PROSPEROUS AND JOYOUS

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3718, 9 November 1926, Page 7

PROSPEROUS AND JOYOUS

FUTURE OF PALESTINE PHENOMENAL PROGRESS UNDER BRITISH REGIME “Palestine belongs to Britain, and Britain is doing everything tor the land. Night and day the Government officials are working for the people, and one is delighted to think that the Jen and Arab will go forward to a pi osperous and joyous future. In these words Dr Bathgate, of Nazareth concluded a talk an Palestine -at the luncheon ol members ot the Unrveisity Club yesterday. . „ , .. Explaining lus residence m Palestine. Dr Bathgate, an old Taxen boy, said that the Edinburgh Medical Mission Society trained me'n who would otherwise be unable to go through a medical course or travel abroad, for trio woikThc society included the physicians and surgeons ol the Royal lufirmai\, and paid the fees for seventy men to go abroad to serve the backward races. At present the society was. training thirty men at Edinburgh. There were two ‘hospitals, at Nazareth, where ho was im charge, and at Damascus. There were 7,000 people at Nazareth, which was quite a progressive town, although there were many poor people. The Mussulmans and Christians were the two classes of patients. Malaria was veiy prevalent and tuberculosis was rife. At nights the people closed their windows, though the temperature was high. Palestine could he reached in a luxurious sleeping rail car from Port Said in eight hours, and visitors were mostly Australian and British. Palestine had been under the worst, possible regime, Turkish, and that had accounted for the backwardness of flic country. The progress 'now wns phonomenal under the British rule, and an official had stated that a school could he built every week in the villages. Ninety per cent, of the people con d not read or write, but illiteracy would disappear in a few years. Before the. •war reading was not known, but tho Public Works Department bad built excellent roads, and means of conveyance were modern. The Customs service was a* good one, and the postal service was similar to that of New Zealand. With the progress of the other departments Palestine could be expected to assort itself and take its place on a plane with the other colonies. _ Although Palestine was the Headquarters of tho three, great religions Jewish, Christian, and Mohammedan, that did not make for peace, and the Government had to be careful in seeing that the feasts did not clash. On one occasion the Jews and Christian leasts were together, and the Mohammedans decided that they would hold a feast, too. Tho three pilgrimages marched to the citv, and a fight, considered to be part of tho day’s fun. occurred. The most historic place from a religious viewpoint was the Holy Sepulchre. Although the people were religious, that did not guarantee then morality. A man might he devout, but stealing, lying, and wife-beating might ho his everyday life. The great 1 unction in the Holy Sepulchre was the receiving of the holy tire. Many people believed that the fire came down from heaven, and on the night before the ceremony people crowded into the buikling with bedding and food to make themselves comfortable. A great number of police wore on the scene on the •lav of the function, at which people had been killed time after time. A police official at Nazareth had estimated that 2.000 people had been killed b - v crushing and tramping at the function. Several New Zealanders occupied prominent positions in Palestine. Mi Stubbs was in the Lands Department, and a. Mr Hudson was in the medical work. Two New Zealanders, the Nairn brothers, had discovered a new track rmlit across the desert tto Bagdad. They had been in the Army as transport men, and after the war had taken up their residence in Palestine. B> discovering this route the brothers had made it possible for tho desert to bo crossed within twenty-three hours, and they lifid a fleet of cars running to convey passengers across from I alestine to Bagdad. It was an interesting route of great military importance to Mesopotamia and Palestine. Previous to the discovery of tho route three weeks were occupied in crossing from Egypt to Mesopotamia, but the 'journey could now be done in twenty-three hours. Generally, the tourists saw only tho holy sights ami nothing of the lives o tho people. The medical missions went into the homes of the people, saw their customs; and if any New Zea lander were to visit Palestine'the mission workers w 9 uld. be only too pleased to entertain him at Nazareth. The people of Palestine were very cosmopolitan, stated Dr Bathgate, ami the country had been described as the “ pit of the Near East. For centuries nations from tho north marching to invade other countries had passed through Palestine, which at the greatest was only fifty miles wide, and consequently the people were cosmopolitan in character. In Jerusalem people from every part of the earth would probably ho found. The Crusaders had left their mark. The people were very fair iind white-skinned, and it some of the Palestine women and girls visited New Zealand there would be difficulty in distimniishing them from the people or this dominion. The Crusaders were so many vears in Palestine that the nien made their homes there, and many of the present populations were probably descendants of the Crusaders. Palestine, had an interesting railway « system. Just outside Nazareth there was the junction of three great lines -one to Egypt, one to the Jjorbidden Land and the city ol Mecca, and the third to Constantinople. Of the Jews, Dr Bathgate said the bmgest effort was being made to re- * establish them in Palestine, the national '* home of two peoples, money being raised by Jewry in every part of the world, including New Zealand. In tunc Palestine might become a second Ameriua. The Jewish colonies wore progressing, although they were having a difficult time owing to the great shortage of water. But Dr Bathgate considered that on the whole they woulc make good. The type of Jewish immigrant was vFry line indeed. Goinjj about in their shorts and white slurb the Jews, in their colonies, presents the appearance ol football teams They were a sturdy people, of splendii physique, and the girls, too, partici paled in the sports with the men". I m great shortage of water made fanning very difficult, and the colonies wen given grants oD money to assist then ni their early days of colonisation. ll< was very proud indeed of the way tin

young, Jewish immigrants were facing their problems. I “The hostility between the Jew and l Arab, of course, i« still well marked in some places,” said Dr Bathgate, “ but 1 since the advent of Lord Plumer the I Jew and Arab have come to trust him, and are working mutually together, j The Government, though, keeps a tight 1 hand on them, and sees that no rising or slaughter, as was the case formerly, takes place.” “ Under the wise administration of Lord Plumer I think the country will settle down to prosperity,” concluded Dr Bathgate. “Palestine belongs lo Britain, and Britain is doing everything for the land. Night and day the Government officials are working

for the people, and one is delighted to think that the Jew and Arab will go forward to a prosperous and a joyous future.”