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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



He was clad in a shirt and trousers of 

 foreign make, supported by a broad pat- 

 ent-leather belt. However, he wore na- 

 tive slippers and head-gear and he swung 

 a heavy club in his hand. He looked at 

 us and the grapes inquiringly, but was 

 soon reassured, and addressing us in 

 Arabic, asked what we were doing here 

 and where we were from. 



We were also inquisitive to learn 

 something of his history, and took him 

 to be one of the many natives who had 

 been seeking their fortune abroad. So 

 in reply to his query we said, "From 

 the United States." 



This hit the nail on the head ; his face 

 beamed as he began in broken English, 

 "You all from United States? I Amer- 

 ican. I real citizen. I just come back 

 for small time. I watch all those vine- 

 yards. All those grapes mine. You go 

 up to spring, rest little ; me bring plenty 

 grapes, countrymen. You from Amer- 

 ica. Dat's my country. This country 

 no good. America good country." 



As we ascended we were continually 

 passing beautifully located villages, most 

 of the houses being of a modern type, 

 large and with bright red imported tiled 

 roofs, while a few were of old style, with 

 low, flat roofs, consisting generally of 

 two or three rooms built in a row, with 

 a porch of pointed arches running the 

 full length and surrounded by gardens 

 of mulberry trees, with the leaves of 

 which they feed the silk-worms. 



It was evident that here was a portion 

 of the Lebanon from which the emigra- 

 tion had not only been large, but also 

 successful. It showed also how the 

 money gathered in America was brought 

 back here to' be enjoyed. The glowing 

 accounts of business success brought 

 back from America enkindle in the 

 young people of this region the ambition 

 to repeat the experiences of their elders. 



To those who have seen the miserable 

 surroundings of these Syrians in their 

 colonies in, say, Chicago, where they 

 are huddled together in crowded rooms 

 in dilapidated houses, gathering their 

 money by peddling for large profits and 

 spending very little, their glowing stories 

 of their success and importance when 

 there does not greatly appeal. 



However, the natives look up to them 

 as merchant princes, and their small for- 

 tunes avail here for much display. These 

 "American villages" in the Lebanon, as 

 they are sometimes called, are almost be- 

 witching when viewed from a distance, 

 but a nearer inspection brings disillusion. 

 While the houses are comparatively 

 clean, the streets are dirty and disor- 

 derly. 



some; "American" GE;NTiv]iME;N 



From Ain Sindiani the mountain slopes 

 grew very steep and the carriage road 

 winds up in short turns, so that short 

 cuts are resorted to by pedestrians and 

 animals. In crossing one of these we 

 came upon a number of donkeys heavily 

 laden with grapes. Their drivers were 

 dressed in the ordinary costume of the 

 Lebanon working class, and on their 

 shoulders each carried a hard-wood pole 

 about 8 feet long and i^^^ inches thick, 

 and which served the double purpose of 

 urging on their patient beasts and of 

 defense. 



We saluted them in Arabic and found 

 they were going over the pass above us 

 to sell their grapes at Aineita. These in 

 turn found out we were Americans, and 

 one began, "I been all over America. I 

 been to Michigan, Buffalo, and Detroit. 

 That mighty good country. Where you 

 from?" In reply, pointing to Mr. Bald- 

 win, we said, "That gentleman comes 

 from Philadelphia." "Oh !" he broke in, 

 "you see those gentlemen," pointing to 

 his fellow donkey drivers, clad in a sort 

 of bloomer-like trousers reaching to 

 about the knees, made of heavy blue cot- 

 ton cloth, with tight-fitting vests, with 

 long sleeves of the same material, over 

 which they wore native coats of bright 

 colors, "they come from Philadelphia. 

 This country no good. Here walk every- 

 where. In America ride train, go every- 

 where. Donkey no good. I go back to 

 America bye and bye. I got some prop- 

 erties here, for that I come back." 



We outstepped the heavily laden asses 

 and were soon out of speaking distance. 

 We had now attained a considerable 

 height when we noticed a number of 

 fossils, one mass being as large as a 

 half-bushel basket and composed of fos- 



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