The Survey, Volume 30, Number 4, Apr 26, 1913Various
History
The Survey, Volume 30, Number 4, Apr 26, 1913
Various
Charities -- Periodicals; Social problems -- Periodicals; United States -- Social conditions -- Periodicals
The book does not warn girls against men’s companionship; it does not
describe the horrors of venereal diseases; it does not frighten them
into a fear of all mankind by giving the details of prostitution. It
does not prophesy changes which take place during the adolescent period,
so that attention will be concentrated on a whole new set of feelings
which may or may not appear. On the contrary, it is all positive and
sane, and is by far the best book we have for educational work with
girls.
MARION E. DODD.
EVE’S OTHER CHILDREN
By LUCILLE BALDWIN VAN SLYKE. Fred’k A. Stokes. 275 pp. Price $1.00;
by mail of THE SURVEY $1.10.
Mrs. Van Slyke has chosen as her special field of interest the Syrian
quarter of Brooklyn, and the result of her observations she has given us
in a short dozen of stories, grouped under the title, Eve’s Other
Children. With considerable skill and great charm, through the medium of
little Nazileh, she permits us to see into the mind of the Oriental
“within our gates.” Each tale illustrates some Syrian custom or legend
or characteristic, picturesquely trying to maintain itself in this
matter-of-fact “land of Brooklyn.”
Those looking for diversion will find it in these tales; those looking
for something deeper will find that also. While the association of the
Oriental with other immigrants is rather casually treated, the relation
between the Syrian population and the Americans with whom they come in
contact has been a matter of careful observation and thought on the part
of the writer. Between the lines, one feels her protest against the
current attitude toward this peculiarly sensitive alien. Teacher and
social worker, as well as the Tommy O’Brien’s and Geraldine Schmidt’s of
the neighborhood, constantly offend the little Syrians by referring to
them as “dagos.” Throughout these stories, like a plaintive refrain,
runs the explanation of little Nazileh: “Oxcuse—me, I ees not a dago—I
Syreean!”
To deal rightly with these children it is not enough to study only the
outward type. Not to blunder one must know the unique workings of their
minds, their superstitions, their strong racial traits. To illustrate:
Baby Antar has a new tooth, to Nazileh a most important event. A certain
native dish must be prepared to do the occasion justice. But she is so
poor and her mother works so hard! Suddenly Nazileh remembers that
“Teacher” has admired her Mashallah beads; she will give fifty cents for
them. Without them, the child is defenseless before the “evil eye,” but
a Syrian custom is at stake; she must not falter. The teacher buys them
gaily, without suspicion that she has taken from the frightened child
her most valued and valuable possession.
Nor is the philanthropist always understanding:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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