Woman Must Not Forget Her Role, Says Mrs. Malik

... And she welcomes me with the welcome of an affectionate friend who keeps for old friendships a spacious corner of her large heart. She touches on all manner of subjects, and I feel that the gracious, sensitive Eva is still her very self — three years and more in the greatest post of the foreign service have not changed her; and a long experience, rich in its observations and its particular circumstances, has only made her more modest and closer to people...

I seize the moment when she is speaking to someone else and watch her closely. She has no small share of elegance, and the few kilos she has gained in America have, without a doubt, added to her appearance a youthfulness and a femininity.. She was wearing a brown tailleur in a darker shade, its collar and pockets trimmed with lamb of the same color — the very latest thing achieved by the fashion houses of the French capital.

And I surprise my companion with this question:
— What struck you most on your first arrival in the United States?

— The moment one's feet touch American soil, one imagines oneself in the country of woman. Wherever one goes one is met by a woman: in the stores, in the restaurants, in the hotels, in the banks, in the press... Wherever one turns, one is dealing with woman; and in all her positions, high or humble, she is elegant and gracious, mastering her work with diligence and energy.

— And are there many women in America practicing the liberal professions, and what is their renown compared with the renown of men?

— In America I came to know the woman lawyer, the woman judge, and the woman doctor in the most varied fields of specialization; and among them, in every field, are women whose renown is no less than a man's. Woman in America monopolizes the teaching profession in all the elementary and intermediate schools.. and the number of famous women in radio and the press is past counting.

— Then where are the men, if all these positions are in women's hands?!

— That is a sound question, and the careful examiner has no trouble answering it: men generally occupy the administrative positions, which carry more responsibility and importance than women's positions.

— And who completes the affairs of the household when the woman goes out to independent work?

— The truth, my dear, is that the Americans have smoothed away all material difficulties and mastered nature with an astonishing wisdom, so that their life is well ordered; and the woman, the man, and the children cooperate in keeping up the affairs of the house, each of them having duties which he carries out in the best way. Kindergartens and unified government schools are spread through every district; the children hurry off to them, and very often they take their midday meal at school. Even the man and the woman rarely lunch at noon except in town.

— Then what time is the family's gathering time?

— Supper time is the family's gathering time. All join in preparing the meal, and this takes no more than half an hour, since every electrical convenience is in the kitchens... Five o'clock in the evening is the most crowded and clamorous hour of the day, when work stops in the offices and the stores and the like; and within ten minutes all establishments close, however large they may be. Order is a plain feature not only of private life but of public life as well, and I believe that much of their success goes back to this secret..

While we were deep in talk, Dr. Charles Malik came in upon us, amusing himself by polishing a quince between his hands, making ready to bite into it as he used to do as a boy in his birthplace, the Koura!! He invited me to join him, and I was strongly inclined to, moved by the appetizing sight of it; but my wish to finish the conversation, and the shortness of the time, kept me from joining the Doctor in biting into quinces on his balcony in the sun... I shall remember that sight of his as long as I live! I resumed my talk and asked Mrs. Eva:

— And is there a family problem in America, as some claim?

— The conservative class in America is in the utmost anxiety over the fate of the family

there. Freedom and personal independence have played their part in loosening the bonds of the family, and this is a regrettable aspect of American life. The absolute freedom of the young is a thing we Easterners cannot allow our children with an easy mind and a quiet conscience.. nor is it easy for us to understand it in the spirit in which they understand it..

— Do you believe that the Lebanese woman can equal the man in all kinds of work?

— The Lebanese woman is no less intelligent and capable than her brother the man, and I sincerely believe that if the same opportunities were open to her, she could keep pace with the man in the most varied fields, her head high and her brow unblemished; the Lebanese woman is no less competent than the man, and I think I am right in my opinion..

— And what is your message to the readers of "The Woman's Voice"?

— My message to the woman of our country is to preserve the entity of the family. Respect for work is a noble and beautiful thing — on condition that it does not obstruct the family's course; for nothing, in my view, deserves that the family and its entity be sacrificed for its sake.. And woman should be equal with man; only, however great and high she may rise, she does well not to forget her first function in life, for this, in its sanctity and its importance, comes before every other consideration..

And I have a word I should like to address to the woman who works in the associations and in the humanitarian field: the necessity of solidarity and mutual support, and the avoidance of the violent quarrels that are so frequent in our country and among our women. Let us make it our rule to bow to the majority without objection or trouble-making... Woman need only strengthen herself by her own effort, for she has all the qualifications that make her the equal of the most advanced women in the world; all that she lacks is solidarity, union, and regard for the general interest before the private interest — otherwise there is no success for us, and all our qualifications will go to waste..