El Arîsh, the ancient Rhinocolura, the chief town of the Sinai Peninsula, possesses some eight thousand inhabitants. The "River of Egypt," so called, is conspicuous by its absence, except in the rainy season, when a large portion of the water from the peninsula courses through its bed to the sea. The river-bed is very wide, and many hundreds of poplar trees are scattered over it, with numerous wells for irrigation.
The most striking building is the Government Fort. It is some five hundred years old, and bears evidence of attacks made by invaders.
Owing to the barrenness of the land the people are exempted from all taxation. Some five thousand camels are owned by these Sawârikeh Beduins, and these "ships of the desert" do much of the carrying trade between Egypt and Syria, and in Egypt itself during the cotton season.
The people are exclusively Muslims, with the exception of two Coptic officials. The town is beautifully clean.
There is here a magnificent field for missionary enterprise. No mission work of any kind had ever been attempted in the town until Dr. Sterling opened a boys' school in 1906.
The people are friendly, and come to the hospital at Gaza in goodly numbers.
In 1908 Dr. Sterling was able to purchase a beautiful site of four and a half acres. A native master from Gaza, M. Nasri, and pupil teacher, are now at work in a school attended by sixty or seventy scholars. This school is dependent upon voluntary help, and Mr. W. Watson and Dr. Sterling are responsible for its maintenance.
Not only is Holy Scripture taught, but the master has many opportunities of bearing witness to the truths of Christianity.
This station ought to be properly supported, and can be more easily worked from Gaza than from Egypt.
Dr. Sterling has the plans for building schools for boys and girls, a teachers' house, a house for dispensary attached for two English ladies, preferably one an educationalist and the other a nurse. At present there is only money in hand for the proposed girls' school.