Letter from Dora Giffen to friends in Egypt

Lebanon Boys’ School,
American Mission,
Suk el Gharb, Syria

Dear Girls:
The Robin was most welcome when it came last week. I enjoyed hearing from you all after the long wait, and I do hope you are all enjoying your summer vacation as much as I am mine. If you ever have a chance to take a trip through Palestine and Syria, take it, for it surely is worthwhile and most interesting.

Our bunch of seven (the only one of which you know is Ida Wiegman) left Sidi Bishr, Egypt, the sixteenth of July and made straight for Jerusalem by the land route. We spent two weeks in Jerusalem with headquarters at the Y.W.C.A., scouting around the country and taking the longer motor trips to the Dead Sea, Jericho, Hebron, etc., as the notion took us.

Jerusalem is an interesting city. Part of the time we took a guide to show us around but what we most enjoyed was our ferreting out things for ourselves. The Catholic churches, monasteries, and convents, erected over all the supposed holy places, were sickening. It was a relief to get out of the city to some nearby hill and feast on the views. Especially did we enjoy the view from the Mount of Olives by moonlight.

The seven of us left Jerusalem early one Tuesday morning into automobiles. These drivers over here do drive like Jehu around the most impossible curves and up the steepest of hills, until one's heart fairly stands still. Some of our number, who had taken the supposedly dangerous drives in the Rockies, say that these drives in Palestine and Syria beat any they have ever seen. Driving up into northern Palestine we spent one night in German hotel at Nazareth, the next day drove over to Tiberias on the sea of Galilee, and from Semakh on the southern end of the Sea took the train for Damascus. To me Damascus is a most fascinating city. Egypt is fast becoming Europeanized but if you want to get into a real Arabian Nights center, make your way to Damascus. I cannot describe the thrills of the trip. Again we took an auto trip to Baalbels, the magnificent ruins of an ancient temple to Baal, and landed at Suk el Gharb late in the afternoon. For almost two weeks now we have been reveling in the rest and quiet of the Lebanon Mountains. This Lebanon Boys’ School is under the direction of the Presbyterian Church of America. During the summer-time this school is fitted out as a summer hotel for missionary workers. Mr. and Mrs. Scherer, who have it in charge, do their best to make us comfortable. The good “American” food, the soda fountain, the tennis courts, and the lovely mountain walks are renewing our youth and making us feel young and giddy again.

In the mornings we gather in the big central living room, where I am now trying to write and I am not making much headway. Mr. Laurence McGuffin, a young poet from Massachusetts, breezes in and gives his theological views, someone puts a record on the victrola, someone else tickles the ivories of the piano while another one goes to the organ; Then Miss Olney passes the chocolates. It is a great life, which comes to an end for me next Saturday when four of us leave Beirut by boat for Alexandria. There are several other Americans here besides those of our bunch, which has swelled to nine, but I will be glad to get back to Ada Margaret and Egypt. You can believe all you hear about Margaret for she is a dear. I hope to see Elizabeth and Walker Gordon in Egypt next week. Sorry to hear of Harding's death. We attended the memorial services for Harding held in Beirut last Friday. Goodbye and love to each one from Dora G.