The white costume of the north African provinces with the white veil, revealing the eyes, is charming. The dainty bit of white chiffon worn just under the nose and secured with gold rings about the ears is characteristic of the fashionable Egyptian woman; but this awful shroud of the Turkish and Syrian women is really hideous.

In America where women are so ubiquitous, men have to plan a good deal how to keep away from us; but here comes a troop of gay young boys for an afternoon of frolic—not a woman permitted to be in sight—and their idea of a holiday is to bring a guitar-like instrument and sing poignant love-songs.

Toward sunset when the day is cooler, we walk into ‘Akká to do some errands in the bazaars. It is very late and only one or two are open. As the merchant is showing us his wares the gun that marks the end of his fast is suddenly fired. Quick as a flash his little boy runs to a nearby stall to fetch some dates. There is a tradition that the Prophet broke his fast with dates. Hungrily, greedily, the man stretches out his hand and then with quick courtesy presents them to us saying, "Fadile" (kindly help yourselves). How many Occidentals, who have had no food from daybreak to sunset, would offer it first to total strangers?

It is astonishing to see how the repatriation of the Jews is rapidly changing the whole social structure of Palestine. Men and women (unveiled, naturally) are seen together everywhere. The very fabric of society is giving way before these strange new impacts; and changes that it might otherwise take centuries to accomplish, are rapidly succeeding the old order.

God promised His chosen people millenia ago that they would one day work out their aspirations in this milieu friendly to their objectives. It was to be accomplished in that latter day when good tidings would be published and peace proclaimed. It is indeed significant that the first firman permitting the return of the Jews to Palestine was issued when Bahá’u’lláh was exiled.

The Semite has offered two great gifts to civilization; first a passionate monotheism reiterated after the great teaching of Moses with increased intensity by the Semite Muḥtammad. Second, trade and commerce, which together with the stupendous Occidental contribution of news and communication, are doing more to unify the world than law or education or religion have so far accomplished. We remain perfectly wil1ing to kill those whose opinion on religion or form of government may differ from our own, but the world over, people are becoming more and more hesitant about killing their customers.

A sharp and bitter economic readjustment is going on in Palestine, due to the introduction of Occidental trade usage. The old hit-or-miss barter of the East is going down before the accurately determined price and quality standards of the West. An unsung hero in our historic annals is one A. T. Stewart, the predecessor of John Wanamaker in New York. One bright Monday morning his astonished customers discovered that everything in his shop was marked with a fixed price, and the old romantic habit of letting the soft-voiced woman with charm have her spool of thread a cent or two cheaper than the hard-faced termagant, passed from Western practice.