As She Told Me — The Marquise de Freige

On the occasion of the glorious feast of Christmas and the New Year, the Lebanese Red Cross society held several parties at the dispensaries attached to it, where clothing, food, and gifts were distributed to the needy. The finest and most beautiful of these parties was the one held at the "Soldier's House," attended by Her Ladyship the First Lady of Lebanon, His Excellency the Minister of Defense Emir Majid Arslan, the Honorable Commander-in-Chief Emir Fouad Chehab, and a select company of ladies and young ladies.

His Excellency the Minister pinned upon the breast of the president of the Red Cross society, the Marquise de Freige, the gilded Lebanese Order of Merit, in recognition of her merit and in appreciation of the nobility of her work.

On this occasion "The Woman's Voice" sent its representative to congratulate the president, the Marquise de Freige, and to talk with her about the project of the Lebanese Red Cross. Our representative said:

My visit to the noble lady, the Marquise de Freige, in her flourishing palace brought me two surprises: the first, that strong, attractive, generous personality who has consecrated her life to the service of her homeland, Lebanon — and the second, that magnificent palace, whose like in Beirut I had not imagined to exist, in the elegance of its furnishings, the beauty of its arrangement, and the splendor of its appearance. The Marquise received me in one of the rooms set apart for receptions. We had a prior appointment. I presented to her the congratulations of the Lebanese Women's League and of "The Woman's Voice" on the decoration which the Lebanese government had conferred upon her with merit and desert. And I expressed my wish to talk with her about this noble national project, I mean the "Lebanese Red Cross." She smiled and said: "How it delights me to speak of this project, for it is the work dearest to my heart."

I said: Would you permit me, Madam, to mention to me a glimpse of how the Lebanese Red Cross was founded and the purpose for which it was founded?

She answered: "Before the era of independence there was no Lebanese Red Cross society; there was rather an institution known as the 'French-Lebanese Red Cross,' of which I was a member. After the era of independence, the ladies of Lebanon felt the necessity of founding a national Lebanese Red Cross, and some of them called one another to a meeting at the invitation of Her Ladyship the wife of His Excellency the President of the Lebanese Republic. They deliberated on the matter, and the result was the founding of the present 'Lebanese Red Cross.' Then came the election of the women responsible for the conduct of the work, and I had the honor of winning the confidence of my Lebanese sisters, for they elected me president; they likewise elected the virtuous lady, the wife of His Excellency the Prime Minister Riad Bey al-Solh, as vice-president, Mrs. Ellen Rihan and Mrs. Najla Saab as secretaries, and the virtuous lady, the wife of Georges Bey Tabet, as treasurer. Her Ladyship the wife of His Excellency the President of the Republic graciously acceded to our wish by accepting the honorary presidency.

The Lebanese Red Cross is an auxiliary of the Lebanese Army and a complement to it. It spent the first year of its life in the work of organization. The founding committee was composed of thirty ladies. This committee then branched out into several working committees, namely: the Soldier's House committee, the general relief committee, the preparation committee, the sewing committee, the dispensaries committee, and the nurses' committee.

Every Lebanese lady is entitled to join this humanitarian institution, provided she pays an annual subscription, the amount of which for this year is ten Lebanese liras. All the subscribing members meet once a year, at which they hear the reports of all the committees. We have lately created an advisory committee in Beirut composed of 12 men. We shall announce it soon in the newspapers."

I said: Could Your Ladyship mention to me even a brief glimpse of the projects which the "Lebanese Red Cross" is undertaking?

She answered: With every pleasure. And I wish to commend the praiseworthy efforts made by every lady among the members of the working committees I have mentioned, such that we have been able to accomplish in two years what might well have taken several years. For during these two years of its life, the Red Cross has been able to establish several projects, of which I mention the following free dispensaries:

1 — The Jizeh dispensary. This dispensary is distinguished from the others by containing a nursing home for infants. This home offers daily four hundred nursing bottles to four hundred infants, and provides medicines and milk free of charge, as well as sugar, rice, and meat for children who have passed the nursing stage. The head of the administration of this dispensary is Miss Marie Ajil.

2 — The Achrafieh dispensary: four doctors and two nurses work in it, assisted by some ladies from among the members of the society and others. It treats daily between 75 and 100 patients free of charge. Mrs. Alice Bardaweel is in charge of the administration of this dispensary.

3 — The Musaytbeh dispensary: it performs the same services, and the demand upon it grows day after day. Its responsible director is Mrs. Alexandra Tabet.

Through these dispensaries, during the Week of the Poor, which falls in the month of December, the Red Cross distributed large quantities of rice, sugar, soap, woolen garments, and other such necessities of daily living. The number of families reached by this distribution came to 600 families. These quantities were donated by the ladies working in these dispensaries, and Her Ladyship the First Lady of Lebanon donated three hundred woolen shirts among them.

This year the Red Cross also offered clothing presented to it by the Lebanese emigrants in America. This clothing is of many kinds, and its value is estimated at a sum of no less than one hundred thousand liras. It has been distributed among one hundred families in Mount Lebanon. There is no doubt that the growing interest of our emigrant brothers in the Red Cross is due to the visit of Her Ladyship the First Lady of Lebanon, for she gave them a true and comprehensive knowledge of this noble humanitarian project.

Then there are other projects which the Red Cross undertakes, foremost among them the "Soldier's House," whose purpose is to help the soldiers overcome the high cost of living. Every year the Red Cross provides five hundred soldiers' families with the clothing they need, and the distribution is carried out through Commander Chehab with the assistance of the army staff officers and their wives."

Here I asked her whether the Red Cross had any activity outside Beirut, and she said:

"This activity has begun. I have founded a branch in Zahle which performs the same work we perform in Beirut. We have another branch in Rayak. And a few days ago I founded yet another branch in Tripoli. We hope the work will expand in the future, for we are always aiming at undertaking new projects. Not much time will pass before we establish, with God's help, other branches in Sidon and in other Lebanese cities."

I said: "Is the Lebanese Red Cross recognized as a member of the international Red Cross organization?"

She answered: "Communications have passed between us and the Red Cross headquarters in Geneva (Switzerland) on this subject. And I expect toward the end of this month a letter from Geneva informing us that we have been accepted as a member of the international organization."

I said: "The sacrifices you have made and the efforts you have exerted, Madam, on behalf of this institution and of the other projects you have carried out and are carrying out, are appreciated by every Lebanese citizen; and so he sees in the gesture of presenting the Order of Merit to you nothing but a symbol of the gratitude he cherishes and of the love and admiration he bears you...

Her Ladyship interrupted me, saying: "Yes... it is this very feeling that had the deepest effect upon my soul at the moment His Excellency the Minister pinned the decoration on my breast. For I learned that it was presented to me at the special request of the men of the valiant Lebanese Army. And I offer, in the pages of 'The Woman's Voice,' my thanks to the beloved Army for its generous sentiment, as I also offer my thanks to His Excellency the President of the Republic and the members of his government, who have accorded me this lofty honor.