The Lebanese Woman's Hopes for the Future

The educated, cultivated Lebanese woman, like her sister in every country of the world, is a constructive element with goals she works to reach and hopes she strives to fulfill. She works either singly, through her influence upon husband, brother, and son, or banded together in the women's associations; and in both cases her purpose is to better the condition of homeland and society.

For woman, with the feeling and sensibility God has given her, feels toward her homeland an affection and a love that create in her a strength for work, an energy for reform, and a willingness for sacrifice no less effective in guarding the homeland and its independence than drawing the sword and making war. The cultivated woman joins reason and learning to refined feeling and puts her gifts at the service of fulfilling her hopes for her homeland.

No doubt women's hopes for their countries differ with the difference of countries and their problems and needs. My subject, however, is confined to the hopes of the Lebanese woman — this woman who has obtained a share of learning, has developed in a short time, has broken the chains of reaction and opened her eyes to the light of the present age's progress, and has seen the points of weakness in her own ranks and in her homeland. This woman has hopes she longs to see fulfilled in the field of the home, society, education, and politics. She hopes the Lebanese home will become a true first school, in which the little ones are taught truthfulness, justice, and dignity; in which their health is cared for by scientific methods; and in which they receive a firm upbringing that helps them face life and its trials. She hopes the Lebanese mother will learn the principles of child-rearing and be the good example for her children and the friend whom they trust and respect.

In the field of education the Lebanese woman dreams of seeing in Lebanon national Lebanese schools and universities, run by Lebanese hands, that will plant true national dignity in the rising generation, uninfluenced by foreign factors — schools and universities from which our children come out Lebanese before all else. She dreams of seeing girls filling the elementary, secondary, and higher schools. And she hopes the number of women doctors and women lawyers will grow, that the girl will go down into every field of work and practice her profession in a clean atmosphere unsoiled by backward ideas — an atmosphere that protects the working girl, takes pride in her, and helps her rise to man's level in rights and duties.

In society the Lebanese woman has many hopes. She hopes the country will attain an administration ruled by order, justice, equality of rights, and truthfulness and honesty in dealings; and to see the orphan, the child, and the homeless cared for without regard to sectarian differences. She places her hopes for the future in the rising generation, which will form a Lebanese people that will do away with factionalism, recklessness, ignorance, and bribery.

In politics, or the business of government, woman has a demand and a hope, resting on the existence of a large number of educated women among the women of Lebanon. Her demand is that educated women be granted the right of election — that is, to vote and to be voted for. She asks this out of love of pure public service, hoping to come to know the points of weakness in the country's administration and to strive, in cooperation with loyal citizens, to better conditions and to do away with many of the political and social diseases spreading among us.

Woman asks for cooperation with man and a share in his work, not display or domination. The Lebanese woman, Eastern in stamp, will always regard man as leader and guide. Her aim is to serve!

These are the Lebanese woman's hopes for beloved Lebanon and for the Lebanese woman. As for the hope of every woman in the world, it is that peace may reign, resting upon mutual trust, cooperation, and justice.