Page 4 - History of Arabian Mission 1926-1957

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is being created, with extravagant educational and medical facilities free Uu-cf have sets attached to batteries. Thus the illiterate, even though they
for all, and there is also an orgy of indiscriminate spending* A cartoon in ouanot read the newspapers, know an that is happening in the world, inter­
a magazine veil illustrates this phase. preted for them by a Voice of the Arabs from Cairo, Damascus, or Baghdad, with
all which, that implies« Radio Egypt has been particularly influential in {
Young Sheikh: Father, I need a new car* fostering anti-Western and anti-imperialistic prejudices.
Father: Where is the gold-plated Cadillac I gave you last week?
The importance of the Near East to the American government is indi­
cated by the fact that the American legations in Baghdad and Jidda and other
Young Sheikh: The ash trays are full.
Arab countries hsve recently been raised to the status of embassies; and that
during or since the wax\, American consulates have been opened in Basrah,
Kuwait is unique in possessing the largest distillation plant in the world to i
produce fresh water from the sea, and is about to erect two more still larger* Kuwait, end IfeahrfiEU The one at Muscat, closed since World War I, is likely to
be re-opened aoouo
Bahrain, having had its oil wealth for a longer time, fcss developed
These £«vsat changes « physical, economic, and political - have been
more gradually, but the same changes are apparent and the material prosperity accompanied by equally great changes in the spiritual frontiers. Nationalism
is evident on every hand. As in Kuwait, fine public buildings, spacious resi -
is frequently identified with religion, and Muslim leaders are Jealous for the
dence districts, and scores of fantastic palaces for members of the different prestige of Islam and ooeli to re-affirm the importance of its observance. At
branches of the large clan of the ruling sheikhs almost obliterate the traces the same tisae* secularism and materialism have resulted in a spiritual vacuum
of the old Arab town of a generation ago.
which is a mtter of deep concern to many serious-minded Arabs. They realize
the Importance of integrity and idealism, and the desperate need of a moral
Muscat, although no oil has been found in Oman at the t:Uue of this dynamic*
writing (they arc h living in hopes i), has been affected by the prevail-
aatiocalini: spirit and is increasingly sensitive about its peculiar right*
and privil
The development of air and motor communications has progressed steadily
in these three decades. Arabs take to travel naturally, and seem to feel as
much at ease in airplanes as their grandfathers did on the backs of camels or
horses. Pilgrims go to Mecca, merchants and politicians and students to Europe;
• and America, families to summer sojourns in Lebanon or Switzerland. Iraq or
Kuwait license plates seem to be on at least half the cars one sees on the
mountain roads between Damascus and Beirut. And just as the Arabs have found
it easy and pleasant to travel to Western countries, so foreigners have in­
creasingly been coning to the Arab world. The Arabian Mission has had visits
not only from official deputations of the Church and the Board of Foreign Mis­
sions, but has welcomed many other clergymen, doctors, and friends of the
Mission, as well as parents 'of missionaries who have come out for visits of
varying length. Besides these there are many travellers who look us up. Point
Four people, Fulbright professors, missionaries from other countries, govern­
ment representatives of our own and other nations, and members of international
and interdenominational Christian organizations - we have welcomed them all.
Within the mission area, air travel is used as a matter of course
where available, and makes possible attendance at conferences in the whole
region, as well as greatly decreasing travel time to annual meetings and other
special committee meetings.

The steady development of electricity has also altered our life and
work* From the early days of small private .plants installed and operated by
members of the Mission, to the present public services, we have progrer.sed
from lights and fans, to refrigerators, X-ray and other laboratory equipment,
slide projectors and cinemas, tape recording, and air conditioning.
The use of radio has increased enormously in this period and has been
a very powerful force in moulding public opinion. Every little coffee shop in
every little village has its loud speaker, and sailing ships on the Persian
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