The compulsory conscription bill is one of the gravest measures the Lebanese government has laid before the Chamber of Deputies. And since it is woman alone who may rightly pronounce upon the good or the evil of this bill, "The Woman's Voice" — which has spread advocacy of this bill in every circle, in its pages and in its broadcasts — today opens the door wide for woman to have her say in
this question.
Mrs. Farida, wife of Mr. Farhan Shubaylat
... I almost forgot the original purpose of my visit when Mrs. Farida received me with such warmth. We fell to recalling our memories of school days,
when the American College for Girls brought us together on its benches, and we were two companions in perfect understanding!
... And I almost forgot that my eager interlocutor is the wife of the Minister Plenipotentiary of Transjordan! No wonder: kindness and sociability are among the first virtues of this great house! They allow no room for an atmosphere of affected grandeur, as is the case with many who grow great in the offices of the state.
... And Mrs. Farida answered me, the marks of earnestness showing on her features:
— Before I give my opinion on compulsory conscription, I should like to point out the error common among mothers, who believe that the soldier's calling exposes their sons to destruction, and who for that reason are anxious to keep them away from that path. A noble verse says: "Wherever you may be, death will overtake you." If we believe in the appointed hour, nothing remains to justify our fearing one occupation above another.
What befell the people of Palestine is to be traced, for the
most part, to the lack of organization and of military training. Had they been given some of what was given to their adversaries, they would without doubt have prevailed, and their victory would have been glorious and dazzling — for the Arabs of Palestine were never, on any day, sparing of money or of blood to keep their homeland. And our country, which was and remains the target of every covetous power, constantly threatened by Zionist raids that are no longer strange to us — our first duty, without doubt, is to repel aggression, and the only way is enrollment in the soldier's ranks.
Before I took leave of her she introduced me to her six children! Three of them are boys... They are still children, but their bearing shows that they will grow into brave soldiers, the first to step forward to perform their sacred duty when the time comes!
Mrs. Olga, wife of Mr. Shukri Shammas
... When I put my question to her, Mrs. Olga chose to review first, by way of preface, the social differences that mark off the classes of the people in our country from one another. She said:
— The programs of education, old and new alike, have failed to erase these distinctions from the minds of our sons. To my knowledge, nothing but soldiering can melt all
these differences in the crucible of patriotism and true democracy. Soldiering is a second school for young men: it teaches them manliness and gives them complete preparation for the practice of the hard life that awaits them in their future.
Here her voice rose with enthusiasm and she sat up in her chair, as though it were no longer possible to contain her feeling, and said:
— I believe, my dear, that there is no longer any room for asking whether compulsory conscription is necessary or not. Our disgraceful showing in the Palestine question has proved that the organized, trained army alone is the pillar of the state and the cornerstone of its independence. What good did the great number of our men do us, when they were untrained in soldiering?
... Finally, Mrs. Shammas assured me, as she saw me off at the door, that it will be an hour of blessing and good fortune, the day the compulsory conscription bill is carried into effect, and that she is even now preparing her three boys for the soldier's life, which is the homeland's pride and its only support!
Mrs. Nuha, wife of Mr. Farid Izz al-Din
... Little Fawzi received me with youthful vigor and head held high — he is the very model of the little soldier.
... We settled into our seats. I put my question to Mrs. Nuha, and she answered with great deliberation, apologizing shyly that she is new to these problems, though the subject is a vital one and she is acquainted with its facts:
— The Arab countries at the present time are placed by their geographical position in a delicate spot between the Eastern and