At this critical stage of our life, when all manner of storms and deadly social and moral afflictions batter our homes and our families, threatening them with collapse, we are pleased to come out to our women readers with this ideal letter, by a man of ideal character in word and deed, which he presented to his daughters on the night of their weddings — and it bore the best of fruit...

And I see no better way of guiding the daughters of my country, in this troubled stage of our social life, toward fruitful reform than the living example of living persons, still among us, who are of our own flesh and blood...

As for the ideal man, author of the letter printed below, he is Mr. Elias Murshaq, Syrian by origin, who emigrated to Egypt and opened an industrial factory, thanks to which he became a man of vast wealth. Yet this wealth did not rob him of his tenderness of heart: he was the first in Egypt to give his workers a share in the annual profits, and thereby he won their esteem, their affection, and their loyalty in work.

Nor did this wealth of his thrust him into the ranks of the arrogant who "toy with people's souls" in their odious insolence; and so he won the respect and admiration of the people — things which the rich of this age rarely obtain...

A great lady said: "Of all the families I have known in East and West, I can affirm that the family of Elias Murshaq is the finest family I have ever known!" The Editors

My Two Beloved Children,

I offer you my greetings and my prayer that your union may be happy and blessed all your life long, and that your life may be long, prosperous, and contented. And though I am certain of the firmness of your character, the loftiness of your upbringing, and the soundness of your minds, I wish to offer you some advice, guidance, and information which I have tested in my own happy married life — a life whose pillars were love, devotion, and mutual trust between me and your mother, my life's partner, who was my right arm in all circumstances. I hope you will read it; perhaps it will alert you to what will profit you, especially at the outset of your married life.

• Let each of you love the other with a true and abundant love, founded on devotion, frankness, and trust; and let your mutual love be firm and strong, that it may bear the strain of building a family and face the storms of time, the turns of fortune, and the difficulties of life.

• Be moderate in all your affairs — in work, in expenses, in visits and receptions, in dress and food, and in all your amusements and pleasures.

• Proceed slowly and carefully in all things; let your

spending be less than your income; do not imitate those who are richer than you; and beware of exposing yourselves to any falling back in your way of living, for that is among the hardest of things. Slow, steady progress, on the other hand, increases the pleasure of life and brings you to the summit of happiness and success.

• Be gentle-natured and frank with one another, and take care never to criticize each other except in pri-vate, with kindness and tact, and in a positive way.

• Small, innocent disagreements are inevitable between newlyweds, but they must be settled at once, gently, in a spirit of calm and peace, and without the intervention of others — not even the parents.

• Be humble; guard each other's feelings and the feelings of others; and avoid wounding words and coarse expressions, for their traces remain even after apology has been made, and some of them go on bleeding for a lifetime.

• Examine yourselves each evening and reflect on what you have said and done in the course of your day; this is the best way to correct whatever error of word or deed may have escaped you.

• Avoid quarreling; whoever quarrels with you, forgive him, close your eyes to it, and keep your distance from him — for life is short, and there is no room in it for anger, rancor, and revenge.

• Admitting a mistake is the shortest road to preserving one's personal dignity, winning people's respect, and settling a dispute.

• Take care to be clean and pure in body, soul, and spirit; avoid ostentation; and follow simplicity as far as you can.

• Make your home your paradise on earth, and live in it without fretfulness or boredom; for the home is the only place where a husband and wife who are in accord feel true and lasting happiness.

• Work without wearying at growing together in habits, inclinations, taste, and thinking, and let each of you sacrifice for the other's sake; thus you will agree and harmonize, and become, in time, as one person.

• Preserve your youth and fight old age by strengthening body, soul, and spirit. Laugh, and the world will laugh with you. Do not hasten tomorrow's coming before its time; rather enjoy the day you are in, for tomorrow will surely come with its privileges and its responsibilities.

• Remember that a man's work in his sphere of busi-ness, and a woman's in her home, is among the most sacred, most delightful, and most healthful of things. So hold the hours of work sacred and carry out your duties, each in his own sphere, without fretfulness or boredom; thus you will grow in strength and