Page 122 - Neglected Arabia Vol 2

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NliCLIlCTIW ARAM A
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leiim, o wric Ji'wvHHcn and urn* a l 'lirlnlInn. Mi b. Damn wrllem. "Thu IMuy« !
ground lM|tii|«iiK*nt we brought mil from America has been installed mu| *
llie* Playground has proved a huge. hucivm.s. I take this opporlnnity of puli* 1
Ik*ly thanking Mrs. Milton 11rueIIlead of Klkharl, Ind., and Mrs. i«\ !(,
Misegades of Chicago fur their generosity and kindness in supplying the’;
funds which made the playground possible. We have swings, trapeze and 1
rings, all set in galvanized iron frames, also a “Giant Stride,” a combination •
“See-saw and Whirl,” besides our old wooden see-saw and two wooden
slides. When all was in place we had a Grand Opening. Over eighty
women came, mothers and relatives of the girls, and it was a most succes*. *
ful and joyous social occasion.” . . • • , .
Not only do the girls enjoy the playground but it is often visited by
women passing by who stop to swing a bit or enjoy the see-saw. The Ixjyi
of the town were green with envy but a special hour has been given to them
to use the playground daily and at the appointed time one may see boys of -j
all sizes and ages as well as all classes and many men also, having a glori- \
ous time on all the apparatus. It is the most popular spot in town and has 5
drawn many comments.
A feature of the school’s work was the beginning of a simple library.-.
The girls were encouraged to read from these books when other lesson* :
were finished and one reading period a week was set aside for retelling J
stories thus read. “It may sound absurdly simple to the folks at home -
where reading is everyone’s ready tool for pleasure but in a land where the 3
art of reading is seldom mastered, among women especially, and where to 1
have “read” means only to have learned the Koran by heart, it is a big ftq> '
forward. And how the girls have enjoyed it . . Before the year cloted ;
they were searching for books in their own homes and in friends’ lion** -i
mid were retelling stories thus found, showing that their interest had \ttmi
'
amused. They huve u power in their grusp which they arc beginning |nj
realize and no matter what the future holds for them their lives can ntiff?
be as drab as so many Moslem women's lives arc.” •
the evangelistic department —•4 - gi
“Preaching and showing the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God.* (Luk4 1:1)L *
Vi
The tale of opposition in Amarah is briefly told by Mr. James Moerdykt j
“You will remember that in the report of last year mention was mode M j
the opposition to our work which was directed by one of the Shiah
from Nejef. They have continued to operate during the year; somdm^ J
they were more active and successful, and sometimes they seemed to h»*«3
lost their zeal. A personal interview with the king by a delegated thdfcfc'
secured for them the permission to open their reading-room and refertwy'
library. Soon they tried gatherings on Thursday evenings* with
speaker whose specialty seemed to be denunciation of Christianity in gyy*.
eral and of our Mission’s work in Amarah in particular, and often hinder
or recommending that the powers that be should be requested to clow mr.
reading-room and forbid our work. We know from reliable witneuntf^f?
some one in Baghdad actually approached the High Commissioner
such a communication; but, of course, no such request succeeded IW*.
About this time the Secret Service dropped a hint that they had better
continue those Thursday meetings because their speeches sometime* c2l