Letters and News

• The literary clubs of Lebanon took a keen interest in the visit of the French man of letters Georges Duhamel at the beginning of this year; he is an orator and lecturer of world renown, and he is making a literary tour of the East. On Wednesday, January 8, the learned lecturer delivered a major address, at the invitation of the Alliance Française, in the Dunya hall, on the problems of civilization. The occasion was held under the patronage of His Excellency the President of the Lebanese Republic, and several grand receptions were given for him, at which he made the acquaintance of the leading women and men of letters in Lebanon.

• At the beginning of this year the gracious notable Mr. Abd al-Rahim Diab and his excellent wife gave a delightful party at their flourishing home in Beirut, to which they invited a choice company of ladies and young ladies, among whom we mention the wife of His Excellency the Prime Minister, Mr. Riad al-Solh; the wife of His Excellency the Minister of Justice, Mr. Abdallah al-Yafi; and the wife of the Honorable Governor of Beirut, Mr. Nicolas Rizkallah.

The guests passed the evening until a late hour of the night, showered with the generosity, kindness, and cordiality of their hosts.

• The mission of women teachers dispatched by the Egyptian government has arrived in Aden and will begin its work as of the first of next month; likewise, the mission of doctors and nurses has arrived in Yemen to work there and to establish a school to teach Yemeni girls the art of nursing.

• A committee was formed from the Women's Union in Tunis for the relief of the stricken people of the town of Zarmadrasan, and in protest against the government's delay in paying the indemnities it had decided to grant them; this committee has gathered a large quantity of clothing and foodstuffs.

• For the first time in the history of the women's movement, Princess Aisha presided over a public gathering; it had been forbidden for Moroccan women to take part with men in public affairs.

• A committee has been formed under the name of the "Ladies' Hospital Day Committee," whose aim is to look into the circumstances of the families of poor patients in all the hospitals of Cairo and to supply them with the bread, soap, and clothing they need.

• The venerable leader Her Ladyship Huda Shaarawi, president of the General Arab Women's Union, has sent a gracious letter to Mrs. Heneni Tarcha, Responsible Director of the magazine The Woman's Voice; readers may peruse it on this page. If this letter proves anything, it proves the noble feeling and the great devotion which the venerable leader harbors toward every splendid work aimed at the service of home, society, and homeland.

• At the opening of the school year, the Ministry of Education inaugurated the first institute of its kind for motherhood. The program of study will include varied subjects, from the principles of economics and household management to the rearing of the child, the supervision of nurseries, and instruction in motherhood; the course of study runs from three to four years, and it admits girl students who hold the tawjihiyya certificate.

• The women's associations held a meeting at the Ahliah School to elect the bureau of the Lebanese Women's Union. The election was conducted by secret ballot, and it resulted in the victory of Miss Ibtihaj Kaddoura for the presidency, Mrs. Najla Saab as vice-president, Miss Aminah Khoury Makdisi as secretary for internal affairs, Habiba Yakan for external affairs, and Nadia Salman as treasurer. We congratulate them all and wish them every success in the service of woman and homeland.