The consulates are retreats of great comfort in Asiatic Turkey. The complaints that are so often heard against such service in other countries are changed to praise in Syria. One may expect intelligence and consideration on the part of the official of one’s own race and tongue, but one should not make unreasonable demands upon even a countryman. The United States of America and Great Britain are nobly represented by men who understand both the Western and Eastern points of view.

One traveling in the country and getting at all familiar with the people will be sought pretty surely by persons who wish to be helped to emigrate to America or some other Western country. The first impulse will be the generous one to assist such in their ambitions. But on second thought one will often reflect that it would be a doubtful kindness. The Syrian peasant, especially the Christian, who is most apt to wish to go, is surrounded by family interests and a respect that he could seldom, if ever, enjoy anywhere else. If he emigrates he usually goes alone and has chiefly in mind the earning of money. While in America he acquires little culture, being a sort of exile here, endeavoring to make and save money to take him back to live comfortably where he was born, or immersing himself for life in one of the foreign colonies of our great cities. A visit to the Syrian colonies in the American cities will convince many that the Syrian there is less attractive than in his proper and unique setting in the Holy Land. That land is to be redeemed by the vigor of its own people, not by their absence. One will notice that many of the would-be emigrants are of the best stock of Syria, very often skilful, wide-awake people, who are very valuable at home in the development of the country and among their families, but are of negligible quality and importance in another country, where foreigners are at a discount. I have in mind a strong, capable young man whose desire for emigration to America has been very earnest. He gave up a good position and made ready to start, but his wife interposed firmly. She said that she had been widowed once, having lost her first husband. According to the custom of the country, when she married again her children by the first husband had to be separated from her. She objected to losing her second husband and being left with his children, helpless to provide for them except by giving them up. So she said that if her husband would take their children along with him she would submit, but she objected to his going off on a venture of so uncertain issue and leaving his family in such a precarious condition. She prevailed, and the man remained, being fortunate enough to secure his old position. He is a respected, capable young man of large and fond family connections. His wife is industrious and skilful, his children young, healthy and favored. He has the advantage of being a somebody in his village and tribe and of setting an excellent example. Anywhere else he would be cut off from all his advantages and introduced to an appalling list of disadvantages and limitations. He would be homesick, for he loves his family. Money alone would explain his absence from them, and that would not be a sufficient cause for the unnatural condition which would be brought about. It is these good people whom their country cannot spare and whom no Western country especially needs who are most apt to have the emigration fever. Those who do not come up to this high standard are of questionable value anywhere.

APPENDIX

THE CALENDAR

In 1904, January 1, according to our Gregorian calendar, came on Friday. The Julian calendar, the one used by the Greek Orthodox Church, made this same day the nineteenth of December. According to the Moslem calendar it was the thirteenth day of the month Shawwâl, and by the Hebrew calendar, as it is read in Arabic by the Jews in Palestine, it was the thirteenth day of the month Ṭebet. For the year 1904 the correspondences of the four calendars were as given on the next page.

The following list shows the names of the months, as used by the native Arabic-speaking Christians (first column), by the Moslems (second column), and by the Jews (third column):

Kânûn ith-thânyShawwâlṬebet
ShibâṭDhû il-ḳa‛datShabâṭ
ÂdhârDhû il-ḥajjatÂdâr
NîsânMuḥarramNîsân
ÂyyârṢafarÂyyâr
ḤazîrânRabî‛a il-âwwalSîwân
TammûzRabî‛a il-âkhirTammûz
ÂbJumâdâ il-ûlâÂb
AylûlJumâdâ il-âkhiratAylûl
Tishrîn il-âwwalRajabTishry
Tishrîn ith-thânySha‛bânḤishwân
Kânûn il-âwwalRamaḍânKislû

The Oriental churches use the Julian calendar, while Protestants and Roman Catholics use the Gregorian. The Moslem year is a lunar year. Thus it can be understood readily that the variety of designations for any given day is considerable. Moreover, the Copts and the Armenians have methods peculiar to themselves.

GregorianJulian
January1Kânûn ith-thâny1Kânûn il-âwwal19
14 14Kânûn ith-thâny1
18 18 5
February1Shibâṭ1 19
14 14Shibâṭ1
17 17 4
March1Âdhâr1 17
14 14Âdhâr1
17 17 4
18 18 5
April1Nîsân1 19
14 14Nîsân1
16 16 3
17 17 4
May1Âyyâr1 18
14 14Âyyâr1
15 15 2
16 16 3
June1Ḥazîrân1 19
14 14Ḥazîrân1
15 15 2
July1Tammûs1 18
13 13 30
14 14Tammûs1
August1Âb1 19
12 12 30
13 13 31
14 14Âb1
September1Aylûl1 19
10 10 28
11 11 29
14 14Aylûl1
October1Tishrîn il-âwwal1 18
10 10 27
11 11 28
14 14Tishrîn il-âwwal1
November1Tishrîn ith-thâny1 19
9 9 27
14 14Tishrîn ith-thâny1
December1Kânûn il-âwwal1 18
9 9 26
14 14Kânûn il-âwwal1
MoslemHebrew
January1Shawwâl13Ṭebet13
14 26 26
18Dhû il-ḳa‛dat1Shabâṭ1
February1 15 15
14 28 28
17Dhû il-ḥajjat1Âdâr1
March1 14 14
14 27 27
17 30Nîsân1
18Muḥarram1 2
April1 15 16
14 28 29
16 30Âyyâr1
17Ṣafar1 2
May1 15 16
14 28 29
15 29Sîwân1
16Rabî‛a il-âwwal1 2
June1 17 18
14 30Tammûs1
15Rabî‛a il-âkhir1 2
July1 17 18
13 29Âb1
14Jumâdâ il-ûlâ1 2
August1 19 20
12 30Aylûl1
13Jumâdâ il-âkhirat1 2
14 2 3
September1 20 21
10 29Tishry1
11Rajab1 2
14 4 5
October1 21 22
10 30Ḥishwân1
11Sha‛bân1 2
14 4 5
November1 22 23
9Ramaḍân1Kislû1
14 6 6
December1 23 23
9Shawwâl1Ṭebet1
14 6 6