"The Woman's Voice" in Damascus

There is no voice more powerful in its effect than the voice of woman, none deeper in its impress than her call. This is what was felt by the delegation sent by the Lebanese Women's League and the magazine "The Woman's Voice" to the land of Syria, with the aim of drawing us and them closer together in understanding; and the magazine is nothing if not a connecting link between us, one ring in the chain of things that bind us to one another.

The said delegation — composed of Mrs. Edvick Jureidini Shayboub and the writer of these lines, together with Mr. Azmi al-Buhayri, general manager of "Dar al-Ahad" and the magazine's art director — left Beirut headed for the Fragrant City, and that city did nothing less than flood us with its surging affection, so full of warmth that its very weight bore down upon us. And yet the work for which we had gone kept us occupied from all other things, even from the stifling, scorching heat.

The women's circles received us with every welcome, and with some reproach that we had not been in touch with them before; they consider that the magazine which carries the voice of woman here carries their voice as well — and this gladdened our hearts. And so it was that we agreed with a number of ladies and young ladies on moral cooperation and constant contact: they to send news of their activity, and we to publish this news and make it a spur to woman in the rest of the Arab countries, and a connecting link between her and her sister in the various lands.

I must here pay tribute to the director-general of Propaganda and Information in the Syrian government, who gave us the assistance our mission required. Woman in Syria has taken mighty strides toward social advancement and progress, sharing effectively with man in building the edifice of the homeland. With the present era two associations mighty in their works have sprung up: the "Soldier's Family" Association and the "Committee for the Support of Armament." We saw for ourselves the dazzling results each of them has achieved in the service of the homeland by backing the army and supporting the families of its men. The women in charge of the Soldier's Family Association felt that raising the standard of living of the army's men, providing for their recreation, easing the circumstances of their families' lives, and helping them in calamities and sudden misfortunes are among the chief means of strengthening their resolve and of making them hold life cheap in the path of duty. So they have worked to strengthen the army's morale by providing the men with peace of mind and assurance about their kin while they perform their duty. To that end this blessed band of ladies founded the association that concerns itself with the affairs of the army's men: it raises the soldier's intellectual and cultural level and works for his recreation by founding special clubs and recreation halls far from the tainted places of amusement; it also comforts wounded and injured soldiers in the hospitals and convalescent homes with gifts and relief. It helps servicemen's families in sudden misfortunes, and it backs the army medical service by supplying nurses to work with them in the hospitals or in the field; and in all this it works hand in hand with the Ministry of National Defense, keeping it informed of its works, and cooperates with the General Staff in all the association's activity.

Among the aims by which the association works — or rather, among the articles it has written into its statutes — is an article stating that the association shall never interfere in political affairs, and that it respects all the revealed religions.

As for the Committee for the Support of Armament, it has done a mighty work under which others would stagger, collecting in a short space of time the sum of ten million Syrian liras for the army. Can man say, after this, that woman is unfit to stand at his side and to enjoy all the rights and duties in the service of nation and homeland?

And the Syrian broadcasting station, out of faith in woman's mission and by way of encouragement to all who work for the good of the human individual wherever he may be, invited Mrs. Edvick Shayboub, editor-in-chief of the magazine "The Woman's Voice," to speak of what she had seen in Damascus, and she delivered the following address:

"O noble Syrian people:
From Lebanon we have come to visit you and to salute in you the good spirit and the lofty resolve. Lebanon lies a stone's throw from your country, and its people are loyal folk who harbor for you a true and faithful brotherhood, and who admire you for the swift, progressive leaps you have made in this era, which keep pace with the spirit of the age.

"The Lebanese people, in congratulating you on your mighty renaissance, calls upon you to persevere and continue along the paths of advancement and progress, and to stand by your esteemed government, which is laboring to strengthen the Syrian citizen, to give free rein to his capacities, and to raise his standing among the peoples of the contemporary nations that are cutting their way toward a free life joined with national dignity.

"Ladies and gentlemen: The Lebanese Women's League has delegated us to make contact with Syrian women's circles, to strengthen the bonds of acquaintance, affection, and brotherhood, and to see for ourselves what the Syrian woman has attained in the field of national and social struggle.

"The Lebanese Women's League is a child of the era of Lebanese independence; its mission is to raise the standing of the Lebanese woman and to prepare her for an ideal national life.

After the government was settled, it undertook to establish two great projects: a model kindergarten and the magazine The Woman's Voice — this women's magazine which carries out woman's mission, not in Lebanon alone, but in all the Arab lands together.

"Our delegation was able, with the help of the Honorable director-general of Propaganda and Information, to make contact with an abundant number of women working for the Syrian renaissance; and it pleases us, as a result of this direct contact, to record with pride the extent of the delegation's admiration and esteem for this mighty stride the Syrian woman has taken in helping to build modern Syria. And this mighty stride of hers, if it proves anything, proves a sound national consciousness, a sense of responsibility, and a national maturity that fits her to stand beside her brother man, with head held high — the stance of the self-confident citizeness who knows her duty toward her homeland, knows how to perform it in the fullest manner, and thus how to compel man to esteem and respect her.

"We felt for ourselves, and saw with our own eyes, the ardor of the Syrian ladies in performing their national duty in its broadest sense; and we listened in silence and admiration to the words of enthusiasm pouring from the mouths of the women who direct the great women's projects — we single out for mention the two institutions lately born of this era, the Committee for the Support of Armament and the Soldier's Family Association. And we honored in our sister, the Syrian woman, her ability to prove her standing and to bring man to acknowledge her capacities and her devoted struggle, in view of the dazzling results she has recorded in her various associations.

"And so, our sister the Syrian woman: the Lebanese Women's League which has sent us to you champions your renaissance and encourages you to press briskly on and to continue along the road of struggle — for we are still at the beginning of the road, and your stride thus far is a blessed stride, which all the women of the Arabs would do well to take as an example and to follow in its course"...

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We could not but do everything in our power to obtain an interview with the chief of the General Staff, His Excellency Colonel al-Shishakli, who has helped woman rise from her stumble. After we had pinned our hopes on that interview, we met with failure, and the interview was postponed to another time. But His Excellency the Colonel was ready to grant our request, and he answered the questions we put to him, which we shall publish in the next issue.

And I cannot but congratulate here our sister, woman in Syria, on her blessed renaissance, wishing her and all the women of the Arab world every success and progress.