"Matric" certificates in England, which indicate, according to their grades, different degrees of progress and courses of study.

And after all this talk Ghorayeb refreshed us by telling us that those responsible in Lebanon are today studying the idea of increasing the kinds of baccalaureate — a scientific one, a literary one, and an arts one combining home economics, drawing, and music!

Here Shayboub seized the opportunity and asked a question which has surely crossed the minds of many people of this country, especially its thinkers. Is the multiplicity of languages a good trait in us, or would it be better to teach our children one language only? Opinions divided and voices rose in expounding this sensitive problem, product of our long history and our critical geographical position!

Aqrawi said that she prefers the child to learn one language — the mother tongue — speaking it and studying in it until the year of the elementary certificate, and thereafter to learn other, second languages. But the acquisition of the two languages French and English is a necessity in our present life, international and political.

Ghorayeb, while agreeing with the theory of a single language learned by the child in his early years, holds that this theory cannot be applied in Lebanon for many reasons, the chief of which is our language. The Arabic lan-guage as it stands is not suited to the young — the colloquial is not taught, or is not fit for teach-ing, and the classical is very

difficult. She therefore holds that the child should learn another language along with Arabic, to make up for the deficiency aris-ing from its failure to evolve and to keep in step with our needs.

As for the mental strain which some believe might arise from studying three languages at once, Najjar mentioned that she had obtained an answer to this question from a great educator, who told her that such strain may indeed result, but that this is not certain, because to this day we possess no study on the subject.

Here Ghorayeb shook her head and cried from the depths of her heart: "It is a curse upon us! It is a deficiency in us that we must learn the languages of others."

Aqrawi answered her that Lebanon, open upon the West and the East, needs many lan-

guages for its international posi-tion. She does not regret having learned all these languages; but these hollow cultures in our teaching are apt to divide our thinking and our social and national consciousness!

Ghorayeb agrees with that, and she believes that contact with the West is a necessity, for it protects our culture from backward reaction.

"But the price is dear!" answered Aqrawi.

"Dear indeed," answered Ghorayeb, "but with all that Lebanon has lost and is losing, it comes out the winner in every case. And the time has come to rely on ourselves. The hour of creation has struck — the hour to stop blind imitation, the hour to find a culture that suits our mentality, our age, and our country!"