Our Young People Fight Illiteracy

We have no need to repeat the enumeration of the dangers that result from illiteracy, for that is something every one of us in this dear country knows. We shall be content to point to those illiterates among us whose condition has reached a degree that makes them no different from man as he lived in the Middle Ages, in ignorance, degradation, and total resignation. We cannot help — nor can anyone who touches this matter in reality — but stop and say with all boldness and frankness: "Our country needs learning, needs knowledge, needs light."

Fighting illiteracy is arduous work that needs time, money, and strength — indeed, great sacrifice and individuals capable of the work. People have differed over whether the responsibility for this work falls upon the government or upon the educated young; and if we look at this matter closely we shall see that people are right in what each of them claims, for reform is carried out by the energy of the ruling authorities just as it is carried out by the energy of the awakened young. But we must not go too far in loading the government's shoulders. The young can lead the movement, if they truly want reform, on condition that the government smooth the way for them by helping them materially and morally.

Educated young men have the strength, the special training, and the qualifications sufficient to turn back the armies of illiteracy from the eyes of the people, and we do not think anyone is worthier than they to lead a campaign like this one, especially as the government has other works and tasks that take up the greater part of its time.

Fighting illiteracy is an important and grave matter that needs positive, fruitful work!!!

We must point to the means we employ today in the "National Revival" committee at the American University of Beirut, in this important field, so that we may form a general idea of this reform project. This committee fights illiteracy in several ways, the chief of them being the night schools, in which a fine elite of the University's students volunteer to teach. The seven schools spread through all parts of Beirut have proved themselves a serious, positive work in the war upon ignorance among the sons of the people, and especially among the young... The committee has also made it easy for the night-school students to attend lectures on all manner of subjects — health, literary, moral, social, etc. ... everything calculated to create for them a new atmosphere, far from ignorance and near to the life of knowledge and learning.... Nor does the committee content itself with this in the city alone; its work extends to take in the villages as well.

Perhaps the most important of the methods the National Revival committee has used in fighting illiteracy are the teaching methods in its night schools. It has made it easy to obtain books, the chief of them being the book "Fighting Illiteracy" by Mr. George Shahla, which proceeds by the method of the word and the picture, and then the sentence. These books have proved themselves good weapons in this battle, particularly as the benefit from them has been abundant: by means of them, and within a single year, it has been made easy for many illiterates to learn reading and writing. It is necessary for us to declare that this work of ours at the University has borne fruit and still bears it; but this fruit might be greater were it not for certain obstacles in the way, the chief of them the lack of money sufficient to buy books and other things needed to complete these works in the fullest manner, and then the lack of an ample number of volunteers.

It would be a happy step, as I think, for every institution of higher learning to take part in night teaching, so that its students may be trained there for service in this field as in the other vital fields.

This is a word I whisper in the ear of my brother, the educated young man, my comrade in the fight against illiteracy. I can say to you that we must be in the vanguard of those who adopt this project; thus we shall have created the atmosphere and opened a door onto a wide arena of service and reform.

My comrade, my brother —

We must strike the head of illiteracy and ignorance with the hammer.