Page 372 - Neglected Arabia Vol 2

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xnui.nci an .ik.iki.i 15

lliiiirlils lliat we arc here in Basrah. lhal we have our new Jubilee building.
not hampered in teaching our religion, give u> new emirate and
that we are
on will) our task with thankfulness that we are iiistrumcnls in the
we press
lid id' the Master I Manner.
\\’e have had one school year in our new building and l trv to think of I
wlial has been gained this year. ( hit’ ntimhers have iueieased and \el this i
|,ns been offset by the loss of so many of our Moslem -iris of higher class
families who had been with us several years. Does this mean our inability
to make the impression of Christ on their hearts and lives or does it mean
that our school garden of Moslem -iris is being weeded out and the num-
In-rs thinned so that those that we have may he stronger; that the) mav be
the ones who in the future will do somethin- for the Master whom they
know not nor lovc-yet.' Are we going to find out that we. too. as well as
I lie Hoys’ School, will find our greatest sphere of usefulness among the
village girls ? Will we he able to touch this big group that is siHiitlc
lunched now and open their eyes to the world of books and to the knowl
edge that each girl has a personality of her own that is dear to Christ ; and
that the development of it is our aim and that she mav have her place in
tin* fniurc as an entity worthy of consideration and with a chance to ex-
pi Css heisell . It seems to me that we shall he gathering in more of the
Awasha’s and Kerima’s of the common folk and losing the Ayesha’s of the
high families. Did not Christ find the hearts of the humble folk easier to
ieach? Did they not feel the comfort of 11 is words and their need of
Him? Ah, yes, and we too do long to have them and to show them the
Way of 1 .ife in 1 lim.
in our daily round of study we are trying to leach them habits that
will stand them in good stead always. The hook lessons the) may forget hut
will they ever forget the love that they have experienced and the friends
who stand ready to help and encourage them? Will they not take away as
a |mrl of themselves the lessons of honesty, loyalty, clean mindedness, re­
luct for others and the desire to help them and to lighten some one clse’s
burdens? Is it not for just such as these that we may lie doing our best
work ? Is not this our task ?

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