In Society

On Tuesday night, June 8, the Saint-Georges Hotel saw a grand ball given by the Saint George Hospital foundation. The terrace overlooking the sea was thronged with thousands of guests, most of them of the choicest élite of this country. And what shed a spirit of enthusiasm over the party was the presence of His Excellency the President, only one day after his return from the journey to the two Americas.

The ladies of the committee, headed by Mrs. Rose Assi, displayed an energy that astonished the company — who had long since learned to take the success of this annual party for granted — a party rightly counted the party of the season.

The evening was distinguished by a display of Lebanese elegance to rival the elegance of Paris, and by the most devoted and loftiest of efforts, as polished Beirut society scores a victory of merrymaking in the cause of good works.

As a result of these efforts the hospital committee succeeded in gathering fifty thousand liras, to be earmarked for completing the renovation and equipping of the hospital — from the donations, the price of the tickets, the proceeds of the evening, the price of the lottery tickets, and finally from President Chamoun's gift of five thousand liras, and then from his gift of the fountain pen presented to him by a Lebanese soldier in the Argentine army, which fetched sixteen thousand liras at auction — and thus the fifty thousand liras set a record figure in the work of charity and good.

• The Ministry of Education held — for the first time in Lebanon — a competition for the championship of Lebanon in track and field for girls' schools, in the junior, girls', and young women's classes. The number of contestants in this championship reached one hundred and eighty pupils from eighteen schools, among which the following stood out: Abrin, al-Amiliyya, the Laïque, the New School, the Immaculate Conception, al-Taqaddum State School, Ras Beirut, Achrafieh State School, the First Girls' School, the New Girls' School, Wadi Chahrour, Junior College, and Raml al-Zaydaniyya. It is a happy sign — and the first time in the history of this country that a competition of this kind has been held for girls — and we watched them practicing the high jump, the sprint, and the broad jump, something never seen before.

• On Saturday, June 5, the Village Welfare Society held a kermesse at the Nahda School in Achrafieh, exhibiting the products of the Bishtfin center — layettes, carpets, preserves, and other national handiwork which this society labors to revive and bring back to life. The affair achieved a large measure of success, thanks to the efforts of the society's president, Mrs. Loreen Rihani, and her fellow members.

• At the British Cultural Institute, the Society for Aid to the Blind invited the public to a musical program whose proceeds were earmarked for the institution. The “Musical Youth” ensemble of its founder Sami Abu Sawan took part in presenting the program, and Mrs. Anissa Najjar spoke, thanking the audience and those in charge of the Society for Aid to the Blind, headed by Mr. Sami Salibi; finally she called upon fathers and educators to direct their children toward social service and toward an understanding of its spirit, in keeping with its humane mission.

• “The Struggle of the Human Soul Toward Immortality” — such was the subject of the intellectual lecture delivered recently by the Syrian woman of letters Miss Inaya Ramzi in the hall of the Ministry of Education, at the invitation of the Universities' Federation.

The president of the federation, Dr. Zahia Kaddoura, introduced the lecturer, setting out her eminent standing and the range of her activity in Syrian literary circles. In her lecture on the struggle of the human soul toward immortality, Miss Inaya Ramzi plunged into the classical depths of philosophy and brought to her treatment of the subject a precise analysis and a thorough study, citing the philosophical theories and scientific opinions recorded down the ages; and she succeeded, to a certain point, in lifting the veil from some of the truths of this thorny and difficult subject, which no lady before her had dared to approach.

• Miss Edma Bayoud, director of the Young Women's Christian Association in Beirut, has returned from a journey to America that lasted seven months.

On her way to America Miss Bayoud stopped at Geneva, where she gave a report to the world headquarters of the Christian Association on the condition of the Arab refugees and the Association's work among them — and she likewise took part in a preparatory conference for the training of the Association's leaders throughout the world. In America she spent most of her time as a guest of her sister and visiting among her relatives and friends...

“The Woman's Voice” bids the energetic women's leader the warmest of welcomes, congratulating her on her return to resume her far-reaching work in the Association...

• On the occasion of the appearance of the first part of “al-Mu‘jam,” the society “Ahl al-Qalam” gave a party in honor of its author, the learned Sheikh Abdallah al-Alayli, at the society's club on Monday, June 21.

How fine it is that the people of the pen should express their appreciation of this precious work of scholarship with this charming family gathering — and may God be Sheikh al-Alayli's helper, that he may finish this great work of which we stand in the direst need.

• On Thursday evening, June 24, the cultural committee of the United Syndicates of Employees and Workers gave a cocktail party in honor of Mr. Jamil Jabr, on the occasion of his winning the first prize in the “K L M” literary competition. The guests exchanged expressions of affection in an atmosphere of good cheer and understanding. To Mr. Jamil Jabr go the deepest congratulations of “The Woman's Voice” on the prize he has won with entire merit.