In Society: The Lebanese Women's League — The Lebanese Red Cross

The Lebanese Women's League

The Lebanese Women's League held its annual meeting at the Lebanese Cénacle on Monday, the first of March. The president opened the session, and Mrs. Nazik Sarkis presented Dr. Habib Rihan, a member of the Board of Trustees and of the building committee, praising his unceasing efforts and his continuous work for the school and the building despite his many occupations, sacrificing not only his time but his health as well for this patriotic work.

Dr. Rihan opened his address by praising the members of the League and their zeal and their endeavors toward achieving the League's two aims: the building of a model school, and the magazine The Woman's Voice. He showed the extent of the progress we have reached thanks to their continuous efforts, and recounted in detail what has been collected for the building and how, singling out the president, Mrs. Heneni Tarcha, for thanks, because — over and above her constant work and unflagging effort — she collected thirty-six thousand Lebanese lira on her journey to Brazil. Then he said:

"The League has entrusted certain citizens with forming a Board of Trustees to carry the burdens of the project. And since the school is now in financial deficit, and the Board must pay what remains of the costs of the building, finish certain necessary completions in it, and equip the school with indispensable furnishings, the Board has resolved to borrow about thirty thousand lira for the purpose. This loan will be offered in the form of bonds, each of a value of two hundred lira, returning to its holder interest of five percent yearly, and the capital will be repaid in full to the lenders within six years. The ladies are therefore requested to come forward to buy these bonds and to work energetically for the success of the loan."

The shares were then put up for sale, and the ladies subscribed for fifty-one shares. Committees for the sale of the shares were formed of Mesdames Marie Siryani, Adelaide Rishani, Janet Tadros, Vicky Saad, and Nahiya Ghalmiyeh.

On the occasion of the expiry of the terms of four members of the administrative committee, four were elected by secret ballot, and the winners were the two ladies Afifi Majdalani and Nazik Qazoun and the two Misses Naama Jaroudi and Nahiya Ghalmiyeh. No one put herself forward for the presidency despite the expiry of the statutory term, and the members were therefore unanimous that the continuance of Mrs. Heneni Tarcha as president is essential to the project which she founded and has accompanied from the beginning.

• The most prominent matter to occupy Lebanese circles last month was the news of the meeting of the members of the Lebanese Red Cross, from the various regions, in the UNESCO hall on Saturday, March 6, to elect six members to the administrative council in place of those whose terms had expired.

The delegations began arriving from half past three in the afternoon, and at the appointed hour His Excellency the President Camille Chamoun arrived, accompanied by Mr. Kazem el-Khalil, Minister of Health.

The ceremony was opened by the president of the Lebanese Red Cross, the Marquise de Freige, who welcomed those present and gave a brief report on the work of the Red Cross during 1953. She was followed by Mrs. Najla Saab, with a fine address on the history of the founding of the Red Cross and its worldwide significance, at the end of which she said:

"The Lebanese Red Cross, a member of the international Red Cross organization, is small in years and great in works. From it tens of nurses graduate every year; from it the mobile dispensaries go out to range the mountains and the valleys, carrying to their inhabitants treatment and consolation; from it abundant quantities of clothing and food are distributed to the needy and unassuming families and to the day nurseries which it embraces with its care; from it came the company of nurses who took part in the splendid military parade on Independence Day; from it flow the wellsprings of goodness and mercy; and from its central headquarters branch out the many branches, so that the spirit of the Red Cross prevails and the highest ideals spread among the citizens.

This is what these volunteers of good will are doing; this is the service they render to civilization and to humanity. That is why we are here today, with a warm and sincere desire in all our souls to create a better world, in which man is the brother of man in every time and place."

Afterwards President Chamoun rose and paid tribute to the activity of this humane institution and to the good works it has accomplished in Lebanon, and he affirmed that the attitude of the authorities toward it will always be that of an encourager who appreciates it. He called Mr. Kazem el-Khalil to witness, who declared his constant readiness to help the association and take it by the hand.

It is worth mentioning that the election was carried out in an atmosphere of complete order and calm.. The First Lady of Lebanon, Mrs. Zalfa Chamoun, undertook the task of counting the ballots, just like the working members, and the result was the victory of each of the following ladies:

Shafiqa Abdul Rahim Diab, Renée Salim Nakla, Linda Naim Majdalani, Sara Jamil Daouk, Sumayya Hanna al-Hazen, Rose Michel Naja.