The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-11-05
PROBLEMS OF THE NEAR
EAST

I
force looms on the Eastern horizon, =
states DR.. Albertus Perry. of Wash
ington College. who has just return
ed from the Near East. England
is teaching Arabia how to win with
out resorting to the sword. France
has approximately $4,000 soldiers
in Syria and unconsciously is teach
ing the native Arabs how the sword
wins. The Druse rebellion is be-
coming an Arab rebellion, which
fear is really more dangerous and
more formidable every day. In all
the countries of the Near East the
Arab outnumbers all other nation
alties but he has never known the
meaning of nationalism.
'Now he sees a goal, a flag: for the
Arab. Turkey has become imbued
with an intense spirit of nationalism
and her motto is. Turkey for the
Turks Egypt has the same spirit.
Another common problem in the
Near East is the religious question.
Religious convictions are more pro-
nounced here than in the United
States and although much intoler-
ance prevails yet Islam is. modifying
it's views and undermining its teach
ings. And it has innumerable
virtues, especially in its new inter-
probation. American tourists, for
instance, have every courtesy ex-
tended to them in all the mosques. .
According to the Shore college
savant and traveller there have been
few tourists in Damascus this sea-
son and when he appeared on the
scene, with his party of students, he
was scrutinized severely. While the
party was going through the large
mosque in the oldest city in the
world children fiocked around them
and regarded them as more or less OF
a curiosity. One of the caretakers
became their bodyguard and did all
he could to contribute to their com
fort while they inspected the largest
mosque in the worlds
In addition to military and relig-
ious questions entering into the re-
Mobilization of the Near East the
monetary question is also important.
The present system will have to be
materially revised as the country
develops. A piastre in. Egypt is
worth cents; in Syria, one-half
cent, and in Turkey, one cent. An
Egyptian pound is worth IS; a
Turkish pound, 81. The medium OF
exchange in Palestine is Egyptian
currency. The Standard Oil Com
pany, at Beirut, will sell only on a
gold basis while the retailer must
dispose of his product on the basis
of the current coinage. This causes
no end Of confusion.
"In Greece another complication
arises and rather amusing one,'
continues DR.. Perry, when the
government puts on bond sale in
order to market some paper money.
Invariably many Of the bonds are
not sold but the government prints
the money and then actually cuts
each price according to sale. In
other words the government offers
for sale 100000 drachmas. A
drachma is now worth about one
and one-half cent. OF these $4,000
are sold. Therefore the paper is
made the dollar size and then off
from each drachma piece they cut
one-fourth. It is no wonder the
natives talk so much in their bust
ness transactions. Meanwhile the
American dollar has a hearty well
come everywhere.
''In the face of these facts and
others quite as vital, the, real need
is for leadership. A great man is
the product of emergency. Is
Renal Pasha the man of the hour
for Turkey ? It looks that way,
although many of his own subjects;
if they dared to speak the truth,
would answer in the negative. Life
is so cheap in the Near East that
silence may mean longer life. AS
for Egypt, many wonder il King
Oaou 10 tAC 4ndA VI LA0 l..
Some look upon him as only figure
head and yet, thus far, he has
rendered good account of his
conduct.
Some countries fare better with a
monarch, and Egypt is one of them
Here is the real cause of failure in
Greece. She has confidence in no
one, not even in herself. The Arab
countries, Syria, Palestine, Tran
jordania and Irak, have not found
their great man. Personally l would
like to see King Faical OF Irak,
measure up to it. His brother, King
Abdullah of Transjordania, has a
stronger determination but he has
not had the contacts with the out
tide world as has Faical.
80 here are the problems facing
The Near East, war, religion, money,
lationalism and the need OF leader
ship with no thought of self-seeking.
The door is opening. a new day is