WITH MISSIONARIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 189, 12 August 1933, Page 2 (Supplement)

WITH MISSIONARIES.

BRITISHERS IN SYRIA. Contributors to the Witch Doctor's column often bring to light matters of interest to all Budget readers. "Curious," a week or two back, inquired how many missionaries there are in Syria, and if there is a hospital for children there. In reply to our request for information, we received from Miss M. W. Turner, lion, secretary of tho British Syrian Mission, the following letter which we gladly publish.

Dear Sir, Your juvenile reader certainly asks a big question, and I can only give you information concerning our own mission—the British Syrian Mission, working in Beyrout, Baalbec, Damascus, Ainzahalta, liasbeiya- and Tyre. We have 22 European workers, 17 English, one New Zealand'er, one Australian and two Danish. As well as these we have about 55 Syrian workers. At Beyrout we have a big training college for teaching Syrian girls to go out and teach their own people. The smallest child in that school speaks three languages— French, Arabic and English,, and girls of 14-16 can speak all three very fluently. At Baalbec, Tyre and Ainzahalta, we also have "clinics," where hundreds .of patients come for treatment, the greater percentage of them being eye trouble. It might interest your juvenile to know that such a little girl, quite blind, was carried by her brother, for miles every day for 15 days* The treatment was rubbing under part of the upper lid with blue stone —a very painful process. At the end of 15 days the little child could see enough to walk by : her brother. Imagine "her delight, when she was given a rag doll, sent by a juvenile from the homo land. In Beyrout there is a hospital and one also at Sidon. A very fine work is being done by "the Edinburgh Medical Mission in Damascus—as a report in accompanying magazine will show. The need of the villages is indescribable. We have between 700 and 800 children in little schools in the Lebanon. I wish you could see them. A great work is being done in the hearts, mind's, and lives of these children, which in tho future must make a tremendous difference. There are other missions I know working in Syria, much on the same lines, but just how many I could not tell you. Hoping this may be of a little use. Yours sincerely, M. W. Turner (lion, secretary).

Leo Ritchie—The picture was very pretty, Leo. Your enrolment form was received safely this time—welcome to the club.