The Woman's Word: How We Voted!

The Woman's Word

The Lebanese woman came out of the electoral battle with her garment unstained; nothing came from her to suggest that she was reckless or lacking in appreciation of the importance of this responsibility, entrusted to her for the first time in her long history.

The rallies — the women's rallies and those in which both sexes took part together — bore witness to the truth of the well-known saying: "How quickly woman adapts herself to new circumstances!!" And as a result of this astonishingly swift adaptation, women's voting turned out — relatively, allowing for the fact that it was not compulsory — equal to men's voting... As for woman's defeat in the single attempt in which she aspired to a seat in the Chamber, that was precisely what was expected, given circumstances known to everyone.

Yet if we wish to analyze the situation dispassionately, in the light of the recent results, it becomes plainly clear to us that Lebanese voters are still in bondage, since their minds have not yet been freed from the tyranny of inherited tradition, nor have they learned to look away in lofty disdain, so that their nerves do not weaken before cheap bargaining.

Were it not for this painful truth, we would have sent into the Chamber of Deputies the greater number of those citizens whose heads have room for ideals, principles, and right, and whose pockets are too sparing to spend to the point of squandering!

Yes! Were it not for this painful truth, the class of deputies would not have been confined to the well-to-do... save for a few individuals who "grappled" by a thousand means and arts, and did the impossible until at last they won... by the skin of their teeth!

Thus we are entitled to say: the electoral result did not come as an expression of the will of the educated, conscious class of the people's sons; the decisive word belonged — regrettably — to the overwhelming majority that lets itself be led and molded, and rarely grasps, with conscious understanding, why it prefers, and insists on preferring, this man over that!!.. How many a district's people let their eyes stray from choosing the worthy deputy, and thrust into the coming parliament deputies of meager capacities, lacking the intellectual superiority required, and the sum of qualities and virtues we want in our representatives...

We do not deny the local authorities their neutrality and their firm endeavor to secure complete freedom for every voter, and to provide him an atmosphere in which perfect order and safety prevail. In this the government succeeded to a degree the country has never before known... But how should governments, however great their influence and however far their power extends, manage to affect the mentality of their peoples, and to curb their heedless, naive rush after empty values...

... We in Lebanon still need years upon years of testing, learning, and practice, so that we may at last be able to boast of free, honest elections, inspired only... by a will... and a conscience!