Visiting "The Woman's Voice"
From right to left, Mesdames: Sarkis, Nassif, Tarcha, and Shayboub
... The Emigrants' Summer opened on Thursday, July 21, at the UNESCO Palace, at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, in the presence of His Excellency the President of the Republic and Mrs. Chamoun. The opening ceremony was a magnificent popular festival in which the vast crowds gave voice to the joy and gladness surging in their breasts; and Lebanon felt that day that its being is strong in truth, thanks to the dutiful sons who have joined it — gathered this summer, or a blessed handful of them, beneath its clear sky!
At the ceremony spoke a company of distinguished emigrants come from the various continents, and in these speeches shone forth the warm affection our emigrant brothers harbor for their mother country and the deep loyalty they cherish for her; the UNESCO hall thundered with storms of stirring applause...
With the opening of the Emigrants' Summer, a varied program was set in motion, comprising excursions to the ancient sites and visits to the most
important districts and projects... The Syria program likewise began on July 26, and the caravan moved on to the sister country...
The United States caravan alone is estimated at 400 persons,
The sweet bride is Samia Taqula Munna, seventeen years old. She was wed on July 9 last to the young man Raoul Labban, son of Mr. Hafez Mikal Labban, Minister Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Chile in Lebanon and Syria, who is of Syrian origin.
Their wedding was blessed by His Grace Bishop Elia Salibi at a family gathering, followed by a splendid reception given by the groom's father at the “Eden Rock,” attended by the elite of official and civic personalities. The bride and groom have left for Europe to spend their honeymoon, and thence for their permanent home in Chile. To the young couple and to their honored families go the sincerest congratulations of “The Woman's Voice” and its deepest good wishes...
representing 29 states and 167 cities; and what truly gladdens the heart is that among them is a large number of the rising generation, who know little of their mother country...
According to a statement by the Commissioner of Tourism and Summering, the number of emigrants and tourists has exceeded three thousand persons...
From this goodly caravan we shall present today Mrs. Shahraban Nassif — a face that raises Lebanon's name beyond the seas. She came to "The Woman's Voice" on the morning of Tuesday, July 19, in the company of Mrs. Heneni Tarcha and Mrs. Nazik Sarkis.
Mrs. Nassif has read "The Woman's Voice" from its earliest beginnings down to this very day. It became our right, then, to make Mrs. Nassif's acquaintance and to ask about her.
It was a delightful hour in which we listened to Mrs. Nassif's talk and followed her steps with pride and admiration. She is the first lady to head the Eastern Federations — one of the five national federations in the United States, presided over by Mr. George Barakat, which bring together citizens of Arab origin...
The Eastern Federations, which Mrs. Nassif heads, have 2,200 members, who work with fervor to tighten the bonds of understanding and affection between the American people and the resident citizens. They help invigorate humanitarian projects in the homeland by extending financial assistance, and they also pay each year for three outstanding Lebanese or Syrian students to pursue advanced study at Princeton University.
This is the fourth time Mrs. Nassif has visited Lebanon since 1946, and she looks forward to the results of the Emigrants' Summer