The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-05-29
BEGGARS OF BEIRUT
ARTISTIC PERFORMERS
Miss MathIde Vossler Writes Of In.
terestins Experiences in Syrian

Miss MathiIde Vosser Writes of In.
terestina Experiences in Syrian
sgsst.. City. ST. 5s
( Miss Mathilde Vossler, who was for
about three years recreation instructor
for the Bennington Welfare associat-
ion and who is now engaged in relief
work in the Near East, writes to
friends in Bennington of her exper-
fences in Beirut the following letter
Beirut, Syria,
April Is, 1920.
wonder whether you Will
be interested in some OF my
thus far" reflections upon life in the
shadow of the Lebanons? Doesn't
that very phrase start thrills all up
and down your cerebral vertebrae?
4 Our first impression of Beyrouth
/ CHATS the way | spell it when Pm
not in hurry and want to be Frenchy
take your choice!) was very en-
trancing, being one of clean corfmcd-
ious-looking dwellings with pleasing
spaces between and green trees,
everywhere and our subsequent eX-
plorings haven't entirely dissipated
our first Illusions as they so often do
in these paris. 1t is really charming
and picturesque. One can behold
ones fayorite Bible characters on any
street corner for things haven't moved
along much since then. Like Con-
stantinople, many different nationali-
tiles mingle and jostle ON the narrow
streets-Arabs, in their colorful
headdresses and flowing skirts and
really beautiful women but with their
faces hideously tatooed( this custom
is the tribal Identification and a mat.
ter of great pride with them) Syr-
Iiana, looking much like the Armen-
ans. only darker; Turks, and down
here the MCslem women are very
much mo careful about keeping
yelled and wear very heavy black af
fairs as opposed to alluring thin eff
fects of Oonstan; Druzes, who are
Moslems but have secret religion
and their women wear white wells and
expose one eye; Jews, the original
brand, fresh from Palestine; French,
mainly poilus and some few fossy
DANES as this is French occupation.
some few stray English left ever from
their occupation; and lastly the
Americans, unpopular in some parts
but much priced for their souvenir.
hunting propensi,ies. AS one ambles
along the streets, some of them mere
cow-paths, one may catch glimpse
into picturesque courtyards, conceal
ed behind high walls surmounted with
"a sharp fringe of broken glass fer
trimming which should be very cffec
tive for its intended purpose as !
should think it would be very destruc
tive to a thieves wardrobe.
Public utilities are almost nil.
Dorothy and | decided when we had
our first day off we would take a rde
on the tram. There is a line which
runs along the main street OF the city
and they say that after waiting an
hour or so, you finally decide TO walk
and then you arrive at your destina
Ition a half hour before the tram
lovertakes you. There are only three
cars in use and they belong to the
Banana Line" that is they ocme
in lunches. So it takes a day off 10
enjoy them but il Is worth the time
just TO try and make change in Egyp-
tain money After Russian roubleB. d
thot that nothing inpthe money line
could phaze me, but the Bolos were
! kind eTtough to issue paper and one
could carry i. around in "a waste-PapeD
! basketrbut ihere theyi have ten
lcoins tranging from 10 3 inches in
diameter brass to make a cents
worth and SO you throw them at the
(! beggars 10 save your Uniform pockets
from bursting In pure desperation,
4 And speaking Of beggars, have never
seen more beggarly ones ana we've
seen many! They are entirely pro
fessional ones for all the really needy
have been put in the Near East Relief
IorphaHages and their psychology would
stimulate even Prof. James. Opposite
our hotel IS one Of their favcrite
haunts Every morning whole
bevy Of dark brown children appears
most Of them wrapped round with ;
small sized piece of sack cloth, whiel
they Immediately abandon in pursuit.
of their profession. Each one pick
out a spot by the curb, heaps up
mound CT dirt for a pillow and pro
ceeds to lie down in the sun for tn
days work. Then whenever any
body likely passes, they start up sucl
pitiful vail that makes the SILVER
play scale up and down your spin
which only heart Of stone could re
sist. But my beating apparatus /
solid granite for if once you gave It
one your footsteps would be dogge,
forever after, Then they try yarie
ty Of subterfuges to incite pity iron
the passerby and individually admir-
alton from their fellow-beggars. II
resume on public utilities, electro
lights are to be found only wher,
;hece are private plants and a few
establishments have telephones bu
they are useless because of the impos
sible service, As everywhere, the,
shrug their shoulders and say "Ces
la guerre" and here la guerre saem
to be continual process.
The first day we arrived, we rod,
up through the main streets, and wer,
greeted on every hand by massive
ruins. We allowed our fancy to dwell
on the terrors of bombardment o
at least an earthquake, so imagin,
cur feelings when We found seyera
days later that il simply was the Ger
man idea Of building nice wide street
they blow up everything that wa
in the way Of carrying out their sty