the memoirs of the Roman Emperor "Marcus Aurelius!"
"My marriage to Dr. Anis," says Mr. Baz, "settled firmly in my head the theory that had haunted me since the dawn of my youth — I mean woman's fitness for every good thing. We never collided in our practical life; I encouraged her to practice medicine, and she encouraged me in letters. My good fortune in marriage strengthened my confidence in woman, and I am her champion for life." (1)
The fruit of their marriage is two sons: Iskandar, an official in the Ministry of Public Works, and Niqula, an engineer at Beirut International Airport...
The woman who does not grow jealous!: Rarely has any man had such contact with the choicest class of women as "the champion of woman" — he is always "with them!"...
(1) May God prolong the days of our venerable Ustad!!
And oh, the wife who does not grow jealous!! "A confessor of sisters" — a phrase she would repeat to anyone who tried, in pettiness, to stir her jealousy; and she walks with brow held high, affirming her confidence in herself and her elevation above the poisoned suspicions that turn a wife's paradise into hell...
What a lofty example to be followed Dr. Anis lived out in the souls of our women of letters.
In 1901 she inspired Julia Tu'mah Dimashqiyah, who wrote in the newspaper "Lubnan," addressing her shortly after her departure for America to study medicine: "Blessed are you! For you have opened the door of learning before the daughters of my country" — and this was her first venture into writing!
And Salma Sayegh came, a quarter of a century later, and dedicated to her the first fruit of her letters, "al-Nasamat," saying:
"To dear Anis, walking swiftly toward the summit of human perfection, lighting with her radiant spirit the path of the 'apostle' of our women's struggle — to the woman who taught me to serve with love and knowledge, I present this book."
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... There is no doubt that the Lebanese woman has raised for the renaissance, in the last half century, a lofty edifice... And does not the first credit belong to the one who laid the first course of stone?? It is a gracious gesture for the Lebanese government to grant Dr. Anis Barakat Baz the gilded Order of Merit after fifty years of unbroken service in the field of medicine!
Western sister has attained?
A — What the Arab woman can borrow from the Western woman as a condition of her success is her discipline, her order, her banding together, and her respect and obedience toward the leader. In an election the parties struggle and contend with all enthusiasm and freedom; yet the moment the result is announced, all fall into line in good order under the banner of the winner, and the contention and turmoil that obstruct work and sow discord — and thus failure — cease at once. Their theory in the West is "all for the sake of the project," not for the sake of the leadership of one individual over another... And woman, once she unites her efforts, is able to move mountains... That is a lesson I would love my sister the Arab woman to learn...
Q — Where does "The Woman's Voice" stand on the plane of women's journalism in the world?
A — I have followed "The Woman's Voice" with interest these last ten years, and in my estimation it has traveled far compared with how it began. I can state with certainty that it now stands on a plane equal to the best women's magazines in the world — especially as it is the only women's magazine of its kind in the Arab world. There are many areas for improvement, and I am confident the magazine will reach them in time.