hem with the half-warm embers of their racial greed to become
hereditary spoilers of the weak, instinctively shunning a doubtful
fight. In guerilla warfare, leavened by British officers, they have
shown an aptitude for taking advantage of a situation, but they cannot
stand punishment and will not face the prospect of it if they can help
it. Their own leaders knew that well enough when they refrained from
taking Medina by assault, bombardment being out of the question, as
buildings of the utmost sanctity would have been inevitably damaged or
destroyed.

Prince Feisal has, in a published interview with a representative of the
Press, disclaimed all imperialistic ambitions for the Hejaz, but merely
demanded Arab independence in what was once the Ottoman Empire. That
being assured, the new kingdom will be able to devote its energies to
internal affairs, and the excellent impression made by the Hejazi prince
in Europe should be a favourable augury of the future.

The missionary question should be left to the reigning house for
decision; it is not fair to hamper the Hejaz with unnecessary
complications, and to allow active missionary propaganda at a
pilgrim-port like Jeddah is asking for trouble, apart from the flagrant
violation of religious sentiment. Imagine Catholic feeling if an
enterprising Moslem mission were established at Lourdes. Tact and
expediency are just as necessary in religious as in secular affairs--at
least so St. Paul has taught us; but the modern missionary is too apt to
regard these qualities in Christianity as insincerity and the lack of
them in Islam as fanaticism.

South of the Hejaz lies that rather vague area known as Asir. For
geographical purposes we may consider it as the country between two
parallels of latitude drawn through the coastal towns of Lith and
Loheia, with the Red Sea on the west and an ill-defined inland border
merging eastward into the desert plateau of Southern Nejd. Politically,
it is that territory of Western Arabia between the Hejaz and Yamen in
which the Idrisi has more control than anyone since his successful
revolt against the Turks a year or two before the War. In all
probability its northern districts with Lith will go to the Hejaz, and
the southern ones with Loheia to the Idrisi; but Western diplomacy will
be well advised to leave those two rulers to settle it between
themselves and the local population, especially inland, as tribal
boundaries between semi-nomadic and pa