the right to vote which she has gained has not yet penetrated her soul so deeply as to become part of her inherited national traditions.

Third — that her enjoyment of political rights does not, to some degree, keep pace with her enjoy-ment of social rights.. She will draw her electoral point of view from her home — that is, from her husband, her children, and her relatives — and consequently she will give her vote to the 'boss' in whose train the family marches.

Fourth — it is very likely that woman will resort to intimidating the daughters of her own sex in the elections, thereby creating problems among the men and causing family rancors with-out end."

I forgave Mr. Sidqi this pessimism of his, and wished that woman might be given the opportunity to disappoint his expectations of her...

Surely the artists must have an opinion in this field... What, I wonder, is their view?? — they who understand woman better than others, since most of their art rests upon her; and no wonder, for she is the wellspring of their inspiration and the source of their vision.. And while I was thinking of this, there passed by me, with a greeting, Assi Rahbani, the well-known innovating composer. My reply to his greeting was my usual question, whereupon

he smiled his calm smile before answering:

"Woman's right to vote is a natural right beyond dispute, and if she was deprived of this right for a long era, that is because our parliamentary system had not yet crystallized. We now stand before the first law giving woman the right to vote. Woman may not win parliamentary seats this time, and some women may be swept along according to the politics of homes and family; but there is no doubt that the women of the vanguard will come to the fore at this stage

and lay the cornerstone of the Lebanese woman's advance."

In the press of examinations, amid the flood of papers, notebooks, and books, I found the pharmacy stu-dent at the American University of Beirut, Samih Drouzi, absorbed in studying his lessons... I did not spare him my question... and he saw no escape from answering, and from moving suddenly from the world of chemistry to the world of woman and the vote... and that was no light or easy thing for him... He said, his eyes still fixed on the chemistry book:

"I hope that among our deputies there will be some of our active women, for woman has a more humane outlook than man and understands social conditions, in many cases, better than he does.. We have had our fill of politics; we

want reform that is social more than political..."

I contented myself with that brief answer, and left him to his studying and his examinations...

And the man in the street has his opinion on this question — that simple, native-born philosopher — so why should I not put my question to him?

He was an aged man, bent under a burden that weighed down his shoulders — sacks of flour — which he had set aside so as to rest a little; the sweat was pouring from him in abundance, soaking his worn and threadbare rags. I surprised him with my question, and he did not grasp what I had said, thinking I was asking him the way to some street; but I explained the question to him again, whereupon he studied my face, taking on an air of gravity and seriousness, as though embarking on some momentous task — especially as I had told him that his opinion would be published in a magazine read by all the people. He said:

"Look, lady, for us it makes no difference whether the lady gets into Parliament or not. We just want to secure our living, and if our daily bread comes by way of the lady, then she is most welcome... At least she is more merciful than the others. Her good heart is compassionate; maybe she will take pity on us, the toiling wretches of this life."