This blending of the best features of the old with the new values is the cornerstone of the success Begum Mirza has achieved as a leader of the women's movement in Pakistan. She once addressed a crowd of students and of women concerned with culture and education at a women's college in Karachi, saying: "Our girls must not be machines that read books... nor flowers upon the walls... Rather we must first consider how to prepare girls to become good citizens in a democratic society. Second, there is a matter no less important than this: the necessity of teaching them how to become effective mistresses of their homes and responsible mothers. The aim of the ideal education for girls must achieve harmony between these two things, and any false emphasis on the one to the exclu-sion of the other may lead to seri-ous dangers threatening the safety of home and society alike. The girl who is properly educated must not be content to let her charm radiate within the circle of her home; she must also be an equal companion of man in the wide field of national reconstruction."

The well-known British women's magazine "The Onlooker" has spoken of Mrs. Mirza's strong personality, saying: Begum Naheed Iskander Mirza possesses a commanding, attractive person-ality. There is no artificial affec-tation in her character; rather, friendship and warmth beam from her eyes. She is young in her appearance and in her feeling,

and yet one scarcely draws near her before feeling oneself in the presence of a mature personality... When she speaks, one imagines one is listening to the sound of soft silver bells; and one notices that

she possesses a great capacity for carrying things through to comple-tion — she leaves no stone in the road! Begum Mirza is, in short, as her friends have described her: "the truly complete woman."