the poor, presenting him with 1,500 Egyptian liras and a house worth 500 gold liras. And thus

the idea of the hospital was born, and the work of charity widened. Mr. Sakkal went on exerting tremendous efforts to realize this project despite the enormity of the costs. He paid from his own pocket 500 gold liras toward the purchase price of a plot of land adjoining the "Home for the Aged," and he set about stirring the zeal of generous souls; dona-tions poured in upon him, and in eight years of unbroken struggle the hospital rose — it had cost a million and a quarter million Syrian liras — and behold, it is the grandest palace in the quarter of palaces.

Curiosity drove me to visit this hospital, unique of its kind in our country. No sooner had I stepped into its spacious lobby than my eye fell upon a marble plaque engraved with this famous saying of Pasteur's: "Are you ill? Are you in despair? It is not for me to ask about your creed, nor about your nationality, nor about your denomination. You are suffering, and that is enough. Come, let me hold you to my breast; come, let me strive to heal you with all the knowledge and love that I have been given." Hardly had I finished reading this inscription when I felt that I was inside a building made not of stone but of human love, striving to cool the pains of the wretched and the sick without distinction between religions and races.

And as I went about among the rooms, I saw above nearly every room a marble plaque on which was written the name of the benefactor, man or woman, in acknowledgment of their kindness. And I marveled at this great number of noble, generous souls who had answered the call of mercy.

The hospital consists of five floors containing 105 rooms and 35

modern bathrooms, all warmed by central heating. In the exam-ination rooms are the newest machines for X-rays, along with operating tables and bone-setting equipment. The hospital holds 120 beds, 40 of them first class, 40 second class, and 40 third class, which is free of charge. The means of comfort are the same in all classes, and the third class differs from its sisters only in the number of beds, which in no case exceeds 3 persons. What the first two classes pay serves to secure the expenses of the third.

And in truth it must be said that this hospital has no equal in all our Arab lands — as was attested by the French physician Pasteur Vallery-Radot, grandson of the famous physician Pasteur, when he visited the hospital and said: "I fear this hospital may rival the most modern hospitals of Paris!"

I went out into the hospital's beautiful garden, and there I saw a statue of Mr. Sakkal, erected by the members of the Kalima Society in appreciation of his great efforts and his devoted services.

Then I entered the "Home for the Aged," and behold, it is a great house surrounded by greenery and flowers. How my soul delighted when my eye fell upon a number of old women scattered along the porticoes, warming themselves in the sunlight, the signs of health plain upon their faces, cleanliness and tidiness in their clothing and in the hair of their heads, crowned with dignified white. I entered their rooms and found them clean and neat, the beds topped with quilts and blankets of gleaming white. The number of the aged, men and women together, comes to 54 persons of all religions, and they are not asked to pay a single piaster nor to perform any services. At their service are the cook, the sweeper, the ironer of clothes, and even the hairdresser.

And if the world outside was a hell to them, the Home for the Aged is their paradise in the flesh. I was told that Mrs. Kita Sakkal, Mr. Sakkal's wife, keeps watch over the comfort of these happy folk; and that she and her friends come on every occasion bringing sweets and fine foods, put on aprons, wait upon these happy folk themselves, and do everything in their power by way of amusement to bring joy and gladness to their hearts.

I came away from these two institutions all astonishment, delight, and pride at what I had seen, and I visited Mr. Sakkal at his office to seek some further information from him. He received me most graciously, and when I acquainted him with my purpose he kindly answered my questions, and in his voice was a ring of modesty, sincerity, resolve, and strength.

I said: What moved you to bear these many burdens for the sake of these two institutions? He answered: That goes back to an inclination toward work in the social field which I inherited from my mother.

— And did you obtain your wife's consent before embarking on this work?... — He smiled and said: Could I ever have crossed my wife? Indeed I will say that but for her encouragement and her support, in thought and in means, I could not have gone forward with my plan.

— And what were the means you used to gather funds of such a magnitude? — We enlisted literature: we held oratorical gatherings to speak to the people about our projects. And we made use of the magazine "Al-Kalima," which had the greatest share in stirring zeal and gallantry in the breasts of our countrymen, resi-dents and emigrants alike. It may surprise you to learn that among the foremost of the benefactors were people known for tightfist-