the seeds of war, of destruction, and of racial and national hatred planted in the minds of the young while they sat on the school benches? Is it not rather for us today to plant the seeds of peace, of building, of tolerance, of sincerity, and of love in the minds of our pupils — above all now that the horizon of our Arabic language has widened with the union of its kings and its emirs, and the tongue of the ancestors has begun to take again the seat it held in bygone generations, gathering into its bosom the best the Westerner has produced, joining it to the best products of Eastern thought, and bringing it forth as a national culture, Lebanese and Arab? We shall doubtless arrive at that on the day the programs of teaching and education are unified, the number of our higher and technical schools increases, and schooling becomes compulsory in Lebanon — which has carried, and still carries, the torch of learning and culture to the countries around it.

And now my tongue is unequal to showing the feelings of thanks my heart harbors for our Lebanese government, represented by His Excellency Minister Emile Lahoud; for the members of the honored tribute committee; for the generous fellow citizens; for the literary speakers, men and women; for my dear pupils; and for Mr. Georges Baz, who counted up for me the years of my life and of my works, and who has rendered, and still renders, his historic service in the cause of learning and of woman. You have whetted my resolve, renewed my energy, and endeared to me a life spent in the service of my homeland and my country. And here I repeat to each of you what that old sheikh said to the Caliph Harun al-Rashid: "You have honored learning — may God honor you."

The demand in Britain today is growing for fashion mannequins — girls who know how to wear clothes with elegance and how to walk with poised, graceful steps amid a crowd of critical eyes, with complete coolness, smiling, composed, or laughing according to what the new model on display requires.

The school for mannequins in London, after its head, Mrs. Lucie Clayton, reopened it at the end of the war, has received hundreds of applications. This shows plainly that the tiring profession of the mannequin undoubtedly has its lures and its attractions in the eyes of girls — those who spent several years in the fighting forces, the factories, and the Women's Land Army.

Some girls take up this profession because they believe it truly amusing for a girl to put on beautiful clothes, become the focus of all eyes, and, in the end, draw a salary that is not to be despised. But there are certain other girls who look upon this profession in quite another way, entirely different from the first.

And although a great number of girls have their applications accepted, there are certain matters that cannot be overlooked. If a girl is accepted into the ranks of the mannequins, she must possess a taste for the wearing of clothes, even if it is still only natural and untutored, for the task of the experts is to polish that taste and raise it to the highest levels. Next, the new pupil must be versed in the manner of walking that draws all eyes, for if she is ignorant of this she will certainly diminish the value of the gown she wears.

As for her age, it must not exceed twenty-five — with some exceptions, naturally — quite apart from her height, her weight, and the measurements of her figure, which are of the first importance. Then comes the turn of beauty, which she must enjoy, since every one of these girls is required to be beautiful to some degree, though that does not prevent her from being alluring as well. Before she leaves the school she is taught something of the art of the stage. She begins with physical exercises to correct her figure; then her work develops into training in the poised walk, in turning with grace and suppleness, and in taking off clothes and then putting them on in a tempting and engaging manner, and so forth.

It is worth mentioning that some of these girls advance so far in the field of the work that they draw the attention of film directors and magazine proprietors, who ask them to work with them — and thus their futures are settled.

The American Girls' College

presents

How Strange!

Written by Mr. Farid Mudawwar

Thursday and Friday, May 9 and 10, 1946, at eight o'clock in the evening

• • • The proceeds are set aside for the College's social services project

• • • Ticket price: first class 300, second class 200 • Tickets on sale at West Hall and at the College