ,her 
little daughters ,lulu and ,helany were 
with her1 and there was every prospect  
that she would be able to do much for   
,christ among her benighted sisters4    
,but the same disease1 consumption1     
which prostrated ,hammd1 now laid her   
aside4 ,it was probably brought on by a 
careless exposure of her health while   
lying down on the damp ground and       
falling asleep uncovered1 as the natives
 of the mountain villages are in the    

habit of doing4 ,the missionaries from  
,latakiah constantly visited her1 and   
,dr4 ,metheny gave her the benefit of   
his medical skill1 but all in vain4 ,she
 loved to converse on heavenly things1  
and hear the ,scriptures and prayer4    
,but when the missionaries returned to  
the city1 she was overwhelmed by the    
rebukes and merciless upbraidings of the
 fellaheen1 who have no sympathy for the
 sick1 the disabled and the dying4 ,her 
ears were filled with the sound of      
cursing and bitterness1 and no wonder   
that she entreated the missionaries not 
to leave her4 ,she told ,mr4 ,beattie   
that she did not fear to die1 for her   
trust was in ,jesus ,christ1 but it was 
hard to be left among such coarse and   
unsympathizing people4 ,at length she   
was brought into ,latakiah1 where she   
seemed to feel more at home4 ,at times  
she passed through severe spiritual     
conflicts1 and said she was struggling  
with the adversary1 who had tried to    
make her blaspheme4 ,at one time she was

 in great excitement1 but when the #cdth
 ,psalm was read she became entirely    
composed and calm1 and in turn1 began   
chanting the #bcrd ,psalm to the end4   
,she sent for all of her friends and    
begged their forgiveness1 commended her 
children to the care of ,miss ,crawford1
 and asked ,mr4 ,beattie to pray with   
her again4 ,her bodily sufferings now   
increased1 when suddenly she called out1
 ,the ,lord be glorified6 ,to ,god give 
the glory6 ,soon after1 she gently fell 
asleep in ,jesus4 ,thus died the first  
woman1 as far as we know1 ever truly    
converted from among the ,pagan         
,nusairyeh4 ,her conversion opened the  
way for that work of moral1 religious   
and intellectual elevation among the    
,nusary females which has since been    
carried on in ,latakiah and vicinity4   
,the first ,christian woman to undertake
 the direct task of educating and       
elevating the ,nusairyeh females was    
,miss ,crawford4 ,she commenced her work
 in #ahfi4 ,the ,mission had found that 

the ,boarding ,school for boys was      
training a class of young men1 who could
 not find1 among the tens of thousands  
of families in their native mountains1 a
 single girl fitted to be one's         
companion for life4 ,the females were   
everywhere neglected1 and ,miss         
,crawford came to ,syria just at the    
time of the greatest need4 ,under the   
care and direction of the ,mission1 she 
commenced a ,boarding ,school for girls 
in ,latakiah in the fall of #ahfi4 ,at  
first1 but few pupils could be persuaded
 to come4 ,only two attended during the 
first year4 ,their names were ,sada and 
,naiuf1 the sister of ,zahara4 ,the next
 year ,sada left1 and ten new ones      
entered the school3 ,marie1 ,howa1      
,naiseh1 ,shehla1 ,thaljeh1 7snow17     
,tumra1 7fruit17 ,ghazella1 ,husna1     
,bureib'han1 and ,harba4 ,they were all 
from twelve to fourteen in age1 and     
remained through the winter1 but at the 
beginning of wheat harvest1 their       
friends forced them to return to their  

homes for the summer4 ,they made marked 
progress both in study and deportment1  
and before leaving for their homes      
passed a creditable examination both in 
their studies and in needlework4 ,the   
fact was thus established to the        
astonishment of the citizens of         
,latakiah1 that the ,nusairyeh girls    
were equal in intellect and skill in    
needlework to the brightest of the city 
girls4 ,in the autumn of #ahga it was   
feared that the ,pagan parents of the   
girls would prevent their return to the 
school1 but1 greatly to the             
gratification of the missionaries1 all  
of the ten returned1 bringing with them 
nine others2 ,hamameh1 7dove17 ,henireh1
 ,elmaza1 7diamond17 ,deebeh17she-wolf17
 ,alexandra1 ,zeinab1 ,lulu1 7pearl17   
,howwa1 7,eve17 and ,naameh1 7grace74   
,during the year the pupils brought new 
joy to the hearts of their teachers4    
,not only were their numbers greatly    
increased1 but the older girls seemed   
all to be under the influence of deep   

religious impressions on their return to
 the school4 ,although they had spent   
the summer among the wild fellaheen and 
been compelled to listen to blasphemy1  
impurity and cursing on every side1 they
 had been able by the aid of ,god's     
,spirit to discriminate between good and
 evil1 and to contrast the lawless      
wickedness of the fellaheen with the    
holy precepts of the ,bible4 ,finding   
themselves unable to meet the           
requirements of ,god's pure and holy    
law1 they returned under serious        
distress of mind1 asking what they      
should do to be saved8 ,such of them as 
could do so1 had been in the habit of   
meeting together during the summer for  
prayer1 and of repeating the ten        
commandments and other portions of      
,scripture with which they were         
familiar4 ,they had been threatened and 
beaten by their friends on account of   
their religious views1 but they remained
 unmoved4 ,the child-like simple faith  
of some of them was remarkable4 ,marie  

was punished on one occasion by her     
father for attending the missionary     
service at ,b'hamra on the ,sabbath4 ,he
 forbade her to eat for a whole day1 and
 she prayed that ,god would give her    
bread4 ,soon after1 on her way to the   
village fountain1 she found part of a   
merkk1 loaf of bread1 by the wayside1   
which she picked up and ate most        
gratefully1 regarding it as a direct    
answer to her prayer4 ,another          
,ghuzaleh1 was brutally beaten because  
she would not swear and blaspheme1 and  
all were threatened and insulted because
 they would not work on ,sunday4  ,in   
,november1 #ahga1 seven of these girls1 
on their own application1 were received 
into the membership of the ,church4 ,it 
was an interesting sight to see that    
group of ,nusairyeh heathen girls       
standing to receive the ordinance of    
,christian baptism4 ,in the spring of   
#ahgb1 another was added to the list4   
,these little ones of ,christ have all  
thus far shown themselves faithful4     

,they were sent back to their homes in  
the summer1 and several1 if not the     
most1 of them may be forbidden to return
 again to the school4 ,some may say1 why
 allow them to go home8 ,the policy of  
encouraging children to run away from   
their parents and connect themselves    
with foreign missionaries and missionary
 institutions1 will lead the heathen to 
hate the very name of ,christianity1 and
 to charge it with being a foe to all   
social and family order1 and on the     
broad ground of missionary usefulness1  
the girls can do far more good in their 
own homes than elsewhere4     ,,chapter 
,v4  ,,chronicle ,,of ,,women',s ,,work 
,,from #ahbj ,,to #ahgb4   ,it must not 
be inferred from what has been said on a
 preceding page with regard to the      
favorable position occupied by the women
 of the nominal ,christian sects of     
,syria as compared with the ,mohammedan 
women1 that the first missionaries found
 the ,greek and ,maronite women and     
girls who speak the ,arabic language    

eager or even willing to receive        
instruction4 ,far from it4 ,the effects 
of the ,mohammedan domination of twelve 
hundred years have been to degrade and  
depress all the sects and nationalities 
who are subject to ,islam4 ,not only    
were there not women and girls found to 
learn to read1 but the great mass of the
 men of the ,christian sects could      
neither read nor write4 ,many of the    
prominent ,arab merchants in ,beirt     
to-day can neither read nor write4 ,i   
say ,arab merchants1 and yet very few of
 the ,arabs of the ,greek ,church have  
more than a mere tinge of ,arab blood in
 their veins4 ,to call them ,syrians1   
would be to confound them with the      
,syrian or ,jacobite sect1 who are found
 only in the vicinity of ,hums1 ,hamath 
and ,mardin4 ,so with the ,maronites4   
,they are chiefly of a darker complexion
 than the ,arab ,greeks1 and are        
supposed to have had their origin in    
,mesopotamia4 ,yet all these sects and  
races speak the common ,arabic language1

 and hence it will be convenient to call
 them ,arabs1 although ,i am aware1 that
 while many of the modern ,syrians glory
 in the name ,oulad el ,arab1 many      
others regard it with dislike4  ,the    
,syrian ,christianity1 moreover1 so     
often alluded to in the history of the  
,syrian ,mission1 is the lowest type of 
the religion of the ,greek and ,roman   
churches4 ,saint-worship and            
picture-worship are universal4 ,an      
ignorant priesthood1 and a superstitious
 people1 no ,bibles1 and no readers to  
read them1 no schools and no teachers   
capable of conducting them1 prayers in  
unknown tongues1 and a bitter feeling of
 party spirit in all the sects1         
universal belief in the efficacy of     
fasts and vows1 pilgrimages and         
offerings to the shrines of reputed     
saints1 churches without a preached     
gospel1 and prayers performed as a duty 
without the worship of the heart1       
universal ,mariolatry1 a ,sabbath       
desecrated by priests and people alike1 

,god's name everywhere profaned by men1 
women and children1 and truthfulness of 
lip almost absolutely unknown2 the women
 and girls degraded and oppressed and   
left to the tender mercies of a corrupt 
clergy through the infamies of the      
confessional2 all these practices and   
many others which space forbids us to   
mention1 combined with the social       
bondage entailed upon woman by the gross
 code of ,islam1 rendered the women of  
the nominal ,christian sects of ,syria  
almost as hopeless subjects of          
missionary labor as were their less     
favored ,druze and ,moslem sisters4  ,in
 order to present the leading facts in  
the history of ,mission ,work for       
,syrian women1 ,i propose to give a     
brief review of the salient points1 in  
the order of time1 as ,i have been able 
to glean them from the missionary       
documents within my reach4  ,the first  
,protestant missionary to ,syria since  
the days of the ,apostles1 was the ,rev4
 ,levi ,parsons1 who reached ,jerusalem 

,january #af1 #ahba1 and died in        
,alexandria ,february #aj1 #ahbb4 ,in   
#ahbc1 ,rev4 ,pliny ,fisk1 and ,dr4     
,jonas ,king reached ,jerusalem to take 
his place1 and on the #ajth of ,july    
came to ,beirt4 ,dr4 ,king spent the    
summer in ,deir el ,kamr1 and ,mr4 ,fisk
 in a building now occupied by the      
,jesuit ,college in ,aintra4  ,on the   
#afth of ,november1 #ahbc1 ,messrs4     
,goodell and ,bird reached ,beirt1 and  
on the #fth of ,december1 #ahbd1 they   
wrote as follows3 ,mr4 ,king's ,arabic  
instructor laughs heartily that the     
ladies of our company are served first  
at table4 ,he said that if any person   
should come to his house and speak to   
his wife first1 he should be offended4  
,he said the ,english ladies have some  
understanding1 the ,arab women have     
none4 ,it is the custom of this country 
that a woman must never be seen eating  
or walking1 or in company with her      
husband4 ,when she walks abroad1 she    
must wrap herself in a large white      

sheet1 and look like a ghost1 and at    
home she must be treated more like a    
slave than a partner4 ,indeed1 women are
 considered of so little consequence    
that to ask a man after the health of   
his wife1 is a question which is said   
never to find a place in the social     
intercourse of this country4  ,jan4 #bd1
 #ahbe1 ,dr4 ,goodell wrote1 ,some adult
 females come occasionally to be taught 
by ,mrs4 ,bird or ,mrs4 ,goodell1 and   
although their attendance is very       
irregular1 and their disadvantages very 
great1 being without ,arabic books1 and 
their friends deriding their efforts1   
yet they make some improvement4 ,one of 
them1 who a fortnight ago did not know a
 single letter of the alphabet1 can now 
read one verse in the ,bible4  ,july #a1
 #ahbe1 ,messrs4 ,goodell and ,bird     
speak of the first girls taught to read 
in ,syria in mission schools4 ,our      
school contains between eighty and      
ninety scholars1 who are all boys except
 two4 ,one is the teacher's wife1 who is

 perhaps fifteen years of age1 and the  
other a little girl about ten4 ,that    
teacher was ,tanns el ,haddad1 who died 
a few years ago1 venerated and beloved  
by all sects and classes of the people1 
having been for many years deacon of the
 ,beirt ,church1 and his wife1 ,im      
,beshara1 still lives1 with an          
interesting family4  ,on the #bast of   
,dec1 #ahbe1 ,dr4 ,king wrote as        
follows3 ,i spent about a month in      
,tyre1 and made some efforts to         
establish a school for ,tyrian females1 
and was very near succeeding1 when one  
of the principal priests rose up and    
said1 ',it is by no means expedient to  
teach women to read the word of ,god4   
,it is better for them to remain in     
ignorance than to know how to read and  
write4 ,they are quite bad enough with  
what little they now know4 ,teach them  
to read and write1 and there would be no
 living with them6' ,that ,tyrian priest
 of fifty years ago1 was a fair sample  
of his black-frocked brethren throughout

 ,syria from that time to this4 ,there  
have been a few worthy exceptions1 but  
the ,syrian priesthood of all sects1    
taken as a class1 are the avowed enemies
 of the education and elevation of their
 people4 ,some of the exceptions to this
 rule will be mentioned in the          
subsequent pages of this volume4  ,in   
#ahbf1 there were three hundred children
 in the ,mission schools in the vicinity
 of ,beirt4  ,in #ahbg1 there were #fjj 
pupils in #ac schools1 of whom one      
hundred and twenty were girls6 ,in view 
of the political1 social and religious  
condition of ,syria at that time1 that  
statement is more remarkable than almost
 any fact in the history of the ,syrian 
,mission4 ,it shows that ,mrs4 ,bird and
 ,mrs4 ,goodell must have labored to    
good purpose in persuading their        
benighted ,syrian sisters to send their 
daughters to school1 and to these two   
,christian women is due the credit of   
having commenced ,woman's ,work for     
,women in modern times in ,syria4 ,in   

that same year1 the wives of ,bishop    
,dionysius ,carabet and ,gregory        
,wortabet were received to the communion
 of the ,church in ,beirt1 being the    
first spiritual fruits of ,women's ,work
 for ,women in modern ,syria4  ,during  
#ahbh and #ahbi the ,missionaries       
temporarily withdrew to ,malta4 ,in     
#ahcc1 ,dr4 ,thomson and ,dr4 ,dodge    
arrived in ,beirt4 ,the ,mission now    
consisted of ,messrs4 ,bird1 ,whiting1  
,eli ,smith1 ,drs4 ,thomson and ,dodge4 
,in a letter written at that time by    
,messrs4 ,bird1 ,smith and ,thomson1 it 
is said1 ,of the females1 none can      
either read or write1 or the exceptions 
are so very few as not to deserve       
consideration4 ,female education is not 
merely neglected1 but discouraged and   
opposed4 ,they also stated1 that the    
whole number of native children in the  
,mission ,schools from the beginning had
 been #fej2 #ejj before the interruption
 in #ahbh1 and #aej since4 ,female      
education as such is yet nearly untried4

  ,during that year ,mrs4 ,thomson and  
,mrs4 ,dodge commenced a school for     
girls in ,beirt4 ,dr4 ,eli ,smith speaks
 of this school as follows1 in the      
,memoir of ,mrs4 ,s4,l4 ,smith3 ,a few  
girls were previously found in some of  
the public schools supported by the     
,mission1 and a few had lived in the    
,mission families4 ,but these ladies    
wished to bring them more directly under
 missionary influence1 and to confer    
upon them the benefit of a system of    
instruction adapted to females4 ,a      
commencement was accordingly made1 by   
giving lessons to such little girls as  
could be irregularly assembled for an   
hour or two a day at the ,mission-house2
 such an informal beginning being not   
only all that the ladies had time to    
attempt1 but being also considered      
desirable as less likely to excite      
jealousy and opposition4 ,for the       
project was entered upon with much      
trembling and apprehension4 ,not merely 
indifference to female education had to 

be encountered1 but strong prejudice    
against it existing in the public mind  
from time immemorial4 ,the ,oriental    
prejudice against innovations from any  
quarter1 and especially from foreigners1
 threatened resistance4 ,the seclusion  
of females within their own immediate   
circle of relationship1 originally      
,oriental1 but strengthened by          
,mohammedan influence1 stood in the way4
 ,and more than all1 religious jealousy1
 looking upon the missionaries as       
dangerous heretics1 and their influence 
as contamination1 seemed to give        
unequivocal warning that the attempt    
might be fruitless4 ,but the            
missionaries were not aware of the hold 
they had gained upon the public         
confidence4 ,the event proved in this1  
as in many other missionary attempts1   
that strong faith is a better principle 
to act upon in the propagation of the   
gospel1 than cautious calculation4 ,even
 down to the present time 7#ahdj7 it is 
not known that a word of opposition has 

been uttered against the school which   
was then commenced4  ,on the arrival of 
,mrs4 ,s4,l4 ,smith in ,beirt in        
,january1 #ahcd1 she found some six or  
eight girls assembled every afternoon in
 ,mrs4 ,thomson's room at the ,mission  
house1 receiving instruction in sewing  
and reading4 ,one was far enough        
advanced to aid in teaching1 and the    
widow of ,gregory ,wortabet occasionally
 assisted4 ,on the removal of ,mrs4     
,thomson and ,mrs4 ,dodge to ,jerusalem1
 the entire charge of the school        
devolved upon ,mrs4 ,smith1 aided by    
,mrs4 ,wortabet4 ,especial attention was
 given to reading1 sewing1 knitting and 
good behavior4 ,in ,november1 #ahce1    
,miss ,rebecca ,williams arrived in     
,beirt as an assistant to ,mrs4 ,smith4 
,the school then increased1 and in the  
spring of #ahcf an examination was held1
 at which the mothers of the children   
and some other female friends were      
present4 ,the scholars together amounted
 to upwards of forty2 the room was      

well-filled1 presenting a scene that    
would have delighted the heart of many a
 friend of missions4 ,classes were      
examined in reading1 spelling1          
geography1 first lessons in arithmetic1 
,scripture questions1 the ,english      
language1 and sacred music1 and the     
whole was closed by a brief address from
 ,mrs4 ,dodge4 ,the mothers then came   
forward of their own accord1 and in a   
gratifying manner expressed their thanks
 to the ladies for what they had done   
for their daughters4 ,of the pupils of  
this school1 the greater part were      
,arabs of the ,greek ,church2 two were  
,jewesses2 and some were ,druzes2 and at
 times there were eight or ten ,moslems4
  ,a ,sabbath ,school1 with five        
teachers and thirty pupils1 was         
established at the same time1 the       
majority of the scholars being girls4 ,a
 native female prayer-meeting was also  
commenced at this time1 conducted by    
three missionary ladies and two native  
,protestant women4 ,at times1 as many as

 twenty were present1 and this first    
female prayer-meeting in ,syria in      
modern times1 was attended with manifest
 tokens of the ,divine blessing4  ,as   
has been already stated1 the seclusion  
of ,oriental females renders it almost  
impossible for a male missionary to     
visit among them or hold religious      
meetings exclusively for women4 ,this   
must be done1 if at all1 by the         
missionary's wife or by ,christian women
 devoted especially to this work4 ,it   
was true in #ahcd1 and it is almost     
equally true in #ahgc4 ,the ,arabs have 
a proverb1 ,the tree is not cut down1   
but by a branch of itself2 i4e4 the axe 
handle is of wood4 ,so none can reach   
the women of ,syria but women4 ,the     
,church of ,rome understands this1 and  
is sending ,french1 ,italian and        
,spanish nuns in multitudes to work upon
 the girls and women of ,syria1 and the 
women of the ,syria ,mission1 married   
and unmarried1 have done a noble work in
 the past in the elevation and education

 of their ,syrian sisters4 ,and in this 
connection it should be observed1 that a
 sine qua non of efficient usefulness   
among the women of ,syria1 is that the  
,christian women who labor for them     
should know the ,arabic language4       
,ignorance of the language is regarded  
by the people as indicating a want of   
sympathy with them1 and is an almost    
insuperable barrier to a true spiritual 
influence4 ,the great work to be done   
for the women of the world in the       
future1 is to be done in their own      
mother-tongue1 and it would be well that
 all the ,female ,seminaries in foreign 
lands should be so thoroughly supplied  
with teachers1 that those most familiar 
with the native language could be free  
to devote a portion of their time to    
labors among the native women in their  
homes4  ,in #ahcd and #ahce ,mrs4 ,dodge
 conducted a school for ,druze girls in 
,aaleih1 in ,lebanon4 ,this ,school in  
,aaleih1 a village about #bcjj feet     
above the level of the sea1 was once    

suddenly broken up4 ,not a girl appeared
 at the morning session4 ,a rumor had   
spread through the village1 that the    
,english fleet had come up ,mount       
,lebanon from ,beirt1 and was           
approaching ,aaleih to carry off all the
 girls to ,england6 ,the panic however  
subsided1 and the girls returned to     
school4 ,in #ahcf ,mrs4 ,hebard and     
,mrs4 ,dodge carried on the work which  
,mrs4 ,smith had so much loved1 and     
which was only temporarily interrupted  
by her death4  ,in #ahcg1 ,mrs4 ,whiting
 and ,miss ,tilden had an interesting   
school of ,mohammedan girls in          
,jerusalem1 and ,mrs4 ,whiting had      
several native girls in her own family4 
,in reply to certain inquiries contained
 in a note ,i addressed to ,miss ,t4 she
 writes3 ,i arrived in ,beirt1 ,june    
#af1 #ahce4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,whiting in  
,jerusalem were desirous that ,i should 
take a small school that ,mrs4 ,whiting 
had gathered1 of ,mohammedan girls4 ,she
 had in her family two girls from       

,beirt1 ,salome1 7,mrs4 ,prof4          
,wortabet17 and ,hanne1 7,mrs4          
,reichardt47 ,there were in school from 
#ab to #bj or more scholars1 all        
,moslems4 ,only one ,christian girl     
could be persuaded to attend4 ,i think  
that the inducement they had to send    
their daughters was the instruction     
given in sewing and knitting1 free of   
expense to them4 ,mrs4 ,whiting taught  
the same scholars on the ,sabbath4 ,the 
,scripture used in their instruction1   
both week days and on the ,sabbath1 was 
the ,psalms4 ,after a year and a half ,i
 went to ,beirt and assisted in the     
girl's school1 which was somewhat larger
 and more promising4 ,miss ,williams had
 become ,mrs4 ,hebard1 and ,miss ,badger
 from ,malta was teaching at the time4  
,mrs4 ,smith's boarding scholar ,raheel1
 was with ,mrs4 ,hebard4 ,i suppose that
 female education in the family was     
commenced in ,syria by ,mr4 ,bird1 who  
taught the girl that married ,demetrius4
 7,miss ,t4 probably meant to say ,dr4  

,thomson1 as ,mariya1 daughter of ,yakob
 ,agha1 was first placed in his family  
by her father in #ahcd47 ,the girls     
taught in the different missionaries'   
families were ,raheel1 ,salome1 ,hanne1 
,khozma1 ,lulu1 ,kefa1 and ,susan       
,haddad4 ,schools were taught in the    
mountains1 and instruction given to the 
women1 and meetings held with them as   
the ladies had strength and opportunity1
 at their different summer residences4  
,the day scholars were taught in        
,arabic1 and the boarding scholars in   
,arabic and ,english4 ,i taught them    
,colburn's ,arithmetic4 ,i taught also  
written arithmetic1 reading1 etc41 in   
the boys' school4  ,in #ahda1 war broke 
out between the ,druzes and ,maronites1 
and the nine schools of the ,mission1   
including the ,male ,seminary of #ca    
pupils1 the ,girls' ,school of #be      
pupils1 and the ,druze ,high ,school in 
,deir el ,kamr1 were broken up4  ,in    
#ahdb1 the schools were resumed4 ,in    
twelve schools were #bgi pupils1 of whom

 #eb were girls1 and twelve young girls 
were living as boarders in mission      
families4  ,in #ahdc1 there were        
thirteen schools with #dch pupils1 and  
eleven young girls in mission families4 
,during the year #ahdd1 #ahf persons    
were publicly recognized as ,protestants
 in ,hasbeiya4 ,fifteen women attended a
 daily afternoon prayer-meeting1 and    
expressed great surprise and delight at 
the thought that religion was a thing in
 which women had a share6 ,a fiery      
persecution was commenced against the   
,protestants1 who all fled to ,abeih in 
,lebanon4 ,on their return they were    
attacked and stoned in the streets1 and 
,deacon ,fuaz was severely wounded4  ,in
 #ahde1 ,lebanon was again desolated    
with civil war1 the schools were        
suspended1 and the instruction of #ahb  
girls and #dbd boys interrupted for a   
time4     ,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,mrs4       
,,whiting',s ,,school4   ,in #ahdf1     
,mrs4 ,whiting commenced a girls'       
day-school in her family at ,abeih1 and 

in ,beirt there were four schools for   
boys and girls together1 and one school 
for girls alone4 ,in #ah ,mission       
schools there were #add girls and #chd  
boys4 ,this girls' school in ,abeih in  
#ahdf was taught by ,salome 7,mrs4      
,wortabet7 and ,hanne1 7,mrs4           
,reichardt17 the two oldest girls in    
,mr4 ,whiting's family4 ,it was         
impossible to begin the school before   
,august #ast1 as the houses of the      
village which had been burned in the war
 of the preceding year had not been     
rebuilt1 and suitable accommodations    
could not readily be found4 ,during the 
summer there were twelve pupils1 and in 
the fall twenty-five1 from the ,druze1  
,maronite1 ,greek ,catholic and ,greek  
sects1 and the greatest freedom was used
 in giving instruction in the ,bible and
 the ,assembly's and ,watts'            
,catechisms4 ,a portion of every day was
 spent in giving especial religious     
instruction1 and on the ,sabbath a part 
of the pupils were gathered into the    

,sabbath ,school4 ,during the fall a    
room was erected on the ,mission        
premises for the girls' school1 at an   
expense of #ajj dollars4  ,the following
 letter from ,mrs4 ,whiting needs no    
introduction4 ,it bears a melancholy    
interest from the fact that the beloved 
writer died shortly afterwards1 at      
,newark1 ,n4,j41 ,may #ahth1 #ahgc4  ,my
 first introduction to the women of     
,syria was by ,mrs4 ,bird1 mother of    
,rev4 ,wm4 ,bird and ,mrs4 ,van ,lennep4
 ,she was then in the midst of her      
little family of four children4 ,i daily
 found her in her nursery1 surrounded by
 native women who came to her in great  
numbers1 often with their sick children4
 ,they were always received with the    
greatest kindness and ministered to4    
,she might be seen giving a warm bath to
 a sick child1 or waiting and watching  
the effect of other remedies4 ,mothers  
from the neighboring villages of        
,lebanon were allowed to bring their    
sick children and remain for days in her

 house until relief was obtained4 ,she  
was soon known throughout ,beirt and    
these villages as the friend of the     
suffering1 and ,i have ever thought that
 by these ,christian self-denying       
labors1 she did much towards gaining the
 confidence of the people4 ,and who     
shall say that while good ,father ,bird 
was in his study library among the      
',popes and ,fathers1' preparing his    
controversial work ',the ,thirteen      
,letters1' this dear sister1 by her     
efforts1 was not making a way to the    
hearts of these people for the reception
 of gospel truth1 which has since been  
preached so successfully in the         
neighboring villages of ,lebanon8  ,in  
the autumn of #ahcd1 ,mr4 ,whiting was  
removed to the ,jerusalem station4 ,i   
found the women accessible and ready to 
visit me1 and invite me to their houses1
 but unwilling to place their girls     
under my instruction4 ,all my efforts   
for some time were fruitless4 ,under    
date of ,aug4 #bb1 ,i find this entry in

 ,mr4 ,whiting's journal3 ,during the   
past week1 three little ,moslem girls   
have been placed under ,mrs4 ,whiting's 
instruction for the purpose of learning 
to read and sew4 ,they seem much pleased
 with their new employment1 and their   
parents1 who are respectable ,moslems1  
express great satisfaction in the       
prospect of their learning4 ,they say1  
in the ,oriental style that the children
 are no longer theirs1 but ours1 and    
that they shall remain with us and learn
 everything we think proper to teach    
them4 ,this event excited much talk in  
the city1 particularly among the ,moslem
 mothers4 ,the number of scholars1      
chiefly ,moslem girls1 increased to     
twenty-five and thirty4  ,at a later    
date1 ,jan41 #ahcf1 one of the girls in 
,mrs4 ,whiting's school1 came with a    
complaint against a ,jew who had been   
attempting to frighten her away from the
 school by telling her and her uncle    
7her guardian7 that her teacher         
certainly had some evil design1 and no  

doubt intended to select the finest of  
the girls1 and send them away to the    
,pasha1 and that it was even written so 
in the books which she was teaching the 
children to read4 ,whether the ,jew has 
been set up by others to tell the people
 this absurd nonsense1 ,i cannot say1   
but certainly it is a new thing for     
,jews to make any opposition1 or to show
 any hostility to us4 ,and this looks   
very much like the evil influence which 
has been attempted in another quarter4  
,march #g4 ,yesterday ,mrs4 ,w4         
commenced a ,sunday school for the      
pupils of her day school4 ,they were    
much delighted4 ,they began to learn the
 ,sermon on the ,mount4  ,sept4 #g4 ,had
 a visit from two ,sheikhs of the       
,mosque of ,david4 ,one of them inquired
 particularly respecting ,mrs4          
,whiting's school for ,moslem girls1 and
 wished to know what she taught them to 
read4 ,i showed him the little          
spelling-book which we use1 with which  
he was much pleased and begged me to    

lend it to him4 ,i gave him one1 with a 
copy of the ,psalms1 which he wished to 
compare with the ,psalms of ,david as   
the ,moslems have them4 ,he invited me  
strongly to come and visit him1 and to  
bring ,mrs4 ,whiting to see his family4 
,the school continued with little       
interruption until ,october #c;d1 when  
,miss ,tilden arrived and had the charge
 of the school for nearly two years4 ,i 
left in feeble health1 with ,mr4        
,whiting1 for the ,united ,states1 where
 we spent more than one year4 ,miss     
,tilden during our absence was engaged  
in teaching in the boys' school in      
,beirt4 ,on my return the ,moslem school
 was not resumed1 and soon after ,mr4   
,whiting was again transferred to the   
,abeih station4  ,my work in the family 
school began in ,october1 #ahce1 when   
,salome ,carabet and ,hanne ,wortabet   
were placed by their parents in our     
family school4 ,we afterwards added to  
the number ,melita ,carabet1 and the two
 orphan girls ,sada and ,rufka ,gregory4

 ,these two were brought to us in a very
 providential way4 ,they were the       
children of ,yakob ,gregory1 a          
respectable ,armenian well known in     
,beirt4  ,he had two children1 and when 
these were quite young1 he left his     
wife1 and nothing was heard of him      
afterwards4 ,the mother died soon after 
and left the children in the care of the
 ,american ,mission and the ,armenian   
,bishop4 ,the old grandmother1 who was  
in ,aleppo1 on hearing of her death1    
soon returned to ,beirt to look after   
the children4 ,she was allowed to visit 
them in the ,bishop's family1 where they
 were cared for1 and one day1 in a      
stealthy way1 she took ,sada into the   
city1 placed her in the hands of a ,jew1
 on board of a native boat bound for    
,jaffa4 ,i suppose ,sada was then about 
six years old4 ,they set sail4 ,the     
child cried bitterly on finding her     
grandmother was not on board as she had 
promised4 ,there was on board the boat  
an ,armenian1 well acquainted with her  

father1 who inquired of her the cause4  
,on hearing her story he remonstrated1  
with the ,jew1 who said she had been    
placed in his hands by her grandmother  
to be sent to ,jerusalem4 ,on their     
arriving at ,jaffa1 the affair was made 
known to ,mr4 ,murad1 the ,american     
,consul4 ,he sent for the ,jew1 took the
 child from his hands1 and dismissed    
him1 and wrote to ,mr4 ,whiting in      
,jerusalem an account of the affair1 and
 was directed by him to send the child  
to us4 ,not long after1 her grandmother 
came to ,jerusalem bringing ,rufka4 ,she
 tried to interest the ,armenian        
,convent in her behalf4 ,here ,i find an
 extract from ,mr4 ,whiting's journal1  
which will give you all of interest on  
this point4 ,after being out much of the
 morning1 ,i returned and found the     
grandmother of little ,sada1 who had    
brought her little sister ,rufka to     
leave her with us4 ,she had a quarrel   
with the convent1 and fled for refuge to
 us4 ,we cannot but be thankful that    

both these little orphans are at length 
quietly placed under our care and       
instruction4  ,the parents of three of  
the girls in our family1 being          
,protestants1 always gave their sanction
 to our mode of instructing and training
 them4 ,bishop ,carabet likewise aided  
us in every way in his power1 and ever  
seemed most grateful for what ,i was    
doing for his daughters4 ,in his last   
sickness1 when enfeebled by age1 ,i     
often visited him4 ,once on going into  
his room1 he was seated as usual on his 
,turkish rug4 ,one of the family rose to
 offer me a chair1 ,i said1 let me sit  
near you on your rug1 that ,i may talk  
to you4 ,with much emotion he replied1  
,inshullah tukodee jenb il ,messiah fe  
melakoot is sema6 ,god grant that you   
may sit by the side of ,christ in the   
kingdom of ,heaven6  ,we were from time 
to time encouraged by tokens of a work  
of ,god's ,spirit in their hearts4      
,melita ,carabet was the first to       
indulge a hope in ,christ1 and united   

with the ,church in ,abeih4 ,salome     
united in ,beirt2 ,hanne in ,hasbeiya1  
where her brother1 ,rev4 ,john          
,wortabet1 was pastor4 ,sada was        
received by ,mr4 ,calhoun at ,abeih1    
soon after ,mr4 ,whiting's death1 and   
,rufka in later years united with the   
,united ,presbyterian ,church in        
,alexandria1 ,egypt4 ,i have ever       
thought these girls were under great    
obligations to the ,american ,churches  
and the ,american ,mission1 who for so  
many years supported and instructed     
them1 and ,i have ever tried to impress 
upon them a sense of their obligation to
 impart to others of their countrywomen 
what they had received4 ,i believe as   
early as #ahcf1 they began assisting me 
in the ,moslem school for girls in      
,jerusalem1 in which they continued to  
assist ,miss ,tilden until the school   
was given up4  ,soon after our removal  
to ,abeih1 ,october1 #ahdd1 we          
established a day-school for girls in   
the village on the ,mission premises1 of

 which ,salome and ,hanne had the entire
 charge under my superintendence4 ,when 
the ,station at ,mosul was established1 
,salome was appointed by the ,mission to
 assist ,mrs4 ,williams in her work     
among the women1 in which work she      
continued until her marriage with ,rev4 
,john ,wortabet4 ,melita was afterwards 
appointed by the ,mission to the ,aleppo
 ,station to assist ,mrs4 ,eddy and     
,mrs4 ,ford in the work1 and so they    
were employed at various stations in the
 work of teaching1 until ,i left the    
,mission4 ,i have kept up a continual   
correspondence with them1 and have      
learned from others to my joy1 that they
 were doing the work for which ,i had   
trained them4  ,the above deeply        
interesting letter from ,mrs4 ,whiting  
is enough in itself to show what an     
amount of patient ,christian labor was  
expended through a course of many years1
 in the education of the five young     
,syrian maidens who were entrusted in   
the providence of ,god to her care4 ,i  

have been personally acquainted with    
four of them for seventeen years1 and   
can testify1 as can many others1 of the 
good use they have made of their high   
opportunities4 ,the amount of good they 
have accomplished as teachers1 in       
,abeih1 ,jerusalem1 ,deir el ,komr1     
,hasbeiya1 ,tripoli1 ,aleppo1 ,mosul1   
,alexandria1 ,cairo1 ,melbourne1        
7,australia17 and in the ,mission       
,female ,seminary and the ,prussian     
,deaconesses' ,institute in ,beirt1 will
 never be known until all things are    
revealed4 ,i have received letters from 
several of them1 which ,i will give in  
their own language1 as they are written 
in ,english4 ,the first is from ,salome1
 now the wife of the ,rev4 ,prof4 ,john 
,wortabet1 ,m4,d41 of the ,syrian       
,protestant ,college in ,beirt4  ,i do  
not consider my history worth recording1
 and it is only out of consideration of 
what is due to ,mrs4 ,whiting for the   
labor she bestowed upon us1 that ,i am  
induced to take up my pen to comply with

 your request4 ,i was taken by ,mrs4    
,whiting when only six years old1       
together with ,hannie ,wortabet1 who was
 five years old1 to be brought up in her
 family1 she having no children of her  
own4 ,owing partly to the nature of the 
religious instruction we received1 and  
partly to my own timid sensitive nature1
 ,i was1 from time to time for many     
years1 under deep spiritual terrors1    
without any saving result4 ,when ,i was 
about sixteen1 a revival of religion    
took place1 under whose influence ,i was
 also brought4 ,mr4 ,calhoun was my     
spiritual adviser1 and although my mind 
groped in darkness1 and bordered on     
despair for many weeks1 ,i hope ,i was  
then led to put my trust in ,jesus1 and 
if ever ,i am saved1 my only hope now   
is1 and ever shall be1 in the merits of 
,jesus' blood and ,his promises4  ,the  
next letter is from ,melita ,carabet1   
daughter of the ,armenian ,bishop       
,dionysius ,carabet1 who became a       
,protestant in #ahbc4 ,she writes as    

follows3  ,nothing could give me more   
pleasure than to comply with your       
request1 and thereby recall some of the 
happy days and incidents of my childhood
 and youth1 spent under the roof of my  
godly teachers1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,whiting4
 ,i ought to remember them as far back  
as at the baptismal font1 for ,i heard  
afterwards that they were both present  
on the occasion1 which took place in    
,malta1 where ,i was born4 ,but as my   
memory does not carry me back so far1 ,i
 must date my recollections from the    
time ,i was five years of age1 when ,i  
came to live in their family4 ,i can    
distinctly recollect the first texts of 
,scripture and verses of hymns that dear
 ,mrs4 ,whiting taught my young lips to 
repeat1 and my little prayer which ,i   
used to say at her knees on going to    
bed1 ,i still repeat to this day1 ,now  
,i lay me1 etc4 ,one incident which     
happened about a year later1 was so     
deeply impressed on my memory1 and had  
such an effect upon me at the time1 that

 ,i must mention it4 ,it was this4 ,mrs4
 ,whiting had given us girls 7we were   
five in number1 my sister ,salome1 and  
,hannie1 ,dr4 ,wortabet's sister1 and   
,sada and ,rufka ,gregory7 some raisins 
to pick over preparatory to making cake4
 ,i stole an opportunity after a while1 
to slip about a dozen of these raisins  
into my pocket4 ,no one saw me do it but
 from the moment ,i had done it1 ,i     
began to feel very unhappy1 and repented
 the deed4 ,my companions went out to   
play1 but ,i could not join in their    
sports4 ,my heart was too heavy4 ,i sat 
mourning over my sin1 and could eat no  
supper1 and had no rest until ,i had    
made a full confession to ,mrs4 ,whiting
 at bed-time4 ,she prayed and wept over 
me1 and somehow ,i was comforted and    
went to my little bed much happier4  ,i 
remember nothing more until a much later
 period1 when ,i was about the age of   
twelve4 ,about this time1 there was a   
great awakening among the young girls in
 some of the ,mission families4 ,mr4    

,calhoun's prayers and advice were very 
much solicited and sought1 in guiding   
and praying with the young inquirers4   
,one ,sunday as ,i was reading the      
little tract ,the ,blacksmith's wife1   
7which ,i have kept to this day17 ,i    
felt a great weight and sense of sin4 ,i
 trace my conversion to the reading of  
this tract4 ,it was not long before ,i  
found peace4 ,i have often since longed 
for those days and hours of sweet       
communion with my ,saviour4 ,i joined   
the ,church a very short time after     
this1 and at this early age was given   
charge of a ,bible class in ,abeih4     
,now ,i must pass over a few more years1
 when ,i went to ,hasbeiya1 to spend a  
little time with my sister ,salome1 now 
wife of ,dr4 ,john ,wortabet1 who was   
appointed pastor of the little          
,protestant ,church there4 ,i spent one 
year of my life here1 during which time 
,i took charge of a little day school   
for girls in my sister's house4 ,dr4    
,wortabet's sister ,hannie had opened   

this school some years before ,i came4  
,i do not remember the number of pupils1
 but there were five little ,moslem     
princesses1 grandchildren of the great  
,emir ,saad-ed-,deen1 who was called    
some years later to ,constantinople to  
be punished for having spoken           
disrespectfully of ,queen ,victoria4    
,these little princesses were regular   
attendants at the school1 and learned to
 read in the ,new ,testament1 and       
studied ,watts' ,catechism with the rest
 of the ,christian children4 ,i had also
 charge of a ,bible class for women1 who
 used to meet once a week in the        
,protestant ,church4 ,this was before   
the massacre of #ahfj4 ,the rest of my  
life has been spent in teaching in      
,beirt4 ,since the massacres1 ,i have   
been teaching the orphans in the        
,prussian ,school1 where ,i at present  
reside4 ,indeed it has been my home ever
 since ,i undertook this work which ,i  
love dearly1 and which ,i hope to       
continue so long as the ,lord sees fit1 

and gives me strength to work for ,him4 
,i am permitted to make the following   
extract from a letter written by ,melita
 to ,mrs4 ,whiting1 in ,february1 #ahfh4
 ,i give the exact language1 as the     
letter is written in ,english3          
,prussian ,institution1 ,beirt1         
,february #bc1 #ahfh4       ,my ,dear   
,mrs4 ,whiting--       ,it is so cold   
this morning that ,i can with difficulty
 hold my pen4      ,it has been a very  
cold and stormy month1 and there seems  
no      prospect of fair weather yet4   
,the snow on the mountains is as low    
as the lowest hills1 and ,i pity the    
poor creatures who must be              
suffering in consequence4 ,j4 enjoys the
 weather very much2 indeed      he seems
 so exhilarated and invigorated by it   
that one could almost      wish it to   
last on his account1 but ,i must say    
that ,i wish it was      over1 and the  
warm sunbeams shedding their genial rays
 again upon      the cold frozen earth4 
,trouble and grief are such a common    

complaint at present that you      will 
not be surprised to hear me relate my   
share of them4 ,i have      indeed had  
my full share1 and you would say so too 
had you seen how      ,i was occupied   
during my holidays last summer1 in      
taking care of my      ill and suffering
 brother4 ,and aside from my fatigue1   
for ,i was      always on my feet until 
two or three hours after midnight1 quite
      alone with him--merely to witness 
such indescribable suffering as      he 
went through1 was more than is generally
 allotted to human      beings on earth4
 ,he had been unwell for some time      
previous1 and had      been advised by  
the ,doctor to go up to the mountains1  
so ,mr4      ,calhoun kindly offered him
 a place in the ,seminary1 where he     
could      stop until his health was    
recruited1 and in the meantime give a   
couple of ,english lessons during the   
day to the boys in the      ,seminary4  
,he lodged with the ,theological        
students in a little room      above the

 school1 but he had not been up there   
more than a week1      when his whole   
body became suddenly covered with a     
burning eruption      that was always   
spreading and increasing in size4 ,he   
could neither      lie nor sit in any   
possible position1 and was racked with  
pains      that seemed at times well    
nigh driving him mad4 ,i trembled for   
his      reason1 and was so awed and    
terrified by the sight1 that ,i was in  
danger of losing mine as well4 ,no one  
would come near him1 and ,mrs4          
,calhoun had kindly asked me to come and
 spend the holidays with      them1 so  
it fell to my lot to nurse and take care
 of him4 ,i used to      go to him in   
the morning as soon as ,i got up1 and   
sit 7or stand7 up      with him until   
two or three o'clock at night1 dressing 
his sores2      running down only       
occasionally for my meals1 and with my  
little      lantern coming down in the  
dead of night1 all alone1 to lay my     
weary head and aching heart and limbs on

 my bed for a little rest4      ,but not
 to sleep1 for whenever ,i closed my    
eyes1 ,i had that eternal      picture  
and scene of suffering before me4 ,i    
could find no one who      was willing  
for love or for money to help me or     
relieve me for one      night or day4   
,the disease was so offensive as well as
 frightful1      that no one could stop 
in the room4 ,one of the ,prussian      
,sisters      who went up with me1      
kindly assisted me sometimes until she  
came      down4 ,in this state did ,j4  
find me on his return from ,england4    
,his      family was up in ,aaleih1 and 
he used to ride over occasionally to    
see ,p4 and prescribe some new medicine 
for him1 but his skill was      baffled 
with this terrifying disease1 and poor  
,p4 remained in this      agonizing     
state of suffering for five whole months
 without leaving      his bed4 ,he was  
carried down on a litter to ,beirt1     
where he has      been since4 ,he took a
 little room by himself1 and gives      

lessons in      ,english until something
 more prosperous turns up for him4      
,twenty      years' experience seemed to
 be added to my life in those three     
months of anxiety ,i went through last  
summer2 and what a picture of           
suffering and grief was ,i1 after this1 
myself4 ,no wonder if ,i feel           
entirely used up this winter1 and feel  
it a great effort to live4       ,there 
is not the slightest prospect of my ever
 getting back my lost      property from
 that man--as he has long since left the
 country1 and      is said to be a great
 scoundrel and a very dishonorable man4 
,if he      were not1 he would never    
have risked the earnings of a poor      
orphan      girl by asking for it on the
 eve of his bankruptcy4 ,had ,i my      
property ,i might perhaps have given up 
teaching for a while1 and      gone away
 for a little change and rest1 but ,god 
has willed it      otherwise1 no doubt  
for some wise purpose1 and to some wise 
end1      although so difficult and     

incomprehensible at present4 ,it is all 
doubtless for the trial of my faith and 
trust in ,him4 ,let me then      trust  
in ,him6 ,yea1 though ,he slay me1 let  
me yet trust in ,him6 ,has      ,he ever
 yet failed me8 ,has ,he not proved     
,himself in all ages to be      the     
,father and the ,god of the orphan and  
the widow8 ,he must see      that ,i    
need these troubles and sorrows1 or ,he 
would not send them1      for my        
,father's hand would never cause his    
child a needless tear4 ,a      bruised  
reed ,he will not break1 but will temper
 the storm to the      shorn lamb2 ,i   
will then no longer be dejected and cast
 down1 but      look upward and trust in
 my ,heavenly ,father1 feeling sure that
 ,he      will make all right in the    
end4       ,my letter is so sad and     
melancholy that ,i cannot let it go     
without      something more cheerful1 so
 ,i will add a line to brighten and     
cheer      it up a little4 ,for life1   
with all the bitterness it contains1 has

      also much that is agreeable and   
affords much enjoyment2 for there       
is a wonderful elasticity in the human  
mind which enables it1 when             
sanctified by divine grace1 to bear up  
under present ills4 ,so with      all my
 griefs and ills1 ,i have been able to  
enjoy myself too      sometimes this    
winter4 ,i have lately attended two     
,concerts1 one      here1 given by the  
,prussian ,sisters1 for the benefit of  
the new      ,orphanage1 ,talitha ,kumi1
 at ,jerusalem1 lately erected by the   
,prussian ,sisters there--and one given 
by the ,sisters of ,charity1      for   
the benefit of the orphans and poor of  
this town4 ,daood ,pasha      most      
generously gave up the large hall in his
 mansion for the      occasion1 as well 
as honoring it by his attendance4 ,the  
,concert in      our ,institution was   
entirely musical1 vocal and             
instrumental4 ,all      the             
,missionaries came4 ,we had nearly three
 hundred tickets sold at      five      

francs apiece1 so that there was a nice 
little sum added to      the ,orphan's  
,fund at ,jerusalem4                    
,ever your affectionate                 
,melita4  ,saada ,gregory was engaged in
 teaching at different times in         
,tripoli1 ,aleppo1 ,hasbeiya and ,egypt4
 ,her school in ,tripoli was eminently  
successful1 and her labors in           
,alexandria were characterized by great 
energy and perseverance4 ,she kept up a 
large school even when suffering from   
great bodily pain4 ,she is now in the   
,united ,states in enfeebled health4    
,american ,mission ,house1 ,alexandria1 
,november #h1 #ahfg4       ,my ,dear    
,mrs4 ,whiting1       ,i know you will  
be expecting a letter from me soon1     
partly in      answer to yours sent by  
,mrs4 ,van ,dyck1 and especially because
 it is      the day on which you expect 
all your children to remember you4 ,i   
never do forget this day1 but this time 
there are special reasons      for my   
remembering it4 ,whenever the day has   

come around1 ,i have      felt more     
forcibly than at others1 how utterly    
alone ,i have been1      for since dear 
,mr4 ,whiting was taken away from us1 it
 has seemed as      though we were made 
doubly orphans1 but this time it has not
 been      so4 ,i think ,i have been    
made to realize that ,i have a loving   
,father      in heaven who loves and    
watches over and cares for me more than 
ever you or ,mr4 ,whiting did4 ,i do    
really feel now that ,god has      given
 me friends1 so this day has not been so
 sad a one to me as it      usually is4 
,another source of thankfulness to-day  
is1 that ,i have      been raised up    
from a bed of pain and suffering from   
which neither      ,i nor any of my     
friends thought ,i ever would rise4     
,weary days and      nights of pain1    
when it was torture to move and almost  
impossible      to lie still1 and when  
it seemed at times that death would be  
only      a relief1 and yet here ,i am  
still living to praise ,him for many1   

many mercies4 ,mr4 ,pinkerton waited on 
me day and night1 often      depriving  
himself of sleep and rest in order to do
 it1 and when      convalescence set in1
 and with the restlessness of a sick    
person1 ,i      used to fancy ,i would  
be more comfortable up stairs1 he used  
to      carry me up and down and gratify
 all my whims4 ,for five weeks ,i was   
in bed1 and many more confined to my    
room and the house4 ,but the            
greatest reason for thankfulness is1    
that ,god has in ,his great      mercy  
brought me to a knowledge of ,himself1  
and of my own lost      state as a      
guilty sinner4 ,it was while lying those
 long weary days      on the bed that ,i
 was made to see that for ten long years
 ,i had      been deceiving myself4     
,instead of being a ,christian and being
      prepared to die1 ,i was still in  
the gall of bitterness and the          
bonds of iniquity1 and if ,god had taken
 me away during that      sickness1 it  
would have been with a lie in my right  

hand4 ,now when      ,i look back on    
those long years spent in sin and in    
self-deception1      ,i wonder at ,god's
 loving kindness and patience in sparing
 me still      to show forth in me ,his 
goodness and forbearance4 ,truly it is  
of      ,his mercies that ,i was not    
consumed4 ,how often ,i taught others   
and      talked to them of the love of  
,christ1 and yet ,i had not that love   
myself4 ,how many times ,i sat down to  
,his table with his children1      and  
yet ,i had no portion nor lot in the    
matter4 ,sometimes when ,i      think   
how near destruction ,i was1 with       
literally but a step between      me and
 death1 eternal death1 and yet ,god     
raised me up and brought      me to     
,christ and made me love ,him1 and how  
ever since ,he has been      watching   
over me giving me the measure of comfort
 and peace that ,i      enjoy and giving
 me the desire to know and love ,him    
more1 ,i wonder      at my own coldness1
 at the frequency with which ,i forget  

,him4 ,how      strong sin still is over
 me1 how prone ,i am to wander away from
      ,christ and to forget ,his love1  
to allow sin to come between me and     
,him1 and yet ,he still follows me with 
,his love1 still ,he brings me      back
 to ,him1 the good ,shepherd4 ,oh6 if ,i
 could live nearer ,christ1      if ,i  
could realize and rejoice in ,his love4 
,now when ,i think how      near ,i may 
be to the eternal world1 that at any    
moment a severe      attack of pain may 
come on which will carry me off1 it is  
good to      know that my ,saviour will 
be with me2 that ,he is mine and ,i am  
,his4      ,it is not easy to look death
 calmly in the face and know that my    
days are numbered1 yet can ,i not       
participate in the promise that ,he     
,himself will come and take me to be    
with ,him where ,he is4 ,i would        
like to be allowed to live longer and be
 permitted to bring souls      to       
,christ1 but ,i feel assured that ,he   
will do what is best1 and      that ,he 

will not call me away as long as ,he has
 any work for me to      do here ,i have
 a feeling that this will be my last    
letter to you1      and ,i now take the 
opportunity of thanking you for all you 
have      done for me1 for all the care 
you bestowed on me1 the prayers you     
have offered for me1 and the kind       
thoughtfulness you still manifest       
for my welfare4 ,it would be a comfort  
to me if ,i could see and talk      with
 you once more1 but ,i fear that will   
never be in this world1      but shall  
we not meet in our ,saviour's presence1 
purified1      justified and sanctified 
through ,his blood8 ,with truest love   
and      gratitude                      
,i remain yours1                        
,saada4     ,,chapter ,,vii4  ,,dr4 ,,de
 ,,forest',s ,,work ,,in ,,beirut4   ,in
 #ahdg1 ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,de ,forest      
commenced their work of female          
education1 receiving two young women    
into their family4 ,in #ac ,mission     
schools there were #afc girls and #dfb  

boys4 ,during the year #ahdg1 six       
schools were in operation in connection 
with the ,beirt ,station4 ,one in the   
,mesaitebe with #cb pupils1 of whom #aj 
were girls4 ,this school was promising  
and #ae of the pupils could read in the 
,bible4 ,another was in the ,ashrafiyeh1
 with #ej pupils1 of whom #ab were      
girls4 ,nineteen in this school could   
read in the ,bible4 ,another was on the 
,mission premises with seventy pupils4  
,another school1 south of the ,mission  
premises1 had #fj pupils1 of whom #ae   
were girls4 ,in addition to these was   
the ,female ,school with thirty girls1  
taught by ,raheel4  ,in #ahdh1 on the   
organization of the first ,evangelical  
,church1 nineteen members were received1
 of whom four were women4 ,dr4 ,de      
,forest had seven native girls in his   
family1 and there were fifty-five girls 
in other schools4  ,in #ahdi1 ,mrs4     
,thomson and ,mrs4 ,de ,forest visited  
,hasbeiya to labor among the women1 by  
whom they were received with great      

cordiality4 ,the girls' school of that  
time was regularly maintained and well  
attended4 ,dr4 ,de ,forest had thirteen 
native girls boarders in his family in  
,beirt1 and ,mr4 ,whiting had five4  ,in
 the ,annual ,report of the ,beirt      
,station for #ahej1 it is stated that a 
more prayerful spirit prevails among the
 brethren and sisters4 ,one pleasing    
evidence of this is the recent          
establishment of a weekly female        
prayer-meeting1 which is attended by all
 the female members of the ,church4 ,yet
 it is somewhat remarkable that in our  
little ,church there is so small a      
proportion of females4 ,unhappily1 only 
one of our native brethren is blessed   
with a pious wife4 ,some of them are    
surrounded with relatives and friends   
whose influence is such as to hinder    
rather than help them in their          
,christian course1 and in the religious 
training of their children4  ,this      
difficulty still exists in all parts of 
the ,protestant community1 not only in  

,syria1 but throughout the ,turkish     
,empire1 and probably throughout the    
missionary world4 ,the young men of the 
,protestant ,churches at the present    
time endeavor to avoid this source of   
trial and embarrassment by marrying only
 within the ,protestant community1 and  
the rapid growth of female education in 
these days gives promise that the time  
is near when the mothers in ,syria will 
be in no respect behind the fathers in  
either virtue or intelligence4 ,the     
,beirt ,church now numbers #ajg members1
 of whom #eg are men and #ej are women4 
,in #ahea1 ,miss ,anna ,l4 ,whittlesey  
arrived in ,beirt as an assistant to    
,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,de ,forest1 and died in 
a year less one day after her arrival1  
beloved and lamented by all4 ,in ,july  
of that year five of the women in       
,hasbeiya united with the ,church4  ,in 
#aheb and #ahec the ,female ,seminary in
 ,beirt reached a high degree of        
prosperity1 and the girls' schools in   
different parts of the land were well   

attended4 ,miss ,cheney arrived from    
,america to supply ,miss ,whittlesey's  
place4  ,in #ahed1 ,dr4 ,de ,forest was 
obliged from failing health1 to         
relinquish his work and return to the   
,united ,states4 ,a nobler man never    
lived4 ,as a physician he was widely    
known and universally beloved1 and as a 
teacher and preacher he exerted a       
lasting influence4 ,the good wrought by 
that saintly man in ,syria will never be
 fully known in this world4 ,the lovely 
,christian families in ,syria1 whose    
mothers were trained by him and his     
wife1 will be his monuments for         
generations to come4 ,it is a common    
remark in ,syria1 that the great        
majority of all ,dr4 ,de ,forest's      
pupils have turned out well4  ,i have   
not been able to find the official      
reports with regard to the ,female      
,seminary of ,dr4 ,de ,forest in ,beirt 
for the years #ahdg1 #ahdh1 and #ahdi1  
but from the ,reports made by ,dr4 ,de  
,forest himself for the years #ahej1    

#aheb and #ahec1 ,i make the following  
extracts3  ,in #ahej1 the ,doctor       
writes3 ,the ,seminary now has seventeen
 pupils including two1 ,khozma and      
,lulu1 who act as teachers4 ,the older  
class have continued to study the       
,sacred ,scriptures as a daily lesson1  
and have nearly finished the ,old       
,testament4 ,they have studied a brief  
,compend of ,history in ,arabic1 and    
have continued ,arithmetic and ,english4
 ,compositions have been required of    
them weekly in ,arabic until last       
autumn1 when they began to write        
alternately in ,english and ,arabic4 ,a 
brief course of ,astronomy was          
commenced1 illustrated by ,mattison's   
maps1 given by ,fisher ,howe1 ,esq41 of 
,brooklyn1 ,n4,y4  ,recently the pupils 
have been invited to spend every second 
,sabbath evening with the other members 
of the family in conversation respecting
 some missionary field which has been   
designated previously4 ,the large       
missionary map is hung in the           

sitting-room1 and all are asked in turn 
to give some fact respecting the field  
in question4 ,even the youngest1 who    
have not yet learned to read with       
facility in their own language1 furnish 
their mite of information4  ,the        
instruction in this school has been     
given by ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,de ,forest1    
aided by ,mrs4 ,de ,forest's parents and
 the two elder pupils who have rendered 
such efficient aid heretofore4 ,the     
pupils of all the classes have made good
 progress in their various studies1 and 
their deportment has been satisfactory4 
,they are gaining mental discipline and 
intellectual furniture1 and have        
acquired much evangelical knowledge4    
,deep seriousness has been observed on  
the part of some of the elder pupils at 
different times1 and they give marked   
and earnest attention to the preached   
word4  ,in our labors for the           
reconstruction of society here1 we feel 
more and more the absolute need of a    
sanctified and enlightened female       

influence2 such an influence as is felt 
so extensively in ,america1 and whose   
beneficent action is seen in the proper 
training of children1 and in the        
expulsion of a thousand superstitions   
from the land4 ,christian schools seem  
the most evident means of securing such 
an end4 ,commerce and intercourse with  
foreigners1 and many other causes are   
co-operating with missionary effort to  
enlighten the men of ,beirt and its     
vicinity1 but the women1 far more       
isolated than in ,america1 are scarcely 
affected by any of these causes1 and    
they hinder materially the moral        
elevation of the other sex4 ,often the  
man who seems full of intelligence and  
enterprise and mental enlargement when  
abroad1 is found when at home to be a   
mere superstitious child2 the prophecy  
that his mother taught him being still  
the religion of his home1 and the       
heathenish maxims and narrow prejudices 
into which he was early indoctrinated   
still ruling the house4 ,the inquirer   

after truth is seduced back to error by 
the many snares of unsanctified and     
ignorant companionship1 and the convert 
who did run well is hindered by the     
benighted stubbornness to which he is   
unequally yoked4  ,while exerting this  
deleterious influence over their        
husbands and children1 the females of   
the land have but little opportunity for
 personal improvement1 and are not very 
promising subjects of missionary labor4 
,his faith must be strong who can labor 
with hope for the conversion of women1  
with whom the customs of society        
prohibit freedom of intercourse1 and who
 have not learning enough to read a     
book1 or vocabulary enough to understand
 a sermon1 or mental discipline enough  
to follow continuous discourse4  ,in the
 ,report for #aheb1 ,dr4 ,de ,forest    
writes3 ,at the date of our last ,annual
 ,report1 ,miss ,whittlesey was in good 
health1 was rapidly acquiring the       
,arabic1 and was zealously pressing on  
in her chosen work1 with well-trained   

intellect1 steady purpose and lively    
hope4 ,but ,god soon called her away1   
and she departed in hope of eternal life
 which ,god that cannot lie promised    
before the world began4 ,the ,female    
,boarding ,school has suffered much from
 the loss of its ,principal1 but the    
same course of study has been pursued as
 before1 though necessarily with less   
efficiency4 ,one of the assistant       
pupils1 7,lulu17 who has been relied    
upon for much of the teaching1 and      
superintendence of the scholars1 was    
married last autumn to the senior tutor 
of the ,abeih ,seminary4 ,the number of 
pupils now in the school is fifteen4    
,the communication of ,biblical and     
religious knowledge has been a main     
object of this school4 ,all the pupils1 
as a daily lesson1 study the ,assembly's
 ,shorter ,catechism1 first in ,arabic  
with proof-texts1 and afterwards in     
,english with ,baker's ,explanatory     
,questions and ,scripture proofs1 and   
they are taught a brief ,historical     

,catechism of the ,old and ,new         
,testaments4 ,the first of proper school
 hours every day is occupied with the   
,scriptures by all the school4 ,the     
,epistles to the ,hebrews and the       
,romans formed the subject of these     
lessons until the autumn1 when ,mr4     
,calhoun's revised edition of the       
,companion to the ,bible was adopted as 
a text-book1 and the ,old ,testament has
 been studied in connection with that   
work4 ,the pupils all attend the service
 at the ,mission ,chapel1 and have      
lessons appropriate to the ,sabbath in  
the intervals of worship4  ,the evening 
family worship is in ,arabic1 and is a  
familiar ,bible ,class4 ,all the pupils 
are present1 and not unfrequently some  
of their relatives and other strangers4 
,in addition to this religious          
instruction1 the several classes have   
studied the ,arabic and ,english        
languages1 some of them writing in both1
 geography and history1 arithmetic      
mental and higher1 astronomy1 and some  

of the simple works on natural          
philosophy and physiology4 ,compositions
 have been required in ,arabic and      
,english4 ,the lessons in drawing1      
commenced by ,miss ,whittlesey1 have    
been continued under the instruction of 
,mrs4 ,smith1 and plain and fancy       
needle-work have been taught as         
heretofore4  ,to those who have watched 
the growth of intellect1 and in some    
instances1 we hope1 the growth of grace 
in these few pupils1 and in the other   
female boarding scholars in some of the 
mission families1 who have seen the     
pleasing contrast afforded by ,syrian   
females when adorned after the          
,apostolic recommendation by good works 
and a meek and quiet spirit1 with those 
who cover empty heads with pearls and   
enrobe untidy persons in costly         
array1--who have rejoiced to see one and
 another family altar set up1 where both
 heads of the family and the hearts of  
both unite in acknowledging ,god1--this 
branch of our labors need offer no      

further arguments to justify its        
efficient prosecution4  ,the library of 
the ,seminary consists of #bbj school   
books1 and #adh volumes of miscellaneous
 books1 chiefly for the young4 ,the     
school has #f large fine maps1 and #e of
 ,mr4 ,bidwell's ,missionary maps1 and  
#af of ,mattison's astronomical maps4   
,these maps were the gifts of ,mrs4 ,dr4
 ,burgess and of ,fisher ,howe1 ,esq4   
,the school has a pair of globes1 one   
,season's machine1 one orrery1 a pair of
 gasometers1 a spirit-lamp and retort   
stand1 a centre of gravity apparatus1 a 
capillary attraction apparatus1 a       
galvanic trough1 a circular battery1 an 
electromagnet1 a horse shoe magnet1 a   
revolving magnet1 a wire coil and       
hemispheric helices1 and an electric    
shocking machine4  ,the report of the   
,female ,seminary for #ahec is written  
in the handwriting of ,mrs4 ,de ,forest1
 owing to the increasing infirmity of   
,dr4 ,de ,forest's health1 and this     
report has a sad interest from its being

 the last one ever dictated by ,dr4 ,de 
,forest4  ,a small day-school for girls 
has been taught by one of the pupils in 
,mrs4 ,whiting's family during the      
winter1 and it is contemplated to       
continue the school hereafter in the    
,girl's ,school house on the ,mission   
premises1 under the instruction of a    
graduate of the ,female ,seminary4 ,the 
demand for such instruction for girls is
 steadily increasing4  ,the teaching    
force of the ,seminary was increased    
last spring by the arrival of ,miss     
,cheney1 who entered at once upon the   
duties of her position1 devoting a      
portion of her time to the acquisition  
of ,arabic1 and a part to the           
instruction of some classes in ,english4
 ,still1 on account of the repeated     
illnesses of ,dr4 ,de ,forest1 it was   
not deemed advisable to receive a new   
class last autumn4 ,the only girls      
admitted during the year were one of    
,mrs4 ,whiting's pupils who was         
transferred to the ,seminary for one    

year1 one of the class who graduated two
 years since1 and who desired to return 
for another year1 and ,sara1 the        
daughter of ,mr4 ,butrus ,bistany4      
,these three were received into existing
 classes1 while it was not deemed       
advisable under the circumstances to    
make up another class composed of new   
pupils4  ,the course of instruction1    
,biblical and other1 has been much the  
same as that hitherto pursued4 ,miss    
,cheney commenced ,watts on the ,mind1  
with some of the older pupils1 in       
,english4 ,all the pupils have had      
familiar lessons on ,church ,history in 
,arabic1 and some of them have begun an 
abridged work on ,moral ,philosophy4    
,much effort has been bestowed upon the 
cultivation of a taste for the reading  
of profitable books1 and a number of the
 girls have read the whole of           
,d',aubign's ,history of the            
,reformation1 and other history with    
,mrs4 ,de ,forest in the evening class1 
the atlas being always open before them4

 ,mrs4 ,smith has given some instruction
 in the rudiments of drawing to a part  
of the pupils1 and ,mrs4 ,bird and ,mrs4
 ,calhoun have given lessons in vocal   
music1 for which some of the pupils have
 considerable taste4  ,after completing 
the ',companion to the ,bible' in       
,arabic1 the whole school were engaged  
daily in a ,harmony of the ,gospels1 and
 other ,biblical and religious          
instruction has been continued as       
heretofore4 ,we have ever kept in mind  
the necessity of not denationalizing    
these ,arab children1 and we believe    
that this desired result has been       
attained4 ,the long vacation of six     
weeks in the spring1 and the same in the
 autumn1 the commencement of all        
instruction in ,arabic1 and the         
preponderance of ,arabic study in the   
school1 have contributed to this result4
 ,the older pupils have attained to a   
considerable knowledge of ,english1     
giving them access to books suitable for
 girls to read1 and yet ,arabic is the  

language of the school1 and the pupils  
are ,syrians still in dress and manners4
 ,the advantages of the school are more 
and more appreciated in the city1 and   
the adjacent mountains4 ,many were      
exceedingly earnest in offering their   
daughters last autumn1 both ,protestant 
and other1 and some when repulsed at the
 ,seminary1 besought the mission        
families to receive their children4     
,during the next year1 the school was   
placed in the family of ,mr4 and ,mrs4  
,wilson1 under the charge of ,miss      
,cheney4 ,a class of eight graduated1   
and the pupils contributed to benevolent
 objects of the fruits of their         
industry1 over #abjj piastres1 or about 
fifty dollars4  ,in a report on         
,education1 prepared by the ,syria      
,mission in #ahee1 it was stated1 that  
without entering into details in regard 
to the course of study pursued1 we are  
happy to say that the results of ,dr4   
,de ,forest's ,seminary were very       
gratifying1 and proved1 if proof were   

needed1 that there is the same capacity 
in the native female mind of the country
 that there is in the male1 and that    
under proper instruction1 and by the    
blessing of ,god1 there will be brought 
forward a class of intelligent1 pious   
and efficient female helpers in the     
great work of evangelizing this         
community4  ,the hope implied in the    
above sentence with regard to the       
raising up of a class of intelligent1   
pious and efficient female helpers1 has 
been abundantly realized4 ,the list of  
,dr4 ,de ,forest's pupils is to a great 
extent the list of the leading female   
teachers and helpers in all the various 
departments of evangelic work in ,syria4
  ,not having access to the records of  
the ,seminary as they have been lost1 ,i
 have obtained from several of the      
former pupils a list of the members of  
the various classes from #ahdh to #aheb4
 ,the whole number of pupils during that
 period was twenty-three4 ,of these two 
died in faith1 giving good evidence of  

piety4 ,of the twenty-one who survive1  
twelve are members of the ,evangelical  
,church1 and nine are now or were       
recently engaged in teaching1 although  
nearly twenty years have elapsed since  
they graduated4 ,twenty-one are at the  
head of families1 esteemed and honored  
in the communities where they reside4   
,the names of the whole class are as    
follows3      ,ferha ,jimmal1 now       
,kowwar of ,nazareth4     ,sara ,haddad1
 now ,myers of ,beirt4     ,sada        
,sabunjy1 now ,barakat of ,beirt4       
,sada ,haleby1 of ,beirt4     ,miriam   
,tabet1 now ,tabet of ,beirt4           
,khushfeh ,mejdelany1 now ,musully of   
,beirt4     ,khurma ,mejdelany1 now     
,ashy of ,hasbeiya4     ,mirta ,tabet1  
now ,suleeby of ,b'hamdn4     ,feifun   
,malf1 of ,aramoon4     ,katrin ,roza1  
of ,kefr ,shima4     ,mirta ,suleeby1   
now ,trabulsy of ,beirt4     ,sara      
,suleeby1 of ,beirt4     ,esteer ,nasif1
 now ,aieed of ,suk el ,ghurb4     ,hada
 ,suleeby1 now ,shidoody of ,beirt4     

,helloon ,zazah1 now ,zuraiuk of ,beirt4
     ,khushfeh ,towleh1 now ,mutr of    
,beirt4     ,fetneh ,suleeby1 now       
,shibly of ,suk el ,ghurb4     ,akabir  
,barakat1 now ,ghubrn of ,beirt4        
,hamdeh ,barakat1 now ,b ,rehan of      
,hasbeiya4     ,eliza ,hashem1 now ,khri
 of ,beirt4     ,rufka ,haddad1         
7deceased74     ,sara ,bistany1         
7deceased74     ,durra ,schemail1 of    
,kefr ,shima4  ,two of the most         
successful of those engaged in teaching1
 are now connected with the ,british    
,syrian ,schools4 ,they are ,sada       
,barakat and ,sada el ,haleby4 ,the     
former has written me a letter in       
,english in regard to her own history   
and religious experience1 which ,i take 
the liberty to transcribe here verbatim 
in her own language4 ,she was one of the
 least religious of all the pupils in   
the school1 when she was first received 
but the work of conviction and          
conversion was a thorough one1 and she  
has been enabled by the grace of ,god to

 offer constant and most efficient      
testimony to the reality of ,christian  
experience1 in the responsible position 
she has been called upon to fill in the 
late ,mrs4 ,thompson's institution4     
,suk el ,ghurb1 ,mt4 ,lebanon1          
,september #c1 #ahgb4       ,dear       
,sir--,i am thankful to say1 in reply to
 your inquiry1      that ,i was not     
persecuted when ,i became a ,protestant1
 like my other      native sisters were 
when they became ,protestants1 because  
,i was      very young4 ,i was about    
four years old when my father died1 and 
a      year after1 my mother married a  
,protestant man4 ,i came to live with   
my mother in her new home1 with my two  
brothers4 ,it was very hard      to lose
 a dear loving father who loved his     
children so much as my      mother tells
 me he did4 ,but the ,lord does         
everything right1 because      if the   
,lord had not taken my father away from 
us ,i should not have      known the    
true religion4 ,i lived in my           

step-father's house till ,i      was    
twelve years old4 ,i was then placed in 
,dr4 ,de ,forest's school1      in the  
year #ahdh4 ,i stayed there four years4 
,i was not clever at my      studies1   
and especially the ,english language was
 very difficult for      me4 ,even until
 now ,i remember a lesson in ,english   
which was so hard      for me that ,i   
was punished twice for it1 and ,i could 
not learn it4      ,now it will make me 
laugh to think of these few words1 which
 ,i      could not translate into       
,arabic3 ,the hen is in the yard4 ,my   
mind      was more at play than at      
learning4 ,i was very clever at         
housework1      and at dressing dolls1  
and was always the leader in all games4 
,from      that you can see that ,i was 
not a very good girl at school4 ,after  
the two first years ,i began to think   
how nice it would be to become      a   
real ,christian like my dear teacher    
,dr4 ,de ,forest4 ,then ,i used to      
pray1 and read1 especially the          

,pilgrim's ,progress1 and my mind       
was so busy at it that ,i used sometimes
 to leave my lesson and go      and sit 
alone in my room4 ,nobody knew what was 
the matter with me1      but ,dr4 ,de   
,forest used to ask me why ,i did not go
 to school8 ,i      told him that ,i was
 very troubled1 and he told me to pray  
to ,god      very earnestly to give me a
 new heart4 ,i did pray1 but ,i did not 
have an answer then4 ,three or four     
times during my school time ,i          
began to wish to become a ,christian4 ,i
 prayed and was very      troubled4 ,i  
wept and would not play1 and as ,i got  
no immediate      answer1 ,i left off   
reading and sometimes praying entirely4 
,everybody noticed that ,i did not much 
care to read1 and especially      a     
religious book4 ,i felt that my heart   
had grown harder than before      ,i had
 wished to become a ,christian4 ,the    
greatest trial was that ,i      had no  
faith1 and for that reason ,i used not  
to believe in prayer1      but still ,i 

longed to become a real ,christian4 ,i  
left school in the      year #aheb1 and 
went to live at home with my mother4 ,i 
was taken      ill1 and when ,i was ill 
,i was very much afraid of death1 for ,i
 felt      that ,god was very angry with
 me4       ,till about two years after  
,i left school1 ,i had no religion at   
all4      ,one evening a young man from 
,abeih came to our house4 ,his name is  
,giurgius el ,haddad1 who is now ,mr4   
,calhoun's cook4 ,after a little        
while he began to talk about religion1  
and to read the book1      ,little      
,henry and his ,bearer4 ,i felt very    
much ashamed that others      who did   
not have the opportunity to learn about 
religion had      religion1 and ,i1 who 
had learned so much1 had none4 ,that was
 the      blessed evening on which ,i   
began to inquire earnestly about my     
salvation4 ,i was three months praying  
and found no answer to my      prayers4 
,christian friends tried to lead me to  
,christ1 but ,i could      not take hold

 of ,him1 till ,he ,himself appeared to 
my soul in all      ,his beauty and     
excellency4 ,before ,i found peace ,dr4 
,eli ,smith and      ,mr4 ,whiting      
wanted me to teach a day school for     
them4 ,that was      about three years  
after ,i left off learning4 ,oh1 thought
 ,i1 how      can ,i teach others about 
,christ when ,i do not know ,him myself8
      ,however ,i began the school by   
opening and closing it with prayer1     
without any faith at all4 ,so ,i began  
by reading from the first of            
,matthew1 till ,i came to the #afth     
chapter4 ,when ,i came to that          
chapter ,i read as usual1 with blinded  
eyes2 but when ,i came to the           
7#acth7 thirteen verse1 and from there  
to the seventeenth1 where it      says1 
,blessed art thou1 ,simon ,barjona1 for 
flesh and blood hath      not revealed  
it unto thee1 but my ,father which is in
 heaven1 ,i      felt that this had been
 said to me1 and were these words       
sounded      from heaven ,i would not   

have felt happier4 ,how true it is that 
no      flesh could reveal unto me what 
,god had revealed1 because many         
,christian friends tried to make me     
believe1 but ,i could not1 ,i      felt 
as if everything had become new and     
beautiful1 because my      ,heavenly    
,father had made them all4 ,i was       
sometimes with faith and      sometimes 
doubting1 and by these changes my faith 
was strengthened4      ,after a short   
time1 ,i asked ,mr4 ,whiting to let me  
join the ,church4      ,he asked me if  
,i saw any change in myself1 and ,i     
said1 ,one thing ,i      know1 that ,i  
used to dislike ,christian people1 and  
now they are my      best friends4      
,after a short time ,i was permitted to 
join the      ,church4 ,then ,i left off
 teaching the day school1 and was asked 
to      teach in a ,boarding school with
 ,miss ,cheney1 in the same ,seminary   
where ,i was brought up4 ,we taught in  
that school only six months4      ,miss 
,cheney married1 and ,i was engaged to  

be married4 ,while ,i was      engaged1 
,i went to ,mr4 ,bird's school for girls
 in ,deir el ,kamr1 and      taught     
there for more than a year4 ,i was      
married by ,mr4 ,bird in his      own   
house to ,m4 ,yusef ,barakat1 and then  
we went to ,hasbeiya4 ,i      stayed    
there seven months and then went to     
,beirt1 and thence to      ,damascus    
with my husband1 because he had to teach
 there4 ,i had      nothing to do there 
but to look after my house1 my little   
boy1 and      my husband4       ,after  
some time1 the massacre broke out in    
,damascus1 7,july #i1      #ahfj17 so we
 came back as refugees to ,beirt4 ,soon 
after my husband      was taken ill and 
then died4 ,in that same year #ahfj1    
dear ,mrs4      ,bowen ,thompson came to
 ,beirt4 ,she felt for the widows and   
orphans1      being herself a widow4    
,she asked me if ,i would come and teach
 a      school for the widows and       
orphans1 which ,i accepted thankfully4  
,we      opened the school with five    

children and seven women1 and the work1 
by ,god's help has prospered1 so that   
now1 instead of one school1      there  
are twenty-two schools4 ,until now ,i   
continue teaching in the                
,institution1 and had ,i known that     
nearly all my life would be spent       
in teaching1 ,i should have tried to    
gain more when ,i was a child4 ,i       
can forget father and mother1 but can   
never forget those who taught      me1  
especially about religion4 ,although    
some of them are dead1 yet      still   
they live by their ,christian example1  
which they have left      behind4 ,my   
whole life will be full of gratitude to 
those dear      ,christian friends1 and 
,i pray that ,god himself may reward    
them a      hundred fold4               
,yours respectfully1                    
,sada ,barakat4  ,in the year #ahea the 
,missionary ,sewing ,society of the     
,beirt ,female ,seminary heard of the   
interesting state of things in ,aintab1 
and that the women there were anxious to

 learn to read4 ,the missionaries in    
,aintab hired an old man to go around   
from house to house to teach the women  
to read in their homes1 but the women   
were so eager to learn that the old man 
was unable to meet the demand4 ,so      
children were employed to assist4 ,the  
plan worked admirably1 and in #ahea1    
eighty women received instruction and   
became able to read ,god's ,word4 ,the  
,arab girls in ,mrs4 ,de ,forest's      
school were called together1 and it was 
proposed that they sew and embroider and
 send the proceeds of their work to pay 
the little girl teachers in ,aintab4    
,there were present1 ,ferha1 7joy17     
,sara1 ,saada ,sabunjy1 ,miriam1        
,khushfeh1 ,khurma1 ,mirta1 7,martha7   
,feifun1 ,katrina1 ,hada1 ,sada el      
,haleby1 ,esteer1 ,helloon1 ,fetny1     
,akabir1 ,hamdy1 and ,liza4 ,the needles
 were briskly plied1 and in due time1   
two hundred and fifty piastres were     
collected and forwarded to ,aintab4     
,mrs4 ,schneider wrote back thanking the

 dear ,arab girls4 ,the habits of       
benevolence thus acquired have continued
 with the most of these girls until now4
 ,the greater part of them are now      
church-members and the heads of         
families4  ,the following letter written
 by ,mrs4 ,de ,forest in ,feb4 #aheb1   
gives some account of ,lulu ,araman4    
,beirt1 ,syria1 ,february1 #aheb4       
,my ,dear young friends in ,thetford3   
,the quilt you sent came safely1 and ,i 
thank you much for all the      care and
 trouble you have taken to make and     
quilt it for me4 ,i at      first       
thought of keeping it for myself1 but   
then it occurred to me      that perhaps
 it might please you better and interest
 you more if ,i      gave it to ,lulu1  
one of my girls1 who is to be married   
some time      this year to ,mr4        
,michaiel ,araman1 one of the teachers  
in the ,abeih      ,seminary4 ,you will 
thus have the pleasure of feeling that  
you have      in one sense done         
something for the school1 as she is an  

assistant      pupil1 or pupil teacher4 
,she has been with me now for about     
eight      years1 and seems almost like 
my own daughter4 ,perhaps you will be   
interested in knowing something of her4 
,she was born in a pleasant valley1     
,wady ,shehrr1 near ,beirt1             
celebrated for its fine oranges1 and    
indeed for almost all kind of      fine 
fruits4 ,she lost both her parents early
 in life4 ,her brothers      7contrary  
to the usual custom here where girls are
 not much      regarded or cared for7   
were very kind to her1 and as she was a 
delicate child1 they took great care of 
her1 and often used to make      vows to
 some saint in her behalf4 ,at one time1
 when she was very      ill1 they vowed 
to ,mar ,giurgis 7for they are members  
of the ,greek      ,church1 and ,st4    
,george is one of the favorite saints of
 the ,greeks1      and indeed of all the
 ,christian sects here1 and they still  
show the      spot where he is said to  
have killed the dragon7 that if she     

recovered1 she should carry to one of   
his shrines two wax candles      as tall
 as herself and of a prescribed weight4 
,while she was still      feeble they   
provided the candles1 and as she was too
 weak to walk1      they carried her and
 the candles also1 to the holy place and
      presented them4       ,when she   
was eight years old1 they were persuaded
 by an      acquaintance to place her in
 one of the ,mission families4 ,here she
      was instructed in her own         
language1 and especially in the ,holy   
,scriptures4 ,she was allowed1 however1 
to keep her feasts and fasts1      and  
to attend her own church1 until she     
became convinced that these      things 
would not save her and she wished to    
give them up4 ,one feast      day the   
lady with whom she lived gave her some  
sewing and told her      to seat herself
 and do her task4 ,she refused1 saying  
it was a feast      day1 and it was     
unlawful work4 ,a little while after she
 asked      permission to go and visit  

her brother's family2 but the lady told 
her1 ,no1 if it is unlawful to work1 it 
is unlawful to visit4 ,i      have no   
objection to your keeping your feast    
days1 but if you do      you must keep  
them as holy time4 ,so she gave her a   
portion of      ,scripture to learn1 and
 she was kept very quiet all day1 as    
though      it was the ,sabbath1 and    
without the day being made agreeable to 
her      like the ,sabbath by going to  
,church and ,sabbath ,school4 ,she did  
not at all like keeping a feast in this 
manner1 which is very      different    
from the manner in which such a day or  
even the ,sabbath1      is kept in this 
land1 and was ever after ready to work  
when told to      do so4 ,when her      
brothers saw that she was beginning to  
give up      their vain ceremonies1 they
 became anxious to get her away1 lest   
she should become a ,protestant2 and at 
one time1 when she went home      to    
attend the wedding of one of her        
relatives1 they refused to      allow   

her to return1 and it was only through  
the good management of      the native  
friend who was sent for her1 and her own
 determination      to come1 that she   
was permitted to come back4       ,we   
hope that she became truly pious six    
years ago1 in #ahdf1 as her      life   
evinces that she is striving to live    
according to the precepts      of the   
gospel4 ,she has never dared to go home 
again1 although it      has been a great
 trial for her to stay away1 because she
 knew that      she should be obliged to
 remain there1 and to conform to the    
idolatrous rites of the ,greek ,church4 
,she has assisted us in the      ,school
 for nearly five years1 besides teaching
 a day school at      various times1    
before the ,boarding ,school was        
commenced1 and we      shall feel very  
sorry to part with her4 ,still we hope  
that she will      yet be useful to her 
countrywomen1 and furnish them an       
example of a      happy ,christian home1
 of which there are so few at present in

 this      country4       ,our school   
has now nineteen pupils1 most of whom   
are promising4      ,some we hope are   
true ,christians4 ,the girls opened     
their box the      other day1 and found 
that they had a little more than last   
year      from their earnings4 ,some    
friends added a little1 and they have   
now      forty dollars4 ,one half they  
send to ,china1 and the other half give 
to the ,church here4  ,the hope         
expressed by ,mrs4 ,de ,forest in #aheb1
 with regard to the future usefulness of
 ,lulu1 has not been disappointed4 ,her 
family is a model ,christian family1 the
 home of piety and affection1 the centre
 of a pure and hallowed influence4 ,her 
eldest daughter ,katie1 named from ,mrs4
 ,de ,forest1 is now a teacher in the   
,beirt ,female ,seminary in which her   
father has been the principal instructor
 in the ,bible and in the higher ,arabic
 branches for ten years4 ,for years this
 institution was carried on in ,lulu's  
house1 and she was the ,matron while    

,rufka was the ,preceptress1 and its    
very existence is owing to the patient  
and faithful labors of those two        
,christian ,syrian women4 ,if any one   
who reads these lines should doubt the  
utility of labors for the girls and     
women of the ,arab race1 let him visit  
first the squalid1 disorderly1 cheerless
 and ,christless homes of the mass of   
the ,arab villagers of ,syria1 and then 
enter the cheerful1 tidy1 well ordered  
home of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,araman1 when the
 family are at morning prayers1 listen  
to the voice of prayer and praise and   
the reading of ,god's word4 ,instead of 
the father sitting gloomily alone at his
 morning meal1 and the mother and       
children waiting till their lord is     
through and then eating by themselves in
 the usual ,arab way1 he would see the  
whole family seated together in a       
,christian1 homelike manner1 the ,divine
 blessing asked1 and the meal conducted 
with propriety and decorum4 ,after      
breakfast the father and ,katie go to   

the ,seminary to give their morning     
lessons1 ,henry 7named for ,dr4 ,de     
,forest7 sets out for the ,college1 in  
which he is a ,sophomore1 and the       
younger children go to their various    
schools4 ,lulu's place at church is     
rarely vacant1 and since that relic of  
barbarism the curtain which separated   
the men from the women has been removed 
from the building1 the whole family1    
father1 mother1 and children sit        
together and join in the worship of     
,god4 ,her brother and relatives from   
,wady are on the most affectionate terms
 with her1 and her elder sister is in   
the domestic department of the ,beirt   
,female ,seminary4  ,this change is very
 largely due to the efforts of ,mrs4 ,de
 ,forest1 whose name with that of her   
sainted husband is embalmed in the      
memory of the ,christian families of    
,syria1 and will be held in everlasting 
remembrance4 ,the second generation of  
,christian teachers is now growing up in
 ,syria4 ,three of ,mrs4 ,de ,forest's  

pupils have daughters now engaged in    
teaching4 ,khushfeh1 ,lulu1 and ,sada el
 ,haleby2 and ,miriam ,tabet has a      
daughter married to ,mr4 ,s4 ,hallock1  
of the ,american ,press in ,beirt4      
,,fruits ,,of ,,dr4 ,,de ,,forest',s    
,,girl',s ,,school4  ,in the autumn of  
#aheb1 there was a school of thirty     
girls in ,b'hamdn1 a village high up in 
,mt4 ,lebanon4 ,fifteen months before   
the teacher was the only female in the  
village who could read1 and she had been
 taught by the native girls in ,dr4 ,de 
,forest's school4 ,quite a number of the
 girls of the village had there learned 
to read1 and they all came to the school
 clean and neatly dressed4 ,they        
committed to memory verses of           
,scripture1 and it was surprising to see
 how correctly they recited them at the 
,sabbath ,school4 ,at meeting they were 
quiet and attentive like the best       
behaved children in ,christian lands4   
,it would be difficult to sum up the    
results of that little school for girls 

twenty years ago in ,b'hamdn4 ,that     
village is full of gospel light4 ,a     
,protestant church edifice is in process
 of erection1 a native pastor1 ,rev4    
,sulleba ,jerawan1 preaches to the      
people1 and the mass of the people have 
at least an intellectual acquaintance   
with the truth4  ,the picturesque       
village of ,b'hamdn1 where ,dr4 ,de     
,forest's school is established1 is on  
the side of a lofty mountain4 ,it is    
nearly #djjj feet above the level of the
 ,mediterranean ,sea4 ,the village is   
compact as a little city1 the streets   
narrow1 rocky and crooked1 the houses   
flat-roofed1 and the floors of mud4 ,one
 of the ,protestants1 the father of     
,miriam ,tabet1 has built a fine large  
house with glass windows and paved      
floors1 which is one of the best houses 
in that part of ,lebanon4 ,the village  
is surrounded by vineyards1 and the     
grapes are regarded as the finest in    
,mt4 ,lebanon4 ,the people say that they
 never have to dig for the foundation of

 a house1 but only to sweep off the dust
 with a broom4 ,there is not a shade    
tree in the village4 ,one day ,dr4 ,de  
,forest asked1 ,why don't you plant a   
tree8 ,we shall not live till it has    
grown1 was the reply4 ,but your children
 will1 said the ,doctor4 ,let them plant
 it then1 was the satisfactory answer4  
,my first visit to ,b'hamdn was made in 
,february1 #ahef1 a few days after my   
first arrival in ,syria4 ,on ,sabbath   
morning ,i attended the ,sabbath ,school
 with ,mr4 ,benton1 at that time a      
missionary of the ,a4,b4,c4,f4,m4 ,one  
little girl named ,katrina ,subra1 then 
nine years of age1 repeated the ,arabic 
,hymn ,km wa ,rettel1 ,awake and sing   
the song of ,moses and the ,lamb4 ,she  
was a bright-eyed child of fair         
complexion and of unusual intelligence4 
,at that time there was no children's   
hymn book in ,arabic1 and ,i asked ,mr4 
,b4 to promise the children that when ,i
 had learned the ,arabic1 ,i would      
translate a collection of children's    

hymns into ,arabic1 which promise was   
fulfilled first in the printing of the  
,douzan el ,kethar1 ,the tuning of the  
,harp1 in #ahfa4 ,katrina was the       
daughter of ,elias ,subra1 one of the   
wealthiest men in the village1 who had  
just then become a ,protestant4 ,she had
 been interested in the truth for some  
time1 and though at the time only eight 
years old1 was accustomed during the    
preceding summer to tell the ,arab      
children that she was a ,protestant1    
though they answered her with insults   
and cursing4 ,at first she could not    
bear to be abused1 and answered them in 
language more forcible than proper1 but 
by the time of my visit she had become  
softened and subdued in her manner1 and 
was never heard to speak an unkind word 
to any one4 ,she undertook1 even at that
 age1 to teach the ,greek servant girl  
in the family how to read4 ,one day the 
old ,greek ,priest met her in the street
 and asked her why she did not go to    
confession as the other ,greek children 

do4 ,she replied that she could go to   
,christ and confess4 ,the priest then   
said that her father and the rest of the
 ,protestants go to the missionary and  
write out their sins on papers which he 
puts into rat holes in the wall6        
,katrina knew this to be a foolish      
falsehood and told the priest so4 ,he   
then asked her how the ,protestants     
confess4 ,she replied that they confess 
as the ,lord ,jesus tells them to1      
quoting to him the language of          
,scripture1 7,matt4 #f3f47 ,but thou    
when thou prayest1 enter into thy       
closet1 and when thou hast shut the     
door1 pray to thy ,father which is in   
secret1 and thy ,father who seeth in    
secret shall reward thee openly4 ,the   
priest was confounded by the ready      
truthful answer of the child1 and turned
 away4  ,three years later ,katrina was 
a member of the ,mission ,female        
,seminary in ,suk el ,ghurb1 a village  
three hours distant from ,beirt1 under  
the instruction of ,miss ,temple and    

,miss ,johnson1 and continued there     
until the ,seminary was broken up by the
 massacres of ,may and ,june1 #ahfj4 ,i 
remember well the day when that         
procession of girls and teachers rode   
and walked down from ,suk el ,ghurb to  
,beirt4 ,all ,southern ,lebanon was in a
 blaze4 ,twenty-five villages were      
burning4 ,druze and ,maronite were in   
deadly strife4 ,baabda and ,hadeth which
 we passed on our way to ,beirt1 were a 
smoking ruin4 ,armed bodies of ,druzes  
passed and saluted us1 but no one       
offered to insult one of the girls by   
word or gesture4 ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,bliss  
gave us lunch at their home in the ,suk 
as we came from ,abeih1 and then        
followed a few days later to ,beirt4    
,miss ,temple tried to re-open the      
school in ,beirt1 but the constant tide 
of refugees coming in from the          
mountains1 and the daily rumors of an   
attack by ,druzes and ,moslems on       
,beirt1 threw the city into a panic1 and
 it was found impossible to carry on the

 work of instruction4 ,the girls were   
sent to their parents where this was    
practicable1 and the ,seminary as such  
ceased for a time to exist4 ,katrina1   
was married in #ahfd to ,m4 ,ghurzzy1 a 
,protestant merchant of ,beirt1 who is  
now secular agent or ,wakil of the      
,syrian ,protestant ,college4 ,in #ahff1
 she united with the ,evangelical       
,church in ,beirt4 ,she has had repeated
 attacks of illness1 in which she has   
manifested the most entire submission to
 the ,divine will1 and a calm and sweet 
trust in her ,lord and ,saviour4 ,her   
home is a ,christian home1 and her      
children are being trained in the       
nurture and admonition of the ,lord4    
,,chapter ,,viii4  ,,re-,,opening ,,of  
,,the ,,school ,,in ,,beirut4   ,in     
#ahef ,miss ,cheney re-opened the       
,female ,seminary with eight pupils1 in 
,beirt1 and in the #cd schools of the   
,mission there were #ajfh pupils1 of    
whom #bff were girls4  ,in #aheg1 there 
were #bgg girls in the various schools4 

,in #aheh1 ,miss ,temple and ,miss      
,johnson arrived from ,america1 and the 
,female ,seminary was opened in ,suk el 
,ghurb in the family of ,rev4 ,dr4      
,bliss4 ,miss ,johnson and ,miss ,cheney
 having returned to the ,united ,states1
 ,miss ,mason came to aid ,miss ,temple 
in ,february1 #ahfj4 ,the girl's school 
in ,beirt under the care of ,rufka      
,gregory1 had about #fj pupils4 ,the    
civil war in ,lebanon1 followed by the  
massacres in ,jezzin1 ,deir el ,komr1   
,hasbeiya1 ,rasheiya and ,damascus1     
beginning in ,may1 and continuing until 
the middle of ,july1 broke up all our   
schools and seminaries1 and filled the  
land with sorrow and desolation4  ,miss 
,temple and ,miss ,mason remained for a 
season in ,beirt1 studying the ,arabic  
language1 and in #ahfb ,miss ,temple    
having returned to the ,u4,s4,a41 ,miss 
,mason opened a ,boarding ,school for   
girls in ,sidon4  ,it was decided that  
none but ,protestant girls should be    
received into this school1 that no      

,english should be taught1 and that the 
style of eating1 sleeping and dress     
should be conformed as much as possible 
to the standard of native customs in the
 country villages1 in order that the    
girls might the more readily return to  
their homes as teachers1 without        
acquiring ,european tastes and habits4  
,miss ,mason carried on this school     
until #ahfe1 when she returned to the   
,u4,s4,a41 and it was decided if        
possible to carry it on with native     
instructors under the supervision of    
,mrs4 ,eddy4  ,in the winter of #ahfg it
 was under the kind charge of ,mrs4     
,watson of ,shemlan and her adopted     
daughter1 ,miss ,handumeh ,watson1 and  
is now conducted by two ,english young  
ladies1 ,miss ,jacombs and ,miss        
,stanton1 who are supported by the      
,london ,society for the ,promotion of  
,female ,education in the ,east4 ,on the
 removal of the girls' ,boarding ,school
 to ,sidon1 it was evident that the     
,female ,seminary must be re-opened in  

,beirt4 ,owing to the depressed state of
 ,missionary finances in ,america1      
arising from the civil war1 it was      
deemed advisable to reorganize the      
,beirt ,seminary on a new basis1 with   
only native teachers4 ,the ,providence  
of ,god had prepared teachers admirably 
fitted for this work1 who undertook it  
with cheerful hope and patient industry4
 ,it was decided to make a paying       
,boarding ,school of a higher order than
 any existing institution in ,syria1 and
 to resume instruction in the ,english  
language1 giving lessons also in ,french
 and ,music to those who were willing to
 pay for these branches4  ,mr4 ,michaiel
 ,araman1 for many years a teacher in   
the ,abeih ,seminary with ,mr4 ,calhoun1
 and for some time a native preacher in 
,beirt1 was appointed instructor in the 
,biblical ,history and the ,higher      
,arabic branches2 his wife ,lulu1 the   
,matron1 and ,miss ,rufka ,gregory1 the 
,preceptress4 ,rufka was an orphan1 as  
already stated1 and was trained with her

 sister ,sada in the family of ,mr4 and 
,mrs4 ,whiting for many years4 ,as a    
teacher and a disciplinarian she had not
 an equal among the women of ,syria1 and
 under the joint management of this     
corps of teachers1 aided by competent   
assistants in the various branches1 the 
,seminary rose in public esteem1 until  
it became one of the most attractive and
 prosperous institutions in ,syria4  ,in
 ,march1 #ahfb1 ,rufka's day school of  
seventy girls held a public examination 
in the ,chapel4 ,the girls were examined
 in ,arabic reading1 geography1 grammar1
 catechism1 arithmetic1 ,scripture      
lessons and ,english1 with an exhibition
 of specimens of their needle work4 ,in 
the fall it was commenced as a ,boarding
 ,school1 with two paying pupils and    
four charity pupils4 ,the funds for     
commencing the boarding department were 
furnished by ,mr4 ,alexander ,van       
,rensselaer1 ,mrs4 ,henry ,farnum1 ,col4
 ,frazer1 ,h4,b4,m4 ,commissioner to    
,syria1 and others4 ,the ,seminary not  

being under the direction of the        
,mission as such1 nor in connection with
 the ,american ,board1 was placed under 
the care of a local ,board of ,managers1
 consisting of ,dr4 ,thomson1 ,dr4 ,van 
,dyck1 ,consul ,j4,a4 ,johnson1 and     
,rev4 ,h4,h4 ,jessup4 ,dr4 ,thomson was 
indefatigable in his efforts to place it
 on a firm and permanent foundation1 as 
a purely ,native ,protestant            
institution1 and the fact that such a   
school could be carried on for a year   
without a single foreign instructor1 was
 one of the most encouraging features in
 the history of the ,syria ,mission4 ,it
 was the first purely native ,female    
,seminary in ,western ,asia1 and we hope
 it will not be the last4  ,it will     
continue to be the aim of the ,mission1 
and of the present able faculty of the  
institution1 to train up ,native        
teachers qualified to carry on the work 
in the future4  ,at the same time in the
 fall of #ahfb1 a school for ,damascene 
girls was opened in an upper room of my 

house1 under the care of one of ,dr4 ,de
 ,forest's pupils1 ,sada el ,haleby1 who
 carried it on successfully with seventy
 girls until ,august1 #ahfd1 when1 on my
 departure for the ,u4,s4,a4 the school 
was taken up by the late ,mrs4 ,bowen   
,thompson1 whose ,society has maintained
 it until this day4  ,in #ahfc1 the     
number of paying boarders in the        
,seminary had increased to twenty1 and  
in #ahff the pupils numbered eighty1 and
 the income from native paying pupils   
was about fifteen hundred dollars in    
gold6  ,the ,annual ,examination was    
held in the latter part of ,june1 in the
 ,mission ,chapel1 and continued three  
days1 thronged by a multitude of        
interested spectators4 ,the ,turkish    
official ,arabic ,journal of ,beirt1 the
 ,hadikat el ,akhbar1 published a       
lengthy report of the ,examination1     
pronouncing it the most satisfactory    
examination of girls that ever took     
place in ,syria4 ,an ,english clergyman 
who was present refused to believe that 

they were ,syrian girls1 insisting that 
they must be ,english4 ,the girls       
recited in ,bible ,history1 giving all  
the important dates from ,adam to       
,christ1 with an account of the rites1  
sacrifices and prophecies which refer to
 ,christ1 giving also the names of all  
the patriarchs1 judges1 kings and       
prophets in their order4 ,twenty-two    
different classes were examined1 and    
many of the girls read original         
compositions4  ,on the ,sabbath1 ,july  
#ast1 two of the assistant teachers1    
,asn ,haddad and ,sara ,sarkis were     
received to the communion of the ,beirt 
,church4 ,they traced their religious   
awakening to the dying testimony of     
,sara ,bistany1 which is described in a 
subsequent chapter4 ,several of the     
younger pupils were much interested in  
the subject of religion at the time1 and
 one little girl about seven years old  
said to her teacher1 ,i gave the ,lord  
my heart1 and ,he took it4 ,asn died in 
,latakiah in #ahfi1 triumphing in       

,christ4 ,the women of the neighborhood 
came to the house of her brother to hear
 her joyous expressions of trust in     
,jesus1 and her assurance that she      
should soon be with ,him in glory4 ,she 
was the second daughter of that young   
bride of fifteen years of age1 who      
learned to read in #ahbe1 in the school 
taught by her own husband1 ,tannus el   
,haddad4  ,in #ahfg1 the health of      
,rufka having become seriously impaired1
 she removed to ,egypt1 where after a   
period of rest1 she opened on her own   
account a school for girls in ,cairo1   
which she maintained with her wonted    
energy1 until her marriage with the     
,rev4 ,mr4 ,muir1 a ,scotch clergyman1  
whom she accompanied to ,melbourne1     
,australia1 in #ahfi4 ,since the death  
of her husband she has returned to her  
favorite employment of teaching1 with   
marked success1 among the ,british      
population of ,melbourne4  ,while in    
,cairo1 she passed through a deep and   
agonizing religious experience1 which   

she described in the following letter to
 ,mrs4 ,whiting1 and the result of which
 was a new life in ,christ4             
,cairo1 ,egypt1 ,july #i1 #ahfh4        
,i think ,i shall always remember my    
stay in ,cairo with much      pleasure1 
but the greatest advantage of this year 
is the      opportunity ,i had of       
stopping to think of the interests of a 
never      dying soul1 of a neglected   
,saviour1 an offended ,god4 ,yes1 ,i    
have      reflected1 struggled1 oh1 how 
hard1 and thanks to an ever merciful    
,god1 ,i trust ,i have been led by the  
,holy ,spirit to see and feel my        
great sin1 and casting myself at the    
feet of ,jesus1 stayed there      with  
my sinful heart till a loving ,saviour  
just came and took it      up4 ,oh1 how 
grieved was ,his tender heart when ,he  
saw how defiled it      was with sin and
 wickedness1 but ,he said1 fear not1 my 
blood will      cleanse it and make it  
pure2 then how ,he pleaded my case      
before ,his      ,father1 setting forth 

,his boundless love and infinite        
righteousness      as a reason why ,he  
wished to be accepted4 ,yes1 dear ,mrs4 
,whiting1 ,i      hope ,i can now say1  
,thy ,god is my ,god1 and the blessed   
,saviour you      have loved so long is 
now very precious to me4 ,the past      
winter has      been a solemn time with 
me4 ,many hard struggles have ,i had1   
much      fear that ,i might have       
forever grieved ,god's ,holy ,spirit1   
and for      a long time it all seemed  
so dark1 there seemed no hope for me who
      had been so long living away from 
the ,saviour1 but in great fear      and
 despair ,i just rushed and cast myself 
at ,his feet1 and asked      ,him to let
 me perish there if ,i must perish2     
there was nothing else      for me to   
do1 and ,i felt such happiness in just  
leaving myself in      ,his care4 ,how  
wonderful is ,his love6 ,but what a life
 of constant      prayer and watching is
 that of a ,christian6 in the first     
place to      aim at close walking with 

,god1 leaving ,him to order our steps   
for      us1 and trusting ,him so to    
order our way as to best enable us to   
walk closely with ,him4 ,it has been a  
most comforting thought when ,i         
find it difficult to live right and feel
 my utter weakness1 that      ,jesus is 
each day saying to ,his ,father for me1 
,i pray not she      should be taken out
 of the world1 but that she should be   
kept from      the evil1 and to live up 
to our privileges and to walk worthy of 
our high calling4       ,my precious    
teacher1 ,i know you will rejoice and   
thank ,god with me      for ,his great  
goodness to me in bringing me to the    
feet of ,jesus4      ,oh1 how precious  
,he is to my poor soul6 ,he is ,heaven4 
,how ,he      blesses me every moment6  
,his boundless love to me who am most   
unworthy of the least of ,his mercies4  
,if ever any one had reason to          
boast of the loving kindness of the     
,lord1 it surely must be myself4        
,in ,his great mercy ,i have had the    

privilege of openly confessing my       
faith in ,him1 and publicly professing  
my determination to be the      ,lord's 
at the last communion in the ,church    
here in ,may4 ,i put it      off till   
then hoping to do it in ,beirt in the   
,church dear ,mr4      ,whiting had     
preached in for so many years1 and among
 the girls ,i      had taught1 and all  
the young friends there1 but as that was
 not      allowed me1 ,i joined the     
,church here4  ,her devoted friend and  
loving assistant teacher ,lucyah1 was   
deeply affected by what she learned from
 ,rufka of her new spiritual life1 and  
she too turned her thoughts to divine   
things1 and soon after the arrival of   
,miss ,everett and ,miss ,carruth in    
#ahfh1 to take charge of the ,seminary1 
she came out openly on the ,lord's side1
 and in the midst of a fire of domestic 
persecution1 publicly professed her     
faith in ,jesus as her only ,saviour4   
,miss ,carruth1 after staying just long 
enough in the ,seminary to win the      

hearts of teachers and pupils1 was      
obliged to return to her native land1   
where she is still an efficient laborer 
in the ,new ,england ,woman's ,boards of
 ,missions4  ,the year following the    
departure of ,rufka to ,egypt was a     
critical time in the history of the     
,seminary4 ,lulu continued in charge of 
the domestic department1 and ,mr4       
,araman managed the business of the     
school1 while ,mrs4 ,salt 7a sister of  
,melita and ,salome7 aided in several of
 the classes4 ,but the institution owed 
its great success during that year1 if  
not its very existence1 to the untiring 
energy and efficient services of ,mrs4  
,dr4 ,bliss and ,miss ,emilia ,thomson1 
daughter of the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,thomson4    
,they each gave several hours every day 
to instruction in the ,english language1
 the ,scriptures and music1 and the high
 standard of excellence already attained
 in the ,seminary was maintained if not 
surpassed4  ,their perfect familiarity  
with the ,arabic language gave them a   

great advantage in the management and   
instruction of the pupils1 and their    
efforts on behalf of the ,institution1  
in maintaining it in full and successful
 operation during the year previous to  
the arrival of ,miss ,everett and ,miss 
,carruth1 deserve grateful recognition4 
,in the winter of #ahgj and #ahga ,miss 
,sophia ,loring1 and ,miss ,ellen       
,jackson arrived from ,america as       
colleagues of ,miss ,everett1 and under 
their efficient management aided by ,mr4
 ,araman1 ,lucyah and other native      
teachers1 the ,seminary is enjoying a   
high degree of prosperity4  ,in ,march1 
#ahfd1 the ,mission had issued an appeal
 for funds to erect a permanent home for
 this ,seminary1 and in #ahff the       
present commodious and substantial      
edifice was erected1 a lasting monument 
of the liberality of ,christian men and 
women in ,america and ,england4  ,its   
cost was about eleven thousand dollars1 
and the raising of this sum was largely 
due to the liberality and personal      

services of ,mr4 ,wm4 ,a4 ,booth1 of    
,new ,york1 who also kindly acted as    
treasurer of the building fund4 ,the    
lumber used in its construction was     
brought from the state of ,maine4 ,the  
doors and windows were made under the   
direction of ,dr4 ,hamlin of            
,constantinople1 in ,lowell1 ,mass41 the
 tiles came from ,marseilles1 the stone 
from the sandstone quarries of ,ras     
,beirt1 the stone pavement partly from  
,italy and partly from ,mt4 ,lebanon1   
and the eighty iron bedsteads from      
,birmingham1 ,england4 ,the cistern1    
which holds about #bj1jjj gallons1 was  
built at the expense of a ,massachusetts
 lady1 and the portico by a lady of ,new
 ,york4 ,the melodeon was given by      
ladies in ,georgetown1 ,d4,c41 and the  
organ is the gift of a benevolent lady  
in ,newport1 ,r4,i4  ,time would fail me
 to recount the generous offerings of   
,christian men and women who have aided 
in the support of this school during the
 ten years of its history4 ,receiving no

 pecuniary aid from the ,american       
,board1 the entire responsibility of its
 support fell upon a few members of the 
,syria ,mission4 ,travellers who passed 
through the ,holy ,land1 sometimes      
assumed the support of charity pupils1  
or interested their ,sabbath ,schools in
 raising scholarships1 on their return  
home1 and a few noble friends in the    
,united ,states have sent on their gifts
 from time to time unsolicited1 to      
defray the general expenses of the      
,institution4 ,its support has been to  
some of us a work of faith1 as well as a
 labor of love4 ,not unfrequently has   
the end of the month come upon us1      
without one piastre in the treasury for 
paying the teachers' salaries or buying 
bread for the children1 when suddenly1  
in some unknown and unexpected way1     
funds would be received1 sufficient for 
all our wants4 ,about two years since   
the funds were entirely exhausted4 ,more
 than a hundred dollars would be owing  
to the teachers and servants on the     

following day4 ,the accounts were       
examined1 and all possible means of     
relief proposed1 but without avail4 ,at 
length one of the members of the        
,executive ,committee asked leave to    
look over the accounts4 ,he did so1 and 
said he could not find any mention of a 
sum of about thirty ,napoleons1 which he
 was sure he had paid into the treasury 
several months before1 as a donation    
from ,mr4 ,booth of ,new ,york1 whose   
son had died in ,beirt4 ,the money had  
not been paid into the school treasury4 
,the vouchers were all produced1 and    
there was left no resort but prayer4    
,there was earnest supplication that    
night that the ,lord would relieve us   
from our embarrassment1 and provide for 
the necessities of the school4 ,the next
 morning the good brother1 above        
mentioned1 recalled to mind his having  
given that money to ,dr4 ,van ,dyck in  
the ,mission ,library for the ,school4  
,dr4 ,van ,dyck was consulted1 and at   
once replied1 ,certainly ,i received the

 money4 ,it is securely locked up in the
 safe where it has been for months      
awaiting orders4 ,the safe was opened1  
and the money found to be almost to a   
piastre the amount needed for           
obligations of the ,school4  ,since the 
transfer of the ,syria ,mission to the  
board of ,missions of the ,presbyterian 
,church1 the pecuniary status of the    
,seminary has been somewhat modified4   
,the ,women's ,boards of ,missions of   
,new ,york and ,philadelphia have       
assumed the responsibility of raising   
scholarships for its support among the  
,auxiliary ,societies and ,sabbath      
,schools2 the salaries of the teachers  
are provided for by individuals and     
churches1 and several of the old friends
 of the school retain their interest in 
it1 while the danger of a deficit is    
guarded against1 by the guarantees of   
the good ,christian women who are doing 
so grand and noble a work in this age   
for the world's evangelization4 ,the    
annual cost of supporting a pupil now is

 about sixty dollars gold4 ,the number  
of paying pupils is increasing1 and the 
prospect for the future is encouraging4 
,in the year #ahfd1 a letter was        
received from certain ,christian women  
in ,america1 addressed to the girls of  
the ,school1 and some of the older girls
 prepared a reply in ,arabic1 a         
translation of which was sent to        
,america4 ,it was as follows3  ,from the
 girls of the ,beirt ,school in ,syria1 
to the sisters beloved in the ,lord     
,jesus1 in a land very far away4 ,we    
have been honored in reading the lines  
which reached us from you1 ,o sisters1  
distant in body but near in spirit1 and 
we have given glory to ,god the ,creator
 of all1 who has caused in your hearts  
true love to us1 and spiritual          
sympathies which have prompted you1 dear
 sisters in the ,lord1 to write to us4  
,yes1 it is the ,lord ,jesus who has    
brought about between us and between you
 7,arabic idiom7 a spiritual            
intercourse1 without the intercourse of 

bodily presence4 ,for we have never in  
our lives seen you1 nor your country1   
nor have we spoken to you face to face1 
and so you likewise have not seen us4   
,had neither of us the ,word of ,god1   
the ,holy and ,only ,book which is from 
one ,father and a ,god unchangeable1 to 
tell us that we have one nature1 and    
have all fallen into one transgression1 
and are saved in one way1 which is the  
,lord ,jesus1 we could not1 as we now   
can1 call you in one union1 our sisters4
 ,the ,lord ,jesus calls those who love 
,him ,his brethren1 and since ,he is the
 only bond and link1 are we not ,his    
sisters1 and thus sisters to each other8
 ,truly1 ,o dear sisters1 we are        
thirsting to see you1 and we all unite  
in offering prayers and praises to ,god1
 through ,his ,son ,immanuel1 the       
possessor of the glorious ,name1 praying
 that we may see you2 but we cannot in  
this world1 for we are in the ,east1 and
 you are in the ,west1 far1 very far4   
,but1 ,o dear friends1 as we hope for   

the resurrection from the dead1 so after
 our period in this world is ended1 we  
shall meet by the blessing of ,god in   
those bright courts which are illumined 
by the light of the ,saviour1 which need
 not sun nor moon to give them          
light1--that holy place which is filled 
with throngs of angels who never cease  
to offer glory to ,god4 ,there we may   
meet and unite with all the saved in    
praising the ,saviour4 ,there we may    
meet our friends who have passed on     
before us as waiting they watch us      
approaching the shore1 as we sing in the
 hymn4 ,there around the throne of the  
glorious ,saviour1 there in the heavenly
 ,jerusalem1 our songs will not be      
mingled with tears and grief1 for the   
,lord ,jesus ,himself will wipe away all
 tears from our eyes4 ,there will not   
enter sin nor its likeness into our     
hearts sanctified by the ,holy ,spirit4 
,there this body which shall rise       
incorruptible1 will not return to the   
state in which it was in this world4 ,in

 those courts we shall be happy always1 
and the reason is that we shall always  
be with the ,great ,shepherd1 as it is  
said in the ,book of ,revelation1 ',he  
shall shepherd them and lead them to    
fountains of living waters and wipe all 
tears from their eyes4' ,our sisters1   
were it not for the ,holy ,bible which  
the ,lord has given to ,his people1 we  
should have no comfort to console us    
with regard to our friends whom we have 
lost by means of death4 ,we beg you to  
help us by offering prayers to the      
living and true ,god that ,he will make 
us faithful even unto death1--that ,he  
will bless us while on the sea of this  
life1 until we reach the shore of peace 
without fear or trouble1 that we may be 
ready to stand before the seat of the   
,lord ,jesus the ,judge of all1 clothed 
in the robes of ,his perfect            
righteousness1 which he wove for us on  
the ,cross1 and is now ready to give to 
those who ask ,him4 ,let us then all ask
 of ,god that this our only treasure may

 be placed where no thief can break in  
and steal1 and no moth shall corrupt4   
,and may the ,lord preserve you6  ,we   
love to sing this hymn1      ',holy     
,bible1 ,book ,divine1     ,precious    
treasure1 thou art mine6'  and we       
entreat you that when you sing it1 you  
will let it be a remembrancer from us to
 you4  ,in ,march1 #ahfe1 a little girl 
was brought to the school under somewhat
 peculiar circumstances4 ,years ago1 in 
the days of ,mr4 ,whiting1 a ,maronite  
monk named ,nejm1 became enlightened1   
left the monastery and was married to a 
,maronite woman named ,zarifeh1 by ,mr4 
,whiting4 ,for years the poor man passed
 through the fires of persecution and   
trial4 ,even his wife1 in her ignorance1
 though not openly opposing him1        
trembled with fear every time he read   
the ,scriptures aloud4 ,at the time     
mentioned above1 their little daughter  
,resha was about five years of age4 ,the
 ,papal ,maronite ,bishop of ,beirt made
 a visit to ,nejm's village1 ,baabda1 to

 dispense indulgences1 in accordance    
with the ,pope's ,encyclical letter4    
,nejm was called upon to pay his portion
 of the sum assessed upon the people1   
but having been a ,protestant fifteen   
years1 he refused to pay it4 ,at the    
instigation of the priests1 his wife was
 then taken from him1 and his little    
,resha1 his only child1 was carried off 
by one of the priests to ,beirt1 and    
thrust inside the gates of the convent  
of the ,french ,sisters of ,charity4    
,the poor father came to me1 well-nigh  
broken-hearted1 pleading for assistance4
 ,i laid the case before ,his           
,excellency ,dad ,pasha1 ,governor of   
,lebanon1 who was then in ,beirt1 and   
drew up a petition to the ,pasha of     
,beirt also1 on the subject4 ,nejm went 
about weeping and wringing his hands1   
and my feelings became deeply enlisted  
in his behalf4 ,three weeks afterwards1 
after a series of petitions and visits  
to the ,pasha of ,beirt1 the girl ,resha
 was removed from the convent and taken 

by ,nejm's enemies to a house near ,nahr
 ,beirt1 about two miles distant1 and   
just over the border line of the        
,mountain ,pashalic4 ,i then addressed  
another letter to ,dad ,pasha1 and he   
promptly ordered her to be restored to  
her father4 ,the manner in which ,nejm1 
the father1 finally secured the child   
was not a little amusing4 ,he had been  
searching for his child for several     
weeks1 waiting and watching1 until his  
patience was about exhausted1 when he   
heard that ,resha was again in the hands
 of the priests in ,baabda4 ,the mother 
followed the child1 and the priests     
threatened to kill her1 if she informed 
her husband where the girl was secreted4
 ,dad ,pasha was then at his winter     
palace in ,baabda1 and ,nejm took my    
letter to him4 ,while awaiting a reply  
at the door1 some one informed him that 
his daughter was at the fountain4       
,without waiting further for official   
aid1 he ran to the fountain1 took up his
 daughter1 put her on his back1 and ran 

for ,beirt1 a distance of about four    
miles1 where he brought her to my house1
 and placed her in my room1 with loud   
ejaculations of thanks to ,god4 ,neshkar
 ,allah2 ,el mejd lismoo4 ,thanks to    
,god6 ,glory to ,his name6 ,the mother  
soon followed1 and the girl was sent as 
a day scholar to the ,seminary4 ,they   
are now living in ,baabda4 ,the mother1 
,zarify1 united with the ,evangelical   
,church of ,beirt1 ,july #ba1 #ahgb1    
giving the best evidence of a true      
spiritual experience4 ,the little girl  
is anxious to teach1 and it was proposed
 to employ her as an assistant in the   
girls' school in ,baabda1 but the       
tyrannical oppressions of the priesthood
 upon the family who had offered their  
house for the school1 and the refusal of
 the ,pasha of ,lebanon to grant        
protection to the persecuted1 have      
obliged the brethren there to postpone  
their request for a school for the      
present4  ,alas for the poor women of   
,syria6 ,even when they seek to obtain  

the consolations of the ,gospel by      
learning to read the ,word of life1 they
 are surrounded by priests and ,sheikhs 
who watch their chance to destroy the   
,bread of ,life6 ,in ,march1 #ahfe1 a   
,maronite woman called at the ,press to 
buy a book of poems1 to teach her boy to
 read4 ,why not buy a ,testament8 asked 
the bookseller4 ,i did buy an ,engeel   
,mushekkel1 7a voweled ,testament47 ,be 
careful of it then1 said ,khalil1 for   
the edition is exhausted1 and you cannot
 get another for months4 ,it is too late
 to be careful now1 for the book has    
been burned4 ,burned8 by whom8 ,by the  
,jesuits1 who gathered a large pile and 
burned them4 ,god grant that as         
,tyndale's ,english ,new ,testament1    
first printed in #aebg was only spread  
the more widely for the attempts of the 
,papal ,bishop of ,london to burn it1 so
 the ,arabic ,bible may receive a new   
impulse from the similarly inspired     
efforts of the ,bishop's successors6    
,,chapter ,,ix4  ,,luciya ,,shekkur4    

,the work done for ,christ and for      
,syrian girls in the families of        
,missionaries in ,syria1 may well       
compare with that done in the           
established institutions of learning4   
,mrs4 ,whiting was not alone in the work
 of training native ,arab girls in her  
own home4 ,the same work had been done  
by other ,missionaries before her1 and  
has been carried on with no little      
success by ,mrs4 ,bird1 ,mrs4 ,calhoun  
and others1 up to the present time4  ,it
 is an interesting sight to see the     
,thursday afternoon ,women's meeting in 
the house of ,mrs4 ,calhoun in ,abeih1  
and to know that a large part of that   
company of bright1 intelligent and      
tidily dressed young native women1 who  
listen so intently to the ,bible lesson1
 and join so heartily in singing the    
sweet songs of ,zion1 were trained up   
either in her own family1 or under her  
own especial influence4 ,by means of her
 own example in the training of her     
children1 she has taught the women of   

,abeih1 and through them multitudes of  
women in other villages1 the true       
,christian modes of family government   
and discipline1 and introduced to their 
notice and practice many of those little
 conveniences and habits in the training
 of children1 whose influence will be   
felt for many generations4  ,when ,mr4  
and ,mrs4 ,bird removed to ,deir el     
,komr in #ahee1 they not only opened a  
large school for the education of girls1
 with ,sada ,haleby1 one of ,dr4 ,de    
,forest's pupils1 as teacher1 but       
received into their own family three    
young girls1 named ,lucya1 ,sikkar and  
,zihry1 all of whom entered upon spheres
 of usefulness4 ,zihry became a teacher1
 in ,deir el ,komr1 and has continued to
 teach until the present time4 ,she was 
at one time connected with the ,beirt   
,female ,seminary1 and is now teaching  
in the ,institution of ,mrs4 ,shrimpton1
 under the auspices of the ,british     
,syrian ,schools4  ,luciya taught in    
,deir el ,komr until the school was     

overwhelmed in the fires and blood of   
the ,massacre year1 #ahfj4  ,in #ahfb   
she taught in the ,sidon ,school1 and   
afterwards married the ,rev4 ,sulleba   
,jerwan1 the first native pastor in     
,hums4 ,in that great city1 and amid the
 growing interest of the young          
,protestant community1 she found a wide 
and attractive field of labor4 ,she was 
a young woman of great gentleness and   
delicacy of nature1 and of strong       
religious feeling1 and entered upon the 
work of laboring among the women and    
girls of ,hums1 with exemplary zeal and 
discretion4 ,she became greatly beloved1
 and her ,godly example and gentle      
spirit will never be forgotten4  ,but at
 length her labors were abruptly cut    
short4 ,consumption1 a disease little   
known in ,syria1 but which afterwards   
cut down her brother and only sister    
,sikkar1 fastened upon her1 and she was 
obliged1 in great suffering1 to leave   
the raw and windy climate of ,hums1 for 
the milder air of ,beirt4 ,her two      

brothers being in the employ of ,miss   
,whately in ,cairo1 she went1 on their  
invitation1 to ,egypt1 where after a    
painful illness1 she fell asleep in     
,jesus4 ,amid all her sufferings1 she   
maintained that same gentle and lovely  
temper of mind1 which made her so       
greatly beloved by all who knew her4    
,she has rested from her labors1 and her
 works do follow her4 ,not long after   
her sister ,sikkar1 who had also been   
trained in ,mrs4 ,bird's family1 died in
 her native village ,ain ,zehalteh4     
,her last end also1 was peace1 and      
although no concourse of ,druze ,sheikhs
 came barefoot over the snow to her     
funeral1 as they did on the death of the
 ,sitt ,selma1 in the same village1 no  
doubt a concourse of higher and holier  
beings attended her spirit to glory4    
,when ,luciya was in ,beirt before her  
departure to ,egypt1 ,i used to see her 
frequently1 and ,i shall never forget   
the calm composure with which she spoke 
of her anticipated release from the     

pains and sufferings of life4 ,christ   
was her portion1 and she lived in       
communion with him1 certain that ere    
long she should depart and be with him  
forever4  ,the poor ,moslem women in the
 houses adjoining her room used to come 
in1 and with half-veiled faces look upon
 her calm and patient face with wonder4 
,would that they too might find her     
,saviour precious to them1 in their     
hours of sickness1 suffering and death6 
,truly1 there is no religion but that of
 ,jesus ,christ1 that can soften the    
pillow of suffering1 and take away the  
sting and dread of death4  ,one of the  
most serious difficulties in the way of 
the higher female education in ,syria1  
is the early age at which girls are     
married4 ,one young girl attended the   
,beirt ,seminary for two years1 from    
eight to ten1 and the teachers were     
becoming interested in her progress1    
when suddenly her parents took her out  
of the school1 and gave her to a man in 
marriage4 ,after the festivities of the 

marriage week were over at her husband's
 house1 she went home to visit her      
mother1 taking her dolls with her to    
amuse herself6  ,the ,arabic journal the
 ,jenneh of ,beirt1 contained a letter  
in ,june1 #ahgb1 from its ,damascus     
correspondent1 praising the fecundity of
 ,syria1 and stating that a young woman 
who was married at nine and a half1     
became a grandmother at twenty6 ,such   
instances are not uncommon in ,damascus 
and ,hums1 where the chief and almost   
the only concern of parents is to marry 
off their daughters as early as nature  
will allow1 without education1          
experience or any other qualification   
for the responsible duties of married   
life4 ,when the above mentioned letter  
from ,damascus was published1 ,dr4 ,van 
,dyck took occasion to write an article 
in the ,neshra1 the ,missionary ,weekly1
 of which he is the editor1 exposing the
 folly and criminality of such early    
marriages1 and demonstrating their      
disastrous effects on society at large4 

,since the establishment of schools and 
seminaries of a high grade for girls1   
this tendency is being decidedly checked
 in the vicinity of ,beirt1 and girls   
are not given up as incorrigibly old1   
even if they reach the age of seventeen4
  ,dr4 ,meshakah of ,damascus1 who has  
long been distinguished for his learned 
and eloquent works on the ,papacy1 is a 
venerable white-bearded patriarch and   
his wife looks as if she were his       
daughter4 ,i once asked him how old she 
was when married1 and he said eleven4 ,i
 asked him why he married her so young8 
,he said that in his day1 young girls   
received no training at home1 and young 
men who wished properly trained wives1  
had to marry them young1 so as to       
educate them to suit themselves6        
,education is rapidly obviating that    
necessity1 and young men are more than  
willing that girls to whom they are     
betrothed1 should complete their        
education1 lest they be eclipsed by     
others who remain longer at school4 ,i  

once called on a wealthy native merchant
 in ,beirt1 who remarked that the       
,europeans have a thing in their country
 which we have not4 ,they call it       
ed-oo-cashion1 and ,i am anxious to have
 it introduced into ,syria4 ,this       
ed-oo-cashion is already settling many a
 question in ,syria which nothing else  
could settle1 and the natives are also  
learning that something more than mere  
book-knowledge is needed1 to elevate and
 refine the family4 ,one of the most    
direct results of female education thus 
far in ,syria has been the abolition    
from certain classes of society of some 
of those superstitious fears which      
harass and torment the ignorant masses4 
,,chapter ,x4  ,,raheel4   ,no sketch of
 ,woman's ,work for ,syrian women would 
be complete which did not give some     
account of the life and labors of that  
pioneer in work for ,syrian women1 ,mrs4
 ,sarah ,l4,h4 ,smith1 wife of ,dr4 ,eli
 ,smith4 ,she reached ,beirt1 ,january  
#bh1 #ahcd1 full of high and holy       

resolves to devote her life to the      
benefit of her ,syrian sisters4 ,from   
the first to the very last of her life  
in ,syria1 this was the one great object
 of her toils and prayers4 ,as soon as  
,april #b1 she writes1 ,our school      
continues to prosper1 and ,i love the   
children exceedingly4 ,do pray that ,god
 will bless this incipient step to      
enlighten the women of this country4    
,you cannot conceive of their deplorable
 ignorance4 ,i feel it more and more    
every day4 ,their energies are expended 
in outward adorning of plaiting the hair
 and gold and pearls and costly array1  
literally so4 ,i close with one request1
 that you will pray for a revival of    
religion in ,beirt4 ,again she writes1  
,june #cj1 #ahcd1 ,i feel somewhat      
thoughtful1 this afternoon1 in          
consequence of having heard of the ready
 consent of the friends of a little     
girl1 that ,i should take her as ,i     
proposed1 and educate her4 ,i am anxious
 to do it1 and yet my experience and    

observation in reference to such a      
course1 and my knowledge of the sinful  
heart of a child1 lead me to think ,i am
 undertaking a great thing4 ,i feel1    
too1 that my example and my instruction 
will control her eternal destiny4 ,this 
girl was ,raheel ,ata4 ,again1 ,august  
#af3 ,it is a great favor that so many  
of the men and boys can read4 ,alas1 our
 poor sisters6 the curse rests          
emphatically upon them4 ,among the      
,druze princesses1 some1 perhaps the    
majority1 furnish an exception and can  
read4 ,their sect is favorable to       
learning4 ,not so with the ,maronites4  
,i have one scholar from these last1 but
 when ,i have asked the others who have 
been here if they wished to read1 they  
have replied most absolutely in the     
negative1 saying that it was for boys1  
and not for them4 ,i have heard several 
women acknowledge that they knew no more
 than the donkeys4  ,august #bc4 ,a     
,maronite priest compelled two little   
girls to leave her school1 but the      

,greek priest sent his own daughter1 a  
pretty1 rosy-cheeked girl to be taught  
by ,mrs4 ,smith4 ,on the #bb;d of       
,september1 #ahcd1 she wrote from       
,b'hamdn1 a village five hours from     
,beirt1 on ,lebanon1 ,could the females 
of ,syria be educated and regenerated1  
the whole face of the country would     
change2 even1 as ,i said to an ,arab a  
few days since1 to the appearance of the
 houses and the roads4 ,one of our      
little girls1 whom ,i taught before     
going to the mountains1 came to see me a
 day or two since1 and talked           
incessantly about her love for the      
school1 and the errors of the people    
here1 saying that they 'cared not for   
,jesus ,christ1 but only for the ,virgin
 ,mary4'  ,october #h4 ,she says1 ,a    
servant woman of ,mrs4 ,whiting1 who has
 now lived long enough with her to love 
her and appreciate her principles1 about
 a year and a half since remarked to    
some of the ,arabs1 that the people with
 whom she lived did 'not lie1 nor steal1

 nor quarrel1 nor do any such things2   
but poor creatures1' said she1 'they    
have no religion4'  ,on the #bb;d of    
,october1 she wrote again1 ,yesterday ,i
 went up to ,mr4 ,bird's to consult     
about the plan of a school-house now    
commenced for females4 ,i can hardly    
believe that such a project is actually 
in progress1 and ,i hail it as the dawn 
of a happy change in ,syria4 ,two       
hundred dollars have been subscribed by 
friends in this vicinity1 and ,i told   
,mr4 ,b4 that if necessary he might     
expend fifty more upon the building1 as 
our ,sabbath ,school in ,norwich had    
pledged one hundred a year for female   
education in ,syria4  ,the principal    
contributor to this fund was ,mrs4      
,alexander ,tod1 formerly ,miss         
,gliddon1 daughter of the ,u4,s4 ,consul
 in ,alexandria4  ,the building stood   
near where the present ,church in ,beirt
 stands1 and was removed1 and the stones
 used in the extension of the old       
,chapel4 ,in the year #ahff ,mr4 ,tod   

revisited ,beirt and contributed #ajj   
towards the erection of the new ,female 
,seminary1 saying that as ,mrs4 ,tod    
aided in the first ,female ,seminary    
building in ,beirt1 he wished to aid in 
the second4 ,the school-house was a     
plain structure1 and was afterwards used
 as a boy's school1 and the artist who  
photographed the designs printed in this
 volume received his education there    
under the instruction of the late ,shahn
 ,sarkis1 husband of ,azizy4  ,in the   
latter part of ,october1 #ahcd1 ,mrs4   
,smith writes1 ,yesterday ,i commenced  
the female school with four scholars1   
which were increased to ten to-day1 and 
the number will probably continue to    
augment as before from week to week4 ,as
 ,i walked home about sunset this       
evening1 ,i thought1 ',can it be that ,i
 am a schoolmistress1 and the only one  
in all ,syria8' and ,i tripped along    
with a quick step amid ,egyptians1      
,turks and ,arabs1 ,moslems and ,jews1  
to my quiet and pleasant home4          

,november #i4 ,i sometimes indulge the  
thought that ,god has sent me to the    
females of ,syria--to the little girls1 
of whom ,i have a favorite school--for  
their good4  ,january #e1 #ahce4 ,on    
,friday ,i distributed rewards to       
twenty-three little girls belonging to  
my school1 which1 as they are all poor1 
consisted of clothing4 ,our ,sabbath    
,school also increases4 ,eighteen were  
present last ,sabbath4  ,on the #aath of
 ,january ,dr4 ,thomson wrote1 ,mrs4    
,smith's female school prospers         
wonderfully1 but it is the altar of her 
own health2 and ,i fear that in the     
flame that goeth up toward heaven from  
off that altar1 she will soon ascend as 
did ,manoah's angel4 ,we can hardly     
spare her2 she is our only hope for a   
female school in ,beirt at present4     
,the state of society in ,syria at that 
time is well pictured in the following  
language1 used by ,mrs4 ,smith in a     
letter dated ,february #ab1 #ahce3      
,excepting the three or four native     

converts1 we know not one pious         
religious teacher1 one judicious parent1
 one family circle regulated by the fear
 of ,god2 no1 not even one6  ,i wish ,i 
had strength to do more1 but my school  
and my studies draw upon my energies    
continually4 ,even at that early day    
,moslem girls came to be taught by ,mrs4
 ,smith4 ,she writes ,june #b1 ,a few   
days since1 one of my little ,moslem    
scholars1 whose father was once an      
extensive merchant here1 came and       
invited me to make a call upon her      
mother4 ,i took ,raheel and accompanied 
her to their house which is in our      
neighborhood4 ,i found it a charming    
spot and very neatly kept4 ,hospitality 
is regarded here as a religious act1 ,i 
think1 and a reputation for it is       
greatly prized4  ,in ,july she wrote of 
what has not ceased to be a trial to all
 missionaries in ,beirt for the past    
forty years1 the necessity of removing  
to the mountains during the hot summer  
months4 ,the climate of the plain is    

debilitating to foreigners1 and         
missionary families are obliged to spend
 three months of the hot season in the  
,lebanon villages4 ,my school interests 
me more and more every day1 and ,i do   
not love to think of suspending it even 
for a few weeks during the hot season4  
,day before yesterday a wealthy ,jewish 
lady came with her two daughters to the 
school1 and begged me to take the       
youngest as a scholar4  ,july #ai4 ,at  
our ,sabbath ,school to-day were        
twenty-eight scholars1 twenty-one girls 
and seven boys4  ,july #ca4 ,to-day ,i  
closed my school for the month of       
,august by the distribution of rewards  
to thirty little girls4 ,the ,american  
and ,english ,consuls and a few ,arab   
friends were present1 and expressed much
 pleasure at the sight of so many young 
natives in their clean dress4 ,a few of 
the more educated scholars read a little
 in the ,new ,testament4  ,august #h4   
,on ,saturday ,i closed my school for   
the month of ,august4 ,it was increasing

 every day in numbers and ,i would      
gladly have continued it4 ,last ,sabbath
 we had at the ,sabbath ,school         
forty-six scholars1 a fourth of whom    
were ,moslems4  ,september #bi4         
,yesterday ,i commenced my school again 
with twenty scholars2 which1 for the    
first day1 was a good number4 ,mrs4     
,whiting has ten little ,moslem girls in
 ,jerusalem1 and the promise of more4   
,december #ad4 ,on ,saturday1 our native
 female prayer-meeting consisted of     
twenty1 besides two children4 ,fourteen 
were ,arabs1 more than were ever present
 before4 ,we met in the girls' school   
room1 where we intend in future to      
assemble4 ,we sung part of a psalm1 as  
we have begun to teach music in our     
school4 ,we find the children quite as  
capable of forming musical sounds as    
those in our own country2 but alas1 we  
have no psalms or hymns adapted to their
 capacities4 ,the ,arabic cannot be     
simplified like the ,english1 without   
doing violence to ,arab taste2 at least 

such is the opinion now4 ,what changes  
may be wrought in the language1 we      
cannot tell4 ,of this obstacle in the   
instruction of the young here1 you have 
not perhaps thought4 ,it is a painful   
thought to us1 that children's          
literature1 if ,i may so term it1 is    
incompatible with the genius of this    
language3 of course1 infant school      
lessons must be bereft of many of their 
attractions4  ,it may be interesting to 
know whether present missionary         
experience differs from that of ,mrs4   
,smith and her husband in #ahce1 with   
regard to children's literature in the  
,arabic language4  ,in #aheh1 ,mr4 ,ford
 prepared1 with the aid of ,mr4         
,bistany1 7the husband of ,raheel1 ,mrs4
 ,smith's adopted child17 a series of   
children's ,scripture ,tracts in simple 
and yet perfectly correct ,arabic1 so   
that the youngest child can understand  
them4 ,in #ahfb1 we printed the first   
,children's ,hymn-book1 partly at the   
expense of the girls in ,rufka's school4

 ,we have now in ,arabic about eighty   
children's hymns1 and a large number of 
tracts and story books designed for     
children4 ,we also publish an           
,illustrated ,children's ,monthly1      
called the ,koukab es ,subah1 ,the      
,morning ,star1 and the children read it
 with the greatest eagerness4  ,the     
,koran1 which is the standard of classic
 ,arabic1 cannot be changed1 and hence  
can never be a book for children4 ,it   
cannot be a family book1 or a women's   
book4 ,it cannot attract the minds of   
the young1 with that charm which hangs  
around the exquisitely simple and       
beautiful narratives of the ,old and    
,new ,testament4 ,it is a gem of ,arabic
 poetry1 but like a gem1 crystalline and
 unchanging4 ,it has taken a mighty hold
 upon the ,eastern world1 because of its
 ,oriental style and its eloquent       
assertion of the ,divine ,unity4 ,it is 
reverenced1 but not loved1 and will     
stand where it is while the world moves 
on4 ,every reform in government1        

toleration and material improvement in  
the ,turkish ,empire1 ,persia and       
,egypt1 is made in spite of the ,koran  
and contrary to its spirit4 ,the        
printing of the ,koran is unlawful1 but 
it is being printed4 ,all pictures of   
living objects are unlawful1 but the    
,sultan is photographed1 ,abd el ,kader 
is photographed1 the ,sheikh ul ,islam  
is photographed4 ,european shoes are    
unlawful because sewed with a swine's   
bristle1 but ,moslem ,muftis strut about
 the streets in ,french gaiters1 and the
 women of their harems tottle about in  
the most absurd of ,parisian high-heeled
 slippers4  ,the ,arabic ,bible         
translated by ,drs4 ,eli ,smith and     
,cornelius ,van ,dyck1 is voweled with  
the grammatical accuracy and beauty of  
the ,koran with the aid of a learned    
,mohammedan ,mufti1 and yet has all the 
elegant simplicity of the original and  
is intelligible to every ,arab1 old and 
young1 who is capable of reading at all4
 ,the stories of ,joseph1 ,moses1 and   

,david1 of ,esther1 ,daniel and ,jonah  
are as well adapted to the comprehension
 of children in the ,arabic as in the   
,english4  ,not a few of the hymns in   
the ,children's ,hymn book are original1
 written by ,m4 ,ibrahim ,sarkis1       
husband of ,miriam of ,aleppo1 and ,m4  
,asaad ,shidoody1 husband of ,hada4     
,this ,hymn book was published in #ahfb1
 with ,plates presented by ,dr4         
,robinson's ,sabbath ,school of the     
,first ,presbyterian ,church1 ,brooklyn4
  ,this digression seemed necessary1 in 
order to show the great progress that   
has been made since #ahcf1 in preparing 
a religious literature4 ,it is no longer
 true as in ,mrs4 ,smith's day1 that we 
have no psalms or hymns adapted to the  
capacities of children4 ,nor is it      
longer true that children's literature  
is incompatible with the genius of the  
,arabic language4  ,in a letter         
addressed to the young women in the     
,female ,academy at ,norwich1 ,february1
 #ahcf1 ,mrs4 ,smith gives a vivid      

description of the average woman of     
,syria in her time1 and the description 
holds true of nine-tenths of the women  
at the present day4 ,there are now      
native ,christian homes1 not the least  
attractive of which is the home of her  
own little proteg ,raheel1 but the great
 mass continue as they were forty years 
ago4 ,she says1 ,my dear friends1 will  
you send your thoughts to this1 which is
 not a heathen1 but an unevangelized    
country4 ,i will not invite you to look 
at our little female school of twenty or
 thirty1 because these form but a drop  
among the thousands and thousands of    
youth throughout ,syria2 although ,i    
might draw a contrast even from this not
 a little in your favor4 ,but we will   
speak of the young ,syrian females at   
large1 moving in one unbroken line to   
the land of darkness and sorrow4 ,among 
them you will find many a fine form and 
beautiful face2 but alas6 the perfect   
workmanship of their ,creator is        
rendered tame and insipid1 for want of  

that mental and moral culture which     
gives a peculiar charm to the human     
countenance4 ,it is impossible for me to
 bring the females of this country      
before you in so vivid a manner that you
 can form a correct idea of them4 ,but  
select from among your acquaintances a  
lady who is excessively weak1 vain and  
trifling2 who has no relish for any     
intellectual or moral improvement2 whose
 conversation is altogether confined to 
dress1 parties1 balls1 admiration1      
marriage2 whose temper and faults have  
never been corrected by her parents1 but
 who is following1 unchecked1 all the   
propensities of a fallen1 corrupt       
nature4 ,perhaps you will not be able to
 find any such1 though ,i have          
occasionally met with them in ,america4 
,if you succeed1 however1 in bringing a 
person of this character to your mind1  
then place the thousands of girls1 and  
the women1 too1 of this land1 once the  
land of patriarchs1 prophets and        
apostles1 in her class4 ,these          

weak-minded ,syrian females are not     
attentive to personal cleanliness2      
neither have they a neat and tasteful   
style of dress4 ,their apparel is       
precisely such as the ,apostle          
recommended that ,christian females     
should avoid2 while the ornament of a   
meek and quiet spirit is thrown wholly  
out of the account4 ,they have no books1
 and no means of moral or intellectual  
improvement4 ,it is considered a        
disgrace for a female to know how to    
read and write1 and a serious obstacle  
to her marriage1 which is the principal 
object of the parent's heart4 ,this     
abhorrence of learning in females1      
exists most strongly in the higher      
classes4 ,nearly every pupil in our     
school is very indigent4 ,of ,god's word
 they understand nothing1 for a girl is 
taken to church perhaps but once a year1
 where nothing is seen among the women  
but talking and trifling2 of course she 
attaches no solemnity to the worship of 
,god4 ,no sweet domestic circle of      

father1 brother1 mother and sister1 all 
capable of promoting mutual cheerfulness
 and improvement1 greets her in her own 
house4 ,i do not mean to imply that     
there exists no family affection among  
them1 for this tie is often very strong2
 but it has no foundation in respect1   
and is not employed to promote elevation
 of character4 ,the men sit and smoke   
their pipes in one apartment1 while in  
another the women cluster upon the      
floor1 and with loud and vociferous     
voices gossip with their neighbors4 ,the
 very language of the females is of a   
lower order than that of the men1 which 
renders it almost impossible for them to
 comprehend spiritual and abstract      
subjects1 when first presented to their 
minds4 ,i know not how often1 when ,i   
have attempted to converse with them1   
they have acknowledged that they did not
 understand me1 or have interrupted me  
by alluding to some mode or article of  
dress1 or something quite as foolish4   
,thus you see1 my young friends1 how    

unhappy is the condition of the females 
of ,syria1 and how many laborers are    
wanted to cultivate this wide field4 ,on
 the great day of final account1 the    
young females of ,syria1 of ,india1 of  
every inhabited portion of the globe1   
who are upon the stage of life with you1
 will rise up1 either to call you       
blessed1 or to enhance your             
condemnation4 ,god is furnishing        
,american females their high privileges1
 with the intention of calling them     
forth into the wide fields of ignorance 
and error1 which the world exhibits4 ,i 
look over my country and think of the   
hundreds and thousands of young ladies1 
intelligent1 amiable and capable1 who   
are assembled in schools and academies  
there2 and then turn my eye to          
,jerusalem1 ,hebron1 ,nazareth1 ,sychar1
 ,damascus1 ,tyre1 ,sidon1 ,jaffa1 and  
to the numerous villages of ,mount      
,lebanon1 and think1 ',why this         
inequality of condition and privileges8 
,why can there not be stationed at every

 one of those morally desolate places1  
at least one missionary family1 and one 
single female as a teacher8 ,does not   
,jesus ,christ1 the ,good ,shepherd1    
require it of ,his youthful friends in  
,america1 that from love to ,him1       
gratitude for their own distinguished   
mercies1 compassion for perishing souls1
 and the expectation of perfect rest and
 happiness in heaven1 they should spread
 themselves over the wide world1 and    
feed the sheep and the lambs scattered  
without a shepherd upon the mountains8' 
,yes1 ,he requires it1 and angels will  
yet behold it2 but shall we not see it  
in our day8  ,great changes have come   
over ,syria since the above words were  
written4 ,not less than twelve high     
schools for girls have been established 
since then in ,syria and ,palestine1 and
 not far from forty common schools1     
exclusively for girls1 under the        
auspices of the different ,missionary   
,societies4  ,in ,february1 #ahcf1 ,mrs4
 ,smith also undertook the work of      

systematic visiting among the mothers of
 her pupils4 ,she says1 ,perhaps it will
 be a very long time before we shall see
 any fruit4 ,indeed those who enter into
 our labors may gather it in our stead2 
yet ,i am anxious that we should        
persevere until we die1 though no       
apparent effect be produced4  ,in       
,april1 #ahcf1 she wrote1 ,my mind is   
much upon a female boarding school2 and 
if ,i can get the promise of ten girls1 
we shall1 ,god willing1 remove the press
 from our house1 and commence one in the
 fall4  ,in ,may she commenced a new    
term of her day school with twenty-six  
scholars4 ,she says1 ,the wife of a     
persecuted ,druze is very anxious to    
learn to read1 and she comes to our     
house every day to get instruction from 
,raheel4 ,she also says1 ,we feel the   
want of books exceedingly4 ,the little  
girl whom ,i took more than a year      
since1 and who advances steadily in     
intelligence and knowledge1 has no book 
but the ,bible to read1 not one4 ,then  

again1 ,should our press get into       
successful operation1 ,i despair in     
doing anything in the way of infant     
schools1 because the ,arabic language   
cannot be simplified1 at least under    
existing prejudices4 ,if every hymn and 
little story must be dressed up in the  
august habiliments of the ,koran1 what  
child of three and six years old will be
 wiser and better for them6 ,how        
complete is the dominion of the ,great  
,adversary over this people6 ,all the   
links of the chain must be separated1   
one by one4 ,and what a long1 ,i had    
almost said1 tedious process6 ,but ,i   
forget that to each one will be assigned
 a few only of these links4 ,we are     
doing a little1 perhaps1 in this work2  
if faithful1 we shall rest in heaven1   
and others will come and take our places
 and our work4  ,on the eleventh of     
,june1 ,mrs4 ,smith's health had become 
so impaired from the dampness of the    
floor and walls of her school building1 
that her physician advised a sea voyage 

for her4 ,after suffering shipwreck on  
the coast of ,asia ,minor1 and enduring 
great hardships1 she reached ,smyrna1   
where she died on the #cjth of          
,september1 in the triumphs of the      
,gospel4 ,her ,memoir is a book worthy  
of being read by every ,christian woman 
engaged in the ,master's service4  ,in a
 letter written from ,smyrna1 ,july #bh1
 she says1 ,i had set my heart much upon
 taking ,raheel with me4 ,parents1      
however1 in ,syria1 have an especial    
aversion to parting with their children 
for foreign countries4 ,one of my last  
acts therefore was to make a formal     
committal of her into the hands of my   
kind friend ,miss ,williams4 ,i had     
become so strongly attached to the      
little girl1 and felt myself so much    
rewarded for all my efforts with her1   
that the circumstances of this          
separation were perhaps more trying than
 any associated with our departure4     
,mrs4 ,smith had from the first a desire
 to take a little ,arab girl to be      

brought up in her family1 and at length 
selected ,raheel1 one of the most       
promising scholars in her school1 when  
about eight years of age1 and with the  
consent of her parents adopted her4 ,in 
her care1 attentions and affections1 she
 took almost the rank of a daughter4    
,she was trained to habits of industry1 
truth and studiousness1 and although    
,mrs4 ,s4 had been but nine months in   
the country when she adopted her1 she   
commenced praying with her in ,arabic   
from the very first4  ,dr4 ,eli ,smith  
says1 ,in a word1 the expectations ,mrs4
 ,smith had formed in taking her1 were  
fully answered2 and she was often heard 
to say1 that she had every day been     
amply repaid for the pains bestowed upon
 her4 ,it will not be wondered at1 that 
her affections became entwined very     
closely around so promising a pupil1 and
 that the attachment assumed much of the
 character of parental kindness4 ,mrs4  
,smith's sharpest trial1 perhaps1 at her
 departure from ,beirt1 arose from      

leaving her behind4  ,after the         
departure of ,mrs4 ,smith1 her          
fellow-laborer1 ,miss ,williams1        
afterwards ,mrs4 ,hebard1 took charge of
 ,raheel1 who remained with her five    
years4 ,she then lived successively with
 ,mrs4 ,lanneau and ,mrs4 ,beadle1 and  
lastly with ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,de ,forest4 
,when in the family of ,dr4 ,de ,forest1
 she became engaged to be married to    
,mr4 ,butrus ,bistany1 a learned native 
of the ,protestant ,church1 who was     
employed by the ,mission as a teacher4  
,her mother and friends were opposed to 
the engagement1 as they wished to marry 
her to a man of their own selection4 ,on
 ,carnival evening1 ,february #bj1 in   
the year #ahdc1 her mother invited her  
to come and spend the feast with the    
family4 ,she hesitated1 but finally     
consented to go with ,dr4 ,de ,forest   
and call upon her family friends and    
return before night4 ,after sitting     
several hours1 the ,doctor arose to go  
and she prepared to follow him4 ,her    

mother protested1 saying that they would
 not allow her to return to her home    
with the missionary4 ,finding that the  
mother and brother-in-law were preparing
 to resist her departure by violence1   
,dr4 ,de ,forest retired1 sending a     
native friend to stay in the house until
 his return4 ,he repaired to the ,pasha 
and laid the case before him4 ,the      
,pasha declared her free to choose her  
own home1 as she was legally of age1 and
 sent a janizary with ,dr4 ,de ,forest  
to examine the case and insure her      
liberty of action4 ,on entering the     
house1 the janizary called for ,raheel  
and asked her whether she wished to go  
home or stay with her mother8 ,she      
replied1 ,i wish to go home to ,mrs4 ,de
 ,forest4 ,the janizary then wrote down 
her request1 and told her to go4 ,she   
arose to go1 but could not find her     
shoes4 ,there was some delay1 when her  
brother-in-law seized her arm and       
attempted to drag her to an inner room4 
,the ,pasha's officer seized the other  

arm and the poor girl was in danger of  
having her shoulders dislocated4 ,at    
length the officer prevailed and she    
escaped4 ,her mother and the women who  
had assembled from the neighborhood1    
then set up a terrific shriek1 like a   
funeral wail1 ,she's lost6 she's dead6  
wo is me6 ,it was all pre-arranged4 ,the
 brother-in-law had been around to the  
square to a rendezvous of soldiers1 and 
told them that an attempt would be made 
to abduct his sister by force1 and if   
they heard a shriek from the women1 to  
hasten to his house4 ,the rabble of     
soldiers wanted no better pastime than  
such a mele among the infidels1 and     
promised to come4 ,when they heard the  
noise they started on a run4 ,raheel1   
having suspected something of the kind1 
induced ,dr4 ,de ,forest to take another
 road1 and as they turned the corner to 
enter the mission premises1 they saw the
 rabble running in hot haste towards her
 mother's house1 only to find that the  
bird had flown4  ,in the following      

summer she was married to ,mr4 ,bistany1
 who was for eight years assistant of   
,dr4 ,eli ,smith in the work of ,bible  
translation1 and for twenty years       
,dragoman of the ,american ,consulate4  
,he is now ,principal of a private      
,boarding ,school for boys1 called the  
,medriset el ,wutaniyet or ,native      
,school1 which has about #aej pupils of 
all sects4 ,he and his son ,selim       
,effendi are the editors and proprietors
 also of three ,arabic journals2 the    
,jenan1 a ,monthly ,literary ,magazine1 
illustrated by wood-cuts made by a      
native artist1 and having a circulation 
of about #aejj2 the ,jenneh1 a          
semi-weekly newspaper published ,tuesday
 and ,friday2 and the ,jeneineh1        
published ,monday1 ,wednesday1 ,thursday
 and ,saturday4 ,there is not a more    
industrious man in ,syria than ,mr4     
,bistany1 and he is doing a great work  
in the enlightenment of his countrymen4 
,raheel's home is one of affection1     
decorum1 and ,christian refinement1 and 

she has fulfilled the highest hopes and 
prayers of her devoted foster mother1 in
 discharging the duties of mother1      
neighbor1 church member1 and friend4    
,may every missionary woman be rewarded 
in seeing such fruits of her labors6    
,in ,january1 #ahff1 ,sarah1 one of     
,raheel's daughters1 named after ,mrs4  
,sarah ,l4 ,smith1 was attacked by      
typhoid pneumonia4 ,from the first she  
was deeply impressed on the subject of  
religion1 and in deep concern about her 
soul4 ,she sent for me1 and ,i found her
 in a very hopeful state of mind4 ,day  
after day ,i called and conversed and   
prayed with her1 and her views of her   
need of ,christ were most clear and     
comforting1 and she wished her testimony
 to ,his love to be known among all her 
young companions4 ,her friends from the 
school gathered at her request to see   
her1 and she urged them to come to      
,christ1 and several who have since     
united with the ,church traced their    
first awakening to her words on her     

death-bed4  ,one day ,sarah said to me1 
,how thankful ,i am for this sickness6  
,it has been the voice of ,god to my    
soul6 ,i have given myself to ,jesus    
forever6 ,i have been a great sinner1   
and ,i have been thinking about my sins1
 and my need of a ,saviour1 and ,i am   
resolved to live for ,him hereafter4 ,on
 her father's coming into the room1 she 
said in ,english1 ,papa1 ,i am so happy 
that the ,lord sent this sickness upon  
me4 ,you cannot tell how ,i thank him   
for it4  ,after a season spent in       
prayer1 ,i urged her1 on leaving1 to    
cast herself entirely on the ,saviour of
 sinners1 before another hour should    
pass4 ,the next day as ,i entered the   
room1 she said1 ,i am at peace now4 ,i  
did cast myself on ,jesus and ,he       
received me4 ,i know ,his blood has     
washed my sins away4 ,she had expressed 
some fear that she might not be able to 
live a consistent ,christian life should
 she recover1 but1 said she1 ,i could   
trust in ,christ to sustain me4 ,after a

 few words of counsel and prayer1 and   
reading a portion of ,scripture1 she    
exclaimed1 ,it is all one now1 whether  
,i die or live4 ,i am ready to go or    
stay4 ,the ,lord knows best4  ,at the   
last interview between her and her      
father1 she expressed her determination 
to make the ,bible henceforth her study 
and guide1 and requested him to read the
 #adth chapter of ,john1 which seemed to
 give her great comfort4 ,soon after    
that she ceased to recognize her        
friends1 and on ,monday night1 ,january 
#e1 she gently fell asleep4 ,i was      
summoned to the house at #b ,a4,m4 by a 
young man who said1 ,she is much worse1 
hasten4 ,on reaching the house ,i met   
,rufka1 teacher of the ,seminary1 who   
exclaimed1 ,she is gone1 she is gone4   
,entering the mukod room1 ,i found all  
the family assembled4 ,there were no    
shrieks and screams and loud wailings1  
as is the universal custom in this land4
 ,all were seated1 and the father1 ,ab  
,selim1 was reading that chapter which  

,sarah had asked him to read4 ,i then   
led the family in prayer1 and all were  
much comforted4 ,she had lived a        
blameless life1 beloved by all who knew 
her1 and had been a faithful and        
exemplary daughter and sister1 but her  
only trust at the last was in her       
,saviour4 ,she saw in her past life only
 sin1 and hoped for salvation in the    
blood of ,christ alone4 ,the funeral was
 attended by a great concourse of people
 of all sects1 and the ,protestant      
chapel was crowded4     ,,chapter ,,xi4 
,,hums4   ,the city of ,hums1 the       
ancient ,emessa1 is situated about one  
mile east of the river ,orontes1 and    
about half way between ,aleppo and      
,damascus4 ,it is in the midst of a vast
 and fertile plain1 extending to        
,palmyra on the east1 and to the        
,orontes on the west4 ,with the         
exception of a few mud-built villages   
along the east and near the city1 there 
is no settled population between ,hums  
and ,palmyra4 ,the wild roving ,bedawin 

sweep the vast plains in every          
direction1 and only a few years ago1 the
 great gates of ,hums were frequently   
closed at midday to prevent the         
incursion of these rough robbers of the 
desert4 ,on the west of the city are    
beautiful gardens and orchards of       
cherry1 walnut1 apricot1 plum1 apple1   
peach1 olive1 pomegranate1 fig and pear 
trees1 and rich vineyards cover the     
fields on the south4 ,it is a clean and 
compact town of about #be1jjj           
inhabitants1 of whom #gjjj are ,greek   
,christians1 #cjjj ,jacobites1 and the  
rest ,mohammedans4 ,the houses are built
 of sun-dried bricks and black basaltic 
rock1 and the streets are beautifully   
paved with small square blocks of the   
same rock1 giving it a neat and clean   
appearance4 ,there are few windows on   
the street2 the houses are one story    
high1 with diminutive doors1 not more   
than four feet high2 and the low dull   
walls stretching along the streets1 give
 the city a dismal and monotonous       

appearance4 ,the reason of building the 
doors so low1 is to prevent the         
quartering of ,turkish government       
horsemen on their families1 as well as  
to prevent the ,bedawin ,arabs from     
plundering them4 ,on the southwest      
corner of the city stands an ancient    
castle in ruins1 built on an artificial 
mound of earth of colossal size1 which  
was once faced with square blocks of    
black trap rock1 but this facing has    
been all stripped off to build the      
modern city4  ,the people are simple and
 country-like in dress and manners1 and 
the most of them have a cow-yard within 
the courts of their houses1 thus        
combining the pastoral with the citizen 
life4 ,the majority of the ,greeks are  
silk-weavers and shoemakers1 weaving    
girdles1 scarfs and robes for different 
parts of ,syria and ,egypt1 and         
supplying the ,bedawin and the ,nusairy 
villagers with coarse red-leather boots 
and shoes4  ,hums early became the seat 
of a ,christian ,church1 and in the     

reign of ,diocletian1 its bishop1       
,silvanus1 suffered martyrdom4 ,in #fcf 
,a4,d41 it was captured by the          
,saracens1 7or ,sherakyeen1 ,easterns1  
as the ,arab ,moslems were called17 and 
although occupied for a time by the     
,crusaders1 it has continued a ,moslem  
city1 under ,mohammedan rule4 ,the      
,greek population have been oppressed   
and ground to the very dust by their    
,moslem neighbors and rulers1 and their 
women have been driven for protection   
into a seclusion and degradation similar
 to that of the ,moslem hareems4  ,the  
,rev4 ,d4,m4 ,wilson1 a missionary of   
the ,a4,b4,c4,f4,m41 took up his        
residence in ,hums in ,october #ahee1   
and remained until obliged to leave by  
the civil war which raged in the country
 in #ahfj4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,aiken went to
 ,hums in ,april1 #ahef1 but ,mrs4      
,aiken died ,june #bj1 after having     
given promise of rare usefulness among  
the women of ,syria4  ,after ,mr4       
,wilson left ,hums1 a faithful native   

helper1 ,sulleba ,jerwan1 was sent to   
preach in ,hums4 ,his wife1 ,luciya     
,shekkoor1 had been trained in the      
family of ,rev4 ,w4 ,bird in ,deir el   
,komr1 and was a devoted and excellent  
laborer on behalf of the women of ,hums4
 ,in ,october1 #ahfb1 one of the more   
enlightened men among the ,greeks was   
taken ill1 and sent for ,pastor ,sulleba
 to come and make him a religious visit4
 ,he went1 and found quite a company of 
relatives and friends present4 ,the sick
 man asked him to read from the ,word of
 ,god1 and among the passages selected1 
was that containing the ,ten            
,commandments4 ,while he was reading the
 ,second ,commandment1 the wife of the  
sick man exclaimed1 ,is that the ,word  
of ,god8 ,if it is1 read it again4 ,he  
did so1 when she arose and tore down a  
wooden painted picture of a saint1 which
 had been hung at the head of the bed1  
declaring that henceforth there should  
be no idol worship in that house4 ,then 
taking a knife1 she scraped the paint   

from the picture1 and took it to the    
kitchen to serve as the cover to a      
saucepan6 ,this was done with the       
approbation of all present4 ,the case   
was the more remarkable1 as it was one  
of the first cases in ,syria in which a 
woman has taken such a decided stand    
against picture-worship and             
saint-worship1 in advance of the rest of
 the family4  ,in the year #ahfc1 before
 the ordination of ,pastor ,sulleba1    
there being no ,protestant properly     
qualified to perform the marriage       
ceremony in ,hums1 ,i went to that city 
to marry two of the ,protestant young   
men4 ,it was the first time a           
,protestant marriage had ever taken     
place in ,hums1 and great interest was  
felt in the ceremony4 ,it is the custom 
among the other sects to pronounce the  
bride and groom husband and wife1       
neither giving an opportunity to        
spectators to object1 nor asking the    
girl if she is willing to marry the man4
 ,the girl is oftentimes not consulted1 

but simply told she is to marry such a  
man4 ,if it pleases her1 well and good4 
,if not1 there is no remedy4 ,the ,greek
 ,church gives no liberty in this       
respect1 although the priest takes it   
for granted that the friends have       
satisfied both bride and groom with     
regard to the desirableness of the      
match4 ,if they are not satisfied1 the  
form of the ceremony gives neither of   
them the right of refusal4  ,the two    
young men1 ,ibrahim and ,yunis1 called  
upon me soon after my arrival1 to make  
arrangements for the marriage4 ,i read  
them the form of the marriage ceremony  
and they expressed their approval1 but  
said it would be necessary to give the  
brides very careful instructions as to  
how and when to answer1 lest they say   
yes when they should say no1 and no when
 they wished to say yes6 ,i asked them  
to accompany me to the houses of the    
girls1 that ,i might give them the      
necessary directions4 ,they at once     
protested that this would not be        

allowed4 ,they had never called at the  
brides' houses when the girls were      
present1 and it would be a grievous     
breach of decorum for them to go even   
with me4 ,so certain of the male        
relatives of the girls were sent for to 
accompany me1 and ,i went to their      
houses4 ,on entering the house of the   
first one1 it was only after long and   
elaborate argument and diplomatic       
management1 that we could induce the    
bride to come in from the other room and
 meet me4 ,at length she came1 with her 
face partially veiled1 and attended by  
several married women1 her relatives4   
,they soon began to ply me with         
questions4 ,do you have the communion   
before the ceremony8 ,no4 ,do you use   
the ,ikleel or crown1 in the service8   
,no1 we sometimes use the ring4 ,said   
one1 ,i hear that you ask the girl if   
she is willing to take this man to be   
her husband4 ,certainly we do4 ,well1 if
 that rule had been followed in my day1 
,i know of one woman who would have said

 no2 but they do not give us ,greek     
women the chance4  ,i then explained to 
them that the bride must stand beside   
the bridegroom1 and when ,i asked her if
 she knew of any lawful reason why she  
should not marry this man1 ,ibrahm1 she 
should say ,no1--and when ,i asked her  
if she took him to be her lawful and    
wedded husband1 she must answer ,yes4   
,some of the women were under great     
apprehension that she might answer ,no  
in the wrong place2 so ,i repeated it   
over and over again until the girl was  
sure she should not make a mistake4 ,the
 woman above alluded to now said1 ,i    
would have said ,no in the right place1 
if ,i had been allowed to do it6 ,i then
 went to the house of the other bride   
and gave her similar instructions4 ,the 
surprise of the women who came in from  
the neighborhood1 that the girl should  
have the right to say yes or no1 was    
most amusing and suggestive4 ,that one  
thing seemed to give them new ideas of  
the dignity and honor of woman under the

 ,gospel4 ,marriage in the ,east is so  
generally a matter of bargain and sale1 
or of parental convenience and profit1  
or of absolute compulsion1 that young   
women have little idea of exercising    
their own taste or judgment in the      
choice of a husband4  ,this was new     
doctrine for the city of ,heliogabalus1 
and1 as was to be expected1 the news    
soon spread through the town that the   
next evening a marriage ceremony was to 
be performed by the ,protestant         
minister1 in which the bride was to have
 the privilege of refusing the man if   
she wished4 ,and1 what was even more    
outrageous to ,hums ideas of propriety1 
it was rumored that the brides were to  
walk home from the ,church in company   
with their husbands6 ,this was too much1
 and certain of the young ,humsites1 who
 feared the effect of conferring such   
unheard-of rights and privileges on     
women1 leagued together to mob the      
brides and grooms if such a course were 
attempted4 ,we heard of the threat and  

made ample preparations to protect      
,protestant women's rights4  ,the       
evening came1 and with it such a crowd  
of men1 women and children1 as had never
 assembled in that house before4 ,the   
houses of ,hums are built around a      
square area into which all the rooms    
open1 and the open space or court of the
 mission-house was very large4 ,before  
the brides arrived1 the entire court1   
the church and the schoolroom1 were     
packed with a noisy and almost riotous  
throng4 ,men1 women and children were   
laughing and talking1 shouting and      
screaming to one another1 and discussing
 the extraordinary innovation on ,hums  
customs about to be enacted4 ,soon the  
brides arrived1 accompanied by a veiled 
and sheeted crowd of women1 all carrying
 candles and singing as they entered the
 house4 ,we took them into the study of 
the native preacher ,sulleba1 and after 
a reasonable delay1 we forced a way for 
them through the crowd into the large   
square room1 then used as a church4 ,my 

brother and myself finally succeeded in 
placing them in a proper position in    
front of the pulpit1 and then we waited 
until ,asaad and ,michaiel and ,yusef   
and ,nasif had enforced a tolerable     
stillness4 ,it should be said that      
silence and good order are almost       
unknown in the ,oriental churches4 ,men 
are walking about and talking1 and even 
laughing1 while the priests are         
performing the service1 and they are    
much impressed by the quiet and decorum 
of ,protestant worship4  ,the two brides
 were closely veiled so that ,i could   
not distinguish the one from the other4 
,ibrahim was slender and tall1 at least 
six feet three1 and ,yunis was short and
 corpulent4 ,so likewise1 one of the    
brides was very tall1 and the other even
 shorter than ,yunis4 ,as we could not  
see the brides' faces1 we arranged them 
according to symmetry and apparent      
propriety1 placing the tall bride by the
 tall groom1 and the two short ones     
together4 ,after the introductory       

prayer1 ,i proceeded to deliver a       
somewhat full and practical address on  
the nature of marriage1 and the duties  
and relations of husband and wife1 as is
 our custom in ,syria1 not only for the 
instruction of the newly married pair1  
but for the good of the community4 ,no  
,methodist exhorter ever evoked more    
hearty responses1 than did this address1
 from the ,hums populace4 ,that is true4
 ,that is news in this city4 ,praise to 
,god4 ,mashallah6 ,a woman exclaimed on 
hearing of the duties of husband to     
wife1 ,praise to ,god1 women are        
something after all6 ,i then turned to  
the two pairs1 and commenced asking     
,ibrahim the usual question1 ,do you    
7etc41 etc417 when a woman screamed out1
 ,stop1 stop1 ,khowadji1 you have got   
the wrong bride by that man4 ,he is to  
marry the short girl6 ,then followed an 
explosion of laughter1 and during the   
confusion we adjusted the matter        
satisfactorily4 ,a ,moslem ,effendi who 
was present remarked after listening to 

the service throughout1 that is the most
 sensible way of getting married that ,i
 ever heard of4  ,after the ceremony1 we
 sent the newly married pairs to the    
study to await the dispersion of the    
multitude1 before going into the street4
 ,but human curiosity was too great4    
,none would leave until they saw the    
extraordinary sight of a bride and groom
 walking home together4 ,so we prepared 
our lanterns and huge canes1 and taking 
several of the native brethren1 my      
brother and myself walked home first    
with ,ibrahim and wife1 and then with   
,yunis and his wife4 ,we walked on      
either side of them1 and the riotous    
rabble1 seeing that they could not reach
 the bride and groom1 without first     
demolishing two tall ,khowadjis with    
heavy canes1 contented themselves with  
coarse jokes and contemptuous laughter4 
,this was nine years ago1 and on a      
recent visit to ,hums1 the two brides   
and their husbands met me at the door of
 the church on ,sunday1 to show me their

 children4 ,since that time numerous    
,protestant weddings have taken place in
 ,hums1 and a new order of things is    
beginning to dawn upon that people4     
,the present native pastor1 the ,rev4   
,yusef ,bedr1 was installed in ,june1   
#ahgb4 ,his wife ,leila1 is a graduate  
of the ,beirt ,female ,seminary1 and has
 been for several years a teacher4 ,her 
father died in ,january1 #ahga1 in the  
hospital of the ,beirt ,college1 and her
 widowed mother1 ,im ,mishrik1 has gone 
to labor in ,hums as a ,bible ,woman4   
,when her father was dying1 ,i went to  
see him4 ,noticing his emaciated        
appearance1 ,i said1 ,are you very ill1 
,ab ,mishrik8 ,no my friend1 ,i am not  
ill4 ,my body is ill2 and wasting away  
but ,i am well4 ,i am happy4 ,i cannot  
describe my joy4 ,i have no desire to   
return to health again4 ,if you would   
fill my hands with bags of gold1 and    
send me back to ,abeih in perfect       
health1 to meet my family again1 ,i     
would not accept the offer1 in the place

 of what ,i know is before me4 ,i am    
going to see ,christ6 ,i see ,him now4  
,i know ,he has borne my sins1 and ,i   
have nothing now to fear4 ,it would     
comfort me to see some of my friends    
again1 and especially ,mr4 ,calhoun1    
whom ,i love2 but what are my friends   
compared with ,christ1 whom ,i am going 
so soon to see8 ,after prayer1 ,i bade  
him good bye1 and a few hours after1 he 
passed peacefully away4  ,the teacher of
 the ,girls' ,school in ,hums1 is       
,belinda1 also a former pupil of the    
,beirt ,seminary4 ,her brother-in-law1  
,ishoc1 is the faithful colporteur1 who 
has labored so earnestly for many years 
in the work of the ,gospel in ,syria4   
,his grandfather was a highway robber1  
who was arrested by the ,pasha1 after   
having committed more than twenty       
murders4 ,when led out to the gallows1  
the ,pasha offered him office as        
district governor1 if he would turn     
,moslem4 ,the old murderer refused1     
saying that he had not much religion1   

but he would not give up the ,greek     
,church6 ,so he was hung1 and the       
,greeks regarded him as a martyr to the 
faith6 ,ishoc's father was as bad as the
 grandfather1 and trained ,ishoc to the 
society of dancing girls and strolling  
minstrels4 ,when ,ishoc became a        
,protestant1 the father took down his   
sword to cut off his head1 but his      
mother interceded and saved his life4   
,afterwards his father one day asked him
 if it was possible that a murderer1 son
 of a murderer1 could be saved4 ,he read
 the gospel to him1 prayed with him1 and
 at length the wicked father was melted 
to contrition and tears4 ,he died a true
 ,christian1 and the widowed mother is  
now living with ,ishoc in ,beirt4       
,belinda has a good school1 and the     
wealthiest families of the ,greeks have 
placed their daughters under her care4  
,,chapter ,,xii4  ,,miriam ,,the        
,,aleppine4   ,the city of ,aleppo was  
occupied as a ,station of the ,syria    
,mission for many years1 until finally  

in #ahee it was left to the             
,turkish-speaking missionaries of the   
,central ,turkey ,mission4 ,it is one of
 the most difficult fields of labor in  
,turkey1 but has not been unfruitful of 
genuine instances of saving faith in    
,christ4 ,among them is the case of     
,miriam ,nahass1 7or ,mary              
,coppersmith17 now ,miriam ,sarkees of  
,beirt4  ,from a letter published in the
 ,youth's ,dayspring at the time1 ,i    
have gathered the following facts3  ,in 
#ahec and #ahed the ,missionaries in    
,aleppo1 ,messrs4 ,ford and ,eddy1      
opened a small private school for girls1
 the teacher of which was ,miriam       
,nahass4 ,when the ,missionaries first  
came to ,aleppo1 her father professed to
 be a ,protestant1 and on this account  
suffered not a little persecution from  
the ,greek ,catholic priests4 ,at times 
he was on the point of starvation1 as   
the people were forbidden to buy of him 
or sell to him4 ,one day he brought his 
little daughter ,miriam to the          

missionaries1 and asked them to take her
 and instruct her in all that is good1  
which they gladly undertook1 and her    
gentle pleasant ways soon won their     
love4  ,her mother was a superstitious  
woman1 who hated the missionaries1 and  
could not bear to have her daughter stay
 with them4 ,she used for a long time to
 come almost daily to their house and   
bitterly complain against them and      
against her husband for robbing her of  
her daughter4 ,she would rave at times  
in the wildest passion1 and sometimes   
she would weep as if broken-hearted2 not
 because she loved her child so much1   
but because she did not like to have her
 neighbors say to her1 ,ah6 ,you have   
let your child become a ,protestant6    
,it may well be supposed that this was  
very annoying to the missionary who had 
her in special charge1 and so it was2   
but he found some profit in it4 ,he was 
just then learning to speak the         
language1 and this woman by her daily   
talk1 taught him a kind of ,arabic1 and 

a use of it1 not to be obtained from    
grammars and dictionaries4 ,he traced   
much of his ready command of the        
language to having been compelled to    
listen so often to the wearisome        
harangues of ,miriam's mother4          
,sometimes the father would be overcome 
by the mother's entreaties and would    
take away the girl1 but after awhile he 
would bring her back again1 to the great
 joy of those who feared they had lost  
her altogether4 ,this state of things   
continued two or three years1 while     
,miriam's mind was daily improving and  
her character unfolding1 and hopes were 
often entertained that the ,spirit of   
,god was carrying on a work of grace in 
her soul4  ,one day her father came to  
the missionary1 and asked him to loan   
him several thousand piastres 7a        
thousand piastres is #dj17 with which he
 might set up business4 ,this was of    
course refused1 when he went away       
greatly enraged4 ,he soon returned and  
took away his daughter1 saying that     

,protestantism did not pay what it cost4
 ,it had cost him the loss of property  
and reputation2 it had cost him the     
peace of his household and the presence 
of his little girl1 and it did not bring
 in to him in return even the loan of a 
few piastres1 and he would try it no    
longer4 ,prayer continued to be offered 
without ceasing for ,miriam1 thus taken 
back to an irreligious home2 and though 
the missionaries heard of her return and
 her father's return to the corrupt     
,greek ,catholic ,church1 and of the    
exultation of the mother over the       
attainment of her wishes1 yet they did  
not cease to hope that ,god would one   
day bring her back and make her a lamb  
of ,his fold4  ,an ,arab young woman1   
,melita1 trained in the family of ,mrs4 
,whiting in ,beirt1 was sent to ,aleppo 
about this time to open a girls' school 
there4 ,the ,greek ,catholic priests    
then thought to establish a similar     
school of their own sect to prevent     
their children from attending that of   

the ,protestants4 ,they secured ,miriam 
as their teacher4 ,as she went from her 
home to the school and back again1 she  
used sometimes to run into the          
missionary's house by stealth1 and      
assure him that her heart was still with
 him1 and her faith unchanged4 ,the     
school continued a few weeks1 but the   
priests having failed to pay anything   
towards its support1 her father would   
let her teach no more4 ,perhaps two     
years passed thus1 with but little being
 seen of ,miriam1 but she was not       
forgotten at the throne of grace4  ,the 
teacher from ,beirt having returned to  
her home1 it was proposed to ,miriam's  
father that she should teach in the     
,protestant school4 ,quite unexpectedly 
he consented1 with the understanding    
that she was to spend every evening at  
home4 ,at first1 little was said to her 
on the subject of religion2 soon she    
sought religious conversation herself1  
and brought questions and different     
passages of ,scripture to be explained4 

,after about a month1 having previously 
conversed with the missionary about her 
duty1 when her father came for her at   
night1 she told him that she did not    
want to go home with him1 but to stay   
where she was4 ,she ought to obey ,god  
rather than her parents4 ,they had made 
her act the part of a hypocrite long    
enough2 to pretend to be a ,catholic    
when she was a ,protestant at heart1 and
 they knew that she was4 ,her father    
promised that everything should be      
according to her wishes1 and then she   
returned with him4  ,two or three days  
passed away and nothing was seen or     
heard of ,miriam4 ,a servant was then   
sent to her father's house to inquire if
 she was sick1 and he was rudely thrust 
away from the door4 ,the missionary felt
 constrained to interfere1 that ,miriam 
might at least have the opportunity of  
declaring openly her preference4        
,according to the laws of the ,turkish  
government1 the father had no right to  
keep her at her age1 against her will1  

and it was necessary that she have an   
opportunity to choose with whom she     
wished to live4 ,the matter was         
represented to the ,american ,consul1   
who requested the father to appear      
before him with his daughter4 ,when the 
officer came to his house1 he found that
 the father had locked the door and gone
 away with the key4 ,from an upper      
window1 however1 ,miriam saw him and    
told him that she was shut up there a   
prisoner1 not knowing what might be done
 with her1 and she begged for           
assistance4 ,she had prepared a little  
note for the missionary1 telling of her 
attachment to ,christ's cause1 and      
closing with the last two verses of the 
eighth chapter of ,romans1 ,for ,i am   
persuaded1 that neither death nor life1 
nor angels1 nor principalities1 nor     
powers1 nor things present nor things to
 come1 nor height nor depth1 nor any    
other creature1 shall be able to        
separate us from the love of ,god which 
is in ,christ ,jesus our ,lord4 ,the    

janizary proposed to her to try if she  
could not get out upon the roof of the  
next house1 and descend through it to   
the street1 which she successfully      
accomplished1 and was soon joyfully on  
her way to a place of protection in the 
,consulate4  ,miriam1 after staying     
three days at the ,consul's house1      
returned to that of the missionary4 ,her
 parents tried every means to induce her
 to return4 ,they promised and          
threatened and wept1 but though greatly 
moved at times in her feelings1 she     
remained firm to her purpose4 ,they     
tried to induce her to go home for a    
single night only1 but she knew them too
 well to trust herself in their hands4  
,her mother had artfully arranged to    
meet her at the house of a friend2 but  
her brother came1 a little before the   
time1 to warn her that a plan was laid  
to meet her at this house with a company
 of priests who were all ready to marry 
her forcibly to a man whom she knew     
nothing about1 as is often done in this 

country4 ,miriam thus gave up father and
 mother1 brothers and sisters1 for the  
sake of ,christ and his gospel4  ,in the
 year #ahee ,mr4 ,ford removed to       
,beirt1 and ,miriam accompanied him4    
,she made a public profession of her    
faith in ,christ in #ahef1 and was      
married in #aheh to ,mr4 ,ibrahim       
,sarkees1 foreman and principal proof   
reader of the ,american ,mission ,press4
 ,her father has since removed to       
,beirt1 and all of the family have      
become entirely reconciled to her being 
a ,protestant4 ,her brother ,habibs is a
 frequent attendant on ,divine service1 
and regards himself as a ,protestant4   
,miriam is now deeply interested in     
,christian work1 and the weekly meetings
 of the ,native ,women's ,missionary    
,society are held at her house4 ,the    
,protestant women agree either to attend
 this ,sewing ,society1 or pay a piastre
 a week in case of their absence4  ,i   
close this chapter with the mention of  
,werdeh1 ,rose1 daughter of the         

celebrated ,arabic poet ,nasif el       
,yazijy1 who aided ,dr4 ,eli ,smith in  
the translation of the ,bible into      
,arabic4 ,she is now a member of the    
,evangelical ,church in ,beirt4 ,she    
herself has written several poems of    
rare merit2 one an elegy upon the death 
of ,dr4 ,smith2 another expressing      
grateful thanks to ,dr4 ,van ,dyck for  
attending her sick brother4 ,only this  
can be introduced here1 a poem lamenting
 the death of ,sarah ,huntington        
,bistany1 daughter of ,raheel1 who died 
in ,january1 #ahff4 ,sarah's father and 
her own father1 ,sheikh ,nasif1 had been
 for years on the most intimate terms1  
and the daughters were like sisters4    
,the account of ,sarah's death will be  
found in another part of this volume4   
,oh sad separation6 ,have you left among
 mortals1     ,an eye without tears1 hot
 and burning with sorrow8     ,have you 
left on this earth a heart without      
anguish1     ,or a soul unharrowed with 
grief and emotion8     ,thou hast       

plucked off a flower from our beautiful 
garden1     ,which shall shine like the 
stars in the gardens celestial4     ,wo 
is me6 ,i have lost a fair branch of the
 willow     ,broken ruthlessly off4 ,and
 what heart is not broken8         ,thou
 hast gone1 but from me thou wilt never 
be absent4         ,thy person will live
 to my sight and my hearing4     ,tears 
of blood will be shed by fair maids thy 
companions1     ,thy grave will be      
watered by tears thickly falling4       
,thou wert the fair jewel of ,syrian    
maidens1     ,far purer and fairer than 
pearls of the ocean4     ,where now is  
thy knowledge of language and science8  
,this sad separation has left to us     
nothing4         ,ah1 wo to the heart of
 fond father and mother1         ,no    
sleep1--naught but anguish and watching 
in sorrow         ,thou art clad in     
white robes in the gardens of glory4    
,we are clad in the black robe of sorrow
 and mourning     ,oh grave1 yield thy  
honors to our pure lovely maiden1       

,who now to thy gloomy abode is         
descending6         ,our ,sarah         
departed1 with no word of farewell1     
,will she ever return with a fond word  
of greeting8     ,oh deep sleep of      
death1 that knows no awaking6     ,oh   
absence that knows no thought of        
returning6         ,if she never comes  
back to us here in our sorrow1          
,we shall go to her soon4 ',twill be but
 to-morrow     ,,chapter ,,xiii4        
,,modern ,,syrian ,,views ,,with        
,,regard ,,to ,,female ,,education4     
,in the year #ahdg1 a ,literary ,society
 was formed in ,beirt1 through the      
influence of ,drs4 ,thomson1 ,eli       
,smith1 ,van ,dyck1 ,de ,forest and ,mr4
 ,whiting1 which continued in operation 
for about six years1 and numbered among 
its members the leading men of all the  
various native communities4 ,important  
papers were read on various scientific  
and social subjects4 ,the missionaries  
had been laboring for years to create an
 enlightened public sentiment on the    

subject of female education1 contending 
against social prejudices1 profound     
ignorance1 ecclesiastical tyranny and   
selfish opposition1 and at length the   
fruit of their labors began to appear4  
,in the following articles may be seen  
something of the views of the better    
class of ,syrians4 ,the first was read  
before the ,beirt ,literary ,society1   
,dec4 #ad1 #ahdi1 by ,mr4 ,butrus       
,bistany1 who1 as stated above1 married 
,raheel1 and is now the head of a       
flourishing ,academy in ,beirt1 and     
editor of three ,arabic journals4 ,i    
have translated only the salient points 
of this long and able paper3--  ,we have
 already spoken of woman in barbarous   
lands4 ,the ,syrian women1 although     
better off in some respects than the    
women of barbarous nations1 are still in
 the deepest need of education and      
elevation1 since they stand in a        
position midway between the barbarous   
and the civilized4 ,how few of the      
hundreds of thousands of women in ,syria

 know how to read6 ,how few are the     
schools ever established here for       
teaching women6 ,any one who denies the 
degradation and ignorance of ,syrian    
women1 would deny the existence of the  
noonday sun4 ,do not men shun even an   
allusion to women1 and if obliged to    
speak of them1 do they not accompany the
 remark with a jellak ,allah1 as if they
 were speaking of a brute beast1 or some
 filthy object8 ,are they not treated   
among us very much as among the         
barbarians8 ,to what do they pay the    
most attention8 ,is it not to ornament  
and dress1 and refining about styles of 
tatooing with the henna and kohl8 ,what 
do they know about the training of      
children1 domestic economy and neatness 
of person1 and the care of the sick8    
,how many abominable superstitions do   
they follow1 although forbidden by their
 own religions8 ,are not the journals   
and diaries of travellers full of       
descriptions of the state of our women8 
,does not every one1 familiar with the  

state of society and the family among   
us1 know all these things1 and mourn    
over them1 and demand a reform8 ,would  
that ,i might awaken among the women the
 desire to learn1 that thus they might  
be worthy of higher honor and esteem6   
,woman should be instructed in religion4
 ,this is one of her highest rights and 
privileges and her bounden duty4  ,she  
should be taught in her own vernacular  
tongue1 so as to be able to express     
herself correctly1 and use pure         
language4 ,woman should learn to write4 
,she should be taught to read4 ,how is  
it possible for woman to remember all   
her duties1 religious and secular1      
through mere oral instruction8 ,but a   
written book1 is a teacher always with  
her1 and in every place and             
circumstance4 ,it addresses her without 
a voice1 rebukes her without fear or    
shame1 answers without sullenness and   
complaint4 ,she consults it when she    
wishes1 without anxiety and             
embarrassment1 and banishes it if not   

faithful or satisfactory1 or even burns 
it without crime6  ,why forbid woman the
 use of the only means she can have of  
sending her views and feelings where the
 voice cannot reach8 ,now when a woman  
wishes to write a letter1 she must go1  
closely veiled to the street1 and hire a
 professional scribe to write for her1 a
 letter which she cannot read1 and which
 may utterly misrepresent her6  ,woman  
should also have instruction in the     
training of children4 ,the right        
training of children is not a natural   
instinct4 ,it is an art1 and a lost art 
among us4 ,it must be learned from the  
experience and observation of those who 
have lived before us2 and where do we   
now find the woman who knows how to give
 proper care to the bodies and souls of 
her children8  ,mr4 ,bistany then speaks
 of the importance of teaching woman    
domestic economy1 sewing1 cooking1 and  
the care of the sick1 as well as        
geography1 arithmetic1 and history1     
giving as reasons for the foregoing     

remarks1 that the education of woman    
will benefit herself1 her husband1 her  
children and her country4  ,how can she 
be an intelligent wife1 a kind          
companion1 a wise counsellor1 a faithful
 spouse1 aiding her husband1 lightening 
his sufferings1 training his children1  
and caring for his home1 without        
education8 ,without education1 her taste
 is corrupt4 ,she will seek only outward
 ornament1 and dress1 and painting1 as  
if unsatisfied with her ,creator's work2
 becoming a mere doll to be gazed at1 or
 a trap to catch the men4 ,she will     
believe in countless superstitions1 such
 as the ,evil ,eye1 the howling of dogs1
 the crying of foxes1 etc41 which are   
too well known to need mention here4 ,he
 who would examine this subject1 should 
consult that huge unwritten book1 that  
famous volume called ,ketab en ,nissa1  
the ,book of the ,women1 a work which   
has no existence among civilized women2 
or ask the old wives who have read it1  
and taught it in their schools of       

superstition4  ,let him who would know  
the evils of neglecting to educate      
woman1 look at the ignorant1 untaught   
woman in her language and dress1 her    
conduct at home and abroad2 her notions1
 thoughts1 and caprices on religion and 
the world2 her morals1 inclinations and 
tastes2 her house1 her husband1 her     
children and acquaintances1 when she    
rejoices or mourns1 when sick or well2  
and he will agree with us that an       
uneducated woman is a great evil in the 
world1 not to say the greatest evil     
possible to be imagined4  ,in the       
reformation of a nation1 then1 the first
 step in the ladder is the education of 
the women from their childhood4 ,and    
those who neglect the women and girls1  
and expect the elevation of the people  
by the mere training of men and boys1   
are like one walking with one foot on   
the earth1 and the other in the clouds6 
,they fail in accomplishing their       
purpose and are barely able1 by the     
utmost energy1 to repair that which     

woman has corrupted and destroyed4 ,they
 build a wall1 and woman tears down a   
castle4 ,they elevate boys one degree1  
and women depress them many degrees4    
,perhaps ,i have now said enough on a   
subject never before written upon by any
 of our ancestors of the sons of the    
,arabs4 ,my object has been to prove the
 importance of the education of woman1  
based on the maxim1 that1 'she who rocks
 the cradle with her right hand1 moves  
the world with her arm4'  ,the next     
article ,i have translated from ,mr4    
,bistany's ,semi-monthly ,magazine1     
called the ,jenan1 for ,july1 #ahgj4 ,it
 was written by an ,arab woman of       
,aleppo1 the ,sitt ,mariana ,merrash4   
,she writes with great power and        
eloquence in the ,arabic2 and her       
brother1 ,francis ,effendi1 is one of   
the most powerful writers of modern     
,syria4 ,the paper of the ,sitt ,mariana
 is long1 and the introduction is most  
ornate and flowery4 ,she writes on the  
condition of woman among the ,arabs1 and

 refutes an ancient ,arab slander       
against women that they are cowardly and
 avaricious1 because they will not      
fight1 and carefully hoard the household
 stores4 ,she then proceeds3--  ,wo to  
us ,syrian women1 if we do not know     
enough to distinguish and seek after    
those qualities which will elevate and  
refine our minds1 and give breadth to   
our thoughts1 and enable us to take a   
proper position in society6 ,we ought to
 attract sensible persons to us by the  
charm of our cultivation and refinement1
 not by the mere phantom of beauty and  
personal ornament4 ,into what gulfs of  
stupidity have we plunged6 ,do we not   
know that the reign of beauty is short1 
and not enough of itself to be worthy of
 regard8 ,and even supposing that it    
were enough of itself1 in the public    
estimation1 to make us attractive and   
desirable1 do we not know assuredly that
 after beauty has faded1 we should fall 
at once into a panic of anxiety and     
grief1 since none would then look at us 

save with the eye of contempt and       
ridicule1 to say nothing of the vain    
attempts at producing artificial beauty 
which certain foolish women make1 as if 
they were deaf to the insults and abuse 
heaped upon them8 ,shall we settle down 
in indolence1 and never once think of   
what is our highest advantage and our   
chiefest good8 ,shall we forever run    
after gay attire and ornament8 ,let us  
arise and run the race of mental culture
 and literary adornment1 and not listen 
for a moment to those who insult us by  
denying the appropriateness of learning 
to women1 and the capacity of women for 
learning6  ,were we not made of the same
 clay as men8 ,even if we are of weaker 
texture1 we have the same susceptibility
 which they have to receive impressions 
from what is taught to us4 ,if it is    
good1 we receive good as readily as     
they2 and if evil1 then evil4 ,of what  
use is a crown of gold on the brow of   
ignorance1 and what loveliness is there 
in a jewelled star on the neck of       

coarseness and brutality1 or in a       
diamond necklace over a heart of        
stupidity and ignorance8 ,the great poet
 ,mutanebbi has given us an apothegm of 
great power on this very subject4 ,he   
says3      ',fukr el jehl bela okl ila  
adab1      ,fukr el hamar bela ras ila  
resen1'       ',a senseless fool's need 
of instruction is like a headless       
donkey's      need of a halter4'  ,let  
us then gird ourselves with wisdom and  
understanding1 and robe ourselves with  
true politeness and meekness1 and be    
crowned with the flowers of the 'jenan' 
7gardens7 of knowledge 7a pun on the    
name of the magazine7 now opened to us4 
,let us pluck the fruits of wisdom1     
lifting up our heads in gratulation and 
true pride1 and remain no longer in that
 cowardice and avarice which were       
imputed to the women of the ,arabs      
before us6  ,the next article ,i shall  
translate1 is a paper on the ,training  
of ,children in the ,east1 by an ,arab  
woman of ,alexandria1 ,egypt1 the ,sitt 

,wustina ,mesirra1 wife of ,selim       
,effendi el ,hamawy4 ,it was printed in 
the ,jenan for ,jan41 #ahga4 ,after a   
long and eloquent poetical introduction1
 this lady says3--  ,let us put off the 
robes of sloth and inertness1 and put on
 the dress of zeal and earnestness4 ,we 
belong to the nineteenth century1 which 
exceeds all the ages of mankind in light
 and knowledge4 ,why shall we not show  
to men the need of giving us the highest
 education1 that we may at the least    
contribute to their happiness and       
advantage1 and rightly train our        
children and babes1 not to say that we  
may pluck the fruits of science1 and the
 best knowledge for ourselves8 ,let them
 say to us1 you are weak and lacking in 
knowledge4 ,i reply1 by perseverance and
 patience1 we shall attain our object4  
,inasmuch as every one who reaches      
mature years1 must pass by the road of  
childhood and youth1 everything         
pertaining to the period of childhood   
becomes interesting and important1 and  

,i beg permission to say a word on the  
training of children4  ,when it pleased 
,god to give us our first child1 ,i     
determined to train it according to the 
old approved modes which ,i had learned 
from my family relatives and            
fellow-countrywomen4 ,so ,i took the    
baby boy soon after his birth1 and put  
him in a narrow cradle provided with a  
tin tube running down through a         
perforation in the little bed1 binding  
and tying him down1 and wrapping and    
girding him about from his shoulders to 
his heels1 so that he was stiff and     
unmovable1 excepting his head1 which    
rolled and wriggled about from right to 
left1 with the rocking of the cradle1   
this rocking being deemed necessary for 
the purpose of inducing sleep and       
silence in the child4 ,my lord and      
husband protested against this          
treatment1 proving to me the evil       
effects of this wrapping and rocking1 by
 many and weighty reasons1 and even said
 that it would injure the little ones   

for life1 even if they survived the     
outrageous abuse they were subjected to4
 ,i was astonished1 and said1 how can   
this be8 ,we were all trained and       
treated in this manner1 and yet lived   
and grew up in the best possible style4 
,all our countrymen have been brought up
 in this way1 and none of them that ,i  
know of have ever been injured in the   
way you suggest4 ,he gave it up1 and    
allowed me to go on in the old way1     
until something happened which suddenly 
checked the babe in his progress in     
health and happiness4 ,he began to throw
 up his milk after nursing1 and to grow 
ill1 giving signs of brain disease1 and 
then my lord said1 you must now give up 
these customs and take my counsel4 ,so1 
on the spur of the moment1 ,i accepted  
his advice and gave up the cradle4 ,i   
unrolled the bindings and wrappings and 
gave up myself to putting things in due 
order4 ,i clothed my child with garments
 adapted to his age and circumstances1  
and to the time and place1 and regulated

 the times of his eating and play by    
day1 and kept him awake as much as might
 be1 so that he and his parents could   
sleep at night4 ,i soon saw a wonderful 
change in his health and vigor1 though  
,i experienced no little trouble from my
 efforts to wean him from the rocking of
 the cradle to which he was accustomed4 
,my favorable experience in this matter1
 led me to use my influence to induce   
the daughters of my race1 and my own    
family relatives1 to give up practices  
which are alike profitless1 laborious   
and injurious to health4 ,my husband    
also aided me in getting books on the   
training of children1 and ,i studied the
 true system of training1 learning much 
of what is profitable to the mothers and
 fathers of my country in preserving the
 health of their children in mind and   
body4 ,the binding and wrapping of babes
 in the cradle prevents their free and  
natural movements1 and the natural      
growth of the body1 and injures their   
health4  ,the next paper is from the pen

 of ,khalil ,effendi1 editor of the     
,turkish official journal of ,beirt4 ,it
 appeared in the columns of the ,hadikat
 el ,akhbar of ,january1 #ahfg4 ,it     
represents the leading views of a large 
class of the more enlightened ,syrians  
with regard to education1 and by way of 
preface to the ,effendi's remarks1 ,i   
will make a brief historical statement4 
,the ,arab race were in ancient times   
celebrated for their schools of         
learning1 and although the arts and     
sciences taught in the great ,university
 under the ,khalifs of ,baghdad1 were   
chiefly drawn from ,greece1 yet in      
poetry1 logic and law the old ,arab     
writers long held a proud preminence4   
,but since the foundation of the present
 ,ottoman ,empire1 the ,arabs have been 
under a foreign yoke1 subject to every  
form of oppression and wrong1 and for   
generations hardly a poet worth the name
 has appeared excepting ,sheikh ,nasif  
el ,yazijy4 ,schools have been          
discouraged1 and learning1 which        

migrated with the ,arabs into ,spain1   
has never returned to its ,eastern home4
 ,there are in every ,moslem town and   
city common schools1 for every ,moslem  
boy must be taught to read the ,koran2  
but with the exception of the ,egyptian 
school of the ,jamea el ,azhar in       
,cairo1 there had not been up to #ahfg  
for years even a high school under      
native auspices1 in the ,arabic-speaking
 world4 ,but what the ,turks have       
discouraged and the ,arab ,moslems have 
failed to do1 is now being done among   
the nominal ,christian sects1 and       
chiefly by foreign educators4 ,during   
the past thirty years a great work in   
educating the ,arab race in ,syria has  
been done by the ,american              
,missionaries4 ,their ,seminary in      
,abeih1 on ,mount ,lebanon1 has trained 
multitudes of young men1 who are now    
scattered all over ,syria and the ,east1
 and are making their influence felt4   
,other schools have sprung up1 and the  
result is1 that the young men and women 

of ,syria are now talking about the     
,asur el ,jedid1 or ,new ,age of ,syria1
 by which they mean an age of education 
and light and advancement4 ,the ,arabic 
journal1 above referred to1 is owned by 
the ,turkish government1 or rather      
subsidized by it1 and its editor is a   
talented young ,greek of considerable   
poetic ability4 ,it is not often that he
 ventures to speak out boldly on such a 
theme as education1 but the pressure    
from the people upon the                
,governor-,general was so great at the  
time1 that he gave permission to the    
editor to utter his mind4 ,i translate  
what he wrote1 quite literally4  ,there 
can be no doubt that the strength of    
every people and the source of their    
happiness1 rest upon the diffusion of   
knowledge among them4 ,science has been 
in every age the foundation of wealth   
and national progress1 and since science
 and the arts are the forerunners of    
popular civilization1 and the good of   
the masses and their elevation in the   

scale of intellectual and physical      
growth1 therefore primary education is  
the necessary preparation for all       
scientific progress4 ,and in view of    
this1 the providence of our most exalted
 government has been turned to the      
accomplishment of what has been done    
successfully in other lands1 in the     
multiplication of schools and colleges4 
,and none can be ignorant of the great  
progress of science and education1 under
 ,his ,august ,imperial ,excellency the 
,sultan1 in ,syria1 where schools and   
printing presses have multiplied1       
especially in the city of ,beirt and its
 vicinity4 ,for in ,beirt and ,mount    
,lebanon1 there are nearly two thousand 
male pupils1 large and small1 in        
,boarding ,schools1 learning the ,arabic
 branches and foreign languages1 and    
especially the ,french language1 which  
is more widely spread than any other4   
,the most noted of these schools are the
 ,french ,lazarist ,school at ,ain ,tura
 in ,lebanon1 the ,american ,seminary in

 ,abeih1 the ,jesuit ,school at ,ghuzir1
 and the ,greek ,school at ,suk el      
,ghurb1 the most of the pupils being    
from the cities of ,syria4 ,then there  
are in ,beirt the ,greek ,school1 the   
school of the ,greek ,catholic          
,patriarch1 the ,native ,national       
,college of ,mr4 ,betrus el ,bistany1   
and there are also nearly a thousand    
girls in the ,french ,lazarist ,school1 
the ,prussian ,protestant ,deaconesses1 
the ,american ,female ,seminary and     
,mrs4 ,thompson's ,british ,syrian      
,school1 and other female schools4 ,and 
here we must mention that all of these  
schools1 7excepting the ,druze          
,seminary17 are in the hands of         
,christians1 and the ,mohammedans of    
,beirt have not a single school other   
than a common school1 although in       
,damascus and ,tripoli they have ,high  
,schools which are most successful1 and 
many of their children in ,beirt1 are   
learning in ,christian schools1 a fact  
which we take as a proof of their       

anxiety to attain useful knowledge1     
although they have not as yet done aught
 to found schools of their own4 ,and    
though the placing of their children in 
,christian schools is a proof of the    
love and fellowship between these two   
sects in this glorious ,imperial ,age1  
we cannot but say that it would be far  
more befitting to the honor and dignity 
of the ,mussulmen to open schools for   
their own children as the other sects   
are doing4 ,and lately the ,imperial    
,governor of ,syria has been urging them
 to this step1 and they are now planning
 the opening of such a school1 which    
will be a means of great benefit and    
glory to ,islam4  ,the editor then      
states that the great want of ,syria is 
a school where a high practical         
education can be given1 and says3--  ,we
 now publish the glad tidings to the    
sons of ,syria that such a ,college has 
just been opened in ,syria1 in the city 
of ,beirt1 by the liberality of good men
 in ,america and ,england1 and called   

the ,syria ,protestant ,college4 ,it is 
to accommodate eventually one thousand  
pupils1 will have a large library and   
scientific apparatus1 including a       
telescope for viewing the stars1 besides
 cabinets of ,natural ,history1 ,botany1
 ,geology and ,mineralogy4 ,it will     
teach all ,science and ,art1 ,law and   
,medicine1 and we doubt not will meet   
the great want of our native land4      
,five years have passed since the above 
was written4 ,since that time the number
 of pupils in the various schools in    
,beirt has trebled1 and new educational 
edifices of stately proportions are     
being built or are already finished1 in 
every part of the city4 ,it may be      
safely said that the finest structures  
in ,beirt are those built for           
educational purposes4 ,the ,latins have 
the ,sisters of ,charity building of    
immense proportions1 the ,jesuit        
establishment1 the ,maronite schools1   
and the ,french ,sisters of ,nazareth   
,seminary1 which is to be one of the    

most commanding edifices of the ,east4  
,the ,greeks have their large ,high     
,school1 and the ,papal-,greeks1 or     
,greek-,catholics their lofty ,college4 
,the ,moslems have built with funds     
drawn from the treasury of the          
municipality1 a magnificent building for
 their ,reshidiyeh1 while the           
,protestants have the imposing edifices 
occupied by the ,american ,female       
,seminary1 the ,british ,syrian         
,schools1 the ,prussian ,deaconesses    
,institute1 and most extensive and      
impressive of all1 the new edifices of  
the ,syrian ,protestant ,college at ,ras
 ,beirt4  ,as another illustration of   
public sentiment in ,syria with regard  
to evangelical work1 ,i will translate  
another paragraph from this official    
newspaper3  ,we have been writing of the
 progress of the ,press in ,syria1 and  
of ,arabic literature in ,europe1 but we
 have another fact to mention which will
 no doubt fill the sons of our country  
with astonishment4 ,you know well the   

efforts which were put forth some time  
since in the printing of the ,old and   
,new ,testaments in various editions in 
the ,arabic language1 in the ,press of  
the ,american ,mission in ,beirt4 ,this 
work is under the direction of the      
distinguished scholar ,dr4 ,van ,dyck1  
who labored assiduously in the          
completion of the translation of the    
,bible from the ,hebrew and ,greek      
languages1 which was commenced by the   
compassionated of ,god1 ,dr4 ,eli       
,smith4 ,they had printed from time to  
time large editions of this ,bible with 
great labor and expense1 and sold them  
out1 and then were obliged to set up the
 types again for a new edition4 ,but    
,dr4 ,van ,dyck thought it best1 in     
order to find relief from the vast      
expenditure of time and money necessary 
to reset the types1 to prepare for every
 page of the ,bible a plate of copper1  
on whose face the letters should be     
engraved4 ,he therefore proceeded to    
,new ,york1 and undertook in            

co-operation1 with certain men skilled  
in the electrotyping art1 to make plates
 exactly corresponding to the pages of  
the ,holy ,book1 and he has sent to us a
 specimen page taken from the first     
plate of the vowelled ,testament1 and on
 comparison with the page printed here1 
we find it an exact copy of the ,beirt  
edition which is printed in the same    
type with our journal4 ,we regard it as 
far clearer and better than the sheets  
printed from movable types1 and we      
congratulate ,dr4 ,van ,dyck1 and wish  
him all success in this enterprise4     
,such statements as these derive their  
value from the fact that they appear in 
the official paper of a ,mohammedan     
government1 and are a testimony to the  
value of the ,word of ,god4  ,the next  
article is a literal translation of an  
address delivered in ,june1 #ahfg1 at   
the ,annual ,examination of the ,beirt  
,female ,seminary4 ,this ,seminary was  
the first school in ,syria for girls1   
which was established on the paying     

principle1 and in the year #ahfg its    
income from ,syrian girls who paid their
 own board and tuition was about fifteen
 hundred dollars in gold4 ,it commenced 
with six pupils1 and now has fifty      
boarders4 ,a crowded assembly attended  
the examination in the year above       
mentioned1 and at its close1 several    
native gentlemen made addresses in      
,arabic4 ,the most remarkable address   
was made by a ,greek ,priest1 ,ghubrin  
,jebara1 the ,archimandrite and agent of
 the ,patriarch4 ,when it is remembered 
that in the days of ,bird1 ,goodell and 
,fisk1 the ,greek clergy were among the 
most bitter enemies of the missionaries1
 it will be seen that this address      
indicates a great change in ,syria4     
,turning to the great congregation of   
three or four hundred people who were   
assembled in the ,american ,chapel1     
,greeks1 ,maronites1 ,mohammedans1      
,catholics and ,protestants1 he said3   
,you know my friends1 into what a sad   
state our land and people had fallen1   

morally1 socially and intellectually4   
,we had no schools1 no books1 no means  
of instruction1 when ,god in ,his       
,providence awakened the zeal of good   
men far across two seas in distant      
,america1 of which many of us had never 
heard1 to leave home and friends and    
country to spend their lives among us1  
yes even among such as ,i am4 ,in the   
name of my countrymen in ,syria1 ,i     
would this day thank these men1 and     
those who sent them4 ,they have given us
 the ,arabic ,bible1 numerous good      
books1 founded schools and seminaries1  
and trained our children and youth4 ,but
 for the ,american ,missionaries the    
,word of ,god would have well nigh died 
out of the ,arabic language4 ,but now   
through the labors of the lamented ,eli 
,smith and ,dr4 ,van ,dyck1 they have   
given us a translation so pure1 so      
exact1 so clear and so classical as to  
be acceptable to all classes and all    
sects4 ,but for their labors1 education 
would still be where it was centuries   

ago1 and our children would still have  
continued to grow up like wild beasts4  
,is there any one among us so bigoted1  
so ungrateful1 as not to appreciate     
these benevolent labors2 so blind as not
 to see their fruits8 ,true1 other      
,european ,missionaries have come here  
from ,france and ,italy1 and we will not
 deny their good intentions4 ,but what  
have they brought us8 ,and what have    
they taught8 ,a little ,french4 ,they   
tell us how far ,lyons is from ,paris1  
and where ,napoleon first lived1 and    
then they forbid the ,word of ,god1 and 
scatter broadcast the writings of the   
accursed infidel ,voltaire4 ,but these  
,americans have come thousands of miles1
 from a land than which there is no     
happier on earth1 to dwell among such as
 we are1 yes1 ,i repeat it1 such as ,i  
am1 to translate ,god's word1 to give us
 schools and good books1 and a goodly   
example1 and ,i thank them for it4 ,i   
thank them and all who are laboring for 
us4 ,i would thank ,mr4 ,mikhaiel       

,araman1 the ,principal of this ,female 
,seminary1 who is a son of our land1 and
 ,miss ,rufka ,gregory1 the             
,preceptress1 who is a daughter of our  
own people1 for the wonderful progress  
we have witnessed during these three    
days among the daughters of our own city
 and country1 in the best kind of       
knowledge4 ,allah grant prosperity to   
this ,seminary1 and all its teachers and
 pupils1 peace and happiness to all here
 present to-day and long life to our    
,sultan ,abdul ,aziz4  ,as my object in 
giving these extracts from ,arab writers
 and orators of the present day1 is to  
give some idea of the change going on in
 ,syrian public sentiment with regard to
 education1 the dignity of woman1 and   
the abolition of superstitious social   
usages1 ,i cannot do better than to     
translate from the official journal of  
,dad ,pasha1 late governor of ,mt4      
,lebanon1 an article on the customs of  
the ,lebanon population4 ,this paper was
 styled ,le ,liban1 and printed both in 

,arabic and ,french in ,july1 #ahfg4 ,it
 gives us a glimpse of the civilizing   
and ,christianizing influences which are
 at work in ,syria4  ,in ,mount ,lebanon
 there exist certain customs1 which had 
their origin in kindly feeling and      
sympathy1 but have now passed beyond the
 limits of propriety1 and lost their    
original meaning4 ,for example1 when one
 falls sick1 his relatives and friends  
at once begin to pour in upon him4 ,the 
whole population of the town will come  
crowding into the house1 each one       
speaking to the sick a word of comfort  
and encouragement1 and then sitting down
 in the sick room4 ,the poor invalid    
must respond to all these salutations1  
and even be expected to rise in bed and 
bow to his loving friends4 ,then the    
whole company must speak a word to the  
family1 to the wife and children1       
assuring them that the disease is but   
slight1 and the sick man will speedily  
recover4 ,then they crowd into the sick 
room 7and such a crowd it is67 and the  

family and servants are kept running to 
supply them with cigars and narghlehs1  
by means of which they fill the room    
with a dense and suffocating smoke4     
,meantime1 they talk all at once and in 
a loud voice1 and the air soon becomes  
impure and suffocating1 and all these   
things as a matter of course injure the 
sick man1 and he becomes worse4 ,then   
the childish doctors of the town are    
summoned1 and in they come with grave   
faces1 and a great show of wisdom1 and  
each one begins to recount the names of 
all the medicines he has heard of1 and  
describes their effects in working      
miraculous cures4 ,then they enter into 
ignorant disputes on learned subjects1  
and talk of the art of medicine of which
 they know nothing save what they have  
learned by hearsay4 ,one will insist    
that this medicine is the best1 because 
his father used it with great benefit   
just before he died1 and another will   
urge the claims of another medicine1 of 
a directly opposite character1 and      

opinions will clash1 and all in the     
presence of the sick man1 who thus      
becomes agitated and alarmed4 ,he takes 
first one medicine and then its         
opposite1 and then he summons other     
doctors and consults his relatives4     
,then all the old women of the          
neighborhood take him in hand and set at
 naught all that the doctors have       
advised1 give him medicines of whose    
properties they are wholly ignorant1 and
 thus they hasten the final departure of
 their friend on his long last journey4 
,and if he should die1 the whole        
population of the town assembles at once
 at the house and the relatives1        
friends1 and people from other villages 
come thronging in4 ,they fill the house 
with their screams and wails of         
mourning4 ,they recount the virtues of  
the departed with groans and shrieks1   
and lamentations in measured stanzas4   
,this all resembles the customs of the  
old ,greeks and ,romans who hired male  
and female mourners to do their weeping 

for them4 ,after this1 they proceed at  
once to bear the corpse to the grave1   
without one thought as to proving       
whether there be yet life remaining or  
not1 not leaving it even twelve hours1  
and never twenty-four hours4 ,it is well
 known that this custom is most brutal  
and perilous1 for they may suppose a    
living man to be dead1 and bury him     
alive1 as has1 no doubt1 often been     
done4 ,immediately after the burial1 the
 crowd return to the house of the       
deceased1 where a sumptuous table awaits
 them1 and all the relatives1 friends1  
and strangers eat their fill4 ,after    
eight days1 the wailing1 assembling1    
crowding1 and eating are repeated1 for  
the consolation of the distracted       
relatives4 ,and these crowds and        
turbulent proceedings occur1 not simply 
at ,syrian funerals1 but also at        
marriages and births1 in case the child 
born is a boy1 for the ,syrians are fond
 of exhibiting their joy and sorrow4    
,but it should be remembered1 that just 

as in civilized lands1 all these        
demonstrations of joy and sorrow are    
tempered by moderation and wisdom1 and  
subdued by silent acquiescence in the   
,divine will1 so in uncivilized lands1  
they are the occasion for giving the    
loose rein to passion and tumult and    
violent emotion4 ,how much in conformity
 with true faith in ,god1 and religious 
principle1 is the quiet1 well-ordered   
and moderate course of procedure among  
civilized nations6  ,so in former times1
 the man was everywhere the absolute    
tyrant of the family4 ,the wife was the 
slave1 never to be seen by others4 ,and 
if1 in conversation1 it became necessary
 to mention her name1 it would be by    
saying this was done by my wife 'ajellak
 ,allah4' ,but now1 there is a change1  
and woman is no longer so generally     
regarded as worthy of contempt and      
abuse1 and the progress being made in   
the emancipation and elevation of woman1
 is one of the noblest and best proofs  
of the real progress of ,lebanon in the 

paths of morality and civilization4     
,this is the language of the official   
paper of the ,lebanon government4 ,yet  
how difficult to root out superstitious 
and injurious customs by official       
utterances6 ,at the very time that      
article was written1 these customs      
continued in full force4 ,a woman in    
,abeih1 whose husband died in #ahff1    
refused to allow her house or her       
clothes to be washed for more than a    
whole year afterward1 just as though    
untidiness and personal uncleanliness   
would honor her deceased husband6       
,,chapter ,,xiv4  ,,bedawin ,,arabs4    
,there is one class of the ,arab race1  
of which little or nothing has been said
 in the preceding pages1 for the simple 
reason that there is little to be said  
of missionary work or progress among    
them4 ,we refer to the ,bedawin ,arabs4 
,the true sons of ,ishmael1 boasting of 
their descent from him1 living a wild1  
free and independent life1 rough1       
untutored and warlike1 plundering1      

robbing and murdering one another as a  
business2 roaming over the vast plains  
which extend from ,aleppo to ,baghdad1  
and from ,baghdad to ,central ,arabia1  
and bordering the outskirts of the more 
settled parts of ,syria and ,palestine2 
ignorant of reading and writing1 and yet
 transacting extensive business in wool 
and live-stock with the border towns and
 cities2 nominally ,mohammedans1 and yet
 disobeying every precept of ,moslem    
faith and practice2 subjects of the     
,ottoman ,sultan1 and yet living in     
perpetual rebellion or coaxed by heavy  
bribes into nominal submission2         
suffering untold hardships from their   
life of constant exposure to winter     
storms and summer heats2 without proper 
food1 clothing or shelter1 and utterly  
destitute of medical aid and relief1 and
 yet despising the refinements of       
civilized life1 and regarding with      
contempt the man who will sleep under a 
roof2 they constitute a most ancient1   
attractive class of men1 interesting to 

every lover of his race1 and especially 
to the ,missionary of the ,cross4       
,european missionaries can do little    
among them4 ,to say nothing of the      
rough1 nomadic1 unsettled and perilous  
life they lead1 any ,european would find
 himself so much an object of curiosity 
and suspicion among them1 and the       
peculiar ,bedawin pronunciation of the  
,arabic so different from the correct   
pronunciation1 that he would be         
constantly embarrassed4 ,native         
missionaries1 on the other hand1 can go 
among them freely1 and if provided with 
a supply of vaccine virus and simple    
medicines1 can have the most            
unrestrained access to them4 ,during the
 last ten years1 several native         
colporteurs have been sent among the    
,bedawin1 and lately the ,native        
,missionary ,society in ,beirt has sent 
out one of its teachers as a missionary 
to the ,arabs4 ,there is little use in  
taking books among them1 as very few can
 make use of them4 ,mr4 ,arthington of  

,leeds1 ,england1 has been making       
earnest efforts to induce the ,bedawin  
to send their children to schools in the
 towns1 or allow schools to be opened   
among their own camps4 ,we have tried   
every means to induce their leading     
,sheikhs to send their sons and         
daughters to ,beirt for instruction1 but
 the ,arabs all dread sending their     
children to any point within the        
jurisdiction of the ,turks1 lest they be
 suddenly seized by the ,turks as       
hostages for the good behavior of their 
parents4 ,the latter course1 i4e41      
sending teachers to live among them1 to 
migrate with them and teach their       
children as it were on the wing1 seems  
to be the one most practicable1 as soon 
as teachers can be trained4 ,until the  
,turkish government shall compel the    
,bedawin to settle down in villages and 
till the soil1 there can be little done 
in the way of instructing them4 ,and    
when that step is taken1 it is quite    
doubtful whether the ,moslem government 

will not send its ,khoteebs or religious
 teachers1 and compel them all to       
embrace the religion of ,islam4 ,if that
 should be done1 ,christian teachers    
will have but little opportunity of     
opening schools among them4  ,one of the
 leading tribes of the ,bedawin is the  
,anazy1 who are more numerous1 powerful 
and wealthy than any other ,kobileh of  
the ,arabs4 ,their principal ,sheikh on 
the ,damascus border is ,mohammed ed    
,dkhy1 the warlike and successful leader
 of ten thousand ,arab horsemen1 of the 
,weled ,ali4 ,he is now an officer of   
the ,turkish government1 with a salary  
of ten thousand dollars a year1 employed
 to protect the great ,haj or ,pilgrim  
,caravan1 which goes annually from      
,damascus to ,mecca4 ,he furnishes      
camels for the ,haj1 and a powerful     
escort of horsemen1 and is under bonds  
to keep the ,arabs quiet4  ,in          
,february1 #ahga1 he came to ,beirt on  
business1 and was the guest of a        
,maronite merchant1 who brought him at  

our invitation to visit the ,female     
,seminary1 the ,college and the         
,printing ,press4 ,after looking through
 the ,seminary1 examining the various   
departments1 and inquiring into the     
course of study he turned to the pupils 
and said1 ,our ,bedawin girls would     
learn as much in six months as you learn
 in two years4 ,i told him we should    
like to see the experiment tried1 and   
that if he would send on a dozen        
,bedawin girls1 we would see that they  
had every opportunity for improvement4  
,he said1 ,allah only knows the future4 
,who knows but it may yet come to pass8 
,the ,sheikh himself can neither read   
nor write1 but his wife1 the ,sitt      
,harba1 or ,lady ,spear1 who came from  
the vicinity of ,hamath1 can read and   
write well1 and she is said to be the   
only ,bedawyeh woman who can write a    
letter4 ,with this in view we prepared  
an elegant copy of the ,arabic ,bible1  
enclosed in a waterproof case made by   
the girls of the ,seminary1 and         

presented it to him at the ,press4 ,he  
expressed great interest in it1 and     
asked what the book contained4 ,we      
explained the contents1 and he remarked1
 ,i will have the ,sitt ,harba read to  
me of ,ibrahim1 ,khalil ,allah1 7the    
,friend of ,god71 and ,ismaeel1 the     
father of the ,arabs1 and ,neby         
7prophet7 ,moosa1 and ,soleiman the     
king1 and ,aieesa1 7,jesus17 the son of 
,mary4 ,the electrotype apparatus deeply
 interested him1 but when ,mr4 ,hallock 
showed him the steam cylinder press1    
rolling off the sheets with so great    
rapidity and exactness1 he stood back   
and remarked in the most deliberate     
manner1 the man who made that press can 
conquer anything but death6 ,it seemed  
some satisfaction to him that in the    
matter of death the ,bedawin was on a   
level with the ,european4  ,from the    
,press1 the ,sheikh went to the ,church1
 and after gazing around on the pure    
white walls1 remarked1 ,there is the    
,book1 but ,i see no pictures nor       

images4 ,you worship only ,god here6 ,he
 was anxious to see the ,tower ,clock1  
and although he had lost one arm1 and   
the other was nearly paralyzed by a     
musket shot in a recent fight in the    
desert1 he insisted on climbing up the  
long ladders to see the clock whose     
striking he had heard at the other end  
of the city1 and he gazed long and      
admiringly at this beautiful piece of   
mechanism4 ,on leaving us1 he renewedly 
thanked us for ,the ,book1 and the next 
day he left by diligence coach for      
,damascus4  ,in the summer we sent1 at  
,mr4 ,arthington's expense1 a young man 
from the ,beirt ,medical ,college1 named
 ,ali1 as missionary to itinerate among 
the ,bedawin1 with special instructions 
to persuade the ,arabs if possible to   
send their children to school4 ,he      
remained a month or two among them1 by  
day and by night1 sleeping by night     
outside the tents with his horse's      
halter tied to his arms to prevent its  
being stolen1 and spending the evenings 

reading to the assembled crowd from the 
,new ,testament4 ,he was present as a   
spectator at a fight between ,mohammed's
 men and the ,ruella ,arabs east of the 
,sea of ,galilee1 in which the ,ruella  
were defeated1 but ,mohammed's son ,far 
was wounded1 and ,ali attended him4 ,the
 ,sitt ,harba told ,ali that a papist   
named ,shwiry1 in ,damascus1 had taken  
the ,arabic ,bible from them6 ,so ,ali  
gave them another4 ,this ,bible-hating  
spirit of the ,papacy is the same the   
world over4 ,how contemptible the spirit
 of a man professing the name of        
,christian1 and yet willing to rob the  
only woman among the ,bedawin who can   
read1 of the word of everlasting life6  
,the whole family of the ,sheikh were   
interested in reading an illustrated    
book for children of folio size1 styled 
,lilies of the ,field1 which we printed 
in ,beirt last year4 ,when ,ali set out 
on this journey1 ,i gave him a letter to
 the ,sheikh1 reminding him of his visit
 to ,beirt1 and urging again upon him   

the sending of his children to school4  
,the ,sheikh sent me the following      
reply1 written by his wife1 the ,sitt   
,harba1 and sealed with his own signet  
ring4 ,i value the letter highly as     
being written by the only ,bedawin woman
 able to write3       ,to his excellency
 the most honored and esteemed1 our     
revered      ,khowadja ,henry ,jessup1  
may his continuance be prolonged6 ,amen4
       ,after offering you the pearls of
 salutation1 and the ornaments of       
pure odoriferous greeting1 we would beg 
to inform you that your      epistle    
reached us in the hand of ,ali ,effendi1
 and we perused it      rejoicing in the
 information it contained about your    
health and      prosperity4 ,you remind 
us of the importance of sending our sons
 and      daughters to be educated in   
your schools4 ,ali ,effendi has urged us
      very strongly to this course2 and 
has spent several weeks with us         
among the ,arabs4 ,he has read to the   
children from ,the ,book1 and      tried

 to interest them in learning to read4  
,he has also gone from      tent to tent
 among our ,bedawin1 talking with them  
and urging upon      them this great    
subject4 ,he constantly read to them    
that which      engaged their attention1
 and we aided him in urging it upon     
them4      ,inshullah 7,god grant7 that 
there may soon be a school among the    
,arabs themselves4 ,we ,bedawin do not  
understand the language nor the         
ways of ,europeans1 and we should like  
to have one like ,ali ,effendi1      who
 knows our way of talking and living1   
come to teach us and our      children4 
,we would also inform you that the book 
with pictures1      which you sent to   
the ,sitt ,harba1 has reached her1 and  
she has      read it with great         
pleasure1 and asks of ,god to increase  
your good4      ,she sends salams to you
 and to the ,sitt1 and all your family4 
,and may you live forever6 ,salam       
,,mohammed ,,dukhy4       #bi ,jemady   
,akhar      #abhi of the ,hegira        

,postscript4--,there has been a battle  
between us and the ,ruella      tribe1  
and the ,ruellas ate a defeat1 ,ali     
,effendi was present and      will give 
you the particulars4  ,at the date of   
this writing1 ,ali has been again to    
,mohammed's camp1 taking books and      
medicines1 and has done his utmost to   
prepare the way for opening schools     
among the ,bedawin in their own camps4  
,ali has brought another letter from    
,sitt ,harba1 in which she gives her    
views with regard to the education of   
the ,bedawin4 ,i sent several written   
questions to her in ,arabic1 to which   
she cheerfully gave replies4 ,the       
following is the substance of her       
answers3  ,i4 ,the ,bedawin ,arabs ought
 to learn to read and write1 in order to
 learn religion1 to increase in         
understanding1 and to become acquainted 
with the ,koran4 ,they profess to be    
,moslems1 but in reality have no        
religion4  ,,ii4 ,the reason why so few 
of the ,bedawin know how to read1 is    

because it is out of their line of      
business4 ,they prefer fighting1        
plundering1 and feeding flocks and      
herds4 ,reading and books are strange   
and unknown to them4  ,,iii4 ,if they   
wished to learn to read1 the true time  
and place would be in the winter1 when  
they migrate to the ,east in the ,jowf1 
where they are quiet and uninterrupted  
by government tax-gatherers4  ,,iv4 ,i  
learned to read in the vicinity of      
,hums4 ,my father brought for my        
instruction a ,khoteeb or ,moslem       
teacher1 who taught me reading4 ,his    
name was ,sheikh ,abdullah4 ,the ,sheikh
 ,mohammed taught me writing4  ,v4 ,the 
,bedawin esteem a boy better than a     
girl1 because the boy may rise to honor1
 but the girl has nothing to expect from
 her husband1 and his parents and       
relatives1 but cursing and abuse4  ,,vi4
 ,a man may marry four wives4 ,if one of
 them ceases bearing children1 and she  
be of his family1 he makes a covenant of
 fraternity with her1 and he supports   

her in his own camp1 but she is regarded
 simply as a sister4 ,if she be of      
another family1 he sends her home1 and  
pays her what her friends demand4       
,,vii4 ,the girls and women have no more
 religion than the boys and men4 ,they  
never pray nor fast1 nor make the       
pilgrimage to ,mecca4 ,but the old women
 repeat certain prayers1 and visit the  
ziyaras1 mazars1 and welys1 and other   
holy places4  ,,viii4 ,if teachers would
 come among us1 who can live as we do1  
and dwell in our camps1 and travel with 
us to the desert1 they could teach the  
great part of our children to read1     
especially if they understood the art of
 medicine4  ,ali spent several weeks    
among them1 sleeping in the camp1 and   
attending upon their sick4 ,the camp was
 on the mountains east of the ,sea of   
,galilee4 ,fevers prevailed through the 
entire district from ,tiberias to       
,damascus1 and ,ali devoted himself     
faithfully to the care of the sick4 ,the
 ,sheikh himself was ill with fever and 

ague1 as were several members of his    
family4 ,one day ,ali prepared an       
effervescing draught for him1 and when  
the acid and the alkali united1 and the 
mixture effervesced1 the ,bedawin seated
 in the great tent screamed and ran from
 the tent as if the ,ruellas were down  
upon them6 ,what1 said they1 is this8   
,he pours water into water1 and out come
 fire and smoke6 ,the ,sheikh himself   
was afraid to drink it1 so ,ali took it 
himself1 and finally1 after explaining  
the principle of the chemical process1  
he induced both the ,sheikh and the ,sit
 ,harba to drink the draught4 ,on       
leaving the encampment1 the ,sheikh gave
 ,ali a guard1 and three ,turkish pounds
 7about #ad17 to pay for his medicines  
and medical services1 saying1 that as   
his ,bedawin were growing poor since    
they were forbidden to make raids on    
other tribes1 they could not pay for his
 services1 and he would pay for all4 ,he
 offered to give him a goat skin bottle 
of semin 7,arab butter7 and several     

sheep1 but ,ali was unable to carry     
either1 and declined the offer4 ,ali    
brought a specimen of ,bedawin bread4   
,it is black1 coarse1 and mixed with    
ashes and sand4 ,the ,bedawin pound     
their wheat1 and knead the coarse gritty
 flour without sifting1 and bake it on  
the heated earthen ovens4  ,the ,bedawin
 swarm with vermin4 ,their garments1    
their persons1 their tents and their    
mats are literally alive with the third 
plague of ,egypt1 lice6 ,ali soon found 
himself completely overrun with them1   
and was almost driven wild4 ,the ,sitt  
,harba urged him to try the ,bedawin    
remedy for cleansing his head4 ,on      
inquiring what it was1 he declared he   
would rather have the disease than the  
remedy6 ,after his return to his village
 in ,lebanon1 he spent several days in  
ablutions and purifications before      
venturing to bring me his report4 ,the  
,sitt ,harba gave him a collection of   
the nursery rhymes which she and the    
,bedawin women sing to their little     

brown babies1 and some of them will be  
found in the ,children's ,chapter of    
this volume4 ,the ,sheikh ,mohammed1 who
 can neither read nor write1 repeated to
 ,ali the following ,kosdeh or ,song1   
which he composed in ,arabic poetry1    
after his victory over ,feisal1 of the  
,ruella tribe1 in #ahff4 ,the ,ruellas  
had previously driven ,mohammed's tribe 
from one of the finest pasture regions  
in ,howian1 and ,ed ,dukhy regained it  
after a desperate struggle4      ,oh    
fair and beautiful plain1 oh rich green 
,bedawin pasture4     ,we had left you1 
too often stained1 with the blood of    
violent         battle2     ,ah1 dark   
disastrous day1 when brother abandoned  
his brother1     ,though riding the     
fleetest of mares1 and safe from pursuit
 of the         foeman1     ,he never   
once turned to inquire1 though we tasted
 the cup of         destruction4     ,oh
 fair and beautiful plain1 we yesterday 
fought and regained thee6     ,i praise 
and honor ,his name1 who only the       

victory giveth6     ,o1 ,feisal1 we've  
meted to you your deserts in royal      
measure2     ,with our spears so burning
 and sharp1 we cut off the necks of your
         ,arabs1     ,o1 ,shepherd of   
,obaid1 you fled deserting your         
pastures1     ,biting your finger in    
pain and regret for your sad disasters--
     ,savage hyena1 come forth1 from    
your lair in the land of ,jedaileh1     
,howl to your fellow-beasts1 in the     
distant land of ,butna2     ,come and   
eat your fill of the dead in the ,plain 
of ,fada1     ,o1 fair and beautiful    
plain1 you belong to the tribe of the   
victor2     ,but ,feisal is racked with 
pain1 when he hears the battle story1   
,our right-handed spearmen have palsied 
his arm is its strength and             
power2     ,a blow fell hard on his     
breast1 from the hand of our ,anazy     
warriors2     ,come now1 ye who wish for
 peace1 we are ready in honor to meet   
you6     ,our wrongs are all avenged1   
and our arms are weary of battle4  ,the 

,arabic original of these lines breathes
 the true spirit of poetry1 and shows   
that the old poetic fire still burns in 
the desert4 ,feisal now lives in the    
region adjacent to ,mohammed ,dkhy1 and 
they leave a space of several miles     
between their camps to prevent trespass1
 and the danger of re-opening the old   
blood-feud4  ,i would commend the ,arabs
 of the ,desert to the prayerful        
remembrance of the ,women of ,america4  
,how the gospel is to reach them1 is one
 of the great problems of our day4      
,their women are sunken to the lowest   
depths of physical and moral            
degradation4 ,the extent of their       
religion is in being able to swear      
,mohammedan oaths4 ,their mouths are    
full of cursing and bitterness2 their   
feet are swift to shed blood2           
destruction and misery are in their     
ways1 and the way of peace have they not
 known4 ,although their hand is against 
every man1 and every man's hand against 
them1 let them feel that there is one   

class of men who love them and care for 
them with a disinterested love1 and who 
seek their everlasting welfare6         
,,chapter ,,xv4  ,,woman ,,between      
,,barbarism ,,and ,,civilization4       
,this is the title of an ,arabic article
 in the ,jenan for ,sept4 #a1 #ahgb1    
written by ,frances ,effendi ,merrash1  
brother of the ,sitt ,mariana1 whose    
paper we have translated on a preceding 
page4 ,it is evident that the ,effendi  
writes from the atmosphere of ,aleppo4  
,the more polite society of that city is
 largely made up of that mongrel        
population1 half ,french and half ,arab1
 which is styled ,levantine and too     
often combines the vices of both1 with  
the virtues of neither4 ,it will be seen
 that the able author is combatting the 
worst form of ,french flippant          
civilization1 which has already found   
its way into many of the towns and      
cities of the ,orient4 ,he says3--      
,inasmuch as woman constitutes a large  
portion of human kind1 and an essential 

element in society1 as well as the      
leading member of the race in respect to
 its perpetuation1 it becomes necessary 
both to consider and speak of her       
character and position although there   
are not wanting those who are coarse    
enough and rude enough to declare woman 
a worthless part of the creation4       
,woman possesses a nature remarkably    
impressible and susceptible to          
influence1 owing to the delicacy of her 
organization and the peculiarities of   
her structure4 ,her proper culture      
therefore calls for the greatest        
possible skill and care to protect her  
from those corrupting influences to     
which she is by nature especially       
susceptible4 ,we should therefore       
neither leave her locked in the fetters 
of the ancient barbarism and rudeness1  
nor leave her free to the uncontrollable
 liberty of this modern civilization1   
for both these extremes bring her into  
one common evil estate and both have one
 effect upon her4  ,have you not        

observed how the customs of ancient rude
 barbarism corrupted the manners of     
woman and obliterated all those virtues 
and excellencies for which she is       
especially designed by nature8 ,it was  
deemed most opprobrious for woman to    
learn to read and write1 to say nothing 
of other arts4 ,it was thought          
indispensable to bind upon her mouth the
 fetters of profound silence so that    
none ever heard her voice but her own   
coarse husband1 and the walls of the    
enclosure in which she was kept         
imprisoned4 ,she had no liberty of      
thought or action4 ,every woman's       
thoughts were limited by the thoughts of
 her husband1 and her character was cast
 in the mould of his1 whether that were 
good or bad4 ,and in addition to this1  
she always suffered from whatever of    
rudeness there might be in her rough    
companion1 who availed himself of his   
superior brute physical strength as a   
weapon to overcome her moral power4 ,he 
scourged and cursed and despised her in 

every possible way1 when she was        
innocent of crime or error4 ,as a result
 of this course1 her own self respect1  
and the feeling that she was abused and 
insulted by her companion or partner1   
led her oftentimes to cast off all shame
 and modesty1 whenever a suitable       
opportunity presented itself4 ,this grew
 out of the fact that she no longer     
regarded herself as the companion of her
 husband and the sharer of all his      
natural and moral rights1 his joys and  
sorrows1 but she rather imagined herself
 his captive and bond slave4 ,she thus  
sank to the position of a slave-woman   
who is never allowed peace or rest1 and 
cares nothing for the training of her   
children or the ordering of her house1  
since she looks upon herself as a       
stranger in a home not her own1 and we  
all know how difficult it is for a slave
 to perform the duties of the free6  ,on
 the other hand1 have you not observed  
how the influence of modern civilization
 is corrupting the nature of woman and  

making havoc with her morals8  ,there is
 nothing strange in this1 for her       
delicate nature1 when it had escaped    
from the chains and imprisonment of the 
mildest barbarism1 into the open free   
arena of civilization1 lost its         
reckoning1 and wandered hither and      
thither in bewilderment according to its
 own unrestrained passions4 ,woman thus 
became like a feather1 ',borne on the   
tempest wherever it blows1 and driven   
about where no one knows4'  ,now since  
evil images and objects are far more    
numerous in this world than those which 
are good1 it becomes evident that the   
influence of evil upon the mind of woman
 is stronger and more abiding than the  
influence of the good1 owing to this    
intense delicacy of texture in her      
mental constitution4 ,let us suppose    
that one man and one woman were placed  
in a position where they should only see
 evil deeds1 or only good deeds3 the    
woman would leave that place either     
vastly worse than the man1 or vastly    

better4 ,now the moral misconduct of    
woman is far more detrimental to the    
propagation of the race1 than is the    
misconduct of man4 ,it is therefore     
better for the woman not to go to the   
extremes of the modern civilization1    
whose evils are equal to1 yes1 and far  
surpass1 its benefits4 ,have you not    
noticed that the leaders of modern      
civilization in our age1 have imitated1 
if not surpassed1 all the excesses of   
riot1 and lust and rapine1 ever         
practiced under the barbarism of the    
ages of antiquity8 ,do not the women of 
this age go lower in shamelessness than 
the women of ancient times8 ,here we see
 them veiling their faces with the      
flimsy gauze of artifice1 and befouling 
the pure waters of life with the        
turbulent stream of their own vanity4   
,they pollute the purity of real beauty 
by the foul arts of beautifying1 and cry
 out in loud rude voices in every       
assembly and gathering4 ,they strut     
about in vain-glorious conceit1 and     

flaunt their gaudy apparel in indecent  
boldness4 ,they claim what does not     
belong to them and meddle with what does
 not concern them4 ,they do not blush to
 cloud the precious jewel of modesty    
with the selfish airs of passion4       
,nothing is said which they do not hear1
 nothing occurs which they do not see4  
,they become bold1 unblushing and       
unwomanly4  ,such being the state of    
things1 there can be no doubt that an   
excess of this kind of civilization for 
woman amounts to about the same thing as
 the excess of her rude barbarism in    
ancient times4 ,the two extremes meet4  
,the dividing line between them then1   
that is1 the middle course1 is the      
proper one for woman to take4 ,to this  
middle course there must be some natural
 and legitimate guide4 ,this guide is a 
sound education1 and on this subject we 
propose at some future time to write1   
inasmuch as the education of woman is   
one of the most important of subjects4  
,woman is the one fountain from which is

 derived the life of man in its earliest
 periods4 ,she is the source of all     
training1 and the root of character4    
,have you not heard that she who rocks  
the cradle1 moves the world8  ,it is    
evident that the author of this paper   
has not been so happy as to see the     
noblest type of a sanctified ,christian 
civilization1 such as can be seen in the
 ,christian homes of ,america and       
,england1 or even in the truly          
,christian homes of ,syria4 ,let us hope
 that the day is not far distant1 when  
even in ,aleppo1 a pure ,christianity   
shall have taken the place of that      
semi-barbaric system styled the papacy1 
which enthralls the intellects and      
hearts of so many of the nominal        
,christians of the ,orient1 and when the
 enslaved inmates of the ,moslem hareems
 shall be set free1 not to indulge in   
the license of a ,parisian libertinism1 
but with that liberty wherewith ,christ 
makes ,his people free6   ,,the ,,value 
,,set ,,on ,,woman',s ,,life ,,in       

,,syria4  ,the free license allowed to  
men by the ,koran in the beating of     
their wives1 has led the entire         
population of the ,east to set a low    
estimate upon the life of woman4 ,until 
recently in ,syria women were poisoned1 
thrown down wells1 beaten to death1 or  
cast into the sea1 and the government   
made no inquisition into the matter4    
,according to ,mohammedan law1 a        
prosecution for murder must always be   
commenced by the friends of the victim1 
and if they do not enter complaint1 or  
furnish witnesses1 the murderer is not  
even arrested4 ,and if he be convicted  
of the crime1 he is released on paying  
to the relatives of the victim the price
 of blood1 which is fixed at #ac1jjj    
piastres1 or #ebj6 ,a man may well count
 the cost before committing murder4     
,this constant compounding of punishment
 has degraded the popular views of the  
value of human life1 so that formerly   
the murder of a woman was never         
punished4 ,in ,march1 #ahef1 a ,druze   

girl near ,b'hamdn married a man of her 
own choice1 instead of marrying the man 
assigned to her by her family4 ,she was 
waylaid by her own brother and the      
rejected suitor1 murdered and thrown    
into a well4  ,about a year after the   
massacres of #ahfj1 while the ,european 
,commissioners were still in ,syria1 and
 ,lebanon was beginning to attain       
something of its wonted quiet1 several  
,turkish soldiers made an assault upon a
 young ,maronite girl from the village  
of ,ain ,kesr1 who was carrying a jar of
 water to the workmen on the ,deir el   
,komr road4 ,mr4 ,calhoun was requested 
by the ,relief ,committee in ,beirt to  
devote the charity funds distributed in 
this part of ,lebanon1 to giving        
employment to the needy in              
road-building4 ,this girl was employed  
to supply the men with water4 ,the      
brutal soldiers attempted to gag her    
with a handkerchief1 in order to        
accomplish their design1 but she was too
 strong for them4 ,the struggle was long

 and violent1 but she finally effected  
her escape1 leaving on the road the     
fragments of the broken jar1 her shoes  
and shreds of calico which they had torn
 from her clothing4 ,just at that moment
 ,giurgius el ,haddad1 ,mr4 ,calhoun's  
cook1 came up1 and seeing the broken jar
 and the clothing1 guessed what had     
happened1 and after finding the girl1   
and hearing her story1 started in       
pursuit of the soldiers to ,ainab1      
whither they had gone1 and where a      
,turkish officer was stationed4 ,he     
stated the case to the officer1 and     
received in reply a blow on his arm from
 a heavy cane4 ,the case was reported to
 the ,turkish ,colonel in ,abeih1 who   
summoned all parties and ordered each of
 the soldiers to be beaten with forty   
lashes on the bare back4 ,but word had  
reached ,col4 ,frazier1 the ,british    
,commissioner1 and he came at once to   
,abeih in company with ,omar ,pasha1    
with order from ,evad1 ,pasha1 to       
examine the case de novo4 ,the result   

was that two of the soldiers were       
condemned by military law to be shot1   
and were shot at sunset ,june #eth1 in  
front of the old palace just below ,mr4 
,calhoun's house4 ,the event produced a 
profound impression1 and ,druzes and    
,moslems began to feel that a woman's   
life and honor were after all of some   
value4  ,in ,april1 #ahfb1 when ,dad    
,pasha was governor of ,mt4 ,lebanon1 a 
,druze1 named ,hassan1 murdered a ,druze
 girl of his own village1 supposing that
 ,dad ,pasha would not interfere with   
the time-honored custom of killing      
girls6 ,much to his surprise1 however1  
he was arrested1 convicted and hung1 and
 the poor women of all sects in the     
mountain began to feel that after all   
they had an equal right to life with the
 other sex4  ,in most parts of ,syria   
to-day1 the murder of women and girls is
 an act so insignificant as hardly to   
deserve notice4 ,mt4 ,lebanon and       
vicinity constitute an exception        
perhaps1 but woman's right to life is   

one of those rights which have not yet  
been fully guaranteed in the ,turkish   
,empire4  ,in ,october1 #ahfb1 the      
,arabic official newspaper in ,beirt1   
contained a letter from ,hums which     
illustrates this fact4 ,a fanatical     
wretch from ,hamath1 one of the infamous
 ,moslem saints1 set up the claim that  
he had received the power to cast out   
devils by divine inspiration4 ,he found 
credulous followers among the more      
ignorant1 and went to ,hums to practice 
his diabolical trade4 ,a poor woman had 
lost her reason through excessive grief 
at the death of her son4 ,the husband   
and others of her relatives went to     
consult the new prophet4 ,he refused to 
go and see her1 stating that he would   
not condescend to go to the devils1 but 
the devils must come to him4 ,the poor  
woman was accordingly brought to him1   
and left to await the opportune moment1 
when he could cast out the devils1 which
 he declared to be raving within her4   
,after a few days1 her father called to 

inquire about her1 and found her growing
 constantly worse4 ,the ,hamathite told 
him that he must bring a gallon of      
liquid pitch1 to be used as a medicine1 
and the next day the devils would leave 
her4 ,the pitch was brought1 and after  
the father had gone1 the lying prophet  
tied a cord around her feet1 and drew   
her up to the ceiling1 and while she was
 thus suspended1 thrust a red hot iron  
rod into one of her eyes1 and cauterized
 her body almost from head to foot6 ,he 
then placed the pitch on the floor under
 her head1 and set it on fire until the 
body was burned to charcoal6 ,the next  
day the friends called1 expecting to    
find her restored to her right mind1    
when the wretch pointed them to the     
blackened cinder4 ,they exclaimed with  
horror and asked him the reason of this 
bloody crime8 ,he replied that on       
applying the test of burning pitch1 one 
of the devils had gone out of her1      
tearing out her right eye1 and when he  
forbade the rest from destroying the    

other eye1 they fell upon her and killed
 her6 ,the body was buried1 but the     
government took not the slightest notice
 of the fact4 ,the official journal in  
,beirt simply warned the public against 
patronizing such a bloody impostor6     
,,chapter ,,xvi4  ,,opinions ,,of       
,,protestant ,,syrians ,,with ,,regard  
,,to ,,the ,,work ,,of ,,american       
,,women ,,in ,,syria4   ,the following  
letters have been addressed to me by    
prominent native ,syrian gentlemen1     
whose wives have been trained in the    
,american ,mission ,seminaries and      
families4 ,they all write in ,english1  
and ,i give their own language4  ,mr4   
,butrus el ,bistany1 the husband of     
,raheel1 writes me as follows3--        
,beirt1 ,oct4 #bc1 #ahgb4       ,it     
would be superfluous to speak of the    
efforts of ,american      ,missionary   
ladies in training the females of       
,syria1 and the good      done by them4 
,the sainted ,sarah ,l4 ,smith1 who was 
one of the first among them1            

established the first ,female ,school in
 ,beirt4       ,mrs4 ,whiting1 also1 who
 had no children of her own1 trained    
five      girls in her family1 all of   
whom are still living4       ,mrs4 ,de  
,forest had a very interesting female   
school in her family1      and the girls
 educated in that school are of the best
 of those      educated by ,american    
ladies in ,syria4       ,the obstacles  
in those times were very great1 and the 
people      believed that education is  
injurious to females4 ,but these ladies 
obtained a few girls to educate         
gratuitously1 and thus made a good      
impression on the minds of the people1  
and wrought a change in      public     
opinion1 so that year by year the people
 began to appreciate      female        
education4 ,and as we are now building  
on the foundation laid      by those    
good ladies and reaping the fruit of    
their labors1 we      should pray to be 
imbued with the same spirit1 and try as 
much as      we can to follow their     

example1 and carry on the work with the 
same      spirit1 zeal and wisdom as    
they did4  ,mr4 ,naame ,tabet1 the      
husband of ,miriam1 who was educated by 
,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,de ,forest1 writes as   
follows3--        ,beirt1 ,oct4 #ba1    
#ahgb4       ,it affords me unfeigned   
gratification that you give me an       
opportunity of recording my impressions 
in regard to the advantages      of     
female education in this country under  
the guidance of the light      of the   
,gospel of our ,lord and ,saviour1 such 
as is exemplified by      the ,american 
,mission1 whose labors in diffusing and 
disseminating      the ,scriptures are  
so conspicuously manifest4       ,that  
example chiefly has had the effect1 in  
this neighborhood1 to      stir up      
gigantic efforts to fill the want of    
female education4 ,the      same feeling
 is extending itself throughout ,syria1 
so that future      prospects for the   
promotion of pure ,christian knowledge  
and true      civilization are brilliant

 and ought surely to encourage the      
benevolent in persevering in their      
action4  ,the ,rev4 ,john ,wortabet1    
,m4,d41 ,professor of ,anatomy in the   
,syrian ,protestant ,college1 and       
husband of ,salome1 writes as follows3--
       ,beirt1 ,oct4 #bj1 #ahgb4        
,though ,i was very young when ,mrs4    
,smith1 ,mrs4 ,whiting1 and ,mrs4 ,de   
,forest began their labors in the cause 
of ,female ,education in      ,syria1 ,i
 can distinctly recollect that they were
 the first to      initiate that        
movement which has grown to so vast an  
extent at the      present time4 ,to    
them belongs the honor of having been   
the      determined and brave pioneers  
in the important work of raising        
woman from her degraded position1       
brought on by ignorance and             
,mohammedan influence1 to one of        
considerable respect1 in a social1      
intellectual and moral point of view4 ,i
 do not mean that they      achieved    
then this great and worthy object1 but  

they were first to      begin the work1 
which is still going on1 and destined   
apparently to      grow much farther4   
,and it is but just that their names and
 primary      labors be embalmed in the 
memories of the past4       ,aside from 
the intrinsic good which they           
accomplished1 and the      direct fruits
 of their labors1 and you are as well   
acquainted with      them as ,i am--they
 gave the first and best teachers for   
the      schools which have sprung up so
 abundantly since their time4 ,of the   
importance of giving well-trained female
 teachers for female      schools1 in   
the peculiar social system of the ,east1
 nothing need be      said4       ,i    
believe1 however1 that the main value of
 these earlier labors      was the      
impulse which they gave to the course of
 ,female ,education      in ,syria4     
,prejudices and barriers1 which had     
become hoary by the      lapse of time1 
have been completely broken down1 at    
least among the      ,christian         

,churches of the ,east4     ,,chapter   
,,xvii4  ,,other ,,labors ,,for ,,women 
,,and ,,girls ,,in ,,this ,,field4      
,the following statements have been     
chiefly made out from documents         
furnished to me by those in charge of   
the various ,institutions4 ,i give them 
in order according to the date of their 
establishment4   ,,the ,,irish ,,and    
,,american ,,united ,,presbyterian      
,,mission ,,in ,,damascus4  ,i have not 
received official statistics with regard
 to the work of this ,mission in behalf 
of women1 but they have maintained      
schools for girls and personal labors   
for the women through a long series of  
years4 ,mrs4 ,crawford1 who is          
thoroughly familiar with the ,arabic    
language1 has labored in a quiet and    
persevering manner among the women of   
,damascus and ,tebrd1 and the fruits of 
these labors will be seen in years to   
come4 ,miss ,dales1 now ,mrs4 ,dr4      
,lansing1 of ,cairo1 conducted a school 
for ,jewish girls in ,damascus some     

fifteen years ago1 which was well       
attended4  ,mrs4 ,e4 ,watson1 an        
,english lady of great energy and zeal  
in the cause of female education1 after 
years of labor in ,north and ,south     
,america1 ,greece and ,asia ,minor1 came
 to ,syria in #aheh1 and commenced a    
girls' school in her own hired house4   
,she afterwards removed to ,shemlan1 in 
,mount ,lebanon1 where she erected a    
building at her own expense for a girls'
 boarding school1 and afterwards gave it
 to the ,society for the ,promotion of  
,female ,education in the ,east4 ,she   
has since1 with untiring energy1 erected
 another building for a ,seminary for   
,druze and ,christian girls1 the former 
,institution continuing as it has been  
for many years under the efficient      
management of ,miss ,hicks1 assisted by 
,miss ,dobbie4 ,she has also recently   
erected a neat and substantial church   
edifice in ,shemlan4  ,in ,miss ,hicks' 
absence1 ,mrs4 ,watson has addressed me 
the following letter3       ,shemlan1   

,august #bh1 #ahgb4       ,our first    
school for native girls was commenced in
 ,beirt in #aheh4      ,the teachers    
have been ,miss ,hicks1 ,miss ,hiscock1 
,mrs4 ,walker1 ,miss      ,dillon1 ,miss
 ,jacombs1 7now in ,sidon17 ,miss       
,stainton1 7now in      ,sidon17 and    
,miss ,dobbie4 ,no native female        
teachers have been      employed except 
pupils of the school under ,miss ,hicks'
 care4      ,masters ,riskullah in      
,beirt1 and ,murad1 ,reshd and ,dad1 in 
,shemlan1 have been connected with the  
school as teachers of the      higher   
,arabic branches4       ,the whole      
number of boarders under our care up to 
the present      time1 is above one     
hundred4 ,the only teachers in my second
 boarding      school are1 my adopted   
daughter ,handmeh1 and ,zarifeh ,twiney1
 a      pupil of the ,prussian          
,deaconesses4 ,seventeen or eighteen of 
our      pupils have been1 or are now   
teachers1 and ten are married4          
,the school directed by ,miss ,hicks was

 given over to the ,ladies'             
,society in ,england1 some six or seven 
years ago1 and has been      supported  
by them since4 ,the new school in the   
upper house is under      no society and
 is not regularly aided by any4 ,there  
are from      twenty-six to twenty-eight
 boarders under the care of my daughter1
      ,miss ,watson1 ,i aiding as ,i    
can4 ,several girls have been supported 
for the last two years by friends in    
,america and ,england4 ,we have      had
 ten ,druze girls in our school in the  
upper house4 ,miss ,hicks      has had  
three or four1 and a number in her day  
school4 ,we had also      a number in   
our day school at ,aitath1 four of whom 
are married to      ,druze ,sheikhs4    
,mr4 ,elias ,suleeby1 aided by friends  
in ,scotland1 has for a considerable    
period conducted common schools in a    
part of ,mount ,lebanon and the ,bukaa1 
and now the enterprise has been adopted 
by the ,free ,church of ,scotland1 who  
have sent the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,rae to be     

their ,superintendent4  ,their schools  
are chiefly for boys1 though in all the 
village schools it is usual for a few of
 the smaller girls to attend the boys'  
school4 ,in ,suk el ,ghurb1 however1    
they have a boarding school containing  
some twenty-five girls4   ,,the         
,,prussian ,,deaconesses ,,institute    
,,in ,,beirut  ,the ,orphan ,house1     
,boarding ,school and ,hospital with    
which the ,prussian ,deaconesses are    
connected1 were established in #ahfj4   
,the two former are supported by the    
,kaiserswerth ,institution in ,germany1 
and the latter by the ,knights of ,st4  
,john4  ,in the ,orphan ,house are one  
hundred and thirty orphan girls1 all    
native ,syrians1 who are clothed1 fed   
and instructed for four or five years1  
and often transformed from wild1        
untutored semi-barbarians to tidy1 well 
behaved and useful young women4 ,they   
have ordinarily about fifty applicants  
waiting for a vacancy in order to enter4
  ,the ,boarding ,school is for the     

education of the children of ,european  
residents1 ,germans1 ,french1 ,italians1
 ,greeks1 ,maltese1 ,english1 ,scotch1  
,irish1 ,hungarians1 ,dutch1 ,swiss1    
,danish1 ,americans and others4 ,the    
medium of instruction is the ,french    
language4  ,since the ,orphan ,school   
began1 many of the girls have married1  
thirty have become teachers1 and about  
twenty of them are living as servants in
 families4  ,in ,august of the year     
#ahfa1 the ,deaconesses had received    
about #aaj orphans4 ,the children       
entering are received for three years1  
and the surviving parent or guardian is 
required to sign a bond1 agreeing to    
leave the child for that period1 or if  
the child is withdrawn before that time1
 to pay to the ,deaconesses all that has
 been expended upon her4  ,in the summer
 of #ahfa1 several of the parents came  
and tried to remove their children1     
though they had no means of supporting  
them1 but the contract stood in the way1
 and they had no money to pay4 ,the     

,jesuits then came forward and furnished
 the parents with ,french gold in       
,napoleons1 and withdrew in one day     
fifty orphan girls from the institution1
 sending them1 not to an institution of 
their own1 but turning them back upon   
their wretched parents and friends to be
 trained in poverty and ignorance4 ,a   
few days later1 thirty more of the girls
 were removed in the same way1 leaving  
only thirty4 ,the parents had a legal   
right to remove the children on the     
payment of the money1 but what shall be 
said of the cruelty of the ,jesuits who 
turned back these wretched children to  
the destitution and misery of a ,syrian 
orphan8 ,the ,jesuits are the same      
everywhere1 unscrupulous and intriguing1
 counting all means as right1 which     
promote their own end4   ,,the ,,british
 ,,syrian ,,schools4  ,these ,schools1  
so numerous and widely extended1 have   
grown up since the massacre year #ahfj4 
,i remember well the first arrival of   
,mrs4 ,bowen ,thompson in ,beirt1 and   

her persevering energy in forming her   
little school for the widows and orphans
 of ,hasbeiya1 ,deir el ,komr and       
,damascus4  ,from that little beginning 
in #ahfj1 the school increased the      
following year1 until finally other     
branch schools were organized in ,beirt 
and ,lebanon1 and then in ,damascus and 
,tyre1 until now1 the following         
schedule1 furnished to me by the        
officers of the ,institution1 will show 
to what proportions the enterprise has  
grown4 ,the ,memoir of ,mrs4 ,thompson1 
entitled ,the ,daughters of ,syria1     
gives so full a history of these        
schools1 that ,i need only refer the    
reader to that volume for all the       
information desired4 ,since the lamented
 death of ,mrs4 ,thompson1 the direction
 of the schools has been entrusted to   
her sister1 ,mrs4 ,mentor ,mott4 ,the   
,central ,training ,school in ,beirt was
 under the care of ,mrs4 ,shrimpton1 who
 labored with great earnestness and     
wisdom in that important institution    

until the spring of #ahgc1 when she     
resigned her position and became        
connected with the work of ,female      
education under the ,american mission in
 ,syria4 ,she was aided by ,english and 
native teachers4 ,the schools in        
,zahleh1 ,damascus1 ,hasbeiya and ,tyre 
are under the care of ,english and      
,scotch ladies1 who have certainly      
evinced the most admirable courage and  
resolution in entering1 in several of   
these places1 upon outpost duty1 without
 ,european society1 and isolated for    
months together from persons speaking   
their own language4 ,i believe that such
 instances as these have demonstrated   
anew the fact that where woman is to be 
reached1 woman can go1 and ,christian   
women from ,christian lands1 even if    
beyond the age generally fixed as the   
best adapted to the easy acquisition of 
a foreign language1 may yet do a great  
work in maintaining centres of influence
 at the outposts1 and superintending the
 labors of native teachers4 ,these young

 native teachers trained in ,shemlan1   
,sidon1 ,suk el ,ghurb and ,beirt1      
cannot go to distant places as teachers1
 and ought not to go1 without a home and
 proper protection provided for them4   
,such protection is given by a ,european
 or ,american woman1 who has the        
independence and the resolution to go   
where no missionary family resides1 and 
carry on the work of female education4  
,even at the risk of offending the      
modesty of the persons concerned1 ,i    
cannot refrain from putting on record my
 admiration of the course of ,miss      
,wilson in ,zahleh1 ,miss ,gibbon in    
,hasbeiya1 and ,miss ,williams in ,tyre1
 in making homes for themselves1 and    
carrying on their work far from         
,european society and intercourse4  ,the
 ,british ,syrian ,schools are doing a  
good work in promoting ,bible education4
 ,many of the native teachers1 male and 
female1 have been trained in our        
,mission ,seminaries1 and not a few of  
them are members of our evangelical     

churches4 ,it has always been my aim1   
from the time when ,mrs4 ,bowen         
,thompson first landed in ,syria to the 
present time1 to do all in my power to  
help those women which labored with me  
in the gospel4  ,we are engaged in a    
common work1 surrounded by thousands of 
needy perishing souls1 ,mohammedan1     
,pagan and ,nominal ,christian4 ,the    
work is pressing1 and the ,lord's       
husbandmen ought to work together1      
forgetting and ignoring all diversities 
of nationality1 denomination and social 
customs4 ,there should be no such word  
as ,american1 ,english1 ,scotch or      
,german1 attached to any enterprise that
 belongs to the common ,master4 ,the    
common foe is united in opposition4 ,let
 us be united in every practicable way4 
,let our name be ,christian1 our work   
one of united sympathy1 prayer and      
coperation1 and let not ,christ be      
divided in ,his members4 ,i write these 
words in connection with the subject of 
the ,british ,syrian ,schools1 because  

,i can speak from experience of the     
value of such coperation in the past4   
,as ,acting ,pastor of the ,native      
,evangelical ,church in ,beirt1 to the  
communion of which ,i have received so  
many young teachers and pupils from the 
various ,seminaries and schools1 ,i feel
 the great importance of this hearty    
coperation and unity of action among    
those who are at the head of the various
 ,protestant ,educational ,institutions 
in ,syria4  ,the ,emissaries of ,rome   
are laboring with sleepless vigilance to
 win ,syria to the ,papacy4 ,sisters of 
,charity1 ,sisters of ,nazareth1        
,jesuits1 ,lazarists1 ,capuchins1       
,dominicans1 and ,franciscans1 monks1   
nuns and papal legates1 are swarming    
throughout the land4 ,though notoriously
 jealous of each other's progress1 they 
are always united in their common       
opposition to the ,evangelical faith1   
and an open ,bible4 ,we have thus not   
only the old colossal fortresses of     
,syrian error to demolish1 but the new  

structures of ,jesuitical craft to      
overturn1 before ,syria comes to        
,christ4  ,it has been stated on a      
preceding page that in #ahce1 the       
,american wife of an ,english merchant1 
,mrs4 ,alexander ,tod1 gave a large part
 of the funds to build the first        
school-house for girls ever built in    
,syria4 ,that substantial union has been
 happily reproduced in the cordial      
coperation of the ,anglo-,american and  
,german communities in ,beirt1 both in  
the ,church1 public charities and       
educational institutions1 up to the     
present time4  ,let us all live in      
,christ1 work for ,christ1 keep our eye 
fixed on ,christ1 and we shall be with  
,christ1 and ,christ with us6           
,,british ,,syrian ,,schools1 #ahgb4    
,,beirut4  ,no4  ,established4          
,name4               ,scholars4         
,teachers4   #a       #ahfj             
,training ,institution1          #ib    
#af  #b       #ahfc                     
,musaitebeh1                    #he     

#c  #c       #ahfh           ,blind     
,school1 men  boys1      #af          #b
  #d       #ahfh           ,blind girls'
 ,school1           #aa          #a  #e 
#ahfj           ,boys' ,school1         
#he          #e  #f       #ahfa         
,east ,coombe1                  #abj    
#d  #g       #ahfj                      
,elementary1                    #cj     
#b  #h       #ahgb                      
,es-,saifeh1                    #ajj    
#d  #i       #ahfj           ,infant    
,school1                #abe          #c
 #aj       #ahfj           ,moslem1     
#ej          #d #aa       #ahfj         
,night ,school1                ----     
#e #ab       #ahfc           ,olive     
,branch1                  #he           
#d  ,,damascus4  #ac       #ahfg        
,st4 ,paul's1                   #agj    
#f #ad       #ahfi           ,blind     
,school1                  #ae           
#a #ae       #ahgj           ,medan1    
#hj          #b #af       #ahfg         
,night ,school1                  #cj    

#a  ,,lebanon4  #ag       #ahfc         
,ashrafiyeh1                   #ec      
#c #ah       #ahfh          ,ain        
,zehalteh1                 #ej          
#b #ai       #ahfi          ,aramoon1   
#dj          #b #bj       #ahfc         
,hasbeiya1                    #afj      
#c #ba       #ahfg          ,mokhtara1  
----       ---- #bb       #ahfh         
,zahleh1                       #ge      
#d  ,,tyre4  #bc       #ahfi            
,girls' ,school1                 #ej    
#b                                      
----       ----           ,totals1      
#aebb         #gi           ,bible      
,women1                                 
#g  ,,miss ,,taylor',s ,,school ,,for   
,,moslem ,,girls4  ,this worthy         
,christian lady from ,scotland is doing 
a quiet yet most effective work in      
,beirt1 with which few are acquainted1  
yet it is carried on in faith from year 
to year1 and the fruits will no doubt   
appear one day1 in a vast reformation in
 the order1 morality and general        

improvement of the ,moslem families of  
,beirt4  ,ever since the days of ,mrs4  
,sarah ,l4 ,smith1 and ,mrs4 ,dr4       
,dodge1 ,moslem girls have been more or 
less in attendance upon the schools of  
the ,syria ,mission1 but the purely     
,moslem schools of ,miss ,taylor and of 
the ,british ,syrian ,schools are making
 a special effort to extend education   
into every ,moslem household4  ,this    
school was opened in ,february1 #ahfh1  
for the poorest of the poor4 ,it        
received the name of ,the ,original     
,ragged school for ,moslem ,girls4 ,no  
one is considered as enrolled1 who has  
not been at least three weeks in regular
 attendance4 ,the number already        
received has reached very near five     
hundred1 all ,mohammedans1 except five  
,jewish and fifteen ,druze girls4       
,native teachers are also employed1 and 
the pupils are taught reading1 writing1 
geography1 and arithmetic4 ,the         
principal lesson-book is the ,bible4    
,the early history of this institution  

is replete with interest2 but it has    
attracted little public notice hitherto4
 ,it has always been a prudential       
question whether it would not be wiser  
to proceed with its work in a quiet     
unobtrusive way1 so as not to awake     
fanatical opposition4 ,but steady and   
appreciative friends have stood by it   
from the beginning1 and those who know  
the school best have commended it most  
earnestly4   ,,church ,,of ,,scotland   
,,school ,,for ,,jewish ,,girls ,,in    
,,beirut4  ,this school has been in     
operation since #ahfe4 ,although        
established originally for ,jewish girls
 alone1 of whom it frequently had fifty 
in regular attendance1 it has also had  
under instruction1 ,greek and ,moslem   
girls4  ,three ,european teachers and   
two native teachers have been connected 
with it1 under the supervision of the   
,rev4 ,james ,robertson1 ,pastor of the 
,anglo-,american congregation in ,beirt4
     ,,chapter ,,xviii4  ,,the ,,amount 
,,of ,,biblical ,,instruction ,,given   

,,in ,,mission ,,schools4   ,there has  
been great difference of opinion with   
regard to the proper position of        
,education in the ,foreign ,missionary  
work4 ,while some have given it the     
first rank as a missionary agency1      
others have kept it in the background as
 being a non-missionary work1 and hence 
to be left to the natives themselves to 
conduct1 after their evangelization by  
the simple and pure preaching of the    
gospel4 ,the ,syria ,mission have been  
led1 by the experience of long and      
laborious years of labor in this        
peculiar field1 to regard education as  
one of the most important auxiliaries in
 bringing the ,gospel in contact with   
the people4 ,society and sects are so   
organized and constituted1 that while   
the people of a given village would not 
receive a missionary as simply a        
preacher of the ,gospel1 they will      
gladly accept a school from his hands1  
and welcome him on every visit to the   
school as a benefactor4 ,they will not  

only receive the daily lessons and      
instructions of the school-teacher in   
religious things1 but even ask the      
missionary to preach to them the ,word  
of life4 ,schools in ,syria are entering
 wedges for ,gospel truth4  ,our schools
 are of two classes1 the ,high schools  
or ,seminaries for young men and young  
women1 and the common schools for       
children of both sexes4 ,in the former1 
,biblical instruction is the great      
thing1 the chief design of the ,high    
schools being to train the young to a   
correct and thorough acquaintance with  
,divine truth4 ,the course of ,bible    
instruction conducted by ,mr4 ,calhoun  
in ,abeih ,seminary1 is1 ,i doubt not1  
more thorough and constant1 than in any 
,college or ,high ,school in the ,united
 ,states4 ,while the sciences are taught
 systematically1 the ,bible is made the 
principal text-book1 and several hours  
each day are given to its study4 ,in our
 common schools1 likewise1 ,bible       
reading and instruction hold a prominent

 place4 ,owing to the paucity of books  
in the ,arabic language proper to be    
used as reading books1 a reading book   
was prepared by the ,mission1 consisting
 almost exclusively of extracts from the
 ,scriptures4 ,in addition to this book1
 the ,psalms of ,david and the ,new     
,testament are used as regular reading  
books in all the schools4 ,there are    
daily exercises in reading the ,bible   
and reciting the ,catechism4 ,it will be
 observed from what ,i have stated1 that
 the amount of spiritual knowledge      
acquired by the children1 in the very   
process of learning to read1 is not     
small4 ,being obliged to commit to      
memory texts1 paragraphs1 and whole     
chapters1 from year to year1 their minds
 become stored with the precious words  
of the ,sacred ,book4 ,very much depends
 upon the teacher4 ,when we can obtain  
pious1 praying teachers1 the ,scripture 
lessons can be given with much more     
profit and success1 and it is our aim to
 employ only pious teachers where we can

 get them4 ,and the example of the      
teacher receives a new auxiliary1 as it 
were1 in impressing these lessons on the
 mind1 where the pupils can attend a    
preaching service on the ,sabbath4      
,sometimes a pressing call comes from a 
village1 where it seems important for   
strategic reasons1 to respond at once4  
,a pious teacher cannot be found1 and we
 send a young man of well-known moral   
character4 ,but only necessity would    
oblige us to do this1 and a change for  
the better is always made as soon as    
practicable4  ,bible schools are a      
mighty means of usefulness4 ,i think    
nothing strikes a new missionary with   
more grateful surprise on entering the  
,syrian ,mission-field1 than to witness 
the great prominence given to ,biblical 
instruction1 from the humblest village  
school of little ,arab boys and girls1  
to the highest ,seminaries4 ,the        
examinations in the ,scriptures passed  
by the young men in ,abeih1 and the     
girls in the ,beirt and ,sidon          

,seminaries1 would do credit to the     
young people in any ,american community4
 ,bible schools are not merely useful as
 an entering wedge to give the          
missionary a position and an influence  
among the people2 they are intrinsically
 useful in introducing a vast amount of 
useful ,bible knowledge into the minds  
of the children1 and through them to    
their parents4 ,in countries where the  
people as a mass are ignorant of        
reading1 they are an absolute necessity1
 and in any community they are a        
blessing4 ,had all ,mission ,schools    
been conducted on the same thorough     
,biblical basis as those in ,syria1     
there would have been less objection to 
schools as a part of the missionary     
work4   ,,the ,,sphere ,,and ,,modes    
,,of ,,woman',s ,,work ,,in ,,foreign   
,,lands4  ,in this age1 when ,christian 
women in many lands are engaging in the 
,foreign ,mission work with so much     
zeal1 it is important to know who should
 enter personally upon this work1 and   

what are the modes and departments of   
labor in which they can engage when on  
the ground4  ,no woman should go to the 
,foreign field who has not sound health1
 thorough education1 and a reasonable   
prospect of being able to learn a       
foreign language4 ,the languages of     
different nations differ as to          
comparative ease of acquisition1 but it 
is well for any one who has the ,arabic 
language to learn1 to begin as early in 
life as practicable4 ,it should be borne
 in mind that the work in foreign lands 
is a self-denying work1 and ,i know of  
no persons who are called to undergo    
greater self-denial than unmarried women
 engaged in religious work abroad4 ,they
 are doing a noble work1 a necessary    
work1 and a work of lasting usefulness4 
,deprived in many instances of the      
social enjoyments and protection of a   
home1 they make a home in their schools1
 and throw themselves into a peculiar   
sympathy with their pupils1 and the     
families with which they are brought    

into contact4 ,where several are        
associated together1 as they always     
should be1 the institution in which they
 live becomes a model of the ,christian 
order1 sympathy and mutual help1 which  
is characteristic of the home in        
,christian lands4 ,christian women1     
married and unmarried1 can reach a class
 in every ,arabic community from which  
men are sedulously excluded4 ,they      
should enter upon the foreign work as a 
life-work1 devote themselves first of   
all to the mastery of the language of   
the people1 open their eyes to all that 
is pleasant and attractive among the    
natives1 and close them to all that is  
unlovable and repulsive1 resolved to    
love the people1 and what pertains to   
them1 for ,christ's sake who died for   
them1 and to identify themselves with   
the people in every practicable way4    
,persons who are incapable of loving or 
admiring anything that is not ,american 
or ,english had better remain in        
,america or ,england2 and on the other  

hand1 there is no surer passport to the 
affections of any people1 than the      
disposition to overlook their faults1   
and to treat them as our brethren and   
sisters for whom a common ,saviour died4
 ,let no missionary of either sex who   
goes to a foreign land1 think that there
 is nothing to be learned from ,syrians 
or ,hindoos1 ,chinese or ,japanese4 ,the
 good is not all confined to any land or
 people4  ,among the departments of     
woman's work in foreign lands are the   
following3--  ,i4 ,teaching in          
established institutions1 ,female       
,seminaries1 ,orphan ,houses and ,high  
,schools4  ,,ii4 ,acting as ,nurses in  
,hospitals1 as is done by the ,prussian 
,protestant ,deaconesses of             
,kaiserswerth1 who are scattered over   
the ,east and doing a work of peculiar  
value4  ,,iii4 ,visiting from house to  
house1 for the express purpose of       
holding religious conversation with the 
people in their own language4 ,this can 
only be done in ,syria by one versed in 

the ,arabic1 and able to speak without  
an interpreter4  ,ignorance of the      
language of the people1 is a barrier    
which no skill of an interpreter can    
break down1 and every woman who would   
labor with acceptance and success among 
the women of ,syria1 must be able to    
speak to them familiarly in their own   
mother tongue4 ,interpreters may be     
honest and conscientious1 but not one   
person in a thousand can translate      
accurately from one language to another 
without previous preparation4 ,and      
besides1 interpreters are not always    
reliable4 ,there is still living1 in the
 city of ,tripoli1 an old man named     
,abdullah ,yanni1 who acted as          
interpreter for a ,jewish ,missionary   
some forty years ago4 ,he tells many a  
story of the extraordinary shape which  
that unsuspecting missionary's          
discourses assumed in passing through   
his lips4 ,one day they went through the
 principal street to preach to the      
,moslems4 ,a great crowd assembled1 and 

,abdullah trembled1 for in those days of
 darkness ,moslems oppressed and        
insulted ,christians with perfect       
impunity4 ,said the missionary1 ,tell   
the ,moslems that unless they all repent
 and believe in ,christ1 they will      
perish forever4 ,abdullah translated1   
and the ,moslems gave loud and earnest  
expression to their delight4 ,they      
declared1 ,that is so1 that is so1      
welcome to the ,khowadja6 ,abdullah had 
told them that the ,khowadja says1 that 
he loves you very much1 and the ,engliz 
and the ,moslems are 'sowa sowa1' i4e4  
together as one4  ,abdullah soon found  
it necessary to tell his confiding      
friend and employer1 that it would not  
do to preach in that bold manner1 for if
 he should translate it literally1 the  
,moslems would kill both of them on the 
spot4 ,the missionary replied1 ,let them
 kill us then4 ,abdullah said1 it may do
 very well for you1 but ,i am not       
prepared to die1 and would prefer to    
wait4 ,the very first requisite for     

usefulness in a foreign land is the     
language4 ,it might be well1 as         
previously intimated in this volume1    
that in each of the ,female ,seminaries1
 the number of the teachers should be   
large enough to allow the most          
experienced in the language to give     
themselves for a portion of each week to
 these friendly religious visits4 ,the  
,arab race are eminently a sociable1    
visiting people1 and a foreign lady is  
always welcome among the women of every 
grade of society1 from the highest to   
the lowest4  ,,iv4 ,holding special     
,women's ,meetings of the ,female       
,church members from week to week in the
 homes of the different families4 ,the  
neighboring women will come in1 and the 
native women1 who would never take part 
in a women's prayer-meeting1 in the     
presence of a missionary1 will gladly do
 it with the example and encouragement  
of one of their own sex4 ,such meetings 
have been conducted in ,hums and        
,tripoli1 in ,beirt1 ,abeih1 ,deir el   

,komr and ,sidon1 and in ,suk el ,ghurb1
 ,b'hamdn1 ,hasbeiya1 and ,deir ,mimas  
for many years4 ,mrs4 ,smith1 ,mrs4     
,isaac ,bird1 ,mrs4 ,thomson1 ,mrs4 ,van
 ,dyck1 ,mrs4 ,whiting1 ,mrs4 ,goodell1 
,mrs4 ,dr4 ,dodge1 ,miss ,williams1     
,miss ,tilden1 ,mrs4 ,de ,forest1 ,mrs4 
,calhoun1 ,mrs4 ,wilson1 ,mrs4 ,ford1   
,mrs4 ,foot1 ,mrs4 ,eddy1 and ,mrs4 ,w4 
,bird1 ,mrs4 ,lyons and ,mrs4 ,cheney1  
,mrs4 ,bliss1 ,miss ,temple1 ,miss      
,mason1 ,mrs4 ,s4 ,jessup are among the 
,american ,christian women who have     
labored or are still laboring for the   
welfare of their sisters in ,syria1 and 
younger laborers more recently entered  
into the work1 are preparing to         
prosecute the work with greater energy  
than ever4 ,there are other names       
connected with ,woman's ,work in ,syria 
as prosecuted by the ,american ,mission1
 but the list is too long to be         
enumerated in full4 ,many of them have  
rested from their labors1 and their     
works do follow them4   ,,the ,,beirut  

,,female ,,seminary4  ,the last ,annual 
,report of the ,board of ,missions of   
the ,presbyterian ,church of the ,united
 ,states1 speaks of these two ,female   
,seminaries as follows3  ,the ,beirt    
,seminary is conducted by ,miss         
,everett1 ,miss ,jackson and ,miss      
,loring1 containing forty boarding and  
sixty day scholars1 where the object is 
to give an education suited to the wants
 of the higher classes of the people1 to
 gain a control over the minds of those 
females who will be most influential in 
forming society and moulding opinion4   
,this hold the ,papal ,sisters of       
,charity have striven earnestly to gain1
 and its vantage ground was not to be   
abandoned to them4 ,the institution is  
rising in public esteem and confidence1 
as the number and the class of pupils in
 attendance testify4 ,the ,seminary is  
close to the ,sanctuary1 not less in    
sympathy than in position1 and its whole
 influence is given to make its pupils  
followers of ,christ4  ,in addition to  

this brief notice1 it should be said    
that there are in the ,beirt ,seminary  
thirty charity boarders1 who are        
selected chiefly from ,protestant1      
,greek and ,druze families1 to be       
trained for teachers of a high order in 
the various girls' schools in the land4 
,a special ,normal course of training is
 conducted every year1 and it is        
believed that eventually young women    
trained in other schools will enter this
 ,normal ,department to receive especial
 preparation for the work of teaching4  
,the charity boarders are supported by  
the contributions of ,sabbath ,schools  
and individuals in the ,united ,states1 
with especial reference to their being  
trained for future usefulness4  ,after  
an experience of nearly ten years in    
conducting the greater part of the      
correspondence with the patrons of this 
school1 and maintaining their interest  
in the pupils and teachers whom they    
were supporting by their contributions1 
,i would venture to make a few          

suggestions to the ,christian ,mission  
,bands1 ,societies1 ,bible ,classes1    
,sabbath ,schools and individuals who   
are doing so much for the education of  
children in foreign lands4  ,i4 ,let all
 contributions for ,women's ,work and   
the education of girls1 be sent through 
the ,women's ,boards of ,missions1 or if
 that is not convenient1 in the form of 
a banker's draft on ,london1 payable to 
the ,principal of the ,seminary with    
whom you have correspondence4  ,,ii4 ,if
 possible1 allow your donation to be    
used for the general purposes of the    
,seminary1 without insisting that a     
special pupil or teacher be assigned to 
you4 ,but if it be not possible to      
maintain the interest of your children  
and youth in a work so distant without  
some special object1 then by all        
means1--  ,,iii4 ,do not demand too much
 from your over-taxed sisters in the    
foreign field in the way of letters and 
reports4 ,the labors of a teacher are   
arduous everywhere4 ,but when           

instruction is given in a foreign       
language1 in a foreign climate1 and to  
children of a foreign nation1 these     
labors are greatly increased4 ,add then 
to this toil correspondence with the    
,board of ,missions1 the daily study of 
the language1 the work of visiting among
 the people1 and receiving their visits1
 and you can understand how the keeping 
up of correspondence with twenty or     
thirty ,sabbath ,schools and ,societies 
is a burden which no woman should be    
called on to bear4  ,,iv4 ,do not expect
 sensational letters from your friends  
abroad4 ,do not take for granted that   
the child of ten years of age you are   
supporting1 will develop into a         
distinguished teacher or ,bible woman   
before the arrival of the next mail4 ,do
 not be discouraged if you have to wait 
and pray for years before you hear good 
tidings4 ,should any of the native      
children ever send you a letter1 7and   
they have about as clear an idea of who 
you are and where you are1 as they have 

of the satellites of ,jupiter17 do not  
expect from their youthful productions  
the elegance of ,addison or the         
eloquence of ,burke4  ,v4 ,pray         
earnestly for the conversion of the     
pupils in ,mission ,schools4 ,this ,i   
regard as the great advantage of the    
system of having pupils supported by    
,christians in the home churches1 and   
known to them by name4 ,they are made   
the subjects of special prayer4 ,this is
 the precious golden bond which brings  
the home field near to us1 and the      
foreign field near to you4 ,our chief   
hope for these multitudes of children   
now receiving instruction1 is1 that they
 will be prayed for by ,christians at   
home4   ,,the ,,sidon ,,female          
,,seminary4  ,the ,annual ,report above 
mentioned1 speaks thus of the ,sidon    
,seminary3 ,it is conducted by ,miss    
,jacombs and ,miss ,stainton1 and has   
numbered about twenty boarders and six  
day scholars4 ,the boarders are         
exclusively from ,protestant families1  

selected from the common schools in all 
parts of the field1 and are in training 
for the ,mission service1 as teachers   
and ,bible readers4 ,four of the        
graduates of last year are already so   
employed4 ,one difficulty in the way of 
reaching with the truth the minds of the
 women in the numerous villages of the  
land1 will be obviated in part1 as the  
results of this work are farther        
developed4  ,there has been considerable
 seriousness and some hopeful           
conversions1 in both these seminaries   
during the past year4  ,the work is     
worthy of the interest taken in it by   
the ,women's ,boards of ,missions1 and  
by societies and individuals in the     
church who have co-operated in it4  ,the
 ,sidon ,seminary1 as stated on a       
previous page1 was begun in #ahfb1 and  
has had four ,european and six native   
teachers4 ,of the latter1 one was       
trained in ,mrs4 ,bird's family1 one in 
,shemlan ,seminary1 three in the ,sidon 
school1 and one by ,mrs4 ,watson4  ,ten 

of its graduates have been employed as  
teachers1 and eight are still so        
engaged4  ,i annex a list of ,girls'    
,schools now or formerly connected with 
the ,syria ,mission4                    
,no4 of  ,no4 of   ,when begun          
,location4               ,pupils4       
,teach'rs  ,beirt1       ,day ,school1  
#ej       #b       #ahcd                
,seminary1     #ej      #aj       #ahdh 
,sidon1        ,seminary1     #bj       
#c       #ahfb              ,day        
,school1    #f       #a       #ahfb     
,abeih1                     #fj       #a
       #ahec ,deir el ,komr1            
#ej       #b       #ahee  ,to be resumed
 soon4 ,ghorify1                   #dj  
#a       #ahfc  ,all ,druzes4 ,el       
,hadeth1                 #dj       #a   
#ahgj ,shwifat1                   #gj   
#b       #ahga ,dibbiyeh1               
#bj       #a       #ahfh ,b',hamdn1     
#cj       #a       #ahec  ,discontinued4
 ,meshgara1                  #cj        
#a       #ahfi  ,boys and girls1 ,ain   

,anb1                  #bj       #a     
#ahgj    and #fj boys4 ,kefr ,shima1    
#dj       #a       #ahef  ,boys and     
girls4 ,rasheiya el   ,fokhar1          
#cj       #a       #ahfi ,jedaideh1     
#dj       #a       #ahgj ,el ,khiyam1   
#be       #a       #ahfh ,ibl1          
#cj       #a       #ahfh ,deir ,mimas1  
#ae       #a       #ahfe ,kana1         
#ce       #a       #ahfi ,hums1         
#dj       #a       #ahfe ,safita1       
#cj       #a       #ahfi ,hamath1       
#cj       #a       #ahgb -------------  
----------------- ,totals    #bc        
#hja      #cf  ,this gives a total of   
twenty-three girls' schools besides the 
twenty-four boys' schools under the care
 of the ,mission1 and three schools     
where there are both boys and girls4 ,i 
have kept the name of ,b'hamdn in the   
list1 for its historical associations1  
but the thirty pupils credited to it1   
will be more than made good in the      
girl's school about to be resumed in    
,tripoli under the care of ,miss ,kip4  

,the total number of girls is about     
#hjj1 and the number of teachers #cf4   
,the total cost of these twenty-three   
schools1 including the two ,seminaries  
in ,beirt and ,sidon1 is about eight    
thousand dollars per annum1 including   
rents1 salaries of five ,american and   
,english ladies1 and thirty-one native  
teachers4  ,the average cost of the     
common schools in the ,sidon field is   
sixty dollars per annum1 and in the     
,lebanon field it varies from this sum  
to about twice that amount1 owing to the
 fact that the ,deir el ,komr and other 
schools are virtually ,high ,schools4   
,the teacher in the ,sidon field1 and in
 ,abeih1 and ,safita1 are graduates of  
the ,sidon ,seminary4  ,it is probable  
that a ,high ,school or ,seminary for   
girls will be opened by ,miss ,kip in   
,tripoli during the coming year4  ,the  
preceding schedule can give but a faint 
idea of the struggles and toil1 the     
patient labors1 disappointments and     
trials of faith through which the women 

of the ,american ,mission have passed   
during the last forty years1 in         
beginning and maintaining so many of    
these schools for girls in ,syria4  ,did
 ,i speak of trials8 ,the ,missionary   
work has its trials1 but ,i believe that
 its joys are far greater4 ,the saddest 
scenes ,i have witnessed during a       
residence of seventeen years in ,syria1 
have been when ,missionaries have been  
obliged to leave the work and return to 
their native land4 ,there are trials    
growing out of the hardness of the human
 heart1 our own want of faith1 the      
seeming slow progress of the gospel1 and
 the heart-crushing disappointments     
arising from broken hopes1 when         
individuals and communities who have    
promised well1 turn back to their old   
errors like the dog to his vomit again4 
,but of joys it is much easier to speak1
 the joy of preaching ,christ to the    
perishing1--of laboring where others    
will not labor1--of laying foundations  
for the future1--of feeling that you are

 doing what you can to fulfil the       
,saviour's last command1--of seeing the 
word of ,god translated into a new      
language1--a christian literature       
beginning to grow1--children and youth  
gathered into ,schools and ,seminaries  
of learning1 and even sects which hate  
the ,bible obliged to teach their       
children to read it1--of seeing         
christian families growing up1 loving   
the ,sabbath and the ,bible1 the        
sanctuary and the family altar4--,then  
there is the joy of seeing souls born   
into the kingdom of our dear ,redeemer1 
and churches planted in a land where    
pure ,christianity had ceased to        
exist1--and of witnessing unflinching   
steadfastness in the midst of           
persecution and danger1 and the triumphs
 of faith in the solemn hour of death4  
,these are a few of the joys which are  
strewn so thickly along the path of the 
,christian ,missionary1 that he has     
hardly time to think of sorrow1 trial   
and discouragement4 ,those who have read

 ,dr4 ,anderson's ,history of ,missions 
to the ,oriental ,churches1 and ,rev4   
,isaac ,bird's ,history of the ,syria   
,mission1 or ,bible ,work in ,bible     
,lands1 will see that the work of the   
,syria ,mission from #ahbj to #ahgb has 
been one of conflict with principalities
 and powers1 and with spiritual         
wickedness in high and low places1 but  
that at length the hoary fortresses are 
beginning to totter and fall1 and there 
is a call for a general advance in every
 department of the work1 and in every   
part of the land4  ,other agencies have 
come upon the ground since the great    
foundation work was laid1 and the first 
great victories won1 and in their       
success it becomes all of ,god's people 
to rejoice2 but the veterans who fought 
the first battles1 and overcame the     
great national prejudice of the ,syrian 
people against female education1 should 
ever be remembered with gratitude4  ,it 
has been my aim in this little volume to
 recount the history of ,woman's ,work  

in the past4 ,who can foretell what the 
future of ,christian work for ,syrian   
,women will be8  ,may it ever be a work 
founded on the ,word of ,god1 aiming at 
the elevation of woman through the      
doctrines and the practice of a pure    
,christianity1 striving to plant in     
,syria1 not the flippant culture of     
modern fashionable society1 but the     
,god-fearing1 ,sabbath-loving1 and      
,bible-reading culture of our           
,anglo-,saxon ancestors6  ,a few years  
ago1 a ,greek priest named ,job1 from   
one of the distant villages high up in  
the range of ,lebanon1 called on me in  
,beirt4 ,i had spent several summers in 
his village1 and he had sometimes       
borrowed our ,arabic sermons to read in 
the ,greek ,church1 and now1 he said1 he
 had come down to see what we were doing
 in ,beirt4 ,i took him through the     
,female ,seminary and the ,church1 and  
then to the ,library and the ,printing  
,press4 ,he examined the presses1 the   
steam engine1 the type-setting1 and     

type-casting1 the folding1 sewing1 and  
binding of books1 and looked through the
 huge cases filled with ,arabic books   
and ,scriptures1 saw all the editions of
 the ,bible and the ,testament1 and then
 turned in silence to take his          
departure4 ,i went with him to the outer
 gate4 ,he took my hand1 and said1 ,by  
your leave ,i am going4 ,the ,lord bless
 your work4 ,sir1 ,i have a thought2 we 
are all going to be swept away1 priests 
and bishops1 ,greeks and ,maronites1    
,moslems and ,druzes1 and there will be 
nothing left1 nothing but the ,word of  
,god and those who follow it4 ,that is  
my thought4 ,farewell4  ,may that       
thought be speedily realized6 ,may the  
coarseness1 brutality and contempt for  
woman which characterize the ,moslem    
hareem1 give way to the refinement1     
intelligence1 and mutual affection which
 belong to the ,christian family6  ,may 
the ,god of prophecy and promise1 hasten
 the time when ,nusairy barbarism1      
,druze hypocrisy1 ,moslem fanaticism1   

,jewish bigotry and nominal ,christian  
superstition shall fade away under the  
glorious beams of the rising ,sun of    
,righteousness6  ,may the glory of      
,lebanon be given to the ,lord1 in the  
regeneration and sanctification of the  
families of ,lebanon6  ,too long has it 
been true1 in the degradation of woman1 
that the flower of ,lebanon languisheth4
  ,soon may we say in the truly         
,oriental imagery of the ,song of       
,songs1--,come with me from ,lebanon1   
look from the top of ,amana1 from the   
top of ,shenir and ,hermon1 from the    
lions' dens1 from the mountains of the  
leopards1--and behold1 in the culture of
 woman1 in society regenerated1 in home 
affection1 in the ,christian family1    
what is in a peculiar sense1 a fountain 
of gardens1 a well of living waters1 and
 streams from ,lebanon6  ,is it not yet 
a very little while1 and ,lebanon shall 
be turned into a fruitful field8 ,when  
the reproach of the daughters of ,syria1
 shall be taken away1 and when amid the 

zearas of the ,nusairyeh1 the kholwehs  
of the ,druzes1 the mosques of the      
,moslems and the tents of the ,bedawin1 
may be heard the voice of ,christ1      
saying to the poor women of the ,arab   
race1 weary and fainting under the      
burdens of life3      ,daughter be of   
good comfort1     ,thy faith hath made  
thee whole1             ,go in peace6   
,,the ,,children',s ,,chapter4  ,,part  
,i4                                     
,abeih1 ,mount ,lebanon1 ,sept41 #ahgb4 
,my ,dear ,son ,willie3--  ,it is now   
eight years since you left ,syria1 and  
you were then so young1 that you must   
have forgotten all about the country and
 the people4 ,i have often promised to  
tell you more about the ,syrian boys and
 girls1 what they eat and wear1 and how 
they study and play and sleep1 and the  
songs their mothers sing to them1 and   
many other things4 ,and now ,i will try 
and fulfil my promise4  ,here is a      
little boy at the door4 ,his name is    
,asaad ,mishrik1 or happy sunrise1 and  

his name is well given1 for he comes    
every morning at sunrise with a basket  
of fresh ripe figs1 sweet and cold1 and 
covered with the sparkling dew4 ,this   
morning when he came1 your brother      
,harry stood by the door looking at the 
figs with wistful eyes1 and ,i gave him 
a large one1 which disappeared very     
suddenly4 ,asaad is a bright-eyed boy1  
and helps his mother every day4  ,when  
he comes in1 he says1 ,subah koom bil   
khire1 ,your morning in goodness4 ,then 
,assaf1 the cook1 answers him1 ,yusaid  
,subahak1 ,may ,god make happy your     
morning4 ,if ,i come out when he is     
here1 he runs up to kiss my hand1 as the
 ,arab children are trained to be       
respectful to their superiors4 ,when a  
little ,arab boy comes into a room full 
of older people1 he goes around and     
kisses the hand of each one and then    
places it on his forehead4 ,asaad wears 
a red tarboosh or cap on his head1 a    
loose jacket1 and trowsers which are    
like a blue bag gathered around the     

waist1 with two small holes for his feet
 to go through4 ,they are drawn up      
nearly to his knees1 and his legs are   
bare1 as he wears no stockings4 ,he     
wears red shoes pointed and turned up at
 the toes4 ,when he comes in at the     
door1 he leaves his shoes outside1 but  
keeps his cap on his head4  ,the people 
never take off their caps or turbans    
when entering a house1 or visiting a    
friend1 but always leave their shoes at 
the door4 ,the reason is1 that their    
floors are covered with clean mats and  
rugs1 and in the ,moslem houses1 the man
 kneels on his rug to pray1 and presses 
his forehead to the floor1 so that it   
would not be decent or respectful to    
walk in with dirty shoes and soil his   
sijjady on which he kneels to pray4     
,they have no foot-mats or scrapers1 and
 it is much cheaper and simpler to leave
 the shoes1 dirt and all at the door4   
,sometimes we are much embarrassed in   
calling on the old style ,syrians as    
they look with horror on our muddy feet1

 and we find it not quite so easy to    
remove our ,european shoes4 ,but it must
 be done1 and it is better to take a    
little extra trouble1 and regard their  
feelings and customs1 than to appear    
coarse and rude4  ,it is very curious to
 go to the ,syrian school-houses1 and   
see the piles of shoes at the door4     
,there are new bright red shoes1 and old
 tattered shoes1 and kob kobs1 and black
 shoes1 and sometimes yellow shoes4 ,the
 kob kobs are wooden clogs made to raise
 the feet out of the mud and water1     
having a little strap over the toe to   
keep it on the foot4 ,you will often see
 little boys and girls running down     
steps and paved streets on these        
dangerous kob kobs4 ,sometimes they slip
 and then down they go on their noses1  
and the kob kobs fly off and go rattling
 over the stones1 and little ,ali or    
,yusef1 or whatever his name is1 begins 
to shout1 ,ya ,imme6 ,ya ,imme6 ,oh1 my 
mother6 and cries just like little      
children in other countries4  ,but the  

funniest part of it is to see the boys  
when they come out of school and try to 
find their shoes4 ,there will be fifty  
boys1 and of course a hundred shoes1 all
 mixed together in one pile4 ,when      
school is out1 the boys make a rush for 
the door4 ,then comes the tug of war4 ,a
 dozen boys are standing and shuffling  
on the pile of shoes1 looking down1     
kicking away the other shoes1 running   
their toes into their own1 stumbling    
over the kob kobs1 and then making a    
dash to get out of the crowd4 ,sometimes
 shins will be kicked1 and hair pulled1 
and tarbooshes thrown off1 and a great  
screaming and cursing follow1 which will
 only cease when the ,mallim comes with 
his ,asa or stick1 and quells the riot4 
,that pile of shoes will have to answer 
for a good many schoolboy fights and    
bruised noses and hard feelings in      
,syria4 ,you would wonder how they can  
tell their own shoes4 ,so do ,i4 ,and   
the boys often wear off each other's    
shoes by mistake or on purpose1 and then

 you will see ,selim running with one   
shoe on1 and one of ,ibrahim's in his   
hand1 shouting and cursing ,ibrahim's   
father and grandfather1 until he gets   
back his lost property4 ,sometimes when 
men leave their shoes outside the door  
of a house where they are calling1 some 
one will steal them1 and then they are  
in a sorry plight4 ,shoes are regarded  
as very unclean1 and when you are       
talking in polite society1 it will never
 do to speak of them1 without asking    
pardon4 ,you would say1 the other day   
some one stole my new shoes1 ajellak    
,allah1 i4e41 ,may ,god exalt you above 
such a vile subject6 ,you would use the 
same words if you were talking with a   
,moslem1 and spoke of a dog1 a hog1 a   
donkey1 a girl or a woman4  ,they do not
 think much of girls in ,syria4 ,the    
most of the people are very sorry when a
 daughter is born4 ,they think it is    
dreadful1 and the poor mother will cry  
as if her heart would break4 ,and the   
neighbors come in and tell her how sorry

 they are1 and condole with her1 just as
 if they had come to a funeral4 ,in     
,kesrawan1 a district of ,mount ,lebanon
 near ,beirt1 the ,arab women have a    
proverb1 ,the threshold weeps forty days
 when a girl is born4  ,there is a great
 change going on now in ,syria in the   
feelings of the people in regard to     
girls1 but in the interior towns and    
villages where the light of the ,gospel 
has not shone as yet1 and there are no  
schools1 they have the ancient ideas    
about them up to this very hour4  ,i    
knew an old ,syrian grandmother in      
,tripoli who would not kiss her         
granddaughter for six months after she  
was born1 because she was born a girl6  
,but ,i know another family in that city
 of ,tripoli that do not treat girls in 
that style4 ,the father is ,mr4         
,antonius ,yanni1 a good ,christian man1
 and a member of the ,mission ,church4  
,he is ,american ,vice ,consul1 and on  
the top of his house is a tall          
flag-staff1 on which floats the stars   

and stripes1 on ,fourth of ,july1 and   
the ,sultan's birthday1 ,queen          
,victoria's birthday1 and other great   
feast days4 ,one day when the ,tripoli  
women heard that ,sitt ,karmeh1 ,yanni's
 wife1 had another bint1 7girl7 they    
came in crowds to comfort her in her    
great affliction6 ,when ,yanni heard of 
it1 he could not restrain himself4 ,he  
loved his older daughter ,theodora very 
dearly1 and was thankful to ,god for    
another sweet baby girl1 so he told the 
women that he would have none of this   
heathenish mourning in his house4 ,he   
then shouted to his janizary or ,cawass1
 a white bearded old ,moslem named ,amr1
 ,amr1 haul up the ,bandaira el         
,americanyeh1 7,american flag7 to show  
the world how glad ,i am that ,i have   
another daughter4 ,on my head1 on my    
head1 sir1 said ,amr1 and away he went  
and hauled up the stars and stripes4    
,now the ,pasha's palace is not far     
away1 and soon the ,turkish guards saw  
the flag1 and hastened to the ,pasha    

with the news that the ,american ,consul
 had some great feast day1 as his flag  
was raised4 ,the ,pasha1 supposing it to
 be some important national feast day of
 the ,american ,government which he was 
so stupid as not to know about1 sent his
 ,chief ,secretary at once to ,mr4      
,yanni to ask what feast it might be8   
,yanni received him politely and ordered
 a narghileh and coffee and sherbet1 and
 after saying good-morning1 and may you 
live forever1 and ,god prolong your     
days6 over and over and over again1 and 
wishing that ,doulet ,america might ever
 flourish1 the ,secretary asked which of
 the great ,american festivals he was   
celebrating that day4 ,yanni laughed and
 said1 ,effendum1 you know how many of  
the ignorant in ,syria are so foolish as
 to mourn and lament when ,god sends    
them a daughter1 but ,i believe that all
 ,god's gifts are good1 and that        
daughters are to be valued as much as   
sons1 and to rebuke this foolish notion 
among the people1 ,i put up my flag as a

 token of joy and gratitude4 ,sebhan    
,allah6 you have done right1 sir1 444   
was the ,secretary's reply1 and away he 
went to the ,pasha4 ,what the ,pasha    
said1 ,i do not know1 but there was     
probably more cursing than usual that   
day in the grand palace of ,tripoli1 for
 the ,mohammedans think the birth of a  
daughter a special judgment from ,god4  
,when a boy is born1 there is great     
rejoicing4 ,presents are sent to him1   
and the people call to congratulate the 
father1 and the whole house is gay and  
joyous4 ,after a few days a dainty dish 
called ,mughly is made and sent around  
as a present to all of the relatives4   
,it is made of pounded rice1 and        
flavored with rich spices and sugar and 
put into little bowls1 and almonds and  
other nuts sprinkled over the top4 ,one 
of these little bowls is sent to each of
 the friends4 ,but when a girl is born1 
there is no rejoicing1 no giving of     
presents1 and no making of the delicious
 mughly4  ,here come two little girls   

bringing earthen pots of milk4 ,they are
 poor girls1 daughters of two of our    
neighbors who are fellaheen or farmers4 
,one has no shoes1 and neither have     
stockings4 ,they wear plain blue gowns1 
made of coarse cotton cloth1 dyed with  
indigo1 and rusty looking tarbooshes on 
their heads1 and a little piece of dirty
 white muslin thrown over their heads as
 a veil to cover their faces with1 when 
men come in sight4 ,one is named        
,lebeeby and the other ,lokunda1 which  
means ,hotel4 ,they behave very well    
when they come here1 as they have the   
fear of the big ,khowadja before their  
eyes1 but when they are at home running 
about1 they often use dreadful language4
 ,little boys and girls in ,syria have  
some awful oaths which they constantly  
use4 ,i suppose the poor things do not  
know the meaning of half the bad words  
they use4 ,one of the most common is    
,yilan ,abook1 curse your father6 ,it is
 used everywhere and on every side by   
bad people1 and the children use it     

constantly in their play4 ,when the     
little girls come into our ,schools and 
,seminaries1 it is a long time before   
they will give up abook-ing4 ,one of our
 friends in ,america is educating a nice
 little girl in the ,beirt ,seminary1   
and we asked the teacher about her a few
 days ago4 ,the answer was1 ,she still  
lies and swears dreadfully1 but she has 
greatly improved during the past two    
years1 and we are encouraged about her4 
,sometimes a boy will say to another    
,yilan abook1 ,curse your father1 and   
another will answer1 ,wa jiddak1 and    
your grandfather1 and then they will    
call back and forth like cats and dogs4 
,i saw a ,moslem boy near my house      
standing by the corner to shield himself
 from the stones another boy was        
throwing1 and shouting wa jid1 jid1 jid1
 jid1 jidak1 and your                   
great-great-great-great-grandfather1 and
 away went the other boy1 shouting as he
 ran1 and your great-great-great-great  
gr-e-at1 and ,i heard no more4 ,and then

 there are a great many very naughty and
 vile words which the children use1     
which ,i cannot write1 and yet we hear  
them every day4 ,it is very hard to keep
 our children from learning them1 as    
they talk ,arabic better than we do1 and
 often learn expressions which they do  
not know the meaning of4 ,one of the    
most common habits is using the name of 
,god in vain4 ,the name of ,god is      
,allah1 and ,o ,god1 ,yullah4 ,then     
there is ,wullah and ,bismillah1 ,in the
 name of ,god1 ,hamdlillah1 ,praise to  
,god1 ,inshullah1 ,if ,god will4 ,the   
most awful oaths are ,wullah and        
,billah4 ,the people use ,yullah at all 
times and on all occasions4 ,the        
donkey-drivers and muleteers say ,yullah
 when they drive their animals4 ,some   
years ago a good man from ,america1 who 
fears ,god and would not take his name  
in vain was travelling in the ,holy     
,land1 and came on to ,beirt4 ,when he  
reached there1 some one asked him if he 
had learned any ,arabic during his      

journey4 ,he said yes1 he had learned   
,bakhshish for a present1 and ,yullah   
for go ahead4 ,his friend asked him if  
he had used the latter word much on the 
way4 ,he said certainly1 he had used it 
all the way4 ,his friend answered1      
,professor1 you have been swearing all  
the way through the ,holy ,land4 ,of    
course he did not know it and meant no  
wrong4 ,but it shows that such words are
 used so commonly in ,syria that        
strangers do not think them bad         
language1 and it also shows that        
travellers ought to be careful in using 
the words they learn of muleteers and   
sailors in ,arab land4  ,in some parts  
of the country the little boys and girls
 swear so dreadfully that you can hardly
 bear to be with them4 ,especially among
 the ,nusairyeh1 they think that nothing
 will be believed unless they add an    
oath4 ,dr4 ,post once rebuked an old    
,sheikh for using the word ,wullah so   
often1 and argued so earnestly about it 
that the man promised never to use it   

again4 ,the old man a moment after      
repeated it4 ,the doctor said1 will you 
now pledge me that you will not say     
',wullah' again8 ,he replied1 ,wullah1  
,i will4  ,sometimes a donkey-driver    
will get out of patience with his       
long-eared beast4 ,the donkey will lie  
down with his load in a deep mud-hole1  
or among the sharp rocks4 ,for a time   
the man will kick and strike him and    
throw stones at him1 and finally when   
nothing else succeeds he will stand     
back1 with his eyes glaring and his fist
 raised in the air1 and scream out1 ,may
 ,allah curse the beard of your         
grandfather6 ,i believe that the donkey 
always gets up after that1--that is1 if 
the muleteer first takes off his load   
and then helps him1 by pulling stoutly  
at his tail4  ,i told you that one of   
the girls who bring us milk1 is named   
,lokunda1 or ,hotel4 ,she is a small    
specimen of a hotel1 but provides us    
purer and sweeter cow's milk than many a
 six-storied hotel on ,broadway would   

do4 ,you will say that is a queer name  
for a girl1 but if you stop and think   
about many of our ,english names you    
would think them queer too4 ,here in    
,syria1 we have the house of ,wolf1 the 
house of ,stuffed ,cabbage1 ,khowadji   
,leopard1 the lady ,wolves1 and one of  
our fellow villagers in ,abeih where we 
spend the summer is ,eman ed ,deen      
faith-of-religion1 although he has      
neither faith nor religion4  ,among the 
boys' names are ,selim1 ,ibrahim1       
,moosa1 ,yakob1 ,ishoc1 ,mustafa1       
,hanna1 ,yusef1 ,ali1 ,saieed1 ,assaf1  
,giurgius1 ,faoor1 and ,abbas4 ,i once  
met a boy at the ,cedars of ,lebanon1   
who was named ,jidry1 or ,small-,pox1   
because that disease was raging in the  
village when he was born4 ,it is very   
common to name babies from what is      
happening in the world when they are    
born4 ,a friend of mine in ,tripoli had 
a daughter born when an ,american ship  
was in the harbor1 so he called her     
,america4 ,when another daughter was    

born there was a ,russian ship in port1 
so he called her ,russia4 ,there is a   
young woman in ,sk el ,ghurb named      
,fetneh or ,civil ,war1 and her sister  
is ,hada1 or ,peace4 ,an old lady lately
 died in ,beirt named ,feins or         
,lantern4 ,in the ,beirt school are and 
have been girls named ,pearl1 ,diamond1 
,morning ,dawn1 ,dew1 ,rose1 ,only one1 
and ,mary ,flea4 ,that girl ,america's  
full name was ,america ,wolves1 a       
curious name for a ,syrian lamb6        
,sometimes children are named1 and if   
after a few years they are sick1 the    
parents change their names and give them
 new ones1 thinking that the first name 
did not agree with them4 ,a ,druze told 
me that he named his son in infancy     
,asaad 7or happier7 but he was sickly1  
so they changed his name to ,ahmed      
7,praised7 and after that he grew       
better6 ,he has now become a ,christian1
 and has resumed his first name ,asaad4 
,i once visited a man in the village of 
,brummana who had six daughters1 whom he

 named ,sun1 ,morning1 ,zephyr breeze1  
,jewelry1 ,agate1 and ,emerald4 ,i know 
girls named ,star1 ,beauty1 ,sugar1 ,one
 ,eyed1 and ,christian ,barbarian4 ,some
 of the names are beautiful1 as ,leila1 
,zarifeh1 ,ll1 ,selma1 ,lucya1 ,miriam  
and ,fereedy4  ,all of the men are      
called ,aboo-somebody2 i4e4 the father  
of somebody or something4 ,old ,sheikh  
,hassein1 whose house ,i am living in1  
is called ,aboo ,abbas1 i4e4 the father 
of ,abbas1 because his eldest son's name
 is ,abbas4 ,a young lad in the village1
 who is just about entering the         
,freshman class in the ,beirt ,college1 
has been for years called ,aboo ,habeeb1
 or the father of ,habeeb1 when he has  
no children at all4 ,elias1 the deacon  
of the church in ,beirt was called ,aboo
 ,nasif for more than fifty years1 and  
finally in his old age he married and   
had a son1 whom he named ,nasif1 so that
 he got his name right after all4 ,they 
often give young men such names1 and if 
they have no children they call them by 

the name of the son they might have had4
 ,but they will not call a man ,aboo ,ll
 or ,aboo ,leila4 ,if a man has a dozen 
daughters he will never be called from  
them4 ,they are nothing but girls4 ,a   
queer old man in ,ghurzz once tried to  
name himself from his daughter          
,seleemeh1 but whenever any one called  
him ,aboo ,seleemeh1 all the fellaheen  
would laugh as if they would explode1   
and the boys would shout at him there   
goes old ,aboo ,seleemeh1 as if it were 
a grand joke4  ,the ,moslems and ,druzes
 generally give their children the old  
unmixed ,arabic names1 but the          
,maronites1 the ,greeks1 and the        
,protestants often use ,european names4 
,a young lady named ,miss ,mason was    
once a teacher in the ,sidon ,seminary1 
and spent the summer in the mountain    
village of ,deir ,mimas4 ,one of the    
women of the village liked her name1 and
 named her daughter ,miss ,mason1 and if
 you should go there you would hear the 
little urchins of ,deir ,mimas shouting 

,miss ,mason6 to a little blue-gowned   
and tarbooshed ,arab girl4  ,what noise 
is that we hear down in the village1    
under the great jowz 7walnut7 trees by  
the fountain8 ,it rolls and gurgles and 
growls and bellows enough to frighten a 
whole village full of children4 ,but the
 little ,arab boys and girls are playing
 around1 and the women are filling their
 jars at the fountain just as if nothing
 had happened4 ,but it is a frightful   
noise for all that4 ,it is the bellowing
 of the camels as their heavy loads are 
being put on4 ,they are kneeling on the 
ground1 with their long necks swaying   
and stretching around like boa          
constrictors4 ,these camels are very    
useful animals1 but ,i always like to   
see them at a distance1 especially in   
the month of ,february1 for at that time
 they get to be as mad as a ,march hare4
 ,they are what the ,arabs call taish1  
and often bite men severely4 ,in ,hums  
one bit the whole top of a man's head   
off1 and in ,tripoli another bit a man's

 hand off4 ,i once saw a camel taish in 
,beirt1 and he was driving the whole    
town before him4 ,wherever he came1 with
 his tongue hanging down and a foaming  
froth pouring from his mouth as he      
growled and bellowed through the        
streets1 the people would leave their   
shops and stools and run in dismay4 ,it 
was a frightful sight4 ,i was riding    
down town1 and on seeing the crowd1 and 
the camel coming towards me1 ,i put     
spurs to my horse and rode home4  ,when 
camels are tied together in a long      
caravan with a little mouse-colored     
donkey leading the van1 ridden by a     
long-legged ,bedawy1 who sits           
half-asleep smoking his pipe1 you would 
think them the tamest and most innocent 
creatures in the world1 but when they   
fall into a panic1 they are beyond all  
control4 ,a few years ago a drove of    
camels was passing through the city of  
,damascus4 ,the ,arabs drive camels like
 sheep1 hundreds and sometimes thousands
 in a flock1 and they look awkward      

enough4 ,when this drove entered the    
city1 something frightened them1 and    
they began to run4 ,just imagine a camel
 running6 ,what a sight it must have    
been6 ,hundreds of them went through the
 narrow streets1 knocking over men and  
women and donkeys1 upsetting the        
shopkeepers1 and spilling out their     
wares on the ground1 and many persons   
were badly bruised4 ,at length a        
carpenter saw them coming and put a     
timber across the street1 which dammed  
up the infuriated tide of camels1 and   
they dashed against one another until   
they were all wedged together1 and thus 
their owners secured them4  ,in ,august1
 #ahfb1 a famous ,bedawin ,chief1 named 
,mohammed ed ,dukhy1 in ,houran1 east of
 the ,jordan1 rebelled against the      
,turkish ,government4 ,the ,druzes      
joined him1 and the ,turks sent a small 
army against them4 ,mohammed had in his 
camp several thousand of the finest     
,arabian camels1 and they were placed in
 a row behind his thousands of ,arab and

 ,druze horsemen4 ,behind the camels    
were the women1 children1 sheep1 cattle 
and goats4 ,when the ,turkish army first
 opened fire with musketry1 the camels  
made little disturbance1 as they were   
used to hearing small arms1 but when the
 ,turkish ,colonel gave orders to fire  
with cannon1 the ships of the desert    
began to tremble4 ,the artillery        
thundered1 and the poor camels could    
stand it no longer4 ,they were driven   
quite crazy with fright1 and fled over  
the country in every direction in more  
than a ,bull ,run panic4 ,some went down
 towards the ,sea of ,galilee1 others   
towards the swamps of ,merom1 and       
hundreds towards ,banias1 the ancient   
,csarea ,philippi1 and onwards to the   
,west as far as ,deir ,mimas4 ,nothing  
could stop them4 ,their tongues were    
projecting1 their eyes glaring1 and on  
they went4 ,the fellaheen along the     
roads caught them as they could1 and    
sold them to their neighbors4 ,fine     
camels worth eighty dollars1 were sold  

for four or five dollars a head1 and in 
some villages the fat animals were      
butchered and sold for beef4 ,some of   
them came to ,deir ,mimas1 where two of 
the missionaries lived4 ,the            
,protestants said to the missionaries1  
here are noble camels selling for five  
and ten dollars1 shall we buy8 ,others  
are buying4 ,by no means1 they told     
them4 ,they are stolen or strayed       
property1 and you will repent it if you 
touch them4 ,others bought and feasted  
on camel steaks1 and camel soup1 and    
camel kibby1 but the ,protestants would 
not touch them4 ,in a day or two1 the   
cavalry of the ,turks came scouring the 
country for the camels1 as they were the
 spoils of war4 ,then the poor fellaheen
 were sorry enough that they had bought 
and eaten the camels1 for the ,turks    
made them pay back double the price of  
the beasts1 and the ,protestants found  
that honesty was the best policy4  ,the 
camel is very sure footed1 but cannot   
travel on muddy and slippery roads4 ,the

 ,arabs say the camel never falls1 but  
if he falls1 he never gets up again4    
,they carry long timbers over ,lebanon1 
on the steep and rocky roads1 the timber
 being balanced on the pack saddle1 one 
end extending out on front1 and the     
other behind4 ,sometimes the timber     
begins to swing about1 and down the     
camel goes over the precipice and is    
dashed to pieces4  ,the ,arabs say that 
a man once asked a camel1 ,what made    
your neck so crooked8 ,the camel        
answered1 ,my neck8 ,why did you ask    
about my neck8 ,is there anything else  
straight about me1 that led you to      
notice my neck8 ,this has a meaning1    
which is1 that when a man's habits are  
all bad1 there is no use in talking     
about one of them4  ,perhaps you will   
ask1 did you ever eat camel's flesh8    
,certainly4 ,we do not get it in ,beirt1
 as camels are too expensive along the  
sea-coast to be used as food1 but in the
 interior towns1 like ,hums and ,hamath1
 which border on the desert or rather   

the great plains occupied by the ten    
thousands of the ,bedawin1 camel's meat 
is a common article in the market4 ,they
 butcher fat camels1 and young camel    
colts that have broken their legs1 and  
sometimes their meat is as delicious as 
beefsteak4 ,but when they kill an old   
lean worn-out camel1 that has been      
besmeared with pitch and tar for many   
years1 and has been journeying under    
heavy loads from ,aleppo to ,damascus   
until he is what the ,arabs call a      
basket of bones1 and then kill him to   
save his life1 or rather his beef1 the  
meat is not very delicate4  ,the ,arab  
name for a camel is ,jemel which means  
beauty6 ,they call him so perhaps       
because there is no beauty in him4 ,you 
will read in books1 that the camel is   
the ship of the desert4 ,he is very much
 like a ship1 as he carries a heavy     
cargo over the ocean-like plains and    
buraries or wilds of the ,syrian and    
,arabian deserts4 ,he is also like a    
ship in making people sea-sick who ride 

on his back1 and because he has a strong
 odor of tar and pitch like the hold of 
a ship1 which sometimes you can perceive
 at a long distance4     ,,part ,,ii4   
,perhaps you would like to take a ride  
with me some day1 and visit some of the 
missionary stations in ,syria4 ,what    
will you ride8 ,the horses are gentle1  
but you would feel safer on a donkey4   
,mules are sometimes good for riding1   
but ,i prefer to let them alone4 ,i     
never rode a mule but once4 ,i was at   
,hasbeiya1 and wished to visit the      
bitumen wells4 ,my horse was not in a   
condition to be ridden1 so ,i took      
,monsr's mule4 ,it had only a jillal or 
pack saddle1 and ,monsr made stirrups of
 rope for me4 ,my companions had gone on
 in advance1 and when ,i started1 the   
mule was eager to overtake them4 ,all   
went well until we approached the little
 stream which afterwards becomes the    
,river ,jordan4 ,the ground was         
descending1 and the road covered with   
loose stones4 ,the rest of our party    

were crossing the stream and the mule   
thought he would trot and come up with  
them4 ,i tried to hold him in with the  
rope halter1 but he shook his head and  
dashed on4 ,about the middle of the     
descent he stumbled and fell flat upon  
his nose4 ,i went over his head upon my 
hands1 but my feet were fast in the rope
 stirrups4 ,seeing that he was trying to
 get up1 ,i tried to work myself back   
into the saddle1 but ,i had only reached
 his head1 when he sprang up4 ,i was now
 in a curious and not very safe         
situation4 ,the mule was trotting on and
 ,i was sitting on his head holding on  
to his ears1 with my feet fast in the   
rope stirrups4 ,a little ,arab boy was  
passing with a tray of bread upon his   
head and ,i shouted to him for help4 ,he
 was so amused to see a ,khowadja with a
 hat1 riding at that rate on a mule's   
head1 that he began to roar with        
laughter and down went his tray on the  
ground and the ,arab bread went rolling 
among the stones4 ,it was a great mercy 

that ,i did not fall under the brute's  
feet1 but ,i held on until he got the   
other side of the ,jordan1 when a man   
ran out from the mill and stopped him4  
,monsr now led him by the halter and ,i 
reached the bitumen wells in safety4    
,you can mount your donkey and ,harry   
will ride another1 and ,i will ride my  
horse1 and we will try a ,syrian        
journey4 ,as we cannot spare the time to
 go from ,beirt to ,tripoli by land1 ,i 
have sent ,ibrahim to take the animals  
along the shore1 and we will go up by   
the ,french steamer1 a fine large vessel
 called the ,ganges4 ,we go down to the 
,kumruk or ,custom ,house1 and there a  
little ,arab boat takes us out to the   
steamer4 ,in rough weather it is very   
dangerous going out to the steamers1 and
 sometimes little boats are capsized1   
but to-night there is no danger4 ,you   
are now on the deck of the steamer4     
,what a charming view of ,beirt and     
,mount ,lebanon4 ,far out on the point  
of the cape are the new buildings of the

 ,syrian ,college1 and next is the      
,prussian ,hospital and then the        
,protestant ,prussian ,deaconesses      
,institution with #acj orphans and #hj  
paying pupils4 ,there is the house of   
,dr4 ,thomson and ,dr4 ,van ,dyck and   
,dr4 ,post1 and the ,turkish ,barracks1 
and ,mrs4 ,mott's school1 and our       
beautiful ,church1 with its clock tower1
 and you can hear the clock strike six4 
,then next to the ,church is the ,female
 ,seminary with its #ajj pupils1 and the
 ,steam ,printing ,press1 where are     
printed so many books and ,scriptures   
every year in the ,arabic language4     
,those tall cypress trees are in the    
,mission ,cemetery where ,pliny ,fisk1  
and ,eli ,smith1 and ,mr4 ,whiting1 and 
a good many little children are buried4 
,near by are the houses of ,dr4 ,bliss  
and ,dr4 ,lewis and our house1 and you  
can see mosques and minarets and domes  
and red-tiled roofs1 and beautiful      
arched corridors and green trees in     
every direction4 ,do you see the        

beautiful purple tints on the ,lebanon  
,mountains as the sun goes down8 ,is it 
not worth a long journey to see that    
lofty peak gilded and tinted with purple
 and pink and yellow as the sun sinks   
into the sea8  ,what a noise these      
boatmen make6 ,i doubt whether you have 
ever heard such a screaming before4     
,now you can imagine yourself going to  
sleep in the state-room of this great   
steamer1 and away we go4 ,the anchor    
comes up clank1 clank1 as the great     
chain cable is wound up by the donkey   
engine1 and now we move off silently and
 smoothly4 ,in about five hours we have 
made the fifty miles1 and down goes the 
anchor again in ,tripoli harbor4 ,at    
sunrise the ,tripoli boatmen come around
 the steamer4 ,we are two miles off from
 the shore and a rough north wind is    
blowing4 ,let us hurry up and get ashore
 before the wind increases to a gale1 as
 these ,north winds are very fierce on  
the ,syrian coast4 ,here comes ,mustafa1
 an old boatman1 and begs us to take his

 felca4 ,we look over the side of the   
steamer and see that his boat is large  
and clean and agree to take it for      
twelve piastres or fifty cents for all  
of us and our baggage4 ,then the other  
boatmen rush up and scream and curse and
 try to get us to take their boats1 but 
we say nothing and push through them and
 climb down the steps to the boat4 ,the 
white caps are rolling and the boat     
dances finely4 ,mustafa puts up a large 
three-cornered sail1 ,ali sits at the   
rudder1 and with a stroke or two of the 
oars we turn around into the wind and   
away we dash towards the shore4 ,the    
,meena 7port7 is before us1 that white  
row of houses on the point2 and back    
among the gardens is the city of        
,tripoli4 ,in less than half an hour we 
reach the shore1 but the surf is so high
 that we cannot go near the pier1 so    
they make for the sand beach1 and before
 we reach it1 the boat strikes on a     
little bar and we stop4 ,out jump the   
boatmen1 and porters come running half  

naked from the shore and each shouts to 
us to ride ashore on his shoulders4     
,they can carry you and ,harry with     
ease1 but ,i am always careful how ,i   
sit on the shoulders of these rough     
fellows4 ,there is ,ibrahim on the shore
 with our animals1 and two mules for the
 baggage4 ,we shall take beds and       
bedsteads and cooking apparatus and     
provisions and a tent4 ,ibrahim has     
bought bread and potatoes and rice and  
semin 7,arab butter7 and smead 7farina7 
and candles1 and a little sugar and     
salt1 and other necessaries4 ,we will   
accept ,aunt ,annie's invitation to     
breakfast1 and then everything will be  
ready for a start4  ,what is the matter 
with those boys in that dark room8 ,are 
they on rockers8 ,they keep swinging    
back and forth and screaming at the top 
of their voices all at once1 and an old 
blind man sits on one side holding a    
long stick4 ,they all sit on the floor  
and hold books or tin cards in their    
hands4 ,this is a ,moslem school1 and   

the boys are learning to read and write4
 ,they all study aloud1 and the old     
blind ,sheikh knows their voices so well
 that when one stops studying1 he       
perceives it1 and reaches his long stick
 over that way until the boy begins     
again4 ,when a boy comes up to him to   
recite1 he has to shout louder than the 
rest1 so that the ,sheikh can           
distinguish his voice4 ,there1 two boys 
are fighting4 ,the ,sheikh cannot and   
will not have fighting in his school1   
and he calls them up to him4 ,they begin
 to scream and kick and call for their  
mothers1 but it is of no use4 ,sheikh   
,mohammed will have order4 ,lie down    
there you ,mahmoud6 ,mahmoud lies down1 
and the ,sheikh takes a stick like a bow
 with a cord to it1 and winds the cord  
around his ankles4 ,after twisting the  
cord as tight as possible1 he takes his 
rod and beats ,mahmoud on the soles of  
his feet1 until the poor boy is almost  
black in the face with screaming and    
pain4 ,then he serves ,saleh in the same

 way4 ,this is the bastinado of which   
you have heard and read4 ,when the      
,missionaries started common schools in 
,syria1 the teachers used the bastinado 
without their knowledge1 though we never
 allow anything of the kind4 ,but the   
boys behave so badly and use such bad   
language to each other1 that the        
teacher's patience is often quite       
exhausted4 ,i heard of one school where 
the teacher invited a visitor to hear   
the boys recite1 and then offered to    
whip the school all around from the     
biggest boy to the smallest1 in order to
 show how well he governed the school6  
,they do not use the alphabet in the    
,moslem schools4 ,the boys begin with   
the ,koran and learn the words by sight1
 without knowing the letters of which   
they are composed4  ,here come two young
 men to meet us4 ,fine lads they are    
too4 ,one is named ,giurgius1 and the   
other ,leopold4 ,when they were small   
boys1 they once amused me very much4    
,mr4 ,yanni1 who drew up his flag on the

 birth of ,barbara1 sent ,giurgius his  
son1 and ,leopold his nephew to the     
school of an old man named ,hanna       
,tooma4 ,this old man always slept in   
the afternoon1 and the boys did not     
study very well when he was asleep4 ,i  
was once at ,yanni's house when the boys
 came home from school4 ,they were in   
high glee4 ,one of them said to his     
father1 our teacher slept all the       
afternoon1 and we appointed a committee 
of boys to fan him and keep the flies   
off while the rest went down into the   
court to play1 and when he moved we all 
hushed up until he was sound asleep     
again4 ,but when he did wake up1 he took
 the big ,asa and struck out right and  
left1 and gave every boy in the school a
 flogging4 ,the father asked1 but why   
did he flog them all8 ,because he said  
he knew some of us had done wrong and he
 was determined to hit the right one1 so
 he flogged us all6  ,see the piles of  
fruit in the streets6 ,grapes and figs1 
watermelons and pomegranates1 peaches1  

pears1 lemons and bananas4 ,at other    
seasons of the year you have oranges1   
sweet lemons1 plums1 and apricots4      
,there is fresh fruit on the trees here 
every week in the year4 ,now we are     
passing a lemonade stand1 where iced    
lemonade is sold for a cent a glass1    
cooled with snow from the summit of     
,mount ,lebanon #ijjj feet high4 ,grapes
 are about a cent a pound and figs the  
same1 and in ,march you can buy five    
oranges or ten sweet lemons for a cent4 
,huge watermelons are about eight or ten
 cents a piece4 ,we buy so many pounds  
of milk and oil and potatoes and        
charcoal4 ,the prickly pear1 or subire1 
is a delicious fruit1 although covered  
with sharp barbed spines and thorns4 ,it
 is full of hard large woody seeds1 but 
the people are very fond of the fruit4  
,sheikh ,nasif el ,yazijy was a famous  
,arab poet and scholar1 and a young man 
once brought him a poem to be corrected4
 ,he told him to call in a few days and 
get it4 ,he came again and the ,sheikh  

said to him4 ,your poem is like the     
,missionary's prickly pear6 ,the        
,missionary's prickly pear8 said the    
young poet4 ,what do you mean8 ,why1    
said the ,sheikh1 ,dr4 ---- a           
missionary1 when he first came to       
,syria1 had a dish of prickly pears set 
before him to eat4 ,not liking to eat   
the seeds1 he began to pick them out1   
and when he had picked out all the      
seeds1 there was nothing left6 ,so your 
poem4 ,you asked me to remove the       
errors1 and ,i found that when ,i had   
taken out all the errors1 there was     
nothing left4  ,it is about time for us 
to start4 ,we will ride through the     
orange gardens and see the rich fruit   
bending the trees almost down to the    
ground4 ,steer your way carefully       
through the crowd of mules1 pack horses1
 camels and asses loaded with boxes of  
fruit hastening down to the ,meena for  
the steamer which goes ,north to-night4 
,here is ,yanni1 with his happy smiling 
face coming out to meet us4 ,we will    

dismount and greet him4 ,he will kiss us
 on both cheeks and insist on our       
calling at his house4 ,the children are 
glad to see you1 and the ,sitt ,karmeh  
asks1 how are the preserved of ,god8    
that is1 the children4 ,then the little 
tots come up to kiss my hand1 and ,im   
,antonius1 the old grandmother1 comes   
and greets us most kindly4 ,it was not  
always so4 ,she was once very hostile to
 the ,missionaries4 ,she thought that   
her son had done a dreadful deed when he
 became a ,protestant4 ,although she    
once loved him1 she hated him and hated 
us4 ,she used to fast1 and make vows1   
and pray to the ,virgin and the saints1 
and beat her breast in agony over her   
son4 ,she had a brother and another son1
 who were like her1 and they all        
persecuted ,yanni4 ,but he bore it      
patiently without an unkind word in     
return for all their abuse4 ,at length  
the brother ,ishoc was taken ill4 ,im   
,antonius brought the pictures and put  
them over his head and called the       

priests4 ,he said1 ,mother1 take away   
these idols4 ,send away these priests4  
,tell my brother ,antonius to come here1
 ,i want to ask his forgiveness4 ,yanni 
came4 ,ishoc said to him1 ,brother1 your
 kindness and patience have broken me   
down4 ,you are right and ,i am wrong4 ,i
 am going to die4 ,will you forgive me8 
,yes1 and may ,god forgive and bless you
 too4 ,then bring your ,bible and read  
to me4 ,read about some great sinner who
 was saved4 ,yanni read about the dying 
thief on the cross4 ,read it again6 ,ah1
 that is my case6 ,i am the chief of    
sinners4 ,every day he kept ,yanni      
reading and praying with him4 ,he loved 
to talk about ,jesus and at length died 
trusting in the ,saviour6 ,the uncle    
,michaiel1 was also taken ill1 and on   
his death-bed would have neither priest 
nor pictures1 and declared to all the   
people that he trusted only in the      
,saviour whom ,yanni had loved and      
served so well4 ,after that ,im         
,antonius was softened and now she loves

 to hear ,yanni read the ,bible and     
pray4  ,the servant is coming with      
sherbet and sweetmeats and ,arabic      
coffee in little cups as large as an    
egg-shell4 ,did you notice how the      
marble floors shine6 ,they are scrubbed 
and polished1 and kept clean by the     
industrious women whom you see so       
gorgeously dressed now4 ,these good     
ladies belong to the ,akabir1 or        
aristocracy of ,tripoli1 but they work  
most faithfully in their housekeeping   
duties4 ,but alas1 they can neither read
 nor write6 ,and there is hardly a woman
 in this whole city of #af1jjj people   
that can read or write6 ,i once attended
 a company of invited guests at one of  
the wealthy houses in ,tripoli1 and     
there were thirty ,tripolitan ladies in 
the large room1 dressed in the most     
elegant style4 ,i think you never saw   
such magnificence4 ,they were dressed in
 silks and satins and velvets1          
embroidered with gold thread and pearls1
 and their arms and necks were loaded   

with gold bracelets and necklaces set   
with precious stones1 and on their heads
 were wreaths of gold and silver work   
sparkling with diamonds1 and fragrant   
with fresh orange blossoms and          
jessamine4 ,many of them were beautiful4
 ,but not one of them could read4 ,the  
little boys and girls too are dressed in
 the same rich style among the wealthier
 classes1 and they are now beginning to 
learn4 ,many of the little girls who    
were taught in ,sadi's school here      
thirteen years ago1 are now heads of    
families1 and know how to read the      
gospel4  ,ibrahim comes in to say that  
we must hurry off if we would reach     
,halba to sleep to-night4 ,so we bid    
,yanni's family good-bye4 ,we tell them 
,be ,khaterkum4 ,by your pleasure1 and  
they say ,ma es ,salameh1 with          
peace4--,then they say ,god smooth your 
way1 and we answer1 ,peace to your      
lives4 ,saieed the muleteer now says    
,dih1 ,ooah1 to his mules1 and away we  
ride over the stony pavements and under 

the dark arches of the city1 towards the
 ,east4 ,we cross the bridge over the   
,river ,kadisha1 go through the wheat   
and barley market1 and out of the gate  
,tibbaneh1 among the ,moslems1          
,maronites1 ,bedawin1 ,nusairyeh1       
,gypsies1 and ,greeks1 who are buying   
and selling among the ,hamath and ,hums 
caravans4  ,do you see those boys       
playing by the stone wall8 ,they are    
catching scorpions4 ,they put a little  
wax on a stick and thrust it into the   
holes in the wall1 and the scorpions run
 their claws into the wax when they are 
easily drawn out1 and the boys like to  
play with them4 ,the sting of the       
scorpion is not deadly1 but it is very  
painful1 something like being stung by  
half a dozen hornets4  ,here come a     
company of ,greek priests1 with the     
,greek bishop of ,akkar4 ,the priests   
are all ,syrians but the bishop is from 
,greece1 and knows but little ,arabic4  
,the priests are very ignorant1 for they
 are generally chosen from among the    

lowest of the people4  ,when the former 
,greek ,bishop died in ,tripoli1 in     
#aheh1 his dead body was dressed in     
cloth of gold1 with a golden crown on   
his head1 and then the corpse was set up
 in a chair in the midst of the ,greek  
,church1 with the face and hands        
uncovered so that all the people could  
see him4 ,the fingers were all black and
 bloated1 but the men1 women and        
children crowded up to kiss them4 ,when 
the body was taken from the city to     
,deir ,keftin1 three miles distant the  
,greek mountaineers came down in a      
rabble to get the blessing from the     
corpse4 ,and how do you think they got  
the blessing8 ,they attacked the bearers
 and knocked off pieces of the coffin1  
and then carried off the pall and tore  
it in pieces1 fighting for it like      
hungry wolves4 ,a number of people were 
wounded4 ,after the burial they dug up  
the earth for some distance around the  
tomb1 and carried it off to be used as  
medicine4 ,a little girl brought a piece

 of the bishop's handkerchief to my     
house1 hearing that some one was ill1   
saying that if we would burn it and     
drink the ashes in water1 we would be   
instantly cured4  ,the ,syrians have a  
good many stories about their priests1  
which they laugh about1 and yet they    
obey them1 no matter how ignorant they  
are4 ,ab ,selim in the ,meena used to   
tell me this story3 ,once there was a   
priest who did not know how to count4   
,this was a great trial to him1 as the  
,greeks have so many fasts and feasts   
that it is necessary to count all the   
time or get into trouble4 ,they have a  
long fast called ,soum el kebr1 and it  
is sometimes nearly sixty days long4    
,one year the fast commenced1 and the   
priest had blundered so often that he   
went to the bishop and asked him to     
teach him some way to count the days to 
the ,easter feast4 ,the bishop told him 
it would be forty days1 and gave him    
forty kernels of hummus1 or peas1       
telling him to put them into his pocket 

and throw one out every day1 and when   
they were all gone1 to proclaim the     
feast6 ,this was a happy plan for the   
poor priest1 and he went on faithfully  
throwing away one pea every day1 until  
one day he went to a neighboring        
village4 ,in crossing the stream he fell
 from his donkey into the mud1 and his  
black robe was grievously soiled4 ,the  
good woman of the house where he slept1 
told him to take off his robe and she   
would clean it in the night4 ,so after  
he was asleep she arose and washed it   
clean1 but found to her sorrow that she 
had destroyed the peas in the priest's  
pocket4 ,poor priest1 said she1 he has  
lost all his peas which he had for lunch
 on the road6 ,but ,i will make it up to
 him4 ,so she went to her earthen jar   
and took a big double handful of hummus 
and put them into the priest's pocket1  
and said no more4 ,he went on his way   
and threw out a pea every morning for   
weeks and weeks4 ,at length1 some of his
 fellaheen heard that the feast had     

begun in another village1 and told the  
,priest4 ,impossible1 said he4 ,my      
pocket is half full yet4 ,others came   
and said1 will you keep us fasting all  
the year8 ,he only replied1 look into my
 pocket4 ,are you wiser than the        
,bishop8 ,at length some one went and   
told the ,bishop that the priest was    
keeping his people fasting for twenty   
days after the time4 ,and then the story
 leaked out1 and the poor woman told how
 she had filled up the pocket1 and the  
bishop saw that there was no use in     
trying to teach the man to count4  ,see 
the reapers in the field1 and the women 
gleaning after them1 just as ,ruth did  
so many thousand years ago6 ,on this    
side is a lodge in a garden of          
cucumbers4  ,now we come down upon the  
sea-shore again1 and on our right is the
 great plain of ,akkar1 level as a      
floor1 and covered with fields of       
,indian corn and cotton4 ,flocks and    
herds and ,arab camps of black tents are
 scattered over it4 ,here is a          

shepherd-boy playing on his zimmara or  
pipe1 made of two reeds tied together   
and perforated4 ,he plays on it hour    
after hour and day after day1 as he     
leads his sheep and goats or cattle     
along the plain or over the mountains4  
,you do not like it much1 any more than 
he would like a melodeon or a piano4    
,when ,king ,david was a shepherd-boy he
 played on such a pipe as this as he    
wandered over the mountains of ,judea4  
,now we turn away from the sea and go   
eastward to ,halba4 ,before long we     
cross the river ,arka on a narrow stone 
bridge1 and pass a high hill called ,tel
 ,arka4 ,here the ,arkites lived1 who   
are mentioned in ,genesis x3#ag4 ,that  
was four thousand two hundred years ago4
 ,what a chain of villages skirt this   
plain6 ,the people build their villages 
on the hills for protection and health1 
but go down to plough and sow and feed  
their flocks to the rich level plain4   
,now we cross a little stream of water1 
and look up the ravine1 and there is    

,ishoc's house perched on the side of   
the hill opposite ,halba4 ,ishoc and his
 wife ,im ,hanna1 come out to meet us1  
and he helps us pitch the tent by the   
great fig tree near his house4 ,we      
unroll the tent1 splice the tent pole1  
open the bag of tent pins1 get the      
mallet1 and although the wind is blowing
 hard1 we will drive the pegs so deep   
that there will be no danger of its     
blowing over4  ,ab ,hanna1 or ,ishoc1 is
 a noble ,christian man1 one of the best
 men in ,syria4 ,he has suffered very   
much for ,christ's sake4 ,the ,greeks in
 the village on the hill have tried to  
poison him4 ,they hired ,nusairy        
,mughlajees to shoot him4 ,they cut down
 his trees at night1 and pulled up his  
plantations of vegetables4 ,they came at
 night and tore up the roof of his      
house1 and shot through at him but did  
not hit him4 ,but the ,mohammedan ,begs 
over there always help him1 because he  
is an honest man1 and aids them in their
 business and accounts4 ,when the       

,greeks began to persecute him1 they    
told him to fire a gun whenever they    
came about his house1 and they would    
come over and fight for him4 ,they even 
offered to go up and burn the ,greek    
village and put an end to these         
persecutions4 ,but ,ishoc would not let 
them4 ,he said1 ,mohammed ,beg1 you know
 ,i am a ,christian1 not like these     
,greeks who lie and steal and kill1 but 
,i follow the words of our ,lord ,jesus 
,christ1 who said1 ',love your enemies1'
 and ,i do not wish to injure one of    
them4 ,the ,begs were astonished at     
this1 and went away1 urging him if there
 were any more trouble at night to fire 
his gun and they would come over from   
,halba at once4  ,i love this good man  
,ishoc4 ,his pure life1 his patience and
 gentleness have preached to these wild 
people in ,akkar1 more than all the     
sermons of the missionaries4  ,would you
 like to see ,im ,hanna make bread for  
our supper8 ,that hole in the ground1   
lined with plaster1 is the oven1 and the

 flames are pouring out4 ,they heat it  
with thorns and thistles4 ,she sits by  
the oven with a flat stone at her side1 
patting the lumps of dough into thin    
cakes like wafers as large as the brim  
of your straw hat4 ,now the fire is     
burning out and the coals are left at   
the bottom of the oven1 as if they were 
in the bottom of a barrel4 ,she takes   
one thin wafer on her hand and sticks it
 on the smooth side of the oven1 and as 
it bakes it curls up1 but before it     
drops off into the coals1 she pulls it  
out quickly and puts another in its     
place4 ,how sweet and fresh the bread   
is6 ,it is made of ,indian corn4 ,she   
calls it khubs dura4 ,ab ,hanna says    
that we must eat supper with them       
to-night4 ,they are plain fellaheen1 and
 have neither tables1 chairs1 knives nor
 forks4 ,they have a few wooden spoons1 
and a few plates4 ,but hungry travellers
 and warm-hearted friendship will make  
the plainest food sweet and pleasant4   
,supper is ready now1 and we will go    

around to ,ab ,hanna's house for he has 
come to tell us that all things are     
ready4 ,the house is one low room1 about
 sixteen by twenty feet4 ,the ceiling   
you see is of logs smoked black and     
shining as if they had been varnished4  
,above the logs are flat stones and     
thorns1 on which earth is piled a foot  
deep4 ,in the winter this earth is      
rolled down with a heavy stone roller to
 keep out the rain4 ,in many of the     
houses the family1 cattle1 sheep1 calves
 and horses sleep in the same room4 ,the
 family sleep in the elevated part of   
the room along the edge of which is a   
trough into which they put the barley   
for the animals4 ,this is the medhwad or
 manger1 such as the infant ,jesus was  
laid in4 ,we will now accept ,im        
,hanna's kind invitation to supper4 ,the
 plates are all on a small tray on a mat
 in the middle of the floor1 and there  
are four piles of bread around the edge4
 ,there is one cup of water for us all  
to drink from1 and each one has a wooden

 spoon4 ,but ,ab ,hanna1 you will see1  
prefers to eat without a spoon4 ,after  
the blessing is asked in ,arabic1 ,ab   
,hanna says1 tefudduloo1 which means    
help yourselves4 ,here is kibby1 and    
camel stew1 and ,esau's pottage1 and    
olives1 and rice1 and figs cooked in    
dibbs1 and chicken boiled to pieces1 and
 white fresh cheese1 and curdled milk1  
and fried eggs4  ,kibby is the ,arab    
plum pudding and mince pie and roast    
beef all in one4 ,it is made by pounding
 meat in a mortar with wheat1 until both
 are mixed into a soft pulp and then    
dressed with nuts and onions and butter1
 and baked or roasted in cakes over the 
fire4 ,dr4 ,thomson thinks that this    
dish is alluded to in ,prov4 #bg3bb1    
,though thou shouldest bray a fool in a 
mortar among wheat with a pestle1 yet   
will not his foolishness depart from    
him4 ,that is1 put the fool into ,im    
,hanna's stone mortar with wheat and    
pound him into kibby1 and he would still
 remain a fool6 ,it takes something     

besides pounding to get the folly out of
 foolish men4  ,you see there are no    
separate plates for us4 ,we all help    
ourselves from the various dishes as we 
prefer4 ,ab ,hanna wants you to try the 
mejeddara1 made of oddis4 ,it is like   
thick pea soup1 but with a peculiar     
flavor4 ,this is what ,jacob made the   
pottage of1 when he tempted ,esau and   
bought his birthright4 ,i hope you will 
like it1 but ,i do not4 ,after seventeen
 years of trying1 ,i am not able to     
enjoy it1 but ,harry will eat all he can
 get1 and the little ,arab children     
revel in it4 ,you make poor work with   
that huge wooden spoon4 ,you had better 
try ,ab ,hanna's way of eating4 ,many   
better men than any of us have eaten in 
that way1 and ,i suppose our ,saviour   
and his disciples ate as ,ab ,hanna     
eats4 ,he tears off a small piece of the
 thin wafer-like bread1 doubles it into 
a kind of three cornered spoon1 dips it 
into the rice1 or picks up a piece of   
kibby with it1 and then eats it down1   

spoon and all6 ,im ,hanna says ,i am    
afraid those little boys do not like our
 food1 so she makes a spoon and dips up 
a nice morsel of the chicken1 and comes 
to you and says minshan khatri1 for my  
sake1 eat this1 and you open your mouth 
and she puts it in4 ,that is the way our
 ,saviour dipped the sop and put it into
 the mouth of ,judas ,iscariot to show  
the disciples which one it was4 ,giving 
the sop was a common act1 and ,i have no
 doubt ,jesus had often given it to     
,john and ,peter and the other          
disciples1 as a kindly act1 when they   
were eating together4  ,im ,hanna is    
fixing the lamp4 ,it is a little earthen
 saucer having a lip on one side1 with  
the wick hanging over4 ,the wick just   
began to smoke and she poured in more   
olive oil1 and it burns brightly again4 
,do you remember what the prophet       
,isaiah 7#db3c7 said1 a bruised reed    
shall he not break1 and smoking flax    
shall he not quench4 ,this is quoted in 
,matt4 #ab of our ,lord ,jesus4 ,the    

word flax means wick4 ,it is fetileh in 
,arabic1 and this is just what ,im      
,hanna has been doing4 ,she saw the wick
 smoking and flickering1 and instead of 
blowing it out and quenching it1 she    
brought the oil flask1 and gently poured
 in the clear olive oil and you saw how 
quickly the flame revived4 ,so our ,lord
 would have us learn from ,him4 ,when   
the flame of our faith and love is      
almost dead and nothing remains but the 
smoking flickering wick1 ,he does not   
quench it1 and deal harshly with us1 but
 he comes in all gentleness and love and
 pours in the oil of ,his grace1 and    
then our faith revives and we live      
again4     ,,part ,,iii4   ,here come   
some little ,bedawin gypsy children4    
,one is laughing at my hat4 ,he never   
saw one before and he calls me ,ab      
,suttle1 the father of a ,pail1 and     
wonders why ,i carry a pail on my head4 
,the people love to use the word ,ab1   
father or ,im1 mother4 ,they call a     
musquito ,ab ,fas1 the father of an axe4

 ,the centipede is ,im ,arba wa         
,arb-ain2 ,the mother of forty-four     
legs4 ,the ,arabic poet ,hariri calls a 
table the father of assembling2 bread1  
the father of pleasantness2 a pie1 the  
mother of joyfulness1 salt1 the father  
of help1 soap the father of softness2   
,death is called by the ,arab poets1    
,father of the ,living1 because all the 
living are subject to him4  ,after      
breakfast we will start for ,safta4 ,you
 see that snow-white dome on the        
hill-top6 and another on the next hill  
under that huge oak tree1 and then      
another and another4 ,these are called  
,nebi or ,ziarat or ,wely4 ,each one    
contains one or more tombs of ,nusairy  
saints or sheikhs1 and the poor women   
visit them and burn lamps and make vows 
to the saints who they think live in    
them4 ,they know nothing of ,christ1 and
 when they feel sad and troubled and    
want comfort they enter the little room 
under the white dome1 and there they    
call1 ,o ,jafar et ,tyyar hear me6 ,o   

,sheikh ,hassan hear me6  ,this is just 
as the old ,canaanite women used to go  
up and worship on every high hill1 and  
under every green tree1 thousands of    
years ago1 and these poor ,nusairyeh are
 thought to be the descendants of the   
old ,canaanites4  ,here come men on     
horseback to visit that ziyara4 ,up they
 go to the little room with the white   
dome1 and all dismount4 ,the old sheikh 
who has charge1 comes out to meet them4 
,they are pilgrims and have to make vows
 and bring offerings4 ,one had a sick   
son and he once vowed that if his son   
got well he would bring a sheep and a   
bushel of wheat as an offering to this  
shrine4 ,so there is the sheep on one of
 the horses1 and that mule is bringing  
the wheat4 ,if the old sheikh has many  
such visitors he will grow rich4 ,some  
of them do4 ,and yet the people laugh at
 these holy places1 and tell some       
strange stories about them4 ,one of the 
stories is as follows3--  ,once upon a  
time there was a great ,sheikh ,ali1 a  

holy man1 who kept a holy tomb of an    
ancient prophet4 ,the tomb was on a hill
 under a big oak tree1 and the white    
dome could be seen for miles around4    
,lamps were kept burning day and night  
in the tomb1 and if any one extinguished
 them1 they were miraculously lighted   
again4 ,men with sore eyes came to visit
 it and were cured4 ,the earth around   
the tomb was carried off to be used as  
medicine4 ,women came and tied old rags 
on the limbs of the tree1 as vows to the
 wonderful prophet4 ,nobody knew the    
name of the prophet1 but the tomb was   
called ,kobr en ,nebi1 or tomb of the   
prophet4 ,a green cloth was spread over 
the tomb under the dome1 and incense was
 sold by the sheikh to those who wished 
to heal their sick1 or drive out evil   
spirits from their houses4 ,pilgrims    
came from afar to visit the holy place1 
and its fame extended over all the land4
 ,sheikh ,ali was becoming a rich man1  
and all the pilgrims kissed his hand and
 begged his blessing4 ,now ,sheikh ,ali 

had a faithful servant named ,mohammed1 
who had served him long and well4 ,but  
,mohammed was weary of living in one    
place1 and asked permission to go and   
seek his fortune in distant parts4 ,so  
,sheikh ,ali gave him his blessing and  
presented him with a donkey1 which he   
had for many years1 that he might ride  
when tired of walking4 ,then ,mohammed  
set out on his journey4 ,he went through
 cities and towns and villages1 and at  
last came out on the mountains east of  
the ,jordan in a desert place4 ,no      
village or house was in sight and night 
came on4 ,tired1 hungry and discouraged 
poor ,mohammed lay down by his donkey on
 a great pile of stones and fell asleep4
 ,in the morning he awoke1 and alas his 
donkey was dead4 ,he was in despair1 but
 his kindly nature would not let the    
poor brute lie there to be devoured by  
jackals and vultures1 so he piled a     
mound of stones over its body and sat   
down to weep4  ,while he was weeping1 a 
wealthy ,hajji or pilgrim came along1 on

 his return from ,mecca4 ,he was        
surprised to see a man alone in this    
wilderness1 and asked him why he was    
weeping8 ,mohammed replied1 ,o ,hajji1  
,i have found the tomb of a holy        
prophet1 and ,i have vowed to be its    
keeper1 but ,i am in great need4 ,the   
,hajji thanked him for the news1 and    
dismounted to visit the holy place1 and 
gave ,mohammed a rich present4 ,after he
 had gone ,mohammed hastened to the     
nearest village and bought provisions   
and then returned to his holy prophet's 
tomb4 ,the ,hajji spread the news1 and  
pilgrims thronged to the spot with rich 
presents and offerings4 ,as money came  
in ,mohammed brought masons and built a 
costly tomb with a tall white dome that 
could be seen across the ,jordan4 ,he   
lived in a little room by the tomb1 and 
soon the miraculous lights began to     
appear in the tomb at night1 which      
,mohammed had kindled when no one was   
near4 ,he increased in fame and wealth1 
and the ,prophet's tomb became one of   

the great shrines of the land4  ,at     
length ,sheikh ,ali heard of the fame of
 the new holy place in the desert1 and  
as his own visitors began to fall off1  
decided to go himself and gain the merit
 of a visit to the tomb of that famous  
prophet4 ,when he arrived there with his
 rich presents of green cloth1 incense  
and money1 he bowed in silence to pray  
towards ,mecca1 when suddenly he        
recognized in the holy keeper of the    
tomb1 his old servant ,mohammed4 ,salam 
alaykoom said ,sheikh ,ali4 ,alaykoom es
 ,salam1 replied ,mohammed4 ,when he    
asked him how he came here1 and how he  
found this tomb1 ,mohammed replied1 this
 tomb is a great sirr or mystery1 and ,i
 am forbidden to utter the secret4 ,but 
you must tell me1 said ,sheikh ,ali1 for
 ,i am a father to you4 ,mohammed       
refused and ,ali insisted1 until at     
length ,mohammed said1 my honored       
,sheikh1 you remember having given me a 
donkey4 ,it was a faithful donkey1 and  
when it died ,i buried it4 ,this is the 

tomb of that donkey6 ,mashallah6        
,mashallah6 said ,sheikh ,ali4 ,the will
 of ,allah be done6 ,then they ate and  
drank together1 and renewed the memory  
of their former life1 and then ,sheikh  
,mohammed said to ,sheikh ,ali1 ,my     
master1 as ,i have told you the 'sirr'  
of my prophet's tomb1 ,i wish to know   
the secret of yours4 ,impossible1 said  
,ali1 for that is one of the ancient    
mysteries1 too sacred to be mentioned by
 mortal lips4 ,but you must tell me1    
even as ,i have told you4 ,at length the
 old ,sheikh ,ali stroked his snowy     
beard1 adjusted his white turban1 and   
whispered to ,mohammed1 and my holy     
place is the tomb of that donkey's      
father6 ,mashallah1 said ,mohammed1 may 
,allah bless the beard of the holy      
donkeys6  ,the people tell this story1  
which shows1 that they ridicule and     
despise their holy places1 and yet are  
too superstitious to give them up4 ,the 
great thing with the sheiks who keep    
them is the piastres they make from the 

visitors4  ,as we go up the hill to     
,safita1 you see the tall1 beautiful    
,burj1 or ,crusader's tower1 built as   
were many of the castles and towers     
whose ruins you see on the hills about  
here1 by the ,french and ,english eight 
hundred years ago1 to keep down the wild
 and rebellious people4 ,the ,protestant
 ,church is at the east4 ,these are two 
watch towers4 ,one was built for        
warriors who fought with sword and      
spear1 and the other for the simple     
warfare of the gospel4 ,you may depend  
upon it1 we shall have a welcome here4  
,it is nearly sunset1 and the people are
 coming in from their fields and        
pastures and vineyards4 ,dad and        
,nicola1 and ,michaiel1 ,soleyman1      
,ibrahim1 and ,yusef1 ,miriam1 ,raheel  
and ,nejmy and crowds of others with a  
throng of little ragged boys and girls1 
come running to greet us4 ,praise ,god  
we have seen you in peace6 ,ehelan wa   
,sehelan1 ,welcome and ,welcome6 ,be    
preferred6 ,honor us with your presence6

 ,how is your state8 ,inshullah you are 
all well6 ,how are those you left       
behind8 ,how are the preserved of ,god8 
,i hope you are not wearied with the    
long ride1 this hot day8 ,from whence   
have you come1 in peace8 ,what happy day
 is this to ,safita6 and we answer as   
fast as we can1 and dismount and pitch  
the tent in front of the church door1 in
 the little plot of ground next to the  
houses of some of the brethren4 ,the    
church is built of cream colored        
limestone1 the same color as the great  
,burj1 and contrasts strongly with the  
houses of the people4 ,did you ever see 
such houses8 ,they are hardly high      
enough to stand up in1 and are built of 
roundish boulders of black trap-rock1   
without lime1 and look as if the least  
jar would tumble them all down4 ,each   
house has but one room1 and here the    
cattle1 goats and donkeys all sleep in  
the same room4 ,the people are poorer   
than any fellaheen 7peasants7 you ever  
saw4 ,there is not a chair or table in  

the village1 unless the ,beshoor family 
have them4 ,they are the only wealthy   
people here1 and in years past they have
 oppressed the ,protestants in the most 
cruel manner4 ,beshoor had a lawsuit    
with the people about the land of the   
village4 ,it belonged to them1 and he   
wanted it4 ,so he brought ,government   
horsemen and drove them off their lands 
and took the crops himself4 ,they       
thought they would try a new way to get 
justice4 ,the ,government officials were
 all bribed1 so there was no hope there4
 ,so they decided to turn ,protestants  
and get aid in that way4 ,they did not  
know what the ,protestant religion was1 
but had some idea that it would help    
them4 ,down they went to ,tripoli to the
 missionaries with a list of three      
hundred persons who wanted to become    
,angliz or ,protestants4 ,the people    
sometimes call us ,angliz1 or ,english1 
others call us ,boostrant or ,brostant1 
but the common name is ,injiliyeen or   
people of the ,enjeel1 or ,evangel1 that

 is1 the ,evangelicals4  ,dr4 ,post and 
your ,uncle ,samuel came up to ,safita  
to look into the matter4 ,they found the
 people grossly ignorant and living like
 cattle1 calling themselves ,protestants
 and knowing nothing of the gospel4 ,so 
they sent a teacher and began to teach  
them4 ,when the people found that the   
missionaries did not come to distribute 
money1 some of them went back to the    
,greeks4 ,but others said no2 this new  
religion is more than we expected4 ,the 
more we hear1 the more we like it4 ,we  
shall live and die ,protestants4 ,then  
,beit ,beshoor became alarmed4 ,they    
said1 if this people get a school1 have 
a teacher1 and read the ,bible1 we      
cannot oppress them4 ,they must be kept 
down in ignorance4 ,so they began in    
earnest4 ,the ,protestants were arrested
 and dragged off to ,duraikish to       
prison4 ,women and children were beaten4
 ,brutal horsemen were quartered on     
their houses4 ,that means1 that a rough 
fellow1 armed with pistols and a sword  

came to the house of ,ab ,asaad1 and    
stayed two weeks4 ,he made them cook    
chickens1 and bring eggs and bread and  
everything he wanted every day1 and     
bring barley for his horse4 ,the poor   
man had no barley and had to buy1 and   
the ,greeks would make him pay double   
price for it4 ,when he could get no more
 he was beaten and his wife insulted1   
and so it was in almost every           
,protestant house4 ,they began to love  
the ,gospel1 and the men who knew how to
 read1 would meet to read and pray      
together4 ,one evening1 all the         
,protestants met together in one of the 
houses4 ,their sufferings were very     
great4 ,their winter stores had been    
plundered1 their olives gathered by     
,beit ,beshoor1 and they talked and     
prayed over their trouble4 ,it was a    
dark1 cold1 rainy night1 and the wind   
blew a gale4 ,while they were talking   
together1 a man came rushing in crying1 
run for your lives6 the horsemen are    
here6 ,before they could get out1 a     

squad of wild looking wretches were at  
the door4 ,the men fled1 carrying the   
larger children and the women carrying  
the babies1 and off they went into the  
wilderness in the storm and darkness4   
,some women were seized and tied by     
ropes around their waists1 to the       
horsemen1 and marched off for miles to  
prison4 ,the men who were caught were   
put in chains4 ,some time later they got
 back home again4 ,but they would not   
give up the ,gospel4 ,beshoor sent men  
who told them they could have peace if  
they would only go back to the ,greek   
,church4 ,but he offered peace quite too
 late4 ,they had now learned to love the
 ,gospel1 and it was worth more to them 
than all the world beside4 ,one night   
they were assembled in a little low     
black house1 when some men came to the  
door and threw in burning bundles of    
straw and then shut the door1 so that   
they were almost stifled with the smoke4
 ,they sent a messenger to ,beirt4 ,the 
case was laid before the ,pasha1 and he 

telegraphed to have the ,protestants let
 alone4 ,but ,beshoor cared for nothing4
 ,a ,nusairy was hired to shoot ,ab     
,asaad1 the leading ,protestant4 ,his   
house was visited in the daytime1 and   
the man saw where ,ab ,asaad's bed was  
placed4 ,in the night he came stealthily
 upon the roof1 dug a hole through1 and 
fired three bullets at the spot4 ,but   
see how ,god protects his people6 ,that 
evening ,ab ,asaad said to his wife2 the
 floor is getting damp in the corner1   
let us remove the bed and mat to the    
other side4 ,they did so1 and when the  
man fired1 the bullets went into the    
ground just where ,ab ,asaad had slept  
the night before6 ,he ran out and saw   
the assassins and recognized one of them
 as the servant of ,beshoor's son4 ,the 
next day he complained to the           
,government and they refused to hear him
 because he did not bring witnesses6    
,but the poor people would not give up4 
,every day they went to their fields1   
carrying their ,testaments in their     

girdles and at noontime would read and  
find comfort4 ,their children were half 
naked and half starved4 ,when word      
reached ,beirt1 the native ,protestant  
women met together and collected several
 hundred piastres 7a piastre is four    
cents7 for the women and girls of       
,safita4 ,they made up a bale of        
clothing1 and sent with it a very       
touching and kind letter1 telling their 
poor persecuted sisters to bear their   
trials in patience1 and put all their   
trust in the ,lord ,jesus4 ,that aid1   
together with the contributions made by 
the missionaries and others in ,beirt1  
gave them some relief1 and the kind     
words of sympathy strengthened their    
hearts4 ,the school was kept up amid all
 these troubles4 ,one of the boys was   
taught in ,abeih ,seminary1 and two of  
the girls were sent to the ,beirt       
,female ,seminary4  ,you would have been
 amused to see those girls when they    
first reached ,beirt4 ,they walked      
barefoot from ,safita down to ,tripoli1 

about forty miles1 and then ,uncle ,s4  
took them on to ,beirt4 ,he bought shoes
 for them1 and hired two little donkeys 
for them to ride1 but they preferred to 
walk a part of the way1 and would carry 
their shoes in their hands and run along
 the sandy beach in the surf1 far ahead 
of the animals4 ,i rode out to meet     
them1 and they were a sorry sight to    
see4 ,uncle ,s4 rode a forlorn-looking  
horse1 and two ragged men from ,safita  
walked by his side1 followed by two     
ragged fat-faced girls riding on little 
donkeys4 ,the girls were almost         
bewildered at the city sights and       
scenes4 ,soon we met a carriage1 and    
they were so frightened that they turned
 pale1 and their donkeys were almost    
paralyzed with fear4 ,one of the little 
girls1 when asked if she knew what that 
was1 said it was a mill walking4  ,the  
first few days in school they were so   
homesick for ,safita that they ran away 
several times4 ,they could not bear to  
be washed and combed and sent to the    

,turkish bath1 but wanted to come back  
here among the goats and calves and     
donkeys4 ,one night they went to their  
room and cried aloud4 ,rufka1 the       
teacher1 asked them what they wanted8   
,they said1 pointing to the white beds1 
,we don't like these white things to    
sleep on4 ,we don't want to stay here4  
,there are no calves and donkeys1 and   
the room is so light and cold6 ,the     
people here in ,safita think that the   
cattle help to keep the room warm4 ,in  
the daytime they complained of being    
tired of sitting on the seats to study1 
and wished to stand up and rest4 ,one   
was #aa and the other #ab years old1 and
 that was in #ahfe4  ,one of them1      
,raheel1 fell sick after a time1 and was
 much troubled about her sins4 ,her     
teacher ,sara1 who slept near her1      
overheard her praying and saying1 ,oh   
,lord ,jesus1 do give me a new heart6 ,i
 am a poor sinner4 ,do you suppose that 
because ,i am from ,safita1 you cannot  
give me a new heart8 ,o ,lord1 ,i know  

you can4 ,do have mercy on me6  ,who are
 those clean and well dressed persons   
coming out of the church8 ,our dear     
brother ,yusef ,ahtiyeh1 the native     
preacher1 and his wife ,hadla1 and      
,miriam1 the teacher of the girls'      
school4 ,yusef is one of the most       
refined and lovely young men in ,syria4 
,what a clear eye he has1 and what a    
pleasant face6 ,he too has borne much   
for his ,master4 ,in #ahfe1 when he left
 the ,greek ,church1 he was living with 
his brother in ,beirt4 ,his brother     
turned him out of the house at night1   
with neither bed nor clothing4 ,he came 
to my house and staid with me some time4
 ,he said it was hard to be driven out  
by his brother and mother1 but he could 
bear anything for ,christ's sake4 ,said 
he1 ,i can bear cursing and beating and 
the loss of property4 ,but my mother is 
weeping and wailing over me4 ,she thinks
 ,i am a heretic and am lost forever4   
,oh1 it is hard to bear1 the            
'persecution of tears6' ,but the ,lord  

gave him grace to bear it1 and he is now
 the happy spiritual guide of this large
 ,protestant community1 and the ,nusairy
 ,sheikhs look up to him with respect1  
while that persecuting brother of his is
 poverty-stricken and sick1 and can     
hardly get bread for his children4      
,miriam1 the teacher1 is a heroine4 ,her
 parents were ,greeks1 but sent her to  
school to learn to read4 ,she learned in
 a short time to read the ,new          
,testament1 and to love it1 and to keep 
the ,sabbath day holy4 ,the keeping of  
the ,sabbath was something new in       
,safita4 ,the ,nusairyeh have no holy   
day at all1 and the ,greeks have so many
 that they keep none of them4 ,they work
 and buy and sell and travel on the     
,sabbath as on other days1 and think far
 more of certain saint's days than of   
the ,sabbath4 ,when ,miriam was only    
seven years old1 her father said to her 
one ,sabbath morning1 go with me to the 
hursh 7forest7 to get a donkey load of  
wood4 ,she replied1 my father1 ,i cannot

 go1 it is not right1 for it is ,god's  
day4 ,the father went without her1 and  
while cutting wood1 his donkey strayed  
away1 and he had to search through the  
mountains for hours1 so that he did not 
reach home until twelve o'clock at      
night1 and then without any wood4 ,he   
said he should not go for wood on       
,sunday any more4  ,but a few ,sundays  
after1 it was the olive season1 and     
,miriam's mother told her to go out with
 the women and girls to gather olives4  
,they had been at work during the week1 
and the mother thought ,miriam ought to 
go on ,sunday with the rest4 ,but       
,miriam said1 don't you remember        
father's losing the donkey1 and what he 
said about it8 ,i cannot go4 ,then1 said
 her mother1 if you will not work1 you  
shall not eat4 ,very well1 ya imme1 ,i  
will not eat4 ,if ,i keep the ,lord's   
day1 ,he will keep me4 ,away went the   
mother to the olive orchard1 and ,miriam
 went to the preaching and the ,sunday  
,school4 ,at evening1 when the family   

all came home1 ,miriam read in her ,new 
,testament and went to bed without her  
supper4 ,the next morning she said1     
,mother1 now ,i am ready to gather      
olives4 ,didn't ,i tell you the ,lord   
would keep me8  ,after this ,miriam's   
father became a ,protestant1 and allowed
 the missionaries to send her to the    
,seminary in ,sidon1 where she was the  
best girl in the school4 ,when she went 
home in the vacation in #ahfi1 new      
persecutions were stirred up against the
 ,protestants4 ,the ,greek ,bishop1 with
 a crowd of priests and a body of armed 
horsemen1 came to the village1 to compel
 all the ,protestants to turn back to   
the old religion4 ,the armed men went to
 the ,protestant houses and seized men  
and women and dragged them to the great 
,burj1 in which is the ,greek church4   
,miriam's father and mother were greatly
 terrified and went back with them to   
the ,greeks4 ,they then called for      
,miriam4 ,never1 said she to the        
,bishop1 ,i will never worship pictures 

and pray to saints again4 ,you may cut  
me in pieces1 but ,i will not stir one  
step with them4 ,the old ,bishop turned 
back1 and left her to herself4 ,near by 
was a man named ,ab ,isbir1 who was so  
frightened that he said1 yes1 ,i will go
 back1 don't strike me6 ,but his wife1  
,im ,isbir1 was not willing to give up4 
,she rebuked her husband and took hold  
of his arm1 and actually dragged him    
back to his house1 to save him the shame
 of having denied the ,gospel4 ,he stood
 firm1 and afterwards united with the   
,church4  ,here comes ,im ,isbir4 ,poor 
woman1 she is a widow now4 ,her husband 
died and left her with these little     
children1 and last night her valuable   
cow died1 and she is in great distress4 
,yusef1 the preacher1 says she is the   
most needy person in ,safita4 ,you would
 think so from the ragged appearance of 
the children4 ,they are like the        
children in ,eastern ,turkey1 whom ,mr4 
,williams of ,mardin used to describe1  
whose garments were so ragged and       

tattered that there was hardly cloth    
enough to make borders for the holes6   
,they dig up roots in the fields for    
food1 and now and then the neighbors    
give them a little of their coarse corn 
bread4 ,the ,greeks tell her to turn    
back to them and they will help her1 but
 she says1 when one has found the light1
 can she turn back into the darkness    
again8 ,yusef wishes us to walk in and  
sit down1 as the people are anxious to  
see us4 ,he lives in the church from    
necessity4 ,he cannot get a house in the
 village1 excepting these dark          
cavern-like rooms with damp floors1 and 
so the missionaries told him to occupy  
one half of the church room4 ,a curtain 
divides it into two rooms and on ,sunday
 the curtain is drawn1 his things are   
piled up on one side1 and the women and 
girls sit in that part1 while the men   
and boys sit on the other side4 ,all sit
 on mats on the floor4 ,is that cradle  
hanging from the ring in the arch       
between the two rooms1 kept there on    

,sunday8 ,yes1 and when ,i preached here
 last ,june1 ,yusef's baby was swinging 
there during the whole service4 ,one of 
the women kept it swinging gently1 by   
pulling a cord1 which hung down from it4
 ,it did not disturb the meeting at all4
 ,no one noticed it4 ,they have calves  
and cows1 donkeys and goats in their own
 houses at night1 and sleep sweetly     
enough1 so that the swinging of a       
hanging cradle in the inside of the     
church is not thought to be at all      
improper4  ,do you see that shelf on the
 wall8 ,it reminds me of a little girl  
named ,miriam who once came to your     
,aunt ,annie in ,deir ,mimas to ask     
about the ,sidon school1 whither she was
 going in a few weeks4 ,she told ,miriam
 that she would have to be thoroughly   
washed and combed every day1 and would  
sleep on a bedstead4 ,then ,miriam asked
 permission to see a bedstead1 as she   
did not know what it could be4 ,the next
 night1 about midnight1 ,miriam's mother
 heard something drop heavily on the    

floor1 and then a child crying4 ,she    
went across the room1 and there was     
,miriam sitting on the mat4 ,what is the
 matter1 ,miriam8 she asked4 ,miriam    
said1 mother1 the ,sit told me ,i was to
 sleep on a bedstead in ,sidon school1  
and ,i thought ,i would practice        
beforehand1 so ,i tried to sleep on the 
shelf1 and tumbled off in my sleep6  ,ab
 ,asaad says the ,nusairy ,sheikh who   
was arrested some months ago has been   
poisoned4 ,poisoning used to be very    
common in ,syria4 ,if we should call at 
the house of a ,nusairy1 and he brought 
coffee for us to drink1 he would take a 
sip himself out of the cup before giving
 it to us1 to show that it was not      
poisoned4 ,once ,uncle ,s4 and ,aunt ,a4
 were invited out to dine in ,hums at   
the house of the deacon of the church4  
,his mother is an ignorant woman1 and   
had often threatened to kill him4 ,when 
they had eaten1 they suddenly were taken
 ill1 and suffered much from the effects
 of it4 ,it was found that the mother   

had put poison into the food1 intending 
to kill her son1 the missionaries1 and  
the other invited guests1 but through   
the mercy of ,god none of them were     
seriously injured4  ,michaiel says that 
they have only half a crop of corn this 
year1 as the locusts devoured the other 
half in the spring4 ,you remember ,i    
sent you some locusts' wings once1 in a 
letter4 ,when they appear in the land1  
the ,pashas and ,mudirs and ,kaimakams  
give orders to the people to go out and 
gather the eggs of the locusts as soon  
as they begin to settle down to bury    
themselves in the earth4 ,the body of   
the female locust is like the spawn of a
 fish1 filled with one mass of eggs4    
,each man is obliged to bring so many   
ounces of these eggs to the ,pasha and  
have them weighed and then burned4 ,a   
tailor of ,beirt brought a bag of them1 
and as it was late1 put them in his shop
 for the night and went home4 ,he was   
unwell for a few days and when he went  
to his shop again1 opened the door1 and 

thousands of little black hopping       
creatures1 like imps1 came like a cloud 
into his face4 ,they had hatched out in 
his absence4  ,this is a fearful land   
for lying2 in these mountains around us1
 you cannot depend on a word you hear4  
,the people say that in the beginning of
 the world1 ,satan came down to the     
earth with seven bags of lies1 which he 
intended to distribute in the seven     
kingdoms of the earth4 ,the first night 
after he reached the earth he slept in  
,syria1 and opened one of the bags1     
letting the lies loose in the land4 ,but
 while he was asleep1 some one came and 
opened all the other bags6 so that      
,syria got more than her share6  ,an old
 man in ,beirt once said1 ,sir1 you must
 be careful what you believe1 and whom  
you trust in this country4 ,if there are
 twenty-four inches of hypocrisy in the 
world1 twenty-three are in ,syria4 ,this
 man was a native of great experience4  
,i think he was rather severe on his    
countrymen4 ,yet the people have had a  

hard training4 ,the ,nusairyeh all lie4 
,they do not even pretend to tell the   
truth4 ,the ,druze religion teaches the 
people that it is right to lie to all   
except ,druzes4 ,the ,moslems are better
 than either of these two classes1 but  
they lie without a blush1 and you must  
be very careful how you believe them4   
,among the ,maronite and ,greek sects1  
their priests tell the people that they 
can forgive sins4 ,when a man lies or   
steals or does anything else that is    
wicked1 he pays a few piastres to the   
priest1 who gives him what they call    
absolution or forgiveness4 ,so the      
people can do what they please without  
fear1 as the priest is ready to forgive 
them for money4 ,these sects call       
themselves ,christian1 but there is very
 little of ,christianity among them4 ,a 
,greek in ,tripoli once told me that    
there was not a man in the ,greek church
 in ,tripoli who would not lie1         
excepting one of the priests4  ,leaving 
,safita1 we will go back on a different 

road1 crossing directly to the          
sea-shore1 and then along the coast to  
,tripoli4 ,here is a little abject      
village1 and the people look as abject  
as the village4 ,their neighbors laugh  
at them for their stupidity1 and tell   
the following story3 ,they have no wells
 in the village1 and the little fountain
 is not sufficient for their cattle1 so 
they water them from the ,ramet or pool1
 which is filled by the rains and lasts 
nearly all summer4 ,one year the water  
in the ,ramet began to fail1 and there  
was a quarrel between the two quarters  
of the village1 as to which part should 
have the first right to the water4      
,finally they decided to divide the pool
 into two parts1 by making a fence of   
poles across the middle of it4 ,this    
worked very well4 ,one part watered     
their cattle on one side and the other  
part on the other side4 ,but one night  
there was a great riot in the village4  
,some of the men from the north side saw
 a south-sider dipping up water from the

 north side and pouring it over the     
fence into the other part of the pool4  
,of course this made no difference1 as  
the fence was nothing but open lattice  
work1 but the people were too stupid to 
see that1 so they fought and bruised one
 another for a long time4  ,in another  
village1 ,aaleih1 near ,beirt1 the      
people were formerly so stupid that the 
,arabs say that once when the clouds    
came up the mountains and settled like a
 bank of fog under the cliff on which   
their village is built1 they thought it 
was the sea1 and went to fish in the    
clouds6  ,so you see the ,syrians are as
 fond of humorous stories as other      
people4     ,,part ,,iv4   ,but here we 
are coming upon a gypsy camp4 ,the      
,arabs call them ,nowar1 and you will   
find that the ,arab women of the        
villages are careful to keep an eye on  
their little children when the gypsies  
are around4 ,they often steal children  
in the towns and cities1 when they can  
find them straying away from home at    

dusk1 and then sell them as servants in 
,moslem families4 ,last year we were all
 greatly interested in a story of this  
kind1 which ,i know you will be glad to 
hear4  ,after the terrible massacre in  
,damascus in #ahfj1 thousands of the    
,greek and ,greek ,catholic families    
migrated to ,beirt1 and among them was a
 man named ,khalil ,ferah1 who escaped  
the fire and sword with his wife and his
 little daughter ,zahidy4 ,i remember   
well how we were startled one evening in
 #ahfb1 by hearing a crier going through
 the streets1 child lost6 girl lost6    
,the next day he came around again1     
child lost6 ,there was great excitement 
about it4 ,the poor father and mother   
went almost frantic4 ,little ,zahidy1   
who was then about six years old1 was   
coming home from school with other girls
 in the afternoon1 and they said a man  
came along with a sack on his back1 and 
told ,zahidy that her mother had sent   
him to buy her some sugar plums and then
 take her home1 and she went away with  

him4 ,it is supposed that he decoyed her
 away to some by-road and then put her  
into the great sack1 and carried her off
 to the ,arabs or the gypsies4  ,the    
poor father left no means untried to    
find her4 ,he wrote to ,damascus1       
,alexandria1 and ,aleppo1 describing the
 child and begged his friends everywhere
 to watch for her1 and send him word if 
they found her4 ,there was one mark on  
the child1 which1 he said1 would be     
certain to distinguish her4 ,when she   
was a baby1 and nursing at her mother's 
breast1 her mother upset a little cup of
 scalding hot coffee upon the child's   
breast1 which burned it to a blister1   
leaving a scar which could not be       
removed4 ,this sign the father          
described1 and his friends aided him in 
trying to find the little girl4 ,they   
went to the encampments of the gypsies  
and looked at all the children1 but all 
in vain4 ,the father journeyed by land  
and by sea4 ,hearing of a little girl in
 ,aleppo who could not give an account  

of herself1 he went there1 but it was   
not his child4 ,then he went to         
,damascus and ,alexandria1 and at length
 hearing that a ,french ,countess in    
,marseilles had a little ,syrian orphan 
girl whose parents were not known1 he   
sent to ,marseilles and examined the    
girl1 but she was not his child4 ,months
 and years passed on1 but the father    
never ceased to speak and think of that 
little lost girl4 ,the mother too was   
almost distracted4  ,at length light    
came4 ,nine years had passed away1 and  
the ,beirt people had almost forgotten  
the story of the lost ,damascene girl4  
,your uncle ,s4 and your ,aunt ,a4 were 
sitting in their house one day1 in      
,tripoli1 when ,tannoos1 the boy1       
brought word that a man and woman from  
,beirt wished to see them4 ,they came in
 and introduced themselves4 ,they were  
,khalil1 the father of the little lost  
girl1 and his sister1 who had heard that
 ,zahidy was in ,tripoli1 and had come  
to search for her4 ,the mother was not  

able to leave home4  ,it seems that a   
native physician in ,tripoli1 named     
,sheikh ,aiub el ,hashim1 was an old    
friend of the father and had known the  
family and all the circumstances of the 
little girl's disappearance1 and for    
years he had been looking for her4 ,at  
length he was called one day to attend a
 sick servant girl in the family of a   
,moslem named ,syed ,abdullah4 ,the poor
 girl was ill from having been beaten in
 a cruel manner by the ,moslem4 ,her    
face and arms were tattooed in the      
,bedawin style1 and she told him that   
she was a ,bedawin girl1 and had been   
living here for some years1 and her name
 was ,khodra4 ,while examining the      
bruises on her body1 he observed a      
peculiar scar on her breast4 ,he was    
startled4 ,he looked again4 ,it was     
precisely the scar that his friend had  
so often described to him4 ,from her    
age1 her features1 her complexion and   
all1 he felt sure that she was the lost 
child4 ,he said nothing1 but went home  

and wrote all about it to the father in 
,beirt4 ,he hastened to ,tripoli        
bringing his sister1 as he being a man1 
could not be admitted to a ,moslem      
hareem4 ,then the question arose1 how   
should the sister see the girl6 ,they   
came and talked with your uncle1 and    
went to ,yanni and the other ,vice      
,consuls1 and at length they found out  
that the women of that ,moslem family   
were skillful in making silk and gold   
embroidery which they sold4 ,so his     
sister determined to go and order some  
embroidered work1 and see the girl4 ,she
 talked with the ,moslem women1 and with
 their ,bedawy servant girl1 and made   
errands for the women to bring her      
specimens of their work1 improving the  
opportunity to talk with the servant4   
,she saw the scar1 and satisfied herself
 from the striking resemblance of the   
girl to her mother1 that she was the    
long-lost ,zahidy4  ,the father now took
 measures to secure his daughter4 ,the  
,american1 ,prussian1 ,english and      

,french ,vice ,consuls sent a united    
demand to the ,turkish ,pasha1 that the 
girl be brought to court to meet her    
father1 and that the case be tried in   
the ,mejlis1 or ,city ,council4 ,the    
,moslems were now greatly excited4 ,they
 knew that there were not less than     
twenty girls in their families who had  
been stolen in this way1 and if one     
could be reclaimed1 perhaps the rest    
might1 so they resolved to resist4 ,they
 brought ,bedawin ,arabs to be present  
at the trial1 and hired them to swear   
falsely4 ,when the girl was brought in1 
the father was quite overcome4 ,he could
 see the features of his dear child1 but
 she was so disfigured with the ,bedawin
 tattooing and the brutal treatment of  
the ,moslems1 that his heart sank within
 him4 ,yet he examined her1 and took his
 oath that this was his daughter1 and   
demanded that she be given up to him4   
,the ,bedawin men and women were now    
brought in4 ,one swore that he was the  
father of the girl1 and a woman swore   

that she was her mother4 ,then several  
swore that they were her uncles1 but it 
was proved that they were in no way     
related to the one who said he was her  
father4 ,other witnesses were called1   
but they contradicted one another4 ,then
 they asked the girl4 ,poor thing1 she  
had been so long neglected and abused1  
that she had forgotten her father1 and  
the ,moslem women had threatened to kill
 her if she said she was his daughter1  
so she declared she was born among the  
,bedawin1 and was a ,moslem in religion4
 ,money had been given to certain of the
 ,mejlis1 and they finally decided that 
the girl should go to the ,moslem house 
of ,derwish ,effendi to await the final 
decision4  ,the poor father now went to 
the ,consuls4 ,they made out a statement
 of the case and sent it to the ,consuls
 ,general in ,beirt1 who sent a joint   
dispatch to the ,waly of all ,syria1 who
 lives in ,damascus1 demanding that as  
the case could not be fairly tried in   
,tripoli1 the girl be brought to ,beirt 

to be examined by a ,special            
,commission4 ,the ,waly telegraphed at  
once to ,tripoli1 to have the girl sent 
on by the first steamer to ,beirt4 ,the 
,moslem women now told the girl that    
orders had come to have her killed1 and 
that she was to be taken on a steamer as
 if to go to ,beirt1 but that really    
they were going to throw her into the   
sea1 and that if she reached ,beirt     
alive they would cut her up and burn    
her6 ,so the poor child went on the     
steamer in perfect terror1 and she      
reached ,beirt in a state of exhaustion4
 ,when she was rested1 a ,commission was
 formed consisting of the ,moslem ,kadi 
of ,beirt who was acting ,governor1 the 
political ,agent1 ,delenda ,effendi1 the
 ,greek ,catholic ,bishop ,agabius1 the 
,maronite ,priest ,yusef1 and the agent 
of the ,greek ,bishop1 together with all
 the members of the ,executive ,council4
  ,her father1 mother and aunt were now 
brought in and sat near her4 ,she       
refused to recognize them1 and was in   

constant fear of being injured4 ,the    
,kadi then turned to her and said1 do   
not fear1 my child4 ,you are among      
friends4 ,do not be afraid of people who
 have threatened you4 ,no one shall harm
 you4 ,the ,moslem ,kadi1 the ,greek    
,catholic priests1 and others having    
thus spoken kindly to her1 the father   
and mother stated the history of how the
 little girl was lost nine years ago1   
and that she had a scar on her breast4  
,the scar was examined1 and all began to
 feel that she was really their own     
daughter4 ,the girl began to feel more  
calm1 and the ,kadi told her that her   
own mother wanted to ask her a few      
questions4  ,her mother now went up to  
her and said1 ,my child1 don't you      
remember me8 ,she said no ,i do not4    
,don't you remember that your name was  
once ,zahidy1 and ,i used to call you1  
and you lived in a house with a little  
yard1 and flowers before the door1 and  
that you went with the little girls to  
school1 and came home at night1 and that

 one day a man came and offered you     
sugar plums and led you away and carried
 you off to the ,arabs8 ,don't you know 
me1 my own daughter8 ,the poor girl     
trembled2 her lips quivered1 and she    
said1 ,yes1 ,i did have another name4 ,i
 was ,zahidy4 ,i did go with little     
girls4 ,oh1 ya imme6 ,my mother6 you are
 my mother1 and she sprang into her arms
 and wept1 and the mother wept and      
laughed1 and the ,moslem ,kadi and the  
,mufti1 and the priests and the ,bishops
 and the ,effendis and the great crowd  
of spectators wiped their eyes1 and     
bowed their heads1 and there was a great
 silence4  ,after a little the ,kadi    
said1 it is enough4 ,this girl is the   
daughter of ,kahlil ,ferah4 ,sir1 take  
your child1 and ,allah be with you6     
,the father wiped away the tears and    
said1 ,your ,excellency1 you see this   
poor girl all tattooed and disfigured4  
,you see how ignorant and feeble she is4
 ,if she were not my child1 there is    
nothing about her to make me wish to    

take her4 ,but she is my own darling    
child1 and with all her faults and      
infirmities1 ,i love her4 ,the whole    
,council then arose and congratulated   
the father and mother1 and a great crowd
 accompanied them home4 ,throngs of     
people came to see her and congratulate 
the family1 and after a little the girl 
was sent to a boarding school4  ,i can  
hardly think over this story even now   
without tears1 for ,i think how glad ,i 
should have been to get back again a    
child of mine if it had been lost4 ,and 
,i have another thought too about that  
little lost girl4 ,if that father loved 
his daughter so as to search and seek   
for her1 and expend money1 and travel by
 land and sea for years1 in trying to   
find her1 and when at length he found   
her1 so forlorn and wretched and        
degraded1 yet loved her still because   
she was his daughter1 do you not think  
that ,jesus loves us even more8 ,we were
 lost and wretched and forlorn4 ,a worse
 being than ,bedawin gypsies has put his

 mark on our hearts and our natures4 ,we
 have wandered far1 far away4 ,we have  
served the world1 and forgotten our dear
 ,heavenly ,father4 ,we have even       
refused to receive ,him when he has come
 near us4 ,yet ,jesus came to seek and  
to save us4 ,and when he found us so    
degraded and sinful and disfigured1 ,he 
loved us still1 because we are ,his own 
children4 ,don't you think that the     
little lost ,damascene girl was thankful
 when she reached her home1 and was     
loved and kindly treated by father and  
mother and relatives and friends8 ,and  
ought we not to be very thankful when   
,jesus brings us home1 and calls us dear
 children and opens the gate of heaven  
to us8  ,this story of the lost         
,damascene child calls to my mind a     
little song which the ,maronite women in
 ,lebanon sing to their babies as a     
lullaby4 ,the story is that a ,prince's 
daughter was stolen by the ,bedawin     
,arabs1 and carried to their camp4 ,she 
grew up and was married to a ,bedawin   

,sheikh and had a little son4 ,one day a
 party of muleteers came to the camp    
selling grapes1 and she recognized them 
as from her own village4 ,she did not   
dare speak to them1 so she began to sing
 a lullaby to her baby1 and motioned to 
the grape-sellers to come near1 and when
 the ,bedawin were not listening1 she   
would sing them her story in the same   
tone as the lullaby4   ,,the ,,lullaby4 
,sleep1 baby sleep6 a sleep so sweet and
 mild1                  ,sleep1 my ,arab
 boy1 my little ,bedawin child6 ,aside  
to the       ,once ,i was a happy girl1 
grape-sellers      ,the ,prince         
,abdullah's daughter4                   
,playing with the village maids1        
,bringing wood and water4               
,suddenly the ,bedawin                  
,carried me away2                       
,clothed me in the ,aba robe            
,and here they make me stay4            
,sleep1 baby sleep6 a sleep so sweet and
 mild1                  ,sleep1 my ,arab
 boy1 my little ,bedawin child6 ,aside  

,ye sellers of grapes hear what ,i say4 
,i had dressed in satin rich and gay4   
,they took my costly robes away1        
,and dressed me in ,aba coarse and grey4
                      ,i had lived on   
viands costly and rare1                 
,and now raw camel's flesh is my fare4  
,sleep1 baby sleep6 a sleep so sweet and
 mild1                  ,sleep1 my ,arab
 boy1 my little ,bedawin child6 ,aside  
,oh seller of grapes1 ,i beg you hear1  
,go tell my mother and father dear1     
,that you have seen me here to-day4     
,just by the ,church my parents live1   
,the ,bedawin stole me on ,thursday eve4
                      ,let the people   
come and their sister save1             
,let them come with warriors bold and   
brave1                      ,lest ,i die
 of grief and go to my grave4  ,the     
grape-sellers then go home1 and the     
warriors come and rescue her1 and take  
her home4  ,we will stop here a moment  
and make a pencil sketch of this ,arab  
camp1 but we must be very careful not to

 let them see us writing4 ,they have a  
great fear of the art of writing1 a     
superstitious idea that a person who    
writes or sketches in their camp1 is    
writing some charm or incantation to    
bring mischief upon them4 ,i once heard 
of a missionary who went to an ,arab    
village to spend the night4 ,the people 
were all ,maronites1 and grossly        
ignorant4 ,he pitched his tent and sat  
down to rest4 ,presently a crowd of     
rough young men came in and began to    
insult him4 ,they demanded bakhshish1   
and handled his bedding and cooking     
utensils in a very brutal manner1 and   
asked him if he had any weapons4 ,he    
bethought himself of one weapon and     
began to use it4 ,he took out a pencil  
and paper1 and began to make a sketch of
 the ringleader4 ,he looked him steadily
 in the eye1 and then wrote rapidly with
 his pencil4 ,the man began to tremble  
and slowly retreated and finally shouted
 to his companions1 and off they all    
went4 ,shortly after1 they sent a man to

 beg ,mr4 ,l4 not to cut off their      
heads6 ,their priests teach them that   
the ,protestants have the power of      
working magic1 and that they draw a     
man's portrait and take it with them1   
and if the man does anything to         
displease them1 they cut off the head of
 the picture and the man's head drops   
off6 ,mr4 ,l4 sent them word that they  
had better be very careful how they     
behaved4 ,they did not molest him again4
  ,here we are near ,tripoli1 at the    
,convent of the ,sacred ,fish4 ,what a  
beautiful spot6 ,this large high        
building with its snow-white dome1 and  
the great sycamore tree standing by this
 circular pool of crystal water1 make a 
beautiful scene4 ,what a crowd of       
,moslem boys6 ,they have come all the   
way from ,tripoli1 about two miles1 to  
feed the ,sacred ,fish4 ,they are a gay 
looking company1 with their red1 green1 
blue1 yellow1 white and purple clothes1 
and their bright red caps and shoes1 and
 some of them with white turbans4 ,they 

come out on feast days and holidays to  
play on this green lawn and feed the    
fish4 ,the old sheikh who keeps this    
holy place1 has great faith in these    
fish4 ,he says they are all good        
,moslems1 and are inhabited by the souls
 of ,moslem saints1 and there is one    
black fish1 the ,sheikh of the saints1  
who does not often show himself to      
spectators4 ,there are hundreds if not  
thousands of fish1 resembling the dace  
or chubs of ,america4 ,he says that     
during the ,crimean war1 many of the    
older ones went off under the sea to    
,sevastopol and fought the ,russian     
infidels1 and some of them came back    
wounded4 ,the people think that if any  
one eats these fish he will die         
immediately4 ,that ,i know to be false1 
for ,i have tried it4 ,when the         
,american ,consul was here in #ahef1 his
 ,moslem ,kawasses caught several of the
 fish1 and brought them to ,mr4 ,lyons' 
house4 ,we had them cooked and ate them1
 but found them coarse and unpalatable4 

,that was sixteen years ago and we have 
not felt the evil effects yet4  ,this   
poor woman has a sick child1 and has    
come to get the ,sheikh to read the     
,koran over it and cure it4 ,the most of
 the ,syrian doctors are ignorant       
quacks1 and the people have so many     
superstitions that they prefer going to 
saints' tombs rather than call a good   
physician4 ,there is a ,medical ,college
 in ,beirt now1 and before long ,syria  
will have some skilful doctors4 ,i knew 
an old ,egyptian doctor in ,duma named  
,haj ,ibrahim1 who was a conceited      
fellow4 ,he used to bleed for every kind
 of disease4 ,an old man eighty years of
 age was dying of consumption1 and the  
,haj opened a vein and let him bleed to 
death4 ,when the man died1 he said if he
 had only taken a little more blood1 the
 old man would have recovered4 ,i was   
surprised by his coming to me one day   
and asking for some ,american           
newspapers4 ,i supposed he wished them  
to wrap medicines in and gave him       

several ,new ,york ,tribunes4 ,a few    
days after he invited us to eat figs and
 grapes in his vineyard and we stopped  
at his house4 ,he said he was very      
thankful for the papers4 ,they had been 
very useful4 ,i wondered what he meant1 
and asked him4 ,he showed me a jar in   
the corner in which he had dissolved the
 papers into a pulp in oil and water1   
and had given the pulp as medicine to   
the people6 ,he said it was a powerful  
medicine4 ,he supposed that the ,english
 printed letters would have some magic  
influence on diseases4  ,one of the     
,moslem lads carries a short iron spear 
as a sign that he is going to be a      
derwish4 ,dr4 ,de ,forest once found    
himself surrounded in a ,moslem village 
by a troop of little ,moslems1 each of  
them with an iron-headed spear in his   
hand4 ,a ,moorish ,sheikh1 or ,chief1   
had been for some two years teaching the
 ,moslems of the place the customs of   
their holy devotees1 and in consequence 
all the boys had become derwishes1 or   

,moslem monks4 ,he was a shrewd old     
,sheikh4 ,he knew that the true way to  
perpetuate his religion was to teach the
 children4 ,he had taught them the      
,moslem prayers and prostrations1 and to
 keep certain moral precepts4 ,how glad 
we should be if these boys would come   
and sit down by us while we talk to them
 of ,jesus6 ,there they come4 ,see how  
their eyes sparkle1 as ,i speak to them4
 ,they have never heard about the gospel
 before4 ,but ,i must speak in a low    
tone1 as the old ,sheikh is coming and  
he looks down upon us as infidel dogs6  
,perhaps some of them will think of     
these words some day1 and put their     
trust in our ,divine ,saviour4  ,many of
 the people seem to think that the      
missionary's house is like the ,cave of 
,adullam1 where ,david lived1 7#a ,sam4 
xxii3#b7 when every one that was in     
distress1 and every one that was in debt
 and every one that was discontented1   
gathered themselves unto him4 ,it makes 
it very hard to deal with the people1 to

 have so many of them come to us with   
improper motives4 ,they come and say    
they love the gospel and want           
instruction1 and have endured           
persecution1 when suddenly you find that
 they want money1 or to be protected    
from punishment1 or to get office1 or to
 get married to some improper person1 or
 something else that is wrong4  ,once a 
sheikh from ,dunnyeh in ,lebanon came to
 ,tripoli1 and declared himself a       
,protestant4 ,he was very zealous1 and  
wanted us to feel that he was too good a
 man to be turned away1 as he was       
wealthy and of a high family4 ,he was   
armed with a small arsenal of weapons4  
,he had a servant to carry his gun and  
pipe1 and came day after day to read    
books1 and talk on religion4 ,he said   
that all he needed was the protection of
 the ,american ,consul1 and then he     
would make his whole village            
,protestants4 ,we told him we could have
 nothing to do with politics4 ,if he    
wanted to become a ,christian1 he must  

take up his cross and follow ,christ4   
,he said that was just what he wanted to
 do1 only he wished to benefit the cause
 by bringing others to follow ,him4 ,he 
seemed very earnest1 but there was      
something dark and mysterious in his    
ways1 and we were afraid of him4 ,now   
the ,arabs have a proverb1 ,no tree is  
cut down but by one of its own limbs1   
i4e4 the axe handle1 and we thought a   
native only could understand a native1  
so we took the famous convert around to 
see ,yanni4 ,he went into ,yanni's      
office1 and ,mr4 ,l4 and myself sat out 
in the garden under the orange trees4   
,after a few minutes ,yanni called out1 
,come in1 be preferred1 your            
excellencies6 ,i have found it all out4 
,i understand the case4 ,we went in and 
climbed up upon the platform1 next the  
desk in the office4 ,the ,maronite      
candidate for the church sat smiling1 as
 if he thought he would now be received 
at once4 ,yanni went on1 ,i understand  
the case exactly4 ,this man is a son of 

a ,sheikh in ,dunnyeh4 ,he is in a      
deadly quarrel with his father and      
brothers about the property1 and says   
that if we will give him the protection 
of the ,american ,consulate1 he will go 
home1 kill his father and brothers1     
seize all the property1 and then come   
down and join the church1 and live in   
,tripoli6 ,we were astounded1 but the   
brutal fellow turned to us and said1    
yes1 and ,i will then make all the      
village ,protestants1 and if ,i fail1   
then cut my head off6 ,we told him that 
if he did anything of that kind1 we     
would try to get him hung1 and the      
,american ,consulate would have nothing 
to do with him4 ,very well1 said he1 ,i 
have made you a fair offer1 and if you  
don't accept it1 ,i have nothing more to
 say4 ,we rebuked him sharply1 and gave 
him a sermon which he did not relish1   
for he said he was in haste1 and bade us
 a most polite good morning4 ,he was    
what ,i should call an ,adullamite4  ,a 
,greek priest in the village of ,barbara

 once took me aside1 to a retired place 
behind his house1 and told me that he   
had a profound secret to tell me4 ,he   
wished to become a ,protestant and make 
the whole village ,protestant1 but on   
one condition1 that ,i would get him a  
hat1 a coat1 and pantaloons1 put a      
flag-staff on his house1 and have him   
appointed ,american ,consul4 ,i told him
 the matter of the hat1 coat and        
pantaloons he could attend to at but    
slight expense1 but ,i had no right to  
make ,consuls and erect flagstaffs4     
,then he said he could not become       
,protestant4  ,in #ahff1 a man named    
,yusef ,keram rebelled against the      
,government of ,lebanon and was captured
 and exiled4 ,the day he was brought    
into ,beirt1 a tall rough looking       
mountaineer called at my house4 ,he was 
armed with a musket and sword1 besides  
pistols and dirks4 ,after taking a seat1
 he said1 ,i wish to become ,angliz and 
,american4 ,what for1 said ,i4 ,only    
that ,i would be honored with the       

honorable religion4 ,do you know        
anything about it8 ,of course not4 ,how 
should ,i know8 ,don't you know better  
than to follow a religion you know      
nothing about8 ,but ,i can learn4 ,how  
do you know but what we worship the     
devil8 ,no matter4 ,whatever you        
worship1 ,i will worship4 ,i then asked 
him what he came for4 ,he said he was in
 the rebel army1 was captured1 escaped  
and fought again1 and now feared he     
should be shot1 so he wanted to become  
,angliz and ,american4 ,i told him he   
need have no fear1 as the ,pasha had    
granted pardon to all4 ,is that so8     
,yes1 it is4 ,on hearing this he said he
 had business to look after1 and bade me
 good evening4  ,but you will be tired  
of hearing about the ,adullamites4 ,if  
those who came to ,david were like the  
discontented and debtors who come to us1
 he must have been tired too4 ,so many  
suspicious characters come to us1 that  
we frequently ask men1 when they come   
professing great zeal for the gospel1   

whether they have killed anybody1 or    
stolen1 or quarrelled with any one8 ,and
 it is not always easy to find out the  
truth4 ,if fifty men turn ,protestants  
in a village1 perhaps five or ten will  
stand firm1 and the rest go back1 and   
frequently all go back4  ,but the rain  
is coming down and we will hasten to the
 ,meena to ,uncle ,s4's house1 where we 
can rest after this wearisome and hasty 
journey from ,safita4 ,for your sake ,i 
am glad that we took comfortable bedding
 and bedsteads with us4 ,it costs a few 
piastres more to hire a baggage animal1 
but it is cheaper in the end4 ,at one   
time ,i was going on a hard journey1 and
 ,i thought ,i would be economical1 so  
,i took only my horse and a few articles
 in my khurj or saddle bags1 with a     
little boy to show me the road and take 
care of my horse4 ,when ,i reached the  
village1 ,i stopped at the house of a   
man said to be a ,protestant4 ,he lived 
in the most abject style1 and ,i soon   
found by his bad language towards his   

family and his neighbors that he needed 
all the preaching ,i could give him that
 evening4 ,there was only one room in   
the house1 and that was small4 ,by nine 
o'clock the mother and the children had 
lain down on a mat to sleep1 and the    
neighbors who came in were beginning to 
doze4 ,i was very weary with a long ride
 on a hot ,august day1 and asked mine   
host where ,i should lie down to sleep4 
,he led me to a little elevated platform
 on the back side of the room1 where a  
bed was spread for me4 ,the dim oil lamp
 showed me that the bed and covering    
were neither of them clean1 but ,i was  
too weary to spend much time in         
examining them1 and after spreading my  
linen handkerchief over the pillow1 ,i  
tried to sleep4 ,but this could not be  
done4 ,creeping things1 great and small1
 were crawling over me from head to     
foot4 ,there was a hole in the wall near
 my head1 and the bright moonlight      
showed what was going on4 ,fleas1 bugs1 
ants1 7attracted by the bread in my     

khurj17 and more horrible still1 swarms 
of lice covered the bed1 and my         
clothing4 ,i could stand it no longer4  
,gathering up my things1 and walking    
carefully across the floor to keep from 
stepping on the sleeping family1 ,i     
reached the door4 ,but it was fastened  
with an ,arab lock and a huge wooden    
key1 and could only be opened by a      
violent shaking and rattling4 ,this1    
with the creaking of the hinges1 woke up
 my host1 who sprung up to see what was 
the matter4 ,i told him ,i had decided  
to journey on by moonlight4 ,it was then
 one o'clock in the morning1 and on ,i  
rode1 so weary1 that when ,i reached    
,jebaa at ten o'clock1 ,i was obliged to
 go to bed4 ,i did not recover from the 
onset of the vermin for weeks4  ,i have 
known missionaries to travel without    
beds1 tents or bedsteads1 and to spend  
weary days and sleepless nights1 so as  
to be quite unfitted for their great    
work of preaching to the people4 ,if you
 ever grow up to become a missionary1 ,i

 hope you will live as simply as you    
can1 but be careful of your health and  
try to live as long as you can1 for the 
sake of the people you are working for1 
and the ,lord who sends you forth4 ,it  
is not good economy for a missionary to 
become a martyr to studying ,arabic1 or 
to poor food1 or to exhausting modes of 
travelling4 ,one can kill himself in a  
short time1 if he wishes1 on missionary 
ground1 but he could have done that at  
home without the great expense of coming
 here to do it1 and besides1 that is not
 what a missionary goes out for4 ,he    
ought to live as long as he can4 ,he    
should have a dry house1 in a healthy   
location1 good food1 and proper         
conveniences for safe travelling4  ,how 
pleasant it is to hear that sweet toned 
bell6 ,let us climb up to the roof and  
read the inscription on it4 ,from little
 ,sabbath ,school ,children in ,america 
to the ,mission ,church in ,tripoli1    
,syria4 ,it was sent in #ahfb by the    
children in ,fourth ,avenue ,church1    

,new ,york1 and in ,newark1 ,syracuse1  
,owego1 ,montrose and other places4     
,the ,moslems abhor bells4 ,they say    
bells draw together evil spirits4 ,we   
are not able yet to have a bell in      
,hums1 on account of the ,moslem        
opposition4 ,they do not use bells1 but 
have men called ,muezzins stationed on  
the little balconies around the top of  
the tall minarets1 to call out five     
times a day to the people to come to    
prayer4 ,they select men and boys with  
high clear voices1 and at times their   
voices sound very sweetly in the still  
evening4 ,they say1 ,there is no ,god   
but ,god4 ,that is true4 ,then they add1
 and ,mohammed is the ,apostle of ,god1 
and that is not true4 ,as the great     
historian ,gibbon said2 these words     
contain an eternal truth and an eternal 
lie4  ,the ,moslems are obliged to pray 
five times every day1 wherever they may 
be4 ,at home1 in their shops1 in the    
street1 or on a journey1 whenever the   
appointed time arrives1 they fall on    

their knees1 and go through with the    
whole routine of prayers and bodily     
prostrations4 ,one day several ,moslems 
called on us in ,tripoli1 at the eighth 
hour of the day 7about #b o'clock       
,p4,m471 and after they had been sitting
 some time engaged in conversation1 one 
of them arose and said to his           
companions1 ,i must pray44 ,they all    
asked1 ,why8 ,it is not the hour of     
prayer4 ,because1 said he1 when ,i went 
to the mosque at noon to pray1 ,i had an
 ink-spot on my finger nail1 and did not
 perceive it until after ,i came out1   
and hence my prayer was of no account4  
,i have just now scraped it off1 and    
must repeat my noon prayer4 ,so saying1 
he spread his cloak upon the floor1 and 
then kneeling upon it with his face     
towards ,mecca1 commenced his prayers1  
while his companions amused themselves  
by talking about his ceremonial         
strictness4 ,one of them said to me1 ,he
 thinks he is holy1 but if you could see
 the inside of him1 you would find it   

black as pitch6 ,he kept his head turned
 to hear what was being said1 and after 
he had finished1 disputed a remark one  
of them had made while he was praying4  
,such people worship ,god with their    
lips1 while their hearts are far from   
him4  ,moslems have a great horror of   
swine4 ,they think us barbarians to eat 
ham or pork4 ,in ,february1 #ahff1 the  
,moslems of ,beirt were keeping the     
,fast of ,ramadan4 ,for a whole month of
 each year they can eat and drink       
nothing between sunrise and sunset1 and 
they become very cross and irritable4   
,in ,hums1 some ,moslems saw a dog      
eating a bone in ,ramadan1 and killed   
him because he would not keep the fast4 
,they fast all day1 and feast all night4
 ,ramadan is really a great nocturnal   
feast1 but it is hard for the working   
people to wait until night before       
beginning the feast4 ,during that fast  
of #ahff1 a ,maronite fellah came into  
,beirt driving a herd of swine to the   
market4 ,now of all sights in the world1

 the sight of swine is to an orthodox   
,moslem the most intolerable1 and       
especially in the holy month of         
,ramadan4 ,even in ordinary times1 when 
swine enter the city1 the ,moslems      
gather up their robes1 turn their backs 
and shout1 hub hub1 hub hub1 and if the 
hogs do not hasten along1 the hub hub1  
is very apt to become a hubbub4 ,on the 
#bhth of that holy month1 a large herd  
entered ,beirt on the ,damascus road4   
,the ,moslems saw them1 and forthwith a 
crowd of ,moslem young men and boys     
hastened to the fray4 ,a few days       
before1 the ,maronite ,yusef ,keram had 
entered the city amid the rejoicings of 
the ,maronites4 ,these swine1 whom the  
,moslems called ,christian ,khanzir1    
should meet a different reception4      
,their wrath overcame their prejudice4  
,the ,maronite swine-drivers were       
dispersed and the whole herd were driven
 on the run up the ,assur with shouts of
 derision1 and pelted with stones and   
clubs4 ,you khanzir1 you ,maronite1 you 

,keram1 out with you6 and the air rang  
with shouts mingled with squeals and    
grunts4 ,i saw the crowd coming4 ,it    
gathered strength as it approached ,bab 
,yakoob1 where the white turbaned       
faithful rose from their shops and      
stables to join in the persecution of   
the stampeding porkers4 ,may ,allah cut 
off their days6 ,curses on their        
grandfather's beard6 ,curses on the     
father of their owner6 ,hub hub6 ,allah 
deliver us from their contamination6    
were the cries of the crowd as they     
rushed along4 ,the little boys were     
laughing and having a good time1 and the
 men were breathing out wrath and       
tobacco smoke4 ,alas1 for the poor      
swine6 ,what became of them ,i could not
 tell1 but the last ,i saw1 was the     
infuriated crowd driving them into the  
,khan of ,muhayeddin near by1 where one 
knows not what may have happened to     
them4 ,i hope they did not steal the    
pork and eat it on the sly1 as the      
,bedawin did at ,mt4 ,sinai1 who threw  

away the hams the travellers were       
carrying for provisions1 and declared   
that their camels should not be defiled 
with the unclean beast6 ,the travellers 
were very indignant at such a loss1 but 
thought it was too bad to injure the    
feelings of the devout ,moslems1 and    
said no more4 ,what was their horror and
 wrath to hear the next night that the  
,bedawin were seen cooking and eating   
their hams at midnight1 when they       
thought no one would see them6  ,do the 
,syrian people all smoke8 ,almost all of
 them4 ,they speak of it as drinking a  
pipe1 drinking a cigar1 and you would   
think that they look upon tobacco as    
being as necessary to them as water4    
,old and young men1 women and even      
children smoke1 smoke while they work or
 rest1 while at home or journeying1 and 
measure distances by their pipes4 ,i was
 travelling1 and asked a man how far it 
was to the next village4 ,he said about 
two pipes of tobacco distant6 ,i found  
it to be nearly an hour1 or three miles4

 ,the ,orientals spend so much time in  
smoking1 that some one has said the     
,moslems came into power with the ,koran
 in one hand1 and the sword in the      
other1 but will go out with the ,koran  
in one hand and the pipe in the other6  
,here we are on the sandy beach4 ,what  
myriads of sea shells1 and what         
beautiful colors they have4 ,and here   
are sponges without number1 but they are
 worthless4 ,there on the sea are the   
little sloops of the sponge fishers4    
,they are there through the whole summer
 and the fishers dive down into the sea 
where the water is from #ajj to #bjj    
feet deep1 and walk around on the bottom
 holding their breath1 and when they can
 bear it no longer pull the cord which  
is tied around the waist1 and then their
 companions draw them up4 ,they do not  
live long1 as it is very hard and       
unnatural labor4 ,sometimes they are    
killed by sharks or other sea monsters4 
,one of them told me that he was once on
 the bottom1 and just about to pick up a

 beautiful white sponge1 when he saw a  
great monster with huge claws and arms  
and enormous eyes coming towards him1   
and he barely escaped being devoured4   
,at another time1 the men in the boat   
felt a sudden jerk on the rope and      
pulled in1 when they found only the     
man's head1 arms and chest on it1 the   
rest of his body having been devoured by
 some great fish or sea animal4 ,the    
sponges grow on rocks1 pebbles or       
shells1 and some of them are of great   
value4 ,it is difficult to get the best 
ones here1 as the company who hire the  
divers export all the good ones to      
,europe4     ,,part ,v4   ,word has come
 that there is cholera in ,odessa1 so   
that all the ,russian steamers going to 
,beirt will be in quarantine4 ,it will  
not be pleasant to spend a week in the  
,beirt quarantine1 so we will keep our  
baggage animals and go down by land4 ,it
 is two long days of nine hours each1   
and you will be weary enough4 ,bidding  
good-bye to our dear friends here and   

wishing them ,god's blessing in their   
difficult work among such people1 away  
we go6 ,yanni and ,uncle ,s4 and some of
 the teachers will accompany us a little
 way1 according to the ,eastern custom1 
and then we dismount and kiss them all  
on both cheeks1 and pursue our          
monotonous way along the coast1         
sometimes riding over rocky capes and   
promontories and then on the sand and   
pebbles close to the roaring surf4  ,see
 how many monasteries there are on the  
sides of ,lebanon6 ,between ,tripoli and
 ,beirt there are about a hundred4 ,the 
men who live in them are called monks1  
who make a vow never to marry1 and spend
 their lives eating and drinking the    
fruits of other men's labors4 ,they own 
almost all the valuable land in this    
range of mountains for fifty miles1 and 
the fellaheen live as tenants at will on
 their estates4 ,when a man is lazy or  
unfortunate1 if he is not married1 his  
first thought is to become a monk4 ,they
 are the most corrupt and worthless     

vagabonds in the land1 and the day must 
come before long1 when the monasteries  
and convents will be abolished and their
 property be given back to the people to
 whom it justly belongs4  ,we are now   
riding along by the telegraph wires4 ,it
 seems strange to see ,morse's telegraph
 on this old ,phenician coast1 and it   
will seem stranger still when we reach  
,beirt1 to receive a daily morning paper
 printed in ,arabic1 with telegrams from
 all parts of the world6  ,in ,july1 a  
woman came to the telegraph office in   
,beirt1 asking1 ,where is the telegraph8
 ,the ,clerk1 ,yusef ,effendi1 asked    
her1 ,whom do you want1 the ,director1  
the ,operator1 or the ,kawass8 ,she     
said1 ,i want ,telegraph himself1 for my
 husband has sent me word that he is in 
prison in ,zahleh and wants me to come  
with haste1 and ,i heard that ,telegraph
 takes people quicker than any one else4
 ,please tell me the fare1 and send me  
as soon as possible6 ,the ,effendi      
looked at her1 and took her measure1 and

 then said1 ,you are too tall to go by  
telegraph1 so you will have to go on a  
mule4 ,the poor ignorant woman went away
 greatly disappointed4  ,another old    
woman1 whose son was drafted into the   
,turkish army1 wished to send him a pair
 of new shoes1 so she hung them on the  
telegraph wire4 ,a way-worn foot        
traveller coming along soon after took  
down the new shoes and put them on1 and 
hung his old ones in their place4 ,the  
next day the old lady returned and      
finding the old shoes1 said1 ,mashallah1
 ,mohammed has received his new shoes   
and sent back his old ones to be        
repaired4  ,the telegraph has taught all
 the world useful lessons1 and the      
,syrians have learned one lesson from it
 which is of great value4 ,when they    
write letters they use long titles1 and 
flowery salutations1 so that a whole    
page will be taken up with these empty  
formalities1 leaving only a few lines at
 the end1 or in a postscript1 for the   
important business4 ,but when they send 

a telegram and have to pay for every    
word1 they leave out the flowery        
salutations and send only what is       
necessary4  ,the following is a very    
common way of beginning an ,arabic      
letter3  ,to the presence of the        
affectionate and the most distinguished1
 the honorable and most ingenuous       
,khowadja1 the honored1 may his         
continuance be prolonged6  ,after       
presenting the precious pearls of       
affection1 the aromatic blossoms of     
love1 and the increase of excessive     
longing1 after the intimate presence of 
the light of your rising in prosperity1 
we would say that in a most blessed and 
propitious hour your precious letter    
honored us1 etc4  ,that would cost too  
much to be sent by telegraph4 ,precious 
pearls and aromatic blossoms would      
become expensive luxuries at two cents a
 word4 ,so they have to be reserved for 
letters1 if any one has time to write   
them4  ,here we come to the famous ,dog 
,river4 ,you will read in books about   

this river and its old inscriptions4 ,if
 you have not forgotten your ,latin1 you
 can read a lesson in ,latin which was  
written here nearly two thousand years  
ago4 ,there you can see the words4      
,imp4 ,caes4 ,m4 ,aurelius    ,antoninus
 ,pius ,felix ,augustus   ,par4 ,max4   
,brit4 ,max4 ,germ4 ,maximus            
,pontifex ,maximus          ,montibus   
,imminentibus              etc4 etc4    
,this ,emperor ,marcus ,aurelius1 must  
have cut this road through the rocks    
about the year #agc ,a4,d4 ,but there is
 another inscription higher up1 with    
arrow-headed characters and several     
other tablets4 ,they are ,assyrian and  
,egyptian4 ,one of the ,assyrian tablets
 was cut by ,sennacherib #bejj years    
ago1 and one of the ,egyptian by        
,sesostris1 king of ,egypt1 #cajj years 
ago4 ,don't you feel very young and     
small in looking at such ancient        
monuments8 ,all of those men brought    
their armies here1 and found the path so
 bad along the high precipice           

overhanging the sea1 that they cut a    
road for their horses and chariots in   
the solid limestone rock4 ,just think of
 standing where ,sennacherib and        
,alexander the ,great passed along with 
their armies6  ,what a steep and narrow 
road6 ,we will dismount and walk over   
this dangerous pass4 ,it is not pleasant
 to meet camels and loaded mules on such
 a dizzy precipice1 with the high cliff 
above1 and the roaring waves of the sea 
far below6 ,it is well we dismounted4   
,our horses are afraid of those camels  
carrying long timbers balanced on their 
backs4 ,let us turn aside and wait until
 they pass4  ,seeing these camels       
reminds me of what ,i saw here in #aheg4
 ,i was coming down the coast from      
,tripoli and reached the top of this    
pass1 in the narrowest part1 just as a  
caravan of camels were coming from the  
opposite direction4 ,i turned back a    
little1 and stood close under the edge  
of the cliff to let the camels go by4   
,they were loaded with huge canvas sacks

 of tibn1 or cut straw1 which hung down 
on both sides1 making it impossible to  
pass them without stooping very low4    
,just then ,i heard a voice behind me1  
and looking around1 saw a shepherd      
coming up the pass with his flock of    
sheep4 ,he was walking ahead1 and they  
all followed on4 ,i called to him to go 
back1 as the camels were coming over the
 pass4 ,he said1 ,ma ahlaik1 or don't   
trouble yourself1 and on he came4 ,when 
he met the camels1 they were in the     
narrowest part1 where a low stone wall  
runs along the edge of the precipice4   
,he stooped down and stepped upon the   
narrow wall1 calling all the time to his
 sheep1 who followed close upon his     
heels1 walking in single file4 ,he said 
tahl1 tahl1 come1 come1 and then made a 
shrill whirring call1 which could be    
heard above the roaring of the waves on 
the rocks below4 ,it was wonderful to   
see how closely they followed the       
shepherd4 ,they did not seem to notice  
the camels on the one side1 or the abyss

 on the other side4 ,had they left the  
narrow track1 they would either have    
been trodden down by the heavily laden  
camels1 or have fallen off into the dark
 waters below4 ,but they were intent on 
following their shepherd4 ,they heard   
his voice1 and that was enough4 ,the    
cameleers were shouting and screaming to
 their camels to keep them from slipping
 on these smooth rocks1 but the sheep   
paid no attention to them4 ,they knew   
the shepherd's voice4 ,they had followed
 him before1 through rivers and         
thickets1 among rocks and sands1 and he 
had always led them safely4 ,the waves  
were dashing and roaring on the rocks   
below1 but they did not fear1 for the   
shepherd was going on before4 ,had one  
of those sheep turned aside1 he would   
have lost his footing and been destroyed
 and thrown the whole flock into        
confusion4  ,you know why ,i have told  
you this story4 ,you know that ,jesus is
 the ,good ,shepherd4 ,he said1 ,my     
sheep hear my voice1 and ,i know them   

and they follow me4 ,wherever ,jesus    
leads it is safe for us to go4 ,how many
 boys and girls there are who think they
 know a better path than the one ,jesus 
calls them to follow4 ,there are        
stranger voices calling on every side1  
and many a child leaves the path of the 
,good ,shepherd1 and turns aside to hear
 what they would say4 ,if they were     
truly lambs of ,jesus' fold1 they would 
love ,him1 and follow ,him in calm and  
storm1 and never heed the voice of      
strangers4  ,i was once travelling from 
,dma to ,akra1 high up on the range of  
,lebanon4 ,it was a hot summer's day1   
and at noon ,i stopped to rest by a     
fountain4 ,the waste water of the       
fountain ran into a square stone birkeh 
or pool1 and around the pool were       
several shepherds resting with their    
flocks of sheep and goats4 ,the         
shepherds came and talked with me1 and  
sat smoking for nearly an hour1 when    
suddenly one of them arose and walked   
away calling to his flock to follow him4

 ,the flocks were all mixed together1   
but when he called1 his sheep and goats 
began to raise their heads and start    
along together behind him4 ,he kept     
walking along and calling1 until all his
 flock had gone4 ,the rest of the sheep 
and goats remained quietly as though    
nothing had happened4 ,then another     
,rai1 or shepherd1 started up in another
 direction1 calling out in a shrill     
voice1 and his sheep followed him4 ,they
 knew their shepherd's voice4 ,our      
muleteers were talking all the time1 but
 the sheep paid no attention to them4   
,they knew one voice1 and would follow  
no other4  ,we will now hasten on to    
,beirt4 ,you will wish to see the       
,female ,seminary1 and the ,sabbath     
,school and the ,steam ,printing ,press1
 and many of the ,beirt ,schools1 before
 we start to ,abeih again4  ,here is the
 ,female ,seminary4 ,there are a hundred
 girls here1 studying ,arabic reading   
and writing geography1 arithmetic1      
grammar1 botany1 physiology and         

astronomy1 and a few study ,english1    
,french and music4 ,but the great study 
is the ,bible4 ,i am afraid that very   
few schools in ,america have as much    
instruction in the ,bible1 as the girls 
in this ,seminary and the ,sidon        
,seminary receive4 ,you would be        
surprised to hear the girls recite      
correctly the names of all the          
patriarchs2 kings and prophets of the   
,old ,testament1 with the year when they
 lived1 and the date of all the         
important events of the ,old and ,new   
,testament ,history1 and the ,life of   
,christ1 and the travels of the ,apostle
 ,paul1 and the prophecies about ,christ
 in the ,old ,testament1 and then recite
 the whole ,westminster ,assembly's     
,catechism in ,arabic6 ,i have given out
 one hundred and twenty ,bibles and     
,hymn ,books as rewards to children in  
the schools in ,beirt1 who have learned 
the ,shorter ,catechism perfectly in    
,arabic4  ,five years ago there was a   
girl in the school who was once very    

rude and self-willed1 and very hard to  
control4 ,she had a poor bed-ridden     
brother who had been a cripple for      
years1 and was a great care to the      
family4 ,they used to carry him out in  
the garden in fine weather and lay him  
on a seat under the trees1 and sometimes
 his sister would come home from the    
school and read to him from the ,bible1 
to which he listened with great delight4
 ,not long after this he died1 and his  
sister was sent for to come home to the 
funeral4 ,on reaching home she found a  
large crowd of women assembled from all 
that quarter of the city1 shrieking and 
wailing over his death1 according to the
 ,oriental custom4 ,when ,a4 the little 
girl came in1 one of the women from an  
aristocratic ,greek family was talking  
in a loud voice and saying that it was  
wrong for any person to go from the     
house of mourning to another house      
before first going home1 because one    
going from a house of mourning would    
carry an evil influence with her4 ,a4   

listened and then spoke out boldly      
before the seventy women1 ,how long will
 you hold on to these foolish           
superstitions8 ,beirt is a place of     
light and civilization4 ,where can you  
find any such teaching as this in the   
gospel8 ,it is time for us to give up   
such superstitions4 ,the old woman      
asked1 ,where did that girl learn these 
things8 ,truly she is right4 ,these     
things are superstitions1 but they will 
not die until we old women die4 ,it     
required a great deal of courage in ,a4 
to speak out so boldly1 when her own    
brother had died1 but all felt that she 
spoke the truth1 and no one rebuked her4
  ,near by the house of ,a4 is another  
beautiful house surrounded by gardens1  
and ornamented in the most expensive    
manner4 ,a little girl from this family 
was attending the school in #ahfg4 ,her 
name was ,fereedy4 ,she was a boarder   
and the best behaved girl in the school4
 ,one day during vacation1 her mother   
came to ,rufka and said1 ,what have you 

done to my little daughter ,fereedy8    
,she came home last ,saturday with her  
sister1 and at once took the whole care 
of the little children1 so that ,i had  
no trouble with them4 ,and when night   
came she put her little sisters to bed  
and prayed with them all1 and then in   
the morning she prayed with them again4 
,i never saw such a child4 ,she is like 
a little angel4 ,the mother is of the   
,greek sect1 and the little girl was    
only twelve years old4  ,and here is a  
story about another of the superstitions
 of the fellaheen1 and what a little    
girl taught the people about them4 ,this
 little girl named ,l4 went with her    
father to spend the summer in a mountain
 village1 where the people had a strange
 superstition about an oak tree4 ,one   
day she went out to walk and came to the
 great oak tree which stood alone on the
 mountain side4 ,you know that the      
,canaanites used to have idols under the
 green trees in ancient times4 ,when ,l4
 reached the tree1 she found the ground 

covered with dead branches which had    
fallen from the tree4 ,now1 wood is very
 scarce and costly in ,syria1 and the   
people are very poor1 so that she       
wondered to see the wood left to rot on 
the ground1 and asked the people why    
they did not use it for fuel4 ,they said
 they dared not1 as the tree belonged to
 ,moses the ,prophet1 and he protected  
the tree1 and if any one took the wood1 
they would fall dead4 ,she said1 ,moses 
is in heaven1 and does not live in oak  
trees1 and if he did1 he is a good man1 
and would not hurt me for burning up old
 dry sticks4 ,so she asked them if she  
might have the wood8 ,they said1 yes1 if
 you dare to take it1 for we are afraid 
to touch it4 ,so she went to the tree   
and gathered up as much as she could    
carry1 and took it home4 ,the people    
screamed when they saw her1 and told her
 to drop it or it would kill her1 but on
 she went1 and afterwards went back and 
brought the rest4 ,she then talked with 
the ignorant women1 and her father told 

them about the folly of their           
superstitions1 and read to them in the  
,bible about ,moses1 and they listened  
with great attention4 ,i have often     
thought ,i should like to go to that    
village1 and see whether the people now 
leave the dead branches under ,moses'   
oak1 or use them for fuel during the    
heavy snow storms of winter4     ,,part 
,,vi4   ,here we are1 home again at     
,abeih4 ,here are ,asaad and ,khalil1   
and several others4 ,i asked ,khalil one
 day to write out for me a list of all  
the games the boys play in ,abeih1 and  
he brought me a list of twenty-eight    
different ones1 and said there were many
 more4  ,i4 ,the first is called ,khatim
 or the ,ring4 ,a boy puts a ring on the
 back of his hand1 tosses it and catches
 it on the back of his fingers4 ,if it  
falls on the middle finger1 he shakes it
 to the forefinger1 and then he is      
,sultan1 and appoints a ,vizier1 whom he
 commands to beat the other boys4 ,then 
the boys all sing1      ,ding1 dong1    

turn the wheel1     ,wind the purple    
thread3     ,spin the white and spin the
 red1     ,wind it on the reel3         
,silk and linen as well as you can1     
,weave a robe for the ,great ,sultan4   
,,ii4 ,killeh4 ,like the game of        
shooting marbles4  ,,iii4 ,owal ,howa4  
,the same as leap frog4  ,,iv4 ,biz     
,zowaia4 ,cat in the corner4  ,v4 ,taia 
ya ,taia4 ,all the boys stand in a row1 
and one in front facing them1 who calls 
out ,taia ya ,taia4 ,they all then run  
after him and hit him4 ,he then hops on 
one foot as if lame1 and catches one of 
them1 who takes his place4  ,,vi4 ,el   
,manya4 ,hig tig4  ,,vii4 ,bil ,kobbeh4 
,a circle of boys stand with their heads
 bowed4 ,another circle stand outside1  
and on a given signal try to mount on   
the backs of the inner circle of boys4  
,if they succeed they remain standing in
 this way2 if not1 the boy who failed   
must take the inside place4  ,,viii4    
,ghummaida4 ,blind-man's-buff4  ,,ix4   
,tabeh4 ,base ball and drop ball4  ,x4  

,kurd ,murboot or ,tied ,monkey4 ,a rope
 is tied to a peg in the ground1 and one
 boy holds it fast4 ,the others tie     
knots in their handkerchiefs and beat   
him4 ,if he catches them without letting
 go his hold on the rope1 they take his 
place4  ,,xi4 ,shooha or ,hawk4 ,make a 
swing on the limb of a tree4 ,a boy     
leans on the swing and runs around among
 the boys1 until he catches one to take 
his place4  ,,xii4 ,joora4 ,shooting    
marbles into a joora or hole in the     
ground4  ,,xiii4 ,khubby ,mukhzinak4    
,pebble pebble4 ,one boy goes around and
 hides a pebble in the hand of one of   
the circle and asks pebble1 pebble1     
who's got the pebble4 ,this is like     
,button1 button4  ,then there are other 
games like chequers and ,morris1 chess1 
and games which are used in gambling1   
which you will not care to hear about4  
,sometimes when playing1 they sing a    
song which ,i have translated3      ,i  
found a black crow1     ,with a cake in 
his maw1     ,i asked him to feed me1   

,he cried caw1 caw4      ,a chicken ,i  
found     ,with a loaf of bread--     ,i
 asked him to feed me4     ,he cried1   
enough said4      ,and an eagle black   
,with a beam on his back     ,said from 
,egypt ,i come     ,and he cried clack1 
clack4  ,so you see the ,arab boys are  
as fond of plays and songs as ,american 
boys4 ,they have scores of songs about  
gazelles1 and pearls1 and ,sultans1 and 
,bedawin1 and ,ghouls1 and the ,ghuz1   
and the ,evil ,eye1 and ,arab mares and 
,pashas4  ,a few days ago a ,druze1     
named ,sheikh ,ali1 called upon me and  
recited to me a strange song1 which     
reminded me of the story of ,who killed 
,cock ,robin1 and ,the ,house that ,jack
 built4 ,in some of the ,arab villages  
where fleas abound1 the people go at    
times to the tennr or oven1 7which is   
like a great earthen jar sunken in the  
ground17 to shake off the fleas into the
 fire4 ,the story which ,i have         
translated goes thus3 ,a brilliant bug  
and a noble flea once went to the oven  

to shake off the ignoble fleas from     
their garments into the fire4 ,but alas1
 alas1 the noble flea lost his footing1 
fell into the fire and was consumed4    
,then the brilliant bug began to weep   
and mourn1 saying1              ,alas6  
,ah me6             ,the ,noble ,flea6  
,while he was thus weeping1     ,and his
 sad watch keeping1     ,a glossy raven 
overhead1     ,flew swiftly down and    
gently said1     ,oh my friend1 oh      
brilliant bug1     ,why are you weeping 
on the rug8     ,the bug replied1 ,o    
glossy raven1     ,with your head all   
shorn and shaven1     ,i am now weeping1
     ,and sad watch keeping1            
,over1 ,ah me6             ,the ,noble  
,flea4       ,the raven he1     ,wept   
over the flea1     ,and flew to a green 
palm tree--     ,and in grief1 dropped a
 feather1     ,like snow in winter      
weather4     ,the palm tree said my     
glossy raven1     ,why do you look so   
craven1     ,why did you drop a feather1
     ,like snow in winter weather8      

,the raven said1     ,the flea is dead6 
,i saw the brilliant bug weeping        
,and his sad watch keeping1             
,alas1 ,alas1 ,ah me6             ,over 
the ,noble ,flea4     ,then the green   
,palm tree1     ,wept over the noble    
flea4     ,said he1 ,the flea is dead6  
,and all his branches shed6     ,the    
,shaggy ,wolf he strayed1     ,to rest  
in the ,palm tree's shade     ,he saw   
the branches broken1     ,of deepest    
grief the token1     ,and said1 ,oh     
,palm tree green1     ,what sorrow have 
you seen8     ,what noble one is dead1  
,that you your branches shed8     ,he   
said1 ,o ,wolf so shaggy1     ,living in
 rocks so craggy1     ,i saw the glossy 
raven1     ,looking forlorn and craven1 
,dropping down a feather1     ,like snow
 in winter weather4     ,he saw the     
brilliant bug weeping     ,and his sad  
watch keeping1             ,alas1 ,alas1
 ,ah me6             ,over the ,noble   
,flea6     ,then the ,wolf in despair   
,shed his shaggy hair4     ,then the    

,river clear and shining1     ,saw the  
wolf in sorrow pining1     ,asked him   
why in sad despair1     ,he had shed his
 shaggy hair8     ,said the ,wolf1 ,oh  
,river shining1     ,i in sorrow deep am
 pining1     ,for the ,palm tree ,i have
 seen1     ,shedding all his branches   
green1     ,and he saw the glossy raven1
     ,looking so forlorn and craven1    
,as he dropped a downy feather1         
,like the snow in winter weather4       
,he saw the brilliant bug weeping1      
,and his sad watch keeping1             
,alas1 ,alas1 ,ah me1             ,over 
the ,noble ,flea6     ,sadly then the   
shining ,river1     ,dried its waters up
 forever4     ,then the ,shepherd with  
his sheep     ,asked the ,river once so 
deep1     ,what great grief1 oh shining 
river1     ,dried your waters up        
forever8     ,said the ,river once so   
shining1     ,i in sorrow deep am       
pining1     ,since ,i saw the wolf's    
despair1     ,when he shed his shaggy   
hair1     ,for the ,palm tree he had    

seen1     ,shedding all his branches    
green1     ,and he saw the glossy raven1
     ,looking so forlorn and craven1    
,as he dropped a downy feather1         
,like the snow in winter weather1       
,he saw the brilliant bug weeping1      
,and his sad watch keeping4             
,alas1 ,alas1 ,ah me6             ,over 
the ,noble ,flea6     ,then the         
,shepherd in sorrow deep1     ,tore the 
horns from all his sheep1     ,sadly    
bound them on his head1     ,since he   
heard the flea was dead4     ,then the  
,shepherd's mother dear1     ,asked him 
why in desert drear1     ,he had torn in
 sorrow deep1     ,all the horns from   
all his sheep1     ,sadly bound them on 
his head1     ,just as though a friend  
was dead8     ,said he1 'tis because the
 ,river1     ,dried his waters up       
forever1     ,since he saw the ,wolf's  
despair1     ,when he shed his shaggy   
hair4     ,for the ,palm tree he had    
seen1     ,shedding all his branches    
green1     ,for he saw the glossy raven1

     ,looking so forlorn and craven1    
,as he dropped a downy feather1         
,like the snow in winter weather4       
,he saw the brilliant bug weeping1      
,and his sad watch keeping1     ,alas1  
,alas1 ,ah me6             ,over the    
,noble ,flea6     ,mother sad began to  
cry1     ,thrust her needle in her eye2 
,could no longer see her thread1        
,since she heard the flea was dead4     
,then the ,father grave and bland1      
,hearing this1 cut off his hand2        
,and the daughter1 when she hears1      
,in despair1 cuts off her ears2     ,and
 through the town deep grief is spread1 
,because they heard the flea was dead4  
,,the ,,nursery ,,rhymes ,,of ,,the     
,,arabs4  ,who is that singing in such a
 sweet plaintive voice in the room      
beneath our porch8 ,it is the ,sit      
,leila1 wife of ,sheikh ,abbas1 saying a
 lullaby to her little baby boy1 ,sheikh
 ,fereed4 ,we will sit on the porch in  
this bright moonlight1 and listen while 
she sings3      ,whoever loves you not1 

,my little baby boy2     ,may she be    
driven from her house1     ,and never   
know a joy6     ,may the ,ghuz eat up   
her husband1     ,and the mouse her oil 
destroy6  ,this is not very sweet       
language for a gentle lady to use to a  
little infant boy1 but the ,druze and   
,moslem women use this kind of          
imprecation in many of their nursery    
songs4 ,katrina says that many of the   
,greek and ,maronite women sing them    
too4 ,this young woman ,laia1 who sits  
here1 has repeated for me not less than 
a hundred and twenty of these nursery   
rhymes1 songs for weddings1 funeral     
wails1 etc4 ,some of the imprecations   
are dreadful4  ,they seem to think that 
the best way to show their love to their
 babies1 is to hate those who do not    
love them4  ,im ,faris says she has     
heard this one in ,hasbeiya1 her        
birthplace3          ,o sleep to ,god1  
my child1 my eyes1         ,your heart  
no ill shall know2         ,who loves   
you not as much as ,i1         ,may ,god

 her house o'erthrow6     ,may the      
mosque and the minaret1 dome and all1   
,on her wicked head in anger fall6      
,may the ,arabs rob her threshing floor1
     ,and not one kernel remain in her  
store4  ,the servant girl ,nideh1 who   
attends the ,sit ,leila1 thinks that her
 turn has come1 and she is singing1     
,we've the white and the red in our     
baby's cheeks1     ,in pounds and tons  
to spare2     ,but the black and the    
rust1     ,and the mould and the must1  
,for our neighbor's children are6  ,i   
hope she does not refer to us for we are
 her nearest neighbors4 ,but in reality 
,i do not suppose that they actually    
mean what they sing in these            
,ishmaelitic songs4 ,perhaps they do    
when they are angry1 but they probably  
sing them ordinarily without thinking of
 their meaning at all4  ,sometimes      
snakes come down from the ceilings of   
these earth-roofed houses1 and terrify  
the people4 ,at other times government  
horsemen come and drag them off to      

prison1 as they did in ,safita4 ,these  
things are referred to in this next song
 which ,nideh is singing3      ,if she  
love you not1 my boy1     ,may the ,lord
 her life destroy6     ,seven mules     
tread her down1     ,drag her body      
through the town6     ,snakes that from 
the ceiling hang1     ,sting her dead   
with poison fang6     ,soldiers from    
,damascus city1     ,drag her off and   
shew no pity6     ,nor release her for a
 day1     ,though a thousand pounds she 
pay6  ,that is about enough of          
imprecations1 and it will be pleasanter 
to listen to ,katrina1 for she will sing
 us some of the sweetest of the ,syrian 
,nursery ,songs4      ,sleep1 my moon1  
my baby sleep6     ,the ,pleiades bright
 their watches keep4     ,the ,libra    
shines so fair and clear1     ,the stars
 are shining1 hush my dear6  ,there is  
not much music in the tunes they sing to
 these words4 ,the airs generally are   
plaintive and monotonous1 and have a sad
 and weary sound4  ,here is another3    

,my boy1 my moon1 ,i bid you good       
morrow6     ,who wishes you peace shall 
know no sorrow6     ,whom you salute1   
his earth is like heaven1     ,his care 
relieved1 his sin forgiven6  ,she says  
that last line is extravagant1 and ,i   
think as much4 ,the next one is a       
,moslem lullaby4      ,o ,lord of the   
heavens1 ,knowing and ,wise1            
,preserve my ,ali1 the light of my eyes6
     ,lord of high heaven1              
,compassionate6     ,keep my dear boy in
 every state6  ,this one is used by the 
women of all the sects1 but in all of   
the songs the name is changed to suit   
the name of the baby to whom the mother 
is singing1      ,ali1 your eyes are    
sleeping1     ,but ,god's eyes never    
sleep3     ,their hours of lonely       
weeping     ,none can forever keep4     
,how sweet is the night of health1      
,when ,ali sleeps in peace6     ,oh may 
such nights continue1     ,nor ever1    
ever cease6  ,among all the scores of   
nursery songs1 ,i have heard only a very

 few addressed to girls1 but some of    
these are beautiful4 ,hear ,katrina sing
 this one3      ,ll dear the house is   
bright1     ,with your forehead's sunny 
light2     ,men your father honor now   
,when they see your lovely brow4     ,if
 father comes home sad and weary1       
,sight of you will make him cheery4     
,the fuller's soap mentioned in ,malachi
 #c3b1 is the plant called in ,arabic   
,ashnan or ,shenan1 and the ,arabs      
sometimes use it in the place of soap4  
,the following is another song addressed
 to a baby girl3      ,come ,cameleer1  
as quick as you can1     ,and make us   
soap from the green ,shenan1     ,to    
bathe our ,ll dear2     ,we'll wash her 
and dress her1     ,and then we'll      
caress her1     ,she'll sleep in her    
little sereer4 7cradle7  ,this song is  
sung by the ,druze women to their baby  
girls3      ,your eye is jet black1 and 
dark are its lashes1     ,between the   
arched brows1 like a crescent it        
flashes2     ,when painted with kohl    

'tis brighter by far1     ,than the     
full-orbed moon or the morning star4    
,the following is supposed to be        
addressed by a ,druze woman to her      
neighbor who has a daughter of          
marriageable age1 when she is obliged to
 veil her face3      ,hide your         
daughter1 veil her face1     ,neighbor1 
do not tarry3     ,for my ,hanna is of  
age1     ,says he wants to marry4       
,when ,i asked about his choice1        
,said he was not needy3     ,but that if
 he ever wed1     ,he thought he'd like 
,fereedy4  ,the next one is also ,druze 
and purely ,oriental3      ,two healths1
 one health1     ,four healths more3    
,four sacks of sesam seed1              
,scattered on the floor2     ,pick and  
count them one by one4     ,reckon up   
their number2     ,for every seed wish  
,hassan's health4     ,sweetly may he   
slumber6  ,the ,druze women delight in  
nothing so much as to have their sons   
ride fine horses3      ,my ,yusef1 my   
cup of sherbet sweet1     ,my broadcloth

 red hung over the street1     ,when you
 ride the blood mare with sword and     
pistol1     ,your saddle is gold and    
your stirrups crystal4  ,katrina says   
that this little song is the morning    
salutation to baby boys3        ,good   
morning now to you1 ,little boy6        
,your face is like the dew1 ,little boy6
     ,there never was a child1 so merry 
and so mild1       ,so good morning once
 again1 ,little boy6  ,this song is sung
 by the ,druze women to their babes3    
,o ,sparrow of ,paradise1     ,hush him 
to sleep8     ,your feathers are henna4 
,watch him and keep6     ,bring sleep   
soft and sweet     ,upon your white     
wings6     ,for ,hassan the pet     ,and
 his mother who sings6  ,the apples of  
,damascus are noted throughout ,syria1  
though we should regard them as very    
poor fruit3      ,what's he like8 ,if   
any ask us1     ,flowers and apples of  
,damascus2     ,apples fragrant on the  
tray1     ,roses sweet with scent of    
,may4  ,laia says that the next one is  

sung by the ,druze women to their baby  
boys3          ,i love you1 ,i prize    
you1 and for you ,i wish1         ,a    
hundred oak trees in the valley2        
,a hundred blood mares all tied in the  
court1         ,and ready for foray or  
sally4     ,mount your horse1 fly away1 
with your scarf flowing free1     ,the  
chiefs of the tribe will assemble2      
,damascus1 ,aleppo1 and ,ghutah beside1 
,at the sound of your coming will       
tremble4  ,nejmeh says that the ,bedawin
 women who come to ,safita1 her native  
place1 often sing the following song3   
,come little ,bedawy1 sit on my lap1    
,pretty pearls shine in your little     
white cap1     ,rings are in your ears1 
,rings are in your nose1     ,rings upon
 your fingers1     ,and henna on your   
toes4  ,they use the henna to dye their 
hands1 feet and finger nails1 when a    
wedding or festive occasion occurs in   
the family4  ,katrina recalls another   
little song which she used to sing to   
,harry3      ,welcome now1 my baby dear1

     ,whence did you come8     ,your    
voice is sweet1     ,what little feet6  
,make yourself at home6  ,nideh1 the    
,druze girl down stairs is ready with   
another song4 ,she is rocking little    
,sheikh ,fereed in his cradle1 and says3
      ,in your cradle sleep my boy1     
,rest from all your labor2     ,may ,el 
,hakim1 heaven's ,god1     ,ever be your
 neighbor6  ,it makes me feel sad to    
hear a poor woman praying to a man4     
,this ,el ,hakim was a man1 and a bad   
man too1 who lived many hundred years   
ago1 and now the ,druzes regard him as  
their ,god4 ,but what difference is     
there between worshipping ,hakim as the 
,druzes do1 and worshipping ,mary and   
,joseph as the ,greeks and ,maronites   
do4 ,laia says the ,maronites down in   
the lower part of this village sing the 
following song3      ,hill1 ,hill1      
,hallelujah6     ,come my wild gazelles6
     ,he who into trouble falls     ,on 
the ,virgin ,mother calls2     ,to      
,damascus she's departing1     ,all the 

mountain monks are starting4     ,come  
my priest and come my deacon1     ,bring
 the censer and the beacon1     ,we will
 celebrate the ,mass1     ,in the       
,church of ,mar ,elias2     ,mar ,elias1
 my neighbor dear1     ,you must be deaf
 if you did not hear4  ,sit ,leila      
sings3      ,i love you my boy1 and this
 is the proof1     ,i wish that you had 
all the wealth of the ,shoof1           
,hundreds of costly silken bales1       
,hundreds of ships with lofty sails4    
,hundreds of towns to obey your word1   
,and thousands of thousands to call you 
lord6  ,katrina is ready to sing again3 
,i will sing to you1     ,god will bring
 to you1     ,all you need1 my dear3    
,he's here and there1     ,he is        
everywhere1     ,and to you ,he's ever  
near4  ,people say that every baby that 
is born into the world is thought by its
 mother to be better than any other ever
 born4 ,the ,arab women think so too1   
and this is the way they sing it3       
,one like you was never born1     ,one  

like you was never brought2     ,all the
 ,arabs might grow old1     ,fighting   
ne'er so brave and bold1     ,yet with  
all their battles fought     ,one like  
you they never caught4  ,im ,faris asks 
if we would not like to hear some of the
 rhymes the ,arab women sing when       
playing with their children4 ,here are  
some of them4 ,the first one you will   
think is like what you have already seen
 in ,mother ,goose4      ,blacksmith1   
blacksmith1 shoe the mare1     ,shoe the
 colt with greatest care2     ,hold the 
shoe and drive the nail1     ,else your 
labor all will fail2     ,shoe a donkey 
for ,seleem1     ,and a colt for        
,ibraheem4  ,sugar cane grows           
luxuriantly in ,syria1 and it was first 
taken from ,tripoli1 ,syria1 to ,spain1 
and thence to the ,west ,indies and     
,america4 ,but all they do with it now  
in ,syria1 is to suck it4 ,it is cut up 
in pieces and sold to the people1 old   
and young1 who peel it and suck it4 ,so 
the ,arab women sing to their children3 

,pluck it and suck it1 the green sugar  
cane1     ,whatever is sweet is costly  
and vain2     ,he'll cut you a joint as 
long as a span1     ,and charge two     
piastres4 ,now buy if you can6  ,wered  
says she will sing us two or three which
 they use in teaching the little ,arab  
babies to pat their hands3      ,patty  
cake1 baby6 ,make him dance6     ,may   
his age increase and his years advance6 
,may his life like the rock1 long years 
endure1     ,overgrown with lilies1 so  
sweet and pure6  ,and now the ,sit      
,leila is singing again one of the      
,druze lullabys3      ,tish for two1    
,tish for two6     ,a linen shirt with a
 border blue6     ,with cloth that the  
little pedler sells1     ,for the father
 of eyes like the little gazelles6      
,your mother will weave and spin and    
twine1     ,to clothe you so nicely ,o  
little ,hassein6  ,do you hear the      
jackals crying as they come up out of   
the valley8 ,their cry is like the voice
 of the cat and dog mingled together1   

and ,im ,faris knows some of the ditties
 which they sing to their children about
 the jackals and their fondness for     
chickens3      ,you cunning rogues      
beware6     ,you jackals with the long  
hair6     ,you ate up the chickens of   
old ,katrin1     ,and ran away singing  
like wild ,bedawin4  ,it is not pleasant
 to have so many fleas annoying us all  
the time1 but we must not be more       
anxious to keep the fleas out than to   
get the people in1 and as the fellaheen 
come to see us1 they will be likely to  
flea us too4 ,safita is famous for      
fleas1 so no wonder that ,nejmeh knows  
the following song of the boys about    
fleas3      ,i caught and killed a      
hopping flea1     ,his sister's children
 came to me3     ,one with drum my ears 
did pierce1     ,one was fluting loud   
and fierce1     ,then they danced me1   
made me sing1     ,like a monkey in a   
ring4     ,come ,o ,deeby1 come ,i pray1
     ,bring the ,doctor right away6     
,peace on your heart feel no alarm1     

,you have not had the slightest harm4   
,laia is never at a loss for something  
new1 and ,i am amazed at her memory4    
,she will give us some rhyming riddles  
in ,arabic1 and we will put them into   
,english as best we may4 ,the first is  
about the ,ant3      ',tis black as     
night1     ,but it is not night3        
,like a bird it has wings1     ,but it  
never sings3     ,it digs through the   
house1     ,but it is not a mouse3      
,it eats barley and grass1     ,but it  
is not an ass4  ,riddle about a gun3    
,a featherless bird flew over the sea1  
,a bird without feathers1 how can that  
be8     ,a beautiful bird which ,i      
admire1     ,with wooden feet and a head
 of fire6  ,riddle on salt3      ,o     
,arab tribes1 so bold and gay1     ,what
 little grain have you to-day8     ,it  
never on the trees is seen1     ,nor on 
the flowers and wheat so green4     ,its
 source is pure1 'tis pleasant to eat1  
,from water it comes that is not sweet1 
,though from water it comes1 and there's

 water in it1     ,you put it in water1 
it dies in a minute4  ,the door has     
opened down stairs1 and some of ,sit    
,leila's friends have come to see her4  
,the moment they saw the little baby    
,fereed1 they all began to call out1    
,ism ,allah alayhee1 ,the name of ,allah
 upon him4 ,they use this expression to 
keep off the ,evil ,eye4 ,this          
superstition is universal throughout    
,western ,asia1 ,northern ,africa1 and  
exists also in ,italy and ,spain4 ,dr4  
,meshaka of ,damascus says that those   
who believe in the ,evil ,eye1 think    
that certain people have the power of   
killing others by a glance of the eye4  
,others inflict injury by the eye4      
,others pick grapes by merely looking at
 them4 ,this power may rest in one eye1 
and one man who thought he had this     
power1 veiled one eye1 out of compassion
 for others6 ,the ,moslem ,sheikhs and  
others profess to cure the evil eye1 and
 prevent its evil effects by writing    
mystic talismanic words on papers1 which

 are to be worn4 ,others write the words
 on an egg1 and then strike the forehead
 of the evil eyed with the egg4         
,whenever a new house is built1 the     
workmen hang up an egg shell or a piece 
of alum1 or an old root1 or a donkey's  
skull1 in the front door1 to keep off   
the evil eye4 ,moslem women leave their 
children ragged and dirty to keep people
 from admiring them1 and thus smiting   
them with the evil eye4 ,they think that
 blue eyes are especially dangerous4    
,they think that the name of ,god or    
,allah is a charm against evil1 and when
 they repeat it1 they have no idea of   
reverence for that ,holy ,name4  ,here  
is a terrible imprecation against a     
woman who smites with the ,evil ,eye3   
,may her hand be thrust in her mouth1   
,and her eyes be burned in the fire6    
,the blessings of ,mighty ,god1         
,preserve you from her ire6  ,nideh     
sings      ,upon you the name of ,allah1
     ,around you ,allah's eye6     ,may 
the ,evil ,eye be blinded1     ,and     

never harm my boy6  ,it is ten o'clock  
at night1 and ,katrina1 ,laia1 ,wered1  
and ,handmeh say it is time to go4      
,handumeh insists that we come to her   
wedding to-morrow4 ,amn will go with    
them to drive away the dogs1 and see    
that no wolves1 hyenas1 or leopards     
attack them by the way4     ,,part      
,,vii4   ,the boys of ,abeih are early  
risers4 ,what a merry laugh they have6  
,what new song is that they are singing 
now8  ,there has been a shower in the   
night and ,yusef and ,khalil are singing
 about the rain4 ,we say in ,english it 
rains but the ,arabs tell us what it    
refers to4 ,they say ,the world rains1  
,the world snows1 ,the world is coming  
down1 ,the world thunders and lightens4 
,so you will be able to tell your       
teacher1 when he asks you to parse it   
rains1 that it is a pronoun referring to
 world4 ,hear them sing3      ,rain1 ,o 
world1 all day and night1     ,we will  
wash our clothing white4     ,rain1 ,o  
world1 your waters shed1     ,on my dear

 grandmother's head4  ,the sun shines   
out now1 and ,khalil says the world has 
got well again1 so he sings3            
,shines the sun with brightest beam     
,on the roof of ,im ,seleem2     ,now   
the bear will dance a reel1     ,on the 
roof of ,im ,khaleel4  ,the roofs of the
 houses are low and flat1 and on the    
hill-sides you can walk from the street 
above upon the roof of the houses below4
 ,i once lived in a house in ,duma in   
which the cattle1 donkeys1 and sheep    
used to walk on our roof every evening  
as they came in from pasture4 ,it was   
not very pleasant to be awakened at     
midnight by a cow-fight on the roof1 and
 have the stones and dirt rattling down 
into our faces1 but we could get no     
other house1 and had to make the best of
 it4 ,you can understand then ,khalil's 
song3      ,the sun is rising all so    
bright     ,upon the ,pasha's daughter3 
,see her toss the tassels blue1     ,as 
her mother taught her4     ,turn the    
oxen on the roof     ,of the village    

priest2     ,he will kill them one and  
all1     ,and give the poor a feast4    
,the boys seem to be in high glee4 ,they
 all know ,handmeh and her betrothed    
,shaheen ,ma'ttar1 so they are swinging 
and singing in honor of her wedding4    
,but the time has come for the wedding1 
and we will go over to ,ain ,kesr1 about
 a mile away1 and join in the bridal    
procession4 ,as we come near the house  
we hear the women inside singing4 ,they 
have been dressing the bride1 and after 
she is dressed they lead her around and 
try to make her dance4 ,perhaps they    
will let us see how she is dressed4 ,her
 head is covered with a head-dress of   
pink gauze1 embroidered with gold thread
 and purple chenille1 and ornamented    
with pearl beads and artificial flowers1
 and over all a long white gauze veil   
trimmed with lace4 ,her ear-rings are   
gold filigree work with pendant pearls1 
and around her neck is a string of pure 
amber beads and a gold necklace4 ,she   
wears a jacket of black velvet1 and a   

gilt belt embroidered with blue1 and    
fastened with a silver gilt filigree    
buckle in the form of a bow knot with   
pendants4 ,on her finger is a gold ring 
set with sapphire1 and others with      
turquoises and amethysts4 ,her dress is 
of brown satin1 and on her arms are     
solid gold bracelets which cost #adjj   
piastres or fifty-six dollars4 ,you know
 ,handmeh is not a rich girl1 and her   
betrothed is a hard working muleteer1   
and he has had to work very hard to get 
the money to buy all these things1 for  
it is the custom for the bridegroom to  
pay for the bride's outfit4 ,the people 
always lay out their money in jewelry   
because it is easily carried1 and easily
 buried in time of civil wars and       
troubles in the land4 ,shaheen's        
brothers and relatives have come to take
 her to ,abeih1 but he is nowhere to be 
seen4 ,it would not be proper for him to
 come to her house4 ,for weeks she has  
not been over to ,abeih1 except to      
invite us to her wedding1 and when ,anna

 asked her on what day she was to be    
married1 she professed not to know      
anything about it4 ,they think it is not
 modest for a bride to care anything    
about the wedding1 and she will try to  
appear unwilling to go when they are    
ready to start4 ,the women are singing  
now3      ,dance1 our bride so fair1    
,dance and never care2     ,your        
bracelets sing1 your anklets ring1      
,your shining beauty would dazzle a     
king6     ,to ,damascus your father a   
journey has made1     ,and your         
bridegroom's name is ,ab ,zeid4  ,and   
now the young men outside are dancing   
and fencing1 and they all join in       
singing3      ,dance1 my dancer1 early  
and late1     ,would ,i had like you    
seven or eight2     ,two uncles like    
you1 blithe and gay1     ,to stand at my
 back in the judgment day6  ,and now the
 young men1 relatives of the bridegroom1
 address the brother of the bride1 as   
her father is not living1 and they all  
sing3      ,o brother of the bride1 on a

 charger you should ride2     ,a        
,councillor of ,state you should be2    
,whene'er you lift your voice1     ,the 
judgment halls rejoice1     ,and the    
earth quakes with fear     ,from ,acre  
to ,ghuzeer4  ,and now the warlike      
,druzes1 who are old friends of ,shaheen
 and his father1 wish to show their good
 will by singing a wedding song1 which  
they have borrowed from the old wild    
inhabitants of this land of ,canaan3    
,o brother of the bride1 your mare has  
gnawed her bridle1     ,run for the     
blacksmith1 do not be idle4     ,she has
 run to the grave where are buried your 
foes1     ,and pawed out their hearts   
with her iron shoes6  ,but the time has 
come for the procession to move1 and we 
go along slowly enough4 ,the bride rides
 a mare1 led by one of ,shaheen's       
brothers1 and as we pass the fountain1  
the people pour water under the mare's  
feet as a libation1 and ,handmeh throws 
down a few little copper coins to the   
children4 ,the women in the company set 

up the zilagheet1 a high piercing trill 
of the voice1 and all goes merry as a   
marriage bell4 ,when we reach the house 
of ,shaheen1 he keeps out of sight1 not 
even offering to help his bride dismount
 from her horse4 ,that would never do4  
,he will stay among the men1 and she in 
a separate room among the women1 until  
the hour of the ceremony arrives4  ,but 
the women are singing again1 and this   
time the song is really beautiful in    
,arabic1 but ,i fear ,i have made lame  
work of it in the translation3          
,allah1 belaly1 belaly1     ,allah1     
belaly1 belaly1     ,may ,god spare the 
life of your sire1     ,our lovely      
gazelle of the valley6         ,may     
,allah his riches increase         ,he  
has brought you so costly a dowry2      
,the moonlight has gone from his house1 
,the rose from his gardens so flow'ry4  
,run away1 rude men1 turn aside1        
,give place to our beautiful bride3     
,from her sweet perfumes ,i am sighing1 
,from the odor of musk ,i am dying4     

,come and join us fair maid1 they have  
brought you your dress1     ,leave your 
peacocks and doves1 give our bride a    
caress2     ,red silk6 crimson silk6 the
 weaver cries as he goes3     ,but our  
bride's cheeks are redder blushing      
bright as the rose4     ,dark silk6     
black silk6 hear him now as he sings3   
,but our bride's hair is black1 like the
 raven's dark wings2     ,with the light
 of our eyes with our ,handmeh sweet    
,no maid of the ,druzes can ever        
compete4     ,she is worth all the      
wealth of the ,lebanon domain1     ,all 
the vineyards and olives1 the silk worms
 and grain4     ,and no maids of the    
,christians can with her compare        
,tho' shining with pearls and with      
jewels so rare4  ,the house is now      
crowded full1 the men being all in one  
room with ,shaheen1 and the women in the
 other room1 and the court with the     
bride ,handmeh4 ,one of ,shaheen's      
brothers comes around with a kumkum1 and
 sprinkles orange flower water in all   

our faces1 and ,khalil asks us if we    
wish the ceremony to take place now8 ,we
 tell him that he must ask the bride and
 groom4 ,so ,ab ,shaheen comes into the 
court with the old priest ,eklemandus1  
as ,shaheen's family belong to the      
,greek ,catholic sect4 ,handmeh is      
really a ,protestant1 and ,shaheen has  
nothing to do with the priests1 but the 
old folks had their way about it4 ,a    
white curtain hangs across the court1   
and the bride stands on one side1 with  
her bridesmaid1 and all the women and   
girls1 and on the other side is the     
priest with ,shaheen1 and all of the men
 and boys4 ,then candles were           
distributed1 and lighted1 and the old   
priest adjusted his robes and began to  
read the marriage service4 ,an assistant
 stood by his side looking over his     
shoulder1 and responding ,amen in a loud
 and long drawn voice4 ,at length the   
priest called out to him1 ,a little     
shorter there on those ,amens4 ,we don't
 want long ,amens at a wedding6 ,this   

set the whole crowd laughing1 and on he 
went reading passages of ,scripture1    
prayers and advice to the bride and     
bridegroom in the most hasty and        
trifling manner1 intoning it through his
 nose1 so that no one could understand  
what he was saying4 ,while he was       
reading from the gospel about the       
marriage at ,cana of ,galilee1 a small  
boy1 holding a lighted candle1 came very
 near burning off the old man's beard1  
and he called out to him1 ,put out your 
candle6 ,you have tormented my life out 
of me with that candle4 ,this raised    
another laugh1 and on he read4 ,then he 
took two rings1 and drawing aside the   
curtain1 placed one on the bride's head1
 and the other on the bridegroom's head1
 pronouncing them man and wife1 and then
 gave them each a sip of wine and the   
ceremony was concluded1 all the men     
kissing ,shaheen1 and the women         
,handmeh4 ,refreshments were then served
 to the guests from the village1 and a  
dinner to those from other villages4 ,in

 the evening there assembled a great    
company in ,shaheen's house1 and the    
hour was given up to story telling4     
,saleh1 whose brother married ,shaheen's
 sister1 will begin with the ,story of  
the ,goats and the ,ghoul4  ,once there 
was a ,nanny ,goat1 strong and powerful1
 with long and strong horns1 and once   
upon a time she brought forth twin kids1
 fair and beautiful4 ,one was named     
,sunaisil1 and the other ,rabab4 ,now   
the ,nanny ,goat went out every morning 
to the pasture1 leaving her twin kids in
 the cave4 ,she shut the door carefully1
 and they locked it on the inside       
through fear of the ,ghoul1 for her     
neighbor in the next house was a ,ghoul 
who swallowed little children alive4    
,then at evening when she came home1 she
 would stand outside the door1 and sing 
to her twin kids this little song3      
,hearken now ,sunaisil1     ,come ,rabab
 my dear3     ,open to your mother1     
,never1 never fear4     ,she has sweet  
milk in her udder4     ,tufts of grass  

upon her horn2     ,she'll give you both
 your supper1     ,and breakfast in the 
morn4  ,the little twin kids would know 
her voice1 open the door in gladness1   
and eat a hearty supper1 and after      
hearing a nice story from the ,anzyeh1  
7for so their mother was called71 drop  
off to sweet sleep4  ,now all things    
went on well for some time1 until one   
day the ,ghoul neighbor being very      
hungry for a supper of twin kids1 came  
to the door of the cave and tried to    
push it open4 ,but it was too strong for
 her1 so she went away in perplexity4   
,at length she thought she would sing to
 them the very song1 which the ,nanny   
,goat sang to them every evening on her 
return1 so she sang it3      ,hearken   
now ,sunaisil1     ,come ,rabab1 my     
dear1 etc41 etc4  and when they heard   
this song1 they opened the door with    
gladness to eat their supper1 when      
suddenly the ,ghoul sprang upon them    
with her huge mouth open1 and swallowed 
them both down at once4 ,she then shut  

the door and fastened it as it was      
before1 and went on her way4 ,at evening
 the ,nanny ,goat came home with milk   
and grass for her twin kids' supper1 and
 knocked at the door and sang3          
,hearken now ,sunaisil1     ,come ,rabab
 my dear1 etc41 etc41  as usual1 but no 
one opened the door4 ,then she knocked  
and sang again1 and at length she gave  
up all hope of their opening the door1  
and butted against the door with her    
horns and broke it open4 ,she then      
entered the cave but there were no twin 
kids there4 ,all was still4 ,then she   
knew that the ,ghoul had eaten them4 ,so
 she hastened to the house of the       
,ghoul1 and went upon the top of the    
house1 and began to stamp and pound upon
 the roof4 ,the ,ghoul1 hearing the     
stamping upon the roof1 called out1     
whosoever stamps on my roof1 may ,allah 
stamp on his roof6 ,the ,nanny ,goat    
replied1 ,i am on your roof2 ,i1 whose  
children you have eaten4 ,come out now1 
and we will fight it out by butting our 

heads together4 ,very well1 said the    
,ghoul1 only wait a little until ,i can 
make me a pair of horns like you4 ,so   
the goat waited1 and away went the      
,ghoul to make her horns4 ,she made two 
horns of dough and dried them in the sun
 until they were hard1 and then came to 
butt with the goat4 ,at the first shock1
 when the goat butted her with her      
horns1 the horns of dough broke all to  
pieces2 then the goat butted her again  
in her bowels and broke her in twain1   
and out jumped ,sunaisil and ,rabab1    
frisking and leaping and calling out ya 
imme1 oh1 my mother1 ,oh1 my mother6    
,the ,ghoul being dead they had no more 
fear1 and lived long and happy lives    
with their mother the ,anazyeh4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,did you notice how the little boys     
listened to ,saleh's story of the ,goats
 and the ,ghoul8 ,this story is told by 
the mothers to their little children1   
all over ,syria1 in the tents of the    
,bedawn and in the houses of the        

citizens4 ,one of the women1 named      
,noor1 7i4e4 ,light71 a sister of the   
bridegroom1 says she will tell the      
children the story of the ,hamam1 the   
,butta1 the ,wez1 and the ,hamar1 that  
is1 of the ,dove1 the ,duck1 the ,goose1
 and the ,donkey1 if all will sit still 
on the floor4 ,so all the little boys   
and girls curl their feet under them and
 fold their arms1 and ,noor begins3     
,once the ,dove1 the ,duck1 the ,goose1 
and the ,donkey joined company and      
agreed to live together4 ,then they took
 counsel about their means of living1   
and said1 how long shall we continue in 
such distress for our necessary food8   
,come let us plough a piece of ground1  
and plant each one such seeds as are    
suited to his taste4 ,so they ploughed a
 piece of ground and sowed the seed4    
,the ,goose planted rice1 the ,duck     
planted wheat1 the ,dove planted pulse1 
and the ,donkey planted barley1 and they
 stationed the ,donkey on guard to watch
 the growing crop4 ,now when the seeds  

began to grow and flourish1 and the     
,donkey looked upon it green and bright 
and waving in the wind1 he arose and ate
 it all1 and then went and threw himself
 into a ditch near by4 ,then came the   
,dove1 the ,goose1 and the ,duck to     
survey the growing crop1 and lo and     
behold1 it was all eaten up1 and the    
ground was red and barren4 ,then said   
they1 where is the ,donkey whom we set  
on guard over our crop8 ,they searched  
near and far1 and at length they found  
him standing in the ditch1 and they     
asked him where are the crops we so     
carefully planted and set you to watch8 
,then said the ,donkey1 the ,bedawn came
 with their flocks of sheep and pastured
 them on our crops1 and when ,i tried to
 resist1 they threw me into this ditch4 
,then they replied1 it is false1 you    
have eaten it yourself4 ,he said1 ,i did
 not4 ,they said1 yes1 you did1 for you 
are sleek and fat1 and the contest waxed
 hot between them1 until at length they 
all agreed to make each one swear an    

oath by the life of the ,lake1 which was
 near at hand1 and whoever swore the    
oath1 and sprang into the ,lake without 
falling1 should be declared innocent4   
,so the ,dove went down first and said3 
,ham1 ,ham1 ,ham1 ,i am the ,dove       
,hamam1     ,ham1 ,ham1 ,ham1 ,my food  
is the plain ,kotan1 7pulse71     ,ham1 
,ham1 ,ham1 ,if ,i ate the growing crop1
                  ,may ,i suddenly throw
 it up6                  ,may ,allah    
tumble me into the ,lake1               
,and none any news of me ever take6     
,then the ,dove leaped into the ,lake1  
and flew to the limb of a tree on the   
shore1 and was proved innocent4  ,then  
the ,duck went down and said3      ,but 
,but1 ,but1 ,i am the ,butta ,duck1     
,but1 ,but1 ,but1 ,my food is wheat and 
muck2     ,but1 ,but1 ,but1 ,if ,i ate  
the growing crop1                  ,may 
,i suddenly throw it up6                
,may ,allah tumble me into the ,lake1   
,and none any news of me ever take6  ,so
 the ,duck leaped into the ,lake1 and   

then flew to the limb of a tree on the  
shore and was proved innocent4  ,then   
the ,goose went down and said3          
,wez1 ,wez1 ,wez1 ,i am the ,goose and  
the ,wez1     ,wez1 ,wez1 ,wez1 ,i eat  
,egyptian riz1 7rice71     ,wez1 ,wez1  
,wez1 ,if ,i ate the growing crop1      
,may ,i suddenly throw it up6           
,may ,allah tumble me into the ,lake1   
,and none any news of me ever take6  ,so
 the ,goose leaped into the ,lake and   
then flew to the limb of a tree on the  
shore and was proved innocent4  ,then   
the ,donkey went down and said3         
,hak1 ,hak1 ,hak1 ,i am the ,donkey     
,jack1     ,hak1 ,hak1 ,hak1 ,i barley  
eat by the sack3     ,hak1 ,hak1 ,hak1  
,if ,i ate the growing crop1            
,may ,i suddenly throw it up6           
,may ,allah tumble me into the ,lake1   
,and none any news of me ever take6     
,then the ,donkey leaped boldly into the
 ,lake1 and down he fell1 and his feet  
stuck fast in the mud and mire4 ,then   
his three companions1 seeing him proved 

guilty of the crime1 flew away and left 
him to his fate4 ,then the ,donkey began
 to bray for mercy1 and called at the   
top of his voice3                       
,whoever will help me out of this       
plight1                   ,may eat my   
tail at a single bite6     ,the ,bear   
heard the braying1     ,and without long
 delaying1     ,he answered by saying3  
,long eared ,donkey will you pay1       
,every word of what you say8            
,if ,i save you by my might1            
,will you stand still while ,i bite8    
,the lying ,ass lay still1     ,and     
answered1 ,yes1 ,i will4                
,the ,bear then gave a fearful roar1    
,and dragged the ,donkey to the shore1  
,and said1 ,i saved you from your       
plight1                 ,now stand      
still1 ,donkey1 while ,i bite6     ,he  
said3 ,wait ,bruin till ,i rest1        
,and smell the air from ,east to ,west1 
,and then ,i'll run with all my might1  
,and turn my tail for you to bite6      
,then ,bruin took him at his word       

,away he went swift as a bird1          
,and called out1 now ,bruin1 ,i will    
rest1                 ,i'll smell the   
air from ,east to ,west1                
,i'm running now with all my might1     
,i've turned my tail for you to bite6   
,the ,bear resolved in grief and pain1  
,he'd never help an ,ass again4  ,ab    
,habeeb1 who is just about to enter the 
college1 has a story which all the      
,arabs know1 and love to hear4 ,it is   
called3  ,the ,lion and ,ibn ,adam1 that
 is1 the ,lion and ,man1 the son of     
,adam4  ,once there was a ,lion who had 
a son1 and he always charged him1       
saying1 my son1 beware of ,ibn ,adam4   
,but at length the old ,lion died1 and  
the young lion resolved that he would   
search through the world and see that   
wonderful animal called ,ibn ,adam1 of  
whom his father had so often warned him4
 ,so out he went from his cave1 and     
walked to and fro in the wilderness4 ,at
 length he saw a huge animal coming     
towards him1 with long crooked legs and 

neck1 and running at the top of his     
speed4 ,it was a ,camel4 ,but when the  
,lion saw his enormous size and rapid   
pace1 he said1 surely1 this must be ,ibn
 ,adam himself4 ,so he ran towards him  
and roared a fearful roar4 ,stop where  
you are6 ,the ,camel stopped1 trembling 
with fear of the ,lion4 ,said the ,lion1
 are you ,ibn ,adam8 ,no1 said the      
,camel1 ,i am a ,camel fleeing from ,ibn
 ,adam4 ,said the ,lion1 and what did   
,ibn ,adam do to you that you should    
flee from him8 ,the ,camel said1 he     
loaded me with heavy burdens1 and beat  
me cruelly1 and when ,i found a fit     
chance1 ,i fled from him to this        
wilderness4 ,said the ,lion1 is ,ibn    
,adam stronger than you are8 ,yes       
indeed1 many times stronger4 ,then the  
,lion was filled with terror1 lest he   
too should fall into the hands of ,ibn  
,adam1 and he left the ,camel to go his 
way in peace4 ,after a little while1 an 
,ox passed by1 and the ,lion said1 this 
must be ,ibn ,adam4 ,but he found that  

he too was fleeing from the yoke and the
 goad of ,ibn ,adam4 ,then he met a     
,horse running fleet as the wind1 and he
 said1 this swift animal must be the    
famous ,ibn ,adam1 but the ,horse too   
was running away from the halter1 the   
bridle the spur or the harness of the   
terrible ,ibn ,adam4 ,then he met a     
mule1 a donkey1 a buffalo and an        
elephant1 and all were running in terror
 of ,ibn ,adam4 ,the ,lion thought what 
terrible monster must he be to have     
struck terror into all these monstrous  
animals6 ,and on he went trembling1     
until hunger drove him to a forest to   
seek for prey to eat4 ,while he was     
searching through the forest1 lo and    
behold1 a ,carpenter was at work cutting
 wood4 ,the ,lion wondered at his       
curious form1 and said1 who knows but   
this may be ,ibn ,adam8 ,so he came near
 and asked him saying1 ,are you ,ibn    
,adam8 ,he replied1 ,i am4 ,then the    
,lion roared a fearful roar1 and said1  
prepare for battle with the ,lion1 the  

king of beasts6 ,then ,ibn ,adam said3  
,what do you want of me8 ,said the      
,lion1 ,i want to devour you4 ,very     
well1 said the ,carpenter1 wait until ,i
 can get my claws ready4 ,i will go and 
take this wood yonder1 and then ,i will 
return and fight you4 ,if you kill me1  
eat me1 and if ,i conquer you ,i will   
let you go1 for we the sons of ,adam do 
not eat the flesh of wild beasts1 nor do
 we kill them1 but we let them go4 ,the 
,lion was deceived by those artful      
words1 for he had seen the ,camel and   
his companions running away1 and he     
thought within himself1 now1 if ,ibn    
,adam did really eat the flesh of       
beasts1 he would not have let the ,camel
 and the ,horse1 the ,buffalo and the   
,mule escape into the desert4 ,so he    
said to the ,carpenter very well1 ,i    
will wait for you to take the wood1 and 
return with your claws4 ,not so1 said   
the ,carpenter1 ,i am afraid that you   
will not wait for me4 ,you are a        
stranger1 and ,i do not trust your word4

 ,i fear you will run away before ,i    
return4 ,said the ,lion1 it is          
impossible that the ,lion should run    
away from any one4 ,said the ,carpenter1
 ,i cannot admit what you say1 unless   
you will grant me one thing4 ,and what  
is that1 said the ,lion4 ,the ,carpenter
 said1 ,i have here a little rope4 ,come
 let me tie you to this tree until ,i   
return1 and then ,i shall know where to 
find you4 ,the ,lion agreed to this     
plan1 and the ,carpenter bound him with 
ropes to the tree until he and the tree 
were one compact bundle4 ,then the      
,carpenter went away to his shop1 and   
brought his glue pot1 and filling it    
with glue and pitch boiled it over the  
fire4 ,then he returned and besmeared   
the ,lion with the boiling mixture from 
his head to the end of his tail1 and    
applied a torch until he was all in a   
flame from head to tail1 and in this    
plight the ,carpenter left him4 ,then   
the ,lion roared in agony until the     
whole forest echoed the savage roar1 and

 all the animals and wild beasts came   
running together to see what had        
happened4 ,and when they saw him in this
 sad plight1 they rushed to him and     
loosed his bonds1 and he sprang to the  
river and extinguished the flames1 but  
came out singed and scarred1 with       
neither hair nor mane4 ,now when all the
 beasts saw this pitiable sight1 they   
made a covenant together to kill ,ibn   
,adam4 ,so they watched and waited day  
and night1 until at length they found   
him in the forest4 ,as soon as he saw   
them1 he ran to a lofty tree1 and       
climbed to its very top1 taking only his
 adze with him1 and there awaited his   
fate4 ,the whole company of beasts now  
gathered around the foot of the tree1   
and tried in vain to climb it1 and after
 they walked around and around1 at      
length they agreed that one should stand
 at the foot of the tree1 and another on
 his back1 and so on1 until the upper   
one should reach ,ibn ,adam1 and throw  
him down to the ground4 ,now the ,lion  

whose back was burned and blistered1    
from his great fear of man demanded that
 he should stand at the bottom of the   
tree4 ,to this all agreed4 ,then the    
,camel mounted upon the ,lion's back1   
the ,horse upon the ,camel1 the ,buffalo
 upon the ,horse1 the ,bear upon the    
,buffalo1 the ,wolf upon the bear1 and  
the ,donkey upon the ,wolf1 and so on in
 order1 until the topmost animal was    
almost within reach of the ,carpenter1  
,ibn ,adam4 ,now1 when he saw the       
animals coming nearer and nearer1 and   
almost ready to seize him1 he shouted at
 the top of his voice4 ,bring the glue  
pot of boiling pitch to the ,lion6      
,hasten6 ,hasten6 ,now when the ,lion   
heard of the boiling pitch1 he was      
terrified beyond measure and leaped one 
side with all his might and fled4 ,down 
came the pile of beasts1 tumbling in    
confusion1 the one upon the other1 and  
all lay groaning bruised and bleeding1  
some with broken legs1 some with broken 
ribs1 and some with broken heads4 ,but  

as soon as the clamor of their first    
agony was over1 they all called out to  
the ,lion1 why did you leap out and     
bring all this misery upon us6 ,the     
,lion replied3      ,the story's point  
he never knew1     ,who never felt the  
burning glue6  ,monsoor1 who has just   
been to ,damascus1 says that if he can  
have another pipe1 and a cup of ,arab   
coffee1 he will tell the story of the   
famous ,jew ,rufaiel of ,damascus4 ,so  
he begins3  ,the story of ,rufaiel1 the 
rich ,jew of ,damascus1 and the ,moslem 
,dervish4  ,once there lived in         
,damascus a rich ,jew named ,rufaiel4   
,he had great wealth in marble palaces  
and rich silk robes1 and well stored    
bazaars1 and his wife and daughters were
 clad in velvets and satins1 in gold and
 precious stones4 ,he had also great wit
 and cunning1 and often helped his      
fellow ,jews out of their troubles4 ,now
 the ,pasha of ,damascus was a          
,mohammedan1 who had a superstitious    
fear of the holy ,moslem ,dervishes1 and

 they could persuade him to tax and     
oppress the ,jews in the most cruel     
manner4 ,in those days there came to    
,damascus a holy ,dervish who had long1 
uncombed black hair1 and although he was
 a vile and wicked man1 he made the     
people believe that he was a holy saint1
 and could perform wonderful miracles4  
,the ,pasha held him in great reverence1
 and invited him often to dinner1 and   
when he came in1 he would stoop and kiss
 the ,dervish's feet6 ,and what was most
 wonderful of all1 the ,dervish left    
,damascus every ,thursday night after   
bidding the ,pasha farewell1 and        
journeyed to ,mecca and returned in the 
morning and told the ,pasha all the     
,mecca news and what he had seen and    
heard4 ,this he did every week1 though  
all wise men laughed at him1 and said he
 only went out of the ,city ,gate and   
slept in the gardens of ,damascus6  ,now
 the ,dervish was a great enemy of the  
,jews4 ,he hated them1 cursed them1 spat
 upon them1 and called them infidel     

dogs1 and he persuaded the ,pasha to    
increase their taxes fourfold4 ,their   
sufferings now became very great4 ,they 
had to sell their houses and furniture  
to pay the heavy taxes1 and many were   
beaten and thrust into prison4 ,so the  
leading ,jews in their distress came to 
,rufaiel1 and begged him to go to the   
,pasha and obtain relief for them and   
their families4 ,he said he would think 
about the matter4 ,so after they had    
gone1 he called the chief jeweller and  
pipe maker of the city1 and ordered them
 to make a long pipe of exquisite       
workmanship1 with a stem of rosewood    
carved and inlaid with pearls1 a bowl of
 pure gold set with diamonds1 and a     
mouth-piece of gold and amber4 ,then he 
went one day to call on the ,pasha1 and 
made him a present of this elegant pipe1
 the like of which had never been seen  
in ,damascus4 ,the ,pasha was greatly   
pleased and ordered all in his presence 
to retire that he might enjoy the       
society of ,rufaiel1 the munificent     

,jew4 ,then ,rufaiel turned to the      
,pasha and said1 may your ,excellency   
live forever6 ,i have brought you this  
pipe as a faint token of my high esteem 
and affection1 but ,i am filled with    
deepest sorrow that it is not perfect4  
,not perfect8 said the ,pasha4 ,in what 
respect could it be more perfect than   
what it is8 ,said ,rufaiel1 you will    
notice that between the amber and the   
gold of the mouth-piece a little ring is
 wanting4 ,this ring was the very gem   
and excellence of the pipe4 ,it was cut 
from the ,black ,stone of the ,kaaba in 
,mecca1 and has miraculous properties4  
,but when the pipe was brought from     
,mecca1 the ring was left with ,mustafa1
 the jeweller1 who is ready to send it  
by the first fit opportunity4 ,alas1    
said the ,pasha1 but how can we send for
 it now8 ,the ,pilgrim caravan has gone1
 and there will be none again for a     
year4 ,oh1 said ,rufaiel1 this is easily
 arranged4 ,to-day is ,thursday1 and    
to-night the holy ,dervish will go to   

,mecca and return to-morrow morning4    
,your ,excellency need only command him 
to bring the black ring1 and before this
 time to-morrow the pipe will be        
complete in its beauty and excellency4  
,el ,hamd ,lillah6 ,praise to ,allah6   
,it shall be done6 ,so when ,rufaiel had
 gone1 the ,pasha summoned the ,dervish1
 and told him of this wonderful pipe    
which had come to him from ,mecca1 and  
that it only needed the black ring to   
make it absolutely perfect1 and that he 
was hereby commanded on pain of death to
 bring the ring from ,mecca before      
,friday at the hour of noon prayer4 ,the
 ,dervish bowed most obeisantly and     
retired black in the face with rage and 
despair4 ,but it occurred to him at once
 that none in ,damascus but ,rufaiel    
could have purchased such a pipe4 ,so he
 left the ,city ,gate1 called the ,bab  
,allah1 or ,gate of ,god1 at sunset1    
bidding his friends farewell1 and walked
 away in the gardens until night came   
on4 ,then1 at the sixth hour of the     

night he returned by another gate1 and  
crept along to the door of the mansion  
of ,rufaiel4 ,the door was opened1 and  
,rufaiel received him with great        
politeness4 ,the ,dervish fell on the   
floor and kissed his feet and begged for
 his life4 ,said he1 give me that black 
ring which belongs to the ,pasha's pipe1
 and we will be friends forever6 ,ask   
what you will and it shall be done to   
you4 ,only give me this ring4 ,said     
,rufaiel1 you have ruined my people with
 oppression1 and now do you ask a favor8
 ,yes1 said the ,dervish1 and you shall 
have any favor you ask4 ,so ,rufaiel    
thought to himself a moment1 and then   
said1 ,i ask one thing4 ,do you obtain  
from the ,pasha an order on all the tax 
collectors of ,damascus1 that when any  
,jew shall say1 ,i am one of the        
,seventy1 the collector shall pass him  
by1 and no tax ever be demanded of him4 
,done1 said the ,dervish1 and embracing 
,rufaiel1 he bade him good-night4 ,then 
in the morning he hastened in at ,bab   

,allah1 and presented the ring to the   
,pasha1 who was so delighted that he    
granted his request1 and orders were    
given that no tax should ever be        
collected from any ,jew who should say  
,i am one of the ,seventy4 ,then        
,rufaiel assembled all the ,jews of     
,damascus1 and bade them say to the     
tax-gatherers whenever they came1 ,i am 
one of the ,seventy4 ,so the ,jews had  
rest from taxation1 all the days of     
,rufaiel4  ,saleh ,b ,nusr1 one of the  
best men in ,mount ,lebanon1 and the    
father of ,khalil1 who brought us the   
list of ,arab boys' games1 has already  
told us the story of the ,goats and the 
,ghoul1 and he says that the savory odor
 of the egg plant being cooked for the  
wedding guests1 reminds him of the story
 of the ,badinjan or ,egg ,plant4  ,once
 there was a great ,emir or ,prince who 
had a very abject and obsequious servant
 named ,deeb 7,wolf74 ,one day ,deeb    
brought to the ,emir for his dinner a   
dish of stewed badinjan1 which pleased  

the ,emir so much that he complimented  
,deeb1 and told him that it was the best
 dinner he had eaten for months4 ,deeb  
bowed to the earth and kissed the feet  
of the ,emir1 and said1 may ,god prolong
 the life of your excellency6 ,your     
excellency knows what is good4 ,there is
 nothing like the badinjan4 ,it is the  
best of vegetables4 ,its fruit is good1 
its leaf is good1 its stalk is good1 and
 its root is good4 ,it is good roasted1 
stewed1 boiled1 fried1 and even raw4 ,it
 is good for old and young4 ,your       
excellency1 there is nothing like the   
badinjan4 ,now the ,emir was unusually  
hungry1 and ate so bountifully of the   
badinjan that he was made very ill4 ,so 
he sent for ,deeb1 and rebuked him      
sharply1 saying1 you rascal1 you ,deeb1 
your name is ,wolf1 and you are rightly 
named4 ,this badinjan which you praised 
so highly has almost killed me4 ,exactly
 so1 said ,deeb1 may your excellency    
live forever6 ,the badinjan is the      
vilest of plants4 ,it is never eaten    

without injury4 ,its fruit is injurious1
 its leaf is injurious1 its stalk is    
noxious1 and its root is the vilest of  
all4 ,it is not fit 'ajell shanak       
,allah1' for the pigs to eat1 whether   
raw1 roasted1 stewed1 boiled or fried4  
,it is injurious to the young and       
dangerous to the old4 ,your excellency1 
there is nothing so bad as the badinjan6
 ,never touch the badinjan6--,out with  
you1 you worthless fellow1 you ,deeb6   
,what do you mean by praising the       
badinjan when ,i praise it1 and abusing 
it when it injures me8 ,ah1 your        
excellency1 said ,deeb1 am ,i the       
servant of the badinjan1 or the servant 
of your excellency8 ,i must say what    
pleases you1 but it makes no difference 
whether ,i please the badinjan or not4  
,the wedding party is now over1 and the 
guests are departing4 ,each one on      
leaving says1 by your pleasure1 good    
evening6 ,the host answers1 go in peace1
 you have honored us4 ,the guests reply1
 we have been honored1 ,allah give the  

newly married ones an arees1 7a         
bridegroom74 ,they would not dare wish  
that ,shaheen and ,handmeh might some   
day have a little baby girl4 ,that would
 be thought an insult4  ,we will walk up
 the hill to our mountain home1 passing 
the fountain and the great walnut trees4
 ,here comes a horseman4 ,it is ,ali1   
who has been spending a month among the 
,bedawin ,arabs4 ,he will come up and   
stay with us1 and tell us of his        
adventures4 ,he says that the ,sit      
,harba1 the wife of the great ,arab     
,sheikh ed ,dukhy1 taught him a number  
of the ,bedawin ,nursery ,songs1 and    
although he is weary with his journey1  
he will repeat some of them in ,arabic4 
,they are all about camels and spears   
and fighting and similar subjects1 and  
no wonder1 as they see nothing else1 and
 think of nothing else4      ,to-morrow 
is the feast day1     ,we've no henna on
 our hands2     ,our camels went to     
bring it1     ,from far off distant     
lands2     ,we'll rise by night and     

listen1     ,the camel bells will ring2 
,and say a thousand welcomes     ,to    
those who henna bring4  ,and here is a  
song which shows that the ,bedawin have 
the same habit of cursing their enemies1
 which we noticed in the ,druze         
lullabys3      ,on the rose and sweetest
 myrtle1     ,may you sleep1 my eyes1 my
 boy2     ,but may sharpest thorns and  
briars1     ,all your enemies destroy6  
,ali says that one of the most mournful 
songs he heard in the desert was the    
following3      ,i am like a wounded    
camel1     ,i grind my teeth in pain2   
,my load is great and heavy1     ,i am  
tottering again4     ,my back is torn   
and bleeding1     ,my wound is past     
relief1     ,and what is harder still to
 bear1     ,none other knows my grief6  
,the next is a song which the people    
sung in the villages on the borders of  
the desert4 ,by the sea they mean the   
,sea of ,galilee3      ,my companions   
three1     ,were fishing by the sea2    
,the ,arabs captured one1     ,the      

,koords took his brother1     ,in one   
land was ,i1     ,my friends were in    
another4      ,i was left to moan1      
,in sorrow deep and sad1     ,like a    
camel all alone1     ,departing to      
,baghdad2     ,my soul ,i beg you tell  
me whether1     ,once parted friends    
e'er met together8  ,the ,bedawin have  
as low an idea of girls as the ,bedawin 
in the cities1 and are very glad when a 
boy is born4 ,sometimes when the ,abeih 
girls are playing together1 you will    
hear a little girl call out1 it is very 
small indeed4 ,why it is a little wee   
thing1 as small as was the rejoicing the
 day ,i was born6 ,but hear what the    
,bedawin women sing when a boy is born3 
,mashallah1 a boy1 a boy6     ,may      
,allah's eye defend him6     ,may she   
who sees and says not the ,name1     ,be
 smitten with blindness and die in      
shame6  ,how would you like to live     
among the ,bedawin1 and have a dusky    
,arab woman1 clad in coarse garments1   
covered with vermin and odorous of      

garlic and oil1 to sing you to sleep on 
a mat on the ground8      ,hasten my    
cameleer1 where are you going8     ,it  
is eventide1 and the camels are lowing3 
,my house in a bundle ,i bear on my     
back1     ,whenever night comes1 ,i my  
bundle unpack4  ,the next is a song of  
the pastoral ,arabs3      ,hasten my    
guide and lead us away1     ,for we have
 fought and lost the day2     ,to the   
well we went all thirsty and worn1      
,the well was dry6 and we slept forlorn4
      ,the ,bedawin came in battle      
array1     ,attacked us all famished at 
break of day     ,and took all our      
camels and tents away6  ,death enters   
the ,bedawin tents as well as the       
palaces of kings and the comfortable    
homes of the people in ,christian lands4
 ,but what desolation it leaves behind  
in those dark sorrowing hearts1 who know
 nothing of the love of ,jesus and the  
consolations of the gospel4 ,this is a  
funeral song the poor ,bedawin women    
sing over the death of a child3      ,oh

 hasten my camel1 begone1 begone1       
,oh haste where your loved ones stay3   
,there weep and lament4 ,there my spirit
 is gone1     ,is gone to a night       
without day3     ,oh ,star of the       
,morning1 thou ,star of the day1        
,and ,star of the ,evening1 both hasten 
away1     ,and bring me a balm for my   
wounded heart1     ,for ,i from my      
child1 my spirit must part4  ,soon may  
the day dawn1 and the day star arise in 
their dark hearts1 and ,jesus the       
,bright and ,morning ,star be their     
portion forever6  ,the next song is     
about the pilgrimage to ,jerusalem4     
,thousands of ,greeks1 ,armenians and   
,catholics go to ,jerusalem every year  
to visit the ,holy ,places1 and get a   
certificate of the pardon of all their  
sins4 ,the ,greek ,patriarch performs a 
lying imposture called the ,holy ,fire  
every year at ,greek ,easter1 by        
lighting a candle with a match inside a 
dark room1 and declaring that it is     
miraculously lighted by fire which comes

 forth from the tomb of ,christ6 ,so the
 poor ,greek woman sings to her child3  
,oh take me on a pilgrimage1            
,jerusalem to see3     ,the ,tomb of    
,christ and ,holy fire1     ,and ,hill  
of ,calvary3     ,and then ,i'll to the 
,convent go1     ,ask pardon for my sin3
     ,and say1 my ,lady1 now forgive1   
,and comfort me again4  ,the next is    
really beautiful1 and is good enough for
 any mother to sing to her child4 ,it is
 a morning song3      ,praise to ,him   
who brings the light1     ,and keeps the
 birds in darkest night4     ,god is    
merciful to all1     ,rise ye men and on
 ,him call6     ,allah praise in every  
lot1     ,he keeps you and you know it  
not4  ,and this one too1 about the      
little worms1 is curious enough3        
,praise to ,him who feeds the worms1    
,in the silent vale6     ,provides their
 portion every day1     ,protects them  
in the dangerous way4     ,no doubt they
 praise ,him too1 and pray1     ,in the 
silent vale6  ,when our good friend     

,yusef1 whom we saw in ,safita1 asked   
the ,nusairyeh women to repeat to him   
their nursery rhymes1 they denied that  
they had any4 ,they were afraid to      
recite them1 lest he write them down and
 use them as a magic spell or charm     
against them4 ,when a child is born     
among them1 no one is allowed to take a 
coal or spark of fire from the house for
 a week1 lest the child be injured4     
,they always hang a little coin around  
the child's neck to keep off eruptions  
and diseases from its body4  ,you must  
be weary by this time1 after ,handumeh's
 wedding and the story telling and the  
,bedawin songs4 ,let us retire to rest  
for the night1 thankful for the precious
 ,bible1 and the knowledge of ,jesus    
,christ4 ,you are safe indeed in the    
hands of ,god1 and need not fear the    
,ghoul nor the ,bah'oo4 ,good night4    
,such is life4 ,yesterday a wedding1 and
 to-day a funeral4 ,do you hear that    
terrific wail1 those shrieks and bitter 
cries of anguish8 ,young ,sheikh ,milham

 has died4 ,the ,druze and ,christian   
women are gathered in the house1 and    
wailing together in the most piteous    
manner4 ,it is dreadful to think what   
sufferings the poor women must endure4  
,they do everything possible to excite  
one another4 ,they not only call out1   
,milham1 my pride1 my bridegroom1 star  
of my life1 you have set1 my flower1 you
 have faded1 but they remind each other 
of all the deaths that have occurred in 
their various families for years1 and   
thus open old wounds of sorrow which    
time had healed4 ,yet they have regular 
funeral songs1 and we will listen while 
they sing in a mournful strain3         
,milham ,beg my warrior1     ,your spear
 is burnished gold2     ,your costly    
robes and trappings1     ,will in the   
street be sold4     ,where is the ,beg  
who bore me8     ,i hear the armor      
crying--     ,where is the lord who wore
 me8     ,i hear the garments sighing4  
,now ,im ,hassein from ,ainab bursts out
 in a loud song1 addressing the dead    

body1 around which they are all seated  
on the ground3      ,rise up my lord1   
gird on your sword1     ,of heavy       
,baalbec steel2     ,why leave it       
hanging on the nail8     ,let foes its  
temper feel6     ,would that the        
,pasha's son had died1     ,not our     
,barmakeh's son and pride6  ,then ,lemis
 answers in another song in which they  
all join3      ,ten thousands are       
thronging together1     ,the ,beg has a 
feast to-day2     ,we thought he had    
gone on a visit1     ,but alas1 he has  
gone to stay4  ,then they all scream1   
and tear their hair and beat their      
breasts4 ,alas1 they have no light      
beyond the grave4 ,who could expect them
 to do otherwise8 ,the ,apostle ,paul   
urges the ,christians not to sorrow even
 as others which have no hope6 ,this is 
sorrow without hope4 ,the grave is all  
dark to them4 ,how we should thank our  
,saviour for having cast light on the   
darkness of the tomb1 and given us great
 consolation in our sorrows6 ,here comes

 a procession of women from ,kefr       
,metta4 ,hear them chanting3      ,i saw
 the mourners thronging round1     ,i   
saw the beds thrown on the ground2      
,the marble columns leaning1     ,the   
wooden beams careening1     ,my lord and
 ,sheikh with flowing tears1     ,i     
asked what was its meaning8     ,he     
sadly beckoned me aside1     ,and said1 
,to-day my son has died6  ,then an old  
woman1 a widow1 who has been reminded of
 the death of her husband1 calls out to 
him3      ,oh1 ,sheikh1 have you gone to
 the land8     ,then give my salams to  
my boy1     ,he has gone on a long1 long
 journey1     ,and took neither clothing
 nor toy4     ,ah1 what will he wear on 
the feast days1     ,when the people    
their festal enjoy8  ,now one of the    
women addresses the corpse3      ,lord  
of the wide domain1     ,all praise of  
you is true4     ,the women of your     
hareem1     ,are dressed in mourning    
blue4  ,then one sings the mother's     
wail3      ,my tears are consuming my   

heart1     ,how can ,i from him bear to 
part4     ,oh raven of death1 tell me   
why1     ,you betrayed me and left him  
to die8     ,oh raven of death begone6  
,you falsely betrayed my son6     ,oh   
,milham1 ,i beg you to tell1     ,why   
you've gone to the valley to dwell8     
,from far1 far away ,i have come1       
,who will come now to take me back home8
  ,then rises such a wail as you never  
heard before4 ,a hundred women all      
screaming together and then men are     
coming to take it away4 ,the women hug  
and kiss the corpse1 and try to pull it 
back1 while the men drive them off1 and 
carry it out to the bier4 ,some of the  
women faint away1 and a piercing shriek 
arises4 ,then you hear the mother's wail
 again4  ,then one sings the call of the
 dead man for help3      ,oh ransom me1 
buy me1 my friends to-day1     ',tis a  
costly ransom you'll have to pay1       
,oh ransom me1 father1 whate'er they    
demand1     ,though they take all your  
money and houses and land4  ,and another

 sings his address to the grave-diggers3
      ,oh cease1 grave-diggers1 my      
feelings you shock1     ,i forbade you  
to dig1 you have dug to the rock2     ,i
 bade you dig little1 you have dug so   
deep6     ,when his father's not here1  
will you lay him to sleep8  ,then a poor
 woman who has lately buried a young    
daughter begins to sing3      ,oh bride6
 on the roofs of heaven1     ,come now  
and look over the wall3     ,oh let your
 sad mother but see you1     ,oh let her
 not vainly call6     ,hasten1 her heart
 is breaking1     ,let her your smile   
behold2     ,the mother is sadly        
weeping1     ,the maiden is still and   
cold4  ,the ,druzes believe that        
millions of ,druzes live in ,china and  
that ,china is a kind of heaven4 ,so    
another woman sings3      ,yullah1 now  
my lady1 happy is your state6     ,happy
 ,china's people1 when you reached the  
gate6     ,lady1 you are passing1       
,to the palace bright1     ,all the     
stars surpassing1     ,on the brow of   

night6  ,and now the body is taken to be
 buried1 and the women return to the    
house1 where the wailing is kept up for 
days and weeks4 ,they have many other   
funeral songs1 of which ,i will give two
 in conclusion3      ,ye ,druzes1 gird  
on your swords1     ,a great one is dead
 to-day2     ,the ,arabs came down upon 
us1     ,they thought us in battle      
array1     ,but they wept when they     
found us mourning1     ,for our leader  
has gone away6  ,the next is the lament 
of the mother over her dead son3        
,the sun is set1 the tents are rolled1  
,happy the mother whose lambs are in    
fold2     ,but one who death's dark     
sorrow knew1     ,let her go to the     
,nile of indigo blue1     ,and dye her  
robes a mourning hue6  ,and now1 my dear
 boy1 our ,syrian journey is ended4 ,you
 have seen and heard many strange       
things4 ,whatever is good among the     
,arabs1 try to imitate2 whatever is     
evil1 avoid4 ,perhaps you will write to 
me some day1 and tell me what you think 

of ,syria and the ,syrians4 ,many little
 boys and girls will read this long     
letter1 but it is your letter1 and ,i   
have written it for your instruction and
 amusement4  ,may the good ,shepherd1   
who gave ,his life for the sheep1 lead  
you beside the still waters of life1 and
 at last when ,he shall appear1 may ,he 
give you a crown of glory which fadeth  
not away6  ,,the ,,end     ,,index4     
,arabs of the ,jahiliyeh1 #a  ,arabs of 
,kinaneh1 #b  ,arabic ,proverbs1 #c     
,araman1 ,michaiel1 #ai1 #ii  ,asn      
,haddad1 #aja  ,abu ,selim1 #ach1 #bfj  
,abu ,mishrik1 #adh  ,aleppo1 #aea      
,asur el ,jedid1 #afh  ,american        
,seminary ,abeih1 #afi  ,anazy1 #ahb    
,arthington1 ,mr41 #aha1 #ahd  ,ali1    
#ahd1 #cei  ,amount of ,instruction1    
#eg1 #gh1 #ha1 #caf  ,abdullah ,yanni1  
#bbj  ,aintab1 #hh  ,abu ,asaad1 #bgd1  
#bgf1 #bhc  ,abu ,isbir1 #bha  ,arab    
,camp1 #bie  ,abdullamites1 #bih        
,arkites1 #bfb  ,abu ,hanna1 #bfc       
,asaad ,mishrik1 #bcc   ,burying ,alive1

 #a  ,birth of ,daughter1 #bh1 #bcf     
,b'hamdn1 #ic1 #aba  ,bliss1 ,mrs4 ,dr41
 #ajd  ,booth1 ,wm4 ,a41 #aje1 #ajf     
,bird1 ,rev41 #dg1 #dh1 #ej1 #eh1 #aae  
,bistany1 ,mr41 #abf1 #acd1 #aeh1 #bjj  
,bedr1 ,rev4 ,yusef1 #adh  ,belinda1    
#adi  ,bedawin ,arabs1 #ahj  ,british   
,syrian ,schools1 #hd  ,beattie1 ,rev41 
#da  ,bird1 ,mrs41 #ej  ,beit ,beshoor1 
#bgd  ,bells1 #cjd  ,bedawin ,songs1    
#cfj   ,carabet ,melita1 #fb1 #fe1 #fg1 
#aec  ,cheney1 ,miss1 #gd1 #ha1 #ig     
,carruth1 ,miss1 #ajd  ,calhoun1 ,mrs41 
#gi1 #aad1 #aig  ,crawford1 ,mrs41 #bjd 
,church of ,scotland ,schools for       
,jewish ,girls1 #bad  ,carabet1 ,bishop 
,dionysius1 #di  ,convent of the ,sacred
 ,fish1 #bif  ,camels1 #bde   ,divorce1 
#ad1 #ag1 #bi1 #cg  ,druze1 #bj  ,dodds1
 ,dr41 #ci  ,de ,forrest1 ,dr41 #bc1    
#cc1 #gc1 #ge1 #acd1 #bih  ,dales1      
,miss1 #bjd  ,department of ,women's    
,work1 #bai  ,dodge1 ,dr41 #ej  ,dodge1 
,mrs41 #ej1 #eb1 #ec  ,dog ,river1 #cab 
,el ,khunsa1 the poetess1 #d  ,education

 of ,girls1 #ah1 #ai  ,everett1 ,miss1  
#ajc  ,early ,age of ,marriage1 #aag    
,eddy1 ,mr41 #aea  ,el ,hakem1 #cca1 #bb
  ,evil ,eye1 #ccf   ,female            
,prayer-,meeting1 #ef1 #gd  ,ford1 ,mr41
 #abf1 #aea1 #aef  ,french ,lazarist    
,school1 #afi  ,francis ,effendi        
,merrash1 #ia  ,fast of ,ramadan1 #cjf  
,feller's ,soap1 #cbh  ,funerals1 #caf1 
#cfd  ,female ,seminary1 ,beirt1 #bbb1  
#cae  ,fruits1 #bee  ,fisk1 ,rev4       
,pliny1 #dg   ,greek ,school ,suk el    
,ghurb1 #afi  ,ghubrin ,jebara1 #agc    
,goodell1 ,mrs41 #ej  ,games1 #cai      
,greek ,priests1 #bei  ,goodell1 ,dr41  
#dg1 #dh   ,houris1 #aj  ,hamz1 #bj     
,hala of ,abeih1 #bi  ,hammd1 #ci       
,hums1 #adj  ,hassan1 #aih  ,hicks1     
,miss1 #bjf  ,howe1 ,fisher1 #gf1 #hj   
,haj ,ibraham1 #big   ,ishoc1 #adi1 #bfc
  ,irish-,american ,united ,presbyterian
 ,mission in ,damascus1 #bjd            
,ishmaelitic ,songs1 #cbf               
,imprecations1 #cbf   ,johnson1 ,miss1  
#ig  ,jacombs1 ,miss1 #ih1 #bbe         

,jackson1 ,miss ,ellen1 #ajd  ,jenan1   
#acf1 #afb1 #afe1 #aia  ,jenneh1 #acf   
,jeneineh1 #acf  ,jesuit ,school        
,ghuzir1 #afi  ,job1 #bbi   ,khozma     
,ata1 #cc1 #ge  ,katrina ,subra1 #ic1   
#ie  ,koukab es ,subah1 #cc1 #abf       
,koran1 #a1 #b1 #aa1 #abf1 #big  ,khalil
 ,effendi1 #afg  ,khalil ,ferah1 #bhf   
,king1 ,dr4 ,jonas1 #dg1 #dh   ,latakiah
 ,boarding ,school1 #db  ,loring1 ,miss 
,sophia1 #ajd  ,luciya1 ,shekkur1 #aad  
,lyde1 ,mr41 #ch1 #ci  ,lying1 #bhd     
,lullaby1 #bid  ,letters1 #caa          
,lokunda1 #bdb   ,moslem ,paradise for  
,women1 #aj  ,moslem ,idea of ,women1   
#ab1 #ag  ,moulah ,hakem1 #bb1 #cca     
,massacres of #ahfj1 #bd1 #ie1 #aif1    
#bhf  ,marriage ,ceremony of ,druzes1   
#be  ,marie1 #dc  ,maronites1 #de       
,mason1 ,miss1 #ig  ,meshakah1 ,dr41    
#aah  ,miriam the ,aleppine1 #ae        
,modern ,syrian ,views1 #aeh  ,moslem   
,schools1 #afh1 #bec  ,miss ,taylor's   
,school ,moslem ,girls1 #bac  ,methak en
 ,nissa1 #ba  ,metheny1 ,dr41 #dj       

,manger1 #bfe  ,missionary ,stations1   
#bdi  ,miriam1 #bgi1 #bhb  ,monasteries1
 #cji  ,marriage1 #cch1 #aag1 #adc      
,mohammed ed ,dukhy1 #ahb1 #ahi1 #bdf   
,naman1 ,king of ,hira1 #c  ,nusairyeh1 
#ce  ,nusairyeh ,women1 #ch  ,nejm1 #aaj
  ,naame ,tabet1 #bja  ,nowar1 #bhf     
,nursery ,songs1 #cbe  ,names1 #bdb1    
#bdd   ,othman1 #b  ,okkal1 #bd  ,oulad 
el ,arab1 #df   ,poetesses of ,arabs1 #f
  ,position of ,woman in ,mohammedan    
,world1 #g  ,prussian ,deaconess'       
,institute ,beirt1 #bjf  ,post1 ,dr41   
#bi  ,praying1 #cje  ,parsons1 ,rev4    
,levi1 #dg   ,qualifications for        
,missionaries1 #ec   ,raksh1 the        
,poetess1 #f  ,rufka1 ,gregory1 #fj1    
#ig1 #ii1 #ajb1 #ach1 #age1 #bgg        
,resha1 #aaj  ,raheel1 #abj  ,ruella    
,arabs1 #ahd   ,sa ,saah1 #c  ,schwire1 
#aj  ,sheikh ,owad1 #af  ,sheikh ,said  
el ,ghur1 #ai  ,sheikh ,khottar1 #ca    
,sheikh ,mohammed ed ,dukhy1 #ahb1 #ahi1
 #bdf  ,sheikh ,aiub el ,hashem1 #bhh   
,sitt ,abla1 #cj  ,syrian ,christianity1

 #df  ,stale of ,mission in #ahbh1 #di1 
--#ahcd1 #ea1 #ec1   --#ahda1 #ee1      
--#ahdf1 #eg   --#aheb1 #ge1   --#ahfd1 
#aja  ,seclusion of ,oriental ,females1 
#eb  ,sada ,gregory1 #ah1 #fa1 #gj      
,superstitions1 #gg1 #cag1 #cah1 #ccf   
,sada ,barakat1 #hd  ,stanton1 ,miss1   
#ih  ,sada el ,haleby1 #hd1 #ajj1 #aae  
,sara ,bistany1 #aja1 #acf  ,smith1     
,dr41 #ej1 #abg  ,sarkis1 ,mr4 ,ibraham1
 #abg  ,sulleba ,jerwan1 #adb  ,sara    
,huntington ,bistany1 #aeg  ,sitt       
,mariana ,merrash1 #afb  ,sitt ,wustina 
,mesirra1 #afe  ,schools of ,syria1     
#afi1 #aga  ,sitt ,harba1 #ahc1 #ahe1   
#cei  ,safita1 #bgg1 #bhe1 #cjb1 #ccd   
,seven ,arbitrary ,pillars of the ,law1 
#bb  ,suggestions to ,friends of        
,missions1 #bbd  ,sidon ,female         
,seminary1 #bbe  ,saad-ed-,deen1 #fg    
,sphere and ,mode of ,woman's ,work1    
#bah  ,syed ,abdullah1 #bhh  ,swine1    
#cjf  ,story of the ,goats and the      
,ghoul1 #cdc  ,story of the ,hamam1     
,butta1 etc41 #cdf  ,story of the ,lion 

and ,ibn ,adam1 #cej  ,story of the ,jew
 ,rufaiel1 #ced  ,story of the          
,badinjan1 #ceh  ,shepherds1 #cac       
,swearing1 #bdj  ,soum el ,kebir1 #bfj  
,smith1 ,mrs41 #bg1 #ej1 #abj  ,syrian  
,school-,houses1 #bce   ,tribe of ,temm1
 #c  ,triangle of ,solomon1 #cf         
,temple1 ,miss1 #ig  ,thomson1 ,dr41    
#dh1 #ajj1 #abc  ,thomson1 ,miss        
,emilia1 #ajd  ,tod1 ,mrs4 ,alexander1  
#abb  ,thompson1 ,mrs4 ,bowen1 #bjh     
,thomson1 ,mrs41 #ej  ,telegraph1 #caj  
,tilden1 #cc1 #ed1 #fj   ,van ,dyck1    
#ca1 #ajg1 #aag1 #abg1 #agb  ,value ,set
 on ,woman's ,life1 #aif   ,wahidy1 #ai 
,women's ,work1 #ahbj to #ahgb1 #de     
,wortabet1 ,salome1 #di1 #fd            
,whittlesey1 ,mrs4 ,a4,l41 #gd1 #gh     
,watson1 ,mrs41 #ih1 #bjd  ,women's     
,boards of ,missions1 #ajd  ,whiting1   
,mrs41 #ca1 #eg1 #fc1 #abe  ,wilson1    
,rev4 ,d4,m41 #hc1 #adb  ,werdeh1 #aef  
,wortabet1 ,rev4 ,john1 #bjb  ,whiting1 
,rev41 #ej1 #eh1 #fa  ,waly1 #bia       
,wortabet1 ,gregory1 #di1 #ea           

,williams1 ,miss ,rebecca1 #eb1 #ee     
,yusef ,jedid1 #dj  ,yusef ,ahtiyeh1    
#bgh1 #bha  ,yanni1 #bcg1 #bed1 #bef1   
#bhi1 #cjj1 #cji  ,yusef ,keram1 #cja   
,zarifeh1 the ,poetess1 #f  ,zeyarehs1  
#cg1 #bfh  ,zahara1 #ci  ,zarify1 #aaj  
,zahidy1 #bhg     ,transcriber's ,notes3
  ,replaced ,beirut with ,beirt for     
consistency throughout the book4        
,replaced ,nusairiyeh with ,nusairyeh   
for consistency throughout the   book4  
,page #adg3 ,added opening parenthesis  
before etc41 etc4 ,page #bjf3 ,changed  
,aitah to ,aitath4 ,page #bgc3 ,changed 
,inshallah to ,inshullah4 ,page #caa3   
,changed ,mushullah to ,mashallah4 ,page
 #cgj3 ,changed ,abdulla ,yanni to      
,abdullah ,yanni4