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 of this bill or its evil, The Woman's Voice throws the door wide open for woman to have her say. On a visit which this magazine's editorial secretary paid to Tripoli, she was able to hear the opinions of a select group of the ladies of al-Fayha. And on this occasion The Woman's Voice announces that it will continue publishing this series, and welcomes every

new opinion on the question..

Mrs. Helena Jaja

... My first visit, when my feet touched the soil of Tripoli, was to Mrs. Helena Jaja, the doyenne of women of letters not only in al-Fayha but in the whole region of the North... Mrs. Helena has a not-so-distant past, rich in struggle in the field of teaching and the press; she has also to her credit patriotic feats of oratory of which people still speak with admiration and esteem!

... She smiles at me as I put my question to her: 'What is your opinion of compulsory conscription?' And she answers with the utmost frankness: 'I do not deny that, as a mother, I hesitate a little before rushing into an answer to your question — and I do not suppose you have forgotten that Raja is my only boy among four girls! But that fact shall not blind me to my patriotic duty, which is sacred in my eyes....'

'And what are Raja's feelings on this subject?' 'I still remember him coming into the house some months ago, fire flashing from his eyes, and this exchange passing between us with intense fervor: "We are on strike from school today, Mama, in protest against the Zionist aggression upon the Palestinians!.. And we want to enlist and be sent to Palestine at once!"

"And how will you go, when you are not yet fifteen years old?" "No matter — I am strong and brave, and I can bring down two sparrows with a single throw! Shall I then fall short of hunting men, who are so much bigger than sparrows?! And if they refuse to hand me a rifle because I am young, I will be their cook — will you deny

my skill at cooking, especially for my brothers the soldiers?!" ... That is what Raja said to me months ago; his words still ring in my ears, and I remember that day as one of the happiest days of my life.'

Mrs. Rida Shammas

... A short distance away stands the house of Dr. Nakhle Shammas, and we have an appointment

with his wife, Mrs. Rida.. It is mid-morning and she has only just risen from sleep... We apologize for our journalistic visit at the New Year, when the ladies are still asleep after a late night the evening before! ... Mrs. Rida too has an only boy among four girls!. The maid brings coffee, chocolates, and sugared almonds... and we talk, drawn close to the brazier, for the breeze is icy despite the sun streaming in on us! 'Yes, I read your article in The Woman's Voice on this subject, and I was pleased with what it said!' 'And what is your own personal opinion on the subject, quite apart from what my article said?!' 'If I speak from my feelings, it is very hard to give my frank opinion! But if we look to the building of the nation, then compulsory conscription is indispensable to the completion of that building on solid foundations,

for the life of soldiering does much for the health of our sons and their toughening.' 'And since you are one of the faithful readers of The Woman's Voice, what is your opinion of it?' 'I am very pleased with the high level this magazine has reached in its latest year; all its material is good and delightful. But there is one suggestion I should like to offer in all good will... would that there were more tender poems than there are now!.. And pictures of children? Is it your intention to favor us with a new collection of them?!' ... And I thank Mrs. Rida for her observations, and promise her that we will give her suggestion our attention.

Mrs. Aliya Shawqi

... We move on to the house of Mrs. Aliya Shawqi, president of the Child Welfare Society... She receives us

with kindness and welcome, and then loses no time in launching into talk of the kindergarten project, which is a good sapling planted by her own hands... It is a great and noble work, realized four years ago by the efforts of this association..