From time to time we receive, from young girls just starting out, certain thoughts and opinions at which it is well to pause. To encourage these readers, we publish below some excerpts from these articles: —
* From a piece by Miss Malihah Zaydan — al-Dawudiyya College — Abey:
Sister... Life is an obscure mystery.. few are they who understand it!! Life!! An oasis and a desert!! An oasis of blossoms and a desert of brambles Life!! A smile of joy... and a tear of sorrow... the gladness of a victor... and the misery of a failure.. a dancing tune and a mournful melody!!... Life!! Light for whoever wills it to be light... and darkness for whoever wills it to be darkness... Life!! Joy for whoever wills it to be joy... and misery for whoever wills it to be misery... And yet the joyful are few... and the miserable are many.. because they do not understand it.. Blessed are those who understand life!! Blessed are those who play well upon the enchanted lyre!! Blessed are those who sip the wine before the gall from the poisoned cup!! Blessed!! Blessed are they!! For they are inspired!!.. Ah, I have not yet fathomed it... I have not yet understood life.. it is still an obscure mystery to me... But I shall search.. I shall probe into it.. perhaps I shall chance upon one of the inspired, who will make me understand what I still do not know of it!!.
* And Miss Huda Tawfiq Tali — Deir al-Qamar — says in her article:
In life there are many beautiful things, without which their signs would not appear upon our faces, telling of the kindly feeling that is in our hearts and the lofty
sentiments that are in our souls. These beautiful forms come in varied guises, and they may appear unbeautiful to some people who have not known the meaning of life; for beauty is seen only by the clear eye, and felt only by pure hearts, and its worth is known only to great souls, and it is savored only by tastes raised above the world.
Beauty is in every human being and for every human being, for He who created man created beauty for him too, and did not reserve it for one rather than another; in His unbounded sight we are all equal.
And everything in life is beautiful — life itself is beautiful, and nature with its mysteries is beautiful, and man in his entirety is beautiful, and the animal in its kinds is beautiful, and the plant in its forms is beautiful. We are surrounded by beauty wherever we turn and wherever we alight.
But few — very few — is the number of those who have perceived something of this beauty, because they insist on looking at it with the eye of matter, not with the eye of the spirit.
What we mean and seek, and desire from the depths of the heart that our readers and all people should seek, is the true beauty in this life — the beauty we feel within ourselves, which accompanies us through all the stages of our life and neither alters nor changes.
In love there is beauty — let us love, and love with all our hearts, and let us sacrifice for the sake of our love, for sacrifice is the most beautiful thing in love. And love is the most beautiful thing in life.
In hope there is beauty — let hope fill our hearts and let us live by it, for the happiest and sweetest of living is in the shadow of hope.
In work there is beauty — let us work, and work with diligence and steadfastness, for nothing sweetens life and endears it to the hearts of men like perseverance in work.
In knowledge there is beauty — 'let us seek knowledge though it be in China,' for knowledge alone unveils to us the secrets of life, widens its roads before us, and guards us from its stumbles.
In refinement there is beauty — let us strive after refinement, for it lifts us up from the depths of animality to the ranks of humanity.
In charity there is beauty — let us race one another to deeds of charity, and let our charity spring from feeling, for there is nothing nobler than the feeling of man toward his brother man.
In meekness there is beauty — let us put on the garment of meekness, for it is the most beautiful of the garments the soul may wear and shine forth in.
In forgiveness there is beauty — let us forgive others their offenses against us as God forgives our offenses against Him; for in forgiveness there is beauty mingled with gladness and joy.
And more beautiful than all that has gone before — our faith in God — and our belief in immortality.
* And from a piece by Mrs. Nadia Nowayhed, of Venezuela, in her article:
I have seen the Western woman striving in all the political and social fields, sharing with man in all his works, and rendering her homeland effective services and help that bring abundant good to her people; and I have seen the respect of governments and their appreciation of woman's rights, placing her in the position that befits her. Then I remembered my Eastern sister