over whose eyes there fluttered a thrilling, tempting dream; she let her eyelids fall upon it with devotion and determination, and went on, in a kind of burning trance, holding it fast, striving that it should not slip from her, for fear it might never come back to her again — for there were those who would stand between her and it, to cut off her way. The way was rugged, unfit for her tender feet; along its sides staring eyes all but devoured those innocent charms; and between step and step vipers hissed and scorpions stung.
But the young Huda, with her great aims, her sweet thoughts, and her wondrous mission, did not swerve at what she saw; her resolve did not weaken, nor was she diverted by what diverts girls of her age at that early time of life. In the midst of that wealthy setting in which she grew up amid comfort, indulgence, and unconcern, neither the palaces with all they held could tempt her, nor the world of youth with all its bustle; for above all this there was that which filled her thinking and possessed her mind.
This bewitching doll, prisoner of stately mansions — this woman, as mother and sister and wife and daughter — she who is commanded and obeys, for whom laws are laid down and who accepts them meekly, without objection... what harm would it do her to know that she is a true human being, possessing all that man possesses of the faculties of thought and of the rights to life and liberty, with no difference between them save the softness of femininity and the roughness of masculinity — or, in the medical phrase, a fine psychology that has no bearing whatever on understanding and makes no difference in mental gifts?
And then, what harm would it do her to make of herself a
lamp lighting the straight road for this woman, relying in that upon her eminent social position, her abundant private fortune, her intelligence and her beauty, her learning, and the breadth of her knowledge?
And so Huda Shaarawi turned her face toward the hope that had robbed her of sleep and occupied her soul, and set about cutting through the thorny road toward it with a daring heart that, in speaking its decisive word, feared no reproacher's blame; neither the persuading of the persuaded nor the rebuke of those who clung to the old could turn her from her resolve.
And the luminous dream began to come true little by little, and the light began to scatter the veils of darkness one by one. How beautiful, then, is struggle!... And oh, the sweet hopes, when they come true!...
She cut her path first by preparing the ground for what she wanted among families and in social gatherings; and when she found no listening ear or conscious heart, she began calling for the founding of associations, charitable and literary, and in 1912 she formed the Society for the Literary Advancement of Ladies. Then, around the year 1914, she set about arranging a series of lectures at the old Egyptian University, inviting women to them; and they answered the call — at first under compulsion or out of politeness, then eagerly and with enthusiasm. And she took part in works of piety and charity, drawing in with her the ladies of the upper class as helpers who sought for it neither praise nor thanks.
Upon the outbreak of the First Great War, Huda took the leadership of the women's movement in Egypt; and in the Egyptian national revolution of 1919 she headed the Wafd Central
Committee for Ladies. And when the appointed hour drew near, she was at the forefront of the thousands of women demonstrators crying out behind her for red liberty, exposing their breasts, beating with patriotism, to the fires of the colonizer, offering up their lives cheaply as ransom for Egypt and for precious freedom.
In 1923 the International Women's Union invited Egypt to be represented in it; Huda answered the call and traveled to Rome with some of her Egyptian colleagues, and there all eyes turned toward her in astonishment — for it had never crossed the minds of the Westerners that the Eastern woman had attained such a splendid station of bearing, intelligence, and daring.
When she returned to Egypt, the first thing she thought of was lifting the veil from woman's face, so that she might keep pace with the Western woman in her activity. And she carried out the idea in a graceful, captivating manner: when the thousands who came to welcome her at the port of Alexandria, men and women alike, cheered her, she swiftly lifted the veil from her face and cast it into the sea... then returned their greeting, unveiled and thankful.
And in a lightning flash she saw the women among the welcomers lift their veils and throw them to the ground without hesitation, following her example, standing with her even at this decisive turning point. Thus it was decreed that the Arab woman should take her first great step at the hands of the first woman leader whom men could not withstand — nor could history. For hers was an integrity that bridles tongues, and a self-assurance that imposes itself upon time.
Reminder: The Magazine's Correspondent in Damascus
• The management of the magazine "The Woman's Voice" reminds its gracious readers that its correspondent in Damascus is Miss Inayat Ramzi. Kindly apply to her in all editorial and financial matters, on Baghdad Street — Mazraat al-Sayrafi, telephone number 13654.