out of their kindness toward me, to grant me the honor of this medal, and to bestow upon me a reward for a joint effort in which I was only one soldier among others, together with my fellow members of the Women's Federation and all the women of Lebanon.

And as I accept it, I feel proud of it — because it is not mine, but belongs to woman in Lebanon; because it is an appreciation of her sharing in the nation's hopes, of her contribution to the effort of liberation, and of her readiness to perform in the future what is incumbent upon her in building up this homeland and consolidating its pillars; and because this medal is presented by an independent Lebanese government.

And how great is my fortune today, to stand before the head of our government among the members of the Federation — this body to which I am proud to belong — receiving from its president, from its members, and from Miss Ibtihaj Kaddoura those generous sentiments which I try to answer in kind with thanks, but fall short.

This good country in which we live stands in the vanguard of the Arab nation in progress and in intellectual advancement, and we have every hope that it will stand at its forefront in Arab spirit, in a liberating tendency, in organized constructive work, and in a constant looking toward the realization of its national hopes.

Thank God, we have taken a sure step on our road: we have realized the existence of a government of us and for us; we have placed our affairs in our own hands; and we have become a nation that sees in independence a glory, in sacrifice for its sake a blessing, in public work a satisfaction, and in union a strength.

It is run by five educated young men of Dedde, whose task is teaching, free of charge, those young men and

women whom their circum-stances deprived of the blessing of learning at the school desks by day... And the five young volunteers in the fight against illiteracy talk with you, and you come to admire their project, which has no like in Lebanon — not at the American University, which America supports, nor in the Maqasid Society, which the Muslim community of Beirut champions...

This is a night school for boys, ready and active in carrying out its mission... and tomorrow the educated girls of the village will take over the running of a similar school for girls, now in preparation!...

And in Dedde, besides these two, there are two private schools for boys and a government school for girls... I recall that the number of all the people of Dedde is some one thousand two hundred, and I marvel at the leap of the Lebanese toward learning!

You stroll through the quarters and corners of the village, listen-ing to your companions complain of the government's neglect of the works of construction and health in their town: no road is paved, no electric or telephone wire is strung — not even a water pipe to spare them swal-lowing germs with the murky water of the wells!... And on your way you see a church and a mosque, and your companions tell you: this one is for the Christians and that one for the Muslims!...

And you turn back, to accompany Emir Hussein on his rounds among the orchards and vineyards, and to hear him speak of planting and tree-setting, of sowing and harvest, of the kinds of insects and the diseases of plants, with an expertness and an art beside which the expert-ness and art of the agricultural engineer fall short!... And you let your gaze wander over those regions and those wide horizons, saying to yourself:

Blessed are you, O Lebanon — how many treasures beneath your soil, and how many trea-sures upon your back!... But they are hidden treasures!...

• Woman is of two kinds: the first loves to have others talk about her, and the second loves to talk about others! — Napoleon

• A woman's secret is known to the friend furthest from her heart, but she will not confide it to the man dearest to her...

• You cannot know what a woman means to do until you have seen her do it.

• If you say to a woman, "A white piaster comes in handy on a black day," she will answer you on the spot: "Spend what is in your pocket, and what is hidden will come to you!"

The famous French journalist "Madame Tabouis" said, advising the daughters of her sex:

— Do not imitate other women; try to have a stamp of your own. For women in this modern age have lost much of the old magic of femininity... they have become all alike, and their pliant nature has helped them to play with ease any farce that comes into their heads. Modesty was once their great virtue, and with the passing of time they have acquired the ability to appear other than they really are.

A census recently made by one of the scientific institutions in France says that the number of women who have become famous in the history of the world by way of literature and art far exceeds the number of women who have become known by any other way..

This institution studied the history of 863 well-known ladies, and found that 49 percent of them were authoresses and writers.